| February 13, 2008 | Wednesday | Safar 05, 1429 |
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Boycotters aid the weakened regime
Lapses in SPSC
PR campaign
Curbing smuggling
Lessons from the neighbour
FPSC interviews
Long weekend
Kashmir issue
Common man first
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
FINALLY the Scotland Yard team has submitted its investigation report on Benazir Bhutto’s assassination to the Pakistan government on Feb 8. Apparently, it is endorsement of what the Pakistan agencies investigated and what our celebrated spokesman of interior ministry, Brig Cheema, said about this murder on the national network.
There was no new revelation in the report. It is surprising that the detectives of such a reputed agency did not care to examine the body of Ms Bhutto or other people who got killed in this big fiasco. The public and especially the people travelling with Ms Bhutto should have been interrogated and the Scotland Yard team should have answered their questions in their report.
What were the terms of reference of this investigation? The X-rays of the skull could be fake as one finds many manipulations in medico-legal cases. We also hear that Ms Bhutto was bleeding profusely when she slipped down the escape-hatch of her bullet-proof car. Sherry Rehman is the main eyewitness of the entire episode. The SY team should have also taken into account the analysis of this high-profile murder by Commodore Tariq Majeed which appeared in one of the English dailies. He has brought out very pertinent points.
I personally feel that the report is a slipshod effort and an eyewash. The government must have paid heavily to this team and yet the affected party is not satisfied. They have apprehensions and the government must satisfy them by meeting their requirement of the UN-based inquiry.
MUHAMMAD AZHAR KHWAJA
Lahore
(II)
BENAZIR Bhutto’s sad demise has been rekindled after the issuance of the Scotland Yard report. The summary reiterates that the death was by head injury.
Many questions have been raised about this assessment from the family, friends and party of the deceased.
One aspect which has not been mentioned deserves a thought and should be included in the final assessment and I feel has played a role. Ms Bhutto had suffered from ear disease and had Mastoid surgery in the early 90s in a London teaching hospital. Her operating surgeon had confided this to me in confidence. In this surgery Mastoid bone, which is on the side of skull is partly/substantially removed. This leaves the skull weaker, at some places paper-thin and thus more susceptible to trauma, thus resulting in larger injury even in a small trauma.
This may have contributed to her grave injury. It is unfortunate that post-mortem was not done, even now this should be arranged and medical evidence sought.
HASAN BEG
Kirkcaldy
(III)
WHETHER Ms Bhutto died of a gun shot or after hitting the latch, the established fact is that she was attacked and there definitely was a security breach. The ongoing debate whether Ms Bhutto was killed by a bullet or a latch is irrelevant. Instead the investigation should be focused on those elements who were behind this heinous act.
ARSALAN FARUQI
Karachi
JAMILUDDIN Naqvi’s article, ‘Boycotters aid the weakened regime’ (Feb 5) is an assertion of the PPP’s case against the boycott of the election. It is also a study in spin-doctoring.
Mr Naqvi’s tortuous wordplay that the PPP has ‘allayed the fear of those who think that election may lead to fragmentation by implying that in 1971 the dismemberment of Pakistan did not take place due to the election, but because of the refusal of the Yayah regime to honour results – in other words, to honour the national mandate’ is a convoluted try at freeing the PPP from its role in the unfortunate happenings of 1970-71.
Yayah Khan, for all his failings, named Mujibur Rahman as the next prime minister of Pakistan based on the mandate won by his party, he seemed ready to honour the national mandate. It was the politicians and political parties in West Pakistan, of which the PPP was the foremost, who threw a spanner in the works that led to the breakup.
Mr Naqvi gives a strange spin to the movement for restoration of chief justice when he writes: “Since movement for the restoration of chief justice was launched, it has never looked back.
“The role of the chief justice, eminent lawyers like Atizaz Ahsan, and Muneer Malik, Asma Jehangir and other human rights activists has also helped”.
Is that it? Their roles only ‘also helped’? How did the movement start? Who were its prime movers? Mr Naqvi spins clear of the questions and writes that ‘most of all the masses of Pakistan have strengthened the protest movement’.
Is there a suggestion here that the masses’ ‘protest’ was for restoration of the judiciary led by the PPP. The masses were never out on the streets demanding restoration of the judiciary. It was just the lawyers, with civil society joining the movement later.
Mr Naqvi claims Nawaz Sharif follows the PPP line, yet Mr Sharif has come out strongly for restoration of the judiciary while the PPP has said nothing, and done even less. The PPP probably has to stay tuned to what the US says, that restoration, if at all, should follow the election.
The PPP’s decision to participate in the election is viewed as US-inspired. If Mr Sharif and others are going along with it, it is because a partial boycott, or participation, will be of little use.
The PPP and the PML (N) have a lot to explain to the people for giving the country the ‘lost decade’ of their combined over 10 years’ rule.
They have a lot to atone. and make up for during the third chance the people may well give them. Spin-doctoring is hardly the way to go about it.
S.KHALID HUSAIN
Karachi
This is apropos of Mirani Rasheed’s letter, ‘Lapses in SPSC’ (Feb 8). Two points raised by Mr Rasheed need clarification.
First, the writer must know that the prerogative of requisitioning the various posts rests with the government. Likewise, its withdrawal for any reasons is also within the competence of the government. The Commission, on its own, has no power or authority to cancel or withdraw any requisition.
As regards conduct of competitive examinations, the Commission conducts the examinations only when the government requisitions the posts, depending on vacancies available. During the last 10 years, the government has requisitioned the posts only twice. The Commission completed the process expeditiously and submitted its recommendations, which have since been implemented. The Commission is planning to conduct one such examination again this year as requisitioned by the government.
Second, as regards the issue of applicants as highlighted by the writer, it is for information of all that the Commission has much greater consideration for the well-being of applicants and the poor masses and it does all it can do within the rules to alleviate their sufferings.
The two advertisements that were published recently which required the applicants of previous posts not to apply again is in their interest. These old applicants are not required to apply again and submit fee second time, but their previous applications are valid and will very much be taken into consideration.
These applicants are assured that they will not be declared overage as their age will be calculated from the closing date announced at the time of these previous advertisements. Therefore, there is no question of the applicants of 2005 (mukhtiarkars) and 2006/2007 (ASIs) being ineligible due to age consideration. The age in respect of these candidates will be calculated from the closing dates advertised in 2005 or 2006/2007 as the case may be.
It is hoped that the sadness and discomfiture of the writer now stands removed. Mr Rasheed may also please note that not all members of the Commission have been replaced. Only eight members who retired during the tenure of the previous government whose replacements were not nominated, the Governor has appointed them to complete the team of a chairman and 10 members.
SECRETARY
Sindh Public Service Commission
Hyderabad
I WANTED to recognise how ‘shrewd and clever’ some of your letter writers really are. The letter entitled ‘PR campaign’ (Jan 27) seems itself to be ‘shrewd and clever’ in the backhanded way it points to the ‘success’ of Indian industry and its bunyas (although Ratan Tata is Parsi) operating amidst widespread poverty in the largest democracy in the world (and please note the quotes he adds around those words). And to top of it off, he implies that Rahul Singh is a liar who “forgot to mention that the engine of the small car will be manufactured in Germany”.
Thus in an economical manner he takes a multipoint dig at India and Indians, really the real purpose of his letter. Bravo, Mr Rai Riaz Hussain!
(Oh, yes, and India ‘inherited’ these enterprises of ‘bunyas’ at the time of partition so probably doesn’t really deserve them as you imply or may even believe.)
However, dear Mr Hussain, India is a democracy, though not a perfect one, and has been for 60 years. Perhaps you are not familiar with that system? Yes, poverty and disease are a sad state of affairs in modern India, but the economic growth of the past decade is bringing it down slowly, undoing its growth under the previous socialist regimes. (Also, you may want to read up on economics and China.)
Finally, just in case you are not familiar with how products are really made in the modern ‘globalised’ world — they are globally sourced and economies of scale provide the underlying logic. So, perhaps in the case of the Nano, the German producers can make and deliver a small engine far more efficiently to Tata, even when including the logistical costs. But like an American-made Toyota or a Chinese-made Sony TV, the Nano brand will be Tata’s, a one-lakh-(Indian) rupee achievement no matter how you look at it.
A. SINGH
Monroeville
USA
PEOPLE stand in a queue at the National Guard Headquarters in the town of San Antonio, Venezuela, to buy staple food, i.e. rice, flour, sugar, etc., that is confiscated from smugglers and sold to people at discount price. Is the situation different in Pakistan? We have competent force on our borders who can confiscate smuggling goods at our borders and make them available to our people at a reasonable price. By doing so the smugglers would not dare smuggle goods and there will be no shortage of flour/wheat in Pakistan.
As proposed by the government, increasing the flour price in the market will not help curb smuggling, rather it will put unnecessary burden on the people.
Even if the prices are increased in the local market, demand would further push prices in the bordering countries and ultimately the process of smuggling will go on. We have to control artificial shortage created either by smuggling or by extra export.
Therefore, curbing smuggling at the borders is absolutely necessary besides adopting strategic management policy to ensure staple food items’ availability to our people at reasonable price.
LUTFULLAH KHATRI
Karachi
THIS is apropos of the letter by Wajiha Shahid, ‘Drawing lessons from India?’ (Feb 11). I am an Indian citizen residing in the US. I read with interest what the writer had to say and cannot help comment on the letter.
It is wrong to say or assume that Indians are hypocrites when they speak about their nationalism or the pride in their own country.
The writer bases her argument on the premise that Indians follow western culture blindly and hence they do not have a sense of real pride in their own culture.
The writer goes on to support her arguments by stating that the Indian education system, people’s attire and the media, all try to copy western values. While the ‘copying’ part is true to some extent, it has nothing to do with Indian people’s lack of national pride. It has more to do with an endless desire to explore and be enriched by other cultures, learn from them and influence them. It is due to the desire for making it big on the international platform.
It has happened over thousands of years of Indian history. You go to any part of the world and chances are you will find somebody of Indian origin. If it was only for attraction for western culture, you won’t find Indians working in far away places like Mauritius, Kenya and Ghana.
If you dig back into Indian history and understand the culture, it is largely governed by education and one of the biggest reasons India is a knowledge powerhouse surpassing China in the knowledge-based industry. Recently a US senator proposed to implement the Indian style education system apparently inspired by India’s success and Indian people’s math and science skills.
A New York Times article, ‘Losing an edge, Japanese envy India’s schools’ (Jan 2), talks about the Japanese getting envied of India’s phenomenal success in education.
Education brings this inherent desire to explore other cultures and learn from them and that’s the reason students from some of the topnotch educational institutes in India (like IIT and IIM) head to the US and other countries and make it big over there as an example of Citibank CEO Vikram Pandit, Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi to name a few.
I also appreciate the foresightedness of the founding fathers of India to have developed an education system and society that appreciates English as a language of education.
This has helped India to perform better than China and has brought Indians closer to their counterparts in the USA and Europe. They aptly realised that the key to prosperity is to accept other cultures and to learn from them and be an open society.
SANDEEP M
Baltimore, USA
ONE of my poor and retired relatives’ daughter, doing MBA, qualified the written test of women’s lecturers, BS-17, some two months back.
Now she has been called for interview on Feb 19, i.e. the next day of the election.
To appear at the interview, she will have to travel from Sukkur to Karachi at least one day before the election and return one day after it or the same evening.
In view of the uncertainty and apprehensions of law and order, would it not be fair if the ‘commission’ postpones and refixes the date one week after the polls.
Let us hope that the election would be peaceful but the winning candidates would certainly arrange their rallies and defeated candidates would lament.
The commission should ponder over this and provide a comfortable environment to the candidates who, after selection, would be the builders of nation.
M. ASLAM PATHAN
Former Additional Secretary,
Government of Sindh,
Sukkur
IMRAN Ahmed, in his letter ‘Staggered holidays’ (Feb 7), highlighted the measures to overcome shortage of power. Among others, he also suggested the idea of staggered holidays, instead of long weekend.
It may be added that staggered holidays will be a source of confusion as to what department is open and what is off on any week day.
Whereas long weekend (Saturday and Sunday) is a tested practice all over the world and is not only a measure for economic ends (conservation of energy, motivated workforce, less pollution, etc.) in the given circumstances, but also bears a human as well as social factor to improve quality of life of the proletariat.
The idea of long weekend must be considered keeping in view its multifarious advantages.
FIAZ AHMED MALIK
Multan
FOR 60 years Pakistan and India have had strong arguments and counter-arguments to defend themselves in a way as to not offend the other party on the Kashmir issue. The Indian government’s arguments rest on one single point that the majority party in Jammu and Kashmir, the National Conference, supported the accession of Kashmir by India.
I would say that it is the weirdest argument I have ever come across, as it follows the concept of dictatorship. So what if the members of a particular party supported it? They didn’t have any right to decide for the large number of people residing in the place about four times larger than that of Switzerland.
Jammu and Kashmir consists of 65 per cent Muslim population and 30 per cent Hindu population. So, according to the two-nation theory, accepted by Indians as well, Kashmir is a part and parcel of Pakistan. If the people of Jammu and Kashmir wish to join Pakistan, and still the Indian government refuses to allow the borders to switch, what else is dictatorship?
People say Indians are more democrats than Pakistanis, because Pakistan has come across four military rules; but I object to this argument as India has been practising dictatorship in Kashmir since its birth.
I always wish to talk to the Indian government, and negotiate regarding this issue. As it will be no less than a revolutionary step if I succeed in this holy objective, to get the 7,718,700 (1991 Indian census) people free and to bless them with their legitimate and moral rights.
MUSAVIR GAJANI
Karachi
I was amazed to see how the Chaudhrys and Mushahid Hussain were so upset when their relatives were interrogated in London that the Pakistan government made sure that the British authorities apologise.
Who is going to ask the Americans to apologise for their behaviour with Mr Edhi? Perhaps no one.
He is not important for the president’s extension of power. We need not complain about the foreign immigration officers. Look at our own country.
How can a common man feel some sense of security when Justice Chaudhry is under arrest and a politician is not allowed to visit another province?
I am also surprised at the PCB chairman’s invitation to the Australians to visit Pakistan and that they will be provided presidential style of security.
How do you expect the poor Australians to feel secure when the common man is even afraid to go for a Friday prayer?
Cricket is about enjoying the game and not just holding the game and pretending that all is well in this country.
I want the Australians to only come here when they can freely walk around the city and enjoy their visit, not feeling as hostages.
B KHAN
Mardan
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