| April 19, 2007 | Thursday | Rabi-us-Sani 01, 1428 |
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Empires of the past
Voices against injustice
Pakistan’s auto industry
Biggest mistake
What we deserve
Language question in education
PPP strikes a deal
Ayaz’s ‘bias’
PM’s entourage to China
Warped priorities
Rebuttal to US
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
RECENTLY a well-organised technical seminar at the Expo Centre encouraged Karachi’s energy scene, specially relating to efficient buildings, and not only presentations covering green buildings were discussed in detail but many foreign and local experts participated in disseminating knowledge relating to energy efficiency.
Many aspects of green building design were discussed (which would ensure drastic reductions in both energy and water consumption), and the unfortunate conclusion was that even the latest building design in the country did not cater for basic ‘green rating’ requirements.
However, it was hoped that authorities would at least insist on minimum energy and water consumption codes so that the building projects could be sustainable in our scarce resources’ environment.
With all the happy discussions during the seminar, regarding possible future improvement in building efficiency, the last presentation by building owners of “largest commercial office complex” in Karachi (GoP) was a great disappointment.
By their own admission, the presenters were declaring that this building complex had originally catered for a very energy-efficient cogeneration system which ran for nearly 20 years and now this system was replaced with a very inefficient design which was going to supply free airconditioning for only 25 per cent load and for balance 75 per cent airconditioning requirements, additional Sui gas will be consumed.
It was confirmed that the original system met full 100 per cent free airconditioning requirements. How has Sui Gas Co. agreed to supply additional gas since this would amount to wasting our precious resource as, originally, gas was sanctioned for an efficient system? Whereas two full days were spent on most encouraging note for future of ‘green buildings’ in Pakistan, this last presentation on a ‘red building’ was indeed very disappointing. This building complex is not only ‘red’ in appearance but now it is ‘real red’ in terms of energy efficiency.
That this building complex is owned by the government departments makes it a worse example since the authorities keep on claiming their future goals of efficiency and environmental control.
We certainly do not need ‘red buildings’, specially after our recent acceptance of Kyoto and Montreal Environmental Protocols for Avoidance of Global Warming.
AAZA
Karachi
WHILE going through a fascinating book, The Greek Way, written by Edith Hamilton way back in 1930, I found unmistakable parallels between her analysis of Athens’ precipitate degeneration from being the champion of freedom to the point when it earned the name of the Tyrant City in the 5th century BC and the current hubristic US imperialism and the consequent global scenario.
I would like your readers to note the similarities. To illustrate this transformation of Athenian way of thinking, the writers gives two quotations. The first is from Suppliants, a play by Euripides where Theseus, the Athenian king, is advised by his mother:
“Know you are bound to help all who are wronged
Bound to constrain all who destroy the Law
What else holds state to state save this alone,
That each one honours the great laws of right.”
The second quotation is from Thucydides: “Do not think you are fighting for the simple issue of letting this or that state become free or remain subject to you. You have an empire to lose. You must realise that Athens has a mighty name in the world because she has never yielded to misfortunes and has today the greatest power that exists. To be hated has always been the lot of those who aspire to rule over others. In face of that hatred you cannot give up your power - even if some sluggards and cowards are all for being noble at this crisis. Your empire is a tyranny by now, perhaps as many think, wrongfully acquired, but certainly dangerous to let go.”
History after all does repeat itself. Like Thucydides said: “The thing that hath been is that which shall be”. The United States must inevitably go the way of all the empires of the past.
AMIR SAEED
Lahore
FOR the last 13 years I have been a dedicated reader of Dawn. I can’t recall a day when I did not read at least one news item involving an act of open injustice. For the past 13 years the most such disgusting incidents have managed to elicit has been a shake of the head. The latest shake of the head came when while reading your online edition I read about the shock expressed by Ms Benazir Bhutto over the mistreatment of a “US-Pakistani female human rights activist” — only to scroll down to read the news item “Girl killed after gang-rape”.
Our ‘leaders’ see injustice only when it suits them. Recently, I read that Miss Sonia Naz had not been attending her legal proceedings. Has the media made any effort to find out why that is the case or is that beyond the abilities of our ‘free’ media that just months ago was so vocal in voicing its concerns over an attack on a private news channel? It is time we ‘ordinary’ people understand that there are no valid checks and balances in the current system. New faces in Islamabad are not going to miraculously change the fate of the entire nation.
The only way to change our fate is to start by voicing our concerns against injustice. When Dawn publishes a letter that I write, suddenly I find I have a voice.
Would it not be a great opportunity if Dawn would take up a case of gross injustice each week and provide an e-mail address and a regular mailing address which can be written to and at the end of it collect all those ‘voices’ calling for speedy justice and bring them to the notice of the authorities concerned. We can perhaps begin with the case of this six-year old daughter of the nation that was subjected to such barbarism. I have no doubt that the response will be overwhelming.
DR AHMED JAVED
USA
A RECENT editorial in your esteemed publication highlighted the plight of factory line workers in the US auto manufacturing industry.
It was surprising to read that a country which claims superpower status amongst the comity of nations, and whose economic base accounts for almost a quarter of global manufacturing, is in such dire straits when it comes to resolving the issue of employment within its own ‘backyard’ so to speak.
Not being an expert on economic or industrial matters, I am not in a position to make any informed judgments or assertions on the same, however, even as a lay person, it is not beyond my capabilities to realise the positive impact that Pakistan’s smaller but the robust and growing local auto manufacturing industry is making to the nation’s economy.
One of the more significant sectors within our economy, this one segment is making a difference in employment levels, skills and government revenue both directly and through various feeder industries, for example auto parts that thrive on the health of the auto manufacturing industry.
And this in addition to the various avenues that have opened up for local consumers in terms of being able to afford cars of our own, as well as utilise and maintain them at manageable levels, thanks to the decrease in prices brought about by indigenisation, technology transfer and lower costs of production. Pakistan may still have a long way to go, but it is certain that the auto industry, in its own way, is striving to ‘share the fruits’ of economic prosperity.
ALEFYA NAJMI
Karachi
IT is perhaps the biggest mistake of our lives that we decided to make our home next to an empty plot. For over 12 years we have been living in absolute torturous situation. So-called civilised dwellers send their servants regularly to dump all sorts of rubbish on this empty plot, including sanitary waste. So much so that whole garden rubbish, fertilisers, cut trees and construction materials are regularly thrown on the plot.
Contract vans deployed by the DHA do not turn up sometimes for weeks. It has become my primary duty to call the DHA relevant department on a regular basis to send for garbage collection. I am wondering despite so much complaints, why some kind of stringent action is not taken against such so-called civilised but ignorant families.
I am ready to bear the expenses of raising a wall on this plot to stop such abuse. I am ready to bear legal expenses if the DHA takes all lane dwellers of this civilised society to court that are happy to dump their stinking rubbish next to their neighbours’ premises to make their lives miserable.
Can any legal opinion be given should I decide to initiate action on the above two counts to block this garbage centre or take a class action.
The DHA or no DHA, the actual tumour lies in society’s sickening mentality. After all, the general mindset must change and there is a need for civic bodies to see that whatever little they do for betterment is not nullified.
The DHA can take the lead as most flouters of the law in its jurisdiction can afford to pay heavy fines and legal expenses when put behind bars. Ours is a society which only learns the hard way.
SAMINA SISTANWALA
Karachi
THIS refers to Khwaja Shamaas’s letter, ‘What we deserve’(March 31). I am surprised to learn that the people of Pakistan are spineless and servile while those of India are fearless and great freedom-fighters(by implication). Mr Shamaas is so enamoured of Gandhi and the All-India Congress that he holds them solely responsible for the independence of the Indian subcontinent in 1947, to the exclusion of all other luminaries like the Quaid-i-Azam. This is a travesty of history.
Perhaps he forgets that the inhabitants of India, for about 800 years before independence, were invariably ruled by invaders and conquerors of all hues and shapes who came from the northwest of India and were only occasionally faced with any meaningful resistance. The local populace in combined India never had the guts and wisdom to rule their own country since the time of Mohammad Ghauri. So much for the Indians’ zest for freedom.
As for Gandhi, does the writer really believe that by going half-naked, travelling third class, employing inane tactics like ‘satyagraha’, frequent fasts, salt march, Quit India Movement and by being incarcerated in the luxurious palace of the Aga Khan, the former achieved independence for India?
All these antics were half-hearted and near-failures. His repeated vows of celibacy were lies that were exposed in 1942 as a result of a sex scandal that literally caused his political demise and prompted Lord Mountbatten to call him a hypocrite and a charlatan. Besides, rich Indian industrialists of the era like Birla, Bajaj and Sarabhai regularly wrote cheques to fund Gandhi’s vows of poverty. These are all historical facts and not mere concoctions.
I can assure Mr Shamaas that it was not Gandhi but Hitler and the World War II that broke the back of the British empire, with the result that the British government could no longer hold on to India and decided to quit it. The stark failure of Gandhi’s philosophy and legacy of non-violence can be judged from the deadly riots at the time of partition, the forcible annexation of the states of Junagarh, Hyderabad, Goa and Kashmir by his closest acolyte, Nehru, and the policy of all successive Indian governments to spend trillions on armaments and atomic bombs while a whopping 300 million Indians wallow in abject poverty, and the inhuman caste system is still as much in place as in Gandhi’s time.
Furthermore, it was the liberal, civilised and relatively benign British who, on their own, founded the All-India Congress, held elections, formed the Imperial Legislative Council and, inter alia, imparted education and modern knowledge to the Indians in the English language, thus paving the way for the rise of local leaders like Gandhi and others and for eventual independence long before the Indians could even think of it. In a way it was fortunate that India was not ruled by the likes of brutal French or Belgian colonialists.
As a matter of fact, it was because of the blockbuster movie ‘Gandhi’ on which a grateful Indian government spent crores of rupees and incessant propaganda that the world at large came to know of Gandhi. The propaganda continues unceasingly as a result of which he has been made into a demigod.
On the other hand, an ungrateful Pakistani nation has truly buried the Quaid-i-Azam and his lofty ideals. His contribution to the Indian freedom struggle, Hindu-Muslim unity and to safeguarding the rights of minorities in a sterling political career spanning almost five decades was second to none. And he wrested Pakistan from the jaws of a hostile British government, malevolent Hindu leaders and Muslim zealots.
Mr Shamaas would do well to have a second take at his reading of the history of the Indian freedom struggle if he is not totally biased.
TANWEER-US-SAQALAN
Lahore
WITH reference to Zubeida Mustafa’s illuminating and realistic article on ’Language question in education’ (April 11), I agree with her contentions. The Sindh Graduates Association has experimented with a model of Sindhi-English medium schools in the province. These are known as Roshan Tara Schools. The AKU-IED has very kindly supported the teachers’ training programme and we have a few successes.
Unfortunately the Sindh education department has never recognised our effort. We requested the Sindh government to allow us to adopt the NJV High School to enable us to introduce our methodology for the benefit of the downtrodden Sindhi children of old Karachi but received no reply from the government.
On the other hand, the government has allowed many elite private schools offering the English medium of instruction to operate in the towns of Sindh where the school managements do not allow Sindhi to be taught even as a subject.
There is a rampant move in Sindh through many different means to replace the Sindhi language by introducing young ones to Urdu and English. No doubt this is unscientific, unethical and against the covenants signed by the government under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Who cares?
I thank Zubeida Mustafa for raising the arguments in favour of the Sindhi children.
Dr M. SULEMAN SHAIKH
Chairman, Sindh Graduates Association,
Karachi
I CAN foresee that a compromise between the People’s Party and the president over the uniform issue will seriously hurt the democratic sentiments of most Pakistanis. The PPP being the largest democratic party in the country must refrain from hurting people’s sentiments and its own political manifesto.
UMAIR HASHMI
Ras al Khaimah, UAE
I AM deeply shocked and astonished to hear the news regarding the PPP striking a deal with the Musharraf government. What kind of political party is the PPP? Just recall its Quaid-i-Awam and his sacrifices. Whatever may be the reasons, before going for a deal the PPP must clarify the following points to its workers: What about the struggle for restoration of democracy? What about the struggle of the leaders for the restoration of democracy? What about the past claims by Benazir Bhutto that she will not accept any deal?
The PPP is equally responsible for creating confusion among the masses and within its ranks. Last but not the least, the PPP must ensure that there is no compromise on the Quaid-i-Awam’s principles.
RIAZ A. QURESHI
Karachi
AYAZ Amir only shows his bias when he comes out too harshly to write in his recent column: 'The daughter of the East also wants too much but is prepared to blacken only half her face'.
If he is only ventilating his fears in anticipation of a deal on the part of BB what about the big deal — the great escape — clinched by the Sharifs for winning their personal freedom. He should also remember the heroic 'no' of a man in the same position and in the same situation who preferred martyrdom to escape and surrender.
A. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
MR Shaukat Aziz is on a visit to China. As reported by some TV channels, both countries have signed 23 agreements for cooperation. A private news channel showed footage of the two leaders meeting in a grand hall. Sitting alongside our PM should have been the ministers of exports, investments, finance, and commerce. However, interestingly, I saw the minister of state for religious affairs sitting in the meeting.
Could the taxpayers be informed why our money is being wasted on foreign visits by irrelevant people? The minister would have served the people better by staying back and trying to get the “danda bardaar shariat” issue resolved. Or at the very least the taxpayers’ money would be better utilised by preventing endless loadshedding.
AHSAN MEHDI
Karachi
TESTING of the Agni-III will shield India from external pressures and coercive diplomacy. However, these nuclear toys will not enhance the prestige of India, nor will spare it from extra-regional pressures. Ordinary citizens seek security from water scarcity and hunger, and better educational and health systems. India must redefine its security in human terms. Hopefully, Pakistan will do the same.
ASLAM ANSARI
Sindh
GENERAL Musharraf says that Pakistan’s biggest threat is internal extremism and sectarianism. If this is so, why does his government spend more than half of its budget on the armed forces which presumably exist for external threats?
Unless Musharraf’s plan is to unleash his F-16s, Agosta submarines and T-80 battle tanks on extremists and sectarian elements, it follows that he stop buying more of those and spend that money on education.
AAKER PATEL
Mumbai
THE nation is delighted with President Musharraf’s address to the US that if “our efforts to fight terrorism are misconceived by you and your media, then we may do no more and better come out of this coalition.”
My anticipation is that the US foreign office will start offering various explanations to keep the agreement running.
If the president had said these words when Dick Cheney visited here and asked for more efforts, the US would have found a befitting answer then and there and by this time they would reform their stance. Nevertheless, this is adequate to ward off the nation’s apprehensions that our foreign policy is under dictates of the US.
M. M. Khan
Karachi
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