| March 31, 2008 | Monday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 22, 1429 |
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The forgotten marching tune
Way to economic development
The enemy within
Time saving
Profit on National Savings Schemes
Deceiving democracy
A great loss
Fleecing by schools
Islamic justice system
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
DR Kazi Khadim in his letter, ‘National training institutions’ (March 23), has touched upon a vital social issue, i.e. ‘centralisation of authority’, with which the country is marred at present.
I would like to add here that the command system is something built in in armed forces’ basic orientation. Therefore, whenever they come to power, they try to introduce the same set of regulations in civilian affairs.
Every time the military took over, beginning with 1958, army officers got inducted into the civilian affairs and imposed military central command structure on the departments they were destined to head. Incidentally, during the latest episode of takeover even field of education was not spared. Retired and in-service generals were brought in to ‘discipline’ this most important aspect of human activity, which previously was the sole domain of intellectuals and highly qualified academicians who offered their life for the exalted cause of imparting instructions.
Now many seats of higher learning are headed by the generals. Even the Pakistan Administrative Staff College (PASC) converted into National School of Public Policy, which imparts training to senior government officers, essential for their further elevation, is under the command of a retired general.
As has been rightly disclosed by Dr Kazi, the entire government training institutions have been put under the central command of NSPP which has resulted in heart-burning among the officers of the small provinces, in addition to incurring of huge avoidable expenditure on the board and lodging and TA and DA.
However, militarised styles of instructions introduced in the training institutions cause lasting harm, instead of doing any good, to the behaviour and conduct of the officers who undergo such discipline.
The retired general, who heads this centralised monolith for the last so many years, incidentally is one of the main architects of Kargil misadventure. His overenthusiasm for strict army command structure in the last few years has, unfortunately, taken lives of at least two very senior officers.
The participants belonging to various civilian departments not used to rigours of army disciple, mostly in their late 50s, when they return from training they bring severe ailments to bear for the rest of life, such as high blood pressure, diabetic, backache and cardiac problems.
The atmosphere provided on the campus is totally against the sprit of learning, rather it creates dread which is a source of hatred against the same authority.
The institutions such as PASC, now NSPP, are meant to educate the senior bureaucrats who are in their pinnacle of career. These high-ranking officers do not require ‘discipline’ of Spartans but what they need positively is an atmosphere, exercising free discussions and dissent supported by freedom of inquiry and thought and speculation so as to add more wisdom and finesse to their already matured personality and become valuable for civil society they are suppose to serve.
The government, as a matter of principle, should recall former generals forthwith so that atmosphere of learning can be re-established in the educational and training institutions of higher learning.
BADAR JATOI
Port Coquitlam, Canada
I WAS thrilled and overjoyed to hear and see the military columns marching on the tune ‘Ah Mard-i-Mujahid Jaag Zara Ab Waqat-i-Shahadat Ha Aya, Allah-o-Akbar’ on Pakistan Day parade at the Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad. This very popular and rejuvenating marching tune had been confined to the cold storage ever since the 9/11 of 2001.
The Pakistani rulers of the time in order to cleanse anything and everything that contained the words like ‘mujahid’ or ‘jihad’ had consigned them to the cold storage, lest our masters sitting in Washington DC or at the Centcom may take notice of it, a pre-emption in the best national interest and, additionally, to please those who matter.
This harmless quick marching tune played by the Pakistan military/paramilitary bands for marching columns, if loosely translated into English language, would be something like this: “Oh Soldier of faith, rise to the occasion in the defence of your motherland, even at the peril of your life, Allah is the Greatest” A slogan composed in to marching tune with zero connotations of any extremism.
Being an old soldier, I recall having marched on this tune for over a decade on various parade squares and fondly recall it as rhythmic, musical and inspirational, where even the sloppiest amongst us would be marching erect, with their chests thrown out, arms swinging straight in uniformity to the shoulder height with the heels digging into the ground at a measured pace with no question of anybody, young or old, being thrown out of step; so much for the military application of this marching tune at the military academies/training centres and honour guards.
The Father of the Nation had given the young Pakistani nation the slogan of Faith, Unity and Discipline and had asked the nation to lead its day-to-day life by it. Similarly, Pakistan armed forces have this very inspirational marching tune and it must not be abandoned, rather be adopted for all times to come for its motivational merits.
I would also like to say with certainty that if the American marines are asked to march on this tune, their marching standards would be a lot different from the present one and more impressive. It is heartening to note that the supreme commander of the armed forces, Gen (retd) Pervez Musharaf, must have reauthorised the playing of this marching tune, like we saw the sample reconstruction of the thematic Muslim armies of the early and Middle ages of Islam on this Republic Day parade, a museum brought out on parade ground .
I hope Gen Ashfaq Parvaiz Kayani will allow this marching tune to continue for it to regain its lost glory and allow the slogan of Eeman-Taqwa and Jehad-Fi-Sabeel Allah, prominently displayed on units quarter guards and military installations of Air Force/Navy as our indigenous motivational slogan as it used to be before.
AIR CDRE (r) ISHTIAQ AHMAD KHAN
Chaillianwala, Mandi Bahaudin
ASIF Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, along with Altaf Hussain, have displayed great political foresight by joining their hands together to form a coalition government. It was a pleasure to watch on YouTube Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani’s first speech in the parliament in which he sought cooperation from all parties for the gigantic task of rebuilding the nation’s economy on a sound basis.
I hope and pray that this proves to be the beginning of highly creative and constructive democratic era in Pakistan.
To be able to achieve solid economic development, the nation must reorient its thinking. Politicians, economists and financial experts can create conditions and provide environment for economic development. They can also guide and direct allocation of available resources for capital development but they cannot create newer resources themselves.
Only inventors and innovating entrepreneurs can create newer economic resources for solid economic development. During the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries inventors and innovators’ business enterprises fuelled the industrial revolution in Europe and the US. They were the motive power behind their respective country’s economic development.
This is the class that is mostly missing in Pakistan.
In the absence of this class, Pakistan’s economy is like a car without an engine. Foreign aid and foreign investment can provide a push but the car cannot gain speed unless it has its own motive power.
Maximum attention must be paid to help develop a new class of inventor-owned businesses and innovating entrepreneurs within the country.
Pakistan is superrich in solar and wind energy resources. No effort has been directed towards developing newer technologies based on these resources. Instead, our government and the private sector have been totally dependent on imports for solar and wind-related technologies. This must change.
Our development planners have limited their vision to textile city, garment city, etc. These are the lowest value-added industries, can employ only lower skilled people at very low salary levels. The development planners would be well advised to also plan for the promotion of electronic city, solar science city, wind science and marine science city, etc.
Planners’ and promoters’ objective should be to lead the world in certain selected sciences that open up opportunities for higher value-added exports from Pakistan.
HUMAYUN ZAFAR
Canada
THIS is in response to Mansura Bashir Minhas’s letter, ‘Worst year for Pakistan’ (Jan 20). I could not agree more with the determination that 2007 was one of the worst years for Pakistan.
But we ought not to lose sight of the fact that Pakistan, first and foremost, was created in the name of Islam or shall we say for ‘Muslims’.
A mere annexation of a term Islamic, secular or any other, cannot possibly change the direction of the path Pakistan has been led into since its inception. What has gone wrong? Mediocre leadership? Same old faces and their failed policies? Military involvement in politics?
As for interpretation of Islamic doctrines, suffice to quote: “One person’s murder is that of whole humanity!” What kind of jihad are we talking about; killing of innocent people all over Pakistan?
I am reminded of a rather distasteful but perhaps appropriate joke here:
Question: Which is the strongest country in the world?
Answer: Pakistan
Q: How?
A: It has been tried (from within) to harm this country in every way possible but it still exists.
I hope that Pakistani leaders instill some sense of sanity into the extremists so that they cease to destroy their motherland and utilise their energies in building a strong Pakistan in the real sense of the word.
FAHEEM AHMED
United States
KAZIM Ahsan’s letter (March 27) on changing of time zones raises the point that efforts to make seasonal time adjustments in Pakistan had not been productive in the past.
Although education is a primary drawback, particularly for the rural areas, the issue is not insurmountable.
In fact, it has far-reaching potential during the hot periods for agricultural activities. We can consider it for seasons in which it offers greatest benefits.
The western countries adjust their clocks according to their spring and fall seasons. Their basic rule is: ‘Spring Forward’, they forward their clocks by one hour on a designated Sunday every year when the spring season is about to begin, and ‘Fall Back’, i.e. the clocks are turned back one hour, on a designated Sunday prior to the beginning of their fall season. This is because their dawn and sunset timings change with these seasons.
The change is greatly beneficial in providing an extra hour of sun in the evening. This, along with other adjustments, should be considered, planned and implemented to manage the perennial power shortages.
RAHEEL MAHMOOD
United States
APROPOS of a report, (March 6), promulgation of the presidential ordinance converting the Central Directorate of National Savings (CNDC) into the proposed ‘Pakistan Savings Corporation’ has been further delayed due to internal differences of ministries.
The scope of Central Directorate of National Savings, which prior to December, 1971, functioned as a publicity organisation and its activities were merely promotional in nature, was enlarged in early 1972 as the Central Directorate. It started selling 11-rupee prize bonds and, subsequently, engaged in the operations of other savings schemes.
Thereafter, various schemes were introduced such as DSCs, SSCs, RICs, BSCs and savings, special and pensioner’s accounts and rates of interest given up to the year 1999 were around 18 per cent.
These were the only financial schemes where re-run was adequate and investment guaranteed. Therefore, senior citizens, pensioners, widows and those who could not afford the luxury market of risks deposited their entire lifetime savings to pass residual life comfortably.
Out of blue came Shaukat Aziz, a banker by profession, first as finance minister and then as prime minster. After assuming the reign, he gradually reduced the interest rate of different NSC from 18 per cent (1999) to seven per cent (2004) and subjected its profit at 10 per cent withholding tax — hitherto it was tax-free.
As if it was not enough, some compulsory deductions were also imposed in case investment is withdrawn before maturity period. The entire scheme was obviously done to encourage investment in banking sector.
As a result of this mindless decision, million of white-collar families, who were groaning under the ever-rising prices of goods and utilities and whose only source of livelihood was NSCs profit, became pauper. Nevertheless, there was fabulous increase in the profit of banks which utilised this windfall liquidity charging stupendous interest on consumer loans. This also provided a fillip to foreign banks many of whom have established branches overnight all over the country and are now transferring billions of profit to their head offices denuding the treasury of its hard-earned foreign currency reserves.
Although on public pressure some upward revision in the interest rates was made in 2007, the increase is so minuscule and prices of goods and utilities during the period have gone so high that it will have no impact on the life of poor investors.
I urge the government to consider the agonies of millions of households which have suffered at the hands of the previous government’s lop-sided policies and increase the rates of interest on NSCs to the pre-1999 period, i.e. 18 per cent. The deduction/levy of income tax should also be done away with on profits earned by the senior citizens, widows and orphans. There is a vast difference in bank rates — interest paid on investment and charged on loans — which also needs to be rationalised at the earliest.
SHAFQAT HUSSAIN QURESHI
Hyderabad
A famous encyclopaedia states the meaning of democracy as ‘political philosophy’, which is the study of fundamental questions about the state, government, politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why (or even if) they are needed, what makes a government legitimate, what rights and freedoms it should protect and why, what form it should take and why, what the law is, and what duties citizens owe to a legitimate government, if any, and when it may be legitimately overthrown, if ever.
Let us just think if we have ever been under real democracy until now. Have we ever asked the fundamental questions? Will we be ever allowed to? Will the new government be any different from the previously ‘democratically’-elected governments?
KHIZZER
Lahore
I was shocked to read about the sudden demise of Dr A.R. Kenal, a great economist. I am also one of his admirers. He was the man of high stature. His personality was paradigmatic and his valuable thoughts and full knowledge of Pakistan economy had always benefited us. Pakistan has lost an important man who always actively participated in important economic matters.
I can recall the days when I went to PIDE for a refresher course. At that time, he was the Director of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics and also taught International Economics. He had complete command over his subject. He expressed his ideas in a simple and effective way. I felt proud that I was taught by a great economist. His ideas were innovative. He was completely in favour of free market economy. May God bless his soul.
ALBENNA MIRZA
University of Sindh
This is with reference to a letter on the above subject (March 24). The concern shown by one of the parents is shared by many other parents. The school in particular has developed a habit of increasing fees on one pretext or the other every year.
When my child was admitted to this school in April 2004, the fees per month was Rs2600 per month. This was increased to Rs2900 per month in August 2004. In October 2004 the fee stood at Rs3250 per month which was increased again in April 2005 to Rs3550 per month. As if this was not enough, the fees were raised to Rs3850 per month in August 2006. In October 2007 there was a major jump and the fees were raised to Rs5500 per month.
Now we have received a letter this March bringing to our notice that the fees will be raised to Rs7500 per month and that each child will further have to pay Rs10, 000 as re- admission fees. This means that after paying a huge sum as admission fee in 2004, my child will be re-admitted to the same school after paying, once again, admission fees. Has anyone heard of this before? This can only happen in Pakistan where law does not exist and the owners know that no one can say anything to them.
We did not expect this from the lady principal who happens to be an American. Could she have done this in America? Someone must look into this matter as now they have exceeded all limits. Surely there must be some law that governs this school. In less than four years, the fees have been raised from Rs2600 per month to Rs7500 per month. May God help us.
A CONCERNED PARENT
Karachi
YOUR comments on the proceedings of the OIC are very interesting. There is, of course, the validity of the volume of evidence from diverse sources.
How do you think the status of the OIC-established court would be considered by the diverse sources that hold the voluminous evidence, when they can see the standards of justice dispensed in the Islamic states?
Are you going to uphold the Saudi system of justice as a model? Or perhaps any other Islamic state ruled by a dictator? Or perhaps Turkey, the shinning light of a modern Islamic state, doing great deeds to come up to a civilised standards to join the European Union , but still using the same methods against Kurds as Israel in Palestine, who is going to be in the proposed OIC-established court?
How many of the Islamic states will risk the wrath of the US? Will Egypt or Pakistan?
S. A. KHAN
Doncaster, UK
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