| November 28, 2007 | Wednesday | Ziqa’ad 17, 1428 |
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National reconciliation
Peaceful coexistence
Pakistan’s real problem
Admit your mistakes
Challenge to Bush
People’s grievances
Teachers’ recruitment
Back with a vengeance
School and traffic police
Auto industry
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
ANNOUNCEMENT by the parties forming the All Parties Democratic Movement (APDM) to boycott the general election scheduled for Jan 8 next if certain conditions are not met within a stipulated period has not come as a surprise and shock to many.
As a matter of fact, this is a continuation of their negative and undemocratic tactics to which they have been resorting during the five years’ tenure of the just-dissolved National and Provincial Assemblies on completion of their term.
The latest in this regard was en masse resignation of the APDM parliamentarians from the national and provincial legislatures. The opposition has a long history of its negative attitude and nothing to establish the fact they have ever made any positive contribution towards democracy and strengthening of democratic institutions though they have all the time clamouring for the same.
They have also been demanding holding of the general election. Now that election has been scheduled to honour commitments made by President Musharraf regarding holding of the polls in a free, fair and transparent manner, they are trying to run away on one pretext or the other.
One just wonders as to why the opposition parties are afraid of approaching the electorate in the urban and rural areas of the country. Perhaps they are afraid of being rejected on the basis of their negative performance in the past. This running away from polls amounts to betrayal of the electorate for whose welfare and well-being they have indeed made no positive contribution even though sitting on the opposition benches.
If they believe that they have done some service to the people at large, then they should fully and actively participate in the forthcoming election. This would make them realise that the people’s are concerned with the performances of political and religious parties and not with their statements and hollow slogans.
Some practical work for the people’ welfare and well-being can only be done by sitting in the legislatures, irrespective of occupying treasury or opposition benches. Opposition benches can also make positive contributions by keeping the treasury benches on the right path through strict compliance of the system of checks and balances.
To say the least, the opposition should contest the general election come what may and not commit betrayal of the electorate by leaving the arena open for others.
SHAIKH ABDUL HAQ
Lahore
IT will be a huge fallacy on the part of any segment of the opposition to boycott elections as is being indicated by the APDM. If the opposition has any reservation about the fairness of the elections, it should take part in it under protest, as is being done by the Pakistan People’s Party.
At the same time, the suspecting opposition must make extra efforts to ensure that everything which may prove the elections as not being free and fair must be properly recorded and documented. This will allow them to discredit the elections if they lose due to serious wrongdoings having been committed either by the authorities or the candidates being favoured by them.
No accusation should be made before the crime is actually committed. Nobody can really know that the government has plans to hold free and fair elections or not, but if the intentions are really not good, then in the case of a boycott, there will be no need to act negatively, and the opposition will have no case at all. I hope my arguments will not fall on deaf ears of the opposition.
MUHAMMAD ZAHIR AKHTAR
Karachi
THE PML-N leader, Nawaz Sharif, party president Shahbaz Sharif and other members of the Sharif family returned to Pakistan finally on Sunday last after spending more than seven years in exile in Saudi Arabia.
It is indeed a good development. It is also quite appreciable that the caretaker federal and provincial governments did not try to create any obstruction in the Sharif Brothers’ return home though adequate security arrangements were made in view of the prevailing circumstances and particularly in the backdrop of two suicide bomb attacks in Rawalpindi at the weekend.
Needless to say the return home of the Sharif Brothers will go a long way to promote and strengthen the much-needed national reconciliation, a positive and appreciable concept being pleaded and advocated by President Musharraf in the furtherance of the supreme national interests.
Earlier last month, PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto had also returned to Pakistan ending her about eight years of self-exile.
It is altogether a different aspect, though quite deplorable and tragic, that large numbers of innocent people were killed in two bomb attacks at her welcome rally in Karachi.
Thus, both the former prime ministers have returned home ending their living in exile on one account or the other.
It is hoped that Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, leaders of the two main political parties, would play their due role, do positive politics and further promote and strengthen the national reconciliation which indeed augurs well for the nation and the country.
People at large have great expectations from Ms Bhutto and Mr Sharif and, hopefully, they would respond positively and try to do anything which is in the larger national interests over and above political affiliations, other petty considerations and forgetting the bitter past.
Even if they have to work with President Musharraf in case either of them is elected as the prime minister after contesting the general election, they should not be evasive from this.
Surely, working for ensuring progress, prosperity, economic development of the motherland and socio-economic uplift of the people at large is more important, objective and result-oriented than sitting on the fence doing nothing.
M. H. ABBASI
Lahor
I WAS nearly convinced about not writing on this issue but I’m glad that to be taking a step towards creating an awareness that it is not a matter of who’s wrong or who’s right, but of mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
The day that Geo’s and ARY’s transmissions were shut down, I was in Lahore and was able to witness the ‘peaceful protest’ by Geo’s team on Davis Road.
The entrance to the Geo office was full of flowers and candles left by those emotionally affected by the incident and I, too, was deeply touched by the sight of such a mature yet heartfelt expression by Geo and their supporters.
However, in response what our media has had to face in the following days in different cities is quite apparent from the front pages of newspapers and I’m sure that treatment is definitely not peaceful or mature by any definition.
My grandfather used to say that one does not need an elderly person to constantly dictate the parameters of what is wrong or what is right — every individual has a conscience that tells him/her what path to follow.
This is why I would not prefer to go into the details of the wrongs and rights of the current ordeal being faced by the media as I’m sure that the readers of your esteemed publication are all matured individuals, having this basic knowledge.
What I would like to highlight is the fact that today
it’s the freedom of the media under question, tomorrow
it can be any of us surrendering our freedom of speech.
And what is this media? It is thinking, breathing, talking individuals like all of us — not aliens; and this is not a matter of who’s on the right side but of the essential need to maintain mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.
If we do not support these significant social factors, not only would our freedom of expression be at stake, but we will come to be known as extremists and fundamentalists in the eyes of the world.
Being a strong believer and practitioner of enlightened moderation, I urge the enlightened moderate living in every reader to just give it an open-minded thought.
MAHLAQA SAEED
Karachi
ACCORDING to the World Economic Forum’s recent competitive ranking on the Best Countries for Business, Pakistan stands nowhere amoung those 50 countries listed, getting beaten by countries like Chile, Estonia, Thailand, Tunisia, Puerto Rico, Slovenia, India and Slovak Republic.
And then our political leaders have the nerve to determine that Pakistan’s economy is pacing forward and the country has been attracting business from global players.
The Global Competitiveness Report tallies 113 factors that contribute to an economy’s competitiveness. It boils down to how well a country is positioned to squeeze efficiency out of its business and attract companies and investment from abroad.
Components of the resulting Global Competitiveness Index range from the quality of a nation’s road to the independence of its judiciary to the incidence of tuberculosis to how easy it is to hire an engineer.
Looking at the current political situation in the country, and even the time before the current state of emergency, it does not take a rocket scientist to conclude why Pakistan may never make it to those 50 countries best for business. Perhaps, it is about time that instead of bragging about its laurels, the government should seriously focus on being led by people who could put the country on the road to success.
It is also the obligation of the citizens of this country to determine the direction of leadership. They should also avoid the thieves, the thugs and the robbers who already have stuffed their coffers with public money and are again gaining strength to do the same.
ZILL-E-REHMAN KHAN NIAZI
Islamabad
I STILL can’t believe that so many people are still so content with the present situation, praising Gen Musharraf on his imposition of emergency and assuming that life will be peachy as it was before.
It’s portrayed that the culprits and problem creators who are responsible for the present situation are either the media (particularly GEO) or the judges. Who can believe this?
Gen Musharraf whose day job was army chief once … suddenly woke up one morning and took over Pakistan and became the president.
He solely, I repeat…, he solely commanded/ruled Pakistan for eight years.
When he began to tumble, he blamed the media and an independent judiciary for the mess in the country. How can we accept this that it’s the media’s and judges’ fault?
Gen Musharraf took credit for whatever he did in the past eight years …, now he should act like a man…, face the nation…and should say: “I was the sole ruler of this country for eight years and accept that I have failed in running this country.”
Can he admit his mistakes? It’s so easy in the end to pin the blame on someone.
The army, like any other government institution, dwells on the hard-paid tax by the citizens of Pakistan.
Who has given them the authority to rule us and decide our future?
BILAL KHAN
United Kingdom
PRESIDENT George Bush (and Tony Blair) had justified the occupation of Afghanistan and Iraq by saying that God had asked him to do that. Thus, he has implicitly laid claim to sainthood, for only a saint of a very high level can make such a contention.
Having encountered many saints, including Muslims, Christians and others, during my life, I can profess to know something about the subject. I don’t know much about Mr Bush except that he has had a drinking problem in the past and also that he has no hesitation in speaking untruth, if necessary.
The latter is evident from the lies about Iraq’s WMDs and Al Qaeda connection as well as the treatment of Muslim prisoners, most of whom turned out to be innocent, after all.
In contrast, there is a Pakistani Muslim gentleman whom I have known since his early youth. He has never killed any human being, or caused one to be killed, nor anybody was driven from their home. He doesn’t use an insecticide if an ant or a mosquito bites him, because he respects life so much. The gentleman, call him Ahmed, has never taken an alcoholic drink and despite being invited to illicit relationships by many girls/women inside and outside Pakistan always declined. He does his best not to hurt anyone in any way.
Mr Ahmed prays five times a day, besides other forms of worship, foremost being service to humans regardless of race or religion. Yet, he is neither a religious fanatic nor lays claim to sainthood, but only says he is trying to become a saint. He doesn’t pretend that God speaks to him directly, but does have some type of communication and enough gnosis to say that what George Bush and his associates inside and outside the US are doing is wrong in God’s eyes.
Also, that God wants them not be supported but, rather, opposed. Many years back he had told me that God is extremely angry with the Jews. I see no reason not to believe him.
My question to Mr Bush is, what makes him think he is more pious, abstinent, God fearing or knowledgeable than my friend? Being responsible for the killing of about a million Muslims and turning millions more into refugees, why should anyone accept the claims he has been making, in preference to men and women similar to my friend, what to talk of those I have known to be on a far higher plane than Ahmed.
A PAKISTANI
Karachi
THE political activity is hotting up in Pakistan. One hears of ‘deal’ or ‘no deal’ all the time. There is a lot of mudslinging and character assassination from all sides. However, not once have I heard anybody speaking on the real issues faced by Pakistanis.
Has anyone come up with policies for education, health, irrigation, or agriculture? Do they have any plans to combat unemployment? Is the lack of availability of clean drinking water not our problem? Do we not face corruption all around us? Or am I missing something? Of course, each one of our leaders seems too keen to appease the western powers talking of ‘war on terror’. But has anyone suggested how to achieve the goal and define this ‘war on terror’? Can someone please clarify if the people of Pakistan are more or less important?
Do our politicians serve the interests of our nation? I only wish our politicians had a wider vision to see beyond the narrow tunnel of their own selves. Will our nation ever see the day when their real issues are debated and resolved? Unless we help ourselves, no one is going to do so for us. Please wake up.
DR SOHAIL ANSARI
United Kingdom
IT was really disturbing to read about the situation of the HSC part-1 course, which due to unwanted social and political problems this year is likely to remain incomplete. We are already aware of the outdated and irrelevant curriculum being taught at school and college levels, what further hurts is the lack of interest by the authorities in this matter.
The classes of first year started late this session because of grim happenings in the city. Moreover, it is an irony that colleges are short of teaching staff. Although every government college has vacancies, the authorities are not appointing new teachers. These two years have to be highly effective for students as a college is a place that prepares them to specialise in desired fields in the future. The current situation of the government colleges is very depressing and concrete steps have to be taken to improve it before the situation worsens.
AHSAN RAZA FIRDOUSI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the recent verdict of the apex court validating the election of Gen Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan. Justice Munir gave birth to the ‘doctrine of necessity’, Justice Iftikhar and his brother judges buried it, or they thought they did it. But this doctrine has come back with a vengeance as ‘doctrine of power’. Accepting the power of ‘Power’ is the only sane thing to do under PCO and emergency rules.
AKHTAR HUSSAIN
Karachi
APROPOS of the letter of Sohail Jetha (Nov 26), I second his thoughtful comments and would like to add that in the same vicinity the Foundation Public School is also functioning in a residential premise. Each morning and afternoon, when parents or their inconsiderate drivers pick and drop the children, a huge traffic mess creates a major traffic jam on the signal-free Sharea Faisal.
As this is primarily a business area with banks and other offices, a large number of office workers get late for work and bank customers have to suffer inconvenience because lanes are closed and there is double or triple parking everywhere.
But, most importantly, at least seven to eight traffic police constables, including officers, have been deployed to manage this mess twice a day. I believe that this is unethical of that profit-making school to not consider all these consequences and an abuse of the scarce traffic police resources that could be deployed elsewhere to manage the city traffic.
The school should be ordered to immediately relocate to an area designated for educational institutions. Until that relocation occurs, the school should also be ordered to minimise public inconvenience, deploy their own resources for such traffic management or pay the salaries of the traffic police resources that are being used to support their profit-making venture. Someone listening?
DAILY SUFFERER
Karachi
RECENT reports of the government’s approval of the auto industry development programme (AIDP) are a positive sign for foreign investors, offering a predictable and transparent investment opportunity. The AIDP is a clear roadmap, the objective being to lead the auto industry towards sustainable, innovative and competitive development and to enable the industry to attract investment and become a part of the global supply chain.
The local auto industry has worked towards the shaping and implementation of the AIDP to encourage investment, domestic competition, enhance competitiveness and stimulate innovation through technology acquisition, human resources, etc.
If implemented in the right spirit, this particular policy should encourage continuation and increasing indigenisation; and facilitate the auto industry’s integration into the global supply chain.
Concurrently, the used vehicles import policy will need to be regulated so as not to impede the growth of the local industry while protecting consumers’ interest. The AIDP not only provides the targets and goals, but also a clear development programme through a roadmap for the next five years, realising that the rapid growth in the rapidly expanding auto industry is necessary for the long-term benefit of Pakistan’s economy.
TALIB UL HAQ
Islamabad
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