| June 04, 2007 | Monday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1428 |
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President’s call
Lawyers’ struggle
NIP: reality check
Effluent drainage system
Packed milk prices
Retirees’ woes
Judicial journey
Filth syndrome
MQM’s options
Removal of signboards
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 refers to the article, ‘The making of a suicide bomber’, by Zubeida Mustafa (May 9). It is informative, especially for the common people, to know where and how suicide bombers are made in Pakistan.
Attacks by suicide bombers have taken roots here since 2004, when a suicide bomber blew himself up in the Hyderi mosque in Karachi. Then in 2005, the shrine of Bari Imam in Islamabad and the Madinatul Ilm mosque in Karachi were targeted, killing scores of people. Since then these attacks are following one after the other in different parts of the country, making a total of 24 incidents of suicide bombing, including the recent suicide bombing in Peshawar in the Marhaba Restaurant near Masjid Mahabat Khan on May 15, in which 25 people were killed and 27 others injured.
The threat of suicide bombers is growing day by day in Pakistan. Seeing the success in attacks by suicide bombers in Iraq and Afghanistan, the terrorists in Pakistan are following the same tactics and methods, taking advantage of our illand untrained police in countering the suicide bombers.
The local Taliban have already created terror by carrying out suicide bombings at many places in the NWFP. Similarly the hardline clerics of Lal Masjid in Islamabad have also threatened to unleash a wave of suicide bombers if the government impedes the enforcement of Shariat and attack Lal Masjid and its sister seminaries (Dawn, April 7).
After the suicide attack on the interior minister in Charsadda on April 28 , the key government functionaries now look hesitant about presiding over outdoor rallies and public meetings, especially in the NWFP. As a security professional, I have the following suggestions to combat the threat of suicide bombers:
a. The first step is to examine the tactics, goal, characteristics and motivations of suicide bombers. It is vital to recognise what suicide bombers can and are likely to do in order to respond with appropriate preventive and proactive counter -measures. Suicide bombers like other criminals, have modus operandi that can be analysed to predict trouble spots, and vulnerable people.
b. There is a need to develop a body of international laws through promulgation of various conventions and treaties that would define acts of suicide bombing as international crimes and make the punishment of their perpetrators universally binding on all nations.
Supporters of international legal action against terrorism must note that piracy on the high seas was not eradicated until it was made a universal crime, permitting any nation to punish pirates despite their nationality or where their crime was committed.
c. The main force to deal with the suicide bombers is the police who need to be made smarter and stronger. They must be paid well for better living, their standard of education must be improved and they must also be equipped with modern specialized hardware that has been developed to detect explosives material and bombs strapped and concealed with the human body.
d. The most crucial of all weapons in the struggle against terrorists is intelligence. Timely and reliable intelligence forms the first line of defence.
e. The people must be educated about different acts of terrorism, especially about suicide bombers. Ulema and religious scholars should their sermons to make it clear to the people that an act of suicide is a sin. There is also a need to educate people about the meaning of jihad that when, where and against whom it should or should not be carried out.
f. The media must recognise its role in educating people about misinterpretation of committing suicide in the name of jihad.
g. The government should find out and list those madressahs/places where terrorists have covertly established their camps to recruit and train youths as suicide bombers on the pretext of imparting religious education to them and take action against them immediately.
SQN LDR (r) S. AUSAF HUSAIN
Karachi
ACCORDING to your report (May 31), President Musharraf has said that the tone and language used at the recent SCBA seminar in Islamabad was ‘an assault’ on the apex court.
He also made some calls to the media. First, that it should not spread ‘despondency and negativism’ because that would adversely affect the nation. Second, that the media should stop airing abusive language and derogatory remarks.
Since the SCBA matter is sub judice, one won’t say anything about it. However, one would like to draw attention to the affidavit of the chief justice of Pakistan, Mr Justice Chaudhry, deposited with the Supreme Court (Dawn, May 30). In it, details have been provided of how he was kept confined to the president’s office and was pressured by top intelligence officials to resign. Later on, he and his family were subjected to further harassment in various ways and were even deprived of basic requirements like medicines and doctors for several days.
Wasn’t this an assault on the office of the chief justice and, indirectly, on the court he represented. While it may be different in this case, but people normally don’t resort to such tactics if their personal interests aren’t involved.
Another interesting fact about the contents of the affidavit not reported by Dawn but covered by the BBC (May 29) stated that when the president informed that one of the charges against the CJP was of using a Mercedes car, Justice Chaudhry replied that it had been sent to him by the prime minister. However, Mr Shaukat Aziz, who was present in the meeting, did not deny it but remained silent.
About the president’s two calls to the media, one has two questions. First, the killing of nearly 50 people in Karachi caused a greater despondency to most Pakistanis, but the president made no attempt to cure it or to ascertain who was responsible for the same. Rather, he was presiding over a meeting marked by drums and dancing in Islamabad.
Second, he not only avoided commenting on the abusive language used by the MQM against Imran Khan that has ever been done publicly but did not even advise them against it. Why these double standards?
ABU TAUHID
Karachi
KUDOS to the lawyers community for having done what no political party or dictator could do in 60 years — to bring spontaneously together citizens from all walks of life on a common platform irrespective of their socio-economic or religious backgrounds. Hopefully they will maintain the momentum and provide direction as long as it takes — but also know when to withdraw.
The seminar on the separation of the judiciary and the executive must have indeed been inspiring for those in the auditorium and the grounds outside the Supreme Court.
However, the same seminar does need to be continued as layperson television viewers did not receive the edification they expected to from the technical papers presented, through discussion and questions and answers.
Once the long-festering issues hopefully begin to be resolved, it is hoped that the legal community will show similar passion and determination on two sore points that have far-reaching ramifications for people’s rights and welfare.
One is the issue of personality-centred politics operated from overseas and the wisdom and desirability of leadership under foreign citizenship.
It was gratifying to see that the lawyers’ community have not just one or a few leaders and potential ones, but very many at different stages of the process who are capable of taking over and working interchangeably. This is what our political parties lack.
This is not to suggest that lawyers should create a political party — we need them for the justice system — but there is an example to be emulated.
The second is a grossly-neglected area that affects the majority – the outdated and corrupting loophole-shot lower judiciary for which a better mechanism is needed to ensure that justice is not dependant on its purchase.
For it is in the lower courts that, to this day, justice seldom arrives for the disadvantaged, the poor and marginalised, the outcome and quality of justice being proportionate to the amount of money spent on it. It is only on the personal level for all people that true freedom and democracy can be gauged.
NAJMA SADEQUE
Karachi
OUR honourable president, addressing a pubic rally in Mansehra and D. G. Khan recently, said we are giving "employment for one year" to "unemployed youth" through National Internship Programme for those who have completed 16 years of education and that they would be provided Rs10,000 as salary.
I am a firm admirer of this idea floated by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz during ‘Young Leaders Conference’ at Islamabad in 2003. This programme is not new, as similar programmes run in the White House (US) and British Parliament (UK). But I do have some reservations.
Our literacy rate in this country is pretty low, and our people would be delighted to hear this "employment for one year" and "Rs10,000 salaries". The Oxford Dictionary defines internship as "any official or formal programme to provide practical experience for beginners in an occupation or profession".
American Heritage dictionary defines internship as "A student or a recent graduate undergoing supervised practical training." Now let me inform the worthy readers that first of all the National Internship Programme is not providing a job but a practical exposure or training.
Second, it is not salary, it is stipend. Third, this programme is for those who have completed their studies in 2005 or 2006. Not for fresh graduates after December 2006. Fourth, in an election year the launching of this programme becomes quite suspicious.
Last, where would these "unemployed youths" go after this one year? Will they again become unemployed?
I say this because the way we are ‘producing’ graduates and the relation with which new industries, factories, organisation are being built in Pakistan, has no match.
AFZAL RAHIM
Peshawar
LAST year in the monsoon the residents of DHA’s Phase IV were threatened with the flooding of their houses. There is visible activity of contractors constructing a new storm drain. I would like to thank the DHA for their efforts in trying to be seen to be doing something as opposed to nothing. The fact that the Phase IV residents may suffer as a consequence of their efforts seems to have been ignored.
The ‘Replacement Storm Drain’ in essence will not discharge as much water as the one which it is replacing, because of its dimensions – which is obvious even to the untrained eye: its floor level is also being raised by a good several inches. As far as completion is concerned, the monsoons are already discharging their bounty in India; so it is unlikely this will be finished before the monsoon of 2008.
Moreover this storm drain is not dedicated to Commercial Avenue alone but also services a large area of Phase V. This drain is also used to discharge by pump the accumulation of water to the east of Commercial Avenue as far as 9th Commercial Street. How this miniaturised version of the previous drain can be used to discharge the same ‘mean amount’ of stormwater I do not comprehend.
The stocks of houses constructed in this once submerged area have been built on various plinth levels. If there was a base line, such as the sea level, coupled with the natural land topography, there would be uniformity in relation to the plinth levels as opposed to the kaleidoscope of patchwork plinths that exists.
It would seem that the collective sagacity of the DHA have deemed that the road level be raised a further ‘one foot’? If the countries of the West paid such meticulous attention to the detail which the DHA gives to its roads in Phase IV and in order to save money, the roads of the capitals of the West would be towering above the houses, the majority of which are over 100 years old.
In every civilised country roads that need to be asphalted are both taken back to foundation and then relaid or the surface layer is burnt off and a fresh layer put on. Why, therefore, is the DHA awarding contracts, which envision the raising of the road levels? The raising of the road levels obviously affects how much stormwater the residents of Phase IV should expect to find flowing into their living rooms and bedrooms too, during the current monsoons of 2007.
Due to bad planning and lack of foresight on the part of the predecessors of the DHA, our houses are now around a foot- and- a- half below the road level. It would seem that no regard has been paid to the basics of proper city or town planning.
There are ‘storm drains’ and there are ‘sewage lines’, I believe convention requires that the twain should not meet.
Maybe the logic for Phase IV is different, because there are drainage lines which are connected to and do discharge into storm drains; bringing a foul odour into the air and discomfort to the residents.
Furthermore when the storm drain is full to capacity, the effluent back-flows into the residents’ properties. Last year during the rains, the same problem occurred; constant backflows, from the sewage discharge system. Are we also expected to have the same ‘back flowing effluent’ discharging and flooding our houses this year?
Are there any future plans which we residents can reliably bank on to save us from the miseries of the past?
Jawid Ali Khan
Karachi
IT's shocking that producers of packed milk have raised the prices from Re1 to Rs4 for various packets. Earlier one litre pack was sold at Rs38 in retail and now it is being sold at Rs42. The price of a quarter is raised from Rs12 to Rs13.This price hike is unjust and unwarranted.
Be it the textile sector, the cement sector, the automobile sector or now these milk producers, it's the consumer who has no rights or protections and who is always fleeced by such manufacturers as always act in a cartel.
In Pakistan, the consumers are always at the receiving end.
My contention is (1) that first of all the prices should be brought back to the original ones: Rs37 or Rs38 per litre pack and Rs11 or Rs12 per quarter.
(2) Milk producers should be told to print the milk prices at the packets which is not being done right now. What they do is that they print small slips of new prices and the retailers paste them at their shops. This is a non-standard practice.
The Monopoly Control Authority should take serious notice of the situation. Milk is a food item and its price, as such, must be controlled.
AHMED QAISER
Rawalpindi
I AM a retired person. I have invested all my retirement money with the Behbood Bonds for elderly people, yielding higher profit san taxes.
However, I am extremely horrified at the rapid escalation of prices of essential food items. At this rate of inflation I fear I will not be able to purchase these stuffs from my profit after three years and will have to start encashing the principal amount to meet the rising cost of living.
M. AKHTER
Karachi
THIS refers to the news item that `Judges won’t officiate as acting governor’ (May 27). This decision of the judges of Sindh High Court shall be written in the golden words in the chapter of our political history. This decision was presided over by the chief justice of Sindh, Justice Sabeehuddin Ahmed. I salute his brave and bold step.
This step of the Sindh CJ is also a healthy sign in view of the basic principle enshrined by the Constitution of Pakistan that envisages tracheotomy of powers in the three organs of the state, namely, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive. I am sure this is the first step towards the thousand miles journey of judicial independence.
QAZI NAZIM NAEEM
Hyderabad
FILTH seems to be becoming our national trademark. Go anywhere you like in our land of the pure, you will find it all over. It is, so to say, a permanent companion. Islam lays special emphasis on hygiene and we are all Muslims, why then are we so dirty? This is a question that has puzzled me for a long time and maybe someone who has the answer will be gracious enough to enlighten us.
If poverty is considered to be a major factor, then what I witnessed the other day was quite the contrary. I happened to be travelling in an airconditioned bus that has only recently started its service from Lahore to Rawalpindi.
I had hardly settled in my seat when I found my foot slipping that I thought was due to the highly polished floor. As there seemed to be no stopping and my foot kept slipping, I looked down only to find my shoe on top of a heap of banana peels.
Then I surveyed the entire floor of the compartment and the sight was disgusting. The place was littered with everything that the passengers wished to get rid of. Even the ashtrays were not used.
These people were travelling expensively and hence were not from among the downtrodden. Apparently they all seemed to be educated. It was difficult to tell if there were any exceptions but I can confidently say that the majority contributed to the filth on the floor.
This, in fact, is becoming a national malaise and is reflective of apathy in all aspects of our lives. It seems our sense of responsibility has completely gone to sleep. We neither seem to be aware of our surroundings nor of the direction we should be headed.
Serious as the situation is, we can still shake ourselves out of this crippling slumber by applying our will power and follow the right bearings on the road to progress.
PROF ABDUL QAYYUM
Rawalpindi
THE MQM says it has three options before it: quitting the federal government, the provincial government or both, and sitting in the opposition (May 23).
I would like to suggest another option to them which is to apologise to the nation for the May 12 blunder and invite the chief justice to Karachi for an independence of judiciary rally.
As a political party which claims to want to eradicate feudalism from the country, creating hurdles for the chief justice is not understandable but the MQM can still repent and join the struggle for the independence of the judiciary.
Dr ABID R. ORAKZAI
Hangu
THE MMA government is reported to have proudly announced the removal of all signboards in the NWFP which depicted women. This is certainly not an achievement which will be remembered by future generations. It would be much better if they would divert their attention to removal of the rampant ills which afflict their province.
They should concentrate on the real menace to the country, smuggling. The country's industries are faced with closure owing to this evil. And the damage done to the nation due to the drug and arms trade is well- known. But this will require a giant leap forward, which the MMA government is incapable of taking.
You can't expect it from those whose mindsets are similar to those who lived in the Stone Age.
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
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