| March 13, 2008 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1429 |
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Technology development
Renaming the NWFP
Cooling PR’s lower classes
Mockery of a library
Legitimate transition of power vital
Pragmatism on Kashmir
Indian PM’s visit to China
National command structure
Owning govt Prados
Role of ulema
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
THE latest terrorist attacks in Lahore have gripped the country in fear. This time the target was the FIA building and also resulted in many children being injured. It shows now that a strong hand is required to crush these barbaric forces who do not seem to want stability in Pakistan.
Such forces have time and again shown that whenever normalcy appears in the country, they strike again. Terrorism will be a high priority for the new government. They do not have the required experience to deal with this issue and, therefore, would require the help of the president in this matter.
Statements of disagreement against President Musharraf will not help now. What matters is to face the harsh realities which will entail in working with the president to ensure stability in our fight against terrorism. There can be no discussion or negotiation on this, but a time of action and this needs working with President Mrusharraf. This requires looking at Pakistan first.
DAWOOD SHAKIL
Rawalpindi
(II)
AS a Karachite, I condemn in strongest possible terms the two powerful bomb blasts in Lahore early morning on March 11 that left many dead, wounded and grieving families in their heinous trail. We, the citizens of Pakistan, need to combat terrorism in all forms with full intensity and to go after these deviant religious zealots with full force and unity in our ranks.
We have to understand that the enemy is not only well armed, shrewdly intelligent, immensely resourceful, tech savvy but well entrenched amongst us and spreading hate and venom from the podium and pulpit both and misleading the youth of Pakistan to the fires of hell and in process killing innocent citizens.
The so-called moderates and civil society are confined to chattering classes as is well-known to the extremists that these souls will never rise or lay claim to Pakistan. The threat of domestic terrorism is a cancer that is destroying Pakistan from within and if not resisted and retaliated with full force, will consume us all.
If the moderates don’t take up cudgels, rise up and deliver lethal strikes against Islamic extremism and the ugly tribal interpretation of Islam, we are doomed forever and should start writing an elegy for Jinnah’s Pakistan and inscribing our epitaphs.
The people have given the mandate and it is now for the political parties to respect their trust and faith. Let us make the best of this opportunity and use it to politically unite the forces of moderation, leaving aside our past differences, learning from mistakes but all in zest to move forward for an egalitarian modern Pakistan and its unity.
Let us not forget that this mandate is a grand victory for the forces of moderation against political extremism, religious intolerance, and sectarianism and has to be politically extended in maintaining peace, prosperity and political harmony from Karachi to Khyber, with one strong message of ‘hands off’ to the detractors of this progressive mandate.
Lahore is the heart of Pakistan and we cannot afford to see it bleed. In this hour of grief we are all with Lahore
SYED KHAWAR MEHDI
Karachi
THERE appears to be a welcome change in the thinking and approach to development economics as mentioned by Shahid Javed Burki in his article,’Offer of more US aid’ (March 4). He writes:
”Pakistan has not been able to change the structure of its economy to become more self-reliant. Instead it is constantly in search of new sources of finance, allowing its foreign policy to be dictated to some extent by these efforts. This is not a healthy approach towards statecraft.”
If development planners, financial authorities and government administrators rehashed their thinking and adopted a new methodology to lead the country’s economy to self-reliance in technology development, Pakistan could catch up with South Korea, Japan and western Europe within two decades.
As a first step, we need to develop the job description for each minister in the federal and provincial cabinets. His prime task should be to bring about technological improvement within the sphere of all sections of his ministry. Obviously, only the persons with requisite knowledge and experience would qualify for the respective ministerial posts. Progress of technology development activities must be defined in terms of milestones to be achieved by each ministry during each year.
Ministries of IT and telecom, petroleum and natural resources, water and power, railways, and textile industry are the major importers of foreign developed technologies.
Their total annual import bills exceed $25 billion. These are the ministries that must explore avenues of developing local technologies to substitute their import requirements.
They must progressively achieve higher domestic value-added (DVA) for each of their industrial and infrastructure project year after year.
To coordinate the technology development of various ministries, the Planning Commission needs to create a technology development division where it employs applied research scientists and expert design engineers who could oversee and approve technology development approach and the required budgets of various projects by the respective ministries.
The above becomes all the more important in the light of Asian Development Bank’s comment (Feb 15) that says: “The share of manufacturing value-added accounted for by high-technology products is low and has remained stagnant during the last 40 years.
“Pakistan’s level of labour productivity has increased very slowly since the 1970s.”
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Canada
CHANGING the name of the NWFP to Pukhtoonkhwa seems to be not only a top priority with the ANP but a sort of obsession with them. The NWFP is part of the federation of Pakistan and any change in its name would involve constitutional legalities which would have to be approved by parliament.
Sensibilities of the Hazarawals, Hindku-speaking Peshawaris and Kohatis, Saraiki-speaking Derawals of the Dera Ismail Khan area, the Chitralis and the Kailash, and of the Gilgitis, Baltistanis and the Hunza people – who will, all in time to come, be in the fold of the NWF, make a sizable population that could pose problems not easily ignorable for the Pukhtoon-specific name.
A name like Khyber, Abaseen, Gandhara or simply Sarhad could have been more acceptable to all. But ‘Sarhad’, as the NWFP is most commonly called, seems to be the main target of the Red Shirts, who consider its doing away akin to doing away with the Sarhad – the border – physically.
This might rekindle the Afghnistan’s desire and claim over the territories extending up to the River Jhelum. As a matter of fact, I would welcome it. Let there be a larger province from Kabul and beyond up to Jhelum and let its people decide for themselves whether to be the part of Pakistan or Afghanistan.
The resultant outcome is obvious. I am alive to the huge development programme Pakistan will have to undertake to bring this north-west part of the new province in line with the rest of the country, but it will be worth its while in the long run.
It will bring Pakistan closer to the Central Asian countries with immense economic benefits for all in the region. I hope Afghanistan will see where lies the benefit for it and not oppose the reunion of the territories.
COL (R) RIAZ JAFRI
Rawalpindi
LOWER class AC is too costly for lower-income passengers, who form nearly 70 per cent of Pakistan’s citizens and the majority of PR customers. However, they have not been provided any affordable cooling and dust-proof facility in lower class compartments, despite lapse of 60 years of Independence.
Surely, such facility can be easily provided through an economical desert cooling system, utilising the high air pressure, which could be inducted through suitable inlets of air from the roof or sides of compartments, during high-speed operations.
All that is required is some research and development by its own research organisation, which was initiated by the writer about three decades ago through a technical paper.
This requires some water-soaked, porous foam concrete bricks, kept filled with water from the overhead water tanks through tubes, allowing high pressure air inducted through suitable air inlets to pass around these, and into the compartments though ducts.
Such a system could be easily refined through research and development, making the present hot and dusty compartments comfortable for the majority of PR’s low-income users, who form the bare majority of its users.
It is earnestly expected from the new government to initiate such R&D to make rail travel for 70 per cent of the low-income citizens of Pakistan comfortable, who can afford to travel only in lower railway classes. PR’s high officials may be ordered to travel some times in such compartments during summer to experience their agonising travel conditions, so that they expedite such research and earn their goodwill prayers.
M.H.SYED
Karachi
A FEW days back I went to Jacobabad, the native city of the acting prime minister, where I happened to go to the library in order to see the books available there.
I was shocked to see that the library was stuffed with wheat bags.
When I inquired about the placement of the wheat bags inside the library, the local students disclosed that the local landlords have filled the library with wheat bags instead of filling it with books.
The students further stated that it has greatly become troublesome for them to study there because the local landlords have full control over the administration under which the library falls and they no longer tolerate the environment of study, for that this is the ample proof.
While at evening time most of the local landlords come there and hold chit chat throughout the night.
My question to the authorities concerned is that if such activities continue unabated, what will be the future of the generations to come? And who will save the future of upcoming generations on whose shoulders we have thrust the entire responsibility of the country to lift.
Additionally, the people of interior Sindh have already fallen prey to lack of education. To add fuel to fire, the libraries are converted into guest rooms and godowns.
It is time the people scrutinised such acts to save the future of all the citizens.
MIRANI RASHEED
Sukkur
THE neo-Truman doctrine described by Senator Biden, ‘If Afghanistan fails, Pakistan can follow’, comes at a time when the public opinion in Pakistan has drifted to a moderate progressive mandate.
The precondition for Pakistan’s fate may (not) be realised unless the missing buffer of a true political leadership is not brought back in place.
Leaving all hypotheses aside, the US seems convinced that the mismanagement by the military establishment in Pakistan has brought both Pakistan and Afghanistan to a verge of failure and uncertainty.
The results of the February election in Pakistan have verified two premises of the public opinion: one, the Pakistanis want an end to extremism and its bearers and, second, they do not want to be bluffed by the general who has led the country to uncertainty.
Pervez Musharraf who, secluded from the post of the head of the army under immense public pressure, vouches that with the US support he inherits he would be able to stay in power for another five years, the recent reassurances by the US administration have augmented the plausible claim.
The public opinion is obviously swiftly drifting against the US policies; the need to re-evaluate the Pakistani policy of allying itself to the US in the war against terrorism since the appraisal is least encouraging.
Pakistan has historically aligned itself with the US policy since the Cold War and in the war against extremism: each spectrum of the political intelligentsia has supported it, yet the principle is now under question.
Conforming to the Bush administration’s doctrines of war on terrorism and the millennia doctrine of universal democratisation, the Pakistani establishment is trying to procure a power-rationing recipe between the army and a moderate democratic leadership.
Only a true political leadership can conveniently buffer between the US policy doctrines and the masses for a systematic and durable alignment of policies. Pakistan needs moderate leadership that can settle bargains at both the US end and with the masses.
The Islamist political parties have traditionally served the US interest more than that of Pakistan, but this war is on extremism and by bringing an Islamist directly into power may not increase the loyalties that are only latently offered, also the setup may not be as smooth as it is now because this face is certainly not what the West would want to interface with directly.
Historically, the military-led establishment has been more pragmatic across all US policy doctrines from President Truman’s domino theory, the Johnson doctrine of non-communism support, the Reagan doctrine to suppress the communist influence in Afghanistan.
This time, however, with a much more politically aware public opinion and with over $10 billion already spent and just 15,000 troops in Afghanistan, a quick transition of legitimate power is essential to avoid disaster.
BILAL MUSTAFA KAIFI
Lahore
THIS refers to your editorial, ‘Pragmatism on Kashmir’ (March 4). Asif Ali Zardari, who has been meeting foreign diplomats recently, ostensibly to discuss the future setup, said in a statement the other day that the solution to the Kashmir issue should be left to the future generation.
He did not seem to comprehend the enormity of the problem and its implications: being a novice, he is trying to swim in the high seas and unchartered waters. Ironically, baffling endorsement and support came from a newspaper founded by the Quaid, who had considered Kashmir to be the jugular vein of Pakistan.
The statement, regrettably, is oblivious of the sufferings and sacrifices of 80,000 Kashmiris who have been martyred during the last six decades.
The proposal, which fails to address Pakistan’s interest, would enable India to continue the blatant violation of human rights for an indefinite period, besides denying the Kashmiris their right to self-determination.
The ill-advised proposal violates the feelings and aspirations of the overwhelming majority of Pakistanis and Kashmiris on either side of the LoC.
We must continue to follow a proactive policy on Kashmir and honour our commitments and promises to the Kashmiris.
Do I need to remind that Pakistan comes first, always and everywhere?
KHAN A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
INDIAN Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to China with a strong determination to settle all border disputes and open a new chapter in Indo-China relationship will have far-reaching consequences and may change the political landscape across Asia.
The entire spectrum of Indian political and business leadership has unanimously endorsed this major shift in policy and anxiously awaits seizing this historic opportunity.
Good fortune does not end for India here as the offer of British prime minister to include India in the list of European Union is a great moral victory for India.
In contrast, Pakistan is being accused of political turmoil and dangerous region, despite joining hands for war on terror and coming as a frontline state against terrorism.
On the contrary, we are projected as the failed nuclear state by the same forces for which we are engaged in war against terror. Pakistan’s position is completely isolated and looks like a hapless spectator.
The recent turmoil and disorder in our society speaks volumes of the entire scenario, where one-man show is run by the man who still considers himself as an important international player in the world.
QAZI NAZIM NAEEM
Karachi
THE Chief of the Army Staff has reaffirmed the support to the ongoing democratic process, as well as to the protection of the national command structure.
Mistrust similar to the 1971 situation is already prevalent with external and internals threats, the army itself has to ensure that it is not dragged into any dangerous controversy.
Every army officer swears to protect the Constitution, have there been any rewards or reprimands for this supreme objective of the armed forces. Is there any institution or national command structure in place to judge objectives? There have been visible incidents, as described by Gen IItesham Zamir, where the national interest was compromised for ulterior motives of an individual.
The army needs to protect its withering prestige by ensuring the intrinsic faith, unity and discipline, discipline as illustrated in the Constitution, and not misrepresented by individuals, can reincarnate the lost glory of 1965 Pakistan Army.
BILAL MUSTAFA KAIFI
Lahore
THIS is apropos of S. Khan Basheer’s letter, ‘Alto instead of a Land Cruiser’ (March 9). I am a student of Grade VII, and the daughter of a federal minister studies in my class. Her car, which is a Prado, is allowed inside our school every day.
Furthermore, when I asked her how many cars they have, she said they have three government cars and two of their own.
The government car she used for coming to school is a black Prado. Her present car which is not a government car is a white Prado.
My question to all the political parties is: Is this what they do with our taxes?
MARZIA BILWANI
Karachi
I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY agree with Wasym Samad’s letter, ‘Ulema’s role’ (March 10). Pakistani Muslims must recognise that as human beings we are wholly fallible and not immune to hubris.
The ulema in Pakistan exert great influence and many of them are responsible for fostering a culture of fear, intolerance, and hatred.
Their version of Islam is at odds with our century - old traditions when Islam really flourished. By blaming outsiders, we are failing to recognise the enormity of our own moral decay.
The fallacy of extremist ideology needs to be challenged with robust moral arguments by the ulema and not appeased or accommodated.
DR NAVEED SIDDIQI
London
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