| April 29, 2006 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 30, 1427 |
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On pilgrimage
Consolidating labour laws
PU book fair
Plant diseases
India’s nuclear deal
Violence on campus
Visitor’s view
Basic facilities
Pedestrian bridge
THIS has the reference to Syed Atiq Ul Hassan’s letter (April 16) on the Nishtar Park tragedy.
Not a single attempt has been made to prepare a solid mechanism to prevent recurrence of terrorist attacks. When some mullahs used to propagate openly their sects from the pulpit of their mosques, the government remained silent. The government started to crack down on them only when extremism metamorphosed into violence.
Unfortunately, there is a tradition in our country to express regrets after the event. Has anybody ever paid attention to the state of equipment with which our law-enforcement personnel are expected to foil terrorist attacks, specially suicide attacks? Such accidents are prevented from recurrence in New York, Madrid and London because the law-enforcement agencies and personnel there are provided with more sophisticated weapons and equipment than those with the terrorists.
If improvement has to be brought about, the police should be reinvigorated with modern means of detecting criminals. Their pay packages should also be revised.
ASLAM PERVAIZ ABRO
Shikarpur
IF we objectively look at the causes of religious extremism, we find it has political, social, economic and cultural dimensions. It is unfortunate that in the political history of Pakistan religion has been used as the main determinant of the development of a political culture. Our rulers deliberately mix religion and politics and use religion as a tool to perpetuate their power and undermine the development of a democratic culture. Religious parties have always sided with military dictators in an attempt to enforce their own agendas, which otherwise cannot be implemented as hardly any religious party ever succeeds in elections.
It all started with Gen Zia, who in his zeal of Islamisation, brutalised civil society and throttled the democratic process. In order to create his own constituency, he allowed Afghan refugees to settle in Pakistan and encouraged the proliferation of seminaries to serve as nurseries to nurture the children of refugees as future jihadis. This policy of Gen Zia had a devastating effect on Pakistani society, and we are still reaping the harvest in the shape of the Nishtar Park catastrophe and other instances of terrorism.
Religious parties in order to strengthen their position have been using their seminaries for the indoctrination of ‘talibs’. The increasing level of poverty, the appalling condition of government-run schools and the exorbitant fee structure of private schools are some of the factors that compel parents to send their children to religious seminaries where these ‘talibs’ get free education, food and clothing. They are brainwashed and filled with an ideology of hatred coated in a particular sectarian brand of religious extremism.
To overcome this phenomenon, we need liberal education to set free these ‘talibs’. This needs sweeping socio-economic, political and educational reforms.
Gen Musharraf initially began some reforms but the problem is that political pragmatism, based on compromises, has replaced his ideological commitment of the initial years in which he promised to change the social, economic and political landscape. His reforms are failing; bad governance is on the rise; corruption is rampant; the evil of sectarian extremism has engulfed society making life and limb insecure; and devolution has totally feudalised and politicised institutions of public administration.
President Musharraf needs a team consisting of people having roots in the masses to work with commitment and sincerity. He needs to listen to the voices from below.
MANZOOR ALI ISRAN
Shah Abdul Latif University
Khairpur
I HAVE been a part of the Indian Sikh pilgrim ‘Jatha’ that travelled to Pakistan recently. We stayed at Hasan Abdal (Punja Sahih), Nankana Sahib and in Lahore (Dera Sahib Gurdwara). We also took short trips to Chuharkhana Mandi (Sucha Sauda), Eimanabad (Chakki Sahib, Bhai Lalo di Khuhi), Rodi Sahib, Kartarpur, etc.
I am 30 years’ old and this was my first visit to Pakistan. I would like to thank the government of Pakistan for granting visa and the government of Punjab for making adequate administrative arrangements. I would also like to thank the Pakistan Railways for running special ‘Sikh pilgrim’ trains and the Punjab police for making adequate security and assistance arrangements. The staff of Pakistan Railways and the Punjab Police was courteous and helpful and cared well for us while we were in Pakistan.
Also, the work being done by Pakistani Waqf Board and the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee towards the upkeep of Sikh gurdwaras that lie within Pakistan deserves to be appreciated.
And finally, I would like to thank the people of Punjab who were very hospitable and helped make our stay in Pakistan pleasant. I made some friends and exchanged addresses and telephone numbers but unfortunately I could not exchange contact details with some boys who were off-duty Punjab policemen and whom we had met at the Nankana Sahib railway station. My brother, father and I talked to them for quite a while before our train started moving out of the station.
I sincerely hope that all pending issues between India and Pakistan would be resolved soon so that no brave son of India or Pakistan shall die fighting his brethren on the other side of the border at any point of time in the future. I dream of a day when India and Pakistan shall share a relationship akin to that among the states of the European Union where trade and movement of people across borders shall be free. I am sure there are many others in both countries, especially in Punjab (in India as well as Pakistan), who share my dream. To quote from the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon, “You may say that I am a dreamer, but I am not the only one.”
GURSHARAN SINGH SIDHU
Haryana, India
I FULLY endorse the views of Mr Haider Zaman (April 23) that provisions relating to working hours, which are peculiar to factories and not relevant to shops and establishments, should be included in the amendment bill likely to be tabled in the National Assembly for consolidation of labour laws.
By repealing Chapters III and IV of the Factories Act, 1934, the most important Section 43 contained in Chapter IV of the Act relating to ‘Restrictions on Working Hours of Adults’, will also be eliminated. By virtue of this Section the respective provincial governments have framed rules such as the Sindh Factories (Adult Exemption) Rules, 1989, which are most critical for the manufacturing industry. These rules allow flexibility of working hours, which are otherwise governed by stringent restrictions, in the case of urgent repairs or shutdowns.
All types of plants and factories especially fertilizer, chemical, steel and textile have to be closed for periods ranging up to one month at least once a year for major maintenance work, overhauling and modifications. There could be substantial interruption to the manufacturing process or danger to human life and safety if these shutdowns are delayed beyond the planned dates. Since production activity is at a standstill, the management endeavours to complete the process within the shortest possible time. For this purpose they operate two shifts of 12 hours each and defer the weekly rest day. This relaxation in working hours is fully authorised under the rules subject to some pragmatic restrictions. These rules also define and provide flexibility of working hours to a number of continuous processes and to specific type of factories.
It is therefore extremely essential that the amendment bill should include the above provisions which have been successfully catering to the requirement of the manufacturing industry.
PARVEZ RAHIM
Karachi
WHY should thousands of students suffer because of a conflict between Punjab University authorities and the Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba?
The Jamiat has been organising an annual book fair at the PU New Campus for about 20 years. The books are discounted up to 50 per cent, encouraging students to buy more books than they can normally afford. Last year the authorities tried to ban the fair. However, it resumed after being delayed by a day.
This year the authorities are said to have decided well in advance not to allow the Jamiat to organise the book fair. They may keep the Jamiat away but why ban the book fair? It is like throwing the baby out with the bath water.
The university authorities should take the arrangements in their own hands and even improve the way the fair is organised. For example, they should waive stall charges on the condition that the booksellers offer even higher discounts. They should extend the duration of the fair from three days to a whole week. They could even hold the book fair twice a year, once in spring and again in autumn.
The book affair at Punjab University provides an excellent opportunity for students all over Lahore to buy books apart from the required course material. It offers a great opportunity to enrich their minds and broaden their horizon.
MUHAMMAD ABD AL-HAMEED
Lahore
I WAS delighted to read the news report (April 26) on the integrated disease management seminar organised by the Pakistan Society of Nematologists held at the University of Karachi. The write up and proceedings of the conference should create awareness amongst our farmers that there are tiny soil-borne microorganisms like nematodes, fungi, bacteria etc. which are out of sight but are mighty in causing destruction and / or death of crop plants.
I am left wondering why a special group of fungi known as Mycorrhizas are not being used to control the incidence of root-rot diseases of plants caused by nematodes and fungi. Selective species of Mycorrhizas are being utilised for the biological control of root-rot plant diseases the world over particularly in India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. In this regard it is to be noted that some selective members of a similar group of microorganisms, say fungi, can be used to control either symbiotically or antagonistically against pests and parasites for the biological control of plant diseases.
Such a dialectic in evolution of microorganisms resulting in symbiosis and antagonism is highly significant and demands our attention for exploitation to boost food production. We now stand in need of higher education and research in biotechnology for the welfare of crop plants.
DR M. JALALUDDIN
Professor of Agriculture
University of Karachi
ACCORDING to a news report, Indian Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran warned Washington of a setback in US-India ties if the US Congress refuses to ratify the civilian nuclear deal reached between the leaders of the two countries (Dawn, March 31).
As if saying this once wasn’t enough, he repeated the threat a few days later (April 9). In the meantime, Dr Condoleezza Rice, either because of this intimidation or to fulfil Mr Bush’s agenda, warned during the Congressional hearings on the subject that America’s relationship with India could be in danger if they altered or blocked the agreement. The US foreign secretary conceded that the deal did nothing to curtail India’s nuclear weapons arsenal but said that efforts to do so in the past did not succeed (April 7).
Before discussing this further, one would like to remind US legislators that using threats or blackmail is nothing new for the world’s “biggest democracy.” When the US was thinking of allowing Pakistan to buy F-16s, the then Indian defence minister had said that the sale of these fighter jets to Pakistan would affect its peace process with India and could also “impact on the goodwill” between New Delhi and Washington (Dawn, Dec 13, 2004).
Returning to Dr Rice’s statements, it should be remembered that apart from this proposed nuclear transaction, the US has offered much else to India. This includes cooperation in space technology, sale of the latest Patriot anti-ballistic missile defence system, F-18s/F-16s numbering over 100 along with a licence to manufacture these fighters in India and many other facilities. In fact, the weapons’ offer had upset the Russians and they had expressed their anger at the US-India arms talks (Dawn, Dec 1, 2004).
Instead of being thankful for all that, the Indians are trying to coerce America from their relatively weak position, which should be extrapolated to the future when New Delhi starts rivalling Washington militarily. They are also arrogantly refusing to accede to Washington’s call to define their minimum nuclear deterrence.
The US Congress should also consider the damper this favoured treatment of India would put on Pakistan. The former head of the CIA’s Al Qaeda unit, Michael F.Scheuer, has recently written in the Washington Times that Pakistan is an ally that did far more and took more lethal risks to accomplish America’s ‘dirty work’ than any other of its allies, including all of Nato, in the war against Al Qaedaism (Dawn, April 8).
He added that America’s shabby treatment of this close ally has done great harm and that “to date, Pakistan has lost more soldiers killed and wounded than the US-led coalition in Afghanistan. More dangerously, the offensives... are stoking the fires of a potential civil war in Islamabad and the Pashtun tribes that dominate much of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.”
If, in spite of doing more than any other country, let alone India, and even unwisely putting their nation at grave risk, the Pakistanis feel that India is being pampered, there won’t be any enthusiasm left for pursuing the present course. The Americans should either cancel their offer to India or provide similar facilities to Pakistan.
KHALID CHAUDHRY
Karachi
I DISAGREE with Mr Masudur Rahman (letter, April 25) that your editorial on campus violence (April 23) was biased. Student politics has long plagued the institutions of our country and almost every major political party has been equally involved in using students to demonstrate their street power. I can remember that when I was a student in Karachi in 1997, Dawn reported the news of a student belonging to Sindhi Medicos (a student organisation) being beaten to death by students of the Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba (IJT) on the Dow Medical College Campus. Students and professors watched this gory act of terrorism in horror and helplessness. (Weblink to the story: http://www.karachipage.com/news/Jul97/071120.txt ). This incident was widely reported in the media.
Students hungry for self-expression and eager to harness their energies are easy prey for political parties who provide them with some “leadership” opportunities and groom them for their own use. All this in the garb of “healthy” activities. Lack of extra-curricular activities in educational institutions has made this task easier for political parties. And the ban on such political activities hardly did any good either as it was never really implemented. All student wings continue to exist under the surface.
While almost all of the existing student wings of political parties have their share in sabotaging peace on campus, the parties which use the name of religion should be the ones to be ashamed of. Others at least did not pretend to be doing a service to religion by killing their own brethren.
DR O.A. FAROOQI
Buffalo, NY
BETWEEN February 18 and March 5, as an intern in my law firm I travelled the length of Pakistan. We held seminars and consultations on treaty investor visas in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. My experience in Pakistan was very positive and I took home very positive impressions of Pakistan and warm memories of hospitable and generous friends and strangers. Part of the reason for my making this observation is that there is so much negative commentary on Pakistan that the reality on the ground is often forgotten.
What I saw was people working hard and showing incredible levels of competence and entrepreneurship. The wild noises made by a few should not be allowed to drown the good work of many. My law firm has therefore decided to open a permanent office in Karachi.
GEORGE R. WILLY
Karachi
ALL development and progress that mankind has made is to make life easier. For easy travelling and quick transportation, the wheel was invented. To defeat darkness, electricity was discovered. Among all inventions and discoveries, transportation and electricity have become the basic and core facilities for mankind to progress.
The developed countries, and some developing or under-developed countries too — which have some semblances of decency and responsibility — guarantee their citizens uninterrupted supply of electricity and ensure easy and congestion-free flow of transport and other means of communication. In those countries, even the villages do not undergo power failure; if they do in a long while due to human error, the person at fault is punished.
In Pakistan, in almost all cities and villages (if they are electrified) power failures are commonplace. In Karachi, it is normally a pleasant surprise if power does not fail in some part of the city on any single day.
And to solve the problem of Karachi’s traffic jams, everyday and everywhere, is to cut the Gordian knot. The motorists are equally responsible — if not more — for the mess. We are a nation of obstinate and impulsive people. We want to outrun everyone to reach nowhere. We are uneducated. We need to be taught manners, rules, abide by laws and have a sense of responsibility.
But ultimately the responsibility lies on the shoulders of the government, be it city, provincial or federal. If such chaotic conditions persist, all governments are a failure. What good is a modern government which cannot provide basic and core facilities to its citizens?
REHANA NAQVI
Karachi
A LARGE portion measuring eight by six feet of the only pedestrian bridge over Sir Suleman Shah Road near Essa Nagri, Karachi, has ‘vanished’, bringing to close a safe crossing at a crucial point. The bridge was used by a large number of people, especially the elderly, to cross the road, which gets an increasing amount of traffic every day.
The city government has so far not taken any measure to repair the bridge nor has it put up any warning sign for people, which can lead to an accident any time. While the city government is planning new projects, it should also take care of the old ones.
ABDUL AZIZ KHAN
Karachi
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