| July 20, 2007 | Friday | Rajab 04, 1428 |
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Cement prices
Commuters’ plight
Thanks to Australian court
Super-rich versus super-rich
Blaming Islamic theology
Benevolent fund: appeal to governor, CM
Capital airport
Poor state of hospital
Met office efficiency?
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
I WOULD like to draw the attention of Dr Ishratul Ebad, chancellor of the universities of the province, and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Karachi Dr Pirzada Qasim and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sindh, Jamshoro Mazharul-Haque Siddiqui to the neglect of the English language and linguistics at the post-graduate level.
Every year universities announce admissions to MPhil/PhD programmes but English Literature and Linguistics are ignored by all the general universities of the province. I don’t understand this philosophy. When the University of Karachi and the University of Sindh offer M Phil/PhD programmes for Arabic and Persian subjects that are rarely taught in colleges and universities, why they do not offer English subject which is a most important subject in Arts/Humanities and Sciences.
On the one hand, we are very much worried about English Language teaching and on the other hand all language teachers are deprived of higher education. Would anyone explain it? I am sorry to say that almost all my esteemed universities of the province have established high tech labs for all science subjects, but, perhaps none of the universities have language labs right from Karachi to Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur.
Not a single university in the province, either in the public or the private sector, offers MPhil/PhD programme in English Literature/Linguistics, though the University of Karachi and the University of Sindh, Jamshoro, have sound faculty to start teaching MPhil/PhD programme. May I ask then where should all language teachers go?
In the case of English, all universities have not made any worthy progress. I would like to quote here the example of BZU, Multan, which is not as old as the University of Karachi and the University of Sindh, yet it started MPhil Linguistics programme a few years back.
No doubt we need scientists in all natural and physical science subjects, but we should not forget that without English, we cannot teach any subject. We need a good number of linguists and men of literary acumen. Neglecting the English language is tantamount to neglecting all arts and science disciplines.
The English language, which is the hallmark of success in the present scenario, is totally neglected by our authorities. All general universities of the province have English department and the degree which is commonly offered by all the universities is an MA in English Literature, the highest degree. Only the University of Karachi offers MA Linguistics. Is it not strange? The degree that was offered in 1947 is still the same with the same curricula except for the change of two or three novels. In all modern universities of the world many degrees are offered, such as MA ELT, MA TESOL and MA TEFL.
In the present scenario English has got many fields such as call centres, journalism, electronic media, content writers, copy writers, translators, teaching for specific purpose such as TOEFL and IELTS. Hence, the avenues where ELT came to be required in Pakistan are unlimited today.
But universities have not changed their syllabi to meet the challenges. If we don’t meet the challenges, then definitely challenges will meet us, and it would be very difficult to provide trained teachers for the all above fields.
The authorities concerned should provide a chance to the youth of Sindh to make their career in English. Give a chance to all language teachers of universities/colleges to earn MPhil degrees in their own province. In fact, a few universities can afford to send their faculty members to the UK/US/Canada/ Australia. I also request Dr Attaur Rehman, chairman, HEC, to open separate centre of higher education in any universities of Pakistan, where language and literature teachers may quench their thirst for knowledge.
A GHANI N. SOOMRO
Sukkur Institute of Business Administration
Sukkur
IN your editorial, ‘Cement price hike’ (July 9), you write that the recent increase in prices could be the result of a surge in exports and duty concessions to the industry given by the government. Only in a country like Pakistan can the state let the industries export the produce at the expense of local needs.
Exports are usually allowed when domestic demand is met and production is in surplus. But when the authorities are concerned with filling their coffers disregarding the suffering of the natives, only can things come to such a pass. In the event, the common man is a loser while the producers, distributors, retailers (read hoarders) are the benefactors.
The mounting cement price is the consequence of another wrong policy of the present government — the real estate and property prices — which are an all-time high.
Artificial demand was created to benefit the builder mafia having close connections with the establishment, which resulted in unhindered and even sham housing and commercial schemes. Even the banks were made to grant loans to these partners-in-crime at insignificant interest rates.
The inhibited construction has caused severe power and water shortages notwithstanding the immense environmental harm. However, builders, city government and cement producers had hey days. The end result is that the real estate is now out of reach of even upper middle class who cannot imagine buying or renovating the land.
Earlier the government had similar policies on wheat and sugar which resulted in the shortage of these commodities. Likewise the government has been continuously providing rebates and tax reliefs to textiles which is making exorbitant profits but is always crying foul.
The powers-that-be have become indifferent to the needs of their countrymen and are only concerned with appeasing the capitalist and themselves. The recent crises related to milk, sugar, cement and cars have made it pretty obvious whose interest is central to the government’s heart.
MISBAH NOMANI
Karachi
I WANT to draw the attention of authorities concerned towards commuters’ plight. In all civilised countries, taxi drivers charge fare from their passengers according to the metre.
But here in Pakistan, especially in big cities like Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi and Islamabad, taxi and rickshaw drivers generally consider themselves above the law and extort extra money from passengers by charging fare according to their sweet will.
It is a fact that a majority of taxis and rickshaws have faulty meters, some of the drivers even do not bother to install meters in the vehicles. In Hyderabad, no driver bothers to install meters. It is very shocking for people to pay twice or thrice because of faulty meters.
The drivers take advantage of the passengers’ need. Mostly the old/weak and patients are the victim of these drivers.
Also, the entire public transport system is going from bad to worse with the passage of time, mainly due to failure of the traffic police and other transport authorities to get rules and laws implemented in letter and in spirit.
Airconditioned coaches are another bad example of this practice. On Mondays and Saturdays they charge higher fare than usual, because a large number of employed people travel on these days from Karachi to other parts of Sindh and vice versa.
It is common observation that these taxi drivers, rickshaw drivers and coach owners do not follow the official rate and the passengers have to put up with the corruption of the system.
The claim of the drivers cannot be denied that high price of fuel and spare parts and the black sheep in the police, transport, excise and taxation and other departments are responsible for this ugly situation.
Unless, the monopoly of the private transporters is ended by replacing it with well-maintained public transport system, the commuters’ woes would continue and no remedy can heal the wounds. The public transport system in Japan is an example for our policymakers, and the higher authorities have to take the issue seriously and provide relief to the commuters.
MOINUDDIN
Hyderabad
WE, the Indians, welcome the Australian federal court decision to free the young and innocent Indian-born Dr Mohammad Haneef. The bail granted to him signals that justice prevails in Australia.
This has boosted the morale and raised our heads with pride in the entire world and, consequently, our faith is restored in the system of deliverance of justice in the land of Australia.
There are many cases of innocent people like Dr Haneef who have been detained in the name of ‘Islamic terrorism’ without any genuine proof and evidence and have been put behind bars in the world.
Islamic terrorism is nothing. The term is the creation of the western media in order to malign the image of Islam in the eyes of the other religious communities.
Needles to say, Islam does not hate or preach any such kind of things and fundamentally talks about the welfare of all the human beings on the earth and the struggle which an individual is supposed to do or the challenges which he has to face during this struggle for the wider cause of humanity is termed ‘jihad’.
Jihad basically means the struggle for the betterment of human civilisation. I once again express my thanks to the Australian court for such an anxiously waited verdict.
DR NEHAL AHMAD
India
APROPOS of an oped article by Madeleine Bunting: ‘Rise of the super-rich’ (June 26), I felt highly uneasy reading: ‘Richistan’ is another country … and it’s a country stuffed full of absurd opulence – watches worth hundreds of thousands but hey, why stop at one, what about a ‘watch wardrobe’? … et al.”
How could be a ludicrously flabbergasting description of our super-rich elites described by a London column writer of a prestigious newspaper, Guardian? I could only bow my head down in disgust.
Since a decade our leaders kept convincing us that macro-economic indicator-wise the country is progressing well. The division of the simple and straightforward subject of economies into two ‘micro’ and ‘macro’ tiers bisected by the elite purse-holder of the nation is now being explained sarcastically by the world watchdogs.
The coining of the expletive – ‘Richistan’ – conveys many messages of the UK’s middle class as they feel themselves in economic malaise surprisingly. Their binoculars are now set not only to see the outcome of Pakistanis’ uprising demanding the rule of the law but also observe the head-on-collision between the ‘Richistan’s’ chronic money launderers and the UK judicial system already protecting their land mafia tycoons, cosily ensconced in the tax-haven London.
MOHAMMAD AHMAD
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the articles, ‘Changing outlook’ (July 7) by Irfan Husain and ‘Where did they go wrong?’ (July 10) by Madeleine Bunting.
Mr Husain has quoted Hassan Butt, a young British-born Muslim, who has “recently broken away from extremism publicly,” from the latter’s article in the Observer of July 1. In it, Mr Butt has made two questionable assertions: (a) It is wrong to say that western policies towards the Muslim world are the direct cause of extremist terrorism and (b) instead, the real engine of this violence is Islamic theology.
Regarding the first point, this may be one young man’s perception, but other, more mature and knowledgeable sources have an opposing view. Thus, Ken Livingstone, the mayor of London, has said on a number of occasions that it is the West’s policies that are radicalising the Muslims. He may be a known opponent of Tony Blair but, as a responsible Briton and a western person, he cannot be expected to hypocritically say something against the western nations that he doesn’t believe in and which has an enormous bearing on his constituents in London.
Mr Butt’s second contention is negated by several facts. Why is it that Islamic theology did not pose any problem until a few decades back, but only surfaced after Muslims started being oppressed in places like Palestine, Chechnya, Bosnia, Kashmir and elsewhere, mainly by the West? Also, countless western intellectuals, academics, doctors, psychologists, lawyers, engineers, computer professionals, scientists, sportspeople and others have embraced Islam during this period.
These include famous names like Titus Burckhardt, Martin Lings, Frithjoff Schuon, William Chittick, Ms Sachika Murata, Thomas Irving, Gai Eaton and Robert Crane (who was president Nixon’s adviser). One has personally met some such persons and has been struck by their deep understanding and knowledge of Islam.
Even the relatively unknown individuals were seen to have converted after a thorough study of many other religions and ideologies. It is a great insult to their intelligence for anyone to say that they would have accepted a religion that preached violence or had a questionable theology.
In her essay, Ms Bunting, too, has discussed the radicalisation of some British Muslims and touched upon the question of theology. She has explained that some anti-colonial thinkers like Sayyid Qutb and Maulana Maududi have written books whose inflammatory, anti-western rhetoric, when taken out of context, can sound much like a charter for jihad.
However, the writer has also pointed out that various Islamic theologians have challenged the intolerance of the extremists; those scholars include Dr Zaki Badawi and, interestingly, that hate-figure of the neocons, Dr Yusuf al-Qaradawi (who did it as far back as over 20 years ago). This shows that some people make no attempt to study properly, much less reflect deeply upon, an issue that an educated person and, especially, someone supposed to be an intellectual, is expected to do. Instead, they frequently propagate second-hand, unsubstantiated and biased views.
A perusal of the Bible shows many exhortations to violence. For example: “Let the praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hands to be avenged of the heathen…” (Psalms 149: 6-8). And, “of the cities of these people which the Lord, thy God, doth give thee for an inheritance, thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth.” (Deut 20:16). In contrast, when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) conquered Makkah, not a drop of blood was shed.
S. QADRI
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad and Chief Minister Dr Arbab Rahim to the denial of benevolent fund payments to me by the department concerned
I am a widow, a former English school teacher and have been receiving my benevolent money since 1997 (when my husband, Prof Moeenuddin of the Government Degree Science College, Lyari, died).
But for reasons which I can only attribute to sheer laziness and neglect of duty, the Benevolent Department staff has denied me the payment since the middle of 2005.
I have gone to the Sindh Secretariat personally in spite of my arthritis, rung them up God alone knows how many times over the last two years, and sent my son and other people there, but each time I got nothing but promises.
Sometimes they demand certificates which I had already submitted to them and without which payment would not have been possible at all. But after paying me those cheques for nearly a decade, they have failed to do so for no reasons at all.
My Benevolent File No is 604, and I have been reminding the staff repeatedly, but I get nothing but empty promises and useless demands for new documents only to cover up their incompetence.
All documents are there on my file. In the past, when I went there every month, they asked me, "Why don't you collect it after six months?" If I went there after six months, they would say, "Why don't you collect it every month?"
I request the Sindh Governor and the Chief Minister to kindly look into this case and order the department to resume payment to me.
QAISER MOEEN,
Benevolent Fund File 604,
Karachi
ALTHOUGH I do not have anything against naming Islamabad's new international airport after the first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, I would, however, recommend that the authorities concerned name it after a person who has brought glory to Pakistan in perhaps sports or the arts. I believe we need to promote a softer image of the country and people belonging to sports, arts and music are the best ambassadors to do that.
I propose the airport be named after one of the following eminent respectable persons: Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Jahengir Khan, Imran Khan, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Ahmad Hasan Dani or Dr Abdus Salam
MOHAMMAD A. MALIK
London
RECENTLY I had a chance to visit the ICU of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Karachi where my nephew was operated upon. I was amazed that the ICU was full of visitors, including myself, and the conditions were very unhygienic and dangerous. I saw a lot of insects with my naked eyes.
I was told by a staff member that more than 50 per cent of the patients normally die in the ICU because of staff negligence. I witnessed some doctors playing games on their mobiles and discipline was totally alien to this prestigious hospital.
This is perhaps one of the only ICUs in the country where frequency of visitors was very large and thus is the dirtiest hospital. The infection rate among patients is also high. Doctors were less accommodating and not listening to attendants. Nurses were busy chatting on mobiles and attending to their own visitors.
I have experience of government hospitals in Islamabad and Rawalpindi and they are not as bad as what I saw at the NICVD. This is playing havoc with the nerves of a patient’s near and dear ones. I request the health department to look into this matter.
ZAFARUL H. ALMAS
Islamabad
ON Nov 16, 1993, a detailed news item appeared in Dawn titled ‘Reports about cyclone cause little scare’. The staff reporter wrote: “According to the Met office, Bombay gave a cyclone warning at 2pm when it reported a severe cyclonic storm was moving north-westwards with rapidly intensifying motion... At 4.15pm Pakistan television sounded an alert to the effect that the cyclone was shifting to the coastal areas.
However, the 7pm news bulletin underplayed the cyclone by stating that it was expected only to result in widespread rains in Sindh and Balouchistan.”
Even after the passage of 14 years, the Met office once again failed to inform the people about the current adversity.
Should we rely upon foreign broadcasting or television channels for the right information? As a result of Met office’s negligence, people could not take precautionary measures. As a consequence, 212 people lost their lives.
After destroying Karachi’s hoardings, electric poles, trees and 212 pleasant lives, the storm changed its course towards Balochistan where it damaged thousands of acres of land and many lives were lost. People are still waiting for help.
NADIA AFTAB
Karachi
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