| December 12, 2007 | Wednesday | Zilhaj 1, 1428 |
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A lesson for the judiciary
Passing the buck
A wedding cancelled
Foreign ownership of our banks
Courageous daughter
Recycling petrodollars
Where is the NSC?
Setting the record straight
Threat to the king
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 refers to the report, ‘Private companies may oversee poll security’ (Nov 23). According to the report, the federal government is considering deploying armed guards from private security companies inside polling stations during the forthcoming general election on Jan 8. The proposal to hire the services of private security companies was part of the government’s efforts to ensure ‘fool-proof’ security arrangements during the election.
First, there is nothing as ‘foolproof’ security anywhere in the world. Despite highly tight security arrangements, there have been incidents of assassination of VVIPs like the US President John F Kennedy, Indian prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and attempts of suicide attacks on President Pervez Musharraf twice. It should, therefore, be borne in mind that no infallible method exists that can stop a skilled and determined individual or group from a terrorism act. But maintaining a constant state of alertness can reduce vulnerability and potential losses. Hence, thinking of ‘foolproof’ security anywhere is a fallacy.
Second, deployment of guards from private security companies at polling stations is in no way logical, as their role is quite different than the police and rangers. The guards of private security companies fall in the category of ‘passive security’ to act as deterrence to crime such as theft, robbery, housebreaking and holdup.
They have no legal sanction to enforce law physically and force is only applied or used by them in the basic right of self-defence. Whereas, the police and rangers fall in the category of ‘active security’ and can enforce law physically if required to ensure the security of the citizens of a state. Moreover, guards of private security companies are not trained to deal with civil disturbances and mob attacks in public places. Similarly, they are also not armed and equipped with weapons and riot gear like police.
Therefore, deploying them in highly sensitive places like ‘polling stations’ under the prevailing politically volatile situation on purely police role will be quite risky. Authorities concerned may, therefore, like to consider these facts before making any decision to deploy guards of private security companies at polling stations.
To ensure better security at polling stations, here are some security measures:
— Police/Rangers should start guarding the building/place of polling stations at least one week before the date of election to ensure its security against possible sabotage or terroristm activities like planting of bomb etc.
— All officials and workers of the polling stations should be security-wise cleared by the police.
— If possible, close circuit television (CCTV) surveillance cameras with videocassette recorder should be installed inside the polling stations to enable the police to monitor any suspicious activity.
— Body search of every individual (man and woman) entering a polling station should be carried by the police.
SQN LDR (r) S. AUSAF HUSAIN
Karachi
I AM writing with reference to the news that the Constitution is to be restored on the Dec 15. This is a positive development. While people had recognised that emergency had been imposed to target judges of the Supreme and High Courts who had dared to be independent, President Musharraf and his self-designated spokespersons had defended it as a necessity in the ‘war against terror’.
The judges of our ‘reformed’ courts have also chosen to pretend that the emergency had nothing to do with the independence of the judiciary and have either ratified the actions of the government or turned a blind eye to it. The present situation is reminiscent of 1999, when the judges of the Supreme Court had endorsed and legitimised Pervez Musharraf’s takeover by a full bench judgment (Zafar Ali Shah v. Pervez Musharraf 2000 SCMR 1137) and had granted him the power to amend the Constitution.
The intentions of these judges may have been noble, but the consequences of their actions have been detrimental not only to the country but also to themselves. The same general, who had cried high treason when he was removed from his post without a hearing, removed the chief justice of Pakistan without any hearing and put him under house arrest. More power to the chief justice for standing up to authoritarianism and particularly for not accepting the offer of the Saudi ambassador to perform Haj.
There is a lesson in this for the new judiciary. Once the emergency is lifted and the ‘grave circumstances’ threatening the country have passed, will the judiciary have the moral courage to take notice of the illegal acts perpetrated upon the country, particularly in the last six weeks?
Or will it excuse President Musharraf merely to provide him another opportunity to repeat his actions? The fruits of their previous endorsements of intrinsically illegal actions are before them, and the choice is theirs.
AMBER DARR
Islamabad
APROPOS of your editorial, ‘Feudal stranglehold’ (Dec 9), I have always held and often expressed the view that our media is ignorant of even the basic truths about our own country. Nevertheless, it observes no restraint in being dogmatic and passing judgment. Such a disposition is most visible in its condemnation of so-called feudalism.
I hold no brief for the landed class and do not come to their defence. They are ignorant and spineless, for which reason the control of government and parliament that you attribute to them is totally misplaced. Indeed, they become visible on the scene by winning election, which is only because they have contact with the voters. However, the word feudalism, which conjures up images of the practices of Marquis de Sade and his ilk, is now only fiction. In no society can support and sympathy be generated by using the whip.
Incompetence and corruption has brought a total collapse of government institutions and all venues of complaint and relief for the man in the street are closed. The only door which opens to his knock is that of the creature you call the feudal. He, in turn, does not venture forth as the standard-bearer of the rights of the people but begs and crawls before the local police and bureaucracy so that the complainant somehow gets relief and becomes obligated to him.
Thus, in truth, it is the bureaucrat and his master, the military officer, who are the real feudals in Pakistan. They cling on to the conquering ‘gora sahib’ mentality of the erstwhile ruling elite and refuse to accept the fact that they are servants of the people.
Basically this is where things have gone wrong in the country right from the start. The military-bureaucracy axis has destroyed this country and in no way can the buck be passed on to the so-called feudals.
SARDAR MUMTAZ ALI BHUTTO
Chairman
Sindh National Front
I HAVE been agonised for a few weeks whether I should write to you or not but have realised that it is important that the high-handedness of the army, that I recently personally experienced, may find its way in the newspaper. I feel the people should know how the rights of citizens could be trampled on with impunity by a mighty institution that has sworn to defend those very rights.
I had booked the DHA Golf Club for my son’s ‘valima’ in December, almost a year in advance, since he was coming from abroad only for a week just for this purpose. A few weeks ago we were informed that the club would not be available to us as it was required for the wedding of a very powerful army officer’s daughter. Since he was insisting on the same venue and on the same date, we were left with no option but to postpone the function. Our protestations that we had booked the place a year in advance was obviously of no avail. We had to give in to the ‘dignity of the rank’.
While I appreciate that my little personal suffering pale into insignificance when viewed against the daily trampling on the people’s rights and liberties backed by forces of authority, unrestrained by any fear of censure, nevertheless, from a mother’s perspective, deprival of small joys of this occasion for which she may have waited for years means a lot.
In addition, I would like to inform other parents who may be intending to book such premises for their offspring’s functions that there may be no guarantee that on the required day they will get it, if it was required for some senior army officer.
While I will have to wait for another day for this occasion, I take heart from the fact that, if not mine, another mother’s eyes would glisten with joy on that day at the marriage of her daughter. I bear no grudge against that couple and will wish them a very happy and successful married life on the day, when I along with my friends and relatives (some of them coming from abroad and will not be able to attend if I hold the function again) would have been wishing the same for my son.
AAMIRA RIZVI
Karachi
THE ongoing privatisation of the banking sector is leading to increasing foreign ownership of local banks. I feel it appropriate to sound a word of caution on this situation, based on my personal experience at the time of the detonation of nuclear devices by Pakistan in 1998. At the time, the institution I worked with had numerous credit lines in the form of overdraft facilities from foreign banks.
On the day after the detonations, when I phoned the banks we dealt with to make sure there was no change in their relationship with the company, they assured me that we were valuable clients and there was no change. Within a month of that, one by one the banks called in our lines. When I reminded one of the banks what they had told me earlier, they said: “Head office has asked us to take this action as they feel a crisis has begun in the country”.
I recall telling them: “Pakistan must be a rounding difference in your head office balance sheet, there is no crisis in Pakistan, but your actions will precipitate a financial crisis”. Somehow, we managed to pay clear all our overdrafts within the period of days the banks gave us, and we continued to pay dividends to the shareholders.
I am making this point to emphasise that businesses run on overdraft facilities. In the standard banking documentation, these facilities can be called at my time at the option of the bank. With the increasing foreign ownership of our banking sector, local businesses and the Pakistan economy may one day become hostage to policies formulated in the home countries of such banks.
This could spell disaster for the country. It is, therefore, extremely important for the State Bank of Pakistan to create safeguards that will prevent this from happening.
SOHAIL OSMAN ALI
Karachi
THIS refers to the captions, ‘Tribute to courage of uncle judges’, and ‘I am a proud child’ (Dawn, Nov 30 and The Guardian, Nov 29).
I would like to appreciate Palwasha lftikhar Chaudhry, ‘Pinky’, the daughter of Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, for her courageous open letter, though she along with her family is still under house arrest since the imposition of the emergency in November.
Pinky, of course, is a daring daughter of a daring father. She supports all those judges of the higher courts who have been suspended for not taking the oath under the PCO, which would have conferred legitimacy and legality on the unconstitutional acts of the present government.
Ms Chaudhry’s open letter will not only boost the morale of the dignified judges but also of the legal community as a whole, which is facing the strong-arm tactics of the establishment. I salute the brave and proud Pinky, her family and the honourable judges for their steadfastness, and their principled stand on the ‘independence of the judiciary’, a principal prerequisite for democracy.
Palwasha is 16 years old. I am one year older than her. She must rest assured that all the youngsters are her brothers and sisters and, indeed, strong supporters. So are our parents. We are with her in her ordeal, which will be, God willing, short-lived, and all the victimised families of judges and jurists will emerge as the real heroes of Pakistan.
I appeal to all the conscientious Pakistanis, and the members of the international community to support the demand of civil society for the reinstatement of the sacked judges with dignity. Without their reinstatement, the genuine democracy will never return to Pakistan. And democracy is a must for the country’s stability.
UZMA SHAH SHIRAZI
Jamshoro
DECLINE in the value of US dollar has sparked concerns about its future viability as the single most important reserve currency in financial circles worldwide. The recent credit crunch and looming trade deficits have contributed to the weakening of what used to be the sovereign currency against the growing strength of the euro.
It is interesting to note that the United States has successfully withstood threats to its economic hegemony fuelled by ever-widening trade deficits in the past. Why is the current situation viewed as more precarious?
The answer to this lies in the simple economics of demand and supply. The US dollar is not just the official currency of the first world, it is the sole currency for global oil transactions, courtesy the Nixon administration’s successful 1974 negotiations with Saudi Arabia to price oil in dollars only.
The result: oil-importing countries demand more US dollars to finance oil import bills, and oil-exporting countries get dollar inflows which are reinvested in the US in treasury bills, bonds and the like. The US prints fiat dollar bills, lends it out to the Third World at exorbitantly high interest rates and gets it back from the oil-producing nations.
The latter, after constructing life-size replicas of the White House and palatial mansions, reinvests the surplus funds in the US.
The recycling of petrodollars, which has served US interests very well, is now under threat. As the euro continues to outrival the dollar, nations are reconsidering denominating oil transactions in the euro and to have a more diverse portfolio of reserves which would be more resilient to swings in international finance.
This impending shift has not only fuelled speculation around the world but has also led the American government to take extreme measures.
The Iraq war, perpetrated in the name of non-existent WMDs, was in fact in response to Saddam Hussein’s decision to switch to the euro in late 2000. Iran has followed suit, having shifted the majority of its reserve funds in the central bank to the euro in 2002.
Is a war on Iran on the agenda? Will this game of numbers carried out in power corridors of Washington to protect the multi-billionaire barons of Wall Street be at the expense of countless more lives? Will the dollar’s hegemony remain undisturbed through the coming months? Answers to these and many more questions will unfold shortly.
AYESHA ARIF BAWANY
Karachi
WHEREAS Pervez Musharraf presented an excellent chargesheet against the performance of his government in the last eight years, I also want to comment on the total failure of his ideas as well.
He created a body being heavily featured by uniformed people — the National Security Council.
He gave the argument to the nation that such a body will keep the army out of civil affairs for good.
Interesting as I wonder where was this body when the Chief of Army Staff has to indulge again in civil affairs by imposing martial law (or emergency in his words) rather than president of Pakistan imposing emergency within the constitutional framework.
After the Constitution is restored, will Musharraf give the good news to the nation that the idea of the NSC has failed and that he is going to dissolve this body for good?
ALI BOKHARI
Ireland
I AM writing this in response to a write-up, ‘Not all PPP nominations welcomed with cheers: reserved seats for women’ (Dec 9).
I am extremely surprised that Dawn would be used for the personal agendas of some.
I have had an almost two-decade career of professional media experience – both national and international – so I am not a unknown entity.
However, it is correct that I have never before held any party position whether high or low – with the PPP or any other political party.
My recent entry into Pakistani politics has been spurred by the motivation to be politically active instead of becoming a drawing-room critic of Pakistani polity.
I believe that the PPP and Benazir Bhutto have a clearer vision for a democratic and secular Pakistan, and that is why the PPP is my chosen platform for politics.
Also, attacking my husband (again by unnamed resentful party workers) is on. Husain Haqqani is an internationally respected academic and has served Pakistan in senior government roles.
But, this linking of all women to husbands, fathers and brothers though is a part of our patriarchal culture that an educated and professional woman like myself tires of. My family has always had an active role in Pakistan’s political life.
My grandfather, M. A. H. Ispahani, became a member of Pakistan’s first Constituent Assembly in 1947 and my uncle, Zia Ispahani, has also been a politician and former ambassador.
FARAHNAZ ISPAHANI
Islamabad
BAIRAM Khan, the Iranian noble, played a very important role in establishing Akbar’s rule in India during his early years in power. He asked the king to execute Hemu which Akbar refused and he himself went and decapitated Hemu.
This act posed a challenge to the king’s authority. He asked Bairam to go for Haj. Bairam Khan was executed on his way to Makkah.
This is one example when anybody who posed to be a threat to the king’s authority was given a chance to go for Haj and then disappeared.
The news of the Saudi ambassador meeting deposed chief justice Iftikhar, who declined a Haj invitation, sounds much like Bairam Khan’s story. It seems that we as a nation have not been able to come out from the primitive ages.
Today when we call the doffing of Musharraf’s uniform a ‘big step’, only God knows how many centuries it would take to get out of the authoritarian rule and bring true democracy where people will be allowed to decide and not be persecuted for belonging to different schools of thoughts.
SHAHNAZ ZARDARI
Hyderabad
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