Democracy and public opinion

THE recent massive anti-war demonstrations the world over not only proved how many people oppose a US-led war against Iraq, but also proved that once in power, how little democratically-elected leaders care about the public opinion.

The US president and the prime ministers of Australia, Britain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Holland, Italy and Spain, who are supporting this war, are all elected leaders of the democratic West. Their conduct makes one wonder what kind of people democracy raises to the top. Or, perhaps, democracy is in need of reformation to prevent such men without a conscience from rising to the top.

Disillusionment with democracy is reaching astonishing proportions. It was amply manifested by the lack of voter turnout at recent elections in Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Holland and the United States. This is a development of incalculable proportions for the future of democracy for which lack of vision, incompetence and greed of politicians “all rooted in lack of principles-oriented politics” is to blame.

This regression is clearly noticeable in the countries where contempt for political values is widespread. Against this backdrop, the self-styled reformers’ advocacy of democracy raises many unanswered questions. The supporters of democracy obviously don’t realize that going by the recent record of the politicians everywhere, democracy’s chances are worryingly low because people have little trust left in this system as elected politicians have made statecraft a decadent art.

Now democracy will succeed only in the countries where elections bring to power new groups that eject self-seekers. However, the rise of new power groups that largely consist of inexperienced legislators and extremists in Turkey, Pakistan and India, and the diehard followers of evangelical church in the US as well as the socialists in Latin America, doesn’t hold out much of a promise because these groups seem bent upon usurping the liberty of the individual.

It is time political columnists-turned-reformists stopped calling for giving these misfits a chance. This clique has had this charade going on for too long. Many also advocate the case for market-based economies, privatization and globalization siding unwittingly with the forces of tyranny because these concepts have so far led only to chaos. It is time for introspection on the part of the press to stop the scum from rising to the top.

A. B. SHAHID

Karachi

Gas crisis in Balochistan

FOR over a month, there has been uproar regarding the law and order situation in Dera Bugti, a district from where more than 58 per cent natural gas is extracted and supplied to various parts of the country.

During a tribal feud last month, a gas supply line was hit and the gas supply to Punjab was cut off. All news channels have been giving coverage to the latest situation in the area since then, but nobody has asked as to why successive governments have deprived the people of the province of basic amenities.

Some officials termed the incident an act of violence while others thought it was a terrorist attack. We should ask ourselves as to why there is this discrimination against the people of Balochistan. The gas belongs to the people, be they Baloch, Pathans, Punjabis, Parsis, Christians, Hindus or Sindhis. Why are the people of this province not getting what belongs to them?

According to Article 158 of the Constitution, first the requirements of the people of a province (from where resources such as gas, oil and copper are being extracted) will be met, then the rest of the country will receive those resources.

The gas is supplied to more than 80 per cent households and industries of Punjab and even the far-flung areas of Azad Kashmir are getting gas now, but Kalat, a city which is some 330 kilometres from Quetta and is located in a very cold region, has not been provided with this utility. Ziarat, a city just on the outskirts of Quetta with one of the biggest forests of Juniper trees in the world, does also not get the gas. In order to survive, the area people cut down trees for fuel.

When a landslide or an earthquake occur in Gilgit, armymen are sent there with food supplies, clothing and other relief goods. May I ask why people in Balochistan were not provided with any relief when an acute drought hit the province some years back, leaving hundreds of people and thousands of cattle-heads dead?

Right on the fringes of Quetta Cantonment, Hanna, the main apple producer, cut down all the orchards after the Hanna Lake had dried up. The propaganda that the people of Balochistan are not willing to take any initiatives is not true. The government may conduct a survey to find out what the priorities of the people are.

MEHNAZ MIR MARRI

Quetta

India’s ‘no’ to mediation

IF India had a valid case on Kashmir, it would not be looking for excuses to avoid talks with Pakistan, nor would it be so allergic to the very mention of mediation. Talks and mediation are the universally accepted civilized means of settling disputes. Pakistan, on the other hand, is quite open to both options.

This should be proof enough for any impartial observer. The key word is ‘impartial’. Having possession of the Kashmir valley, India is quite willing to drag its foot in the hope that eventually the Line of Control will ipso-facto become the boundary line. The Kashmiris have not and will never accept any boundary in Kashmir and thus the turmoil will go on.

The UN and the US will have to shed their hypocrisy if they are to exhibit the minimum modicum of honesty of purpose. It is a pity that the US does not want to annoy India which, in turn, renders the UN helpless. The end result is that Pakistan keeps getting blamed for what is purely an indigenous freedom struggle.

KHURSHID ANWER

Lahore

English words in Urdu

WITH reference to the letters by Messrs Anwar ul Haque and Subramnian S. Iyer (Feb 6), being the responses to the original letters on the usage of English words in Urdu, I would like to say that it’s better to keep the politics of nationalism outside the realm of pure linguistics and etymology. This is true both for Indians and Pakistanis.

Notwithstanding that Urdu is the national language of Pakistan (over six million consider it their mother tongue), it is a sub-branch within the Indo-European language family, and has its roots in the erstwhile region surrounding the 16th century Delhi and what is now western Uttar Pradesh.

It is one of the 16 official languages of India — over 30 million use Urdu as their native language. Literally meaning the ‘camp language’, it prospered under the patronage of the Mughal rulers and gradually came into being with the fusion of the vocabulary of Persian, Arabic, and Turkish, the syntax of Brij Bhasha (an off-shoot of Prakrit and Apabhransha, which were descendants of Sanskrit), and the Persian-Arabic script with additional letters supplied for sounds peculiar to the Indian folklore.

A true Pakistani patriot like Mr Haque need not view this as an affront from a Hindu chauvinist, nor is it an instance of subservience on the part of the Pakistani Muslims toward the Middle-Eastern orthodoxy and dominance as imagined by Mr Iyer.

BHAIYYA JOSHI

California, USA

PIA & Fokker aircraft

THE death of Pakistan’s Chief of Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir, his wife and 15 other air force officers is a great tragedy.

In 1987, a PIA-Fokker aircraft disappeared in the mountains of Gilgit. Fifteen long years have passed, yet nobody has got a clue to it.

Since 1987, I have been travelling in this smart but risky aircraft from Islamabad to Gilgit. One can only imagine the agony when one is in the Fokker flying over the Nangaparbat or when the clouds come along the way and suddenly the aircraft starts jolting. Travelling in a PIA Fokker looks like travelling in a public bus.

The condition of the passenger aircraft is deteriorating day by day. The seats of the aircraft are no better than the road-runners. There are four VIP seats specified for government officials or the friends/relatives of the crew.

Last time when I was going to Gilgit, two guests of the pilot left their VIP seats just after the plane took off from Islamabad. They went to the cockpit to enjoy the view (it’s a dangerous thing to divert the attention of the pilots). I was taken aback when a middle-aged impolite steward came and slept on the VIP seat for the one-hour flight.

I want to draw the attention of the federal government, the ministry of defence and the PIA authorities to the plight of the passengers and suggest:

1. Grounding of all PIA-Fokker aircraft to avoid further disasters.

2. Widening the Gilgit and Skardu airports and building new airports in Chilas and Ghizer districts with a view to promoting tourism.

3. Building these airports on a BOT (build, operate and transfer) basis.

4. Making seat reservations for Gilgit-Baltistan available at all major cities of the country.

The PIA staff, right from the reservation office to the crew members, have also become impolite over the years; they must get their smiles back.

HABIB R. SULEMANI

Rawalpindi

How Israel fleeces US

I INTEND to write a few words about the letter titled ‘How Israel fleeces US’ by Prof Dr P. Nasir from Gujrat.

Israel’s economy is mired in the worst recession in 23 years not because of the Intifada alone (which, of course, contributes to it), but the main reason is the existing worldwide economic slump which is hitting hard all economies in the world, Pakistan included.

On the other hand, it seems that the writer is not fully conversant with the relationship between the US and Israel.

Israel will not join in an attack on Iraq, at least if we are not under fire again (remember the Scud missiles targeting Israel?). But if Iraq uses WMD against us, it will be a different story.

By the way, we didn’t grab water supplies from Syria since no water was diverted to Israel.

DAVID L. YARKONY

Via email

Ways to prevent AIDS

THIS refers to a letter on AIDS, published in your issue of Feb 17. Please accept my appreciation for publishing it.

I support the suggestions of banning the use of syringes that can be reused, and of encouraging the use of those syringes that automatically become unusable. I think that these are practical steps and should help us in the health care profession.

If our health care officials do not make this choice, the availability of spurious syringes and the reuse of unhygienic syringes will continue. Many clinics will be using spurious syringes in the name of economy, but, in fact, they would do it to maximize their profit at the cost of the public health.

The social cost of their action is also huge. Please consider the condition of a person who gets AIDS because of such a practice. Such a person becomes a burden not only on the health care system and the government, but is also a liability for his own family.

If that person is the bread-winner of the family, the whole family can be on the street in no time. This is a horrifying possibility, specially at the lower economic rungs of our society.

We should realize how one seemingly small act can lead to so many deadly consequences.

DR SHAHANA JAMIL

Lahore

‘A fiendish act’

THIS is with reference to your editorial, ‘A fiendish act’ (Feb 16).

You have indeed touched a poignant subject where a student sets himself alight owing to the heinous act of beating by his teacher.

The editorial suggested that such teachers be brought to the fore and corporal punishment be declared a punishable offence.

To some extent, these suggestions are acceptable, but by and large they cannot be followed for many reasons:

First, the question is, how long can parents reports such incidents and for how long the perpetrators will be punished, as there are hundreds of tormentors in our society?

Secondly, we have inherited corporal punishment from our seniors. There are in our educational system countless practices which are against the Islamic norms.

It is time we revised our educational polices. We cannot go in bits and pieces to correct the system. Each institution needs to be properly reconstituted, keeping in mind the Islamic tenets and the requirement of the contemporary world.

If the nation wants to be in line with our neighbouring countries, there ought to be a good educational system; achieving this task is not possible without excellent mentors.

I would appreciate if the government made serious endeavours in this regard and, if possible, sat up an academy with a view to improving the performance of educational institutes as well as teachers.

By offering a good package, the government can have for our educational institutions the cream of society which, in turn, can eliminate such malpractice as beating by teachers.

ASSAD MIRZA

Quetta

Plight of eunuchs

THIS is with reference to Prof Roedar Ahmad Khan’s letter, ‘Plight of eunuchs’ (Feb 18), drawing the attention of Dawn’s readers to the callous behaviour of the MMA government in the NWFP towards the eunuchs.

The MMA government has termed un-Islamic singing and dancing by the eunuchs. Agreed. I would not like to pick any quarrel with the worthy legislators of the MMA, but unfortunately, I must point out that one of the basic duties of an Islamic government is to provide food and shelter to all citizens who are unable to earn their livelihood, irrespective of sex.

The tenets of Islam have to be fully implemented.

MIRZA ASLAM BEG

Karachi

US embassy’s apathy

I WAS one of the applicants for a US visa who was given the interview date of Feb 11. I was allotted this date by a week before the interview, and I was they assured that Feb 11 would be a working day at the US embassy.

I travelled all the way from Karachi to Islamabad, and when I reached the embassy on the morning of Feb 11, I learnt that the embassy was closed for the day. There was not even a notice at the embassy, informing us about the holiday. A lone security guard informed us about the holiday. This kind of attitude was least expected from the US embassy.

A CITIZEN

Karachi

Foreign reserves

THIS is with reference to the article, ‘Saving reserves for the rainy day’, which appeared in Economic and Business Review (Feb 17).

Articles such as this appear in your daily where the writers warn of the dangers and pitfalls facing the country, but they seldom make any suggestions or propose any remedies. The gloom and doom scenarios seem to have frozen these writers’ imaginations.

So, here is one suggestion about what to do with the foreign reserves. Let’s invest them in Pakistan for the benefit of future generations. Let’s take on the long-term debts of all the IPPs and offer them a super-low rate from 2.5 to three per cent. This will allow them to lower the electricity rates and give a boost to our stagnant economy.

Today, Pakistan has the highest energy rates of all our competitors such as India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia. In order to increase our exports and become competitive, we have to lower electricity rates.

At present, 60 per cent income of the middle class is going towards paying utility charges. In the rest of the world, the utilities only take 10-15 per cent of a household income. If the burden of utility charges is reduced, the demand for consumer goods will rise, thus revving our industry and trade.

SHAHRYAR SAIGOL

Lahore

A tribute to Behram Sohrab Rustomjee

WITH the death recently of Behram Sohrab H.J. Rustomjee, the tradition of a much respected school teacher has ended. The very spot where many a time he triumphed is forgotten (Goldsmith). A legendary figure has departed. He will be long remembered by his many students, friends and admirers.

Rustomjee’s letter from Mumbai was published in Dawn on Sept 14, 2001, wherein he was modest enough to understate his contribution to setting the tune of our national anthem. He said, “I had known Chagla personally and had the good fortune to have been asked to play on my mother’s Roniseh piano at our Preedy Street home.

“Later, I was made to sing the melody with my boys of the BVS Parsi High School (Karachi), repeating the only words ‘Pakistan Zindabaad’. The same evening I went to Dubash Home on Marston Road to hear it sung by Divsi and Mehru Dubash in their beautiful voice.”

He further wrote that the BVS boys were taken to Naval Headquarters on Queens Road as the music was to be tried out there. He added, “I wonder if it should now be revealed that two compositions were submitted to the National Anthem Committee (NAC) by my fellow BVS teacher, the late Michael Deen also.”

The letter was captioned ‘More about the national anthem’ and was written feelingly ending on the note ‘Pak sarzameen shaad baad’.

Parsi ladies first stitched our national flag and a Parsi gentleman singularly helped set the tune of our national anthem.

I came under Rustomjee’s influence in 1960s when he was managing the Mid-Town Bookshop in the Services Club’s Shopping Mall. He provided service to book lovers. The shop had innovative ambience about it. There was a cosy retiring room at the back where Rustomjee used to accompany his potential customers and encourage them to participate in discussion on fresh arrivals in his shop. This attracted a cross section of the city’s intellectuals. It was so stimulating to meet writers and interesting people there.

As a teacher, he had the instinct to make people of different age groups keen readers. He knew the functional and social aspects of book and could provide guidance to help discover the pleasure and benefits of reading. Our booksellers had better emulate this example.

As a bookman, he attended functions and seminars organized by the Pakistan Literary Association. I vividly recall his presence at a seminar on the problems of libraries and librarians in Sindh back in 1978. I happened to sit next to him and we jointly indulged in a pipe-dream of a chain of public libraries in the country to raise our literacy rate.

I took a leaf out of his book when I moved to a library in the private sector. Rustamji was so full of kindness, it seemed as if it oozed from is fingertips. He loved music and fellow men alike. Will the like of him ever come to this world again?

MOINUDDIN KHAN

Karachi