| October 31, 2008 | Friday | Ziqa'ad 1, 1429 |
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Plight of Pakistani women
Journalism: a negative profession for banks?
An imagination in wilderness
Pakistan squash
Mobile madness
Role of media
Ataturk of Pakistan
What begging?
The lot of rural women
Contradictions, between the lines
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 with reference to another attempt at reversing the new academic term from Aug 1, 2008 to April 1, 2009, as reported in Dawn of Oct 18. It is extremely sad that improving the system of education, its quality, testing, regulations governing private schools, rationalising fee structures, resuscitation of the government and semi-government educational institutions are not the top priority or the worry of the ministry of education, but more importantly reversing the new term from Aug 1, 2008 to April 1, 2009.
The reduction of two months of April and May in the annual term by holding the examinations in March will merely leave 120 teaching days for the current academic term of August 2008 to March 2009.
Earlier this year the Sindh caretaker education minister was also made to initiate such a reversal, befooling himself into considering the matter to be of great urgency and in public interest.
Fortunately, a dedicated and committed group of school heads, educationists and philanthropists who have established reputable educational institutions and imparting quality education managed to convince him of the disastrous effects of his action, who upon better sense prevailing withdrew his orders.
Subsequently, even the ministerial conference in May had cautioned the provinces that any reversal of the term must ensure a minimum of 180 days of academics in a school year. Even 180 days are still the lowest number of academic days, as compared to other schools across the world which record up to 200 to 240 days as in India, Denmark, Saudi Arabia, China and Japan, and all of whom have successfully led the crusade of educating their citizens wisely.
There are hardly any states or provinces where the new academic term starts in the middle of a financial calendar year, i.e. April. It is either January to December or August to July, the latter being extensively adopted.
This is also financially viable as parents are not burdened with tuition and transport fees for the vacation period, after merely attending two months of classes. Ample convincing data to adopt the August term were submitted to the then provincial and federal education ministers which sadly, it seems, have not been shared with the new team of rulers.
Once again the Sindh education minister, a progressive leader, has not been fully apprised of the facts. We fail to adopt any progressive change even for the better, if it comes from professionals of civil society, leave alone promoting government-citizen partnership initiatives which would help lead towards enhancing the quality of education in the public sector.
JAMEEL YUSUF
Karachi
THERE seems to be no relief for the poor oppressed women of Pakistan that continue to suffer irrespective of change in regime.
If the chief minister of Sindh, belonging to the party founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, cannot provide justice to the residents of his constituency, what moral right does he have to occupy an office that is supposed to be the custodian of people’s constitutional and human rights in the province.
The inhumane killing of a 17-year-old girl in Khairpur district reminds us of the stone age.
We seem to be frozen in time when such repressive and shameful acts continue to be done. Heavens would have shaken when the unfortunate father, Gulsher Solangi, of 17-year-old Tasleem, was made to witness hungry dogs feed on his daughter by monsters in the garb of men.
Yet the MPA from Khairpur considers it appropriate to sit in the comfort of his palatial home in Karachi, because the traditions of the waderas of Sindh have more sanctimonious relevance than the laws of Pakistan, human rights or the religion of Islam.
After all, these influential people matter in elections, where power and money matter. The feudals of this country know that people will forget all this in time and so will the print or electronic media. After all hundreds of such murderers have gotten away scot-free, after a brief spell in jail.
Life goes on, as it has, for those that buried alive five women in Balochistan, or those that raped Dr Shazia Khalid and thousands of others.
It was Dr Shazia Khalid who had to flee from Pakistan, while his rapist was provided sanctuary by Musharraf, for whom emancipation of women was confined only to holding fashion shows and mujrahs in the presidency.
The champion of enlightened moderation said it all, when he in anger stated his inner mindset in New York, that these victims of rape plan all this to get visas and immigration etc.
Pakistan today suffers because of credibility of its ruling khaki and civil elite.
Our religious clergy is strangely very quite when it comes to rights of women. It is no wonder that Islamabad wants a pliant judiciary, that does not consider it appropriate to take suo motu notice of such barbarities, but considers it just to use the same power to provide relief to those involved in Punjab bank heist.
The people of Pakistan will suffer as long as such injustice occurs.
T. MALLICK
Lahore
(ii)
THIS refers to the news item ‘Barbaric killing of teenager unfolds’ (Oct 28). I feel disgraceful to know that such inhumane people are still alive and roam our society.
Incidents of such nature may only take place in a society where justice is delayed or denied by any means. Criminals have no fear of God or any law-enforcement agencies.
Had the justice system been strengthened by jurists like Justice Chaudhry, such incidents would not go unnoticed under suo motu actions. I request the government to take stern action against the criminals.
QAZI NAZIM NAEEM
Karachi
I’M a journalist and I’m writing this to share my ordeal that I’ve been through while visiting different banks (locals/international) for a loan.
To my utter shock I was told by all the banks that they never give loans to journalists/media as they are ‘marked’ as negative in their sales dictionary which, according to them, means media personnel/journalists are not trustworthy.
Isn’t it discriminatory that they issue loans to those politicians who at the end turn out to be defaulters, although they have millions and billions of rupees in their assets but banks simply close the cases stamping them as defaulters?
Media organisations in Pakistan are managing their bank accounts worth millions of rupees with these banks and they just don’t accommodate their employees.
I appeal to the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists to take this matter with the State Bank of Pakistan and ask them to instruct banks that they can’t just refuse a loan to a person in need just because of his profession, which otherwise is not negative as the banks claim. Also, can this be challenged in any court of law?
AZEEM AHMED
Lahore
IF the famous American satire-columnist Art Buchwald was living today, he would perhaps look at the USA’s engagement with Taliban in the following perception:
Osama, an ordinary citizen of Saudi Arabia with fundamentalist views and attitude, was magnified out of proportion by the Bush chase.
The way President Bush went after Osama looked like a personal vendetta rather than a security concern of a superpower.
The US lived with much worse enemies in the past, even at the country level, and always prevailed upon them through its policy of snubbing them.
The provocation by the superpower brought it into an unfortunate and disproportionate equation with Osama.
A new Republican president might again chose to continue with the unfinished work of Mr Bush. But the story might become different if Democrats came to power.
The race for presidency is picking momentum and the campaign is almost nearing its end to give a pause before the US presidential election on Nov 4.
In the meantime, news is that an attempt on the life of Obama was made which did not succeed.
In Third World countries such activities before an election are staged to earn sympathy votes, but not so in the US and Europe where election is always down to earth fair according to democratic norms.
Crossing all his hurdles if Barack Obama did reach the presidency, then it can also be anticipated that there will be a long pause in American political history during which the first black president would take stock of the situation and might end up with the option of infusing peace into the world.
Then an inspired Osama might react as under:
“Hello President Obama, this is Osama.”
“Hi Osama.”
“Brother, I am tired.”
“OK, give it up and enjoy US-granted amnesty.”
“Got it, thank you.”
“Fine, but stay true to God on your commitment with all your followings.”
“Will do that but you too stay true to God on your Amnesty plan.”
“You have my words as American commitment.”
“Good day to you, Mr President.”
“Same to you and goodbye.”
What a fine end to the long ordeal.
By a rough estimate the US has spent $1,000+ billion in pursuit of Osama!
M. M. Khan
Karachi
THIS is with reference to Pakistan’s dismal performance in the recently-concluded World Open in Manchester, reported in Dawn.
The failing fortunes of Pakistan’s squash effort to produce a world champion in the post-Jahangir-Jansher period has proved beyond any shadow of doubt that the champion-producing process in Pakistan is entirely genetic and self-driven, with a lot of help from the Pakistan Air Force, and not systemic.
Enormous and very precious and scarce resources have been deployed over the last 15 years in the grooming of a world champion to fill the void.
This has been at the cost and expense of the broad-basing of the game through a nationwide court construction programme, particularly in the school and college systems of the country.
Such a programme would have tremendously broadened the catchment area for player recruitment into the higher echelons of the world’s squash ranking. It would also have constituted a befitting tribute to the memory of the past squash greats of Pakistan upon whose laurels we have basked in style.
Instead of taking the game to the grassroots we have squandered our time, effort and money on the building of lavish ‘international specification’ squash palaces that lie empty throughout the year, coming alive once in a long while to host a squash extravaganza that Pakistan can ill afford.
The refusal of top-ranked players to travel to Islamabad for the Pakistan Open in November this year due to security concerns, despite the $100,000 prize money on offer, has added insult to injury.
The irony that has escaped most people’s notice is that our leading squash world champion of yore, Jahangir Khan, who has led the worldwide squash promotion effort for some time as the president of the World Squash Federation, has paid little heed to the game’s promotion within his own home constituency. The hype surrounding squash’s inclusion in the Olympic Games has lacked legitimacy.
There are no more than a few hundred squash players nationwide in Pakistan, and the primary criterion for any sport’s inclusion in the Olympics is the extent of its amateur following.
Before Jahangir can effectively promote squash in the four corners of the globe, he needs to first dedicate his time and energies to promoting it in Pakistan.
ADIL AHMAD
Karachi
A COUNTRY with 70 million illiterates has issued 70 million — no, not books — mobile SIMs. This took successive years of spending an average of $1bn each year, not to teach how to read and write but to build cellular towers and networks.
The stage was set to erode poor people’s meagre incomes and savings.
A crass culture soon evolved and also eroded whatever little real culture was left: libraries, art galleries, museums, theatre? Result? Noise, more than anything else; annoying ring tones and mindless chatter.
Each month, one million mobile phone handsets landed in this country costing another $1bn in (zero duty — zero GST) imports.
That’s four billion over the last four years — enough to ignite a balance-of-payments crisis for a small, low-saving economy with a shallow export base.
Eleven thousand people are born each day and over 20,000 attain the age of 18 every day.
Many own a mobile before they’ve even heard of an opera. If cellular towers and radiation don’t kill enough grey matter, then there are advertisements by network operators to fill the gap.
Dear Friends of Pakistan and IMF, four billion dollars of urgent assistance please, to keep this mass stupidity going on for another four years, no actually two.
Network operators need to repatriate profits. (Never mind the poor voice quality and dropped calls. We’ll still pay for them).
MOAZZAM HUSAIN
Lahore Cantt
I READ with interest some letters (Oct 25) about the recent role of the print and electronic media in Pakistan.
As a Pakistani-Canadian, living in Quebec for the last more than 30 years, I can confirm that the Pakistani media, whether electronic or print, is relatively freer than here in Canada. This applies to both national and international reporting.
Primarily, the electronic and print media here in Canada are dominated by giant cartels, which are part of big corporations, with other economic interests, besides press and publications.
The way Afghanistan has been reported here is different from the way they have been reported and commented upon in the Pakistani media.
It is an entirely different matter that because of globalisation and domination of international corporations, the Pakistani print and elect-
ronic media is adversely affected.
I basically agree with what Mazhar Abbas, the secretary-general of the PFUJ, has said in his letter about Pakistani media reporting.
JALAL SYED
Canada
APROPOS of K. Murad Bey’s letter, “Turkey’s national day”, I would like to say that Pakistan, unlike modern Turkey, lost its Ataturk, Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, in its infancy.
He had created a nation for the Muslims of the subcontinent, a secular and a tolerant state, where all its citizens, regardless of their religion, race, or caste were deemed to be equal and free, and not a theocratic state.
After the death of its founder, the nation duly pays homage to his large portraits, hanging them in the houses of the parliament and in every corridor of power, while his message has been either totally forgotten, or painfully mutilated by the same forces which had opposed the very creation of Pakistan, with the exception of weekly reminders in the columns of Mr Cowasjee.
Smart politicians and future leaders dare not even quote from the Quaid’s speeches, lest they be dubbed ‘kafir-i-azam’.
History will remember that when Z. A. Bhutto, challenged by the clergy, blinked, there was no stopping to the onslaught of the dark forces of the Middle Ages.
Era of President Zia was the first nail in the coffin of Pakistan as envisaged by its founder.
His protégé, Nawaz Sharif, almost succeeded in becoming the caliph, which would have driven the final nail in its coffin.
Prevez Musharraf, brimming with the Ataturkian zeal, sadly filled his pockets, in the words of our Quaid, with khotay sikkay, thus failing to achieve his goals of bringing about reformation and enlightenment in Pakistan.
We, the Pakistanis, are still waiting for an Ataturk, otherwise in the words of our former president, ‘Pakistan ka Allah hafiz’.
ASAD H. KIZILBASH
Karachi
WE need to stabilise our economy and we need to pay loan installments to avoid default. In this matter we have to approach our friends, western as well as eastern. Our media and our critics have come to use the term ‘begging’ rather extensively.
It is on record that the US in particular and the West in general had asked our dictator president whether Pakistan was with the West or the terrorists. Instead of remaining neutral, he sided with the West and the US.
The whole world knows that by siding with the US we suffered colossal losses in every sense of the word and brought our country to such an impasse as it stands today.
The war was that of the US in the beginning but our continued involvement turned it into our war. During this course of time our economy got shattered and human and property losses have been devastating. Our so-called friends should come to our help without being asked but when we ask them to come to our rescue, then very strangely it is termed ‘begging’!
I would very humbly ask our leaders, our critics from the opposition and the media to stop raising such bogeys to the embarrassment of the masses of Pakistan. It is indeed a matter of our right to receive help from nations whose bloody war we have been fighting, otherwise Pakistan should let the terrorists and stakeholders settle the score by themselves and we should be left to settle ours.
In the light of the sacrifices comparable to no other country of the world, which Pakistan has rendered in fighting the terror, it would be an irony if these stakeholders do not step forward. The media should also stop calling us beggars rather our leaders, and the local media should try and restore the image of Pakistan for it to stand tall.
IQBAL UNUS
Islamabad
WITH reference to your editorial, ‘The lot of rural women’ (Oct 17), please visit arid zones of Sindh and see urban micro-credit programme exclusively for women by Thardeep and then asses and evaluate the change.
KHATAUMAL
Mithi
ASIF Qureshi (Oct 20) seems piqued by ‘Contradictions, between the Lines’ (Oct 10). His first objection is that I have mentioned Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to be “Nawaz Sharif’s candidate for reinstatement as chief justice….” Well! Isn’t he? Denying this is sure to make Mr Sharif very angry.
He then objects to my saying that Justice Chaudhry enjoyed working for ‘many, many years’ under a dictator. He thinks that I should have used the word ‘many’ only once. The reinstatement of the former chief justice after he said ‘yes’ to the 17th Amendment, supporting the overthrow of a democratically-elected prime minister and then willingly serving under a dictator for six years, six months or even six days, is a grave matter. Calling it ‘many years’, ‘many, many years’ or ‘several years’ makes little difference.
The writer claims that the erstwhile chief justice has a lot of support from political parties and many others. Even if every single member of every single party and all else took his side, a judge who legitimises a coup d’etat, takes the oaths under a PCO and compromises the Constitution must stand disqualified.
Aitzaz Ahsan is Justice Chaudhry’s attorney, and the judge is his client. He drives his car at the head of processions etc. With his standing in the lawyers’ community, he may be able to do so for a long time.
The reference against the chief justice and the generals’ affidavits were skilfully swept under the carpet on a technicality. It was a professional job and the charges began to be considered venial by many. Mr Ahsan is a good lawyer.
But if the chief justice of the Supreme Court of any country is political to the extent of leading processions of ‘dandabardar’ lawyers and slogan-raising, flag-waving workers from political parties from city to city, it is unbecoming.
Pointing out the contradictions in Nawaz Sharif’s actions does not automatically mean that I am a supporter of Pervez Musharraf. I am merely pointing out that Mr Sharif is giving life and death support to a judge who was with his tormentor: the dictator who dislodged him; a judge who legitimised his overthrow and contributed to his complete undoing. In this is a visible contradiction.
As far as promises are concerned, Mr Sharif himself is not in the habit of keeping them.
He exhorted our expatriates to remit their sweat and blood income in dollars to Pakistan towards his ‘Qarza Utaro Scheme’. He promised that the dollar accounts would not be touched. But he froze them without any qualms. He promised to return after 10 years from Jeddah but returned after seven. He is, of course, welcome.
Our problem today is larger than breaking and keeping promises and ‘cross my heart’ kindergarten clichés. Our very existence is under threat. The pillars of justice must be placed in unblemished hands, no matter what.
The all-important question remains that if reinstated, would Justice Chaudhry again support an amendment similar to the 17th if another general appears on the horizon, like he did earlier. The judiciary has let us down from the time of our inception: from Justice Muneer’s support of the abrogation of the Constituent Assembly, right down to Justice Chaudhry’s support for the 17th Amendment. We have to be careful.
The inquest of a crime has to begin from the date it was committed; in our case Oct 12, 1999 and not some suitable date later. Treason and abetment of treason, once committed, cannot be washed away by subsequent ‘suo motu’ actions.
CAPT S. AFAQ RIZVI
Karachi
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