| January 13, 2008 | Sunday | Muharram 03, 1429 |
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Energy crisis
Eligibility of Bilawal
India’s dilemma
Martyrdom to mayhem
Teachers’ cruelty
Who killed Benazir?
Remarks denied
Sydney Test
US senator’s statement
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
ON Jan 2, after three days of deliberations, the chief election commissioner (CEC) addressed the media, following the assassination of former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto, and announced extension of the date of election to Feb 18.
The CEC said the polls were being delayed because the offices of the election commission had been damaged in the violent protests which broke out in the country, particularly in Sindh where, in 11 districts, the record of EC offices, polling schemes and sensitive election material, i.e. voting lists, screen-off compartments and transparent ballot boxes, were burnt. Also, the law and order situation being the other reason.
In fact, the EC failed to ensure a peaceful atmosphere before the election and to protect its own offices and properties. No doubt, violence did ravage the entire country during which government installations, buildings and offices were ransacked and burnt.
However, it is a fact that offices of the EC were already vulnerable and without proper security arrangements, as mostly the EC offices in the districts are accommodated temporarily in the district government offices and courtrooms. This fact was already pointed out in these columns (‘A vote for change’, Nov 25, 2007).
This not only caused a huge financial loss to the EC which had spent millions of rupees in preparation of computerised voting lists, transparent ballot boxes, etc., but also caused an administrative anomaly delaying the polls.
An electoral exercise is a guarantee for changing a government according to the choice of the people and for establishing democracy, for which institutions like the EC play a vital role.
However, it is a matter of great concern in Pakistan that the EC neither has its own offices at the district level, nor can it protect its valuable and important public documents like electoral rolls and other sensitive election material.
Therefore, the CEC and the government should look into the matter seriously to establish EC offices, in every district, in complexes to be built, containing strong rooms to place the sensitive election material under proper security arrangements, in order to avoid such incidents in future to carry forward the electoral process without any hindrances.
TUFAIL AHMED MASHORI
Larkana
IT is that time again when we are faced with real painful energy shortages and no one anywhere seems to care. Shutting off gas supplies to industries (which must be the backbone of any economy) is really meeting the prayers of our competitors because this is the ‘sahi tariqa’ if you want to kill Pakistan's economy.
Instead of encouraging energy conservation which could easily reduce the present demand of natural gas by 30 to 40 per cent, we encourage wastage and then in our arrogance shut off basic energy source to our industries.
It was not too long ago (around November/December 2006) when the highest decision - making body (ECC/Ecnec) had issued directives for conservation of natural gas through cogeneration and other simple measures. Of course, even one week after this ‘directive’, the gas companies were merrily issuing permissions for gas supplies to utterly inefficient utilisation.
It was pointed out many times in the press that both SSGC and SNGPL had a very important role of correct technical ‘advice' (even with coercion, if required) and yet they are the first to encourage wastage. How can SSGC talk to clients about efficiency or discourage wastage when they themselves generate power in a most inefficient manner for their ‘modern’ office building?
If the government directives, even in late 2006, were followed in true spirit, we would now be close to at least essential energy availability but then who really cares. It has been pointed out many times that we need to learn to live within our means and, of course, the example has to come from the top. How can the message get across to the ‘common man’ if he sees our ‘leaders’, even in ‘caretaker' role, use a large motorcade or in new expensive helicopters just to get around?
We need to urgently adopt energy efficiency as our basic goal and modify our inefficient processes, whether these are in industries or in large commercial complexes where customers honestly believe (how wrong they can be!) that they can waste all the energy they want because they can ’afford’ it.
We urgently need energy-efficient hospitals, hotels, office complexes, shopping malls, airport terminal buildings, etc., and once these are properly designed and operated, we will save enough gas to supply the essential needs of our industries which, of course, must also be efficient. We have no ‘cheap’ source of energy and both our own coal from Thar and proposed gas from Iran will be very expensive and if we are not energy-efficient, we are doomed. Do we really want to solve the energy crisis? The directives of end-2006 were a good starting point but then, does anyone in authority really care?
AINUL ABEDIN
Karachi
THE question asked by legal experts is whether Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is 19 years old, could be delegated to the office of the chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party, whereas the minimum age required is of 25 years.
Under the Constitution and the Political Parties Order 2002, it is said that he is not legible at his prime age. Also, Article 63 of the Constitution debars him from holding any office in any political party or from being elected as a member of parliament.
As to Benazir Bhutto’s will purporting to contain her appointing Asif Ali Zardari, her spouse, as chairman of the PPP, it is viewed in certain quarters with scepticism and cum grano salis. It is felt that the slogan of ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ may not be able to capitalise with the present leadership.
Some people also have expressed that Fatima Bhutto and Zulfikar Ali, daughter and son, respectively, of Murtaza Bhutto, would have been a punctilious choice.
The differences between Ghinwa Bhutto, head of Shaheed Bhutto faction of the PPP, and Benazir Bhutto could have been bridged by the senior leaders of the PPP for the sake of unity of the party and for national interest, leading to democracy.
However, in my view the legacy which is being carried forward from father to his progeny should be aborted. A political party is not a dynasty. Mohammad Ali Jinnah was the president of All India Muslim League and I suppose he remained so in Pakistan till his death. Did he bequeath his position to anyone?
Eventually, the Muslim League fragmented into groups. Yet the Muslim League is known by Mr Jinnah.
Therefore, if the People’s Party, through elections within, gave the charge to a seniormost member of its party, it would have been astute. It could in no way annihilate the names of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the founder of the PPP, and Benazir Bhutto, whose charismatic personalities and propensity would not deliquesce.
To sum up, erudition has to be instilled in our school level children, more so in rural areas, with at least one period weekly for character - building, realising their civil rights so that our next generation will rise above political personalities and follow the agenda and manifestos of political organisations and break the sound barrier of feudalism, which we hope to actualise at the advent of one coming sunrise.
SAIFUDDIN E. CONTRACTOR
Karachi
THE Indian government is said to be struggling to find the right protocol for Carla Bruni, the girlfriend of the recently- divorced French president Nicolas Sarkozy, who, according to French authorities, may accompany him to New Delhi during his visit beginning on Jan 24 (Dawn, Jan 7).
India's foreign ministry is in a dither on what protocol to extend to the president’s companion Bruni, if the ex-supermodel accompanies him to a country "known for its sexual conservatism".
She would not be entitled to join Mr Sarkozy for official engagements as "the girlfriend is not considered wife or spouse," the Indian Express said in a front-page report.
The problem is so novel that the French and Indian governments are jointly working out plans. It is time New Delhi swallowed the facts of life in the West.
Former US president Bill Clinton's involvement with White House intern Monica Lewinsky had become so scandalous that it was on the verge of breaking up his marriage with Hillary Clinton.
He could very well have been without a wife and, had he been as aloof from public opinion as Mr Sarkozy is, he might very well have ended up visiting India along with Ms Lewinsky in 2000.
It is suggested that in the Indian foreign ministry protocol the term 'First lady' should be changed to read 'First companion' or something similar.
Another possibility is for them to get the Bharatya Janata Party (BJP) or Shiv Sena to warn the French president not to bring his girlfriend along since that would spoil the nation's morals, just as they oppose the celebration of western festivals such as Valentine's Day and New Year.
HASHMAT BHAGAT
Karachi
ADDRESSING a large statue of liberty that had been erected beside the guillotine, Madame Roland, worshipped as the muse, the Egeria, of the republican philosophers, said on the scaffold a moment before her execution: “Liberty, what crimes are committed in thy name!”
This happened in the last quarter of the 18th century when the third estate – peasants and bourgeoisie (townsmen), — comprising 25 million unprivileged mass of the nation, rose against the 260,000 privileged clergy and nobles – the two estates – and, in their furore, unleashed a reign of terror. But this is not the 18th but 21st century of sweetness and light, still we live under the sceptre of barbarity.
Born with a silver spoon, bred and brought up in a serene environment and educated at Harvard and Oxford, the daughter of a former prime minister, herself prime minister twice and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, was assassinated while returning from Liaqat Bagh, Rawalpindi, after holding an election rally about 5.30pm on Dec 27, 2007.
It is the same venue where Liaqat Ali Khan, the first prime minister, was assassinated while addressing a public meeting on Oct 16, 1951. Rajiv Gandhi, a former prime minister of India, who was also, on a similar election rally in Tamil Nadu, was assassinated by a suicide bomber on May 21, 1991.
On the martyrdom of Liaqat Ali Khan, no violent demonstration took place: neither vehicles nor banks were torched and no innocent people were brutally murdered or burnt alive. Similarly, on the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi no aggrieved shed the blood of the innocent people.
Alas, on the martyrdom of Benazir Bhutto the miscreants, on a call for ‘payya jam’ strike by some disgruntled politicians, in their frenzy, killed 65 innocent people, including six workers who were burnt alive in a garment factory that was looted and then set on fire.
More than a dozen factory workers were raped. Four hundred and two private vehicles, 734 buses and trucks, 55 petrol pumps and 176 bank branches were torched. Even hospitals and ambulances were not spared and set ablaze.
Residences of the members of other political parties were ransacked. In addition, railway lines were removed, bogies of nine goods trains, 12 stations were set on fire to disrupt and suspend the railway traffic. And all this happened in Karachi and in the interior of Sindh alone.
The mayhem, between Dec 27 and 30, revived the bitter memories of the brutalities of Nadir Shah when he ransacked Delhi in 1739. To the consternation of every peaceful citizen, the law- enforcement agencies remained a silent spectator.
Worst of all, no public leader, specially the leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, came forward to stop this plunder, loot, arson and killing. The province is rife with conjectures that it was not an ‘on the spur of the moment’s’ reaction, rather the result of a well-planned conspiracy hatched for a different time period but antedated rather precipitated by the martyrdom of the PPP chairperson.
What can be said of this mayhem except that “justice has fled to the brutish beasts and man has lost reason”. An inquiry commission headed by a judge of the high court, as demanded by many political leaders, may provide some solace to the aggrieved.
SYED SARDAR AHMAD
Karachi
THIS is apropos of the news, ‘Hyderabad: victim of corporal punishment dies’ (Dec 19).
The victim of physical violence by a teacher eventually died on Jan 10. Dawn had covered the story initially as ‘The physical punishment or abuse’ in the editorial on Dec 8.
An innocent boy, aged 14 years, was severely punished by his schoolteacher at a government school in November last year and eventually lost his life.
I am absolutely unable to say anything . The innocent boy has died. Nothing is left for the mother.
It was too big a crime on the part of a schoolteacher who proved to be worse than an animal.
Moreover, the insensitive headmaster refused to go to the boy’s house after such a cruel punishment.
An intelligence official played a very dirty role by using his influence to cover up as usual.
The duty doctor turned out to be utterly careless and irresponsible when the very serious condition of the boy was reported to him.
I really don’t know what kind of creatures they are? Of course, they are a matter of shame to the humanity.
Let us see what punishment is given to all the culprits behind the death of an innocent boy who was as precious to his parents?
May Almighty Allah bless the innocent soul and give courage to his parents, brothers and sisters to face this tragedy.
SQN LDR (r) ZULFIQAR AHMAD
Rawalpindi
THIS is apropos of Kaiser Bengali’s article on the subject (Jan 6). For the benefit of your readers I will briefly summarise the four instances in which the state of Pakistan has either proved to be incompetent or has connived. First, the conversation tapped between Baitullah Mehsud and a ‘maulvi’, without any further action.
Two, allowing the continuation of the FM channel by Mullah Fazlullah, with no effort to jam the broadcast. Three, allowing the Ghazi brothers to amass sophisticated weapons in the heart of Islamabad.
Finally, the Dr Qadeer Khan affair, in which it was alleged that, among other things, he used the Pakistan Air Force planes to freight his wares around the world. Are all these instances of incompetence or connivance?
Adding, the killings, loot and plunder of private and public property between the evening of Dec 27 and 30, 2007: was this incompetence or connivance? The government must come upfront with the answers.
NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi
I REFER to the item appearing in your newspaper of Jan 10, wherein your staff reporter has stated that during the hearing of the May 12, 2007 incident in Karachi before the Sindh High Court, I had, while presiding over the Bench, remarked in respect of Brig (r) Ghulam Muhammad Mohtaram that he is not fit even to hold the post of a low-ranking officer in the government.
I categorically deny that I ever passed such a remark. In the first instance in my nine years on the Bench, I have rarely called government officers before the court unless it was absolutely necessary.
Secondly, I have never embarrassed anyone let alone a government officer in the court.
The report in question has caused me severe embarrassment and amounts to defamation. I am sure that Brig (r) Ghulam Muhammad Mohtaram shares my feelings of dismay.
JUSTICE SARMAD J. OSMANY
Karachi
I MUST say lovers of cricket the world over must have received a shock finding Andrew Symonds of Australia saying at a press conference: “I was very lucky. I was out when I was 30, given not out.”
Cricket is the only game in universe epitomised, as any unfairness in human behaviour, since 16th Century, is called ‘not cricket’.
Andrew should have walked off the pitch when he knew that he had hit the ball caught by Dhoni on the first day of Test at SCG.
He has done disservice to the cleanest and fairest game of cricket. Australia should ban him for life.
At least I will take India winning this Test even if in the end the scores show them losing it.
RAHIM JUNEJO
Hyderabad
I WAS surprised to read the statement of US Senator Joseph Liberman in which he warned of serious consequences, including a shift in the American policy towards Pakistan, if fair and free elections are not held on Feb 18.
He went on to say, at his press conference, there would be further division in Pakistan and there would be serious consequences for both countries --Pakistan and the US -- if elections were rigged as was being alleged by some political parties.
To me this statement, given by Mr Liberman while enjoying the hospitality of the Pakistan government and people, is nothing but the blatant interference by the US senator in the internal affairs of Pakistan.
Both the government and the opposition parties should lodge a strong protest over this.It was all right that the election must be fair and transparent but no country, including the US, has any right to dictate us about it.
The tone and contents of this statement are unfortunate and insulting, to say the least. It was just like a threat by President Musharraf to the US that if rigging was done against Hillary Clinton, Pakistan would react strongly.
Here, as a reminder, I would like to recall a recent statement of visiting Turkish President Abdullah Gul in which he said: “I have told all Pakistani leaders that Turkey does not intend at all to interfere in the internal affairs of Pakistan.
As a brother and friend of Pakistan, Turkey is just trying to help Pakistani people to overcome this crisis.”
Senator Liberman should have also respected, in a similar manner, the sovereignty and self-respect of the Pakistani nation.
In a lighter vein, I would suggest that if the US administration is so much concerned about the future of Pakistan, it should make our country one of its states and abolish the visa system or at least should introduce some good things of American system in Pakistan to make it a people-friendly country like the USA. Their interference on this count will be welcome.
K. MURAD BEY
Karachi
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