The way our educational institutions are facing security
threats;students are being kept away from schools and colleges
because of these unseen threats, I fear that all these circumstaces
are compelling our young brain drain to leave the country. Our enemy
is indirectly pushing our nation into stone age in the field of
education as we have already deploreable literacy rate. What would
be our educational future? This is the main concern which our
leaders and planners need to ponder seriously. Would they think on
this prime issue? —Islamabad
PUJ observed Black Day
Shamsul Islam Naz
It is to inform you as per direction of the Pakistan Federal Union
of Journalists and decision of the Federal Executive Council - FEC,
the members of the Punjab of Journalists with the active cooperation
of the civil society, staged big protest rally to condemn the
atrocities of Gen. (Retired) Pervez Musharraf, unilateral decision
of proclamation of emergency in the country, imposing restrictions
on the media, removing the independent judges from the judiciary and
and other black laws. The media persons on this occasion vowed that
they would continue their struggle against the black laws and would
not hesitate for offering any sacrifices for the freedom of press
and civil liberties in the country. The journalists however,
regretted that despite the fact that media persons were the main
instrument for paying the way of susses for the “movement” . of
restoration of Independence of the judiciary, rule of law in the
country, but the judiciary after aching its target has not taken any
notice of the arbitrary actions of the media owners against the
newspaper employee who are still suffering innumerable problems for
want of non action of the judiciary and the case for the
implementation of the 7th wage board for newspaper employees is
still lingering on in the courts on one pretext or other since year
2000.
The PUJ reiterated the demand of implementation of the 76th wage
board award, early disposal of the cases pending in the courts since
years together and constitution of the 8th Wage Board for the
revision of the and other fringe benefits of the media persons who
are being forced to draw the wage and other benefits fixed as per
per price hike of July 1996 at minimum level.—Via email
Condemning Marijuana
Aroba Naseem
Marijuana is a drug prepared from the hemp plant.marijuna is the
subject of loud and lively moral debate these days. At one extreme
are those who see it as prime cause of moral degeneracy in our
society; at the other stand who proclaim that it unlocks the
innermost secrets of life. between these extreme positions fall the
rather mixed views of many people who see marijuana as a pleasant,
yet possibly dangerous, escape from a harsh reality.
As far as my view is concerned I highly condemn marijuana for the
most happening crimes in our society. It leads the user to act
violently, aggressively, assault, murder, rape and other dangerous
crimes. As we all know that people who use to take it are for their
personal mental and physical relaxation because as we are living in
highly complex society and everyone is bound to their
responsibilities but some are incapable to standup on their
responsibilities. The society in which we are living is now
surrounded by so many problems like unemployment, urban crimes, and
threat of war, women violation, inflation, personal relationships
and many more.
User of marijuana thinks that by taking it in he or she could easily
escape from these problems and get the mental comfort. Agree that
any drug can give mental relieve and lethargy but it is also
incapacitating the user internally. The user becomes incapable of
useful work or meaningful personal relationships. Cooperation with
other in joint activities is also hampered by the drug, because the
user becomes absorbed in private life of fantasy. Marijuana is
certainly bad because it incapacitates individual intensely.
One of the worst things about marijuana is that it is steppingstone
to more dangerous drugs like LCD and heroin which are more addictive
and harmful. To prove that how much use of marijuana and urban
crimes our related is enough to say that evidence is our knowledge.
Social scientists have now collected amass of information about our
urban areas. The statistical data reveal that the percentage of
urban user’s marijuana that is arrested for serious crimes is
significantly higher than the percentage of urban nonusers arrested.
Finally, because the sale and possession of marijuana are illegal,
those who use marijuana must obtain their supply through black
market. In times when anti marijuana laws are strongly enforces and
supply is consequently diminished, there is evidence to suggest that
users may turn to other available drugs-I want authorities to take
strict action against these drugs which are the major cause of
committing crimes in our society. So that we can promote peace with
highly alleged values.—Karachi
Criminal silence
Shah Muhammad
This refers to the editorial titled “Criminal Silence” published in
your paper on 5th November, 2009. The editorial gave the details of
some of the recent findings and “evidence of Indian involvement in
terrorist activities in Pakistan” expressed the need to know “why
our leadership and specially the Foreign Office is keeping mum over
this serious development”. It is true that there have been many
evidences of Indian and other countries’ involvement in flaming
terrorism in Pakistan. It is true that Indian arms and ammunition,
communication equipment and literature were recovered by military
authorities during clearance of Sararogha in South Waziristan. It is
also true that there are evidences of Indian hand in target killings
in Balochistan. No one in one’s sane mind can deny that. But it is
also true that Pakistani authorities have been raising this issue
and highlighting it at all available forums. Prime Minister Yusuf
Raza Gilani also discussed this issue of promoting cross border
terrorism with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their
bilateral meeting at the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Sharm
el-Sheikh in Egypt in July this year. They swore to fight
“terrorism” together. It is however ironical that after these talks
that were hailed as a step towards improved relations, Prime
Minister Singh later said that there will be no more talks unless
Islamabad acts on last year’s Mumbai attacks. The Indian attitude
towards Pakistani demands to stop promoting terrorism in Pakistan
has always been scoffed at by the Indian authorities and denied any
such charges by Pakistan.
I believe this was the reason Pakistan has always waited for
acquiring concrete evidence and irrefutable proof of Indian
involvement in promoting terrorism in Pakistan. Whenever Pakistan
found it, it was presented before the whole world to present our
case. You’d agree that in this age of global diplomacy and in view
of the geo-strategic situation of the region, it is the best that
can be done: to take up the issue with India and the World to make a
case so that India and other perpetrators may be brought under moral
and diplomatic pressure to refrain from such activities. What else
can Pakistan do? If someone thinks Pakistan should attack India on
the basis of this evidence, he should get out of his fool’s
paradise. One should at least be realistic about that. —Via email
Contradictions in politics
Muzammil H
How can those who have volunteered to serve the people by getting
the mandate in the last general elections, justify giving unto
themselves discriminatory and unconstitutional privileges from
charges so serious like corruption, willful default on bank loans,
criminal charges like murder or attempt to murder etc. People
elected these people to serve them, not to augment their business
empires through abuse of powers vested in the constitutional offices
that they hold. This abuse of power was done by the military
dictators who usurped and subverted the constitution, plundered the
nation and destroyed every institution through state organized
corruption. How do these elected and unelected men in power justify
palatial houses and villas like Belaire in Manhattan, Surrey Palace,
Park Lane Apartments, villas and apartments on Edgware Road London.
How did they manage to buy multi million dollar villas in Dubai and
payment of Pound 2 Million as settlement of divorce in London
recently by the self exiled leader from urban Sindh. The way
Pakistan’s corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, retired khakis are
buying property on Edgware Road in London, the arabs will have to
find a different place for refuge or settle to share it with their
Pakistani neighbors.
The contradiction in Pakistani politics is that people get carried
away with power and consider themselves to be kings, on whom the law
of land does not apply. Indulgence in naked abuse of power,
plundering state assets, unchecked corruption etc, renders the
elected individuals accountable for their misdeeds. Election to
office is not a license to abuse their powers in a shameful manner.
In the eyes of law, everybody is accountable before the law. In
Italy the courts have recently abolished immunity to the PM, who
faced charges of corruption. —Sukkur
