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LETTERS:

Post letters to Letters to the Editor, The Daily Times, 41-N, Industrial Area, Gulberg II, Lahore, Pakistan Phone: 92-42-5878614-19; Fax: 92-42-5878620 E-mail: letters@dailytimes.com.pk.
Letters may be edited for length and clarity

Freedom to choose

Sir: I want to draw your attention to a recent incident involving Afifa Saad, a player for the South Melbourne Women’s Soccer Club, who was asked to remove her Islamic headscarf by a referee before a match. This was widely reported by international wire agencies on April 26th. The referee delayed the match for ten minutes after which the game was called off. Earlier, on February 10th this year the French National Assembly (lower house of Parliament) passed a law to ban hijab in the country’s public schools. The legislation has drawn flak from various quarters including the International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF), which said just ahead of the vote in the French assembly that such a ban violates international conventions. The French law, and the growing bias in western societies against the hijab, is an attack on Islam and other religions. The law and the attitude it derives from negate religious and human rights. Also, it is both racist and sexist to tell women of any religion or culture what they can and cannot wear.

The controversy over hijab has reached several levels; indeed, it has now become a universal issue. Women of different religions, nationalities and backgrounds need to come together to fight this attack on women’s freedom.
CYMA RAJPUT
Via email

Take a ride in Hyderabad!

Sir: Since last year’s rains, the condition of Hyderabad’s roads has been dismal. While one can occasionally see workers on these dilapidated roads, we are quickly losing hope that any work will be completed before this year’s rains due to the extremely slow speed at which they work. Even, Thandi Sarak, the busiest road of Hyderabad where the Civic Centre, police station and the Secretariat are located, is in the worst possible condition. This road is bumpy and makes for a very rough ride. Of course, it also ruins the vehicles. Another major problem is the lack of street lighting on these roads. There are many street lamps but only one or two work. The rest stopped working a long time ago. I, a citizen of this old city, on behalf of all the other Hyderabadis ask the concerned authorities to fulfil their duties and improve the roads in the city.
TAIPUR AHSAN ALI
Hyderabad

Improve the service

Sir: Big transport companies have begun to dominate the roads and small wagons are vanishing. But while I have nothing against big companies and the likelihood is that they will continue to grow, they must realise that growth is also about improving and sustaining high standards of service. The drivers of these buses behave arbitrarily and sometimes simply refuse to pick up passengers from certain points. This causes great hardship to commuters. I think this can only be addressed by plying more buses so that they can cope with the rising numbers of commuters. Once that is done, the buses must have proper schedules, they must stop at every designated point and the drivers must drive these big buses carefully and with regard for traffic and the safety of the passengers. My appeal to the concerned authorities is to take this problem seriously and deal with the various issues faced by the commuters.
IRFAN SALAM
Lahore

Troops at the border

Sir: This is in reference to the news item “India asked to consider reducing troops” (Daily Times, 30th April). It is wrong for Pakistan to ask India to reduce its troops as a reciprocal gesture to its own decision to reduce 50,000 troops. India has other threats like China to deal with, unlike Pakistan that has always only felt threatened by India. In any case, reducing troops is not going to reduce the threat of war because Pakistan itself has stated that the reduction is not in anyway going to affect the fighting capabilities of its army. If anything, the move is only going to make it leaner and meaner.
HARISH G. IYER
India

Peaceful ways

Sir: I read with interest the op-ed piece by Riaz Hassan (‘Suicide bombing, a perspective,’ Daily Times, 29th April). In my opinion taking innocent lives for any reason is terrible and must be condemned. Of course, there are unjust societies who are misusing their power to crush minorities and such oppression must be addressed and the situation rectified. But such a process must be non-violent. Some might argue that peaceful protest and dialogue have not solved anything. But the counter-argument is: How successful have Kashmiris, Palestinian and others have been by using force to fight oppression been? Let us make Islam a philosophy of peace and not of ‘ignorance and intolerance’, as the West has come to perceive it. Let us stand up and condemn people who are taking innocent lives, instead of trying to ‘understand’ their logic. If more and more groups start turning to such violent tactics, we will find ourselves in an extremely dangerous situation. No one is his right mind would want that.

Muslim countries are largely undemocratic and our priority should be to create liberal and democratic societies throughout the Muslim world. Currently, these countries are either ruled by people who have come to power through force or by those who have acquired power through dubious means. Even where elections are held, the real power remains in the hands of people who seem to espouse some religious agenda. I may disagree with some US policies in the Middle East, but America’s latest policy shift, to encourage the region’s countries to become democratic, is commendable. Respect for human beings, including minorities and women, is always welcome even from somebody we do not consider a friend.
SHARIF LONE
Germany

Save the canal

Sir: Lahore’s canal is a very important feature of the city for many different reasons. There is much glory and beauty associated with it. It serves as a cool sanctuary for many in the summer. And perhaps most importantly, it helps in irrigation. The canal plays a role in the lives of all the inhabitants of this city, but it has not been taken care of. Unfortunately over the recent years the condition of the canal has worsened. The water is getting polluted and murky and the canal has lost much of its charm. I request the authorities to take up this matter seriously and restore the canal to its original beauty.
DR NASIR ALYYAS
Lahore

Don’t cry

My suggestion to the Pakistan Cricket Board is to put their energies into developing our cricket team. Give them time to recuperate and then build them into the kind of team they have the potential to become. Stop complaining, accusing each other and looking for excuses because there is no point in crying over spilt milk.
AMJAD KHAN
Lahore

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