An open letter to the Pakistani youth FLOODS have become a regular feature in Pakistan. There’s a dire need to find a permanent solution to this problem. Pakistan is not the only country facing floods. Many countries of the world have been facing this problem but they have undertaken de-flooding projects and built dams. A few examples are as follows: China has built the world’s largest dam (Three Gorges Dam) on River Yangtze. On the one hand, this dam prevents catastrophic flooding and, on the other, it produces electricity for the country. When the water in this reservoir rises above a certain level, its gates are opened to discharge a smaller amount to avoid it gushing down the river with force. The Netherlands is another living example. It has constructed one of the largest dams that is a masterpiece in itself. This dam was built in response to the 1953 floods appearing off the North Sea. It protects a large part of the Netherlands from flooding. To protect London from floods, a huge mechanical barrier has been erected across the river Thames. The same goes for Venice which is also protected by a similar barrier. The US has constructed three flood-prevention structures in New Orleans. Massive steel gates and pumps have been used in its design. The main job has been done by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The whole world is constructing dams to avert floods, but to us it looks as if the whole of Pakistan will drown if we undertake construction of the Kalabagh Dam. Does this mean that we maintain the status quo and keep watching the replay of the existing situation next year too? The global warming process is having its toll. It has changed the weather patterns on this planet. What’s the guarantee that this process will not be repeated next year too? When the issue of construction of the Kalabagh dam was taken up by the last government, a hue and cry was raised by the three provinces of the country. The proposal for its construction had to be shelved. Where is the political leadership that criticised the dam? Billions of rupees spent on the preparation of the feasibility study for this dam have gone down the drain. Prime Minister Gilani has recognised the need for the construction of the Kalabagh Dam. He has mentioned that the deaths and destruction in the recent floods could have been prevented if this dam had been constructed. He also said that the government would build the Kalabagh Dam if there was political consensus over the issue. But, the question is: Who will bring about such a consensus? If all the parties can have consensus on the 18th Amendment, why can’t they agree on the construction of the Kalabagh Dam? Air Cdre (R) Azfar Khan Rawalpindi CCP should probe poultry affairs An open letter to the Pakistani youth ACCORDING to press reports, the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has punished the Pakistan Poultry Association with a fine of Rs50 million for violating the competition law that strictly prohibits cartelisation. Perhaps the CCP is not aware that the three largest companies in poultry farming have been making at least Rs10 to Rs20 million profit every day because they control the country’s poultry farming. The CCP should investigate and inform consumers about those companies and also recover the unjustified profit they have been making from them during the last few months. It is the responsibility of the CCP to inform the general public about the members of the Pakistan Poultry Association. There is no list of PPA members on their website. The CCP should also invite NGOs to work for consumers’ basic rights. S. T. Hussain Lahore Skincare programmes An open letter to the Pakistani youth IN recent years, the drumbeat for cosmetic treatment has become louder. Skincare programmes on TV channels most of the time show beauticians and dermatologists invited on TV channels. Besides, they focus on expensive cosmetic treatments, ignoring ugly and painful sores of scabies. We see dermatologist signboards and prescriptions screaming that they are cosmetologists. This is a misnomer for a dermatologist since cosmetologist means someone expert in the use of cosmetics and they are usually beauticians. My advice to my colleagues is not to disgrace their profession, and focus on the sufferings of the people instead of joining the bandwagon of cosmetology. Dr Asad Kazim Karachi Shikarpur: worst hit in history An open letter to the Pakistani youth The Shikarpur city has a population of about one million people. It is a historical city, located about 20km from the Indus River. It has been badly affected due to the severe flood from the Indus River. Hundreds of villages in the district of Shikarpur have been completely covered by floodwater causing huge loss of property, livestock, crops and lives. There is a mass migration of residents to safety. The neighbouring cities like Kandhkot, Thul, Jacobabad, Mirpur, Khanpur, Sultankot and Karampur have been badly affected and their communication with other cities through roads and railway tracks has been disconnected. People of these villages have been shifted to various relief camps in the Shikarpur city and nearby safe regions like Sukkur and Khairpur, managed by many NGOs, individuals and the government. Most of these people feel insecure even in these places, and so they are trying to move to other places that are considered safer, like Karachi and Hyderabad. It is a challenge to accommodate the large numbers of migrants in the urban, populous cities. The victims have their livestock and necessary luggage in the camps. While the camps have been arranged in local government schools, colleges and offices, they are insufficient, forcing people to live on roadsides and footpaths under the sky. They are also prone to dangers, insecurity and threats of robberies and crimes. Moreover, numerous diseases have also caused panic among the victims due to unhygienic food and water. Still many areas and cities are under the threat of flood because of the broken bank of the Indus River. The Torri bank, near Ghouspur (Kashmor), has not yet been repaired and 0.1 million cusecs of water continuously gushes out to different nearby cities and villages. The Pakistan Army is carrying out relief efforts round the clock, providing help through helicopters and boats, yet many villagers are stuck in remote areas waiting for help. It is important to stop the floodwater by repairing the broken banks to avoid more losses. The weak banks should be immediately repaired to avoid more breakages by utilising various resources and engaging departments like the engineering wing of the Pakistan Army, and experts of the irrigation department, state stakeholders in collaboration with NGOs and international organisations. Besides, special measures should be taken to relocate and move the victims to safer areas along with all necessary provisions of life in shape of shelter, food, water, medicines and protection. Mansoor ShahzadoShikarpur Bank holiday Terror babies and ugly politics BANKS observe a holiday on the first of Ramazan on account of Zakat deduction from account holders’ accounts. This was practised when bank accounts were manually maintained in ledgers and books. There was no computerised system, hence calculating and deducting Zakat from the accounts was a tedious task. In this age of information, a simple programme can be developed and run to deduct 2.5 per cent Zakat from all savings accounts which have a balance threshold required to pay Zakat. A day’s holiday can, therefore, be avoided. Waqas AhmedKarachi Many flood victims without food and shelter I would like to draw the attention of relevant authorities, especially the district management and flood relief officers, to the thousands of people being settled all around the highway that leads from Sukkur to Shikarpur. There are a number of flood relief camps in different areas where people are being provided food, medicine, drinking water and other services to some extent. On the other hand, these spontaneous settlements have been provided neither food nor medicine or any other services because the government and NGOs want to work at government-declared flood relief camps (schools and colleges) where there is found concentrated population which will show their progress. These souls are already under trauma due to displacement from their native towns and villages and do not have any information from where they can get food and shelter. It is pathetic that an authentic data base of displaced families is not available even with the District Government, so it is difficult to manage distribution of available resources, which are already limited, to the deserving people; hence there is a possibility of duplication of beneficiaries. The government should establish an authentic database system which should be easily accessible for all sectors and the registration cell at District Coordination Offices where the data will be updated about the flood-affected families location wise and all inputs will be pooled and then allocated accordingly at the respective camps. Furthermore, an information desk about the roadmap of flood relief camps ought to be set up at spontaneous settlements where people will be guided and referred to the camps. Zeeshan Shaikh Shikarpur ‘Your nikahnama, please’ I travelled from Peshawar to London on Aug 3 on a spouse visa. While going through the immigration checks at Peshawar airport I was stopped by a FIA woman officer and asked to produce my ‘nikahnama’ to prove my relationship to my wife. I was amazed by the pointless demand at that juncture. I advised the officer and her male counterpart that at any medium there hasn’t been any kind of instruction to carry this document in any capacity. The Nadra and the American gifted Pieces systems installed at all international airports are more than enough to verify any questionable concerns concerning me and my wife. However, it seemed difficult for the officers to grasp that any document, including ‘nikahnama’, could have been false or forged and only technology with a massive database they are handling could establish the truth but the officers remained adamant. I was very lucky that my flight got delayed by hours and was able to produce my 14-year-old ‘nikahnama’ from home. After this episode one thinks and questions that having the required infrastructure and technology in hand by the FIA on the expense of taxpayers, are the newer modern systems sufficiently enough when mentality is still decades apart? Maj (R) Ahmed Jan London Ramazan not for eating I am shocked to find so-called Muslims eating and drinking tea or soft drinks in many offices which I happen to visit being a freelancer. And it is all the more shocking because they do it openly in front of many people who are fasting. They feel the least ashamed about it. While watching TV also you get the impression that it is a month of eating rather than of fasting. Numerous 24-hour channels are about cooking and food alone. And all the ads they show have to do something with gastronomy. People keep thinking about food 24/7 instead of doing good deeds and adhering to religious tenets! Nawab Qureshi Karachi Pakistan cricket woes: who is to blame? After a hard-fought series against Australia, the green caps surrendered rather meekly before England’s pace machine. As expected, a fresh test batting order failed to deliver under testing circumstances. That’s not the problem really as some of these young players are keen enough and expected to pick up their game as they progress. This, of course, is possible only if they are permitted to do so and not abandoned indefinitely after a few dismal outings. The questions to ask must be put before the Pakistan Cricket Board, which undoubtedly is the principal architect of a disastrous and clearly aimless agenda. The board needs to finally come clean and explain to the masses why on earth Pakistan Cricket has been reduced to a laughing stock among the cricket playing nations and they must do so without entirely resting the blame on the lack of international cricket in Pakistan – a commonly used expression. To cite a few examples, Shahid Afridi’s shocking ball-biting incident in Australia, his fruitless and short-lived comeback to test cricket in England, disgraceful ouster of key test players like Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan when test cricket needs them the most. The PCB’s long and unmatched history of captaincy changes, its failure to address and eliminate player infighting and dressing-room politics. Its unexplained manoeuvres of leaving out potential young talent, thus depriving them of a chance to groom themselves and flourish. The team’s disturbing tendency of persistent batting failures and fielding lapses and, last but not the least, the unbending attitude of the PCB and its evidently flawed bureaucratic constitution manifested in its hopeless handling of Pakistan’s cricket issues to date. These are only some of the key factors which have nothing to do with any lack of international cricket in Pakistan. The time has come for the PCB to do some serious explaining. K. Shah Karachi Playing politics at cost of people access to rights These days the government and opposition leaders are scoring political points on the miseries of flood-affected people, instead of setting personal examples of helping the sufferers. There is a lot of blame game in the works while politicians are visiting areas which are either their constituencies or where they have their sympathisers. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) which is responsible for handling national calamities has shown dismal performance as a federal government dysfunctional agency. It should be acting as a focal point for all activities of relief with close coordination of the provincial government and NGOs which have collected donations and cash from local and foreign donors. The NDMA officials only seem to be working as an image-building organisation of the prime minister and the federal ministers by diverting the relief goods to their constituencies, instead of sending them to areas which are worst effected and where people are dying of hunger. In Punjab the Sharif brothers are not willing to work with NDMA or the federal government and only want the federal government to provide them billions of rupees in relief of the resident of Punjab. The Chief Minister of Punjab has been visiting and providing relief goods to areas in Punjab where the PML (N) has a solid vote bank. The Punjab CM has been is taking political mileage from the emergency situation and is bashing the federal government for not providing the money and not doing enough. It is an irony that once they are elected to power, these political leaders are now responsible for the welfare of all the Pakistanis, irrespective of their different political ideology or identity. When will our politicians stop acting selfishly? When will they learn that they should not show their biases when their country is faced with such a grave situation? They should not politicise at the cost of the suffering masses. Engr. S.T. HussainLahoreRemembering Jinnah Jinnah was a product of British India and emerged as a political leader from the Indian Legislative Council. He was a member of the Indian National Congress but ultimately parted ways to join the All India Muslim League. He proved himself to be an undisputed leader of the Muslims of India and in his quest for a homeland for the Muslims, he demanded a place under the Indian sun where Muslims could grow economically, politically, culturally and could freely practice their religion. There is no doubt that the achievement of political and economic independence was his primary goal. Jinnah made it quite clear that religion was not an affair of state. He believed that everyone should be at liberty to freely practice their religion. But now this religious freedom is under threat. Lack of education has led to religious intolerance and misguiding of our youth by those who have radical beliefs. It is in conflict with our concept of Pakistan and must be resisted by the Government This brings us back to the question of leadership which much like political and economic independence is lacking in our country. Our policies are largely influenced by foreign powers. Our geo-strategic location has not been used to our advantage. Our abundant resources have not been put to use. Our emphasis lies on wrong or misplaced priorities. We spend too much on defence, debt servicing, Government and non-developmental expenditure when we should be spending more on resource development, education, population planning, poverty alleviation and the development of our youth. Is there anyone to guide this nation? It is imperative to remember Sarojini Naidu’s tribute to Jinnah as a man with an austere code of public honour and private integrity. We have not seen another leader with these sterling qualities since 11th September 1948. The 3rd edition of ‘The Jinnah Anthology’ has been published by Oxford University Press. Articles and letters keep appearing in the print media on the need for “Jinnah’s Pakistan” and I would like to avail of this opportunity to request like minded citizens to propagate the ideals, principles and vision of Jinnah as a nation building exercise. The Jinnah Anthology should be translated into Urdu and made available in both languages in a much cheaper paper back edition to students of schools, colleges, universities and more importantly to public functionaries and parliamentarians. Liaquat Merchant Karachi Pollution and its ill-effects on mental health Recent studies show that air pollution may worsen a person’s mental state. It is known that air pollution causes respiratory problems. One of the important constituents of the polluted air is the particulate matter. Particulate matter causes inflammation of the respiratory tract, and this is associated with cognitive problems and depression. Substances in particulate matter, such as lead, mercury or diesel exhaust impact the neurological functioning. Poor air quality worsens the symptoms of chronic illness, leading to psychological distress. Fine particles, like PM10 (particles with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microns) can be carried deep into the lungs where they can cause inflammation and a worsening of the condition of people with heart and lung diseases. Low concentrations of sulphur dioxide can cause a decrease in lung function in asthmatics. Carbon monoxide prevents the normal transport of oxygen by the blood. This can lead to a significant reduction in the supply of oxygen to the heart, particularly in people suffering from heart diseases. Volatile organic compounds such as benzene cause chronic health effects including cancer, nervous system disorders, liver and kidney damage, reproductive disorders and birth defects. Small amounts of ambient lead can be harmful, especially to infants and young children. In addition, lead taken in by the mother can interfere with the health of the unborn child. Exposure has also been linked to impaired mental function and neurological damage in children. High level of lead in blood causes encephalopathy and death, while less level causes neuro-toxicity, renal impairment and altered cognitive functions. A study conducted in 1989 in Saddar area of Karachi, found blood lead levels in school children as high as 38 ug/dl. A blood lead level of 10 ug/dl is taken as a maximum permissible concentration. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System have determined that the polluted air can be an invisible catalyst to heart disease. Inhaling air pollution for over two hours causes a significant increase in diastolic blood pressure. Almost all the air pollutants are the result of vehicle emissions. In Karachi, transport-related emissions are significant. The local regulatory agency needs to take urgent practical steps to control the automotive air pollution. An Expert Karachi KESC: harassment alleged This is to inform the KESC management that their field staff have been harassing my household in my absence for the last two days. The reason: I could not pay my bill earlier this month because every single of the five banks and two post offices I visited on the due date were unable to accept payment because the tense situation in the city had led to staff shortages. The two post offices were not even open. Now I am being threatened that my connection will be cut off because I have not paid one month’s (repeat: one month’s) bill. They want to see a photocopy of the paid bill but no bank I have visited is willing to accept a late-payment bill. How am I to blame for this situation? I may be wrong but it seems to me that the KESC field staff is angling for a bribe. With no outstanding dues, a connection should not be cut off because one month’s bill has not been paid. As per procedure, I should receive a notice with my next bill. My KESC ID number is as follows: 1203287030117. I did not wilfully choose to not pay my bill. I am a conscientious citizen and a journalist of more than 20 years’ standing. KESC needs to keep in mind that the city was in flames and matters were beyond my or anybody else’s control. It should add the amount to my next bill, with the late-payment surcharge. The utility should show some respect to a customer who routinely pays his bills. A citizen Karachi A ‘victim’ of FPSC A candidate appearing for the CSS examinations in one way or another puts her/his entire life on hold at least for some time in the hope of becoming a part of the Central Superior Services. I appeared in the examination twice (2008 and 2009) and was successful on both occasions. In 2008, I was unable to get allocated due to the non-availability of seats. Through the news item “FPSC denies jobs to 13 women applicants” (Dawn Aug 9), I found that in 2008 the FPSC wrongly allocated men against the seats reserved for women and despite a recent order by the Supreme Court the commission has not taken any steps to undo its gross negligence. In the case of the 2009 examination, I am surprised to see that neither the government nor the parliament has taken any notice of the release of the result on June 15 this year, its subsequent recalling and altered release on June 18 which was conveniently ascribed to a ‘computer glitch’ and which shockingly effected the results of only a handful of candidates. May I remind the authorities concerned and the FPSC that this is no laughing matter! How can anyone play with the lives and careers of over 900 candidates? I would request the Chief Justice to take suo motu notice of the wrongdoings of the FPSC in both 2008 and 2009 competitive examinations. The matter should also be taken up by parliament to provide some relief to the candidates. S. Khan Lahore False data on NICs While our focus is mainly on fake degrees of the politicians, we are forgetting numerous other cases where people are either making new or renewing old National Identity Cards (NICs) with false data for various personal gains. NIC is a very serious, basic and important document. It is the basis on which all other important subsequent documents are prepared. I suggest Nadra which falls under the Federal Ministry of Interior to engage private agencies to verify the particulars mentioned in the applicants’ forms as this is a heinous crime. I hope that issuance of a new NIC or its renewal should be made more transparent and fair. Isphanyar BhandaraRawalpindi A good gesture by PHF According to press reports the other day, the prime minister, on the request of the Pakistan Hockey Federation, has announced a special grant of Rs1.2 million for six former hockey players and their families who are going through a financial crisis. The players include Olymians Afzal Manna and Zakir Hussain and international players Muhammad Irshad, Mehmood Hussain, Noor Alam (late) and Mazhar. As a matter of fact, it is something most commendable on the part of PHF President Qasim Zia for taking up a humanitarian cause when it was most needed. We have had several such examples in the past when a former sportsman or his family was in need of financial help but neither his parent department nor did the then government of Pakistan come up for any financial assistance to the sportsman at that point of time. But, this time round it is a good example set by the PHF of looking after former Pakistani players who were once a symbol and part of national sports of Pakistan but are now finding it difficult to make both ends meet. However, it is equally important that the PHF chief ensures that the grant approved is released to the former players and their families. Likewise, there must be many other former players belonging to other sports like cricket and wrestling who represented Pakistan at international level and they are now in need of financial help but they remain unattended and neglected by their respective governing bodies of sports. One hopes that while following the example of the PHF, other organisations would also do their utmost in lending due support to the former sportsmen of Pakistan. Rafat MahmoodIslamabad Help for flood-affected people Under the umbrella of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture there is a Department of Plant Protection which has an aviation division, having a fleet of Havilland Canadian DHC-2 Beaver aircraft’. These aircraft have short takeoff and landing capability. Beavers were designed for flight in rugged and remote areas which makes them ideal for operating on unconventional landing strips. The department is almost non-functional and redundant; however, all efforts are made to keep these aircraft in airworthy condition. The department does not have any rated/current (current licence, current medical and minimum three landings and takeoffs in the past 90 days) pilots to fly these aircraft; these aircraft are parked at an especially built hanger in the general aviation area at the Jinnah International Airport Karachi. These aircraft can easily be used in flood relief operations like dropping relief goods, surveying damaged crops, spraying insecticides in flood-affected areas to avoid any outbreak of epidemics, etc. I would like to ask the authorities concerned about the fate of this department and the reason why it is making a heavy burden on the national exchequer. If the department is of no use and is not performing the operations for which it was established then it should be closed down. A concerned citizen Karachi Science education in Sindh In Karachi, the Sindh government has decided to disqualify students who got B-grade in Matric exam from studying science. Consequently over 16,000 B-graders would be ineligible for inter-science education. The availability of limited seats in government colleges should not be a hurdle to study science (pre-engineering and medical) who wish to do so. Our education system has been criticised by many educationists as Lord Macaulay’s ‘clerk-producing machine’. Many students who got low grades and were considered poor students in our colonial type of education system went on to perform outstandingly in foreign educational institutions. This is the 21st century where scientific discoveries and inventions have changed stone-age strategies. Virtual universities and on-line study programmes are filling the gaps which is a blessing. Unfortunately, our education pundits are living in the monolithic age. They are barring science-aspirants which points out the inefficiencies in the system and not the students themselves. God creates everyone with different tendencies and abilities. How can a student who has engineering skills do well when he is being forced to study social sciences? What results will he or she produce? The authorities concerned are requested to either arrange evening classes for students aspiring to study science or students should be allowed to appear as private candidates in the examination. I request the authorities not to create unnecessary hurdles and not to discourage students from obtaining their desired education. Mazharuddin Karachi VIP movement and closure of shops M.M. Alam Road, Lahore, was closed the other day because one PML-N MNA allegedly wanted to have AC units installed on top of his plaza. This caused a furore amongst the shop owners who faced a day’s loss in their revenues. As shop owners at the Girja Chowk, we have to face daily barrages of the VIP movement where we are forced to close down our shops for up to nine hours a day during peak hours. This causes us a severe loss in revenues. The attitude of the city traffic police and wardens is rude, aggressive and nasty, even with female customers. Customers have to park their cars at quite a distance, face the wrath of rude wardens, and fear their cars to be lifted, before they reach a shop. At times after this strict enforcement of six to nine hours of closure, the VIPs don’t even pass through the route sometimes, making the whole exercise a pointless waste of time for the shop owners and customers. The official policy on paper states that no shop would be closed for more than five minutes for VIP movement, so a six to nine hours shutter down is a blatant exploitation of the official policy to suit the VIP’s selfish needs. Will these VIPs ever listen and take heed of the misery they cause to shop owners out there? I don’t think so. Mansour AhsanLahore No stipend after training at BBSYDP Four months earlier, I was working as a trainee for a general electrician course in the Benazir Bhutto Shaheed Youth Development Programme, at the Government Monotechnic Institute, Tando Adam. I successfully completed four months’ training, without any leaves of absence, show cause notice or any explanation call. My attendance was more than 50 percent. Ironically, the training has completed but I have not been paid a stipend, not even a single paisa. I did my training without any compensation, while I had already got my account opened at the NBP, Tando Adam. I put up my case to the authorities concerned and raised a protest that it is unjust for a poor student to be training on loans. I appeal to the provincial coordinator of BBSYDP and the Provincial Minister of Technical Education to release my four months’ stipend. Shahjahan Channa Sanghar Backward area Shikarpur city in Sindh province is rich in its age-old culture and education. Still it remains the most neglected region. Earlier, it was known as an important seat of learning. But today the quality of education is declining day by day. The Government Girls Haji Fateh Muhammad School, labelled as a High Secondary one a few days back, is not well-furnished. The boundary wall of the school is damaged and there are no proper classes for students. Why has Shikarpur been neglected as far as education is concerned? Faisal TunioShikarpur Cardiac arrest at Jinnah Terminal While waiting for my luggage at the Jinnah Terminal, Karachi on July 30, I saw a middle-aged gentleman standing beside me collapse suddenly. I examined him, and found no breathing or pulse. I started cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) with chest compression. Someone joined me and started mouth to mouth resuscitation. I asked for a defibrillator and emergency kit from the airport staff around me. But it appeared that nobody had any idea what I was asking for or where to look for the kit at the airport. We continued doing the CPR, without a pause. Two emergency kits were provided, which had nothing but injections of painkillers, lasix and analgesic tablets. All were useless for the patient. After a continuous 20-minute effort, a defibrillator arrived, which was attached and the analysis showed that electric shock was required; it was given and CPR continued. There was an immediate need for a breathing tube and an oxygen delivery system. I was shocked to see the status of the oxygen cylinder which was broken and in a non-functional condition. In addition, the bag mask device was broken; a small intravenous canula was retrieved from the bag, which was insufficient for fluid delivery. We had to transfer the victim to a nearby hospital without oxygen and breathing tube with a very meagre chance of survival. The Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah Airport is the biggest and the busiest airport of Pakistan. All travellers pay heavy airport tax to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), wh
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