Anyone writing about facts and figures must check and double check and this is best done at the source of the required information. For a writer to write, he must be able to get to the source and the source must be available and co-operative.

In the case of the Pakistani press, all government sources of information tend towards the belligerent, the bellicose, as not only do they have much to hide, not only do they fudge and fiddle, but they are naturally highly suspicious of the motives of the writer. Their confirmed belief is that the revelation of facts is contrary to the national interest, that it is somehow bound up with a personal interest, and that facts are per se strictly confidential, if not top secret.

Experience has shown that such is the case when checking with our military government and its officers. During the past two months twice I have been accused of blackmail, twice I have been directly called a blackmailer when attempting to establish facts - once by a retired lt-general and once by a retired brigadier. Our military officers are not conversant with the meaning of the words 'blackmail' or 'blackmailer'. Since they are likely to mess us up till Kingdom come, it is strongly recommended that they are all taught right from the start - from Kakul down to the Staff College and the National Defence College - how and when, how not and when not to use the two words or their derivatives.

To the credit of our army officers, it must be said that when presented with a copy of the meaning of the word as defined on page 250 of Volume II of the XX volume set of the second edition of the Oxford English Dictionary published in 1989 they have immediately simmered down and apologized as best as they could, considering how and what they have been taught.

Now to the letter emanating from the information department of the government of Sindh, printed in this newspaper on May 16, responding to my column of May 13. This provincial department, like its parent ministry at the centre, is redundant. It informs the people on the basis of the maxim: If you cannot convince, confuse. This maxim has been a guiding light of our government 'information' people since 1948.

The letter of May 16 referred to "The spokesman, health department, government of Sindh" who had provided a handout to the information department which they had forwarded to be published in toto. I have been trying to locate the 'spokesman' for the past three days, unsuccessfully.

The 'spokesman' defended the government of Sindh's nationalization of the Kidney Centre on the basis of what was discussed at, and has been recorded in the minutes of a meeting of the board of governors held on January 24,1996. The board had approved an approach to the provincial government in connection with the establishment at the Kidney Centre of a 'Postgraduate Centre for Nephrology and Urology.' A preliminary charter of the postgraduate centre was drafted, the first paragraph of which reads :

Short title. The Centre may be called The Postgraduate Centre for Nephrology and Urology of The Kidney Centre.

The Board never intended, nor resolved, that the Kidney Centre should cease to exist or be reconstituted and reorganised in accordance with the nationalization notification of Ordinance No.XI of 2001, dated February 10,2001, which reads : The following Ordinance made by the Governor of Sindh hereby published for general information : The Dorab Patel Postgraduate Training Institute for Nephrology and Urology, Ordinance 2001. Sindh Ordinance No.XI of 2001. An Ordinance to reconstitute and reorganize The Kidney Centre, Karachi.

The 'spokesman' in his letter stated : It is believed the original draft [of the ordinance] was prepared by the late Justice Dorab Patel. This is absolutely incorrect. Who led him to so believe ?

He went on to say, "The Provincial Health Minister has never held a press conference on the issue of Kidney Centre." May I refer him to a news report by Sarafaraz Ahmad on page 3 of the Metropolitan section of Dawn of April 142001 under the heading 'Government yields to pressure - Kidney Centre deprived of PG status.' Reportedly, The Sindh Health Minister, Maj-Gen Ahsan Ahmad (Retd), announced that the provincial government had decided to withdraw the Ordinance.

To whom did the Health Minister address himself, announce, state, etc, if not to the press?

The 'spokesman' misquoted Mr Razak Taba. Anyone who has any doubts why Mr Taba withdrew his offer of a donation of Rs.75 million to the Jinnah Hospital may ask him directly, or refer themselves to Dr Rashid Jooma, whose letter mentioning this withdrawl was published in this newspaper on May 6 2001.

Which donors, which board of governors of a well-run solvent institution would choose to hand it over to a government and its chosen functionaries, all so reputedly gifted in the art of misgovernance and destruction? Ordinance XI does this.

I reproduce an extract from letter No.SO-V(ME)/3-73/2000 dated 1/3/01 from the additional secretary (Tech.), health department, government of Sindh, to the administrator, Dorab Patel Training Institute for Nephrology and Urology. [The administrator was appointed by the ousted BoG of the Kidney Centre. Similar letters were sent at the beginning of April and May.]

"The Governor of Sindh has been pleased to pass the following orders :

(i) All salaries and allowances payable to persons in the employment of The Kidney Centre on 1st March 2001, as are detailed in the report shall be paid to such employees in the usual manner.

(ii) All payments required to be made to suppliers to the Kidney Centre which are or will become due on or before 1st March, 2001 and are detailed in the report shall be paid as soon as possible after falling due.

(iii) All other payments which are, or become due, from the Kidney Centre to any third parties on or before 1st March, 2001 and are detailed in the report shall be paid as soon as possible after falling due.

(iv) Any funds which need to be withdrawn from the funds of the Kidney Centre and any cheque which needs to be signed and issued shall be withdrawn, signed and/or issued by the joint signature of any two of the persons authorized to operate the accounts of the Kidney Centre as on the day immediately preceding the entry into force of the Ordinance.

This is the way the government runs the affairs of the Institute pending denationalisation, the Board having been removed.

Trying to explain to me last week how the ordinance had come about, Shahid Firoz, Vice Chairman of the Economic Development Council, termed it a mishap. It had been brought about through a misunderstanding, a misconception, the misreporting of facts, a communication gap, and so on and so forth. He later faxed to me a note :

The government of Sindh is pro-actively pursuing a policy of private sector participation in its quest of good governance and efficient service delivery. The creation of the Economic Development Council is a milestone in this context.

"As a consequence of its mandate, the EDC is soliciting interest from the private sector to enable a phased denationalization of over one hundred schools and hospitals, in addition to empowering the private sector to maintain and upgrade playgrouds, parks, and the like. These acts of denationalization/ divestment will be on the basis of appropriate legal agreements which will constitute the basis of the relationship between the government and the potential representatives of the community such as to ensure a transparent and effective functioning of the institutions concerned and to assure certain levels of service delivery to the citizens. The regulatory framework for this is in an advanced stage of development."

Under the present circumstances which private sector man will show interest ?

On May 15, Governor Mohammadmian of Sindh called a meeting of the members of the removed board of governors, men of the ministry and other government officials - a gathering of the damaged and the damagers. The former members were asked to submit a draft of an amending ordinance.

On May 17, the former chairman of the board, Mian Muhammad Rafi, wrote to the Sindh health minister, copying the Governor : "With reference to our meeting held at the Governor's House on May 15, 2001, as required by the minister of health we are submitting the amendment to Sindh Ordinance XI of 2001 for notification.

On May 17, Dr Jafar Naqvi, who had left the Kidney Centre, vowing never to return, returned to his office.

Not the end of the story.