| November 09, 2007 | Friday | Shawwal 27, 1428 |
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Behind the scenes
Full trees for better environment
Muslim-Christian dialogue
Forced marriage
Swapping Pakistan with India
Problems in the new IPO
City fumigation
5th ODI
Incomplete work
Plunder of plots
Cementing peace
Was Jinnah wrong ?
Phone dead
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
DEAR Mr President, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) expresses its deepest concern about the developments in Pakistan and your decision to proclaim the state of emergency, since Nov 3. The objectives and the scope of such an action constitute a flagrant breach of the international standards and the constitutional rule of law in Pakistan.
FIDH draws your attention to the fact that the most basic rights such as the right to life, the interdiction of torture and slavery or servitude, the fair trial guarantees, the legal capacity of the person and the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion cannot be derogated under any circumstances, according to the international law which defines the conditions of proclamation of the rule of emergency and its conformity with international human rights standards. The above-mentioned rights, guaranteed by International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, constitute a body of principles widely accepted and are, therefore, part of international customary law in the field of fundamental freedoms.
We note that throughout your statement you repeatedly attacked the judiciary’s power and its alleged interference in actions and responsibilities of the executive. However, the Supreme Court and the judiciary in general have an essential role to play as guardians of the constitutional order and the separation of the power in order to ensure the strict respect of the constitution and of human rights and public liberties. FIDH has recently called upon you to respect the independence of the judiciary, including the lawyers’ freedom to act, under all circumstances, as the most central and indispensable feature of a democratically functioning state.
FIDH remains very worried about the fate of members of its affiliated league, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), following the storming, on Nov 4, by police officers of the HRCP head office in Lahore, where more than 55 activists were arrested and detained, including HRCP executive director I. A. Rehman and its secretary-general Iqbal Haider.
All 55 human rights activists were brought before the judicial magistrate on Nov 5 and were sent to Kot Lakhpat Jail, Lahore. According to information received, around 70 members, throughout the country, are currently either under arrest and detention in several police stations, or under house arrest.
FIDH draws your attention to the house arrest order, for a period of 90 days, issued against the UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, Asma Jahangir, also president of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.
In addition, we deplore the house arrest order issued against Hina Jilani, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders. We request you to immediately proceed to lift those measures and avoid any further action of repression and harassment against human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, other activists and members of political parties.
Furthermore, FIDH remains worried about the arbitrary use of violence by police forces against demonstrators in more than three cities. The police have allegedly used teargas and batons to break up demonstrations by lawyers protesting against the rule of emergency and have proceeded to numerous arrests and arbitrary detentions.
Mr President, you justified your decision under the necessity to fight terrorism. Notwithstanding this motivation, we would like to remind you that any action that states undertake in the fight against terrorism must be respectful of the international legal framework and certainly not be used as an excuse to derogate constitutional and international guarantees for political motives.
FIDH urges you to return, as soon as possible, to civil rule and protect and promote human rights as enshrined in Pakistan’s Constitution and in international human rights instruments. We firmly believe that the strict respect of human rights by the state of Pakistan is a prerequisite to fight any kind of extremism and political or religious fundamentalism, as well as terrorism.
In addition, Pakistan, as member of the UN Human Rights Council, should uphold the respect of fundamental rights to the highest standards. We urge, once again, the Pakistani authorities to ensure respect for human rights in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in all circumstances.
SOUHAYR BELHASSEN
President,
International Federation for Human Rights,
Paris
PRESIDENT Gen Musharraf’s stance on current militancy and judicial activism holds no substance. The current regime is using militancy to its advantage and igniting this phenomenon as and when required. Whenever, the executive senses serious threats, suicide attacks and roadside bomb attacks on paramilitary forces become a regular feature.
The Lal Masjid operation, when lawyers’ movement was nearing success, and Swat operation, when the Supreme Court was about to rule Musharraf’s election as president unlawful, are clear examples of operations executed by the present regime.
The patriotic citizens, lawyers, judges, print and electronic media are showing zero tolerance to corruption and malpractices of current regime and their ‘behind the scene’ allies. There are two most significant reasons behind the action of imposing emergency in the country: (a) Musharraf’s eligibility as president, and (b) National Reconciliation Ordinance’s legality as law.
Rising militancy is used as an excuse. Why was Swat truce broken two days before emergency declaration? Why were more than 200 soldiers released almost immediately, who were detained more than two months ago, after the imposition of emergency? Why did Benazir Bhutto leave for Dubai one night before the emergency decree and come back one day later?
Why were workers of selected opposition parties arrested? It is need of the hour that we clearly know who is/are the mastermind(s) behind the gang-rape of the Constitution and remember before supporting and voting any political groups. God bless Pakistan.
OMER BIN ENAAM IRVINE,
California, USA
THE people of Karachi have very recently realised the beauty, utility and green leafy shade of profusely growing cornicopus trees. Most people have now started planting these trees to increase beauty and serenity to their surroundings.
This evergreen tree is best suited to our city’s environment and soil and grows about three to four feet on average in a year and goes up to 40 feet in height.
Ironically, this tree has been wrongly taken to be as a shrub by our uneducated ‘maali community’ as they readily prune and cut it to give various shapes. The trees grown along the roads and parks of the DHA, Mai Kolachi and Bin Qasim Park are cut and pruned so badly that they hardly reach a few feet — in some cases not even over three to four feet. Since officials in these departments do not seem to have free time to watch over this, such trivial things are left to the sole discretion of the lower staff.
It hardly needs to mention that increased emission of CO2 and other toxic gases is playing havoc with the environment, and global warming is the cry of the day. It is heart-aching that while countries and societies are doing whatever they can to grow and protect leafy trees, our public sector is doing exactly the opposite.
It is requested through these columns that the authorities concerned in the DHA, NLC and the city government should take notice of the situation and let the cornicopus trees do their job of cleaning the environment by letting them grow to their full size.
DR IQBAL ALI
Karachi
IN his letter, ‘Need for Muslim-Christian dialogue’ (Nov 5 ), Eice Muhammad enlightens us about history, but sadly misses the point raised by Sam Baidya earlier.
What Sam Baidya was trying to put across was that while at present — please note the keyword ‘present’ — Muslim immigrants of both genders in the secular, democratic non-Muslim societies enjoy the benefits of equal status and rights in the eyes of the law, including those of freedom of religion ( to practise and to preach ), civic marriage ( to anyone of any religion) and naturalisation (ability to become citizens ), it is unfortunate that Muslim states in general do not confer, in various degrees, the same legal status and rights upon non-Muslims.
For example, although non-Muslims are allowed to live and work in Saudi Arabia, it is illegal for non-Muslims to freely and publicly practise or preach their religion, or for a non-Muslim man to marry Saudi Muslim women.
Likewise, non-Muslims are, in general, prohibited from becoming citizens of the Gulf Islamic states they live and work in, no matter if they were born there or how long they may have lived there. Malaysia also hardly fares any better in treating Muslims and non-Muslims equally.
It is also unfortunate that, with the singular exception of Turkey, even lip-service to secularism is non-existent in the Muslim world.
It is this unfortunate lack of even basic reciprocal rights — even in the letter of the law — in the Islamic world today (and not in the halcyon days of history) that, I believe, Sam Baidya was trying to highlight.
A. K. SIRCAR
New York
“ON 24th of the last month, Britain hosted a two-day European Union conference on horrors of the forced marriage” (Oct 29).
In case the conference was required to be hosted (as in most other European centres, the problem is either rare or unheard of ), it would have been better for European societies in case the agenda was broad-based to include other marital problems, particularly that of divorce.
“There is now more than one divorce for every two marriages in France,” writes Alex Duval Smith, (The Review, Nov 1). We all need to take care of at least the children of the broken-homes.
It was a pleasant surprise for me to read, after two days of the conference, that a private firm held “a first-ever world’s divorce fair” in Vienna for the needy, where the services of lawyers, private detectives, real estate agents and counsel were available. “I just wanted to get some information ahead of time just to be prepared for the eventuality”, said a woman, Silva, declining to give her name at the fair.
A lesson learnt can be that the complicated social problems the world over are different from all other problems and should not be dealt with like it has been.
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
Americans are a confused lot. They always have been. On Nov 4 Democrat Senator Joseph R. Biden, chairman of Foreign Relations Committee, suggested that the US should take away F-16s and other equipment from Pakistan if President Musharraf does not withdraw state of emergency.
In their rash thinking and also wallowing in the stupor of power, they not only do not know that this is ‘meddling’ in Pakistan’s internal affairs but also blackmail. On Oct 31 James Clad, the deputy assistant secretary of state for defence for South and Southeast Asia, told a group of journalists in Washington that India is more important to the US than Pakistan whose leading role in the US-led war against terror does not affect India’s strategic significance as a long-term US ally.
Both these remarks and all other comments against Pakistan tell us that we, a nuclear power, a major non-Nato ally, a key-role player in the war against terror — and also a victim of terrorism itself — are not welcome just because they are not pulling the strings in Islamabad?
All right then, I suggest that the US should swap Pakistan with India by accepting New Delhi’s offer of cooperation it extended to Washington in 2001 just before US invasion of Afghanistan. It is still time to do what Indians wanted — to keep Pakistan away from benefiting economically and militarily — which unfortunately Pakistan could not. Indians had some other things in the mind – to encircle Pakistan from western side too.
The swap will benefit everybody — the US, Indians and India-friendly Northern Alliance and other Afghans —and to some extent Pakistan too. Hopefully, the Taliban terrorists would spare Pakistan of bomb explosions.
M. K. NAQVI
Karachi
I HAVE four HBL share certificates: two in the name of my family members and two in the name of my friends.
I should like to draw the attention of the authorities concerned as regards the problems of verification and transfer of the HBL share certificates. I attended the office of the THK share registrar of the HBL where I had to deposit the shares for one day for verification deed, and I received them back after the third day. It means that two days were spent on verification only.
After verification, no broker agreed to the purchase and transfer of the physical shares in the sub-account. Every broker advised me to contact the CDC.
The CDC spoke of a long process of opening of a new account for every allottee of an HBL certificate.
This is an expensive and lengthy process. The CDC is requested to relax the rules for new IPOs.
MUHAMMAD AHSAN
Karachi
KARACHI faced yet another awkward situation on Oct 23 as the city was being fumigated and surroundings were filled with smoke.
The dictionary meaning of fumigation is to ‘disinfect’ from all sorts of bacteria etc. However, the city’s fumigation not only did so but also created chaos among citizens as traffic could not move at a normal pace and pedestrians could not see where they were going because of the smoke-filled environment.
If the authorities are finally willing to clean the environment, why must they provide inconvenience to the citizens?
Such fumigations are conducted at offices after working hours or during weekends so as not to affect the employees.
It is suggested that when fumigating the city next time, it should be done in the small hours when traffic and passers-by are rarely seen
MARYAM HIDAYATALLAH
Karachi
I WANT to ask the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman, Dr Naseem Ashraf, on behalf of the people of Pakistan, can he explain what happened in the last ODI between Pakistan and South Africa at the Qdhafi Stadium in Lahore?
I still couldn’t believe what I saw on Monday evening. Was that a display by a professional team? What was that? A joke! Or a comedy show that ended up in disaster. The nation wants to know.
ABDUS SAMAD HUSSAIN
Karachi
THE double road, 36-B, Union Council No. 9, Landhi Town, is also a neglected area. The construction of double road began almost three months back. Not even as much as 20 per cent of the work is complete. Work has been stopped for a long time.
A sewerage line was also dug up beside the double road, which is left open in the same condition and now people use it as a dumping yard.
Both these problems are causing great health concerns as well. The town nazim has promised people on a number of occasions to complete the project but we are still waiting for the action to be taken.
MUHAMMAD ARSHAD
Landhi, Karachi
WITH reference to news items (Islamabad Metropolitan, Oct 28) regarding the suffering of hapless plot seekers, this plunder is taking place in the surroundings of the capital city which is heavily guarded by all the ruling elites along with the top junta of the current regime. Many people are fleeced off their hard-earned money at the hands of influential mafia groups.
The prices of land in the twin cities have soared greatly during the last three-and-a-half years.
Apparently, people term this rise as the aftermath of the earthquake of October 2005, but one differs with this point of view as the prices of all commodities have skyrocketed.
The government should take some concrete steps to stop these irregularities.
All the property business houses should be registered. Licences should be issued to them on conditionality of their future conduct and dealings.
If any licensee misleads anybody, his licence should be cancelled and he must be put behind bars.
There also should be proper legislation to tackle this issue and lessen the sufferings of the people. The people in the revenue department who help in the plunder must be taken to task.
FARRUKH SHAHZAD
Islamabad
IN April ships carrying the first bulk of consignments from Pakistan started reaching Indian shores. Pakistan has a cement surplus of six million tons, while India’s building boom has led to a 12 million ton shortfall.
A good omen for both India and Pakistan where the defence budget soared as high as $20.11 billion for India and Rs.223 billion for Pakistan this year, it is about time that India and Pakistan should forgo their differences and reap the huge economic gains that could lead to a better future.
The only view of future that India and Pakistan should foresee is that there is a future.
ZILL-E-REHMAN KHAN NIAZI
Islamabad
OH our dear Quaid-i-Azam, had you known what they would do to your country, you would have definitely returned to England instead of struggling to make this country.
DR. IRFAN ZAFAR
Islamabad
MY telephone number 4632641 has been dead for the last four months.
Many a complaint was lodged in this regard with PTCL No. 18,PTCL exchange, PTCL operator.
The irony is that I am constantly receiving monthly telephone bills (which I have been paying with a hope that my telephone will be put in order soon).
I request the PTCL to look into the matter. And if the PCTL cannot maintain its telephone line, the subscribers may be informed to go on other sources available in the market.
SAMINA PERVEEN
Karachi
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