| December 28, 2008 | Sunday | Zilhaj 29, 1429 |
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Risk of a WMD attack
Reducing greenhouse gases
The media and Mumbai
Brand of the year award
Attack on schools
The state of our civilisation
Eviction of Dr Zaidi
Disabled people
Petrol prices
Police slogan
Genomics for health and prosperity
The despicable act of blowing up three English-medium schools in Peshawar Cantonment should have been universally condemned.
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
BABAR Mughal has deftly analysed the post-Mumbai situation for New Delhi in his article, ‘Options before India to resolve the crisis’. (Encounter, Dec 20).
However, there’s one option not listed by him, which, if taken up by India, could ensure permanent peace in South Asia. I am talking of deep introspection.
Why this is so important can easily be seen from an overview of the thoughts expressed by various people over five decades. A few may be distasteful for the Indians, but if they swallow it as a bitter medicine, everybody would benefit.
— During the 1971 war when India dismembered Pakistan, US president Nixon made several important observations, one of which should suffice: “They (Indians) are the most aggressive goddamn people around there [(in S. Asia)”, Dawn, July 2, 2005].
— An American gentleman, Scott Denis, had written in a letter to Dawn during the 2002 military standoff between the two countries: “ With this, I hope that Americans can finally see through the smokescreen of the nuclear war hyperbole that New Delhi is spewing forth… (and) the unreasonable demands being issued to Pakistani leader ….”
Also, that “India is using…. (the existence of) Muslim extremists… to vilify and destabilise the entire Pakistani government” (June 6, 2002)
His perceptive analysis is equally valid today.
— During a visit to Pakistan 51 years ago, the Iranian foreign minister Ali Ardalan had called upon India to respect the UN decision on Kashmiri plebiscite, otherwise “(this) might prejudice the security of the world” (Dawn, Feb 5, 1957). If only India had heeded this prescient advice!
— Shreekant Gupta, an Indian faculty member at the Institute for South Asian Studies in Singapore, had written in a rejoinder to a cover story in The Economist of the UK:
“Having just returned from Pakistan which I traversed without let or hindrance with my Indian passport and Hindu name, I can emphatically say that the people are warm and friendly and passionate about democracy…
“Parts of my own country (and Nepal and Sir Lanka) are racked by Maoist guerilla warfare and violent separatist movements. I do not recall you designating India as the world’s most dangerous place where Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated during electioneering or Indira Gandhi for that matter.
The latter’s killing was followed by a brutal and murderous pogrom against Sikhs, and Delhi burned for days” (Dawn, Feb. 5).
— The late Pakistani (brewery) factory owner, legislator and writer, M.P. Bhandara, who was Zoroastrian and secular-minded, had made some very telling observations in his article, ‘Is the honeymoon with India over?’ (April 29, 2007). He wrote:
“India broke its word to its neighbour (regarding plebiscite in Kashmir); the end of the story is yet to be written. It can be said in retrospect that all Pakistan’s miseries, wars, religious fanaticism, alienation and subcontinental disunity can be traced back to this broken pledge.
If, God forbid, there is a nuclear war some day, its origin will lie in this broken promise”.
A truer analysis could hardly be made. And, look, what this has done to the Kashmiris. A report by Medicins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Dec 28, 2006 that one-third of the Kashmiris polled “had had thoughts of ending his or her life” in the 30 days preceding the survey.
Also, two-thirds of the respondents felt nervous, tense or worried and had physical symptoms like trembling hands and sleep disorders.
The Indian rights activist Swaminathan S.A. Aiyar had noted (Aug 23) that while India claimed the Kashmiri accession to India was sacred, it did not accept the princely state Junagadh’s accession to Pakistan. India sent troops into Junagadh, just as Pakistan sent troops into Kashmir.
The difference was that Pakistan lacked the military means to intervene in Junagadh, while India was able to occupy Kashmir. “India’s double standards on (these two states) is breathtaking”, he concluded.
That, again, says it all. Now a word about Delhi’s ambitions. Indian writer Pratap Chakravarty had revealed in a report (Dawn, April 16, 2007) that India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has, as its most treasured dream — denied in public — the development of an ICBM with a range of 15,000km, already christened Surya (sun), to match Chinese DF-3 ICBMs that can hit US cities. Washington should seriously reflect on this.
M.P. CHISHTI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to the report, “WMD’s attack to originate in Pakistan: USA” (Dec 4).
This is a very sinister report in that similar propaganda was carried out against Iraq. With the media channels like Fox News and others any amount of dust can be thrown in the eyes of some very good Americans who want peace in the world. But they become helpless spectators in view of intense propaganda carried out by the media.
Since this report has been formulated by a bipartisan commission, the following paragraph needs urgent consideration of the government and the people of Pakistan: “The risk of WMD attack being planned and executed from Pakistan’s north-west frontier area is growing, as that area continues to function as a safe haven for Al Qaeda”.
This is the reward that we should have got by now when hundreds of our officers and men have died in the battle in Fata. Al Qaeda is certainly dismantled but the idea floated by them that foreign forces have no business to be present in the area cannot be suppressed by any amount of force.
No country should ever think of attacking another country when retaliation is bound to come. Atomic weapons cannot be taken in a suitcase or stolen in a bag. Enough of them are already present in the USA, and many people in that country know where they are kept.
Remember, American bombers flying from San Francisco to Carolina without any information at the port of arrival. All precautions and emergency drills required to be taken for the flight path and the port of arrival were neglected.
Do not forget Oklahoma bombing. We do not as yet know the whole truth about 9/11. Artyom Borovik, a former KGB agent, mentions in his book, The Hidden War, published by Faber and Faber, London, how intelligence agencies cook stories to justify the expenditure of billions of roubles (read dollars). It is no wonder that some senior American officials in the embassies are reported to be CIA agents.
One redeeming feature to take the US out of its present flawed policies appears to be election of Barrack Hussain Obama and his selection of some renowned people in his cabinet. It will not be necessary for them to exclusively rely on their country’s intelligence agencies or take instructions from them. This may be a distant hope but perhaps the new setup in the US could help to bring peace to our region.
Meanwhile, we need to repeatedly assure our friends in the US and rest of the world that there is no question of anyone planning or executing an atomic onslaught on the US or elsewhere. And we have to do more to negate this propaganda.
BRIG (r) KHALID HASSAN MAHMOOD
Karachi
GLOBALl warming is one of the main causes of climate change. Each one of us can contribute to reduction of emission of greenhouse gases.
Our country is motorising rapidly. We can avoid taking cars and motorbikes on short trips and instead use bicycles or better still walk. In the bargain, we will get some exercise too.
Our dietary preferences have changed. People are consuming less cereals and more beverages, processed food. So, lay greater emphasis on organic agriculture-based food items. Grow more trees like ‘peepul’, ‘neem’, ‘amla’ and ‘jamun’, which keep the environment clean and have medicinal value too.
Non-renewable resources like coal and petroleum are depleting at a fast rate. So we must adopt technologies that use renewable resources like wind and solar energy. Promoting energy-efficient CFL bulbs will also help to save the environment.
MUHAMMED JAMIL ATHER
Sharjah
I WAS surprised to read Dr Tariq Rahman’s article, ‘The media and Mumbai’ (Dec 14). That such a seasoned writer has penned an incoherent piece equating both the government of Pakistan and India and the media of the two countries in their response to the Mumbai shootout (which exposes the failure of the Indian intelligence all around) is enigmatic. According to Dr Rahman, “the media, especially the electronic media, in both countries” conducted themselves “in an irresponsible fashion.”
He should simply read twice the editorials of Dawn and articles from the learned columnists and let us know if they acted “in an irresponsible” fashion.
Further, in case of conflict with India, Dr Rahman is afraid that “had troops been moved, the western border of Pakistan would have gone to Taliban, and India would have faced the intensity of ‘Islamic threat. That would have been tremendously dangerous for India.”
He justifies that, in view of previous history, India blamed Pakistan “even before the evidence was fully in…. Nobody outside Pakistan buys the argument that Pakistan is not a base for tourist outfits.”
Dr Rahman says the Pakistan media need not react against the Indian allegations but change public opinion in a way that our government can fight terrorists and dismantle terrorist outfits in the country.
He does not spare even the Pakistani textbooks, without quoting a single instance, that creates hatred against the United States and India. He wants that our anchorpersons and columnists should ‘acknowledge the truth’ before suggesting cures.
Then on second thoughts, Dr Rahman says that the media can strengthen the government as no other organisation or force can but the media so far chooses not to and is oblivious of the great danger it is placing Pakistan into.
He is of the view that Pakistan can become a peaceful, democratic state and “this can only happen if the media allows the government to suppress the extremists. This is something highly exaggerated on the part of Dr Rahman.
Finally, he comes to the conclusion that public mistrust the government because officials lie but if they start telling the truth the trust deficit can come to an end. Then, he takes a U-turn and gives his final verdict that “governments on both sides have been pretty balanced and responsible so far” but the media on both sides needs to control itself.
MOHAMMAD ALEEM SHAIKH
Karachi
THIS is apropos of the advertisement supplement on ‘Brand of the Year Award’ (Dec 8), wherein, besides other companies, the managing director of the PIAC has been shown receiving an award for the ‘Best performance’ of the year 2008.
The question is, how has the Brand’s committee selected for the award of the year 2008 an organisation like the PIAC, which is not only mismanaged financially and administratively for decades but is also known as one of the costliest airlines in terms of fare and service?
The Pakistan Standard Quality Control Authority (PSQA), an institute established for determining quality, has to explain for selection of such a an organisation which has utterly failed to satisfy its costumers, i.e. the people Pakistan.
I agree with Altaf Hussain Qureshi (Dec 14) that if the selection criteria set by the Brands Bureau International Ltd, UK, with whose collaboration ‘The Exhibitor (Pvt) Ltd’, a local company, is holding the show, is followed in letter and in spirit, there will be hardly any company in Pakistan that will qualify for the Brand’s award.
AMANULLAH TURK
Dubai, UAE
These schools are located next to a military police unit and a stone’s throwaway from the Corps Headquarters, and the Governor’s House. It is amazing that a horde of militants drove up, wreaked murder and havoc by throwing grenades and indiscriminate firing with automatic weapons. And neither the police nor the army reacted.
If this is a tactic to release international pressure on Pakistan, then we are playing with fire and further isolating ourselves from the world community. In the process we are also doing a great disservice to our glorious religion which is now being universally regarded as a religion of violence and backwardness, which sadly couldn’t be further from the truth.
Pakistan is facing grave threats and given the quality of our leadership chances are that we will make a further hash of the mess that we find ourselves in.
Imagine our state, no writ of the government beyond the protected lives of our VIPs, growing poverty, no food, water and electricity, and now jihadists trained by our spy agencies stepping up their presence to spread bigotry and provide rough justice because our judicial system has gone the way of the police and other corrupt institutions of the government.
The only glimmer of hope for survival of our nation could have been the education of our rapidly growing population but sadly that has been relegated to the expediency of playing games with international opinion so that Pakistan should be sponsored as a bulwark against terrorism.
The world has seen through us and it is only a matter of time before we get our just desserts.
JAVED KHAN TAREEN
Haripur, Hazara
APROPOS of Ardeshir Cowasjee’s column, ‘The state of our civilisation’ (Dec 21), indeed it was a great shock to hear about the state of animals kept in Karachi and Lahore Zoos. The state of animals within the country is no secret where they are dumped like garbage and their existence serves to increase revenue that eventually goes into the pockets of the corrupt and greedy officials.
These animals are kept in so bad conditions that they eventually lose their normal biological characteristics and become entirely different species. In a country where even humans are treated without any respect, one can wonder the fate of these animals.
I agree with Mr Cowasjee that these so-called zoos should be closed and these poor animals be resuscitated. It will be in their best interest if they would be sent to a place where they could be taken care of, in any civilised way.
DR MUHAMMAD KHAN
Toronto, Canada
IT is painful that a person of Dr Zawar Zaidi’s stature, who has devoted many of his good years to researching and publishing the ‘Jinnah Papers’, is now being so unceremoniously ejected from his official residence in Islamabad, on the plea that his contract is over, hence he is no more a government enployee.
No matter, if he is no more a government employee, yet he has done a stupendous work by highlighting the ‘Founder of Pakistan’ in cold print, that was rather difficult for anyone else to do.
As such, he deserved and still deserved to be credited by the government of Pakistan.
The government is not slow to give new names to our airports, hospitals, medical colleges, railways stations, and districts in the country to suit its own interests, to it the monumental contribution made by Dr Zawar Zaidi, is of no significance. This does not forebode any future good.
As a matter of fact, Dr Zaidi should be allowed to live in his official residence till they make their own arrangements, as tribute to his matchless service to the country.
Not only he but all others in the evening of their life who have worked for achievement of this country have to be given respect and concessions to reduce their sufferings of today.
M. SHAIFQUE AHMED
Karachi
THIS is with reference to ‘Persons with disabilities’ (Dec 17). This is quite true that there should be no discrimination between people with disabilities and normal, healthy people and they should enjoy equal opportunities in society.
Unfortunately, in Pakistan, there is a dire need to rehabilitate those people first.
Since there are only a few rehab centres in Pakistan which do not even come to a point of comparison with those in the West, it is a right of all people with disabilities to be provided with rehab centres with excellent facilities. In the absence of that, those people lose reasonable use of their healthy organs also. Like a person bound on a wheelchair would do minimum exercise in his daily routine and so would deteriorate his upper body’s condition too. Therefore, the public and the private sector should work on establishing better rehab facilities in accordance with international standards and with modern medical facilities.
MARIA NAVEED
Karachi
PETROL prices in Balochistan are erratic. In Mastung it is Rs100 a litre and in Quetta Rs70. The government should take steps immediately to stabilise the petrol prices in the province.
ZAFAR DOST
Balochistan
THIS is in response to a very funny slogan used by our police department that ‘Police are your friend’.
This is a wrong statement as indicated by the very rude behaviour of some policemen. Some policemen use their police logo for marauding purposes and to threat people.
I was also victimised by one policeman a few days ago. He behaved in a very rude manner and also abused me.
I want to bring this to the notice of higher authorities and request them to educate their lower portion.
MUHAMMAD DAWOOD
MUNAWAR
Kharka
THE theme of the 35th all-Pakistan science conference, ‘Genomics for health and prosperity’, inaugurated on Dec 20 at the University of Karachi, is the need of the hour in Pakistan.
The green revolution staved off famine in South Asia in the 1960s and now a new revolution — a gene revolution is emerging which deals with crop adaptability under stress.
The prevailing climate change, attributed mainly due to the enhanced anthropogenic activities leading to excessive CO2 emission, requires resilience and adaptability in crop plants.
This new challenge highlights the critical importance of genetic diversity which requires a global perspective to deal with the situation.
It needs genetic resources to be pooled into a global research network that would bring scientific resources to the development of a new generation of highly yielding, highly adaptable and highly robust food crops for health and prosperity.
The gene revolution is brought about by transferring a beneficial gene from one living organism to another living organism.
The transgenic organism may be plant or animal. The transfer of a gene from the genome (genetic material of an organism) is usually done to improve the growth and yield.
The transfer of a gene is also done to protect plants from pests. The Bt. Cotton is an example in which a gene of bacillus thuringiensis (a bacterium) producing toxin has been transferred via agobacterium tumifaciens (another bacterium acting as vector) in cotton known as Bt. Cotton.
The bolls and leaves of Bt. Cotton cannot be eaten by worms and insects due to the toxicity. The neem plant (melia sp.) has been bestowed by nature with a toxic biochemical, therefore, no leaf-eating insect can eat the leaves of neem.
The development of Bt. Cotton is the result of a biotechnological research work carried out successfully by multinationals. Multinationals have produced a few more such crop plants. Seeds of transgenic crop plants are sold at a high price.
While doing researches on mycorrhizal biotechnology of sunflower, I bought seeds of sunflower developed by a multinational which produced six-foot high plants and yielded 1,000 seeds per head. I saved the harvested seeds for sowing in the next season for a similar result.
The seeds failed to germinate and I felt disappointed. On inquiry from research workers in the West, I learnt that the gene for the viability of seeds in biotechnology developed plants had been suppressed so that we remain dependent on the seeds sold by multinationals every year.
The multinationals do so to recover the billions of dollars spent in such high-tech researches. They carry out researches to produce transgenic crop plants for sustenance of those deficient in food.
Saudi Arabia has invested $4bn in Indonesia, China, $4bn in the Philippines and Qatar and $1bn in Vietnam for raising crop output.
I would like to urge the people at the helm of affairs to spend more money for the promotion of researches in crop plants and livestock to meet the food deficit. Agriculture can be made the foundationstone for agricultural industries (cotton) to promote other industries for running and defending our country.
Oil price may rise and fall considerably but food price will not suffer such upheavals on account of its demand by everyone in the global village.
Let us hope that the conference on genomics for health and prosperity may herald the gene revolution in Pakistan.
DR. M. JALALUDDIN
Department of Agriculture
University of Karachi
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