- Revelling in justice By Babar Sattar
- Populism on the rampage By Dr. Khalil Ahmad
- Letters to FreePakistan
- HumorWise
- Issue of the Month: Democratizing corruption
- CSR Views & News
- Vested Interests
4TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE
SCIENCE VS. ALARMISM
May 16-18, 2010 Chicago, Illinois, USA
Reconsidering the Science and Economics
The Fourth International Conference on Climate Change will be held in Chicago, Illinois on May 16-18, 2010 at the Chicago Marriott Magnificent Mile Hotel, 540 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago. It will call attention to new scientific research on the causes and consequences of climate change, and to economic analysis of the cost and effectiveness of proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
To register for the event, or for information about the program, speakers, co-sponsors, and more, please click on the link below.
Also, you can participate in the Conference as a Guest of the Alternate Solutions Institute which will entitle you for free admission to all meals and sessions of the Conference (individuals are responsible for their own travel costs and accommodation). For more information, contact info@asinstitute.org
Quotes of the Month:
Instead of a bumbling and inefficient toll of society, the radical [libertarian] sees the State itself, in its very nature, as coercive, exploitative, parasitic, and hence profoundly antisocial. The State is, and always has been, the great single enemy of the human race, its liberty, happiness, and progress.
[Murray N. Rothbard]
Who do these politicians think they are? Our lives are not theirs to dispose of.
[Sheldon Richman]
Free Pakistan, a monthly newsletter, exists for the promotion of limited government, rule of law, protection of property rights, market economy, individual freedom, and private initiative. Its vision is a free and prosperous Pakistan; for only such a Pakistan can contribute positively to the creation of a free and prosperous world.
The Newsletter is an affiliate of Alternate Solutions Institute, Lahore, Pakistan, http://asinstitute.org, the first free market think tank of Pakistan. Urdu website: http://Hum-Azad.org
The Alternate Solutions Institute is a registered, non-profit, non-political, non-governmental, educational and research organization. Its mission is to promote a limited responsible government in Pakistan under the rule of law protecting life, liberty, and property of all of its individual citizens without any discrimination.
DISCOVER YOUR POLITICAL LEANINGS! World's Smallest Political Quiz
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PHILOSOPHY OF LIBERTY
What is Philosophy of Liberty? A screensaver by Lux Lucre and Ken Schoolland explains it.
Download and install it. http://www.free-market.net/rd/321907219.html ; http://www.jonathangullible.com
By Babar Sattar
[The writer is a lawyer based in Islamabad. This article first appeared in The News International on December 19, 2009.]
Had the Supreme Court not struck down the National Reconciliation Ordinance as unconstitutional, we would have had to rethink the foundational values that inform our fundamental law and our union as a nation. But the manner in which the apex court dealt with legal challenges to this revolting piece of legislation and the outcome of the proceedings provides ample cause for optimism and cheer. This ruling addressed a constitutional question that had both legal and political facets. By seizing the NRO conundrum the Supreme Court has established that it will not shy away from its obligation to interpret the Constitution and uphold rule of law even in relation to the most controversial issues. But by confining itself to tackling legal aspects of the problem in a manner that doesn't produce partisan outcomes, our apex court has struck the right balance between activism and restraint.
Our reconstituted superior judiciary is putting to rest the fears of its detractors. The NRO proceedings were extremely fair and transparent, and the Supreme Court finally delivered a short order that responds to Pakistan's shrieking need for accountability while being jurisprudentially sound. The Chief Justice constituted a 17-member bench to hear the NRO petitions, which is unprecedented in our judicial history. Chief Justices have often exercised their authority and discretion to compose benches as a means to manipulate the outcome of judicial proceedings. By enabling the entire Supreme Court to sit and rule over an issue, the Chief Justice effectively took away his ability to control the outcome of the NRO hearings. For his judicial authority in this matter was no more than that of any other member of the bench. And the fact that the entire court spoke with one voice on an issue of crucial constitutional, moral, political and social significance cannot be overemphasized.
The Supreme Court's decision to declare the NRO unconstitutional and restore all affected cases to their pre-NRO status was widely expected. Jurisprudentially a significant aspect of the short order is that it held the NRO ultra vires of Articles 4, 8, 25, 62(f), 63(i) and (p), 89, 175 and 227 of the Constitution, and not necessarily Article 2(A) (the Objectives Resolution) that was forced into the Constitution by Ziaul Haq. The Objectives Resolution contains overbroad language that should never have been made an operative part of the Constitution. There was some speculation that the Court could possibly hold that Article 248 of the Constitution (that offers the president complete immunity from civil and criminal prosecution) is in conflict with Article 2A and further hold that since Article 248 is in conflict with the Objectives Resolution (that is akin to our Grundnorm), the presidential immunity needs to be watered down.
Such interpretation of the Constitution would not only have corrupted our jurisprudence but would also have made the case outcome Zardari-specific and thus questionable. Refusing invitations to indulge in any creative interpretation of our fundamental law that would immediately place the legal sword of Damocles over Zardari's head (as many detractors of the NRO would have desired), and reiterating that the NRO is illegal for being against guarantees of equality, prohibition of dishonesty, separation of powers and injunctions of our religion makes the court's decision balanced and sound. Fears that the court was out on a fishing trip at Zardari's expense asking piercing questions and straying from the legal questions raised by the petitions it was hearing have been proven unfounded.
But bringing back to life processes of accountability while faced with a ruling government actively performing the role of a clog is no walk in the park. The PPP-led government tried to oust Khalid Mirza when he took on the corporate mafia. It replaced the scrupulous, reputable and principled head of FIA, Tariq Khosa, when he refused to be coerced or cajoled by considerations of fear or favor while investigating the Steel Mill matter and the Firdous Ashiq Awan scandal, and wished to see Benazir Bhutto's original will in her murder case investigation. Further, the government has a proclivity to appoint individuals to key positions within the accountability machinery of the state who are incapable of doing their jobs because they are either spineless or thoroughly compromised. There is only so much justice that courts can dispense if other vital components of the criminal justice system are completely dysfunctional.
Faced with this dilemma the Supreme Court has done three things through the NRO trial. One, it has caused the disclosure of ugly details of corruption of pubic office holders and brought into public space information that no other tribunal or court could have forced out of the government. This will limit the ability of the government to hide facts from courts that will now be seized of the reopened NRO-related cases and encourage the media and civil society to scrutinize the conduct of government in view of the available information. Two, not being able to rely on the government to assiduously implement court orders and conduct effective prosecution, it has put in place a monitoring mechanism to supervise the progress of the NRO case that now stand revived.
And three, by declaring that the chairman and prosecutor general NAB are liable for misconduct and that Malik Qayyum acted unlawfully in withdrawing the Swiss cases against Zardari and should be proceeded against, and by publicly rebuking the acting Attorney General for hampering justice, the court has warned that the-dog-ate-my-homework-routine will no longer work and public servants will be held personally accountable for exercise of legal authority vested in them.
The challenge before us as a nation is daunting. We are struggling to reassemble moth-eaten machinery for accountability within a culture wherein defying the law is often the mark of status. The suggestion that corruption is a plague eating us up from within and needs to be confronted on war footing is either met with a look of disbelief from our ruling elites or vocal disdain. One argument one hears in private settings is that while the military has been plundering national wealth for decades, the entire country starts to jump up and down every time there is a civilian government in place. This is true. But it is an argument against selective enforcement of law and not in favor of tolerating corruption or offering unconditional amnesty to politicians.
The other argument in favor of looking the other way from the ruling government's corrupt ways is that it will 'destabilize the system'. We heard the same argument when we tried to oust our last dictator, when we struggled for restoration of the judges and now when we demand Musharraf's trial. This logic of expediency has been our bane for decades. The kind of instability that rule of law and accountability create is one that is indeed desirable and a prerequisite for positive change.
It is true that we need to establish effective civilian control of the military. But hatred for praetorians does not translate into acceptance of inept and corrupt politicos. Non-performing civilian governments might just be an excuse for military interventions, but they certainly sharpen the khaki savior instinct. Corrupt civilian governments and dictatorships are thus two sides of the same coin. We need to eliminate both through rule of law braced by political, legal and social accountability. This nation is under no obligation to protect the pride and shame of its corrupt leaders. We must not dither in allowing the trial of our president in a foreign court (while he continues to hide behind legal immunity in Pakistan), or putting our ministers on exit control lists. If they wish to parade around naked, their disgrace is personal. No nation falls from grace because it holds the mighty accountable.
But in this moment when we have rightly refused to be held hostage by a president and his cronies negotiating with the country by holding a gun to their heads, let us not forget that the author of the NRO is still running amok and needs to be brought back to justice.
[Courtesy The News International]
By Dr. Khalil Ahmad
The demagogue is usually sly, a detractor of others, a professor of humility and disinterestedness, a great stickler for equality as respects all above him, a man who acts in corners, and avoids open and manly expositions of his course, calls blackguards gentlemen, and gentlemen folks, appeals to passions and prejudices rather than to reason, and is in all respects, a man of intrigue and deception, of sly cunning and management.
[James Fenimore Cooper, 1789-1851]
The populist stance of the Pakistan Peoples Party was manifest from the very beginning. It is only now in the wake of the NRO’s birth and death that the perils of it have started showing up. This has put the whole lot of its leadership and workers against all that is known as morality, law and the present Pakistan. What damage it is going to inflict on the nation and the country and the magnitude of it is no guesswork!
Populism by its very nature is inimical to principles of morality and dictates of law. Like a blind force it razes everything to ground the first of which are morality and law, endangering the whole edifice of the society. That is what the PPP is up to this moment. It has shut itself in a shell and is refusing any meaningful dialogue with the outside world. It has exalted itself to a yardstick to measure and judge whatever exists beyond its pale. In this spirit, it is repudiating both morality and law.
Likewise, its present politics, too, is a typical case of populism on the rampage. The popular support that it earned in its heyday greased it to fall in love with itself. The myth of its vote bank still intact after a period of four decades needs to be cross-checked as do a number of other myths about it. What the writer is interested in showing is how its popular support was internalized, and how an ideological party was transformed into a party without an ideology.
It is important to see how the fundamental political slogans of the PPP underwent no change though its election manifestos were adapted to the demands of the times. That this ideological change or no-change brought no apparent fluctuation in its popular support was sufficient for the party to relax into a philosophy of populism. Also, as the party’s elitist interests and its vested politics did not damage its popular support, this was reason enough for its populism to harden.
Now with its ideology already vanished, the PPP is playing naked populism: that since it has popular support, it is all free to do whatever it wishes to. Its rhetoric of its eternal victimization and target of conspiracies too nourishes from the same fount of populism: that to deny people their rule and their own government, their own party, i.e. Pakistan Peoples Party, especially when in power, is always made a target of. This also assumes that it is the only party that represents the interests of the people.
Now after the Supreme Court’s verdict on the NRO, its populism is raging again, though it was evident too in judges’ restoration case. Strangely, the NRO, which it could not carry through the National Assembly, and did not contest inside the Supreme Court either, is being defended now as if it is a matter of life and death.
It is to malign the Supreme Court or not is off the point, but certainly the PPP is using populism again, like it always did, to destroy the constitution and the institutions that it created such as the independent higher courts, the rule of law and just one manifestation of the fundamental rights, the free media. Let here be no mention of moral values! As always, its stance is the same: we have the people’s mandate and we are free to do whatever we wish to, no one can tell us to stop or stop us.
That is populism pure and simple! No regard for moral principles, legal norms, constitutional proprieties, and political traditions! We have popular support and it empowers us to rule in the manner we like. How dangerous it is can be seen by having a look at the past history of the PPP. The way it is putting the whole country into a mess of immoralities, illegalities and unconstitutionalities is unbelievable. It is trampling everything good or bad including itself.
This reminds us of a cautioning by two-time Prime Minister of Norway, Kjell Magne Bondevik. He said, "To exchange principles for popularity might be a temptation. It's at the core of populism. We must offer something else."
It is time we decide we are not going to exchange moral principles, or our constitution, or our higher courts, or rule of law, or our free media, for the PPP’s populism. We must offer something else!
[The writer is founder/head of the Alternate Solutions Institute.]
RE: LIBERATE TO LEARN: A STUDY OF THE EDUCATION VOUCHER SCHEME IN LAHORE
[Path J. Shah, Centre for Civil Society, New Delhi, India]
, great study. We would also like to purchase a few copies.
RE: LAUNCH OF URDU PORTAL, HUM-AZAD.ORG
[Nonoy Oplas, Minimal Government, Manila, Philippines]
Great initiative.congrats!
We should push the classical liberal ('neo-classical" label sucks), individual liberty-oriented philosophy, around the world. That's why I think that in our campaign in the Philippines, with a number of new government interventions like price controls for products mainly produced by the multinationals, it is important to squarely defend free market capitalism, not managed or heavily-regulated capitalism.
RE: THE TALIBAN MINDSET
[Dr. Tom G. Palmer, USA]
This is a profound meditation on the problems of your country. I hope that it gets wide attention, both inside Pakistan and outside.
RE: LAUNCH OF URDU PORTAL, HUM-AZAD.ORG
[Muhammad Asif]
congratulation to all AZADI website for people.
This is a good article and it does elaborate the salient problems faced by the country of Pakistan. However, it does miss on a few perspectives which I would like to elaborate upon.
RE: THE TALIBAN MINDSET
[Syed-Mohsin Naquvi ]
(1) The article highlights the main cause of all the problems that Pakistan faces today to the one issue – making the Pakistan issue that of an Islamic homeland. That will sound very plausible only if we overlook the times and circumstances in which the religious issue was highlighted in the struggle for a separate homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent. The Quad-e-Azam never looked to an Islamic Republic. His idea was a SEPARATE COUNTRY RULED UNDER A PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY, where equal rights were accorded to every citizen irrespective of colour, creed, religion or linguistic background. Why did he need a separate country on the same lines as the Congress was fighting for India? The Q.A. has seen the founding of the Indian National Congress on secular grounds and in fact he had admired many of the early leaders such as Naoroji. It was only when Gandhi had arrived in India and had been given the leading role that the Q.A. was alarmed. Gandhi had injected a heavy dose of sectarianism based on Hindu Nationalism (as opposed to the secular socialism upheld by men such as Nehru) in to the movement. The Q.A. realized right then that in spite of all the lofty goals propagated by the Congress Party, the Muslims will be reduced to a helpless minority and their rights will be denied by the majority. Otherwise, what was the need to raise the banner of religion inside a political party? Therefore, he proposed a parallel movement for a separate country which WILL, in spite of being a Muslim majority society, show how the rights of the minorities are protected. Those ideas were clearly spelled out in his speech of September 11, 1947.
(2) Unfortunately, for the new country, the Q.A. did not live long enough to give full shape to his dream. Nehru was lucky and so were the people of India, that he lived for another 16 years to give strength and a strong basis to the democratic institutions in India. He saw the abolition of the Zameendari System.
(3) The real need was to abolish Zameendari in Pakistan, but it did not happen because most of the leaders who came to the fore after the Q.A. were themselves big Zameendars. They were not going to write their own death warrant by their hands. After one generation, provincialism ruled. Military dictatorship was ushered in and the next step was the takeover by the religious fanatics.
(4) The article rightly points out that at the moment a large number of Pakistanis are imbued with the Taliban mindset and they do not realize it. The main reason for that is lack of education. There never was any substantial tradition of education in the provinces of Punjab, Sind and the frontier areas. Even after the establishment of Pakistan, there was no major effort to establish schools and colleges in those areas, particularly in the frontier towns. When the effort started, it was already too late. The Taliban mindset that the writer speaks about, can only be countered by proper education that begins at age 5 for all children. Children have to be taught civic sense and civic responsibility. They have to be taught that human society thrives only on love and compassion not on hatred. Religious fanaticism has fanned the flames of hatred by labeling people as Devbandi, Ahl-e-Hadeeth, Shi’a and Qadyani. For example, a cyber-friend wrote to me from Lahore that his Shi’a neighbour had hoisted a black flag (ALAM) on his house during Muharram. He took the neighbour to court and the court ordered his neighbour to lower the flag so that it cannot be seen by other neighbours. I wrote back to him telling him that he should be ashamed of himself for violating his own neighbourly obligation to others in the area and unnecessarily wasting the court’s time. What has any other person got to do with a person if he raises a black flag or a red flag on his house? It is this kind of bigotry and hatred that has to be eradicated to bring peace and stability in the society. That can only happen by education.
(5) People of Pakistan have to realize that the only way to bring peace and stability to the society is through inclusiveness and acceptance of the other guy for what he is not what you want him to become. I agree with the writer in that it is the “LITTLE TALIBAN” inside every Pakistani’s brain that hinders in that change.
(6) Whether Pakistan goes back to the constitution of 1973 or brings a new one, no change will come to the society unless and until every Pakistani, or at least a large number of them, do not change their own mentality. We should not forget the sad fact that it was under that same constitution of 1973 that the late Z.A.Bhutto had encouraged and upheld the decision of declaring the Qadyanis a minority and thus reducing the level of their citizenship.
(7) It is not the system that will bring reform, it is the people who would uphold (any) system that will reform the society towards peace and stability.
(8) Consider the Lahore uprising of the lawyers to bring back democracy to Pakistan. After long reflection, I have come to the conclusion that it was all fake. It was done for ulterior motives. That is why the democracy that we see in Pakistan today is all fake. The greatest thug of all time in Pakistan whose corrupt ways are public knowledge has succeeded to become the President using the newly revived democratic institutions in the country. Let me ask this: Didn’t the people who voted him into office know his history? Now, there is talk of removing him before he completes his term and bring another leader – another leader who has even more “brilliant history” of corruption, nepotism, favouritism, and dealing with religious fanatics in the first place.
(9) What has happened to the people of Pakistan? Why cannot a younger generation take over the running of the society with honesty, sincerity and with a passion for justice and with a spirit of patriotism? As the Qur’an has said so eloquently, “Allah will not change the lot of a people unless and until they decide to change their own lot.”
RE: THE TALIBAN MINDSET
[Jalal Zuberi]
I totally agree with our friend Mr Naquvi's sentiment in his response to the Taliban mindset article.
I would also urge him and other writers on Pak affairs to continue to promote the ideals of secular democracy as the antidote for this Taliban mindset, and refrain from ideas of seeking vendetta or removal of leaders from powers thru extra-ordinary means or tribunals.
Our disdain of the corrupt is natural but they should be removed instead with the same political system that they manipulated in the past. Let the democratic cycle run its natural course for the health of our political system and civic institutional to prosper.
RE: THE TALIBAN MINDSET
[Akhtar Ali Khan]
With due respect, in several submissions on the forum [and elsewhere], most Pakistani writers and bloggers [including myself in the past] suggest that the creator of Pakistan, M. A. Jinnah wanted Pakistan, a state for Indian Muslims he carved out of British India, to be a secular state. For the past few months I have thought about it but can't resolve the dichotomy: seeking a separate
state for Indian Muslim and then suggesting that it should be secular.
Does it mean that Jinnah wanted the separation of the state and religion? If that was the case, then why seek a separate monolithic state? India was and is a secular state with many religions [although because of Pakistan, it is now leaning more towards becoming a Hindu state].
I could be wrong, but I now believe that Pakistan got created because of clash of ideology between Gandhi/Nehru team and Jinnah. When Gandhi/Nehru team rejected all proposals put forward by Jinnah, Jinnah insisted on and carried through with separation [in spite of all blood shed]. I doubt very much if Jinnah did not anticipate mass migration. If he failed to foresee it, he wasn't a good politician.
Monolithic states, once created, get their own energy to march in self-destructive directions. We Pakistani, of course, created our own monster (thinking that it will get us Kashmir) that has now turned upon us.
CONCERNS OF YOUNG POPULATION
[Kadar Khan]
A recently published report conducted by the Nielsen research company claimed potentially volatile situation if government is unable to address the concerns of its young population. Report raised many alarming concerns among them is a uncontrollable chaos for next couple of decades. Who will get the rapid social and economic change?
“This is a real wake-up call for the international community,” said David Steven, fellow at the Center for International Cooperation at New York University, who was an adviser on the report. “You could get rapid social and economic change. But the other route will lead to a nightmare that would unfold over 20 to 30 years.” (New York Times November 21)
RE: RESTRUCTURING THE POWER SECTOR (FREEPAKISTAN NEWSLETTER # 107)
[Rehman Faiz]
Dear Peace Friend, Thanks for forwarding me such a wonderful analytical newsletter. I congratulate you on such a realistic approach and state of the art articles. Please keep me updated with the newsletter.
PAKNATIONALISTS - A BUNKER IN THE HEART OF ISLAMABAD
[Kadar Khan]
The ability to make such a serious statement is a reality itself! That they have gained by chipping away piece after piece!
Thanks to our corrupt, inept leadership and bureaucrats who may be still be celebrating meetings with Indian leadership! Rest of them may hanging on to composite dialogs!
Mind you! Not only few at the helm! But 8,000 of them on the record and perhaps 32,000 off the record somewhere still drilling the foundation of Pakistan in which ever way!
"Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said. He was commenting on reported remarks of Indian Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor, in which he had warned that a “limited war under a nuclear overhang is still very much a reality in the subcontinent: (The daily Dawn)
Since corruption and incompetency is all around... one can hope all these corrupts and incompetents would get together and find a way out from this hole!
What a trip! A flashback into 1971!
UN SHOULD PROBE PRESIDENT
[Adnan Gill, Los Angeles, US]
Please allow me to put forward a suggestion regarding the alleged billion-dollar-plus assets of President Zardari vis-a-vis his defence of alleged political conspiracy/victimisation. The debate could be easily settled if the big items on the NAB-produced list of president’s assets are investigated by a neutral investigative authority. What could be a better choice than a UN investigative panel with a global subpoena powers?
For sure, Mr Zardari wouldn’t have any reservations against a UN investigation into his assets. After all, if he could trust the UN to track down his wife’s assassins, then why wouldn’t he trust it to investigate the truth behind the alleged assets? An innocent person would have no inkling in getting his name cleared and laying the rumours to rest once and for all. [The News International]
ALL-FORGIVEN
[Dr. Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The other day I was checking my son's Islamic Studies homework when I came across a question, "What is that one act that washes away all of a man's sins?" Prompt came the answer from my son, "The NRO!" [The Nation]
WAITING FOR BILAWAL
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
The president has promised to get rid of terrorism before Bilawal comes to Pakistan. Now that he has a few more years left to complete his education, can this noble act of getting rid of terrorism be done for the sake of the common public instead of one’s own son? [The News International]
POLITICAL VICTIMS
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Interior Minister Rehman Malik has characterised himself and other politicians facing corruption charges as ‘political victims.’ With millions of dollars hidden in Swiss bank accounts, one would love to be a political victim. [Daily Times]
GAI BAIHENS PAANI MEIN!
[Dr M. Yaqoob Bhatti]
Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani has defended the President in a press talk saying that since Mr Zardari had already spent as many years in jail as was the punishment for his alleged crimes, there was no point to pursue the cases of corruption any further. There is another aspect to the case, though. If a thief, for example, steals the buffalo of a person and sells it to butchers and is caught in the act and imprisoned, would that punishment be deemed enough for him or would he also be held liable to pay back the price of buffalo to the owner? The person who lost his buffalo, in this case, is the state of Pakistan, whose 144 billion rupees have been stolen. That amount needs to be returned before this could be called a fair deal. [The Nation]
GRAND LARCENY
[Abdullah Hussein, Lahore]
In your editorial “Grand larceny” (December 4), you say, inter alia, “even if the Swiss documents have been destroyed” etc. But surely the court will have copies of the same, and if the case is reopened, as we hope it will be, the court can ask for the originals. Once that happens, a whole can of worms will spill onto the head of the robbers who were carelessly caught on the spot with their pants down. This is one more instance of the government’s ineptitude.
It reminds me that when the seventh assassination attempt on President De Gaulle’s life failed because the bullets yet again missed the target, the imperturbable general said dryly, “What inept marksmanship!” All I can suggest to the government is that they get a better bunch of thieves.
[The News International]
A SIMPLE REQUEST
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
I am corrupt, dishonest, a liar, devoid of any morals, can be bought and sold for a few dollars, can beg, loot people, am heartless to the core with no emotions and above all can safeguard my own personal interests by deceiving the masses in so many innovative ways. In short, I have all the credentials needed to become a Parliamentarian. Through the letters column of your esteemed newspaper, I would request the mainstream political parties to consider me for the award of a party ticket with a promise from my end that I will live up to their expectations. [Daily Times]
EUNUCHS AS TAX-COLLECTORS
[A eunuch, Lahore]
I am a eunuch. I wait for the day excitedly when the tax authorities would ask me to wear full make-up and approach the office of Chaudhrys, Wattoos and Sharifs to collect tax and loans amounting to billions of rupees that they have so far managed not to pay. I would never accept bribe and in fact tell the authorities concerned as well as the media in case any of these bigwigs tried to play tricks and delay the payment. Thank you, Supreme Court, for asking the authorities to empower the harassed by giving them a respectable and challenging task. [The News International]
RUINING NOT RUNNING
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani is quoted as saying that he, and not President Asif Ali Zardari, is running the country. Slight correction sir; its ruining the country and not running it. [Daily Times]
MURDER VS CORRUPTION
[Dr Irfan Zafar, Islamabad]
A spokesperson of the MQM in a press conference has very proudly defended his party in the wake of publishing of the names of the NRO beneficiaries that there is not even a single case of corruption against any of their party members and the names of party members mentioned in the NRO list are the ones accused of murders. Is murder a lesser crime than corruption? [Pakistan Observer]
OF VARIOUS BEASTS OF PIOUSISTAN
[Shaikh Jabbar Ahmad, Pakpattan]
All our rulers, irrespective of their party affiliations, are liars of the highest order. There were over 8000 names in the list of those who benefited from the ignominious NRO. The list of loan defaulters is even bigger. It is shocking, though, that not even one beneficiary of the NRO or any of the loan defaulters willing to admit that he has done anything wrong. The shameless tenacity of these thugs is, indeed, remarkable. Beside these two kinds, we have other species of thugs too. There are those who get huge plots on throw away prices at the time of their retirement. And those who get a plot, or even plots, often gratis whenever a new housing colony is started anywhere in the country. Then, there are those who don't just get plots but huge bungalows too that are fully-furnished by the leading real estate or business tycoons.
Above them all is the class of bearded beasts, the revered and venerated maulanas and maulvis. The most outstanding and oft-quoted example of their ilk is the one who is known through out the country as the 'Maulana Diesel'. It is believed that he can outsmart, indeed out-thug, the biggest thugs of this Land of the Pious. He has amassed huge wealth but there is no law of the land that could catch him. He is the biggest blackmailer of all among our political leaders, having outscored even the previous virtuoso of the trade, that powerful blackmailer of a fascist ethnic party who is currently in London. How many of these thieves would the judiciary be able to catch? [The Nation]
Issue of the Month: Democratizing corruption
FISHY BUSINESS
[Gull Zaman, Paris]
Whatever the apologists of the regime may say, our NRO-ed High Commissioner to the UK has misused his diplomatic assignment by taking documents relating to the Cotecna case in Switzerland into his custody. In developed countries, where the rule of law prevails, individuals holding any public office are required to quit their office in such a situation till they are absolved of the charges they face. It rules out any chance of their misusing their official status to doctor or tamper with the evidence in case they have been involved in any irregularity. Why should our high commissioner to the UK have resorted to this embarrassing and shameful action if he, or his mentor, is not guilty of any irregularities?
What has happened is a gross miscarriage of justice by an official given the diplomatic assignment to represent Pakistan. He has misused his office and interfered in the judicial process. This misdeed only drives home the point that all those individuals mentioned in the NRO case or those accused of wilful default of loans, criminal offences and involvement in land mafias must not occupy any public office till such time their names have been cleared.
What is shocking is that members of the political elite and many former civil or khaki bureaucrats, accused of wilful default on loans, continue to live like princes and own vast estates and assets within Pakistan and abroad. The sugar and cement cartels emerged during Musharraf's rule when many of these mafia dons were part of his government. They thrived then and have survived so far because they enjoy political clout, courtesy a weak Election Commission that allows such people to contest elections using their ill-gotten wealth. [The News International]
ANTI-CORRUPTION DAY
[Malik T. Ali, Lahore]
The world celebrated the 9th of December as International . Corruption today is the dominant contributor to poverty, starvation, deprivation, injustices, non-development and terrorism. Pakistan has suffered the consequences of state - institutionalised corruption. International cooperation is required to arrest the rise in corruption in the underdeveloped Third World, which has lately witnessed a surge in terrorism, be it Somalia, Chad, Congo, Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq, or Palestine.
Arrest of Hamesh Khan by the US law-enforcement agencies only proves that if there is a will there is a way. The flight of capital from underdeveloped countries by these dons of the corruption mafia to the West has to be controlled in the interest of world peace. The war against terror cannot be won without eliminating poverty, lack of education, health and human rights, and economic hardships faced in the Third World. [Dawn]
CORRUPT ELITE
[Nabeela Hayat, Lahore]
Pakistan’s chattering elitist class nurtures and thrives upon a culture of corruption, which over the years has grown into a cancer that threatens our way of life, our health, education and national security apparatus. Private schools, colleges and hospitals are a worldwide phenomenon, which supplement the state subsidized welfare system to provide for those who can afford better services. However in Pakistan, the elite have used their political clout to take over government run schools and acquire land for private clinics at subsidized rates, although it is a thriving business, with quick returns. An investigation of those who own these private clinics will reveal the type of people who run these business ventures. It is this adventurism which has led to mushrooming of Madrassahs, where the poor deprived majority are forced to send their children or seek shelter.
Most of these chattering class of neo rich individuals are the off-springs of those who had acquired assets through wrongful claims on evacuee property or in other criminal ventures like drugs etc, or beneficiaries of bureaucratic corruption The beneficiaries include members of the civil or khaki establishment, so called pseudo intellectuals, political adventurists and members of our corrupt judiciary. The list also includes few egoistic journalists, members of legal profession and illiterate experts, who consider Pakistan a tax free state for business ventures, with no fear of regulatory controls and documentation. People come here for just making money, which includes men like Shaukat Aziz, who have nothing at stake in Pakistan, if tomorrow it collapses. It is this corrupt elite, which wants the status quo to continue, and come up with excuses like saving the system and ignoring the crimes of murder, plunder, loot , hoarding and black marketing. Some of them defend the cartelization of sugar, cement, fertilizers, wheat etc, on the basis of a free market economy.
Others argue that for the sake of democracy we must accept the cancer of corruption or the continued allotment of state lands to the paid servants of the state. For this class of vultures, getting free gifts is not considered to be corruption, nor the transfer of capitol to foreign shores. What they don’t understand is that in documented economies like USA, UK or France etc transfer of funds above $10, 000 have to be justified by documentation for tax paid and sources of income. Those who introduced these rules misused them to transfer billion and trillions, depriving the state of much needed funds. It is time that the hypocrisy of this corrupt minority is exposed, their criminal businesses closed and exemplary punishment given to those responsible. [Pakistan Observer]
LOAN WRITE-OFFS
[Waheed Jan, Charsadda]
Why were loans of over Rs60 billion written off by banks during the Musharraf regime? Pakistan would not have to rely on foreign assistance if these loans were not written off on political grounds. We wouldn't need the Kerry-Lugar bill had the banking authorities rejected the pressure to write off loans of political leaders. [The News International]
A CORRUPT LOT
[Dildar Bangash, Sukkur]
One federal minister of PPP says, 'we should use Sindh card in case our government is destabilized'. Another PPP minister in Sindh says, 'we were prepared to break up Pakistan'. Yet another PPP minister in the federal government says, 'yes I am corrupt, I take bribe, because everyone takes bribe, so it is my right also'. A senior minister of PPP in Punjab government says, 'we will break the legs of those who tries to sabotage our government'. The president says, 'we will gouge out the eyes of anyone opposing us'. What is this? What kind of mindset is this? What message is being conveyed to the people of Pakistan and the whole world?
Interestingly no one appreciates these diatribes by the leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party except an absconder of a fascist party sitting in London and enjoying his life on the money extorted by his party from the people of Pakistan. Can some one tell me how can a person live in the 'great' Britain without any job along with twenty or thirty odd sycophants cum parasites? This party is collaborating with PPP only because the mission is same, "make hey(money) while the sun shines." [The Nation]
REPUTATION FOR BEING CORRUPT
[S. Khalid Husain, Karachi]
AS chief martial law administrator in 1958 Ayub Khan laid off hundreds of civil servants and others, and disqualified many from holding public offices on the basis of their ‘reputation for being corrupt’. Yayah Khan in 1969 laid off the famous 303 civil servants for same reason. Zulfikar Ali Bhutto in 1972 beat both Ayub and Yahya, and he dismissed 1,600 civil servants for their ‘reputation for being corrupt’. The list of those dismissed was laboriously read out on PTV by the late Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi who was a minister in the Bhutto cabinet. If the ‘reputation for being corrupt’ yardstick was followed, the NRO list of the corrupt would have extended a mile. Unlike those on the NRO list, whose names are either household words, or far and wide known, for being corrupt, the names most of those dismissed by Ayub, Yahya and Bhutto were not synonymous with corruption, or connected with any corrupt acts, or practices.
The ‘reputation’ factor was used as a convenient tool to get those who the regime wanted out. Reputation is important, more than charges or allegations. None of those on the NRO list have anything but an unsavoury reputation for being corrupt. The Supreme Court judgment on NRO has served to confirm the reputations are not unfounded. The only way for those on the NRO list to wipe the shame is for them to stand down from their offices and clear themselves, as best as they are able, in a court of law. There are specific charges against everyone on the NRO list. Defending oneself against a specific charge, or charges, is simpler than defending against a wide-open charge such as ‘reputation for being corrupt.’ [Dawn]
WITHOUT MORALS
[Nargis Wahab, Rohri]
Soon after the Supreme Court gave its verdict on the infamous NRO various TV channels showed the people jumping with joy. Some channels also showed interviews with our leading politicians seeking their comments. In one of these channels when asked, Khawaja Asif said that now the president has the moral obligation to step down. Replying to his comment Mr. Babar Awan said that asking for the presidential resignation is nothing short of a joke. "Khawaja Asif should stop cutting joke now", he retorted. I believe Mr Awan is right because Mr Asif made a technical mistake when he asked the president to resign on moral grounds. The word 'moral' is something, which does not exist in the dictionary of the People's Party particularly the dictionary of Mr. Awan. Once he made a claim that he is Ph.D. doctor. But though the myth was exposed by the press but he did not reign. Then in the Harris Steel Mills case he was accused of receiving bribe worth 35 million. Yet he did not resign. Mr. Awan, it seems is a man of strong nerves and these insults cannot deter him. It is all the more amusing that when he speaks on TV he repeatedly admires himself. [The Nation]
HATIM TAI
[Wing-Cdr (r) H A Khwaja, Rawalpindi]
Former president Pervez Musharraf is the 21st- century reincarnation of Hatim Tai. Only a Hatim Tai could write off Rs60 billion (people's money) at the stroke of a pen to ensure his prolonged stay in power. Whenever he said 'Pakistan first', he actually meant himself. In the spirit of benevolence he should donate his Chak Shahzad estate to some orphanage and his London flat to the Edhi Foundation. His earning from the so-called lectures could be passed on to the IMF as repayment of our loans. After that, he can live happily on his pension and royalty for his book "In the Line of Fire". That would make him a real 21st-century Hatim Tai. [The News International]
A CORRUPT SUPREME COMMANDER
[Major (R) Talaat Khurshid, Rawalpindi]
Although I am a retired military officer, it gives me shudders just to think of the fact that our present supreme commander of the three armed forces is a person who is alleged to be corrupt to the core. I also cannot reconcile with the fact that the officers and jawans who are laying down their lives for the country in the war on terror, are doing so on the orders of a corrupt person with a bunkered mentality. I was also shell-shocked to hear our PM jokingly mentioning about arresting or otherwise of a declared absconder Rehman Malik, who happens to be the Minister for Interior. The public at large is aghast to observe the manner in which the accountability of the corrupt is being tackled by Yousuf Raza Gilani who has always stated very emphatically that he is the chief executive of the country! He had started building up his credibility in the past but has now eroded it with just one stroke not dealing sternly with the accountability issue. Its about time an ex-supreme commander Gen Musharraf is brought back in the country for accountability and trial for leaving behind all this mess that we are in today and also a once-for-all accountability of Asif Ali Zardari for hiding behind the facade of article 248. If AAZ has nothing to fear then why is he not bold enough to face the charges. Charges are faced by bold people but not those with bunkered mentality.
[The Frontier Post]
PROBING CORRUPTION
[Zafar Hussain, London, Ontario, Canada]
Mr Gilani’s challenge to journalists to prove corruption cases against his ministers reflects his lack of comprehension of government responsibilities. It is the duty of the government, not of journalists, to investigate corruption charges. However, this government, despite the claim of its honourable leader that the PPP has come into power on its promise of roti, kapara, makan, has again and again shown that it cares little about the people and is merely interested in defending the interests of its numerous ministers and sugar-barons. [The News International]
A FEW GOOD MEN
[Maj(R) Zahid Salam, Rawalpindi]
Dr A. P. Sangdil of Norway stirs up waters that are already turbulent by casting pebbles from afar (26 Nov). He jibed at respected names of the polity, Waseem Sajjad, Sharifuddin Pirzada, Malik Qayum, and Babar Awan, who allegedly filched hundreds of millions each from Bank of Punjab robber, Sheikh Afzal. I disagree with Mr. Sangdil. Robbing the robber, in my view, is no crime. Hence, Sheikh Afzal is to blame and none other. Had he not defrauded the bank, these luminaries would not be drawn into this embarrassing tangle. Neither Mr. Sangdil would have had a chance of pun to have fun at their expense. [The Nation]
FORMS OF CORRUPTION
[Engr.S.T. Hussain, Lahore]
According to a report in the press, Dr Zaheerudin Baber Awan, Malik Qayyum, Sharifuddin Pirzada and Waseem Sajjad took Rs35m Rs20m, Rs20.5m and Rs10m, respectively, from the owner of Harris Steel Mills, who is defaulter of Rs9bn of the Bank of Punjab, to plead his case in the court. The president of the BoP and owner of Harris Steel Mills left the country by paying millions of rupees in bribes to the FIA staff at the airport. Corruption has often been attributed to greed. World renowned social scientist Ibne Khaldun attributed corruption to passion for luxurious life within the ruling class. It is in Pakistan that the elite ruling class is involved in corruption. Lawyers who took millions as their fee to help the culprit to have the verdict from the court in their favour is one example of corruption. [Dawn]
BLOOD IN ROMAN BATH
[Dr M. Yaqoob Bhatti, Lahore]
The latest display of a list in the electronic media about a large number of dignitaries from our civil and military elite having availed loans that were then written off in billions has come as a great shock to the citizens. The old Urdu saying, "all are naked in this bath" is heard oft to describe the outrage. The beneficiaries ought to hang their heads in shame for having so blatantly devoured the money of this poor nation in which may be about 50 million people live below the poverty line of a dollar-a-day. Our pernicious elite has shown that it has no fear of man and God and so deserves befitting punishments at the hands of our independent judiciary that has come to us as a blessing of Allah. [The Nation]
INSTITUTIONALISED CORRUPTION
[Ayesha Arif Bawany, Karachi]
The investigative story ran by Dawn, ‘Govt buying energy saver bulbs at high rates’(Dec 3), unleashed quite a storm in various quarters with most prime time hosts expressing outrage and amazement at the blatant wastage of funds. What was surprising though was not the fact that the bulbs were being purchased at Rs85 to100 more than the market price or that compact fluorescent lamps are a less viable option environmentally than perhaps light emitting diodes, but the level of shock and outrage this story generated. God knows transparent and efficient utilisation of funds is not something we in Pakistan get to witness very often. From the purchase of something as strategically important as the Agosta submarine to something as basic as safety pins, from something as critical as hospital supplies to something as superfluous as curtains for the prime minister’s residence, lack of transparency is the norm.
Collusive bidding and tendering are terms which don’t do enough justice to what goes on in Pakistan. Yes, bidders, whether foreign or local, for various public works contracts and the like do collude and set a higher price, the premium being what they claim is required for the so-called ‘hissa’ (share) of all the participants in the process from contract bidding to its subsequent award money to oil the government machinery. However, the fact remains that the process whereby tenders are invited, selected and awarded is just one big make-believe exercise undertaken to fill up huge box files which are later dumped in the corridors of government offices to become yellowed and dog-eared, a tangible testament of what should have been! Unfortunately, most contracts are not awarded on the basis of verifiable criteria but instead are used to dole out favours. The biggest beneficiary is thus the intended recipient of this public-funded corporate welfare who feels no qualms in claiming that he gave bribes to X,Y and Z — another sad contradiction of our times where giving bribes is a virtue which everyone tries hard to emulate.
After all, for the powers that be, authority and respect stem from good public relationing. And what better way to satisfy those who were instrumental in propelling them to power than by awarding them multimillion-dollar contracts? The vast majority is just a silent, innocent bystander in the games of power. Besides, an ‘inflated’ bill for a public works contract just tends to look better on the government income and expenditure account and is an indicator of how much committed the government is towards alleviating the suffering of the public (read: rich contractors). Ironically, instead of instituting procedures and policies to check organised corruption, it is justified on the grounds that the level of corruption is directly proportional to the level of economic progress. Well, then, good luck to Pakistan as it tries to step one step forwards and three steps backwards on the path to economic prosperity. [Dawn]
CALL THE BLUFF
[Wahab Ali, Faisalabad]
The NRO verdict of SCP exposes the PPP totally. The party has no respect for the integrity of national institutions, the constitution or rule of law. We now know the PPP acquired power through negotiating this odious NRO with a military dictator and did the shoddiest of all deals that anyone did anywhere in the world. Since the death of Benazir Shaheed, Mr Zardari has been openly breaking national pledges he made on COD, 17th amendment, 58-2-B etc, etc. He did not even restore the judiciary until he was forced to do so due to the Long March. His incompetent Prime Minister and the accompanying bevy of ministers have ruined the economy of the country and has starved the poor to death. The PPP is threatening that if its reign of power is ended now, it would play the Sindh card. I would request the SCP to take cognizance. [The Nation]
LEW: ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF CORRUPTION
[Omer Khan, Karachi]
This is apropos of the news item on the ‘Lyari Expressway’ (Nov 4). It is shocking news that the cost of the project went up from Rs7bn to Rs20bn. The Senate’s standing committee held a review meeting for the project. I, therefore, request the standing committee that it must initiate an inquiry for such huge cost increases as the news report suggests there has been massive corruption in this project. Such massive plunder of national wealth is not acceptable in any civilised society. The corruption of national wealth is clearly evident in the project’s construction and resettlement. A survey can easily show that there are less than 20 per cent of the actual people relocated residing in Hawksbay and Surjani resettlement areas. The resettlement plots were sold to people who have nothing do with the expressway.
These resettlement sites were mainly developed for families which were supposed to be shifted from the expressway project area. The government has so far spent over Rs8.7bn for development of these resettlement sites. But less than 20 per cent of actual families were shifted there and others were given to fake claims. This is a set pattern of corruption and how officials play their dirty game to benefit themselves. This is nothing but daylight robbery of national wealth. I would request the standing committee and the prime minister to set up a transparent inquiry to look into the matter. There are thousands of affected families of the project which would be willing to appear in front of any inquiry committee to testify how officials deprived them of compensation money and plots. I hope senior officials will wake up and take immediate action on it as soon as possible. [Dawn]
GO MAN GO!
[Nooure Zeenate Jehan, Karachi]
No heavens would fall when this corrupt system and these corrupt rulers fall. Pakistan is not a fief of one individual, none being indispensable for it. They come and go and Mr Zardari is not going to be an exception. The Himalayas did not shed tears for Z. A. Bhutto and might actually smile when Mr Zardari is gone. He has lost trust of the people due to the worst ever delivery of governance, trampling of the constitution, establishment of one-man rule and ruination of the poor.
The rulers have gone berserk as is demonstrated by their bizarre defense in SC put up through Kamal Azfar. By raising the bogey of GHQ and CIA, Mr Azfar is only serving India. The cap & ajrak rallies cannot save them. [The Nation]
MENACE OF CORRUPTION
[Mohammad Yousuf Khan, Karachi]
Pakistan has been upgraded in the latest report of corrupt countries released by Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) on 17th November, 2009. No one will be surprised to this abnormal rise in corruption in our country. At the moment, corruption at the top most level is flourishing on a very large scale. In this context, Supreme Court is hearing two cases in which former Advocate General of Pakistan and a very high influential member of ruling party and others are involved, where millions of rupees have been paid by the petitioners for deciding their cases in their favour. It is ironical that the functionaries of our government are making money by indulging in corrupt practices. This has led to widespread corruption in the middle and lower categories of our government functionaries. Today, one can see in broad daylight, a policeman, the protector and enforcement of the law of the land, taking bribes openly in the presence of the public, from the violator and that too without fear. This clearly shows that our society has become corrupt and this corruption is eating away all our good values.
Unless and until the upper class of our corrupt state functionaries are not given exemplary punishment, publicly, the middle and lower categories of our state functionaries will not change their conduct and thus the poor people of Pakistan will continue to suffer at the hands of these anti-social elements. For eradicating this cancer of corruption from our society, bold steps are needed from the government. This can be achieved through a team of dedicated persons who are very honest, God-fearing, clean and impartial and bold in conducting the cases of corruption. There is no dearth of such persons in our country. It is the duty of those who are at the helm of affairs to bring forward such persons and entrust them with the task of cleanse the society from corrupt people. Though the task is very tough but if the government gives them moral and material support, with adequate security I am sure that the clean up operation would be a great success and our nation will certainly get rid of these corrupt people. [Business Recorder]
INDEMNIFY ALL CORRUPT
[Aitzaz, Quetta]
Aitzaz Ahsan has finally regained his membership of the PPP Central Executive Committee. He was pretty distraught without it. One wonders whether being back with this NROed clan that is (allegedly) the most corrupt in the country, makes him proud? Looks like he is. He is aggressively defending the 'indemnity' of his party co-chairman and President of Pakistan and holding (almost) daily party meetings in the President House, on state expense too.
Would Mr. Aitzaz Ahsan support such an indemnity for Nawaz Sharif also? Can he also draw a line of 'indemnity' between Presidents' role as the head of state and the co-chairman PPP? If he can, then he must agree that chairman of every political party is entitled to be indemnified.
Those who 'indemnify' the President in his duel role seem to consider Mr Zardari above the constitution. [The Nation]
CSR AND HIGHER EDUCATION
By Aamir Hakeem
Corporate social responsibly (CSR) is an emerging phenomenon that has paved the way for public-private partnership to promote higher education. It not only addresses self-regulating mechanisms whereby businesses would monitor and ensure their adherence to law, ethical standards, and international norms but also ensure that the business would proactively promote the public interest by encouraging community growth and development. Community growth in the relevant field, subject to the demand and quality of supply is the responsibility of the private sector as well. Higher Education Commission of Pakistan recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with JAAG Broadcasting Systems (Pvt) Ltd and launched a sponsorship program for students currently enrolled in Masters in mass communication. Addressing to the award ceremony, Shahnaz Wazir Ali, Chairperson HEC valued this CSR of a media organization.
Industry and private sector in Pakistan is in developmental stress due to political or economic reasons but it has to grow for good. What is the on ground demand of the market, where the potential of growth is and where the resources can be absorbed is a major subject of debate. The public-private partnership for that matter could also be a source of information on what and where the exact demand of the market lies, said Dr. Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director HEC. There are two methods to generate recourse i.e. organizations generate or train their own human resource by themselves or look forward for their demand fulfilment from the national higher education mechanism. The former was done by the Atomic Energy Commission of Pakistan; the later is more feasible for private sector and medium size public sector organizations. The sponsorship and offer to absorb back the human resource could be a strong indicator of scarcity of resources in the specific field.
This is also the CSR of the organizations to help in strengthening and developing resources in the relevant field. Internationally, this responsibility is being fulfilled by many national and multinational organizations. In Pakistan, it is a limited and comparatively new trend as medium size organizations can not afford the expensive schemes. Partial sponsorships with the help of HEC could be a great opening in this field. How to realize this phenomenon in the market is a major task ahead. Most of the multinational organizations that also have franchises in Pakistan offer CSR Scholarships in their parent countries and also in Europe. Why the countries having franchises or direct investment of multinational organizations are deprived of the benefits of such emerging trends?
Microsoft in IT development and McDonalds in hotel and restaurant management could also take initiatives in developing countries like Pakistan directly or by signing Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) with higher education regulatory authorities. In addition, the companies with strong CSR credentials gain access to capital from investors that provides them competitive advantages in the market. Our local organizations could get such advantages by sponsoring need cum merit based scholarships at their own or with the help of HEC. As discussed earlier CSR is a multidimensional phenomenon. Higher education institutions also have responsibility in social sector. Academics as opinion makers could play their role more effectively. In post-communist Romania, universities played an important role towards embracing democratic values.
In Pakistan moderation campaigns for a sovereign and prosperous Pakistan could be a good initiative. Dr. Naqvi touched the other dimension of the subject by stating that presently one face of District Bannu may be an extremist stronghold and the other face is a progressing Bannu with a newly established university. Both, the CRS of private sector for sponsorship in higher education to generate human recourses and the CRS of higher education institutions in reforming the society are the need of the hour. Former contributes in economic development and the latter in social reforms.
[Courtesy The News International]
CCP’S EFFECTIVENESS REDUCES UNDER NEW ORDINANCE
By Mehtab Haider
ISLAMABAD: Without consulting the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP), President Asif Ali Zardari has recently re-promulgated the Competition Ordinance 2009 under which the law was changed by giving right of appeal to high courts instead of earlier powers enjoyed only by the Supreme Court to hear appeals against the CCP’s orders. “We were neither consulted on this change in the ordinance nor were informed about it,” a senior official of the CCP said while talking to The News on condition of anonymity here on Tuesday. He termed this amendment as a success of cartels and an effort to use “delaying tactics” to implement the orders of the CCP.
According to the CCP Ordinance 2009 promulgated by the President Zardari, which states in its clause 42 “any person aggrieved by the order of the commission comprising two or more members or of the appellate bench of the commission may within sixty days of the communication of the order, prefer appeal to the high court.” It is relevant to mention here that the CCP had already warned that the influential cartels were out to knock down this law on technical ground and one such effort could be demanding more right of appeals which actually aimed to use it as “delaying tactics” for implementation of the orders issued by the CCP. Although, all orders issued by the CCP against cartels of various sectors were protected through this ordinance as it clearly states “it shall come into force at one and shall be deemed to have taken effect on and from the October 2, 2007”.
The business tycoons having strong nexus with the sitting parliamentarians were lobbying to bring the desired changes in the law by getting more right of appeals which the CCP considers as an attempt to get more opportunities for those who were found involved in cartelisation and anti-competitive practices to rob the masses. The businessmen and parliamentarians irrespective of political divide seemed united by urging the government to grant more rights of appeal by authorising the high courts of respective provinces to hear the appeals against the orders of the CCP as earlier it was only the Supreme Court having powers to hear appeals. According to official sources, the CCP considers this change in the law through an ordinance another attempt aiming to weaken its powers as honest people don’t need more rights of appeal in order to prove their viewpoint.
Citing examples of India, the official said that the Indian Competition Law authorised only its competition tribunal to hear against the orders whereas their supreme court was only approached when there was need to seek any explanation on any clause of the law. “Giving more rights of appeal means that the penalty imposed by the CCP would now be collected in five to six years instead of two to three years,” said the official. But the influential cartels have succeeded to get more rights of appeal through this recently promulgated Competition Ordinance 2009. Now the incumbent regime has got 120 days to pass this law from the both houses of Parliament. Despite this success by the cartels, the CCP may face stiff resistance for getting smooth sailing from the Parliament in months ahead. [Courtesy The News International]
Edited and prepared by
Khalil Ahmad
[FreePakistan Newsletter, among other things, is a compilation of views and news taken from the national newspapers’ print and online editions. It is not possible to mention the source of every piece of news or view made use of herein; but as a matter of policy, where possible the source is mentioned with due thanks. However, no opinion expressed here should necessarily be taken as reflecting the view of Free Pakistan Newsletter.]
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