Lahore killings
Sir,
The first suicide bomb blast of 2017 which took place on Lahore’s Mall Road on February 13, claimed the lives of 16 people, including two senior police officers, and injured dozens others. The government is far from eradicating terrorism and maintaining peace. Such monstrous tragedies happen due to the failings of our leaders. Our deepest sympathies and prayers for the bereaved families to bear this irreparable loss. Balochistan strongly condemns this attack.
Mannan Samad,
Turbat.
Weapons
An open letter to Chairman POF Wah
Lt General Omar Mahmood Hayat HI(M)
Chairman POF Board,
Sir,
As members of ‘Citizens Against Weapons’, we are deeply concerned at newspaper reports about the signing of a ‘Letter of Understanding’ between the Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) and the Italian company Beretta for sale of Italian guns and pistols in Pakistan. We are already inundated with some 20 million uncontrolled weapons, leading to crime, violence, militancy and havoc; the news of the fresh import and sale of weapons is no less than a bombshell.
Has Pakistan, despite its life-threatening violence and militancy, not been able to understand the link between militancy and weapons? If the POF is mandated to manufacture weapons for the use of armed forces, how come it has assumed the role of a sales agent to promote foreign weapon-manufacturing corporates? Is the government in the business of controlling and rounding up the existing weapons or is it actively patronizing further proliferation?
We request that the POF should focus on its original mandate, which it has been performing so well over the years and not become a sales agent. We also demand that the Interior Ministry should take back its decision to lift the ban on issuing prohibited and non-prohibited bore weapons. Will the government please explain the huge gap between what it says and what it does on its war against terrorism? Sadly one gets the feeling as if we are dictated and controlled by the National Rifles Association (NRA) of the USA.
Citizens Against Weapons?
Naeem Sadiq,
@saynotoweapons,
citizensagainstweapons.wordpress.com.
Language Day
Sir,
Language is the road map of a culture. It tells you where its people come from and where they are going, Rita Mae Brown once said.
People speak according to their geographical limits. Language defines culture as well. Languages are of many kinds; but formally they are categorized as the mother (L1) and the second language (L2).
L1 is the language that a child acquires from her parents, at home or it is a very first learning language. L2 is the language acquired after L1. Nowadays, the world international language is going to be understood as L2. Any language other than the native language is L2, as a linguist once said: ‘If you speak your language, you are conservative. If you speak the other’s language, you are modern.’
February 21 is International Mother Language Day and UNESCO would have celebrated it with the theme of “Towards Sustainable Futures through Multilingual Education”. In Pakistan it is worth considering that many people hanker after L2 (in many cases Urdu) but have left their L1 behind.
Aymen Zaheer,
Via email.
TV advertisements
Sir,
Famous Urdu poet Akbar Allahabadi once wrote “Hum aisi kul kitabain qabil e zamti samajhtay hain, jin ko parh ker bachay baap ko khabti samajhtay hain” (We consider all such books to should be confiscated if after reading them children turn on their father). Had Akbar Allahabadi been alive today he would have definitely replaced the word books with advertisements on electronic media. There are times when one desperately wishes that they could be banned given the message they convey to viewers and especially children.
One such example is an advertisement in which a girl is seen making fun of her fellow student who is following the instructions of his mother who said that he was told to carry out a particular job in a certain way and in a prescribed timeframe. All the other students present laughed at the boy who is simply following his mother’s instructions. They make a joke of it. Showing this is deplorable and disrespectful and gives entirely the wrong message.
When advertising agencies develop advertisements they do not even consider whether they are championing or favourably portraying unethical practices in society. Take the case of the ad in which the bride is shown along with her dowry. Then others are simply depressing. An old couple is shown living alone in Pakistan and talking to their children over Skype, conveying that their children are living a life of luxury.
I write this in the hope that our advertising companies will keep the physiological and ethical impact of of their work in mind.
Aamir Aqil,
Lahore.
Intellectual terrorism
Sir,
A nation state cannot exist if it allows its judiciary, colleges and universities to be destroyed through manipulation and greed, a corrupt bureaucracy and political elite. In the US, an American national of Pakistani origin, who was an executive at [a major media company that has been the subject of an investigation and is linked to a major television channel], has been arrested and is facing a sentence of over 20 years of imprisonment without parole for facilitating the award of fake degrees to people of that country.
Without investing in human resources through strict state regulatory controls on the quality of education and authenticity of qualified professional specialists in science, technology, medicine, economics and the liberal arts, a nation cannot attain either economic development, nor technological self reliance, which are now essential to survive in a global economy. The manner in which medical, engineering, IT and business schools have been allowed to mushroom without thorough scrutiny of their capabilities in terms of infrastructure and expertise, amounts to conspiring against the state.
In Sindh a politically powerful medical doctor is accused of facilitating the establishment of numerous medical colleges which are involved in the mass production of substandard doctors. He has managed to evade punishment for what amounts to intellectual terrorism. The corrupt political and bureaucratic elite of this country, who seek medical treatment abroad on state expense or with black money, have no burden on their conscience.
Has anybody imagined how many innocent people are being treated by doctors from substandard colleges? How many have lost their lives or suffered permanent disabilities?
Aneela Chandio,
Sukkur.
Club elections
Sir,
Once a club for gentlemen and ladies, the Lahore club, once located opposite Governor House on Mall Road has degenerated over the years. Elections to this select club were once held annually. This tradition had continued for decades till 2014. Those were the days when membership was confined to educated and literate men and women and rules and traditions prevailed. Today the club is in the hands of controversial individuals, whose claim to fame is notoriety, controversies and scams which would have rendered them ineligible for membership in the 60s, 70s and 80s.
Irregularities and abuse of powers by successive elected executive committee over the years have destroyed this club. They went on a membership spree in a plan to ensure they were repeatedly elected. This club had a set of rules which constrained elected executives from abusing their power. Membership was offered strictly on merit and seniority counted from the date application and fee payment.
Now elections are held every three years, because the original club rules were declared amended.
Zaman,
Lahore.
Trump dilemma
Sir,
In a bizarre turn of events, on the 20th of January 2017, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th president of the United States. Under him, the question is not if damage will be done to civil liberties, environmental protection, human rights, economic stability and international relations. The real question is how much of the damage is going to be reversible? How much previous work will go to waste? Will the US become an example for other countries?
One thing we have to come to terms with is that Trump has done a tremendous job at making himself rich. But can the success of his private life translate to governmental and social prosperity?
On the campaign trail, Trump admitted that he was not looking forward to tackling the economy. In a January 2016 interview with “Good Morning America,” he offered up a bleak assessment and added that, in terms of fixing it, it’s a task he’d rather skip. “We’re in a bubble,” he said. “And, frankly, if there’s going to be a bubble popping, I hope they pop before I become president because I don’t want to inherit all this stuff. I’d rather it be the day before rather than the day after, I will tell you that.”
In a subsequent April interview with The Washington Post, Trump reiterated his doomsday view of the economy, suggesting they might be headed for a recession. But that time around, he appeared more open to the idea of being in charge of finding remedies. “I can fix it. I can fix it pretty quickly,” he said. He’ll soon have a chance to put his, or rather the nation’s money where his mouth is.
Trump was the 2016 election cycle’s most riveting and controversial figure. He initially focused his attention on immigration reform, calling for a wall to be built between Mexico and the US and demanding the deportation of 11 million undocumented immigrants. He has wavered on that last point, now promising to initially focus on criminal undocumented immigrants, but he has stuck to his guns on the wall. He later rolled out other policies and positions: a major tax code overhaul, a repeal of Obamacare, renegotiating or breaking with NAFTA, an end to hedge funds with “getting away with murder” on taxes, reforming the veterans’ administration, and imposing import tariffs as high as 35%. He plans to do all this while keeping the deficit in check, growing the economy and leaving entitlement programs like Medicare and Social Security untouched.
Those who fear Trump’s plans should find common cause with those who love them: “I’m not sure how much of what he actually says today will be his positions a year from now,” said Michael Busler, a professor of finance at Stockton University. “Take Trump seriously, but not literally,” has become a common refrain. Trump’s own campaign suggested he is playing “a part” to garner votes. The impact that the new president will have on the economy of not only the US but also the other countries involved in trade has yet to be seen.
Shabraiz Mushtaq,
Islamabad.
Student unions
Sir,
Students have played a dynamic, vibrant and vital role in the struggle for Pakistan’s independence. The Muslim Students Federation (MSF) was the first student political group in 1947. Present advisor to the prime minister on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, was an activist in the Pakistan Movement during his time studying at Islamia College, Lahore. In the 1950s and1960s, the left-leaning Marxist Democratic Students Federation (DSF) and religious right wing parties such as the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba emerged on campuses. Many veteran politicians, specifically Javed Hashmi, Ahsan Iqbal, the late Jahangir Badar, Liaquat Baloch, Khawaja Saad Rafique were among those who started their political careers from the platforms of students unions. They are still active in national politics. Unfortunately, there has been a complete ban on student unions across the country since 1984. Student groups had begun to clash violently with each other and the government at that time.
Currently, a lack of educational opportunities, jobs, and ideological differences are major issues for students. The job market is not promising for graduating students. I think the ban on student unions is unjustifiable in a democratic regime.
Mansoor Ahmed,
Faisalabad.
Women’s empowerment
Sir,
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appointed Tehmina Janjua the new foreign secretary of Pakistan. She is the first woman selected to the Foreign Office’s top post. Similarly, General Nigar Johar has become the third woman in the history of the Pakistan Army to attain the rank of major general. Furthermore, Dr Tahseen Sayed Khan, a Pakistani woman, has been appointed the new country director for Caribbean countries, the World Bank announced. The recognition of these women at the national and international levels is a great development towards women empowerment.
Unfortunately, most parts of Pakistan, particularly the rural areas endorse the worst form of discrimination against women. Women cannot vote and voice their opinions or run for public office with a fair chance of being elected. They have no land rights, which are key to economically empowering them. The practices of vani and child marriage, watta satta exchanges, the curse of dowry, honour killings and marriage to the Holy Quran have become a standing part of culture and tradition in our society. Big landlords, feudal lords, the business class and religious bigots perpetuate it.
I think women’s participation in society should not be limited. The prime minister should focus on the neglected education sector which holds the key to undoing ignorance, illiteracy and intolerance.
Mansoor Ahmed,
Faisalabad.
Save Afghans
Sir,
Afghanistan is a Saarc country and a large Islamic country. But every day tragedies and massacres unfold there. It has been reported that death toll in 2016 has broken an eight-year record.
Sanaullah Pendag,
Kech.