Building Economy

This is related to your story on the State Bank of Pakistan that served as a beacon of guidance for 73 successful years. The article ‘Fostering Economic Growth’ highlights the role of the State Bank of Pakistan in the economic development of Pakistan, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his interview, Governor Dr. Reza Baqir sheds light on SBP’s future plans to be an independent and credible central bank. His positive approach towards taking Pakistan out of the grey list by October 2021 is a ray of hope. The views of Syed Salim Raza, former SBP governor, Iqbal Hassan, former SBP Director and veteran banker, Zafar Masud, President and CEO of the Bank of Punjab, and Dr. Aadil Nakhoda, Assistant Professor of Economics at IBA, are also valuable and coincide well with the 73rd anniversary of the State Bank of Pakistan.

Tayyab Ali,
Karachi, Pakistan

The British Mandate

Aside from the fact that Jews created international law on Mt. Sinai, 3,500 years ago, allow me to update your readers on what is law and what is political posturing.

The British Mandate for Palestine was created in 1920 as part of the San Remo Accords, following Turkey’s loss of the Ottoman Empire in WWl. Other mandates included Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. The League of Nations ratified the Mandate for Palestine as the reconstituted homeland for the Jews in 1922. The Mandate ended in 1948, when the British left.

Article 80 of the UN Charter, once known unofficially as the Jewish People’s clause, preserves intact all the rights granted to Jews by the League of Nations, even after the Mandate’s expiry. So, when in 1947, the UN passed Resolution 181 to partition Palestine into Arab and Jewish states, it was a suggestion, not law. The Jews accepted, but the Arabs launched a war of genocide against Israel.

In summary, under International Law, Israel includes Gaza and Judea and Samaria (West Bank). Only Israel has the right to partition its territory or change its status in any way. The UN can pass all the resolutions it wishes to, but they are not law. The UN and its agencies can exercise moral pressure, but cannot demand compliance.

Jacques Fortier,
Montreal, Canada

A Comment

This refers to the article ‘Fintech and the Regulator’ by Iqbal Hassan, carried in your July 2021 issue. The issue also carries an exclusive interview of Dr. Reza Baqir, the present Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan. A quote of the former governor of the SBP, Mr.Tariq Bajwa, is given in Mr. Iqbal Hassan’s article. This was not a good idea and was politically incorrect; the current SBP Governor should have been quoted instead and not the previous one. The present governor may think the writer quoted his predecessor and not him. Was the inclusion checked with the writer?

Syed Ovais Akhtar
Karachi, Pakistan

SouthAsia follows a format in which comments and pictures of prominent persons relevant to each article are selected and placed by the editorial staff. Mr. Tariq Bajwa’s comments were included in this regard. The magazine was already carrying an interview of the present Governor. We don’t check inclusion of each comment with the writer of the article in which the comment is being placed as this would be a long-drawn process for a monthly magazine; we just have about 12 to14 working days to complete the editorial work.

Book Lover

Books are people`s best friends, and the dictum is especially true for the elderly.

The happiest people in the world are those who develop the habit of reading, as books expand knowledge and wisdom, teach love and patience, give courage in difficult times, and groom a personality.

Educational institutions across the country should organise book-reading competitions to encourage this healthy habit. They should also distribute prizes among the students to keep them motivated. Moreover, the government must establish public libraries in every city so that people do not have to travel long distances to quench their thirst for knowledge.

Dalai Lama has rightly said, `Share your knowledge. It is a way to achieve immortality.’

Nick Travis,
Edinburgh, Scotland

Political Rhetoric

This is with reference to the article ‘Et Tu, Biden?’ written by Sabria Chowdhary Balland about Joe Biden’s promise to bring change after the Trump administration. The people thought that Biden would adopt a policy aligned to what he claimed to support the Palestinians. But unfortunately, he followed the same path as Trump. He could have handled the situation differently.

Considering how he gives importance to human rights, many expected a sharp turn from Trump’s abhorrent policies towards the Palestininas. Biden and his administration failed to condemn the clearest violations of international law and human rights by Israel. He even did not hesitate one moment to send $735 million in arms sales to Israel within this time frame, in addition to the 3.8 billion the US government already sends every year as aid.

Emily Dylan,
New York, U.S.

Electronic Voting

This is with reference to the article ‘The Way Forward’ written by S.R.H. Hashmi about the electronic voting system taken up by the PTI government in Pakistan. The introduction of electronic voting in Pakistan is a way to enhance the knowledge of digital technology among Pakistanis, provided the people are eager to learn it and the system has the capacity to perform.

The inclusion of electronic voting in Pakistan could bring to fruition the promise made by the party to overseas Pakistanis to give them voting rights. It can further speed up the counting and re-counting of election votes and eliminate disputes about rejected votes.

Tehreem Fatima,
Islamabad, Pakistan

Complaint

This refers to a strange book review I read in Southasia. It is titled “Bhands and Big Headings” and relates to Mr. S.M. Shahid’s book “Kajj Bahesi – Senseless Arguments” – a compendium of weekly satirical columns published in 2008, 2009 and 2010 in Dawn, as well as in Slogan in 2013-2014.

To begin with, the review does not read like a review but a harsh criticism bordering on slander. To be fair to the author, one feels like ‘reviewing the review’ for a better depiction of the book’s substance. The reviewer, Mr. Faizan Usmani, seems uninterested in the contents of the book, or the satire inherent in them, but is fixed on just two points: the writer’s use of Urdu words and expressions in the book, and how this held a resemblance to Bhands, meaning jokers, mimics or buffoons. While it is confusing how the mere use of Urdu phrases in an English book would be similar to the Bhand culture, it is even more tragic that the content of the book was left ‘unreviewed’.

The book is mostly about the contradictions and double standards in our society, which are satirically highlighted between the lines.

Needless to say that if a book is badly written, the editor or publisher would be perfectly in his right to reject its review. No need to insult the writer and tell the world that the book is worthless.

A bit of advice to Mr. Faizan Usmani: if he has not read P. G. Wodehouse, he should do it now. He might enjoy the beauty of senseless conversation!

Amna Mirza,
Karachi, Pakistan