| May 06, 2008 | Tuesday | Rabi-us-Sani 29, 1429 |
To send a letter to the Editor
Click here
How to tackle inflation
Mixed English
Unclaimed baggage
Airport blues
Never again
Improving education
Sole voice of concern
Parliament’s independence
Saving farmers from suicide
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
AS a Muslim who grew up in Pakistan in the 1980s, I witnessed the tragic transformation of a moderate and tolerant Pakistani society into a bigoted and fundamentalist one, as a result of the thousands of seminaries that were set up and run by hardliners, in close collaboration with western intelligence agencies, funded directly by Middle Eastern money.
It has always been a known fact that all this was done to prepare recruits for the Afghan resistance and to gain national support for the military’s role in the Afghan war against the now dismembered Soviet Union.
Sadly, instead of utilising the same infrastructure to provide quality education and reformation of the youth, through teaching of love and tolerance, that is the true essence of Islam, these madressahs were allowed to continue without any system of checks and balances. Hence the situation that Pakistan and many parts of the Muslim and western world are having to face as a direct result of the blunders that were made not so long ago in the past.
Nowadays living in Britain, once again on a daily basis I am burdened to witness the same misinterpreted ideology being used to teach hatred and to condone violence against both Muslims and non-Muslims.
It advises actively against any form of integration or peaceful coexistence with the wider society, has become embedded into British Muslim communities of Pakistani origin as a result of the free passage offered by previous governments to radical imams and preachers from overseas, especially those trained in the madressahs of Pakistan, who are engrossed in training and preparing future British Muslim clergy to continue their nefarious objectives.
Not only does this have a direct negative impact on the image of Islam but also has some pretty serious consequences for Pakistan and all those hailing from this country whose very founder vouched for tolerance and harmony to become the governing ethos whist striving for and even after gaining its independence.
Muslim hardline groups are using every opportunity to progress their agenda of self-segregation and imposition of a harsh doctrine within Muslim communities all around the world, which can only lead to a polarised and disenfranchised society, fostering discontent and thereby fulfilling the agenda of the religious right.
Whether they use seminaries in Pakistan, Afghanistan or those established in the West, the notion that institutions offering religious education are somehow above scrutiny has to be countered.
Not only does this require political will involving all democratic political parties, but support from the masses as well, who otherwise will not only have to suffer chaos and mayhem as a result of atrocities committed by these misguided few, but also run the risk of being permanently labelled as followers of a religion that preaches nothing but hate and destruction.
It is time for an intra-national and international consensus on tackling this issue by taking head on the same outlets which have previously been set up to defeat a common enemy, are being used by fanatics to spread hatred, and the global aspiration for a peaceful coexistence between nations and people of all faiths.
Only by bringing all Islamic seminaries and informal educational outlets under the strict supervision of respective government education departments, or the setup of free boarding schools using special global funds, with allowances for families to compensate for working hands being taken away from them, will we be able to ensure that, alongside authentic Islamic teachings and modern education, the notion of citizenship and tolerance is provided for future Muslim generations in a nurturing environment.
This initiative will have to take priority on the same war-footing level with similar allocation of resources as is the case with the war against terror costing the world billions of currency notes. Influencing young and impressionable Muslim youth to become exemplary citizens of the world is the key, before they mature into religious extremists and possibly terrorists.
DR SHAAZ MAHBOOB
London
RECENTLY there has been a major debate in our country on inflation, but very few people have come up with solutions. I want to make some suggestions for the policymakers so that they can ease the inflationary pressures in our country.
First, let me make it clear to those with no background in economics why inflation occurs. Inflation occurs, in the long run, when money supply increases in the country. If the government runs a budget deficit, then it sometimes tries to fund the deficit by printing more money, but as money supply increases, ‘too much money’ starts chasing ‘too few goods’ and bids up the price.
This is the very case in Pakistan, expenditure has soared but revenue generation has not kept pace with expenditure and so the government is printing money to finance the deficit. I won’t advocate cutting down massively on expenditure. Because some of the expenditure on infrastructure, education and health that the government is undertaking, is necessary for economic growth in the long run.
But I do think that the government should bring tax scheme for the agricultural sector, especially for large land holdings (making sure that appropriate gaps are left for the small farmers, so that they don’t get burdened).
Agriculture is a major component on our GDP and bringing it in the tax net will boost our revenue. Also taxing large holding of agricultural land as opposed to agricultural output will also encourage more effective use of the land.
Also, it is time to cut down on inefficient subsidy to petrol. Our prices of petrol have been massively subsidised by the government, this is wrong on three accounts. First, it becomes a major drain on government revenue and hence causes budget deficit. Second, it encourages over consumption of petrol and also use of inefficient technology, hence not only causing global warming but also becoming an impediment to change towards more efficient and greener technology.
Third, the problem is related to the current account deficit – export deficit over import. If the price of petrol is allowed to rise, then consumption of petrol will decline, hence reducing our import of oil and easing the current account deficit and the pressure on rupee to devalue.
Also, clearing hurdles in the supply side eases inflation in the short run. But our main focus should be on the long run. Similar strategy has worked in Bolivia, where the inflation was very high. Fiscal reform was also undertaken in Germany after WW1 to end hyperinflation. I hope that our economic managers will put effective strategy to combat inflation.
OMER MAJEED
Australian National University
BADAR Oilman’s letter (May 3) looks like he is dissatisfied with Urdu words being adopted by English, and does not enjoy these familiar words without authentication.
Any word having its origins in local languages are added every time the world renowned Oxford dictionary releases a new edition according to a methodology adopted for the inclusion on the relative prominence and usage of these words in an international context.
Although England is the birthplace of English language, it has spread to many parts of the world. It is now used as a link language for international business and diplomacy. It is rich in all kinds of international literature, including technical books and journals. It is studied as a second language by millions of people in many non-English countries. Today, over half of the speakers of English are not born in an English-speaking country.
The form of English that Pakistanis are taught in schools is essentially British English. However, many phrases that the British may consider antiquated are popular and local words spoken are also written after inclusion in the mainstream English, these become part of English.
English is said to be a Germanic language as it is based on function words from German and Norse origin and has absorbed thousands of words from other languages such as French, Italian, Latin, Greek, Persian, Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindi and Urdu.
Last year Oxford included 80 subcontinent words recognising the fact that the world’s third largest English-speaking community belongs to South Asian subcontinent. Oxford evolves at par with the ever-changing world and its most important local words are frequently injected from time to time like badmash, bandh, chamcha, chutney,, dhaba, dharma, guru, hawala, jungle, khaki, karma, masala, nirvana, pundit, pyjama, tamasha, tandoor and yoga.
The methodology adopted for the new inclusion is based on the research and relative prominence these words hold in an international context, according to Oxford’s English Dictionaries’ publishers. The logic is simple, more the East influences the West, the more eastern words will be included. All languages are mixture, evolving from other languages and thrive due its popularity.
MUHAMMAD USMAN
Canada
I, ALONG with my other three family members, travelled by PIA Flight # PK-308 on April 8. On arrival at Islamabad airport, we collected our luggage and left the arrival baggage area after presenting the baggage tags to PIA staff who after checking allowed us to go.
On reaching our home and after a while, we were surprised to find one very heavy suitcase similar to ours but not belonging to us. Since there were several other pieces, we did not realise this at the airport, as it must have been included in our luggage by mistake.
Due to this bag, I had to pay for the extra baggage after utilising my extra allowance of 10kg. We informed PIA Call Centre and gave them my contact number and the name of passenger whose baggage mistakenly came with us.
It is now almost three weeks and we have no response and no one contacted us for collecting this missing baggage. It must be noted though that it was included as part of our baggage from Karachi that resulted in wasting a lot of my time due to payment of extra baggage weight.
Through this newspaper, may I request the owner Ibrahim/Irshad Beg or anyone who can inform them to contact me at the earliest at my cell # 0300-5264250.
We should actually be suing PIA for the mess-up and subjecting us to confusion, wastage of time and money and embarrassment, all continuing.
DR NADEEM ALAM
Karachi
QUAID-i-Azam International Airport at Karachi is said to be the most modern such facility in the country, but unfortunately the facilities provided by the authorities concerned leave a lot to be desired on the part of the passengers passing through it. Washrooms for ladies are nothing but a cause for inconvenience to the passengers, with unserviceable water taps and clogged washbasins.
Moreover, there are no disposable glasses available beside the water coolers in the arrival and departure lounges, forcing the passengers to use their hands for the purpose.
The jetty bridge-ways connecting the lounges with the aircraft also remain warm and humid, causing suffocation to passengers, especially to those who have some cardiac ailment. The authorities put the airconditioning unit on just at the time of connecting the bridge with arriving aircraft, which is surely not enough to bring down the temperature by the time the passengers begin to embark or disembark the plane. It is rather unfortunate that the passengers have to suffer despite paying a more than reasonable amount as the airport tax. If not for the locals, the CAA should at least take remedial measures keeping in view the damage it is causing to the national image in the eyes of foreigners passing through the airport.
SUMAYYA FARRUKH
Karachi
I WRITE in response to Prof Khalid Hasan Mehmood’s letter (21 April) with reference to my article, ‘Never again’ (15 April).
“It is morally wrong to beat and bruise a dead man”, he writes. History will judge them for what they did or did not do – it will condemn them for usurping power and leading their country to defeat and breakup.
Does he think that it was morally right for these men to start wars and lose them, sacrificing in the process thousands of soldiers.
The professor has misunderstood the point regarding the switching of forces from Chhamb-Jaurian sector to Ravi-Chenab corridor. The point is not that it should not have been done: the point is that the war directors were taken by surprise when their belief, that the Indian response to Operation Grand Slam would remain restricted to Kashmir, was proved wrong, forcing them to terminate the operation that formed the main plank of their plan to conquer Kashmir.
He had set out to conquer Kashmir but ended up seeing Pakistan saved by the valour of its soldiers and junior officers as well as that of its fighter pilots. Failure to achieve the objective constitutes defeat.
By not respecting the verdict of the people and by launching the army against them, the second chief had created a crisis. He should have accommodated the winner. The buck stops at him. But having discarded the political option he should have foreseen war and the eventual fall of East Pakistan.
To recompense for this loss as also to salvage the forces there, he should have planned to sever Kashmir from India. This he did not do. As a result, a great fighting force lost its honour on the eastern battlefield, honour that can only be regained on the battlefield.
As for dissent, yes all officers are expected to express it but having done so they are also expected to abide by the decision taken by their superiors, faithfully and to the best of their ability. This is exemplified by Lt Col Akram Raja (Shaheed), when on Dec 17, 1971, at 0530 hours, despite the rejection of his request for more time for reconnaissance, planning and preparation, he led the attack of his infantry battalion against an enemy position that, less than 24 hours earlier, had knocked out a counter-attacking Pakistani armoured brigade. The battalion was wiped out. Loyalty of the superiors to the subordinates is equally important.
The first two dictators had let both the country and its army down. Their inept planning and conduct of war was paid for in blood and human suffering.
The 44 years of direct and indirect rule by the army chiefs amounts to sentencing Pakistan to 44 years’ RI. That is why the 61-year-old Pakistan is still in an infantile mental state. Yet the professor and his prompters say that an apology is uncalled-for.
JAVED HUSSAIN
Karachi
THIS is apropos of Inayatullah Rustamani’s letter, ‘Improving education sector’ (April 23). The writer has put in perspective quite a useful number of suggestions to bring an improvement in the education sector, proposing especially good points like ‘free education up to college level’ and ‘job security for university degree holders’.
He has suggested setting up of separate schools and colleges for girls in rural areas. I think this should not be only in rural areas, but all over the country. A large number of our womenfolk are deprived of education only because of the co-education system.
RAQIM HAQUE
Via email
I FULLY endorse SNF Chairman Mumtaz Ali Bhutto’s concern over the PPP-MQM coalition in Sindh as discussed in your editorial, ‘Sole voice of concern’ (May 4).
However, keeping aside the past, when the MQM could not continue with the PPP and the PML (N), I have failed to comprehend why this time they are not inclined to sit on the opposition benches and play a constructive role by keeping watch on the treasuries’ activities (refer ‘Spirit of democracy’, April 12).
In the parliamentary democracy, the role of opposition, being a watchdog of people’s interest, is even more vital. If the opposition plays its role optimistically, then it is they who in the next ballot can expect to form the government.
The people of Sindh have overwhelmingly mandated the PPP to form the government and voted the MQM to sit in the opposition to look after the interests of the province with such a formidable minority they have carved in the recent election.
This is the aspiration of the people of Sindh, let it be clear.
SHAFIQUE ANSARI
Dubai, UAE
IN newspapers on May 4 the prime minister (my friend) has said that there will be no more ‘rubber-stamp’ parliaments.
I hope he can ensure this promise, because so far all parliaments we have had have been rubber stamps. We have also had enough of dummy prime ministers, specially during the last eight years.
I hope he will not become a dummy. His independence will be supported by all Pakistanis.
MIANGUL AURANGZEB
Former governor of Balochistan
Islamabad
FOOD prices are so high and so many peasants in the countryside are killing their children and committing suicides.
Please stop this and see that you people get to these ordinary people and discuss their problems and see how you can decrease their misery.
This is one of our highest priorities. When the peasants do not have enough food to feed their dependants, the next best thing they think is to kill oneself.
This is happening in Punjab today. As a young woman I was told that Punjab fed the whole of India. Today, the same Punjab is not getting atta (wheat flour) for its own households. This is the real tragedy taking place here.
The political parties should turn their heads and look towards these people and think of doing something to satisfy their desires. This is our priority. We must see that all people do not go hungry while some have plenty to eat. Food should be distributed equally amongst all our people.
Sometimes, when I attend weddings there is no dearth of food, flower arrangements cost lakhs of rupees. Food is aplenty and comes from Dubai or even as far as New York. While we are eating and enjoying the imported food, many countrymen are contemplating suicides.
We should all be ashamed. How can we improve this situation? Now that we have a new government, we should seriously concentrate on the masses of our people and make life easy for them.
Our doctors, who are learned and good, so easily prescribe plenty of fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh air. But how? There are not enough grounds for our children to play, nor vegetables at an affordable price; fruit is out of question.
When I asked a friend of mine I was told we are paying our debt to those who initially gave us money for development. I am not familiar with economics, so I do not know the correct truth. I hope someone will tell me.
Our debt started when we got freedom. When will we get our real freedom? Or never under the present system?
Political cadres from both the political parties must go around visiting people and finding out what their troubles are.
About one thing I am sure of, I do not want suicide bombers in our country neither do I want to see innocent souls murdered by their parents because there is not enough to eat.
TAHIRA MAZHAR ALI
Lahore
You can also send letters to the Editor
Just send your message to the following address: letters@dawn.com
Make sure you include your full name, postal address, e-mail address, and in the case of Pakistan your day-time telephone number.
