| August 24, 2007 | Friday | Sha’aban 10, 1428 |
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Lawlessness abounds
Trends in banking
Whither Sindh Bank?
Plea of college teachers
Let people judge
Interference in internal affairs
What about sovereignty?
Rape victim needs justice
Suicide bombing
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
THE judiciary, the media and a majority of the public is rejoicing over the triumph of the chief justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, in obtaining justice. Indeed it’s a historical moment in the 60 turbulent years of Pakistan, as never before has the nation witnessed such a judicial activation and solidarity among all the segments of the judiciary.
The nearly four-month-long mass movement led by the chief justice had indeed taken a great leap towards strengthening this important pillar of power. This is bound to effect the creation of an essential balance of power between the executive, the legislative and the judiciary, necessary for establishing a true democratic society based on social justice. But the manner in which this movement was conducted has also aroused some legitimate concerns:
Why did the chief justice deem it essential to initiate a mass movement in favour of his rightful stand rather than confining it to the court room? Didn’t he have faith in his own team of judges or was he contemplating a different fate? Would the chief justice like to advise the common man to use the same recipe and utilise street power to obtain justice, without harbouring any fear of being caught behind bars for contempt of court?
Or would he like to bring about revolutionary changes in the working of this esteemed institution so that no pressure of any kind would be able to impede the delivery of justice to even the weakest person in this country?
This great movement became instrumental in infusing new life into an otherwise flaccid body of the opposition. Workers of different political parties freely participated in the processions led by the chief justice and were even allowed to bring their party flags and deliver speeches in his favour at reception camps arranged by the bar councils at different parts of the country.
Thus there seemed to be a deliberate attempt to make an otherwise purely judicial issue into a political issue. Should this methodology be allowed to be adopted by others to obtain justice?
Rendering allout support to the movement by the leaders of the major political parties belonging to the opposition camp must have made a soft corner in the heart of the chief justice, while names of the leaders belonging to the ruling alliance must have been written with permanent ink in his ‘bad book’. Now after being reinstated, would he be able to maintain his impartiality and not allow any biases to influence his performance while dealing with any of the above?
The membership of a few imminent lawyers was struck out from the bar’s register since they dared to express their support to the presidential reference. Doesn’t a free democratic society have the right to make independent choices and opinions? Was taking such a punitive action, while the proceedings were still going on, not one way of influencing the court to get the desirable results?
Addressing these concerns is important not only in order to keep the momentum in the right direction but to also prevent masters from becoming monsters and saviours turning into exploiters in future. It is not only in the best interest of the public but also for the judiciary itself to address these concerns in the best possible manner, as the means to reach the end is as important as the end itself.
DR M. WASIM MIRZA
Jhelum
IT IS being published in many newspapers around the world that President Musharraf is the only good thing that has happened to Pakistan since its founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah. It is also being speculated that only Mr Musharraf can help Pakistan out of the realm of darkness it has fallen into and that he is the only ray of hope now left for the politically tattered country.
I believe he has certainly gained a lot of attention in the West and that the western media strongly advocates that even though he has not done enough, he is the right man for the job to hunt down Islamic militants and not let a country possessing nuclear arsenal fall to the terrorists. I believe it is a tactical game being played and this game will not result in any good except for the president.
The political drama between the chief justice and the government, mainly President Musharraf, has awaken the country from its deep slumber of all the political injustices done to the masses by our governments in the past.
There was a recent scare that the government might declare an emergency in the country, but luckily that did not happen due to the pressure from the US. If an emergency had been imposed, the government would have restricted most of the judicial proceedings and curbed freedom of speech.
With bomb explosions in Islamabad and fights erupting in the NWFP, civil unrest is definitely on the rise. The Lal Masjid incident is behind us but the government needs to make sure that all those people who were planning to be ‘martyrs’ but ended up getting freed by the government do not end up as the next suicide bombers. If strict measures are not taken now to curb this, there might be even harsher times ahead of us.
The lawmakers, our MPs and MNAs, look totally baffled as to what needs to be done during this hour of crisis. They seem to be more interested in why Imran Khan dated Seeta White and not why is the price of petroleum rising or why is there an increase in poverty? All my best wishes are with Mr Khan who has done more than a minister with limited powers in wanting to bring criminals to justice. I urge voters to look past what Mr Khan did with his life in the past, it was his life and he did not hurt anyone by his acts. We have made enough bad decisions as a nation for the past 60 years that we have made our own future very dark.
Now the thing to wait for is for the election date. Many of the western governments, including President Bush, have called for free and fair elections. I hope that not only the ballot boxes would be transparent but the elections themselves would be too.
ZOHAIR BAJWA
Missoula, MT, USA
RECENTLY several banks and financial institutions have recruited quite a few university graduates; in fact, it is a conspicuously large fresh workforce as compared to recruiting trends of earlier years.
Also, recently, almost all of these financial institutions have acknowledged, and in some case implemented, parallel systems of banking commensurate with Islamic transactional and monetary laws.
I wish to point to the fact that while these institutions have placed heavy emphasis on the imperative of attracting a workforce (in terms of advertising the potential for growth, large-scale institutional recruitment, offering competitive remuneration for fresh graduates, etc.), minimal importance and subdued vigour is accorded to warning, informing, and training the new workforce of the logic behind the dichotomised systems of banking at the exact time of recruitment.
The fact that several of these institutions themselves conduct their operations on two different principles (in fact, arguably two different moral codes) is significant to their increasing number of employees and customers. This is apparent by the stringency, conviction and lucrative charm with which each form of banking is advertised in its own, and adhered to, with equal conviction, by their respective customers.
There are several who have either chosen not to pursue a career in banking, or have abandoned the industry altogether on the grounds that interest-based banking is against religious principles. Such people are often acutely aware of the reasons for their choices and have the testimony of several authorities to support their actions.
If financial institutions were to truly live up to the image of being sensitive to corporate social responsibilities, then their recruitment and human resource attraction campaigns ought to be providing new employees more information on the two broad and mutually exclusive principles on which they operate, so that employees can align their sensibilities with their career and responsibilities (which can be a significant motivating factor).
Failure to adequately inform new employees of such aspects of business paints a picture of such institutions being deliberately indifferent to whatever morality or sensibility is adhered to by their employees, so long as they do not culminate into action that is not in line with organisational objectives of flourishing business.
It can even be said that these institutions are quick to feign, develop or adapt certain ostensible moral standards when such a course can benefit the business, but are, at the end of the day, still chiefly governed by the objectives of fuelling business and maximising profits.
RIZWAN AHMED QURAISHI
Karachi
AFTER retirement from the State Bank of Pakistan on Feb 3, 2000, I got registered an NGO in the name of ‘Sindh Development Foundation (SDF), with the main objective of establishing Sindh Development Bank having its network at village level in Sindh as its first phase and later on throughout the country.
In the capacity of the chairman of the SDF, I discussed the envisaged plan through correspondence and personal meetings with the then governor of Sindh, Mohammedmian Soomro, who, agreeing with the proposal, asked for certain changes. But soon he was elevated as chairman of the Senate.
After his relinquishment as governor, I kept on writing a weekly column in local dailies reiterating the significance of such a bank for the uplift of rural Sindh. I also contacted the then revenue minsiter and briefed him about the importance of the Sindh Bank. He discussed my proposal with the then chief minister Mahar.
However, he told me subsequently that the then CM did not agree to the scheme. The minister then discussed this proposal with the present chief minister who found the same agreeable, and five months back a plan to establish the bank was advertised twice in all local and national newspapers.
But since then not a single word has so far been heard from the Sindh government. Probably the scheme has fallen prey to bureaucratic ineptness and lethargy and shelved in the cupboards of some official of the Sindh finance department.
I request the chief minister and the governor to take the department concerned to task for shelving such a scheme having a long-term impact on the rural economy and get the proposal of the Sindh Bank implemented as soon as possible, so that banking facilities can also be enjoyed by the people of rural Sindh. This will also help alleviate poverty, one of the main causes of our backwardness.
DR ALI AKBAR M. DHAKAN
Chairman, Sindh Development Foundation
Karachi
THIS has reference to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz’s announcement of upgradation of college and university teachers on the eve of ‘Salam Teachers Day’.
It is a matter of grave concern for college teachers who haven’t received the said benefit yet while, on the other hand, university teachers have been honoured with the announced package. It is deplorable that we college teachers have been ignored in this regard.
Depriving an important segment of society of a pledged benefit is a huge question mark on the credibility of the regime, which has commenced a laudable tradition of celebrating Teachers’ Day every year in order to boost the morale of the neglected but hard working and dedicated teachers.
I hope the authorities would look into the matter and get their promise executed promptly.
MUHAMMAD SAMI
Khuzdar
THE issue of Dawn, Aug 19, contains op-ed pieces by two of your regular columnists, Ardeshir Cowasjee and Kunwar Idrees, each of whom has levelled allegations against me which are erroneous in fact, and perhaps malicious in intent. This is a clarification.
Ardeshir Cowasjee quotes Mirza Mohammad Aslam Beg’s response to a petition filed by Air Marshal Asghar Khan (19 of 1996) before Chief Justice of Pakistan Sajjad Ali Shah. Gen Aslam Beg’s response states, inter alia, “the then President, Mr Ghulam Ishaq Khan, had formed an Election Cell directly under him, managed by Mr Roedad Khan/Mr Ijlal Haider Zaidi.”
I wish to categorically repeat my earlier declarations, in print and in electronic media, that I was not a member of the so- called ‘Election Cell’, that I never attended any meetings of the so-called ‘Election Cell’, and was never associated with any of the activities attributed to this ‘Cell’. Indeed, I was not even aware of the existence of this ‘Cell’. I am prepared to testify to this statement in public and under oath in a court of law.
Furthermore, I avail myself of this opportunity to state that I reserve the right to initiate legal action against any person that repeats, by words spoken or written, this malicious allegation.
My response to the article by Kunwar Idrees is couched more in sorrow than in anger, since the cut was as unexpected as it was unkind. One factual error in his article is that I “was called upon to act as news reader at the Dacca Radio Station when all the staff absconded at the height of the emergency.” This is incorrect: the factual position is that without having to act as a ‘news reader’, I took all necessary measures, as Information Secretary, to keep the Dacca Radio Station on the air.
However, as far as issues of principle are concerned, there is one aspect of Kunwar Idrees’s article that needs specific clarification. He has correctly quoted my unsolicited advice after my retirement to authoritarian regimes, “keep going as long as you can – never hold elections.” But he has omitted my important corollary to this recommendation; that if you do decide to hold elections, then make sure that they are free and fair, and most importantly, abide by and implement the result of the elections. This was in the context of East Pakistan, where failure to abide by the results of a free, fair and impartial election resulted in tragedy.
During our long association as colleagues in the Civil Service of Pakistan, Kunwar Idrees and I have maintained a constant exchange of views and ideas, always in a logical as well as in a fond and friendly manner. I must admit, therefore, that the tenor and content of his article are hurtful and have provided a personal sense of regret and disillusionment. It seems that we are now on the opposite sides of the barricade.
Finally, it appears as though Kunwar Idrees’s piece was provoked by my response to a question posed by BBC Correspondent Barbara Platt regarding the prospects of a free, fair and impartial election under Gen Musharraf: I suggest that we leave it to history to provide the answer.
ROEDAD KHAN
Islamabad
THE reported American pressure on Gen Pervez Musharraf to share power with Benazir Bhutto in the next setup is not only interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs but also an act of prejudice towards its people.
If we must continue to have a president who has caused serious harm to the country and been resoundingly rejected by the masses plus a prime minister who has been sacked twice and is absconding, with what face will we venture forth in the comity of nations?
There is, however, no surprise on this count as by now we have become acclimatised to the Americans imposing unpopular military dictators on Pakistan in violation of the Constitution. As for our politicians, we know that some of them have noses of steel which register no damage even when they are sunk in ignominy.
Of course, there are scores of examples to the contrary in the world, of which only two need be mentioned:
1. General de Gaulle packed up and went home even though he won his referendum but felt that his margin of victory was not large enough.
2. Recently in Japan the minister for agriculture committed suicide when charges of corruption were levelled against him.
SARDAR MUMTAZ ALI BHUTTO
Karachi
US President George Bush, according to a news report, did not say he would consult Pakistan before ordering a military strike against it in a bid to eliminate Al Qaeda militants.
This comes on the top of the string of objectionable statements made by US senators and congressmen, contesting the presidential elections, indicating an attack on the holiest sites of Islam and the tribal belt of Pakistan to deter a nuclear attack on America and exterminate what they call extremism respectively.
This also follows Nicholas Burn’s tirade against Pakistan which he has embarked upon more than once.
Although Islamabad has been asserting that any such unilateral action by the US would be deemed as an act of aggression, the truth is Pakistan has already committed the blunder of inviting the devils from across the Atlantic in 2001. Now these devils sit right in our neighbourhood and bully us every now and then. The uninvited president, i.e., Musharraf, welcomed the most hated troops in the world, facilitated their operation here, cooperated with them in killing the innocent Muslims whose only crime was that they were the enemies of Bush. How can a country defend its sovereignty when it has already made so many compromises on its sovereign status?
OSMAN MUJTABA
Islamababd
IT is a great apathy that in interior Sindh innocent women are being targeted and humiliated after being raped. Nasima Labano of Ghotki district is one of the unlucky victims. She was gang-raped by an influential group of Ubauro taluka but the criminals are still at large, the police cannot arrest them, nor can any other agency punish them for such a heinous crime.
Nasima’s case was highly publicised by various NGOs and the media in the days the ugly incident took place but now everyone seems to be in a sullen silence. It seems that the war against this crime is solely being fought by her alone.
Labano needs the attention of high-ups in the government for prompt justice. It seems that rape criminals are so powerful that that they are out of reach of our so efficient police.
DR PERVEZ SHAR
Khairpur
IS suicide bombing Islamic? Who do the suicide bombers kill? Muslims only: innocent women, children and men. All suicide bombers are ignorant of their religion. They are all cowards as they cover their faces when they go on their killing spree. They have no faith in what they are doing, they know that if they are recognised on the streets, the people will kill them for their atrocities.
The question is how: does the government control them and, in the first place, does it want to? If it does, then it has to get tough with them and warn all madressahs that if any suicide bomber is in a madressah, the government will close it down and take it over. Furthermore, maulanas and madressahs will be personally held responsible and punished as accessories to murder.
The government must also start a campaign in the media against suicide bombers to enable the people to themselves destroy the suicide bombers.
A. REHAMAN
Hyderabad
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