| May 07, 2007 | Monday | Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1428 |
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The latest red herring
Transit trade
A sizable minority
Language Question
Jealousy hurts
Reckless tendency
Peace and quiet
Dominated nation
Need of university
Sukkur Jail
Bus route
Nato killing civilians
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
THIS is with reference to Asim Maqbool’s letter (May 2) in support of the proposed expressway through Sharea Faisal and the narrow confines of Club Road.
Flyovers, expressways and underpasses in the developed countries are built as a part of a larger citywide traffic, transportation and land use plan. In our case they are built as a result of ad hoc decisions as there are no long-term plans to deal with traffic, transportation and land use. Due to this, traffic engineering projects costing billions in taxpayers’ money will not solve our problems but will make matters worse with the passage of time as in the case of the Dubai, Bangkok, Manila and Cairo.
Before launching this mega expressway on Sharea Faisal, what is required is a traffic management plan not only for Sharea Faisal but for the corridors that link with it. Also, the service lanes need to be made operative (they clog traffic right now); car parking needs to be organised; physically-segregated lanes for buses and motorcycles need to be developed; and alternative routes need to be identified and promoted. After this it is unlikely that we would need this mega project. Why can we not do this? Why this indecent haste?
However, one must be clear that as cars increase (and they will), neither the elevated expressway nor what I have proposed in the paragraph above will work. Cities all over the world have learnt this lesson. The only sustainable alternative is to create cheap, fast and comfortable public transport so that people prefer it to getting stuck in traffic. This can only be done by providing physically-segregated bus lanes (so that buses move fast and not get stuck in traffic) with comfortable CNG buses.
Cities like Bangkok, Seoul and Delhi have learnt this lesson from Latin American cities and are opting for this alternative rather than more light rail systems. In the case of Jakarta, one bus lane has become operative and it has reduced car usage by 14 per cent on the corridor on which it operates. It is estimated that once busway linkages are created with this corridor , this figure will more than double.
This is where investment should go and this is exactly where it is not going. The problem is not congestion but educating our city nazim and the decision-makers in Islamabad regarding this important issue so that pro-people and sustainable investment is promoted in the transport and road sector.
If this does not happen, then Mr Maqbool will be spending many hours a week on the exit of an expressway (as in the case of the exit from Defence to Sharea Faisal on the FTC flyover) rather than on a traffic light. And that too after billions of rupees have been spent.
MEHMOOD ALI
Karachi
THE US and UK governments are adept at telling lies as their own people and the whole world knows. On top of that, they achieve A-1 grade in throwing red herrings to divert attention from their own blunders.
They wriggle conveniently out of tight embarrassing imbroglios by coming up with new and palatable wash-offs like "People are fed up with these repetitions. People want to move on"! . . . . Or they'll come up with "New and startling revelations" - to grab world media attention and lead the attention elsewhere.
And following Hitler's theory that "in the magnitude of a lie, lies its credibility", they unveil an "authentic study" by a reputed but controlled organisation, and start a new furore wherein the scapegoat is an acceptable target. The world pack hounds dutifully take up the scent and chase.
And so is the case with this ‘new’ discovery and revelations of "AQ Khan and Pakistan involved in nuclear smuggling". The report revealed so far in our press shows nothing new - adds nothing to the world’s knowledge. But the name International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) and the hype will defuse the pressure on Tony Blair vis-a-vis Iraq, Afghanistan and his belligerent lies to his own electorate and the British people.
This is a real red herring. But I can guarantee, in the days to come, it will grab and dominate world attention, and the whipping boy, Pakistan, shall be whipped no end. And to put pressure on the present government, the report 'surmises' and 'infers' that Pakistan is still obtaining materials to continue its nuclear programme, through black market. How naive! Who doesn't these days? And in any case, if that is true, then the UA and the UK and the West are equally involved in smuggling out these materials! So why don’t they put their own house in order first.
Israel has developed its own military nuclear options all through secret deals and officially clandestine operations, actively supported and provided by the UA and the UK. If in doubt, read ‘The Simon Option’ by Seymour Hersh for details. And as to how the Mossad — the Israeli ISI — works, read ‘By Way Of Deception’ by Claire Hoir and Victor Ostrovsky.
Why does not the 'famed' IISS write a study on that?
Our media should avoid playing the tunes of Tony Blair or GWB. Let them for once unite on a national defence, and stand up for what is good for Pakistan, and black out, or play down this western propaganda against Pakistan. Let our ambassador in the UK handle this issue. She is quite capable of doing so.
AYAZ AHMAD
Rawalpindi Cantt
IMPORTS and exports into and from Afghanistan passing through Pakistan are exempt from payment of import and export duties and other levies at points of entry and exit from Pakistan.
It is common knowledge that, with the active connivance of Pakistan tax authorities, a substantial volume of such imports, with declared destinations in Afghanistan, either do not leave Pakistani territory at all, or where they do, they are immediately brought back into Pakistan at customs checkposts on the Pakistan-Afghan border points after fictitious paper documentation.
To curb this malpractice resulting in huge financial losses to Pakistan, in the form of lost import duty etc. and flourishing trade of untaxed goods, I suggest that all such imports be taxed as in the case of imports for Pakistan and amounts so collected deposited into the State Bank of Pakistan or the National Bank of Pakistan, to be remitted at periodic intervals to the Afghan central bank.
Importers for genuine imports into Afghanistan should then be left to claim refunds of such duty payments from the government of Afghanistan.
SYED AHMAD
Karachi
AS reported in the media and claimed by Maulana Ghazi, about 7,000 students are registered in the two seminaries of Islamabad which have been the centre of controversy for the last couple of weeks.
Such institutions are spread throughout the length and breadth of Pakistan and their numbers run into thousands. While a large majority of the students studying in these institutions are learning to become good Muslims, there is the possibility that a small percentage are drifting towards extremism.
Those who are prone to exploitation may be picked up by vested interests to further their agendas. Given the number of students who have graduated from madressahs all over Pakistan in the last decade, even the small percentage could number hundreds of thousands and may well challenge the combat strength of the Pakistan army. Equipped with modern weapons and trained in unconventional warfare, these misguided youths could have a devastating impact on the writ of the state and Pakistan’s internal stability.
This is what should worry our agencies and the rulers of the day. The need of the hour is a comprehensive short- and long- term strategy to forestall a situation whereby the country could plunge into anarchy and chaos with hordes of extremist groups, each with their own interpretation of Islam, challenging the state and fighting amongst themselves for supremacy.
ZAHIR JILANI
Lahore
IN his letter ‘Language divide: who is responsible?’ (April 22), S.M. Ahmed claims that Bengalis in erstwhile East Pakistan would have gladly accepted Arabic as the national language of Pakistan.
This is outright ridiculous. The Muslim Bengalis had no affinity with even Urdu, which was an elite North Indian fusion language.
To think that they would adopt Arabic — a language not even spoken anywhere in Indian subcontinent — as the lingua franca is a preposterous idea.
Moreover, East Pakistan had a substantial Hindu Bengali minority, who had nothing to do with Arabic and would surely have rejected it more vehemently than they rejected Urdu.
As expected of a rational state, the new nation of Bangladesh did not even consider Arabic; it adopted what had always been the lingua franca of Bengal — Bengali.
A.K. SIRCAR
New York, USA
DR Irfan Tariq Mirza has provided many useful insights in his article, ‘Jealousy hurts’ (Dawn Magazine, April 22). However, one differs with some of his contentions. To begin with, his opening definition of jealousy, “suspicion or resentment arising from mistrust of another”, could more appropriately be termed as being suspicious of or incensed at, rivalry.
Dr Mirza also asserts, `God says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, love does not brag and is not arrogant” `. Actually, it was Jesus Christ, and not God, who said this, as is evident from the Biblical book -1, Conrinthians 13. Its verses 4 and 5 say: “Love endures long and is kind; love is not jealous; love is not out for display; it is not conceited or unmannerly….” From verse 11 it becomes clear that a human being was speaking these words: “When I was a child I talked like a child, I thought like a child….”
But, the biggest problem is that about half of the discussion, which deals with love and the four common ‘myths’ he says are associated with it, is more applicable to the western societies rather than Islamic or Asian ones. More specifically, the second myth considered by him reads: “If my partner really loved me, he or she can never have any relationship with another one (in Muslim society second marriage of men)”.
There are several difficulties here. The proviso, ‘any relationship’, in this statement opens it to all sorts of relationships, including amorous ones. This is further confirmed by his explanation that “this belief sees any interest your partner has in anyone else as a direct reflection of how much she loves you. It is a quantitative view of love which equates the amount of love with the ability to be interested in having another partner”.
The writer goes on to try and replace this and other ‘myths’ with three beliefs that he recommends all readers should imbibe, of which just one is considered.
“There is an abundance of love in the world and there is plenty for everyone. Loving more than one person is a choice that can exponentially expand my potential for giving and receiving love”.
This is a dangerous doctrine that will cause much suffering to the spouses of those looking for additional partners. In theory it sounds very altruistic and beautiful but isn’t practicable except for a tiny fraction of humanity that is extremely evolved spiritually, e.g. the Sufis, who have perfect control over their passions. And, other than for lawful polygamy, it must be restricted to societal and familial, not romantic love, in every case.
Amongst Muslims, perhaps two per cent of the men would be having more than one wife, so the writer’s discourse is largely irrelevant. Taking some high profile examples from the West will also disprove his argument. President Bill Clinton had developed a ‘relationship’ with Monica Lewinsky. Going by Dr Mirza’s logic, it should have ‘exponentially expanded’ his potential for giving and receiving love.
What actually happened is well-known. It got the president into severe trouble politically, caused immense pain and embarrassment to his wife and daughter, partly because he had kept it hidden from them. It certainly did not increase the love Mr Clinton had for his wife, nor of the latter for him. His marriage only survived because Hillary Clinton did not want his political career to end like that.
If a man with Clinton’s academic excellence and superior intelligence, along with the self-control that his presidency required of him, got swayed, what can be expected of the common folk? It has been so rightly said: “Where the mud is thick, even the elephants slide”.
The other one is of Prince Charles, whose many liaisons did nothing to increase his potential for loving Princess Diana, whom he had married with so much fanfare. Instead, it alienated her, pushed her into some extra-marital relationships and ended in divorce. It also made her very appreciative of the Islamic family system.
Dr Mirza seems to have been too carried away by the western liberalism and concepts of free love. He is referred to the relevant chapters of Imam Ghazali’s ‘Revival of Religious Learnings’ and ‘Remedies to Spiritual Maladies’ by Maulana Hakeem Akhtar (Islamic Book Service; New Delhi)
S. QADRI
Karachi
IF better sense had not prevailed among the capital police, who stopped the pro-government rally led by Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain from marching on to the Supreme Court building, a confrontation with the anti-government rally in progress there would have been inevitable. Just what were the PML chief and the accompanying ministers aiming at? (Dawn editorial, April 26).
The interference of executive in the independence of judiciary, the commission said, was nothing new in Pakistan, adding that incidents like President Pervez Musharraf, in military uniform, seeking resignation from the Chief Justice of Pakistan at the Army House on March 9 could not take place in a civilised society.
(Mr Gumaraswamy ICJ-Dawn April 27)
Sir, now what remains to be said in simple words. Civilised society is not there in Pakistan. It has been into a militarised society where rule of the thumb is the order of the day. The president of a country is supposed to be the guardian and the custodian of the country, as well as of the people. If he comes out to be a proxy power wielder through his cronies against a legal cause to save the independence of the judiciary, one shivers to think of the resultant nightmares.
GHEEWALA
Karachi
WE do not need to convert our parks or busy roundabouts of already dug-up and battered roads into makeshift mosques. Namaz can be offered anywhere without such formality. Mosques exist everywhere in the city, each not more than a few dozen steps away from each other.
A little walking is healthy for everyone. And if one does not have the time to go to a mosque, namaz can be offered in office, shop, or in any corner quietly. The beauty of Islam is that it is practical, convenient and healthy.
Similarly, the use of loudspeakers is so disturbing and painful that one cannot concentrate while offering prayers at home in Ramazan or special nights. Recently, on the night of 12 Rabiul Awwal on Sharea Quaideen where I live, religious audio tapes were played all night.
It was not Darood-i-Ibrahimi, rather the chant of ‘Abbas tujeh salaam’ in memory of Maulana Abbas Qadri. The poor maulana’s body must be twisting and turning in his grave. I cannot help but wonder what service to Islam are we doing and where are we headed as a great Muslim nation?
AZRA QURESHI
Karachi
I PRESENT herein an excerpt from the address by Lord Macaulay (the first law member of the Governor-General’s Council) to the British Parliament on February 2, 1835 in the hope that it will enable readers to draw parallels with our present state of affairs.
“I have travelled across the length and breadth of India and I have not seen one person who is a beggar, who is a thief, such wealth I have seen in this country, such high moral values, people of such calibre that I don’t think we would ever conquer this country unless we break the very backbone of this nation which is her spiritual and cultural heritage and, therefore, I propose that we replace her old and ancient education system, her culture, for if the Indians think that all that is foreign and English is good and greater than their own, they will lose their self-esteem , their native culture and they will become what we want them, a truly dominated nation”.
SYED ASAD ALI
Karachi
THERE is big need for another general university in the interior of Sindh. At present there are only two such universities, namely, the University of Sindh at Jamshoro and Shah Latif University at Khairpur.
As we know that Sindh is the second largest province population-wise, I would appeal to the administration concerned to provide another general university because loads of students are passing intermediate examinations every year but not all of them find entry into the two already existing universities. Also, a provision should be made to accommodate students from the interior in Karachi university.
ALI RAZA AWAN
Jamshoro
IS there anyone to note the plight of prisoners in the Sukkur Central Jail who go on hunger-strike almost every month by registering their protest for not being presented in the court on the day of hearing. This has been happening for the last several months.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan may take suo motu action in this regard.
IMRAN KHAN SIAL
Karachi
THERE is no direct bus service from Azizabad to Tariq Road, Cantonment Station and Clifton. As a result, people face much difficulties in reaching their workplaces. Hence a bus service under Urban Transport Scheme should be launched on this route.
ASHFAQUE AHMAD
Karachi
ACCORDING to news reports, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has strongly criticised and protested the recent killing of Afghan civilians by Nato forces. In stark contrast when Pakistani civilians were killed by missiles fired from the US Predator drones in Bajaur and Waziristan, the powers-that-be in Pakistan not only refused to protest but tried to cover up the atrocities. As a Pakistani I feel ashamed of our servile mentality and lack of moral courage.
PURVEEN KHAN
Mississauga, Canada
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