Zainab’s murder
Sir,
It was terrible to receive the news of the six-year-old Zainab rape and murder case in Kasur, Punjab. According to non-profit Sahil, as many as 11 cases of child abuse are reported from across Pakistan, every day. This demands the immediate attention of our president, chief justice, prime minister and chief ministers besides the inspectors-general of police.
I see there are many state-paid for visits abroad of VIPs, including visits for health check-ups and treatments, luxury tours. There is spending on a fleet of expensive cars for local travel and extraordinary security measures. The country’s people, on the other hand, see that their lives are put on hold whether it is feeding their families, earning a living, schooling, medical treatment. Water and sanitation conditions across the country, education and health facilities in government institutions and hospitals and high crime rates in leading cities is proof of where their priorities lie. I think there is a great need to review our existing policies provide the public what they need.
Pakistan is facing an external debt of $85,052 million but if you saw how our rulers lived you would not believe it. We must live according to our means and national resources with simplicity and we must work for the rule of law if we wish to see peace and prosperity.
Change is only possible if the people we have elected to power realize how grave the situation is. I suggest the public also think seriously about who they vote for. A massive campaign is necessary before the elections to make audio and video recordings of local candidates on what they plan to deliver if elected as members of parliament.
Advocate Khalid Mustafa,
Islamabad.
Absar & PEMRA
Sir,
After the high court gave its verdict, PEMRA Chairman Absar Alam was removed because of irregularities in his appointment. Among other reasons cited by the court for its decision to remove the journalist with close links to our disqualified prime minister were a lack of qualifications, irregularities in recruitment and inability to perform the role of an independent regulator.
The unfortunate reality is that this PML-N government, as with their predecessors, the PPP and Musharraf, have appointed controversial cronies, some of whom have never even gone to a college or university, or possess even the basic qualifications relevant to the organization that they were supposed to manage. This has driven state-owned corporations such as the NICL, PIA, PSO, OGRA, CAA, the Punjab Bank, National Bank etc into the red. Examples of such controversial appointments are the choice of Ayaz Niazi to head NICL, Hamesh Khan as president of Punjab Bank, a Aijaz Haroon as MD of PIA etc. Compared to them Absar Alam was still qualified and competent and yet he was deemed incapable of serving as the head of PEMRA.
As long as the civil or military government’s abuse of state corporations and institutions continues as if they were spoils of war, this country’s economy will continue to go from bad to worse and once profitable organizations will be driven to bankruptcy.
Malik Tariq,
Lahore.
Illegal wedding halls
Sir,
Wedding halls and banquets have been demolished in Karachi. Thousands of people have been affected by this as they have had to scramble to arrange for another venue for their wedding or valima. Is there any department that could issue a list of legal wedding halls and banquets? Also can anyone tell us whether Convention Hall (PAF Museum), Convention Hall (Maritime Museum) and Askari Event Place are legal?
Mubashir Mahmood,
Karachi.
License to kill
Sir,
The release on bail of the sons of wealthy influential parents, Shahrukh Jatoi, Siraj Talpur, Sajjad Talpur and their servant Ghulam Murtaza Lashari, who were sentenced in the case of the murder of university student Shahzeb Khan on December 25, 2012, the day his sister was to be married, only serves to encourage other spoiled brats of rich and affluent to take the law into their own hands.
If your parents are filthy rich, can procure the services of expensive lawyers and have right connections, then this is tantamount to acquiring a license to kill, just like the federal government issues special permits to rich Arab princes to hunt the Houbara Bustard, an otherwise internationally protected species.
When the State fails to fulfill its constitutional obligations to protect the lives of its citizens and facilitates rich murderers, then this only serves to encourage other children of the rich and affluent to kill as if it were just a game. Shahrukh Jatoi and his kind roam around with prohibited weapons, openly terrorizing people, visible to the law enforcement of this country. No wonder such murders continue like the killing of Hamza Elahi on April 27, 2013, or the murder of an orphan Zain by Mustafa Kanju, a well-connected landlord and this most recent killing in Karachi’s DHA Phase 8 of Zafir etc.
It is unfortunate that this country, with almost 97% a Muslim majority population, whose founder waged a constitutional struggle for the creation of a modern democratic welfare state, where every citizen was supposed to enjoy equal rights, irrespective of their caste, creed or status, would become a nation divided on sectarian and ethnic lines and laws would be selectively applied. Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah could never have visualized that the country he created would be riddled with hypocrisy, contradictions and degeneration to the extent that even those who murder can buy their release by manipulating religion.
MT Ali,
Lahore.
RIP Aileen Soares
Sir,
This is to write about Aileen Soares, who taught math at St Joseph’s Convent High School (Daughters of the Cross) in Karachi for 56 years. She passed away last week, on January 6, 2018 at the age of 76.
Ms Soares was born on October 31, 1941 and her family is originally from Goa, India.
She matriculated and entered the profession. While she started her career in the Matric section, at one point Principal Sr Zinia Pinto asked her to come teach the girls in the Cambridge section. She took on an impossible load of teaching classes 8 to 11.
Ms Soares developed debilitating arthritis at one point, but this did not slow her down. In fact, she performed the mean feat of being able to dictate sums and theory to her classes. Any girl who would be good at drawing would be asked to make the diagrams on the board. She could barely hold her pen in her gnarled hands, but she corrected copies for all these classes each day. The piles of exercise copies, covered in their mandatory brown paper would stand in solitary columns at her sofa seat near the window in the physics lab.
She would also give after-school tuitions first at her flat opposite Saddar’s Empress Market and then in a spare classroom at the school.
She never married and she supported her brother and family throughout the years. She taught generations of young women, and boys from other schools in Karachi. In many instances she has taught three generations of one family.
In 2011 she was honoured for 50 years of service. She retired from teaching three years ago. She died at Holy Family hospital. Her funeral was held at St Patrick’s Cathedral with Archbishop Joseph Coutts performing mass on January 9 and her memorial was held at school on January 11. May her soul rest in peace.
An ex-student,
Karachi.