The carnage in Jenin and Gujarat
TODAY, Jenin represents the nadir of global morality. It will remain a black mark on the face of world conscience. The most shocking aspect of the situation is the fact that the atrocities at Jenin were committed by the people who claim to be the victims of the holocaust.
Like the Palestinians, Muslims and other minorities in India are becoming refugees in their own homeland, and have been subjected to Jenin-like episodes, in a systematic manner, during the past 50 years, by the people who claim to be secular and who claim to form the largest democracy in the world.
Be it Kashmir, East Punjab, Ayodhya or Gujarat, the modus operandi remains the same. As the people are murdered, their homes torched, their businesses looted and their places of worship burnt, the police, the very arm of the government which is supposed provide law and order and protect human life, looks the other way, and in many instances colludes with the bloodthirsty mobs.
Since Feb 27, the Gujarat government has failed to provide security to the Muslim community. There has been a lack of accountability. No one has been punished for the Gujarat carnage. The victims continue to live in refugee camps.
What is happening today in India can be best understood by considering what has happened in not a very distant past. Patwant Singh, a prominent Indian, and a dissident, in his book Of dreams and demons: a memoir of modern India sheds some light on the massacre of Sikhs and Muslims in India after the destruction of the Golden Temple and the demolition of Babri Masjid.
About the events following the demolition of the 464-year-old Babri Masjid in Ayodhya on Dec 6, 1992, Patwant Singh writes: “No sooner was the masjid destroyed than the crazed mobs turned on to the Muslims killing, pillaging, torching homes, terrorizing men, women and children. Every Muslim home in Ayodhya was destroyed. Mosques were attacked, even the graves vandalized.
“By the next day frenzied communal violence had gripped large parts of India. Maharashtra topped the list in numbers killed (over 200), most of them in Bombay, once the most civilized and best administered of Indian cities. Bombay’s police force added to its degradation through its blatant anti-Muslim bias, wantonly killing them in the name of quelling the riots by aiming at the abdomen, rather than in the air first, and then at feet, as laid down in the police manuals. Around 90 per cent of the people killed died in police firing... Delhi was no better place. Its police behaved as it did in 1984; on a thoroughly partisan manner.”
Regarding what Mr Nehru foresaw about the rise of communalism in India, Patwant Singh recalls:
“At a packed meeting of India’s foreign service officials in conference room of the External Affairs Ministry in 1963, Jawaharlal Nehru was asked: ‘What happens to the services if the communists are elected to power tomorrow at the Centre, here in New Delhi?’ His reply was: ‘Why are all of you so obsessed with communists and communism? ... The danger to India is not communism. It is Hindu-right-wing communalism’.”
It appears that Prime Minister Nehru was right. Today, the fire of communalism has engulfed India. Thanks to its leaders like Advani and Vajpayee, and their Hindutva-cantered politics and policies, Muslims, Sikhs and other minorities are being forced to become separable part of the secular state.
S.B. SALAM
Chicago, USA
Quality of leadership
MORE than five decades ago, Pakistan became a free nation. A 50-year period is long enough for a country to achieve prosperity and political stability.
After the second world war, Japan and Germany, for that matter the whole western Europe, were in a shambles. Today they are all awake, vital, free and independent whereas we have become more indolent.
Institutions that strengthen democracy have become hollow and inoperative.
The most vital casualty in the process has been the moral fibre of the people. They have lost faith in the leadership at all levels. The decline in the quality of leadership has been constant.
Many financial experts view today’s schemes with trepidation. No one who has taken a hard look at the sums has yet been convinced that the present cost will ever be recouped from the future development. At best, economists warn, inflation and interest payments are likely to double the present estimates. If things do not go well, the sky could be the limit.
However, if we want we can learn how not to lose the ground on which we stand.
AHSON SHAMAON
Karachi
Food Street and tobacco
THE Food Street in Lahore was meant to provide wholesome and traditional Lahori food to citizen and tourists, and it has been a phenomenal success.
That is why it makes for sorrowful reading that the place is going to be hijacked by the tobacco industry, which will have its logo imprinted on the furniture as well as on the waiters’ uniforms.
This is the worst kind of tobacco promotion activity and the government should stop it before its implementation. As for the electricity bills, the shopkeepers who mint millions of rupees every month should be made to pay them, not the tobacco giants.
It simply does not make sense for tobacco companies to be allowed to play havoc with the health of the people by promoting their brands at such a public place.
PROF TARIQ IQBAL BHUTTA
Lahore
Highway police on speeding
A FEW days ago, while a dutiful inspector of the Highway Police was distributing handbills near the Attock Bridge in the evening advising motorists on the significance of speed limits, a donkey cart and a tractor-trolley passed by him.
Not to be left behind, a few cyclists in diamond formation also peddled their way on the dual carriageway. The only thing common between the donkey cart, the tractor trolley and the cyclists was that they were all illiterate, their vehicles had no lights and they posed the greatest hazard to motorists on the highway.
Somehow these mobile death-traps for the motorists have escaped the attention of the Highway Police.
Could the Inspector General of Highway Police ensure that all sorts of vehicles, especially the slow moving ones, are lighted up after sunset, so as to avoid accidents.
COL SAYED GB SHAH BOKHARI
Peshawar
World IP Day gone unnoticed
THE 26th of April was celebrated all over the world as Intellectual Property Day. The theme of this day was ‘Encouraging Creativity’, indeed a worthy cause.
With this theme, and the fact that Pakistan is gifted with the most creative of people particularly in the fields of literature, music, science, and technology, it was expected that the day would see some activity to promote the idea of intellectual property being a tool of economic development.
Being an intellectual property practitioner, I thought the government would definitely play an important role in organizing events for the day. Alas, none was there.
There were individual interests shown by government functionaries, but the institutional role went sadly amiss.
Intellectual property is not the issue of only lawyers and IP officials. It is the issue that concerns the masses.
Nothing happened on that day that would take the issue to the common people, businessmen included.
The need of the hour is to celebrate such a day by involving the people in its activities. Right now, even government functionaries like the customs and police officials and members of the judiciary are not fully aware of the issues involving the various IP laws.
Walks should be organized; seminars should have artistes, scientists, and writers addressing to businessmen and government functionaries; TV and radio channels should air talkshows on the issues of the IP; stage and TV dramas should be organized; newspapers should publish special supplements — in short, the government and other organizations that represent the interests of the intellectual property owners should come forward and celebrate this day with proper events.
That would be a real celebration of the World Intellectual Property Day.
KARIMULLAH ADENI
Karachi
PTC coverage of cricket
THIS is with regard to the PTV coverage of the recent One Day Innings against New Zealand. It was pathetic to say the least. The camera-work lacked imagination, and the quality of coverage was irritating. The ball was going north when the camera was zooming south.
The action replays were covered with sponsors’ messages and one was unable to see the vital moments of the game. Is the PTV bent upon compelling people to boycott it and opt for foreign channels?
ARSHAD MUNIR KHAN
Multan
Ginning factories
THE present government is not paying any attention to the huge stocks of cotton lying unsold in ginning factories. According to a PCGA report of April 15, 2002, the number of unsold stocks of cotton bales lying with ginning factories is 1,161,519, with further 65,000 bales expected to be produced in the current season.
I request the government to immediately ban all imports of cotton and to order the TCP to purchase these unsold bales. This will not only support the cotton industry but will also stop more than 222 ginning factories from shutting down.
ATTIQ UR REHMAN KHATTAK
Khairpur
Killer vehicles: some solutions
THE following suggestions, if adopted, can bring startling results in the management of our traffic.
Profit-and-loss sharing may be introduced among the operators of large buses and minibuses plying on same routes.
Eyesight tests of drivers may be carried out every six months.
Drug and fatigue tests of drivers may be carried out every week.
Drivers and conductors may be asked to wear uniforms.
Nominated citizens may be authorized to issue tickets to drivers found violating traffic laws.
Placards may be installed at the back of public transport vehicles that should advise the general public to call the mentioned toll-free telephone number of the traffic police and inform them of any violation committed by that particular vehicle.
Operators may be allowed to fix fares and the regulatory agency should only control quality and observance of law.
Operators whose vehicles follow the rules may be given reasonable discount in motor vehicle tax and acknowledgement for good conduct.
The regional traffic authority, and the city and provincial governments may like to implement the above suggestions on experimental basis.
S. BUKHARI
Karachi
Water ban at stadium
AT the recently held cricket match at Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, plastic bottles were not allowed inside the stadium and spectators were asked to deposit them at the gate. This apparently was done out of concern for the safety of the players, since bottles could be used as projectiles.
However, once inside the stadium, people found to their outrage that a famous international company, which also manufactures many popular food and milk products, was selling the very same plastic bottles at twice their original price.
As if this wasn’t enough, the police did not even allow the use of water taps near the fence. This meant that anyone who wanted a drink had no option but to buy the priced up water bottles.
In the circumstances it appeared highly likely that this company had colluded with the police to set up this ‘water ban’ to guarantee their sale. Whatever the case, the authorities should enquire into the matter and make sure that the police are not given an opportunity to harass spectators in the garb of security measures.
S. SHAHAB QUTUB
Lahore
A territorial accounting dispute
THIS is with reference to Mr Athar Zaidi’s article under the above caption (Apr 8).
It is a travesty of fact that the Auditor-General drives his powers and functions from Article 169 alone of the constitution. The last part of this article clearly says that the Auditor-General shall perform such functions and exercise such powers as may be determined by or under act of parliament and until so determined by order of the president.
Historically, the parliament never passed any act defining the functions and powers of the Auditor-General.
What has been done is that the president issued an order called Audit and Accounts Order, 1973, under the said article that describes in detail the functions and powers of the Auditor-General.
It appears that Mr Zaidi has not studied this presidential order or he is deliberately trying to create confusion in this respect.
The author’s argument that departmentalization of accounts of certain government departments was done without constitutional cover of the Auditor-General is also untenable inasmuch as it is provided in the said presidential order. Otherwise, everything being done by the Auditor-General in his official capacity will become unconstitutional.
So there is no question of any accounting dispute, territorial or otherwise.
SYED JAFFER HUSSAIN
Quetta
Traffic signals
THE traffic signals on all the main roads of Karachi are switched off every night after 11:00 pm. I fail to understand why this is being done.
Are we trying to save up on electricity at the cost of human lives? There is quite a bit of traffic at least till 1:00 am and there is definitely a need for traffic signals to control the traffic.
Could the DG Traffic Police look into this and keep the signals on throughout?
FARAH DEEBA
Karachi
Cost of school books
THE cost of the course books of the English Medium schools is very high, and most parents are quite perturbed by this. Though they don’t express themselves openly as it could hurt the feelings of their children, they do feel the pinch.
Recently, one of my colleagues asked me to get him a book for class 6 which was in short supply and not available in the bookshops in his locality. I got the book from a bookshop near my residence, but was shocked to notice the price. An English book for class 6 had a price of Rs370!
Most middle class parents are compelled to send their children to English medium schools in spite of the high fee, as the standard of government schools has been on the decline since long. But the cost of textbooks and stationery can hardly be afforded even after sacrificing many other needs. The owners and administrators of schools should take up this issue with the concerned authority and advocate for the availability of cheaper books and fight the case for the parents.
The education department, too, should play its part and ensure that textbooks are available at reasonable rates, by coordinating with the National Book Foundation. Locally printed books can be introduced at a lower price.
Another question that needs answer is why are expensive and foreign modelled books being prescribed by the Text Book Board?
S. ABRAR HUSSAINI
Karachi
A question
IN a recent interview on BBC, a Palestinian activist said that he could show the world the graves of his ancestors so that the world could ascertain that his ascendants were the rightful inhabitants of this land.
Can Sharon show us the graves of his forefathers?
FARID AHMED
Karachi
Zapata’s rightful place in history
THIS is with reference to the letter titled ‘Recalling Viva Zapata’ by Mr A. Rehman (Apr 28).
Mr Rehman has grossly distorted the life and legacy of the Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata by calling him a ‘brigand’. As such, his real role must be clarified for the benefit of the readers.
Emiliano Zapata was a Mexican peasant revolutionary who led a popular peasant insurrection against the corrupt dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz in 1911. This landmark event is known in history as the Mexican Revolution and it is the first of the great revolutions of the 19th century.
Zapata, as Mr Rehman contends, never became the president of Mexico; so loath was he to the corrupting influence of power that he denied it when it was offered to him. In fact, he handed power to the Mexican modernizing elite under Carranza, and retired back to his village of Morelos to preside over the amazing land reform there, which the then US ambassador to Mexico described thus: “A true social revolution exists in Mexico.” It is this theme of renouncing power when being close to it that the movie Viva Zapata also celebrates.
However, the Mexican land-owning elite under Carranza were fearful of the radical implications of giving land to the peasants, and they conspired and assassinated Zapata in 1919.
After Zapata’s death, some form of land reform continued under successive Mexican governments until 1945, after which the name of Zapata became a sacred cow used to dupe and cheat the masses in order to gain votes for the ruling party, the PRI. It was only recently that the almost eight decades of rule by this ‘revolutionary’ party was brought to an end by Vicente Fox’s election as president of Mexico.
Zapata’s name still finds powerful resonance in the Zapatista movement in Mexico, which demands indigenous rights for the Indians in the province of Chiapas, rights brutally suppressed since the Spanish conquest of the 15th century.
The lesson one gets from Zapata’s life is that it is not enough just to mouth revolutionary slogans and forget them when power is attained. Most of the elites in the Third World have become subservient to opportunism and corruption, and have betrayed the trust of their people.
In other words, they could do well to heed Zapata’s words: “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”
RAZA NAEEM
Leeds, UK