| October 06, 2007 | Saturday | Ramazan 23, 1428 |
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Reconciliation Ordinance
Language and education
Saving the environment
Punjab govt achievements?
Public grievances
Sindh’s tourism potential
Free-of-cost textbooks?
HEC’s policy on plagiarism
Proposals for EOBI
Pre-emptive strikes
Uranium for India
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
FREQUENT administrative measures against the ‘rehriwallahs’ or small retailers are hypocritical in the sense that the manufacturers or big producers are not under any regulation to charge a rational profit on their products.
That being the concept of free enterprise and capitalist theories, unlimited profit to the multinationals and companies is permitted. No one dares question them as that would antagonise strong lobbies. The only tool left is to rely on cosmetic measures.
We thus see raids on the poorest of the poor who barely make ends meet through a day’s sale from their rehris. This only helps to increase poverty, besides increasing frustration amongst the poor.
If we have to address poverty, we need to be looking at the issue bottom upwards and upwards down. For the trickledown theory to work, the whole society has to respond. This response has to take the shape of reducing wasteful consumption, setting personal examples of austere living and, finally, a determined effort to control family size in proportion to resource availability.
Sadly the maximum mouths to feed exist where there is the greatest need to limit the number of family members keeping in view the ‘earning members’ ability to earn’ and provide a decent standard of living.
Our leaders criticise endlessly failure of successive governments in reducing poverty but they do very little towards addressing the factors which will effectively reduce poverty. The blame game thus continues regardless of who is in power. The poor stay where they were.
The percentages of those living below the poverty line may come down from 30 per cent to 25 per cent and that is no small achievement, but that does not help, because the numbers keep on increasing due to the increase in population. This is true for Pakistan, this is true for India and true for China also.
China recognised the problem very early and thus put a cap. They introduced the well-known ‘one child policy’ .This has now started paying dividends and the standards of living of the poor have started improving.
The other aspect that I wish to emphasise is that of austere living and saving to spend on the poor. I may be allowed to quote an example: the Iranian president is living in a small house and having assets, the value of which, if he was living in Pakistan, would classify him in the ‘lowest middle class’, almost bordering on the poor. As reported, he is not drawing the president’s salary.
The personal example being set by the Iranian president is in sharp contrast to the ostentatious perquisites of our public representatives, manifesting in palaces and luxuries which are arbitrarily increased at the cost of the taxpayer.
A corresponding increase in devotion to duty, contribution to public affairs and the problems of the people is not to be noticed anywhere and hence people develop a kind of hatred for the public representatives.
For the people to have faith in the leaders in power and those aspiring for it, a genuine and meaningful change must concomitantly be accompanied by a substantial change in the lifestyles of leaders, towards simple living. Frontally meeting the challenges of reducing poverty through a comprehensive approach is a dire necessity.
Poverty in Pakistan needs to be addressed not through slogans but by demonstrable practical measures.
SHAMS ZAHEER ABBAS
Lahore
THIS concept was originated by Nelson Mandela except that in his case they called it the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Our pragmatic president and equally pragmatic prime minister had decided to eliminate the word truth.
Not that one expects Benazir Bhutto or Nawaz Sharif to tell the truth or their prominent supporters to embark on such an adventure. It is true of politicians the world over but it is good to remind people that there is such a thing as truth.
There have been two interesting new developments. The first is the slogan demanding an independent judiciary. This is fine but not adequate because we also need a competent judiciary.
To achieve this, the selection process would have to be changed. The second important slogan is that military rule is bad. This is of course true except that our so-called democratic rule was worse.
It was certainly not democratic: they were elected under the auspices of military intelligence and the ISI. It was a revolving door arrangement the PPP succeeded the PML and the PML kept succeeding the PPP.
Not one of them supported freedom of the press and media or wanted an independent judiciary or, for that matter, had any interest in good governance or transparency in decision-making.
Will they now really try to introduce or work for the creation of democracy in the country?
ZAFAR IQBAL
Karachi
WHEN will we learn that language is adopted and not thrust upon? In all our schools, be they government or private, English, the provincial language and Urdu, the link language between our provinces, must be compulsory if we are to be a progressive nation. Half of our people are illiterate and do not know if we will ever achieve over 90 per cent literacy with the funds the state at present provides for education and health.
To generate funds, we must introduce a national lottery as was done in Sri Lanka where people achieved a very high standard for health and education (literacy is over 97 per cent) .This lottery should be run twice monthly with ticket of Rs5 and prize of Rs500,000, in all the four provinces to be run under the supervision of the State Bank , which would establish a board of eminent teachers, doctors and scientists for allocation of funds. To attract the best teachers, the highest salary possible is offered to them — as they can only build a nation. The government must make people aware that this lottery is for our survival in this age of science and technology and not for monetary gain.
R. A. KARIM
Karachi
UNHEALTHY environment is one of the most common problems we face nowadays. To keep the environment healthy, we sometimes organise clean-up campaigns, but I guess it’s of no use. What about industries which dump tons of hazardous waste into rivers and oceans? Do we bother about the harm caused to the marine life?
Thousands of animals die every day due to this and many get extinct as a result of all this. We have to take some serious action to reduce these wastes and thus save the environment.
Poverty is also one of the reasons leading to pollution of the environment. To get rid of poverty, we contribute to charities but its not enough. The dirt and filth in which poor people are forced to live cause diseases. The poor carry the diseases with them, spreading it among others. This degrades the environment. So, let’s stop giving lecture and instead take some action so that we can reduce the damage before it gets too late.
BEANISH HANIF KHANZADA
University of Karachi
ENORMOUS public funds are being spent on advertising achievements of the Punjab government, including construction of roads.
Talagang-Mianwali Road was one of the best roads in Punjab, compacted by years of heavy traffic.
For unknown reasons, over two years ago the entire 100km length of this road was completely dismantled, filled with crushed stone, and left for vehicular traffic to compact it for the contractor instead of road rollers.
The road is being completed at a snail’s pace. Several completed portions of the road are uneven with poor surface finish. It is not known as to when it will be completed and in what condition.
It is worth mentioning here that this road is a vital link between the north and the south up to Karachi, mostly used by buses, trucks and heavy long trailers.
Besides wastage of billions of rupees, hazards and discomfort to thousands of daily commuters and damage to vehicles can be well imagined, particularly when overturned long trailers block the road for days in the absence of speedy removal facility.
I hope the Punjab chief minister will physically visit sites to verify facts for remedial measures instead of depending heavily on costly advertisements offending the voters.
MALIK FATEH KHAN
Talagang
I AM a resident of District Council Housing Society aka Lal Quarters consisting of four blocks, A to D, with 48 houses in UC1 Model Colony, Malir Town, Karachi. The residents are facing the following civic problems:
a. Acute shortage of drinking water as the residents get drinking water for 30 minutes on alternate days, for which there is no fixed time.
b. Sewerage facilities are provided to other houses adjacent to our houses. The reason for not providing any sewerage facility to our houses is known to the city fathers only.
c. Roads around our residences are in a dilapidated condition, especially after laying of the sewerage pipelines.
d. No security or streetlights are provided in spite of repeated request for the last six months.
e. No sweeper visits our area and we get the area cleaned on payment on a monthly basis.
We have done our utmost to bring the problems to the notice of the relevant authorities but no relief has so far been provided.
MOHAMMAD ABDUL REHMAN
Karachi
Your editorial, ‘Sindh’s tourism potential’ (Oct 2) has rightly pointed out that immense potential for tourism remains untapped and blame for this must rest with rulers who only took advantages showing scant regard to its preservation.
In ancient times, borders of Sindh were extended up to the mountainous Kashmir. It had enjoyed economic pre-eminence for having numerous waterways: mighty Indus being the largest. However, with the vicissitude of times which witnessed invasion of Achaemenians, Alexander the Great, Parthians, Kushans, Sassanids and finally the Hindu sway, its borders shrank so much that when Muhammad bin Qasim invaded Sindh (712), it was abridged up to Multan.
After the Arabs, appeared the indigenous Soomra dynasty which ruled Sindh till succeeded by the Sultanate of Delhi. When Delhi’s influence declined, another local tribe, i.e. Sammas, reigned supreme. They were displaced by central Asian hordes of Arguns and Turkans.
The Mughal governors acquired control of Sindh and annexed it as one of the parganas of the empire. However, after the downfall of the Mughal Empire, Sindh attained sovereignty with local Kalhora rulers; succeeded by the Talpurs (sub-tribe of Rind Baloah) who, though non-locals, kept the independence of the state intact.
Since Talpurs did not enjoy support of the local population and also did not know the art of governance, therefore, in 1843 the British East India Company dethroned them taking advantage of the ruling family’s weaknesses and added one more jewel to their crown.
These dynasties have left numerous sites, extremely rich in architectural value. To start with, in the far-flung deserts of Tharparkar stand Karonojhar hills, containing remarkable edifices of Jain and Hindu period.
The fort of Umerkot and the birthplace of Akbar the Great nearby are monuments worth preserving.
Similarly, the pucca fort of Hyderabad (now in ruins) and the mud-fort (almost vanished), Buddhist Stupa at Johi, Ranikot, an enormous fortress located in the hilly terrene of Dadu whose walls offer sight of the ‘Great Wall of China’ is a wonder in itself: its period of construction has yet to be determined.
The historical town of Thatta, which remained the seat of power for centuries, contains not only a historic mosque but also a great necropolis of the world, Makli, where buried are kings and princes who once ruled Sindh. The necropolis of Sonda is another such site where the brave sons of Sindh fought the intruders.
Keenjhar (erroneously named Kalri means saline) and Haleji in Thatta, Manchhar in Dadu are sweet water lakes of enormous mass sanctuaries of seasonal migratory birds, providing a beautiful sight to the visitors and source of income to the local population. These lakes can be turned into beautiful picnic resorts.
In erstwhile Khairpur (Mir’s) monuments such as Faiz Palace, Fort of Kot Diji located on a hill and Mahrano, a wildlife sanctuary, are by any standard no less significant and can be transformed into world-class spots with a little effort. The memorials of the British period which spread over the entire province mostly represent their technological ingenuity and skills employed for the betterment of people are not less significant.
These are Lloyd Barrage of Sukkur, one of great man-made waterways of the world and Lansdowne Railway Bridge (without column) built in 1926 and 1885, respectively. The town of Jacobabad contains market clock tower and the bungalow of Brig John Jacob built in mid-19th century and more significant is the clock manufactured by him still working accurately since 1858, all the are worth preserving.
The decaying first mosque of the subcontinent built by Muhammad bin Qasim in 712 at Arrore, then capital of Raja Dahir, near Sukkur, is an apt reflection of apathy.
With this rich backdrop, one can visualise the numerous heritage sites available which, if rediscovered, can become not only a basis for tourism and huge returns but also a great source of inspiration for the country as a whole.
Reviving Sindh’s heritage is a colossal job that requires men of tradition with historical vision and deep commitment like the late M. H. Panhwar and Prof Dani: it is not the job of a conventional bureaucrat.
ALTAMASH M. KURESHI
Karachi
THE Review (Sept 13-19) has done an excellent job to expose the myth of providing free-of-cost textbooks by the education minister and the chief minister of Sindh.
The statement of the managing director of Oxford University Press was very pertinent and in depth factual as the vested interests will never allow their rich contracts to go away from their hands.
The Urdu Bazaar shopkeepers though are simply looked at as booksellers, in reality they are multi-millionaire made with collusion of the Sindh education officials. In this respect a letter (Sept 15) written by Zubeida A. Dossal speaks of the entire gory situation.
One shivers to think what they all involved in this racket shall achieve in their lives by earning illegal money at the altar of depriving the generations of the have-nots access to education. Is it enlightenment of the president followed by his slogan raisers?
GHEEWALA
Karachi
THIS refers to your editorial, ‘HEC’s plagiarism policy’ (Sept 29). Indeed, plagiarism and intellectual theft are outcome of corrupt and lopsided educational system. The HEC’s plagiarism policy augurs well. But there should be a law to address the issue of plagiarism.
A criminal proceeding should be started against a plagiarist. Besides, it should be noticed by policymakers that a majority of students of primary, middle, higher and even of university learn by rote.
They mug up the text rather than comprehended. This trend of learning leads to plagiarism and destroys creativity in students. It should be discouraged by teachers and others concerned. For this, professional trainings for teachers is must.
SIRAJ PANHWAR
Naushehro Feroze
KEEPING in view the efforts being made for the country and countrymen, as well as for old citizens, we have the following suggestions for the Employees Old-age Benefit Institution (EOBI)’s sympathetic consideration and favourable decision:
a. Limit of the EOBI to be fixed at Rs3,000 a month or equivalent to the monthly earning of a labourer.
b. Loan facility against EOBI pension up to Rs50,000, recoverable in easy instalments.
c. Old/aged citizens may please be allowed to travel by train/air on half of the original ticket’s rates.
SYED SHAFIQ HUSSAIN
Gujranwala
Following in the footsteps of the mad American President, our government as well as the opposition and all their leaders are making ‘pre-election pre-emptive strikes’. It may even be against their own conscience and will (which hardly matters to them), but holds true for almost all of our present set of leaders on the nationwide stage today.
What harm are we doing to the nation, its pride and prestige (little if any left) today? Even those responsible are too well aware of, I am sure, slogans such as ‘pre-planned polls’, ‘pre-poll rigging’, ‘pre-arranged results’, ‘pre-meditated court orders’ etc., etc., to no foreseeable end will be dominant in the coming ‘pre-election campaigns’.
We come to putting all sorts of justified or unjustified blames on everyone else, except our own selves. We are an ‘illiterate nation’ (I regret declaring so, but no choice) and there should be no doubts whatsoever in our minds because almost 75 per cent of our masses remain uneducated today. But we are a poor nation of very poor people and of extremely rich(so-called) ‘educated leaders’ undoubtedly, and with plenty of them around us today.
So what game are these ‘educated political persons’ (wouldn’t dare call them leaders) playing with the poor uneducated masses in the name of democracy? Even the ordinary uneducated people are well aware of this and their evil intentions too. Alas they still struggle to fill their stomach on a daily basis with whatever is available (of thrown to them from helicopters at times) and untreated drinking water with all kinds of water-borne disease. What more could our leader be expected to give them in the last 60 days?
IJTABA ZAIDI
Karachi
APROPOS of the reference made recently by Sarah Chaudhary in these columns about Australia’s willingness to sell uranium to India, I should like say that the world has become a less safer place and if we continue to deal with issues by obliging one country and depriving the other, then the balance will be lost forever.
One would have expected a more sensible action on the part of the Australian government. Can someone from the Australian government say that necessary guarantees have been secured from the Indian government that the uranium will only be used for peaceful purposes and not towards development of India’s nuclear arsenal?
NAVVY AHMED
Karachi
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