| November 01, 2008 | Saturday | Ziqa'ad 2, 1429 |
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Russia and Muslims
Govt relief for quake victims
Stroke a disability
Capital city police campaign
KESC bills: an analysis
A major step
Undeserved levy
Educate smokers
Shifting back in time
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
WOMEN may differ from men in some of their physical features; in all other matters they are similar to them, be it display of courage, wisdom, hard work, organisational ability and the capacity to learn, lead and govern. This is so because it is the mandate of nature. History of creation cannot be re-written differently anymore.
Those of men who think they are special to their own species and can bend the laws of nature are mistaken. It is the man-made distortions in society that have created such inequalities. These can be remedied if determined efforts are made to create a balance and harmony in society. No more then will there be any display of or recourse to tyranny.
According to a recent report, speakers at a seminar have emphasised the need for legislating a policy framework to protect women and children from violence.
Our women are put to great abuse by our menfolk at home. This is because there is practically no sufficient legal protection for the victims of domestic violence.
Similarly, women who work in offices or in fields undergo harassment etc at the hands of such men as have no regard for social values. Moreover, stringent laws in this regard do not exist that can restrain the guilty.
The need of the hour is to ensure fundamental rights to women through legislation of stringent laws in this regard. It is shuddering to think that during the third quarter — July to September — Sindh alone witnessed violence against a great many of its women.
The breakdown of the incidents showed that 75 women were murdered, 100 slain in the so-called honour killing, 40 were raped, 14 gang-raped, 204 abducted, 38 were injured, 46 committed suicide, 55 were victim of domestic violence, 75 in custodial violence and 14 were sexually assaulted.
These were all registered cases and related mostly to domestic offences. Domestic violence involves physical, sexual, emotional, social, economical and psychological abuse committed by a person(s) with whom the victim has a relationship.
Cases of domestic violence are not reported for several reasons like lack of family support, constraints of mobility and for fear of social shame. Moreover, the police decline to register such complaints considering them private affairs of a family.
There is an urgent need to frame specific laws to contain the various growing incidents of domestic violence or else we will be witnessing many a macabre tragedy as befell Tasleem Solangi, the 18-year-old daughter of Gulsher Solangi who was made to witness gruesome murder of his daughter (Dawn, Oct 28) .
According to additional police surgeon, Karachi, it’s alarming that 280 cases of rape and sexual assault were registered with medico-legal offices in Karachi alone but nobody raised a voice.
Similarly, children who form 48 per cent of the total population of the country are spending their lives in a miserable condition. Violence against them is very common. It includes physical punishment, humiliation, sexual abuse, early marriage, neglect and torture.
Now is the time our assemblies passed a good piece of legislation to ban violence against women and children. A bill is already pending in the Sindh Assembly. It aims at providing legal mechanism for protection of women and children against domestic violence etc, in both rural and urban areas.
Our goal is to reach out to women victims and provide them relief, justice and honour so that they can live as respected citizens of Pakistan. It is the responsibility of the state to stop such crimes and the administration should not wait for parties to settle the matter but intervene and resolve it. Also, violence against women in a family has serious consequences for the children’s growth, health, and survival.
We should also reactivate women police stations. Every town or tehsil should have one such station. In case of any domestic violence, karo-kari or rape, the government itself should lodge an FIR against the offender, and provide protection to the complainant.
Besides, there should be shelter home and Darul Aman in every district because providing shelter to the victim and her family is the government’s responsibility. Similarly child-care centres at both national and provincial levels are needed.
To achieve the foregoing objectives, we need determination and political consensus. I hope the right-minded people will come forward and frame and implement the needed laws.
HUMERA ALWANI
Member, Sindh Assembly
Thatta
THIS is apropos of the letter, ‘America’s blind spot’ (Oct 28). It is not at all politically correct to talk collectively about a ‘western society’; there is no such thing.
Russia is not part of the West and has never been. Not only is Russia’s location in the east but its policies, values and beliefs have been distinctly different from those of the West.
Since the 18th century, when Napoleon invaded Russia, it has been directly or indirectly battling the West.
Anti-Jewish sentiment (which is common today in Pakistan and the rest of the Muslim world) had manifested itself in Russian society since the 19th century when Jewish terrorism plagued Russia.
Russia eventually ended up expelling nearly all its Jewish population in the 20th century which is now settled in Israel.
Since the early 20th century anti-German sentiment had started taking root in Russia as the nation despised its German Tsarina Alexandra who it was thought was a German spy plotting to destroy Russia.
Eventually the Germans succeeded in their interventions as they allowed Lenin to cross over into Russia and lead to a revolution.
Russia has fought two world wars against its ‘western European’ neighbour Germany.
The Russians helped the Egyptians, Syrians and Palestinians in their major wars against Israel, when America was openly supporting Israel.
Russia not only supplied arms, ammunition and aircraft to these Arab nations but also followed this up with financial aid.
Although these wars were not successful for the Arabs, they laid the ground for further encounters in which the Israelis were dealt a much harder blow.
Russia has never branded Muslims as terrorists; the worst terrorism which Russia has faced was Jewish. On the other hand, Russia is building Europe’s largest mosque in Chechnya and reconciling with its rebel Muslim majority regions.
Even Pakistan is fighting Muslims in its tribal region and northern areas. Russia is not fighting Muslims in its provinces because they are Muslim but because they threaten its independence.
If Russia should grant independence to its rebel provinces, would Pakistan be prepared to do the same or accept Shariah law over the whole country?
The answer is certainly not because these areas are integral parts of both countries, respectively, and have been so for a long time and also because most of the population of these regions look at themselves as citizens of their respective countries.
At the end of the day all Chechens are Russians and all inhabitants of Pakistan’s tribal regions are Pakistanis.
After all, the armies of Russia and Pakistan have guarded these regions from foreign invasion over time and spilled their blood for them , those sacrifices far outnumber the casualties caused by civilian conflict.
Russia has friendly and close relations with many Muslim nations such as Iran, Libya and Turkey.
Iran has been provided nuclear energy by Russia and it is because of this deal that Iran will soon be able to produce enriched uranium.
Russia did not hesitate in helping Iran and neither does it have any vested interests in doing so. Russia has even vetoed sanctions against Iran and has deflected all western pressure in this regard.
Russia did not think of Iranians as extremists or terrorists when it was supplying them with reactor technology, instead it believed that they have as much right on this technology as any other nation. No western nation thinks of Iran in this way.
JAWAD AHMED
Karachi
HAVING just returned from the area of the Ziarat earthquake and picking up today’s paper, I feel that your leader on the Balochistan earthquake is unfair to the powers that be.
After the minor tremor at 4.35am on Oct 29, followed by the major earthquake at 5.5am, the government agencies swung into action with commendable speed.
Several voluntary agencies with surgical resources, ours included, but without the detailed information the government had, only realised the seriousness of the disaster after a few hours.
We reached the worst-hit areas after a three-hour drive into the mountains.
Most of the living casualties had been treated, and the serious cases were being shifted to Quetta (Edhi ambulance playing a sterling role).
All major hospitals had been put on disaster alert and were ready for whatever came. The situation appeared fully under control.
On the morning of Oct 30, after a tremor-filled cold night in Ziarat, we checked in at several military and civil medical centres, and found everything well established with doctors and facilities.
Realising that a first-rate job was being done by government-based medical organisations, we returned to our own hospital, which in 1935 had itself been flattened with the loss of 83 patients’ lives, and the living also rescued by the military of that day.
Dr R. H. PONT
Mission Hospital, Quetta
STROKE is now the leading cause of sustained disability in the developing world today. About 30 per cent of stroke survivors are left with serious residual deficits and about 30 to 40 per cent die within the first year after stroke.
The projected increase in stroke and CHD is expected to be much greater in South Asia than in any other region worldwide, adding to the continuing burden of infectious, nutritional, and prenatal disorders, resulting in a ‘double burden’ of diseases in this region.
An estimated 94 per cent of deaths from stroke in South Asia occur in people younger than 70 years in contrast to only six per cent in countries with established economies, resulting in a greater loss in the disability-adjusted life years.
In Pakistan, where 50 per cent of the population is under 19 years of age, the loss of a productive 40- to 50-year-old due to stroke-related disability reverberates across generations.
Although this picture is daunting, stroke is both preventable and treatable. About 70 per cent of strokes are caused by blockage of blood supply to the brain by a ‘clot’, Clot busters can restore perfusion and have been used in selected centres in Pakistan if the patient is immediately witnessed to have a stroke and seeks medical attention.
Hence stroke is a medical emergency and must be reported to a major hospital with experience in taking care of stroke patients. Stroke for the vast majority of sufferers is largely a preventable disease.
Hypertension accounts for about 50 to 70 per cent of stroke causation in Pakistan and is present in about one in three adults aged 45 years. Hypertension cannot be ‘felt’, it must be measured and treated.
There is an astounding prevalence of untreated diabetes mellitus, obesity and nicotine addiction in our society that can be ameliorated with a concerted systematic programme like a ‘vaccination’ programme.
A national stroke prevention programme should be established.
We have a TB control programme, AIDS control programme, malaria control programme, mental health programme, why cannot we have a stroke prevention programme that would really affect the mortality and disability related to stroke, which is a huge economic and social burden in our society?
The national stroke prevention programme should initiate and coordinate public awareness campaign, prevention guidelines and research related to stroke in Pakistan.
This information will be helpful in future policymaking and planning.
Collaboration between stroke programme and the Pakistan Stroke Society could enhance stroke prevention and care in Pakistan and reduce the burden of disease.
ARSALAN AHMAD & AYEESHA KAMRAN KAMAL
Pakistan Stroke Society
THIS is apropos of the ‘public notice’ by the CCTP (Oct 30) about the crackdown on vehicles violating traffic laws such as using tinted glasses, hooters, mounting party flags and using unregistered fancy number plates.
The efforts should be appreciated by all citizens as these will certainly check the crime rate.
We should also appreciate the efforts by the city traffic police volunteers who ease out the busy road crossings, specially for pedestrians including children, ladies and elderly citizens.
These volunteers really deserve praise for their commendable efforts.
I would like to draw the attention of the traffic police officials to the following situation in city public transport, being used by the larger section of the city’s middle and lower middle classes:
— Buses, mini-buses and so-called luxury coaches running on city roads are in very bad condition, such as dangling metal sheets at their exit/entry gates mostly injure the commuters getting in and getting off.
— Black and white deadly smoke emit from their exhaust pipes (to call it silencer is a big joke) and is inhaled by those inside and outside the bus, causing acute lungs problems.
In some cases to get their vehicles approved by the traffic police, some bus owners turn the silencer’s pipes inside the bus that cause suffocation to passengers in the bus.
— Filling and stuffing of passengers into the bus is another serious problem passengers are confronted with.
The seat fabricated for two passengers has so small space that it can hardly accommodate one.
— Bus drivers are untrained and resort to dangerous manoeuvrings across the road, which frequently lead to accidents or traffic jams.
— Mostly loading of passengers takes place at the road junction points, jamming the way for the turning traffic while the bus driver enjoys the panic of the small vehicles jammed behind it.
— Further, two-stroke rickshaws and derelict taxies pollute the city road with dangerous smoke and also do not follow any traffic rule. But we rarely see the traffic police making any effort to eradicate these violations.
We pray and do hope that time has come when the traffic police will start undertaking their real task of traffic administration on the city roads.
MUHAMMAD YOUSUF KHAN
Karachi
DURING these dark nights (courtesy the KESC) we have nothing else to do except study in the candlelight the electricity bill and discus its latent charges.
To my and other family members’ perpetual anguish, we note that some taxes have been built into the electricity bills.
We are unable to digest the wisdom of TV fee, bank charges, general sales tax, etc. Do you know that our people do not want to pay TV fee and bank charges?
Because of small amounts — and as it was the only way to recover them — I can let it ride.
The exception I take to is the recovery general sales tax etc from electricity consumers. These taxes seem to be superfluous, hence a cruel joke.
The general sales tax is recovered on some item sold by a person or a company. In this case, the KESC is the seller of electricity.
Therefore, this tax should be paid by the KESC, and not by its clients.
And then, those bigwigs have allowed raising the cost by 70 per cent.
REHANA NAQVI
Karachi
THE beginning of cross-LoC trade for the first time in six decades is a major step towards creating ‘soft borders’ between two parts of beleaguered Kashmir. Hopefully the slow-moving peace process will pick up after this long-awaited confidence-building measure. But this should not merely be a symbolic gesture.
One still remembers the enthusiasm of people on both sides when the first bus crossed LoC, bringing members of divided families together. But in the last two years only a couple of thousand people benefited from this facility.
Confidence-building measures (CBMs) will only help to create an atmosphere of friendship leading to the resolution of the Kashmir issue if both governments mean serious business. Just symbolic gestures will not go very far.
It should really mean to facilitate free exchange of people and extend trade opportunities for all.
The governments of Pakistan and India deserve to be praised for creating a ray of hope that many more long-awaited CBMs will follow.
ANIS HAROON
Secretary-General
Pakistan-India People’s Forum
for Peace and Democracy
Karachi
CELLPHONE phone companies are fleecing the public by giving deceiving ads and now without any published notice they have levied five per cent service charges. This is an overall increase and mobile phone companies would make millions of rupees.
Earlier the PTCL forced a new package on all the customers without any fear and no visible action was taken. It is time the PTA and the Competition Commission took notice of this and acted immediately by asking the mobile phone companies to withdraw this.
FAUZIA BILAL
Lahore
PAKISTAN has been a signatory to Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) since Nov 3, 2004, which makes compliance to protecting the rights of non-smokers mandatory.
However, implementation has been weak. Enough awareness has not been created and trumpets have been blown over making legislations while ignoring the fact that human psychology is such that people cannot be forced into anything. Give them awareness, time, space and logic, and eventually they may agree.
For those who do want to quit, the non-quitters are a hindrance. Visit to offices have revealed that smoking takes place right under the ‘No-smoking’ sign. This situation can be corrected by creating smoking areas, ultimately ensuring smoke-free environment for non-smokers.
Pakistan is not the only country facing the dilemma of separating smokers from non-smokers. Many countries, including Germany, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Spain, Indonesia and Malaysia, have provided designated smoking areas. Even the Portuguese Parliament made a law on May 3, 2007, which went into effect on Jan 1, to set up these areas.
The Netherlands passed a decree, effective July 1, that gives provision of separated enclosed smoking rooms. This proves that governments are realising the need for saving non-smokers from smokers.
The government of Pakistan should enforce a complete ban on public smoking and to ensure its implementation non-smokers must be saved by pushing smokers into isolated spots, physically separated from the rest of the place.
TAHIRA JAMEEL
Islamabad
PST time has shifted back to one hour after a ridiculous experiment of western-style daylight saving in a Third World country located in eastern hemisphere.
Have we got any positive result in saving the electricity or was it another attempt to divert the attention of public from real and genuine issues? We have offices of different organisations like banks, MNCs and government establishments.
Most of these work from 9am to 5pm which means people move from their offices during the day light whether our time is +5 from GMT or +6 hours from GMT. So this sector receives no benefit from daylight saving, nor does any disadvantage inflict them with the change in time because people come and go to their workplaces in the daylight.
The other sector is private shop owners and small businesses. During the last three or four years the government has been trying to close them sometimes at 8pm and sometimes at 9pm but could not succeed in fulfilling its desire of implementing the closing time.
Now the time has changed, i.e. our GMT difference at the moment is +6 hours. Just check what advantages and working this sector has done. I am just giving my own example. Nearly all the cases are same like mine one.
At previous time, I used to move for my shop at 10.30am and closing time of my business was about 8pm after Maghrib prayers, i.e. after the sunset. The sun sets in Karachi at 7.25 in peak summer season.
Although the time is changed now, I still move for my office at 10.30am from my home and closing time of my business is approximately 8.45pm to 9pm after Maghrib prayers.
This is my habit, nature or say routine. And I could not go back home in daylight.
So actually, the government forced me to work extra one hour and I wasted the electricity of my shop for one more hour. This is the case of nearly all shops in Karachi.
Consider an example of the mobile market in Saddar. They used to start winding up their work after Isha prayers at 10pm previously.
But at this time change I saw them working up till 11.30pm. So being a practical person one should think whether we have saved the electricity or lost it by one hour? Think positively.
Similarly in Ramazan I would return home at Asar which was previously 4.45pm and as per new time it was 5.45pm — still working for one extra hour and consuming more electricity in the peak season of Ramazan. I believe it is not only me, it is everybody’s case.
Notice one more thing, regarding the activities at night. I usually would go to sleep at 12 midnight at old time, but the new time was 1am and woke up at my regular time.
Consequently, I slept one hour less at night, taking stress while working one more hour in the day. The reason behind the failure of this daylight saving concept is embedded in the culture of our society and our work habits. I am not in practice to go home in daylight, so definitely I will go in the dark. It means my working hours (from 10.30am to 8pm) was 9½ hours which had increased to 10 ½ hours, consuming electricity for one more hour at my business.
Now, in my opinion, the daylight saving might be very good in European countries where sun sets earlier than it sets normally here in our country. It is an absurd idea to apply a western concept in this Third World country and waste one hour of electricity, which is already too scarce in our country.
ASIF BOGHANI
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