| August 14, 2007 | Tuesday | Rajab 29, 1428 |
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Defining contract labour
General elections
Electronics market
Happy birthday, my dear, big India
Complaint centre
Robbed
Foreign policy debate
Malaysia is not a theocratic state
Naeem Bokhari
Fake currency
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
“IF it was one man who made Pakistan, then it was the Quaid-i Azam and Quaid i-Azam alone”. So said Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan to a team of journalists from a leading Urdu daily, where the writer was also present. The journalists had come to see him in connection with a controversy going on at that time in the press triggered by Khan Wali Khan, progenitively linking the draft of the Pakistan Resolution of March 23, 1940 to a note analysing the Indian political scene sent by Chaudhry Sahib to the viceroy, Lord Linlithgow, who despatched it to Lord Zetland, Secretary of State for India, on March 12, 1940 (Pakistan Times: 23/1, 29/1 and 13/2, 1982).
Having made this categorical statement to the visiting journalists, Chaudhry Sahib, with uncharacteristic but unmistakable emotion, said: “Leave to the historians to determine who did what and in what measure in the battle surrounding the achievement of Pakistan: now that Pakistan is here let us all look after it”. And he thus ended this terse, aphoristic interview to move on to other general things.
Indeed, it was the Quaid and Quaid alone who was chosen by the Almighty to deliver to the Muslims of the subcontinent a free and sovereign state; as such, when the ship of state is braving seas never so rough before, it is but natural to return for guidance to the visionary and well-articulated postulates he left behind, especially after June 3, 1947. Nautically, the parameters of a stable metacentre are subsumed in the following few excerpts from his recorded and published speeches:
“You are free; you are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your mosques or to any other place of worship in the State of Pakistan. You may belong to any religion or cast or creed — that has nothing to do with the business of the State.”
“We are going through fire; the sunshine has yet to come. But I have no doubt that with unity, faith and discipline we will ……… compare with any nation in the world.”
“In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State – to be ruled by priests with a divine mission.”
“You have to do your duty as servants; you are not concerned with this political or that political party; that is not your business. ……. You are civil servants. The Government in power for the time being must also realise and understand their responsibilities that you are not to be used for this party or that.”
“Do not forget esprit de corps – pride in your Regiment, pride in the Corps as a whole, and pride and devotion to your country — Pakistan. Pakistan depends on you and puts her faith in you as defenders of your country. Be worthy of her.”
Enunciating these postulates is indeed spoon-feeding yet again, and indeed, yet again, we have been spoon-fed more than enough. Therefore, it is time to get on our feet; it is time for the silent majority to come out of its apathy; it is time for leadership wherever it may be to lead with courage, steadfastness, grit, honesty and objectivity and deliver.
Our present plight calls out aloud to rally round the personality, vision and ideals of the Quaid, to once again reconstruct the fervid cohesion that he welded together in 1945-47; and, expects us to hold aloft in pride our graceful flag and fly it much more than we are wont to do today as a visible manifestation of the implacable solidarity we so wistfully desire.
M. J. AS’AD
Karachi
THIS year has been more tragic than most years for Pakistan. Death of hundreds at Lal Masjid, in suicide bombs, devastating floods have been the main causes. I would appeal to fellow countrymen and the government of Pakistan to celebrate the Independence Day with austerity.
The day should be marked with prayers for the untimely death of innocent citizens of the country and for a better future of Pakistan. We will Insha Allah have many opportunities to celebrate with more fervour and funfare in the future.
DR JAMAAL MEMON
Islamabad
THE entitlement of workers employed by or through a contractor to participate in the company’s profits has given rise to the apprehension that it may impel the workers concerned to claim that they have become the employees of the company. But, the fact remains that in redrafting the definition of worker in the Companies Profits (Workers Participation) Act, 1968 every possible care had been taken to ensure that the contract labour do not make such claim.
This is evident, among other things, from the words “working for or in the company”, the former denoting the contract labour and the latter the company’s own employees. Besides, when the employer of the company decides to allocate the requisite portion of his profits to the contract labour, he will obviously ask the contractor to supply a duly verified list of the contract labour who have worked for the company for the requisite period.
This, along with the willingness of the contract labour to accept the payment as employees of the contractor, will serve as the clear documentary proof of the fact that they are the employees of the contractor and not of the company.
Some people are of the view that since in the case of Siemens company, some of the grounds on which the contract labour were held as the employees of the company were that the company was supplying meals free of cost to the contract labour and was also allowing them the free use of its transport, there is every possibility that the same view may also be taken in regard to the workers participating in the company’s profits. But, the two situations are totally different.
The Siemens contract labour were held as employees of the company because the company was allowing these facilities voluntarily, there being no provision either in law or in contract therefor. In the case of participation in the profits of the company the facility will have to be allowed under legal compulsion and under the pain of penalty.
There is another apprehension, well founded indeed, and it is that at times a tailor master may enter into a contract with the employer for stitching uniforms of his workers who may also claim the same benefit for his workers engaged for the job. And at times even the genuine contractor may not supply the correct list of his labour to the employer.
To avoid such apprehension, it could be appropriate if the term contractor is clearly defined and the contractor is also required to get himself registered with the labour department to ensure double check over his record.
HAIDER ZAMAN
Karachi
BEFORE election takes place, the participants should take certain decisions to bring sanity to governance. Some of which are:
a. Only those persons should be declared elected who have clear majority of more than 50 per cent. If there are more than two candidates and none has brought clear majority, re - election should be held between two highest vote - receiving candidates.
This system is current in the French political system and is also partly practised here in elections for the local government.
b. The number of ministers/advisers should be limited. I suggest five per cent of the total strength of an assembly is optimum figure and the government should be constitutionally restricted to this limit.
c. Ninety days prior to the elections, the government, including the president, should resign and hand over power to the care taker government. The persons in the interim government should not be eligible to compete in the elections.
d. Allowances and perks of parliamentarians and ministers should be reduced but in any event should not be more than that which is allowed to officers in grade 20.
e. Last but not the least, elections and by - elections should only be held on Sundays. Normally a person is able to cast his vote in 60 minutes so why one whole day of the entire nation is wasted. In the US, elections are invariably held on Sundays.
f. The above is not exhaustive list and more items can be evolved by discussions.
A.G. HABIB
Karachi
KARACHI’s electronics market in the heart of the city looks like a big parking zone for motorcycle/scooters, specially near the mobile market. Even taxis, pick — ups and private cars are parked in the middle of the road and it takes almost half an - hour for a motorist to reach M. A. Jinnah Road from near the Saddar post office.
There is no traffic signal nor any public buses, rickshaws or trucks plying on this one - way road. The encroachments on both sides and the middle of the road restricts drivers of private vehicles to move in a normal speed.
The traffic police personnel on duty on the road watch the situation helplessly, remain busy with fellow colleagues and friends in gossiping and smoking and encouraging car owners and motorcyclists to park their vehicles wherever they like in consideration of benefits they receive from the shopkeepers of the area.
As a result, car owners are compelled to drive in a single row since there is always a risk for them to knock down a scooter parked in almost middle of the road.
A few months ago the situation was quite different. The van lifters used to pick up the double-parked vehicles and the police were very strict in enforcing the traffic rule. Even the hawkers and other vendors were not allowed on the road and footpaths and the motorists and pedestrians had no problem in moving about freely. This traffic rule and system has now been discarded for the reasons best known to the authorities.
In view of the above, I request the traffic administration to take immediate steps to remove the difficulties and problems now faced by the citizens.
J.D. POHWALA
Karachi
WE ARE the tenth largest economy worldwide, but 25 per cent, i.e. 250 million Indians, subsist below the poverty line. We spend 4.8 per cent of GDP on health, 4.1 per cent on education. But we spend eight per cent of budget on defence, for not having made peace with neighbours.
Transnational select directors/chairmen, from India, but we cannot identify a prime minister who is not a Nehru-Gandhi family loyalist. We swear by non - violence but religious groups indulge in shameful rioting every few years. We are a global economy, but pay the president and prime minister, pathetic salaries of $1,250 a month.
We foster entrepreneurship, yet New Delhi is a bizarre maze of licences, controls. Leaders of integrity like Buddha, Mahavir and Gandhiji were born here. But a sheet of paper does not move, in the corridors of power, without financial lubrication. We had a woman prime minister for years, now a woman president, but we kill thousands of baby girls a day, before birth!
We send our troops to embattled countries, under UN umbrellas to save lives, but 100,000 farmers committed suicide in a few years, due to financial insolvency. Our president lives in a palace of 300 bedrooms, but about 40 to 50 million Indians sleep in the streets or fields every day.
We have talked of metamorphosing Mumbai into a Shanghai for a decade, but the annual monsoons transform the city into a stinking pond. We are IT service providers to the world, via BOP, but 39 per cent of Indians cannot read and write.
We are a nuclear power, but have power cuts in the capital; countless villages have yet to get electricity. We have the Ganges, Godhavri pouring tones of fresh waters into the oceans, but 14 per cent of Indians do not have access to clean processed drinking water. We hail the joint family tradition, but Mother Theresa had to coach us to care for the elderly and sick.
We have amongst the best “intelligence agencies” worldwide, but liquor is stolen from the plane of the prime minister, when he travels. We are readying Indian astronauts to go to space, moon, but cannot clean the gutters that the British built for Bombay city 100 years ago.
We play international hosts to refugees from countries like Bangladesh, but then let them fester on footpaths. Our doctors are famed across the world, but at home we have half a doctor (0.6) per 1,000 people, and one hospital bed (0.9) per 1,000 people. Our engineers build the world, atomic power projects in Brazil, but we cannot build a water taxi system to cover our massive coastline to relieve road congestion.
We have massive unemployment; hence we can hire the same people to rally for an ideology today, and the opposite ideology tomorrow, for a tea, snack and $1. Our entrepreneurs buy airlines across the world, but we do not have enough metros, trains, buses in our cities. Our marriages are arrangements, not partnerships. If the bride is not educated, the bridegroom harangues her for dowry; if the bride is educated, she blackmails the bridegroom with threats of alimony.
We bid for the Asian, Olympic Games, but do not have enough playgrounds for our schoolchildren.
We love big, wide international cars, but the width of most of our main trunk roads has remained unchanged at two or three lanes, for the last 60 years. We build flamboyant malls and towers, but about 250 million Indian do not have latrines attached to their homes. NRIs’ are one of the largest contributors to foreign exchange in the country, but they do not vote overseas, in the elections.
We pretend to shun worldly recognitions, but continue to be a fiercely jealous people. Sachin and Sania mesmerise us, but we do not set international training centres to nurture future world - class players. We are fickle, Amitabh has a small, private wedding for his son, he is snooty; he has an ostentatious wedding, he is wasting money!
We worship the cow, but let her stray all over our streets, uncared. We care for animals, but let thousands of sick, menacing dogs loaf in towns. Our rich donate millions to build new temples, but ignore the hungry, forlorn beggars standing outside these places of worship. Happy birthday, my big India!
RAJENDRA K. ANEJA
Dubai, UAE
WE ALL know that there are limitations in our apparatus to fight emergencies. Recent rains have only proved it once more. In terms of improvement of our technical and human resource, the situation will not change at least in the near future. However, what we can do and must do is to provide the public with a system where they can at least be heard.
I live in phase 6 of Defence off Khayaban-i-Sehar. Knee-deep water is standing on streets 9, 10 and 11, all leading to the office of Clifton Cantonment Board. I tried calling the Clifton Cantonment Board but after several hours I gave up and went there myself. Only a clerk was sitting in the complaints room with a telephone set which was out of order.
No body seemed to be in any mood to listen to anyone, let alone help. I walked back home after registering a request to drain out water but nothing has happened in the last 36 hours. I wish the CEO of the Clifton Cantonment Board had at least set up a complaint centre with working telephones. People may still have suffered but would at least have had the satisfaction of talking to someone.
ARIF AHMED KHAN
Karachi
A FEW weeks ago I placed an advertisement for some second - hand furniture that I wanted to sell off. An old man, dressed in white shalwar-kameez, with a ‘tasbeeh’ in his hand, made a deal over some furniture and also left us with some minimal advance payment.
The next day he brought with him two men claiming them to be his sons, to show them the furniture and to pick it up as well. He left them at our place and went to get the remaining money. The two men took us at gun - point, took away all our cash, jewellery, cellphones, camera, laptops, etc.
I wanted to share this with everyone so that if you ever place an advertisement in the papers, you should be very careful and not trust everybody since this country inhabits such shameful, hideous people.
SYEDA ATTIYA HASSAN
Karachi
AT the end of your timely editorial, ‘Foreign policy debate’ (Aug 5), you have wondered: "One does not know why the House failed on Friday to agree on a joint resolution condemning Congressman Tom Tancredo's threat (to bomb Makkah and Madina)".
The reason will be apparent if it is recalled that those parties who refused to do the needful are mainly the ones that had failed to condemn the desecration of copies of the Holy Quran and other religious books during the Lal Masjid operation. In contrast, the apex court was concerned enough to order an inquiry into the matter.
This shows that these parties have no love lost for Islam and only keep paying lip service to it at best. That is why they regrettably paid no heed to the threats posed to Islam's holiest sites.
M. ALI
Karachi
A KUALA Lumpur report (Aug 6) says that Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has said that Malaysia is not a theocratic state nor it is secular.
The statement is meant to appease the minorities. We know that Malaysia has advanced and progressed by being true Muslims as well as non-theocratic country. This development is the result of better education.
Pakistan’s founding father Mohammad Ali Jinnah also did not want Pakistan to be a theocratic state. But he was one step ahead of Malaysia.
He wanted Pakistan to be secular like Turkey. Here comes the tragic part. Our mullah/maulvi - dominated society, which is largely illiterate and ignorant, is doing exactly the opposite of what the Quaid wished. Lal Masjid is a case in point.
Pakistan has become a leading nation in the Muslim world – not because of better or higher education. A few of our learned people have elevated our country.
If we had such education as does have Malaysia, we would have been a superpower of the Muslim world.
The question is: why can’t we educate our people; why can’t our people provide education to our children?
Our religiosity does not stop us from getting or imparting education.
M.K. NAQVI
Karachi
I was immensely hurt to read that a group of zealots pelted Naeem Bokhari advocate with stones (Aug 9) in the premises of a Rawalpindi court and as a consequence police had to escort him to a clinic for first aid.
The protesting mob threw rotten tomatoes at him, tore his clothes and chanted slogans against his former wife.
Pakistani political commentators hesitate to defend Mr Bokhari in public for reasons unknown. To my best knowledge, no column/editorial has yet appeared in a national newspaper, attempting to remind people that the president didn't file the reference against the chief justice at the behest of Mr Bokhari.
I pray for the sanity of a nation which utterly denies its citizens their right to self-expression.
KAZIM AIZAZ ALAM
Karachi
THE ATMs in Islamabad are a nuisance for bank clients. Recently I faced embarrassment in front of a shopkeeper on ‘fake currency’ taken from ATM of a renowned bank. Who is to blame?
ASIYA KHAN
Islamabad
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