It is with reference to a news report in a section of the press that
the use of Potassium Carbide is seriously injurious to health in the
process to ripen mangoes and other fruits. Pakistan produces a big
amount of mangoes according to our agriculturalists. They are
exported, and are quite popular amongst the sub-continent and other
countries. However, this graph has been lowered now because of the
immense use of Potassium Carbide in order to ripen them in a small
period of time and to earn more in a short period. Fruits get three
or four days to ripen with this chemical while they take seven to
eight days in their trees for natural ripeness. Hence untrained
people tend to use Potassium Carbide in order to earn money as soon
as possible showing lack of patience and thus making those fruits
injurious to our health.
I want to draw the attention of the government towards this
life-and-death issue by making certain laws regarding the use of
this poisonous chemical and immediately ban it. —Charsadda
War on terror and economy
Moez Mobeen
Those who oppose the military operation going on in Pakistan’s North
West are often branded as being irrational. Prime Minister’s Advisor
on Finance Shaukat Tarin’s recent press conference before the
presentation of the budget in the National Assembly, in which he
presented the economic survey of Pakistan for the financial year
2008-09, is the most irrefutable, rational, fact based document
against the War on Terror. Simply put, the War on terror is eating
away Pakistan’s economy.
There are already reports about fudging of statistics suggesting
that the devastatingly low figure of 2% growth was exaggerated and
actual growth was 0.4 %. With inflation in double figures,
unemployment rising, and economy already on the life line of foreign
aid, adding the cost of military operation, feeding and clothing
millions of refugees, destruction of crops, property, market places
and schools have all but destroyed the already weak economy of
Pakistan. Not to mention, the building and maintaining of a new
cantonment in Swat, the rehabilitation and reconstruction of
destroyed towns and cities are huge future costs which will increase
with every passing day.
So we are in a cycle of steps leading to economic suicide with every
passing day the military operation continues, the cost of the
operation increases both in terms of expenses incurred on the
operation as well as the resulting damage which is casually
dismissed as “collateral”. Not to mention the human cost and pain,
which cannot be quantified, inflicted upon millions of refugees and
innocent civilians who are caught between this conflict whether they
be in war zones or urban cities. With power tariffs, petroleum
prices and power shortages increasing the economic burden on the
poor is fast becoming unbearable. Can there be a more rational case
against the self destructive war on terror being fought within the
borders of Pakistan? —Islamabad
Battle for Pakistan’s survival
Malik Tariq Ali
Pakistan today faces a crisis as severe as the 1971 debacle. We are
involved in a battle for our survival, a struggle to defend our way
of life and the legacy of our founding fathers. This is a crisis of
our own making, our collective failure, because we all stood by, as
men like Zia ul Haq, Musharraf, and their likes destroyed all state
institutions. We are paying for the sins of those, who needlessly
involved us in the 80’s Afghan war, and the country was infested by
jihadists, ammunition, drugs, ethnic and sectarian strife. While
corrupt individuals overnight became billionares, the country has
been harmed from within, by the insatiable greed of few. As a nation
we failed to rise up and voice our protest. Even today we hear on
the television many an apologist for these extremists, yet we
continue to tolerate them. No country in the world can tolerate such
people, while the nation is in a state of war, a war to defend the
legacy of Quaid e Azam, Allama Iqbal, Nishtar, Malik Barkat Ali,
Abdullah Haroon, Nawab Ismail and others. I fail to understand those
who debate whether this war is ours. It is too late now. We are in
it and there is no turning back now. The time to stand up was when
mercenary dictators held this country and its national security
hostage, so that they may prolong their illegitimate rule. Pakistan
bleeds and its sons and daughters are suffering needlessly for no
fault of theirs, while the villains and their heirs live a life of
luxury, and nobody even today wants to hold them accountable. Why
should we blame foreign elements or the Indians and Israelis, when
it were our own men who sold this country and the destiny of its
people for few billions, while they had sworn on oath to defend and
honour our constitution. —Lahore
Old record set on fire
Salim Ahmed Qureshi
The record room of Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education
Hyderabad (BISE) where old documents were kept was burnt down
recently. The fire broke out at five o’clock in the evening when
offices were closed. The fire tenders were however called who after
two hours efforts were able to finally control the fire but till
then most of the 48 years old record and freshly made passing
certificates were gutted in the mysterious fire. Unfortunately fires
in buildings containing old and important records have become a
common phenomenon. Within a period of less than two years fires has
devastated Pakistan National Shipping Corporation’s building, twice
(Sundays), and than beautiful architect of Radio Pakistan, Karachi
on 20th March (provincial holiday) and block-79 of Pakistan
Secretariat Karachi an old and very elegant edifice built somewhere
in 19th Century where Board of Revenue Sindh had established its
camp office in 1970 after break up of one-unit. In this fire
regrettably Sindh lost most of its precious historical land revenue
record.
In all cases of fires high-powered enquires were instantly ordered
but surprisingly neither enquiry reports were made public nor any
action seemingly taken against the perpetrators. In the case of BISE
also enquiry has been ordered by the Chairman, however its results
will only be known when report is brought to the public. The record
of BISE is as sensitive as any other government document therefore;
it was the responsibility of its authorities to ensure that the same
has been kept in a place protected from manmade or accidental fires
such as short circuits etc. Therefore the cause of present fire
first needs to be investigated thoroughly so as to determine whether
it was accidental or was outcome of some sabotage.
Coincidentally most of the fires have occurred on holidays when no
body is around therefore, by the time alarm bell wring most of the
precious record was already burnt. The fire in BISE building though
started on working day but the incident occurred after office hours
therefore by the time fire tenders were called and fire was
extinguished Board lost most of the old record. I request the heads
of departments falling under federal, provincial and autonomous
bodies to chart out exigency plans involving city government’s fire
fighting organization on emergency basis to meet challenge of fires
on permanent lines without losing any time. They should also ensure
that their buildings contain sufficient fire fighting equipment,
alarms connected with fire department and exits entries for the
staff as well as public. This is era of computerization therefore,
in order to face the menace of fires permanently entire record
should be computerized on war footings for safe custody. —Hyderabad
What about arrested militants?
Abdur Rauf
Ever since the start of Pakistan’s war on terror, we have been
reading news of the arrest of terrorists off and on. The number of
terrorists held must be in hundreds by now. Yet, it is not known
what became of them after having been taken into custody. Have they
been tried? Have they been killed? Have they been dumped somewhere
and forgotten? Or have they been released to continue their
terrorist activities? Only a negligible number (e.g. those involved
in the attack on Musharraf) have been punished. This is one reason
why terrorism continues unabated in Pakistan. Contrary to this,
there was a single bomb blast in Iran recently and the culprits were
caught and hanged in a public square the next day following the
blast. One can be sure that there will be no more bomb blasts of
this nature in Iran. In Pakistan the captured terrorists appear to
be dealt with leniently.
For purposes of credibility of this war on terror, I request the
authorities concerned to please apprise the public of the fate of
the held terrorists by issuing a detailed account of the outcome of
all such arrests. After all, the people of Pakistan have a right to
know what became of the captured barbarians who slaughtered their
men, disgraced their women, destroyed the education of their
children, ruined their economy, drove them out from their peaceful
homes and defamed Islam. —Peshawar
