Violation of Geneva Conventions

It has been about a year, according to the Red Cross, since the sordid practice of keeping Iraqi prisoners began. I have never heard of any prisons in the US where the inmates are disrobed. They are, in fact, issued fresh uniforms, food and provided with clean and hygienic cells even if they happen to be murderers facing life sentences.

The occupiers thought that the world was blinded by the fortified walls, but the cat was let out of the bag by a few God-fearing soldiers who leaked radio-active photographs taken with small digital cameras.

These conscientious individuals deserve honourable mention from the victims of humiliation for coming forward fully aware of the retribution that it would entail.

Had a similar situation developed elsewhere, the Americans would have gone hoarse denouncing and condemning the perpetrators, reminding them of the Geneva Conventions and other laws which somehow are never applicable on the Americans.

If sidelining the United Nations, violating Geneva Conventions and exempting itself from the International Court of Justice is the real face of American liberation, the weaker nations of the world should prepare for the worst.

RAFI ADAMJEE

Karachi

(2)

US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's justification for ignoring earlier reports of prisoner abuse is: "The problem at that stage was one-dimensional, it wasn't three-dimensional. It wasn't video, it wasn't colour. It was a very different thing."

Do people at the Pentagon realize that their defence secretary suffers from an acute cognitive disability in which he is unable to grasp the importance of information unless it is presented to him in a pictorial format? Shouldn't they question the orders of such a severely incapacitated man, especially since those orders hold the potential of bringing death and destruction to the door-steps of ordinary Iraqis, as they so often do? They kill innocent people in battles and then desensitize the crime by terming it "collateral damage".

They molest prisoners of war and now they've got a parallel term to explain that away as well. Now they can blame it all on a "one-dimensional disconnect".

SYED WAQAR AHMED

Lahore

(3)

While the treatment of Iraqi detainees at the Abu Ghraib prison by US soldiers is despicable, the unprecedented outrage over the matter needs to be assessed. The question is, why? Is it really because of the inhumane behaviour or is it because "America" did it? I believe, regrettably, it is the latter.

We have seen the bodies of US soldiers hanging off a bridge. We have witnessed the bodies of US civilian contractors mutilated on the streets. We have accepted the suicide bomber who killed 18 school-going Iraqi children as legitimate resistance. Are these acts somehow not inhumane or less inhumane?

KHURRAM HANEEF

New Jersey, USA

Examination system

The government has realized that our examination system has a great many faults that have damaged the standard of education and made it difficult to judge a student's intelligence. It needs great skills to prepare better examination papers, specially such question papers as cover the whole syllabus and test the student's IQ.

Most paper setters are teachers or principals, selected usually on the basis of preferences. There's no arrangement for training of paper setters. This affects the standard of examinations. The government should make arrangements for training teachers for paper setting.

Questions are repeated in a sequence, and students come to know the topics which will be asked in their examination. Guess papers, test papers and examination guides help the students.

Another problem is related to insufficient space in examination centres. Some examination halls are very small and candidates sit so closely that it is not possible to stop copying; some candidates even exchange answer sheets. Teachers from government schools are appointed to examine. They do not do their duties properly because usually they are a dissatisfied lot working on poor wages.

Paper marking is a sensitive process. It tells us about the IQ level of a student. So, it should be transparent. It tells us how a student who got a better division is superior to the one who has failed.

Unfair means are also big a cause of examination corruption. Use of money and influence is also practised to secure good results. This damages the credibility of paper-marking.

As the number of candidates increases every year, the boards should arrange examinations according to the number. lf we want to the system better, it is necessary to change the thinking of everyone involved - students, teachers and parents.

FAQIHA Q. ABBAS

Lahore

Urdu as Punjab's mother tongue

This refers to Mushir Anwar's column, Urdu as Punjab's mother tongue (Dawn, May 7), which says: "It is heartening to hear Fateh Muhammad Malik, chairman, Muqtadira Qaumi Zaban, snap back at the Indian Punjab chief minister's naive, untimely and uninvited suggestion to his Pakistani counterpart to do away with Urdu as the medium of instruction in his province and replace it with Punjabi...".

Mr Malik has snapped back not only at the Indian Punjab's chief minister but stalwarts like Faiz Ahmad Faiz, Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi, the late Hameed Nizami of Nawa-i-Waqt, Sufi Tabassum, Dr Muhammad Ajmal and Dr Muhammad Baqir who have been demanding introduction of Punjabi as the medium of instruction at the primary level after replacing Urdu which, in their view, could be taught as a compulsory language at the same level.

Not only that but Fateh Muhammad Malik has himself joined the ruling elite of Punjab about whom he had said in his book, Punjabi identity (1989), on page 28:

"When the emergence of Pakistan seemed inevitable, the so-called chiefs of Punjab jumped on the bandwagon of the movement for Pakistan. These loyal Mohammedans of India constituted the ruling elite in Punjab in the early years of Pakistan.

Imitating the colonial habit of treating everything native with contempt, the elite continued to despise the Punjabi language. They preferred King's English to the mother tongue and military rule to people's power."

RAI HAYAT MUHAMMAD

Jhang

Retiring age and pension liability

The rise in life expectancy has given to several problems: the financial burden on the government on account of pensions and pensioners' healthcare is increasing at an alarming rate. Since a pension is invariably meagre, there is a tendency to get rich while in service to take care of old age. This is one of the reasons for corruption.

Pensioners spoil the job market because they start hunting for jobs at low salaries. Retirement also means that the government loses an experienced hand. The only remedy is to increase the age.

The situation in the armed forces is worse, because personnel are encouraged to marry late. They do not get "married pay" if they marry before age 26. As a result, when they retire at 49-50 (Major, 49, Lt-Col., 50), their children are still studying and girls yet to be married.

If they are absorbed in a government department, it creates a lot of resentment in the organization concerned. To economize, the government has resorted to inhuman practices - like denying costly medicines and new pension rates to old pensioners who retired before 1986. At this old age, they have been left to starve and die: a very cost effective solution indeed.

On top of it, the rate of profit on national savings certificates has been cut to almost half, and an income tax has been imposed on savings certificates and "Bahbood" certificates.

If the government is serious about reducing expenditures, it should increase the retirement ages of civilian and armed forces personnel.

AHMAD RAFI

Karachi

Each-one-teach-one programme

It was good to read in Dawn of April 29 that the government was going to soon launch a literacy programme "Each-one-teach one" to increase the literacy rate from 50 per cent to 60 per cent in one year. To make this programme a success, the government proposes to seek the help of students by motivating them by giving special marks and appreciation certificates.

Involving students is a good idea. They will learn the meaning and application of philanthropy by teaching illiterate and poor people. They will also develop communication skills and improve their knowledge on different subjects.

I would propose that the government should also invite everyone in Pakistan and abroad to participate in this programme. If a person can devote time and effort to personally teaching one person, well and good.

But if he cannot personally do so due to his limitations, then he may be encouraged to appoint a teacher on his behalf to teach an illiterate person. He could finance and motivate the student and monitor his progress to achieve the goal.

ENGR A. RAHIM

Troy, Michigan, USA

Doctor-housewives

This refers to Jawaid Shaikh's letter "Doctor-housewives" (May 14). I think he needs to get his sources corrected in the first instance. I agree that Pakistan has a low doctor-patient ratio and that the government spends six million rupees to train each doctor. However, I am afraid he is wrong on both scores.

First, the two big government medical colleges in Karachi alone produce about 800 doctors each year and there are other medical universities in the city, which are run privately. I am sure that Karachi produces 1,300 doctors each year. So to say that Pakistan produces only 1,300 doctors in a year is wrong.

Second, has the correspondent ever tried to find out the reason why doctors tend to leave their country and go abroad?

Third, I think every person has the right to choose what he or she should study and whether they want to pursue a career or not. If they deserve to be in a medical college, then they should do medicine and if for some reason they do not want to pursue a career in medicine, it is their choice.

DR RAZA ANSARI

Grimsby, UK

The evil of jirga system

This has reference to Mr Ardeshir Cowasjee's column on the above subject (May 9). It is good that people like him have started championing the cause of kutchi abadi dwellers. Unfortunately, the majority of middle class intelligentsia treats them as parasites and advocates their removal from the city centre.

To keep the record straight, a few points need to be added here:

a. It is the declared policy of the Sindh Kutchi Abadis Authority (SKAA) that all open spaces in kutchi abadis should not only be protected but developed as parks and other amenities. A number of such projects have already been completed by us.

b. In the Taikri Colony case, just the reverse of what Mr Cowasjee has stated happened. The provincial ombudsman did call me for an expert opinion on April 29, 2002. I supported the claim of kutchi abadi dwellers to use the open space close to their colony as a playground, though they had no legal title to it.

In addition, I strongly opposed the offer of the chief engineer, Building Circle, who had suggested an alternative location for the purpose. Para 6 of the ombudsman's order, dated 29.10.2002, is very explicit on this point. It is surprising how a person of Mr Cowasjee's standing could misinterpret and twist the facts and then draw the conclusions that he has.

c. For information of general readers, may I add here that for the last 14 years the SKAA has not only fought for the rights of kutchi abadi dwellers in Sindh, but was also instrumental in getting a national policy approved much against the wishes of powerful vested interests.

d. Instead of appreciating these efforts, Mr Cowasjee has chosen to ask for "apologies to the thousands of Taikri Colonies". Readers can decide who owes an apology to whom?

e. As for the choice of words used against me, I have nothing to say. Mr Cowasjee has perhaps the licence to use indiscreet language and level unfounded allegations against anybody. But an esteemed paper like Dawn should have verified the facts and checked the language before publishing such stuff.

TASNEEM AHMAD SIDDIQUI

Director-General, Sindh Kutchi Abadis Authority, Karachi

Fighting hate crimes

This is apropos of Dr Mahnaz Fatima's letter "Carnage in Karachi" (May 15). I am against using the term "sectarian" in this context. Both the Quetta tragedy and the carnage in Karachi come under the category of hate crimes which is a better term to sue for such crimes.

The recent spate of killings in Pakistan should be termed killings by terrorists who do not belong to any specific race, caste, religion or sect; the victim, however, could belong to any sect or race.

It is high time the government took necessary measures to prepare a psychological profile of offenders. Police officers should focus on the crime scene and the offenders' characteristics on the following lines: What happened? How did it happen? Can you understand the how without knowing the why? 'Why' is the ultimate issue. How a shot struck a victim is not the same as why it struck the victim.

In making the summary-profile of offenders, important things to be covered are: age, gender, race, marital status, intelligence, education, family, residence, socio-economic status, language spoken, vehicle used, ammunition used; employment; modus operandi, signatures, staging and psychosexual development. Finally, it should suggest the mode of interrogation to be conducted for a specific offender.

HAIDER RIZVI

Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Karachi

Pensioners' case

This has reference to the letter "Pensioner's case" (April 29). It is a fact that ordinary people, especially the elderly, have been badly affected by drastic reductions in the rate of profit on NSS and their livelihood has been disturbed.

However, to compensate them, the government first introduced "Pensioners' benefit account (scheme) for its retired employees and later on "Bahbood Savings Certificates" (scheme) for widows and all senior citizens of age 60 and above.

Both these schemes, at present in vogue, operate on the same terms and payment of profit made on a monthly basis. For government retirees, a copy of pension book is required but for the Bahbood certificates scheme a copy of the NIC is to be attached with the application.

If a retiree of any organization has no pension book (as stated by the letter-writer) he need not worry because being a senior citizen, he can avail himself of the Bahbood scheme, which is as good as the pensions scheme.

To facilitate pensioners and senior citizens, the government should allow them to open and operate these accounts/schemes jointly with wife, son or daughter, to enable them to receive monthly profit without hassle. To avoid any misuse of this jointly-operated scheme, the maximum limit for such investment be fixed at Rs100,000 to Rs500,000.

SHAHID ALI KHAN

Karachi

Bogus bravery awards

The Indian Army is contemplating serious judicial action in the wake of reports that Indian troops posted at the Siachen Glacier, the world's highest battlefield, may have faked encounters with Pakistani soldiers to register false killings to claim bravery awards.

Reacting to the media reports, an Indian Army spokesman has said: "A court of inquiry has been carried out after the faked encounters have come to light and irregularities have been seen to have been committed."

The Indian Army spokesman further mentioned that "misrepresentation seems to have been committed by the top battalion commanders", and judicial action would be taken, whosoever was found guilty of "committing these grave irregularities".

According to reports published in leading Indian newspapers, a young major of the Gorkha Rifles battalion, at present doing a tenure at the glacier, had given an army court of inquiry specific details of fake killings made by his company.

The alleged fraud was carried out between July and November 2003 in which some of the Indian units took videos to show fake killings of Pakistan soldiers in an obvious move to claim awards and citations for imagined gallantry.

Although the Indian Army spokesman did not give details of the number of such fake killings, according to the figures, 46 Pakistan soldiers were reported killed during this period in the glacier area.

Fake gallantry awards cannot boost the morale of the Indian Army soldiers; they could only have demoralized the other soldiers.

SYED A. MATEEN

Karachi

Broken roads

This is to bring to light the plight of the residents of Zakaria Town, Bosan Road, Multan. All roads and streets of this locality have been in a deplorable condition for the last over six months.

The sewerage line in the area is being replaced but deep ditches have been dug at several places all over the main road. The water pipeline has been tampered with at many places, forming pools of stagnating water. The roads are not motorable and dust flies all around.

The DCO was apprised of the situation and he promised to activate the EDO (Works). The situation, however, remains the same. The relevant authorities should pull up the contractors concerned and take urgent action to redress the grievances of the residents.

M. FIROZ A KHAN

Multan

Deportation of Shahbaz

It was so shameful to see Mr Shahbaz Sharif, a citizen of Pakistan, being forcefully deported to another country. One may have political differences with the PML-N, but no general or politician or official has the right to overrule decisions of the Supreme Court and to keep Pakistanis out of the country.

What threat could Mr Sharif have posed to the country if he had been allowed to return? He is the leader of a political party that has more than 15 seats in the National Assembly.

The PML-N MNAs are elected representatives of the people. Why are we against our own people? No country in the world treats its own citizens the way the Musharraf-led government is treating political leaders and people in Pakistan.

The so-called "deal" between the Sharifs, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia must be made public as the Sharif family has denied its existence. The government at least should share the documents of deal with the Supreme Court.

MUSHTAQUE RAJPAR

Karachi