| May 21, 2008 | Wednesday | Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429 |
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Rejoinder to PAF
Doctors’ career
HEC clarification
Burning of bandits
Exit of two giants
Myanmarcyclone victims
Daylight saving time
University in Shikarpur
Austerity not a practice
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
THIS is apropos of your editorial, ‘A debilitating blow’ (May 13), wherein you accuse the PPP-P of reneging on its Bhurban Declaration of re-instating the pre-PCO judges, including Iftikhar Chaudhry. There is a caveat here which you and most of the electronic media are very conveniently overlooking.
In the Bhurban Declaration it was agreed that the present incumbents of the Supreme Court would not be disturbed. If this is to be allowed, then the strength of the Supreme Court would rise to 27 (please see Farhatullah Babar’s letter, ‘PPP on Judges’ restoration,’ May 14). ‘The prime minister cannot lawfully increase their strength through merely an executive order.’
I would also like to draw your attention to Mr Achakzai’s statement at the APDM meeting recently, wherein he said that the president himself admitted at a gathering in Europe that his Nov 3 PCO was illegal; but the catch-22 here is that his illegal decision was legitimised by the previous National Assembly and given the effect of a law by the present Supreme Court.
Mr Zardari is very much in his right in asking for the undoing of these illegal laws that were framed through a proper legal framework. To do what Pervez Musharraf did would make the present democratic dispensation no different from the previous authoritarian government.
Finally, it is not the PPP that is backing out of the Bhurban Declaration, but Nawaz Sharif who is having second thoughts about the retention of the present Supreme Court judges, which he had earlier accepted and at a press conference said that he had to make certain sacrifices to get the previous judges restored.
Our oblivious press, especially the electronic media, need to look into the Bhurban Declaration to see what was that sacrifice that he talks of.
Then at the end of your column you say that had Nawaz Sharif boycotted the polls, he would have been as relevant as Qazi Hussain Ahmed and Imran Khan.
As for Imran Khan, I don’t consider him a politician. He doesn’t have the tact and finesse of a parliamentarian, especially after what he said about Mr Zardari immediately after the APDM meeting.
He forgets that the PPP is the largest single political party in the National Assembly (with 35 per cent seats) and they represent the people of Pakistan whose manifesto was ‘roti, kapra aur makan,’ and not specifically restoration of the previous judges.
Nobody in or outside the parliament (that includes the legal fraternity) can challenge or denigrate the PPP’s position in the Assembly (unless all the rag-tag parties team up against it) and call themselves the voice of the people of Pakistan.
WG.CDR.(r) AHMED S. JAN
Peshawar Cantt
THIS is apropos of the letter of Air Commodore Sarfraz Ahmed Khan, Director, Media Affairs, Pakistan Air Force (May 18), regarding my article, ‘Testing times’ (May 13).
He has unjustly said: “The article by Mir Muhammad Ali Talpur is based on lack of information, misunderstanding and misconception.” I had based my piece on the information and facts available in the national press which had neither been refuted nor contradicted.
I would also like to remind him of the clarification published under his name in the July 28, 2006 issue of Dawn in response to the previous day’s report by Bahzad Alam Khan regarding the PAF and Hingol Park.
It said: “About 30 per cent of the area, proposed by the PAF, falls in the limits of the National Park.” The clarification now says: “The area of ‘Hingol National Park’ does not fall within the limits of Aghore Range; as such no fauna or flora is endangered.” There is clearly a shift of stated position.
A few questions require answers. The Hingol Park covers over 600,000 hectares (over 1.5 million acres). Will overflights be avoided in this area? Even if there will be no live bombing in the area, will not the sound of the aircraft disturb the wildlife in the environs? The PAF has the peregrine falcon as its insignia and they must know that in the West it is an offence to disturb it. Noise does adversely affect wildlife.
A new dimension, that of people’s displacement, has arisen since I wrote the piece in April. According to a report by Saleem Shahid, (May 4), this firing range entails displacement of people. It should be remembered that the issue of displacement has always been a sore point in relations between the people of Balochistan and the centre.
According to that report, Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, an elected member of that area and speaker of the Balochistan Assembly, said: “The people had been living in that area since time immemorial and asking them to leave when their area had been developed was unjust. The people will resist this move. We will not allow our people to be dislodged from their ancestral homes”.
Mr Bhootani also said: “If the government wants to get rid of the people, it should chuck them into the sea. But we will not willingly vacate our lands.” Displaced people suffer interminably even if adequate compensation is made.
Saving precious foreign exchange is commendable but a much higher priority has to be awarded to human and environmental assets. Firing ranges should not be a reason for disturbing either humans or the flora and fauna.
MIR MOHAMMAD ALI TALPUR
Hyderabad
AS the world medical education is becoming more and more specialised, the Sindh health department has been discouraging its in-service doctors from doing any postgraduate specialisation.
There are about 1,000 doctors who have been suffering for the last three years because of the discriminatory policy of the health department.
They have either done FCPS-I in different specialties or have got admissions in reputed institutions for postgraduation in or outside the province but no one is being allowed to continue his/her medical education and training on deputation etc and hence is forced to go on leave without pay.
Those who have served for 10 to 20 years in this department and now wish to get training/education are being asked to vacate their posts, and go on leave without pay. How can they make the ends meet without their salary?
There is no precedent for this discriminatory policy in Sindh or any other province of Pakistan that any doctor, whatever his/her seniority, wishing to go for further training/education is forced to relinquish his post and go on leave without pay. This is leading to increased frustration and helplessness among doctors in the interior of Sindh, in particular, and doctors of the department, in general.
The worst hit are doctors from remote and backward areas who have served in harsh and difficult conditions where there is no postgraduate training. And now their future career is being destroyed by not allowing them to do any postgraduate training.
This is not only a matter of about 1,000 doctors’ career and future, but various medical colleges in the interior of Sindh are also facing a shortage of teaching staff. One example is GMMMC, which is not yet recognised by the PMDC due to insufficient teaching staff. Therefore, about 300 medical students’ future is at stake.
All other medical universities/colleges of Sindh are also facing a shortage of proper staff as required by regulatory authorities PMDC and HEC.
On the one hand, in the province all most all district and taluka hospitals are working without cardiologists, dermatologists, gynaecologists, paediatricians and psychiatrists where maternal mortality, diabetes, hypertension, skin diseases and mental illnesses are on the rise day by day and, on the other hand, long-serving senior cadre is not being allowed to complete the requirement and fill in the vacant posts, in various hospitals and colleges in Sindh.
This policy is leading the health department into a blind alley and must change to save the public sector institutes from becoming defunct, due to the shortage of the required staff, and resulting in increased suffering of the masses.
DR IKRAM AHMED TUNIO
Ex-president, PMA,
Larkana chapter
THIS is apropos of the photograph (May 14) regarding students, who have been offered medical scholarships by the Cuban government, protesting against the delay in their departure. This is to clarify that the delay is not on account of the HEC but due to the following reasons:
a. The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) had issued an NOC in respect of the students going to Cuba for medical education. But the HEC has now been informed by the PMDC that they will not recognise the degrees being given by Cuba unless certain requirements in respect of courses, facilities and faculty were met.
A meeting was held between the officials of the HEC, ministry of health and the ambassador of Cuba to resolve this problem since it will be a huge waste of time and resources if Pakistani students obtain degrees in Cuba which are later not recognised by the PMDC and which prevent them from practising medicine in Pakistan.
(ii) One thousand scholarships were offered by the Cuban government after the earthquake in northern areas of Pakistan. Three hundred and fifty students have already left for Cuba under this scholarship programme. The Cuban government has been making preparations to receive the remaining 650 students from Pakistan for which necessary housing, classroom facilities, faculty and infrastructure is being arranged.
The HEC is trying to resolve the issues with the PMDC in consultation with the ministry of health and the Cuban embassy.
AAYESHA IKRAM HEC
Islamabad
THE news about the burning to death of three alleged robbers, while the police did nothing, was shocking, to say the least (May 15). This shows two things: (a) people are completely fed up with the skyrocketing incidence of crimes and, (b) have no faith left in the judiciary to do justice to the victims of the criminals, which has forced them to take the law in to their own hands.
This reminds one of a similar occurrence in India, when people had dragged a murder suspect from his bed in hospital and beat him until he was unconscious, while the police stood by and watched. The Indian president had attributed this to the public’s loss of faith in the judicial system (Feb 25).
The deposed CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry, too, had warned the government during a trial that unless justice is done to the Pakistanis, they will start resolving their problems in the streets instead of going to the courts. How true! Yet, the present government, like its predecessor, seems in no mood to give the CJP and other senior judges their rightful place.
A. MUNSIF
Karachi
RECENTLY the world saw the exit of two giants: Fidel Castro (at 81) left the seat of power after honouring it for almost half a century while George Habbash left the world after gracing it for 81 years. Both came on the world scene as enthusiastic, passionate, exciting and fascinating youths and left it as inspiring and exemplary statesmen.
Their lives made the humanity feel prouder and look nobler and more diginified. Their presence made this world wiser and stronger and their exit has made this globe sad and poorer.
With their bravery, commitment and statesmanship they instilled a new faith and infused a renewed self-confidence among the oppressed of the world. With their uncompromising challenge to the imperialists and their unflinching struggle against all the odds, they inspired a whole generation of youth throughout the world and through personal charm and charisma literally pulled them out of bedrooms and classrooms onto the streets to spearhead the march of humanity to freedom, honour, dignity, prosperity and equality.
If Castro exemplified how to live a life facing ‘ the might’ eyeball-to-eyeball, Habbash showed how to die a great death fighting to the end.
Fidel Castro, in the company of Ernesto Che Guavara, Raul Castro and others, accomplished a feat unprecedented in human history: a revolution by middle class people challenging and defeating a combine of local fascist rulers and the world imperialism.
He thus became the realiser of the saying: “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Castro of Cuba, representing a tiny country at a distance of only 90 miles from the land of ‘supermen’, remained a thorn in the side of the mighty superpower for about 50 years. Here is a lesson to be learnt for the ‘strongman’ of Pakistan who rules over the sixth largest country of the world possessing nuclear weapons and about 10 thousand miles away from ‘ the superpower’, still surrenders at just one phone call.
George Habbash, with utmost respect to all other leaders, was a unique and towering character of the Palestinian resistance. Being a Marxist, he had better understanding of history and the nature of the imperialists/occupiers. His analysis that “a defeat of Zionism, and not the compromises with it, would bring peace to the region” is proving to be correct.
Many friends and foes of the Palestinian movement perceive and portray it as a ‘ Muslim cause’ but the person and character of George Habbash (a Christian by birth and a Marxist by mind) made it a true nationalist, progressive and secular struggle.
Through foresight, commitment and personal charisma, he inspired and blended Palestinian youth into an army that took the fight to the enemy and forced the world powers to take the Palestinian issue seriously,
I still cherish the friendship of a few Palestinian students allied to Habbash’s party, the PFLP, who studied engineering and other subjects in Sindh University, Jamshoro. When there were vacations, they would go to their motherland, take up arms and fight for its freedom.
Once one of them didn’t return and on inquiry we were told that he had embraced martyrdom.
Castro and Habbash took the embers from cinder and turned them into a fire which provided heat to the hearts and light to the minds of freedom-lovers all over the world.
Goodbye to the two towers of light, strength and inspiration on behalf of all the patriotic,progressive and revolutionary people with the pledge that the fire they lit shall continue to flare until all the vestiges of imperialism are burned and buried.
ABDUL KHALIQUE JUNEJO
Karachi
THE plight of Myanmar’s cyclone victims is very painful but much more painful and outrageous is the attitude of that country’s military junta in resisting to allow global aid entering their country for the relief of their masses. The aid is brought to their border by a number of countries in anxiety to deliver it as soon as possible to the devastated cyclone victims wanting water, food, clothes and shelter.
Having kept Myanmar’s people captive under their military rule for such a long time, keeping Madam Aung San Suu Kyi’s in never-ending jail term for asking liberty of living in their own country, the junta people have become immune to all sensitive feelings for their masses, to the point of obstructing foreign aid reaching them for their immediate relief.
They themselves are not capable of doing any help to their people, their political ego is shamelessly barring other nations of the world from reaching help to the people of Myanmar in their moment of misery.
This attitude of the Myanmar junta is an open human outrage. The comity of nations should not leave them alone to play with the fate of their people.
M. M. KHAN
Karachi
THE government’s decision to advance the clock by one hour in order to save energy will prove to be impractical as the experiment has failed twice.
We can more conveniently start the day earlier by changing the work timings, i.e. offices and schools can open at 7am instead of 8am as is the practice now.
DR SHAHID KAMAL?
Jhelum
THIS is apropos of Nasreen A. Mughal’s letter, ‘University in Shikarpur’ (April 29), focusing on the building of a university in that city. Shikarpur is undoubtedly a historical city with great archaeological setup and cultural heritage. For the new readers who may not be aware of the background of this great historical city, it would be pertinent to pen down salient features of the city for ease of reference.
During last few years, the creeping development activity has taken pace and 71km of road, 94 schools and a number of schemes in drainage, health and other sectors have been completed, under various programmes. Shikarpur district was famous for education and other civic amenities until the first half of the 20th century, throughout the undivided India.
Rao Bahadur, Udhau-Das Tara Chand Hospital, Heeran and Ganga Bai Ladies Hospital, Chella Ram and Seetal Das College, two old high schools, now known as school Nos. 1 and 2, and girls’ college here are some of the institutions showing outstanding standards of the locals during the old era.
There have been past achievements in the fields of health and education, one feels that there is a vacuum in the field of high tech education and authorities have ignored this vital issue of providing higher education in the said region. Given the above, there is need to have a modern university for the people of Shikarpur.
In view of the above , the government should now consider issuing orders for the construction of a university in Shikarpur.
SYED TAIMUR ALI
Karachi
APROPOS of Mohammad Suleman’s letter, ‘Austerity begins at home’ (May 13), I would like to add that only a few low-profile ministers are travelling in 1600cc cars. Many of the newly-elected leaders like Zulifiqar Mirza, who was spotted travelling in a new Land Cruiser, with about eight police mobiles following him, and Mr Jakhrani in his Vigo plus, are seen around town in their big fancy cars, and some without even number plates.
Ever since the PPP government has come into power, many more black-tinted cars without number plates, or even with number plates of PPP, adorned with the flag of PPP fluttering on the hood are prominent.
As an experiment, I fully tinted the glass of my jeep, and put a poster of BB on the back. I tried this for one whole week, on main Clifton road to Mai Kolachi bridge, and found that not once was I stopped.
That’s the mentality that has prevailed in us, especially with the current government.
SHAHRUKH
Karachi
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