| October 20, 2007 | Saturday | Shawwal 7, 1428 |
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Benazir Bhutto’s return
Wake-up call to planners
Sindh’s tourism potential
Merit-based recruitment of teachers
Pakistani award winners
Disgust with disgust
Indian sugar
Zero tolerance
Syllabus
On being an Aligarian
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
NEEDLESS to say that the terrorist attacks in Karachi on Oct 18, resulting in so much senseless loss of innocent lives, is a barbaric act and our prayers and thoughts must go out to the victims and their families. But this incident throws up some important questions.
First, despite security measures unprecedented in modern times, in which 20,000 rangers and another 5,000 of the People’s Party’s own security personnel were deployed, along with the most advanced high-tech equipment imported exclusively for protecting the president and the prime minister, how could such an incident occur?
Was there a loophole in the security plan devised for the event or was there a lapse in the execution of the plan?
If terrorists can execute their threatened attacks even in such a tightly-controlled environment, then where does that leave the unprotected and defenceless common man? Heads should roll. But we all know they won’t.
Second, if such an attack really was deemed to be as imminent as the authorities seemed to be implying it was, then why did they allow the procession to take place? On May 12, the chief justice of Pakistan was not allowed to come out of Karachi airport and was sent back to Islamabad because the government felt they could not guarantee his safety on the streets of Karachi.
If the chief justice can be sent packing, then why was Ms Bhutto allowed to proceed, putting so many lives in jeopardy? Was it so important to make a display of public strength for the benefit of western benefactors, on whose nod Ms Bhutto was returning, that the massacre of hundreds of people was considered to be an acceptable loss?
Nawaz Sharif returns to confront the Musharaf administration and he is manhandled at Islamabad airport and sent back into exile in violation of the Supreme Court orders.
Ms Bhutto arrives with the blessings of her American overlords to promote their agenda and support a Musharaf administration that was in deep trouble and the whole state apparatus is put at her disposal, and her party men are invited to meetings in the Governor’s House in Karachi to make arrangements for her arrival. This is democracy Musharaf- style!
AMEER BUKSH BHUTTO
Vice Chairman
Sindh National Front
Larkana
THE return of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto must not be seen as the first step toward democracy in Pakistan. It was a mere political show prepared and masterminded by General Musharraf to prolong his already deteriorating power in the country.
After eight years under military rule, it is understandable that people are going to see the smallest sign of change with great expectations. However, it is also worth taking note of previous events that made Ms Bhutto’s return to Karachi possible. Even though it was greeted with hundreds of thousands of her supporters, it is not adequate evidence of the dictatorship regime’s intention to return democracy to the people.
First, there was the incident of Nawaz Sharif’s return last month. He was deported within hours of his arrival. This incident shows that Ms Bhutto’s return is a political deal, not a blanket guarantee for all opposition parties in Pakistan to exist and operate freely. Second, we have to remember that Ms Bhutto herself was not a successful leader. She faced millions of dollars corruption charges, which were erased for political reasons. Mixing a judiciary decision with political compromise is not a good start for democracy.
With that entire context taken into account, it is misleading to believe that there will be a significant change in Pakistan’s political regime in the near future. What is happening now is just new political power play that can lead the country to better or even worse conditions. The most important message from this event is simple: democracy can’t be achieved by returning a political figure to a country. It has to be built brick by brick by the one with the real political mandate: the people of Pakistan.
YASIR REHMAN
Berlin Germany
AMID the jubilation and celebration of the return of the people’s prime minister, I wonder how many of us have reflected on what Ms Bhutto has to tangibly offer the people of Pakistan. Being in the education profession, I sincerely have my doubts about her devotion and plans to upgrade the pathetic education department of Pakistan. In response to a question aired on a private TV channel about her children not being able to accompany her on her historic return, she very candidly remarked that her children were busy taking their A and O level examinations. Would a people’s prime minister only be concerned about her children’s examinations? What about the 5,000 children who had to take an examination on the 18th of October here in Karachi? I am witness to the pains and anxiousness that many students, teachers and parents faced that fateful day.
Surprisingly, every TV channel covered her return, citing what an admirable event in the history of Pakistan it was. I wonder what has happened to the educated masses of our dear homeland. Can we not prioritise what is more important, education or the welcoming of a person?
FARAH ONAID
Karachi
THE DHA (Karachi) is certainly undertaking a lot of development projects, particularly in its phase VIII. Of the 12,000 or so acres, phase VIII (only) constitutes almost half. Of the rest, phase VI (alone) occupies half.
The rest (phases I, II, III, IV, V and VII) occupy the last quarter roughly. In other words, half of DHA is phase VIII, phase VI a quarter, and all other phases (combined together) the last 1/4.
There are huge amounts of development funds readily available but must they be spent on the development of one or two (phases VIII and VI) alone.
Phases IV, V, parts of VI and VII were the most affected areas in the two recent spells of rain, early this monsoon season, in mid-2007. Fortunately the heavens didn’t break open again in the actual monsoon season.
Perhaps God and the ‘angels of rain’ pitied the residence of the above phases, which suffered more than all other districts of the metropolis combined together. Most of the other city districts were motorable within almost eight to 16 hours after the rains, except a few small pockets here and there. Thanks to the fruitful efforts of the city government which worked round the clock, taking immediate action and on-the-spot decisions.
The DHA, on the other hand, acted belatedly. They woke up to the reality almost after a week. And came up with the idea of isolating their main arteries such as the Beach Avenue, Saba Avenue and Khe-Ittehad, just to name a few, and cutting drainage channels across them akin to open trenches in the 1965 and ’71 wars.
Another shining idea almost a week later was to acquire miles of steel pipes, flexible pipes and hoses which, driven by tractor-driven pumps, were used to drain the mosquito-infested rain and sewerage water from one plot to another, and yet another across the roads, for months at a stretch. It probably constituted the largest ever ‘portable and flexible’ drainage system (if not in the world at least) in Pakistan. Bravo! DHA planners!
By then, thousands of basements and underground water-tanks were filled with stinking water, up to the water level on the roads such as Khe-Shahbaz, Rahat, etc., not to mention phase IV and V-extension areas. If not the DHA, several affected residents must have preserved the satellite images of their areas from ‘Google-Earth’, on the very next day of the three inches (or so only) of rains twice, a couple of weeks apart.
This must serve as a ‘wake-up call’ for the planners, developers and the higher-ups of the DHA. I hope. But do we learn from our past experiences is a big question, to be answered only by the next drops of rain in the metropolis? Answer had been negative in the past.
IJTABA ZAIDI
Karachi
YOUR commendable comments (editorial, Oct 2) on the above subject could certainly be a sound advice to the ministry of culture and tourism, but only when the situation of law and order in Sindh has improved.
The ambassador of Germany, accompanied by his wife and the German consul, came to Hyderabad to see Rani Kote, known as the largest fort in the world. I had not invited him for the purpose, but had no choice in the situation once he was already with me at Hyderabad. I had to take him (and the two German ladies) for a visit to Rani Kote, as well as to the historical Sewhan Fort, where Alexander the Great had stayed for about six months. ‘Hospitality’, in accordance with the traditions of Sindh, of the distinguished guests was no problem, but ‘security’ was the problem.
Ambassador Brumer was impressed and pleased with the visit. While we were within the Rani Kote Fort, he asked me a question: “Why don’t you develop it?”
I pondered over the proposal and the problems, and thought it wise to keep quiet
We had adequate police force but I was scared as we were amidst barren mountains. Thank God, we reached Hyderabad safely. Next morning the guests left for Islamabad.
After a week or so, a DPO met me at a dinner hosted by an army officer. I narrated the story to him. He told me: “It is OK. But northern Sindh is rather disturbed. Don’t take such a risk in future”.
GHULAM RABBANI AGRO
Hyderabad
IN Sindh there has been a continuous ban on fresh appointments. This ban is also applicable to appointments of teachers, doctors and other paramedical staff and has rendered inoperative 6,000 educational institutions such as primary, middle and secondary schools and about 470 Basic Health Units and dispensaries on which billions of rupees were spent from the provincial exchequer and donors’ assistance programmes.
However, two years back the education department invited applications for appointment of teachers. The price of the application form was fixed at Rs100 and, according to information, more that seven million candidates applied for the advertised posts. Thus the government was able to collect Rs700 million from the poor aspirants, who were never called for interview. It is right of these hapless people to know where has this huge amount been spent?
Moreover provincial government also obtained IDA credit of SDR65.6 million (equivalent to $100 million) for Sindh education development. The specific targets of the programme 2005-06 to 2009-10 were:
a. Increase in net enrolment ratio in primary, middle and secondary education from 48 per cent, 18 per cent and 12 per cent in 2004-05 to 59 per cent , 22 per cent and 14 per cent, respectively.
b. Increase in the share of girls in primary and middle schools in rural areas from 36 per cent and 28 per cent to 40 per cent and 31 per cent, respectively.
c. Increase in the transition rate for rural girls from primary to middle schools from 47 per cent to 50 per cent and to regularly monitor completion rates as well as learning outcomes in language and mathematics.
Accordingly, while advertising the position of teachers the Sindh government this time agreed with the donor agency that the teachers’ selections would be transparent, merit-based as per the notification issued by the education department. It stated that only 10 points would be earmarked for viva/oral whereas the remaining 90 points were meant for qualification and written test/ examination. Now, surprisingly, the formula has been changed and 40 points are proposed for viva and the remaining 60 for qualification and written test/ examination.
The World Bank mission, which recently visited the provincial headquarters, has taken serious note of the change in the approved policy, i.e. increases in the marks for interview/viva from 10 points to 40 points. The mission pointed out that due to the change in this policy there would be no merit - based recruitment and the IDA may like to either suspend the assistance for the existing phase or will not be forthcoming for phase II, which is under consideration with the IDA.
The change in the percentage will only lead to corruption and favouritism, as well as to withdrawal of the WB’s credit. The authorities are, therefore, requested to stop such an undesirable change forthwith so as to maintain transparent and merit-based recruitment of teachers.
IMTIAZ AHMED SOLANGI
Karachi
I WAS going through the website of the Man Booker prize and found these words: “Pakistani Mohsin Hamid is the youngest author on the shortlist at only 35.”
I was really depressed that no publication in Pakistan had picked this up, as far as I know, although the news of Hamid being on the Booker shortlist was announced in the main pages of Dawn.
I have received e-mails from several young Pakistani writers expressing their indignation that more was not made of Hamid’s achievement and I tend to agree.
I also believe that when a literary prize/event is so newsworthy it should not be the just be the responsibility of Books and Authors — but also the main newspaper.
Sadly, the only op-ed article I read in Dawn about Hamid, did not reflect any understanding for the complexities and innuendos of Hamid’s sophisticated novel which can be read and interpreted in several different ways.
I don’t know why Pakistanis are so loath to appreciate the achievements of their own.
A few weeks ago The Kashmiri Shawl by two Pakistani authors, Naheed Jafri and Sherry Rahman, won the 2006 RL Shep Best Book Award from the Textile Society of America. I haven’t read about this anywhere.
More recently I noticed a small news item which told us that a Pakistani scientist, Adil Najam, was part of the team which jointly won the Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore.
Why hasn’t his name been emblazoned across the pages? Surely the genuine achievements of other Pakistanis deserve banner headlines occasionally instead of the habitual deeds or misdeeds of Nawaz Sharif, Benazir Bhutto and others.
MUNEEZA SHAMSIE
Karachi
I AGREE with everything in Ardeshir Cowasjee’s column, ‘With disgust’ (Oct 14). I would also like to add a paragraph published here in The Sunday Times, on October 14:
“Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari were alleged to have amassed a fortune from kickbacks on government contracts during her two terms as prime minister.
Their assets allegedly included a ten-bedroom, mock-Tudor Surrey mansion and, according to anti-corruption investigators, £740 million in Swiss bank accounts.”
DR YASIR ABBASI
UK
A PETITION has been filed in the Lahore High Court about low quality sugar imported from India.
What about same sugar imported by the Trading Corporation of Pakistan from India a few years ago and still held at godowns unsold? Will someone be held responsible?
AMMAR
Karachi
I HAVE just finished reading Islahuddin’s column, ‘Different strokes’ (Magazine, Oct 14). He correctly mentions ‘zero tolerance’ as one of the main principles of his policy as manager of Pakistan’s hockey team.
This reminded me of the situation in the New York city several years ago. When I first lived in NYC in the 1960s, it used to be a safe city and one could safely travel in the subways even at past midnight.
However, all this changed in the 1980s, when mugging and shooting became common in that city. A police commissioner during the days of mayor Giuliani put forth the concept of ‘zero tolerance’, and ordered the police to apprehend even the pettiest of thieves who used to be tolerated in the past.
This policy soon resulted in making NYC as safe as it was in the 60s. We in Pakistan tolerate even the big thieves, what to say of petty thieves.
Can we adopt the concept of ‘zero tolerance’?
DR M. NAEEMUL HAQUE
Via email
A MODIFIED syllabus was introduced for the BCom part I students by the University of Karachi in January 2006. There are three sections: micro, macro and economic systems. Marking ratios are 40:40:20. The economic systems mentioned in the syllabus are: capitalism, socialism, mixed economy and Islamic economic system.
In the annual examinations 2006 the university examiners asked the following question: “Distinguish between modern banking and Islamic banking systems” (20 marks).
The examiners should know that Islamic banks are now operating even in the UK. The question asked does not properly focus on the structure of the syllabus.
Another question: “In your opinion which economic system is the best economic system. Give arguments.”
Why should students be asked to express an ‘opinion’ and that too in the examination hall? It is earnestly hoped that the questions asked should be within the scope of the modified syllabus.
ABDUL MAJEED
Karachi
APROPOS of Shahid Alam’s article, ‘Why is Pakistan not being targeted?’ (Encounter, Oct 13), while agreeing with most of his views I beg to differ with his views about Sir Syed Ahmed Khan.
The learned writer seems to be unaware of the Aligarh Movement and its impact on the Pakistan Movement.
The assumption that Aligarh only produced clerks is wrong. Notwithstanding the fact of being a son of an Aligarian, the late Mehdi Ali Siddiqui, a prominent judge, jurist, author and poet, I give below the names of some famous ‘clerks’ produced by Aligarh:
Maulana Muhammad Ali Jauhar, Maulana Shaukat Ali, Liaquat Ali Khan, Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, Khan Abdul Qayyum Khan, Field Marshal Ayub Khan, Brig.Gulzar Ahmed, Syed Muhammad Qasim Rizvi, Mian Iftikhar Hussain Mamdot, Sardar Ghous Bukhsh Bizenjo, the late Ahmad Ali Khan (Dawn’s Editor for 28 years) and countless others.
Politicians, army officers and bureaucrats serving Pakistan as late as the eighties have had their groundings in the fertile fields of Aligarh.
Being an Aligarian meant a person free from parochialism, obscurantism and dogmatism, qualities now becoming a rarity in this age of ‘enlightened moderation’.
ALI MUHAMMAD SIDDIQUI
Karachi
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