CONTENTS:
- Siege from within By Dr. Khalil Ahmad
- Populism vs. democracy By Ayesha Siddiqa
- Reform or . . . By Nadeem Ul Haque
- Letters to FreePakistan
- Humor Wise
- Issues of the Month:
- From the National Press
- CSR Views & News
- Private Initiative
Quotes of the Month:
Is there no virtue among us? If there be not, we are in a wretched situation. No theoretical checks — no form of government can render us secure. To suppose liberty or happiness without any virtue in the people, is a chimerical idea. If there be sufficient virtue and intelligence in the community, it will be exercised in the selection of these men. So that we do not depend on their virtue, or put confidence in our rulers, but in the people who are to choose them.
[James Madison, “Speech in the Virginia Ratifying Convention” (June 20, 1788)]
Government borrowing does not inject money into the economy. It was already there. But it can and does reduce the amount of capital available for private investment. To the extent the government borrows, the economy serves politicians not consumers.
[Sheldon Richman, “Washington Logic” (January 30, 2009)]
Avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty.
[George Washington, Farewell Address (September 26, 1796)]
Free Pakistan, a monthly newsletter, exists for the promotion of limited government, rule of law, protection of property rights, market economy, individual freedom, and private initiative. Its vision is a free and prosperous Pakistan; for only such a Pakistan can contribute positively to the creation of a free and prosperous world.
The Newsletter is an affiliate of Alternate Solutions Institute, Lahore, Pakistan, http://asinstitute.org, the first free market think tank of Pakistan.
The Alternate Solutions Institute is a registered, non-profit, non-political, non-governmental, educational and research organization. Its mission is to promote a limited responsible government in Pakistan under the rule of law protecting life, liberty, and property of all of its individual citizens without any discrimination.
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PHILOSOPHY OF LIBERTY
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SIEGE FROM WITHIN
By Dr. Khalil Ahmad
When creative spirit of a nation is arrested from within, it is as vulnerable to external insinuations as is to internal machinations, and can never make any progress.
“Pakistan is under siege.”
We had enemies from the very first day. With time, the list of our enemies grew longer. So much so that today we have neighbors not friendly to us and a world all hostile to us. We are alone in a wilderness created of our own. Isn’t it Greek mythology whose gods and monsters we have resurrected in ourselves? Like the one-eyed monster, we have no second eye to look inward. This on the one hand has transformed us completely into subjects perfectly suitable for psychological pursuits. Or, for instance, how can a judge of a higher court find fault with bare feet of a dancer, and ban it? Or how can his ability and capacity to judge be explained? (One of my friends says it’s a foot fetish!) Go through any book of psychology, and see we are afflicted with almost all the disorders identified there.
On the other hand, this lack of inner eye has deprived us of that touch of philosophical contemplation and composition which is so integral to the continuity of peaceful human co-existence. In every nook and cranny of our society, from a hut to GHQ, and from a patient to the President, we have laid Procrustean beds and are on guard no one unfits it. Those who are over-sized are cut down, and those who are under-sized are pulled up to match the bed’s length. In a sense, we watered and environmentaled all the seeds to grow into the same and, lo, we have Bonsais all around us. Rather, we have shrubs unheard of in the botanical history which are eating out one another, and stretching their tentacles to far off lands to gulp others; it is as if we are working on an agenda of self-annihilation.
At the same time, we have started ‘exporting’ our principles of experimentation with human beings to other regions also. We are packaging our Procrustean beds for other people, and use all means fair or unfair to ‘market-impose’ them, and are thus causing other people to revive their own Procrustean beds and bring them again into practice. This may turn the whole world into a big Procrustean bed!
Alas, our ideological adventurers are no better than Procrustes. In a sense, they are worse! Procrustes used to hack off or stretch his victims to fit his bed, we kill all who unfit our beds, and in some cases, we kill all no matter they fit or unfit our beds. We have left Procrustes far behind in sizing human beings.
How’s that that we have turned into such monsters? Are we different from other people genetically? Some people believe that is so; but that is an expression of distrust and anger. All of us belong to the same progenitor. It is mainly our mental, intellectual, psychological and philosophical make-up and thus our behavior that differentiates us from each other. Otherwise we are the same biological entity.
As it is, like others we are a product of two things, first, what we are endowed with by birth, and second, what we learn and acquire on our own. We are all born with almost the same capacity to learn unless it is some disability that retards us; so naturally there is complete freedom available to everyone to learn and acquire what he wants to learn and acquire. In a sense, it’s the ultimate freedom that if realized can enable us to be master of our destiny. That is, we are free to be what we want to be.
However, some of us happen to make a discovery of an immeasurable magnitude. Somehow, they come to believe that they are free to be what they want to be, and in addition to that, they are free to force others to be what those people do or do not want to be. Such people in fact try to be master of others’ destiny, and deprive them of their freedom. Not only do they use every opportunity and manner to further their Procrustean agenda, they manipulate what is available and manufacture what is needed to achieve their Procrustean objectives. They have no regard for what exists outside of them.
It is rather an edgy difference that distinguishes such people who live to control and mould other people’s lives according to their ideas from those who teach and preach other people to live in accordance with their philosophies. It’s no matter of persuasion or submission, i.e. getting someone converted to your ideas on the one hand by using rhetoric or reason or reward, and on the other, by using fear or force or fraud. This difference is informed among other things by the eternal issue of means and ends, i.e. ends do not justify means. Hence, if one wants to persuade or coerce others into submitting to his ideas there is an inherent danger of curtailing or snatching other people’s freedom. That way others lose their freedom. The issue of corporal punishment to learners is a derivative of the same debate.
But to make this debate possible and also to have it to continue, a theory of conduct is desperately needed in Pakistan. This actually is a sine qua non for all existence let alone for the human existence. That, everyone is free to have his ideas, change them, abandon them, and dispose of them in whatever manner he deems fit, and at the same time he is all free to live according to his own ideas. That no one with whatsoever mandate, personal or otherwise, has any authority to impose himself upon others and to take back others’ freedom on any pretext personal or otherwise. All knowledge presupposes this freedom.
It may be objected that it is practically socially impossible to allow so many individuals to live like that save at the expense of social harmony and peace. That may be so! However, first there is morality and then there is law that takes care of the difference, discord, disharmony, and conflict and clash among individuals of a community.
Morality needs no enforcement; it is sort of self-discipline and a pragmatic way of life though for those who know the value of moral principles and their centrality to human co-existence. Law requires to be enforced by an authority. In this it is as lame as morality. Both are intrinsically orphan waiting to be adopted by some foster parents: moral principles are open to be adopted by, rather obligatory for, every individual be he an ordinary or an extraordinary person, whereas law must be enforced by an authority, which is nothing more than a collection of persons, duly vested with its enforcement. It is of the nature of law that its ignorance by anyone is never construed as an excuse to seek alibi, instead it is binding to all and all are equal before law.
This does not mean that both morality and law lie entirely within their own independent realms. How can we elevate a person to a law office who is morally corrupt? The issue of the present chief justice’s daughter’s enhanced marks is a case in point. Also, how can an outlaw be declared morally upright? The case of Mr. Asif Ali Zardari is not entirely irrelevant provided he should have been cleared by an independent court of all the accusations and allegations brought against him by anyone. Morality preconditions, contextualizes and encompasses law.
Against this backdrop, present circumstances of the Pakistani state are extremely hopeless. It needs no painstaking to bring out the rampant moral-lessness, value-lessness, and law-lessness at every level of our society. We are all witness to it. Rather, part of it. But isn’t it the same cliché everyone is wont of using? Yeah, apparently it seems so. But the argument this article is going to make is different.
To blame all or to accuse all is jut meaningless. Likewise, to characterize a society by anything is just like crying over spilt milk. To say that Pakistani society has no morals, no values, no norms, and no principles to follow or that it is a lawless society is just empty talk. Also, it does not mean, as is usually implied, that there are good moral principled or law-abiding people in every society, and we have our share of such goody-goodies.
As argued earlier, the nature of morals is different from laws; no prescribed punishment is attached with them and everyone is free to follow or defy them, so no responsibility can be fixed for transgressing morals or values, norms or principles. In that they are a private thing. Some private organizations and institutions use them as laws, i.e. they punish their members or employees in case of violations of their adopted norms. They are private because no one owns and implement them, i.e. no collective authority possesses them and their enforcement. Hence, the meaningless and emptiness of the statement that our society is devoid of all morals, values, norms and principles! Hence, the lack of fixing any responsibility whatsoever for any violation by anyone!
That’s completely different in the realm of laws. All the laws are absolutely meaningful and full of content. We may decry them, analyze them, and expose their content and intent. All the laws are written with clearly defined terms of punishment in case of their violation. We may criticize and declare these as inhuman or savage. This enables the fixing of responsibility beyond any doubt at least within a demarcated domain of adjudication. That is why all the statements made on the bases of law always amount to clearly defined meanings and fixed responsibility.
Thus, when this article talks of Pakistan as a lawless society, and as a society without any morals or values or norms, it definitely means something different from just what the above-mentioned cliché hints at. What this article means is clearly in terms of fixing responsibility, and of course not just the lamentable state of our society. It talks of a definite relationship between morality and law as it manifests in our society. In other words, it purports to formulate a thesis that throughout the six decades of Pakistan the absence of rule of law has negatively impacted on all of our moral and social values, and the efficacy of norms and principles for a virtuous life, and thus the responsibility both for turning Pakistan into a lawless society and utter degradation of the values is but on the shoulders of those who were lawfully and constitutionally vested with establishing rule of law, dispensing justice, and protecting life and property, and rights and freedoms of all the citizens of Pakistan without any discrimination, and also those who were lawfully designated to aid in the fulfillment of these basic duties of the state but instead of following their lawful functions they violated them with pronounced disregard, and it were they who played the major and active role in destroying the value system in Pakistan. No damage is greater than that.
Thus, it is the utter disregard for law and its deliberate trashing verily by those who were trusted with its sanctity and custody that hacked at the root of all morality. As in spite of many a religious teaching and their doctrine of reward and punishment, and as it is evident from people’s outward behavior and practically from their actions also, that they have already learned that that is all what is here in this world. Likewise, centuries’ experience of lawless and immoral governments and rulers made people learn how to live without any value system or in the midst of a value system that is based on the efficacy of force. This experience may be generalized thus: it is the absence of rule of law that nourishes and strengthens not only law-lessness but moral-lessness and value-lessness also. Because, in a sense, in such a society sticking to morals, values and principles does not pay. In our case, it is more than that since instead of paying it makes one lose what he already possesses. Hence, in a perfect vacuum of law majority of people abandon all morality.
In point of fact, if we do not let laws rule, reign of lawlessness will prevail. If we do not establish rule of law, rule of criminals will emerge. If the rule of criminals establishes itself, all the traces of morality will disappear. What else have we got in Pakistan other than that? Actually the absence of rule of law was not accidental in Pakistan. It was not done in ignorance. It is a cold-blooded crime. What greater evidence is required to prove that point but the way the rule of law movement has been thwarted first by the military elite and then by the Pakistan Peoples Party government in unison with their masters. This has pushed the crisis to its peak point where endures no law and no morality in Pakistan.
There are three main culprits lawfully and constitutionally responsible for bringing Pakistan on the brink of the precipice. First, it is the military elite which represent force; second, it is the judicial elite which represent law; and then, it is the political elite which represent democratic mandate. Far from fulfilling their lawful and constitutional duties all these elites constantly acted in violation of those duties. Instead of honoring their constitutional mandates, all these elites stepped out of their constitutional domains and made a travesty of everything from law and constitution of the land to morality. Last but not least, they all in collusion seized the state of Pakistan and set to further their elitist agenda to the best of their interests.
Briefly dwelling on their destructive role, it is sufficient to mention that: how the military elite staged coups, suspended and disfigured the constitution, ruled the country by force, and exercised its influence from behind while it was not present on the scene. How the judicial elite validated these coups starkly against the dictates of the constitution, allowed the transgressors to rule and to amend the constitution. How the political elite perennially betrayed their democratic mandate and the cause of the fundamental rights of the people who put them into power, how it played in the hands of the military elite and how in complicity with it it never let those institutions, such as independent judiciary, rule of law, come into existence and strengthen which could safeguard the rights and freedoms of the people, and how it validated the dictators-forced amendments in the constitution.
The worst form of lawlessness which we are witnessing today in most of the areas of Pakistan such as those on the border of Afghanistan and the biggest city of Karachi is the ultimate result of all these criminalities of these elites. Their grabbing and transforming of Pakistan into an elitist state was the greatest tragedy that could happen to a country. These elites deprived the state of Pakistan from playing its due role, i.e. the role of an arbitrator, mediator, moderator, and a referee, the task of which is to arbitrate, mediate, moderate, and referee between the two or more disputant parties and settle and resolve the conflict to the satisfaction of both or all irrespective of the nature of those conflicts which may belong to the realm of civil, political, economic rights, or relating to the fundamental rights and freedoms of the citizens. In other words, they stripped the state of its protective function, i.e. protection of its citizens’ life, property and rights and freedom.
At the worst, these elites made the state of Pakistan itself one of the disputant parties. Not only politically, and economically, did the state stand by one party but spiritually and religiously also it took sides, and emerged as a contestant itself. This divided the society deeply negatively, and turned Pakistan permanently into an arena where countless tugs of wars were and are being fought to gain the control over the state. The resultant internal strife consumed the energies of both the state and the society of Pakistan. It’s the same fire that is burning us today.
It is in this context that the nature and intent of the Objectives Resolution may best be explained though it contained cursory mention to people’s fundamental rights too. Also, this helps understand the acute constitutional crisis that afflicted Pakistan in its formative years till the constitution of 1973 was agreed upon and enforced. In retrospective, it is easier to analyze how this constitution was made possible in 1973.
Actually, the period till 1973 is all fraught with a neck and neck fight between the two major elites, military and political to take control of the state. The making and unmaking of various governments and constitutions during this period is sufficient to prove the point. The judicial elite being too week to take sides on its own, permanently relaxed in the lap of the powerful one; while the political elite when apparently in power always, as it is doing today, tried to subdue it to its dictates but failed repeatedly.
However, it was in the early 1970s that in the wake of the first general elections and the subsequent cut-throat power struggle between two major victor parties, i.e. Awami League and Pakistan Peoples Party, in which military elite put its weight on the side of the political elite of the Western wing of Pakistan, and as a result of which Bangladesh came into being, that the military elite was at its weakest. The war that Pakistan army lost in the Eastern wing found about a hundred thousand of its army men as prisoners of war in India and it had left that elite too frail and unprepared to assert itself and its supremacy. That is how the constitution of 1973 sailed through. As it is, the hands that resuscitated the fainted patient were hacked off just after four years in 1977 and once again the military elite established its rule.
Thus, the state of Pakistan gradually reached a point where today it has lost all moral and constitutional legitimacy. By taking on a role of a party and completely abandoning its protective role and the role of a mediator and referee, it let the Pandora’s political box open. From the very beginning ensued a fierce struggle between the various sections of the society, in addition to the two bigger elites the military and the politicians, to gain the control of the state which with the passage of time intensified. All the power politics, and its offshoots such as the military takeovers, constitutional breakdowns, political, economic, cultural and religious persecutions are the major milestones on this way down.
It was during the last days of the People’s Government of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto that the Pandora’s religious box’s lid was slid a bit (the Pandora’s economic box had already been smashed into pieces in his government’s earlier years), but it was wide-open during the 3rd military coup when General Zia-ul-Haq’s Martial Law disfigured everything civil, moral, lawful and constitutional in Pakistan. Since then, we have witnessed the creation of a number of (and strengthening of the previously existing) armed and un-armed political and non-political, religious and non-religious mafia like groups vying for the control of the state to enforce their agendas. The armed groups found the Zia-ul-Haqqian environment especially conducive for their growth.
The same phenomenon of the absence of a genuinely neutralized and legitimized state let loose countless autonomous entities, from individual persons to well-knit groups, which monopolized the use of force to promote their interests and ideologies. They started making use of every thing and every means no matter moral or immoral, legal or illegal, constitutional or un-constitutional, peaceful or forceful, to compel the individual citizens to believe and behave but in accordance with their prescribed ideological manuals. This gave rise, in addition to political and economic, to moral and cultural policing in every street and at every road throughout Pakistan. In sum, that was the final touch to the siege from within.
That siege from within arrested the creative and enterprising spirit of the nation and left it in a completely dried, wrung and barren state. No sphere of life, learning, earning and recreation could escape that mischievous moral policing. Woman was particularly the target of that devilry. She was no more an individual; rather debased to the status of a soul-less object. The tentacles of moral policing trespassed every encirclement of human civilization from one’s privacy to the premises of someone’s home. No one remained safe even within one’s house. The lot of the ordinary people was made miserable; they were turned into helpless prisoners in their own homes.
Socially and politically, it begot the worst type of parasites. As the siege retarded the real spontaneous growth, a parasitic economy emerged. From a pariah to a president, no one was happy to earn fairly and honestly. Everyone who got the opportunity whether he was a laborer or an industrialist tried to take advantage of it to amass wealth by grabbing other people’s money i.e. tax money in whatever manner he could do that. All politics became the art of living and living lavishly at the expense of others. Outside government, goons and mafia live like that.
Such are the times and circumstances we are living in. That’s the Pakistan we are having today. This article has only generalized what is happening around. No examples have been given since they abound. No mentions have been made, save a few, since there are innumerable staring us in the face. The first thing we need to know is that we are not under siege from outside, but from within. That’s the hard truth! That is what this article has attempted to show. Also, it has tried to show how that siege was laid to.
However, what this article has avoided to venture at is why we were besieged from within? That such a question pertains to the realm of psychology which may not provide us with a satisfactory answer is what the writer has no quarrel with. In his view, even if we find the answer to that question why an oppressor behaves like an oppressor, it will not help a bit to stop him from behaving like that.
Also, it is the weaker, the oppressed one who is the real culprit; it is he who lets the oppressor oppress him whereas it is characteristic of the human spirit that it is absolutely free, i.e. we have an absolutely free soul. When one makes him believe that he has been besieged, he is not free. He is free only when he fights to break the siege. It is admitted that harder is to fight against the siege from within than from without because our enemy is inside us. But fight we have to go for.
Thus the second thing we need to know is that we are free and we can make that siege disappear. What is possible and is practicable is that we the ordinary people, we the oppressed ones, we the besieged ones, do not let the oppressor oppress us, the besieger besiege us. We need to be self-assured that we are not victims, that we are free people. It is as simple as that. It is our natural and inalienable right not to be besieged by anyone, not to be oppressed by anyone. But by just law alone! In case, we have been oppressed, laid siege to, be it from within or without, it is morally incumbent on us to assert and stand for our rights and freedoms, and struggle for that siege to be lifted. That’s the simple way ahead to the resolution of our complex problems! That’s what we are required to follow in Pakistan for the siege from within to be lifted once and for all to regain the lost paradise of our rights and freedoms!
POPULISM VS. DEMOCRACY
By Ayesha Siddiqa
[This article first appeared in Dawn http://dawn.com on February 13, 2009. The writer is an independent strategic and political analyst.]
Despite the presence of an elected government in the country, there is nervousness and unease on the streets. Those that ridicule democracy are having a field day, satisfied as they are at the thought of people getting punished for choosing leaders who have not been able to deliver and are caught up in internal disputes.
Some educated and powerful elements feel that their opinion that Pakistan’s ‘illiterate’ people are incapable of exercising the correct judgment has been justified. But the counter question is: were the people wrong when they voted in political leaders and showed the door to a military dictator?
The answer is in the negative. The people followed their correct instinct when they voted for a political dispensation in Islamabad. Moreover, democracy’s sad experience in Pakistan should not negate the concept of its existence. Democracy is about a system where different groups of people get an equal opportunity to contest for their interests.
From a common man’s perspective, elections are about electing politicians to negotiate the interests of the people, interests which include greater access to justice, better governance, accountability, the rule of law and provision of services such as law and order, health, education and all that a society requires for its survival.
What we have instead is a government that has adopted populist means for its own survival. For example, the recent out-of-court settlement to release Dr A.Q. Khan was meant to appease the people. The action is equivalent to a morphine injection being administered to a drug addict. People are kept happy for a short while and this gives them a sense of confidence that the government is doing exactly what they want. A.Q. Khan is one of the heroes created by successive governments. He is the man who is believed to have played a critical role in the production of the nuclear bomb, and whom the country now has to defend as a symbol of its honour and security.
Nuclear weapons have become critical to Pakistan’s identity and so releasing the national hero is meant to comfort people who would otherwise start reminding the government about their need for greater social and economic security. Of course, the present government would not explain to the people that this freedom of sorts was basically a prior arrangement and has nothing to do with the independence of the judiciary; or that it’s about the government’s urgent need to ratchet up its popularity; or even that Dr Khan was kept inside and is under strict observation because of his part in the racket — which caused Islamabad to be caught almost red-handed — of providing nuclear technology to other countries.
Surely, we must have boosted the security of nuclear weapons since the expose but it will take a while before the world begins to trust us again. More importantly, people were never informed that the proliferation we were accused of through Dr Khan’s network compromised Pakistan’s security.
In any case, the emphasis on military security and the bomb as opposed to food, shelter, clothing and opportunities for social mobility is based on a flawed principle that links greater social and economic security with a robust military security. Countries that cannot defend themselves will never be affluent or have a share of global resources. Unfortunately, we still lack the ability to strengthen ourselves economically.
But referring to the game that governments play to seek public support, this is about populist politics rather than democracy. The renowned Pakistani political scientist (late) Hamza Alavi was of the view that what Pakistan has is “legal constitutionalism” and not democracy. We have never had the latter, not even periods of transition to democracy. According to his idea, we continue to have elections which bring strong interest groups into power rather than democracy which is meant to open up political space for ordinary people.
To paraphrase a popular argument, the answer to bad democracy is more democracy. But the problem is that we may still not see a change in the system unless there is structural transformation. Even during the early years after independence Pakistan emerged as a bureaucratic state when politics, political parties and politicians were meant to bring some legitimacy to the system. So, there was a partnership among the political parties, the politicians and the civil-military bureaucracy. And while the state bureaucracy considers itself the creator of national ideology and its primary guardian, the political class and significant segments of civil society continue to partner it because service delivery to the people was never one of the main goals.This creates a highly turbulent political system of a revolving door in which civilians replace the military to be replaced themselves. And the circus goes on. Once in power, the politicians begin to believe that they are in control of the state and the government and operate under the false assumption that they can change the situation from within. Little do they know that the bureaucratic system is far more robust and they the politicians are at best delusional.
After every injection of democracy, society itself becomes delusional and thinks that there will not be another military takeover. However, it doesn’t take a lot of time before minds begin to change and people get tired of the political dispensation. At present, things are not too different. The lack of performance, accountability and rule of law accompanied by the breakdown of all civilian institutions is bound to result in mounting frustration and lead to a change that will be welcomed by the bulk of the population.
Another military takeover will of course create its own set of frustrations and then the people will begin to wait for another cycle of civilian rule. Of course, the problem right now is that other forces have also emerged to fill the gap. These are the militant forces which will further weaken political control.
It is a fallacy to keep arguing about the majority of Pakistanis not being pro-Taliban. Many cite the election results in support of their argument, without recalling that a political system that does not deliver is at best a representation of a predatory patronage system in which people use their right to vote to get the crumbs on offer. After all, how does one survive in a system in which power is centralised, any change is at best temporary, the only alternative ideology is violence and the political legacy of any political leader and party is brutal power and patronage?
Is it just a coincidence that at this juncture one is reminded of numerous African states like Ethiopia, Congo, Chad and others where the situation could not improve despite being the country’s being blessed with capable people? [Courtesy Dawn]
REFORM OR . . .
By Nadeem Ul Haque
[This article first appeared in The Nation http://nation.com.pk on February 08, 2009. The writer is a former vice chancellor of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE).]
The Musharraf boom has ended. The proverbial begging bowl that Shaukat Aziz had so imperially broken has come out again and our leaders are using it unashamedly. Age-old prescriptions are being pulled out. New loans from here, push this crop or that industry, some financial engineering, a number of development projects, and some new taxes and subsidies and Pakistan will be on the path to development. Will it?
Pakistan is a nation of shortcuts (no pun)! We are all looking for the easy way out - quick fixes. Unfortunately, development will only be achieved when economic growth accelerates and is widely distributed. This cannot happen through the usual solutions! More of the same - development projects, subsidies, some financial engineering and some sector picking - will give us more of the same.
Growth and development will only happen only when i). productivity and efficiency have increased everywhere in the economy, ii). the space for entrepreneurship is expanded, iii). a small and focused public sector plays a supportive not an imperial role in society, and iv). system of perks and privileges is replaced with merit. How will this happen?
There are no shortcuts. We have had years of shortcuts with no results. The new buzzword should be reform, sustained reform. Sustained reform for the objective of modernising our institutions, markets, laws and regulations and our public sector! What reform?
The 4 prerequisites for growth will give us a clue as to the nature of required reform.
"Needless to say the fundamental building block of "efficiency and productivity" is an education system based on global norms and engendering creativity. However developing productivity is far more than building schools, our normal response. Productivity is developed in an environment of liberty and freedom. It is even more enhanced when free, emancipated and creative individuals cluster in open, dense and multidimensional urban centres.
"The current system of licensing, zoning and regulation favours the industrialist and the large. The new system should allow the poor entrepreneur entry into the market, city and the privileged sphere.
"Ministers, civil servants and generals, jetting around in their private plans and their 'elite force' encourages have achieved a system of perks and privilege that many ancient kings and dukes would be envious of. The old aristocracy was never as bereft of responsibility as our current rulers are. Reform must remove this absurd privilege and introduce responsibility at every level. Government and its functionaries must understand the social contract and be subject to it not above it.
"Increased productivity requires not only education but space for creativity and a strong emphasis on meritocracy everywhere. Thus the current privilege system that confers wealth and privilege ranging from plots to entrance to elite schools and clubs, on the basis of 'connections' has to be dismantled and based on merit.
A common theme runs through these four areas - end privilege, introduce merit, reduce government and regulation allow freedom and entrepreneurship. Ali Salman of the Alternative Solution Institute has confirmed for Pakistan what is well known in many parts of the world: Economic well being improves with freedom. And freedom means ending of privilege and the establishment of merit.
Accelerating growth therefore depends on accelerating reform and its implementation. Yet in Pakistan despite reform remains a taboo topic. TV talk shows, opinion columns, living room discussions all shun reform as a topic. Instead we talk policy which seeks to continue current structures and is seldom more than a wish list. Reform which seeks "change of structures, systems and processes" to improve performance is a not subject for discussion in Pakistan. Why not?
The answer is simple! Like many pre-revolutionary classes, the Pakistani elite are incapable of giving up even the minutest privilege for achieving efficiency and productivity! They would rather let a revolution happen than let their system of privilege be shaken. [Courtesy The Nation]
Letters to FreePakistan
[ANWAR JALAL, PESHAWAR]
Several main political parties have come with different draft bills for the purpose of making certain amendments in the constitution. The main focus of the bill drafts, submitted by the both the leagues is on the removal of some clauses, in particular 58(2) b of the constitution. MQM draft bill focal point is the provincial autonomy. PPP has yet put its own formal draft however it would be mainly based on the contents of the constitutional package ,it has already proposed last year. These different draft bills are currently the topic of analysts and intellectuals, who are sheding lights on its diffrent aspects and impacts.
Some circles are however not much optimistic about any meaningful amendments in the constitution due to different priorities and approaches of the main parties. They contend that PPP will not likely to favor the removal of 58(2) B as it will diminish Zardari powers. Which he would never like to surrender.
Similarly about Muslim league they are of the opinion that it will some how try to resist the question of provincial autonomy as if it is granted then it will reduce the dominant position of Punjab,- a situation most of Punjabi leaders do not wish to be happened , According to the said analysts the conflicting priorities and interests among the main political parties will hamper the evolving of an agreed consensus on the bill thus it will be kept pending with out any meaningful amendments.
ZARDARI’S REMARKS
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles, USA]
Recently a private TV channel claimed that Mr. Zardari had said, “You will see how I deal with the lawyers”. If true, looks like he has shot from hip, yet again.
There is nothing odd about Mr. Zardari’s latest off-the-cuff remarks. At worst, they serve to sharpen the minds of his apologists to invent the next denial, followed by incoherent cum lame excuses. Instead of getting perturbed by his remarks like: declaring Kashmiri fighters to be the terrorists, marveling Sarah Palin’s beauty, repealing the 17th amendment, asserting journalists to be the true terrorists, boasting of his rapid ascent to fame, or now, dealing with the lawyers, we should view them as a window into his priorities and vision.
If we were to view his deeds, like breaking promises and honoring Richard Boucher, along with his pearls of wisdom, the sight of receding shores of our collective future should become bleaker.
Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your belts for a rudderless journey.
NATIONALISM OR SURVIVAL?
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles]
Regarding Bashir Bilour's recent advice to the non-nationalistic Pakhtuns to move to Punjab; as a Punjabi, I would like to say: the more the merrier. This would not be the first nor would it be the last time we would welcome our brothers with open arms.
However, I sincerely hope Mr. Bilour would take a moment to educate us, how renaming NWFP would improve the lives of the Pakhtuns? Would it improve the law-and-order situation? Would it jump-start its dying economy? Would it open the destroyed businesses or schools? Would it provide ‘atta’ (flour) or electricity? Would it stop the American drone attacks? And most importantly, would it give enough confidence to the ANP leadership for them to return to their own homes?
If the answer to any of the above is, no, then please give a rest to the nationalism and start thinking about helping people in ways that would actually improve their lives even the slightest.
[ISA DAUDPOTA]
thanks for sending this potentially useful material, which i am sending by bcc to some people who may be able to use it.
GREETINGS
[Prof. Anjum James Paul]
Greetings and well wishes. I am highly grateful to you for placing my letters in alternate solutions.
GREETINGS
[Prof. Anjum James Paul]
I am thankful to you for giving the place to the current issues especially the letters that are published in the newspapers.
I again thank you.
RE DR. NADEEM UL HAQUE TALKS OF A. S. INTSITUTE
[Akhtar Ali Khan]
With due respect, sir, it is fine to theorise, but who is going to bell the cat. In Pakistan, the Army and the politicians regard themselves as the main stackholders, but both have very selfish interest; none of them cares about the electorate. Politicians loot the exchequer and keep their investments and cash outside the country. The Army acquires land and property in the name of Fauji Foundation, and in spite cash comes to them in various ways from the electorate, the benefits flow in a major way to the officer corpse and to a less extent to the soldiers [and the support staff].
The private citizen, the past dictator Musharruf is an employ of neither the Army or the civil government, but he still occupies the COAS accommodation. One can correct one or two organs, but can not regenerate the whole rotten body: in Pakistan every one from a sweeper to the president is on the take. One needs a one-eyed reformer for the blind.
HumorWise
'GHURBAT ZINDABAD'
[K.A.M., Karachi]
Very hard times for the rich. Are they going to taste poverty, though of a very insignificant nature. Poor people have a heart of gold. They will shorten their meal to spare something for the rich. As such the rich need not shy. Poor have never seen good days. A going down of the poverty level further will not make much difference to the poor. Let us think about what is going to happen to the sky high level of prosperity of the rich. [Business Recorder]
A MEDAL FOR SHARIFUDDIN
[Taha Masood, Islamabad]
I humbly request the army chief to bestow upon Sharifuddin Pirzada the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (military). This is to recognise and appreciate the numerous legal services that Mr Pirzada has rendered for military dictators in Pakistan -- from Ayub Khan to Gen Musharraf. No single person in the history of the country has done more for the Pakistan army than the honourable Mr Pirzada. [The News]
WRONG DECISION
[Dr Alfred Charles, Karachi]
Recently another four new ministers have been inducted into the federal cabinet. Regardless of the debate as to what’s the use of such a jumbo-sized cabinet in the current situation, it is very interesting to know that the government has made another funny decision of giving Maulana Attaur Rahman the portfolio of tourism ministry. Will he be able to travel abroad to promote tourism? Will he be able to get visas of the western countries? Can he even visit the worse-affected area of Swat which was the best tourism site once and is now burning? This reflects the government’s non-seriousness attitude towards good governance. The only credential this minister has is that he is the brother of the JUI leader, Maulana Fazalur Rahman. [Dawn]
NO NEED FOR TOURISM MINISTRY
[Iftikhar-ur-Rehman, Rawalpindi]
After the thugs have taken over the beautiful and scenic valley of Swat and almost daily we have suicide bombings, there is no tourism left in this country. So why do we need a minister of tourism? And that too a Maulana who doesn't even know the ABC of tourism! [The News]
NOT SO ROMANTIC NOW?
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Our present state would be well-depicted by the centuries old scene of our village life; water being taken out of the well through Rehut with a blindfolded Ox moving in circles endlessly. He comes back again and again to the point from where he had started. [The Nation]
USELESS HANDSHAKING
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The hunger to travel abroad at state expense is something which our leaders simply cannot resist. To add to it is the long queue of government officials lined up to either send off or receive the official every time he or she is shuttling in and out of the country. Leaving one’s office for this ‘sacred’ sycophantic humble servant duty costs the time and expenses in terms of travelling cost etc. Though we cannot expect the unending foreign visits, the least our leaders can do is to simply avoid this useless handshaking exercise. [The News]
TOURISM INDUSTRY
[Khalid Rashid, Rawalpindi]
Although a number of steps taken by the present government are no more than a ‘comedy of errors’, the recent appointment of a federal minister for tourism is no more than a joke as well. The JUI minister deserved any other ministry but tourism. As far as tourism is concerned, the newly - inducted minister needs a quick study tour of Bangkok, Dubai and Malaysia, if not European destinations, to learn the basics of tourism. With the onslaught of Taliban and jihadi culture in this country, I would suggest that the ministry of tourism shouls be abolished. Money wasted on this ministry may be utilised elsewhere. After all there is no ministry of tourism in Saudi Arabia. [Dawn]
GOOD ON MERIT, NOT ON STYLE
[Disappointed students, Nawabshah]
About a fortnight or so ago, we, more than twenty female students belonging to Nawabshah, were selected for a training course by the Sindh education and literacy department under the aegis of the Benazir Bhutto Youth Development Programme. We passed a written test and were then interviewed after which we were told that we had been chosen. After that our names were published in newspapers in a merit list and immediately after that we started our training course at the Professional Institute of Technical Education in Nawabshah.
However, on Jan 31, Dr Azra Pechuho visited our institute during the training and told teachers and staff that "from style and dressing it appears that" we had "not come on merit". She then asked that another list of trainees be drawn up as our replacements! We had been selected on merit, after a proper screening process but we were then 'de-selected' simply because we were not 'stylish' enough. [The News]
SWINDLED
[Mahabat Khan Bangash, Peshawar]
I also feel sorry for what happened to AVM (R) SWhahid Nisar Khan, as narrated in his letter on the subject in the News Post dated 22nd January. Would the honourable writer realise for a moment how this hapless nation has repeatedly been swindled by the high ups since 1958, and with what stamina? [The Frontier Post]
WHAT FOREIGN TOURISTS?
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The new tourism minister, who happens to be from the JUI-F, has vowed, upon taking charge, to rid the 'immoral activities' of foreign tourists visiting the country. I would like to inform the honourable minister that foreign tourists stopped visiting Pakistan a long time back. There is no need to waste time and energy in doing this fruitless exercise. [The News]
MNA’S EXPENSES
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
According to a report, the total expenses of just one MNA stands at approximately Rs90,000 a day. Do people have any idea how much money some of these MNAs have to spend every ‘night’? [Dawn]
A JOKE OF A PARK
[Khalid Rashid, Rawalpindi]
Rawalpindi’s Racecourse park is a joke now. Spread over several acres and inaugurated by Benazir Bhutto in 1994, it is today in a complete shambles. It used to have musical fountains, a couple of small lakes, jogging tracks and a playing area for children. Today all that is left of the fountains is rusted steel pipes. The ‘lakes’ are gone — there isn’t even any stagnant water. As for the grassy area, it is full of wild uncut grass — and the less said about the toilets the better. The PPP government needs to take urgent action to bring this park to its past glory — and then if it changes its name to Benazir Bhutto Park, the residents of the surrounding areas will be only too happy. [The News]
EUNUCHS REPRESENTATION
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
All Pakistan Eunuchs Association (APEA) have launched a strong protest against launching of an FIR against their colleagues who were arrested from a dancing function being held at Taxila and were furthermore booked and sent to Adiala Jail. APEA President Bobby claimed that the eunuchs had not committed any crime as dancing is the only source of income for them and if the Government is so serious about the welfare of the eunuch community, they should offer them alternate jobs. Not a bad idea to consider increasing the number of seats in the Parliament to create job opportunities for them considering the fact that we already have representation of men and women in the house. In all likelihood, they will perform and deliver equally if not better.
[Pakistan Observer]
ADVISER ON PETROLEUM
[Rashid Orakzai, Quetta]
I fail to understand the link between medicine, biology and petroleum, except that petroleum or gas can be derived from fossils, which can be associated indirectly to biology. A doctor running a successful hospital, clinic or college has another connection with petroleum as a consumer of fuel. The PPP government should have appointed a man from the oil industry, preferentially an engineer, who has worked in this field. We need to exploit our untapped vast resources, since we are located in a belt that has been known for its vast reserves. However, I understand that this is the prerogative of a government, since at the end of the day it is to be held accountable by the electorate. [The News]
WHERE SHOULD I GO?
[Asra Hussain, Ghora Gali]
Where should I go when Balochistan is facing an insurgency, Swat is burning, FATA is under constant surveillance and attacks by US drones and my leaders are fighting over a Prado?
[The News]
VISIT PAKISTAN YEAR MASCOT
[M S Hasan, Karachi]
How serious the present government is about the promotion of tourism in the country is reflected in the appointment of Maulana Ataur Rehman as the minister for tourism. It is suggested that 2009 should be declared as the "See Pakistan Year" with designation of an appropriate mascot to attract tourists. The Chinese have designated the rare and quaint animal, panda, as the official Chinese tourism mascot which helps bring tourists from all over the world to that country. In order to attract tourists and promote tourism in Pakistan, it is suggested that a turbaned and armed with an AK-47 Talib be used as our tourism mascot. [The News]
BURQAS FOR FEMALE TOURISTS
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Can the new minister for tourism also order that all female tourists must from now on wear burqas when they visit Pakistan? [The News]
JUST ABOUT EVERYONE'S A MINISTER!
[M S Hasan, Karachi]
With the induction of yet more, the total number of ministers in the Balochistan cabinet now stands at 49. Barring the doorman at the entrance to the provincial assembly, just about everyone is a minister! [The News]
AMERICA NOT AN ATM MACHINE
[Greg Martin, Springfield, MA, US]
This is with reference to the article “Can the US get real on Pakistan” by Mosharraf Zaidi (Feb 12). I want to ask the writer when Pakistan will learn to ‘get real about its relationship with the United States’? From the 1950s onwards the US gave an immense amount of aid to Pakistan to build its military and economic potential. However, it should be clear to Pakistan that the US will never go to war with India for Pakistan’s sake. That was something the Americans emphasised right from the very beginning. Despite the huge amount of aid that Pakistan received and in spite of being a US ally for five decades the average American sees Pakistan as a dangerous country. The US gave Pakistan aid and helped it both economically and militarily. However, Pakistan betrayed the US trust by secretly building nuclear weapons while insisting it was doing nothing of the sort.
Also while doing all this Pakistan still insists it is America’s ally and keeps asking for economic and military aid. Pakistan needs to realise that the United States is not an ATM machine where Pakistan can keep taking out money without there being any accounting. There is a need for Pakistan to realise it cannot have its cake and eat it too. [The News]
PAKISTAN NO VENDING MACHINE
[Zubair Nabi, Islamabad]
This is with reference to Greg Martin's letter "America not an ATM machine" (Feb 16). As a Pakistani I am extremely offended by the writer's assertion that Pakistan is a banana republic that has no economy and military and is strictly dependent on US aid. The writer seems to be imagining things when he makes the claim that Pakistan expects the US to go to war with India for Pakistan's sake. Furthermore, I wonder if the opinion of average Americans matters considering that they can't even locate Pakistan on the map let alone understand the dynamics of the problems that Pakistan is facing today.
The average Pakistani sees the United States as a global bully. How can the average Pakistani respect the US if it keeps on attacking Pakistan's sovereignty day in and day out via drone attacks? Do I need to remind Mr Martin about how the US ditched Pakistan after achieving its goals in Afghanistan after the Soviet invasion? The fact of the matter is that America needs to realise that Pakistan is not a vending machine that it can just use and then discard. [The News]
Issue of the Month: Marching along
INDEPENDENCE OF THE JUDICIARY UPPERMOST
[Azhar Ghumro, Islamabad]
Civil society groups, particularly lawyers, have mistaken restoration of judges for independence of the judiciary and as such have renewed calls for a long march and a sit-in at the Constitution Avenue. They are joined by the PML(N), mostly probably for political score-settling with the PPP. The history of Pakistan is full of incidents of the higher judiciary buckling under pressure of dictators, willingly or unwillingly, and issuing them certificates of righteousness and validating their unconstitutional actions of abrogation of the Constitution and dismissal of democratically-elected governments.
Barring a few, most judges succumbed to dictators’ pressure and helped to prolong their tyrannical rule. Even Justice Iftkhar Muhammad Chaudhry was part of a controversial judgment that validated Gen Musharraf’s coup in 1999. This weakness of the higher judiciary to buckle in before dictators is embedded in our present judicial system and judicial culture. There is need to review our judicial system, identify the underlying factors of its susceptibility and purge our judicial system of these evils by bringing in necessary reforms to strengthen it. This will pave the way for true independence of the judiciary and foster new independent judicial culture.
Our political leadership and civil society representatives should realise the gravity of the situation the country has been passing through and stop politicisation of the judicial crisis. It will be in the interest of common people, the judiciary and nascent democracy that all parties abandoned their pre-held positions on the issue, sit together and collectively contribute towards the necessary judicial reforms for independence of the judiciary rather than politicise the issue and make mess of it by exploiting the situation for personal and political gains. [Dawn]
POLITICIZED?
[Hurshid Anwer, Lahore]
I keep hearing people say that Iftikhar Chaudhary has become politicized. When did this happen? Did he become politicized when Latif Khosa and Zummarad Khan of PPP were in the forefront of the lawyers' movement; or when he traveled to Lahore accompanied by and welcomed by all the political parties, including the PPP? Was he politicized when the PPP workers waiting for him outside the Supreme Court lost their lives or when he traveled to Karachi and the PPP workers (including Sherry Rehman) was out in great numbers facing bullets to receive him? Surely he was not politicized when Benazir Bhutto said at his house, "Iftikhar Chaudhary is my Chief Justice". I think he became politicized only when the PPP backed off from the lawyers' movement because of a certain deal. Is it him or these people who are politicized? [The Nation]
TERRORISM AND JUSTICE
[Fahad Rafique Dogar, Pittsburgh, US]
Many people representing the current government argue that the country is facing issues such as terrorism and economic meltdown that are bigger than the judicial crisis. They assume that these issues are mutually exclusive and seem to ignore the close linkage between justice (which is only possible if we have an independent judiciary) and other problems such as terrorism. Many recent newspaper reports, including one from Ansar Abbasi, tell us of a lack of justice in the Swat area. The local people want swift justice which is not provided by the country’s legal system. As an unfortunate consequence, alternate systems such as the one provided by the Taliban are emerging. The present rulers need to understand that injustice lies at the core of all the major problems plaguing our country. [The News]
RECOVER THE BUFFALO
[R M. Yaqoob Bhatti, Lahore]
Law Minister Farooq A. Naik has stated that constitution is silent on the matter of reinstatement of judges and so no judge can be reinstated. He had been also claiming that 95 % of the deposed judges have already been reinstated but now he has suddenly gone back on his word. The question arises that if the constitution is silent now on the issue of reinstatement of judges, was it also not silent at the time the judges were deposed by General Pervez Musharraf who adopted an extra-constitutional measure to do so? To quote an example, if the buffalo of a citizen is stolen by a thief, would we say that as there is no provision in law to steal a buffalo, nothing could be done about it? Isn't the stolen buffalo, in the normal course of justice, recovered by force by the law enforcement agencies? Why can't the parliament pass an executive order to restore the deposed judges to their rightful place of Nov 2, 2002? [The Nation]
IN DEFENCE OF LAWYERS’ MOVEMENTS
[A. HAQ, Karachi]
According to a report (Feb 6), activists of the Sindh People’s Youth Organisation (SPYO) held rallies across the province. Alluding to the lawyers’ planned long march, its leaders said that ‘anti-democratic’ forces were threatening to organise a long march against the democratic government. They appear to have forgotten so soon that until last year’s general election, even lawyers belonging to the PPP were a part of the lawyers’ and other Pakistanis’ struggle for the restoration of the deposed CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry and other senior judges. However, after the party came into power and no longer wanted that to happen, the same lawyers’ movement is being dubbed as ‘anti-democratic’.
The SPYO should also remember that even Benazir Bhutto had said that she still considered Mr Chaudhry to be the chief justice and would fly the Pakistan flag on his home after coming into power. Also, that opinion polls continue to show most Pakistanis want the judiciary restored to its Nov 2, 2007 position. Therefore, the SPYO leaders should not try to fudge the truth. [Dawn]
PPP'S DOUBLE STANDARDS
[R M. Yaqoob Bhatti, Lahore]
The PPP stalwarts including MNA Farzana Raja often argue on T.V. channels that PPP has already reinstated most of the deposed judges and only a few are left who can also join if ready to take a fresh oath. In fact the deposed judges have been reappointed and not reinstated albeit with a promise to keep their seniority intact which is a moot point. However when it comes to the case of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry it is said that there can be only one Chief Justice i.e., Abdul Hameed Dogar and Justice Chaudhry would have to serve under Justice Dogar if he chooses to join as others have done. This is a blatant bit of double standards i.e. only Justice Chaudhry's seniority would not be preserved even if he opts to join in.
Mr. Chaudhry is, in fact, simply not amenable to the idea of taking a fresh oath to thereby compromise his position of having denounced Nov 3, 2007 action with which General Musharraf had deposed the apex court judges. With a stroke of pen, he had appointed new judges to suit his person so as to qualify him for his election as President while in uniform. The PPP cannot convince the people of its fair dealing no matter how hard its ministers try to hoodwink the people. Their double standards and repeated breaking of the promise to reinstate the deposed judges to Nov. 2, 2007 position is being condemned by all. [The Nation]
PATH OF HISTORY
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]
The Deposed Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Chaudhry was on the roll during his speech at the Rawalpindi Bar. He said that while he was being accused of having accepted Musharraf’s takeover, how many lawyers came out on the roads, how many of the civil society came out on the roads (one party was actually distributing sweets). He said that every person has to ask himself the question, why he or she did not protest on July 7, 1977 or on October 12, 1999, and even before that in the past. He claimed, “Look what the lawyers and the civil society wrought when they have stood up on March 9, 2007.”
This is exactly what I have said many times that the history of Pakistan would have been different if the people had come out on the roads in 1954, 1958, 1965 and 1970 when the rulers were merrily indulging in their nefarious palace intrigues. However, the people did come out when a president and a chief justice joined hands in a diabolical conspiracy to unseat the sitting prime minister. Should the people have sat back and let the nefarious plot succeed. The perpetrators would still have succeeded if the chief of army staff had not put a spanner in their works. People remember storming of the Supreme Court but not how the two pillars of state were conniving to pull down the third pillar of state. Both met the fate they fully deserved. [The Post]
A BUTT OF JOKES
[Amjad H Mirza, Lahore]
Judiciary is the noblest of all professions not only in Pakistan but all over the world. But we are playing what might be called the biggest joke of the times with this sacred institution for the last 16 months or so. Musharraf removed the then CJP in his camp office, a big joke. Locked him up in his house with out a flag on top, another joke. Then, they made a fake case against him and later quietly withdrew it, yet another joke. The present rulers did not reinstate him despite a written agreement prior to the elections and that is the biggest joke of all. As a result, the lawyers are taking him around locked up in the front seat of Pajero like a 'war hero' while they go city to city. This also looks like some kind of a public joke. [The Nation]
JUDGES OATH
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]
The Charter of Democracy (CoD) says that no judge shall take oath under PCO. There is no mention of any judges who may already have taken oath under the PCO. My question is, if deposed CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry had not been dismissed by Musharraf, would a new government have automatically disqualified the sitting chief justice because he had taken oath under the PCO? This puts a hole in the argument of those who keep twisting the CoD to suit their convoluted thinking. [The Post]
LAWYERS’ LONG MARCH
[Shahida Khanum, London]
PPP-Zardari and its political allies are again orchestrating common chorus against forthcoming long march of lawyers. They are drumming up in every conceivable media opportunity to propagate against the long march as it would create law and order situation, destabilize democracy,economy to falsely scare public.People know they have shut every door for the restoration of deposed judges: obviously to protect the NRO benefits through Zardari -PPP pliant judiciary and its every illegal, unconstitutional acts and their mentor, Mushraff. As if saints, they pontify political parties to sit , discuss with them such issues in Parliament etc etc .Who does not know these lies and deceptions proven again and again to hoodwink public. They know Parliament’s worth be it drones, Farah Dogar extra marks issue or any other .It just has met the vested objectives of few in power highest corridors and its nexus of MQM, ANP, MMA.The prime minister appears an odd man out talking sometimes sanity amongst the beneficiaries of NRO seeking unlimited power and wealth.
All apprehensions on law and order situation emanating because of long march seems unfounded as all previous have remained peaceful. Not a ripple was caused to nor a stone thrown and government destablised. If government is instable: it is for its worst ever domestic, economic, security, judicial, political, foreign policies etcetc ruining poor and economy, industries ,agriculture or name anything. Why does not it probe about law and order situation created in Karachi in November 2008 , when around fifty citizens were murdered in daylight and many hundreds more were killed in MAY,October,2007,Benazair Sahibas murder remaing unrobed when Mr Zardari claimed to know the culprits. The government is crying wolf which no one now believes. They will never restore judges as their vested interest of NRO benefits is supreme to them than national interest and objives.The only remedy is president to resign and national government formed to save Pakistan from further disintegration and drones attack turning into USA-India causing grevious damage to our sovereignty when Zardari-PPP have allowed drones to invade us and its peritrators given highest civil awards. [Pakistan Observer]
Issue of the month: Strengthening the establishment PPP style
PUTTING FACTS BEFORE THE GOVT
[Anwar Hussain, Karachi]
When the Pakistan Peoples Party was out of power, it would always talk about people’s distress and keep criticising the unjust policy of the then government. In the election campaign, it made tall promises to the people to provide them financial relief as high inflations had made their lives difficult. Alas! after coming to power the PPP has so far failed to honour its commitments. On the contrary, it has further increased the burden on the people by letting the prices of essentials like meat, fresh milk, flour and sugar go up unchecked.
Despite big slashes in the prices of grains and palm oil outside the country, the government could not ensure proportionate reduction in the prices of grains, cooking oil, ghee, spices and dried milk at home. The government has not been able so far to fix the prices of petroleum products and mobile oil despite the fall in their prices in the international market. The transport ministry also looks very indifferent to the issue of reduction in the fare of buses, rickshaws and taxis. The transport mafia is continuingly fleecing people without any let or hindrance. Prices of electricity and gas are being made exorbitantly high, without considering their harsh impact on the people and the business as well. Instead of choosing rapid and easy sources of income, the government should prefer to keep prices stimulating so that business can expand and people should take a sigh of relief.
Atrocities do not end here. Every person who gets ill needs medicines whose prices have gone beyond the reach of the poor. In the current scenario if any poor person falls ill, he will prefer to suffer instead of buying medicines whose prices have gone up from 100 to 600 per cent. It is time the government paid heed to resolving the various problems people faced. It must cut its expenditures by 80 to 90 per cent by adopting absolute austerity at all levels as this is the need of the time. It should give up foreign trips and downsize the army of ministers and recover all debts worth billions of rupees that have been waived illegally. [Dawn]
BEHOLDEN TO NOTHING
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]
Mukhtar Ahmed Butt in his letter says Zardari was not in the picture on CoD and is, hence, not responsible for it. But Benazir Bhutto had signed CoD as the chairperson of PPP, not in her personal capacity. He says a Bhurban-like accord should again be attempted. My question is what would stop Zardari from backing out of that also? [The Nation]
PUNISHMENT OR REWARD?
[SKH, Karachi]
The prime minister removed his principal secretary who was beneficiary of the National Reconciliation Ordinance. The secretary’s immediate nomination, however, as the country’s executive director at the Asian Development Bank, after his removal, seems like he has been rewarded, by whoever, clearly not by the prime minister, rather than punished. This would probably result in everyone in the government eyeing the rewards, that could follow a punishment, and deciding if punishment would not really be a more gainful proposition. [Dawn]
RHETORIC OF SACRIFICES
[Muhammad Azhar Khwaja, Lahore]
Ever since the death of Benazir Bhutto, all PPP leaders talk of the "Qurbanian" their party has offered to bring democracy in the country. So much so even on the international forum like UN General Assembly, our President in his maiden speech mentioned about the sacrifice of Benazir Bhutto. In all TV talk shows, all the PPP representatives make it a point that they must mention about the Qurbani of their leader. Perhaps, they think that they would score a point against their opponent if they talk about their "Qurbanian", the biggest being of their leader. Yes, she was a fearless leader who in spite of warning of murderous attack on her did not bother and toured all the cities of Pakistan. Instead mentioning about her shahadat or Qurbani, the PPP leaders should emulate her and tour troubled areas and find for themselves the root cause of the up risings.
Mr President should move his Headquarters from Islamabad to Mingora or some where in FATA till restive areas return to peace. One has to see and believe how big is the security cordon around Mr Zardari when he moves out of the President House. Incidentally, when both the VVIPs i.e the PM and the President are out, half of the police and Intelligence agencies are deployed to protect them. This is at the cost and inconvenience of common man. One has to really work out how much tax payers money is wasted in their movements. We would like to see their popularity in the Awam. Let them come out without so heavy security. I think they do not want to offer any more " Qurbanian". If they are fair in their dealings and go along with the aspirations of the nation, they do not need any security. [The Frontier Post]
MORE EQUAL THAN OTHERS
[Zafar Khan, Peshawar]
It was fascinating to read a report in your newspaper on Jan 4 quoting the federal education minister who said that the reassessment of exam papers would not be allowed in future. Does the minister mean that it will not be allowed -- till the son or daughter of another powerful figure is affected? [The News]
DICTATORSHIP VS. DEMOCRACY
[Moez Mobeen, Islamabad]
The Parliament would provide the spine, which Musharraf lacked. This was the rhetorical argument we heard so often during the time of military dictatorship. However, it’s almost a year since the so-called elected representatives of the people came to power, yet the policies of the civilian government are as spineless as that of the military dictator. So what went wrong? The fact of the matter is that a forced dichotomy has been created in the minds of the masses with regards to democracy and dictatorship which are essentially two sides of the same coin. The only difference between the two is the mechanism of choosing the executive head of the state. In dictatorship, the executive head is unelected, while in democracy he is elected. As far as the formulation of the policy is concerned, there is hardly any difference. In both cases the policies are formulated by the executive head or the ruling party and are rubber stamped by the Parliament or are legalised through other means.
What differentiates one system from the other is the view point and the ideas on which that system is based. Socialism is a system different from capitalism, with a different view point towards economic policies, the role of the state, rights of citizens and the conduct of foreign policy. There are no such ideological differences between dictatorship and democracy. So the laws which regulate economics, judiciary, education policy, social system and foreign policy are essentially the same because the idea and the view point as to how the state should handle these different roles is the same. So we see that policies regarding, economy, foreign policy, law and order, governing of the courts and domestic affairs are same during democracy and dictatorship. What Pakistan needs today, is a different view point and a different approach towards solving the problems of the masses, not a different mechanism of electing the ruler. [The Post]
OUT OF LEAGUE
[Muhammad Usman, Dubai]
I have recently read in newspapers that Shaukat Tareen has said that POL prices will not be brought down further. How can an ‘unelected’ representative speak on this issue. POL price adjustment is a sensitive issue since it effects all Pakistanis and for Mr Tareen to speak on it is not welcome at all. [Dawn]
SACKED WORKERS’ RESTORATION
[Azhar Khwaja, Lahore]
The present government has ordered the re-instatement of over 7,000 employees with lot of publicity and fan fare. They were perhaps sacked in 1997 by the Nawaz government being political employees i.e without any merit. This is a good step to provide jobs to a jobless people. But the public should be told who these people were and did they remain jobless for all these 12 years since their sacking? The reinstatement means that they would get arrears of 12 years which would run into billions of rupees causing another burden on our national exchequer. The political employees normally do not fulfill the criteria of the job. They are usually parasites and trouble makers in their respective departments. The public also wants to know whether the vacancies still existed for these sacked employees or they have been just stuffed over and above the requirement of the staff. Employing about 7,000 will be a big drain on the exchequer. It is also quite likely that most of them might already have settled in other jobs and now would collect their arrears and the monthly salary without doing any duty on the previous job. The government must clarify further on this point. It may not be like our ghost teachers who were disovered a few years back and now we would have ghost employees of the present government. Some of them might have died or left the country.
[The Frontier Post]
DIRTY WATER, BLIND FISH
[Muhammed Idris, Stockholm, Sweden]
Before the PPP leadership had corruption cases against it withdrawn in exchange for giving Pervez Musharraf a safe passage, Mr Farhatullah Babar used to write high-sounding articles in the press exposing corruption and misuse of authority by senior officers of the Armed Forces. He was a vocal proponent of bringing the army-dominated intelligence services under the civilian control. Having become President Asif Zardari's spokesperson after PPP's assumption of power, Mr Babar has quietened down considerably. In the light of his articles (a record of which is available online), and his current position of authority, may I ask him how many officers of the Armed Forces his government has brought to book on charges of corruption? How many generals have been tried on charges of treason which the former COAS and his coterie of corps commanders committed on November 3, 2007? [The Nation]
ONE PARTY DICTATORSHIP
[Mehboob Mohammad, Argodha]
What is this ridiculous parliamentary democracy all about? The so-called opposition never protests against worst governance, mismanagement and incompetence. They keep their mouths shut on rampant corruption, loot, plunder, highest rising prices, increase in tariffs, and high taxes on utilities, brazen profiteering, and manipulation galore by businessmen and state institutions, under the nose of PPP-ANP and MQM ministers. Their unwise policies have ruined the poor masses. Through PPP reconciliation hoax, the President, Prime minister, Speaker and now the Senate Chairman would be from PPP. One party dictatorship is being abetted by national representatives and the so-called opposition by shoddy back and behind the doors practices for their vested interests inimical to the poor. In advanced democracies, political leaders in opposition ruthlessly oppose the mismanagement of ruling party to defend the rights of the people. In our case we are extremely good, reconciliatory friends, not to oppose inimical policies to the poor, country within the parliamentary buildings but outside the building: for the consumption of gullible people they create drama of opposing the rulers. They cannot fool the public and soon will be punished by the people. [The Post]
DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE
[Mansoor Jaffery, Lahore]
In almost all talk shows aired on private TV channels the guests do the same thing. Most of them are representatives of major political parties, including the ruling party, and they are there invariably to defend their party leaders. Most of them use empty and stale arguments which are more of a tax on the viewers' minds than anything else. However, in doing this they sometimes go beyond the call of loyalty and defend even those actions of their leaders which are not morally defensible. [The News]
END OF THE PARTY
[Gull Zaman, Kohat]
The PPP has a history of standing up for what it believes in. The party's founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto won the hearts and minds of the electorate due to his commitment for the welfare and prosperity of the people. The slogan Roti Kapra Aur Makan was an impossible target to achieve in totality during Bhutto's tenure but his faithful supporters always had hope and faith in his commitment that lasted even beyond the Zia years. PPP's constituency, even decades after Bhutto's assassination, comprises of Bhutto's supporters. After Bhutto's murder, his political heiress Benazir retained her hold on her late father's constituency which spread over all the federating units of Pakistan, with Punjab as the bastion of her political power. It is also a fact that the daughter lost some of her father's constituency over the passage of time due to changing ground realities. The senior Bhutto's tenure was never tainted by accusation of financial impropriety. Benazir's two tenures had many such controversies. But she stuck to the party's ideology through out.
What we witness today is something that does not fit with the PPP ideology as it was perceived to be created by Bhutto and inherited by Benazir. The workers are confused and disgruntled. Those who were responsible for facilitating Bhutto's murder are being welcomed into the party or are seen to be its collaborators. A case in point is Ahmed Raza Kasuri, Zia's collaborator that helped him send Bhutto to the gallows. By a strange act of coincidence, Mr. Kasuri now happens to be advocating for Sharrif brothers' disqualification with the support of PPP. A cousin of Zia has joined the PPP in Punjab and the party that facilitated the October 18 attack on Benazir's procession in Karachi is PPP's partner of choice in Sindh. [The Nation]
THE GREAT INHERITANCE
[Khurshid Anwer, Lahore]
A family inherited a country by default. The family head said I have no experience of governance; therefore I will become the president. This will also fulfill my need to remain above the law. I have the added ability of saying “yes” very convincingly when I actually mean ‘no’. The president then laid out the criteria for awarding ministries. The most poker faced among you will be the prime minister in readiness to show a poker face in face of the many expected faux pas. Minister for information to be one having the ability to talk, ability to think is secondary; however the foreign minister must have the ability to think, ability to talk is secondary; the minister for energy to ensure loadshedding to remain within 24 hours per day, must also swear not to touch the clean, cheap hydel power with a barge pole, as ordained by the departed family benefactor to whom we owe this inheritance. All ministers to act independently of each other as our party firmly believe in the independence of the government. The judiciary ministry, however, will be directly under me since we are committed to strengthening the institution of judiciary. [The Post]
WORSE THAN THE WORST
[Shahbano Leghari, Quetta]
Musharraf left the country with the economy at the worst point in all of his eight years. That was the starting point of Zardari and the economy has actually gone worse on every day since. His conduct of business is beyond all definitions of constitution and other norms. He has blithely violated them all in enforcing the NRO and not restoring the deposed judges. Through his pliant judges and his coterie of sycophants and money-grabbers, he is maneuvering to perpetuate himself in power. A President who cannot walk ten feet with out a hundred millions dollars security around him is a blight of this poor nation. [The Nation]
A LARGE CABINET
[Javed Nizam, Lahore]
The prime minister has left for Davos after attending the swearing-in ceremony of four new federal ministers, bringing the total size of the federal cabinet to 83, largest in the history of Pakistan so far. Our leaders’ annual sojourn at Davos is another cruel joke on poor Pakistanis who think these leaders would come back with billions of dollars so as to change their economic plight, without having a clue that poor taxpayers are spending millions on these joyrides. Back to size of the cabinet, not long ago the ministries and divisions in the federal government numbered 45 in total. But with rising political expediencies it increased to 72 during the the Musharraf rule. Federal ministries were divided and further subdivided to accommodate political cronies of the former president, such as the ministry of culture, tourism, sports and youth affairs are now looked after by four federal ministers. The ministry of communications, comprising of postal services, ports and shipping, highways, and telecommunications, is now managed by four ministers.
How long will this joke go on? The economy of this country cannot sustain a bloated government, when 50 per cent of the population is without clean potable water and the infant mortality rate is among the highest in the region. The final bells have starting tolling on the political horizon of Pakistan; the ruling elite must pay them heed now or else it will be very late because there will not be enough to pay for the perks and privileges of this cabinet, while the hungry will be out in the streets. [Dawn]
THEY DO IT YET BETTER
[Shahid, London]
PPP-Zardari, ANP, MMA, MQM can be expected to behave oddly everywhere. They messed up every national matter in one year and engineered their own explanations. On deposed Chief Justice they say he is playing ‘politics’. Not when he stood up to a dictator. They rode in his vans, walked in his processions for hours and hours. It was only a bluff to extract more and more concessions from NRO mentor, Musharraf. Has the deposed CJP touched ever-political subject excepting constitutional matters in his address to lawyers and political leaders? Are the present judges non-political: can they vouch? Like an old adage, the devil recites scriptures to its own meaning; the above nexus does it yet better. [The Post]
YAKKTI YAK ON THE BOX
[Dr Ghayur Ayub, London, UK]
PPP should stop sending the particular few ministers (out of such a large brood) it sends to the popular talk shows on various channels. They create a pitiable impression of party because of their poor performances. The other day, while facing penetrating questions of Kashif Abbasi in the presence of two competent stalwarts of N and Q Leagues, a lady federal minister from Punjab made a total hash of the issue under discussion, the principles in democracy. Each argument she gave only helped shatter the image of PPP, exposing her incompetence in such a way that the other two guests frequently burst into sarcastic laughter. To make the situation worse, she kept interfering unnecessarily while the other members were putting their viewpoints with strong logic.
One wonders is it because leadership of the party has put them in an awkward situation or they really do not know how to answer genuine questions? I don't know why it reminded me of the last days of Musharraf's regime when his ministers fell flat on their faces in similar discussions on these channels. [The Nation]
WHY A UN PROBE?
[Engr S T Hussain, Lahore]
The people of Pakistan want to know about the financers, perpetrators, organizers, sponsors and conspirators of the murder of Benazir Bhutto. People want to know why they killed her. President Asif Zardari has publically stated that he knows the killers of Benazir Bhutto and will disclose their names at an appropriate time. If this is the case then why is he spending public money on a UN commission? He should tell the nation what he knows. [The News]
BHUTTO KA LARKANA
[Sheeraz Hussain Waggan, Larkana]
Larkana is the home city of two former Prime Ministers, Shaheed Z.A. Bhutto and Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. It is also one of the most populated cities of the country. The population of the city is estimated to be around two million. The main entrance of the city is the Sheikh Zaid roundabout that is these days choked up due to a multitude of problems. First, the main road from Sheikh Zaid roundabout to Kamber bus stand is so poorly constructed that there are many ups and downs on this 200 meter-long road.
Secondly, the drainage system on this road has failed totally. Even a short spurt of rainfall results in the road turning into a fishpond. Thirdly, an unlawful wagon stand has been established here for passengers commuting to and fro various small cities in the periphery of Larkana. Owing to these factors, traffic is always jammed on this road. It is suicidal to drive on this road after a rainfall because of grave threat to the safety of drivers and vehicles posed by heavy inundation here. As described earlier, the length of this patch of road is no more than 200 meters. Yet it is a huge bottleneck, and inconvenience, for the commuters of the city and the outsiders that come into Larkana, some on daily basis. At a time when governments at both provincial and national level have been formed by the PPP, is it too much to ask for some attention of the rulers towards the city of party's two great leaders? [The Nation]
BLOATED CABINET
[Engr Munawar Hussain, Lahore]
This is with reference to the fourth expansion in the federal cabinet on Feb 9. There was hardly any need for this expansion after the third one on Jan 26. The country is facing a severe financial crunch. Five more individuals have been given the status of federal ministers. The most surprising induction is of Sharifuddin Pirzada who has served all dictators in the past in their various attempts to distort the constitution. His appointment will alienate the legal community and preclude the possibility between it and the government of any rapprochement. [The News]
BOASTING OF SACRIFICE
[Mahabat Khan Bangash, Peshawar]
This is not always which the PPP brag for their 'Qurbanian' every now and then. The entire nation, along with the political and other organisations has equally sacrificed at every juncture in the history of this country; were these military regimes or wars with India or any other crises. The history track of PPP shows that they always remained more ambitious and excited for the power and Govt, and less for the country's welfare. As soon as they come into power they forget to redress the follies and crimes of the past governments for future caution. When late Z. A. Bhutto came into power, he totally forgave the generals and their associates who were responsible for the loss of East Pakistan. And when Benazir Bhutto came into power, she never bothered to bring to justice, who were involved in the conspiracy of killing Z. A. Bhtto. The present PPP Govt. is equally uninterested to take any measure against the crimes of Gen. Musharraf. Rather his criminal policies are still being followed by this Govt. which has already pushed this country to the present turmoil. Even they are reluctant to take any action against the known murderers of Benazir Bhutto, who are still roaming about in the country. Therefore all this prove that the PPP always came into power through deals, in one way or the other and the music chair of military interference is still revolving around the people. [The Frontier Post]
IMAGE SHATTERED
[Dr Ghayur Ayub]
The President of Pakistan, also the co-chairman of the PPP, should stop sending some ministers (and there are a large number of them) to the popular talk shows on TV channels. They create such a pitiable reflection of his party because of their poor performances. The other day, while facing pricking questions of a popular presenter in the presence of two competent stalwarts of “N” and “Q” Leagues, a lady federal minister from Punjab had a nosedive on the issue of principles in democracy. Each argument she gave not only shattered the image of her party, but it exposed her incompetence which made the other two guests burst into sarcastic laughter. To make the situation worse, she kept interfering unnecessarily while the other members were putting their viewpoints with strong logic.
Is it because the leadership of the PPP has put them in awkward situation or they really do not know how to answer genuine questions? And why did it remind me of the last days of Musharafï’s regime when his ministers fell flat on their faces during similar discussions. [Dawn]
NEW TOURISM MINISTER
[Saleem Ullah Khan, Islamabad]
The appointment of a maulana as minister of tourism will not be good for an industry already in sharp decline. Apart from his passion for expensive four-by-four jeeps, the minister represents a party whose ideological linkages with the extremists are well known. What message are we giving to the world? [The News]
ONE YEAR’S PROGRESS
[Malik M.Velani, Karachi]
It has been a whole year since the new democratic government has taken charge, but still they are unable to solve the problems and help those who voted for them. Whenever a minister or any other government official is questioned about the problems faced by the people — especially the electricity crisis — they all give the same answer, i.e. “We inherited these problems.” All the parties that ran for the election knew of the problems, as also their obligation to resolve them. It is time our leaders stopped playing the ‘blame game’ and singing their old song of inherited problems and do something to improve the country’s current condition. [Dawn]
HOLBROOKE VS ZARDARI
[Barrister Baachaa, Peshawar]
Within days of his appointment as US special representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke visited the hot spots in the tribal Areas for a briefing by Pakistani officials and US and NATO military commanders. On the other hand, almost a year after his election to the office of president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari recently paid a brief visit to Peshawar. In the fortified Governor House he exchanged the usual pleasantries with the governor, the chief minister and some hand-picked tribal maliks and left without any serious discussion over the orgy of death and destruction in the province. Why this difference in approach? [The News]
DEATH OF A DANCING GIRL
[Kokab Khwaja, Peshawar]
Ever since I read a report in a section of the press about a dancing girl named Shabana, belonging to Swat, I have not been able to sleep well. When I imagine the feelings of the poor soul as she was about to be murdered, and what made her to accept being shot rather than having her throat slit, I get a shudder. Are we still living in the stone age? Although it is the duty of every citizen of this country to rise against this brutality, I specifically urge the president, the prime minister and the Army chief of staff and those who matter to leave petty subjects behind and only concentrate on destroying these forces who are bent upon destroying our country. You can go to Davos again and you can settle your political scores later, but save the other Shabanas now. I ask all these leaders to imagine their daughter in place of Shabana and then act accordingly. [Dawn]
AITZAZ NO 'YES-MAN'
[Taimoor Farid Khan, Islamabad]
Why has Aitzaz Ahsan been issued a show-cause notice by his party? He is being punished only because he is not a 'yes-man'. He should know that he is a great lawyer and leader and that we all salute him. [The News]
MINISTERS IN PLENTY
[Zeenate Nooure Zaman, Peshawar]
Inducting more ministers into the cabinet was a bad experience just a while ago. What good the sitting ones have done? They brought the worst ever in 11 months to national economy, to the common man: no electricity, no bread, no water, no gas, no jobs, no merit but the highest-ever prices, taxes, GSTs, bills and corruption beyond comprehension, drones attacking us, worst-ever law and order situation, etc. More painful was the fact that the oath of office was flagrantly violated by those who have been taking it in the name of Allah by reciting verses of the Holy Quran. It can make founding fathers weep in heavens. Allah would never forgive such people for breaching their pledges to Him and their nation and soon grind them finest and hardest. [Dawn]
PAKISTAN INDEED A STRANGE LAND
[Muhammed Islam, Lahore]
The general who committed treason (on November 3, 2007) roams about scot-free, lecturing the world on democracy. The government accepts that his actions of Nov 3 were illegal and unconstitutional, but does nothing to reverse them. The government makes a deal with a group of armed criminals operating in the name of Islam and allows them to establish an unconstitutional judicial system. But if a poor man commits even the most minor of offences, the full force of the law comes into action against him. [The News]
OF PROMISES
[A Pakistani, Islamabad]
Addressing a tribal jirga in Peshawar, President Asif Ali Zardari ‘promised’ to honour ‘all the pledges’ made by Benazir Bhutto (Feb 8). Mr. Zardari did not elaborate whether these included those pledges and promises that were made in the Charter of Democracy and regarding the 17th Amendment, Article 58 (2)B and restoration of the judiciary. He also did not speak about his own pledges and promises made before and after assuming the office of the president. [Dawn]
ANOTHER LETTER, MR BADAR
[Abdul Rauf, Fateh Jang]
Jehangir Badar, secretary-general of the PPP, is reported to have written a letter to Aitzaz Ahsan asking him to desist from bringing the party into disrepute. Could Mr Badar be so kind as to also write a letter to his co-chairperson asking the following questions? What happened to the Charter of Democracy? What happened to the written agreement to reinstate all judges, including Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry? Why has he not taken any step so far for the eventual repeal of Article 58(2)(b)? [The News]
WHAT A CONTRAST
[Ather Imran Nawaz, Rawalpindi]
Former US senator, Tom Daschle, had to withdraw his nomination for health secretary in the Obama administration after it was revealed that there was a misrepresentation of his tax returns, which he immediately corrected by repaying the additional amount. Senator Daschle, a stalwart in US politics, was considered the best candidate for the job of reforming the crumbling healthcare system in the US. President Obama took complete responsibility for his nomination and publicly apologised to the entire nation. Back to Pakistan; Senator Israrullah Zehri stood on the floor of the most august House of the nation and passionately supported the barbaric ‘tradition’ of burying women alive in his native province and castigated those who were against it. The gentleman remained unrepentent and later was duly ‘rewarded’ by being appointed a federal minister, and that too by carving out a complete new ministry to accommodate him. How unfortunate! [Dawn]
ELECTION OR SELECTION?
[M Aurangzeb, Swat]
I wonder what to call them — elections or selections. Even Ziaul Haq had the sense to disqualify those candidates from Senate elections who had been defeated in the general elections. Now again the people who lost general elections are going to be found in the Senate — sent there as favourites of their party leaders. [The News]
COMPLETE VOLTE-FACE
[Nazeer Abro, Hyderabad]
Pakistan Peoples Party founded by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, always stood up for the rights of haris, tenants, labourers and workers. Today the party’s new face has come as a rude shock for many, with news that the PPP leader in Punjab Assembly stood up and made a plea that the assembly should not debate the irregularities committed by Moonis Elahi son of Musharraf’s former Chief Minister Punjab, who had taken over hundreds of acres of Roberts Farm land located in Rahimyar Khan. This land was given to Moonis Elahi on subsidized rates, abusing his father’s official position, while the tenants who worked on the land having the first right, were denied this right. For the PPP to stand up in defence of Mr Moonis Elahi, a member of a family, who has traditionally conspired and spread venom against ZAB and BB, this comes aa an eye opener to people like me, who have always been PPP arch supporters.
Why should the PPP come to the defence of land grabbing mafia, those who indulge in loot and plunder, or those who are habitual loan defaulters. What has happened to the slogan of Roti Kapra aur Makan?. Is it a mere slogan for the new face of PPP, a licence to fool its loyal supporters. Instead of raising their voice for tenants, workers and haris, the PPP is working to help those who deprive them of their rights, their honour and their livelihood. A PPP federal minister has been alleged to pressurize Muktaran Mai, a rape victim who has won international fame by her courageous stand, to withdraw her case. This is certainly not the PPP that ZAB founded, nor the PPP that BB gave her life for. [Pakistan Observer]
CAPABLE MINISTERS NEEDED
[Sabeen Sheikh, Islamabad]
It has been about two weeks since the latest extension in the federal cabinet. While it is understandable that in democracies, stakeholders have to be adjusted into the decision making process. However, what does concern citizens is the allocation of departments to newly appointed ministers. While the government should be assigning portfolios based on the abilities, knowledge and integrity of the parliamentarian, this does not seem to be the case in the current administration.
Several examples have come into light recently of ministers only using their positions to enjoy perks, and not work for the betterment of the department they have been allotted. This is especially apparent in what most parliamentarians consider to be ‘reward’ ministries, like tourism, environment etc. However, all ministries have key functions to perform, and need people at the helm who understand the demands and importance of the job. If we put in place incapable or uninterested people, these departments will deteriorate further. Therefore, the leadership of the current government should take into account the abilities and interests of a parliamentarian, not to mention his or her commitment, before awarding a particular ministry. [Daily Times]
HOW TO CUT THESE GORDIAN KNOT(S)?
[Amjad H. Mirza, Lahore]
Hats off to General Musharraf who left the country with a bag full of riddles. The beauty of this heritage is that it is both inter-linked and self-perpetuating.To begin with, his getting off the plane as a retired chief of staff and assumption of that position again when he was officially retired by the legitimate Prime Minister of the day cannot be ever resolved. Nor can his removal of CJ Iftikhar through PCO and the elevation of Dogar ever be. Besides these constitutional stumbling blocks, he also left for us a power and flour crisis, ghee shortage, Lal Masjid, FATA, drone attacks and many other unsolvable problems that we all hate to recount. The entire lot of our civilian politicians together cannot undo the Gordian muddle he has put in their lap. All the constitutional experts pulling at one another's hair daily on various news channels cannot remove the lacunas he has created in our constitution. [The Nation]
GROUND REALITIES
[Lt Col M.A. Sadiq, Attock]
Farzana Raja appeared in a talk show on a channel recently. Her commitment to support the PPP on all issues indicates depth of her loyalty to the party. The PPP is at present suffering from the Benazir Bhutto syndrome where in every issue the slain leader is quoted. It is time we came out of it in the interest of the state and the nation. Others who participated in the programme talked of Ms Bhutto’s intention of re-instating the chief justice by hoisting the Pakistani flag on his residence when she became the prime minister. The host asked Farzana Raja why President Zardari was not doing so. She had no answer. Due to her talking abilities she expresses herself well about the good that the government is doing without looking at the ground realities.
The fact is that part of the country is burning and people are plagued with unemployment, high prices, electricity problems, lack of pure drinking water, education and health problems, and, to crown it all, poor governance. PPP senators, MNAs and MPAs blame the past governments for all the existing mess, but the public wants to know why there are no signs of improvement even after one year. A question for Farzana Raja to answer in her next TV show. [Dawn]
TRANSFERRED!
[Pervez Aqeel, Lahore]
This is with reference to Dr Nadeem Ul Haque’s article “Transferred with immediate effect!” (Daily Times, February 12) Dr Haque is absolutely right in that the lack of continuity and institutional stability has been a major reason why we have so much corruption, mismanagement and general anarchy in our civil services and departments. Despite the hope associated with the current PPP-led government, our leaders are still throwing away positions as rewards and ordering transfers to make way for political appointees. This cycle will continue when this government is replaced by the next, therefore, no stability or serious progress will have been made in the tenure of this government. Until and unless we start operating on the basis of merit and sound policies, rather than on personal preferences and politics, we will never achieve the reforms we so desperately need. [Daily Times]
EYESORES ON THE MALL
[Col. (Retd) R.M. Akhtar, Lahore]
I passed my B.A. in 1941. I used to cycle a distance of five miles to get to the Government College. Cycling on the Mall back then was a pleasure. The Mall was a beautiful road having two belts of lush green grass on both sides of the road, no traffic and plenty of fresh air. There were beautiful shops on either side of the road. Whenever I passed the Governor's House, I used to stop for a couple of minutes to admire the magnificent view of this palatial building with lush green lawn and a peek at the smartly turned-out guards at the gate. After a very longtime, I recently happened to pass by the Governor House again and was horrified to see large billboards at the main gate carrying pictures of Benazir, Zardari and the PM. I wonder who sold the idea of having these ugly billboards at the gates to our worthy 'Laatt Sahib'. Naming roads or buildings in Benazir's name is so meaningless. The new names do not last long - the Murree Road will always be Murree Road and never Benazir Road. A better way of paying homage to her would be to fulfill the promises she made with the nation in her lifetime. [The Nation]
BENAZIR’S MURDER PROBE
[Salman Ali, D G Khan]
UN Commission would probe Benazir sahibas’ murder which as president hoped would “lead to eventually exposing financiers, organizers, sponsors and conspirators of this terrorist act and bring them to justice”. Already more than a year has elapsed and investigations conducted by Scotland Yard investigation under specific given references-framework remained inconclusive and not pursued further.However,UN team should also take notice of the murder of one Shahanshah in 2008,madams’ special bodyguard who was with her on the day of her murder and important witness. This ought to have been probed and results brought to limelight as a public trust. Equally important links to Madam Benzir murder was the dastardly bomb blast killing dozens of people on her arrival in October,2007, and blood bath of May,2007 which also happened under the watch of MQM closest associates of Zardri-PPP and thir NRO mentor-Mushraff.Not to ignore are events in Karachi (very recent in November,2008) when around fifty people were brazenly killed in street bloodbaths under the watch of Zardari-PPP governments and its associates MQM,ANP.
What happened, why and who were responsible is equally important to come to surface?Let government in power probe all these bloodbaths including one in Islamabad in 2007 on the address of deposed CJP was to make killing dozens of people.Zardri-PPP who raised fingers on ‘ qatil league’ to destabilize ML-N in Punjab are finding it in naked political expediency to use them for establishing worst ever dictatorship of Zardari.Either Zardari-PPP accused them falsely which MLQ should sue them for 10 billions dollars for such calumnious accusation or they prove themselves as mir jaffers- mir sadiks of Punjab. Choice is their.At the same time ,Sharif Brothers should not consider themselves grnad yltimate, owners of Punjab but always needing corrections.
[Pakistan Observer]
PPP EXPULSIONS
[Fatima Siddiqui, Islamabad]
The Pakistan People’s Party has suspended the central executive committee membership of Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan and Senator Safdar Abbasi for issuing ‘harsh’ statements against its leadership (Feb 18). Should this be deemed the last nail in the coffin of the party founded by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and fostered and nurtured by Benazir Bhutto? [Dawn]
EXTRAVAGANCE
[Zainab Ali, Sahiwal]
The chief lord, Zardari, invariably chairs high-level meetings in the company of his cronies. Not only does he degrade the prime minister, he also flouts constitutional postulates by intervening in day-to-day matters to show his all power. Zardari relies on photo sessions, false propaganda, lies and deceptions spread via Governor Punjab, ANP, MQM and MMA against every constitutional norm. They are hell bent to divide and rule for Zardari and make vested hey. Zardari's three monthly trips to China are totally unreasonable in today's global village world. To miss many opportunities for the poor starving nation: meet only when really warranted if one carries good and selfless grey matter. [The Post]
DRONE ATTACKS
[Izaz Haque, United States]
Public sentiment against the PPP government is bound to jump following the announcement by US Senator Dianne Feinstein that the Pakistani government is actually collaborating with the US on drone attacks. The Zardari-led government has already lost a lot of credibility with the people because of issues like the 17th Amendment, the Charter of Democracy, restoration of judges etc. However, the government continues to speak to the people as if they are fools. President Zardari’s government needs to acknowledge that the militancy is indeed Pakistan’s problem, and not a foreign-induced rebellion. It would then be easier to sell these drone attacks to Pakistanis as a legitimate response to the militancy, and convince them that seeking American assistance with sophisticated weaponry is an advantage for Pakistan, not a liability. Without such help, the militants will continue their creep into the settled areas of Pakistan. [Daily Times]
ENEMY
[Soni M Cheenaby, Gujrat]
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)-Zardari has a few media die-hard defenders. In print, Sasha, Maha Masood and tomorrow the list will go on to Masha, Pasha, Rasha, Badsha, etc. Yet another is third class lawyer fighting the case against Sharif brothers whose maddening speeches should send him in lunatic asylum. There is also pliant judiciary in political mode bypassing every norm of justice by overruling Federal Election Commission decision accepting nominations of Sharif brothers and now taking country to the brink of disintegration suiting PPP-Zardari partners MQM, ANP, MMA nexus by likely disqualifying Sharif brothers. Unfortunately, the country is being destabilised for the PPP-Zardari rule. Already one year performance of worst ever misrule, incompetence has ruined economy and infrastructure, breached sovereignty and well being of nation. The sooner they go the better to save nation. [The Post]
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
[Tanvir Zahid, Lahore]
So, where are we heading to after all? Blunt, straight and simple answer to this pertinent query is, quite painfully, is in the negative. We are going nowhere at all as there is no direction, no moving onwards. If at all the country has any leadership, it is void of any clear vision and apparently seems to be under pressure from different sides while continuing to serve their own interests, bothering least about the national interests. Pakistan's sovereignty, security, independence and freedom are all at stake and there seems to be none around, at least for the time being, to steer the motherland out of the troubled and difficult waters. Whatever little direction, if at all, was when the present government took over. With New Delhi mounting pressure, there has not been reciprocal strong response to all the wild accusations by the Indian Government at all levels.
In doing so, New Delhi has not only kept Islamabad under some pressure but also very cleverly hushed up the burning issue of gross violations by New Delhi of the Indus Waters Treaty by stopping river Chenab water supplies. New Delhi is continuing with the construction of more and more dams as planned over rivers Chenab and Indus and as compared to this we stand nowhere as non issues have taken over precedence over the real serious issues. As if all this was not enough, now a Polish engineer is reported to have been murdered by the so-called militants and extremists, who are neither Muslims nor Pakistanis. All these are no good and positive indications at all.
Islamabad should take firm stand on all issues and problems and the co-ordination, cohesion and co-operation at the top most levels must be very visible and clear. Pakistan should also minimise its reliance and dependence on the USA and opt for self-reliance and self-dependence relying on its own people. In all fairness, it seems the national leadership is more concerned about serving own interests, closing eyes to bitter and painful ground realities, not honouring the mandate given to different parties in the last general election while the time keeps ticking past and the country and its poor people plunging deeper into the troubled waters.
The American policies have not undergone any change whatsoever with the departure of George W. Bush and induction of Barrack Obama in the White House. Such "change of policy", most unfortunately, occur only in our beloved country with the change of the leadership at the top levels. PPP's fourth government in less than four decades is about to complete its first turbulent year in power in March 2009 and its "achievements" would be recounted at some other time. Let there be light, so that the national leadership can see where we are heading to. [Business Recorder]
DEMOCRACY’S NEW MEANING
[G M Omar, Mardan]
Democracy has a found yet newer and strange meaning in Pakistan. It is democracy by lies, of lies by lies: by, of and for deceits of, by, for plunder: of, by, for; laxity, intimidation, sycophancy, turn-coating, money grubbing etc. It is of, for, by no moral or religious values but charcterlessness, wickedness, self-praise, living by exploiting Benazir name her death which remains uninvestigated and so bloodbaths of May, October, December, 2007 and of 29008.
Drones daily trample our national sovereignty. Poverty has reached ninety percent homes with no: electricity, water, ata, gas, no security, highest ever prices, taxes and only taxes plundered by state. One may sink to the lowest scruple of character, corruption, lies, deception, and pledge-breaking etc. Such persons are considered the most successful and cleverest and role model. It has become hallmark of success especially in PPP-Zardari era of worst ever, incompetent, inefficient governance. May Allah save us soonest and rid us of ‘zalims’. Amin! [Pakistan Observer]
From the National Press
PEACE RALLY
[Shoaib Khan, Islamabad]
This is with reference to the civil society peace rally held in Lahore. The rally opposed the Taliban and demanded that the government act against them. Further, participants condemned the barbaric activities of the Taliban, especially the shutting down of girls’ schools in Swat. One is heartened by such displays of solidarity with the suffering people of Swat, who are being held hostage by the Taliban and their Al Qaeda taskmasters. While many state that most Pakistanis oppose Talibanisation, there is a dearth of leadership that can highlight and bring out the people’s sentiments about this situation. Therefore, the leadership of the peace rally in Lahore deserves high praise for having the courage and the integrity to organise this event. We need more such displays to let the people in affected areas know that we understand their plight and sympathise with them; and also to let the terrorists know that they can use violence but will not dim our spirits. [Daily Times]
WHY PRIVATISATION PAYS
[M S Hasan, Karachi]
It was most ironic reading the letter “A bad petroleum policy” by Maj-Gen (r) Parvez Akmal, a former MD of the OGDC, in these columns on Jan 30. The writer had a short stint at the OGDCL and was a direct appointee of the military government of Gen Pervez Musharraf. It would be fair to say that he had no prior experience of petroleum exploration and production operations or any other aspects of the petroleum industry. The OGDCL has a history of such appointees by various governments, military and civilian alike, who had little or no technical expertise for the job. Also, the good general should explain why passing management control to a buyer who purchases 26 per cent of the firm’s shares is a ‘perfect recipe for disaster’? The Badin, Sanghar or Pothohar fields are largely owned and operated by foreign oil companies and domestic entrepreneurs, and they are working fine.
The reason why the Qadirpur gas field should be privatised is because it is not the job of the government to run business entities such as oil companies, airlines, steel mills, power plants and so on. The primary job and core responsibility of a government is to govern the state effectively and let the businesses be run by the private sector. Government-owned enterprises usually suffer from corruption, inefficiency, mismanagement, overstaffing and incompetency. The private corporate sector in Pakistan has heard enough of the nonsense about so-called ‘strategic national assets’. There is nothing strategic when it comes to raising revenue for the state. Privatisation of government-owned entities creates wealth, jobs, accelerates foreign investment, and helps bring in new technology. [The News]
MISPLACED PRIORITIES
[Jahangir Ahmed, Lahore]
Given the current state of the country, with its myriad crises, what we need is a serious reprioritisation of our goals, leading to relevant adjustments in policy and behaviour. Probably the most serious problem in Pakistan nowadays is that of internal security and law and order: suicide bombings take place almost every day, and thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives to terrorism. Further, there are major criminal elements operation in our territory, dealing in everything from smuggled cars to hoarded fuel and food.
Given this state of affairs, our security agencies, apart from devoting their main resources to countering terrorism, also need to ensure that their priorities are clear as far as stabilising Pakistan is concerned. It was, therefore, disappointing to read a flurry of statements from top police officials in Punjab, who wanted the police to step up raids against violators of the one-dish rule for weddings. This is ridiculous: what the police chiefs need to emphasise is countering murders, robberies, kidnappings and terrorism. It is sad to see that even in these troubled days, moral policing of individuals (most of whom are conducing such gatherings in their private space) is taking precedence over greater vigilance against robbers, gangs and murderers. Instead of punishing people organising weddings out of their own money and in their private space, the police, which is funded by taxpayer money, should concentrate on making people safer. I have not heard of anyone dying or losing money because of more than one dish being served at a wedding. [Daily Times]
CUTTING DEVELOPMENT EXPENDITURE
[Dr Meekal Aziz Ahmed, Virginia, US]
There has been a great deal of news lately about the drastic cuts the government is applying to development expenditures in an effort to contain the fiscal deficit as per our agreement with the IMF. This is exactly the wrong way to go about it. A cut in development spending, unless applied judiciously, with a concerted effort to protect high-priority investments, will undermine the economy's productivity and long-term growth potential. It will also exacerbate the economy's incipient slowdown.
What we should be cutting is current spending, including defence spending, both of which are wasteful and make little or no contribution to the economy. Instead, one hears about 7,000 employees being reinstated and a new expansion of the cabinet. As for defence, no one seems to want to talk about it because we are at war domestically and the Indians are rattling their sabers. In these circumstances, I suppose it would be unpatriotic to suggest our valiant defence forces make do with a little less and contribute to economic adjustment in the broader interest of the economy.
[The News]
PRIORITIES FOR THE POLICE
[Sohail Bhatti, Lahore]
It has been reported that the police in Lahore have launched a crackdown against brothels alleged to be operating in the city. This crackdown was well publicised by the police officials, as was a recent campaign against violations of the ‘one-dish’ rule at weddings. It seems that the scarce resources of the Punjab Police are being devoted to what can loosely be termed moral policing of the citizens, when the real threat to the citizens is terrorism. Terror has already sunk its claws in some parts of Punjab, such as Dera Ghazi Khan and Mianwali, where dozens have died in terrorist strikes. Given scarce resources, police officials should prioritise according to the intensity of the threat. One wonders how many of the policemen sent after one-dish violators or alleged brothers could have been better utilised in cases involving terrorism and threats to the lives of citizens. [Daily Times]
PETROL PRICE
[Tariq Junaidi, Karachi]
The petrol price, commensurating with the international market, needs to be sold at Rs39 a litre. The hard-pressed economy needs assistance, the reduction in petrol price will provide a relief with production at competitive rates. Everyone awaits an early announcement. [Dawn]
TERRIBLE INCIDENT
[Fareeha Khanum, Mardan]
This is with reference to the beheading of a Polish engineer by the Taliban. This is a shocking and disappointing incident. The government must do its utmost to catch his killers. I am amazed that some people continue to propose negotiate with these elements; how can we negotiate with criminals? The government should first establish its writ over the areas currently under the control of the Taliban (approximately 12,000 sq km!). These terrorists need to be handled with an iron fist, and crushed like the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. The beheaded engineer’s company has already left Pakistan, and no Polish company will come to our country after this terrible experience. Worse, the head of the UNHCR in Pakistan has been kidnapped in Balochistan. No country would like to invest in a country that cannot ensure law and order. Further, these are people who were helping Pakistanis in various ways. If we do not stand up against the Taliban, we will surely see more incidents like this and further isolation in the world. [Daily Times]
LIVING IN THE LAND OF THE PURE
[Tayyab Rashid, Islamabad]
When I recently returned to Pakistan after six months in Dubai, one of the first things I did was to recharge my prepaid mobile account at the airport. To my surprise, for a Rs100 prepaid card, I received credit for only Rs85 with Rs15 gone to the government. It struck me that the government was making more than the mobile phone companies just from phone card sales. The mobile phone company was responsible for providing me a service for Rs85 it had charged. The government on the other hand was not accountable to me at all, for the Rs15 I had just paid into its kitty.
The taxi driver told me that the fuel prices had not been reduced in Pakistan — in line with the one-third drop in oil prices in world markets. Here again, the government was making more money on every litre of petrol than everyone else in the supply chain. If I could see these taxes being spent by the government in a responsible manner on public good, I probably would have not felt as bad.
[The News]
LAWLESSNESS
[Abdur Rauf, Peshawar]
When a system of justice and governance is broken and the common man which has no pen in his hand, no voice, seek help from his Creator (Allah) with an aah (audible breath in sadness/gloom/trouble) against the excesses of people in power, then the Creator (Allah) send wrath upon the class responsible for gloom/sadness/grief of that common man This is what the people are confronted with today. They have totally ignored their past and put, commitment to justice, merit, patience, principles, discipline, faith and unity in a dustbin. A common man is a sacrificed cow and is being used as a stair for climbing up to the corridor of power and then thrown as a tissue paper. He is slaughtered, made to commit suicide due to his hunger and that is all. I read a column in a foreign press and learned about a painful story relating to us, it may be wrong or true. I am surprised that how a rage has gripped this nation. [The Frontier Post]
NO RESPECT FOR THE LAW
[Saim Hasan, Lahore]
Sir: An incident was recently reported where a member of the provincial parliament in Punjab got angry when a traffic warden attempted to issue a ticket to him for a traffic violation. While the traffic warden was only doing his job, the parliamentarian pulled some strings and ‘punished’ the warden for this act by having him suspended. This is disappointing, but not shocking. While we constantly ask junior officials to perform better and not indulge in corrupt practices, we ignore that there is a larger problem in Pakistan of lack of respect for laws and regulations. In this case, the parliamentarian thought that he had enough power to be above the law, and considered it a correct option to have the poor warden ‘punished’ for simply doing his job. In a more just society, this parliamentarian would have admitted to his mistake, paid the fine, and in fact would have commended the warden on doing his job regardless of who broke the law. Until and unless we can inculcate respect for law at all levels of society, especially at the top, we will never move forward toward stability and prosperity. [Daily Times]
LOANS WRITTEN OFF
[Engr. S. T. Hussain, Lahore]
According to a press report, bank loans worth Rs42.7bn have been written off in the last five years. More than Rs6.5bn was written off in small loans and Rs36bn of large loans. I would like to know as to why the names of beneficiaries have not been published? Are they the respectable politicians, industrialists and businessmen? Why are they being protected by the banks? The banks have given them the depositors’ money, so the people of Pakistan have the right to know who are those who have taken their money? It is a known fact that banks only provide loans to those who have an understanding with the banks’ high-ups, and they allegedly have a cut for providing them loans and then also help them in having these loans written off.
The Bank of Punjab’s case of Rs10bn loan made to Haris Steel Company is a well-known case in which the president of the Bank of Punjab was involved; he was allowed to escape from the country. It is the responsibility of the State Bank of Pakistan to ensure that banks are providing loans to those who are not habitually getting their loans written off. The National Accountability Bureau should investigate all the assets and property of those who have taken the loan and have been given concession by the banks. The government should set up a special commission to investigate this matter and make recommendations as to how to avoid this practice in future. [Dawn]
WHAT ABOUT THE ARMY, GOOD DOCTOR?
[Hamadullah Mangrio, Islamabad]
This is in response to an article titled "Democracy" by Dr Farrukh Saleem published in your newspaper on Feb 1. I respect Dr Saleem for what he writes and the contents of his article regarding the spending of ministers and MNAs appears to be correct. But it's not the whole picture as he has not mentioned the mammoth share that the army takes from the country's resource pie. [The News]
DAYLIGHT ROBBERY
[Hussain Siddiqui, Islamabad]
The government has taken the domestic electricity consumers for a ride. I have received the electricity bill for consuming 416 units during the month of January amounting to Rs 2,650. In comparison, I had paid almost the same amount for 565 units in January 2008. This amounts to 36% net increase in utility costs over a period of one year. In addition, I am required to pay Rs 1,527 in four installments as the government has withdrawn and re-imposed the discount allowed in October-November 2008 bills. Thus, total bill for January is Rs 3,032. Somehow, the government has allowed PEPCO/IESCO to fleece the consumers unabated. There is no relief available to the common man, contrary to government's earlier commitments. [The Nation]
WASTEFUL SPENDING
[S. Shahnawaz Shah, Canada]
The news that the NWFP governor has recently imported a helicopter for Rs500 million while the federal government has decided to buy five more at a cost of Rs5,300 million, out of which two will be earmarked especially for VVIPs, is shocking. Spending billions of rupees on the purchase of helicopters will only hurt the interest of the people. The government should reconsider the decision to buy five helicopters, and re-direct the taxpayer’s money towards more productive projects such as education and health. [Dawn]
HELICOPTERS FOR VIPS
[Bilal Habib, Washington DC]
This refers to Ansar Abassi’s story titled “Billions of rupees being spent on purchase of VIP copters” published on Jan 30. Recently the Citigroup was scorned for its plans to buy a corporate jet at $50 million for its executives because the group had also applied for a bailout package from the Congress. The US government forced the Citigroup to cancel its order subsequently and ensured that taxpayers’ money isn’t spent on lavish comforts of a few executives at a time when millions of Americans are passing through a severe financial turmoil. The question is that in the US they have members of Congress to intervene and save taxpayers’ hard-earned income, but who will do this job in Pakistan? [The News]
WASTEFUL SPENDING
[M. Ali Jawaid, Karachi]
There was a report in the media (Jan 30) that millions of rupees are being spent on purchase of helicopters for VIP duty by the NWFP government. The federal government has also ordered a few which the report says hah been ordered by the previous government. On the other hand, another news report in this pasper says: ‘Japan pledges $4.7m for polio eradication’. One wonders how we can spend millions of dollars on purchase of helicopters when the country does not have even a meagre $4.7m for children’s welfare. [Dawn]
'PROTESTING HYPOCRITES'
[Zubair Ahmed, Student at LUMS, Lahore]
This is in response to the article "Protesting hypocrites" by Hussain Dada (Jan 29). The writer has raised a good point vis-a-vis the selective protesting by civil society. An example of the students of LUMS was also shared. I would like to raise some points: civil society became very vocal on the issue of the judiciary because the aim, facts and the ground realities of the crisis were clear and were being amply covered in the media. In the case of crisis in Swat, this is unfortunately not the case. While no one supports the closure of girls' schools or the forceful imposition of religion by the Taliban, questions are often raised regarding the erstwhile military and mullah alliance.
Hence, it becomes difficult to decide as to who should be opposed: the security forces for killing innocent people and thus providing the Taliban the chance to garner recruits, or the Taliban for bombing girls' schools and imposing religion by force. Also LUMS students have protested against US drone attacks in FATA and have held a seminar on the Swat situation. [The News]
DIRTY MARKETS
[Sabiha Khanum, Peshawar]
The dismally low levels of hygiene in public places need to be addressed by the local authorities in our cities. Regardless of where one goes in Pakistan, most markets, where food items are being sold, are filthy. Often, fruits and vegetable stalls are placed just feet away from garbage dumps. Stray dogs and other animals freely roam these markets. This is a major public health hazard: these dirty markets are perfect breeding grounds for diseases. Further, the filth has the potential to contaminate food items. Last year, there were several reports from Lahore about food items being contaminated; many people fell ill due to consumption of these polluted food items. It is in the interest of the citizens, the vendors and the local government to clean up these markets. A clean up will reduce the health hazard, and will also help restore the beauty of our cities.
[Daily Times]
JAMMING SWAT'S FM
[Khalid Rashid, Rawalpindi]
I simply fail to understand as to why an illegal radio station cannot be jammed. With a full-fledged organisation like PEMRA and signal corps of our army, it is unbelievable that Mullah FM Radio cannot be jammed. I tried to look up Google and found hundreds of sites which explain jamming methods for FM radio. Some of these are at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_jamming; www.shoutcast.com/genre/jam and www.instructables.com/id/radio-jammer [The News]
POOR STATE OF HOSPITALS
[Irshad Khan, Lahore]
We are a developing country, and have different resources and priorities from other, wealthier nations of the world. However, there are some basic functions of the state that need to be performed on a priority basis regardless of constraints. These include security, healthcare, basic food rations and education. All these are in terrible shape at the moment. Recently, I had the misfortune of ending up at a public hospital’s emergency ward after suffering an accident. While thankfully I only needed a few stitches, the state of the ward was shocking. Even basic emergency equipment was short or not there at all, and the ward was overcrowded. It was also apparent that the ward was woefully under-staffed. Therefore, it is safe to assume that such wards in public hospitals are not in any position to provide good healthcare to patients. There needs to be an immediate review of this situation. The relevant ministers and authorities, instead of sitting on their hands, should get to work on improving the state of healthcare in Pakistan. [Daily Times]
CIVIC SENSE
[Rahat Siddiqi, Karachi]
One of the benchmarks for evaluating the civic sense in a society is their consideration for handicapped persons. Developed educated societies all over the world attach a lot of importance to welfare of handicapped sections of population. Special seats are allocated in public transports, airlines and railways for handicapped individuals all over the world, with few exceptions, like Pakistan. On my recent visit to one of the most prestigious 150 year old clubs located on Lahore's Upper Mall Road, I was impressed to notice space reserved for handicapped persons' cars in the parking lot located adjacent to the main entrance.
My joy was short lived when I saw a black Mercedes Benz coming to a vacant part of the parking lot reserved for handicapped persons and to my shock a dark coloured man in his early 60s, stepped out of his car, immaculately dressed in a suit with matching tie, handkerchief and all. The gentleman swiftly walked up the steps, totally oblivious of the scares of a few other members including my host, without even the barest traces of being handicapped. In a country where educated people behave worse than illiterates, it is time to reflect that there is something seriously wrong with our value system. While the club management has shown civic sense and most members of this elitist club have shown restraint and abide by rules, such behaviour by a man of means is a cause for concern.
Of late privileged members of our society consider it a measure of their stature, by violating basic civic norms, like breaking a line to get preferential treatment, bending rules as a matter of routine, as if rules are to be followed only by citizens of a lesser economic or political clout. This tendency needs to be curtailed by showing zero tolerance for those who violate them by design. These are basic values, which every religion preaches and are taught in every school, college or university. [Business Recorder]
CSR Views & News
‘GLOBAL ECONOMIC WOES NOT TO HURT CSR’
The global financial crisis is not going to hurt the work related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in the country, Telenor Pakistan CEO & President Jon Eddy Abdullah said while releasing the second annual CSR Report 2008 in Islamabad. He said the 10 per cent rise in mobile phone usage helps in achieving an increase in GDP by 1.2 per cent. “So our responsibility towards society increases manifold,” he said.
Telenor CSR head Irfan Wahab Khan said the company has invested $2 billion in the country, which generated direct and indirect employment for up to 35,000 people all over the country. “The CSR is in our DNA and we will continue to perform our responsibilities towards society,” he added. Earlier, Telenor Pakistan launched its second annual Corporate Responsibility (CR) Report 2008 in a ceremony held in Islamabad. The report presented the company’s contribution to social and economic development of society. [The News]
Private Initiative
WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
[Omair Anwer, Karachi]
Women entrepreneurs in Pakistan are emerging with flying colours, particularly in the fields of textile garments, fashion designing, handicraft, jewellery, fancy candles of international quality, handmade gift items, leather garments, etc. They are undoubtedly playing a very important role.
Our fresh business graduates have new thoughts and enthusiasm to work but they lack monetary support. It is indeed a social responsibility of our financial institutions that they provide financial support, especially to the business graduates, to enable them to be their own boss. This would definitely lessen the pressure of joblessness in society. [Dawn]
Edited and prepared by
Khalil Ahmad
Email: khalilkf@yahoo.comkhalil@asinstitute.org
FreePakistan Newsletter, among other things, is a compilation of views and news taken from the national newspapers’ print and online editions. It is not possible to mention the source of every piece of news or view made use of herein; but as a matter of policy, where possible the source is mentioned with due thanks. However, no opinion expressed here should necessarily be taken as reflecting the view of Free Pakistan Newsletter.
