Mass arrests in US

LAST week’s mass arrests all over the US of law-abiding immigrants from predominately Muslim countries wrote another shameful chapter in the history of the country.

It was just 60 years ago that America branded a large group of law-abiding citizens of Japanese ancestry as enemies of the state. The Japanese Americans were no longer considered vibrant immigrants, with aspirations to assimilate into the rich American society, but an enemy that sneakily attacked Pearl Harbour.

In 1942, thousands of Japanese American families were assembled and placed on trains going to unknown destinations, to be held for the duration of the World War II in concentration camps. Their constitutional rights were ignored, and the thinking and power of racists ran rampant over their lives. In a short time, military orders sanctioned by a presidential decree uprooted the lives of more than 120,000 American of Japanese descent and legal resident immigrants.

Now, a new government order requires boys and men from 18 designated nations who are in the US on temporary visas to register with the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Registration should not lead to internment, but once again innocent people are being rounded up on racial and religious grounds. Is worse yet to come in this post 9/11 atmospheres?

There are many similarities in how people of colour and people who do not look like the majority of the population are treated in the US. In 1942 the US was at war with Germany and Italy. German Americans and Italian Americans were picked up and locked up individually. Japanese Americans, on the other hand, were picked up and locked up en masse. Will the Muslims, too, be interned if they do not look like the majority of the population of this land?

Jailing suspected terrorists captured in Afghanistan at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is one thing, but taking American immigrants who voluntarily report to INS offices and giving them a surprise trip to detention centres — depriving them of basic rights — is quite another.

If the US government desired to portray itself as fair and equitable, a land where liberty and justice for all is upheld, incredibly, it failed that test last week.

The inscription around the landmark immigrant’s gateway to American reads:

“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free; the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

‘Lady Liberty’ weeps today!

M. IFTIKHAR MALIK

California, USA

Well done blind cricketers

I WOULD like to know as to why Dawn splashed on a sports page the item that Pakistan cricket team lost so miserably against South Africa and way down you had a little item that the Pakistan blind cricket team won the World Cup and was congratulated by the president.

The blind cricket team must be congratulated for lifting the cup. Maybe, our national cricket team can learn something from them.

Thanks to the blind, we have salvaged some of our pride; by playing matches with greater dedication and national spirit.

S. BABAR

Karachi

I CONGRATULATE the blind cricket team for their superb performance in the blind cricket World Cup recently held in Chennai, India. They clinched the World Cup for Pakistan by defeating South Africa in the final.

This great performance has proved that if a team acts as a unit, no hurdle is a hurdle and blindness is no more a deficiency.

Here I would ask Pakistan’s cricket team that, apart from getting coaching from highly-paid foreign coaches, they should take some little advice from the blind cricket team on how a team’s unity and resolve bring victory.

ANAS A. KHAN

Karachi

LET me begin this letter by congratulating the blind cricket team. I am also a visually-impaired person and work as a volunteer for the Pakistan Foundation Fighting Blindness, an Islamabad-based NGO.

Let me take this opportunity to thank the government and the president for their efforts towards the welfare of people having visual impairment and other disabilities.

Well done the Pakistan blind cricket team.

SAMAR FARUQUI

Lahore

Raid on doctor’s house

THE recent arrest of highly-qualified Pakistani medical professionals by FBI personnel and by their Pakistani collaborators was one of the most shameful acts to have taken place so far in this country.

Last week, in an unlawful swoop on Dr Ahmed Khawaja’s house in Lahore, eight members of his family were arrested by the FBI without any charges.

It appears that Pakistanis are not safe even in their own homes. It also seems that treating a patient has become a crime unless that patient deserves treatment in the eyes of US agency’ officials operating in Pakistan.

I appeal to the Pakistan Medical Association to protest against this anti-Pakistani behaviour. The PMA should arrange protest meetings in front of the parliament building and the president’s residence.

Doctors on duty should wear black armbands and declare that they will go on an indefinite strike unless this anti-Pakistan practice is stopped.

DR ASIM KAMAL

Islamabad

THIS is with reference to the letter, ‘Raid on doctor’s house’ (Dec 26), by Ali Shirazee.

It would have been more appropriate for Mr Shirazee to criticize the Pakistan government for allowing the FBI to conduct raids in the country. What the American government is doing is to pre-empt and prevent any future terrorist attacks on American soil.

It is Pakistani generals and government officials who, at the cost of poor Pakistanis, sell national interests and trample upon the law as they please, without any remorse or fear.

SYED A. I. RAZA

Connecticut, USA

Un-Islamic practice of ‘vani’

THIS has reference to the news item, ‘Vani practice is un-Islamic: CJ’ (Dec 22).

Those who either live in un-Islamic countries or hail from these countries are always told by Pakistani expatriates that their country, despite all its political problems, is the epitome of a truly Islamic country.

Statements such as these are accepted with some reservations, for one always reads about problems like girls not getting married because their parents cannot give them dowries in Pakistan.

I was saddened to read that, despite the existence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for 55 years, a vile tradition called ‘vani’ is still being practised in the country.

I wonder why religious organizations which pick on men without beards and women without ‘hijab’ have remained silent on this issue so far. Given their extremist orientation, the silence of these organizations may be attributed to either their ignorance about the practice or self interests.

In my view, practices like ‘vani’ continue in Pakistan because laws are not strictly implemented and culprits either get off scot-free or do not receive an exemplary punishment.

It is suggested that the Supreme Court deal with the practitioners of this custom in such a manner that no one could ever dare to practise it.

I call upon all right-thinking citizens of Pakistan to take steps to ensure that not only this tradition but also all other harmful un-Islamic traditions are eliminated for good in the Pakistani society.

LIAQUAT ALI

Zimbabwe

‘Where are our libraries?’

THIS refers to Zubeida Mustafa’s article, ‘Where are our libraries?’ (Nov 27), and letters appearing about the article.

Libraries are a must for a developing country like Pakistan as they help disseminate knowledge, thus leading to an educated society.

It is a pity that our country is short of libraries. Besides, books in most libraries are outdated and in a very bad condition. Also, only one copy of books which are in a greater demand is available. This is mainly due to negligence on the part of the authorities concerned. Plans and proposals to improve the situation remain on papers only.

As pointed out in the article, the education policy of 1972 announced by Z. A. Bhutto’s government provided for the establishment of 50,000 public libraries all over the country, but that policy never materialized.

In 1991 the education ministry announced its intention to establish a public library network of over 200 libraries at a cost of Rs655 million. According to a plan, public libraries were to be established in every tehsil and taluka, but that plan, too, failed to materialize.

According to a survey conducted by the Pakistan Library Association, there are only 52 libraries and reading rooms in 11 towns of Karachi. Other seven towns of the city have no libraries or reading rooms.

It is suggested that the federal and provincial governments take necessary steps to improve the situation vis-a-vis public libraries.

RAIS AHMED SAMDANI

Karachi

Cowasjee’s remarks

I AM a regular reader of Ardeshir Cowasjee’s weekly column and have occasionally smelt a whiff of partiality in eulogizing the deeds of his brothers-in-faith and in pulling down other notables to whom he has taken a dislike for “strutting around looking highly important”. In the latter case he does not consider it necessary to establish the truth but lends his ear willingly to prevarications whispered by a friend.

This time he has picked on an eminent and honoured scientist, Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, without whose nuclear deterrent our neighbour on the eastern boarder would have been trampling our motherland with jackboots. Probably, this is what Mr Cowasjee wishes for in the innermost recesses of his heart.

Not only has Mr Cowasjee commented on something which is sub judice but has taken the opportunity to malign Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan in every manner possible, using the word “man” where gentleman would have been better and inputting vainglorious attributes to Khan Saheb in lending his name even to graveyards.

Dawn as a newspaper of repute should curb Mr Cowasjee’s predilection to tilt at eminent personages based on a travesty of facts.

The newspaper should make its readers aware that what Mr Cowasjee has written is not the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, and there is no admixture of his personal feelings and sentiments whatever they may be. People of his ilk enjoy the bounties of Pakistan but have their ideologies based elsewhere.

Anyway, the court hearing will “unmask falsehood and bring truth to light”.

SYED A. MOHIUDDIN

Karachi

Food on Karakoram Express

I TRAVELLED by the Karakoram Express on Dec 21. It was a bitter experience as far as the cost and the quality of food served in the train was concerned.

Poor quality, brown fried rice topped with unhygienic ketchup was served in the name of ‘chicken shashlik’ for Rs80 per plate. There were no traces of chicken in the plate!

Other dishes of rice, qorma and dal cost the same amount and were of poor quality. Tea was priced at Rs16 a cup.

At the time of the introduction of this train, its fare was increased by Rs200 to cover the cost of tea and biscuits to be served free to passengers. Although this facility has now been withdrawn, the fare has not been reduced yet.

It is felt that if immediate steps are not taken to check the situation, things might worsen. It is suggested that dinner should not cost more than Rs40 and the price of tea should not exceed eight rupees a cup. The contractor should be directed to improve the quality of food.

KHURRAM SHAIKH

Karachi

Doing a Gujarat elsewhere

BJP President V. Naidu, in the context of the party’s election strategy, has stated that his party will replicate its Gujarat experience in other states of the country.

In simple words, the

Bhartia Janata Party wishes to win these states by whipping up communal strife and then riding the tide of Hindu frenzy, a la Gujarat.

It does not matter if a few thousand Muslims are massacred in the process.

Indian Muslims must be awaiting these elections with held breaths.

RASHED H. LODI

Toronto, Canada

PIA Haj flights

Every year about 100,000 Pakistanis are flown to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj. The bulk of this passenger load is carried by PIA, which must be commended for carrying out such a large operation.

However, I wish to draw the attention of the authorities concerned in PIA and the Haj ministry to what I discovered recently in this regard and which is highly disappointing and deplorable.

I, with some senior medical professionals, travelled from Islamabad to Karachi on PK-308 on Dec 15 after attending a national conference on hypertension. On board the jumbo jet, all of us found it difficult to accommodate our legs in the space provided.

I have travelled for 30 years on all sorts of aircraft but on no occasion have I found it difficult to adjust myself in a seat. On inquiry, a PIA official told us that the plane had been prepared for Haj operations and, therefore, around 80 additional seats had been fixed it in it!

I was shocked to learn about the treatment given by PIA to Haj pilgrims. I want to ask the airline authorities if they give any discount to Hajis in fares and also if this reduction in seat space enjoys the approval of the IATA.

In any case, this kind of treatment of those who have undertaken a journey to perform a religious duty by the national airline of a Muslim country is unacceptable.

I hope that the authorities will let us know their viewpoint on this important matter.

PROF MOHAMMAD ISHAQ

Karachi

Attention car owners

THIS is with reference to the letter by Farhad Davar (Dec 23) about the motor vehicle tax.

It is clarified that a road-user charge, with fuel costs, as a substitute for the motor vehicle tax, is still under the consideration of the federal government and has not been finalized yet.

It is expected that the competent authorities will approve the proposal of levying the road-user charge. If approved, this road-user charge/tax will be enforced in the next financial year beginning on July 1, 2003.

In this regard the excise and taxation department has already had advertisements published in leading newspapers, requesting the public to pay the motor vehicle tax up to June 30, 2003, and get clearance for all other dues vis-a-vis the tax.

AFTAB AHMED MEMON

Secretary to Government of Sindh,

Karachi

HBFC website

The House Building Finance Corporation has been advertising on all major Pakistani websites, including that of Dawn.

I visited a website twice and each time downloads from the website came infested with viruses. I had to buy an anti-virus software to clean my computer.

I hope that the HBFC staff responsible for the website will deal with the problem.

JAWAID SHAIKH

Chicago, US

Phone out of order

MY phone 7790156 has been out of order since Dec 5. I have lodged 50 complaints with

18, 106, 08844544, 7780994 (SDO), but the net result is that the telephone is still not working.

I request the PTCL high-ups to do the needful.

ABDUL JALEEL

Karachi

We have imported buses, not drivers

THIS refers to the news item, ‘32 big buses arrive’ (Dec 14). According to the report, the Karachi city administration has unloaded 32 Swedish buses, which are an Eid gift for Karachiites, who face transportation problem every morning. Twenty-five more buses are expected to arrive from China by the end of December.

When coaches were introduced in city, we were told that standing would not be allowed in the coaches, and they would stop only at designated bus stops. What has followed is that passengers are paying from nine to 10 rupees as fare and travelling on the rooftops of these coaches because of a lack of proper transport facilities.

Morning and evening, these buses race under the very nose of our traffic constables and sergeants, who ignore the violation of traffic rules by these drivers.

A bus conductor of route U-1 recently told me that his bus had been running on the Saddar route without a route permit for the last 10 years because the city administration had stopped issuing route permits for the area due to traffic congestion.

The minibus owners’ mafia is so strong in Karachi that, despite repeated efforts by the city administration in the past, no government has succeeded in replacing small buses with big ones.

Hundreds of pedestrians, commuters, motorcyclists are killed annually due to reckless driving by bus drivers who do not even possess valid driving licence. The other day, on my way to the office in the Korangi industrial area, I saw a coach lying upside down with passengers screaming for help. God knows how many were injured or killed in the early morning accident.

We do not have properly-trained constables to control the traffic effectively. There have been accidents on roads despite the presence of traffic constables nearby. Traffic constables are either busy chatting with their colleagues or are found smoking cigarettes and paying very little attention to their duties. Many wide roads in Karachi have been encroached upon by hawkers. Encroachments on roads, too, cause road accidents.

What this city requires is proper management of traffic and enforcement of traffic laws. Unless this is done, it is useless to import buses. We must not forget that we have only imported buses and not drivers. If the very same drivers who do not have proper driving licences are to drive these huge buses, God save us!

M. RAFIQUE ZAKARIA

Karachi