| June 18, 2008 | Wednesday | Jamadi-us-Sani 13, 1429 |
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After the hurly-burly of polls …
Extraordinary perks
Culmination of long march
Pay parity
Debate on NRO
Comrades in arms
Local bodies system
Visit Pakistan Year 2007
Of a JI meeting
Sanaullah’s resignation
Bond of economy and politics
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 past experience has proved that the areas which contributed to the overall advancement of the country, if deprived of resources, not only develop bad blood among the people belonging to that region but when the deprivations continue unabated, they also result in total alienation of the populace.
This is abundantly established in the case of Balochistan, a province providing natural gas to the commercial-cum-industrial and residential consumers of the country for years but it is yet one of the least developed regions of Pakistan.
In the province of Sindh, whose share in the production of oil is 62 per cent, natural gas 48 per cent and coal 31 per cent, the areas from where these mineral resources are being extracted are highly underdeveloped.
The funds which the provincial government gets from the federal pool in the form of royalty and surcharge on oil and gas is not utilised for the development of these contributing areas, i.e. districts of Badin, Dadu, Sanghar, Kahripur and Sukkur, most of which incidentally are extremely poor.
In the financial year 2006-07 Sindh received Rs29.52 billion straight transfers from royalties on oil, excise duty and surcharge on gas and in the subsequent year the receipts were raised to Rs35 billion.
However, the entire amount went to the pool of which major share went to the big cities.
Unfortunately the areas which are contributing to the prosperity and progress of the country have no levy in the mineral deposits they give to the nation.
On June 10, Mohibullah Shah, a former federal secretary who also served as secretary of Board of Investment in the second PPP tenure, propounded a very viable scheme in a local TV channel programme. He proposed that out of the total receipts on account of oil and gas, 50 per cent should be straightaway set aside for the districts from where minerals are extracted.
These funds should be placed at the disposal of these districts for specific utilisation: 25 per cent on development of infrastructure and 25 per cent on education of the poor.
The distribution of funds besides uplifting these highly underdeveloped regions of the country will create a sense of participation in the people of the hitherto ignored areas of the province.
BASHIR AHMED QAZI
Hala
THIS is apropos of Jawed Naqvi’s article, ‘After the hurly- burly of polls a pair of hooves is all you get’ (June 9). Among other things, he says that “the left diaspora from India was fimly aligned with the black majority and the right wing, a heavy component belonging to Gujarat, opted for the white-led tricameral parliament.”
He may not be aware of the fact that the Indian population in South Africa is composed of three sections: (1) Tamils from south India, (2) Hindi-speaking from Bihar and (3)Gujaratis mainly from south Gujarat, and some from north Gujarat and west Gujarat.
Of these groups, the first two were mostly working class, while most of the Indian businesses were owned by Gujaratis (both Hindus and Mulims.)
It is important to realise that Indians are only three per cent of the total South African population. Despite being in such a small minority, Indians were by far the biggest financiers for the cause of freedom.
A lot of money was needed for the freedom struggle. But the blacks who were in majority (75 per cent) had no money, while the whites were not contributing for obvious reasons. So in addition to the aid from foreign countries, most of the financing came from Indians.
Of the Indians, only Gujaratis (both Hindus and Muslims) were in a position to make any significant financial contribution. And they did not fail. In essence, Gujaratis together with foreign aid bankrolled the freedom war.
Talking about cooperation with the white government on the question of tricameral parliament, it is true that a few Indians (both Hindus and Muslims) did cooperate with the white government. But most of the Indians did not.
I wish Mr Naqwi will stop equating Narendra Modi with the South African Gujaratis. They are busy doing their own things, and have no interest whatsoever in politics of Gujarat. These are not first generation Indians as in the USA but fifth or sixth generation.
RAMDAS VALLABH
Dallas, USA
THIS is apropos of the report, ‘Extraordinary perks of some SBP official stir unrest’ (June 12), wherein it has been disclosed that recently the State Bank of Pakistan has appointed some official on a contract basis on package of Rs425,000 per month plus other benefits such as interest-free house building loaning facility of Rs25 million, which is even more than the total of two years contract period emoluments of Rs9 million. Interestingly, the seniormost officers working in the bank are drawing approximately Rs130,000 a month.
This palpable disparity in the perks has rightly caused unrest within the officials working in the organisation. The appointments of contract employees on market-based salaries are indispensable only on highly technical field, especially when such expertise is not available in the organisation.
Keeping in view the sorry state of affairs, particularly in financial sector, the bank has not only to unveil to the nation what necessitated hiring of people on a contract basis with enormous perks when their own members of staff are serving at much less benefits but at the same time has to enumerate improvements brought in the system by those who were appointed from market on contract in the last eight years.
BADAR JATOI
Port Coquitlam,
BC,Canada
THE number of people who gathered in Islamabad, the cold capital city, was really astonishing. It was a great show of enthusiasm and hopes on the part of participants who were chanting pro-judiciary and anti-dictator slogans.
However, it was a little disappointing at the end for not coming up to the expectations of the people of Pakistan in terms of the hopes created alongside the momentum of this long march.
The entire nation wants restoration of the judges as of pre-Nov 3 position. Also, they don’t like to see the faces of the PCO judges. People of Pakistan want restoration on first priority. They put their day-to-day problems of price hikes, poverty and loadshedding, etc, second to it.
In the course of developing the tempo and momentum of the long march, leaders of the march had talked very highly and created and raised high hopes but disappointed a little bit eventually. Siege of the army house, presidential palace and parliament house was promised. Also it was promised to stay on the roads of Islamabad until reinstatement of the judges.
If all the same was not possible, then why were such slogans raised? Long march without such promises would have been much better. The tempo of enthusiasm was very high and it was very nice but there was no need for raising the hopes to the skies. The long march was a great show but its culmination was somewhat disappointing since hopes failed to come true.
The people of Pakistan are politically very sensible and they understand the limitations and bottlenecks, so there was no need at all for raising hopes with weak promises.
Anyhow, the movement that lawyers have started at the cost of their bread and butter is really great and unique. Success of the movement will be success of the entire nation. We will remain slaves and subordinates to the dictators and establishment until we succeed. We have to succeed at this turning point of time in our nation’s life.
On behalf of the people of Pakistan I assure my lawyer brothers that we are with them, we are with their cause of justice and we want restoration of the judiciary at any cost. Also, please be firm about what you promise.
SQN LDR (r) ZULFIQAR AHMAD
Rawalpindi
ACCORDING to a recent survey conducted in the United States, women are paid 77 cents for every dollar a man makes (23 per cent less than men). Although equal pay law exists in the western world since 1963, however 45 years down the road women are still being paid less than men — even when they have similar education, skills and experience.
It is a general law of capitalism that women workers are paid less than their male counterparts all around the world. However, the situation in Pakistan is even worse where no law exists and the employers using social insecurity, alienation and pressures on women exacerbate the exploitation of women workers in almost all the professions around.
This inequality is visible everywhere. Although in Pakistan women are 28 per cent of the total workforce, they generate 40 per cent of production. Apart from making the pay parity law, the reduction in the pay gap would require a change in the traditional family structures whereas the total number of hours spent by men at the workplace is more than that of women, thus requiring many role reversals while moving away from our social and cultural constraints and orthodox taboos.
DR. IRFAN ZAFAR
Islamabad
THE National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) is one of the greatest injustices done to the people of Pakistan whereby they have been deprived of billions of dollars/rupees by certain leading politicians and high ranking government officials with impunity.
The worst aspect of this financial crime is that most money, including foreign loans, has been transferred abroad which is evident from fabulous personal assets and princely lifestyle of those condoned and their family members while living, studying and getting state of the art medical treatment in the most expensive foreign countries.
No wonder, higher and higher tax collection targets are being fixed primarily to cater for this open plunder plus ever increasing parliament and cabinet luxurious expenditure with little return, and the resulting financial burden is being passed on to even the poorest of the poor who pays indirect taxes and faces the spiralling price hike of essentials.
The most depressing indication of a bleak future of the people is the media statements of Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan in support of the NRO if the judiciary is restored. What is the sense of this restoration when those who plundered national wealth are condoned through a great injustice to 160 million people who have been robbed?
Does it mean the leading wealthy politicians can go to any extent at the cost of people to gain political power or advantage? Can we call it a democracy which requires condoning the national wealth plunderers to hold key political appointments?
Are not our politicians driving common people to desperation and forcing them to protect their financial rights through violent means? I hope worthy national media will encourage and promote national debate on these and other relevant questions to save the nation from anarchy?
GHULAM MUHAMMAD
Rawalpindi
WHEN I read the criticism on Pervez Musharraf by his ‘comrades in arms’, I was reminded of an incident. At a meeting, Khruschev was criticising the policies of Stalin. Someone from the audience wrote him a chit saying that he (Khruschev) was part of Stalin’s team, so why didn’t he raise these points then?
Khruschev raised the chit in the air and asked who had written it. None spoke. He repeated this three times but still nobody spoke. Finally, he tore the chit off and said: “My position then was exactly the same as yours today.”
Khruschev showed vision during the Cuban crisis and saved the world from complete destruction. Musharraf showed vision after 9/11 and pacified angry Americans who could have turned Afghanistan and Iraq into Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
BRIG (r) QURBAN ALI BARLAS
Rawalpindi
THIS is with reference to Inayatullah Khan’s letter, ‘Local bodies system’ (June 5). I fully agree with the writer. Here I would like to state the reasons which led President Musharraf to introduce this system.
It is said that once, when he was corps commander, he stayed in a rest-house without the permission of the deputy commissioner in charge of that district. When he was reminded of the prerequisites, he took it as a personal grudge against the whole district management group.
Second, it is said that his elder brother, a DMG officer, got much attention from his parent and this was unacceptable to President Musharraf. Thus the strong reasons behind the destruction of the whole institution of bureaucracy were his personal whimsical grudges against the DMG.
Another reason was the mustering up of support from local influential for his dictatorship through provision of opportunities of corruption to the nazims.
I strongly suggest that this system should be abolished.
SYED MANZOOR USMAN
Islamabad
THIS is apropos of the news report, ‘Visit Pakistan Year 2007 proved a failure’, published recently in your newspaper.
This must have been the brainchild of one of our Einsteins at the ministry of tourism. And this spark of genius must have been inspired by similar promotions in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, among other countries in the Middle East and South East Asia.
Well, I’ve got two words for the genius: wake up!
Did they expect people to just ignore all the bad publicity, put on a backpack and fly out to “one of the most dangerous places in the world”? Besides, what have we to offer foreign tourists apart from a few natural but inaccessible landscapes and some decent trekking?
‘Visit Gaza Strip 2007’ ... now that would have had a better chance of success. And by the way, someone should check those tourist figures. I think they added business travellers and diplomatic missions to that number just so it doesn’t look absolutely dismal.
RAZA MANKANI
Karachi
THE Jamaat-i-Islami, which claims to stand for an Islamic system, held a meeting at Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Abul Ispahani Road, on Monday evening. The aim behind the meeting was to exhort the people to live according to Islamic ideals.
However, the party organisers chose to steal electricity by getting power from ‘kundas’. Parts of the lights remained on throughout the night. The JI is Pakistan’s richest political party, and it could have hired a generator instead of choosing to steal electricity.
Could there be a greater contradiction between words and deeds?
AN EYEWITNESS
Karachi
THIS is apropos of the report, ‘Senate stunned as Sanaullah resigns’ (June7). It should have not surprised or shocked anyone as Mr Sanaullah was following the decision of his party taken last year — possibly to pressure the new government.
The baffling remarks by the leader of the house that the settlers in Balochistan would be disfranchised should have come as a stunning blow to democracy and integrity of the country. Raza Rabbani in his emotional outburst appears to be oblivious of the following:
a. Those living in Balochistan for generations would become second class citizens.
b. Maybe forced out of the province, they may become refugees within their own country.
c. May leave Balochistan on their own to seek identity.
d. Would create economic hardships for them.
e. Other provinces may also demand the same.
f Would widen the gulf of mistrust and ill-feelings among the provinces.
g. It would encourage separatist tendencies.
h. It would discourage investment in Balochistan.
i. It is against the Constitution.
j. It hits at the very foundation on which Pakistan was built.
KHAN A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
IN the history of Pakistan, politics has never been favourable to the interest of the general public. A strong political atmosphere is one which allows prosperity in the country, getting peace, standard judicial system, reliable defence and a resilient economy.
Apparently it means the governing body and policymakers should be capable of using and controlling the limited sources within the country and design such concrete policies as could be accomplished in time.
Currently it is a rather less sensitive political atmosphere compared to the past. It seems too perilous and challenging for the newly-elected leaders. The glimpse of which can be seen in the recent unusual tortures on political leaders.
This is a game played by those who are most unhealthy and adverse to the progress of the nation, those who don’t want to see a resilient Pakistan, the glimpse of whom can be seen in the destructive efforts being practised over the years.
Political history of Pakistan reveals that these factors have always been successful in pushing the nation towards darkness.
Some positive changes are also being noticed along this after the election. Overall peace is being sustained, and the rate of increase in the recurrence of destructions like bomb explosions and suicide bombings has decreased to a remarkable extent. Politics has a direct bond with democracy, while democracy has always been in conflict with dictatorship.
Such broken politics has not only affected the economy of Pakistan but has also been the biggest obstacle in the way of social, industrial progress and economic activity.
Several tragedies and unprecedented dilemmas are disturbing peace and economic growth of the country like extinguishing direct foreign investment and retarded industrialism.
The dream of strengthening our political atmosphere can be achieved by creating a state of awareness through our grassroots educational system. Confusion has settled down in the minds of children. By building a standard academic system, we can bring about clarity on such issues in our society. The education system in Pakistan really needs to be addressed for a positive political atmosphere to help a viable economy to grow.
ZAHEER ABBAS
Rawalpindi
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