The former ambassador B.A. Malik (NewsPost 16 October 2009) while
enumerating certain serious issues for a meaningful discourse and
not cosmetic response has, should I say, conveniently overlooked
certain obvious questions. As the ex-ambassador is a great advocate
of democracy and the rule of law, may I ask him to add the following
also to his list:- Should the politicians be allowed to keep
plundering the national wealth making them billionaires overnight?
Should Parliament give Charta Blanca to such politicians through the
NROs? Should the democratic rulers be only from the hereditary party
leadership? Should merit be trampled over consideration for party
affiliations? The list can be long but for the time being the above
could suffice.—Rawalpindi
Hakimullah’s terror tactics
Danish Fikri
In the last 13 days acts of terror one concludes that Hakimullah’s
terror tactic is different from that of Baitullah who did not resort
to attacking the children, the families, and women – and probably
his death in drone attack was its consequence. Perhaps he had told
his patrons his limits.
Unlike him, Hakimullah has accepted to stoop so low to even
targeting children, minor students, innocent people including women
and families of law enforcement agencies’ personnel. A warning is
said to be issued in this regard, according to which the ruthless
Hakimullah is going to target school children and family apartments
in big cities. It is feared that he may hijack school children’s
buses or conduct kidnaps or make hostage school buildings. Earlier
investigations reveal that the Thursday’s double suicide bombing in
Peshawar was actually aimed to target the 1,500 residential family
apartments in Riaz Colony where the family of JCOs are housed, which
the security guard’s timely firing averted.
Secondly, the trend of introducing burqa-wearing male suicide
bombers is another tactic, which is aimed at creating an impression
that their war is so sacred that even the women are out to sacrifice
their life.
As the operation in Waziristan has probably started, the siege may
contain the outflow of terrorists, but the death squads which the
Hakimullah-led groups might have already dispatched to the big
cities must be followed and intercepted through highly effective
civil administration, police and CID with the help of people’s
support. We as a nation will have to give strong message to
Hakimullah and his accomplices that whatever the cost we pay, we
will pay – but we will not let you and your patrons play with our
lives anymore. At the same time, the government must ask the
Americans if you are the partner in war against terror, provide us
all required assistance for eliminating the terrorists. —Peshawar
Tread carefully
Dr Farooq Adil
One agrees to the contents of the letter written by Eschmall Sardar
from Peshawar published in Pakistan Observer on October 12. Why the
TTP wants Pakistan Army get provoked over the attack on GHQ, blasts
in Peshawar and elsewhere and react in haste by launching an
all-encompassing operation in Waziristan is a question invites
careful response? The fact that Dr Osman, the main culprit and
mastermind arrested during the daring commando action on the
building the terrorist were hiding in keeping a number of people
hostage, has links with the Indian intelligence agency as was
established in the findings of Lahore police after the attack on Sri
Lankan cricket team, leads to conclude that the TTP claim could be a
cover and that RAW-RAAM are behind Baitullah group now led by what
they call the ruthless Hakimullah Mehsud.
But I would partially differ with Eschmall Sardar that the GHQ
attack was a provocative act, rather it is a pre-emptive action of
the weak to send the military a message that the Hakimullah-led TTP
is as strong as was under Baitullah Mehsud and that the infighting
which claimed a number of top Baituallh commanders’ life has not
weakened the group. The weaker always pre-empts and Hakimullah might
be under pressure from the hands behind to assert his authority, and
show that he has the capacity to resist. Secondly, with these acts
of terror, Hakimullah might have been plotting to get the military
action delayed so as to gain enough time to regroup and reassert.
But it seems that the army would not give him time to regroup as the
reports suggest that all is set for the operation Rah-e-Nijat, which
can start any time. However, there could be a possibility to engage
the army in Waziristan for a long time, like the Fazlullah group had
conceived in Swat.
There seems to be a third possibility that the Baitullah group,
fearing the military operation would have a Swat-like lethal and
fatal effect – because this time the operation would be decisive,
ruthless and all-encompassing unlike the half-done operations in the
past, which gave TTP way to betray the agreements – they have
changed the strategy to come out of their strongholds and spread in
the populated areas of big cities in Punjab, Sindh, NWFP and
Balochistan and conduct acts of terror like they did in Pindi,
Peshawar and Shangla consecutively. Given the RAW and Northern
Alliance factors behind, there could be a possibility that the enemy
countries would like to open fronts in Balochistan and the Northern
Areas. Already India has conspicuously deployed modern war planes
along Pakistan border and is igniting trouble along the Punjab
border. It is advisable for the army to take the situation in
consideration and tread carefully while launching an all-out
operation in Waziristan. —Via email
Human resources development
Syed Ejaz
Why some students at Matric or O’ level achieve high grades while
others don’t? The teacher teaches everyone with attention but the
result differs. It is not very complicated to understand. Since all
the subjects are in English, therefore students who have good
reading/writing comprehension level are high achievers.
Comprehension level is developed due to excessive reading habits.
Once a child develops speaking and reading skills, he can improve
his writing. At primary level, whether it is Missionary School or
Elite School or (Cadet College boarding/ residential School)
education is comparatively better, reason they provide better
environment to the students to develop their language skills. The
teachers hired in these schools are very carefully selected and
constantly groomed up with workshops and in-service training.
Whereas in most of the so-called Private English Medium Schools
opened in small residential areas, they just hire ordinary graduates
at primary level - who have studied English as a compulsory subject.
These primary teachers without proper in-service training are a
great hindrance in developing language skills. Once these students
reach middle level, grammar exercises are excessively repeated,
result is language classes become monotonous and boring. Secondly
they are made to learn even essays and paragraphs. Teachers write
their notes and these students qualify Matric with A-Grades. Thanks
to the coaching centers in every city of Pakistan. It is hardly
developed through Rote learning. This is how we are churning out
graduates in our colleges. No wonder these days O’level is becoming
more popular in our country. But everyone can’t afford it. So
government should develop school teaching with sincerity and
honesty.—Karachi
Plots for bureaucrats
Malik Tariq
The news that CDA is planning to allocate 2 more plots each in
Islamabad, to the recently promoted senior bureaucrats in Grade 22
is very disturbing. What have these paid civil servants done to
qualify for the largesse from a nation that cannot feeds its teeming
millions, nor provide them education, health or even clean drinking
water. This tradition of seeking plots and State agricultural land
by the civil and khaki bureaucracy and few within our ruling
political elite must stop, because it is a bad legacy from Colonial
Raj, which doled these favors to win loyalty of the natives to
prolong their rule.
When water is forced to flow from a lower level to a higher
elevation it is against the laws of science and nature. For the past
over 55 years this country’s resources have been over stretched for
the welfare of its paid civil and military servants and an elite
minority, while the vast majority has been ignored. The elitist
culture which justifies subsidizing of Golf clubs and Polo grounds
has damaged this country immensely. State land is being allocated
for private hospitals which are beyond the reach of even the lower
middle class. Most of our problems stem from the deep rooted
corruption and red tape that prevails within our bureaucracy. It is
because of the incompetence and lack of integrity and commitment of
the few elitist members of senior bureaucracy that the nation has
suffered. They lack the vision and sense of honor to serve the
people. Today we face the menace of extremism, because the masses
have been ignored. The system that gave priority to provision of
subsidised education and health to the general population in the 50s
and early 60s has been replaced, because of the vested interests of
the establishment. Instead of state subsidized schools, colleges and
hospitals, the people now look up to Madaris and dispensaries run by
them to seek some sort of education and basic health assistance for
their children. State and Railway owned schools were handed over to
the private sector, which reaped a bonanza of profits by making
education a lucrative business, beyond reach of the vast majority.
It is time that the State of Pakistan becomes a democratic welfare
State envisioned by its founding fathers, where the paid servants
serve the people instead of behaving like arrogant masters, living
in reclusive posh societies whilst all their children get foreign
scholarships that should have been given on merit. Remember that
Pakistan’s sole Nobel Laureate was a product of State subsided
schools. This system has become an impediment for exploiting the
real talent in our small towns and rural villages, that the system
has chosen to ignore. Pakistan has suffered because of such policies
and we are paying the price today for the sins of our establishment.
—Lahore
