Job quota demanded for blind by Our Correspondent

October 31, 2008 Source: Dawn

BAHAWALPUR, Oct 30: One per cent quota has been demanded for the blind in government jobs.

Speaking here at a ceremony to mark White Cane Day on Thursday, Pakistan Association for the Blind president Khalid Mahmood demanded the government should announce one per cent job quota for the blind, besides giving permanent appointments to those working on contract in various departments.

He also sought instructions to traffic police to help the blinds on the roads.

bahawalpur, oct 30: one per cent quota has been deman- ded for the blind in government jobs. speaking here at a ceremony to mark white cane day on thursday, pakistan association for the blind president khalid mahmood demanded the govern- ment should announce one per cent job quota for the blind, be- sides giving permanent appoint- ments to those working on con- tract in various departments. he also sought instructions to traffic police to help the blinds on the roads.

 

side-effect, Take it seriously!

Friday, October 31, 2008 by Harris Khalique Given the nature of how Pakistani mind works and the second guessing we thrive on as a nation, if someone holds a different opinion from ours, then in most cases either the person is funded by someone to say what she is saying or is pushing someone else's agenda. It has become impossible for us to understand that people can genuinely hold a different opinion without having any ulterior motives. I felt dejected when an old PPP friend who I met in Lahore the other day told me with incredible conviction and confidence that the lawyers' movement is now being financed by Sharif Brothers and other financiers of the PML-N. This was the evening of the day Ali Ahmed Kurd had won the elections of the Supreme Court Bar Association by a wide margin. My friend was terribly upset and refused to listen to my humble submissions about the way the issue was being mishandled by the PPP. He stopped short of saying that I am a part of the larger conspiracy against the angelic, sagacious and competent democratically elected political leadership of the country. But that's not what made me sad. What troubled and pained me, made me feel a lump in my throat, was the allegation levelled against people whose integrity is beyond doubt. Because when you say that the lawyers' movement is now being funded for political gains of someone else, it means that people like Ali Ahmed Kurd, Munir A. Malik, Rasheed Rizvi, Aitzaz Ahsan, Athar Minallah, Wajiha Mehdi and Shoaib Ashraf are dishonest and being bribed by the PML-N to further its interests. What other inference you would make if you accuse them of accepting money from your political adversaries. The other interesting bit is that since the Sharifs and their cronies have started funding the movement, the movement has actually not done anything significant which would need resources. Therefore, the money allegedly being spent by Sharifs is on individuals. This clearly means, as I said before, that the palms of the leadership of the lawyers' movement are being waxed. I detest this assertion. Just because the people I have mentioned above are to be respected and held in high esteem for their commitment and uprightness even if you disagree with their tactics. Many of us who are critical of how the government is handling the matter do not necessarily support the PML-N or want the government to destabilize. In my case, not a wee bit. Our intention is exactly the opposite. We want the fragile democratic order to establish itself on firm footing and those who have formed the governments after February 2008 elections to stay in power. This we want for the betterment of the Pakistani state and society, for its prosperity and its institutional norm-setting according to the constitution of the republic. The Naeks and the Khosas must avoid advising President Zardari to take the same course which General Musharraf took. I wrote in my last column and now reiterate that please do not let the narrow-minded and the confused hijack the movement by your egotistic misadventures. Restoring a few judges from the backdoor or elevating them to the higher court wouldn't resolve the matter. The PPP contributed to making Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry a symbol of supremacy of the constitution and law. Those who gave their lives or lost their limbs in May 2007 trying to receive Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry in Karachi or in the blast in the party stall to receive the chief justice in July 2007 in Islamabad were no less important than those who sacrificed their lives trying to protect their leader Shaheed Benazir Bhutto in Karachi and then in Rawalpindi. I also remember the now divided but very well-meaning civil society activists in Islamabad, including PPP sympathizers, braving police batons, teargas shells, grisly lockups and Adiala Jail. I remember Benazir Bhutto trying to visit the house-imprisoned chief justice on November 13, 2007. Take the movement seriously PPP and try resolving the issue more wisely and with the respect it deserves. The writer is an Islamabad-based poet and rights campaigner. Email: harris@spopk.org

 

 

 

Art, speech contest for children

Source: Dawn October 30, 2008

LAHORE, Oct 29: The Japanese embassy is arranging an art competition and a speech contest for children at Alhamra here on Nov 4.

The event is an annual feature and quite popular among schoolchildren of the city.

It is being organized by the Japanese embassy in collaboration with the Lahore Arts Council, the Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association and MEXT Alumni Association of Pakistan.—APP

lahore, oct 29: the japanese embassy is arranging an art competition and a speech contest for children at alhamra here on nov 4. the event is an annual feature and quite popular among school- children of the city. it is being organised by the japanese embassy in collabora- tion with the lahore arts council, the pakistan-japan cultural association and mext alumni association of pakistan.- —app

 

No funds for missing facilities in schools by Mudassir Raja

Source: Dawn, 27-Oct-08

RAWALPINDI, Oct 26: Punjab has 28,000 schools without electricity, 9,800 without water and washrooms, and 16,000 without boundary walls.

And to provide for these missing facilities, the provincial government needs Rs130 billion to 140 billion but this huge amount at this moment is not available.

There are around 1,000 schools with dilapidated buildings and missing facilities in Gujranwala district alone. Most of these schools were built in 1996.

This was revealed by Task Force Elementary Schools (TFES) Chairman Raja Mohammad Anwar while speaking at a seminar on ‘Education Policy 2008’ held at Gordon College here on Saturday.

The seminar was attended by Secretary Education Primary Schools Nadeem Ashraf, Punjab Textbook Board Chairman Sohail Maqbool, all concerned executive district officers (EDOs), headmasters, principals, MPAs Raja Hanif, Malik Yasir and Ziaullah Shah.

The TFES chairman said some 450,000 people were working in education sector and the figure was 56 per cent of the total government employees in the province of Punjab.

He also pointed out that 12.2 million children were enrolled in government schools and of them around 700,000 appeared in the primary, 600,000 middle and 350,000 in the matriculation examinations last year.

He said in 2007 the primary and middle result was 100 per cent, in 2008 these results declined to 93 per cent and 96 per cent, respectively. Some 11,000 students showed A+ result.

He said last year the government spent Rs70 billion, excluding pensions, on the education sector. According to estimates, the government is spending Rs400,000 on the education of a single child annually.

The chairman demanded regularisation of contract teachers and increase in their salaries, and urged teachers to show good results to prove their ability.

He added that the teachers did not have trust in their own institutions where they were teaching, therefore, they had ad mitted their own children in private schools.

The secretary primary schools said 34,000 teachers would be recruited across the province this year. The government has set up Rs1 billion fund to award those teachers who show good performance.

He said the purpose of holding the seminar was to get suggestions from the teachers for the government for preparing education policy 2008.

Former federal secretary education Chaudhry Munir said since 1947, 12 education policies had been prepared and every one was very good but the dilemma was that none had been implemented with full force.

He said instead of preparing a new education policy, the one adopted in 1992 should be practised. The 1992 policy comprised of 26 chapters and it covered every aspect of education.

The PTB chairman accepted that there were errors in the Punjab textbooks and stressed the need to review the syllabus in order to remove the mistakes.

rawalpindi, oct 26: punjab has 28,000 schools without elec- tricity, 9,800 without water and washrooms, and 16,000 without boundary walls. and to provide for these miss- ing facilities, the provincial gov- ernment needs rs130 billion to 140 billion but this huge amount at this moment is not available. there are around 1,000 schools with dilapidated build- ings and missing facilities in gujranwala district alone. most of these schools were built in 1996. this was revealed by task force elementary schools (tfes) chairman raja mohammad anwar while speak- ing at a seminar on ‘education policy 2008’ held at gordon college here on saturday. the seminar was attended by secretary education primary schools nadeem ashraf, punjab textbook board chairman sohail maqbool, all concerned executive district officers (edos), headmasters, princi- pals, mpas raja hanif, malik yasir and ziaullah shah. the tfes chairman said some 450,000 people were working in education sector and the figure was 56 per cent of the total gov- ernment employees in the prov- ince of punjab. he also pointed out that 12.2 million children were enrolled in government schools and of them around 700,000 appeared in the primary, 600,000 middle and 350,000 in the matriculation examinations last year. he said in 2007 the primary and middle result was 100 per cent, in 2008 these results declined to 93 per cent and 96 per cent, respectively. some 11,000 students showed a+ re- sult. he said last year the govern- ment spent rs70 billion, exclud- ing pensions, on the education sector. according to estimates, the government is spending rs400,000 on the education of a single child annually. the chairman demanded reg- ularisation of contract teachers and increase in their salaries, and urged teachers to show good results to prove their ability. he added that the teachers did not have trust in their own institutions where they were teaching, therefore, they had ad- mitted their own children in pri- vate schools. the secretary primary schools said 34,000 teachers would be recruited across the province this year. the government has set up rs1 billion fund to award those teachers who show good performance. he said the purpose of hold- ing the seminar was to get sug- gestions from the teachers for the government for preparing education policy 2008. former federal secretary edu- cation chaudhry munir said since 1947, 12 education policies had been prepared and every one was very good but the dilemma was that none had been implemented with full force. he said instead of preparing a new education policy, the one adopted in 1992 should be prac- tised. the 1992 policy comprised of 26 chapters and it covered ev- ery aspect of education. the ptb chairman accepted that there were errors in the punjab textbooks and stressed the need to review the syllabus in order to remove the mistakes.

 

 

Side-effect Kurd versus Zafar

Friday, October 24, 2008 by Harris Khalique When I write these lines, a crucial election is awaited at the Supreme Court Bar Association. Arch campaigner from the legal fraternity, Ali Ahmed Kurd, is fighting for the presidency of the bar against one of his former comrades in the lawyers' movement, M Zafar. To the dismay of some leading lawyers, even the Attorney-General of Pakistan, Sardar Latif Khosa, is drumming up support for Zafar. The result of this election would spell out the future of a unique movement in the country's history besides impacting the political landscape in the long term. I agree with the critics of the lawyers' movement who say that it was not a grassroots people's movement. It was not a people's movement but a movement for the people of Pakistan. It was for the restoration of their dignity and realisation of their constitutional rights. An exceptionally important factor in derailing democracy in Pakistan is the historic role of the higher judiciary in condoning the sacking of civilian governments and dissolution of parliaments. Always, after abrogating the constitution and dismissing parliament, the dictator seeks support from the judiciary. We all know about the famous Maulvi Tamizuddin Khan Case. If the removal of Chaudhry Muhammad Ali's government in the early years of Pakistan was not ratified by Justice Munir's bench of the then Federal Court invoking the doctrine of necessity, this would have been a different country. Exceptions like Justices MR Kiyani, BA Siddiqui, Dorab Patel, Fakhruddin G Ebrahim and some others, could not create a critical mass. Bhutto was hanged even after so many judges were retired or removed. There are always enough judges to provide a firm judicial support, if not moral one, to the wrongdoings of military dictators or civilian autocrats. It was for the first time in the history of Pakistan that the superior judiciary and its subordinate judiciary down to the district level had resisted the bureaucracy and the military in such big numbers. Initially, after the unceremonious and illegal suspension of the chief justice of Pakistan on March 9, 2007, and then again after the imposition of emergency on November 3, 2007, they took a clear position. They were fully supported by the bar who in turn mustered a lot of strength from civil society and the media. Standing up against the dictator was one factor and the pro-people decisions which irritated the elitist bureaucracy was the other, which made many people side with the chief justice and the lawyers' movement. Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry and his colleagues were not angels and their immediate reinstatement after February 2008 elections would not have resolved all issues we face. However, it could have been a leap towards restoring the confidence of people in their constitution, legal system and democratic ideals. The party that lost most lives in the lawyers' movement and whose leaders literally took the front seat including their chairperson promising on November 13, 2007, to hoist the national flag on the chief justice's residence, and the party whose participation kept the movement liberal and progressive, ditched the movement just on the whims of a part of its leadership and ill-advised pressure from abroad. This was based on expediency and a lack of understanding. While I firmly believe that parliament must call the shots and politicians, good, bad or ugly, must continue to make decisions, fundamental changes in Pakistan's social, economic and political structure are needed to keep democracy intact and wrestle the country out of its present struggle with poverty, injustice, bigotry and terrorism. If the democratic and pro-people Ali Ahmed Kurd doesn't win, not only the dwindling lawyer's movement will face even harsher adversarial winds, but the mobilisation of concerned citizens and the consciousness raised among people in the name of constitutional rights will go into the hands of the misleading religious Right led by people like Qazi Hussain Ahmed and ideologically confused politicians like Imran Khan. The incumbent government has to take a long-term view not only if they are interested in true democratisation but also if they wish to survive in power. The writer is an Islamabad-based poet and rights campaigner.Email: harris@spopk.org

 

Rs16bn for school education in Punjab

Source: Dawn, October 20, 2008

LAHORE, Oct 19: The government will spend Rs16.454 billion on 22 school education promotion projects in Punjab during the current financial year.

Senior Minister Raja Riaz Ahmad said this while speaking at a workshop on school education here on Sunday.

The minister said that funds were being utilized on current and 11 new projects aimed at raising the education standard and to attract dropouts to return to schools by offering them various incentives.

Giving a detail of projects, he said that Rs42.80 million were being spent on accelerated program for school education, Rs2.5 billion for Punjab Education Sector Reforms Program, Rs2 bil lion on accelerated program for school education for girls, Rs1.91 million for accelerated program for school education for boys, Rs1 billion for education priority program and Rs3, 630 million for model schools program.

The minister said that this program would also help raise the standard of education besides providing missing facilities in public sector schools.

He said the education was the basic human right of every citizen and the government was committed to providing quality education to all.

The workshop was also addressed by several experts who presented their proposals for the promotion of education and raising its standard.

 

 

Side-effect Anwar Ahmed's Multan

Side-effect

Anwar Ahmed's Multan Friday, October 17, 2008 Harris Khalique Rainer Maria Rilke, one of the most astonishing poets to walk the earth, said, "I would like to step out of my heart and go walking beneath the enormous sky." Dr Anwar (pronounced Anvaar) Ahmed has done the same when doing pen portraits of his family, teachers, friends, colleagues and those who inspired him over the years in his collection "Yaadgaar-i-Zamana Hain Jo Logg". However, while he walked out of his heart to take a long stroll and reflect, he did keep a piece of it in his pocket. That piece of heart peeps through the chiselled lines of his prose and hence rounds off the edges for the reader. His collection is not just a usual nostalgic trip down the memory lane but revives one's belief in humanity.  Beginning from a vivid description of his grandparents and the family in which he grew up, its tensions, complexities and simplicities, to at times witty and at times sad portrayals of his contemporaries bring that Multan to life which has sheltered and produced a galaxy of incredible people in all walks of life. Being overshadowed by the grandeur of Lahore did nothing to stop these people from Multan making significant contributions to the world of art, literature and academic excellence.  The book is published from Lyallpur (I prefer to call it Lyallpur rather than Faisalabad for a whim of mine to be discussed sometime later), where Dr Anwar Ahmed is now a dean and professor of literature at the Government College University after retiring from long years of service at the Urdu department of Bahauddin Zakariya University in his native Multan. Setting up of Seraiki Language Centre which later became a full-fledged department goes to his credit too. Dr Ahmed has published short stories before and edited and compiled a number of literary anthologies. "Yaadgaar-i-Zamana Hain Jo Logg" is written with both compassion and objectivity. It also took me to the Multan I know where there is always some work to do and many friends to meet. Multan has a peculiar charm. More than the imposing shrines of Sufi saints for which Multan is considered to be sacred, whenever I enter the city I am reminded of the struggle for Multan's sovereignty in the nineteenth century waged by Nawab Muzaffar Hussain Khan in the face of the atrocious army of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Nawab gave his life but did not surrender to Maharaja's army. The event that made him into a hero was his decision to finally let the army enter the city after realising that now resistance would cause a lot of bloodshed and the common people would suffer hugely. When he was convinced that there is little Multanis could do to stop the all powerful invaders, he went into his palace and when Maharaja's army entered the palace he fought them to death. Some time after the fall of Multan, Maharaja Ranjit Singh came to visit his new territory and the first thing he did was to pay his respects to the valour of his adversary by visiting the Nawab's grave. According to Khushwant Singh's account of the Maharaja, he took the two surviving princes of the Nawab to Lahore as his courtiers. That may have been his way of eliminating any possibility of an uprising in future.  The politician Dr Anwar Ahmed remembers at the end of his book is not from Multan but someone he considers a people's leader. His piece on Benazir Bhutto reflects the trauma the nation went through after her assassination. But even after having a prime minister from the place, nothing can change for real if a new pro-people political and economic order is not established in the country. We see the two princes of Multan ending up in the Maharaja's court. It is now for the common people of Multan to rise and join hands with their underprivileged, downtrodden and marginalised fellow citizens from all parts of Pakistan to change their destiny and help create a just and prosperous country. The writer is an Islamabad-based poet and rights campaigner. Email: harris@spopk.org

 

Draft Bill on Right Commission Approved by Amir Wasim

Source: Dawn, 16 October 2008

ISLAMABAD, Oct 15: The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved the draft of a bill for the establishment of an independent commission on human rights and decided to undo the changes made in the Legal Practitioners Act of 1973 by former president Gen Pervez Musharraf to curtail powers of lawyers’ bodies at the time of imposition of emergency in the country last year.

The cabinet, which met under Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, also reviewed the law and order situation, with particular reference to in-camera joint session of parliament.

A cabinet member told Dawn that the government had decided to constitute a National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR) in the light of the UN General Assembly resolution requiring member states to establish independent human rights bodies.

The draft bill, prepared by the Ministry of Law, will soon be presented before parliament to fulfil the international obligation.

Giving details of the proposed law, he said the NCHR would be headed by a serving or retired judge of the Supreme Court or high court and it would consist of members of the four provinces.

Women and minorities would also be represented on the body. He said there would be four women and four minority members from each province.

According to the draft bill, the commission will have powers to review laws dealing with human rights and suggest changes in them. Moreover, every citizen will have the right to register a complaint with the commission in case of human rights violations. The commission members will also be authorised to inspect jails. Constitution of human rights courts in all provinces was also proposed.

The minister said the NCHR members would also coordinate with civil society organisations monitoring human rights situation. He said that such commissions were already functioning in 54 countries.

About the decision to undo the amendments made by Gen Pervez Musharraf in the Legal Practitioners Act, he said it was being done on the demand of lawyers’ community. The former military ruler had introduced the amendments, drastically curtailing powers of bar councils in disciplinary matters relating to advocates.

The Musharraf government had changed the law when, during lawyers’ movement for the reinstatement of deposed judges, bar councils cancelled membership of government-backed lawyers and banned their entry into bar rooms. After the change, powers to take disciplinary action against lawyers were given to judges of higher courts. The bar councils had rejected these changes and continued to take disciplinary action against lawyers, resulting in a serious judicial conflict.

“The purpose of undoing the amendments is to restore the Legal Practitioners Act, 1973, to its original position,” says an official handout. It says the new ordinance will be submitted to the president for promulgation.

Asked why the government was planning to undo the changes through an ordinance, and not through a proper legislation, the minister said the government did not want to prolong the matter.

According to the handout, the prime minister constituted a committee to identify measures for promoting government efforts relating to the agriculture sector. The committee comprises Information Minister Sherry Rehman, Minister for Ports and Shipping Naveed Qamar, Minister for Agriculture Nazar Gondal, Minister for Local Government Ghulam Ahmad Bilour, Minister for Population Welfare Humayun Kurd, Minister for Safron Najmuddin Khan, Adviser to Prime Minister on Industries and Production Manzoor Wattoo and Special Assistant to PM on Finance Hina Rabbani Khar.

The prime minister and all cabinet members lauded Minister for Information Sherry Rehman’s “successful presentation” of government’s point of view on national security in the joint session. The cabinet approved a summary moved by the Ministry of Defence for signing of a memorandum of understanding with Nigeria on defence cooperation.

islamabad, oct 15: the fed- eral cabinet on wednesday ap- proved the draft of a bill for the establishment of an independent commission on human rights and decided to undo the changes made in the legal practitioners act of 1973 by former president gen pervez musharraf to curtail powers of lawyers’ bodies at the time of imposition of emergency in the country last year. the cabinet, which met under prime minister syed yousuf raza gilani, also reviewed the law and order situation, with par- ticular reference to in-camera joint session of parliament. a cabinet member told dawn that the government had deci- ded to constitute a national commission on human rights (nchr) in the light of the un general assembly resolution re- quiring member states to estab- lish independent human rights bodies. the draft bill, prepared by the ministry of law, will soon be pre- sented before parliament to ful- fil the international obligation. giving details of the proposed law, he said the nchr would be headed by a serving or retired judge of the supreme court or high court and it would consist of members of the four provinces. women and minorities would also be represented on the body. he said there would be four women and four minority mem- bers from each province. according to the draft bill, the commission will have powers to review laws dealing with human rights and suggest changes in them. moreover, every citizen will have the right to register a complaint with the commission in case of human rights viola- tions. the commission members will also be authorised to inspect jails. constitution of human rights courts in all provinces was also proposed. the minister said the nchr members would also coordinate with civil society organisations monitoring human rights situa- tion. he said that such commis- sions were already functioning in 54 countries. about the decision to undo the amendments made by gen pervez musharraf in the legal practitioners act, he said it was being done on the demand of law- yers’ community. the former military ruler had introduced the amendments, drastically curtail- ing powers of bar councils in dis- ciplinary matters relating to ad- vocates. the musharraf government had changed the law when, dur- ing lawyers’ movement for the re- instatement of deposed judges, bar councils cancelled member- ship of government-backed law- yers and banned their entry into bar rooms. after the change, pow- ers to take disciplinary action against lawyers were given to judges of higher courts. the bar councils had rejected these changes and continued to take disciplinary action against law- yers, resulting in a serious judi- cial conflict. “the purpose of undoing the amendments is to restore the legal practitioners act, 1973, to its original position,” says an offi- cial handout. it says the new ordi- nance will be submitted to the president for promulgation. asked why the government was planning to undo the changes through an ordinance, and not through a proper legislation, the minister said the government did not want to prolong the matter. according to the handout, the prime minister constituted a com- mittee to identify measures for promoting government efforts re- lating to the agriculture sector. the committee comprises information minister sherry rehman, minister for ports and shipping naveed qamar, minister for agriculture nazar gondal, minister for local government ghulam ahmad bilour, minister for population welfare humayun kurd, minister for safron najmuddin khan, adviser to prime minister on industries and production manzoor wattoo and special assistant to pm on finance hina rabbani khar. the prime minister and all cab- inet members lauded minister for information sherry rehman’s “successful presentation” of gov- ernment’s point of view on na- tional security in the joint ses- sion. the cabinet approved a summary moved by the ministry of defence for signing of a memo- randum of understanding with nigeria on defence cooperation.

 

 

Economics Nobel goes to US critic of Bush

Source Dawn: 14-10-2008

STOCKHOLM, Oct 13: US economist Paul Krugman, a prolific columnist and fierce critic of Washington’s economic policies, won the Nobel Economics Prize on Monday.

Mr Krugman, 55, a Princeton University professor, had formulated a new trade analysis theory which determined the effects of free trade and globalisation, as well as the driving forces behind worldwide urbanisation, the citation by the Nobel jury said.

Speaking to Swedish public television, Mr Krugman said the award “obviously will seriously warp my next few days. I hope that two weeks from now, I’m back to being pretty much the same person I was before. I’m a great believer in continuing to do work. I hope it doesn’t change things too much.” By awarding a critic of unfettered free-market policies who has focused heavily on globalisation and the developing world, the jury seems to have decided to confront major issues amid the ongoing global financial crisis.

In his New York Times columns, Mr Krugman has stood out as a harsh critic of the Bush administration’s free-market policies.

He also adamantly opposed the initial wording of US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s $700 billion financial sector bailout plan — which he described as “financial Russian roulette”, although he conceded that a rescue was needed.

On Sunday, he wrote admiringly of the British economic rescue scheme. “This combination of clarity and decisiveness hasn’t been matched by any other western government, least of all our own.” After winning the prize, he told the TT news agency the crisis “has me extremely terrified”.

His theory helps to explain that globalisation tends towards concentration, both in terms of what a manufacturing base makes, and where it is located.—AFP

Side-effect Island of excellence

Side-effect

Island of excellence Friday, October 10, 2008 by Harris Khalique Khalid Hameed Farooqi drove more than a thousand kilometres from Brussels to Copenhagen, the city of Soren Kierkegaard, the arch philosopher and theologian, and Hans Christian Andersen, the famous fairytale writer and poet. He spent a long evening with me enthusiastically debating the new social democratic party in Pakistan which I had mentioned in my last column. He also made a programme package for Geo Television on the conference for early recovery strategies in post-natural disaster and post-conflict situations organised by the UNDP and the Danish government.  Pakistan's response after the October 2005 earthquake was one of the four cases to be discussed. Besides, there were a number of caucuses and plenary sessions on various aspects of early recovery work for affected populations broadly emphasising the need for efficient strategic planning, appropriate capacity development and provision of sufficient financing. Former Chief Military Coordinator of the Federal Relief Commission and Ex-Deputy Chairman, Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA), Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed, made the presentation on Pakistan's behalf. Something very unusual to be honest, where the international community recognises the effectiveness of Pakistan's response to the October 2005 disaster and finds replicable lessons. Otherwise, the only thing that comes to Pakistan's share these days is embarrassment, humiliation and repentance. The relief and early recovery operations after the earthquake were largely effective because government, military, civil society, private sector and international agencies were coherent, rigorous and inclusive. People from all walks of life came together and the nation for once was galvanised. The long-term reconstruction effort has more problems since but in a country like Pakistan where serious structural and political issues are unresolved, it is hard to create an island of excellence in the sea of corruption and incompetence. You cannot govern eight affected districts in NWFP and AJK differently from the other one hundred in the rest of the country. Nevertheless, it is incumbent upon the civil society and media to raise people's concerns and continue to keep the authorities on their toes. Transferring the committed and hardworking General, a rare commodity in this country, from his position in ERRA to command a strike corps may have proven more rewarding for him but not for ERRA.  My opinion about Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed was shared by the other two fellow travellers on the Copenhagen trip who are associated with the UN, self-effacing Mohammed Zafar Iqbal and dedicated Anwar-ul-Haque. Zafar Iqbal is the lynchpin in coordinating UNDP effort for disaster risk reduction and early recovery initiatives in Pakistan supported by two extraordinary people, Usman Qazi and Zubair Murshed, who did not accompany us on this trip. Other than the conference, they also missed the most delicious food on Eid day at Javed Akhtar Mir's place. Warmth and hospitality oozes out from every pore of Mir who is settled in Copenhagen for 38 years. Khalid Hameed Farooqi before leaving for Brussels lamented, "Still there are people who go beyond the call of duty in Pakistan. Even then we are struggling to survive, let alone progress." Then the two of us greased our sorrow with Danish cheese and washed it down with hot, aromatic coffee. How lavish! After all, we were in Denmark of which Hamlet was a prince. In our case, Hamlet represents us, the citizens of Pakistan. Our father, the founding principles, was killed by King Claudius who is the power elite drawing its strength from coercion, intrigue and exploitation. Our mother Gertrude, who could nourish us, represents our resources, our water and our land. She was hastily taken into marriage by Claudius after our father's death. In the meanwhile, we struggled. But we lost Ophelia, the beloved representing peace and prosperity. Now we resolve that once we are through with eliminating Claudius and his cronies, we would neither die like Hamlet nor go back merely to the founding principles. We will bring the country to new thoughts and a new leadership represented by Fortinbras, symbolising hope and enlightenment. Only his ideals could steer us clear of the storm of poverty, injustice, bigotry and terrorism. The writer is an Islamabad-based poet and rights campaigner. Email: harris@spopk.org

 

Missing doctor case Ministry denies having any information

Dawn: October 10, 2008

ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: The Ministry of Interior here on Wednesday said it still had no information about a missing doctor whose wife had invoked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for his safe recovery.

The Crisis Management Cell deputy secretary, Mehrullah Khattak, told the court that the ministry had no information regarding the whereabouts of Abdur Razzaq, a doctor at Railway Hospital, and that it came to know about the case only when the august court summoned the interior ministry official.

IHC Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Aslam put off the hearing till October 10 after Mr Razzaq sought more time to gather information about the missing doctor.

Akram Sheikh, the attorney for petitioner Afzoona Kausar, pleaded before the court for the early recovery of the doctor on humanitarian grounds.

The petitioner informed the court that she received “dubious phones calls” at her home after the disappearance of her husband, saying that the interior ministry through its sophisticated instruments could track the phone calls to trace the culprits.

Meanwhile, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) filed a petition with the IHC asking the court to inquire about the alleged misappropriation of funds received by the Capital Development Authority (CDA) to buy fire fighting equipment.

Insaf Welfare Trust chairman Dr Aslam Khaki filed a writ petition with the IHC, lamenting the CDA’s inefficient fire fighting system and inadequate instruments for rescue operations, as witnessed after the September 20 suicide attack on Marriott Hotel.

The petitioner, while making Ministry of Interior, CDA chairman, Disaster Management Cell chairman and Civil Defence respondents, adopted the viewpoint that at the time of the explosion, there were no sufficient arrangements for fire fighting and there were also insufficient instruments to rescue the people that had been trapped at the upper floors of the hotel.

The petitioner further maintained that when fire broke into the multi-storey Shaheed-i-Millat Secretariat few years ago, the CDA also had equipment to fight fires in buildings having only four flours.—Our Reporter

islamabad, oct 8: the ministry of interior here on wednesday said it still had no in- formation about a missing doctor whose wife had invoked the islamabad high court (ihc) for his safe recovery. the crisis management cell deputy secretary, mehrullah khattak, told the court that the ministry had no information re- garding the whereabouts of abdur razzaq, a doctor at railway hospital, and that it came to know about the case on- ly when the august court sum- moned the interior ministry offi- cial. ihc chief justice sardar mohammad aslam put off the hearing till october 10 after mr razzaq sought more time to gath- er information about the missing doctor. akram sheikh, the attorney for petitioner afzoona kausar, pleaded before the court for the early recovery of the doctor on humanitarian grounds. the petitioner informed the court that she received “dubious phones calls” at her home after the disappearance of her hus- band, saying that the interior ministry through its sophistica- ted instruments could track the phone calls to trace the culprits. meanwhile, a non-governmen- tal organisation (ngo) filed a pe- tition with the ihc asking the court to inquire about the al- leged misappropriation of funds received by the capital development authority (cda) to buy fire fighting equipment. insaf welfare trust chairman dr aslam khaki filed a writ peti- tion with the ihc, lamenting the cda’s inefficient fire fighting sys- tem and inadequate instruments for rescue operations, as wit- nessed after the september 20 suicide attack on marriott hotel. the petitioner, while making ministry of interior, cda chair- man, disaster management cell chairman and civil defence re- spondents, adopted the view- point that at the time of the ex- plosion, there were no sufficient arrangements for fire fighting and there were also insufficient instruments to rescue the people that had been trapped at the up- per floors of the hotel. the petitioner further main- tained that when fire broke into the multi-storey shaheed-i-millat secretariat few years ago, the cda also had equipment to fight fires in buildings having only four flours.—our reporter

PRCS provides relief to 2.5m quake victims

Dawn October 08, 2008

 

ISLAMABAD Oct 7: Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) has provided relief assistance to around 2.5 million and full medical cover to around 0.8 million to earthquake-affected people in three years. This was stated by Secretary General PRCS Muhammad Ilyas Khan while talking to newsmen here on Tuesday on the eve of October 8 earthquake third anniversary. He said the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ recovery efforts were aimed at building safer communities for the affected families. “Most of the quake affected families are on the road to recovery, but more work is yet to be done to build up infrastructure,” he stressed.

The earthquake left more than 73,000 fatalities and an estimated 3.5 million people homeless.

The PRCS in collaboration with International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, International Committee of Red Cross and Partner National Societies, responded quickly to bring immediate help and relief to affected people in the worst hit areas in North West Frontier Province (NWFP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

After the emergency phase, PRCS embarked on recovery projects. A total of 34 public buildings will be rebuilt in the earthquake affected areas, comprising 16 schools, 12 health facilities and six vocational centres. Twenty-four buildings are at various stages of construction, with one middle school for girls has already been completed and handed over to the local education authorities in Mansehra district in NWFP.

islamabad oct 7: pakistan red crescent society (prcs) has provided relief assistance to around 2.5 million and full medi- cal cover to around 0.8 million to earthquake-affected people in three years. this was stated by secretary general prcs muhammad ilyas khan while talking to newsmen here on tuesday on the eve of october 8 earthquake third anni- versary. he said the red cross and red crescent societies’ re- covery efforts were aimed at building safer communities for the affected families. “most of the quake affected families are on the road to recovery, but more work is yet to be done to build up infrastructure,” he stressed. the earthquake left more than 73,000 fatalities and an estima- ted 3.5 million people homeless. the prcs in collaboration with international federation of red cross and red crescent societies, international committee of red cross and partner national societies, responded quickly to bring immediate help and relief to affected people in the worst hit areas in north west frontier province (nwfp) and azad jammu and kashmir. after the emergency phase, prcs embarked on recovery proj- ects. a total of 34 public buildings will be rebuilt in the earthquake affected areas, comprising 16 schools, 12 health facilities and six vocational centres. twenty-four buildings are at various stages of construction, with one middle school for girls has already been completed and handed over to the local education authorities in mansehra district in nwfp.

 

Erra short of achieving targets: report

By Sher Baz Khan Dawn October 08, 2008

 

ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (Erra) is not only short of achieving its targets but inflationary pressures have also cut by half the purchasing power of its housing subsidy amidst reports of ‘bribes’ and various forms of ‘rent seeking’.

A survey conducted by Omar Asghar Khan Development Foundation has found that cost of access to Erra’s housing subsidy has been quite substantial including expenditures incurred on transport and documentation.

It often also included bribes and other forms of rent-seeking from chai pani to more blatant bribes of up to Rs25, 000 paid to assessment teams at different stages. The survey was carried out in 37 villages of 15 union council of Battagram in the Mansehra district.

The government’s initial promise of across-the-board compensation for houses damaged or destroyed was replaced later by an offer of subsidy after securing $6.2 billion pledge for assistance at the Islamabad donors conference.

In March last year, Erra’s then chairperson Altaf Saleem had claimed that 98 per cent of the earthquake victims had been compensated. Four months later, he announced that the figure had increased to 99 per cent. However, these claims were not supported by Erra’s own August 2008 report.

In the report, Erra confirmed that only 175 schools had been reconstructed out of 5,344 that were to be rebuilt. As many as 998 schools are still at the planning stage, 1,724 at the tendering stage and 1,155 under construction.

Just a month ago, Erra had to reconstruct 237 of the 307 health facilities, but so far it has completed work on only 38 centres.

It had also to rebuild 4,080 water supply and sanitation schemes by the end of June this year. However, only 1,466 were constructed by August. Interestingly, none of the 23 solid waste management schemes has been reconstructed.

SUBSIDY: In 2006-07, Erra carried out assessment of all houses. Completely destroyed houses were declared eligible for a subsidy of Rs175,000 and partially damaged houses for Rs75,000. Those that were categorised as having negligible structural damage were not eligible for any subsidy.

Erra had not considered the ratio of inflation that could soar in the next couple of years. Keeping in view the purchasing power of the Pakistani rupee, construction materials for 400 square feet (one room, a kitchen, bath and verandah) that cost Rs175,000 in 2006 now requires Rs190,160. One needed Rs200,946 to construct such a basic housing unit an year ago.

The arduous process of accessing subsidy becomes more and more problematic if the claimant expired in the process. Transferring the claim to the next of kin added another bureaucratic layer further delaying access to funds. This additional hassle could have been easily avoided if information on next to kin was included in the subsidy form. Transfers also generated conflicts if more than one person claimed to be the next kin.

 

297 women teachers to be hired

Dawn October 7, 2008

 

ISLAMABAD, Oct 6: On the recommendations of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), the education ministry has approved recruitment of 297 junior women teachers and lecturers in model colleges of Islamabad to overcome teachers’ shortage in evening shifts.

Earlier 120 junior women teachers and 83 lecturers were recruited in model colleges. — Online

islamabad, oct 6: on the recommendations of the federal directorate of education (fde), the education ministry has ap- proved recruitment of 297 junior women teachers and lecturers in model colleges of islamabad to overcome teachers’ shortage in evening shifts. earlier 120 junior women teachers and 83 lecturers were recruited in model colleges.— online

 

Need to understand the mentally challenged By Our Staff Reporter

Source: October 6, 2008

 

LAHORE, Oct 5: Experts and activists will reiterate their belief on the World Mental Health Day that the world will be a better place if people with psychological disorders are understood and helped out like the ones with physical ailments.

Celebrated on Oct 10, the day is an international educational campaign which aims to extend knowledge on mental health to unaware people. For the first time in 1992, it was observed by the World Federation for Mental Health as an annual activity. The theme of this year is “Making mental health a global priority: scaling up services through citizens advocacy and action”. The primary emphasis would be on social and psychological aspects and awareness about the mental health and its inclusion into the primary healthcare system.

In Lahore, a walk, a public awareness seminar and a play will be arranged at the Punjab Institute of Mental Health in this regard. Mental health experts, physicians, human rights and civil society activists besides a number of rehabilitated patients will participate in the walk.

University of Health Sciences Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Mubashar H. Malik will be the keynote speaker at a public awareness seminar while columnist Munnoo Bhai, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s I.A. Rahman, National Commission on Status of Women chairperson Dr Arifa Syeda, Punjab Health Secretary Anwar A. Khan, PIMH Executive Director Dr Nusrat Habib Rana and Dr Javed Shah also will spoke.

Punjab Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Rana Sanaullah will be the chief guest and Chief Minster’s Media Adviser Pervaiz Rashid a guest of honour at the seminar.

An exhibition of paintings and other products made by the Female Rehabilitation Project members would follow the seminar.

A play titled “Campaign against stigma” would be staged followed by a musical programme at the PIMH on Oct 12.

lahore, oct 5: experts and activists will reiterate their be- lief on the world mental health day that the world will be a bet- ter place if people with psycho- logical disorders are understood and helped out like the ones with physical ailments. celebrated on oct 10, the day is an international educational campaign which aims to extend knowledge on mental health to unaware people. for the first time in 1992, it was observed by the world federation for mental health as an annual ac- tivity. the theme of this year is “making mental health a glob- al priority: scaling up services through citizens advocacy and action”. the primary emphasis would be on social and psycho- logical aspects and awareness about the mental health and its inclusion into the primary healthcare system. in lahore, a walk, a public awareness seminar and a play will be arranged at the punjab institute of mental health in this regard. mental health experts, physicians, human rights and civ- il society activists besides a num- ber of rehabilitated patients will participate in the walk. university of health sciences vice-chancellor prof dr mubashar h. malik will be the keynote speaker at a public awareness sem- inar while columnist munnoo bhai, human rights commission of pakistan’s i.a. rahman, national commission on status of women chairperson dr arifa syeda, punjab health secretary anwar a. khan, pimh executive director dr nusrat habib rana and dr javed shah also will spoke. punjab minister for law and parliamentary affairs rana sanaullah will be the chief guest and chief minster’s media adviser pervaiz rashid a guest of honour at the seminar. an exhibition of paintings and other products made by the female rehabilitation project members would follow the seminar. a play titled “campaign against stigma” would be stag- ed followed by a musical pro- gramme at the pimh on oct 12.

 

Interest-free loans for doctors, NGOs

Source: Dawn 06 October 2008  

 

LAHORE, Oct 5: Interest-free loans are being provided to doctors and non-government organizations (NGOs) to establish hospitals and clinics for promoting public-private partnership in healthcare.

 

Punjab Population Welfare Minister Neelam Jabbar Chaudhry said this while talking to a delegation of doctors and NGOs here on Sunday.

The minister said private healthcare and educational institutions were playing an active role for the promotion of latest education and healthcare facilities in the country.

She said loans were being given for the establishment of healthcare institutions in small towns and remote areas for ensuring provision of medical services to masses at affordable cost and even free-of-cost.

The government, she said, was also taking effective measures to prevent fire-burn incidents and provide medical treatment facilities to the burnt patients.

NGOs would also be offered all possible assistance for holding seminars/workshops for creating awareness about the treatment of burnt patients and training doctors and paramedics for the purpose.

TRAIN MARCH: Jamaat-iIslami Amir Qazi Husain Ahmad will travel by four trains and address over 60 public meetings during a train march from Oct 7 to 15.

Qazi will start the train march by Awam Express from Peshawar on Oct 7 and reach Lahore the same day. He will travel from Lahore to Multan by Khyber Mail on Oct 8, Multan to Rohrti onboard Shah Rukan-i-Aalam Express on Oct 14 and travel to Karachi on Awam Express on Oct 15.

lahore, oct 5: interest-free loans are being provided to doctors and non-government organizations (ngos) to establish hospitals and clinics for promoting public-pri- vate partnership in healthcare. punjab population welfare minister neelam jabbar chaudhry said this while talking to a delegation of doctors and ngos here on sunday. the minister said private healthcare and educational insti- tutions were playing an active role for the promotion of latest education and healthcare facili- ties in the country. she said loans were being giv- en for the establishment of healthcare institutions in small towns and remote areas for en- suring provision of medical serv- ices to masses at affordable cost and even free-of-cost. the government, she said, was also taking effective measures to prevent fire-burn incidents and provide medical treatment facili- ties to the burnt patients. ngos would also be offered all possible assistance for holding seminars/workshops for creating awareness about the treatment of burnt patients and training doctors and paramedics for the purpose. train march: jamaat-i- islami amir qazi husain ahmad will travel by four trains and ad- dress over 60 public meetings dur- ing a train march from oct 7 to 15. qazi will start the train march by awam express from peshawar on oct 7 and reach lahore the same day. he will travel from lahore to multan by khyber mail on oct 8, multan to rohrti onboard shah rukan-i-aalam express on oct 14 and travel to karachi on awam express on oct 15.