| June 17, 2008 | Tuesday | Jamadi-us-Sani 12, 1429 |
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Plea for varsity in Shikarpur
Professional ethics in journalism
Friendly budget
Price rise
Why not Pakhtunkhwa
Meeting with the KSE
Ending death penalty
Prolonged suffering of flood victims
KESC — still an hour behind
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 the letter, ‘Dams development’ (June 9) and Pakistan’s water situation. I agree with the writer that the individual’s thinking may not be factual and we have to look at the indicators, which the international organisations such as the World Bank have established to analyse the water situation in a country.
These organisations have the privilege of seeking advice and consultancy services from the world-known water experts and scholars regarding the current water situation and the future water scenario.
When we look at a similar WB report released in 2005, “Water economy running dry”, there is a very clear message that if we continue to move the way we are, then we should be ready to face the situation like famine in the coming years.
In fact, this situation has already reached and the country, once water-abundant, has been categorised as water-deficit. Moreover, according to a 2008 WB survey, Pakistan has also been included in the list of 36 countries which are likely to face the severe food crisis.
There is a direct relationship between water and food. To produce one kilo of foodgrains, about one to two m3 of water is required, depending on the situation, and for meat this ratio is five to six times higher. That means if we want food security for our nation, we need to have enough water availability.
This situation is quite apparent nowadays and people are in deep trouble to win their bread. We also know that our population is increasing at an alarming rate and so are our food requirements.
So, if we don’t build dams, we will not have enough food. We can analyse this situation from this year’s wheat production. All our three provinces are short of wheat except Punjab. All these three provinces have to rely on Punjab for their flour requirements.
No doubt, Punjab has the potential to produce enough food for our nation and even for neighbouring countries provided all its arable lands are brought under cultivation by ensuring adequate agricultural inputs and water supplies. Although the available canal water allowance in Punjab is mostly three cusecs per 1,000 acres (3.13 for Faisalabad and Jhang areas) compared with about 15 cusecs per 1,000 acres in Sindh (17.6 for rice command areas in Sindh). Sindh is having five to six times more canal water availability for the same commanding area as in Punjab. The reason mentioned is the brackish groundwater quality in Sindh compared with that in Punjab.
But a significant amount of energy and money is required to pump groundwater for irrigation purposes when the diesel prices are soaring so high. Therefore, there is a need to rationalise the canal water allowance in the country to provide enough water for the productive zones to ensure food security for our growing population.
The World Bank in its 2005 report also highlighted an extremely important impact of the climate change on the Indus river flows. We know that earth temperature is rising and in return the glaciers are melting, so is the situation of the country’s frozen water reservoirs in the northern mountains.
These reservoirs accumulate water in the winter and release in the summer. With a rise of 0.05 to 0.15 degree C in temperature per year, there would be 40 to 50 per cent increase in the Indus river flows during the next 50 years and then there would be 40 to 50 per cent decrease in river flows after 50 years.
To save our people from floods and provide them enough food, the country must build major water reservoirs, otherwise the disaster has approached in terms of shortfall of water, power and food.
Key to averting this crisis lies in building dams for ensuring food security for this poor nation. Opposing building major water dams means taking away the bread from these poor people.
DR. ALLAH BAKHSH
Faisalabad
THIS is apropos of the letters, ‘University for Shikarpur’ by Nasreen A. Mughul (April 29) and Syed Taimur Ali (May 21), in support of establishment of a university in Shikarpur, as demanded by the Sindhi Adabi Sangat, a literary organisation.
Historically speaking, Shikarpur had an illustrious past and there were a number of educational institutions. It was this background of the city that produced many a great person in the fields of education, politics, fine arts, trade and commerce and literature.
Shaheed Allah Bakhsh Soomro, Shaikh Ayaz, Nand Jaweri (a trader of diamonds migrated to India), Ustad Manzoor Ali Khan and philanthropists like Rao Bahadur Udhawdas Tarachand, Seth Lunenda Singh Bajaj, Sitaldas and Chela Singh are famous.
Archeologically, Shikarpur is an open museum, in which many structures, monuments and artifacts form our cultural heritage, though through sheer neglect they have deteriorated over the years.
So this alarming situation demands special attention by the department of archeology. In spite of the Sindh Heritage Act 1994 and the charter of Unesco for cultural heritage, this historical and anthropological city gets devastated continuously.
Educational richness of this city is reflected from the establishment of a primary school in 1853, High School in 1873, Hopeful Academy in 1900 (now renamed High School No. 2), Eshwari Bai Girls School in 1937 (now called Govt Girls High School) and C & S College in 1932.
With such a record of education over more than one and a half centuries, this city now deserves a modern university.
The Sindhi Adabi Sangat (SAS), considering the importance and inevitability of higher education, has initiated a campaign for the establishment of a university in Shikarpur.
In this connection, a signature drive has been started and a number of meetings have been held with prominent citizens belonging to various walks of life.
Being the secretary of SAS (Shikarpur branch), I will urge notables and politicians (particularly MNAs and MPAs of Shikarpur) to promote this cause. Moreover, I would appeal to the authorities — the prime minister, chief minister, governor and the HEC chairman — to consider our demand for establishing a university in Shikarpur to encourage development and progress through education.
ZUBAIR SOOMRO
Secretary, Sindhi Adabi Sangat
Shikarpur
THE media has been granted unprecedented freedom and in a democratic setup the government should never impose curbs on free flow of information. But there is a need for responsible journalism and restraint from giving exaggerated comments and use of abusive language.
Many of the ethical problems plaguing the media today is rooted in the fact that with the mushroom growth of electronic media every Tom, Dick and Harry is bee-lining to join the media as a reporter.
The selection is rampant and they make the media appearance without proper training, moreover they lack professional ethics.
They have no background knowledge of any issue, use improper journalistic language and inappropriate vocabulary.
The other day in a self-acclaimed, popular private news channel, a journalist was found reporting in such a way:
“Islamabad pohonchney per vokla ka kafla Parliament ki taraf barhe ga. Vokla rally ka Awan-i-Sadar ki taraf burhne ka koe irada nehi hae. Keon ke Musharraf ke pass ab koe taqat nehi hae, wo aik marey hoe ghorey (horse) ki tarha hae jo aik mukkhi bhee nehi mar sukta…”.
(On reaching Islamabad, the lawyers’ entourage will head for the parliament. The rally has no plans to head for the Aiwan-i-Saddar because Musharraf has no strength. He is like a dead horse…)
What kind of language is this? It sounds so weird and bizarre. Presidency is a prestigious position. It deserves respect as per ranks, whether it is possessed by Musharraf or some other person. This is one example, but we encounter many such examples daily in news reporting.
In a democratic setup, the media is free to criticise but journalists are obligated to avoid abusive language and derogatory remarks.
The media persons are responsible for upholding the honour and dignity of media organisations.
Our media needs to come up with a code of ethics. However, it is not for Pemra or some other government body to dictate as to what it should be. They have to come up with it themselves.
ADEEBA AKHTAR
Islamabad
WITH respect to the present budget, which has been announced by the ruling party as public-friendly, the custom duty on import of mobile phones has been imposed at Rs500 per set.
In Pakistan mobiles phones are being imported between the range of Rs2,000 and Rs35,000 per set. It means on import of a mobile set of Rs2,000, one now will have to pay 25 per cent CD while on import of a mobile set of Rs35,000 one will have to pay only 1.43 per cent.
In other words, the government is encouraging purchase of costly mobiles and that will finally increase our import expenditure.
Therefore, the government should impose CD on import value that will not only discourage buying high-priced mobiles and reduce import expenditure but also increase government revenue.
Because the CD (at 25 per cent) would be Rs8,750 on a mobile set that has import value of Rs35,000.
The basic limit of exemption from income tax in respect of salaried man is proposed to be Rs180,000. In the case of a woman salaried taxpayer, the basic exemption limit is proposed to be Rs240, 000. In our society the man is responsible for fulfilling the needs of his family, not the woman.
In Pakistan only educated (bachelor and above) woman/girl can earn Rs180,000 and above.
And 80 per cent of this working group belongs to well-to-do families or their families don’t need their financial assistance as do the men’s families. Therefore, this discrimination must be eliminated.
S. M. SHAHID IQBAL
Karachi
ONE would have hoped that with the ushering in of democracy, the issues relating to the masses would be addressed and overcome with policies guided to provide relief to the millions of Pakistanis who are facing the worst crisis with respect to the escalating prices in all walks of life.
Petrol, diesel, CNG, wheat, electricity, gas, etc, threaten the existence itself of the middle class and the poor masses of Pakistan. Every day horrible stories are seen both in the print and in electronic media where we read and watch reported incidents of suicide out of sheer desperation.
Furthermore, there is an alarming increase in thefts, daylight robberies, car-lifting and more. These issues are far greater in my opinion than a judicial crisis or crises that can or should be amicably resolved by our elected government.
DAWOOD SHAKIL
Rawalpindi
THIS is apropos of the article, ‘Why not Pakhtunkhwa’ by Dr Tariq Rahman (June 10). It is disturbing to note that soon after the proposal for renaming the NWFP to Pakhtunkhwa in the so — called Constitutional Package, an impression is being created by certain quarters as if Pakhtunkhwa is the only consensus name for the province.
The very appellation has remained controversial throughout its history and will divide the people if imposed on them. In the 1988 general election, the Awami National Party with 13 members in the 72-member NWFP Assembly asked the coalition partner Pakistan People’s Party to rename the province as Pakhtunkhwa. Then NWFP chief minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao rejected the demand.
In the 1990 snap polls, the ANP got 23 seats in the 83-member assembly after forging an electoral alliance with the Pakistan Muslim League, led by Nawaz Sharif.
The renaming resolution was moved for the first time but defeated in the assembly on Nov 29, 1990. There were 48 (58 per cent) votes against the resolution, 28 (34 per cent) in favour while seven members (eight per cent) chose not to be part of this controversial move.
The ANP was in the NWFP coalition government with the Nawaz-led PML again in 1997. A former chief minister of the NWFP, Aftab Ahmad Khan, at that time representing the PPP’s opposition in the province just to break the PML(N)-ANP alliance asked his party MPA Najumuddin Khan to move the renaming resolution in the assembly.
The Pakhtunkhwa resolution was moved for the second time and passed by the NWFP Assembly on Nov 13, 1997 but in highly questionable house proceedings. The house had 83 members.
A total of 44 members voted in favour of Pakhtunkhwa, representing 53 per cent ‘yes’ vote; while 37 members (45 per cent of the total strength of the assembly) from the PML(N) and allies stayed away by exercising the right of abstention and two MPAs, both Pakhtuns, displayed the courage to openly oppose the resolution.
The then NWFP Assembly speaker Hidayatullah Chamkani of the ANP violated the rules by counting only the yes and no votes. He even included abstentions — 37 MPAs — in the ‘yes’ votes, committing dishonesty in the legislative history of the province.
In its telecast the very night, the state -run electronic media gave the abstentions detail. The leading newspapers of the next day also pointed to the biased action of the speaker who was supposed to be the custodian of the elected house of the province, but acted otherwise to further his party agenda.
Can a name proposed by only 53 per cent elected legislators of the province and opposed by the 47 per cent of the elected members of the provincial assembly be termed a unanimous name?
IRFAN KHAN
Peshawar
THIS is apropos of the exemption of capital gains tax. Reportedly it was after a meeting between the KSE highups and the PPP co-chairman, Asif Ali Zardari, that a decision was taken to exempt the stock market from the CGT in accordance with the wishes of Mr Zardari.
A point to be noted is the fact that Mr Zardari is neither a member of the Senate nor a minister, then why was the final verdict based upon his wishes, who himself has no experience in the field of finance?
Another point to be noted is that these brokers have made millions over the past few years, it would do them no harm to pay a little to the government which itself is in dire need for such funds.
Hence once again the PPP had failed to honour its commitment to the common man, specifically to the small investors, most of whom lose everything in the stock market as a result of the games that are played by these large member-brokers on a daily basis.
It thus seems that the ruling party is more interested in keeping its friends, the elite of Pakistan, happy instead of addressing the issues of poverty, education, hunger faced by the masses.
In order to keep these brokers happy, our rulers seem willing to sacrifice the greater good of the country. Instead of providing relief to the salaried class, it prefers to give further benefits to the privileged ones.
A WORRIED CITIZEN
Via email
THIS is apropos of the editorial, ‘Ending death penalty’ (June 11). My questions are: (a) if ending death penalty is a criminal’s human right, what about a murder victim’s human right?
It seems absurd to decide about the murderer’s fate without taking into confidence the ones who are the victim’s heirs and stand responsible for bringing the criminal before law.
Here, Islam offers them three options: blood, blood money or forgiveness – the best solution to this issue. Islam reasonably facilitates a victim and not a criminal as a punishment for taking away the life of a human being.
I agree with the editorial that ours is a judicial system almost replete with such flaws as may cause bringing trouble for many innocents. The question is if the system is flawed, why punish those who have already lost an expensive life? The need is to take drastic steps to get the system flaw-free and provide fair justice at an affordable price. Finally, the editorial had better come up with the statistical results of murder crimes in the countries where death penalty has been abolished and the countries where it is not before saying that abolition of death penalty can bring in better results.
M. TAHIR YAQOOB
Multan
ON June 26, it will be a full one year when the flood hit the Mekran region.
No doubt, it did not claim human lives in the area but worse than doing that so. As for damage, it did not leave anything for its victims. Houses were destroyed by it. Sources of livelihood of the poor and agricultural lands fully ready for harvest were washed out by the flood.
The irony is not that people were deprived of their shelter and means of daily life, it is that they have been living in tent cities for one year. Furthermore, not only are they unemployed, there is a severe food crisis and their children also have no access to schools as these have been washed away by the flood.
They spent the most powerful and unbearable winter of Mekran’s history in the tents, and now they are compelled to bear the scorching sun of summer in the same tents since they have no other options.
What disappoints me the most is the government’s attitude towards the flood victims. They lost their houses and on the top of that the tents are no less than the flood itself. They are still facing hardships of life in the tents. They have no clean drinking water, nor do they have permanent shelters for them. A hopeless life welcomes them every morning but in vain.
It is time the government did something for them. The newly-elected popular government is expected to pay special attention to do something for them as it would be a light in the darkness for them.
The government ought to take some concerted action to rehabilitate and compensate them before it is too late.
SUDHIR LUQMAN
Turbat, Mekran
FOR daylight saving, clocks are adjusted for an extra hour but unfortunately the KESC is still an hour behind in switching off the street lights across the city in the morning.
While on my way to office at 7am, all the streetlights from Defence till PIDC are switched on.
I don’t understand the purpose of daylight saving in these circumstances when the objective to save the energy and to utilise the sunlight is not being achieved.
I request the KESC to please understand the meaning of the daylight saving and to switch off the streetlights depending on the sunlight and not depending on the clocks in their offices, which I am sure are still an hour behind.
SHAIKH AHMED SALMAN
Karachi
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