With reference to the interview of the Japanese ambassador, Nobuakai Tanaka, In aid of friendship (February 27), I have a bone to pick with him regarding his assertions about Punjab as a domineering and exploitative ethnic community in Pakistan. I have been reading such talk from politicians since long but cannot accept it when it is repeated by an ambassador in our country. What is the proof?

Mr Tanaka failed to answer when asked to comment on the formula of distribution of funds from the centre. If the population is to be the basis of distribution of resources, then Punjab’s share is less then what it should be.

The percentage of those from NWFP and the Punjab in the armed forces is higher than the Balochis or Sindhis or ‘Muhajirs’; but it can be easily corrected by these people, if they are willing to join the forces.

Gas from Balochistan first came to Karachi and Sindh and much later to Lahore, Peshawar etc. Economic considerations and policies determine the money spent on development. Why was so much investment made in and around Karachi in the early 10 years of Pakistan; very little was invested in Punjab and the rest of the country. Policies are, of course made by ‘experts’ and ‘groups and persons’ who exercise pressure. However, these groups and persons do not derive their strength from democratic processes. It is nonsensical to say that the people of Jhelum, for example, have any sort of control over what is spent in Cholistan or Tharparkar.

All development needs unskilled and skilled labour and persons of knowledge and expertise. If such persons are not available locally, they have to be brought in from other parts of Pakistan (or even foreign countries). Some of them may settle down. It happens all over the world.

Finally, there is a case for banning the purchase of immovable property by people belonging to other provinces or even other parts of the province. Another way is not to permit selling by them for at least 20 years after purchasing the property. Speculative investment is an engine for keeping poor people, poor all over the world by raising the price of land far beyond the purchasing power of the local populations. However, this has little to do with the Punjab.

SHAFAAT RASOOL
Karachi


An Indian odyssey

With reference to Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy’s article An Indian odyssey (February 20), while aptly summarizing his observations relating to his visits to the academic institutions in India, he also underlined the importance of attitudes towards science and how such attitudes go on to shape the national and social psyche of a nation.

Science is not just the name of a discipline or a field, it is actually a way of life and an attitude which, if practised in the true spirit, can contribute to the development of rational and pragmatic thought and in the process can help to minimize the territorial disputes and tensions.

The progress of a country in science and technology should be reflected in the eradication of poverty, disease and illiteracy and also in the dispensation of democratic norms. The author also made a valid observation that scientific advancement should be people rather then country oriented and should lead to the alleviation of disease, poverty and hunger from society. If scientific progress is confined only to the development of weapons, for the protection of poverty, hunger and disease ridden masses, then it is senseless.

As is the case in most of the underdeveloped or developed nations, the domain of science in Pakistan too is dictated by the national and religious preferences and not by the independent, intuitive and deductive thought process. By imparting the religious and nationalistic connotation to the scientific education we actually inhibit or limit the mental faculties of the students, which ultimately are reflected in our collective thinking as a nation.

Rather than Islamizing science or defining it from a Pakistani perspective, we would do better to prove to the world that Islam is a scientific and rational religion and Pakistan a region fostering the independent and logical thought.

ARIF-UZ-ZAMAN
Karachi