| April 06, 2007 | Friday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 17, 1428 |
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In desperate search of democracy
Chitral: calamity-hit area
Release of British sailors
A case deserving suo motu notice
World Cup debacle
Assault on CJP
PTCL nuisance
Polythene bags
Flawed policies
Army man
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
YOUR front-page article ‘The creeping coup’ ( March 31) is a chilling wake-up call to all who have a stake in Pakistan’s existence as a modern, progressive democratic polity. The writer, Zaffar Abbas, in his timely and momentous reminder has presented the gradual slide that is figuring in apparently unrelated events.
Clearly what is under way is a systematic campaign to weaken civil society, challenge state authority and round up support of all fascist elements to pave the way for the establishment of the rule of bigotry and obscurantism in this truncated limb of Jinnah’s Pakistan.
The emergence of the veiled vigilantes in Islamabad may not be the odd thing it is being so smugly dismissed as. The ‘Mulla Omars’ of Lal Masjid could just be someone’s probes to test the ground for launching a bigger exercise for which times and trends of present events may just look ripe.
Given the supine nature of the silent majority, the general disgust and despair of the masses together with their helplessness in having any control over national affairs, there is all the likelihood for an adventure of the kind to materialise.
One fine morning we may find ourselves being told that the days of Khilafat have returned. This may provide the euphoric respite the adventurists would need to strengthen their hold on power. If somebody thinks that the course of such an eventuality could ever be reversed once it takes place, he or she is living in a fool’s paradise.
Their claim to power would be their divine mission to establish the kingdom of Allah on earth and their first term in office would be as long as that job may take, period.
The coup that may seem to be creeping on us has the potential of making a sudden appearance. Till that moment comes to pass, we may regale ourselves with the lighter side of the Lal Masjid episode: the mullas have brought out women to fight their battle for them giving them the leadership role they have been so adamant in denying them all along.
MUSHIR ANWAR
Santa Monica, USA
YOUR editorial ‘In desperate search of democracy’ (March 27)deserves full credit for timely highlighting the real wishes of the people of Pakistan, harassed by frequent military interventions, including Oct 12, 1999’s, now trying to achieve decade-long record, through the questionable dying assembly, `forcing judiciary to support its actions’, adhering to its earlier forced oath on the PCO, resulting in clash with the legal community, inviting public and media support.
It is always prudent for such powers to yield to the general public feelings, instead of continuing their rule through force, placed as ‘trust’ under them for guarding its borders, till destiny overtakes, as happened with Ayub, Yahya, Bhutto and Zia.
Your editorial has very rightly claimed that “the nation is anxiously waiting for return to democracy, whatever its faults, as even the present set-up is not totally immune to these.”
As a senior citizen, who has seen the birth pangs of Pakistan, its deterioration and dismemberment, one deeply feels that efforts are urgently needed to rectify such faults, which have not permitted democracy to succeed.
The first stumbling block in the way of real democracy is feudalism, which does not permit 70 per cent people to freely exercise their right to vote. This can be rectified by giving `permanent tenancy rights’ to the tillers through an executive order.
The second aspect is high cost of elections. This can be rectified through a “cost-free proportionate election system”, strictly sticking to the “definition of democracy” offering “government of all the people” and not a small percentage of the people, who get 100 per cent powers, to misrule.
This can offer all contesting parties to submit their manifesto in detail and lists of their nominated candidates in order of merit, with their profile to the election commission, to be published at the cost of the subscribers. Similar publication of public comments and replies.
The voters cast votes for the parties, whose candidates get elected in order of merit according to the percentage of party votes gained. All parties proportionately sharing cabinet posts.
These measures require only changes in election rules, and deserve immediate consideration by all parties to ensure cost-free, clean and lasting democracy, envisioned by founding fathers through the Objectives Resolution.
S.M.H. RIZVI
Karachi
HUNDREDS of thousands of people in Chitral are at the mercy of extremely bad weather. Snowstorms and the resulting avalanches killed hundreds of people and more than 200 houses have been destroyed and the entire communication system is blocked. There is no supply of food and there are some villages to the extreme north of Chitral bordering Afghanistan where nobody knows what could have happened by now.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that the government has totally failed to help the local people at this hour of trial. According to the local Chitralis and some NGO staff, no road is viable enough to carry out relief activities. So naturally air support is the only way to supply food and rush the wounded to safer places. Those who are present in the disaster-hit area say that only three helicopters are taking part in relief activities. One belongs to a local NGO and the other two belong to the Pakistan army. What is even more pathetic is that the two army choppers have been out of fuel for the last few days.
When the media raised the issue of lack of fuel for the chopper, the ministry for home and tribal affairs in the NWFP termed it the “misleading news item that appeared in a section of the press regarding shortage of aviation fuel in Chitral”.
As past experience has shown us, whatever the authorities are clarifying carries a substantial amount of truth in it. So I request the government and the people of Pakistan to help the people of Chitral as they are looking to us in this time of need.
JOURNALIST
Peshawar
THE reaction to the detention of 15 British Navy sailors by Iran has exposed new levels of hypocrisy within the “international community”.
First, it is ironic that there is so much hue and cry over the detention of the sailors who illegally entered Iranian waters, but there is no protest at this level against the detention of innocent people held without charge by the US for years.
The story of the British sailors ran in the media parallel to the story of the Briton Bisha Al-Rawi who is being released from Guantanamo Bay after serving five years at the offshore US concentration camp without trial and without proof of any guilt on his part.
Furthermore, it is strange indeed that the “international community” condemned Iran for airing footage of British sailor Faye Turney reading the letter in which she apologised to the Iranian people for trespassing.
The British government has expressed concern over “signs of coercion” in this regard. Such is the reaction now, whereas only a few days ago the Pentagon released the alleged confession statement of Khaled Shaikh Mohammad, the supposed mastermind of 9/11, which was in all probability extracted under severe torture. No concerns there over “signs of coercion”.
The entire trial of Mr Mohammad was a farce and a mockery of justice. The proceedings were held secretively, without any neutral representatives – without, in fact, any proof that anything remotely resembling a trial even took place.
The statements were admittedly edited by the Pentagon before being released to the public and the whole world was expected to accept this as a real confession.
Now the same people who brought us that farcical trial and confession are leading a debate on whether or not to believe that what a calm, composed and visibly unhurt Faye Turney is saying are her own words.
We, the citizens of the world, should be ashamed of putting up with this hypocrisy.
ZAIN MANKANI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the report, ‘Brace for discomfort for comfort’ by Mohammad Asghar and Inamullah Khattak (Dawn, March 26).
It has become a normal practice with the police, especially those of Punjab, to impound public vehicles to carry people to the public rallies organised by the leaders of this country.
The media has been reporting this for the last so many years but the situation instead of improving has become worse with time.
The police routinely claim that vehicles are not impounded but are hired on payment on the orders from higher authorities but owners of vehicles have another story to tell.
In any event it is perception of the general public about this matter that is of importance. The public believes that the large numbers of people gathered at the rallies addressed by the government leaders are brought there on public vehicles impounded by the police and other authorities. If at all, only a very tiny fraction of people come to these rallies on their own.
Over period, the authorities have become more and more brazen-faced in their methods to ensure large attendance at public rallies addressed by government leaders.
To prove this point, let me draw attention to the current news reports in the print media that teachers of the Punjab education department were officially advised to attend the rally organised in Rawalpindi on March 27.
Given this widely-held perception about forced attendance of people at these rallies, one wonders what is the use of undertaking this activity.
It is very surprising that the higher judicial authorities have not yet taken any suo motu notice of this bad practice.
As an affected citizen, for I have suffered in commuting to my place of work on account of a large number of vehicles having been taken off the roads, I wish that the present acting chief justice would take suo motu notice of the above-mentioned deplorable practice.
A large number of other citizens who use public vehicles and have borne the brunt of these wrongful acts of government authorities over time also have the same wish.
AFFECTED CITIZEN
Islamabad
THERE is a famous quote which goes like this: “A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience”. This stands true for individuals as well as for nations. The recent humiliating exit of Pakistan from the current World Cup is no different. But one wonders what the PCB is doing in order to reinstall lost faith in the game.
The current political crisis in Pakistan is no different. When inquired about the Samjhota Express tragedy and his decision to tender his resignation, the railways minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, was heard saying: “I was not the driver of the train, why should I resign then?” Similar was the attitude of the information minister, Mr Durrani, who did not resign after policemen in Islamabad stormed into the office building of a private television channel.
The PCB chairman, Naseem Ashraf, seems to be playing the same cards. I was very surprised when he said: “I am resigning from the chairmanship of the PCB, however, if the president of Pakistan will ask me to continue my services, I will rejoin the office”.
I really wonder why these officials do not feel even the slightest of guilt or remorse for their mistakes and failures. It is not the matter of just one failure: blunders are being committed in all matters of state. Will we ever learn from our mistakes?
TARIQ AHMAD
Jhelum
I FAIL to understand the emotional outburst of people and experts over the dismal performance of our cricket team. While lamentations over the weaknesses of our cricket structure are understandable, we must not let our emotions overcome the reasons to understand the format for the World Cup 2007 tournament.
After all, it is not the first time that Pakistan has lost to a minnow and we are certainly not the first country to have lost a match like this (credit must be given to Ireland). We must compare the cricket World Cup with the football World Cup in which many world-class teams often face exit in the first round.
In the current cricket tournament Pakistan lost to West Indies just like it has lost many such matches under all of its captains in the recent years.
Similarly, we remained true to our reputation of being unpredictable of which we have always been proud. There is always a price of being unpredictable and for unpredictable victories there are similar, albeit disappointing, defeats.
My point is if rainfall and the victory of X over Y led us to the semi-finals of the 1992 World Cup, then we must not be angry with the bad luck that resulted in a tie between Zimbabwe and Ireland and our defeat at the hands of Ireland.
Fate did not allow us a chance to improve our average to make it to the super eight.
All such performances have occurred in the past and we have given miserable performances in the past as well (does anyone remember the match against England in 1992?). It is just that this time we were not lucky enough to hide our inherent weaknesses.
These include talent that is professionally and consistently displayed and lack of realisation that the time for having a reputation of unpredictability is over.
With the above in perspective, I request the pundits to focus on the root causes instead of our recent exit which is simply another eye-opener and has resulted because we have failed to learn from our past defeats.
AASIF INAM
Islamabad
ACCORDING to a report, the SHO of the Kohsar Police Station, Rukhsar Mehdi, told Justice Ijaz Afzal of the Peshawar High Court, who is investigating the manhandling of the Chief Justice of Pakistan and his wife on March 13, that some stranger in police uniform had done that (March 29).
He further claimed that he has spent many years in the capital police but had never seen the man before. He is probably insinuating that some security agency man or member of another LEA may have been responsible.
This is really ludicrous. On the one hand, the authorities had claimed that the CJP, who had wanted to walk to the Supreme Court instead of going in the official transport sent for the purpose, was not allowed to do so and was forcibly taken to Balochistan House for the sake of his own security.
But an obvious stranger, who was roughing up the respected couple, was wilfully ignored, instead of being stopped from doing so. He could easily have caused far greater harm to them, including murder, while the other security officials did nothing to stop him.
This shows the whole story is merely meant to absolve every official from any responsibility, thereby making a mockery of judicial inquiry into the affair. The only solution in such a case appears to be that all the senior officials present close to the aggrieved couple should be held responsible for dereliction of duty and punished under the appropriate laws.
A CITIZEN
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of PTCL high-ups to the poor state of affairs at the organisation. I got a PTCL landline connection (042-6858449) five years ago with constant noise in the line. Despite several dozen, if not hundreds, complaints with the relevant authorities (PTCL record will verify this), my phone problem has not been solved so far.
On April 4, 2007 I tried to register another complaint by calling 042-111202020 and 051-111202020. But I received a very cold response from the persons who attended the calls. They simply refused to entertain my complaint, advising me to contact the relevant exchange or office, where I had already faced disappointment. I would like to get my phone line disconnected instead of further assurances of problem solution.
AHMAD WALEED
Lahore
THE ban on polythene bags below 30 micron thickness is hurting textile mills which export their yarn. They put these bags on cones and hanks of cotton yarn and export their goods.
If they use bags above 30 micron thickness, they will have to pay three times more. They should, therefore, be allowed to use polythene bags below 30 micron thickness to compete in the world.
ANWARUL HAQUE
Karachi
THERE is much truth in what Amitabh Thakur has written from Lucknow (letter, April 3). The current situation in Waziristan is indeed an “example of the flawed internal policies most Asian countries are following which have led to internecine in-fightings, death and destruction”.
In the case of Waziristan, the picture remains confused since there is very little independent information about the antagonists or the reasons for the fighting. It may only be a coincidence, but it seems to flare up every time there is US pressure on Pakistan. If it is a purely intra-tribal affair, why is the Pakistan military suffering casualties?
According to an AFP report (April 2), Chechen, Uzbek and Arab ‘militants’ are involved in the clashes. How do we know about their nationalities since they dress the same as everyone else in the area?
There are no AFP or any other agency’s correspondents present at the scene to verify such claims. Why would these ‘foreign militants’ take up arms against Pakistan? How right is it to kill some one on speculation or suspicion and without establishing guilt, in a court of law, beforehand?
These are troubling questions indeed. Excesses committed in the name of the so-called ‘war on terrorism’ at the behest of outside powers will, almost certainly, have far-reaching implications.
It is time the human rights organisations and the media played their part in jolting public conscience.
PURVEEN KHAN
Mississauga, Canada
IT is not only PIA and Steel Mills that are a shambles, other industries have also been taken over by retired army men.
In construction industries they enter posing themselves as friends of higher-ups and assuring big earnings through them. When employed, they extract optimum benefits of high salaries etc while doing nothing for the organisation. Once on line with the organisation they threaten to blackmail it if circumstances go otherwise. It gets very hard to get rid of them.
RAEES AHMAD KHAN
Karachi
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