| February 12, 2008 | Tuesday | Safar 04, 1429 |
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Going to the polls
Fire cases on the rise
Why not coal?
Exemption in withholding tax
It is ‘Thar’ not ‘Thal’
Ex-generals’ wisdom
Sympathy wave
Return to beggary
False dreams
Time for redressal
Balloting still awaited
Partial or martial
Benazir
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
Development planning strategy and its effective implementation is the basic task of any planning commission. Going into the details of planning strategy, it becomes obvious that the task is far more complicated and requires a depth of knowledge in science, technology, engineering, latest research and development frontiers in addition to the knowledge of macro and micro economic forces.
Further, looking at the manpower of the planning commission, it appears that we have hundreds of economists, mostly trained by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, but very few scientists and engineers.
Research scientists and design engineers are not even on advisory board of the planning commission.
The result is lopsided development of planning strategies and selection of wrong technology approach as evidenced by the ‘Measures to cut energy consumption by 30 per cent’ (Feb 2), regarding which Ainul Abedin writes in his letter (Feb 9): “Some points raised are so superficial and technically so simplistic that even the ‘planners’ must be laughing up their sleeves”. His point is also valid when he writes: “If so-called ‘planners’ were doing their duty, we would not be facing the crisis” of electric power.
A planning commission which cannot correctly forecast supply-demand situation of any economic sector 10, 15 and 20 years in advance is not doing its job properly. Planning and promoting the required projects to avoid the crisis situation also falls within its operational objectives.
However, it cannot do the above until it is free of political influences and has some control over the budgetary allocation of funds for capital development projects. Prime minister being its chairman, the planning commission becomes totally subservient to the whims of the political party in power.
I think it is time the planning commission added more technological muscle among its officers’ cadre and engage a greater number of applied research scientists and design engineers as its advisers for planning and developing engineering knowledge-intensive projects. It should also be made more autonomous to gain greater freedom from political influence in promoting projects of national importance that have greater engineering and technological depth.
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Canada
PEACEFUL, free and fair polls are a cherished dream for the masses in Pakistan. Pakistan came into being with the power of the vote. “Democracy is the best revenge” and people must vote for those who are their real representatives.
People are showing apathy towards election process, but they must come out on the polling day. The voter turnout has remained low in previous elections because it could not get due consideration.
Therefore, the same is expected to happen again in the coming the election. The deep study of this issue led me to the following points:
1. Almost 55 million people form the youth of the country. The youth is an agent of change but their full potential is not being utilised.
The voting age has been reduced to 18 years, but there is no back-up. The national youth policy is silent about political participation of youth.
2. People are interested in politics and elections. However, they do not like the nature of politics in Pakistan. Politicians have proved themselves to be cynical and selfish. They do not care about the common man. Therefore, people do not come for voting.
3. Some people believe that polls do not make any difference. It would be rigged and their vote would not be of any importance, which further convinces people not to come out for voting.
4. The literacy rate is low and people are under the shackles of feudalism as exploitation further keeps people away from voting.
It alienates people from the political process. In some areas, polling stations are ‘no go areas’ for women. It affects the voter turnout and half of our population from its right to vote.
5. The election commission is an independent body, and it must prove its credibility and objectivity. One of its functions is to increase public awareness about the democratic process and to encourage people to take part in it.
Engaging voters should be on top of its agenda. In future, the election commission should issue a ‘voter card’ which would bind citizens to vote, as it would be prerequisite for getting jobs, education and medical facilities, etc.
Disengagement of voters is fatal for the future health of democracy in Pakistan. The government and political parties should try to educate the people on this issue and create an environment where they could vote for the leader of their choice.
They must try to connect themselves with the voters and address their concerns. This would make Pakistan a truly democratic country.
ABDUL WAHEED
Islamabad
MOST people I know say that the recent series of fire cases in Karachi’s industries have been caused by the factory owners themselves to claim insurance, since they have recently suffered enormous losses.
This may or may not be true, but it is a fact that the garment sector in particular has been the victim of competition from Chinese and Bangladeshi exporters (who are favoured by the Americans as they do not look like militant Muslims).
I wonder why insurance companies do not carry out surveys to determine if factories have effective fire-fighting systems before providing insurance cover.
I have run many industrial units in the past 40 years, yet I do not remember an insurance company representative ever making a visit to check whether fire extinguishers were charged properly or whether there was water in the storage tank to be used in fire-fighting.
Another possible reason for the fire is the habit which watchmen and other workers have of warming themselves in front of burning pieces of wood or coal.
On cold nights you can see three or four men sitting around such a fire near the gates of apartment buildings and factories.
The sparks from such fires could have ignited bales of cotton lying nearby and caused the fire to spread rapidly.
There have been some recorded cases of small generators being the cause of fire in buildings. I don’t see why it should be necessary for residents of buildings to have generators inside their apartments.
Generators can easily be installed in the compounds of buildings, so that the building is not affected if a generator catches fire.
In any case, it should be made compulsory for factory and building owners themselves to eliminate all such causes which could result in havoc and destruction.
Periodic inspections by government inspectors and insurance companies will go a long way to prevent major damage in future.
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
YOUR editorial, ‘Why not coal?’ (Jan 15), is an eye-opener and correctly draws the attention of all those who know now that the chemistry of coal has been advanced to such an extent that not all types of coal but even the mass of spent coal is producing electricity, clean and environment-benign way.
There is a latest coal gasification process by IGCC technology. The electricity production is 600 MW in the case of gasification by means of oxygen/steam, and 400 MW in case of gasification by means of air. All varieties of coal can be used.
China has installed these plants and has very recently brought two coal-fired plants producing 1000 MW each. British Prime Minister Gordan Brown is all praise for getting clean energy from coal.
China National Nuclear Corp. selected the Westing House / Shaw consortium’s useful four nuclear reactors at an estimated cost of $8 billion. AP-1000 nuclear power plants are safest, most advanced, yet proven, nuclear power plant available. One half of the world’s operating nuclear plants are Westing House/Shaw.
I suggest that an independent power generation company should be established and have a know-how from our friendly country China — and generate electricity at top speed — coal-fired which may cost $15 billion and nuclear $8 billion.
Thus a company having $25 billion from international market can meet the requirement of the country.
Production of 40,000 MW within two years is possible as Germany, America and some other countries can also help us let this independent company to have no difficulty from any authority of the country. This will save the country from an economic disaster.
I have to say once again: please take a lesson from the wise people of China.
RIAZUL HASAN KHAN
Karachi
I WOULD like to bring to the notice of the FBR authorities that in the budget 2007-08 several withholding tax exemptions were given to industrial importers of raw materials.
Mostly the rate of withholding tax is one per cent for industrial imports and five per cent for commercial imports.
This facility was misused by some industrial importers as they imported raw materials more than their requirements and sold in the open market, making huge profits at the cost of the national exchequer.
On the other hand, the commercial importers, whose cost is higher due to difference in withholding tax rates, could not compete with them, thus having stopped importing, which has resulted in a loss of revenue to the FBR.
I strongly recommend to the FBR that the difference of withholding tax rates should be eliminated with immediate effect and identical rates be applied to all categories of importers otherwise the FBR would not be able to achieve their target of withholding tax collection.
MOHAMMAD ATIF
Karachi
The deserts in Sindh are pronounced ‘Thar’ and not ‘Thal’ as erroneously applied in the case of coal discovered in Sindh as ‘Thal coal mines’. Thal is a Seraeki expression used for the deserts of Cholistan (Bahawalpur).
It would, therefore, be appropriate if the authorities take note of this anomaly and henceforth apply correct pronunciation in its correspondence, i.e. ‘Thar coal mines’
QAZI BASHIR AHMED
Old Hala
IN your editorial, ‘Ex-generals’ wisdom’ (Feb 7) you have overlooked a few facts while lambasting Gen (r) Mirza Aslam Beg in particular, besides the others.
For instance, you criticised Mr Beg for his concept of ‘strategic defiance’ of America by Iraq in the run-up to the first Gulf War but, according to you, he also sent troops to Saudi Arabia for Gen Schwarzkof’s benefit. Hasn’t the post-Iraqi invasion situation, that we are witnessing today, vindicated his farsighted stand? If it hadn’t been for the remarkable resistance put up by the militants, the oil-hungry and Muslim-baiting US neocons and Zionists would have been emboldened to try and overrun Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia and even Pakistan by now.
As for deploying soldiers in Saudi Arabia is concerned, they weren’t sent for the American general’s benefit but at Saudi Arabia’s request to protect the holy sites such as in Makkah from possible Iraqi attacks because of the strategic collaboration between Riyadh and Islamabad as well as the religious bar on non-Muslims entering the area.
Again, you have forgotten the role played by other leading members of the ex-servicemen’s society, such as Air Marshal Asghar Khan for the cause of democracy. He had to face Ayub Khan’s wrath while trying to defend the East Pakistanis. Even Gen Beg, to his everlasting credit, didn’t usurp power after Gen Ziaul Haq’s fatal crash but enabled democracy to move forward.
It is also incorrect for you to ascribe these gentlemen’s opposition to President Musharraf as being based on a spirit of vengeance. Gen (r) Faiz Ali Chishti, Admirals Sharif and Sirohey, for instance, were much too senior to Mr Musharraf to have any reason to seek vengeance. On the contrary, it is the incumbent who has the dubious distinction of treating the CJP, his lawyers and even Justice Chaudhry’s innocent children most vengefully, besides many others. But you said nothing about that.
ARIF MIAN
Karachi
THIS refers to Cyril Almeida’s ‘sympathy wave’ story (Feb 10). It is a commendable study of the voting patterns in Pakistan. However, I suggest Mr Almeida re-read 1970 and 1988 elections, and I am sure he will have second thoughts about his remark that “northern Punjab has never been kind to the PPP”.
The northern ‘martial belt’ voted for the PPP overwhelmingly in 1970, and its victory in 1988 after unabashed persecution by the Zia establishment would not have been possible if the army’s ‘recruiting ground’ had not voted for Benazir Bhutto. One fact about the 2000 election has been ignored by him: the party getting the highest number of votes was the PPP.
A DAWN READER
Karachi
IN your editorial, ‘The debt trap’, you have pointed out that Pakistan’s external debt burden has risen to almost $40 billion from about $33 billion in the last seven years. This shows that the government, led by former prime minister Shaukat Aziz, had merely been fooling the people by claiming repeatedly that our begging bowl has been broken.
What else can be expected from the leaders in whose tenure the expenses at the President House rose from Rs75 million in 1999 to Rs306 million now, on the PM from Rs98 million to Rs367 million and the National Assembly from Rs250 million to Rs1,006 million (Dawn, Jan 16)? The expenditure on the Senate, too, has gone up by nearly five times.
On the other hand, when citizens complain of the price of wheat flour and other essential items, the spin-masters in Islamabad quickly say that these are the cheapest in South Asia and even the world. One would like to tell them that medicines and many other things are cheaper in India and that eggs, for instance, cost nearly twice as much in the UK whereas the wages over there are many times higher than in this poor country.
One wonders if these people have any conscience. If they do, then they ought to remember that “You don’t have to live with the man you cheat, but you have to live with your conscience”. For, it is like a fire within, of which our wrongdoing is the fuel. Instead of warming, it will scorch us, unless the fuel supply is cut off, or the tears of repentance cool down its flames.
It reflects poorly on the president who in fact should have taken care of failures of his ministers and other officials.
I. RAHIM
Karachi
ANITA Ghulam Ali in her letter, ‘A tall order’ (Feb 3), arguably observes that having an English-medium school in each district in Sindh is a tall claim made by the caretaker minister for education. Keeping in mind the prevailing education setting, one can easily visualise that only miracles can happen when materialising such ‘decisions’. One fails to understand what wonders can be done while shifting the medium of instruction alone.
It is about time we stopped engaging ourselves in further adventures and promised according to our capacity and abilities. There is a dire need for reviewing the overall education policy, and positive results can only be ensured with commitment and consistency.
WAHEED TUNIO
Larkana
THIS is apropos of the letter by Paul A. Peters who has written from America that he has a deep affection for the Pakistani nation (Feb 6). He has proposed that the US should redress the damage it has caused to Pakistan by steps such as nominating it for a permanent seat on the UNSC; insists on a solution of the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiris and that be done within two years and so on.
One salutes Mr Peters for trying to get justice done to our country and wishes that his leaders had even a fraction of such affection for us. Nevertheless, the goodwill shown by friends like him can wipe some of our tears and lessen our sorrow. As Euripedes had said: “The man who melts with social sympathy… is of more worth than a thousand kinsmen.” May this kind soul have much peace and happiness in his own life.
KHALID NAQSHBANDI
Karachi
IN June 2007, many small investors and hopefuls deposited sums of Rs51,000 and Rs102,000 worth of applications for plots which were to be balloted and allocated in SME estate near Northern Bypass, Karachi. The balloting was scheduled for Nov 17, 2007 but has still not taken place.
The applicants have been contacting the offices of the SME Corp, Karachi, but are turned away on one pretext or the other. Lately, they have been told that balloting will take place after the election.
The government should announce a date of balloting or return the amount.
A SRESSED APPLICANT
Karachi
As a teacher of Grade VII English, I often come across instances that remind me that young Pakistanis are exceptionally bright in providing general amusement. Recently, I encountered an instance.
A vocabulary test required students to make a sentence using the word ‘partial’. One of my students made the following sentence: “Pakistan is in bad shape because for many years we have been under a state of partial law.” Her lack of command over the English language led her to make one of the most astute political comments that I have encountered in a long time. I did not know whether to hug her or give her a zero. I had to do both.
SEHER TARIQ
Islamabad
IN view of her courage, struggle, commitment and sacrifice for the cause of democracy and her efforts towards solidarity and integrity of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto deserves to be called Shaheed-i-Pakistan.
Also, for her deep love with the people of Pakistan from all the provinces, she deserves to be called Shaheed-i-Awam as well.
SQN LDR (r) ZULFIQAR AHMAD?
Rawalpindi
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