Why fear MMA’s rule?

MMA leaders may resemble the Taliban but they have come under the spotlight through the recent election. The outcome of the election may indicate as if a sizable number of the electorate in Pakistan had suddenly turned fanatic. This is, however, not true.

Religious parties’ relatively good performance in election 2002 was mainly due to the fact that they had fielded joint candidates. The main plank of the MMA’s election campaign was its opposition to the support that Pakistan has extended to the international coalition against terrorism.

It can, therefore, be concluded that only a small number of people are against Pakistan’s role in the war on terrorism. The election has legitimized the country’s prudent and wise foreign policy.

Clerics have gained a majority only in the NWFP legislature. Rule by clerics is nothing new to this province. After election 1970, the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam joined a coalition with secular NAP to form a provincial government. This fact can hardly be emphasized that when it comes to seeking power, the clerics of Pakistan do not hesitate in joining hands with secular elements. So, why we fear them or their rule?

At the national level, MMA leaders have already started to demonstrate flexibility on even those issues that they themselves exploited to woo the electorate. They have vowed to work for the supremacy of the constitution and parliament and have also shown flexibility over the issue of their country’s air bases being used by the USA.

The rigours of democracy have already taken a heavy toll on their rigidity as the circumstances force them to transform their apparently harmful disposition into a civilized conduct. Of course, some of them are still talking about curbing co-education and instituting dress code for women. Let us hope this is just their dying rhetoric.

The MMA may not have realized this, but it has already contributed tremendously to the evolution of a secular democratic order in Pakistan. Its components subscribe to varying interpretations of Islam, yet, for the sake of politics, they have held their religious perceptions in abeyance.

Even if and when this alliance disintegrates, it will further serve the cause of secularism by proving that religion and politics do not mix. Secularism has already won and that, too, at the hands of its most unlikely proponents. It augurs well for Pakistan.

It is important that MMA is allowed to make all possible and legal manoeuvres to join the future government. A mulla constrained by the straitjacket of democracy is no more dangerous than a secular minded general who seizes power by force.

Democracy has a peculiar way of protecting itself even in the midst of a political tornado and it is surely not going to fail Pakistan if its course is left unhindered.

SIDDIQUE MALIK

Louisville, USA

Highhandedness of KESC staff

WE, residents of various blocks of Gulistan-i-Johar, Karachi, want to complain against the highhandedness of KESC officials, who have launched a drive against illegal connections and electricity theft in various blocks of Gulistan-i-Johar.

The officials claim that the campaign has been kicked off on the orders of the KESC’s managing director, the executive engineer and the official in charge of the billing section of the area.

Instead of checking meters, the officials swoop on our flats during the day when we are at work. They enter our houses and search all rooms and even bathrooms, causing great embarrassment to our family members, specially to our womenfolk.

The officials warn women of disconnection of power supply if they refuse to let them enter their houses. That they insist on searching our flats without any women staff or a magisterial authority is highly outrageous, to say the least.

KESC officials recently raided every of the 800 flats of Haroon Royal City, Gulistan-i-Johar, Block 17, and illegally searched every house. They asked women to grease their palms or they would disconnect power supply to their houses.

We condemn this highhandedness of the KESC staff. The authorities concerned, including the KESC MD, are requested to conduct an inquiry into the matter and ensure that the sanctity of tax payers and their houses is not violated.

AFFECTED RESIDENTS

Karachi

US visa delays

A LOT has been written with reference to the US visa crisis, but very little has actually been done to solve the problem.

As to FBI clearance, it has been observed that visa applications that were approved in June and July 2002 are still awaiting clearance, while those applicants who applied in August and September this year have been issued visas. We call for a sequential arrangement for the issuance of visas.

Though the student community is well aware of and appreciates the background checking procedure to avoid any unwanted situation in the US, the continued delay in visa application processing is causing immense stress and anguish to students and their families.

It is a moral obligation of the US embassy to resolve this issue at the earliest. AN

AFFECTED STUDENT

Karachi

Cleansing of souls

DAWN’S editorial, “What’s going on?” (Nov 7), was quite interesting and held my attention for some time.

I specially liked the concluding remarks: “There is much too much humbug and hypocrisy around and a dash of receipt for good measure.”

With hypocrisy abound, national and provincial assemblies’ buildings have been cleaned well before holding any sessions. However, cleansing of souls will require the full month of Ramazan and any early requisitioning of a session will remain inconclusive and a complete waste of time.

WAHID BUTT

Lahore

Press can make a difference

THIS is with reference to A. B. S. Jafri’s article, “Dubious and Problematic” (Nov 1). He says that MMA’s coming to power is a surprise to everyone and that its leaders are already talking of plans that might be damaging to Pakistan.

A good number of the electorate undoubtedly fell under the sway of MMA leaders’ rhetoric. Other means, too, must have been employed by the leaders as mentioned in the article.

As I went through the article, I felt grateful to Allah Almighty that we have the freedom of press in our country (though prospects of its continuation do not seem to be bright now).

The press influences one’s thinking a lot. Sometimes it even changes one’s beliefs entirely. The MMA came to power because people voted for it. Mobs were influenced by MMA leaders. And, as Shakespeare says that mobs do not think.

Awareness is what is required and articles like that of Mr Jafri do just that. If electors can be wooed by the MMA, why cannot the press play its role in creating awareness among them?

SADIA SIDDIQUE PECHUHO

Karachi

History may repeat itself

ON Oct 12, 1999, Gen Pervez Musharraf took over power in Pakistan. The Supreme Court allowed him to run this country and amend the constitution on the grounds that there was a lack of harmony and leadership in the country.

After Oct 10 this year, there again seems to be no harmony among politicians. I am afraid that President Musharraf may now go to the Supreme Court once again and get another three years to run the country himself.

If this happens, politicians should be held responsible without any hesitation.

MUHAMMAD AWAIS AWAN

Faisalabad

US resolution on Iraq

THE unfair and unworkable Treaty of Versailles imposed on a defeated Germany at the end of the World War I is considered by most historians as one of the major factors which led to the rise of Hitler and Nazism in Germany.

This treaty pales in comparison to the US Resolution on Iraq passed by the UN Security Council. The conditions of the US resolution are impossible for Iraq to comply with and the expected breach would lead to an invasion and the desired regime change.

Unfortunately, the US, its allies (including Pakistan) and the rest of the Security Council nations appear to have overlooked the inevitable consequence of passing and implementing the resolution — a rise in fundamentalism and fanaticism.

This would only lead to a deeper divide between the Muslims and the West.

What the world should be aiming at is the removal of weapons of mass destruction, if any, from Iraq.

However, the way the US resolution aims to achieve this objective would only alienate the Muslim world.

BILAL KHAN

Rawalpindi

Grievances of cadet pilots

WE request the PIAC management to provide justice to us and all other cadet pilots who got through the selection process and the final interviews conducted on Dec 6, 2001.

We have visited many times different PIAC offices and written a letter to the concerned authorities, but in vain. Is there anybody in PIAC who can respond to our pleas?

Will the authorities be kind enough to let us know what it takes to get a simple reply from them as we have got fed up with running from pillar to post? Their silence has brought us to the brink of insanity.

May Allah Almighty give the PIAC management the strength and vision to uphold merit so that our grievances could be redressed.

AFFECTED CANDIDATES

Karachi

‘Yes, Mr president’

I do not know how correct the statistics (Nov 6) about Zafrullah Khan Jamali are, but I think he will be an ideal man for the executive slot of prime minister of Pakistan.

After all, he will fit in the role of “yes, Mr president”, which is something Gen Pervez Musharraf has been desperately looking for since election 2002.

JALALUDDIN

Karachi

Hiring domestic servants

NOWADAYS hiring domestic servants, including drivers, cooks, maids, from streets is a very dangerous thing but so is hiring servants from registered domestic servant agencies.

I hired a servant from a reputed agency located in a posh locality of Karachi. The agency took full responsibility for the servant in addition to service charges equivalent to a month’s salary in advance.

After three months on the job, the servant got away with some of our jewellery and cash in our absence. When we informed the agency about this incident and asked them to either produce the servant or compensate our loss, they said that they would first question the servant’s guarantor before taking any action against him.

Over a month has gone by, but the agency is still investigating the case. So much for their efficiency.

The fact is that these agencies are fleecing people without delivering any goods. Will some one in authority look into problems like this before any other citizen becomes their victim?

AMIN KIYANI

Karachi

Where is accountability?

IS this not strange that, while the leaders of the two major political parties cannot come back to Pakistan because of various corruption charges, we have leaders who are involved in loan defaults, write-offs and cooperatives scams.

The irony is that these leaders are being given importance even by the president whose basic mission was stated to be to rid the country of corrupt leaders. Should the nation not expect an explanation?

Lt-Col (R) JAVAID IQBAL

Karachi

Awareness about pesticides

THE promptness with which the Sindh chief secretary rushed the director-general of environmental protection agency to a village near Saeedabad, Hyderabad district, where five innocent children of poor farmers had been affected by poisonous agricultural pesticides, is highly commendable. The children had reportedly drunk water in an empty bottle of pesticide.

In our rural areas, people are not fully educated on the safe use of pesticides. The labels on the pesticide bottles and containers do not properly explain the risks involved in the use of pesticides and how to overcome the same.

It should be the duty of pesticide manufacturing companies to ensure complete awareness about their products through field contact and also through the mass media. These companies are reportedly earning huge profits and, therefore, can easily afford such campaigns.

The government should also play its role in the proper enforcement of the provisions of the Pesticides Control Ordinance and can even improve the ordinance to make it more environment friendly.

It is also hoped that the grieved families will be compensated by the concerned pesticide companies.

M. SHAMS

Hyderabad

Small loans for electronic goods

IN August last year, the government announced a plan of small loans for electronic items with the objective to provide an opportunity to the low-income class to buy such electronic items easily. On these loans the interest rate would be only eight per cent.

This was very good news for me and my friends who were planning to buy computer on instalments for studies.

Since that announcement, I have contacted the concerned bank many times to apply for loan, but the only answer given to me is: “The State Bank has not yet issued the circular about this kind of loan, and we will act on that.” I request the concerned authorities to look into the matter.

JAHANZEB KHAN GHOURI

Karachi

Dysfunctional traffic lights

DYSFUNCTIONAL traffic lights on main roads in Karachi is a major source of irritation for motorists and commuters.

On Shara-i-Faisal, a main artery of the city, traffic lights are often switched off for reasons best known to the traffic authorities.

Will the DIG, traffic, look into the matter and ensure that the system of traffic lights operate without any hindrance?

SAFIR A SIDDIQUI

Karachi

Poverty elimination or promotion?

Every government in office has been making promises for the elimination of poverty as a high priority, but what they actually do is quite the opposite.

They keep on increasing prices of petroleum products from time to time as well as charges of utility services. Besides, prices of essential commodities, such as ghee and edible oil, have also been rising. All these add to the burden of the common man’s budget, making his life miserable.

Widows, pensioners and other elderly people generally invest in government’s savings schemes in the hope of leading their lives with respect.

Recently, there has been a drastic reduction in returns on savings accounts from 18/16 per cent down to 11 per cent. Thus, while their expenses are increasing owing to the price hike, their income has decreased.

The government, in fact, has been promoting poverty instead of eliminating or alleviating it.

A. G. M. GODIL

Karachi

Constitution and the question of oath

SOME political parties are inflexible on the question of taking the oath under the constitution as amended through the Legal Framework Order on the contention that the chief executive has no power to make any constitutional amendments.

Their rigid stand will involve the country in a constitutional tangle which will not serve the cause of democracy and has the potential of diverting the attention of elected bodies from the economic problems and the matters relating to foreign relations. This distraction from the real issues may also deteriorate the law and order situation.

The basic fact not to be lost sight of is that the the election was held under the Legal Framework Order through which major changes were made in the previous constitutional provisions that relate to the strength of the National Assembly, provincial assemblies, re-introduction of joint electorate, reservation of seats for the minorities and women and educational qualifications of candidates.

The legislators who are now insisting on taking oath under the constitution as it existed prior to October 1999 have already accepted the amendments that relate to elections. It means that they have accepted the authority of the chief executive to amend the constitution. Insistence on taking oath under the unmended constitution would make the very existence of the elected bodies and the entire exercise of election null and void.

The main target of these parties is the constitutional amendment providing for National Security Council which, they say, is foreign to parliamentary system, and the power of the president to dissolve the National Assembly in consultation with the council.

These politicians must accept the fact that the parliamentary system as contained under the constitution did not work in the country. Prime minister was too powerful and president was only a dummy. It was the unbridled power of the prime minister that led to the crisis of 1977.

This crisis forced the military to step in and it was welcomed by the same politicians who are now clamouring for aping the British parliamentary system. They also accepted article 58(2)(b) under which incompetent and corrupt governments were removed. These politicians also welcomed action under the said article. Now they say that this article is an onslaught on democracy.

The president must have some constitutional powers to act when it is necessary to act in the national interest to avert chaos and anarchy.

PROF MUKHTAR ALI NAQVI

Orlando, USA