| November 21, 2007 | Wednesday | Ziqa’ad 10, 1428 |
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What a farce
Democracy or the country
Justice delayed
PTCL’s measures
PCB’s new constitution
Termination of PIA flights to Chitral
Protecting our heritage
Teacher par excellence
Ah so!
Off the mark
Barred by burqa
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
THIS is apropos of Mr Burhanuddin’s letter (Nov 19) in which he bends over backwards to portray an image of normality in the country after the imposition of emergency. According to him, public response to calls for demonstrations ‘is ridiculously poor’ and that only ‘a handful of lawyers, journalists, human rights activists and hired workers of political parties’ are agitating against the present state of affairs.
He goes on to add that “common man’s life in the country is unaffected.”
The writer concludes by saying: “In the circumstances, President Musharraf appears to be the people’s choice.”
I will respond to these relentless ‘allegations’ against the rank and file of the country one by one.
First, one should be fully aware of the fact that after the ‘proclamation of emergency’ lawyers, journalists and political party activists did come out in large numbers to record their protest. These demonstrations, however, were quelled down with full strength by government. I myself am the witness and victim of the treatment meted out to a large gathering of the lawyers at the premises of the LHCBA, when the ruthless policemen left no stoned unturned to ‘teach the lawyers a lesson’.
Subsequently, out of fear of being arrested and thus rendered useless for the movement, many people preferred to retreat temporarily only to come back again with full strength. However, a large number of lawyers, journalists and students have still been holding demonstrations against the imposition of martial law in the country. Besides, the residences of the deposed judges have been thronged as people laid bouquets there.
Second, when the common man is deprived of his fundamental rights; when the law and order situation of the country has been deteriorating day by day; when economy is taking a downward plunge; when litigants are suffering due to the boycott of lawyers, who are being badly beaten and arrested; and when an atmosphere of political uncertainty surrounds the country, how on the earth can one say that the common man’s life in the country is unaffected.
Last, given the high stakes of the ordinary citizens in the political situation of the country and the loud voices being raised against the dictatorship of Gen Musharraf, one must be but a fool to say that “Musharraf appears to be the people’s choice”
NAUMAN QAISER
Lahore
I AGREE with Mr Burhanuddin (Nov 19) that public response to the protest calls has been poor, but is not imposing of martial law itself an acknowledgment of failure and the fact that the country is not normal but far from it?
When you are supressing a separatist uprising in one province, Islamic insurgents in another and arresting hundreds daily in the rest of the two provinces, you just cannot claim popularity and public support.
He should not forget that people did come out in millions during the lawyers’ movement and to welcome Benazir Bhutto, the result was the May 12 mayhem, a bomb blast at the Islamabad rally and the Oct 18 carnage. Needless to say that now former Punjan chief minister is still holding public gatherings daily but terrorists chose to blow up the opposition rather than the government. And still no mass protests I wonder why?
SYED SAAD MANSOOR
Karachi
THE lengths to which President Musharraf will go in appeasing the extremist ideologues has been exposed by Kunwar Idris in ‘A glimmer amid gloom’ (Nov 11).
The constant betrayal of the liberal forces in the country at the hands of the main proponent of ‘enlightened moderation’ is glaringly obvious for those who wish to see. From backtracking on the passport issue, the mess of hudood ordinance and now the blatant attack on the most secular of secular forces within the country, namely the legal community and the media.
Amid all the mess, mayhem and the ‘emergency’, the one thing the president deemed fit enough to be continued through his recent PCO was the ‘constitutional definition’ of being a ‘Muslim’. It’s simply breath-taking that while the PCO suspends all fundamental rights of a citizen, it maintains the functionality of the ‘Islamic’ clauses of the Constitution. Exactly who is he trying to appease? The mullahs?
Maybe that is the reason why we do not see a reaction from them to this emergency. They are comfortable and safe in being ‘Muslims’. After all there has not been a whimper of protest from the MMA vis-à-vis the brutal beheading of four fellow Muslims from the armed forces by their brethren-in-faith. What a farce!
HASAN BIN HAMZA
Australia
“IS democracy more important than Pakistan?”, President Gen Musharraf posed the question while giving an interview to an American TV channel on Tuesday (Nov 13). Going further, he declared that Pakistan is about to be declared a ‘failed state’.
Let me tell the president that the issue is not between democracy and Pakistan: it is between civilian rule and military dictatorship. Pakistan was not created for the army to rule this country. It is about time we, the people of Pakistan, said ‘enough is enough’ and demand that all the pillars of the state should function within their own jurisdictions.
As for the president’s remark that we are about to be declared a ‘failed state’, this is a very serious charge-sheet against himself and his government, which is all the more reason for him to hand over power immediately to a civilian caretaker set-up, which should then take the necessary steps to conduct fair elections under an independent election commission and an independent judiciary.
NAZIM F. HAJI
President, The Reformers
Karachi
ARDESHIR Cowasjee in his piece, ‘Law, order and justice’ (Nov 4), has admired the efficiency and decorum with which the US Supreme Court functions. It used to be the same in this country also, some 60 years ago.
The judges would arrive exactly on time, having read the submissions of all the cases fixed for the day. As each case was announced, the lawyers would be told to restrict their arguments only to a few points that needed clarification. The arguments over, in most cases, a short order covering no more than half a page or so was dictated and the next case called. On average, each High Court judge disposed of 12 to 15 cases every day.
As against this, there have been judges these days who seldom got past the preliminary ‘notices and motions’ stage and ended the day without hearing a single case. The system remained the same and there is nothing wrong with it. It is the quality of men selected for the job that has changed. If there is to be any improvement, we need to concentrate on the men and not keep fiddling with the system.
K. HUSSAN ZIA
Canada
APROPOS of a number of complaints appearing in these columns as regards malfunctioning of telephones for a number of days/weeks/months, it is hereby clarified that faults etc in telephone Nos. 4640308, 4620213, 4624226, 5876836, 5832382, 5342332, 5847431,5342322, 4982158, 4508777 and 4613700 have been rectified.
Most of these phones stopped working because digging by civic agencies for road construction had damaged the telephone cables. It may be emphasised here that road digging is the main culprit.
This causes two-fold loss: one to the subscribers who lose contact with the outside world and are handicapped in their day-to-day affairs and the other to the PTCL which incurs a monetary loss in the shape of damaged cables which it will have to repair/replace to run the system to remain in the market, besides earning criticism of the subscribers.
However, the PTCL is taking necessary steps with the CDGK management to increase coordination to minimise the incidents of cable damage.
Further, subscribers should contact the PTCL’s centralised fault management system where complaints can be registered through automatic voice recording and each number so registered remains on record till the fault is rectified.
Every day 2,000 to 3,000 complaints are received in Karachi alone, most of which are attended to within 24 hours.
ATHAR JAWED SOOFI
Media Coordinator,
PTCL HQ Business (South)
Karachi
THIS is with reference to an article by Mohammad Yaqub (Nov 13) about the Pakistan Cricket Board’s new constitution.
First, let me correct the factual position about resort to ad hocism in the PCB. It was not President Musharraf who placed the PCB under ad hoc rule. He inherited this as patron of this body on taking over the affairs of the state. In fact, the fourth ad hoc rule in the PCB was promulgated by the order of president Rafique Tarar in July 1999 after the defeat of the Pakistan team in the World Cup in England. Mujibur Rehman was the first chairman of this ad hoc committee.
When the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, was deposed, Zafar Altaf, then federal secretary of food and agriculture, became its chairman for a period of two months. Lt-Gen (r) Tauqir Zia, Sheherar Khan and Dr Nasim Ashraf followed suit, covering a period of almost seven years. The patron of the PCB allowed them to enjoy the benefits of ad hocism.
Second, I would like to inform the readers that the newly-adopted constitution is no better than the one it has superseded. The PCB constitution of 1995 was more democratic and far more representative of cricket organising bodies. The newly-formed governing body comprises nominee members in majority who possess a very high profile but do not represent cricket lovers’ aspirations. However, it is better to have some constitution than to suffer the ill effects of ad hocism.
BRIG (r) SALAHUDDIN
Karachi
THE news about the decision taken by the management of PIA to terminate the air service from Islamabad to Chitral is shocking. It discloses the lack of honesty of the higher management with the organisation as this service was not in favour of the people of Chitral, rather it promoted tourism in Pakistan. Such a decision can damage our tourism industry.
The Northern Areas and Chitral are the only areas that attract tourists from all over the world; and Chitral, as compared to Northern Areas, is most feasible for tourism because of its peaceful environment. There have not been any ethnic clashes in Chitral.
The PIA management itself is responsible for making the service unsuccessful, and the following are the reasons:
a. The management does not want to make the organisation profitable due to the fear of privatisation. According to the notification of the PIA chairman released in the first week of November, the total accumulated loss of PIA is Rs35 billion and the loss during the current 10 months is Rs10.9 billion, which is more than 31 per cent of the total accumulated loss.
By the end of the year, total losses for the year 2007 would be up to Rs13 billion and the expected loss from the Islamabad-Chitral route (in case of half occupancy of seats) will be only 0.35 per cent. It does not make sense to discontinue the service only to cover 0.35per cent loss.
b. After the inauguration of Islamabad-Chitral flights, there were many complaints by passengers about the non- availability of tickets. A delegation of Islamabad-based Chitrali people contacted the higher management of PIA and the management had assured them of resolving the ticketing problem, but unfortunately no positive decision has been take even after five months.
c. The staff in the PIA office at Rawalpindi is responsible for the failure of this service. With a pre-planned conspiracy, they are torturing the passengers and tourists instead of helping them.
The PIA booking record reveals that from Chitral to Islamabad there is full occupancy of seats.
To restore the service, the following suggestions should be considered:
1. The higher management of PIA must rethink its decision and continue the service till the completion of Lawari project.
2. There must be no manual reservation, it should be on line and passengers must contact the PIA counter within 24 hours before departure. At each counter, a Chitrali staff should be deputed to issue tickets to eliminate conspiracy against this service.
3. Tickets should be issued from all PIA counters and travel agencies working within Pakistan or abroad, there are three PIA counters: one in Rawalpindi, another in Blue Area in Islamabad and the third at Islamabad airport. Tickets should be issued from all three counters.
4. After the closure of the Lowari tunnel, there would be extra demand for tickets. In winters, tickets should be issued from PIA office at Peshawar. Passengers would prefer travelling from Peshawar to Islamabad instead of staying in Peshawar for another day or travel via Afghanistan, which is not safe, especially for women and children.
PIA is requested to review the decision and restore the service.
SHAMSUDDIN
Chitral
SHIKARPUR, the historic district city famous for its architectural splendour, was once called ‘Paris of Sindh’ in pre-independence days. It is my ancestral place. Recently on my Eid holidays in Shikarpur, walking around the city, I found a number of beautiful houses demolished to my utter surprise and dejection which used to catch the eyes of passersby. I was informed that some majestic buildings had been demolished on commercial consideration.
I understand that heritage buildings/houses/havelis are protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act. Shikarpur, being one of the historic cities of Sindh, also comes under the pale of the act. The law prescribes prison terms and fines for violators. Will the Sindh culture department play its lead role in saving our rich heritage falling further from aesthetic grace?
KALEEM AHMED MUGHAL
Karachi
I WOULD like to refer to the article, ‘Teacher par excellence’ (Oct 21), expressing grief over the death of a great professor of the English Department of Karachi University, Noshaba Moosvi.
No doubt her death has left all those known to her gloomy and tearful. She was a great teacher who knew the art of how to kindle a desire of learning in her students. She had always been encouraging and motivating her students with soft-spoken words.
In spite of being a great scholar, she always remained humble, courteous and compassionate.
For such great people, Longfellow rightly says:
Were a star quenched on high/for ages would its light/still travelling downward from the sky/shine on our mortal sight.
So when a great man dies/for years beyond our ken/the light he leaves behind him lies/upon the paths of men.
PROF UROOJ FATIMA
Karachi
APROPOS of my ‘Ah so!’ (Nov 20) it seems the printer’s (or rather the word-processor’s!) devil did what he does and changed the word ‘Askariat’ to ‘Aksariat’. For it is militarism that plagues us.
Also, apropos of Mahdi Masud’s letter, ‘Light at the tunnel’s end’ (Nov 20), might I remind him that we have already lost half our country because of the various ‘vicissitudes’ we have passed through. It will take a veritable miracle for the country to ‘emerge stronger’ out of the hole into which we are being shoved ever deeper just because of one person’s insatiable lust for power, aided and abetted by Amreeka Bahadur.
KAMRAN SHAFI
Wah villag
IN Newsweek’s issue of Nov 19 Fareed Zakaria, in his article on Pakistan, has gone off the mark in saying that when Gen Musharraf took over, in his military coup, in 1999, Pakistan was in ‘close alliance with the Taliban and Al Qaeda’. Attempts were even then being made to persuade the Afghan government to include the Pashtoon Taliban into the governance of their country, and that should continue to be our endeavour even now 10 years down the road.
The answer to the problems created by the continued on-thrust of Talibanisation does not lie in the barrel of a gun. The answer must and has to be political, and a popularly elected government can achieve what a military regime cannot.
Yes, indeed President Musharraf has done a very commendable job on the economic front, but who can say that had a civilian government been in power the same degree of progress might not have taken place? Granted that all military regimes are not evil losers like the befuddled Yahya Khan’s regime but the concept of army rule goes against the very grain of our founding father’s concept of a democratic order.
Fareed Zakaria says: “It remains crucial to keep the Pakistani military completely involved and comfortable with the changes that are taking place. Like it or not, Pakistan’s military runs the country.”
This is true but the time should come when the military must be answerable to a civilian overlord – and that time is now.
Let us hope that with the present charade of Benazir Bhutto’s ‘incarceration’ over, and after the promised elections have been held, the army’s retreat does not become a long march with no barracks in sight.
S. ASIF MAJEED
Karachi
MY three-year-old daughter goes to a local Montessori in Clifton. The Montessori has a little ‘play area’ with swings, see-saw and slides, etc. I, while going to office, drop her on the way.
My daughter’s high point every morning is the few minutes that she spends with me in the play area.
Last week I was stopped from entering the play area by the principal saying that the burqa-clad mothers coming with their children do not like the fathers/brothers in the play area.
My daughter is now deprived of ‘the few minutes of splendid time’.
SAIFY CHINOY
Karachi
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