| April 10, 2007 | Tuesday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 21, 1428 |
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An overdose of religion?
Hardship at ministry
Rising anarchist force
Pelosi’s peace efforts
Customs revenue
Judicial imbroglio: way out
Pakistan Post
Anti-polio campaigns
Stick & carrot
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
ECONOMY managers of the country have failed to realise that there is a strong relationship between forex reserves and property prices. The forex reserves have been increasing steadily since this government came to power in October 1999. These reserves accelerated since Nov 9, 2001 and shot up to $13 billion at the end of financial year 2005-06.
Among others, one reason for the increase in forex reserves since Nov 9, 2001 was healthy property market of the country which attracted foreign exchange from overseas Pakistan workers. But unfortunately this trend was halted by the country’s economy managers by levying CVT on the property with effect from july 1, 2006. Since then, the property prices have been dwindling, causing huge losses to the investors.
The forex reserves have been hovering around $13 billion since July 1, 2006 although the government has been taking huge foreign loans. The future outlook of forex reserves does not look very encouraging in view of the huge external trade deficit. In these circumstances, the government should have encouraged the overseas Pakistani workers to invest in Pakistan rather than discourage them.
The CBR chairman, Mr Abdullah Yousuf, is on record as having said that two per cent CVT was levied on property to curb speculative buying in the real estate market and to bring down property prices.
When the country’s economy is growing at the rate of around seven per cent and overseas Pakistani workers are remitting more than five billion dollars annually — some of which are going into property market — then there is bound to be property price inflation. You have to keep some property price inflation in the market to attract further investment. Look at Dubai’s property market model.
Mr Abdullah Yousuf has certainly achieved his objective of bringing down property prices in Pakistan, but this objective is perhaps based on limited study of the country’s overall economic needs. I would prefer higher property market and increasing forex reserves rather than slowed property market and stagnant forex reserves, with weak future outlook.
Because once forex reserves start decreasing due to huge external trade deficit, it will have very serious implications for the country’s economy. The decrease in forex reserves trend will devalue our rupee, resulting in more inflation and putting more burden on the common man.
The hyper inflation might result in political disturbances in the country. I am sure the government realises the dangers of weak forex reserves outlook that is why it is so ambitious to get foreign exchange by privatising state-owned companies.
In view of the above, I suggest that the country’s economy managers should review their stand on the two per cent CVT levied on property in the budget 2006-07 and abolish it immediately.
They should create an enabling environment to attract investments in property market from overseas Pakistani workers rather than scaring them away. This is one of the best ways of getting foreign exchange and a win-win situation for both Pakistan and overseas Pakistani workers.
EJAZ AHMAD
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
THIS is with reference to a news item on the front page of your newspaper (April 7).
The observation by the cricket team’s media manager that the ‘overdose’ of religion caused the humiliating defeat in the ongoing World Cup is rather ridiculous.
Was it also an overdose of religion which caused the same debacle in a previous World Cup when our cricket team was eliminated in the preliminary rounds? What about hockey? Is it again a case of overdose of religion? What about the recent Asian Games in Doha in which the Pakistani squad didn’t win a single gold?
And what about other fields, for example, education? No Pakistani university is listed among the top 500 universities in the world.
Is that lack due to an overdose of religion? Please do some soul-searching and don’t blame the religion.
MUHAMMAD KAZIM
Islamabad
THE spokesman for the cricket board has attributed the recent performance of the cricket team to the religious inclinations of the players.
If the players failed to perform well in the cricket field because of this, then they should also be doing so in other walks of their lives as well. I feel there is much more to this than what the spokesman is trying to project. Let us not play the blame game. Let us go to the root of the issue and address it.
MOBEEN AFZAL
Lahore
FINALLY a person in authority has given the real reason behind the accelerated decline in the performance of the Pakistan cricket team.
The signs were there for all to see, starting from Saeed Anwar, who sincerely sought solace in religion to deal with the death of his daughter, to the present lot of cricketers and some coaches who seek power in the guise of religion.
The solution is simple: get rid of all such elements and select cricketers whose prime business is to play cricket and make religion their private affair.
MOHAMMED BALUCH
Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
THIS is with reference to Javed Naqvi’s column (March 19) in which he has argued that Pakistan’s humiliation in the World Cup will be marked as severe setback for radicals and will (hopefully) introduce the issue of religion in sports in public debate.
Recruiting athletes to spread faith is not a new phenomenon. American Evangelicals began using college sports as a recruiting and marketing channel in the late 1970s, a strategy that has transformed the ideological landscape in the US.
The Pakistani Jamaat-i-Islami has finally caught on this winning strategy. Anyone who wants to stop radicalisation should shift their focus from Waziristan to their local athletic institutions. Here’s why: Sports is the most efficient and effective channel to spread radicalism because athletes are the ideal candidates: working class, team-oriented individuals who thrive in a rules-based system.
Athletes are also the prime influencers for males in industrialised societies. In many ways, they are the modern knights. Convert them, and others will follow.
MUSTAFA JAFFERY
New York, USA
I RECENTLY had an opportunity to go on a three-month traineeship programme to Europe. My employers needed my bachelor’s degree attested by their country’s embassy here.
The embassy in turn needed an attestation from the ministry of foreign affairs, which would not endorse it until it was legalised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC).
The HEC’s office in Karachi does not offer attestation services. Therefore, the degree had to be sent though courier (with all pertinent documents) to Islamabad. It came back attested after 48 hours.
The ministry of foreign affairs has a camp office in Karachi, adjacent to the FTC, which provides consular services. I got my degree attested from there. Then at last I went to the embassy concerned in Islamabad and presented my degree to them for endorsement.
They declined to put their mark on it. Upon asking why, I was told that my degree was attested by the protocol officer of the ministry in Karachi.
All embassies have been advised to endorse only those documents that have been attested by the assigned assistant directors of the foreign affairs ministry (found in all their camp offices and the head office).
I had to go the ministry’s head office in Islamabad to get the degree attested again.
This means that most people from Karachi face the same predicament when they have business with various embassies.
Where is the assistant director assigned for Karachi? Why does he not attest the documents? Why does the protocol officer attest them?
Do they not know the procedure? The various ministries should make an effort to synergise the process and give the common man less to ramble about.
ALI HASSAN MEMON
Karachi
THIS is regarding the activities of Madressah Hafsa students. Now is a good time for President Musharraf to show his mantle and not be misguided by his insincere advisers.
So far they have converted him into a ball of jelly in one issue after another. However, this downtrend continues unabated and the problems are getting bigger and more dangerous for Pakistan.
In any civilised country its writ is supreme and people breaking the writ are not reasoned with or engaged in any type of negotiation rather they are stopped expeditiously.
It was comical to read Mr Sherpao’s statement that the students will not be punished but the shopkeepers will get security. I can now understand why most Pakistanis are sceptical and fatalistic.
If the president’s advisers are telling him that the involved students are few and they will go away after some empty threats and arm-twisting, then he needs to read the newspapers.
From here we see a major anarchist force rising that if not stopped by force will surely convert Pakistan into a Taliban state.
The president’s silence give impetus to these hooligans to regroup, strengthen and add more criminals to their cult.
If Gen Musharraf cannot do this as the president, then he must do it as the army chief. This is a war which Pakistan must win at all costs.
SANOBER Q. HAIDER
Princeton, USA
APROPOS of Dawn’s editorial ‘Pelosi’s peace efforts’ (April 6), I should like to say that Ms Pelosi’s shows it is a combined effort that has been made by all the elected US Democrats and their supporters. Seven years before when US Republican President George W. Bush took over the charge of the White House, the world was in peace.
But if we take an account of what the US Republicans have done in the Middle East, the entire scenario looks like nothing more than a sorry state. Lately I have subscribed to the website ‘Hillary for President’ and receive a number of emails from Hillary Clinton’s office from time to time.
In one of the last emails that Hillary Rodham Clinton has sent to her supporters, it says: “Thank you for your tremendous support over the past weeks. Saturday’s deadline marked the end of the first phase of the campaign, and you made sure it was an unqualified success.
Two months ago, I said I was in it to win it, and the conversations we’ve been having online and around the country have convinced me more than ever that I’ve made the right decision.
This country needs change, and it’s going to take experienced leadership to make that change happen. Together, we can accomplish great things.
We can end the war in Iraq. We can achieve universal health care coverage. We can commit to energy independence. We can restore America’s rightful place on the world stage.
Working together, we’ll get our country back on track. It’s going to be a long journey with a lot of hard work, but I can’t think of anything more important. So let’s get back to work. I need your help right now on an important issue.
Last week we passed historic legislation in the Senate that calls for a phased redeployment for our troops in Iraq while ensuring they have the support they need. It’s an important first step in ending the war in Iraq. But President Bush has threatened to veto the bill.
The American people have had enough of the president’s failed strategy in Iraq. Join me today. Tell President Bush to listen to the will of the people and withdraw his veto threat.”
The way matters were handled by Republican President George W. Bush in respect of the Middle East peace process was the worst examples of the world’s diplomacy. These horrible examples had changed the political will of the American voters.
The majority of the American voters went against the US Republican’s candidates in the last elections held in the US in order to bring Democrat’s into power.
At the beginning of the year 2008, I can foresee that there will be a big change in the US government policies towards the Middle East peace process when the first US woman candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, will possibly take the oath as the next US president.
I hope Hillary Clinton, with other US Democrats, will choose the policy of ‘live and let live’ rather than the policy of ‘hate against the Muslims’.
It is time to support peace initiatives taken by the US Democrats so that peace in the Middle East should be achieved through diplomatic means, rather than waging wars in the name of ‘war on terror’ against Muslim countries.
SYED A. MATEEN
Karachi
A NEWS item in your issue of March 25 highlighted the various reasons for loss of customs revenue during FY07: July–February because of introduction of CARe (Customs Administrative Reforms).
For a trader, the introduction of CARe under model customs collectorate is good for business, but to check malpractices (under-invoicing etc), the import figures, along with names of importers, exporters, quantity along with declared and assessed values, should be available to all who wish to obtain the information.
Prior to introduction of clearance under CARe, all import figures were available on the CBR website, and on yearly payment (per HS code) were available from Pakistan Revenue Automation (Pvt) Ltd (PRAL), a company owned by the CBR.
Since July 2005, PRAL has not been giving us import figures for items cleared under CARe and they have informed us that from July 2007 no import data will be available to us.
Why is the CBR keeping the import data under wraps?
It is requested that all imports under CARe or otherwise (PCT code, description of goods, origin, name of importer, consigner’s name, declared value, assessed value and quantity) should be available to all who are interested (on yearly payment) as before for the period July 2005 onwards.
This will provide an opportunity to all to compare the invoice value and international prices. Or, is the CBR afraid of opening the Pandora’s box?
A TRADER
Karachi
THE present crisis is petrifying in our judicial system due to suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan and, also, making him non-functional by the general-president is viewed with scepticism.
As reported in the press, the government is approaching the incumbent chief justice for talks on resolving this crisis. There are, one feels, options available without harming the dignity of the chief justice. First, if the general-president declares explicitly that he has no confidence in the CJ who, according to him, is biased, then the CJ may agree to go on long leave.
Second, the CJ may be reinstated and made functional but voluntarily refrains from sitting on the bench hearing any expected forthcoming petitions against the general-president which may relate to controversial issues like the army uniform and whether the present assemblies can elect the president for a five-year term when its own term expires this year.
The chief justice may, in the larger national interest, agree to let his brother judges adjudicate on these issues according to their conscience and within the precept of law. In case such a via media is not adopted, there are apprehensions that the country may plunge into a dark period which may entail declaring of emergency or even martial law.
And once again the doctrine of necessity may be invoked. It should be kept in mind that the general-president is not expected to surrender power voluntarily because of countrywide clamour. Therefore, let prudence prevail.
SAIFFUDIN E. CONTRACTOR
Karachi
TODAY the world is fast and efficient in delivering letters, parcels, periodicals and gifts to all destinations of the world and people prefer to avail themselves of facility of courier services, but I was surprised to receive a local letter from the post office just within 24 hours of its dispatch.
My salute to Pakistan Post for this change in the quick and accurate service of post offices. Recently when I was on the route of Club Road, I felt too happy to see the old Metropole post office, which is now rebuilt with glass and well furnished and maintained. How pretty it will be if all post offices are rebuilt and that will really make the Pakistan Post a ‘crystal post’.
The Cantonment post office should also be built up with glass and glass door.
I was also happy to see a new series of postage stamps called ‘Painters of Pakistan’, but I have not come across the postage stamp of artist Gul Jee.
Further, I would request the Pakistan Post to also start delivery of fresh flowers so that people can avail themselves of this opportunity and wish their dear ones on special occasions.
ALBERT SAMUEL
Karachi
LATELY the government’s intensive campaigns to inoculate children against polio have become controversial due to a virulent propaganda by local clerics in backward areas, including settled districts such as Chitral and Swat.
It is alleged that anti-polio vaccine contains some un-Islamic ingredient and that it is an American plot to sterilise Pakistan’s coming generations by forcibly inoculating children.
This propaganda, coupled with the growing anti-US sentiments, has deeply touched religious sensitivities of simple people, who now refuse to get their children inoculated against polio.
It was due to this misconception that recently a doctor, attached with the anti-polio campaign, was killed in Bajaur.
To neutralise this propaganda, a public awareness campaign should be carried out.
If this sort of homework is not done adequately, it is believed that the government’s efforts to eradicate polio might go up in smoke due to the people’s refusal to get their children inoculated.
SARDAR ALI AMAN
Chitral
OUR president and the PCB are generous in giving awards and financial benefit to players who perform well and bring fame to the country, which is appreciated by one and all but is advised to direct some sort of deduction in the players’ money who do not perform well as this punishment may perhaps be a lesson for them in future.
At the same time all those who are at the helm of affairs are requested to shun their personal differences and give serious thought to improving the structure of cricket in Pakistan so that players will take the game seriously.
MUNEER MUHAMMAD KHAN
Karachi
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