Active Visitors: 197 Total Hits: 3 Since June, 2007
Voice of People
At the mercy of market forces
Dr Aman Khan
The present conditions of the country may be characterised as ‘out
of control’. This applies especially to prices of commodities.
Prices have doubled and tripled in some cases during the last four
months yet what has happened during the last four months? Everybody
says that it is due to the rise in petroleum prices. But we are not
paying double or triple amount at the petrol pump.
It is really an excuse that everybody is using to make more profit
from the uncontrolled situation in the country. There is nobody to
stop them. It seems as if a bunch of naïve is running the
government. None of them seem to have the experience or the
knowledge of how to control the market. They have left it to fate to
let the market forces (supply and demand) remain in imbalance,
leaving it to some very corrupt people involved in making money for
themselves. They are creating artificial shortages of most
commodities and the government has not been able to pinpoint them.
We often read statements from various ministers that they will soon
do something but very little has been done.
Market forces cannot be stable with such a corrupt environment. As
against the rise in prices in daily necessities, the salaries of the
common working people have increased nominally. The cold attitude of
‘doing nothing’ cannot last longer. The government must take charge
and control the rising prices. All commodity dealers and service
providers should be asked to roll back the increases in prices to
what were four months ago. We cannot trust the market forces or the
conscience of the businessmen in Pakistan to consider the plight of
working men. Trade in commodities may be suspended for a while
(following India’s example) to control prices. The government has to
be tough with hoarders and profiteers now before it gets too late
for the working men who are being punished for no fault of theirs.
—Lahore
Judicial training
Hashim Abro
An independent judiciary is the last hope of a fragmented society.
The Judicial officers are being trained on modern lines both in and
abroad, with latest global technologies to help them respond
effectively to the social needs and adapt themselves to the changing
ways of dispensing justice. In this background, a couple of months
back, judges of district judiciary from all the four provinces and
Northern Areas were sent for training in the US and now another
batch of the district judiciary judges along with the DG FJA is in
Bahrain for training in collaboration with the US department of
Commerce and the third batch is on the toes for intensive judicial
training of three weeks which will be held at Halifax Canada.
I would like to request the Honourable Federal Minister for Law,
Justice and Human Rights Mr.Farook H.Naek to think of ways in which
securing justice becomes easier, faster and cheaper for the people
of Pakistan.
—Islamabad
Double-edged sword
Dr Ghayur Ayub
Mr Nawaz Sharif wants to table a resolution to restore the sacked
judges; a move supported by the lawyers and a segment of the public.
Asif Zardari wants to restore them through constitutional amendment;
a move supported by the presidency and another segment of the
public. Asif’s move is like a doubled edge sword.
If he succeeds, it will hit Nawaz. If he fails it will hit him back.
But there is a catch; the hit will make NS a public hero. On the
other hand, a similar hit will make AZ face a revolt within his
party. Meanwhile, the move will open a floodgate for massive horse
trading repeating the ugly and unhealthy past history of democracy
in Pakistan.
—London
Repeal controversial law
Samera Khan
The steps being taken by new government regarding press freedom are
a welcome development yet there is a lot to be done to end the
injustices people of Pakistan are confronting for the last so many
decades. We have many discriminatory laws in our statue book that
needs to be reviewed and should be amended or repealed to protect
and safeguard the rights of citizen especially the oppressed
segments of the society.
The faulty Articles 46-A & 164 of Qanoon-e-Shahadat Order, 1984,
should be discussed in the parliament and a bill must be presented
in the parliament to remove its flaws. Tape-recorded conversations
inclusive of privileged relating to private, personal matters such
as between the husband-wife, lawyer-client, doctor-patient or
relatives etc., should not be made admissible in evidence, under the
Law of Evidence.
The legal experts, after analyzing the misuse of the lacuna in the
law have rightly demanded that the private, commercial or
professional conversations between the parties, if recorded by
electronic devices or tape recorder, should not be used as
incriminating evidence against each other, so that conversations
which are privileged, stand protected from the blackmailers, etc.
At present, number of cases with the help of parodics, camera tricks
and various electronic devices including the computer, taped
conversations, are tampered with for the purpose of blackmailing and
such cases are pending before various courts in Pakistan.Keeping
public interest supreme, new government ought to abolish these
faulty laws on priority basis.
—Islamabad
Advancing clocks
Dr Irfan Zafar
Government has decided to advance the clocks by one hour starting
from June 1st. Having failed to advance since 60 years of our
existance, advancing clocks is a noble idea to makeup for the lost
time.
—Islamabad
Moving in right direction?
Mir Tabassum Mairaj
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a
German writer. George Eliot called him “Germany’s greatest man of
letters… and the last true polymath to walk the earth.”[2] Goethe’s
works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, theology,
humanism, and science. Goethe is the originator of the concept of
Weltliteratur (“world literature”), having taken great interest in
the literatures of England, France, Italy, classical Greece, Persia,
Arabic literature, amongst others. Goethe’s influence spread across
Europe, and for the next century his works were a major source of
inspiration in music, drama, poetry and philosophy. Goethe is
considered by many to be the most important writer in the German
language and one of the most important thinkers in Western culture
as well. Early in his career, however, he wondered whether painting
might not be his true vocation; late in his life, he expressed the
expectation that he would ultimately be remembered above all for his
work in optics.
Once he said,”The greatest thing in this world is not so much where
we stand as in what direction we are moving.” This reminds me the
fateful day of 12th October 1999, when General Musharraf took over
the reins of Islamic republic to set the direction right. How far he
succeeded in his mission is not quantifiable as it is said that
there appears to be a lot of ‘U’ turns in his period. However,
question arises what present day democrats and champions of
democracy are doing to solve the issues of public importance.
—Islamabad
