| March 5, 2006 | Sunday | Safar 4, 1427 |
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Mina stampede
Foreign policy
Exporting flowers
Question time
PML privilege cards
Three Gorges dam
Cartoon controversy
Examination system
Delay in car delivery
Parents’ alert
Balochistan issue
THIS is with reference to Mr Arif Hasan’s write-up on the failure of IFI loans Dawn, Feb 19). I think it is important that we should learn some lessons from our past failures. I firmly believe public consultations on the project should have been held at the conceptual level. Such consultations are even more important in the case of Karachi where many projects have turned out to be disasters. In most cases, citizens and professionals gave reasons as to why these projects would fail and asked for public consultation. This never took place. A list of some of these projects is given below:
Metrovilles: It was pointed out that plots in them would never reach the target group and that the better-off would make use of the subsidies in-built in them. After building two-and-a- half metrovilles, the metroville project was abandoned. The dissenting professionals were proved right.
Lines Area Redevelopment Project: Professionals pointed out that the Lines Area Redevelopment Project would turn the area into a large slum which would neither benefit the city nor the people of the area. Alternatives were offered but not considered by the authorities. The Lines Area today is the largest planned slum in Karachi, both in physical and in sociological terms.
Greater Karachi Sewage Plan: This has been funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). As a result of this, the KWSB is in debt to the tune of Rs42 billion which the city of Karachi will ultimately pay. However, Karachi’s sewage problems have not improved as a result and its treatment plants function to about 20 per cent of their capacity.
Baldia Sewage Scheme: Funded by the ADB, it has been a major failure which the ADB itself has admitted. As a result, Rs600 million has literally gone down the drain. Alternatives to the scheme offered by the Orangi Pilot Project Research and Training Institute (OPP-RTI) were rejected but were successfully implemented in Orangi, a success admitted by the ADB in its reports.
Karachi Development Plan: A team for the evaluation of the Karachi Development Plan was appointed by the UNDP. It pointed out that the plan was not implementable and gave all the reasons for it. Its recommendations were not considered. The plan which cost Rs430 million was never implemented and the expensive hardware purchased for it is now junk.
Karachi Mass Transit Project: Citizens and professionals raised objections to the Karachi Mass Transit Project. As a result, the project was modified to reduce the number of proposed mass transit corridors from seven to three since it was pointed out that the circular railway ran parallel to some of the corridors and if it was revived, the corridors were not necessary.
Also, as a result of citizens’ intervention, the width of the transit way along a part of M.A. Jinnah Road was reduced and as a result helped improve environmental conditions. It is now accepted that the Karachi Circular Railway and its extensions are a viable mass transit option to the KMTP and is cheaper and environmentally more friendly.
Gulshan flyovers: Citizens pointed out to the then additional secretary, Sindh, that by taking the rail track underground or overhead, one flyover could be reduced and costs of the project would be reduced to a fraction of what had been estimated.
If this proposal had been accepted, the larger flyover would not have been constructed, much to the relief of pedestrians and to a marked improvement in aesthetic and environmental terms.
There is a long list of failed projects, I do not know why government planners still run after high-cost, foreign-funded projects
MUHAMMAD YOUNUS
Director, Urban Resource Centre,
Karachi
IN view of the repeated stampedes during the Haj, the reasons should be investigated. Some of these may be enumerated as under:
i. About 60 to 70 per cent of the road just before Jamarat is occupied by unregistered pilgrims as their dwelling which narrows the passage for traffic.
ii. To cope with the existing and still growing number of pilgrims, the Saudi government has obtained a “fatwa” and ordained the validity of Rami round-the-clock, instead of specific timings. But this is seldom observed and enforced. This leads to crowding at one time.
iii. Mostly, pilgrims avoid the lower Rami zone and instead conduct Rami on the top level in fresh air. That also leads to crowding.
iv. Many pilgrims carry luggage on the last Rami day which adds to the problem.
The Saudi government is extending Jamarat along a Z-axis and so increasing the number of Rami platforms vertically for further traffic load distribution. But I am afraid the same fresh air attraction will continue to attract more pilgrims to the top level. God forbid, any latitudinal pressure so generated on the higher level can claim more lives.
Sacrifice of animals and stone hurling on Jamarat (Rami) are among the “wajibat” of the Haj and under certain conditions one can authorize another person to perform the same. There is room for collective performance.
Thus, transfer of authority for Rami should be permissible. Each muallim should arrange for seven large storage bags in Mina camps. Pilgrims of his “maktab” should deposit their pebbles, seven to each of the bags of their respective muallim on their arrival from Muzdalifa to Mina in the morning of Zilhaj 10.
The muallim should depute a few persons to transfer the bags to Jamarat and to ensure collective hurling of each bag’s pebbles at the appropriate times from Zilhaj l0 to 12. Individual entry to the Jamarat area can be disallowed.
Should the proposal get approval from religious scholars, it may be further streamlined in the second phase by reconstructing Jamarat in a “Y” shape.
M. SAEED
Nawabshah
THE Musharraf government has tried all avenues to please its neighbours India and Afghanistan. The exuberance of our foreign minister has evaporated in thin air due to lack of adequate response. Only up to a few months back proposal after proposal was coming out vis-a-vis India. The cold shoulder given by our eastern neighbour brought the euphoria plummeting to the ground.
India’s media supported its government and worked diligently in tandem to malign Pakistan. The hype of people-to-people contact did not come up to the Pakistan government’s expectation and the level of bilateral relations have barely improved.
A brief review of our foreign policy as regards Afghanistan shows that it too is in tatters. The foreign office and the entire government is bending over backwards to please President Hamid Karzai and his US installed government. The Afghans have also started harping on the same tune as the Indians regarding cross-border terrorism. Pakistan territory along the Afghanistan border is being trampled at will by US forces and its allies.
The latest “missile” from the sky is the naming of our indigenous missile after Afghan warriors. President Karzai has objected to the names we have given to our missiles. Without going into the intricacies of this particular issue, I want to state that nothing is really working vis-a-vis our policy towards Afghanistan also.
The time has come for the foreign office to dedicate itself to a dispassionate self-examination of its policies towards its neighbours. The modus operandi needs a drastic shift if the desired results have to be achieved. The foreign office should act professionally and handle national issues in a manner commensurate with the recognized art of diplomacy.
WG. CDR. (r) ARIF MAJEED
Karachi
IT seems the ministry of commerce and the Export Promotion Bureau have ignored the export of cut-flowers/red roses. On Valentine’s Day I couldn’t buy a bouquet of red roses. I was told by flower sellers that the rose was out of season.
Britons spend over 1.5 billion pounds a year on the import of cut-flowers. Kenya supplies nearly a quarter of the UK market.
I wish to request the ministry of food and agriculture to concentrate on growing and exporting flowers to the Middle East and the UK and earn millions of dollars in foreign exchange. Now India has started growing cut-flowers and exporting roses and other flowers.
In Azad Kashmir and on the beds of the river Ravi and around Thatta and Balochistan flowers can easily be grown and exported. Rose cuttings can be grown within three months and exports can be arranged within six months. This item has been ignored by the government. Pakistan can earn $4-5 billion in foreign exchange a year, equal to the present export of computer software.
KHALID M. KHAN
Karachi
1. Why do viruses like SARS and bird flu originate in the East and which pharmaceutical companies reap the benefits?
2. Why are people like Salman Rushdie, Tasleema Nasreen and Mukhtaran Mai glorified by the West?
3. Why does the West grant asylum to proclaimed offenders while retaining the right to have their wanted men extradited?
4. Why have all Muslim countries become cauldrons of civil strife?
5. Why is the US immune from the ICJ in spite of human rights violations?
6. Why is insulting Islam considered freedom of speech while the Holocaust remains a taboo subject?
7. Why are Guantanamo inmates enduring perpetual prison without trial?
8. Why does the US preach democracy when an elected Hamas stands unacceptable?
9. Why does Iran face sanctions when nuclear armed Israel goes scot-free? 10. Why are the Iraqi people languishing in poverty when billions of petro-dollars are flowing into Iraq?
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
I WAS amazed to read the news item “PML to issue privilege cards to supporters” (Feb 26). Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi has said the Pakistan Muslim League will give “privilege cards” to all its members to facilitate them in resolution of their problems in all public institutions and departments.
This is favouritism, publicly announced. It sends clear signals to the administration to be partisan. It goes counter to the fundamental law that all citizens enjoy equal rights and privileges.
All canons of justice and fair play are proposed to be thrown to the winds by the Punjab chief minister. The apex court should take suo motu cognizance of the situation and nip in the bud this arbitrary policy.
ABDUL RAZAK SOOMRO
President, Sindh High Court Bar Association,
Larkana
AS a Pakistani residing in China, I read and follow with a lot of concern and interest the Kalabagh dam controversy. We Pakistanis need to learn a lot about the Three Gorges dam project of China, how this great nation sacrificed its personal interests for the nation. Here is a short note about the Three Gorges dam.
The Three Gorges dam sparks controversy on many fronts. The debate began in 1919 when the founder of the Chinese republic, Dr Sun Yat-sen, first proposed a dam in the area. Since that time, the Chinese government has alternately supported and shelved plans for the project. However, the late Chairman Mao Zedong supported the project.
In 1992 Chinese Premier Li Peng finally won approval for the dam from the People’s National Congress. Since ground was broken in 1994, construction of the dam has become a symbol of Chinese national pride. A 15-year project, it will create the world’s largest dam and hydro-electric power plant. To China’s leaders, the Three Gorges dam will propel the nation’s economy into the 21st century.
The project promises significant power generation along with improved flood control and safer navigation. The Great Wall takes the audience to ground zero of the largest peace-time evacuation in history.
When the dam is completed, 13 cities, 140 towns and over 1,300 villages will be submerged by the Three Gorges reservoir. To make way for the dam, 1.5 million people will have to abandon their homes. More than 160,000 citizens have already been relocated. The Three Gorges dam project promises to bring clean, renewable energy to a country whose air is among the most polluted in the world. It hopes to control devastating natural floods that have affected millions of people. To prosper in the global economy, China must increase its economic strength. One key element is the development of infrastructure.
As China develops its urban centres, new factories, offices and homes create increased power demands. To avoid burning coal for power and causing massive pollution, China must develop alternative resources. The hydroelectric power produced by a dam is clean, renewable energy. The Three Gorges dam will not only provide that energy, but it will increase shipping and commerce in the region, bringing economic opportunities to people in the middle of the country.
NAKAI
Beijing, China
THE cartoon issue has spread not only hatred of the West and Europe amongst religious parties. It has also affected the youth of this nation. In various educational institutions, the Danish flag has been painted on the floor of corridors and on pavements. Thus students are walking over the flag as a show of anger. This is an expression of protest, and a well conceived one in the view of some. But it also raises some questions. What newspapers in the West did was wrong but is what we are doing right? Does Islam teaches us to humiliate others in the same way they humiliate us? Are burning of petrol pumps and painting flags on the floor acts of sanity?
HASSAN SIDDIQUI
Karachi
MUSLIMS around the world, including Pakistan, continue to register their anger and resentment against the publication of blasphemous cartoons. However, it is regrettable that some of the protests degenerated into arson and looting. The cause was lost in the hooliganism.
I would advise religious leaders to read Mr Aitzaz Ahsan’s thought-provoking article “Time for a moratorium” (Dawn, Feb 20) containing sane, sensible and practical suggestions.
KHAN A. SHAMSHAD
Karachi
A FEW weeks back I came across a news item which said that Unicef would help the Punjab government with primary school examinations. It stressed that question papers would be set out in a multiple choice form and it would be ensured that no cheating or leakage of papers took place.
Unicef should not encourage such a system of examination as it will discourage imagination/creativity in children, which is an essential aspect of getting educated.
EMMEN SAEED
Lahore
I, ALONG with several other friends, had booked a car for Rs199,000 and made advance payments of Rs39,000 each through the company’s Hyderabad branch. It is almost 10 years now since we made the advance payments and up till now neither the car has been delivered nor the advance payments refunded in spite of repeated contacts and requests.
The matter was brought to the notice of the Sindh ombudsman vide letter dated 11-06-2002. Many people have brought the issue to the notice of authorities through these columns from time to time.
We once again appeal to the authorities to ensure that our hard-earned money is returned.
IMRAN ALI & MRS SHAHNAZ SHAIKH KADIR
Hyderabad
I REFER to the letter in Dawn (March 2) regarding the parents’ alert advertisement placed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). The decision that substandard institutions should have their charters withdrawn was made by the federal cabinet in February 2002 and was agreed to by the president of Pakistan, the prime minister and the provincial governors at the meeting of Chancellors Committee held on May 11, 2004.
The HEC is thus implementing the decisions of the Chancellors Committee and the federal cabinet by alerting public that those institutions which do not meet the minimum criteria laid down by the federal cabinet, within a five-year period, would have their charters withdrawn in February 2007.
The Chancellors Committee had further decided that such institutions will be converted into affiliated colleges so that the students studying in these institutions are not affected. It is, therefore, in the public interest that the HEC has been publishing advertisements in national newspapers both about illegal universities that have been operating across the country as well as about substandard institutions so that parents and their children are not exploited .
DR RASHID MATEEN
Higher Education Commission,
Islamabad
IT WAS tragic to see the picture of a former governor of Balochistan hiding in a cave. One wonders why such differences cannot be settled peacefully, despite so many efforts at the political level. In neighbouring India, the age-old “jagirdari” and even princely states were abolished within a year of independence, extending the fruits of independence to the masses. This was apparently the reason why democracy, in whatever form, took root there, despite such wide differences in languages and traditions.
Here almost 70 per cent of the people are still waiting to receive the benefits of independence. In certain cases they are still languishing in subhuman conditions like slaves. One wonders if this is not a serious violation of the promises of the founding fathers of the nation.
After the 1935 Act, in many provinces, the tillers or haris were given permanent tenancy rights, allowing them to pay their land revenue and water rates, and increasing their share in the produce, compatible with their agriculture input. It is, therefore, high time they were offered this right now so that their economic needs are met and they are free of fendal influence when casting their votes.
S.M.H. RIZVI
Karachi
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