Business environment
Sir,
A business environment includes all components of business that can be initiated in manners of trading, manufacturing or services to earn profitability in a fair manner.
In Pakistan, business activities are performed in the retail sector, manufacturing sector, and service sector and agriculture sector in the shape of sole proprietorship, partnership, joint stock ventures, private limited company and public limited company. The agriculture sector’s contribution to GDP is approximately 2% higher than previous years. Similarly, the industrial sector’s contribution to GDP has grown to 4.8% and in the services sector, statistics show a 1.6% annual growth.
The size of business activities is advancing and increasing day by day in each sector because Pakistan is an emerging economy at this time. It is necessary that in future, entrepreneurs must have the abilities to understand a firm setup in a more structured and formal way so that business activities can be more formal as opposed to informal.
Shahjahan Jehangir,
Faisalabad.
Raheel leaving a brave legacy
Sir,
What Gen Raheel Sharif has done during his three-year term as Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff is leave a clear direction for his successors to take along his legacy in the name of “the Raheel Doctrine”. He has changed the concept of war, both at home and at our borders. A performance lesser than his would prove to be counterproductive and detrimental to the Pakistan Army’s security doctrine. The Armed Forces of the country have emerged strong against terrorists. This impression will have to be maintained at all costs. Asif Zardari’s recent meeting with John McCain and other US officials must be taken as a warning. The challenges are huge, keeping in view President Obama’s forecast that the South Asian region will remain in turmoil for at least another 10 years. Gen Raheel, if he doesn’t get an extension, will hopefully leave a leadership of his size to finish the job.
Alya Alvi,
Rawalpindi.
Seven minutes with the Saint
Sir,
Through the narrow, winding and crowded streets of Mithadar, fascinated by the colours and smells of the wholesale market, we walked with a sense of urgency and excitement. Somewhere amidst these most ordinary shops and dwellings lives the most extraordinary person of Pakistan, someone who has single handed contributed more to the cause of suffering humanity than his entire country put together. There are no distant signs or boards, and you do not discover the place till you are actually there. There are no guards, peons, or servants and the door of his office is wide open. As you enter and ask for the ‘maulana’, you are simply pointed towards the room he uses as his office. There are no questions asked as to who, what and why we want to see him. There is no secretary, no receptionist, no PA and no aide. Behind a small table, with a register and a few basic items of stationary, sat the living Saint, the messiah of the modern times. The simplicity and functionality of the man, his dress, his office, his surroundings and his approach to work is utterly demolishing for those who are used to the artificial corporate world. He has no HR managers, strategy developers or media consultants. He listens gently, understands immediately, speaks softly and decides instantly. He speaks very little. He is not philosophic in his conversation, nor does he dwell on past achievements or future plans. We thanked him for letting us come and see him. He smiled and thanked us for coming. We explained that we wanted on behalf of citizens to present to him the ‘Dr. Eqbal Ahmad Award’ for the year 2000. His first reaction was to mention his happiness on the fact that this was being done quietly, simply and without a ceremony or a seminar. He did not quite read the eloquent inscription on the plaque. He has no time for citations. Within the next few moments, he shook hands, received the plaque, and was back to answering his phone, talking about the next dispatch of ambulance, the next truck of medicine, and the next hospital in Kabul. His world of humanity knows no religious, ethnic or political boundaries. We knew we must leave. The seven minutes with the saint were a life time experience.
Naeem Sadiq,
Islamabad.
Rest in power
Sir,
Rest in power, Abdul Sattar Edhi, a man for whom the title ‘humanitarian’ is a great understatement. He was a wizard whose magic was limitless kindness, grace and humility. It’s been a deeply distressing year all over the world. His life, his example, his loss - colossal for Pakistan - reminds us that we can continue making a difference, be it one life, one moment at a time and that the greatest rewards for doing so are intangible and ineffable. They are experienced and believed in and, eventually, radiated outward. Therein, there is always hope.
Umar Riaz,
Karachi.
Achakzai’s KPK-nonsense
Sir,
The Afghanistan Times on June 29 carried an 8-column lead story with a 4-column photograph of renowned Pakistani politician Mahmood Khan Achakzai. The lead headline reads: “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belongs to Afghans: Achakzai”. This coincided with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif signing a six-month extension to the stay of 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan, who will be provided wheat and flour by Pakistan even if they are shifted to relocated refugee camps in Afghanistan. Mahmood Khan Achakzai is the main ally of Nawaz Sharif as he was the key parliamentarian who happened to be on the forefront to defend Nawaz Sharif’s government against Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri’s 126-day dharna. In return, Achakzai got numerous benefits and perks from Nawaz Sharif. His brother, nephews, and other family members have been posted on key positions in Balochistan and in the centre.
His latest interview with the Afghanistan Times has triggered the already pushed Ashraf Ghani government-led debate that whether or not Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is part of Pakistan or Afghanistan? This comes in the wake of the fresh Torkham border attacks by the Afghans, which resulted in the killing of, among others, a Pakistan Army major. The Afghan troops resorted to mortar shelling on the gate the Pakistan side is building several feet inside Pakistani territory only to check the illegal crossing by thousands of Afghans everyday who also include terrorists. If Pakhtukhwa is part of Afghanistan, then why talk of violations of the Durand Line, which formally recognizes KPK as a part of Pakistan. And if for Achakzai it is the issue of blood and races, then who knows who has whose blood and race across the width and breadth of the subcontinent?
KPK is a well recognized and historically established part of Pakistan, even before the time of British India, and there should be no question of raising this issue at a time when Pakistan is fighting the final phase of its war against terrorism.
Marya Mufty,
Lahore.
Freedom wave in Kashmir
Sir,
For many decades, the people of Kashmir are demanded their right of self-determination. The Indian army has been brutally dealing with peaceful protesters who are only rightfully demanding their right of plebiscite. Thousands of Kashmiris have sacrificed their lives in this struggle for self-determination. It is in this context that a new wind of freedom has blown across Indian-occupied Kashmir after the death of freedom fighter Burhan Fani at the hands of the Indian army. There are reports of security forces attacking hospitals and ambulances that are treating the wounded in Kashmir. This is a crime under international humanitarian law and Indian armed forces have been repeatedly accused of this crime in Kashmir.
Kashmir is an integral part of Pakistan as per its culture, religion, cast, and tradition. Quaid-e-Azam had declared Kashmir the “jugular vein of Pakistan”. Currently, Kashmir is a disputed territory whose final status must be determined by the people of Kashmir. The UNO and Human Rights Watch should take notice of the miserable situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir. The killing and murdering of innocent freedom fighters is not the solution to the long disputed Kashmir issue.
India must see the writing on the wall and resolve the Kashmir conflict.
Engr Mansoor Ahmed,
Faisalabad.
Nawaz responsible for Achakzai
Sir,
How can the government of Nawaz Sharif take any action against his closest buddy, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, who in an interview with the Afghanistan Times, tells the world that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not a part of Pakistan but part of Afghanistan? Didn’t Nawaz Sharif know of Achakzai’s stance on Afghanistan or so-called Pukhtunistan, earlier? Despite all this, Achakzai’s brother was made governor and all the facilities to rob the province were placed at his disposal. If Achakzai deserves to be held responsible, then his ‘protector’, Nawaz Sharif, certainly deserves to be held responsible as well. Achakzai must be booked for his anti-Pakistan remarks, and Afghanistan must be told that such statements should not be given lead displays. It is clearly to spit out venom against Pakistan and a case in the making to justify any future attack on Pakistan from the Afghanistan’s side.
Sardar Fauzia Saleem Niazi,
Islamabad.
Big brother needs to watch
Sir,
Few weeks back it was reported that Sindh Police would install 4,000 high-definition closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras across Karachi. These cameras will be 12megapixels each and will replace the existing 2,200 cameras.
According to DIG Administration Karachi Police Ghulam Sarwar Jamali almost half of these 2200 cameras are out of order and these cameras are of two megapixels, which cannot identify any object or person.
The current CCTV cameras are only for monitoring purposes or are used by media channels in their programs to show theft of side mirrors, mobile snatching, accidents etc.
The ‘Safe City Project’ launched in Islamabad is a very good initiative. 1800 cameras will be installed in the capital. These cameras are installed at important buildings, entry and exit points of the city, major roads, commercial centers i.e. shopping malls etc and a sizable portion of the city’s residential areas. The best thing about these cameras is that they are capable of facial recognition, and can read vehicle registration plates.
The government must also launch this safe city project in the financial hub of the country, as it will for sure minimize many criminal activities. The recent abduction of the son of the Sindh high court chief justice and killing of Amjad Sabri would have been better investigated if these high definition CCTV cameras would have been available.
Mubashir Mahmood,
Karachi.
Selling your soul
Sir,
The premium residential plots of KPK’s magnificent ‘Galiat’ hill stations have already been carved, sliced and siphoned by the rich and the powerful ruling elite. The immensely beautiful natural resorts and mountain slopes are now generously littered with plastic bottles, candy wrappers, non-degradable pampers and raw sewage of an occupationist elite. Smoke emitting Vegos and Land Cruisers destroy its serene silence with their screeches and loud music. The soul of our hill stations has been traded for private residences of a small group of influential individuals. Forests, mountains, lakes and springs are a common heritage of our future generations. They are the public property that must never be converted to private ownership.
As if all this was not enough. The KPK government came out with a plan to destroy the finest jewel in its crown – the magnificent Lake Saiful Maluk. In February 2015, the KPK government placed newspaper ads asking for proposals to build a ‘Chairlift Resort’ at Lake Saiful Maluk. Spread over 94 kanals of pristine land, the government promised a lease of 30 years – enough to completely convert this exquisite gift of nature into a huge dump of plastic bottles, empty cans, cigarette packets, wrappers, smoke, sewage, litter, and pollution of every conceivable kind.
The ad caused much drooling and delight amongst contractors and developers. There were however others who saw this as the beginning of an environmental disaster that would essentially result in this 300,000 years old lake turning into a sewage pond. Many citizens sent letters to newspapers, made Facebook pages and appealed to the PTI chairman to save the lake from becoming an ugly Disneyland. It appeared that someone understood the issue and a sane decision was made to scrap the project.
Lo and behold, one year down the road, on June 30, 2016 the newspapers were littered with a new ad, once again inviting pre-qualification of bidders for the same destructive project. This time the terms were even more lucrative - a 40-years lease instead of 30 years. The insatiable and criminal greed of a few individuals appears to override the need to preserve this exceptional gift of nature.
Saiful Maluk holds many species of blue-green algae. It is home to large brown trout, while about 26 species of vascular plants exist in the area around the lake. The splendour of Saiful Maluk is already on the decline. The increase in tourists and absence of effective environmental controls have already begun to show the signs of plunder. Wrappers, plastics and other leftovers are littered all around the lake and can be seen floating on its surface. With the implementation of the ‘chairlift’ project, tourists will now have the additional opportunity to pollute the lake by dropping litter bombs from the air.
Carbon-emitting noisy generators, obscene gas-guzzling SUVs, junk food restaurants, non-degradable plastic bottles, cement structures, security barriers and a crowd in pursuit of ‘selfies’ will define the new ambiance of the Saiful Maluk. The lake needs to be preserved in its perennial condition. On the pattern of Mount Kilimanjaro, the last 8-10 kilometres leading up to the lake must be limited to walkers only and no vehicle or equipment allowed to go beyond this point. Walking could be encouraged by improving the trail and creating rest facilities at every kilometre. Tourists must be strictly forbidden from carrying any food items or throwaways in the last two kilometres before the lake.
Lake Saiful Maluk belongs to the people of Pakistan and their future generations. Its body and soul are up for sale to the highest bidder. Contractors, bureaucrats and politicians will destroy in a few months – and forever – the splendour and serenity that has stood the test of 300,000 years. Can the people of Pakistan unite once again and force the mindless KPK government to stop its destructive attempt at corporatisation of our natural heritage. The finest respect and reverence that we can offer to the lake is to leave it alone.
Naeem Sadiq,
Islamabad.