| December 01, 2007 | Saturday | Ziqa’ad 20, 1428 |
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Two in one
How we lost the Frontier
Munir Malik’s illness
Fault finding
Keeping Pakistan HIV-free
Shipping issues
PIA widow’s woes
Education out of reach
Water storage
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
PRESIDENT Pervez Musharraf has kept his commitment to relieve himself of his military duties and assign the task to the new Chief of Army Staff, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. The next concern of the people is that election is held on schedule, with neutrality shown towards all political parties.
The president’s previous association with the PML-Q should mow be only a thing of the past and his differences with other political parties, institutions, media and some individuals still under vigilance, let all these bygones be bygones. A clean slate start of a new presidential tenure will help promote harmony in the country and help cultivate a positive political culture.
A democratic system of government does need a president as head of state and there cannot be a better head of state than President Musharraf who has already had a long experience of administering this country.
The media should realise its significance and should no longer be a party to ridiculing the administration by telecasting parody programmes. Give respect, receive respect.
And, on their part, political parties, institutions, the media and some individuals still under vigilance should accept Mr Musharraf as civilian president for another term. Parties should now positively lead the masses in strengthening their respective image on the basis of merit and performance instead of misleading the people.
And voters, based on their past experience of disappointment at the performance of political parties, should now demand a documentary commitment in the form of a political agenda, published in the national language for mass distribution. This document should also carry words of honour from the head of the political party that if the party comes to power, its performance will not deviate from its committed agenda.
During the election campaign voters should clearly signal no support to all those political parties which will not mass-distribute their committed political agenda.
Let the parties open their eyes to the big reality that, henceforth, influence of money and power will no longer help them. The masses have awaken enough to make their decision to vote by themselves, according to their wisdom and observation.
Gone are the days when they would play dumb roles by crowding the camps of political parties for a meal or join their election campaign as hired head-count supporters to make an impression and later on victory dance for them in jubilation festivities. No longer any of that. Due to bad policies of the parties in government, the poor have no longer free time and have to work much more for three square meals a day.
Now it has to be a deal of performance. A simple give-and-take deal. Give commitment of service today, and take vote. No commitment, no vote.
In fact, the dismissal petitions should now be introduced in Pakistan as a norm of democratic reform in our society and be available to the people as a tool to invoke a disqualifying process of politicians in government who will not work according to their commitment.
Political parties, workers and candidates should henceforth consider themselves on duty when in power, rather than merely enjoy limitless privileges during their period of rule.
If people of this country can unite themselves on this one-point agenda, they can make political parties kneel down begging for support of the masses and will demonstrate a change in their behaviour towards the masses with respect and responsibility like that prevalent in developed countries.
Long live Awam. Long live Pakistan
M. M. KHAN
Karachi
FINALLY Pervez Musharraf doffed off his much controversial (and notorious) uniform after years of promise-breaching, customary hubristic-cum-pugilistic flourishes and sheepish embarrassments.
Thus, technically, the rule of one more general came to an end, but this time it has a different tang and a different iconography and ritualism of farewell.
It was not the Musharraf of 1998: haughty, overweening, chauvinistic and beaming with confidence. This Musharraf is edgy, reluctant and hopelessly deflated. In between these two Musharrafs, we had a flawed and hostile military rule disguised as revamped democracy. Musharraf’s democracy became every inch a superficial model as it is unabashedly hired from western epistemology of enlightenment.
In the end, there is neither enlightenment (rather shock/violence/intolerance) nor moderation but oppression, well wrapped in the patriotic and nationalistic rhetoric. This manner of a general’s entry into the echelons of power and a partial exit (as he is still the president) is unique in many ways. I wonder if the future generals will adopt Musharaf’s methodology.
An interesting sub-text emerges to Musharraf’s farewell speech as a military ruler that also tells about the unique nature of his rule which follows as: “Remaining in uniform for 46 years I am saying goodbye to this army,” he said.
He remained in the uniform, probably not in the hearts of the people. He has said farewell to the army, not to the people of Pakistan since they neither invited him to rule. The Constitution was made for the people of Pakistan (including the army — Is the army more than people?). Fuzzy logic: Constitution is not violated.
“This army is my life, this army is my passion. I have loved this army.”
Again the emotional effervescence is for the army. Musharraf’s slogan of ‘sub sa phala Pakistan’ pales into nothingness.
“The armed forces of Pakistan are an integrating force, they are a binding force for the country and they are the saviours of Pakistan.”
I wonder if this is either a faux paus or anachronism. We had lost East Pakistan in 1971.
Our very own army is engaged in a war inside the country and are somehow (technically speaking) responsible for killing its own people. Wana, North Waziristan and Swat are within the geography of post-1971 Pakistan’s cartography. A saviour is supposed to be a healer and a curator and much more.
RIZWAN AKHTAR
Lahore
THIS is in response to Ahmed Kidwai’s rejoinder (Nov 26) to my letter of Nov 19 stating that the little educated or ignorant mullahs and religious fanatics of this province have lost us instead of we losing it.
First, we both should be appreciated for doing justice to democracy — he disagreeing with me and I tolerating his retort about his secret admiration of the Taliban and their like.
Second, I think some points remained unexplained or Mr Kidwai has not caught the bottom line. I assure him that I respect the peaceful and peace-loving people of Frontier — and so also the people of Balochistan. During the peaceful days I stayed in Bannu, Peshawar, Swat and Quetta and I found them to be self-respecting, proud and fiercely independent people; hence the desire of some part of them to carry guns. This is where I differ with them. Carrying weapons is almost a declaration of war. If they were educated, tolerant, justice- and democracy-lovers —like the people of Sindh and Punjab who do not carry guns — we would love that part of populace.
I do not, and all sensible persons would not, respect and ‘admire’ the murderers like ignorant Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. I am referring specially to our own Taliban – the disciples of mullah Fazlullah in Swat where they kidnapped the security forces and, cutting their heads off the live bodies, displayed them in bazaars and streets of Matta. Does Mr Kidwai want us to like such people?
Now a few answers: I do remember Faqir of Ipi, I have seen the documentary that Mr Kidwai has referred to, I have taken his advice of not underestimating anyone — especially in the backdrop of the East Pakistan disaster — but I would still stress upon the need of cane to straighten out the strayed people like a father has to be harsh with sons slipping out of hands.
I do agree with him that our leaders have lacked political acumen to handle situations right from the inception of Pakistan.
M.K. NAQVI
Karachi
I WAS shocked to read about the seriously illness of the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Munir Malik (Nov 26). He was full of energy when he was taken in police custody soon after declaration of emergency and looked perfectly healthy. The other day on TV he could hardly talk and looked very sick. I don’t know what kind of treatment facility existed in the jail he was in but it was the responsibility of the government to provide the best possible care to all detainees.
Mr Malik is one of the top lawyers of Pakistan who was working for the independence of the judiciary. A high-level inquiry should be held and an exemplary punishment should be given to those responsible for his ill-treatment while in custody. May God give Mr Malik long and healthy life so that he could continue the struggle for independence of the judiciary.
JAVAID KHAN
Karachi
IN his autobiography, Gen Musharraf has criticised a whole lot of people. Z. A. Bhutto has come in for perhaps the worst criticism, including use of the term ‘fascist’, Ziaul Haq’s faults are mentioned, Benazir Bhutto has, among other things, been lambasted for her corruption, misgovernance and likened to African dictators.
Nawaz Sharif has been slammed for various flaws. Even Dr A. Q. Khan has been badly defamed.
The only person in the country who has been praised unreservedly and repeatedly is Musharraf himself, who obviously can’t find anything wrong with himself.
Now, he has pilloried Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and other judges, as an excuse to clamp emergency. Thomas Carlyle had observed: “The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.”
How curious, Musharraf is shoving everyone and everything into fighting Bush’s war on terror yet does nothing to free himself from his own bondage.
ABDUL ALEEM
Karachi
ACCORDING to UN Aids estimates, there are now 39.5 million people living with HIV worldwide, including 2.3 million children. During 2006, some 4.3 million people became newly-infected with the virus. Around half of all people who become infected with HIV are infected before they are 25 and are killed by Aids before their 35th birthday.
Although numbers don’t mean much to the common man, and the World HIV/Aids Day is not as exhilarating as the upcoming elections, the fact remains that around 95 per cent of people with HIV/Aids live in developing nations.
With an overdramatic political environment prevailing in the country, where the very basic rights of the common citizen are in jeopardy, one may question the relevance of a simple HIV/Aids reality check, let alone commemorating a World HIV/Aids Day. But that doesn’t change the fact that HIV/Aids is on its way to becoming a full-fledged, concentrated epidemic in Pakistan. There are an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 HIV cases in Pakistan, out of which only 4,000 are registered.
The more one assimilates these numbers, the grimmer the situation seems, for these patients — like unguided missiles — not only put themselves but the entire vulnerable population constituting women, children, injecting drug users, homosexuals and commercial sex workers in the danger zone.
Those who are registered are unable to make a difference for their voices are often not heard by decision-makers, the media and the public. Their stigmas and issues are either ignored or their experiences not understood as the common man lacks basic awareness regarding the epidemic, its causes, symptoms and prevention.
Another distressing factor is that people living with HIV, especially youth, are vulnerable to hate crime. The current law does not give people with the virus adequate protection from violence and abuse. Also, irresponsible behaviour on the part of youth and their lack of awareness on sexual and reproductive health, injecting drugs, pre-marital unprotected sexual practices and unscreened blood transfusions at government and private hospitals only add to their vulnerability and exposure.
It is not whether we raise funds, join campaigns, donate or purchase awareness material, join HIV/Aids networks or just sport a red ribbon, for as important as these gestures are, there is not much that can be done without addressing and registering the current HIV/Aids scenario and focusing on spreading awareness instead of the pandemic.
Although numbers in Pakistan are not as alarming as those of neighbouring countries like India and China, at least not yet, the stakes are still extremely high. The World Aids Day is not just about raising money, but also about increasing awareness, fighting prejudice and improving education. It is vital in reminding people that HIV is not a thing of the past, and that there is still a lot that has to be done to contain its spread.
December 1 marks the World HIV/Aids day, a day that reminds us of how vulnerable we are as a society to HIV/Aids. Although many national and international organisations and consortiums are working to prevent HIV by spreading awareness among the general masses as well as among vulnerable groups and rehabilitating people living with HIV/Aids, there is still a lot that needs to be achieved in this area.
Organisations such as the World Population Foundation in Islamabad and Aahung in Karachi have introduced life skills-based education programmes that not only harness youth potential but also spread awareness among the youth regarding HIV/Aids for they are among the most vulnerable groups.
More such innovative and increased efforts are needed to prevent HIV. To meet the challenge of keeping the next generation HIV-free, it is necessary to invest more resources to protect young people of both sexes.
Until a cure is found for this disease, the government ,the public and the private sector should do all they can to prevent the pandemic from spreading. What we need to understand as a people is that the people living with HIV/Aids need care and support, for each one of them is fighting a personal battle against a global challenge.
RABAIL BAIG
Karachi
THIS is in response to the statement made by TDAP Secretary Naved Arif wherein he felt greater need to promote small and medium-sized exporters, but what actually happens to the small exporters can be well accessed by what recently happened at the Karachi seaport where 64 containers of onion being exported to Sri Lanka were offloaded by MOL Shipping Lines due to insufficient space on the ship.
Being a perishable item, the containers had to be removed from the port for repacking at warehouses as there was no other vessel sailing for Sri Lanka for the next six days.
Due to the negligence of the shipping company, the small and medium-sized exporters had to bear the following additional costs: repacking, loss of weight, transportation to and from the port, port charges and above all humiliation from the buyers.
On the one hand, the government wants to increase export and, on the other hand, there is no protection or reimbursement from the shipping companies or the government in such dislocations. How can small exporters survive or increase the exports?
This is not the first instance. A few weeks back the APL also accepted the onion for Sri Lanka and once the containers were at the port, they refused to carry on the pretext that the ship is not touching Colombo.
The least the TDAP should do is to take strict action against the shipping companies and make them to reimburse the exporters. Such actions from the TDAP or concerned authorities will definitely help the small exporters to boost the exports.
SHAHID SADIQ
Karachi
MY late husband served PIA from 21-01-1957 to 02-05-1997. He retired as an officer engineer and received Rs3,262 monthly pension to support a wife and three children.
My husband died in 2002 and PIA was kind enough to transfer the pension in my name.
In July 2007 PIA, without any notice, put a stop to the monthly pension.
When I made inquires, I was informed that the pension was stopped after a period of 10 years from the date of retirement.
I request the PIA chairman to consider my position and resume the monthly pension as I have no permanent source of income.
WIDOW OF M. IFTEKHAR ALI
Karachi
I JUST want to ask our country’s educational authorities whether there is any system in our country to provide scholarship or fund the education of those students who want to pursue their higher education in the field of their interest?
I have done BSc and now want to further continue my studies in the field of dental surgery, but the problem is that our Karachi city has got only two government-run dental institutions which only take freshly-passed intermediate candidates while private institutions charge heavy tuition fee which is unaffordable for the average Pakistani.
Now if I want to continue my studies further, I simply cannot do this because I cannot afford the private institution’s fee and, moreover, these institutions do not have any system to provide scholarships, or if they do, then not in the first year.
Having secured goods marks, I got admission in a private institute, but I cannot afford the expenses. It does not matter to them that though I am a hardworking student, I don’t get credit for that unless I am rich enough. Can someone tell me what I should do?
NIDA FATIMA JAMAL
Karachi
“WATER is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water.”
Pakistan has very little water storage capacity. The United States and Australia have over 5,000 cubic metres of storage capacity per inhabitant and China has 2,200 cubic metres, while Pakistan has only 150 cubic metres of storage capacity per capita.
Pakistan can barely store 30 days of water in the Indus basin. If something wrong happens with the Indus basin, Pakistan has no alternative to feed its agriculture. There is no latitude for error.
The biggest drain on our water sources is agriculture, which accounts for 70 per cent of the water used worldwide — much of which is subsidised in the industrial world, providing little incentive for agro-business to use conservation measures or less water-intensive crops.
We came to see that the conflicts over water are really about fundamental questions of democracy itself: Who will make the decisions that affect our future, and who will be excluded?
And if citizens no longer control their most basic resource, their water, do they really control anything at all?
SHARMEEN ISMAIL
Karachi
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