| June 29, 2007 | Friday | Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1428 |
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Judging Ayub Khan
Roadway planning
IG vows to rid Karachi of arms
M-1 project
KESC kundas
Child labour
Media freedom
Women in mosques
Relief for Sindh
KPT fountain
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 book review by Anwer Abro, ‘The ultimate truth’ (Books and Authors, June 17). Before commenting on the book, the reviewer asserts that the “Sindhi philosopher-poet continues to inspire and influence the lives and activities of the peace-loving mystic souls of Sindh”.
This statement contains several incongruities and inconsistencies which necessitates elucidation.
At the outset, proclaiming Shah Latif as a poet is to diminish his significance. The ‘poet’ is one, endowed with imaginative power, who expresses his thoughts and views in a rhythmical expression arousing the emotions while exaggerating the object, of course to stress his point.
According to 18th Century political thinker, Edmund Burke, “poetry is the art of substantiating shadows and of lending existence to nothing”, whereas Shah Abdul Latif was not a poet in this sense of the word but was basically a committed reformer and truth-seeker par excellence whose verses do not contain any exaggeration which more often than not poetry contains.
Second, being an intrepid traveller and man of introspection, he was greatly dejected by extremely miserable conditions of the people of his beloved Sindh.
Thus in order to evade the tyranny of rulers, he camouflaged his passion and sang through verses his ideas of change in society. The message of truth, love for humanity, forbearance and contentment he delivered by chanting verses in folklore that the masses understood.
The period of Shah Abdul Latif (1689-1752) was the era of transition from Mughal suzerainty to the local rule. Sindh had initially lost its sovereignty to Akbar the Great in 1592, who annexed it as one of his provinces.
After the removal of Aurangzeb’s iron-clad hold, the local warlords started assuming control, first by obtaining authorisation from imbecile emperors and, finally, becoming sovereign rulers.
Although, prior to the Mughals, the people of Sindh were in perpetual hardship, especially during the despotic rule of Arguns and Turkhans (both aliens), in the Mughal period their position was even relegated to a subservient class.
They braved tremendous tribulations during this period. The transition even becomes more hazardous because of frequent Iranian and Afghan incursions during the period for the sake of loot and plunder.
Those were the chaotic times which left indelible imprint on conscientious and courageous Shah who, through his message, addressed the downtrodden to rouse them from slumbering indolence and endeavour to change their destiny through the poetic language and legend they were acquainted with.
It is equally mistaken to suggest that the message of Shah continues to inspire and influence the lives and activities of mystic-loving souls of Sindh the way it ought to have done. It may have inspired a few academicians and scholars who have written on his life and works and discussed esoteric meaning of his verses but not the common people.
The laity, on the contrary, kept his message aside, too sanctified to be spoilt by following its meaning as they held him as a divine saint who can intercede for their failings. The multitude of people visiting the shrine of Shah regularly, praying for some mundane happiness, is a testimony that no lesson has been taken from his message for which the great reformers had endured the never-ending tribulations as on more than one occasion attempts were made even to assassinate him.
I plead with the admirers of this great social reformer to step forward and impress upon the slumbering masses to explore and appreciate the spirit of Shah’s verses in the right perspective so that they can benefit from their intrinsic message.
MANZOOR H. KURESHI
Karachi
A LONG and extended discussion has been let loose over the publication of diaries of former military ruler of Pakistan Field Marshal Ayub Khan (1958 to 1969). It is a good addition to political literature. It provides material to read his mind. It is worth its while that he kept his diaries. Credit goes to his worthy son Gohar Ayub who got them published. The premier publishing house, the Oxford University Press, has published it and had a public inauguration. It is a historical document. Reviewing it or contradicting it is a privilege of every reader. Gohar Ayub is a politician in his own right. No doubt he is a decent, dignified and decorous person. He is son of Ayub Khan whom we all had seen as a national leader and, as such, everybody has a right to express his own views, whether Gohar Ayub likes them on not; agrees with them or not. Ayub Khan was too a great man to stand on crutches provided by his son.
FM Ayub Khan is responsible for many an event, happening, military interference in civilian life, 1965 war, Tashkent, undemocratic process, economic elevation, industrial advancement, land reform and has many minus and plus points. It pained me to read Gohar Ayub entering into controversy over references in Ayub Khan’s diaries.
Let Gohar Ayub leave Ayub Khan to be judged by people of Pakistan as they thought him to be. Let him be judged by history whether he served his country well, ruled or misruled. Many things are self-evident. His diaries tell us and show us how his mind worked or how a person in uniform spoils the things which are domain of politicians, statesmen, democracy, parliament, governance, oratory, eloquence, compromise, diplomacy which are akin and anathema to what is taught at military colleges, staff colleges on war/defence colleges or summed up by staff officers.
ROCHI RAM
Karachi
Tariq Husain Aamir’s letter (June 14) has offered the most practical solution to building the elevated roadway along the railway lines, which run almost parallel to Sharea Faisal from Quaidabad to the Jinnah Bridge, thus avoiding all the environmental concerns and heavy disturbance during construction.
Here it appears necessary to examine how in Mumbai, under similar conditions, the problem has been tackled most economically both for commuters and long-distance freight traffic, drastically cutting down the use of cars, consequent environmental pollution and accidents, utilising frequent rail service on four electrified rail tracks, parallel to the roads on two major city corridors, starting from Mumbai VT and Mumbai Central.
Karachi is fortunate in having two rail tracks and space for two more along its main route parallel to Sharea Faisal from the Jinnah Bridge to Quaidabad and beyond, along the proposed alignment of the elevated roadway. I would fully endorse Mr Aamir’s suggestion to follow the rail right of way for the elevated road, if at all considered essential to build.
Besides this, as an alternative, to seriously consider adding two rail tracks in the space available, electrifying the same, with other improvements, like better approach roads to stations, provision of park-ride facilities, improved signalling and frequent trains, offering some of the following advantages:
a. Considerably reducing the use of cars, which are causing acute road congestion, environmental pollution, accidents and forcing hazardous travel on roofs of rickety buses by millions of commuters.
b. Improving environment of the city.
c. Avoiding construction activity along the important road.
d. Minimising use of road trucks through the city roads.
e. Heavily curtailing the annual fuel imports, saving billions of dollars every year, as rail consumes a fraction of fuel per ton km as compared to road trucks.
If such actions were taken earlier, perhaps most of the foreign debts could be avoided.
S.M.H RIZVI
Karachi
ON taking over charge, the newly-appointed inspector-general of Sindh police vowed to launch a de-weaponisation drive and bring drastic changes in the existing police system. (June 19).
The highly motivated police chief is stated to have said that he and his associates had felt that unlicensed weapons were the major cause of public unrest and violence and a stern action was needed for de-weaponisation, therefore very soon they are going to launch a campaign against unlicensed weapons.
I wish them success. At the same time I would like to remind the IG that this would not be the first time that an attempt shall be made to cleanse society of unlicensed weapons. The first such drive was initiated on a massive scale in the mid-1980s in Karachi when a crackdown was launched targeting Sohrab Goth and other Karachi areas known to be the main suppliers of weapons all over the country.
This operation, known as ‘Operation Sohrab Goth’, fizzled out without yielding any major breakthrough. During her second stint in power, Benazir Bhutto launched a clean-up operation in Sindh. Her interior minister Naseerullah Babar used his connections in the Frontier to break the weapons supply line. Babar reportedly offered arms smugglers heavy cash incentives in exchange for information about their clients in Sindh, especially in the mega city of Karachi. This strategy proved relatively successful inasmuch as the arms flow to Karachi shrank in volume, and several dealers in the city were identified and apprehended. During his second term in office, Mian Nawaz Sharif also launched a de-weaponisation campaign which was largely confined to the media and no major ground operation was launched to seize illegal arms. Most people knew of the ineptness of the government, therefore, the campaign resulted in seizure of a small number of illegal weapons.
In 1991 comes Gen Moinuddin Haider, interior minister of Gen Pervez Mushrraf’s government, with his typical general approach. Despite the frenetic media campaign, which must have cost the government millions of rupees, the number of weapons surrendered in the 15-day amnesty period was no more than a drop in the ocean.
The de-weaponisation campaign will only achieve its objectives if the government devises a strategy to cut the weapons supply line as well as block the sources of funds of the militant organisations and help dealers monetarily and technologically to set up alternative business – better motivate them for search for oil in the country, the way China did in early 1950.
LT COL (r) SYED AHMED
Mississauga, Canada
THIS is with reference to Imran Wazeer’s letter on June 13.
I would like to clarify the point that bitumen is in acute shortage in Pakistan. The National Highway Authority has already asked the Central Board of Revenue to allow the import of bitumen so that various road construction projects could be completed in time. Moreover, the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway (M-1) is likely to be opened by October.
ALTAF AHMAD CHAUDHRY
Member (Motorway) NHA,
Islamabad
MUCH has been said, written and demonstrated against the KESC, particularly with reference to loadshedding. However, there are other aspects of KESC operations that need comments.
There are thousands of users of ‘kundas’ (illegal connections) who do not pay electricity charges), and there are users of illegal airconditioners, particularly in Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar, who pay only Rs120 a month as electricity charges. These ACs are visible from the main road.
The KESC has to remove the above illegal connections to improve the power supply. For this it should this job on contract to the Frontier Works Organisation, say RsX per kunda and RsY per illegal AC unit. Thousands of KWs of electricity will be saved, leading to reduction in loadshedding. However, having failed to tackle the above problem, the KESC is adopting devious and dishonest methods to increase its revenue.
The first method is for KESC officers to visit houses to ‘check’ meters. After the inspection, a letter showing ’violations’ is issued to the unsuspecting consumer showing ‘defects’ in the meter installations and wiring on the switchboard. The consumer is asked to explain these ‘discrepancies’ failing which revised bill will be issued. The meter was installed by the KESC and is seen every month by meter readers.
How can the consumer be held responsible for these ‘discrepancies’? But since the KESC has the absolute authority to disconnect power supply, the consumer has to put up with this illegal action.
The second ploy being practised by the KESC is to replace the existing meters with new ones. These are reported to run 10 per cent faster. Not only this, when this bill based on the readings of the new meters is received, the KESC will revise the previous bills claiming that the old meter was recording incorrect reading.
It is earnestly requested that Wapda, Nepra and the Sindh government should immediately look into these malpractices and restrain the KESC from such actions in future.
KHALID ALI KHAN
Karachi
I AM writing to complain not about the inefficiency of the KESC but the behaviour of Karachiites during loadshedding. While I agree that electricity causes frustration but coming out on the roads and destroying everything in sight is the height of stupidity. It is senseless to go out on the roads, block traffic and cause inconveniences to other people.
Unfortunately police officials for some reason become helpless in such situations, and the KESC were ironically also helpless because rioters were not letting the KESC's vehicles through so that they could go and repair the lines. One cannot be so frustrated that they cannot let the KESC through as that was for their own benefit.
MALIHA GHAZANFAR
Karachi
CHILD labour is a common evil that is found in Pakistan. A poor family employs their children to work, earn money and become a helping hand at a very young age.
This deprives them of the basic education which is necessary for them to acquire to become a useful member of their country when they reach adulthood.
Mostly, the head of a poor family is illiterate and considers education useless for his offspring as well. Thus, their ignorance and lack of awareness about child rights leads them to send their children off to work even before they can learn to handle their sanity properly.
Those children are forced to work when they should be learning; they are forced to wash cars and handle machinery when they should be busy in recreational purposes; they are forced to live in a darkened world of struggle and effort when they should be loved and fussed over; they are forced to become just another child who is concealed from society when he should be planning and fantasising about his bright future. But as long as he remains illiterate, his life shall be shadowed under the banner of poverty.
Getting rid of child labour is indeed difficult but not impossible. Many organisations like SPARC are working tirelessly to bring about awareness to restrain from hiring children. But merely a few NGOs cannot be successful unless and until the people combine forces with them to prevent and stop child labour.
If Pakistan becomes child labour-free, it shall turn into an enlightened and progressive country. If the literacy rate goes higher, it might lead to a better and promising future for Pakistan.
TAYYABA ANWAR
Islamabad
THERE is much talk about the new regulations by Pemra regarding the freedom of the media. In all honesty, the freedom — or rather the misuse of the freedom — that the media (electronic in most cases) enjoys sets no examples. I don't think any media anywhere in the world can gain from showing live pictures of dying people on the streets. You don't even see that in Baghdad, or in the most troubled places elsewhere in the Middle East.
The role of the media is to air news and not create biased opinions as is happening in Pakistan.
I think there needs to be a check. As for the regulations, these too must not be about blocking content, and proper freedom of the media to air content must be defined and upheld.
LUQMAN REHMAN
Karachi
THERE has always been space reserved for women in mosques from the time of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). That space exists for women in all mosques around the world except in Pakistan. In the UK too nearly all mosques have space reserved for women.
Recently in London young Muslim girls, born and educated in the UK, started a campaign against Pakistani mosques. They occupied a mosque just before Juma prayers and wanted to pray in it. After a short argument, the mosque was forced to let these girls pray.
These Muslim girls in London are demanding to become members of the management committees of mosques. Legally the mosques cannot refuse their demand. Sooner or later they will all have to have space reserved for women and include them in their management — thus ending the un-Islamic practice of male domination.
When will Muslim women in Pakistan wake up and secure their rightful place in mosques?
DR M. A. H. QURESHI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the news regarding Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s announcement of a relief package of Rs200 million for the victims of rain and storm in Sindh.
One can only hope that the announced package will truly be utilised for the relief of affected people instead of going to the pockets of government functionaries. There is a track record during disasters and natural calamities where relief and rehabilitation is undertaken superficially while the chunk of the relief amount never reaches deserving people. This is all because we do not have an accountability system in place.
SHAZIA NIZAMANI
Islamabad
THIS refers to the KPT’s announcement (May 31) about the closure of the KPT fountain from June 1 till the summer vacations of schools/ colleges are ended in Sindh, i.e., up to Aug 31.
Notwithstanding the reasons given by the KPT for the proposed closure of the Port fountain and its related cruise, it is really unfortunate that not only the residents of Karachi, all other upcountry visitors who are expected to visit Karachi during summer vacations will be deprived of the opportunity to see this costly landmark of Karachi (as described by President Gen Musharraf).
The KPT authorities are requested to reconsider their decision.
KH TAJAMMUL HUSSAIN
Karachi
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