ISLAMABAD, Nov 28: The government is considering to impose a new tax on
compressed naturalgas to reduce the price difference between CNG and
petrol in order to phase outtheuse ofthe gasin private transport.
`The
government has planned to phase out CNG stations gradually as they are
causing heavy loss to the national economy by wasting this valuable
commodity (natural gas), instead of its use for industrialisation and
investment and domestic use, Prime Minister`s Adviser on Petroleum Dr
Asim Hussain told the National Assembly`s Standing Committee onPetroleum
on Wednesday.
The country does not have sufficient or surplus gas reserves to allow it to be burnt in private and luxury vehicles.
He
said the government wanted to set equitable prices for all fuels and
allow only a reasonable profit to owners of CNG stations.
He said
the CNG should only be used by public transport and private vehicles
should be discouraged from burning the cheaper fuel.
To achieve this goal, he indicated imposition of a new tax but did not give details.
The
committee headed by Muhammad Tariq Khattak asked the petroleum
ministryto come up with a solution by Dec 5 and play the role of a
mediator between the CNG station owners and the Oil and Gas Regulatory
Authority (Ogra) in fixing a reasonable price to mitigate people`s
difficulties.
It expressed concern over closure of CNG stations and the disagreement over the pricing mechanism.
Dr
Asim said Ogra had failed to play the role of a regulator. The
government increased the wellhead gas price to $6 which boosted
exploration work and 40 rigs were operating in the country. He said
30,000 barrels of oil from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would start flowing into
the national system by March next year.
He said the department of
explosives that granted no-objection certificate to CNG and petrol
stations was under the industries ministry where officials received
bribes to issue laboratory certificates. The petroleum ministry, he
said, had initiated a legislation to bring the department under its
control.
The parliamentarians expressed concern over recent
explosions in CNGfitted vehicles and wondered what role the department
of explosives and the Hydrocarbon Development Institute played in
allowing substandard cylinders.
The members said that while Ogra
and the station owners were taking extreme positions, the consumers were
forced to spend a major part of their day in long queues to get CNG.
Some
members called for a national debate to determine if there was
sufficient gas available for vehicles or it should be used only for
value-added sectors so that a clear roadmap could be followed and
confusion and people`s difficulties removed.
MNA Rana Afzaal
Hussain said the CNG Association had become a cartel and minted millions
ofrupees at the cost ofpeople. He wondered why 100 per cent profit was
promised in the agreement the government had reached with the CNG sector
in 2008.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Saving the saviours ( the bomb disposal squad is at risk)
WHILE the security situation has been derailed across the country over
the past decade or so, it is Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that has borne the brunt
of increasing incidents of bombing. Lives are not only lost when
terrorists hit security or civilian targets; even the bomb disposal
squad is at risk when it attempts to defuse an unexploded device. The
latter point was underscored by the death of explosives expert Inspector
Hukam Khan who was killed while defusing an IED device in September.
The incident highlighted the fact that bomb disposal is a potentially
lethal line of work and each attempt at defusing explosives is haunted
by potential tragedy. It is fitting, then, that yesterday`s newspapers
carried photographs of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police department
initiating the use of robotic systems operated remotely through a
computer interface and capable of defusing explosive devices. Purchased
from the British government, the robotic systems can scan a suspicious
object or vehicleand defuse explosives if present. Equipped with camera
sensors and with the capability to dig up explosives, they can be used
for dealing with IEDs, bombs, parcel bombs and vehicles rigged with
explosives. Indeed, on Monday such a robot was used to defuse a device
in Peshawar`s Nasirpur area.
Police departments all across the country, particularly in metropolises where bomb attacks are common, need to be equipped with such technology. The hard fact is that militants and terrorists are conversant with technology of various kinds for their grim purposes from cellular communication tools to the Internet to ever-mutating methods of blowing things up. Worryingly, however, the country`s law-enforcement agencies, particularly on the civilian side, continue to operate with archaic methodologies and insufficient technology. Investing in machines and systems that can help save lives and avert tragedy is expensive, but the country`s hostile and worsening climate demands just this.
Police departments all across the country, particularly in metropolises where bomb attacks are common, need to be equipped with such technology. The hard fact is that militants and terrorists are conversant with technology of various kinds for their grim purposes from cellular communication tools to the Internet to ever-mutating methods of blowing things up. Worryingly, however, the country`s law-enforcement agencies, particularly on the civilian side, continue to operate with archaic methodologies and insufficient technology. Investing in machines and systems that can help save lives and avert tragedy is expensive, but the country`s hostile and worsening climate demands just this.
karachi- new wave of violence
EVEN as the law and order situation in Karachi gets increasingly out of
hand dozens have been killed since the start of the weekend the reaction
to the sectarian violence that has flared up has been as inadequate as
the usual response to political violence in the city. When clashes erupt
between activists of ethnic or mainstream political parties, those
parties let a certain amount of bloodshed take place before they hammer
out a deal and then issue instructions to their workers or affiliates to
retreat.
While that process is taking place, law enforcement appears to be at a complete loss as it sits back, taking only reactive action, and waits for the politicians to sort out the mess. Meanwhile, the interior minister blames mysterious and unnamed external forces.
As sectarian clashes now dominate the Karachi headlines, a similar pattern of response or lack thereof seems to be emerging.
In this case it is the ulema who are issuing empty platitudes in public while in reality being unable or unwilling to order their followers to stop the bloodbath. Over the weekend the Milli Yakjehti Council met in Islamabad not in Karachi, where a meeting of this particular organisation, meant to promote cooperation across sects, would have sent a strong signal against sectarian violence. And while it discussed everythingfrom the role of religious parties in Pakistani politics to unity of Muslims across the world to supporting the blasphemy laws, what got lost in all this talk was the carnage taking place in Karachi, which should have been thefocus of the meeting. A couple of days later, the interior minister made the rather remarkable assertion that there is no sectarian conflict in Karachi and that the recent clashes are being carried out by `invisible forces`. He said this after another meeting of the ulema again held in Islamabad.
The upshot of all this is that officials and leaders appear to be doing nothing, leaving an illequipped, poorly trained and understaffed lawenforcement structure to react to incidents once they have already taken place. Putting in place extraordinary Muharram security arrangements is a necessary step, but that is only a short-term fix. What it will not improve is the fundamental inability of law enforcement to tackle a problem that is simply beyond its scope;even the army is now vulnerable to anti-state groups, and the Rangers have demonstrated that they cannot fill the void created by an undermanned and easily influenced police force. As long as the ulema and the government fail to develop a more lasting political solution, there is only so much any of these organisations can do
While that process is taking place, law enforcement appears to be at a complete loss as it sits back, taking only reactive action, and waits for the politicians to sort out the mess. Meanwhile, the interior minister blames mysterious and unnamed external forces.
As sectarian clashes now dominate the Karachi headlines, a similar pattern of response or lack thereof seems to be emerging.
In this case it is the ulema who are issuing empty platitudes in public while in reality being unable or unwilling to order their followers to stop the bloodbath. Over the weekend the Milli Yakjehti Council met in Islamabad not in Karachi, where a meeting of this particular organisation, meant to promote cooperation across sects, would have sent a strong signal against sectarian violence. And while it discussed everythingfrom the role of religious parties in Pakistani politics to unity of Muslims across the world to supporting the blasphemy laws, what got lost in all this talk was the carnage taking place in Karachi, which should have been thefocus of the meeting. A couple of days later, the interior minister made the rather remarkable assertion that there is no sectarian conflict in Karachi and that the recent clashes are being carried out by `invisible forces`. He said this after another meeting of the ulema again held in Islamabad.
The upshot of all this is that officials and leaders appear to be doing nothing, leaving an illequipped, poorly trained and understaffed lawenforcement structure to react to incidents once they have already taken place. Putting in place extraordinary Muharram security arrangements is a necessary step, but that is only a short-term fix. What it will not improve is the fundamental inability of law enforcement to tackle a problem that is simply beyond its scope;even the army is now vulnerable to anti-state groups, and the Rangers have demonstrated that they cannot fill the void created by an undermanned and easily influenced police force. As long as the ulema and the government fail to develop a more lasting political solution, there is only so much any of these organisations can do
the good qualities of west
IN one of the provinces of Canada the electricity bill is delivered
after every two months. Owing to the use of the central heating system
the bill charges rise three to four times in winters as compared to the
rest of the seasons.
As my semester was to conclude at the end ofJune 2009,Ireturned to Pakistan. Since my electricity bill for May and June wouldn`t have been delivered before the first week of July and my flight back home was at the end of June, I decided to make the bill payment in advance.
I wrote the cheque for an amount exceeding even that of our last bill for (winter) months of March and April, though there was no need for showing such generosity as I had not used the central heating system in May and June). I did that as I did not want ourhost country authorities to have the slightest idea that we had cheated them.
On the same note, like my university, bank, insurance, Internet and telephone company and mobile phone service provider, I had also apprised the electricity company about my address in Pakistan in case a need arises to settle the bills.
However, to my surprise and delight, in August and then in November 2009 I received two cheques from our electricity company.
I have personally known a number of people, including doctors and engineers who got loans worth thousands of pounds from banks abroad, never to return the same, before going back to Pakistan.
On the other hand, there are institutions like our electricitycompany in Canada which gladly returned almost 100 Canadian dollars to me without any demand and that too to an ex-consumer who is not even residing in Canada.
I feel pity for the West bashers, the majority of whom might not have even gone beyond their provincial territories but feel it their birthright to condemn the West for their say one per cent evil deeds and very conveniently overlook 99 per cent of their traits like honesty, justice, fairness and, above all, respect for humanity without any discrimination.
Lastly, I pity this mob of most ignorant hooligans who burn down their own abodes just to condemn sheer acts of stupidity committed by some lunatics thousands of miles away.
MAKHDOOM SAIF Islamabad
As my semester was to conclude at the end ofJune 2009,Ireturned to Pakistan. Since my electricity bill for May and June wouldn`t have been delivered before the first week of July and my flight back home was at the end of June, I decided to make the bill payment in advance.
I wrote the cheque for an amount exceeding even that of our last bill for (winter) months of March and April, though there was no need for showing such generosity as I had not used the central heating system in May and June). I did that as I did not want ourhost country authorities to have the slightest idea that we had cheated them.
On the same note, like my university, bank, insurance, Internet and telephone company and mobile phone service provider, I had also apprised the electricity company about my address in Pakistan in case a need arises to settle the bills.
However, to my surprise and delight, in August and then in November 2009 I received two cheques from our electricity company.
I have personally known a number of people, including doctors and engineers who got loans worth thousands of pounds from banks abroad, never to return the same, before going back to Pakistan.
On the other hand, there are institutions like our electricitycompany in Canada which gladly returned almost 100 Canadian dollars to me without any demand and that too to an ex-consumer who is not even residing in Canada.
I feel pity for the West bashers, the majority of whom might not have even gone beyond their provincial territories but feel it their birthright to condemn the West for their say one per cent evil deeds and very conveniently overlook 99 per cent of their traits like honesty, justice, fairness and, above all, respect for humanity without any discrimination.
Lastly, I pity this mob of most ignorant hooligans who burn down their own abodes just to condemn sheer acts of stupidity committed by some lunatics thousands of miles away.
MAKHDOOM SAIF Islamabad
private school vs government schools
PRIVATE schools are better than public schools. This is an established
fact in the urban areas of Pakistan. Now this trend is also seen taking
place among the rural population, as the demand for private schools is
increasing. The main reason is the belief that the quality of education
and facilities in these schools is better than that of their
public-sector counterparts.
But is that really the case? Recent studies show that there definitely is a difference in the quality of education between the two sectors, measured by the difference in the learning-level outcomes of the students.
Students studying in privately-owned schools in the rural areas perform better atevery level of schooling as compared to the students from the same grade levels in government schools.
However, the alarming feature that needs to be noted is that the difference between the two education providers is negligible at best.
Using the information from a survey of 32 districts across the country by ASER 2010, it was seen that any child going to a private school has less than four per cent probability of having better learning levels as compared to a child going to a government school. The difference is minute.
This is the case because private schools have no incentive to improve any further than the bare minimum that is required forthem to attract demand.
The quality of government schools is the benchmark for the private sector education providers, above which they have no incentive to further improve their facilities or other quality indicators.
The pre-conceived notion of private schools being always better than government schools is contradicted by the evidence from ASER 2010 facilities` statistics where other than the availability of water and toilet facilities, private schools have no edge over government schools.
In case of the number of classrooms, availability of playgrounds, boundary wall and the attendance of teachers, private schoolsare not only at similar levels but are even worse off than government schools in some provinces.
The poor quality of education and facilities is not just an issue in government schools but for the whole educational system. There is not only a need to alter the popular notion that private schools are always better than government schools but also to work on improving the quality of learning in both types of school.
Improving quality in government schools, and regulating and setting standards for the private sector is the need of the hour.
But is that really the case? Recent studies show that there definitely is a difference in the quality of education between the two sectors, measured by the difference in the learning-level outcomes of the students.
Students studying in privately-owned schools in the rural areas perform better atevery level of schooling as compared to the students from the same grade levels in government schools.
However, the alarming feature that needs to be noted is that the difference between the two education providers is negligible at best.
Using the information from a survey of 32 districts across the country by ASER 2010, it was seen that any child going to a private school has less than four per cent probability of having better learning levels as compared to a child going to a government school. The difference is minute.
This is the case because private schools have no incentive to improve any further than the bare minimum that is required forthem to attract demand.
The quality of government schools is the benchmark for the private sector education providers, above which they have no incentive to further improve their facilities or other quality indicators.
The pre-conceived notion of private schools being always better than government schools is contradicted by the evidence from ASER 2010 facilities` statistics where other than the availability of water and toilet facilities, private schools have no edge over government schools.
In case of the number of classrooms, availability of playgrounds, boundary wall and the attendance of teachers, private schoolsare not only at similar levels but are even worse off than government schools in some provinces.
The poor quality of education and facilities is not just an issue in government schools but for the whole educational system. There is not only a need to alter the popular notion that private schools are always better than government schools but also to work on improving the quality of learning in both types of school.
Improving quality in government schools, and regulating and setting standards for the private sector is the need of the hour.
Pakistan agrees to set free Taliban leaders
SLAMABAD, Nov 13: In an unprecedented gesture of support for
Afghanistan`s struggling reconciliation process, Pakistan agreed on
Tuesday to release several Taliban leaders detained in the country`s
jails.
The development, which hasn`t been made public by either side, came on the second day of Afghan High Peace Council Chief Mr Salahuddin Rabbani`s three-day visit to Islamabad to re-start the peace process which has been in the limbo for over a year now.
It was unclear if the detainees, who are said to be numbering close to 10, have been set free on Tuesday or would be released at the conclusion of Mr Rabbani`s visit.
The group, according to a source, does not include Mullah Baradar Taliban`s second in command who was captured by Pakistani security forces in Karachi in 2010.
Talks between the peace delegation led by Mr Rabbani and Pakistani officials would continue on Wednesday when the two sides are expected to come up with a joint statement on the progress made by them.
A Pakistani official, who had been briefed on the talks, told Dawn that `significant progress has already been made`.
The release of Taliban detainees in Pakistan has been a longstanding Afghan demand for catalysing the slow moving process.
A keen follower of the negotiations, who didn`t want to be named, said the release of prisoners was a positive step, which would provide the right environment for reconciliation.
Islamabad has long said that it supportedpeace and stability in Afghanistan, but has been holding back its cards in view of lack of clarity about the peace process with Taliban both in Kabul and Washington.
However, with the drawdown deadline approaching fast and all sorts of unfavourable scenarios for Pakistan being projected (with the assumption that instability in Afghanistan would continue), the government appears to have changed its tack and decided to more proactively support the process for the sake of its success. It is more than clear to Pakistani strategists that successful reconciliation in Afghanistan is their best bet.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan`s former envoy to US and UK, had last week told the Senate Standing Committee on Defence that absence of a political settlement in Afghanistan `could lead to disastrous consequences for the region, especially for Pakistan, which is already reeling from over three decades of turmoil and conflict in its western neighbour`.
President Asif Ali Zardari in his meeting with the Afghan peace delegation reiterated the government`s position that Pakistan would continue to extend every possible support to Afghanistan in its journey to peace and socio-economic development.
Mr Zardari noted that a peaceful, stable and economically developed Afghanistan was vital for Pakistan`s own stability and prosperity.
The delegation also called on Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani at the military headquarters in Rawalpindi. Mr Rabbani was invariably reminded by all his interlocutors in Islamabad that trust deficit remained to be addressed and that cross-border shelling by Afghanistan was adding to problems in ties.
The development, which hasn`t been made public by either side, came on the second day of Afghan High Peace Council Chief Mr Salahuddin Rabbani`s three-day visit to Islamabad to re-start the peace process which has been in the limbo for over a year now.
It was unclear if the detainees, who are said to be numbering close to 10, have been set free on Tuesday or would be released at the conclusion of Mr Rabbani`s visit.
The group, according to a source, does not include Mullah Baradar Taliban`s second in command who was captured by Pakistani security forces in Karachi in 2010.
Talks between the peace delegation led by Mr Rabbani and Pakistani officials would continue on Wednesday when the two sides are expected to come up with a joint statement on the progress made by them.
A Pakistani official, who had been briefed on the talks, told Dawn that `significant progress has already been made`.
The release of Taliban detainees in Pakistan has been a longstanding Afghan demand for catalysing the slow moving process.
A keen follower of the negotiations, who didn`t want to be named, said the release of prisoners was a positive step, which would provide the right environment for reconciliation.
Islamabad has long said that it supportedpeace and stability in Afghanistan, but has been holding back its cards in view of lack of clarity about the peace process with Taliban both in Kabul and Washington.
However, with the drawdown deadline approaching fast and all sorts of unfavourable scenarios for Pakistan being projected (with the assumption that instability in Afghanistan would continue), the government appears to have changed its tack and decided to more proactively support the process for the sake of its success. It is more than clear to Pakistani strategists that successful reconciliation in Afghanistan is their best bet.
Dr Maleeha Lodhi, Pakistan`s former envoy to US and UK, had last week told the Senate Standing Committee on Defence that absence of a political settlement in Afghanistan `could lead to disastrous consequences for the region, especially for Pakistan, which is already reeling from over three decades of turmoil and conflict in its western neighbour`.
President Asif Ali Zardari in his meeting with the Afghan peace delegation reiterated the government`s position that Pakistan would continue to extend every possible support to Afghanistan in its journey to peace and socio-economic development.
Mr Zardari noted that a peaceful, stable and economically developed Afghanistan was vital for Pakistan`s own stability and prosperity.
The delegation also called on Army Chief Gen Ashfaq Pervez Kayani at the military headquarters in Rawalpindi. Mr Rabbani was invariably reminded by all his interlocutors in Islamabad that trust deficit remained to be addressed and that cross-border shelling by Afghanistan was adding to problems in ties.
education is the only way out
SINCE years we have been in a state of war. ...[There are] bomb blasts,
suicide attacks, passengers travelling by bus being made to disembark
and then shot dead on sectarian grounds. ...This has become the order of
the day. In rural areas there are tribal feuds and ethnic conflict. It
seems as if this state has become a nursery for riots where ...
clashesand conflicts are growing. This continues regardless of whether
there is a democratic era or dictatorship in thecountry. In a
dictatorship, the bureaucracy calls the shots, while in a democracy
chieftains, feudals ... enjoy power.
Neither dictatorship nor democracy has changed the situation for the common man.
This does not mean that we are opposed to democracy, but we want to point out that elected representatives ... do not follow democratic values.
These feudals cannot be friends of the people. We are unable to promote education.
No outsider is hampering the progress of education, but it is our feudals, chaudhries and waderas who have converted school buildings into cattlepens.... They have neither allowed the middle class to rise nor have they worked in the spirit of democracy. This can also be seen in the recruitment for jobs where no merit is observed. ...[J]obs are handed over to MNAs and MPAs.
Hence jobs are not given on merit but according to political compulsions.... We have a majority of such people in theeducation department.
...President Asif Ali Zardari, while inaugurating the Waseela-iTaleem scheme ..warned that if we failed to impart education to our children history will not forgive us. President Zardari has rightly said that history will not only hold us accountable but the nation will be wiped out [from the world map] if we failed to educate them. Today we are stuck in the quagmire of extremism; the reason behind it is also the lack of education. ...It is painful that we ... spend the budget on purchasing arms. This has destroyed our health and education sectors. ...-(Nov 11) • Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi
Neither dictatorship nor democracy has changed the situation for the common man.
This does not mean that we are opposed to democracy, but we want to point out that elected representatives ... do not follow democratic values.
These feudals cannot be friends of the people. We are unable to promote education.
No outsider is hampering the progress of education, but it is our feudals, chaudhries and waderas who have converted school buildings into cattlepens.... They have neither allowed the middle class to rise nor have they worked in the spirit of democracy. This can also be seen in the recruitment for jobs where no merit is observed. ...[J]obs are handed over to MNAs and MPAs.
Hence jobs are not given on merit but according to political compulsions.... We have a majority of such people in theeducation department.
...President Asif Ali Zardari, while inaugurating the Waseela-iTaleem scheme ..warned that if we failed to impart education to our children history will not forgive us. President Zardari has rightly said that history will not only hold us accountable but the nation will be wiped out [from the world map] if we failed to educate them. Today we are stuck in the quagmire of extremism; the reason behind it is also the lack of education. ...It is painful that we ... spend the budget on purchasing arms. This has destroyed our health and education sectors. ...-(Nov 11) • Selected and translated by Sohail Sangi
Monday, November 12, 2012
Iran warns US it will act firmly if airspace violated
TEHRAN, Nov 11: Iran warned on Sunday it would react strongly against
any US intrusion into its airspace after two of its warplanes fired at
an American drone 10 days ago, the ISNA news agency reported.
`Yes, we opened fire, and it was with warning shots. If they do it again they can expect an even stronger response,` the agency quoted General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh, head of the elite Revolutionary Guards air and space forces, as saying.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said on Thursday the Iranian Su-25 Frogfoot fighters fired at the robotic Predator drone on Nov 1 but did not hit it.
`They intercepted the aircraft and fired multiple rounds,` he said.
The American drone was `never in Iranian airspace` and came under fire from the fighter jets off the Iranian coast over international waters, Little said.
In a warning to Tehran, the Pentagon spokesman said the United States was prepared to safeguard its forces.
`We have a wide range of options, from diplomatic to military, to protect our military assets and our forces in the region and will do so when necessary,` Little said.
On Friday, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed the incident, saying the drone had `entered the space over the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf area` Hadjizadeh was reported as saying on Sunday: `This spy drone entered Iranian airspace and had to turn around because of the immediate reaction by fighters of the Revolutionary Guards.
He added that the US unmanned aircraft had been `flying over Kharg island to gather information about economic activity on the island, and the arrival and departure of oil tankers.
Kharg, 25 kilometres off the Iranian mainland, is the Islamic republic`s main export terminal for its oil.
The United States and the European Union have both imposed economic sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear ambitions which western powers and Israel believe are aimed at producing atomic weapons.
Tehran denies the charge, sayings its programme of uranium enrichment is entirely peaceful and is for energy and medical purposes. The Nov 1 drone incident came less than a week before America`s presidential election, but the Pentagon kept it quiet until reports of the confrontation leaked out.-AFP
`Yes, we opened fire, and it was with warning shots. If they do it again they can expect an even stronger response,` the agency quoted General Amir-Ali Hadjizadeh, head of the elite Revolutionary Guards air and space forces, as saying.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said on Thursday the Iranian Su-25 Frogfoot fighters fired at the robotic Predator drone on Nov 1 but did not hit it.
`They intercepted the aircraft and fired multiple rounds,` he said.
The American drone was `never in Iranian airspace` and came under fire from the fighter jets off the Iranian coast over international waters, Little said.
In a warning to Tehran, the Pentagon spokesman said the United States was prepared to safeguard its forces.
`We have a wide range of options, from diplomatic to military, to protect our military assets and our forces in the region and will do so when necessary,` Little said.
On Friday, Iranian Defence Minister Ahmad Vahidi confirmed the incident, saying the drone had `entered the space over the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf area` Hadjizadeh was reported as saying on Sunday: `This spy drone entered Iranian airspace and had to turn around because of the immediate reaction by fighters of the Revolutionary Guards.
He added that the US unmanned aircraft had been `flying over Kharg island to gather information about economic activity on the island, and the arrival and departure of oil tankers.
Kharg, 25 kilometres off the Iranian mainland, is the Islamic republic`s main export terminal for its oil.
The United States and the European Union have both imposed economic sanctions against Iran over its controversial nuclear ambitions which western powers and Israel believe are aimed at producing atomic weapons.
Tehran denies the charge, sayings its programme of uranium enrichment is entirely peaceful and is for energy and medical purposes. The Nov 1 drone incident came less than a week before America`s presidential election, but the Pentagon kept it quiet until reports of the confrontation leaked out.-AFP
education and Global Action Day for Malala Yousufzai
AS the world geared up to mark the Global Action Day for Malala
Yousufzai, the Pakistan government launched on Friday a literacy
programme to provide free education to children, primarily girls. The
fouryear Waseela-i-Taleem initiative, undertaken under the umbrella of
the Benazir Income Support Programme, aims to educate three million poor
children, with President Zardari noting during its launch that `no
country can make any progress without investing in its human capital`.
We hope the state remains committed enough to achieve its goals. There
is no doubt that, as report after report has pointed out, Pakistan faces
an education emergency with the young not being able to attend school
due to a wide variety of reasons ranging from convention or poverty to
security as the injuries suffered by Malala so horrifyingly
demonstrated. Not only are there not enough schools in the country,
Pakistan`s dropout rates are much higher andenrolment figures woefully
lower than they should be.
The grim picture of the fate of the next generation, particularly its female members, is drawn in clear lines by the recently released Education for All Global Monitoring Report.
Pakistan is among the bottom 10 countries in terms of education for females in straitened financial circumstances. It was also amongst the last 10 for the amount of time girls spend in schools in their lifetimes, with almost two-thirds of the poorest girls never going to school at all. These figures are cause for serious concern, for coupled with population growth and demographic figures, they point towards a future where growing numbers of people are not just poor but illiterate as well, thus further decreasing opportunities for uplift. Only if the government takes strides towards achieving the Waseela-i-Taleem initiative`s goal can it be considered to have demonstrated its commitment to this crucial sector.
The grim picture of the fate of the next generation, particularly its female members, is drawn in clear lines by the recently released Education for All Global Monitoring Report.
Pakistan is among the bottom 10 countries in terms of education for females in straitened financial circumstances. It was also amongst the last 10 for the amount of time girls spend in schools in their lifetimes, with almost two-thirds of the poorest girls never going to school at all. These figures are cause for serious concern, for coupled with population growth and demographic figures, they point towards a future where growing numbers of people are not just poor but illiterate as well, thus further decreasing opportunities for uplift. Only if the government takes strides towards achieving the Waseela-i-Taleem initiative`s goal can it be considered to have demonstrated its commitment to this crucial sector.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
In heart of France, Islamic school trains clerics
AINT-LIGER-DE-FOUGERET (France), Nov 6: Deep in the wooded hills of
Burgundy in central France, an unusual institute is training unusual
students: aspiring French imams who hope to minister to the country`s
large Muslim population.
Early in the morning, some 200 students from across the country stream into the European Institute of Human Sciences de Saint-Legerde-Fougeret, where they learn to read the holy Quran and study Islamic theology and Arabic literature.
After seven intensive years of study, only 10 or so graduates eachyear to lead prayers or preach at mosques.
Estimates of France`s Muslim population vary widely, from between 3.5 million and 6.0 million, though there is little hard evidence as to how many are practising. In any event, France`s Muslim community is the largest in western Europe.
Relations between the authorities and Muslims, many of them secondor third-generation immigrants, chiefly from North Africa, have often been tense.
Some younger Muslims have been tempted by extremist jihadist views and France hasimplemented a contentious ban on women wearing full veils.
Over the past nine years, various governments have encouraged the professional training of local religious leaders. Interior Minister Manuel Valls recently backed the practice, even if the job of imam is badly paid, if at all, and enjoys no official recognition.
The initiative goes back 20 years when the Union of Islamic Organisations in France, which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, converted a former children`s holiday centre into the institute. Its stated aim is to train imams equipped `with a solidknowledge of Islam and the sociocultural realities of Europe`.
The idea was to provide an alternative to the recruitment of foreign imams, who often spoke no French and had little or no knowledge of French lifestyles.
`The training of imams who are products of French society is vital: Today 70 per cent of the faithful don`t speak Arabic,` said the institute`s director Zuhair Mahmood.
Initially financed by the Gulf States, the school depends heavily on fees of about 3,400 euros ($4,400) a year board and lodging included.
`Since I was small I havedreamed of becoming an imam, said 18-year-old Wahib, who did not want to give his last name, `but seven years is long and there are no grants`.
Apart from the rural setting, the atmosphere in the run-down prefabricated corridors of the institute is like that of any other college.
At break time men, often bearded, and women, all of them wearing head scarves, wait for coffee.
The women can follow the 20 hours of weekly courses but cannot become imams.
Said, who also did not want to give his last name, was born inMorocco and now living in Nice in southern France. He took correspondence courses for two years and left his family to `deepen` his knowledge of Islam. `If I succeed, I become an imam. It`s my vocation,` he said.
`I would love to pass on my knowledge to others and above all fight against extremism.
There are about 10 people in his class. They listen to the interpretations of a sura from holy Quran, as part of a third year theology course, which also includes an introduction to French law.
`Being an imam, it isn`t something that happens,` the 33-year-old Said told this correspondent.
`It`s a real responsibility, We have to be safeguards.
`Radicalism is always the result of ignorance,` Said`s theology teacher Larbi Belbachir added.
Traditionally, congregations of the faithful choose their imams, who carry out their duties as volunteers or are paid by gifts. Those presiding in large mosques can earn 1,500 euros ($1,950) a month.
They are classified as educators or teachers but never as imams.
`When this profession is recognised and paid as such,` Said suggested, `perhaps there will be more vocations`.-AFP
Early in the morning, some 200 students from across the country stream into the European Institute of Human Sciences de Saint-Legerde-Fougeret, where they learn to read the holy Quran and study Islamic theology and Arabic literature.
After seven intensive years of study, only 10 or so graduates eachyear to lead prayers or preach at mosques.
Estimates of France`s Muslim population vary widely, from between 3.5 million and 6.0 million, though there is little hard evidence as to how many are practising. In any event, France`s Muslim community is the largest in western Europe.
Relations between the authorities and Muslims, many of them secondor third-generation immigrants, chiefly from North Africa, have often been tense.
Some younger Muslims have been tempted by extremist jihadist views and France hasimplemented a contentious ban on women wearing full veils.
Over the past nine years, various governments have encouraged the professional training of local religious leaders. Interior Minister Manuel Valls recently backed the practice, even if the job of imam is badly paid, if at all, and enjoys no official recognition.
The initiative goes back 20 years when the Union of Islamic Organisations in France, which has close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, converted a former children`s holiday centre into the institute. Its stated aim is to train imams equipped `with a solidknowledge of Islam and the sociocultural realities of Europe`.
The idea was to provide an alternative to the recruitment of foreign imams, who often spoke no French and had little or no knowledge of French lifestyles.
`The training of imams who are products of French society is vital: Today 70 per cent of the faithful don`t speak Arabic,` said the institute`s director Zuhair Mahmood.
Initially financed by the Gulf States, the school depends heavily on fees of about 3,400 euros ($4,400) a year board and lodging included.
`Since I was small I havedreamed of becoming an imam, said 18-year-old Wahib, who did not want to give his last name, `but seven years is long and there are no grants`.
Apart from the rural setting, the atmosphere in the run-down prefabricated corridors of the institute is like that of any other college.
At break time men, often bearded, and women, all of them wearing head scarves, wait for coffee.
The women can follow the 20 hours of weekly courses but cannot become imams.
Said, who also did not want to give his last name, was born inMorocco and now living in Nice in southern France. He took correspondence courses for two years and left his family to `deepen` his knowledge of Islam. `If I succeed, I become an imam. It`s my vocation,` he said.
`I would love to pass on my knowledge to others and above all fight against extremism.
There are about 10 people in his class. They listen to the interpretations of a sura from holy Quran, as part of a third year theology course, which also includes an introduction to French law.
`Being an imam, it isn`t something that happens,` the 33-year-old Said told this correspondent.
`It`s a real responsibility, We have to be safeguards.
`Radicalism is always the result of ignorance,` Said`s theology teacher Larbi Belbachir added.
Traditionally, congregations of the faithful choose their imams, who carry out their duties as volunteers or are paid by gifts. Those presiding in large mosques can earn 1,500 euros ($1,950) a month.
They are classified as educators or teachers but never as imams.
`When this profession is recognised and paid as such,` Said suggested, `perhaps there will be more vocations`.-AFP
Army`s concerns
AS the country digests the army chief`s latest foray into, strictly
speaking, non-military matters, it appears that Gen Kayani`s comments on
Monday were directed at his principal constituency: the armed forces
itself. The discomfort within the rank and file and the leadership too
in recent weeks is not very difficult to fathom.
Mehrangate, the NLC scam, inquiries into a luxury resort in Lahore, and myriad other questions about the army`s political role and management of security affairs have all combined to probably create a sense of siege. For an institution as proud and domestically predominant as the army has been over the decades, it may well be bewildering to be subjected to the kind of scrutiny and commentary that nonuniformed leaders have long been used to. So Gen Kayani`s words targeted as they appear to have been against the judiciary and sections of the media, and not really the civilian political leadership were probably intended to allay concerns within the armed forces that somewhat legitimate criticism of narrow problems, from the army`s perspective, were growing into wanton and gratuitous criticism of the entire institution.
Questionable as the army`s concerns may be those never subjected to intense scrutiny will always resist a changing order it is perhaps a signof the times, and a good one at that, that the army chief chose tough words instead of strong action. In eras past, a discreet phone call or a public swipe would have been enough to tamp down criticism and make unwanted investigations disappear. So perhaps in time, even the dubious use of the ISPR to put out such controversial statements will be a practice curbed.
For the long road to civilian control of the state to be travelled, however, one of the key elements is the question of who determines the `national interest`. Gen Kayani was correct in saying that `no individual or institution has the monopoly to decide what is right or wrong in defining the national interest` and that it should emerge through a `consensus`. But in truth, it must go much further than that in a truly democratic polity. While other institutions do have some role to play, the central pivot has to be the civilian leadership that represents the will of the people through parliament. It cannot and must not be forgotten that the internal and external instability the country faces today is largely rooted in policies pursued by the army itself in the name of the national interest. But if a few court cases and investigations so unsettle the armed forces, can they really be willing to cede control of the `national interest`?
Mehrangate, the NLC scam, inquiries into a luxury resort in Lahore, and myriad other questions about the army`s political role and management of security affairs have all combined to probably create a sense of siege. For an institution as proud and domestically predominant as the army has been over the decades, it may well be bewildering to be subjected to the kind of scrutiny and commentary that nonuniformed leaders have long been used to. So Gen Kayani`s words targeted as they appear to have been against the judiciary and sections of the media, and not really the civilian political leadership were probably intended to allay concerns within the armed forces that somewhat legitimate criticism of narrow problems, from the army`s perspective, were growing into wanton and gratuitous criticism of the entire institution.
Questionable as the army`s concerns may be those never subjected to intense scrutiny will always resist a changing order it is perhaps a signof the times, and a good one at that, that the army chief chose tough words instead of strong action. In eras past, a discreet phone call or a public swipe would have been enough to tamp down criticism and make unwanted investigations disappear. So perhaps in time, even the dubious use of the ISPR to put out such controversial statements will be a practice curbed.
For the long road to civilian control of the state to be travelled, however, one of the key elements is the question of who determines the `national interest`. Gen Kayani was correct in saying that `no individual or institution has the monopoly to decide what is right or wrong in defining the national interest` and that it should emerge through a `consensus`. But in truth, it must go much further than that in a truly democratic polity. While other institutions do have some role to play, the central pivot has to be the civilian leadership that represents the will of the people through parliament. It cannot and must not be forgotten that the internal and external instability the country faces today is largely rooted in policies pursued by the army itself in the name of the national interest. But if a few court cases and investigations so unsettle the armed forces, can they really be willing to cede control of the `national interest`?
Sandy Storm: learning a lesson from America
KEEPING aside the rhetoric of some right-wing elements in our society
that the storm Sandy is `natural justice` on the `infidels`, the cue for
Pakistan should be the management part of it.
The normality witnessed just on the third day after the storm hit the United States of America`s east coast is a leading example for nations to follow.
More than anything else, it was sheer determination on the part of their leaders to stand united in theface of this catastrophe.
They threw politics off their shoulders and tackled what turned out to be one of the worst disasters in American history.
Out of 78 million people affected, the number of deaths at 100 shows the preparedness on all three stages: pre-disaster, during disaster and postdisaster.
Even though Pakistan has seen worst of floods during the past three years, yet the levelof preparednessis unfortunately at the lowest ebb.Vast areas still remain inundated, while scores of people are still fighting their fate and struggling to make ends meet.
Blaming destiny has become a synonym for lack of preparedness in our country.
Hopefully, our leaders who often portray a pro-western stance would follow in the footsteps of their counterparts in the West in this regard as well.
The normality witnessed just on the third day after the storm hit the United States of America`s east coast is a leading example for nations to follow.
More than anything else, it was sheer determination on the part of their leaders to stand united in theface of this catastrophe.
They threw politics off their shoulders and tackled what turned out to be one of the worst disasters in American history.
Out of 78 million people affected, the number of deaths at 100 shows the preparedness on all three stages: pre-disaster, during disaster and postdisaster.
Even though Pakistan has seen worst of floods during the past three years, yet the levelof preparednessis unfortunately at the lowest ebb.Vast areas still remain inundated, while scores of people are still fighting their fate and struggling to make ends meet.
Blaming destiny has become a synonym for lack of preparedness in our country.
Hopefully, our leaders who often portray a pro-western stance would follow in the footsteps of their counterparts in the West in this regard as well.
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