| January 09, 2008 | Wednesday | Zilhaj 29, 1428 |
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Situation in Kohat
Food shortage
No ‘leaders’ in sight
Energy resource within ourselves
Wrong statistic
Fears of an overseas Pakistani
Power shortages
Unhealthy palm oil
Troubled waters
A different perspective
Squash championship
Overcharging doctors
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
‘Pakistan alone is and will be responsible for security of its nuclear assets’.
This is an extract taken from the official statement issued by foreign office on Jan 06. It is good that we heavily rely on the potential of our security officials as well as the system which has been in place to ensure such protection.
It is, however, very disheartening that such determination seems to be missing when it comes to safeguard the life and property of a common man. No degree of reform could sustain this indifferent attitude. We raised number of elite forces right from the inception of Pakistan, yet they have failed to deliver. Have we ever realized what lies behind these failures? Indeed, it is due to our misplaced priorities that have led us to such disasters.
Law and order is the shared responsibility of both federal and provincial governments. Though 60 years have been passed, we still resort to the old methodology of floating formal requests to the former by the latter. By the time the request is acceded to, the loss has already occurred. It appears that, we do not have any contingency plan in place. The recent breakdown of our law and order system has raised a number of questions on our strategy to tackle such situations. Vanishing of police and law enforcement agencies is no solution. We have to be out on the streets confronting the problem instead of locking the police stations.
The government should formulate a contingency plan on war footing defining a clear role and position for both police and rangers. The dilapidated operating strength of police should be enhanced on priority basis though modern weaponry and transport system. The duty hours of policemen should be well regulated to reduce the chances of fatigue at real times. Identification of strategic locations for observation posts in sensitive areas is very important. For instance, flyovers can serve this purpose quite successfully. Above all, the morale of police officials needs special boosting. Instead of out of turn promotions, cash awards should be given, thereby giving some financial relief to the deserver.
In brief, the Government of Pakistan should consider restructuring the aforementioned statement that, it is also responsible for security of its people in the true sense of the word.
SYED SALAHUDDIN AHMED
Karachi
For the past few weeks, the security situation in Kohat is getting worse by the minute. After Taliban and Al-Qaeda establishing their local head quarter in the foot hills of Tanda Dam near Kohat, the sectarian tensions are at all time high. Both the ANP and MMA are taking advantage of the situation and are threatening people not to vote for Syed Qalb-i-Hassan an independent PA candidate. The current threats include killing anyone voting for this candidate. Is this a democracy?
Most recently four people were killed by Taliban when their van drove past the Taliban area. Several witnesses saw Taliban coming out of the Nasrat Khail madrasah ambushing the van. Taliban also put Syed Qalb-i-Hassan, Syed Ibn-i-Ali (ret. Chief Justice of Peshawar high court) and Ahtisham Ali (a senior Civil Judge, Charsada) on their hit list a few weeks ago according to a major Urdu newspaper (Peshawar).
Both Qalb-i-Hassan and Ibn-i-Ali are PA candidates in the upcoming elections while Ahtisham Ali, the son of Syed Ibn-i-Ali is campaigning for his father in the Kohat area.
Despite high sectarian tensions in the area, the local government is doing nothing but to watch the tension grow. A small incident can trigger a major bloodshed in the area and thousand of lives will be lost if the government plays the “Do Nothing Game” in the area.
By this email, we the citizen of Kohat request the Governor NWFP and the President Musharraf to please have the Army and the local government to take steps to avoid another major sectarian bomb explosion in the Kohat area.
SULTAN HAMID
Gari Banoorian, Kohat
The caretaker Prime Minister has been informed that the poor and the destitute of this country are to suffer from food shortages only for two to four more weeks.
It would be fitting of the government functionaries,
especially the President who has often sought the solidarity from the common Pakistani, to demonstrate solidarity with the Pakistani masses by spending a day in long lines to get the flour and sugar from utility stores.
Those responsible for this current dosage of annual food shortages are not ghosts.
All of them are well-known personalities belonging to political, business and industrialist dynasties. They could not hide from persecution even if they wanted to, given their status in the country.
Which bring me to the question, as to why have the authorities then not done a thing besides instructing them to cover up the worst shortage of food to have hit Pakistan?
This crisis reeks of corruption, maligned intentions, and simply illegal and even inhumane business practices. If the President of the country cannot guarantee safety to the poor people from the ‘businessmen’ of this country, how can we expect him to sustain us in the face of bigger problems?
HASNAIN KHAN
Canada
I FIND myself partly agreeing with your editorial, ‘No leaders in sight’, which has depicted the indifferent role of our political leaders after the killing of Benazir Bhutto
(Jan 2).
If on the one hand the contents of your editorial are a stunning flash of truth, it was quite thought-provoking on the other. You have very rightly asked where the political leaders were when the cities burned on the heels of the heinous murder of Benazir Bhutto. However, I am afraid I will not agree with the notion that there is none who can provide leadership Pakistanis need in this hour of gloom and doom.
Here I would like to cite the example of Nawaz Sharif. One can differ with his political views but we must acknowledge his humane nature and his political sagacity when he rushed to the hospital on hearing the news of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination. Not only that, he also went to Naudero and condoled with the family of the PPP’s chairperson.
This explicitly showed that an elder brother from a bigger province was sharing the grief of a smaller province. This prompts one to say that there is a dire need of continuing this trend of brotherly feelings amongst the four provinces of Pakistan.
While endorsing your views that Pakistanis must depend on their own maturity, I would like to add that our political leaders must show sincerity with this country. Why don’t they derive inspiration from the teachings of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-i-Azam?
You conclude your editorial by saying that role models are rare in Pakistan. I think besides Quaid-i-Azam and Allama Iqbal we have stalwarts like Dr Abdul Qadeer, Abdul Sattar Edhi, Dr Abdul Salam, and Imran Khan as our modern role models to emulate in different spheres of life. They are the shooting stars of Pakistan and we will live in their afterglow for a very long time.
RAFAT MAHMOOD ANSARI
Islamabad
ENERGY crises prevailed throughout the past year. While the energy demand is expected to increase by 2000MW each year, the higher officials are still turning a deaf ear to the exhausted and irritated people suffering from loadshedding. The nation suffered three to four hours of loadshedding regularly last year, while some areas had their bulbs blinking once in two days.
Recently 35,000 cusecs of water from dams has been released for power generation to meet the demands of the energy shortfall to some extent which might, in fact, exaggerate the shortage of irrigation water. If one can’t focus on the production, then why not pay attention to the savings at least?
A picture in Dawn on Jan 06 shows that streetlights switched on along the Mai Kolachi Road, Karachi during the daylight. It’s not only this very street, but most of the thoroughfares. Before the unfortunate incident of the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, a political party decorated the roads on a bakery in my area, as a part of their elections campaign which is presumably their right. But why are such lights let on in the daylight? I found the lights to be powered directly whichcould not be switched off.
We must understand the value of this energy and must not waste it in such a ridiculous manner.
Meanwhile, the government must ensure that all the streetlights go off when the sun rises. Conservation could save an ample amount of energy for the people to at least heal some of their wounds.
SOHAIB NOMANI
Karachi
The President of Pakistan Mr Pervaiz Musharraf in his recent address to the nation has said that 75 per cent of our population lives in villages (rural) while only 25 per cent lives in urban areas.
This is not correct. This was the position at the time of partition in 1947.With an increase in population, some villages have also grown into towns. Migration has been, and continues to take place because of non availability of basic facilities of health and education in these areas.
In 1989 the last census held in Pakistan showed that the total population was 132.3 million. Out of these, some 52.1 million people lived in urban areas, making 40 per cent of the population.
After 9 years the population census shows that urbanisation must be more than 50 per cent. The Planning Commission and other government departments at the Federal level must take the above figures into account while planning for the future.
The figures can be checked at www.citypopulation.de/ PAKISTAN
INAYAT ULLAH SHEIKH
Karachi
WE are postgraduate students living in the UK and plan to return home after studies, find work and live happily ever after in our beloved homeland. But we are compelled to reconsider our plans in the wake of current incidents in Pakistan. It hurts me a lot to say that most Pakistanis living abroad fear returning home. It sometimes looks like Pakistan is dying and is taking its last breath.
In spite of being a VVIP, Benazir Bhutto is killed in broad daylight, giving rise to one of the worst of extensive riots in our country’s history, 30 to 40 people get killed, banks, local businesses and petrol pumps are mobbed, torched and robbed, private property of people is destroyed (including 1,120 vehicles only in Karachi) and the police is useless. Lawyers have been beaten and handcuffed and the courts are closed, the judges remain suspended, where does one go? Who should one contact for his loss or in the event of an ordinary incident?
There is no flour in the country, there is a national electricity crisis, the State Bank shows serious concerns over economy, I will not be surprised if the State Bank itself declares bankruptcy; the Steel mills will remain closed for 15 days; suicide bomb attacks occur almost every day; the military is fighting a war in its own country which does not seem to make any difference to anything. The international community is afraid of our nuclear bomb, lest it gets in the hands of terrorists that seem very willing to take control any moment.
Ordinarily, if you are going out, you can never say if you, your car or mobile phone will come back home in one piece or will come back at all. Crazy traffic, accidents and unavailability of emergency services, the same corrupt constables and the same old broken roads, sewerage water, the stink and mosquitoes and what not.
We are all seriously considering revision of our plans and applying for residential leave here or somewhere else but not in Pakistan. The emperor is too occupied with devising unique strategies to prolong his rule in the country and does not at all seem to care about the actual running of the country and, as a matter of fact, nobody does. These things force me not to be a fool and stay out of Pakistan and also, if possible, arrange for my loved ones to come away from the country.
We are all worried about our country.
ZOHAIB ALI ZAHID
United Kingdom
THE nation is suffering from increasing power shortage, bringing out street protests and threat of industries closing down.
The proposal and completion of paperwork for construction of the Kalabagh Dam was completed by the UN, World Bank and Wapda in 1984, but fierce opposition did not permit its construction, despite the fact that every regime, military or civilian, popular or unpopular, strongly advocated it.
The present regime has stressed that a number of dams will be required, and that it would be suicidal for the nation not to construct these dams, but the opposition still continues.
These dams are vitally required, it will take almost a decade to construct one dam, by which time the need and suffering will have further gone up.
RAFI AHMED
Karachi
PAKISTAN is currently confronted with severe power shortages, resulting in massive loadshedding and rolling blackouts throughout the country.
This has been due to the criminal neglect of the sector during the past five years. No new investment has been made, nor any new projects launched. Projects initiated previously have been delayed due to the poor project management of Wapda. What good can be expected of the present?
The ministry for water and power, the Wapda and other relevant officials are, broadly speaking, responsible for mismanagement in the power sector. Proper governance, through good utilities practices accompanied by accountability of the management for this debacle, is the only way to take the nation out of darkness.
JAVED N MALIK
Lahore
IT was recently reported that Pakistan is one of the biggest importers of palm oil, most of which is imported to meet domestic household demands.
That makes one wonder whether people are aware of the medical aspects of using palm oil and its products in their food.
Oils that are low in saturated fats and high in monounsaturated fats are good for health as they help in lowering the cholesterol levels of the body. Examples are olive oil, rapeseed oil, groundnut oil, soya oil and corn oils. On the other hand palm oil and coconut oil are high in saturates and their consumption can lead to high cholesterol levels in the bloodstream. It would be appropriate for the health authorities to advise the general public in this regard.
KHALIDA
UK
The article by Faiza Ilyas, (Jan 5), regarding the cetacean species, made worthwhile reading of an essentially science subject (zoology). It also provided little known facts to the layman, about what Pakistan’s waters mean to the surprisingly numerous species of whales frequenting them.
Such eye-opening surveys and activities will go a long way to improve the lot of poor fishermen and our coastal issues.
FAWZIA AZHAR
Karachi
APROPOS of Mr Khalid’s letter, ‘A different perspective’ (Dec 25), I assume that for the esteemed writer the order of the day is ‘might is right’ without any regard to a document called constitution.
Another strand of the argument is also very interesting. It appears from the letter that the non-PCO judiciary was ambitiously fighting for its own death and that the martial law/emergency of Nov 3 only facilitated the process.
If we stretch this argument further, it means that any life has to come to an end anyway, what difference does it make if I kill someone at the time of my choice.
Perhaps, the moral of the letter which Mr Khalid tells is ‘non-PCO judiciary forgot they live in a jungle where law is what the king wishes’.
I congratulate the writer for letting people know that autonomy of state is a far cry from political reality in Pakistan. The country is having a captured predatory state which serves the purposes of the one who holds power through the barrel of the gun; the gun which helps people and institutions die early, who have to experience death sometimes later.
ZUBAIR FAISAL ABBASI
University of Manchester,
UK
CONGRATULATIONS to the Pakistani youngsters for their superb performance at the recently-concluded British Junior Open Squash Championships in England.
Although, like previous years, they were unable to clinch any title, they showed the world the once great squash power still had the talent and could soon come back. The lone battle in the finals was in the under-15 division where the young Pakistani was easily beaten by the Egyptian in straight games.
The Egyptians, as expected, returned home with much of the top honours with the exception in the girls’ under-19 and under-17 where the French and an Indian became champions. Pakistan’s Maria Toor, against all the tall claims, was beaten in the very first round along with Zoea Khalid. Only Roshna Mehboob could go beyond the first round.
It showed the young Pakistanis that the quarters concerned should have made sincere efforts.
I am sure there would be plenty of talented youngsters out there who would guarantee our future.
TASNEEM KHAN
Miami, USA
LACK of any proper law to protect patients against excessive doctor bills has resulted in many patients relying on self-medication.
When a patient visits a government or semi-government hospital for medical advice from a well-known specialist, he is mostly advised by the doctor to come in the evening at his private clinic for better medical advice.
A visit to a government hospital costs about Rs50, whereas when the patient visits the doctor at his private clinic, he is forced to pay anything between Rs800 to Rs1,000.
There is a strong requirement for limits on doctors’ charges to the patients. These so-called Messiahs should also be brought into the tax net.
The former health minister in the Shaukat Aziz government reportedly had a fake degree himself, which shows that he lacked the courage to bring law to curb overcharging by doctors.
I hope the current health minister spares time to bring such practices to a halt.
FAHAD ZAFAR
Lahore
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