Who wants UN out of Iraq?

THERE has been condemnation of the attacks on the UN establishment in Baghdad some weeks ago. The other day the ICRC offices were attacked. Among those coming down heavily on this outrage were some of the leading European states.

It is only reasonable to expect that those leading this chorus of outrage, blaming the people of Iraq, know what they are talking about. Evidently, they are out of touch with the reality on the ground. Nothing could be more perverse than to accuse the Iraqis of any sort of violence against the Red Cross institutions.

The record of relevant developments speaks loudly enough. The US led this war on Iraq against the warnings from the UN secretary-general. All the US allies (except Britain’s Tony Blair) had warned it against launching the war. The US had left no stone unturned to keep the UN out of its path of illegal aggression against Iraq. It is the US, and the US alone, that has been working overtime to keep the UN, its agencies and also international human rights monitors, out of Iraq.

If any such institutions were in Iraq, as the UN and the ICRC happened to be, they had to be hounded out — if necessary, bombed out.

The idea behind these bombings is to intimidate and oust all UN-related presence. This is what the US wants and has been working for since the very beginning. The motive is clear. The US has all the firepower to carry out such acts. No one could think of the Iraqi hand behind violence against the UN’ presence on their land.

Again, the US as the occupying power is responsible for the overall law and order, safety and security in Iraq. Failure to prevent bombings has to be rated as failure of the occupying power to discharge its obligations.

It is the moral duty of the world community to raise its voice against such blatant violation of the international law. Is this not a fit case for the International Criminal Court? And does this not explain why the US is dead set against the ICRC? How the world is feeling about America’s conduct should be quite clear by now.

The last vote in the General Assembly should have left no one in any doubt. Out of 191 members, only three voted with the US. That the vote was on a matter that related directly to Palestine (and not Iraq) does not change the fact that the world community does not approve of the way the US is riding roughshod over the basic values of rule of law and civilized living in a world community of equally sovereign states.

A. B. S. JAFRI

Karachi

Economic ties with South Korea

SOUTH Korea, a country that was ravaged by war and separation, has sprung back to the world economic scene in less than 50 years. Its strength lies in its human resources. During industrialization its human assets were the foundation of the miracle on the Han river.

South Korean companies dominate and roam the world making billion dollar investments in the US, Europe and Asia. A think- tank in South Korea in a recent report has disclosed a plan to make the South Korean economy the world’s seventh largest by 2020, The Korea development institute’s report calls for South Korea’s per capita, gross domestic product to rise to $32,000 or the world’s sixth largest by 2020.

The current per capita income of South Korea is now 32nd largest at $10,163. Trade would rise to $1.1 trillion by 2010 and reach $2.4 trillion by 2020, with South Korea becoming the world’s sixth largest trader.

In the financial sector, the de-regulation of the banking industry is being implemented in several phases. The liberalization that began almost two years ago, has achieved the following: all deposit rates are free of control, lending rates have been de-regulated. The criterion for branch expansion has been relaxed and all domestic banks are opening new branches.

International cooperation in science and technology is growing. Pakistan can find a model in Korea. In view of our large gap with the advanced US and Western Europe, our preference should lie with countries like Korea for development experiences as well as for scientific and technological advances.

We must seek cooperation with Korea on at least three definite footings. First, generate government-level science and technology treaties for joint committees and ventures; secondly seek assistance between R & D organizations and, thirdly, promote the exchange and personnel for joint projects of high complimentarily.

Since 2000, Korea has entered into such agreements with 20 countries, including India, Malaysia and the Philippines; it has completed 12 joint R & D programmes with Malaysia, Brazil, Mexico, etc, and till the end of 2000 it had invited 5,100 trainees from 130 developing countries. Pakistan’s absence is conspicuous. Here President Musharraf during his current visit must emphasise on furthering economic collaboration with Korea.

Pakistan has much to learn from the Korean economic miracle.

SIRAJUDDIN AZIZ

Karachi

PIA fleet plan controversy

IN his letter “PIA fleet plan controversy” (Nov 1), DR Sadiq Alvi has provided the readers of Dawn with a number of incorrect figures.

First of all, there were four DC-10s that were swapped with four 747s with CP Air in 1985-86. While the four PIA DC-10s were made in 1974-76, the four CP Air 747s were built in 1973-75. However, the DC-10 fleet had logged much less hours than the 747s. But PIA did gain from standardizing the long-haul fleet to one type, the 747-200B, which has a much lower seat-mile cost than the DC-10-30.

PIA continued to use its CP Air 747s until 2001, with two of them, BCO and BCL, making it till 2003. CP Air on the other hand sold the ex-PIA DC-10s with a few years of buying them. As for the age difference between the two types, one must remember that the 747 has always been more expensive than the DC-10.

The six 737-300 were never bought to replace the 707s. The first 707s were phased out in 1991, after the first A310 were inducted into the fleet. The first 737s replaced the last of the 720Bs in 1985. As for their price, the six machines were ordered for $150 million, which makes it $25 million per aircraft and not $35 million, as Dr Alvi puts it.

As for the six leased A310s, four are coming from Air Jamaica, while two are from Aeroflot, and they were all built in 1993. This information can be verified by Airbus. Dr Sadiq puts the engine maintenance cost at $201,600 per week. Now let’s see 12 hours per day multiplied by seven days a week multiplied by $400 is — 12x7x$400 = $33,600.

As for PIA meeting its debt obligations, Emirates just declared a profit of $160 million, and the average age of its airliners is three years old. I hardly think that owning a new expensive fleet always leads to large losses, and Singapore Airlines and Emirates have proved that to the world. Poor management and a new fleet lead to large losses, and Philippine Airlines proved that to us.

AMAAD LONE

Lahore

Installation of KESC meters

A STREAM of letters have appeared in your esteemed paper on various aspects of installation of KESC meters outside the consumer’s premises, but it is regrettable that the practice still continues, putting the consumers to untold mental stress and anguish.

There is no doubt that the current KESC practice of installing meters on metal poles, gates and walls outside the consumer premises is extremely dangerous and a constant threat to human life and property, as evident from electrocution deaths reported from time to time. This calls for an immediate halt to this practice and its replacement by a well-engineered, tamper-proof, and absolutely safe method of meter installation within the premises. This will also restore the aesthetic looks of houses, streets and roads which are being spoiled on an increasingly large scale by shabby-looking rusty and dusty meter boxes and loose cables, now a common sight in Karachi.

Has any attention been given to tele-metering by which the electricity consumption can be read at the sending point, as done in telephone exchanges?

If the KESC is so keen to boost its revenues, it is unethical to install substandard faulty meters which run faster by 20-25 per cent than the original meters. Why can’t an engineering solution be found to an engineering problem, and why cannot the professional independent bodies like Nepra, Nespak, NPSL, PSI and testing laboratories of prestigious engineering universities in the country be entrusted with the task of testing and certifying the accuracy of electricity meters?

If consumer confidence is to be regained by the KESC, it should not hesitate to seek expert opinion from independent technical consultants on the best possible means of establishing the accuracy of meters and the safest possible means of installing them outside the consumer’s premises, if unavoidable

Finally, with reference to instruction No.2 (iii) printed on the back of KESC bills, how can the KESC hold consumers responsible for the security of electricity meters and associated apparatus if these are installed outside the premises?

M. A. KAZIMI

Karachi

Judicial system & backlog of cases

IT is very unfortunate that civil cases drag on for years together in the Sindh High Court in its original jurisdiction, thus causing much hardship to the litigants.

There are thousands of cases of aged people who are prone to ailments and may die soon, without getting justice in their lifetime. Cases of such persons should be taken up on a top priority basis.

In various instances, forged and fabricated documents are drawn out to establish the prima facie of the case and get the same admitted. The courts usually do not take pains to get such documents primarily examined by a competent criminologist, more so when such a document is challenged. Such cases are fallacious and motivated.

The role played in such matters by lawyers is very unpropitious. When an apocryphal and fallacious case is given to a lawyer, he normally accepts the challenge to make it abstruse and apply all delaying tactics available in the court. However, lawyers of prominence refrain from accepting such briefs. The courts should be very strict on this count.

The maturity of civil cases takes years and verifications of forged documents is thus delayed. This entails waste of courts’ time and revenue loss. Once a document is found to be forged, the court should initiate criminal proceedings against its submitter. This will discourage many people from facing courts with petitions inconsistent with legal imperatives.

I appeal to the chief justice of the Sindh High Court, who is the administrative authority of the judiciary, to look into this matter. Justice delayed is justice denied.

SAIFUDDIN E. CONTRACTOR

Karachi

Who are public servants?

OUR prime minister, some time after assuming his office, said that “there will no land reforms”, and recently he said that the president was his “boss”. Now he describes bureaucracy as the permanent government. He also adds: “A bureaucrat may be a friend of some politician, not his servant.”

Nobody will disagree that all those who are living on government salary are paid from our taxes, whether it is the Army, bureaucrats or public servants and those who get this money are servants of the people like the government itself. It is astonishing to hear the prime minister say that the bureaucrats are servants of the government.

I will say that the promises held out by the Army ruler that there would be no feudal lords in the government and democracy would be run by the people now appear astonishing as, without land reforms, the feudals will always be returned to assemblies as their tenants will have no option but to vote for them. The prime minister has, therefore, made his position safe and is now advising the bureaucrats to run the government as naukar shahi, like in the past.

In conclusion, I find that we are being governed by the Army, the bureaucrats and the feudal lords. To quote columnist Ayaz Amir that once a military rule will always remain a military rule.

DR SYED ABU JAFFAR

Karachi

Quaid Mazar facilities

I ENDORSE the views of Mr Meraj Kidwai expressed in his letter “Unjustified parking fee” (Oct 15) and of Mr Rasheed Ahmed (Oct 28).

The wailing does not end with the trouble to passengers at railway stations alone, but it also affects the visitors from all over Pakistan who come to pay their respect to Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

First, the authorities concerned must ensure that every Pakistani is able to visit the Quaid’s Mazar without any hurdle. They must provide all facilities to the visitor and should not charge any fee. Secondly, they should provide a free car parking lot and small sheds for the visitor’s rest.

The city government should implement this proposal on the forthcoming birth anniversary of the Quaid-I-Azam.

This might serve as a tribute to the founder of Pakistan by the government serving his city.

The proposal, if implemented, will also be highly appreciated by senior citizens who were in contact with their Quaid in his lifetime and by all the citizens of Pakistan.

REHAN HUSSAIN

Karachi

‘The nuclear option’

THE views of Air Marshal (retd) M. Asghar Khan in his article “The nuclear option” must have dismayed the people of Pakistan. A better assessment of the defence needs of the country was expected of him. His opinion that Pakistan will be more secure without nuclear arms cannot find acceptance from anyone who is aware of aggressive designs of India.

Mr Khan emphatically says: “If Pakistan was a non-nuclear power it would not be necessary for India to attack Pakistan with nuclear weapons even if Pakistan was the aggressor.” The fact is that it was India that made and detonated nuclear bombs first and will use them first in the event of war.

The writer’s logic could be acceptable if India had acquired nuclear capability after Pakistan did. He has tried to convince the people that Pakistan will be more secure without nuclear weapons. No one can agree with him. It is power that ensures security. We have an aggressive nuclear power next door, which is bent upon destroying us but the retired air marshal believes that giving up our weapons will add to our security. Surely, this is not wisdom.

PROF MUKHTAR ALI NAQVI

Orlando, Fl., USA

Credit card

A MAJOR bank famous for its credit cards has one unusual phenomenon: it does not give its email address. As everyone knows, email is the easiest and cheapest way of sending a message. However, the monthly demand note that this bank sends contains on its reverse side everything except an email address which the client could use if he had a query to make. Instead, it gives a fax number.

Very few people have fax machines, while those having computers invariably have email connections. Will the bank kindly give thought to this to make things easy for its card-holders?

A CARD-HOLDER

Karachi

Addressing the issue of traffic jams

APART from drivers’ indiscipline, disregard for traffic rules and lack of common road courtesy, the main reason for the frequent traffic jams in Karachi is the utter disregard by officials and politicians of the provincial and city governments of the principles of town planning and urban management.

Owing to the increased chaos on city roads, the DIG Traffic has now been directed to “identify the reasons which hindered the traffic flow, so that the city government could be communicated the same for resolution of these problems”.

NGO Shehri would like to help by listing some of the violations of town planning/zoning regulations and building rules that should be apparent to everyone:

— Non-provision of mandatory parking spaces (or their non-availability to the public) in numerous buildings in commercial and residential areas like Saddar, Clifton, Nazimabad, I. I. Chundrigar Road, PECHS, KCHSU, M. A. Jinnah Road, University Road and Tariq Road. One recent project that has been highlighted in the press is the proposed ‘commercialization’ of the entrance to the car-lift space at ‘Trade Tower’ on Abdullah Haroon Road next to the Governor’s House.

— Disregard of construction of illegal/oversized buildings at traffic choke-points (like ‘Serena Pride’ at Chanesar Halt turn- off on Sharea Faisal, ‘Atrium Mall’ on Zaibunissa/Sarwar Shaheed Roads intersection, new ‘Metropole Hotel’ on Club/Mereweather Roads, ‘New Challi Centre’ at Sharah-i-Liaquat, etc.

— Regularization of illegal/oversized buildings without ensuring that the requisite mandatory parking spaces have been provided. Among many such buildings are ‘Saima Trade Towers’ on I. I. Chundrigar Road, ‘Gem Homes’ and ‘Parsa Heaven’ in Civil Lines, ‘Capitol Cloth Market’ on Abdullah Haroon Road (blatant misuse of car-lift allowance), ‘Serena Pride’ and ‘Business Centre’ on Sharea Faisal.

— Arbitrary and ad hoc ‘commercialization of roads’ policy that is being resurrected on six-plus-nine roads all over the city. No technical studies have been conducted by CDGK of the consequences on the traffic flows, or on the utilities (electricity, water, sewerage) and infrastructure of the affected areas.

— Construction of unauthorized schools, hospitals, marriage halls and the like in residential areas, with related parking and traffic confusion.

— Clogging of the service lanes on Sharea Faisal with spill- over parking from the 30-odd illegal commercial buildings that have been put up on plots zoned for residential use.

— Sponsorship of encroachments (thelas, khokas, generators, etc) on public roads and footpaths: these produce large amounts of bhatta for the concerned public service and land departments of the city/town governments and cantonments.

Karachi is not a city: it is progressively becoming a lunatic asylum without walls. The statutory agencies charged with planning and control of the urban landscape (CDGK Master Plan, KBCA, Cantonment Boards, police, etc) have abdicated their responsibilities and are allowing various mafias to exploit the situation for their own financial benefit (shared with the officials who are looking the other way). Whatever sane citizens there are stand by silently while their fundamental constitutional rights to a peaceful life are blatantly violated. Judicial institutions seem unable to force the government to implement the law.

Unless the citizens and whatever good government/elected officials remain act quickly, the situation will become irredeemable.

SHEHRI

Karachi