| August 14, 2008 | Thursday | Sha'aban 11, 1429 |
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Kashmir issue
Modified oil pricing: too little too late
Countering inflation
Bias in recruitments
Flood victims left high and dry
Unreasonable MO fees
Women in private security
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
“PAKISTAN is on the road to success.” This is the image that the government has been giving to its people for the past eight years. Despite the skyrocketing inflation, energy dearth, soaring oil prices and more poor people getting below or closer to the poverty line every day, Pakistan is on the road to success!
If we see the bigger picture, Pakistan has been better than ever before. Life expectancy has grown dramatically over the last 22 years. More people vote in elections, express their views openly and enjoy economic freedom than ever before. Even with all the problems we face today, Pakistan has gotten a lot better since its birth.
The problem is that it is not getting better fast enough, and it is not getting better for everyone. Thirty-four per cent of the population live on less than a dollar a day (Unicef). People do not have enough nutritious food, clean water or electricity. Religious clerics advise people not to give their children polio vaccine because that is anti-Islamic and, thus, such an amazing invention has passed by many in the illiterate areas of the country.
According to the Unicef statistics, the current population of Pakistan stands at over 170 million. One of the biggest problems that Pakistan has to face is the population explosion. The government has introduced contraceptives but the government did nothing to ensure that all sectors of society got the message evenly.
As a result, the educated lot got the message and the uneducated did not, thus, resulting in a total imbalance of population — educated versus uneducated. If we are able to control population, we would be able to ward off many vices that come with it for free. People still feel very uncomfortable asking for contraceptives at the medical/convenience stores.
The government should keep in mind the culture as well. Contraceptives should be delivered to people free of cost at their doorstep. The way door-to-door polio vaccination campaign works, the same teams should be providing a good number of contraceptives every three months to households along with effectively composed brochures that ensure how contraceptives would be helpful to the economics of a family and to its general health.
If the government is able to control the national head count, providing equal education and health opportunities to a controlled population would be limitless.
ZILL-E-REHMAN KHAN NIAZI
Islamabad
(II)
When we needed Pakistan, we sacrificed millions of people to get it, but now Pakistan needs us. Are we ready to sacrifice for it?
Dear countrymen, a friend in need is a friend indeed. Pakistan did its job when we were helpless, now are we going to carry out our part of responsibility to help our helpless friend? It’s time to think and act. Now or never! Let’s come together, think and work collectively for the betterment of our sacred homeland. Long live Pakistan!
A PATRIOTIC PAKISTANI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to a debate on Amarnath crisis which was aired on NDTV on Aug 10. The debate was attended by people from the BJP, Congress, Sangharsh, Samiti, noted human rights lawyer Gautam Nawlakha and People’s Conference leader Sajjad Lone.
The way Mr Nawlakha defended the Kashmiri aspirations is really commendable. He is really a brave man who exposed the atrocities committed on Kashmiri people by Indian security forces.
He openly criticised the Sangharsh Samiti of Jammu for attacking Kashmiri drivers and Muslims of Jammu. We should be proud of such brave people in Indian civil society who don’t bow down to any pressure.
We hope that other Indian civil society groups would exhibit such valour and courage to expose the oppressors. We must applaud NDTV also for airing such programmes.
They must continue such debates in future so that people around India and abroad see the real picture of Kashmir. I appeal to the other Indian news channels to shun their biased character and show the reality to the Indian people.
Most of the Indian population are totally unaware of the ground realities of Kashmir which I personally came to know at a two-day convention on the draconian laws held recently at Delhi University.
All the students, mostly females, invited me to the Delhi University campus for a talk on Kashmir. They even supported revocation of AFSPA from Jammu and Kashmir and vowed to support the Kashmir cause in future.
So we, Kashmiris, must not hate the Indian people. The problem is misinformation and propoganda of government agencies and the media which are a barrier between the Kashmiris and Indian civil society.
DR RAJA MUZAFFAR BHAT
Convener, J&K Peace Foundation
I FULLY endorse Khaleeq Kiani’s views in his article, ‘Modified oil pricing: too little too late’ (Aug 4), that the pricing rationalisation, which would save the government Rs20 to 22 billion, would not benefit the inflation-hit consumers. I am sure consumers would never be benefited.
The new pricing formula says that the subsidy allowed by the government has been withdrawn, hence price increase. But some part of this increase would be transferred to Shylocks — the oil companies and distribution gang.
What it actually means is that the consumers are now paying that subsidy for which petrol price was raised by Rs10 per litre. Half of this rise is now being paid to oil companies as additional benefit.
There is — and has been all long — something fishy about oil pricing, commission distribution and profit sharing among oil supplying companies. The petroleum ministry, the ‘association of morons’ called Ogra and other related players in the supply chain keep their mouth shut lest they regurgitate the truth.
About three years ago, during the Shaukat Aziz-led government, NAB investigated the faulty and dubious oil price fixing formula. It submitted a report disclosing that Rs200 billion had gone wrongfully into the wrong hands in seven years. The report has exposed many faces also. The report never got to the print; and the matter was quashed. Why?
I am, like all other consumers, reeling under the burden of high cost of petroleum price. I have a right to know how and by whom that Rs200 billion was devoured. Whose faces are those that NAB report was talking about? It should not be pushed under the carpet as the audit report for 2005-06 as presented in the National Assembly by the Auditor-General Pakistan was quietly slipped into the drawers.
The audit report had disclosed that the federal ministries’ financial mismanagement had reached Rs158 billion and Rs 53.4 billion bank loans were written off. These are no small amounts; if half of these figures are recovered — which should be recovered — our flour shortage and electricity crisis will be over in less than a year. Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani is requested to look into this.
M. K. NAQVI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the increase in the discount rate to 13 per cent by the State Bank of Pakistan on July 30 to ‘control inflation’.
I believe that discount rate alone cannot arrest inflation, it is the deficit financing which is the main culprit. This year it is expected to go up to 8.3 per cent as indicated by our central bank. The government borrowing stands at Rs865 billion which is the root cause of inflation.
To counter this, we have to increase production and exports. The recent budget and trade policy do not provide any incentive to the exporters. Referring to the above borrowing, it is said in economic jargon that too much money is chasing very few goods. Manufacturing small and large products will provide jobs for millions of our labourers.
Our imports are $39.97 billion and exports $19.27 for the year ended June 30. We have to make effective decisions to raise production for home consumption and exports, otherwise we are no more than a sinking ship.
Other fiscal measures like asking the government to reduce its expenditure and not depend entirely on borrowing from the central bank are crucial. Tightening money to control inflation is a belief of the past. Nowadays a combined mix of monetary, fiscal and administrative measure is needed to fight inflation.
The new government has been in power for more than three and a half months but not a single word has come from the economic managers whether they considered the above-mentioned measures. It is beyond me why do not these managers emphasise more on production and exports? Besides providing employment to increase manpower as it is available in abundance, they can tame inflation and earn a lot of foreign exchange for the country.
INAYAT ULLAH SHEIKH
Karachi
I PASSED the test, organised by the IBA, Sukkur, for high school teacher (HST) with a 70 per cent score. I have a master’s degree in science.
On July 22, I reached the education secretary’s office to receive my offer order but was refused on grounds that I did not have a BEd degree (trained teachers qualification).
I was surprised and shocked. About 25 per cent other candidates were also denied on the same reason. The secretary cited the condition of BEd for HST recruitment in the advertisement. I with other candidates protested that the authorities should have informed us or disqualified us at the time of receiving applications for the vacancies.
He admitted the mistake of his department and our cases have been forwarded to the senior minister for a further decision.
These teacher vacancies were created through a Sindh government’s Education Sector Reform Programme with IDA of the World Bank assistance of $300 million. In the document of this programme, the government has intended to launch a revamped and depoliticised recruitment policy by pronouncing that “a system of teacher recruitment has been institutionalised (being a transparent formula-based selection criterion) that favours high achievers in tests (developed and administered by reputable third parties and based on the required competencies for teaching), those with higher academic qualifications, females and locals.
It offers relaxations on age and requirements related to ‘academic qualifications in remote areas’.
This statement is enough to refute the secretary’s claim for the condition of BEd.
I appeal to the World Bank to do the needful against this prejudice. We, victims of apparently an unknown bias, have fears of being let down since we are told that our cases are ‘pending’.
NADEEM AZIZ CHANG
Badin
THIS is apropos of Zafar Dost’s letter, ‘Floods again’ (Aug 9). I agree with him that nothing has been done for the people of Balochistan in general and Turbat in particular. Had it not been due to the help of NGOs, the flood-affected people would have died from hunger and lack of shelter.
It should be noted that Turbat is one of the hottest cities in Pakistan and winter is bitter as well. More than a year has passed, but the government’s promises are yet to be fulfilled.
Examples of Koshkalat and nearby villages show that telephone lines have not been repaired as yet.
Electricity has been restored but only because of the efforts of the local people. It is hard to distinguish between water and sewerage lines; diarrhoea is rampant in the area. Death rate has gone up. There is a severe shortage of food and, hence, inflation has hit the roof.
Date farms have been seriously affected. Smuggled food items are the only means of survival for them. One has to visit the city oneself to know the gravity of the situation.
More than 90 per cent naïve people who earlier migrated to nearby shelters are waiting for the government to fulfil its promises. No one has the courage to face the reality that it is too late and relief should not be expected from the federal authorities anymore.
ZIAUL HAQ BALOCH
Koshkalat village,
Turbat
A FEW days ago I dispatched two money orders from the General Post Office, Lahore, and paid fees of Rs50 for each. I think that the charges of Rs50 are in excess of the money order of a small amount of Rs1,000.
It should not be more than Rs10 or Rs15.
The Pakistan Post should look into the matter and revise the money order fees and adjust it according to the amount.
M. AKHTAR SHAHID
Lahore
IN Pakistan, security profession lacks opportunities for women. Although a number of women are working in some security organisations as lady searchers, they are not yet seen doing field security duties in private security companies.
Security organisations which need manpower do not cosider women suitable for security duties. As such, these companies have also not taken any initiative in offering security jobs to women.
Contrary to this view, we have observed that whenever opportunities are provided to women for any tough and courageous job, they have always proved their worth and never lagged behind men. Induction of women as fighter pilots in the Pakistan Air Force is a recent example. Some time back it was generally thought that women cannot fly an aircraft, but now they are successful fighter pilots. Former minister Nilofar Bakhtiar, as a successful paraglider, has recently proved to the world that Pakistani women are second to none in physically tough and daring activities.
Similarly, women in our country have also made their career in the police. Recently, they have taken up the job of traffic warden in Lahore.
They ride heavy motorcycles, chasing traffic violators. These women have not only proved themselves as an effective traffic warden but have also brought a pleasant change on the roads. Women are also doing successfully in the Airport Security Force. Now they are also being inducted into armed forces as officers in various other branches, which were previously considered unsuitable for women.
Women think differently than men. They are sensitive and humanistic and react to situations on an individual basis. Men tend to be short-term goal-oriented, while women usually are long-term goal-oriented. Women can stand the confusion and disarray that come with handling several things at one time, and they find change less frustrating than their male counterparts.
On the one hand, there is an acute shortage of guards in private security companies and, on the other hand, there is a lot of demand for security guards by organisations and individuals. This can be met by inducting women into private security system.
We only need to train and educate them about the benefits of pursuing a career in security profession.
Young and educated women can be an effective guard force. Their training can be carried out either by private companies in their in-house training facility or they can be sent to the All Pakistan Security Agencies Association Training School and Pakistan Institute of Security Management at Karachi. After training, these women guards can be deployed on day duties in conjunction with senior security guards or independently in organisations where women are mostly working or in schools, etc
Induction of women in private security companies will not only provide job opportunities to unemployed young and educated women but will also help in meeting the acute shortage of male security guards in their companies.
SQN LDR (r) S.AUSAF HUSAIN
Karachi
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