Remarks against legends in bad taste
THE Chairman of the Pakistan International Airlines, Lt-Gen Hamid Nawaz, rubbed salt into the wounds of sporting legends, Jahangir Khan, Jansher Khan and Zaheer Abbas by justifying their retrenchment on the grounds that they have lost utility.
His remarks at a function arranged to honour PIA teams for winning national championships was in sheer bad taste. It did not only shock the legendary sportsmen but sports lovers from all over the country. The previous governments are accused of destroying institutions but people close to the present leadership, it seems are out to damage even individuals of world repute.
Pakistan in it’s 50-year history, has the unique honour of producing two players, Jahangir and Jansher who ruled the world for almost two decades. Jahangir was the best sportsman of the 20th century as no one from any part of the world had the distinction or honour of winning British Open ten consecutive years and World Championship six times followed by Jansher who claimed the World Championship six times. Zaheer in his hey days was known as the Asian Bradman.
Gone are the days when sportsmen were treated as vagabonds. Now they are the most respected people in every civilised society. Anyone who thinks that they are to be used when they are at their peak and discarded when they quit the game are living in a fool’s paradise.
The PIA Chairman perhaps felt insulted and humiliated when he saw one of the legends, an ex-PIA employee, driving a Mercedes and playing golf.
The legends have earned millions of dollars through sheer hard work and self effort. Nobody can claim that they helped the above three achieve the status which they earned through their endeavours.
They are in their own right to drive a Mercedes.
They have not earned money the easy way. They not only earned money they carried the Pakistan flag atop at world sporting arena for years. If the PIA employed them, it was not to help them but to get publicity through them. Any airline in the world would have welcomed them in their fold when they were in their prime.
Their only mistake is that they did not exploit their potential and milk the national carrier to their gain. Anybody who thinks that they have lost their worth is living in some other world. The only things one can say that the people running the airlines are incompetent as they do not know how to use their human resource. The PIA could have set up squash and cricket academies and could have made worldwide publicity that it can get talented youngsters from anywhere in the world trained at the PIA coaching centres with players of the status of Jahangir, Jansher, Zaheer and “Little Master” Hanif Muhammad who also retired from the PIA.
The legends do not need money for their living or are interested in the salary they were drawing from the national carrier. The only thing is that the PIA management insulted them by declaring them redundant and the manner in which they were thrown out.
If it comes to utility, can the PIA Chairman justify the retention of Col (retd) Mudassar Asghar as the General Manager PIA and terminate the services of Jahangir, Zaheer and Jansher who were all general Managers and enjoyed equal status. Mudassars only qualification is that he is a former army man. Mudassar stands nowhere near the legendary, Jahangir, Jansher and Zaheer. Can the PIA Chairman justify retention of Mudassar?
These legends, could have settled anywhere in the world when they were in their prime but it was their love for their motherland which made them stay in Pakistan when they had the option of settling down in any country. They would have been welcomed with open arms.
The remarks of the PIA Chairman that he wanted to streamline and improve the functioning of the sports department looked hollow as any self respecting sportsman would think twice before joining PIA after seeing the treatment meted out to Jahangir, Jansher and Zaheer.
The people in power should know that they just cannot ridicule our national heroes. Their publicity and popularity graph is much higher than any governor, bureaucrat or the top government machinery. If the Chairman of the PIA has any doubt he can get a survey conducted and assess the popularity graph of sportsmen.
Instead of honouring them and making them idols for the younger generation, people with little imagination are trying to destroy the image which they will never be able to do.
The PIA Chairman by his statement has ridiculed the sportsmen instead of encouraging them. When Pakistan’s sports graph has been showing decline in the past decade, he has stabbed it in the back. He has not done any national service.
It is time that President Pervez Musharraf takes note of such irresponsible acts and refrain government officials from making such irresponsible statements in the best interest of the country.
Caring for the elders: FRIDAY FEATURE
THE status of senior citizen is of much importance in every society, especially in the West where the elderly persons are in most cases sent to old-age homes instead of being cared in their own houses. Many of them end up in nursing homes.
This type of life for the aged persons is miserable and unbearable. This situation needs to be remedied before the disturbing trend begins to take roots in the societies of the developing countries and creates an unforeseen crisis.
Islam teaches us to respect the elderly whether they are parents, relatives or any other persons. The word elderly has been used in the Quran to mean Shaikh and Kabeer. We are informed that the elderly may end up with the following characteristics:
Many of them lose their biological potency, the majority may lose their physical vitality, some of them may lose their mental capacity and a large number of them develop increased emotional feelings beyond limits.
As far as the loss of physical vitality is concerned, an old person can’t do much of the work that a young man is able to do. The Quran informs us about Prophet Shu’aib who was an aged person. He was unable to do hard work. His daughters have to take the animals to the spring for water and also to raise them. In Surah Al-Qasas (The Narration), the Quran states the following:
... They said: We cannot water our flocks until the shepherds take back their flocks: and our father is a very old man. (28:23)
The Quran also informs us about Prophet Zakariah who admitted his old age and his lack of physical ability. In Surah Mariam, Allah says:
Praying: O my Lord! Infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head does glisten with grey... (19:4)
As far as the loss of mental capacity is concerned, Allah informs us, in the Qur’an, that any old person may lose most of his mental capability. Hence he may become senile.
In Surah Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage) and Surah Al-Nahl (The Bee), Allah informs us about the senility of the elderly ones. In Surah Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) Allah says the following:
... And some of you are called to die, and some are sent back to the feeblest old age, so that they know nothing after having known so much... (22-55). This is also called Alzheimer disease in modern medicine.
As far as the emotional feelings are concerned, Allah informs us about Prophet Yacoub (Jacob) and his sentimental feelings toward his two last sons Yusuf and Benjamin. His emotions, his love, his concern, his sympathy, and his sentiments were too high to the extent that he cried and wept extensively until he lost his sight. The climax of this anecdote is summarized in Surah Yusuf as follows:
And he turned away from them, and said: how great is my grief for Joseph! And his eyes became white with sorrow, and he fell into silent melancholy. (12:84)
When he was blamed for his continuous crying:
He said: I only complain of my distraction and anguish to God, and I know from God that which you Know not.. (12:86)
In all these cases we are taught as Muslims, that we should respect the elderly even if they are senile. Our respect to the elderly is more confirmed toward our parents. In Surah Al-Isra’ (Night Journey), Allah says to us: “... and that you be kind to parents. Where one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour.” (17:23)
Our beloved Prophet (Peace be upon him) instructed us to respect all those who are old and at the same time we are to have mercy on the young. In one Hadith, it is said: I advise you to be good to the elderly, and to have mercy on the youth. It was reported by Hazrat Aisha that the Prophet instructed us to respect people according to their position. The Arabic text is as follows:
We are informed that any young person who respects the elderly, is to be respected when he becomes old. In one Hadith, narrated by Hazrat Anas, the Prophet said:
Any young person who is kind to an elderly because of his age, Allah will send him someone who will be kind to him when he becomes old.
In another place, our beloved Prophet denounces the young if they don’t respect the elderly.
The respect that the Prophet instructed us to give to the elderly is also in the field of prayer itself. We are to feel sympathy and concern for the elderly while we are performing the prayer. We should not extend or prolong the congregation prayer especially if there are elderly among the faithful. In one Hadith the Prophet said:
When a person leads a congregation prayer, let him make it short, as there may be around the weak, the sick and the elderly. However, when a person prays by himself, he may extend his prayer as much as he wishes.
In accordance with Islamic tradition, we Muslims should do our best to respect the elderly and especially our parents. It is a bad precedent to send our elders to senior citizen centres or nursing homes. The presence of our parents in our own houses is a blessing from Allah. Their presence will bring peace, happiness, concord, tranquillity, mercy and reward from Allah. We should try our best to request our parents to stay with us at our own houses so as to receive the blessings of Allah.
We should set a good example for the non-Muslim to do the same with their parents. If we take the initiative and practise it, we will establish a society win which there will be no generation gap. There won’t be animosity between the young generation towards the elderly. Instead, there will be kindness, respect, sympathy, concern, and love toward one another.
In case of a disaster: CITYSCAPES
NOT MANY Karachiites probably realize that their city sits at the deformed edge of the Indian plate, with Kachchh fault almost touching it. Ornach-Nal fault and Hoshab faults also pass near the city making this region susceptible to tectonic activity. Yet the city continues to suffer from endemic building control violations and poor urban planning spanning over the last fifty years that may exacerbate the destruction in case of a disaster.
Three years ago coastal areas of Sindh were hit by Cyclone 2- A, which spared Karachi but devastated rest of the southeastern coast of the country. Last year a powerful earthquake rocked Bhuj, in India’s close to Sindh border.
Large-scale urban disasters can occur naturally or caused by human idiosyncrasies. The death and destruction due to leakage of Methyl Isocynate gas at the Indian city of Bhopal is generally attributed to the callousness of multinational giant Union Carbide and Istanbul earthquake to the poor urban planning and violations of universal norms of building regulations.
No one is saying that a disaster of a similar magnitude of Los Angeles earthquake or Ojhri Camp explosions is waiting to happen at Karachi. However, it may not hurt to look around at the probability of such a calamity in Karachi or our level of preparedness for a large-scale disaster.
The Brits had left their legacy in one person: the District Magistrate also known as the Deputy Commissioner and acting as the District Collector for revenue. He not only represented the colonial masters by exercising all authority of the British crown but would also be the focal point for coordinating all government functions in case of an emergency.
When Cyclone 2-A struck the coastal areas of Sindh the relief task demanded mobilization of nationally available resources. However, the ones involved in the relief effort might remember the pitiable resources that the Deputy Commissioner Thatta commandeered. The GOC Hyderabad was running his own show, so were the Navy, the police and other establishment arms emanating from the provincial capital and fuelling the ensuing chaos.
With every disaster in the region Karachiites have been promised a comprehensive “Disaster Response Plan” for the city. Yet nothing ever comes out of that hat, the funny thing is that it essentially remains the same lot of jugglers that have mesmerized this city for a long time.
During 1995 Karachi used to have on an average 17 roadworthy fire tenders. After induction of 50 brand new fire tenders from Spain in 1996 the number should have risen to 67. The outgoing administration of the defunct KMC auctioned 33 vehicles for scrap, less than 12 days before the formation of City District Government under the present government’s much-trumpeted devolution plan. The 4 Hino chassis bought during August 2001 for fabrication as fire tenders are rotting at Sohrab Goth fire station. Today the city’s fire service may have fewer than 30 roadworthy fire tenders but a responsibility to respond to disasters spanning from oil terminal at Kemari, three major industrial areas, over a million housing units accommodating more than twelve million people as well as five sea and air ports.
On the other hand the rot in the affairs of Municipal Fire Service could be smelled from a mile. The number of fireman may be less than half required to man even the existing equipment. The number of jobs that may have fallen vacant by retirements etc have were mostly filled by political appointees that are least interested in their work for obvious reason. Most of the fire fighters appear extremely under nourished, poorly trained, shabbily dressed and are non-matriculates.
Yet they claim that this year they have been paid 800 rupees instead of the two entitled uniforms. One Mohammad Seth allegedly manages the uniform scam. The officer heading the service was employed on a two-year contract and has completed his term on July 6 waits for extension. Chief Fire Officer shall also complete his tenure in a couple of months but none of this shall have any impact on the affairs of thoroughly mismanaged ‘disaster response service’ of this city.
The only snorkel with 103 feet arm capable of reaching eight or nine stories continues to be in a precarious condition. There is nothing wrong with the engine or the sections of steel ladder, neither its tyres are missing. It’s just the hydraulic pump; seals and rings that need maintenance and replacement that has kept this very expensive machinery mostly unserviceable.
Same has been the fate of vehicles as well as most of the rented wireless equipment. Ironically the services’ own wireless equipment was taken away during 1992 operation against MQM and has not been returned the by law enforcement agencies.
Instead of rehabilitating the emergency services the theoretical mandarins of the present government want to federalise the service, amalgamating municipal fire service with the redundant and mothballed Civil Defence Service through another ordinance being coined in the drawing rooms of NRB.
In this city-state there are many tiers of governance. We have the Governor representing the federation, soon we may also have a Chief Minister possibly heading the provincial government, the Nazim-i-Aala heads the city government, the naib Nazim-i0- Aala heads the city council, the Inspector General of Police and the Chief Police Officers head different tiers of police establishment, the district coordination officer is closely followed by the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, the DG Rangers, the MD KWSB and the MD KESC and lastly but not the least the Commanders 5 Corps and 5 Corps (reserve) amongst a long list of notables that have the divine right for dishing out orders in case of an emergency.
A single authority is required to coordinate all relief efforts, administration, civic agencies, non-governmental agencies and medical resources. The plan needs to be widely publicized and given statutory protection. Regular drills involving emergency services personnel, law enforcement agencies and general public may be needed. Karachi is four times the size of State of Israel or Palestine. It needs to set up its own centre for epidemic control and other organizations to respond to such an emergency.