| October 10, 2008 | Friday | Shawwal 10, 1429 |
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Mealy bugs attack fruit trees
Counter-productive tax policies
Helping Pakistan in times of crisis
Stuck in a rabbit hole
One-window policy
Anti-terror confusion
Prof Salam the genius
Managing winter gas load
Sinking global markets
Revisiting the Stone Age
Pressure on economy
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
JUSTICE Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui had the strength of character to refuse the offer of a dictator and resign rather than take the oath under a PCO. He was Nawaz Sharif’s candidate for the position of the president of Pakistan.
Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry at the same time not only took the oath as judge but also took another oath subsequently to become the chief justice. He is Nawaz Sharif’s candidate for reinstatement as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
The judge who resigned from his job on principle and refused to work under a dictator; and the judge who grabbed the job plus a promotion to boot, under the same dictator, have both been placed in the same boat: in positions of high honour, by Nawaz Sharif. Isn’t there just a little contradiction here?
Justice Chaudhry enjoyed his position, the power and the pelf, the Mercedes and the flag, all hand in glove with Gen Musharraf until they fell apart. Sharing power is never easy, specially when it is not legitimate.
However, Justice Iftikhar is being eulogised and expects to be rewarded for actually refusing to give up these ‘ill-perks and privileges’ which he so gratefully received from the dictator himself and enjoyed at his pleasure for six long years. There has to be a contradiction there.
The 17th Amendment that Justice Iftikhar supported to the hilt allowed Gen Musharraf to plant his feet firmly on the ground. It also legitimised his act of overthrowing a democratically elected prime minister. This very judge, who’s role contributed towards Nawaz Sharif’s undoing, is now his ‘do or die’ candidate for reinstatement. Isn’t there a contradiction here as well.
The erstwhile chief justice loved his job and flourished on it for many, many years under the dictator. Had he not been asked to resign on March 9, 2007, he would have continued as before. There would have been no crisis.
But the general goofed up, thus brightening up Nawaz Sharif’s chances for revenge. The jilted ex-prime minister jumped at the opportunity when it presented itself. Where does the ‘independence of the judiciary’ come in?
We all remember the beleaguered Supreme Court and the hapless chief justice Sajjad Ali Shah of Nawaz Sharif’s days. His supporters may not see the contradiction but all this has very little to do with the ‘independence of the judiciary’.
When Justice Chaudhry was made non-functional in March 2007, he had himself submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court where he had specifically mentioned the role of some generals. Justice Chaudhry’s affidavit was printed on front pages and read word for word on TV channels but we never heard of the affidavits of the generals which were submitted in response. The entire reference was, in fact, very skilfully swept under the carpet on a technicality.
What were the charges and what were the contents, right or wrong, of the generals’ affidavits? The people have a right to know. After all Justice Chaudhry did condone the overthrow of a democratically-elected prime minister and then willingly served as chief justice under a dictator for six long years. Let’s not pretend that life began on March 9, 2007.
The important question is: if reinstated, would he again support an amendment similar to the 17th, if the need arose, some time in the near future? History does repeat itself.
The answer to this question is crucial to democracy. Promises made or broken in London, Dubai, Bhurban or anywhere else are irrelevant.
CAPT S. AFAQ RIZVI
Karachi
YOUR correspondent has reported incidence of mealy bug on some fruit trees of Baltistan (Sept 30). I had reported attack by the bugs on sunflower and other plants in Sindh in a survey work on the status of health of sunflower plants in a letter titled ‘Mealy bug menace’ (July 26) and had warned of the impending danger to agriculture in Pakistan.
Owing to the attack of mealy bugs there was 40 per cent loss in cotton production in 2007 (Dawn, Oct 17, 2007). There is a recurring incidence of the mealy bug disease on mango in Sindh and Punjab and it has been investigated and published by us in International Journal of Biology and Biotechnology (Vol. 3 (3): 561-562, 2006).
The mealy bug is an oblong-bodied insect and remains covered with a white-waxy sticky substance and appears as white fuzzy matter on flowers, fruits, leaves and stems on the affected parts. The bugs secrete a sugary substance called honeydew which is a good source of nutrition for a special group of fungi. The bugs suck juice from soft and succulent parts of plants and prefer to remain in the canopy of foliage and on the lower surfaces of leaves (away from sunlight).
The honeydew secreted by the bugs falls on the upper surface of leaves lying underneath. The fungi grow vigorously in the honeydew (sugary substance) drops and produce luxuriant colonies full of black network of vegetative cells and spores. The entire foliage of a tree (mango etc.) appears black from a distance.
In a pilot experiment on the control of the pest through a research project on mycorrhizal biotechnology of sunflower, funded by the HEC, we found spraying of the soapy lather soon turning into soapy flakes under the influence of heat and being blown away. Pesticides such as malathion or Fayfanon applied at 0.05 per cent concentration (dosage) as spray showed adverse effect in the advancement and spread of the mealy bugs on sunflower.
Mealy bugs have been attacking many a plant of economic importance for the last two years and, therefore, it requires to be investigated thoroughly to control the mealy bug menace to agriculture, horticulture and fruit trees in Pakistan.
DR M. JALALUDDIN
Department of Agriculture,
University of Karachi
THE existing IMF-dictated IT returns and mandatory non-taxable wealth statement for income exceeding Rs500,000 have scared many to declare less income or to take risk and abstain from filing a return. A general fear does exist that anyone who once submits an IT return is subsequently hounded by tax officials with reference to any one of the numerous columns of IT return.
Various draconian tax laws and procedures have already forced most rich people to invest in Dubai, Europe and elsewhere. The reported threat of seizure of assets by tax officials on the pretext of misuse of money whitening scheme will only accelerate flight of capital. Except for one-time additional revenue, the whitened money is worthless for the nation if it is not invested in productive projects of national interest.
Like the previous government notorious for reckless taxing and the resultant price hike, Federal Finance Minister Syed Naveed Qamar has asked the FBR to collect Rs50 billion in addition to the already increased tax target. It means that the flour-starved people will have to pay it through further price hike of the necessities of life. It is likely to prove costly to rulers, feasting at public expense, like the French Revolution of 1789.
In the national and government interest, I offer the following suggestions: one, all IT returns should be simplified in consultation with taxpayers, with no additional non-taxable details for tax officials to exploit.
Two, foreign direct investment involving long-term forex liability should not be permitted, such as sale of local banks to foreign investors, import-based services and manufacturing.
Three, instead of money-whitening scheme, the government should announce local resource-based major projects of national importance, with no question asked about source of investment as applicable to foreign investors.
The projects should include power generation, roads and strategic bridges on a BOT basis, purchase and revival of closed industries (estimated 8,000), steel mills based on iron ores from Nokundi, Kalabagh, etc, supply of iron ore to Pakistan Steel, revival and operation of closed railway network, public transport system, utilisation of coal and other minerals.
RAJA M. AFZAL KHAN
Gujar Khan
THE recent news about Pakistan is very disturbing to all of us expatriates. According to a recent news report, the State Bank of Pakistan does not have funds to order oil come November. It is, therefore, becoming essential to beg and borrow and, if necessary, sell the country’s sovereignty for survival.
Here is a simple and common sense solution. Let’s do fundraising for Pakistan. There are three sources for this fundraising. Primary donors, Pakistani leaders including:
a. All of the current leaders.
b. Those that aspire to run the country and
c. Those that have run the country in the past.
Here is how they can donate to Pakistan:
1. Declare the current value of their personal assets in Pakistan and abroad.
2. Declare the source of revenue from the day they took power to the day they were forced out of the office.
3. Liquidate their assets in Pakistan and abroad.
4. Keep only what they earned legitimately and turn all excess funds to the State Bank of Pakistan.
5. No questions asked. Let’s agree to bygone be bygone.
I am sure this fundraising will provide plenty of instant funds to bail out the Pakistani economy immediately. Not only will it save Pakistan from the beg-borrow-sell situation but the leaders will also gain a renewed sense of respect from fellow citizens.
The secondary source is: while we are at being an honest country, may I offer another suggestion to the rest of the citizenry. Let’s all make a pledge to Allah that we will not accept, pay or engage in bribery, corruption, cheating, poor workmanship, price gouging, smuggling, etc.
From this day forward we will follow the teachings of our religion. After all, it is ‘Islamic Republic of Pakistan’ we created so that we could live and practise Islamic values.
Let’s make a pledge to Allah that all of us Pakistanis will turn their illegitimate funds (that we have collected by accepting bribes or being corrupt) to the State Bank of Pakistan without being interrogated.
Last but not the least is the expatriate community. We of the Pakistani descent in the US pledge to provide financial support to all progressive programmes such as education, healthcare, better housing, modern infrastructure by way of investments in Pakistan as soon as the above two conditions are met.
How about starting from the top rung of leadership? Are you all willing to volunteer in this time of crisis?
This may seem wishful thinking on my part but we can give it a try. This may be a turning-point for Pakistan.
ATHER PASHA
United States
REFERENCE Jawed Naqvi’s article, ‘Stuck in a rabbit hole’ (Oct 9), the writer seems to have a great deal of grudge against successful Indians, especially in America. His latest column recounts a tragic episode of an Indian man killing himself and his family in America, and implies that this tragedy represents Indians in America.
How exactly the sad thing that befell one Indian family represents all of us? What is puzzling is the urge Mr Naqvi feels to equate the word ‘coolies’ with the IT industry. It must be pretty clear to anyone by now that IT workers in America are not coolies.
Regardless of all this, the fact is that Indian IT industry has moved millions of people out of a stagnant economic situation into a dynamic middle class in India. What happens in America will affect them in India no doubt, but let not the doomsayers forget history.
The last time there was a downturn in the IT industry in America was after the Dot-Com bust. Guess what it did to the Indian IT industry? It boomed manifold because the American companies outsourced even more functions.
People like Mr Naqvi are always looking for sad stories about India. The Indian people are far more resilient and don’t give up that easily.
B. K. VASAN
USA
THIS is apropos of the recent advertisements run by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board in all leading papers stating, ‘One Window Operation for Water Connections’.
I called on the contact numbers given in the advertisement. The lady operator gave me another contact number. I called on that number and the operator told me that I needed to come down to the office of KWSB for the connection.
I asked about pricing of water and the operator gave me yet another contact where I was told that “Saab in not in the office and will come in the evening”.
Can anybody tell me as to what was the use of such an advertisement in the papers in which millions of rupees of the taxpayers were wasted?
INAYAT ULLAH SHEIKH
Karachi
To fail or to be seen to fail in either Iraq or Afghanistan would be a disastrous blow to our credibility, said US Defence Secretary Robert Gates (Sept 30).
The confusion for US failure in Iraqi war is that it has already announced it will withdraw many thousand of its troops. And for Afghanistan, Robert Gates’s predecessor had claimed an exemplary victory, quicker than expected, when, after the US bombardment, he said: “It would be a wonderful thing if Iraqis were similar to Afghanistan”.
Besides, why does the US give a chance to the world to reassess its credibility?
Z.A. KAZMI
Karachi
I REFER to Ahmad Faruqi’s excellent and poignant article (Oct 6). This is an admirable attempt to make Pakistanis aware about Dr Salam, who brought such glory to this country.
Reluctantly, referring to Ahmad Faruqi’s article, I would like to make a small factual correction about Dr Salam’s matriculation record. I got my admission to Government College, Lahore, in 1952, after being interviewed by a panel that included Prof Salam.
In those days we as young students were all aware of
Prof Salam’s score of 765 marks out of 850 in his matriculation examinations.
The correction I want to make is that there was an earlier record of 782 marks achieved by one Mukerjee. I must repeat that this is a factual correction I am making reluctantly. Prof Salam’s great achievements in the world of science are well-known and cannot be measured in terms of marks scored in an examination.
I always had fond memories of that interview when I was facing the great man across the table. Some 40 years later, as I attended the convocation of my two daughters at Imperial College, London, lo and behold, Prof Salam, now retired and very ill, was there, receiving a special award for his lifetime achievements.
In the presentation speech, they narrated his life story starting with his childhood in Jhang and declared that the Imperial College was grateful to Abdus Salam for choosing to work in that institution.
With the memories of my days at the Government College, Lahore, in the 1950s and the coincidence of Prof Salam and my own daughters receiving awards in the Royal Albert Hall, it was indeed a very emotional moment for me.
Will our nation wake up and recognise their own son of the soil, who rose to dizzy heights of glory in pursuit and propagation of knowledge, using the universal language of science and maths? Indeed he was on a mission to dissect the heart of the subatomic particles in order to discover the mysteries of the universe. To put it poetically, one may quote Allama Iqbal: ‘Lahu khurshid ka tapkay agar zarray ka dil cheerain’, meaning: ‘If you disect the heart of an atom, you will see the structural pattern of the sun and stars’.
The dissection is now taking place in Large Hadron Collider at CERN, in Switzerland. The world is waiting breathlessly. It is a pity that most of the Pakistani nation is blissfully unaware of the worldwide excitement!
KHALID A.
United Kingdom
(ii)
IT was a pleasure to read about Prof Abdus Salam. He was one of the greatest and brightest.
I always regarded him as another Srinivasa Ramanujam, the brilliant mathematician. He was also affiliated with Cambridge University.
Mr Ramanujam, however, died at the early age of 32. Also, there is no Nobel prize for mathematics. I am proud of Prof Salam.
S. GOVINDARAJAN
United States
REFERRING to the article, ‘Plan to manage winter gas load’ (Oct 7), I would like to present an alternative solution.
I think that it would not be feasible to cut gas supply to the industrial sector. Pakistan’s economy is already suffering due to shortage of power supply. Cutting the industrial sector’s gas supply would be equivalent to adding fuel to fire. Instead, gas supply to CNG stations should be cut down. Although it would adversely affect the general public, keeping in mind the current economic situation, our governments’ prime focus should be to give our economy a boom. The government should reduce the petrol price which is a pragmatic option as the world oil prices are declining. This way it would not come very hard on the pockets of the consumers to shift back to petrol at least for the coming winter months.
Along with this, a plan for gas loadshedding could be framed similar to that of electricity for the domestic consumers.
Gas could only be supplied for a fixed number of hours daily for cooking purposes. This way the load would be distributed on gas and electricity as majority of gas consumers will shift to electric heaters during the loadshedding time.
It is time the government devised policies to give Pakistan’s economy a boom instead of sending it further into depression, which is already tumbling because of the rather fantastic policies of our new government.
OMER WASEEM
Lahore
THE US Federal Reserve and central banks in Europe, Canada and Japan injected $180 billion from taxpayers’ money to buy ‘bad debt’ and to bail out sinking global markets. History would record this development as a great achievement of Bush and his cronies.
Finally, their efforts are making a success in shifting ‘free market economy’ towards the new era of ‘neo-nationalisation’. All those who regard ‘privatisation and deregulation’ as a source of economic stability must take stock of our ‘national reserves’ before embarking upon such a (mis) adventure.
ALLAH NAWAZ SAMOO
Sindh
IF we are not in sync with the American agenda in Afghanistan, they will bomb us to Stone Age. The Taliban through their twisted version of ‘religion’ are determined to drag us to Stone Age.
Stoning of women for alleged indiscretions is not unknown. Stoned addicts are not uncommon. Stony silence of religious parties perseveres on suicide bombings, on live burial of women, on whipping up religious frenzy on TV by a mufti goaded on by a sing-song anchor, to point of murder.
Stonewalling of restoration of the deposed chief justice and judges by the PPP government continues. The trifling with tombstones of Makli protected under heritage law, by the Palijos of Thatta, one of whom is the culture minister in the PPP government in Sindh, is new stony story. More stones than roads in Karachi’s DHA is an old stony story. The gemstones business in Swat is all but done for. The government of the ‘roti, kapra aur makan’ brigade is about to begin advising people to drop ‘roti’ from the chant, and tie heavy stones on their bellies to fight hunger.
Stones are beginning to have special meaning for the country. Is it because the country is being readied by its government to revisit the Stone Age?
S. KHALID HUSAIN
Karachi
REPEATED attacks by the US spy planes in different areas of Fata have led to the business community to develop strong concerns. Most of them believe that the prevailing instability will lead to adverse repercussions and detonate itself after some time.
Pakistan is already going through a pre-dominant phase of economic crisis and such circumstances would deteriorate further. According to many businessmen, the period of financial crumbling which followed after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto caused further degradation of the economic institutions operating in the country.
Akber Sheikh, a former Aptma chairman, believes that the people may not be concerned about the US army’s interference but they want the prices of basic food necessities like rice etc reduced.
Any issue which poses a grave threat to the national security of a country is destined to slow down the pace of economic rejuvenation.
Many businessmen fear that in time to come pressure of US authorities on the economy of Pakistan is going to increase.
The recent postponement of an oil consignment worth $6bn, which Pakistan was supposed to receive from Saudia Arabia, is a comprehensible manifestation of the overwhelming influence of the US across the globe, Pakistan in particular.
The time has arrived for Pakistanis to show some serious concern about this grave issue and frame a long-lasting policy to resolve it.
MUHAMMAD SHOAIB SHAKIR
Karachi
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