There is a lot of ill-informed speculation about the probable cause of the crash of the Airblue Airbus A321 in Islamabad. If people don't know much of the subject, they should not say anything. Spatial disorientation, a loss of situational awareness, complacency and/or over-confidence are some factors which come to the mind based on reading hundreds of air accident reports over the years. The unfortunate part is that the public will never be told the truth. The ATC tapes, the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DVDR) which contain information sufficient to pin-point the probable cause of the accident to a very accurate degree will all be read and sealed. Everything will be hushed up in the hope that the public will forget and move on to some other news. We have no tradition in Pakistan of publishing reports of air accidents. We know nothing about the crash of PIA's inaugural flight to Cairo, only that there was an in-flight fire in the case of the PIA 707 departing from Jeddah, no reason was given why the Airbus A300 approaching Khatmandu was one-step ahead of its step-down descent profile and we don't know what happened in the most recent crash in Multan except that the engine caught fire on take-off and the entire F.27 fleet was (absurdly) grounded. Even India, about as secretive as we are, publishes air accident reports. So do many countries in the sub-Saharan Africa. But not us. The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority has set up an investigation team because they probably have to do so according to the ICAO rules. Airbus has offered help. To be sure, a report will be prepared. Then it will go to the prime minister and the president neither of whom will read it and then there will be silence. If we still don't know who killed Liaquat Ali Khan, what happened in the East Pakistan and why, whether Bhutto was hanged or was he already dead, why Zia's plane went hurtling to the ground in a 90-degree dive, what is a little air accident?
Meekal Ahmed
Chantilly, VA
The whole nation is in mourning as over 150 precious lives were lost in the tragic air crash on Margalla Hills in Islamabad. The plane was merely eight kilometres away from its final destination. The rescue operation, as usual, happened without much management though all the organisations, including the armed forces, took part in recovering the dead bodies in a difficult terrain. We all should acknowledge the good work by our rescuers. However, the National Disaster Management Authority, which has a clear mandate in times of national disasters, was missing all the way. The NDMA is the leading agency at the federal level and it is the executive arm of the National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC), which has been established under the chairmanship of the prime minister as the apex policy-making body in the field of disaster management. This authority should have played a pivotal role in the rescue efforts but the usual chaos and mismanagement were seen at the incident site with literally common men taking part in the operation. In our part of the world, we have a number of these so-called authorities and commissions with fancy vision and mission statements but they usually falter in testing times. The vision statement of the NDMA reads and I quote: "To achieve sustainable social, economic and environmental development in Pakistan through reducing risks and vulnerabilities, particularly those of the poor and marginalised groups, and by effectively responding to and recovering from all types of disaster events." The mission statement of the NDMA reads and I quote: "To manage complete spectrum of disasters by adopting a disaster risk reduction perspective in development planning at all levels, and through enhancing institutional capacities for disaster preparedness, response and recovery." The website of the NDMA is worth reading as it seems to cover a wide spectrum of national disasters but it's merely lip service in my opinion. I request the honourable prime minister to kindly pay due consideration to such commissions and authorities especially in terms of their effectiveness.
Taimur Nawaz
Rawalpindi
There's nothing that hits you as hard as the death of a loved one. As a member of the Youth Parliament, I can only offer my prayers for the families of the deceased. The youth prime minister, Hassan Javed Khan, will be remembered for his sophistication and exemplary leadership skills, Syeda Rabab Zehra for the strong debates and laudable recommendations she used to give, Bilal Jamaee for giving us the opportunity to laugh during the long sessions, Prem Chand for all the hard work that he used to put into the proceedings of parliament, Owais Bin Laiq and Syed Arsalan Ahmad for their speeches that always used to make us sit up and listen.
Not only have we lost our friends but the nation has lost some of its intelligent and worthy future leaders. Each one of them was an awesome parliamentarian and an even better human being. They will surely be missed.
Nabee
Peshawar
I was a passenger on PIA flight PK 356 from Lahore to Islamabad, which landed in Islamabad on July 28 at 9:30 am, approximately 20 minutes before the ill-fated Airblue flight that crashed into the Margalla Hills in Islamabad due to low-visibility and hostile weather. While I am grateful that our plane landed safely at Islamabad, I would like to bring to your notice that just like the Airblue flight, our plane was also forced to fly low over Islamabad in extremely poor visibility. After circling the city on a low-flight path, it took an unconventional route over the capital towards the landing strip at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport. This was probably necessitated by the weather, and it is, therefore, unfair to prematurely blame the Airblue pilot for that crash, as the 'experts' appearing on the electronic media continued to do in the hours following the tragedy. We would all do well to remember that included amongst the bereaved in this tragedy were the family of the pilot, and that jumping to conclusions before any evidence has even come to ground is only hurtful and insensitive, as it serves no productive purpose whatsoever.
Osman Khalid
Islamabad
Height of insensitivity
I could have been one of those bodies that were slammed into the Margalla Hills yesterday. I was nearly put on the ill-fated aircraft but, a last-minute return opening got me on the PIA flight that left Karachi at about the same time. After circling Islamabad in a landing pattern for over half an hour for what we were told was bad weather, the engines revved and we rose to cruising altitude as the captain informed us that we were diverting to Lahore since the Islamabad airport had shut down. It was only there as we sat on the tarmac for a couple of hours that we got to know about the terrible tragedy. And some degree of panic ensued. However, we were returned to Pindi by about 1.30 pm. As I stood in the departure lounge awaiting the 7:00 pm return flight, two small jet aircraft parked just outside the exit gates drew public attention. The first aircraft could not be identified but the one at the rear, with the Pakistan flag on the tail and AP-BHY markings had a prominent Government of Sindh label on the fuselage. As people watched a group of civilians, accompanied by a small phalanx of uniformed flunkies, moved to the waiting aircraft. Leading were three ladies who paused to photograph in the doorway. Behind them, two teenage girls strolled up swinging plastic bags, possibly of the boutique shopping variety. The last entrant was dressed in the particular white attire that separates the rulers from the plebeians, and he was the one all kowtowed to and who, in turn, graciously acknowledged their fawning. The face was not very identifiable but there are at least three ruling males in Sindh who could fit that description. At 18:05 the aircraft taxied off.
There were many who watched this spectacle with me. The nation, in general, and Islamabad, in particular, was in shock and mourning over the terrible event. We have been told about a cabinet meeting in Islamabad in which the 'provinces were asked to curtail expenses'! Aware of how much Babar Awan cost the country when he used a PAF plane to distribute largesse among lawyers, we wondered how less it would have cost for the honcho to have come, alone, on a commercial flight. We are bankrupt! Financially, intellectually and most certainly, morally. I had to remark about the lovely freebie most of that group had at our expense. It certainly wasn't to offer fateha!
Dr Mervyn Hosein
Karachi
Imran as PCB chief
A good solution to the many problems faced by the Pakistan cricket team can be to appoint Imran Khan as head of the Pakistan Cricket Board. He should be given a free hand by the president of Pakistan to run the organisation, and that should include the hiring and firing of players and improvement in the domestic structure of the game. If that happens, there is no reason not to believe that our currently demoralised team would definitely be able to compete with the top test squads of the world.
Umar M. Makhdumi
Karachi
Fighting poverty in Sindh
Sindh is said to be a resourceful province, yet the majority of its population — especially in the rural areas — lives in abject poverty and illiteracy. This is because the focus of the government’s spending is not directed towards the poor masses. Despite the government’s seemingly sincere efforts towards poverty alleviation, most of the development programmes related to poverty alleviation are not delivering and have no trickle-down effects, as these programmes are poorly planned and undertaken in haste. The government presents a rosy picture to the people but massive pockets of poverty, unemployed youth, illiterate millions, rampant corruption, gender inequality, volatile law and order, skyrocketing prices of commodities, lack of access to basic amenities and socio-economic stratification are ubiquitous. Thus people in the province are much poorer than projected by the government.
The government’s focus on establishment of new projects under public sector programmes with their offices in posh localities, equipped with modern facilities, is not likely to yield any positive result and improve the lot of poverty stricken people. Rather, these projects may end up as a burden on the provincial exchequer and would leave the province more indebted to international financial institutions.
Therefore, the need of the hour is to launch development schemes to uplift the socio-economic status of the public through regular government institutions by enhancing their efficiency through an effective system of checks and balance and putting the right persons in the right places.
The government should concentrate upon opening technical and educational institutions and research centres to train future experts. Industrial and agricultural sectors must be focused on and made vibrant to expand the industrial and agriculture-related production base that can increase productivity and provide opportunities of employment.
Women, need to be emancipated in order to enable them to participate in all fields of life; for this protective but effective laws for securing the rights of women should be introduced. Livelihood programmes at the mass scale, especially for women, is the need of the time. Programmes for achieving universal literacy must be given top priority along with other poverty alleviation programmes.
Those in the driving seat should reduce lavish spending. Honesty and selflessness should be inculcated among the rank and file so that everyone can work with a sense of commitment and dedication. Impoverishment cannot be trimmed down by changing statistics; therefore, the regime in power should frame sound strategies to liberate the masses of the province from the poverty trap that is perpetually squeezing them.
Abdul Samad
Karachi
NBP pensioners’ appeal
I would like to draw the attention of the president and chairman, board of directors, of the National Bank of Pakistan to the following for their consideration.
The federal government has increased the pension of all its retired employees with effect from July 1, 2010. This increase was also applicable to all retired employees of the provincial governments.
National Bank is an autonomous/corporate body of the federal government and administered by the finance ministry. The bank, being the biggest financial institution of the country, has shown remarkable achievement in all sectors during the last few years and earned profit in billions.
Undoubtedly, the retired employees of the bank contributed to the bank’s success, as they dedicated their prime years in order to bring the bank to this stage. They were expecting that the bank would immediately announce the increase in pension as declared by the government and other autonomous bodies. But the retired employees of the bank are desperately waiting for increase in pension.
They deserve sympathetic encouragement as they are already facing financial hardships due to the present uncontrolled inflation and price hike. Under the pension formula introduced in 1999, the retired employees of the bank have already suffered a lot in calculation of their pension and they were struggling to maintain their normal standard of living in their remaining life.
Bank authorities have already promised — through various circulars — to revise the rate of benevolent fund grant from Rs1, 620 and will make it in line with SBP rules and regulations. This promise is still pending by the standing committee and no action has been taken for the last 10 years. The present amount of benevolent fund grant is against the norms of justice and ground realities in an era of galloping inflation.
The president and chairman of board of directors are appealed to expedite increase in pension as admissible to all government employees to retired employees with effect from July 1. The matter regarding providing facility of benevolent grant should also be decided soon.
Mahmood Ahmad
Lahore
Medical negligence
Recently, the news of an eight-year-old girl losing her eyesight due to doctor’s negligence has been circulating in the media.
After the girl passed away, the media accused the Punjab government for not providing the promised monetary relief of Rs500, 000.
The entire nation’s heart goes out to the unfortunate child who had to suffer a lot during her last days; however, at this point, it is important that a few facts are brought to the forefront.
It was reported that the patient’s eyes popped out, resulting in loss of sight, due to the use of wrong eye drops. Being a practising eye specialist with more than 20 years’ experience, I can confidently say that no such drops have yet been invented.
The child had an obvious case of retinoblastoma, i.e. cancer of the eyes, which ultimately results in proptosis – popping out of the eyes.
The treatment modalities for this disease are: laser, if detected early, or Enucleation of the involved eye, which the parents do not usually agree to due to the fear of what the neighbours or the society would say.
To add to this problem, the parents refer to fake peers and aamils who give treatment options that are detrimental to the patient.
The family only returns to the doctor when the eye becomes severely proptosed and the cancer has spread to the optic nerve, brain and bone marrow.
This jeopardises the life of the child, and the blame falls on the ill-fated doctor who was consulted at the last stage of the disease.
It is the responsibility of the parents to follow the doctor’s advice, and if they fail to do so then the entire responsibility of the child’s condition lies on the parents’ shoulders.
It is the responsibility of the media to thoroughly research and verify any report before presenting it to the public. All aspects of the story should be presented and the root cause of the problem should be highlighted.
The government, instead of awarding the parents for their negligence should start public awareness programmes on the prevention of the disease, so that such cases can be prevented in future.
There are other instances of distressed families asking for government support, like a family with five children suffering from congenital muscular dystrophy and a family with four children suffering from xeroderma pigmentosa. Both these diseases are inherited diseases and can be prevented by not having more children once a child suffering from such diseases is born in the family.
Such families should resort to genetic counselling and family planning so that they do not add to the disabled population.
Providing such families with monetary relief is not going to solve the problem. It may rather aggravate the problem by providing the parents with the incentive to have more children to help them earn a quick buck.
Instead, the government should provide genetic counselling and start public awareness programmes for the general masses.
Dr Seema Qayyum
Lahore
SC ruffles politicians over fake degrees
The judicial activism initiated by the Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruffled many political feathers, as the scandal relating to the fake degrees of our parliamentarians begins to emerge. The entire affair has once again disgraced the nation.
The Election Commission and Higher Education Commission have both failed to check the authenticity of the educational degrees through which some of our parliamentarians have fraudulently wriggled their way into the National Assembly.
This grave act of negligence by these institutions, on which millions of rupees of the taxpayer’s money has been spent, must be held accountable.
They must be questioned as to why the candidates’ degrees were not checked and why they were allowed to sit in parliament for such a long time?
Instead of resigning and setting an example for our youth, they lied to become legislators and are now defending their behaviour by launching a vicious attack against the courts and the media.
A ruthless media trial may be wrong and the names of the defaulting parliamentarians should not be announced without verification. Some of our leading anchors may seem politically biased but to accuse the judiciary and the media of hatching a conspiracy to defame them is ridiculous.
Therefore, it is time for us to make up our minds as a nation and decide what is Pakistan to be, a banana republic or a self-respecting, progressive and tolerant democracy? The parliament should be accountable to the citizens and the judiciary, as per the constitution.
Either we say goodbye to the constitution, justice and the rule of law or say hello to the law of the jungle and the ‘might is right’ syndrome.
As such, the superior judiciary will have to assert its authority and punish a handful of these parliamentarians, according to the law of the country. The message has to be sent out loud and clear that crime does not pay.
As an old Chinese saying goes, “When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set.”
H. Maker
Karachi
Water wars
The ongoing tussle between the provinces on Chashma-Jhelum canal is only a war of words. Imagine what will happen if it reaches the farm level!
As nothing is being done about it, the water situation can only become worse each year. We must put our heads together and remove all imaginary misconceptions.
Khurshid Anwer
Lahore
Incompetence of Wapda
This is apropos of an important problem I came across. After the first wave of monsoon rains in Lahore, my electricity feeder tripped. I called at Wapda’s office on the numbers mentioned on my bill for consumer complaints.
Nobody was responding on the numbers. Then I called on a cell number mentioned on my bill. The person referred me to another number. Despite continuous reminders, nobody from the department concerned showed up. Finally, my father called a friend who works on a good post in Wapda.
To my great surprise within five minutes a man came and fixed the problem. If this is the shortcut way of getting grievances addressed, then we should keep our diaries updated with the numbers of influential people currently working in Wapda. It is a waste of time, money and energy calling on consumer complaint numbers mentioned in bills.
Saadiya Khan
Lahore
BADR-1 satellite and beyond
July 16 marks the completion of 20 years of the launch of BADR-1, Pakistan’s first indigenously built artificial satellite.
The launch was an achievement by a small team of dedicated Pakistanis opening a window of opportunity for the future generations.
BADR-1 was an experimental satellite manufactured to enhance local infrastructure and train human resources to undertake space missions especially for telecommunications, video broadcasting and monitoring of earth’s resources.
The experience gained and the valuable data provided by the first satellite aided the design of the second experimental satellite, BADR-2.
BADR-2, a pre-operational system designed to serve as an experimental communication and an earth observation satellite, was launched in 2001 to provide hands-on experience in the development of space qualified hardware and software.
The satellite carried some experiments which were jointly prepared in collaboration with the ESA (European Space Agency) and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory of the UK.
For some of the development work, agencies other than Suparco were also involved. Suparco developed most of the satellite’s on-board and ground control software with the assistance of a local software house.
It was hoped that through further development of space technology concrete steps would be taken to introduce space related curricula at all levels and encourage R&D at the university level, thus updating the relevant curricula at different levels.
It is important to note that the images acquired by earth observation satellites are helpful in planning development activities such as aligning new canals, monitoring agriculture/mining activities, water resources or deforestation, etc. Furthermore, the images can be used for surveillance.
A large number of developing and Muslim countries have satellites in the earth’s orbit, while a couple of others have successfully launched satellites using their own launch vehicles.
India, with whom we traditionally compare our progress has left us far behind and is planning its second moon mission in 2013 after having successfully landed Chandrayaan-1 on the moon in 2008.
July 16 should serve as a reminder to take fresh look and set definitive goals that we aim to achieve within the next 10 to15 years.
Objectives of indigenous design and development of satellites, small satellite launch vehicles, ground tracking and control infrastructure and highly-skilled manpower need to be realised.
Immediate steps should be taken to impart space education from the primary to university levels. Education should aim to develop leadership through exploration and research.
A task force needs to be constituted to work in coordination with a strategic think tank (represented by different sectors of the economy) with the responsibility to provide a blueprint for achieving the set goals in technology development and innovation (technologies necessary for exploration and having practical applications to earth), education (with strong emphasis on sciences, mathematics and engineering), space science and applications and space operations.
The task force may undertake indigenisation of the earth observation and Paksat communication satellites as a step towards meeting the long-term objectives of Pakistan’s space programme.
Dr. Abdul Majid
Ex-Chairman, Suparco
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