| June 18, 2007 | Monday | Jumadi-us-Sani 02, 1428 |
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Sacred cow
Uplift projects
One push more
Predicament of the ‘female couple’
Gen Naqvi
Ayub’s diaries
Petrol sale in kiryana stores
US official
Thanks to CPLC
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
In a recent lecture, Dr Tariq Rahman quoted Noam Chomsky: Realities are often created (Dawn, June 12). It may be added that making that endeavour is fruitful only if it draws one closer to truth rather than falsehood.
In his column, ‘The language of entertainment’ (April 24), Dr Rahman had made some observations after a visit to India. While discussing the Hindi-Urdu controversy and the metamorphosis undergone by the languages Hindi and Hindustani, he had quoted the viewpoint of Javed Akhtar who thought that the tongue now used in Bollywood (and popular in India) was Hindustani dipping towards the Urdu end of the language.
Meanwhile, Quratul Ain Hyder felt that Urdu has been hijacked and its name changed to Hindi in Bollywood. The columnist also noted that while most of the films made in the Mumbai industry, although in Urdu, were usually given the Hindi certificates. However, his own opinion was: "The language of Bollywood dips towards the Urdu end, as does that of soap operas on TV and the street itself because that is the natural language of north Indian and Pakistani cities. It is popular because it is more intelligible to more people than any other South Asian language ...."
He further pointed out that the commonly understood street language in north India and Pakistan is closer to spoken Urdu in Pakistan than some would wish to acknowledge. This assessment is supported by the words of Dawn's columnist Anjum Niaz, who had made a very pleasant revelation in her write-up just two days before Dr Rahman's (Magazine, April 22).
She had been visiting India around that time and said: "Determined to carry the (India-Pakistan) peace initiative forward, Indian citizens like Zaheer Zaidi and M. A. Naqvi have forged an alliance of the willing, Jethmalani (lawyer and politician) and Ahmed Faraz included, for making Urdu the universal language of the subcontinent ...." Given this importance and wide recognition granted to Urdu, it came as a rude shock to hear some of the things Dr Rahman said at the seminar, "English and empowerment in the developing world," organised by the Aga Khan University at its auditorium on June 9 and 10.
Going off on a tangent, he took an unnecessary jibe at the supporters of Urdu by saying:
“Urdu has been used as the language of the nationalistic Islam in Pakistan for 50 years, so the Urdu press is right wing and Urdu textbooks are glorifying wars. They are filled with antifeeling etc. and are full of hatred for India ... if we give this major role ... to Urdu ... then we will bring people forward who will be against women's rights, against human rights, against peace and so on.”
Not content with this paranoid view of Urdu — forgetting Iqbal, Faiz, Jalandhari, Faraz and others — he said Urdu is one and the same as Hindi; it comes from Hindi and was popularised by the soIslamic system of teaching and the madressahs only in recent centuries. He sang praises of Hindi and the enormous development caused by it in India.
This uncalled-for diatribe created disquiet amongst the audience which began murmuring and expressing disagreement by shaking their heads. In fact, there were some delegates from India as well and some of them, too, were opposed to his observation and one lady from amongst them said loudly: "Urdu and Hindi are very different."
Tellingly, this sentiment of the crowd was sensed by the next speaker, Dr Tony Wright, who leads the post-graduate courses for teachers and teacher trainees in the School of International Education at the College of St. Mark and St. John (UK).
He said Dr Rahman had touched an emotional chord and one must not play with the sentiments of the audience: that people don't like their language to be belittled. The participants nodded their heads in agreement.
The noted scholar and chief editor of the Urdu Dictionary Board, Dr Rauf Parekh, had written in a very informative and appealing article, ‘Urdu’s future: hopes and fears’ (May 14), that "depriving a nation of its past, religion, traditions and its own languages — its identity is nothing short of a callous conspiracy."
One may add that Urdu has risen out of the work, needs, ties, joys, affections, and tastes of many generations of people spanning centuries and nobody should try to change this reality.
K. PERWAIZ
Karachi
IN his letter on June 13, Lt-Col (r) K.M. Ismail rightly said that the army is indeed a sacred cow for those who have served it or are serving it as well as for most of Pakistani citizens.
From my childhood I have had and seen a lot of respect for the army from people around me. It's very easy to earn respect but it's much difficult to retain that respect. It's not possible to force anyone to respect you. The army will always retain its respect as long as it knows that its duty is to serve the country and not rule the country.
We know that the army is a much efficient, disciplined and organised institutions, but isn't it a lame excuse for coming and throwing out the elected leadership again and again. As political leaders can't lead the army on borders, so is true for the army ruling a country.
We know that there are lots of flaws in our political system but you can't just come and destroy the political setup again and again. You have to give time for political setup and let the people of Pakistan elect their leadership.
No one except the people of Pakistan has right to decide who is going to rule the country. If the army had kept itself out of the political setup, we would have had much better and stronger political institutions. When the army rules the country, it weakens the political institutions to remain in power. And when institutions are weak, how can a political system function. In the last eight years our external debts have increased more than 4 $4 billion, our trade deficit has crossed the record by increasing more than $12 billion. We have the least growth rate among the 48 countries of Asia and our unemployment rate is 32 per cent. After such statistics, it is very much obvious that whether we are clearing the muck or increasing it.
ZAFAR HUSSAIN LUNI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Lt-Col ( r) K. M. Ismail's letter, ‘Sacred cow’ (June 13), which again emphasises the wide gulf between the military and civil society
Mr Ismail may find Mr Aitzaz's comments offensive but there are many Pakistanis who share his point of view. Pakistan has become an apartheid society with social and economic dichotomy between haves and have-nots widening all the time, and the army is the leading emblem of the establishment which thrives on the misery of the masses.
Who plunged the country into a disastrous war in 1965? Who lost the country in 1971? Who engineered the Kargil fiasco?
Who embroiled us in Afghan imbroglio and left the legacy of guns and religious fundamentalism?
These are all legacies of our military rulers.
Moreover Mr Ismail also advises that those who criticise the army do so at their own peril as army jawans brook no dissent and like to give a piece of their mind to their critics. Such an attitude may suit an army unit used to obeying orders but is incompatible with a democratic dispensation.
Maybe such sensitive army men would be better off advising their elderly generals sitting comfortably on corporate boards and thriving on our tax money to stop the political game and return to their barracks. Maybe pure soldiering is too boring for our boardroom generals.
A lot of people may disagree with me but unlike the self-righteous army men, I believe in an open discourse to define the contours of the army's role in Pakistan.
Finally, no one has a monopoly on patriotism and I am as patriotic as any other army jawan. I would respect men in khaki more if they could criticise their general who treats the army as his personal fiefdom to further his personal agenda.
ALI ASAD
Karachi
THIS has reference to two reports, ‘Two uplift projects threaten 4,000 trees’ (May 18) and ‘Govt lacks commitment to protect environment’(May 28).
We have personal experience of this lack of commitment, not to speak of uncooperative and obstructive behaviour on the part of certain government agencies.
Three years have passed since the former ombudsman of Punjab, Justice Sajjad Sipra, had passed an order giving legal protection to the 149 trees located within the grounds of the historical Falettis hotel.
In this order it clearly states that the 149 trees located within the grounds of the hotel must be counted as to the number and species in the presence of the new owner and two officials from the Punjab Environmental Protection Agency.
It is now three years since the hotel passed into new ownership, and in spite of our 'numerous reminders, the Punjab Environment Protection Agency continues to resist implementing this legal requirement, and the owner of the historical Falettis hotel has yet to be obliged to comply with this order.
The beautiful garden of the Falettis hotel is a rare wildlife sanctuary, rich in birdlife and lovely rare old trees located in one of the most polluted areas of Lahore.
Its loss would be inestimable to the city of Lahore which is fast losing everything that gives it style and glamour - its lovely old trees, historical buildings, all part of the monumental aesthetic and historical past of a truly great city. The hotel itself is the only historical hotel we have left in Pakistan.
The Privatisation Commission is yet another government agency which has on occasions, when legally bound to do so, refused to implement the Environmental Impact Assessment law to certain projects.
It is our sincere hope and request that most immediate action may be taken to ensure that the orders of the Punjab ombudsman will be fully implemented by the relevant agency.
KATHARINE ABBASI
Islamabad
WHAT a bold write-up by Ayaz Amir (June 1) but who is going to listen to him? It’s but a cry in the wilderness. The corps commanders’ conference the other day is a proof of it.
All dictators, when their time comes near, are the same: they try to catch hold of straws. The same is happening now.
When the army rules, it obviously attracts unfavourable comments for which it should be prepared to stand it.
But nay it’s against the arrogance being shown these days, I vividly remember not in too distant past when one of our rulers had thumped the arm of his chair declaring it to be very strong against the poor perpetrators of mass movement against him without realising that God has never liked such arrogance in His affinity.
Our present ruler can still save some face if he reverts to the advice given to him sometime back.
DR ABDULLAH JANPATHAN
Islamabad
THAT ignorance is bliss couldn’t be truer for an average Pakistani these days. Being aware and educated isn’t a privilege anymore and to be able to think and analyse is definitely a nuisance.
A thinking individual, who looks forward to the newspaper every morning, not just to devour the gore but to absorb and ponder, suffers misery the most. There is nothing in the news to perk you up and the irony is that normally you start your day with an update on ‘news’. From blatant lies and sheepish cover -ups of our self-proclaimed rulers to degeneration and death of our cricket, there is hardly anything that uplifts your mood.
I have developed a defence mechanism to deal with blows that my brain suffers every day; not a conscious effort but something that came about instinctively.
I have boxes in my mind where various socio-economic and politico-cultural happenings are stacked according to the intensity of their damage. Well, all of them have their share of gnawing but some bother much more …especially those which serve as crude reminders of our hypocritical attitudes while we continue to act as a nation of wannabes advocating freedom of expression via funky shows on TV.
I haven’t been more shocked than I was recently to catch glimpses of a very popular morning show on the most watched TV channel in our country. The host of the show had a frown on her face and seemed to be hopping mad about something.
The atmosphere of the show appeared unusually religious and grave with two hijaab-covered guests passionately answering the host’s questions, agreeing with her criticism of a terribly wrong occurrence that could potentially destroy our moral values and invite wrath of God on the entire society.
In a few moments it became apparent that the context of this ultimate condemnation session was the ‘female couple’ who an honourable judge of the Lahore High Court had already sentenced to three years of jail. They quoted holy excerpts from various sources condemning homosexuality with reference to these women, regardless of the fact that one of them very strongly felt like a man and was recommended sex change by a series of doctors.
She also underwent partial surgery to make her connection with the other woman. The court sentenced them for ‘perjury’; it seemed like this poor couple was used as a scapegoat to make a moral judgment.
Being at the mercy of the police and its goons, these women who probably already felt uncomfortable in society would be ill-treated during their jail term and later be freed without any consideration of psychological rehabilitation or support.
This neglect and abuse of humanity should also invite wrath of God as should other atrocities like rape, child abuse, incest, drugs, honour killings, etc., that our society is infested with. A campaign against karo-kari is perhaps what the host of this morning show should consider leading next, to save all of us from divine fury.
The tacit rule in our society is that people who behave differently deserve to be marginalised because “they ask for it” because they do not conform to the double-standards that are essential to appear legitimate.
What justifies this barbaric treatment of humans is the urge to keep the slogan of high moral values raised and appear self -righteous. For even those who claim to be advocates of freedom of expression, ‘different’ is scandalous; hence the suggestion of a deeper, compassionate look or a tolerant view is blasphemous.
Most of our post-independence years have seen oppressive military regimes that retarded our political and intellectual progress. Now, with sudden opening up of the print and air wave media, there is hope to voice our suppressed thoughts and desires.
So despite our urge to appear legitimate, we have seen all kinds of celebrities flocking to be a part of Begum Nawazish Ali’s late show. Each of them has been a sport humouring the gentleman who makes no bones about his desire to be a woman.
Whether it’s genuine acceptance of a cross dresser as an anchor or the desire to be interviewed on a premier channel that makes people play along the whims of the Begum. If that happens, we may see the morning show host influencing the minds of housewives positively.
SAIRA MINTO
Karachi
IN a talk show on a private TV channel on June 5, Gen Tanvir Naqvi of the National Reconstruction Bureau fame, lamented the text and tenor of speeches made by representative of the judiciary at the recent seminar.
The general went on to state that the contents of speeches were inappropriate and the language uncivilised.
He also felt that this conduct did not represent a good role model for common citizens to emulate.
The general did not bother to reflect on why educated, civilised individuals were compelled to adopt a harsh attitude towards the establishment.
Surely, the general is not unaware of the treatment ‘civilised’ generals accorded to the chief judicial officer of the country on that fateful day of March 9.
It is that arrogance which has provided a grave provocation not only to the judicial community but to entire civil society.
It is time generals realised that what was said in the seminar and the manner in which it was expressed articulates the feelings of civil society.
Yes, we have had enough of the uniformed intrusion in our national affairs.
The night for the generals has begun and we eagerly await the dawn of a democratic civilian order under which the people would finally be able to rule their own country.
J.M. SHAIKH
Lahore
INTERESTINGLY, Mr Ali Yahya Khan is not aware of his facts when he wrote his diatribe about Ayub Khan and his sons.
I am not defending them by any means. I am just simply pointing out that Gen Eisenhower was the chief of the army staff for the European sector, Gen McArthur the chief in the eastern sector and Gen Marshall was above these two. FDR was the president in World War II.
Pakistan was never known for being a haven for justice. Not then, not now, not ever. As the current events show that in a country anyone in power can do anything and get away with it. Shahid Jamil Chaudhry claims that the late Kafila's family was responsible for her death is just so bizarre. This is a blatant travesty of justice.
DR KHALID SULAIMAN
West Midlands, UK
IT is a matter of great concerns that Iranian petrol/diesel oil is being freely sold in Jacobabad city in ‘kiryana’ stores, shops and cabins without observing any fire-fighting equipment. All this is being done under the supervision of local law-enforcement authorities.
The Iranian petrol is easily available at Rs35 to Rs40 per litre. The way Iranian petrol is being sold is hazardous: it is available in empty plastic bottles (jars of mineral water). Interestingly, the bottles, jars containing petrol are kept in the open air in front of shops. A red cloth flag is a sign for this mini petrol pump. No one here is concerned about the danger it poses to people’s lives.
I would request the administration concerned to take serious note of it. Also, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority should take appropriate action in this regard.
SAQIB
Jacobabad
US Assistant of State Secretary Richard Boucher, while addressing a meeting of leaders of Pakistan opposition parties — besides making other statements concerning Pakistan’s internal affairs — also stated that he would examine the voters’ lists issued by Election Commission.
The question arises why he is examining these lists. Can he, being a foreign national, order any changes in the lists?
MOHAMMAD RAFI
Karachi
Thanks to CPLC which, with hectic efforts and great sincerity, rescued me, my son and his wife from the clutches of the kidnappers last week.
MRS MASROOR
Karachi
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