Leaders without vision
Sir,
It is time that the people of Pakistan, political parties, intelligentsia, establishment and the civil society of this unfortunate country do some soul searching as to why none of our paid or elected public office holders do not emulate the life and ethics of leaders like Jinnah, Iqbal etc., and instead chose to lead lives of tyrannical mogul princes. The palatial houses, islands of gated housing colonies, and allotments of lands and titles by occupying Raj were to reward those who willingly collaborated with colonialists to prolong their occupation, because no such scheme existed within the UK where public office holders were to serve as servants of the state. After all, if reports about General Raheel choosing to surrender a prime real estate plot worth several millions allotted to him in Islamabad are true, then it is fair to assume that his conscience did not allow him to benefit from this abuse of power, which others have been doing under the garb of much abused welfare schemes.
There has to be something drastically wrong and sickening with the mindset of those who would like to live in houses spread over 700 kanals or acres, pay minimal taxes and consider themselves worthy of tax amnesty schemes, and yet suitable to represent millions living below the poverty line, without any hope of getting free education, health, housing or even security of life, while their leaders lead opulent lifestyles at taxpayers’ money. Can any paid or elected public office holder of this country justify performing Umrah and Hajj on state expense in a country where millions cannot afford two meals a day nor have clean drinking water. Ruthless accountability is as much an Islamic concept as it is a democratic necessity, because without it, no system of governance can function and deliver.
Ali Malik Tariq,
Lahore.
US-Iran diplomacy
Sir,
Public diplomacy may be defined as engagement with a foreign public and changing your approach as a result, in support of a country’s national interest. US public diplomacy includes promoting US values, explaining US policies, supporting and facilitating US exports and entrepreneurship and facilitating and promoting US higher education and exchange programmes. In order to have a better understanding of the American culture, values and society, programmes like flagship exchange and international visitor leadership programmes invite doctors, urban planners, artists, journalists and others to build valuable professional skills. In case when there is no physical presence, social media is very useful. Talking about US efforts for public diplomacy towards Iran, the Virtual Embassy Tehran website and Farsi language social media platforms, which include Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, have been established by the US in Iran. These steps have been taken by the US in order to counter the negative image of the country’s policies and strategies inside Iran. In the 30 years since the Iranian hostage crisis, Iranians have grown with the unawareness of diplomatic relations. In order to have effective public diplomacy towards Iran, the US administration has employed a variety of efforts to help break the stage of dispute. In 2006, in an attempt to refine and devise policies including public diplomacy, the Bush administration established the State Department’s Office of Iranian Affairs. In 2011, the US Department of State announced publicly the Virtual Embassy Tehran, an online hub specifically designed to increase communication with Iranian citizens.
As Iran lacks powerful allies in the region and has strained relationships with Persian Gulf states as a result of territorial disputes, the country has found itself surrounded by dominant powers in the Middle East such as US-backed Saudi Arabia, Israel and Afghanistan. Under these circumstances, Iran needs to go for diplomatic relations instead of an aggressive attitude. In order to have an effective and formal diplomatic relationship, the US needs to understand the dynamics of Iran’s domestic policies and the Iranian public.
Maryam Malik,
Lahore.
Controversial political appointments
Sir,
Every government in the developed world, democratic or otherwise, appoints top qualified specialists in their relevant fields to help them achieve results and objectives that a mediocre bureaucracy is incapable of.
President Reagan, a successful elected political president, knowing his own limited knowledge, education and capacity, achieved results using his discretion for political appointments by choosing the best available qualified talent with no conflicts of interest in the US and left it to them to make policy decisions and evolve strategies to be implemented by an ‘average intellect’ government-employed bureaucracy. Unfortunately in Pakistan, successive governments over the past four decades have been abusing their executive powers to make the worst choice of cronies to head state-owned enterprises, and in the process, have destroyed them.
The unfortunate tragic reality is that these political public office holders have no problem in making right choice of men to run their own business empires, which have expanded, while SOEs are being destroyed. Pakistan is neither Afghanistan, nor Somalia or Rwanda, with an abundance of best-qualified individuals in almost every field.
Men like Musharraf, Zardari and Nawaz have benefited from vast opportunities offered by Pakistan, but unfortunately they have not paid back to this country that which they had taken an oath to deliver.
Aneela Chandio,
Sukkur.
Boggling the mind
Sir,
The Pakistan hockey team has not played well in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. However, these matches must have provided much needed experience for our players. It’s no secret that our hockey team has been struggling for many years.
Despite numerous steps taken by the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the national game has suffered a lot. It is because on a grass root level, not too many efforts have been made. Hockey is a game of 70 minutes and it can become popular in Pakistan just like cricket.
If the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) made a grand plan and was run by credible professionals, it will not take much to excel on the hockey field at an international level.
Recently, the PHF announced that the hockey team would not be sent to England in June to feature in the Champions Trophy (six team event) even after getting lucky following the Dutch team’s withdrawal from the tournament. The PHF said that we are not sending the team, as we want to concentrate on the World Cup.
Pakistan’s most successful hockey captain, Olympian Islahuddin Siddiqui, was right in saying, “It is so strange to send the boys to Malaysia for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, which is to be played before the Champions Trophy. Won’t going there disturb the players’ concentration and preparation for the World Cup? It is mind boggling really.”
Playing against tough teams in the Champions Trophy would have provided excellent practice for the men in green, but the PHF’s decisions are such that they make sense to them alone.
Mubashir Mahmood,
Karachi.
Time for accountability
Sir,
I highly appreciate the actions of the COAS with regards to his immediate action on accountability. He kept his promise a day ago and sacked 12 military officers from their jobs due to involvement in corruption. Charity must start from home and the COAS’ action showed that he is serious about accountability. I think it’s the right time for all institutions from political, military to civil society to take action against those who are responsible for corruption. Across the board accountability of each and every organisation/institution from military to civil society is a must. The question must also be asked as to why NGOs are out of the accountability system. I also think their is a need for accountability of the judiciary so that people know what and where went wrong when the judiciary was deciding major cases of public interest. Politicians are currently on the run due to selective accountability. The government must start from its own house and make cabinet members accountable for not only their financial issues but also delivery of their services. In Pakistan, the poor is becoming poorer by the day, education is in shambles, health is deteriorating, no safe drinking water can be found and no proper sanitation exists, then the question arises as to where is the country’s wealth going.
Aijaz Ali Khuwaja,
Karachi.
Dangerous health risk
Sir,
According to a major study research, high blood pressure, smoking and alcohol abuse are the most dangerous health risks in the world. Nearly 20 million people die from these dangerous health risks each year. More than nine million people die as a result of blood pressure. The death toll from smoking was recorded at 6.3 million, while 4.9 million deaths occurred due to alcohol abuse. Mostly, these diseases can be found in Eastern Europe, Latin America, Southern Asia and Southern sub-Sahara Africa. Since 1990, these dangerous health risks have become a burden on the people.
Sana Khan,
Kech.
World celebrates Earth Day
Sir,
April 22 is the day when ‘Earth Day’ is commemorated across the world with a sense of concern and enthusiasm. This important day aims at encouraging people across the globe to be more environmental friendly. It is interesting to know that the very first event for Earth Day, which was held in America, nearly five decades ago, following a devastating oil spill, is credited as the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Since its launch, Earth Day has been supported by an array of famous faces, including Hollywood stars Leonardo Di Caprio and Emma Watson.
In 1990, the Earth Day celebrations went global, with 200 million people in 141 countries celebrating it, according to the Earth Day Network. Currently, this day is coordinated globally by the non-profit Earth Day Network, which describes it as ‘the largest secular holiday in the world’. A historic meeting took place on April 22, 2016, as 155 countries committed to sign the Paris Agreement on climate change at the headquarters of the United Nations (UN) in New York. The agreement was approved by the 196 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention of the Climate Change (UNFCCC) in COP21 in Paris on December 12, 2015. In the agreement, all countries pledged to work to limit the temperature rise overall below 2 degrees Celsius, but are aiming to achieve a temperature rise below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
This year’s Earth Day coincided with the ceremony of the signing of the Paris Agreement on climate change. As elsewhere in the world, Earth Day was also commemorated in Pakistan. Government/national and international non-government organizations (NGOs), civil society organizations, educational institutions and social forums across the country are organizing seminars and workshops to highlight the significance of the day.
One important activity undertaken on this important day this year was launch of tree plantation drives at a number of schools, colleges and universities. This was done with the specific intent of promoting environmental awareness among students. WWF-Pakistan took the lead in implementing this vital initiative. Undeniably, the world environment is facing massive degradation. Drastic climate change across the globe has become a major source of concern for the world. It is causing destruction of unimaginable magnitude. Time has come for the entire world to appreciate the gravity of this critical problem that is growing by the day, and make concerted efforts to deal with it effectively.
M Fazal Elahi,
Islamabad.
Impact of technology
Sir,
When we look around us, we are encircled by technology. Obviously, the technology that we have nowadays was not available for previous generations. The technology is extremely dynamic, the things that seem impossible today may be possible for future generations. If we go back a century, no one would have even imagined that people can fly thousands of miles in a few hours. Technology has completely changed our lives. We have the luxury of calling our friends living thousands of miles away, we have everything for our entertainment, TV, internet etc. Medical science is evolved and thousands of incurable diseases can now be treated successfully. Similarly, war technology has produced lethal weapons that can destroy a complete city in a matter of minutes.
The impact of technology on our lives has determined our standard of living. Today, multinational companies make billions in profits just by offering innovative products and services, which make our lives easier. Soon these products become our necessities and society considers them a benchmark for the status quo.
Technology has various benefits, but there is nothing in this world that has not its darker side. Technology has made our lives easier, but at the same time it has resulted in various disadvantages. Technology has made us unsocial, everyone is busy in their own lives and no one has the time for others. Our generation is a ‘mobile-freak generation’, who has thousands of friends on their twitter and Facebook IDs, but does not know when they talked with their parents. Lack of physical interaction with people has made them introverts, who are unable to deal with pressure. Similarly, technology has empowered countries with atomic powers. Everyone knows what happened with Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the aftereffects of that tragic event are still seen there.
To conclude all this, technology has empowered us, has changed our lives and our standard, but not everything has been positive, and we need to try our best to minimize the negatives and maximize the positives.
Iran Azam,
Karachi.
Cricket suffers
Sir,
Activities of terrorists continue to push Pakistan into cricket purgatory. In the latest such development, security concerns have meant that the West Indies team has declined to play a Twenty20 international series in the country.
This is not the first time that a cricket team has declined to play in Pakistan for security reasons. It all started with the attack in March of 2009 on the Sri Lankan cricket team in Pakistan, in which six members of the team were injured. Due to this attack, almost all teams have been hesitant to visit the country to play international cricket.
The national team has been forced to play its homes series at neutral venues in UAE, New Zealand and England. Immediately after the attack on the Sri Lankan team, the New Zealand team cancelled its tour to Pakistan in 2010.
Soon after, the Australian cricket team withdrew from a tour of Pakistan after a spate of bombings. In the same year, the Indian cricket team also cancelled a visit to Pakistan.
After the attack on the Sri Lankan team in 2009, many teams have refused to tour Pakistan for international matches. Not only India, Australia and New Zealand, but Bangladesh also refused to play a bilateral cricket series in 2012.
When the Zimbabwe team visited Pakistan to play international matches in May, 2015, we realized that the guest team will increase the scope of inviting more teams, but once again due to terrorist activities we are continuously pushed into cricket exile, and Pakistan has been given the title of “not to be visited” by many international cricket teams.
Due to the latest bombing in Lahore, the Afghanistan men’s and the Kenyan women’s cricket teams cancelled tours of Pakistan. Despite repeated assurances and invitations by the PCB, all top teams have consistently refused to visit Pakistan to play cricket.
The PCB is trying its best to revive international cricket in the country, but it cannot do this alone. The government must do all it can stop terrorist activities, as only then will international cricket be restored in Pakistan.
Shahid Ahmed Qureshi,
Badin.
The Friday Times, Plot No 52-53, N-Block, Main Guru Mangat Road, Gulberg II, Lahore, Pakistan. 042.35779186; Fax: 042.35779186, email: tft@thefridaytimes.com
*Letters must carry addresses and phone numbers
*We ask you to restrict your comments to 300 words.
Cartoons by Zeb's Art Studio