Reducing argument to absurdity
Ambassador’s Diary
Dr Samiullah Koreshi
Monday, May 17, 2010 - In logic there is a fallacy called in Latin, if I recollect my deductive logic learnt in Inter in Aligarh Muslim University, Reducio ad absurdum which in English means reducing an argument to absurdity. I am speaking about the demand for creation of several small provinces in Pakistan. After the folly of giving Sarhad the name “Pakhtun khawa” as a province and its fall out on the demand for Hazara Suba, we have started to hear several demands for creation of smaller provinces by breaking the existing provinces. The demand for creation of Hazara is a natural reaction to adoption of ethnicity identification of a province, but it is going to absurd limits to demand creation of small provinces every where , in Punjab mostly including creation of a new Bahawalpur province. Once this trend is patronized nobody will be able to stop decimation of existing provinces- like demand for creation of three provinces in Sind, two in Baluchistan and so on so forth.
The demand for creation of several smaller provinces was “supported” by strange arguments, like claims that there are several provinces in France and Turkey. What the French call ‘Department’ is just nothing more than another name for a “district” in our system. Its head is just an administrative head of certain “department” . It is part of French administration not an “autonomous “ province with its own paraphernalia of a legislative assembly, ministers, etc . In Turkey the “villayats” are also just district administrations. I hope they will not include India as a case in support of their demand. India is practically in land mass equal to entire Europe minus Russia with a population crossing a billion mark. One should not make superficial comparisons with other countries without having knowledge about the system in that country. The real implication of making smaller autonomous provinces can be sought in the case of post-Tito Yugoslavia. Carrying the notion of autonomy to the limits of destruction of the Federation is the case of Yugoslavia.
Every where in the world persons come to politics out of personal ambitions but there the vanity of such persons knows limits and self glorification is achieved through performing laudable service to one’s people and country, which is not the case in Pakistan. Here it is a game of Byzantinian inordinate personal aggrandizement, just vanity, amassing money and personal aggrendisement. It is not so in India in majority of cases. Those in Pakistan are demanding many provinces to become governors, ministers, having ostentatious living and tours on State expense . The “Governor” of that petty province would then demand same style as that of a Pakistani Governor of a province. They wish to have large cabinets in tiny provinces, assemblies in which every member or almost every member would be a minister like in Balochistan where except one all are ministers, etc. This will be not a case of devolution of power but decimation of Pakistan and a case of reduction ad absurdum or whatever that Latin word means.
This is an occasion to compare the style of Indian politicians with Pakistani counterparts. They dress, live and behave like their commonman. I know it personally from the cases of my nearest relations in India, my wife’s family, who became governors, ministers, Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, even a President of India. . Down to earth. Here our politicians are new brand of potentates, fond of nauseating ostentatious living. Will Pakistan be able to afford these numerous new tin Gods or will it be a prescription for bankruptcy and enjoying joy rides in the corridors of power courtesy foreign charity called “aid” by international mahajans called IMF & World Bank.
There is a limit prescribed by hard common sense and an analysis of the intentions of the demands. It should be realized that if smaller provinces are made ethnicity will get a boost and the demand for a Karachi province will become irresistible. This much about unmasking the demands for new small provinces. This demand is a powder keg. While comparing style of politics of India and Pakistan one cannot omit to highlight the new face of British democracy with so many Pakistanis coming up as MPs etc and even in most important slots as is now known. It is noteworthy how easily Gordon Brown bowed out to give to Cameron . In Pakistan formation of a coalition in such a split house would not have been possible. There were no claims of we have won the people’s mandate and why should we bla, bla, bla.
A subsidiary polemic is the case of forged degrees. Perhaps the issue that a degree should be required of a Member of the Parliament is debateable. In Pakistan where even the press will support illiterate persons to become lawgivers of the country we may put it aside for the time being . Some might claim that after all Socrates was an illiterate Greek who is counted as a great philosopher and was a teacher of Plato ; well our illiterates can mass produce Socrates. May be yes may be no. Of course there is a great difference between forged degrees and dispute on their equivalent n the case of degrees of the religious schools with universities degrees.. If the dispute is on whether the degree of the Seminary is equivalent to a certain modern education nomenclature this is a separate matter. Once my friend Dr Sher Mohammed Zaman, Ph D Harvard at that time Chairman of Islamic Ideology told me that already there exists an equivalence system of equating which degree of a traditional religious institution is equivalent of what Western degree. If someone claims that his sanad is equivalent to BA etc, it can be checked whether it so recognized or not. The two cases, of forged degrees and equivalence of madrassa degree with Western style education should be separated.
The point is not holding degrees but putting up forged documents to clam a certain qualification.. This is a reflection on the character of the person manufacturing forged degree. There is a streak of unreliability in the character of a forgerer of such documents. I am surprised that it needs to undergo a legal proceeding to find out whether the degree is real or forged. Any university will immediately look at the list of its degree holders of that year and confirm or deny the claim , that such a degree was issued to so and so son of so and so, resident of such and such a place. If it is a doctorate than the title of the research thesis and year of grant of the degree would immediately confirm or reject the claim. The person would have a copy of his thesis in his possession. It is impossible for a doctorate degree holder not to have copy of that Thesis in his possession. In my student days it was my hobby to sitting in the Delhi University library to search through the published university records to know who had obtained the highest marks in the subjects I was reading for my degrees.
Primarily any university would confirm in no time unless it is an ancient matter all the details of the degree and check the authencity of the document claimed to hve ben issued by it. This does not require legal proceedings. I hope we do not reach the stage when there would be litigation whether the name the person is carrying is really his name. No time consuming trial is required to check the veracity of educational certificates. I have no idea why trials are necessary for veracity of educational certificates. Is it because court proceedings in Pakistan are very time consuming process.
The demand for creation of several smaller provinces was “supported” by strange arguments, like claims that there are several provinces in France and Turkey. What the French call ‘Department’ is just nothing more than another name for a “district” in our system. Its head is just an administrative head of certain “department” . It is part of French administration not an “autonomous “ province with its own paraphernalia of a legislative assembly, ministers, etc . In Turkey the “villayats” are also just district administrations. I hope they will not include India as a case in support of their demand. India is practically in land mass equal to entire Europe minus Russia with a population crossing a billion mark. One should not make superficial comparisons with other countries without having knowledge about the system in that country. The real implication of making smaller autonomous provinces can be sought in the case of post-Tito Yugoslavia. Carrying the notion of autonomy to the limits of destruction of the Federation is the case of Yugoslavia.
Every where in the world persons come to politics out of personal ambitions but there the vanity of such persons knows limits and self glorification is achieved through performing laudable service to one’s people and country, which is not the case in Pakistan. Here it is a game of Byzantinian inordinate personal aggrandizement, just vanity, amassing money and personal aggrendisement. It is not so in India in majority of cases. Those in Pakistan are demanding many provinces to become governors, ministers, having ostentatious living and tours on State expense . The “Governor” of that petty province would then demand same style as that of a Pakistani Governor of a province. They wish to have large cabinets in tiny provinces, assemblies in which every member or almost every member would be a minister like in Balochistan where except one all are ministers, etc. This will be not a case of devolution of power but decimation of Pakistan and a case of reduction ad absurdum or whatever that Latin word means.
This is an occasion to compare the style of Indian politicians with Pakistani counterparts. They dress, live and behave like their commonman. I know it personally from the cases of my nearest relations in India, my wife’s family, who became governors, ministers, Members of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, even a President of India. . Down to earth. Here our politicians are new brand of potentates, fond of nauseating ostentatious living. Will Pakistan be able to afford these numerous new tin Gods or will it be a prescription for bankruptcy and enjoying joy rides in the corridors of power courtesy foreign charity called “aid” by international mahajans called IMF & World Bank.
There is a limit prescribed by hard common sense and an analysis of the intentions of the demands. It should be realized that if smaller provinces are made ethnicity will get a boost and the demand for a Karachi province will become irresistible. This much about unmasking the demands for new small provinces. This demand is a powder keg. While comparing style of politics of India and Pakistan one cannot omit to highlight the new face of British democracy with so many Pakistanis coming up as MPs etc and even in most important slots as is now known. It is noteworthy how easily Gordon Brown bowed out to give to Cameron . In Pakistan formation of a coalition in such a split house would not have been possible. There were no claims of we have won the people’s mandate and why should we bla, bla, bla.
A subsidiary polemic is the case of forged degrees. Perhaps the issue that a degree should be required of a Member of the Parliament is debateable. In Pakistan where even the press will support illiterate persons to become lawgivers of the country we may put it aside for the time being . Some might claim that after all Socrates was an illiterate Greek who is counted as a great philosopher and was a teacher of Plato ; well our illiterates can mass produce Socrates. May be yes may be no. Of course there is a great difference between forged degrees and dispute on their equivalent n the case of degrees of the religious schools with universities degrees.. If the dispute is on whether the degree of the Seminary is equivalent to a certain modern education nomenclature this is a separate matter. Once my friend Dr Sher Mohammed Zaman, Ph D Harvard at that time Chairman of Islamic Ideology told me that already there exists an equivalence system of equating which degree of a traditional religious institution is equivalent of what Western degree. If someone claims that his sanad is equivalent to BA etc, it can be checked whether it so recognized or not. The two cases, of forged degrees and equivalence of madrassa degree with Western style education should be separated.
The point is not holding degrees but putting up forged documents to clam a certain qualification.. This is a reflection on the character of the person manufacturing forged degree. There is a streak of unreliability in the character of a forgerer of such documents. I am surprised that it needs to undergo a legal proceeding to find out whether the degree is real or forged. Any university will immediately look at the list of its degree holders of that year and confirm or deny the claim , that such a degree was issued to so and so son of so and so, resident of such and such a place. If it is a doctorate than the title of the research thesis and year of grant of the degree would immediately confirm or reject the claim. The person would have a copy of his thesis in his possession. It is impossible for a doctorate degree holder not to have copy of that Thesis in his possession. In my student days it was my hobby to sitting in the Delhi University library to search through the published university records to know who had obtained the highest marks in the subjects I was reading for my degrees.
Primarily any university would confirm in no time unless it is an ancient matter all the details of the degree and check the authencity of the document claimed to hve ben issued by it. This does not require legal proceedings. I hope we do not reach the stage when there would be litigation whether the name the person is carrying is really his name. No time consuming trial is required to check the veracity of educational certificates. I have no idea why trials are necessary for veracity of educational certificates. Is it because court proceedings in Pakistan are very time consuming process.
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