| April 25, 2007 | Wednesday | Rabi-us-Sani 07, 1428 |
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Islam and secularism
Public transport system
Flip-flop award
Public reaction
Virginia Tech killings
Restaurant & Sea View beach
Jheel Park
Candle in the wind
Megalopolis
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
ABOUT this deal in the offing: well, there is no smoke without fire. Both ‘dealers’ seem to be enamoured with each other for good reasons. The general in his last hour-long TV interview on a private channel was unusually coy when asked about BB participating in the next elections; he did not look at the questioner and even batted his eyelids quite too often like someone about to surrender. There is a time to kick and a time to lick.
The general's supporters are at the present clearing the mess created by the reference presented in uniform. Substantiating rumours are circulating that others in khaki were there to convince the CJ but to no avail; the man had made up his mind. It is now the turn of the PPP to go for a dud deal the fallout of which is going to take some cleaning. I used the word dud as one of the parties has nothing left to deliver and the other has everything to lose: respect, credibility and perhaps en masse desertion.
Why the PPP should have a partnership with tyranny and despotism merits answers, especially when the public outrage against the latter is spilling in the streets? Why throw a lifeline to a sinking and stinking dysfunctional system? Personal gain of the party leadership is at the core, the withdrawal of corruption cases against AZ/BB.
Two, the party leadership still thinks that road to Islamabad goes through Washington. Both for too long in exile and in jail may have lost the touch with the ground realities. The route to Islamabad may have altered. The general, stung by the outpouring of public sentiments against him (so far, he saw himself as a hero of wars against distant causes), sees in the deal an escape hatch from his wrecked tank.
Muddied hands shake well. This deal could deprive the people of their duly earned enfranchisement and waste the chance to root out the military from politics for good.
The government spooks know, for example, that back in 1984 BB was desperate enough to sit under Zia. Meraj Khalid let it out in an interview in an Urdu magazine weekly published from Karachi. Makhdoom Khaliquzzaman, then Sindh PPP president(younger brother of Amin Fahim), stated in a TV interview that in his presence in Damascus when BB expressed her willingness to accept Zia as her boss, Murtaza Bhutto exploded. Perhaps keeping that in mind, Shujaat Hussain and Ghulam Arbab Rahim, Sindh CM, have also added their caveat that BB will have to accept the general in uniform.
Also, BB is inured to the snubs and slights at the hands of the army chief and other low-rank officers(Please read the shocking incidents in Iqbal Akhund's ‘Trial and Tragedies’). As prime minister she admitted to Mary Anne Weaver that she was an untrusted entity and "not in the loop" and even after her swearing in, more people were around the army chief than her ("Pakistan in the shadow of Jihad and Afghanistan"). The present dispensation suits BB to the proverbial ‘T’. She can play the second fiddle with consummate perfection.
Nawaz Sharif's stand against Musharraf is laudable but he does not understand the political nuances and is not made of sterner stuff. He admitted to a Lahore editor/owner of English/Urdu paper that he could not undergo the rigours of prison, tacitly admitting his preference to fly away. Also, he took rank bad decisions, including the Shariat thing, and his timing of firing the army chief. Still had he remained in the country, he could be the one. About the religious and ethnic parties, the less said, the better. Under the circumstances, our only hope are the black coats.
ASLAM MINHAS
Karachi
IN his article ‘Islam and secularism’, Dr S. Saeed Ahmed has tried to prove that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) was only the spiritual head of the Muslims and not a ruler (April 14), thereby making the Islamic state a secular one.
He says that there is no evidence in the Quran or Sunnah to show that the Prophet ever made any conscious effort to acquire political power. It should have been obvious that his rulership was automatic: if not he, who else was the head of state during his time?
The writer has also made some other misleading claims. For example, with reference to the four righteous Caliphs he says that they were only the head of the faithful (‘Amirul Momineen’) rather than being rulers. Such semantic nitpicking won’t change the reality; if they weren’t the rulers, could he please tell us who held that responsibility?
It may be noted that by the end of the third Caliph’s reign (AD 656), the Islamic empire had included not just the Arabian peninsula but territories beyond, such as the Byzantine and Persian empires and the Islamic North Africa. It would be absurd to say that this empire had no ruler.
He has also asserted that those Companions of the Prophet, like Hazrat Bilal, Hazrat Abuzar and thousands of others, who remained aloof from administration commanded universal respect.
This is incorrect. To this day, the four Caliphs are revered most, after Prophet Muhammad himself, more than the other ‘sahaba’.
Furthermore, Dr Ahmed has talked of the Sufis and should know that apart from the Naqshbandis, who trace their origin to the first Caliph Hazrat Abu Bakr through Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband, all the other major Sufi Orders similarly consider the fourth one, Hazrat Ali, as the progenitor of their respective ways via the particular exponents of their own Orders.
Ultimately, they all are said to be headed by the Prophet himself.
ZAKIR AHMED
Karachi
ACCORDING to a news item (April 16), the Sindh ombudsman has directed the provincial transport secretary, DIG (traffic) and secretary of Regional Transport Authority to submit reports regarding complaints filed by an NGO about public transport, particularly buses.
What is complained about the buses is equally applicable to other public transport, i.e., minibuses, coaches, etc.
Strangely, the ombudsman has sought report from the DIG (traffic) and other officials who never travel by the public transport and are, in fact, responsible for traffic mismanagement.
The traffic police contribute to traffic muddle in Karachi by the patronising transport mafia.
If the ombudsman travels incognito from Korangi to Orangi and/or North Karachi to Keamari by a public transport, he would know the true story as to how the public transport system operates.
The ombudsman would observe that:
-– The bus/coach terminal (‘adda’) is under control of the man in charge of ‘adda’, who controls arrival/departure of vehicles at the ‘adda’. No timetable is followed. The criterion is full load -– even it means accommodating passengers on top of vehicles.
— The adda-in-charge charges each vehicle a certain amount on a daily basis, a portion goes to the traffic police. The remaining amount is for the adda-in-charge who provides protection to bus driver/owner in case of challan, accident, etc.
— While on the road, the drivers break all the rules in the book and the traffic police look the other way. The conductors push, pull, humiliate and fleece the poor passengers, including women and children. In case of an accident, the driver is seldom convicted, the poor victim is always at fault.
-– Public transport is operated mostly by semi-literate, illiterate people from the upcountry. It is said that they double the investment in a year or two.
Only poor people travel by public transport. If the system is made comfortable, convenient, affordable and fast as in Europe, many people who now maintain their own transport (cars/motorcycles -– though some hardly afford) would opt for public transport, thus reducing the congestion on roads.
Sincere and honest traffic policing can produce a good transport system.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
DESPITE all the propaganda about the principled politics of the NWFP's famous Khan family, if there was ever an award for most number of flip-flops and ideological sommersaults it must go to Ghaffar Khan and his progeny.
Recently the grandson of Ghaffar Khan, Asfandyar Wali Khan, spoke at the foundation laying ceremony of Bacha Khan’s mausoleum in Jalalabad, which was attended by none other than the mayor of Kabul, Mr Karzai himself. Mr Khan declared that he was an Afghan and no one could divide the Afghans, referring no doubt to the Durand line. It is ironic that the same man was in Islamabad claiming to fight for Pakistan’s constitution only a few weeks earlier.
His grandfather and grand uncle were the original masters of doublespeak. One day Ghaffar Khan would declare that the NWFP was part of the subcontinent, and the next he would declare that it was part of Afghanistan.
One day the great Bacha Khan would write to “dear Quaid-i-Azam” assuring him of his complete support for Pakistan, but the next day the non-violent Khan would collude with the very violent Fakir of Ipi to overthrow the “un-Islamic government of Pakistan”.
Similarly one brother would play opposition while the other would join the establishment. The flip-flops go on and on. So much for principled politics! Pakistani politicians are guilty of many a slight, but only a member of the Khan family has been accused of shoplifting while abroad.
One must salute Abdul Qayyum Khan and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto for never giving into this family's antics.
YASSER LATIF HAMDANI
Islamabad
PAKISTAN’s government is a reflection of its people. Hence, if the government causes hundreds of people to disappear and then defend its actions, the women of Jamia Hafsa can also kidnap citizens and establish a parallel legal system.
I am tempted to cancel my imminent trip to Pakistan out of fear of offending someone who considers my walking around in shorts indecent.
If Gen Musharraf goes from power, the fundamentalists will take over the country. Is this the message our government is trying to send abroad by its lack of action?
BASIL BASHAR
Paris, France
THE killing of 33 people at Virginia Tech by a student of South Korean origin, Cho Seung Hui, has shocked and saddened me.
It has brought lifelong sorrow to the families of the students and teachers who lost their lives in the shootings. No amount of words will bring the loved ones back, but, as George Eliot said, “More hopeful than all wisdom or counsel is one draught of simple human pity that will not forsake us.” I can sense the pain of all the families and friends of those who were very much alive until April 16.
However, there is also a piece of news that one finds disturbing (Dawn, April 19). According to it, the murderer reportedly had the words “Ismail Ax” tattooed on one of his arms that are being seen as a reference to the sacrifice of Prophet Abraham’s son, Ismail (peace be upon him). The western media has quickly seized upon this to try and prove that he had some sort of link with Islamic history and had probably also become a Muslim. This perception aired initially by the American media has quickly found takers all over the western world.
The explanation by the investigators that ISMail is a mail server for a Windows software and Ax is a user name for ISP email accounts has been ignored by those affected by the paranoia regarding Islam and the Muslims. There are some other factors as well, which need to be considered by our American friends.
According to a report by the BBC (Urdu service) of April 18, Cho Seung Hui had once been caught from under his classroom desk while taking photographs of the students with his mobile phone. What could be the target of such furtive photography but the legs etc , presumably of some of the girls in the room? After the incident, he wasn’t allowed to join the class but it was conducted for him in isolation.
Apart from that, he had once written an essay based on some violent fantasy in which people were subjected to brutal treatment. The police had been informed after one of these incidents and he was also advised to undergo psychological counselling. However, nothing apparently got done in response to these episodes.
Here, it may be pointed out that anyone who has become a Muslim (as they say, “a new convert is holier than the pope”) or is seriously influenced by Islam would never engage in photographing women like he did. Furthermore, according to earlier reports, he was said to be a loner and wouldn’t even respond to his fellow students’ greetings. If he had been close to Islam and the Muslims, as alleged, he would surely have sought the company of the Muslim students on this campus, of whom there are likely to have been quite a few, in order to expand his knowledge of the religion and say the ritual prayers in congregation.
Clues to explaining his murderous behaviour can be found in his killing of his former girlfriend first of all and for his other bizarre actions, which obviously show he had some psychological problems, including depression, as indicated in one of the earlier stories, rather than a religious motive.
In 1996 an American Christian militant had bombed a federal building in Oklahoma City, killing over 100 men, women and children. President Clinton had immediately insinuated the Muslims for that, which caused a violent reaction against the Muslims in the US, in which one pregnant Muslim woman was pushed to the ground by an American man due to which she lost her baby. Death threats were also issued to many.
This illustrates the need for not rushing to judgment based on one’s suspicions but to consider all evidence objectively. Suspicion is equally an enemy to virtue as it is to happiness and he that is suspicious is at risk of quickly becoming corrupt, as Dr. Samuel Johnson had cautioned.
IBNE INAYAT
Karachi
CITIZENS of the city had gone to the Sea View beach on April 15 to protest against the decisions of the powers-that-be to fritter away our national and civic birthright to Middle Eastern ‘investors’. This was a brilliant occasion to witness an early example of what they were protesting.
The entire rear section of a restaurant building is shaped like a ship and extends all the way on the beach to the low watermark, effectively slicing the beachfront into two. If you are on the beach, you cannot proceed further beyond this restaurant, without climbing up and over a three-storeyed high concrete wall, or going for a swim.
Is there any semblance of sanity left at all in this city? Who at the DHA has approved this monstrosity? Who is the architect who has prepared this design? Why is no one screaming about it? Will we continue to sit back and let our future be shaped by these men, who sponsor such diabolical, bizarre nightmares? It is almost as if someone has taken upon himself, in some macabre fashion, to ravage our city completely.
This should be demolished, and demolished without a by-your-leave, without debate, without discussion, without further delay. At once. Immediately. Now.
No more denial of bread to 16 million so that 10,000 may eat cake.
HUSNAIN LOTIA
Karachi
AT one time the Jheel Park was one of the beautiful parks of Karachi. Once the then ZAB government wanted to build an amusement section in a portion of the park facing Dr Mahmood Hussain Road. But instead of appreciating the government move, the Jamaat-i-Islami started a propaganda in the locality that another casino is being built.
The government had to abandon the project and till to-date it remains a disputed piece of land. During this long period, the ‘qabza groups’, as well as the officials of the Society, tried their best to take over the possession of the precious land instead of developing it into a good park as planned by the then government.
Suddenly, a portion of the park has been converted into a huge housing complex without following the rules and regulations of the Karachi Building Control Authority.
The people are surprised that even the city nazim, who visited the site, did not take any notice of this housing project. The people firmly believe that at least the land was not originally allocated for this residential complex.
ALI AHMAD
Karachi
BECAUSE these came from an unknown source, the sentiments expressed in these columns a few days earlier were unexpectedly heart-warming.
I write this specifically in reference to Maj (r) Zahiruddin Babar's letter (Jan, 23).
On reading ‘Candle in the wind’, my birthday message to my husband Naseer (Dawn, Dec 24), Maj Babar took the trouble to write about a short meeting he had with Naseer some time ago when they happened to be on the same flight.
He recalls that the warm and spontaneous affection with which Naseer met him had been a pleasant surprise since he no longer was in the position of authority that he had held when they had met earlier.
And because that fact seemed to have had influenced how a number of people later responded to him, in retrospect he recalls their brief interaction and makes it a measure of the man that Naseer was. One who operated on a purely human level quite unaffected by worldly rank or status.
I am struck with amazement that in so short an interlude how astute is that measure of a man's character. It is as if someone who had known him well and long would describe him.
Maj Babar, allow me to take this platform to thank you for remembering an act of kindness and letting it serve in retrospect as a recognition of Naseer's humanity.
Your gesture of sharing this memory convinces me that the wind has in fact done as I asked it to do. It has carried my message and touched hearts.
Memories may be short or selective in a selfish world but gestures of kindness and love that are not forgotten keep hope alive. People such as you make that possible.
I am even prouder to have had Naseer as my husband. For isn't the ultimate measure of the way a man lives his life in the way he is remembered when he has gone?
RUBY HAIDER
Karachi
OCCASIONALLY I find in your columns people using the word 'megalopolis' for Karachi (April 18). The fact is that Karachi is a megapolis and not a megalopolis.
When a large number of cities form a close cluster giving the impression of one big city, it is termed megalopolis.
If one flies from Boston to Washington DC at night, one may find an unending stretch of urban centres giving the impression of one big city which has been identified as a megalopolis.
DR QAZI SHAKIL AHMAD
Karachi
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