| December 16, 2007 | Sunday | Zilhaj 5, 1428 |
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Party manifestos
A silver lining
Arithmetic of discontent
General (retd)
Private Sindhi channels
Baitullah to subvert polls
Ram Singh
Calling cards syndrome
Trouble creator
Readers are requested to restrict their comments to a maximum of 400 words. We reserve the right to edit letters for reasons of clarity and space. Letters, including those by e-mail, should carry the complete postal address of the sender. The views expressed in these columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the newspaper.—Editor
I HAPPENED to watch an interesting discussion of a private television channel on anatomy of suicide. One of the experts, believed to be a psychologist, made an interesting remark: “Soldiers are prepared to commit suicide through the military training process”. One’s military background would offend oneself on such a remark as this kind of training and preparation to walk through an identified minefield was generally attributed to ‘anatomy of courage’ instilled through motivation.
I recall similar remarks long ago made by a psychologist on German television: “The soldiers are potential murderers”. That had stirred entire German society and was followed by hot discussions even at the level of parliament asking the individual to apologise. However, he stood his ground.
One does not expect our military intellectuals’ comment on that kind of analysis for two reasons: one, they do have more important things to talk about and, second, they may be in agreement with this comment. The sole motivation of our soldier to walk through a minefield and barrage of bullets and artillery shrapnel is drawn from our ideology. “There is a better life waiting if you die crossing the minefield”.The Holy Quran has repeatedly described holy worriers as ‘those who get killed or die in the cause of Allah’. The simple understanding of this philosophy gives out the causes of the physical death, i.e. killed due to action of adversary or that of one’s own. This is probably the basis of indoctrination of all those who are prepared to die in the perceived path/cause of their Creator. This explanation may appear to challenge the logic and fatwas on legitimacy of suicide attacks. One has no sympathy with these brain-washed attackers as they target the innocent citizens, including children.
However, I believe that religion is unnecessarily dragged into this motivational process; they might have been driven by the revenge (a tribal characteristic). They daily see their houses razed to the ground and family members lying in a pool of blood as a result of ‘unavoidable collateral damage’ caused through, precision engagements.
The smiling young women who got exploded in Peshawar could have found a queue of ‘ghilmans’ in this world, if the sole motivation for male suicide attacker, as often quoted, is company of ‘hurs’. I often wonder that if the miscreants are able to prepare these youngsters to ‘die’ on the basis of ideology, why don’t we, the propagators of same ideology, make an attempt to prepare our young generation to ‘live’.
The difference lies in intentions and motivation of the policy formulators. The fear of the West to avoid Islamic label on even the most legitimate agendas leads to muddled thinking and the results are obvious.
Coming back to the anatomy of suicide and the military training, the best example could be our former COAS, who committed political suicide by imposing emergency against all the sane advice that are expected from the closer ones like Gen Hamid Javaid. I may be wrong in attributing this noble, though illegitimate act, as suicide, call it gamble to secure other tenure in presidency as most analysts say. This too is ‘haraam’ like suicide. So call it anything but courageous leadership, he has stepped into the political minefield, at the peril of his life, especially because he wears no more the anti-mine pneumatic shoes issued to the soldiers in uniform only.
Let us hope the objective defined across this minefield is a democratic Pakistan as envisioned by the Constitution, not the PCOs. Otherwise, call it suicide for Pakistan, which the president so vehemently wants to prevent through his words (recall his speech on declaring emergency), at least.
LT - COL ( r ) SAMEE ULLAH JAN
Karachi
MOST of the political parties have announced their manifestos which, hopefully, these parties will implement after winning the election. However, I am surprised to note that none of these parties, to my knowledge, has included population control in their priorities, though this issue is the most important among the problems faced by our country.
The indifference to this issue shown by religious parties is understandable but even the liberal parties have not given due importance to the issue of birth control in their manifestos, though this is more destructive than the atom bomb.
At the time of partition, the population of our country, i.e. East and West Pakistan, stood at 70 million which has swelled to staggering 160 million now only in (West) Pakistan and goes on increasing. We should realise that all our efforts in other fields, including education and health, will go in vain and become insufficient if population explosion continues to go unchecked.
Unfortunately, this surge of population is seen most in those sections of society which are economically poor, deprived of basic facilities, including cleaner and healthier environment and lack of means to properly look after their children. Some of them, mostly living in rural areas due to economic pressure, even send their children to urban madressahs. These religious students come and settle here posing problems for the already overburdened major cities.
Our country basically had a capacity for 60 million but it is now inhabited by more than 160 million which, it is feared, would touch the mark of 320 million in the next half a century. Our leaders are unfortunately thinking just in terms of grabbing power, instead they should think about the future generations.
In this connection they should launch a campaign for saving every drop of water and cultivate the whole uncultivated land. They should also wage a war against ignorance and illiteracy which is the main cause of unplanned increase in population, both individually and collectively.
In future we will have a whole lot of youngsters who will be unemployed and will become an easy prey to menaces of crime, extremism and terrorism. I will, therefore, appeal to all the political parties and their leaders to make birth control a major operative part of their election manifestos. I will even urge religious scholars to rise to the occasion and spread knowledge about the benefits of maintaining smaller families.
K. MURAD BEY
Karachi
MASOOD HAIDER (Dec 5) confirms the US view that the 2008 election offers a silver lining for Pakistan and, as such, all political parties should participate, despite extreme conditions so created, through emergency, suspension of the Constitution, fundamental rights, mass dismissal and ‘jailing’ of the judiciary.
The scenario depicts a good part of the country in almost a civil war against the agencies, demanding restoration of speedy justice and lifestyle, as required by the Islamic injunctions embodied in the Objectives Resolution, adopted by the founding fathers, in compliance of the commitment to their voters before independence.
However, Nauman Qaiser recommends complete boycott by all parties, as otherwise it will legitimise and perpetuate violation of the Constitution and rule of law by dictators, against the principles of democratic norms, being rightly emphasised by the US and all world leaders.
This is further justified by the experience of the 1970 election, under similar circumstances, which resulted in the worst devastation, taking away half the country. What might happen after a repetition of a similar election, under far worse circumstances, can thus be clearly imagined.
In view of the above facts, it is for our leaders to decide their course of action regarding their participation in the election under the present extreme conditions, especially as the same forces, which are recommending the election so strongly, are also threatening to attack Pakistan to take over its nukes, in case the present unrest further deteriorates, which is most likely to happen, unless the election is held in peaceful and normal circumstances, to ensure its transparency.
It is, therefore, for the leaders to judge for themselves whether the power’s keenness to hurry with the elections, under such extreme circumstances, might be a part of their think tank’s scheme to confound the confusion and further intensify the present unrest, to justify their aim to attack Pakistan and leave it to struggle in the quagmire, similar to Afghanistan and Iraq.
SYED MOHSIN
Karachi
THIS is apropos of Dr Shahid Javed Burki’s article, ‘Arithmetic of discontent’ (Dec 11). I am afraid Dr Burki got his arithmetic absolutely wrong. He predicts that about 57 million people would vote in the general election scheduled in January 2008. In other words, he is predicting a turnout ratio of more than 70 per cent.
According to official figures released by the Election Commission of Pakistan, also available on their website, total registered voters in Pakistan stand a little above 81 million.
We know that the turnout ratio in the general election of 2002 and 1997 was about 40 per cent. Turnout ratio is percentage of vote cast out of total registered voters. First, given the general disarray and frustration in the masses about democratic governments, reinforced by decision of some political parties to boycott, this turnout ratio is likely to decrease in 2008, and not increase. Second, even if we assume that the turnout ratio remains the same, the voter count would not cross 32.4 million, i.e. 40 per cent of 81 million registered voter. That is an almost half the voters’ count predicted by Dr Burki.
All other figures worked out in the article, therefore, would fall to their respective places, once this correction is made. I hope that an explanation is forthcoming in one of Dr Burki’s articles, which, by the way, are always worth reading.
ALI SALMAN
Lahore
I READ with amusement the letter from Col Riaz Jafri (retd) from Rawalpindi. Where I live, retired military personnel almost never use their military ranks after retirement because these ranks serve no good purpose in civilian life.
I feel that we should discourage the persistent use of military ranks for retired personnel. Does being a colonel (retd) or general (retd) make the holder feel superior to a Mr? If so, this in itself is a good reason to scrap the title.
IMRAN AHMED
Lincolnshire, UK
THANK YOU for publishing the letter entitled general (retd) by Col Riaz Jafri. The clarification is indeed timely. It is imperative that all Pakistanis should be cognizant of such vital issues at this critical juncture in our history. It is also reassuring to know that Dawn plays its part in keeping its readers informed.
BATUL RIZVI
Karachi
I HAD been to New Delhi recently to attend an international conference (Oct 26-28) where I read my paper, ‘Sindhi journalism in modern age’. The conference was dedicated to the great Sindhi Sufi poet, Hazrat Shah Abdul Lateef Bhittai, and was attended by delegates from all over India, in addition to a writers’ delegation from Pakistan.
After the session was over, I had an opportunity to exchange views with the participants of the conference. Talking about the electronic media, which was part of my paper, they showed their embarrassment at the programmes of Pakistani private Sindhi TV channels being watched in India.
Such TV channels were presenting peaceful people of Sindh as ‘militants’ who were only interested in armed clashes. as shown in their dramas and other programmes.
Most of the delegates, who were old in age, still remembered the good days which they had spent in Sindh before migration in 1947-48.
They said the people of Sindh generally believed in Sufiism and as such they were peaceful and against all sorts of violence and terrorism. They expressed their surprise that while such watching TV programmes they got the impression that the people of Sindh are no more believer of Sufiism.
I explained to them that the people of Sindh still hold Sufism very dear to their heart and, as such, abhor violence and terrorism of all hues. It is the managements of private TV channels who are bent upon proving Sindhis as militant in order to earn cheap popularity for their channels.
Last July, I also attended a conference at Orlando, Florida (USA), to read my paper on water-related issues in Sindh. The conference was organised by the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA). During an exchange of views with delegates, I found them highly embarrassed about the attitude of private Sindhi channels. Since almost all delegates were originally from Sindh, they were, therefore, quite aware of the consequences of such objectionable trends introduced by Sindhi TV channels.
In those days the Sindhi TV satellite programmes were being watched through a website free of cost for a limited period in America. For a few minutes, I got an opportunity to watch a scene of a Sindhi drama of one such TV channel, namely ‘Pathar Dunyaa’, in which an elderly couple was shown going alongside a water canal. The man was shown in a highly insulting manner — relieving himself of the burden of the call of nature with his clothes on. A highly objectionable scene indeed.
Moreover, standard of their other programmes was also very low. I, as others, wrote from the US to the management of a private Sindhi TV channel to check such trends forthwith. Later, I read several articles in Sindhi newspapers vehemently protesting against the unhealthy attitude of such channels. But the channels did not care a fig.
This is a highly embarrassing situation. Sindhi writers, intellectuals and scholars are much worried about such trends as owners of the private Sindhi TV channels are not willing to give any importance to the voice of their viewers, scholars, writers and intellectuals.
I appeal to the owners of private Sindhi TV channels to immediately stop presenting peaceful Sindhis as militants.
MOHAMMAD KHAN SIAL
Karachi
The jirga which was trying to make peace between government forces and the Taliban has received a warning letter from Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud (BM). He has threatened to subvert the polls for NA-42 South Waziristan if his seven associates captured by the government forces were not released immediately.
The threat, addressed to contestants but directed at the government, is the result of incomplete exchange of prisoners: the government had to free 32 Taliban fighters, and BM had to release all 320 soldiers. The Taliban began to free the soldiers in batches. Some soldiers had escaped and the rest – 260 had to be freed on Nov 4 – only 247 were released instead. Thirteen kidnapped soldiers still remained in their custody.
Were they also killed like those three captives whose headless bodies were thrown on Jandola Road on Oct 4? After that incident the Mullah Fazlullah disciples had also followed their example and killed between 10 and 20 (or 13 as stated by a commentator) captive soldiers and displayed their heads in Matta, Swat, on Oct 31.
The government has freed 25 Taliban prisoners, withholding seven important BM associates who are known hardened criminals. How can the authorities release such sadistic and stone-hearted killers?
One more thing is bothering me. How have not our modern armed forces been able to target BM, like the one-legged Abdullah Mehsud, his brother-in-crimes, was targeted in Zhob in July last? BM is using most modern weaponry – so will he be using the satellite communication system which can be traced in minutes. Our ally, the US, can trace him and the intelligence passed on to Pakistan like we pass on the intelligence to them.
M.K. NAQVI
Karachi
THIS is apropos of Tahira M. Ali’s letter (Dec 6). It is indeed very true that we refuse to acknowledge the contributions of the great personalities who happen to be non-Muslims. This applies to such great philanthropists as Sir Ganga Ram, Sardar Dyal Singh, Janki Devi and Gulab Devi, whose generosity we continue to enjoy in Lahore. Sir Ganga Ram’s statue was hurriedly removed from The Mall in 1947, when it was attacked by an angry mob.
This ugly incident was immortalised by Sa’adat Hasan Manto, in a short story where those injured in that mob protest are taken to the Ganga Ram Hospital for treatment.
KHALIDA.
London
I AM a victim of misguided advertisements of the calling cards companies.
a. Calling card company No. 1, with dialling code 1257: I was using these cards for the last many months. One fine morning, after dialling the dial code of the company (1257), I heard an engaged tone. My card worth Rs250 is a useless piece of plastic now.
b. I switched over to another company and bought a new card for Rs250. This company’s dialling code is 1255. On calling this code number and dialling the card number I am informed that I have a balance of Rs250. When I call my number, a local mobile number, I am informed that I have available 24 minutes’ talking time. This is highway robbery. I again switched over to another card.
c. This time it is with dialling code 13811. I only bought a card for Rs100. Tried to call my son in Dubai. The computer informed me that I have 10 minutes at my disposal for this card. After six minutes I was interrupted by the computer and was informed that no more balance is available in this card, and I was disconnected. This company is giving big advertisements on TV and boasting of big claims. But once you have bought their calling cards, you have had it.
Is there no authority to check and stop the illegal activities of these card companies. The PTA has taken action (as per news in Dawn) against the PTCL and has ordered them not to bill the innocent victims who do not make long-distance calls and will have to pay the mandatory Rs199 plus tax.
I have with many difficulties got this facility deactivated (hopefully) as I had to dial 1236 for a thousand times before getting through and that also receiving the computer messages. I had to record my statement in the computer as the operators are very busy (as I am told) and are hoping that the PTCL does not send me the bill for this so-called Pakistan Package.
Should it not be the other way round, if I want to get a package offered I shall get it activated, otherwise the companies should keep their bands off my telephone. Please have mercy upon us.
SHABBEER A. SHEIKH
Karachi
PRESIDENT Musharraf has said he is not a ‘trouble creator’ and that he was willing to work with the winner of the crunch polls on Jan 8 (Dec 12). For the retired general I have this couplet: Kathi hai tuj ko khalqe khuda ghaibana kya.
SAFIR A. SIDDIQUI
Karachi
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