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Voice of People
Punjab Govt laudable decision
Sardar Ali Aman
In Pakistan, wedding ceremonies have become a show of extravagance,
wealth and power. The rich and the powerful spend millions of rupees
on mehndi, wedding and valima receptions. The middle class and the
poor, who don’t have financial means, borrow money from banks and
other sources to meet unnecessary expenditures on the wedding of their
sons and daughters. They do it to save their face in society.
According to newspapers, the Punjab government has taken a commendable
decision to enforce one-dish regulation to curb the rising trend of
ostentatious spending at wedding ceremonies. The NWFP government also
needs to emulate this decision and enforce one-dish regulation at
marriage functions.
—Chitral
Zardari’s U-turn
Dr Irfan Zafar
Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari went back on his
word about judges’ restoration in 30 days as agreed in the Murree
Declaration and went on to say that what was announced in Murree was
just a political statement and it could be interpreted in different
ways. “I am not upset that you lied to me, I am upset that from now on
I can’t believe you” (Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, German Philosopher)
—Islamabad
Rudderless leadership
A Ali
“It is a conspiracy against PPP Government”. All PPP leaders
explaining away the postponement of by-elections. PPP conspiring
against PPP. It could be best laughter for nation committing suicide
in increasing numbers every day due to unbridled profiteering and
unchecked prices by few richest. This is as evasive strategy as
resolving Judicial issues to suit new troika of PPP-MQM-Mushraff and
the fear of loosing by-elections is yet another of
flipflopping,introverted leadership. It has been exposed convincingly
by Chief Minister of N.W.F.P beyond any shadow of doubt. PPP has
proven its incapacity to govern. If they can unilaterally postpone
election, take nation for a ride; let their be new elections without
NRO to test popularity of all parties.
—Sahiwal
Endless exploitation
Abu Abdul Muez
Despite the passage of almost three months, the newly elected
government has not taken any solid measures for the resolution of
problems like poverty, price hike and law and order. However, it has
increased the miseries of the common man by raising petroleum prices
and withholding subsidies from edibles like cooking oil, rice etc at
utility stores. The only concern of the government, that too for media
coverage only, is the restoration of judges. However, it appears that
it is not sincere in resolving even this issue and is attempting to
divert public attention by exploiting it. The government is requested
to resolve the judges’ issue without further postponement besides
paying due heed to other pressing matters.
—Islamabad
Hidden scams
M K Bangash
According to several news reports, a former federal minister for
housing, associated with the MQM, allegedly doled out government
residences in Karachi to favourites. Only God knows how many other
such scams of the previous government have been hidden from the public
eye.
—Peshawar
Special scales misused
M H Solangi
It has been reported that during the last six years the government has
made numerous appointments in MP-I and MP-II, the special scales
introduced originally to bring professional expertise from the private
to the public sector organisation for enhancing their capacity. The
list disclosed in a section of the press, however, shows that 99
people so far appointed are either retired civil servants or former
military personnel having connection in the corridors of power. These
retirees are drawing salaries ranging from 0.5 to 0.7 million each, in
addition to their retirement benefits. Thus these special scales have
done nothing but burdened the national exchequer with extra billions
of rupees.
The above costly appointments are the tip of the iceberg when
corporations such as Pakistan International Airlines and banks are
included in the list of highest-paid (market based) executives. The
market-based salaries and perquisites paid to them range from Rs1.0 to
2.5 million per month each; can be matched with their counterparts
drawing in any developed country. Strangely this is the very country
where more than 50 per cent people are living below the poverty line,
which is increasing with each passing day; where even basic human
necessities such as clean drinking water and wheat flour are not
easily available; where education and health facilities are not
accessible to common man, where shortage of electricity has become a
routine. Where the countryside is infested with dacoits and
kidnappers; where hundreds of thousands of the low-paid employees were
laid off during the last eight years in the name of rightsizing and
downsizing (terms coined by the previous regime to make the agony of
removal from service palatable); where extreme poverty has forced
thousands of people to commit suicide so much so that very recently a
mother carrying two babies jumped in front of the train and got
killed.
—Karachi
