| July 18, 2008 | Friday | Rajab 14, 1429 |
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Reforming local bodies system
US troop redeployment
Baloch grievances
Gilani’s fear
Travel agents and airlines
Glimpses into the corridors of power
Controlling population
Make or break
Refusing entry in a mosque
Death of two medical heroes
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 federal cabinet’s decision of setting up the ‘Thar Coal Authority’ by abolishing the Sindh Coal Authority (SCA), a statutory body, through a notification, as reported on Business and Economic pages of Dawn (July 12), is a blow to provincial autonomy.
It is no secret that advancement, if any, could not be made for exploiting Thar coal for energy, it was the meddling of the federal government and its blue-eyed Wapda that was responsible and not the provincial government or the SCA.
The federal government’s scrapping of the deal, arrived at during the Benazir government, with Hong Kong-based tycoon Gordon Wu to develop the huge plant at Keti Bander, 90km east of Karachi, is one such example.
Wu’s Consolidated Electric Power Asia Ltd (CEPA) was about to launch a project of 1,320-megawatt plant, the first part of a 5,280-MW project costing about $6 billion, when Benazir was outwitted of power and such a valuable project which could have by now changed the destiny of the nation was aborted.
Similarly, treatment meted out by the federal government to Shenhua Group Corporation, a Chinese company, to roll back its $1.5 billion investment plan — after the company had shipped heavy machinery for drilling coal in Thar — on the rate issue is another case in point. I agree with your reporter, Sabihuddin Ghausi, that coal is a provincial subject and, therefore, abolishing the SCA, a body created by statute to deal with ‘Thar coal’, is like killing of the soul of provincial autonomy.
At this critical time in the history of the country when the present government itself has emphasisd the need for devolving autonomy to the provinces in order to resolve the long-festering inter-provincial and federal-provincial disputes, such decisions will rather be cause for creating more mistrust between the federation and the units.
I hope the Sindh government should approach the federal authorities for clarification.
The prime minister is also requested to take legislators of the Sindh Assembly, a representative body of the province, into confidence before implementing the said decision.
DR ALI AKBAR M. DHAKAN
Karachi
MANY letters regarding the local bodies’ system have appeared in these columns. This debate indeed is taking place at the right time because people are wondering whether or not this system will be scrapped by the civilian government. So far only the PML(Q), Zardari and Musharraf seem to be defending the system.
It is beyond any doubt that the system has precipitated many crises in the country that would otherwise have not happened. Price hike, worsening law and order situation, massive corruption and deteriorating district health and education are all gifts of nazims.
The system could be scrapped and people could revert to the commissioner system. I, with my long experience in the civil services, would suggest that if no consensus can be developed on the abolition of the system, the following amendments can be made to it for better output:
a. The executive magistracy should be revived which would regulate the prices of daily commodities for which the district management officer should be made responsible and not the nazim, who would politicise the prices’ mechanism.
b. The nazim’s power of law and order should be withdrawn. The police should report to the district management officer regarding the law and order situation.
c. In terms of development work, the local bodies should have the power to debate and pass the proposals put up by the district management officer.
d. The land revenue generation staff must be made independent of the nazim, for which the district management officer should be made responsible. This is the area of nazim’s corruption.
The ACRs of the civil servants should not be written by the nazim. It has caused paralysis of the government machinery and an attack on officers’ integrity.
All the district departments like education, health, municipal committees and C&W should be placed under the supervision of the district management officer. I believe that the above suggestions can solve our administrative problems to a large extent.
INAYATULLAH KHAN
Islamabad
BARRACK Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, writes in New York Times that it is high time to phase redeployment of combat troops which is essential and desirable for long-term success in Iraq.
There was indeed a serious blunder by the Bush administration to allow themselves to be distracted from the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban by invading Iraq that posed no real threat and had nothing to do with the 9/11 attacks.
In the process more than 4,000 innocent Americans have lost their lives and nearly $1 trillion has been spent so far. Also the British polling agency ORB has recently reported that the death toll in Iraq since the 2003 US invasion has passed the one million mark, a million wounded, and four to five million displaced.
The broader strategic goals starting in Pakistan and Afghanistan should be the top priority for the next administration in Washington. The situation in Afghanistan has deteriorated from bad to worse.
I fully endorse Barrack Obama’s contention that Iraq is not central to the war on terrorism, and it never has been. The Bush administration has constantly ignored productive debate in favour of making false and unsubstantiated charges. By all account, it was the greatest strategic blunder in the recent history of American foreign policy.
PROF WARIS SHERE
Canada
BALOCHISTAN has been facing problems since independence of Pakistan. About 60 years have passed but so for every government in Pakistan has failed to address the Baloch grievances, due to which the resentment of the Baloch has become intense.
Not surprisingly, Balochistan is the most poorly represented province in national services. From 1995 to 2003, the number of ex-servicemen from Balochistan was only 3,753 while in Punjab and the NWFP the numbers were 1,335,339 and 229,856 for the same period, which probably compel the Baloch to think that they are treated as third class citizens.
In the matter of foreign ministry just 18 officers, out of 478, belong to Balochistan. They have no officer in grade 22. All this makes it clear that the Baloch are ignored in every field.
Furthermore, in the Gwadar project the local people are not being given the opportunity to work while people are brought from different parts of the country. This is despite the fact that the Musharraf regime had promised to provide employment to the local people.
Further, the disastrous flood of 2007 washed away hundreds of homes in Balochistan and destroyed the source of people’s economy. It is now a year and still the flood victims are compelled to live in tents under this warm sun without any facilities.
The government must strike a balance among all the units of the federation in order to address the grievances of small provinces, especially Balochistan. Asif Zardari has to change all promises into action which were made after the February election regarding Balochistan.
AMJID BOJAIR
Turbat, Kech
PRIME Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani has said that a number of foreigners are present in the tribal areas and has expressed his fears that a 9/11-like incident can happen. Admitting that foreign elements are present enough, effective action is required against them. So far the government has been ineffective in improving the security situation within the country.
The prime minister is too busy travelling back and forth to Dubai while major problems are being faced by the country. Matters are getting no easier as the international community is highly critical of our role in handling our security situation.
By and large this will prevent foreign investors from coming to the country keeping in view the volatile situation as regards security. Negotiations are not an answer in fighting these foreign elements. Pakistan cannot afford to have these elements present and an allout final operation is required to get rid of the menace they are spreading within the country.
DAWOOD SHAKIL
Rawalpindi
THIS is with reference to T. Malik’s letter, ‘Payback time for travel agents’ (July 12), in which comments were made that show ignorance with regard to the working relations between the airline and travel agents.
The writer clearly has no idea that the nine per cent commission (now proposed to be five per cent as of July 16) earned by travel agents is subject to 10 per cent tax at source, while the remaining is required to meet the overheads and maintain marginal profitability.
Does the writer know that the ‘handsome commission’ earned by the agent is only on the fare value (used to be approximately 70 to 80 per cent) of the ticket value? The remaining amount collected in the ticket value comprises taxes and surcharges on behalf of the government, and airlines are non-commissionable.
Due to the recent hikes in fuel prices, the airlines are now charging fuel surcharge as high as twice the fare value. In essence, the agents have already ‘chipped in’ with the airlines in times of high fuel prices. The travel agents have to pay all the gross amounts collected by them to the airlines under the very stringent billing and settlement plan on a fortnightly basis, whereas norms and industrial practice requires a 30-day credit facility to the client.
Does the writer know that the reduction in commission will result in layoffs and consequently adding to the increasing unemployment in the country, loss to the exchequer in the form of less taxation due to less commission?
The airlines and travel agents are interdependent, so either party owes nothing to the other. If any airline has incurred losses, it was due to bad policies and extravaganza. Strikes and boycotts are civilised ways of registering a protest but not blackmail.
If asking for fairness and justice is in bad taste, then God help us. Yes, sense must prevail!
S.JAVAID HASAN
Karachi
I HAVE just finished reading the book, ‘Glimpses into the corridors of power’ by Gohar Ayub, son of Pakistan’s first army chief and military ruler Gen Ayub Khan. He has made startling revelations on the Siachen issue. While we the people of Pakistan have been told that Pakistan has the upper hand over Inda in the Siachen sector, Gohar Ayub states otherwise. According to him, Pakistan successively lost territory to India in Siachen and that India holds two-thirds of the Siachen glacier while pakistan just has one-third .
He mentions how the top military brass, especially Gen (r) Aslam Beg, who was then vice chief of the Army staff, was unwilling to counterattack to take back the territory lost to India and that when the attack was finally launched, it was done so when the weather was most inopportune.
India managed to destroy and repel our counterattack.
I am astonished as to why no hue and cry has been raised in public over these revelations.
Why has the Inter-Service Public Relations not stepped in to challenge Gohar Ayub’s version? Or is it because as a nation we have come to accept national disasters as a routine activity. If the military debacle in 1971 can be tolerated and ignored, why should one investigate the disaster in the small sector of Siachen?
MURAD JAVED BUTTAR
Lahore
IT is important that women are given access to quality education and contraceptive services as this will help reduce the birth rate in Pakistan. Every year 2.9 million infants are added to the population which we cannot afford as we are a developing country. Using quality contraceptive cannot do the job alone, educating women is equally important.
It is only through this tool that women can become aware of their wellbeing and enter the work force of society, thereby contributing to the country’s economy. That said, the women can also take vital decisions like when do they want to marry in life and how many children they want and when. More importantly they can hand down these enduring qualities to their daughters. Pakistan is not the only country that is struggling with population growth, countries like Nigeria and the Philippines have high birth rates too.
Providing quality contraceptive services will help in reducing the rate of infant death and transmission of diseases like HIV.
HAMDAN SIDDIQUI
Karachi
YOUR editorial of July 9, depicting uneasy and highly damaging relationship between two coalition partners created after the Feb 18 election, deals quite adequately with grave consequences.
The country has sunk into great disappointments owing to this unholy and unnatural marriage.
Their politicians issued honey and milk compromising statements, but when it came to displaying in real sincerity, it was dismal failure, because of history of deep-rooted vendetta of the 1990s.
In no democratic country of the world coalition is ever formed with two somewhat equal, larger parties. However, a group of smaller parties with a large party is proved successful and result-oriented.
It is time the present coalition calls it a day, so that stability is restored.
Hypocrisy too has a limit in Pakistan. Dread the day all the people coin “worst dictatorship is better than democracy”.
SYED ANWAR AHMAD JAFRY
Karachi
THROUGH this letter I would like to narrate an experience which shows yet another act of discrimination of the privileged class which in my case was between the armed forces and the civilians.
At the time of Maghreb prayers I was passing through The Mall in Rawalpindi and decided to offer my prayers at the nearest mosque which happened to be the mosque located in the premises of the Artillery Mess (Old Pindi Club).
When I tried to enter the mosque to offer my prayers, I was bluntly refused entry by the guard posted at the main gate by a local security guard company.
The reason for not letting me in to offer prayers was that I was a civilian and only armed forces personal were allowed in that mosque. Is this discrimination or what? Can’t a Muslim offer his prayers in a mosque he wants?
Doesn’t he have the right to pray? Although this might not have been such a big issue, still refusing entry to someone in a mosque is what I believe a clear sign of discrimination done by our armed forces even in matters related to religion.
The Old Pindi Club mosque was the only place civilians could enter but now even that has been taken away from them.
WASEEM A. MALIK
Rawalpindi
ON July 13 there was the news of the death of two of the most brilliant assets of the world of medicine. One of them was Dr Ayub Khan Ommaya, a jovial heart surgeon, inventor, qualified musician and professor of neurosurgery, who earned his medical degree from Pakistan, was the inventor of the famous Ommaya reservoir (device to deliver therapeutic agents to the brain).
The other man was behind a list of innovative creations which mankind today benefits from.
He was Surgeon Michael DeBakey of Lebanese ancestry, who being the pioneer of coronary artery bypass surgery and the heart transplant is no wonder called the ‘Magician of Heart’.
These icons of medical world are a source of inspiration for generations to come.
While mankind continues to benefit from inventions and techniques developed by medical scientists worldwide, we Pakistanis should feel proud of the fact that, given the right opportunity and circumstances, many Pakistanis have gone places whether being abroad or at home.
It’s the continuous pursuit of knowledge, dedication, and integrity of character and sense of humour that brings success.
ASIM J SHAIKH
Karachi
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