| November 12, 2007 | Monday | Ziqa’ad 01, 1428 |
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Express post at the brink of destruction
American policies
School education
Fight against militancy
Women activists
Illegal CJ
Don’t kill lawyers
Fighting HIV/Aids
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 US has fought at least one catastrophic war arrogantly in one or the other continent of the world, without fail progressively from Word War II onwards till today.
It appears as if they tasted the blood of the world nations in WW II and since then their thirst for blood has been continuously increasing almost with each passing day.
Added to it is their hunger for the Mideast oil and wealth, as well as attempts to block the Middleeast oil sales to other energy-thirsty countries like China.
Just to fresh up the (failing) memories of the old, and remind the younger generations the world over, here are a few of their bloody adventures Starting from WW II of the 1940s, the peak of which was the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, they continued to venture in the Korean Peninsula in the 50s. Vietnam in the 60s, the Israeli-Arab wars, the central American wars (Panama, Nicaragua and Haiti, etc.), in addition to their African ventures (Liberia, Angola, Somalia, etc.) in the 70s. Then followed by the almost a decade-long Iran-Iraq war, and the Afghanistan-USSR war of the 1980s.
Helping them to butcher the USSR, with the help of their most obedient servant country in the world, like pieces of frozen beef. This venture resulted in the destruction of the vast (International) USSR empire, reducing it to a mere regional power. Which encouraged them to carry out operations like ‘Desert storm’, i.e the Kuwait-Iraq or the Gulf war-I of the 1990s.
In the 21st century they were further emboldened and have started to have twin wars now. Starting with the very ‘first war’ of this century in Afghanistan and Iraq, commencing with the (by) chance presidency of the current US President Bush Jr.
Almost all these wars were fought by the US directly, though a few were fought indirectly of course but very much with their consent, 100 per cent backing and support. Like the Israeli-Arab, Israeli-Syrian, the Israeli-Lebanon and the USSR-Afghanistan wars of the last two decades.
Since 9/11 and its retaliation by President Bush the collateral damage, caused to the world and the US itself, amounts to trillions of dollars in terms of the extraordinary security measures for the world leaders, the world airports, seaports, strategic civilian and military installations and now almost compulsory scanning of civilian trading goods the world over. Famous and remote places popular and reserved for excursions, holidays and vacations like Bali, Phuket, Maldives and Caribbean are no exceptions.
Imaginary threats like the anthrax scare, chemical and biological weapons and the videotapes of Osama bin Laden and Aiman al Azhari, which continue to emerge perpetually, presumably from their graves now, are examples of how the US is desperate to change the world opinion in their favour. But miserably failed so far.
The US and some of its staunch allies like Australia and the UK may not be very happy, but it is time that each eminent world leader (and country) should asses the ‘collateral damage’ caused to the world and their own individual country in terms of life, property and extra costs incurred since 9/11. In my honest opinion it may ultimately cost the world more than several folds of WW II.
Mr Bush and his ‘poodles’ will always be reluctant to bring open the facts of the 9/11 incident and who actually masterminded and executed it. If the Saudis (Arabs or Muslims) could do it, they sure would be capable of sending the ‘first man on the moon’ years before the US. Only a fool may deny this fact.
May God help the world to stabilize again. Aameen
IJTABA ZAIDI
Karachi
GONE are the days when a user of Express Post would have got information about his incoming and outgoing (domestic/foreign) Express mail article at a phone call.
Now the delivery system of Express mail in Karachi is not centralized. It has been divided in city zones and the public using this service have to knock the door of the delivery area post office or other lower and high authorities to know the fate of their Express Mail.
The postal administration in Karachi as well as Islamabad, are responsible for the inefficiency and ignoring the status of Express Post. In the past this Express Post Service got a good name in the eye of its user because it was being run by a contracting company pvt. Ltd. A fascinating air-conditioned booking office with courteous staff was managed by the contracting company.
Thereby the clients using Express Service would have felt proud. Now the situation is reverse – the aftermath of termination/elimination of the private contracting company along with its experienced delivery staff who are now working in other courier companies. Only some of the staff is still working in Express Post on contract bases with the hope of regular appointments.
The discreet regular staff of Express Post lacks capability to run this service. They are the harbingers of destruction of this service. Under the present dilapidated condition, the Pak Post is losing a lot of revenue as it is decreasing day by day due to its image and confidence of the public.
This is an era of competition as there is a mushroom growth of courier companies, snatching postal business because they are giving good pay packages to the couriers, particularly those couriers who had been terminated by Express Post.
Will the postal authority give attention to resuscitate the individuality of Express Post and towards its improvement to regain confidence of the public?
A WELL WISHER OF THE PAKISTAN POST
Karachi
THE Americans consider themselves to be the smartest people on earth, but their actions disprove this. In recent years, they had been supporting Gen Musharraf to the hilt and, having been emboldened by that, he has gone ahead to remove the challenges posed to perpetuating his power by imposing an absolutist rule.
Many American diplomats based in Pakistan, as well as those visiting the country, much too often, have been breathing down the necks of our leaders, politicians and seniormost military and civilian officials, yet they failed to gauge the government’s next moves.
The CIA, too, as usual, seemed to have been caught napping. On top of that, the US administration ignored the poll by its International Republican Institute putting Musharraf’s popularity at only 21 per cent.
Now, many American leaders and officials have expressed their disquiet about the imposition of what is really martial law. The secretary of state has threatened to review the US aid to Pakistan, while Senator Joseph Beden, who is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has apparently woken up to reality.
Just a couple of weeks back, he had been strongly backing the power arrangement brokered between President Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto by the United States (Oct 22). Obviously, he didn’t have a fair idea of the kind of personalities involved, because Ms. Bhutto who, too, is loathed by the militants, would not be able to accomplish what the president with far greater powers hasn’t succeeded in, i.e. eliminating terrorism and extremism. The former presidential adviser Bruce Reidel was very right in saying that this deal would blow up in Washington’s face.
But, what else can you expect from the people who were so peeved by the very justifiable French opposition to their country’s invasion of Iraq in 2003 that they had childishly renamed French Toast as American Toast and French Fries as Freedom Fries?
The mess they have made in Iraq, Afghanistan and now Pakistan should make them realise their lack of wisdom and foresight. Numerous writers and correspondents in Pakistan had been crying out that America’s support for Musharraf was most ill advised, but they paid no heed.
Needless to say, many people over here are incensed with the US for all this, which can only drive them further into the lap of the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
Furthermore, the mother of all problems is the blind US support for Israel, which has been causing a tremendous amount of heartburn to the Muslims worldwide. But, nobody in Washington seems prepared to heed even men like Jimmy Carter, so how can a Muslim expect to be heard?
IQBAL
Karachi
This is in response to the letter of Bazila Khan from Lahore (Nov 8), regarding introducing school psychologists in Pakistan.
I would like to mention that I am studying at a college of emerging technologies, situated at the main Shahra-e-Faisal, Karachi, which has already introduced school psychologists in our Pakistani education system.
As the awareness about this issue lacks ghastly, there are very few professionals in Pakistan who can deal with the problems faced by school children.
Therefore, our college was unable to hire a complete professional in this field, but even after this, the administration managed to get a graduate in the field of human psychology to deal with this subject.
In a nutshell, this was to make the general public aware of the fact that school psychologists have already been introduced in Pakistan. The only thing which is needed here is to push this effort made by our college by introducing more school psychologists in Pakistani schools.
SYED AOUN MUHAMMAD JAFRI
Karachi
In response to Bazila’s letter, she has rightly said, “We are not ready to accept that our education system needs to be modernized”. Although we are passing through the 21st century, old methods are still being practised in teaching. Moreover only 3 per cent of the budget is spent on education, which is not sufficient.
It is need of hour to take serious and sincere efforts to improve the education system, especially at school level. For that, school psychologists should be appointed.
BAKHTIAR AHMED KUBAR
District Khairpur
THIS is apropos of Kaiser Bengali’s article, ‘Fight against militancy’ (Nov 6). He says that contrary to America’s assumption, the religious orthodoxy and the secular right in Pakistan do have common interests and objectives. It is also claimed that the socio - political fault line over here is not defined by the degree of religious zeal but by social and economic stratification. The two rightist groups belong to the socially and economically privileged class with a common agenda of disallowing democratic politics.
Mr Bengali further argues that the West believes the conflict is part of a global struggle to establish an anti western Islamist world order. However, the local perception is that it is a class struggle between the landowning people and the underprivileged folks. Due to the poverty in northwestern Pakistan, the multitude has been relegated to the madressahs where the mullahs hold sway and mobilise the extremists.
He continues that, abandoned by the state and ignored by the market born of neo liberal paradigm, the poor seek out the seminaries, which have emerged as the provider of social protection to them.
In the end, the writer blames the secular right of being more interested in protecting its spoils than in fighting religious militancy. The military crackdown on the judiciary, political parties and civil society is testimony to this resistance, to his mind.
Mr Bengali’s allegation about the right wing being opposed to democratic politics is a calumny. The parties such as Nawaz Sharif’s PML - N, Imran Khan’s PTI as well as the religious alliance MMA had all been at the forefront in supporting the Chief Justice Iftikhar M. Chaudhry and the lawyers in restoring the freedom of judiciary and the rule of law, which could only have strengthened democracy. Similarly, they have also opposed the imposition of emergency rule.
Additionally, leading up to the present essay, in recent weeks he has been writing in defence of the implied champion of what he terms here as the ‘US led liberal enterprise’ in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, but forgets several things. First, that her PPP had stayed away from the movement for about a week after it began, presumably because of not wanting to annoy Musharraf with whom she was negotiating a deal. It was only after severe criticism by the lawyers, political parties, civil society groups and the media that the party came on board.
Second, Ms Bhutto was reportedly angry with one of her senior party leaders, Aitzaz Ahsan, for leading the defence of the CJ against the presidential reference. The conclusion that only the impoverished people engage in jihad or religious extremism is disproved by the fact that all those who launched the 9/11 attacks weren’t poor or uneducated, nor was their leader Osama bin Laden a destitute. The resistance to American intervention results from the threat people see to their freedom and the way of life ordained by Islam, regardless of their social standing or literacy level.
Similarly, a play recently produced in the UK, titled ‘Britz’, has made it clear that political reason or discrimination is at the heart of militancy in that country, rather than attachment to religion. Likewise, it is a coincidence that the localised or country-wise struggles of the Muslims against American unilateralism and occupation have tended to coalesce into a broader jihad.
This happened after the Muslims realised that the neo-cons, Zionists and other allied western forces apparently wished to subjugate the Islamic world, which it saw as the potentially biggest threat after the latter had humbled the USSR, even though with western help.
Regarding the madressah students, they can be found in all provinces, with the larger numbers from the NWFP reflecting their inherently greater religiosity and fallout of Afghan crisis. Besides, madressahs are, after all, being financed by the upper and middle class citizens, which again disproves Mr Bengali’s class theory. It is a historical institution having no class - based origins.
M. MUSLIM
Karachi
It has become increasingly difficult to appreciate the hole after hole that General Musharraf seems to be drilling into his boat, sinking Pakistan with himself. Just when you suppose that nothing can get worse, the General manages to prove you dead wrong.
How can you barricade the most progressive and liberal political leader in the country — the first woman leader in all of the Muslim world - yet justify the necessity of your own existence to thwart extremists’ wet dreams into reality? The quick and cruel response to the civil society’s peaceful demonstration must be contrasted with the response to the Hafsa Brigades only a few months earlier. Burqa clad brain-washed women providing material support to the murder of ordinary citizens and the country’s brave soldiers are decent women, to be treated with the utmost respect. Yet lo and behold, the entire world watches in disgust as female lawyers, students, and political workers are literally thrown into the back of police vans and hauled away.
It is crystal clear that this conflict is not about General Musharraf. It is in fact a drama elaborately staged to extend the last throes of the Chaudharis. It’s their gun, with their fingers on the trigger; they are the ones taking aim. The General’s role is simply to provide the shoulder to shoot from.
HASNAIN KHAN
Canada
The media organizations are referring to Mr Hameed Dogar as the Chief Justice of Pakistan, which should be strongly opposed considering that the Provisional constitution Order (PCO) had been declared as illegal by the Supreme Court before its judges were put under house arrest.
ZAHOOR AHMAD GORSI
Lahore
“BLACK coats face off brute force” (Dawn, Nov 6).
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.”
The above quote comes from Shakespeare’s ( Henry VI, Act IV, Scene 2), The scene concerns the planning of an evil coup — a takeover of power in which there is a conspiracy to establish a total dictatorship. The plotters are boasting about how they will make everybody bow down to them. That is when one of the conspirators, Dick The Butcher, chimes in, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers.” His goal was to destroy the law, so that the citizens would have no legal protection.
Musharraf’s Dick the Butcher must be a clever man who has recognised lawyers as potential enemies who can save citizens from his dictatorship.
MUSTAFA MAHESAR
London
I WAS shocked to read your editorial (Nov 6) on Aids as the figure of 100,000 HIV/Aids patients all over the country and 40 per cent belonging to Sindh is a grave situation and a wake-up call for the government, s well as for civil society organisations.
We usually brush aside this incurable epidemic as the problems of the West and societies having no religious or cultural barriers on extra martial relations.
This is true to some extent as our religion and traditions are convenient barriers against this cruel ailment but other factors which cause this disease are used syringes — the practice is widespread in rural parts — by some unscrupulous medical staff or by quacks and unchecked use of second-hand razors by uneducated barbers and even intra-family use of the same blade for shaving, etc.
The establishment of the media forum to create awareness on the issue is a positive step but as the bulk of population lives in rural areas, and due to the abysmally low literacy rate there with no or little access to the media, we cannot reach the masses and thus the honest efforts of different stake holders would be a partial success.
In this regard government, international, national institutions and agencies should widen their scope to include the grassroots level non-governmental organisations and media outlets at tehsil levels.
I have personal experience of attending training arranged by Aahung, a Karachi-based NGO, which works on sexual and reproductive health. This non-governmental organisation adopted a novel and effective approach in creating awareness on the above-mentioned health issues.
The NGO, with the coordination of local NGO (Child development Organisation) in Johi, Dadu district, and Marvi Maro in Shikarpur started an awareness rising programme on different health issues, including HIV/Aids.
This programme was a success at local level because Aahung and the local NGO used the medium of theatre plays which is the most effective tool for literate, semi-literate or illiterate population. Moreover, through this technique information can be used indirectly, keeping in mind the local taboos.
Therefore, this programme is most feasible and can be replicated in other areas as well.
In this regard Aahung has expertise and well-researched material. What is needed is the will and coordination among all stakeholders..
GULSHER PANHWER
Johi, Dadu
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