| June 11, 2006 | Sunday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 14, 1427 |
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Pensioners’ plight
Theatre of the absurd
PIA flights to New York
Historical building in Gilgit
Beach park music
Kashmir problem
Throwing sewage into sea
Purpose-built taxis
DHA plots balloting
5,000-rupee notes
IN his article “Dilemma facing Pakistan” (June 4) Professor Syed has talked about various scenarios in a post-QML-Musharaff set-up and reminded readers of the devastation caused by previous military regimes. Every sensible observer of the Pakistani political scene will agree with his assessment of present-day economic, security and foreign policy debacles attributed to the regime. The only disagreement should come with the end-game suggested by him: advice to forget Article 6 and desist from investigating Kargil. Interestingly, there is no advice to refrain from investigating the loss of life in the two western provinces.
This particular mindset evolves not from ignorance of historical facts but from denial of those facts. The military-civilian cycle in Pakistan has always been dependent upon two factors: humiliation or defeat subjected upon the military and regional geo-political transformation generated by super-power rivalry
Gen. Ayub had to go because the masses considered the Tashkent accord a surrender. Gen. Yahya ran the show for just a year when the first unsuccessful plot was hatched to derail democracy. As special appeals from Amman were dispatched, Bhutto pardoned his future nemesis Brigadier Zia for the massacre of Palestinian refugees in Jordan. The outcome was the 10-year military rule commencing July 5, 1977 which came to a sudden end in the sky above Bahawalpur.
The 8th Amendment (Article 58) to the constitution by Gen. Zia proved to be an effective mechanism for manipulating civilian rule for years to come; therefore, we see no overt derailment of the civilian set-up. Mr Nawaz Sharif initiated constitutional changes to the amendment, thereby creating a complex situation for himself, i.e., the proclamation of emergency in October 1999. Prof Syed has adeptly outlined the outcome of this shift.
The million-dollar question is: can Pakistan free itself from this cycle and if so, how? The Supreme Court supported by civilian constitutional government is always a sure barrier to military take-over. The Hamudur Rehman Commission report on the debacle of 1971 is the most enduring historical example supporting this argument. Constitutional changes for setting lifetime tenures for Supreme Court justices will go a long way in curtailing strong-arm tactics against the judicial branch. Pakistan’s best bet lies with the acumen of its judiciary, which should support the 1973 Constitution.
Undoubtedly, a judicial inquiry regarding Mr Sharif’s ouster will turn into a watershed event equitable with partition of India and its ramifications will generate the next shift. As far as Article 6 is concerned, it may be initiated but not followed to its conclusion. There is agreement between social scientists and anthropologists that the level of polarisation in Pakistan is the direct result of Mr Z.A. Bhutto’s execution.
Therefore, creating a similar situation will not be in the interest of a new civilian set-up; the prudent approach will be to follow a constitutional path supported by judicial documentation regarding the present Napoleonic shift. But this time the findings of the commission should be published promptly.
TANVEER BOKHARI
Oregon, USA
THIS refers to R. Admiral (retd) S.Z. Hasnain’s letter (June 6), stating injustice being done to retired army officers. This is equally applicable to the retired junior commissioned officers (JCOs) and other ranks (ORs)of the army.
JCOs and ORs retired before and during the 1970s are getting a meagre pension. To illustrate the injustice, here is my case as a representative specimen: I retired from the Pakistan Army as a JCO after 25 years’ service (from Feb 17, 1943 to April 3, 1968) and again recalled to service during the 1971 India-Pakistan war (Dec 5, 1971 to March 14, 1972). As such, I am a veteran of World War II and also two Indo-Pakistan wars. I am at present drawing a pension of Rs1,879.09 (20 per cent increase announced in the 2006-07 budget would make the pension amount to around Rs2,254, which would not make any difference).
I am 81 years old and a heart patient, the pension amount is not even enough to meet the cost of medicines.
On partition of the subcontinent, we, the old-timers, had formed the nucleus of the present mighty Pakistan Army. We are also the beneficiaries of Post-War Reconstruction Fund — now the Fauji Foundation. Do we deserve to be left as paupers in our old age?
There may be very few of us living now in our 80s or 90s. The government should come to our rescue and honour the promises and commitments made to the old pensioners. At the same time, the GHQ/Fauji Foundation should not remain idle spectators while their old-timers are in distress. The GHQ/Fauji Foundation should come up with some income support package.
ABDUL SAMAD KHAN
Karachi
THE ban on holding a concert or a theatrical performance accompanied by music in Nishtar Hall, the only place for such activities in Peshawar, has pushed the families of most of the local artistes to the brink of starvation. This argument was used at a recent oath-taking ceremony of the artistes’ association to once again raise the demand to re-open Nishtar Hall for cultural activities.
Saddened by the artistes’ plight, Peshawar District Nazim Haji Ghulam Ali announced on the occasion that the district government would provide ‘free food stamps’ to the artistes. The charity is (supposed to be) distributed among destitute people through a Baitul Maal scheme.
If you kill somebody, you physically eliminate him but if you attack someone’s self-esteem, you try to kill his soul. However, artistes are made of tough stuff. They make fun of situations that may compel an ordinary person to commit suicide. They draw inspiration from darkness and show you light. They might not know what they are doing but their contribution, combined with the efforts of other productive forces, creates culture and invigorates civilisation.
Both dangerous terms for the ideological state of Pakistan and its close society. To our feudal mindset, any work is a form of slavery and creative pursuit a pretext for beggary. In our official notion of statehood, which is based on a misguiding promise of birth of a nation at the altar of religion, any cultural activity is deemed an act of terrorism.
The marriage of the state ideology and feudal outlook has led to decades of the process of Islamisation which is now threatening to turn us into zombies.
But the will to live — like living human beings and not caretakers of graveyards — refuses to surrender. Though in a feeble way, it keeps on fighting for our survival. As did the Peshawar artistes.
They must not have applauded the generous offer made by the nazim. But they did make him laugh over the satirical skits they presented after his pious show of sympathy.
You cannot kill a man’s soul until he is still able to laugh, and cry.
ABBAS JALBANI
Karachi
FOR several years PIA has been flying five flights a week from Pakistan to New York — two each from Lahore and Islamabad and one from Karachi — all five making a stopover in Manchester. Which is strange given that Karachi is the hub of business and industry yet was given only half the share of Lahore and Islamabad where the bureaucratic elite resides.
Now for some unknown reason PIA has stopped even that once-a-week direct flight from Karachi to New York and instead flies from Karachi to Islamabad and then onwards to New York via Manchester. This adds up to five extra hours for Karachi passengers and the inconvenience of staying up a whole night for the convenience of a few elite passengers to pick up from Islamabad.
Passengers flying from Karachi to New York prefer flying PIA for the major advantage that it used to take only 16 ½ hours with a midway break of two hours in Manchester to stretch their legs for reducing fatigue of the long flight. When this advantage is taken away by flying the passengers from Karachi to Islamabad first and forcing them to sit in the plane while the VIPs embark at Islamabad, it adds up to three more flight hours from Karachi to Manchester.
PIA is requested to look into the plight of its Karachi passengers.
M.I.HUSAIN
Karachi
I STRONGLY support Mr Iqbal Ahmed’s plea (letter, June 7) for declaring the old GOC house in Gilgit historical heritage and turning it into a museum. The people of this region have already seen places of historical importance being turned into commercial areas and one such example is the construction of NLI shopping centre by the army.
Our children cannot even imagine that a huge public space was once available in the heart of this rapidly growing town for sports and other activities. The area also belonged to the old Gilgit Scouts, a force that had strong roots in the community. It was the place that hosted various events and acts of historical importance connected with the indigenous movements and struggles against invaders and usurpers.
There is dire need of rewriting the history of this region and any attempt resulting in destruction and misshaping of artifacts should be considered as intolerable in this regard. Therefore, everyone having any affiliation with this region should urge the government of Pakistan and the related administration to cancel the said sale deed and declare the building a public property to be established as museum.
KARIM PANAH
Karachi
ON Clifton’s beach park, live concerts are held almost every night. These unknown bands are dishing out irritating music in high volume until the wee hours.
It is not known who sponsors these events but it is wreaking havoc on the tranquillity of the apartments opposite the park. This music also disallows the visitors who come here to relax.
The Karachi city government, which constructed this park, is now requested to stop these illegal concerts forthwith to allow the apartment dwellers their peace of mind.
RAFI ADAMJEE
Karachi
Mr Nasir Siddique has suggested that we should “wash our hands of this (Kashmir) issue” because he believes our heavy defence expenditure is necessitated only by it (June 6).
Some reflection will show that the emphasis on defence is not essentially due to the existence of this problem but some other reasons. These are India’s expansionist designs and its hostility towards us from day one.
They are proved by India’s whole list of annexations: Kashmir, Manavadar, Junagadh, Hyderabad state, Goa, Sikkim and Siachen, as pointed out recently by another correspondent (June 4).
It had also withheld Pakistan’s share of money and weapons that was due to us under the partition plan, in order to suffocate us right after birth. The British general, Sir Francis Tuker, had confirmed India’s ill intentions while Mr Ian Stephens (of Calcutta Statesman), Lord Birdwood and Mr Josef Korbel (of UNCIP) had criticised Lord Mountbatten’s role in helping New Delhi to seize Kashmir.
It should also be realised that India has had quarrels with every neighbour, not just Pakistan. Of these, the war with China (for which some western observers considered India responsible), the many border fights with Bangladesh (in which hundreds of Bangladeshi troops and civilians have been killed), the economic blockade of land-locked Nepal and the interference in Sri Lankan, Bhutanese and Malidivian affairs are well-known.
Apart from that, it has cheated on Bangladesh’s supply of water from the Farrakha Barrage and is now embarking on a very ambitious river linking project that threatens to cause droughts and ecological damage for the latter, and long marches have been held in Bangladesh in protest. India’s hydroelectric projects in Kashmir attempt to steal our own water supply and we have had to seek World Bank intervention to stop that.
The dismemberment of Pakistan in 1971 that had no link to the Kashmir issue but was a pure example of India’s inveterate hostility. Furthermore, its nuclearisation in 1974, which was preceded by Mr Nehru’s call for acquiring a nuclear capability as early as 1948, should leave no doubt about India’s hegemonic aims.
Unless a country is really strong, it is always at the mercy of regional and global powers in a world where increasingly might is appearing to be right, as is evident from the fate of Palestine and many other Muslim territories. These are valid reasons for having an adequate defence. Apart from that, Mr, Jinnah had called Kashmir the ‘jugular vein’ of Pakistan, with good reason.
Besides, as our Muslim brothers and sisters who are being subjected to killings, rapes, burning of property, disappearances and extra-judicial killings by Indian troops in our own backyard, the Kashmiris do need to be helped. In 1947, according to The Times (Oct 10 1947), London, the Maharaja’s soldiers, led by him in person, had systematically exterminated 237,000 Kashmiris for demanding accession to Pakistan.
It is the uncaring attitude of some Pakistanis, including leaders, that is reportedly driving more and more Kashmiris towards seeking independence, as opposed to their earlier wish of joining us.
S. QADRI
Karachi
QUITE against the rules of the World Health Organisation, Karachi’s DHA is throwing untreated sewage into the sea passing through dry beaches in DHA areas. There are quite a number of such sewerage outfalls to the sea, which causes the obnoxious smell of injurious-emitting gases day and night. This situation has been persisting in Phase V extention area for the last 10 years.
Complaints via phones, letters and personal visits to the DHA office have failed to produce any result. The DHA says sewerage maintenance is the responsibility of the Cantonment Board of Clifton which has no tools and staff to carry out such a project or maintenance jobs. Residents are suffering because of the duality of agencies responsible for maintaining sewerage system.
The DHA is also carrying out a massive highrise apartment project called ‘Creek City’, also along the beach without having studied the present requirement of water and sewerage, which would ultimately result in a chaotic condition of water supply and sewerage system. The DHA has no in-house consultancy service with the result that there are no expert engineers to oversee projects involving roads, water supply, sewerage, drainage, electricity and gas.
The immediate solution to the sewerage problem is to extend the sewerage-outfall deeper into the sea and discharge it through a bend into the sea water. The permanent solution is, of course, to build sewerage treatment plant of compatible capacity for full treatment, and the effluent thereof can be used for park and gardens. At present the DHA is only partially treating it and using the same for parks and gardens, which still emits injurious gases.
S.M. ZAKERYA KAZMI
Karachi
THIS is with reference to an advertisement (June 7), released by the ministry of industries, production and special initiatives, inviting proposals for import/manufacture of purpose-built taxis.
The obvious intention of the advertisement is to ensure transparency and a level playing field for all. However, on a closer look at the specifications of the cabs, it appears that they are tailor-made to match the famous London cabs. Why does it have to be specified that “passenger seats in the seating compartment should be facing each other” and, so on?
The federal minister for special initiatives is requested to please look into this opaque initiative and ensure its transparency.
NAZIM F. HAJI
Karachi
I WOULD like to thank Farhatullah Babar for his letter ‘DHA plots balloting’ (June 6 ) and hence saving me from the worthless effort of applying for a DHA plot. In any civilised society the buyer has to be informed by the seller details of the goods on offer for sale.
Hence it is the DHA’s responsibility to explain all the details of the offer, including the number of plots it offers to each category of applicants. Clearly, expecting institutions run by generals to be transparent is our own folly.
ARSHAD MALICK
Auckland, New Zealand
I AM seeking President Musharraf’s point of view on the current scheme in DHA Phase VII in Lahore, whereby the Defence Housing Authority will be collecting Rs5,000 as non-refundable fees for application received for the 200 odd plots available for civilians.
With open market property prices in the DHA out of the reach of 95 per cent of Pakistanis, thousands of people will take part in this lottery.
Assuming that about 500,000 people apply, the DHA stands to earn Rs2.5 billion , though my estimate is that at least two million people will apply for just 200 plots giving the DHA Rs10 billion despite the 0.01 per cent chance of getting a plot.
My question is, is this fair or even legal? Unless the president’s office intervenes, the common man’s belief that the armed forces have become property agents through its DHA arm will be reinforced.
TALAL MAHMUD
Lahore
ISSUING a currency note of a high denomination clearly indicates a decline in the value of the currency. Not only this, it also provides a better prospect for corruption, bribery, etc. I have lived in Nigeria for eight years.
Back then, the economy of Nigeria was good as it is a member of Opec. The largest currency note available was 20 nairas.
But when the economy came into crisis due to corruption, the state bank of Nigeria issued a 50-naira note. How did our prime minister allow this to happen?
He is also the finance minister and besides him, even Dr Ishrat Hussain, the previous governor of the State Bank, didn’t make any objections? I am referring to these gentlemen because they are experts in their field. If these people have no power over our economy, then who does?
HARIS MAQSOOD
Karachi
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