Penalising taxpayers

 Published in The News on June 27, 2006

As if the taxpayers didn't have enough problems, now the sales tax department personnel have been authorised to barge into any premises and seize records and do as they will. This is only going to make the honest taxpayers suffer bouts of insecurity and uncertainty. They will have sleepless nights if an error is detected in their books (even a minor clerical or accounting mistake), they can be fined heavily and even sent to prison. So what is new? The victims have always been those who have paid taxes regularly because they have records to show that they paid.

The department has the nerve to penalise those who refuse to register with the department, they are harassing those who made the mistake of obeying the law and registering voluntarily. And you can bet that nothing will happen to those worthy gentlemen who indulge in massive looting of the exchequer will always be treated like VVIPs, for they have close connections with those who matter in this so-called Islamic republic.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi.

Death Penalty

 Published in Dawn on March 17, 1998

This refers to "Kot Lakhpat Hanging" (Dawn, March 7).

Even in advanced country like the UK,, a Muslim was hanged for a crime he did not commit and thirty-six years after his death, he was declared innocent. So we shouldn't be surprised if this kind of thing happens in Pakistan also. Surely now is the time for the state to abolish the death penalty, before more innocent people are executed.

SHAKIR LAKHANI

Karachi.

Burning our lungs

Published in The News on December 8, 2005

As if the damage caused to our respiratory system by ingesting the dust raised during the never ending construction of the underpass wasn't enough, we unfortunate residents of Clifton's Block 5 now have to breathe pure carbon monoxide from the burning of garbage near the two sword roundabout. And it's no use telling the nazim to do something about it. Knowing how much the quality of education in the country has deteriorated, our elected officials will probably be stunned to hear that the smoke emanating from the burning garbage is bad for health.

As for environmental pollution, that's too technical a subject for most Pakistanis to understand. Maybe things would have been different if our educationists hadn't abandoned science in favour of such abstruse subjects as national ideology. Mind you, this is no ordinary locality. The burning garbage lies only a few feet away from the gate of the Convent school that produced the country's only female prime minister.

And there are many consulates in the vicinity, including that of the country that managed an empire over which the sun never set. Not long ago, the garbage was taken away to be dumped somewhere out of the city. But then, this being Pakistan, someone had the brilliant idea of burning it right where it was while claiming huge sums of money for transporting it fifty kilometres away.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Garbage Burning

Published in the Daily Times December 8, 2005

Sir: As if the damage caused to our respiratory systems by ingesting the dust raised on account of the never ending road and underpass-construction wasn't enough; we, the unfortunate residents of Clifton's Block 5, now have to breathe the carbon monoxide-laden smoke from the burning of garbage near the Two-Swords roundabout. And it's no use asking the nazim to do something about it. Environmental pollution seems to be too technical a subject for most Pakistanis to understand. Mind you, this is no ordinary locality.

The burning garbage lies within feet of the gate of the convent school that produced the country's only female prime minister so far. And there are many candidates in the vicinity. Not long ago, the garbage was taken away from the city to be dumped. But then, someone had the brilliant idea of burning it right where it was and claiming the money spent on transporting it.

SHAKIR LAKHANI

Karachi

Mapping ourselves over

Pulished in Daily Times  

Sir, 

There is talk about a new map showing a truncated Pakistan, which is causing much concern. Whoever made the map has suggested that parts of Iran and Pakistan be united to form a new country. Further, the proposed name of this new country is Balochistan. The northern Pashtun areas of Pakistan should be given to Afghanistan, leaving a truncated and demarked version of what was once though of re-drawing India's boundaries? After all, India is rife with communal and sectarian violence, with many freedom movements in which rebels are demanding independence. In some areas of the northeast, the writ of the state does not exist. 

Obviously, since Pakistan and Iran are Muslim countries, it is acceptable to talk of breaking them up, while a "secular" India, with its huge market remains a sacred cow and no one even dares consider dividing it into smaller units.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Baby ban

Published in The Friday Times on May 20-26, 2005

Sir, 

Sometimes you can't help wondering why government functionaries haven't been con-signed to mental institutions. I refer to the attempt to involve the ulema in the population planning program. Considering that orthodox maulvis have always opposed birth control, isn't it a bit too ambitious to ask them to do an about-turn now? Will their illiterate audiences take them seriously if they're told to limit the number of children they have to two or three? Despite the difficulties the common man faces in making ends meet, city-dwellers continue to have six children or more. The problem is compounded by the belief, common among the masses and reinforced by the ulema, that the non-Muslim world is keen to reduce the world's Muslim population. It will take years of education for the ulema to realise that resources are finite, and the only way for Muslims to prosper is to practice birth control. 

Shakir Lakhani, 

Karachi.

Letters to the Editor

Published in Time Magazine on March 31, 2003

INSTEAD OF OFFERING BILLIONS OF dollars to Turkey for support, the US would be much wiser to use the money to get Saddam and his cronies to leave Iraq and settle in a safe place. In fact, maybe the U.S. should consider offering Saddam American citizenship; he might even run for public office. I am sure Americans wouldn't mind having another crooked politician deciding what to do with their tax money.

Shakir Lakhani,

Karachi, Pakistan.

Service to Pakistan

Published in Dawn around 1972-73

 Dr. M. Ibrahim has indeed made a commendable suggestion by advising the Intellectuals and Workers of Pakistan Abroad to use the services of the Institute of Engineers for attaining their noble objectives.

I have another suggestion. Since the country has not yet fully recovered from the recent revages (ravages) of the nature, it would be in the fitness of things if unemployed engineers are utilised on a massive scale in the mammoth reconstruction effort.

The advantages accruing to the nation would be tremendous.The graduate engineer, by virtue of his strenuous training, is readily equipped (to) deal with exigencies the likes of which are certain to be faced when reconstruction begins. And since graduate engineers are also thoroughly trained in economics, their service need not be confined to the engineering aspects only. They can be utilized as accountants as well.

This step will reduce to a considerable extent the chronic unemployment situation among fresh graduate engineers.

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

Languages

 Published in the Morning News on February 6, 1967

The protagonists of Arabic have advanced a host of reasons in favour of the proposal. One of them has suggested that it will bring the two wings of the country closer to each other. Another argues that as it is the language of the Quran, it will enable us to become better Muslims. A third claims that it will promote friendlier relations with the Arab states. All of them are agreed that it can be done easily and smoothly.

The amazing thing about it all is that in spite of these self-evident facts, there are some who propose the step. These well-meaning souls have underrated the genius of our people. By all means, let us all learn Arabic. 

And while we are at it, I propose that we adopt Chinese as one of our State languages as well. The enormous benefits that will accrue from such a step should be obvious to anyone who reads newspapers. For one thing, our country will make tremendous serides in technology in no time at all. Just think of what happened to all those workers who read Mr. Mao's thoughts. And those students who were so inspired they marched hundreds of miles into Peking!

Of course, a few hardened skeptics will say that Mr. Mao's thoughts have been translated, and will serve the purpose equally well. Nothing could be more fallacious than this misleading argument. Everyone knows that a great deal is lost in translation. All that it caused this writer to do, for instance,  was to sit down at once to compose this letter. And if there are still some incredulous beings who claim  that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to learn such an alien language, we can learn Arabic without any difficulty, why not Chinese?

Indeed, we could go further and learn Russian as well. With our stupendous capacity for mastering foreign language speedily, it should pose no problem. Besides, it would enable us to understand how the Russians managed to become one of the strongest nations in such a short time. 

As a matter of fact, since we have so much time at our disposal, let the masses learn French as well. President de Gaulle will be delighted. And after we have become a truly strong nation, both culturally and technologically, we could turn our attention to a very minor problem -- learning Urdu. 

For it is an awkward philological fact that very few of our citizens speak Urdu as it should be spoken. This is not surprising, since it is the mother tongue of only a small percentage of the population. But our educationists, specially those who advocate the cause of Arabic as a state language cannot be bothered by such trifles. And rightly so. Our masses must first become adept at foreign languages before learning to speak one of the national tongues. 

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi

We do not deserve dedicated people

 Published in The News on November 2, 1995

Those who matter in this country cannot tolerate anyone else achieving popularity. We all know how Imran Khan has been made into a non-person, simply because they think he has the potential of becoming a popular public leader. Now, it's the turn of two dedicated individuals in Karachi, the two who have made CPLC an effective organisation, perhaps the only one untainted by corruption. 

These two men of God (Nazim Haji and Jameel Yousuf) have risked their own lives as well as those of their families to bring relief to suffering people. While others of their kind were merrily making their fortunes, these two were in danger of losing whatever they had.

However, I doubt if the decision to remove them will ever be reversed. Someone has decreed that they should go, someone whom they have perhaps offended, someone in Islamabad with friends who have nothing to do and need lucrative jobs. Their only fault is that, while they were serving the people, they did not lick the boots of their masters. 

We do not deserve to have these saints in our midst. This ungrateful nation would have hounded the Quaid-e-Azam out of office, if he had lived any longer. They should go and serve suffering humanity in some other country where their services will be recognized, where people do not pay lip service to Islam but practise it in the real sense

Shakir Lakhani

Karachi