Woman’s status in Islam

This is to express my shock and consternation at the letter of Mr Zia Ahmed (June 30) offering his comments on Mrs Mahjabin Nisar’s article headlined “Woman’s status in Islam’.

Mrs Mahjabin has written a beautiful and well-authenticated article on the subject. It is disgraceful that fantastic insinuations have been made about the implications of her views regarding the status of women in Islam which are entirely based on the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah.

Mrs Mahjabin’s article is about the status of women in Islam, which is in no way inferior to that of the menfolk. There is no doubt that their roles are different. The husband is the provider of protection and resources to the wife who is the better-half. She cannot be expected to adopt a profession to earn money when her main task is to bring up the children which is a full-time job. What will be the fate of the children if both husband and wife are away from home attending to their respective duties? It has rightly been pointed out by Mrs Mahjabin that Islam encourages women to acquire knowledge and if circumstances compel,they can also get employed.

Mr Zia has objected to the observations of the writer about the role of woman to provide man with an escape from the harshness of life, and boost his hope and honour, as reeking of the gentler sexism of the Victorian times. Does Mr Zia not realize why God had brought Eve into life after the creation of Hazrat Adam? And why do men marry women, if not for comfort, progeny and joy of life?

Mr Zia says that a woman should be allowed unhindered liberty in her thoughts, desires and dreams. He takes objection to the remarks of the writer about the vagrancies of the West and its impending demise. She was very mild and polite in using this term about the type of life and culture that is in vogue in the West. Who does not know how immoral, corrupt and depraved western societies are? Promiscuity, homosexuality, adultery, fornication, debauchery, drinking and gambling are the order of the day. Men are solemised to marry men, and unwed women give birth to children whose fathers are neither known nor acknowledged.

Mr Zia has tried to give an impression at the end of his letter that the Quaid-i-Azam envisioned a modern, progressive, pluralistic state in Pakistan with equal rights for all its citizens, which is not being advocated by Mrs Mahjabin. This is the height of deception. There is nothing in Pakistan which is discriminatory towards other citizens, least against women, to call for a change in the status of women in Pakistan, on the pattern of the so-called emancipation and liberty of the women in the West.

Islam preaches compassion, tolerance, sympathy and justice for all irrespective of sex, caste or creed. Islam offers love, protection, security and comfort to women, which no other religion or system provides. This is the message which Mrs Mahjabin has tried to convey in her article, for which we should compliment her.

AMIRYUSUF ALI KHAN

Rawalpindi

Govt employees’ ordeal

THROUGH your paper, I want to highlight an important issue concerning the federal government employees serving in Islamabad. The biggest problem they face is that of residence. Although, the government has allowed hiring facility for all the employees in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi,the process is made so tortuous that the employees have to virtually run from pillar to post to get through the process of house requisition.

Secondly, the cheque for the house rent is issued by the estate office in the name of the landlord. So the latter exploits the situation in his favour. He charges double the rent which results in the loss of revenue to the government, and he demands the difference of the rent from the employees concerned whose salary is already subject to at least 20 per cent reduction from the basic pay. So there is a very meagre amount left for him for the whole month.

Furthermore, an employee has to run between his directorate, the ministry concerned, the PWD and the Estate Office. One who is in the know of how files move from one table to another in Islamabad can well imagine how much time is needed before an employee is allowed to occupy a house and get the cheque issued in the name of the landlord. And if the process is mistakenly halted at some stage, as it often happens in the name of inspection, or if the employee faces eviction or change of house, he has to pass through the same process all over again. Therefore, in most cases the government employees in Islamabad go through mental torture.

I would request the government of Mr Zafarullah Khan Jamali to at least allow some especial allowance to the employees serving in Islamabad. Secondly, until sufficient number of houses are made available, the government should make the process of house requisition swift and simple. If this is not possible, as it seems to be, the cheque for the house rent should be issued in the name of the government employee.

MOHAMMAD MAHMOOD

Islamabad

The question of national security

THIS refers to a letter written from the US by Engr A. Rahim (June 19). It was in response to my earlier letter “Political pranks in Pakistan”. It seems to me that A. Rahim who, I recollect, was my friend in Hamburg in 1958 and supported Ayub’s martial law, has missed the most important point in my letter.

Military institutions are not meant to produce eminent scholars, or for that matter, well-trained politicians. Military officers are taught the principles of national security, both external and internal.

Recalling the takeover of the country in 1969 by Gen Yahya Khan, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman had shown complete lack of knowledge about national security when he raised his ‘Six Points’. Later, he recklessly included the reduction in the strength of the armed forces in the manifesto of the Awami League.

Keeping in view the military power of China, India had to maintain its armed forces at a strength of more than one million personnel. Pakistan, therefore, had to keep the strength of its armed forces at half-a-million people, no matter whatever the cost. Besides, the internal security was also threatened owing to the interference of India in the affairs of East Pakistan.

Considering these facts, I had advised Gen Ziaul Haq in April 1978, not to hand over political power to the politicians. I told a gathering of about 400 senior military officer that Bhutto had proved to be the most knowledgeable and yet the most vicious politician ever born in the country. The same applied to the government of Nawaz Sharif in 1999.

Gen Pervez Musharraf, by becoming the president, has done a great favour to the entire country.

WG-CDR (R) AHMAD ZAFAR FAROOQI

Karachi

Unequal science subjects

This is to draw the attention of the Higher Education Commission towards the fact that I have passed my intermediate examination in first division with physics, mathematics and computer. Now I wonder why the avenues of electronics, mechanical, electrical and telecommunication engineering are denied to me and my career prospects are restricted to hard/software engineering only.

The opportunity of studying physics and maths have been totally denied to me and I, despite having secured 72 per cent marks, would only be envying students of chemistry who obtained hardly 60 per cent marks.

Tracing the basis of this maltreatment of the students of the above-mentioned combination of subjects, it may be stated that in the past there used to be only two groups; one Arts and other Science . The Science group was further bifurcated into pre-medical and pre-engineering groups.

Now, with the introduction of computer science, the pre-engineering group has been limited only for those students who study maths, physics and chemistry. In the past, all those students who studied maths, physics and any other science subject like geography were allowed in the engineering programme for the bachelor degree. Computer is globally accepted as a science subject. Then, why is it not accepted in our system for qualifying in admission to the pre-engineering programme?

I request the Higher Education Commission to intervene and rectify the anomaly by offering equal career opportunities to the students of both disciplines.

MUJTABA HAIDER SAQIB

Islamabad

MMA and US taxpayers

THIS refers to Mr Pall’s recent letter titled “MMA and US taxpayers. Though the MMA, being the third largest party, is not the sole representative of the people of Pakistan, I would like to draw the attention of Mr Pall to the following facts:

1. Is it not a fact that in the battle of giants, fought in Afghanistan, the US first pumped arms into Afghanistan and then disappeared, leaving militant factions to kill each other ? The Taliban were the outcome of the civil war that engulfed the region, and most of its leaders were armed and trained by the US.

2. It is not the Pakistan’s support that created Osama bin Laden and Mulla Omer. Rather, they are the products of the American policies of dividing the world into an upper class and the underdogs.

3. In 1987 our foreign debts were not more than $15 billion, in 1999 they crossed the mark of $37 billion. Where have $22 billion gone? You can find this amount in your banks. Yes you were generous in lending loans to our corrupt governments but you have only made our future generations niggers.

For many Pakistanis, the only meal was a piece of bread and a raw onion. You have snatched the bread and say, why don’t you eat a cake?

MAJID HUSAIN

Karachi

Traffic lights confusion

AS you approach the Nipa crossroads while coming from Hasan Square you are confronted by what appear to be several traffic lights showing green.

Actually, they are not traffic lights; they are supposed to throw light on the advertisements adorning the flyover. Those pictures are for the benefit of people coming from the side of the University of Karachi. However, the way these lights have been placed causes confusion among motorists coming from Hasan Square side.

Normally, lights designed to illuminate billboards are fixed close to pictures, and they do not cause any confusion to the drivers because the back of the lights is toward the onlookers.

In this case, lights have been fixed away from the pictures in such a way that drivers coming from Hasan Square mistake them for traffic lights, which compete with the real traffic lights for attention.

I would request the traffic authorities to correctly position these lights so that they do not confuse motorists.

A MOTORIST

Karachi

Recognizing Israel

IN the present world, there are two countries which were created in the name of religion: Pakistan in the name of Islam, and Israel in the name of Judaism. Both had common colonial masters and each was carved out of India and Palestine, respectively.

Pakistan by not accepting the reality in the existence of the Jewish state of Israel is in fact negating its own existence. Mullas and the politicians should bear the aforementioned fact in mind before issuing lofty statements against recognizing Israel.

May God help the Muslim ummah in acquiring a vision of their own to follow the path of glory.

FAHD

Peshawar

No-parking signboards

A WRECKAGE is going on in the city by removing the cars parked on roadsides on the plea that they were parked in the “no-parking area” while there was no signboard of ‘No-parking’ along the whole length of the road.

Is it possible for the Karachi city government to put on the signboards in the concerned areas? Or is it an index of our moral degradation and disregard for all those values called honestly, integrity and character to charge Rs150-500 in addition to the dreadful challan?

The authorities concerned are requested to look into the matter and take appropriate measures to rectify the mistakes so that the people are not needlessly harassed and tortured.

DR SAMINA

Karachi

‘Lost in Nadra’s warren’

This observation is not based on facts. The Directorate General Immigration & Passports issued instructions on May 21, 2001, to all passport issuing authorities at home and abroad to accept CNIC as a valid identity document. Passport issuing authorities issue travel documents to entitled persons/citizens of Pakistan after ascertaining the authenticity of the identity documents.

Both the National Identity Card and the Computrized National Identity Card , carrying a photograph of the holder, are accepted and form basis of an applicant for the issuance of a passport. Passport officers have been made responsible for ensuring its authenticity and issuing passport only to an entitled person. The procedure empowers the passport issuing authority to ask for additional documents for determining the national status of an applicant, if needed.

SAJJAD AHMAD

Director (Hqrs.), Directorate General Immigration & Passports,

Islamabad

PIA’s old pensioners

THROUGH the columns of your paper, I would like to draw the attention of the president and the prime minister to the pitiable condition of the PIA pensioners (retired before 1989).

The pensioners have now reached a stage where it has become impossible for them to make both ends meet owing to the rising prices of consumer goods.

It is saddening to note that the pension of the crew and senior officers who retired before 1989 is less than the income of those in the lowest grade (peons and drivers) of PIA. This is a serious humanitarian problem which needs to be tackled with justice.

We would request you to consider the following suggestions:

a) The old pensioners be considered at par with the new pensioners and their pensions be raised accordingly.

b) Full pension for those who had commuted part of their pensions and have completed 10 years since the date of their retirement.

We hope the officials concerned will consider our request in view of our services rendered for the development of PIA.

NAVIGATOR (RETD) MOHAMMAD AHMED

Karachi

Sending troops to Iraq

THE government seems willing to send our troops to Iraq.

During my visit to Tokyo, I was told that the Constitution of Japan prohibits deployment of their army to any other country, except for peace-keeping missions.

Will some constitutional expert let the nation know about the clause of performance of our army troops? This is a very sensitive national matter about which the parliamentarians should be taken into confidence before any decision is taken in this regard by the high-ups.

ZIA PASHA

Karachi

Suggestions to improve CPSP working

THIS is with reference to several letters published recently in your newspaper regarding the affairs of the CPSP. Prof Manzar Saleem and Prof Suleiman have both written nothing but the truth. Unfortunately, their letters will meet the same fate like many other letters published during the course of the past several years on this topic, as sadly enough, in our society, the opinions and voices of the people no longer have a bearing on the corridors of power.

The CPSP is at present under siege by a well-organized body, headed by the president of the college who has been running the affairs of this college for 15 years, the longest ever period in the record books.

The standard of the college has been lowered by opening its doors to even third class students who are not worthy of being awarded even an MBBS degree. The Part 1 FCPS examination has become so easy to pass that even someone with not a shred of medical knowledge has a reasonable chance to pass.

Under the present system, once a student passes Part 1, he/she demands further training in the government institutes with a stipend, in order to qualify for Part 11. This puts an enormous strain on our institutes which are not equipped to deal with such large numbers of trainees.

At present, the standard of some of the examiners is also despicable because of the favouritism which has plagued the system. It is on record that an RMO working in a surgical department was made an examiner for MCPS in obstetrics and gynaecology.

My suggestions for the improvement of this college are as follows:

1. A committee should be appointed to conduct an enquiry into the affairs of the college.

2. The management of the college should be entrusted to an independent body comprising senior professionals, technocrats, senior judges and senior army officers. This committee should be headed by the senior-most retired academic professional in the country.

3. Admission into the college for various degrees should only be made after a qualifying test has been cleared.

4. The primary FCPS examination should comprise essay questions, short answer questions and practical examination in addition to MCQs with negative marking, with a limitation on the number of attempts.

5. The examination body should be independent, only comprising the senior-most teachers from all the provinces. The senior Pakistani teachers working abroad in high positions in reputed institutions should be appointed as external examiners.

6. The FCPS examination in its present form should be an entrance exam followed by training for a fixed number of years in different specialities, and then followed by another exam making the candidate eligible for a consultant post. It should not be an exit exam, as it is at present, which allows candidates to attain the post of a consultant without sufficient training and knowledge.

7. The fees of the examination should be proportional to the salaries in Pakistan and the courses should be sponsored by the employers.

It would perhaps be wishful thinking to envisage a change for the college in the immediate future. However, for the sake of its founder, Lt-General Burki, and the many academics who strove to create its reputation, I urge those with the necessary authority to salvage the college from annihilation.

PROF M. A. NOORANI

Karachi