Remembering Arafat

The death of Yasser Arafat brought to mind two sharply contrasting incidents relating to him during two equally contrasting governments in Pakistan.

The first image that comes to mind is the massacre of Palestinians in 1970 in Jordan at the hands of Pakistani troops stationed there and commanded by the then brigadier (later general) Ziaul Haq in what is known to Palestinians as "Black September".

The second is the historic Islamic Summit held in Pakistan in 1974 to which Arafat was specially invited. Then in his early 40s, Arafat was already emerging as a leader with a passion to give voice to the turbulent spirit of Palestinians dispossessed of their hearths and homes.

During that summit, the Palestinian Liberation Organization was recognized by the Muslim world as the sole voice of the Palestinian people. Arafat was instantly hailed as president of the PLO, a position he held throughout his life marked by great personal courage and tragedies. He proved himself worthy of the Muslim world's unanimous recognition to him and the PLO during the summit. Since then he had been dogged by the shadows of assassination and war but he stood defiant.

When the Palestinian problem is resolved, and resolved it will be one day, Yasser Arafat will be remembered as a leader who held the Palestinian flag for decades.

The Lahore Islamic summit and the government of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who held it will be remembered as the occasion when the Muslims of the world unanimously reposed their trust in Arafat to hold that flag. By contrast Zia will be remembered for having attempted to crush Arafat and his PLO.

It is the responsibility of the independent media to bring out these two important incidents in the life of Arafat in their obituaries and articles on the late leader.

MAJOR-GENERAL (retd) NASEERULLAH BABAR

Former interior minister, Peshawar

(II)

When the Oslo peace process was in progress, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reached an agreement at midnight on Jan 15, 1997, on the Israeli pullout from Al Khalil. "Arafat showed us not only how and why he is considered the greatest surviving leader on earth and the best negotiator, but also he taught Netanyahu a fine lesson on how to handle the peace talks," said an Israeli participant in the negotiations (Dawn, Jan 23, 1997).

After a 14-day struggle, Yasser Arafat's "big heart stopped" in a Paris military hospital last Thursday. Adulatory remarks poured in from almost all over the world. He was called a "symbol of hope" for his role in negotiating the Oslo peace accords and awarded the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize, along with Israeli prime minister Yitzakh Rabin and Israeli foreign minister Shimon Peres. He was also called "the leader who offered nationhood to refugees". Now with his death an era has ended in the history of liberation struggles.

Nelson Mandela, former South African president, was more eloquent: "He was an icon in the proper sense of the word. He was not only concerned with the liberation of the Arab people but all the oppressed people throughout the world, Arab and non-Arabs. To lose a man of that stature is a great blow to all those who are fighting against oppression."

Some were cynical like US President George Bush: "The death of Yasser Arafat is a significant moment in Palestinian history. For the Palestinian people, we hope that the future will bring peace and fulfilment of their aspirations for independence, democratic Palestine that is at peace with its neighbours." And Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expressed the hope that Arafat's death could open a new chapter in relations with the Palestinians.

PROF (DR) P. NASIR

Gujrat

DHA development charges

This is with reference to two letters (Oct 3 and 5) and the subsequent interview of DHA administrator Brig Maqsood Hussain (Oct 25) in which he tried to defend the controversial development charges.

One was hoping that the DHA administrator would defend the charges by answering the questions raised in the two letters referred to above. However, it is quite clear that the DHA does not have any answer.

For example, one letter writer rightly termed it a gross injustice to demand something from a buyer after the property was already bought by him and for which no intimation was given to him at the time of purchase.

Secondly, the correspondent quoted the example of a widow who does not have any source of income and owns the plot left by her deceased husband, bought by him several years ago. The DHA is forcing her to sell the plot which she might be trying to retain to meet her future needs when her children would need some money for education.

Thirdly, the letter suggested making a difference between profit-makers who are making money by selling and buying in the short term and those who are genuine owners trying to retain the property for future use. For this, a very logical suggestion was made to levy surcharge on transfer of plots which may yield more money to the DHA as the same plot is transferred many times and the DHA will earn money on each transfer. This would also mean that those who are involved in short-term buying and selling would have to bear this cost and thus share their high profits with the DHA.

This brings us to a very important point: who should the DHA be accountable to? Should it remain an "authority" or should its status now be changed to something which is more manageable and with accountability to the public? Should the accounts of the DHA be audited by a reputable firm of chartered accountants and made public?

The audit should be carried out for all the past years and all the funds collected by the DHA should be fully accounted for before they can be given any right to collect any more funds.

ABDUL BASIT KURTAWALA

Karachi

A question on Kashmir

Referring to Kashmir, Anu Soman (Nov 17) is curious to know if there is any recorded instance in history where a stronger nation has ceded territory to a weaker adversary. The occupation of Kashmir by the Indian army is as illegal as was the occupation of India by the British. But under international pressure, the mighty empire of Britain agreed to give independence to the people of the subcontinent, with Pakistan and India emerging as independent states.

Some day, it is hoped, India will be forced by international pressure and also the promises made by India's founding fathers to the people of Kashmir to give them the choice to decide their destiny.

SAYED S. JEHAN

Wichita, KS., USA

(II)

This is with reference to Anu Soman's letter "A question".

We have many instances in the world's recorded history when a powerful nation had to surrender to the wishes of the people of a region. East Timor, Hong Kong, India and Pakistan are some of the many examples.

The question of Kashmir is not that of India ceding territory to Pakistan; instead, it is of self-determination. The people of Kashmir should have the right to decide which country they want to be a part of and everybody else should respect their decision.

ZAINAB ZAIDI

Fairfax, VA., USA

(III)

Anu Soman's question is deeply flawed because the basic assumption that Kashmir is India's territory is dead wrong. Kashmir is under India's military occupation; it is not India's territory. On what grounds can the writer make such a claim?

In fact this very claim is the source of the conflict. Any discussion on Kashmir that does not begin with India's occupation of the territory will be absolutely futile.

KHURRAM HANEEF

New Jersey, USA

'Jirga injustice'

The pain of Mukhtaran Bibi's punishment for a crime she did not commit had hardly waned when Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee brought back the ghastly memory of the Meerwala tragedy ('Jirga injustice', Nov 7).

Only if I could show you the scars left on my soul by Nicholas Kristoff's two sentences from his column "Sentenced to be raped". Quote: "As members of the high-status tribe danced in joy, four men stripped her naked and took turns raping her. They then forced her to walk home naked in front of 300 villagers."

This brands us across the world as an uncivilized society.

What kind of message these criminals want to send to the world? They want this jirga system to stay although the Sindh High Court has banned it. Even the government of Sindh is trying to promulgate an ordinance to cancel the existing law. But many mindless people want the reprehensible and discriminatory Hudood ordinances to stay, and not even be modified. They do not want honour killing to be outlawed. Do you see how mad we can get?

The answer to these ills is to cure the nation's body which is riddled with ignorance. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz predicts that the nation cannot make any progress if it remains uneducated. Nor can it achieve President Musharraf's goal of 'enlightened moderation'. The need to educate the nation cannot be overemphasized.

S.M. KAZIM NAQVI

Karachi

Stranded Umrah pilgrims

It is distressing to learn from PTV and other channels that well over 30,000 Pakistanis who had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah are stranded there. Presumably all of them had travelled by PIA.

Surely PIA knew about the rules and regulations of Saudi Arabia, specifically with respect to persons going for Umrah from Pakistan. They must have known about the validity of visas (without which tickets cannot be issued), the duration for which the visas had been issued and so on. It is, therefore, surprising that instead of a smooth return of persons after performing Umrah, the Pakistani pilgrims now find themselves in a complete mess.

Reports suggest that some of these stranded pilgrims cannot leave the airport as their visas have expired (and they do not know when they can travel out of Saudi Arabia), while some have no money to stay at a hotel. The questions that need to be asked and answered are:

a. Did PIA book both outward and home-bound (from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan) passage?

b. Why was there so much confusion and chaos at Saudi Arabia if bookings had been made?

c. If no home-bound booking was made, what were the reasons?

d. Who is responsible for this lapse and what action will be taken against those responsible?

ENGR. KHALID R. QURAISHI

Karachi

Pakistan-Australia Test series

The Pakistani cricket side will be embarking upon probably the toughest assignment since the new-look side took the field when the Down Under down begins in December. Let's hope our approach to the game is more methodical and strategy-oriented than the last Test tour in 1999.

Playing conditions in Australia may be testing, but at the same time they are tailor-made for high quality cricket where both batsmen and bowlers get a chance to prove their potential evenly.

The Australians are an invincible unit mainly because of the manner in which they size up the opposition. The way they struck the Indians in their country just recently is an example. They almost flawlessly identify opposition strengths and weaknesses and carry out an immaculate plan to undermine and exploit these two areas. Against Pakistan they are certain to do the same. Surely team coach Bob Woolmer would be aware of that and will ensure that the boys are clearly aware of areas (both in batting and bowling) that are most likely to be marked out in our players.

Our team should take the field with a positive mindset and most importantly should believe that they are capable of making the hosts sweat.

The first Test will be played on the ever-bouncing Perth wicket and our bowling attack is almost perfect for wickets like that. However, it is the batting that needs to be tightened. The batsman should perfect the art of "leaving" the ball and run hard between wickets. The Australian bowlers simply hate it when they are milked around for ones and twos and it disrupts their focus and concentration.

Shoaib Akhtar and Shabbir Ahmed should open the bowling in the first Test, followed by Mohammad Sami as the first change, along with Abdul Razzak. This will provide a useful blend of pace and fast medium and ensure that the Australian batsmen have to continuously adapt to the variation of pace between our bowlers.

In the batting line-up, Yousuf Youhana should precede the captain at No. 4 to provide a cushion for Inzamam who, as records suggest, bats with concentration when under pressure for this is the nature of his cricket while Yousuf plays better cricket, thinking that Inzamam is still available down the order.

Australia's "only" weakness is the way they handle spin bowling. They are an aggressive side and like to get on with the game. Someone such as Danish Kaneria will have to bowl a lot of overs on a given day and tie up the batsmen at one end throughout most of their innings. The batsmen will respond by attacking the pacers with more aggression and could hold out to them if they bowl with accuracy, pace and most importantly discipline.

Also, the Pakistan team will not be playing too many practice games in Australia to acclimatize themselves to conditions there. So, the captain and the coach will have to do some deep thinking and use an unchanged opening batting combination for all three Tests instead of chopping and changing the top order. It would be a bad decision to remove an opening batsman in case he fails to perform in one of the three Tests.

I still feel that given the nature of Pakistan cricket and the rarity of a Pakistan-Australia Test series Down Under, the PCB should try and push for a five-Test rubber for important contests such as this.

KAMRAN A. SHAH

Karachi

Working of PTCL, KESC

According to newspaper reports, the KESC and the PTCL have posted huge profits this year. But their maintenance record remains deplorable.

In the KESC system, poles are rusted, wires have become old, thus breaking down often, pole-mounted transformers have served their life, vehicles are inadequate, etc. All these are more than 40 years old and require immediate replacement. If this is not done on priority basis, the whole profit will be wiped off.

The record of the PTCL is no better. A round of the city will show that wires are hanging everywhere, poles are in short supply, connections are all temporary, etc. The telephone wires are not strong enough and must be supported by steel wires, and the PTCL does not provide this. The underground cables often get submerged in water causing disruption. A huge amount is required to renew all these lines. The PTCL has acquired all the more importance, as all IT communication depends on it. Computer users are suffering because of frequent breakdowns.

On top of all this, the consumers are punished by increasing the tariff, now and then.

Hence, it is imperative to spend more money on maintenance and reduction of tariff, rather than showing profits. The whole system has become out of date and requires immediate renovation.

S. MUSLEHUDDIN AHMED

Karachi

New currency notes

This is apropos of the report that the government is bringing into circulation Rs20 and Rs5,000 denomination notes.

Rs500 denomination notes have been in circulation for over two decades, and some years back Rs1,000 notes were also introduced. These notes are circulated as freely as Rs50 and Rs100 notes. It is now very difficult to get good, clean and new Rs100 and Rs50 notes. These are only available to prestigious clients. The common man can only obtain Rs100 notes at a high premium from currency brokers.

I believe that the worst effect of the free circulation of high denomination notes is psychological. For the general public, the value of the Rs1,000 and Rs500 notes has gone down and when the Rs5,000 note will come into circulation, the same will happen to it.

I hope that the government has considered this point. In monetary matters, the psyche of the general public should always be kept in mind.

S. M. A. RIZVI

Karachi

Wedding meals

The judges of our Supreme Court deserve the nation's profound gratitude for restoring the ban on wedding meals. The government had wisely imposed this ban in response to appeals from scores of social service agencies to ban wasteful expenditure on marriages. The late Hakim Mohammad Said had called a meeting of nearly a hundred eminent social workers in Karachi and they all demanded a ban on wedding feasts and other wasteful spending on weddings and other social occasions. For some mysterious reason, the government's ban was circumvented and the rituals of wasteful spending on marriages were resumed, with officials taking no action against the law-breakers.

Aside from the agony which wasteful spending on marriage causes to the parents of the bride, gluttony strains our foodgrain reserves, with wheat in short supply and its price soaring.

If laws are to be effective, the implementation authorities have to be vigilant and honest in bringing law-breakers to book.

The federal and provincial governments should call meetings of active social workers to mobilize them for cooperation and supportive action.

QUTUBUDDIN AZIZ

Karachi

Musharraf's job

This refers to the letter "Letting Musharraf do his job" (Nov 11). The unfortunate citizens of Pakistan are not so sure they want Gen Musharraf around for the rest of their lives.

The last five years have seen more corruption, violence, inflation and all round misery than the tenure of any civilian prime minister. Regardless of any circumstances, it is never right for the army to be running a nation. They are paid to defend the country and that is all they should be doing.

KHWAJA SHAMAAS

Lahore

Sheikh Zayed

One cannot deny the fact that Shaikh Zayed was a visionary leader for his people and that he managed to transform his sleepy desert emirate into an oasis of activity and trade over the past decades.

However, the lack of democracy in the UAE and the fact that its nationals have played havoc with our wildlife and continue to do so should also be remembered. Also, one cannot forget the fact that scores under-age boys are taken to the UAE to become camel jockeys.

RASHID KHAN

Lahore