| January 26, 2008 | Saturday | Muharram 16, 1429 |
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Belittling democracy
Forgotten lives
Where do we stand?
The road less taken
Poultry feed
Muharram processions
Interim decisions
Twisted logic
Marriage train
Student hostel closed
Education TV channel
On the fishy side
Poll results expectations
One voice
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
CAPT Afaq Rizvi (letter, Jan 23) has made a pathetic attempt at hosing down the truth by concealing some well-known facts, viz Scotland Yard’s investigation has been restricted to establish cause of the death of Benazir Bhutto and not the hand behind this political assassination.
Forensic scientists were not given the chance to identify and preserve relevant clues before the act of hosing down the area. Even the handguns lying on the ground were sprayed with water before collection of fingerprints etc.
Same actions were carried out in Karachi at Karsaz bombing which was a planted device and not the work of a suicide bomber.
No human suicide bomber has managed to kill 160 people and wound 500. Only a car bomb or a similar thing can achieve that feat. But evidence was concealed or wiped off.
In spite of repeated demands by the Pakistan People’s Party to call in Scotland Yard at that time, the government vehemently resisted that demand.
Kennedy murders are irrelevant in the present-day Pakistan for obvious reasons. The PPP and Benazir Bhutto herself complained umpteen times regarding the lack of security but was laughed off by the government, so much so that Ms Bhutto was targeted by a murderer with a gun who could get within a few feet of her.
According to Capt Rizvi, every murder in Pakistan should be blamed on the victim by saying that they could have been alive if they had taken this or that precaution.
Capt Rizvi has totally failed in concealing his true sentiments regarding this tragedy and would be well advised to stop shedding crocodile tears.
NAGINA MIRZA
Blackpool, UK
THERE is mischief in every word in the letter of Capt S. Afaq Rizvi on Benazir Bhutto’s murder. Draping the body in party flag; his spin goes so well with the title of his letter ‘politicising tragedy’, if tragedy it was for him.
His letter smacks of toxic twist and an attempt at making small the stature of the great national leader martyred for the cause of democracy.
NOORE ZEENATE ZAMAN
Peshawar
YOUR editorial, ‘Belittling democracy’ (Jan 23), is unfair. Why use the superlative – "unfortunately we are already at the brink," – at the brink of what?
Pakistan is a vibrant society; yes we are having trouble with our tribal belt, and it is because of them that the country has to face up to suicide bombers and bomb attacks, but that does not mean that the country is on the verge of collapse, and all because of one man. Remove him and the country will not collapse?
You don't need a rocket scientist to tell you what the president meant at Brussels when he said that the West were obsessed with democracy.
He was not belittling democracy; he was telling them about their double standards. At home it's the people who chose their leaders; here in Pakistan it's the West who chooses our leaders.
Is democracy the panacea for all the ills that the country is facing today? Do you think democracy would remove the ill effects of 9/11? Will any present-day leader have the ability or the guts to show America the door?
Will democracy remove the age-old beliefs of the tribesmen that a jihad in Afghanistan will rid that country of infidels?
If we follow the tribesmen, let's say into a war of attrition, will it be to the benefit of Pakistan?
You talk of the rights of the common man in Pakistan, what rights has the common man had since inception?
Mr Zulfikar Ali Bhutto's slogan, 'Roti, Kapra aur Makan, was a vote-catching gimmick; till this day the common man has yet to receive a square meal a day, a respectable linen on his back or a roof over his and his children's head.
Short of abusing the president, you have left nothing unsaid. There was a very interesting letter in these columns, ‘Politicising a tragedy’, by Capt Afaq Rizvi.
He says: 'Musharraf-bashing is the order of the day. Rightly or wrongly, he is still the president. To bad-mouth him publicly at every opportunity is unbecoming…."
I am sad to say we have gone 60 years, but we have not gelled as a nation; we are desperate people, each one grinding his own axe.
The media has never been more free and who gave this freedom to them – whether you accept it or not, but the world knows that it was Pervez Musharraf. Give credit where credit is due. Your freedom ends where my nose begins.
SARDAR AHMED SHAH JAN
Peshawar
ELECTION manifestos of almost all political parties have somehow forgotten to raise the most haunting historical issue relating to the settlement of East Pakistanis in Pakistan who have suffered for generations in Mohammadpur and Mirpur, two of the many dilapidated colonies in Dhaka.
At the time of partition, caught in this quagmire were those who had migrated to East Pakistan from the neighbouring Indian state of Bihar.
These immigrants supported the Pakistan army, sided with the West Pakistani establishment, and contended that they had migrated to a homeland for Indian Muslims, not to a country based on Bengali nationalism and went against the roughest of the tides.
In return, they were hunted down by the Bangladeshi nationalist militia during and after the bloodbath of 1971.
Their predicament can be imagined if we just visualise that they migrated for the idea of belonging to a nation which itself had to be further disintegrated into two halves.
Those who could not leave have now lived in excruciating conditions in the refugee camps of Dhaka for decades.
Many have died while a whole new generation has grown up, and married, produced children, all under the illusion of a false hope that a day will come when they will set foot on their cherished homeland, Pakistan.
Pakistan houses millions of refugees, illegal migrant workers, and feeds about 160 million people of its own but unfortunately those 200,000 men, women and children cannot be accommodated.
These people continue to pay the price for their forefathers who were on the wrong side of the political divide 60 years ago. Who will fight for these forgotten souls remains a question for a country that struggles to arrest further disintegration.
DR IRFAN ZAFAR
Islamabad
THESE days one often comes across statements from the president saying: ‘Pakistan is not a failed state’, ‘Terrorists cannot get hold of our nuclear assets’ and ‘Extremists cannot take over Pakistan’, etc.
Such statements coming from someone no less than an authoritarian president and someone who has been calling the shots for the last eight years are certainly not encouraging.
When Pervez Musharraf took power after an army coup in 1999, he was widely welcomed by the people expecting him to bring about positive changes in the state of affairs of the country.
However, after eight years and much water having passed under the bridge, when we compare then with now, we realise that at that time there was foreign currency crunch but no blatant foreign intervention in our internal affairs.
There was corruption in the political system but people had not lost total confidence in the country’s leadership.
There was rivalry amongst the political parties but they were not at each other’s throats as they are today.
There were no suicide bombings in crowded places then, no attacks on military convoys, nor life threats to almost each and every politician as the situation stands today. Where have we come?
Simply hearing the harrowing statement that Pakistan’s nuclear arms will not go into terrorist hands sends shudders down the spine. The very fact that we hear such statements tell us that we have let the situation develop to this extent. The nation asks one core question: Pray who is responsible for all this?
WG CDR (r) FARDAD ALI SHAH
Chitral
MANY poetry lovers would recall fondly the famous American poet Robert Frost’s lines:
Two roads converged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference.
Apparently, very unusual outcomes can also result when some people take another road less travelled by.
According to very dismaying news, 28 young people attended a birthday party and New Year’s celebrations at the home of the poet (d. 1963) in the state of Vermont, which is now a furnished residence used in summer by a college and left it in a mess (Jan 20).
The farm had broken windows, broken antique furniture and tables burned in a fireplace.
Vomit and urine stained the carpeting, and beer cans, cups and drug paraphernalia were left behind.
The damage was estimated at nearly $11,000, not counting the heartache it would have caused to Frost’s fans worldwide.
Some of the other examples of treading a different route are of the American president who determined to invade a sovereign country and in Pakistan, a general who decided to take over; these actions have made an almighty mess everywhere.
In Kenya, President Kibaki apparently rigged the elections and the ensuing violence has taken more than 650 lives so far and rendered nearly 250,000 homeless.
Poor Frost must be turning in his grave for praising the “road less traveled by”! Alas, drunken juveniles or thick-skinned people in any case have nothing to do with fine sentiments.
A. LATIF
Karachi
THIS refers to the report, ‘Nauseating contents of poultry feed threat to public health’ (Jan 23) by Faiza Ilyas
As a matter of principle, factories for rendering organic waste ought to be situated in isolated areas and equipped with odour control systems, people must not be allowed to encroach upon and reside near them but unfortunately like so many other infarctions of law and rule, things continue to happen in this sector as well.
On top of this, the health, labour and other authorities concerned seem to be least bothered about all these happenings right under their nose.
Here are some thoughts I would like to add to the overall nice report:
— There is no harm in rendering dead animals into meat meal unless it does not contain toxic substances.
— Meat meal, blood meal, feather meal are used for mixing with other ingredients for feeding buffaloes
— Fishmeal is used for making poultry feed. Excessive use of fishmeal imparts fishy odour to poultry meat.
— Fishmeal is manufactured either by dry or wet process.....the latter needs more sophisticated plant and machinery and the product is almost sterilised.
— Fishmeal contains an unidentified growth factor which is responsible for the rapid growth of chicken over a certain period.
— Since the trash fish landed at the harbour is already in a decomposed condition and moreover transported belatedly in open trucks, nothing could be done to improve it. It is either sun-dried, which is cheaper but reduces the quality and yield, or rendered wet in a few existing plants.
— Fishmeal is sold according to the percentage of protein it contains, higher the protein the higher the price per unit. However, the unscrupulous renders adulterate fishmeal with ground hoofs and horns to increase its nitrogen: hence protein content. The protein contained in fishmeal is digestive protein whereas that in the hoofs etc is indigestible and doesn't play any role in the growth of poultry.
— Fat skimmed during rendering (digestion or pressure cooking) is sold for making soap, smearing wooden hulls, etc
— The government had demarcated a separate area for fishmeal factories at Ibrahim Hyderi and trash fish was used to be dried there as well as near Rehri goth and Korangi/landhi. Then it was shifted to the Hawksbay area.
— Fishmeal, bone meal, blood meal, feather meal, etc, fall under Offensive Trades Act, but who cares?
— For the past several years, poultry feed manufacturers have put up their own fishmeal rendering plants and small farmers also prefer to make their own feed at site (it's called “home mix”). However, still most of the poultry farmers have to rely on open market (Gol Market in Nazimabad, for example) for their purchases of fishmeal and other stock feed ingredients.
— Fresh fish is also used for making fish protein concentrate for human consumption.
— Yet another use of waste fish is seen in the form of fish silage for feeding cattle.
MAZHAR BUTT
Karachi
THROUGH your elite newspaper I want to thank the security officials who provided protection to people during Muharram processions.
After a long time, an event is managed peacefully all over Pakistan. We have seen blasts at Rabi-ul-Awwal gathering, political parties’ processions, lawyers’ congregation, mosques and on the Eidul Azha day.
Hundreds of innocent people died due to these attacks. Nobody has been brought to book for these intolerable actions. The processions to mark the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) on Muharram-ul-Haram were carried out peacefully.
This shows that our police and paramilitary troops still have the potential to provide security to citizens. A few terrorists had been arrested before they could do the damage. It was a display of a well-managed strategy. Hats off to the law enforcers who provided security to everyone on the Ashura day.
Mr President, kindly keep the law and order situation under control in days to follow.
ABDUS SAMAD H. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
IT has been decided by the caretaker government to issue ration cards. Also, the housing minister has announced that retired employees occupying official residences would be forced to vacate the premises. He is also planning to devise a plan for poor widows.
My question is, who gave the caretaker government the mandate to plan and implement new strategies. Their job is just to ensure a free and fair election, which is necessary in the current circumstances.
KUNWAR ADEEL
Islamabad
TO repeat Dr Mahnaz, some quarters are holding Benazir Bhutto responsible for her death because she stood up through the sunroof of her vehicle. Can or cannot this also mean that, when a batsman is given out, the ball misbehaved with him.
When somebody is pick-pocketed, it is his fault of keeping the money in his pocket and when the dacoits once entered my home at the dead of night, it was my fault as to why my family was in the home at the time.
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
BELIEVE it or not, Marriage Train is the name given by the Pakistan Railways that will run across the country. Why this name was given, heaven knows.
I suggest a separate bogie should be attached to this train exclusively reserved for two maulvis who should be on call just in case a couple on board decides to tie the nuptial knot.
ALI AKBAR
Karachi
I WOULD like to draw the attention of the president, prime minister, foreign minister and education minister of Pakistan to the fact that in London there is only one hostel for students, the Quaid-i-Azam students’ hostel in Earls Court, London SW5.
It was closed for repairs in July 2003, after which it has not been reopened for students until now. I have heard that our high commission is planning to rent it to its employees.
I think this will be unfair to the students and nation as, according to my knowledge, it was donated to the Quaid-i-Azam for the use of students only. As in this era of skyrocketing price hikes, this hostel is the only hope for poor students.
Kindly have it reopened for the residence of students only.
DR SYED AKRAM SHAH
Department of Zoology
University of Peshawar
I DO not fully endorse the conclusion of your editorial, ‘Classroom struggles’ (Jan 23) that only the government can help by making good education accessible to all.
I think instead of depending and waiting for the government to initiate, in this age of technology and commercialisation the private sector can contribute swiftly and constructively.
I would urge Dawn and other organisations to think about an interesting and exclusive education TV channel.
Feasibility of such a venture can be initiated through volunteers. I am first to offer my services gratuitously in this regard.
IMTIAZ MALIK
Karachi
THERE is a joke circulating among cellphone users nowadays that I felt worth sharing with readers. It goes as follows:
A man catches a fish from a river and takes it home. He gives it to his wife and asks her to cook it. The wife replies that she can’t. The man asks why not? The wife says: ‘’Because there is no electricity, no gas, no atta (flour) and no cooking oil.’’
The man takes the fish back to the river and throws it in. The fish swims up to the surface and shouts: ‘’Geo Musharraf.’’
RAFAY AHMED
Karachi
SOME of the political parties’ leaders are declaring that they will sweep the polls and some even claiming two-thirds majority. Their expectations are high. I would like to quote Mr Shahid Javed Burki that a poll result not in line with the expectations could prove to be extremely disruptive for the already disturbed situation.
I agree hundred per cent and suggest that the leaders should patiently wait and see the results of the polls instead of announcing their assumptions.
MRS TANVIR KHALID
Former Senator, Karachi
IT is welcome that Pakistan Ex-Servicemen Society has urged Pervez Musharraf to resign from the presidency in the national interest. What if the said society arranges a walk to voice the demand more effectively? It will impact public opinion and encourage civil society. This act of our retired military officers and men will better the image of our serving military men.
RAJA NUSRAT ALI
Gujrat
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