Competing with the West
THIS is in response to Wg-Cdr (R) Ahmad Zafar Farooqi’s letter of July 25. I am at a loss to understand the point he has tried to make. To understand the politics of the wider world, he needs to look at his own locality. Humans created societies, villages, towns and cities for the sole purpose of “elimination of fear”.
Time and again we read about “threats to our way of life” in the western media as a justification to attack others and, ultimately, it is the fear of total destruction of their societies that haunts them. One may ask as to what they are afraid of. Suicide bombers? The ETA, the IRA or the latest threat from Muslim “terrorist” organizations banned in majority of the western world such as Jaish-i-Muhammad or the Abu Sayyaf Group?
You see human psyche is to form groups of like-minded humans and then try and protect them from those who think differently. Those who provide or at least promise to provide a safer environment for their comrades become leaders.
The United Kingdom and the United States have had a “friendly” relationship after a brief period of tension following the American civil war. Through thick and thin the United Kingdom has stood by the US and no matter how wrong a stand might be of the US, the UK cannot risk the jobs of hundreds of thousands of its full and part-time workers when almost 70 per cent of UK exports are consumed by the Americans.
Did Mr Tony Blair really deserve 17 standing ovations when he addressed the US congress? I think not for many reasons; but you see he was speaking their language, part of the same group of human beings who still consider Islam a threat to “their way of life”.
Would there ever be someone to make them realize that Islam really isn’t a “threat” to any group of people? The most oppressed people in the world today are Muslims, and the western world, like an allopathic doctor of modern age, is looking at the symptoms and not addressing the root-cause. The deprived people ultimately resort to violence when there is no pressure release. Jobs, social welfare, justice, equal distribution of resources are dreams which can only come true if we as another group of humans realize that by complaining to those who already view Muslims as a threat would not under any circumstances get us anywhere.
Asking them to arm us with matching weapons and then see what the results might be is really a statement of accepting defeat and surrender. If you are really eager to compete with the West in all possible ways, I would say that educate those close to you who are illiterate and tell them to educate others. Education and self-reliance are the keys to opening the doors to prosperity and a society at peace with itself.
AZFAR BUKHARI
London, UK
Why ban entertainment?
THE Indian channels have been banned once again. I think the ban is unjust in the present circumstances. The channels like Star Plus, Sony and Zee TV telecast only entertaining programmes. Thousands of people want to see them.
It is said that Pakistani ads are being presented on these channels while the PTV and other local channels are being deprived of them. If this is true, then such restrictions would not be beneficial in the long run. The permanent solution to this issue is that the PTV and other local channels should raise their standard and present more interesting and entertaining programmes so that the people should prefer to see them.
It was the PTV that had a glorious past and reputation for its quality productions, particularly with reference to its plays. Its entertainment programmes had a unique position in the viewers’ eyes all over the world, specially in India. The PTV can get back its lost position once again through quality productions.
Because of the ban on Indian channels, the cable operators are forced to present English channels which are making great contribution in spreading nudity and obscenity. Nobody is paying any attention to it.
At this stage when the new ties of friendship are being strengthened and delegations of the two countries are visiting each other, it is not the appropriate time to ban these channels.
I appeal to the authorities concerned to lift the ban imposed on the entertainment channels like Star Plus, Sony and Zee TV.
FAHIM SYED
Via email
THIS is in response to the letter by Dr Hamida Khuhro (Aug 7). I must say she is totally right.
The Pakistan government and the media talk about a cultural war which is to be fought against India. What is this war in which you remove the opponents? Also, in the present situation of cordiality, it is not wise to ban the Indian channels. The Indian channels are much cleaner than the English ones.
I would also request the people to stop hating Pakistani channels. Let me tell you that they are a lot more entertaining than any English or Indian channel.
ZUBAIR KHAWAR
Lahore
Predicament at Islamabad airport
WITH only a week after the narrow escape of a major airline disaster, one is reminded that most glory stories in Pakistan lie in the hands of individuals, not institutions.
My rendezvous with the airport staff at Islamabad international airport on July 25 left me baffled. Things were so wrong that in the end it was difficult to figure out who was at fault, the ground staff of the CAA or PIA.
PK-301 to Karachi from Islamabad was delayed by two hours. Passengers showed up patiently after two hours, only to be told that the counter had been closed. A long line of passengers with confirmed ticket stood in queue not knowing what had happened. To help matters the uncouth, rude, insulting ground staff provided no assistance. All they had to offer were drab, insulting, useless answers.
Finally, at the time of the flight, all passengers with confirmed tickets were allowed to board, again no reasons given for the sudden change of heart. Inside the plane, passengers sat for another hour and a half in the sweltering heat as the plane hadn’t started. It finally took off an hour and a half later than the already delayed scheduled flight.
Ironically, when the loved ones inquired at the flight inquiry, they were told that the flight had taken off “on time”. It seems insulting everyone’s intelligence by being uncouth is second nature in Pakistan. If the ground staff at Islamabad international airport could have been more informative about why the plane had been delayed, if there were problems with overbooking, if there were further problems ahead, it wouldn’t have created half the mayhem.
But people having to be dragged to the airport, being told that a “confirmed ticket meant nothing”, and, to top it all, be insulted constantly by the halfwits in the airport staff is something novel to an airport in Pakistan. And of course the mayhem served to cover everyone’s inefficiency, so that in the end no one was answerable.
Ironically, there was an editorial in Dawn on “Courteous airport staff” on July 25 as well. I suggest the CAA not to burn the money that it will spend on a two-day workshop for building mannerisms. In the real world, all the present junk would be fired and younger enterprising people with educated backgrounds called in to make a difference.
DR S. KHAN
Rawalpindi
US visa application process
IT looks like travelling to the US is becoming even harder for all those required to obtain a visa to enter the United States, particularly for Pakistani passport holders. The new and tougher procedures for processing of applications for non-immigrant visas for travel to the US (as reported in Dawn on Aug 2) are likely to make the visa application process even more cumbersome and time-consuming than ever.
Even for the 27 nations whose citizens at present do not need a visa to enter the US, including western European countries, Japan and Singapore, they will also have to meet more stringent US security guidelines (as reported in a foreign newspaper). One of these new requirements is that by October 2004, the countries under the US Visa Waiver Programme will have to have new travel documents with biometric identifiers.
The use of the biometric identifier — a tiny computer chip smaller than a one-rupee coin — is aimed at protecting the travel document against forgery. A uniquely identifiable physical characteristic, such as voiceprint, eye scan or other facial features will be used as proof of a person’s identity. The 27 countries under the US Visa Waiver Programme already have to meet a number of specified criteria, one of which is having passports that incorporate digital photos and special ink to foil forgers.
It is earnestly hoped that the Pakistan government will consider changing our outmoded passports to incorporate the latest biometric technologies. This will not only enable the government to stay ahead of syndicates dealing in forged travel documents, and to enhance immigration clearance and border security, but, hopefully, also improve the reputation and image of Pakistani passport holders abroad.
MR NOMAN AHMED
Islamabad
‘The bedrock of goodwill’
KULDIP Nayar in your recent issue says that the Indians are for peace. Some Pakistanis want peace to the extent of “accepting the ghulami of the Hindus” while others are doing terrible acts to keep the cauldron of hatred on the boil.
India is a couple of steps ahead. I recently saw an Indian movie War and Peace. Between May 13 and 28, 1999, scenes of hundreds of thousands of Hindus and their leaders jumping for joy and calling for the destruction of Pakistan and the Muslims have left a deep impression on my mind. I was 15 when Pakistan came into being. These scenes proved to me once again that the Muslims of the Indian subcontinent were and are under a threat of destruction from the militant Hindus of whom there remain vast numbers.
The fact that there are some rabid elements in Pakistan does not diminish the problem of ordinary Muslims of the subcontinent. The creation of Pakistan and making the bomb became only palliative because of exploitation by the feudal, the military, the tycoons, and the bureaucracy, bolstered by mullaism. Having saddled the country with loans and authoritarian and unjust ways of governing, they are now dragging us willy-nilly towards a foreign rule.
SHAFAAT RASOOL
Syosset, NY, USA
US and Saddam
SADDAM Hussein was a traitor. If anyone in the Islamic community thinks he was a hero, then he should open the history books and analyze how the United States used Saddam during the war on Iran in the 1980s and then how it forced Iraq to attack Kuwait in 1991 for enabling it to sit in the Middle East (as it did), took 60 per cent of all Saudi and Kuwaiti oil.
Now when the United States was undergoing severe economic crises and there was no other Muslim country left to fulfil its economic needs, it decided to get on Saddam‘s case.
AMIR A. KHAN
Houston, TX, USA
New hope for libraries
THIS refers to Mr S. A. Naqvi’s letter (Aug 3) on the subject. Mr Taneem Siddiqui’s (Aug 7) endeavours to collect and distribute books in the kutchi abadi schools are laudable. I am sure Mr Naqvi’s generous offer would fetch a lot of people to follow suit. This way a sizable collection could help in building school libraries.
Colourful and picturesque material in books kindle the fire of learning in the young generation. Children’s sections of public libraries in foreign countries are the first institutions to inpire young students to search and acquire knowledge.
No doubt, books will continue their dominance indefinitely, but at this juncture we have already entered the digital age. Computers are playing a dominant role in the propagation of elementary and higher educatin, advanced studies and research. A small PC with the Intenet and its multimedia resources called web could bring innumerable sites on sceen which could be copied and downloaded. A CD-Rom and its electronic associates are also a source of information.
It is high time the government organizations, philanthropists, NGOs took up the challenge. It won’t cost much keeping in view the immense advantages. What is required is just an efficient librarian who could access the information and a strong will to spread education. G. B. Shaw was not wrong when he said: “God has given us a world that nothing but our own folly keeps from being a paradise.”
M. KHURSHID ALAM
Karachi
Are we independent?
AS the Independence Day is approaching fast, we can see the spirit and enthusiasm of the Pakistanis reaching their peaks to celebrate the day. The question is: are we really independent? We still borrow millions from rich countries claiming that the money will be used on welfare of the people. But it never happens.
Patriotism does not merely lie in buying flags, badges, decorating our houses, playing patriotic songs, etc. The thought of serving our country should always be within our hearts and minds. On Aug 14, we make false promises and deliver typical speeches; hence the mess we are in.
A PAKISTANI
Karachi
Remittance
WHILE reading a letter on your Internet edition by Muhammad Javed of Karachi, appearing on June 30, it was very interesting to read about Mr Javed’s theory of packing a suitcase.
He claims that if he packs a suitcase with 12 pairs of shirts and trousers, it will weigh 20kg, while if a hydraulic press is used to pack a suitcase with 150 pairs, it will also weigh 20kg.
As I am not so good in physics or maths, would someone explain this mind-boggling theory to me?
SALMAN AFAQ
Muzafargarh
The Swiss verdict
THIS refers to your recent editorial titled “The Swiss verdict”. Even if Ms Bhutto and her husband were not asked to appear before the trying magistrate (as you imply), anyone who reads newspapers knew about the case.
All the former PM had to do was to take legal action against Daniel Devaux (the judge who was conducting the investigations) for insinuating many times that she and her spouse were involved in corruption.
And, surely, it reflects poorly on those who believe that the judgment is politically motivated. Swiss judges are elected officials, not appointed by the government (as is the case in Pakistan). To influence them with the so-called forged documents or fabricated evidence is virtually impossible. In any case, the lady’s lawyers can still sue the judge for damages if they really have proof that he was politically motivated.
SHAKIR LAKHANI
Karachi
Charged parking
THIS refers to the letter written on behalf of the Citizens Forum on July 28, titled “Charged parking or extortion?”
I strongly support the suggestion that the government should depute its surplus staff, instead of hiring contractors, for collecting the charged parking fee. Moreover, the government should immediately withdraw the blanket imposition of the charged parking formula because the vehicle owners are already paying the relevant tax.
Also, the condition of our roads, particularly after the recent rains, has become pathetic. Anybody listening?
MALIK MURAD ALI
Karachi
Sectarianism
THIS refers to Mr Ikram ul Haq‘s letter published in your July 13 issue. Sectarianism has unfortunately become a core issue for the nation. All we need is to stand united, facing the challenges of sectarianism.
Let everybody worship Allah the way he deems proper. But the real solution lies in having respect and tolerance for each other. It’s a fact, after all, that we are all Muslims and the followers of one Allah.
SAADAT ALI
Quetta
A lady in distress
IN the first week of July, I received a letter from an old Jewish lady, Ms Rachel Joseph, requesting help. According to her, she was harassed by some people having property business. She wrote on the letter-head of Magain Shalome Synagogue, a Bani Israel Trust.
She was teaching at a Gujrati school in the ‘80s and never married. She had a brother, Ifraheem Joseph, who died 15-20 years ago and was buried in a small Jewish cemetery in Karachi. They owned a synagogue and a building. Now she lives in a small flat (less than 50sqyd).
I visited her home. It comprised one small bedroom, one kitchen and a toilet. She is passing her days in a most pitiable condition. Her left hand and right leg were fractured a decade ago. By seeing her house and her few possessions, it seemed that the house belonged to a destitute lady, although, on paper, she is the owner of a substantial property in the central part of the city.
Although she is seemingly prosperous, she remains in the condition of impoverishment — so much so that she is unable to undergo proper hospital treatment. Now she uses a make-shift wheelchair for the toilet and kitchen, mostly alone. She, according to her identity card, is 75 but looks much older, mentally upset and incapable of taking care of herself.
A lady from among the family friends of Ms Joseph is currently taking care of her on a part-time basis. The attendant generally leaves in the evening after locking the only door from outside. In case of the attendant’s sickness or absence, God knows how she manages herself.
When alive, her brother entered a deal with a business party. According to the deal, the Josephs were allowed to keep the spacious space for their praying place and apartments. The possession was not given according to the deal. On the contrary, she was harassed.
Recently, Ms Joseph on her wheel-chair and accompanied by the attendant visited my residence at North Nazimabad to thank me for visiting and taking care of her. Then she asked me like an innocent child: “When would I get the possession of my property?” Honestly speaking, I had no answer.
Now Ms Joseph really needs a good lawyer to defend her and her real estate and a good nursing care. If proper arrangements for her nursing care are made, the poor old lady might spend her remaining days in peace and comfort either in Pakistan or elsewhere.
Will our distinguished writers like Ardeshir Cowasjee, M. P. Bhandara or Kunwar Idris write about her after gathering more information? Will some women and human rights NGOs plead her case, and will our city Nazim pay a visit to the old lady’s house assuring her that the people of all faiths can live in the city peacefully?
KUNWAR KHALID YUNUS
Karachi