| February 16, 2008 | Saturday | Safar 08, 1429 |
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Quaid’s vision in tatters
PPP-PML(N) shaking hands
Saving daylights
Denying truth
Evading mob attacks
What about former servicemen?
A dead dog in the pond
Fair polls – a dream
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
After the recent statement by the Pakistani Taliban, led by Baitullah Mehsud, that they have decided to cease fire since the Pakistani authorities have adopted a softer approach, there has been a spate of statements from various American ministers and officials.
One unnamed official spokesman said that Al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban leadership is residing inside Pakistan and directing the Afghan operations from here, besides carrying on their training and other activities.
As was to be expected, the Afghan president wasted no time in endorsing this, even though a spokesman for Mulla Omar has firmly denied it. No proof has been provided, which was demanded by Islamabad, so that action could be taken against them.
After that, the US defence secretary, Robert Gates, while participating in a security conference in Europe, has come out with two claims. First, that Afghan insurgents have intruded into northern Pakistan and plan to topple the government in Islamabad. Second, that if the Muslim extremism succeeded, it would increase the security threat to Europe (Dawn, Feb. 11).
He told the gathering that the 9/11 attacks had opened the American public’s eyes to dangers from distant lands and that the only thing accomplished so far by the extremists is the death of thousands of innocent Muslims while trying to create discord across the Middle East.
A number of conclusions can be drawn. First, that Washington is very unhappy at the prospect of a ceasefire in Fata and the State Department spokesman Tom Casey had said clearly that an arrangement without Washington’s prior concurrence would not be acceptable. This was already apparent from the way several attacks were carried out by US drones on targets in Fata in the last two years, which curiously tended to occur when a peace agreement was about to be signed, with the obvious aim of subverting it.
Second, the warning to Europe by Mr Gates appears to be a desperate attempt to make the Nato members contribute more troops to ISAF force in Afghanistan by scaring it about the consequences of losing the fight in the country and region. Two things are noteworthy here. One, that some European countries, such as Germany, are unwilling to commit more soldiers and the French defence minister had recently accused the US of being schizophrenic about European security by adopting a contradictory approach.
Two, that Osama bin Laden has, in the past, reassured those European and other nations which aren’t supporting the US in fighting against them that they will not be attacked. Al Qaeda has so far lived up to its promise. Thus, those countries have nothing to fear.
In fact, it is not that only the Muslim militants are responsible for the killings, the actual responsibility lies with the US that has attacked Iraq under false pretexts of having WMDs and Al Qaeda connection.
The real reason, as spelled out by a number of fair-minded Americans including the former chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank, Alan Greenspan, was the desire to control its oil resources.
According to western sources, nearly one million Iraqi Muslims have been killed, whereas there had been no terrorism and sectarianism before that.
The likes of Mr Gates are now acting innocent and wrongly putting all the blame on the Muslims. They must do some soul-searching first before exploiting others for their own ends. One added point to ponder is, why they kept the Islamists in Algeria from their rightful claim on power after they won the election? This French-American action pushed them to the wall and led to enormous violence.
On its part, Islamabad must not be cowed into retracting from a peace agreement with the Taliban, which is a golden opportunity not to be missed, regardless of the pressure exerted by Washington.
IBNE INAYAT
Karachi
WHILE President Musharraf keeps claiming that he fully goes by the vision of the founder of Pakistan and his “king’s party” has gone to the extent of arrogating to itself the heirship of the Quaid by naming the faction as PML (Quaid-i-Azam), the ground realities are very different.
One glaring example of this can be seen from one of the two hoardings placed at the first roundabout on Shahrah-i- Qaideen, just past the periphery of Mr Jinnah’s mausoleum. As shown in its photograph, it has the colours of the Pakistan flag and carries a saying of the Quaid in Urdu, which may be translated as: “From the political and military standpoints, Kashmir is the jugular vein of Pakistan. No independent country and nation can tolerate the handing over of its jugular vein to the enemy.”
As a telling reflection of the government’s changed stance on Kashmir, a portion of this signboard has decayed away or broken from the left side, along with which has gone a part of the Quaid’s admonition, while some portions have become rusted, obviously over a period of many months. It’s a pity that our rulers can spend millions on buying expensive cars, helicopters and aeroplanes for their use, and the annual expenditure on the president’s and PM’s houses has gone up by about four times in the last eight years, but they can’t ensure the proper upkeep of the displays of the Quaid’s vision.
Despite that, the establishment had the gall to celebrate Feb 5 as ‘Kashmir Day’. Is it any wonder that some people, such as prominent pro-Pakistan Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, have questioned the ‘moral standing’ of the incumbent regime here to observe ‘solidarity’ with the struggling Kashmiris (Dawn, Feb 5)? Speaking to Dawn from New Delhi, he however sounded all praise for the people of Pakistan, acknowledging that they had offered sacrifices in many forms for the Kashmir cause.
Another shocking incident occurred when a female activist at a lawyers’ and civil society’s rally in Islamabad, Tahira Abdullah, was arrested on Feb 9. The Pakistani flag that she was carrying and kept holding up until the end fell to the ground and was trampled over by a burly policeman who held her right hand while lady constables held the left. This occurred despite her appeal, “Don’t trample the flag”. The contempt for the Quaid’s words and Pakistan’s flag is most deplorable and exposes the claimant’s of his legacy.
K. PERWAIZ
Karachi
TO my surprise, I read in the newspaper that Nawaz Sharif is ready to join hands with the PPP to make the next government. It’s a noble thought but there are a lot of factors which I hope Mr Sharif has in his mind before making a coalition with his one-time foes.
First, the PPP has stated clearly that they will not support an impeachment against President Musharraf. This indicates that there is some sort of a deal between the PPP and Mr Musharraf.
Second, the PPP and the PML(N) have been involved in political victimisation for decades and there is no guarantee they won’t indulge in this game again. There is a clash of ideologies between the two parties and it seems an uphill task that they would be successful together.
Third, every vote Mr Sharif gets is because people are voting against the Musharraf policy, Musharraf-PPP deal and to show solidarity with the ‘judiciary crisis’, i.e they support the reappointment of the deposed judges, and Mr Sharif should take action according to the desire of the public .
He made all his party members take the oath that they will ‘re-install’ the judiciary and vowed that they will not create a working relationship with Mr Musharraf. By joining hands with the PPP, he would break this promise as the People’s Party will ‘anyhow’ shake hands with Mr Musharraf for the sake of power through the ‘sympathy vote’ they are likely to receive.
It is recommended that Nawaz Sharif should practise what he preaches because that’s the only way he will make space in the hearts of people again as any wrong move from here would be a fatal loss for him. He should make his influence positive for the nation as it is in dire need of it.
ABDUL BASIT KHAWAJA
Sharjah
I READ a few years ago that due to a possible energy shortage in China the city of Shanghai was contemplating keeping offices closed during the day and operating at night to save air conditioning/energy costs.
Don’t know whether that happened or not, but with all this talk of energy conservation, I wanted to add to the discussion. A few years ago Pakistan became the first country in the region to toy with the idea of daylight saving time, with a view to cut down the energy bill – as in the West.
Amidst a lot of confusion and resistance, the idea was implemented. I really enjoyed the fact that I would get off from work early to indulge in some daytime sports. Soon enough I also realised that the promised benefit of energy savings would not happen (the energy bill actually increased by eight per cent.
This I felt was because the Pakistani/Muslim lifestyle is based on the sun and not on the time of the day itself, our reference points are Fajr, Maghrib, Isha (people are not going to sleep without offering Isha or watching the 9pm news, for example).
I feel it was a great idea, and might succeed if implemented with a twist. And will deliver the following results:
1. Reduced energy requirement,
2. Increased leisure time,
3. Possibility of offering Fajr prayers.
Instead of moving the time zone (we moved our clock backwards/forwards), we could change the time of the activities. For example, there is no reason for offices to start at 9am and go on till 5pm (the armed forces and courts in Pakistan, as well as companies in the Mideast, have a different set of office timings suited to their environment).
How about starting at 7am and working till 3pm? The 9pm news should be aired at 7pm and so forth.
The energy bill goes down as offices operate during daylight hours (making energy available for markets and factories in the afternoon/evening) and people go to sleep soon after Isha or watching the news.
HASAN RAZA
Karachi
A GOVERNMENT spokesman has termed the polls released recently by the two American organisations, primarily showing the immense unpopularity of Pervez Musharraf, as an attempt to distort realities (Feb 12). He also said that while over 70 per cent Pakistanis lived in rural areas, the surveys represented only about 100 rural people.
The person has tried to disfigure the truth. The IRI survey clearly says that the randomly selected sample consists of 3,486 adult men and women from 223 rural and 127 urban locations in 50 districts in all four provinces of Pakistan.
This clearly shows that the survey was fair and methodical and the number of rural people is judiciously proportioned at about two-thirds of the population.
The government thinks that by denying reality it can change it to suit its fancy.
Z.A. JALALI
Karachi
AS the polling day draws closer, people should beware of any aggressive and disorderly crowd bent upon destructive actions, such as arson, looting and killing. At that moment expecting the law enforcers to come to one’s rescue borders on foolishness. People should rather come to some quick decision, coolly and calmly.
There may be a situation where one is alone or accompanied with one’s family and in an area with which one is not familiar. But with a little common sense and courage, one can minimise the risk of a mob attack. Here are some tips.
The first requirement is to keep oneself informed about the nature and scope of the threat that exists in the area. Newspapers and TV channels can be of great help.
Also, before moving out somewhere, one should check about the law and order situation in the area, including the area one will be passing.
When the general situation in the country or in one’s city/area is tense and unpredictable, one should remain alert all the time wherever one is. One should keep an emergency plan ready in one’s mind to meet an eventuality.
In the event of a mob attack, one should always have a plan ready for escape. Each room of one’s house/workplace must be provided with an emergency fire exit.
Also, arrangements for climbing down from the upper storeys of the house/building as well as for scaling the boundary wall should also be made for a quick getaway from the area in case the mob has set the building on fire and the staircase/elevators are blocked.
In case one is caught up in a mob or riotous situation anywhere, one should then try to get away from that area as quickly as possible, without exposing oneself to the approaching mob. Taking refuge in shops, restaurants, offices and factories, etc, should be avoided because such places are always targeted by attackers.
If someone’s car is stuck in a traffic jam and the mob is approaching nearer, it wise to abandon the car and run for some safe place because rioters may start torching the vehicles and looting or killing people if found sitting in their vehicles.
The appropriate response to a threat of mob attack covers a broad spectrum from passive compliance to disabling the attacker and escaping. No one can tell you in advance what you should do.
You are the only one who can make the decision since every situation is unique and demands its own solution. There are no pat answers or universal formulas to evade mob attacks.
SQN LDR (r) S.AUSAF HUSAIN
Karachi
PULLING army officers out of the civilian departments is a welcome, wise move on the part of Gen Kayani.
It will save the army some criticism on this count. But one has no idea on what the incumbent army chief feels about ex-servicemen occupying top civilian posts.
There’re scores of khakis who were accommodated, against coveted positions in the civilian establishment on retirement over the last eight years.
The Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA) chairman, Maj-Genl (r) Shahzada Alam Malik, and Nadra chief Brig (r) Saleem Ahmed Moin are people who first secured the present positions and then got extension after extension in their contract over the last eight years.
Their contracts were renewed again for another term of two years quite recently, to the disappointment of many civilians waiting for their turn to serve in the said posts.
Such retired servicemen cost the national kitty dearly by drawing huge money from current jobs and armed forces simultaneously.
Until they are withdrawn from the posts which are meant for civilians, Gen Kayani’s move to withdraw serving army men from civil departments will be an exercise in futility.
It is hoped he will do the needful.
USMAN NAEEM
Islamabad
IN view of the current political scenario, it reminds me of a story of a dog that fell and died in a pond.
Since the pond had become polluted and started stinking, the area people could not use the pond’s water.
Some elderly man in the area suggested that emptying the pond and refilling it with fresh water three times will purify the pond and remove the bad stink.
A lot of hard work was required to do this drill but the people had the zeal and enthusiasm to get this change done.
As suggested, the pond was emptied to the last drop and refilled with fresh water. This was done three times but the bad stink remained like before.
The people, tired and fatigued, went to that elderly man and asked:
“What next?” The elderly man said: “How will the stink go when you have not removed the dead dog from the pond?”
We, the nation, should ponder over this story. Otherwise the stink shall remain.
Y. KHAN
New Orleans, USA
IN my view the dream for a fair election will not come true without involving Nadra to play the most important role just after the polls.
Nadra should be given the task to verify the ballot papers’ counterfoil slips, having voter thumb impressions, used to to cast the vote for national and provincial assembly, from the available data-base of computerised national identity card holders.
This will help to find whether the voter has exercised his or her right at one place or at a number of places. Any voter exercising his or her right at a number of places must be arrested for further legal action according to the relevant laws and his or her vote must be cancelled before the final counting of respective polling stations.
I am sure this will help to hold a fair election on Feb 18.
KHALID MUSTAFA
I BELIEVE in voting and I would like to cast my vote in favour of the political party which can assure me that once elected:
1) Its prime minister and chief minister will not go around with a large number of police mobiles following his car.
2) The roads will not be blocked due to VVIP movement causing suffering to hundreds of people.
3) Its high officials will not perform Haj/Umra at taxpayers’ expense.
4) Its prime minister, foreign minister will not pay foreign visits with a large number of free loaders, with my money, i.e. taxpayers’ money.
Is there anyone who wants my vote?
PARVEEN SHAH
Karachi
WE are going to the polls on Feb 18. Some political parties are participating while some have decided to boycott the election. Parties participating in the elections have reservations about the results. These political parties claim that the election will be considered fair, free and transparent only if their parties win seats in majority, otherwise a countrywide protest will be launched against the present interim government for conducting a fraud and biased election.
On the other hand, the US believes that if political parties that come into power try to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, the president will dissolve the elected parliament. The Pakistan Muslim League (N) has already promised the people that restoration of the Supreme Court judges will be their top priority. And in order to do that, they will have to go against the president.
The end result, in any case, would be the dissolution of an elected assembly. Why then should any Pakistani waste his time by standing in long queues and cast his vote when his vote doesn’t count? Why vote?
M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA
Karachi
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