The Punjab Government launched the campaign of 'Parha Likha Punjab' to promote literacy rate in the province. Since then many steps have been taken and many incentives offered to students. 'Provisions of Free Books' is one of them.

Year 2007 has started and distribution of free books is still going on. Here is parents and teachers concern about the 'Free Books' policy.

"Government does little and boasts a lot", says Mian Tariq Mehmood, father of four children who are getting education in government schools. He says, "I see large number of advertisements both in newspapers and electronic media about the free distribution of books among students. I was amazed but when I contacted the school of my children to get the books for them I was told that books had not arrived, so my children did not get books in time and the long summer vacations passed without them." He further says,"Remaining free without textbooks for a long period of time is damaging to students. As they say an idle mind is a devil's workshop, my children got involved in activities like video games, would hang out in street and aimlessly wander. So I purchased the books from the market and engaged my children in studies."

He alleges, "The fact is that teachers sold these books in the market with the mutual cooperation of the department. When this was exposed in media and authorities took notice of it then my children were provided books in September. Books should be in the hands of students in the beginning of the educational session before the summer vacation," he stresses.

Teachers deny selling books in the market and say government has changed its policy. The session started in September after summer vacation so books were provided in September and it is a misconception of parents that teachers sold out textbooks in the market.

Provision of free books is a part of education sector reform programme for which government has borrowed a huge amount from the World Bank, says Rana Liaquat Ali of Muslim Teachers Federation, Punjab. He says the government launched this policy without taking necessary measures to make it successful. Lack of planning and staff, absence of statistics and coordination with educational experts, are some of its demerits. He points out that even by January 2007 Pakistan Studies books have not been distributed among students and English medium students have not been provided free books at all.

Teachers are having problems because they are under pressure to complete their syllabus while the students haven't got books of Pakistan studies as yet. The problem is worse in primary section where young students lose or tear their books. There is no policy regarding reissue of free books in this case and as parents know that books are free they are not willing to buy from the market. Government must consult teachers while formulating policies regarding education for them to be successfully implemented, he proposed.

There are logistical problems as well in the distribution of textbooks in schools. Here is an example; Nasreen Akhtar, Principal of City District Government Girls High School Gulberg says, "As a woman it was difficult for me to get books from warehouse. With a female teacher I went there, collected books, then hired a van. We ourselves loaded bundles of books in the van. In girls schools books should be delivered by the department," she says.

"Things are not as parents and teachers say," claims Ahmad Javed Qazi, Additional Programme Director, Programme Monitoring and Implementation Unit. "Provision of free textbooks is one of the most difficult jobs for the department," he says, "as we have to monitor closely the delivery of books to the EDOs in order to avoid misappropriation. "It is planned and well managed programme and we are spending a billion rupees a year to provide books to students" he says.

"Books were not delivered late. According to the government policy the educational session starts in September. We delivered books in the province in time. Students had books in their hands in September. Gujrat is the only district of Punjab where books were given to students before summer vacation experimentally," Qazi says. "There are 40074 government schools in the province, of which 98 per cent have been monitored till now," he says confidently.

Regarding the late delivery of Pakistan Studies books, he says, "In December 2005 the government changed the examination policy for class 9 and 10 when it replaced examination in parts with combined examination. We placed printing order for Pakistan Studies books on emergency basis the moment we were intimated of this decision. Before the change in examination policy this subject was taught in class 10. The order of books for session 2006 was placed in July 2005. Now Pakistan studies books have been delivered," he says.

"Schools never sent us demand for English medium books because it is optional for students, so the correct figures were not collected by schools but it was planned that government will buy the English medium books (Math, Science and Social Studies) and will provide to the students," he says.

Provision of 'Free Books' is a good step of Punjab government but books should be given to students before summer vacations. If it is a long term policy, the government should appoint staff for the sake of delivering books in time so that teachers and students will not have to suffer in the name of books delivery. Lastly, I would say our policy makers should consult educationists while making long term policies regarding education.

Lahore Marathon has made a niche among Lahoris for the third consecutive year. Marathon was organised for the first time on January 30, 2005, setting aside resistance from hardliners. A lot of preparations were done for the purpose.

The city adorned with flowers and banners, the roads especially carpeted for the day. For Lahoris new festival is gaining acceptance. More than 9000 people had already registered for the marathon two days before the marathon and many more registrations are accepted before the marathon starts.

According to the organisers, there were more than 20,000 participants last year and as many as 70,000 spectators around the city to encourage the athletes. There are speculations that the number will double this year.

Organisers are treating it as a mega event that encourages people to participate in a healthy, physical activity. Waleed Ahmed, one of the team members, feels this marathon is going to bring a good name to our country. "40 foreigners participated in this event in 2006 and we are accepting 80 athletes from sixteen different countries this year to participate in the marathon."

He also feels this marathon will not only open doors to the people to see our city but will also give them an opportunity to enjoy a sport.

A university student Ahmed says that this event could be used to promote some good messages to the people and world at large. Another, Sadia, believes it is a good event that can be used as a platform to show harmony and unity among people from all strata of society.

Marathon is arranged under different categories; a three kilometre race is organised for the blind and people on wheel chairs. A group of mentally handicapped students from Roshni Association has also registered for participation in this event.

There is a race for families only on a five kilometre stretch which has caught the attention of many families who have registered themselves. Professional athletes will participate in 10 km and 42.5km races.

Besides this massive response in favour of the marathon, there is antagonism as well from those who view the race as another slap on the culture and traditions of Lahore. Majority of people are open to marathon but they strongly oppose men and women running together. A businessman Amjad says he would never allow his sister or any of his family member to participate in this kind of activity. Najam, a young worker says it's too early to start with this kind of event in our society as our people are not open to such practices.

Shabab-e-Milli and Jamaat-e-Islami organised a referendum against the combined marathon by arranging six camps around the city to mark this event as against the culture of Punjab. They strongly feel the government is going overboard to show the world a liberal and moderate face of Pakistan. Ahmad Salman Baloch of Shabab-e-Milli says the party will do everything to stop this marathon. On the other hand, organisers say they were accepting such nuisance from them but have no fear.

An event of this magnitude needs a lot of preparation and security measures. Waseem Ahmed Khan SSP Traffic is at ease about the police preparation and security for the event. He says, "Our team is set to face any kind of situation. Police has carefully made a diversion plan for the marathon and is keeping the public informed about the new routes on television and newspapers. Police has also set a twenty four hour control room service number 042-9211558, for the convenience of people so they can inquire about the alternative routes. For routine and daily commuting police has arranged a criss-cross system whereby the traffic will be stopped for a while and then will be allowed to move."

Year 2007 has been marked as a 'Visit Pakistan Year' by the government and this marathon is the first in a series to promote tourism . Events of this magnitude always bring good name and respect for the countries at large.

The government has invested an enormous amount of money to familiarise this sport among the masses. People's attendance and today will show how well the people have accepted the new tradition of the city.

Three fourth of the poorest people in developing world including Pakistan make their living from agriculture. Farming still employs more than 50 per cent of the workforce of our country. These poor farmers are weakest stakeholders that influence transport, pricing and marketing of their produce.

They are poor not because they produce less but because they simply do not have any control over market forces dominated by influential and rich stakeholders. Farming in Pakistan accounts for more than 23 per cent of its GDP. This huge wealth is primarily created by these poor farmers. The distribution of this wealth is lopsided where the landowner and the producer get the lowest share.

Many developing countries have reduced poverty simply by formulating policies that ensure better returns to the farmers on their produce. These countries include China and India. The gain in agricultural productivity and its subsequent fair marketing in India through its green revolution resulted in 90 per cent rise in the average real income of its small farmers during two decades spanning from 1973-1994.

Although governments of Pakistan, particularly the Punjab Government, have recognised the marketing deficiencies in agriculture, they have not yet been able to provide a meaningful relief to the farmers.

Punjab is the hub of agriculture in Pakistan. It produces 70 per cent of total wheat produced in the country, almost 80 per cent of cotton, total basmati variety of rice and bulk of sugarcane.

Total citrus fruit produced in Pakistan comes from this province. Over seventy per cent of poultry and livestock are reared by small farmers of Punjab. Farmers face problems in marketing not only the major crops but also vegetables, fruits, poultry and live stock.

A separate Agriculture Marketing Department was set up by Punjab government in 2001 to facilitate the small farmers in disposing off their produce at fair rates. The department was assigned to a separate provincial minister after installation of elected government in the province.

The department failed to deliver even after six years of its formation. It might look strange but it is a fact that market distortions have increased ever since number of agri-marketing departments came into existence to facilitate farmers.

The rates of all agricultural produce have gone high but the returns to the actual producers have not increased. The terms of trade still remain exploitative.

Speakers at recently held Asian Development Bank Seminar on Agri-marketing in Lahore called the situation of agriculture marketing in Punjab hilarious after creation of specialised agriculture marketing department in Punjab.

They pointed out that instead of bringing stability in rates, the prices of daily use vegetables fluctuate irrationally. In 2005 there was shortage of onions and tomatoes. These two vegetables had to be imported from India to bring the rates down. In 2006 potato and onion supply was insufficient.

Statistics revealed at the Asian Development Bank seminar showed that the price fluctuations in agriculture products increased five times after formation of agri-marketing department in Punjab.

The government again reverted to import from India when it failed to control the high rates of meat in the local markets. Instead of finding out the reasons for high rates government applied the concept of increasing the supplies to suppress the rates.

Government ignored the hard fact that the farmers supplied buffaloes and goats at much lower rates to the middlemen who exploited the situation in connivance with the butchers to increase the rates.

The import of beef and mutton also exposed the population and the local live stocks to various health risks. Initially the cows, goats and sheep were quarantined and several tests were conducted on them at Wagah border that delayed their custom clearance and increased the cost of importers. Someone with authority reduced the number of test for beef from over 30 to six only.

That exposed the local population and livestock to risk of contracting at least 24 diseases. Even the test for deadly mouth and foot disease was exempted.

Progressive farmer Rabia Sultan says that Pakistani livestock is free from foot and mouth disease but there are reports that this disease is present at medium scale in India, so untested beef can be a hazard.

Middleman or big corporations buy milk from the farmers at Rs 8-11 per liter from villages. They sell the same milk at rates ranging from Rs 26-42 per litre. Small farmers in remote villages have no means of taking this perishable commodity to big cities and enjoy high profit margins.

The Agri-marketing Department daily posts on its website wholesale rates of all agricultural commodities produced in the province. The prices are irrelevant and far from reality. Very high retail prices quoted at the website do not reflect the low wholesale rates. Or do the rates point towards high profits of middlemen?

Punjab government in its endeavour to facilitate small farmers also established a public-private marketing company named Punjab Agriculture Marketing Company. It appointed a private sector entrepreneur as its head who later turned out to be the biggest loan defaulter of the Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (now called Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited). This company also failed to deliver.

Some private entrepreneurs also launched another company under the banner of Agrimol. They are running it commercially and facilitate farmers by procuring their produce or directing them to a buyer that require that commodity for exports or local value addition. The facilitation is limited to specific needs of its clients.

In the first ten months of year 2006, the crime rate in the Punjab province went up by as much as 28 per cent as compared to the figures recorded in corresponding time period a year earlier, say figures compiled by the Punjab police.

These figures also highlight the fact that Lahore, the capital of the province, witnessed a sharp increase in crime rate over the year. Among all types of offences, the figures show that the highest rate of increase was observed in the incidents of street crime.

The Lahore police record says that not less than 31 people were murdered and 40 injured for resisting armed dacoities in the city during the last year. Besides, there were around 3,000 incidents of car and motorcycle theft or snatching on gun point. In total, 28 people were kidnapped for ransom in 2006 while the incidents of snatching of purses and ornaments from women increased manifold. Mobile snatching incidents also multiplied despite the introduction of International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) system in Lahore. It's a system used globally to discourage theft or snatching of mobile phones.

Police connivance and inefficiency are generally held responsible for the breakdown of law and order in the country. Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has also shown his concerns more than once over the increase in street crime in the country. This surge has come at a time when the police highups, ruling party politicians and other government officials are making tall claims of bringing about revolutionary changes in the systems of governance. All the time they keep on counting the benefits of the much-touted Police Order 2002 but the ground realities hint at something else.

The separation of investigation and watch and ward wings of police and doubling of the force's budget over the last one year have also done no good to the system. On the contrary, critics think that the separation of investigation and watch and ward wings is directly linked to the rise in street crime. Earlier the whole police force was supposed to look after law and order, now most of them sit in the investigation centers and wait for miracles to happen,.they say

Inquiries into several criminal cases have revealed that many educated, unemployed and frustrated youth have joined the ranks of criminals. Inspector Abid Sheikh, Station House Officer (SHO) Township police station Lahore, says that in the recent past most of the criminals he nabbed for involvement in street crime were educated and aged between 25 to 35. "They are sophisticated which makes our task difficult. Besides, we are short of strength and find it difficult to combat criminals who are multiplying in numbers day by day," he says.

He tells TNS that at present there is one constable in Lahore for every 750 people. "There are 72 police stations in the city while to control a city of around 10 million population we need to raise the number to at least 150 police stations for vigilant check on criminals," he suggests.

Citizens also wonder about the performance of police and think that many of them are hand in glove with criminal elements. Muhammad Ali, a businessman in the walled city says the rise in street crime has exposed the foolproof security arrangements of police. "We are seeing rise in street crimes while authorities are introducing newest forms of forces every day-- the latest one is Mohafiz Squad, but it has also failed to deliver."

A Punjab police officer, requesting anonymity, says all funds directed to the police department in the name of reforming it will go down the drain unless political interference is stopped. Politicians want to see favourite SHOs in police stations of their constituencies and this practice has marred the progress of the department. He tells TNS that several competent officers are still waiting for their postings at suitable places where they can perform their duties without any political interference. However, they have not succeeded in getting appointments because they have no relations with political figures or connection with any party or influential family.

Dr Shoaib Suddle, Director General National Police Bureau, who has played a vital role in evolving and implementing the new police order, thinks that it (the police order 2002) has nothing to do with the rise in crime. "In fact it is the mismanagement on account of police officials and political involvements in critical police officials' postings that can more or less be blamed for rise in crime in Punjab or other parts of the country.

"An SHO appointed in a particular police station through influence of some politician will be least interested in law and order situation and more concerned with serving the interests of that politician," says Suddle. This is the culture we need to change first for the police to utilise its full capacity to curb crimes and criminals.

Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, General Secretary Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian Punjab chapter thinks that the present government is directly responsible for a sharp rise in crime rate. "With qabza group heading the present provincial government how can one expect decrease in crime in Punjab. Police, he thinks, is busy in 'protecting' VVIPs and VIPs while people have been left on mercy of criminals." The way the present government is using police order to protect interests of people in power, is responsible for increase in crime, he says. Ghulam Abbas says that he does not know that there is any relationship between street crime and police order "but no one can deny that there has been a sharp increase in street crime."

District Police Officer (DPO) Sialkot, Superintendent of Police Zubair Nawaz Chathha although disagrees that there is any relationship between rise in street crime and police order 2002. He, however admits that there has been a reasonable rise in street crime since 2002. "It is right that police order 2002 divided the strength of Punjab police but one should have it in mind that thousands of new recruitments have been made in police after 2002," he says. He thinks that there are other well established factors behind the rise in crime like growing population, migration of people from rural areas to the cities, unemployment, poor living conditions and a sense of social injustice prevalent in the society.

For instance, he thinks that rapid expansion in economy through capital injection in the market by banks is also responsible for surge in street crime. "Just see that 2001-02 is the period in which banks started softening their policies related to car financing and other products launched by them. This is also the time when mobile phones got maximum popularity in Pakistan In 2001 there were only one million mobile phone users in Pakistan, now there are over 20 million," he tells TNS.

Zubair thinks that 'unregulated' growth of mobile telephony, car financing and rent-a-car and rent-a-bike business resulted in rise in street crimes. "Mobile phone is the favourite item of snatchers as there is no mechanism to locate a snatched mobile in Pakistan," he says. While technology got popularity in the country as well as in criminal circles, in 2001 the police was deprived of its direct access to mobile networks and billing details even for monitoring purposes "I think if police is not given direct access to technology, it will never be able to handle crimes related to it," Zubair says.

As more women are out to speak up after government's proclamation of the Women Protection Bill, domestic violence has dramatically got to the top of all crimes in Punjab, particularly the provincial metropolis.

Violence against women varies from family disputes, honour killings, abduction and rape to husbands beating wives on various grounds, particularly under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

The victims are abused not only by their husbands and other close relatives; they often receive the same treatment from the persons they turn to for assistance.

As per police record, on January 7, 2007 the relatives of a girl who had eloped with the son of a lady councillor, chopped off the nose and ears of the boy, his brother and the arms of his mother on Eid day. The boy Iqbal, a resident of Inayatpur Mahota, had eloped with a girl of the same vicinity one and a half months back. He returned with the girl to celebrate Eid at his home but the relatives of the girl attacked his house and subjected the entire family to extreme torture.

Incidents of acid throwing are on rise in Southern Punjab where over 80 women received acid burns on their faces or other parts of their bodies last year. Most of these women were sprinkled acid on them when they refused to have sex or develop 'illicit relations' with the perpetrators.

In another incident, a young woman was stabbed to death and then set on fire while her sister was seriously injured by the nephew of their stepfather and his brother-in-law in Quaid-e-Millat Colony, Kot Lakhpat, Lahore in January 2007.

Zaitoon Bibi, the mother of the two victims -- Sajida Bibi, who was killed, and Rizwana Bibi, who got hurt in the incident -- had married Muhammad Niaz after a divorce from her first husband Muhammad Riaz. The two sisters had gone to visit their mother when accused Munir of Sahowari along with his brother-in-law Billo visited the house of his paternal uncle Muhammad Niaz and took them with him.

Zaitoon, the complainant of the case, later told the police that her stepson had been murdered two months back and his family suspected the hand of Rizwana and Sajida in the case.

In another incident that took place on March 14, 2006 in the city, a six-year-old schoolgirl, daughter of a vendor, was found butchered after being subjected to criminal assault by unknown criminals in Sabzazar area.

The deceased, Asiya Asghar, a class-II student, had gone for tuition to a centre which was just 50 yards away from her house in the congested and populated locality of Saidpur and then never returned home. Later, the cops recovered her half-naked body covered in a plastic sheet and then folded in a sack that was lying alongside a park near Bilal Mosque in Sabzazar police vicinity.

Her autopsy revealed that she was gang-raped as there were visible torture marks on her private parts. The investigators disclosed that as they got to the spot, they found the little girl with her hands moving and blood trickling down from her chopped off neck. The ill-fated father later went to the police station and got a case registered but the police concerned recorded the matter as 'mysterious missing'.

A 9-year-old girl, Razia Masih, was beaten and raped on April 26 last year in Faisalabad. She ended up in the hospital with multiple burns, a lacerated left eye, a broken right arm and rope marks around her hands and mouth. She was working as a maid in a house of a local landlord.

Four persons, including 60-year-old Dawood Ahmed, his 50-year-old wife, 15-year-old daughter Rabia and six-year-old niece Khaula, were seriously injured after Zafar Iqbal and his sons threw acid on them in July 2006 in Gujranwala in retaliation. Dawood Ahmed had refused to give his daughter's hand in marriage to Iqbal's son.

The official figures put the number of women killed in the province between January and December 2006 at 982 while at least 340 such incidents occurred in Lahore in the same period. Of 982 murders of women in Punjab 188 were stated in the FIR to be provoked by 'honour'. Of the 340 women killed in Lahore, six were murdered after being raped while 12 were honour victims. Many a victim that belong to the middle or lower middle class lost their lives at the hands of unidentified persons, their husbands, brothers, their brothers-in-law, cousins, sons and other male relatives.

Dr. Mujahid, a psychiatrist, says domestic violence can assume many forms of emotional, verbal, sexual and physical abuse. And often victims are ensnared in a vicious cycle whereby they are abused twice over -- by their spouses and the very people they turn to for help. He says domestic violence is basically caused by how a man looks at a woman. Usually, men consider women as children who do not have the ability to retaliate even if abused. More extreme cases, such as murder, burning or acid-throwing, however, owe more to pathological or mental disorders," she says.

Sumaira Awan, a criminal lawyer, says the police force has a much higher proportion of male officers than female officers who tend to be more conservative and unfalteringly patriarchal. "These traits have turned the police force into one of the most effective tool of discrimination against women, the most vulnerable section of the society that needs the most protection."

Majority of the women, she observes, in police custody are subjected to physical and sexual abuse. Even though the police officers are not authorised to detain women in the police lock-up in the absence of female staff, the illegal detention of women is a common practice both in the Punjab and the provincial metropolis. Things do not stop here as women are also detained for days before being formally charged, she says.

Sumaira goes on to say that the heinous crime of rape has only increased and the police play a critical role by making its reporting complicated. Police reluctance to register rape often results in loss of crucial evidence. "Moreover, the way the reports of rape are encoded when they are registered influences the way in which the entire case is conducted. The police conduct investigations in the most superficial manner. Consequently, evidence goes unreported, the perpetrators find opportunities to flee and a case is registered against the victim," the lawyer concludes.

The only female Superintendent of Lahore Police, Farkhanda Iqbal who has a vast experience of community policing, agrees with the fact that majority of the cases of honour killings go unreported while in the case of domestic violence, the social norms attached to this heinous crime allow it to escape reporting. When family members kill most victims, no one is ready to file complaints against the accused.

Farkhanda puts domestic violence on the top of the list of crimes being perpetrated on women across the province and the provincial metropolis in particular. She says: "Whether someone gives it weightage or not, for my part I consider it as a major crime against women. Heinous crimes against women like murder, rape and abduction, etc may happen twice or thrice a week or in a month but domestic violence never seizes. It is a continuous process which happens on a daily basis and women are the main victims."

She goes on to say, in fact, majority of the women are living in a suffocated environment. Domestic violence has not only had its severe impact on women; it is also taking its toll on the minds of the youth who are silent sufferers. It has led to aggression in youth. "It takes shape of violence on roads, eve-teasing, sexual harassment at workplace. Sometimes rape or kidnapping are directly interlinked with domestic violence. Such violent behaviour is widespread in the country", says Farkhanda Iqbal.

She admits that in case of a domestic violence incident police do not register FIR immediately as that practice can lead to complete separation of the pair. Police first tries to resolve the matter with the help of the family elders from both sides. If both the parties don't agree to come to terms, the case is formally registered.

The SP says it is incumbent upon both the government and the society to provide women with a secure environment both inside and outside their homes, only then they can play an effective role in the country's progress.

Interestingly, even in the presence of a female police superintendent, a male SP heads the police branch at Race Course police station in Lahore that exclusively deals with the issues of women, especially domestic violence against them.

"The gift of foe shall work thee woe," says a character about the Greek Trojan horse in the play 'Helen of Troy'. The classic, froth with poetic diction was acted by the students of Defence Degree College for Women.

The drama was an excerpt from the epic poem 'Illiad' by Homer. Taking up an ancient classic for a college play is no less than inviting a Trojan horse on stage. From archaic costumes to complicated dialogues nothing comes along easy and smooth. But if managed with an eye on detail it gives the audience an out-of-the-world experience. This venture was also a welcome break from the beaten track.

The students employed multimedia prudently to bring the drama more close to reality. Performance of some girls as male characters surpassed many volumes on the subject of equality. Playing the warrior king, Agamemnon, Sana Ayub notably did a man's job. Some of the viewers were of the opinion that the language should have been adapted to modern usage. Others maintained that this would have marred the ambience of the bygone days.

The various elements on the stage were successful in taking the audience to a land far away which existed long ago. Overall it was a bold effort almost touching the boundaries of art drama.

The story of this play is intrinsically woven around triumph and tragedy of the two age old games in which everything seems to be fair in war and love.

In the fast moving story the lead roles are Paris, the prince of Troy and Helen, the queen of Sparta who fall in love and escape to Troy. Spartians along with Greeks attack Troy to claim back their queen. A fine morning, after ten years of siege, the Trojans were delighted to see that the Greek army had fled in haste. They had left a huge wooden horse in the battlefield. Triumphant at the victory Trojans pulled the edifice inside the city wall. When the Trojans were fast asleep, Greek soldiers who had been hiding in the wooden structure jumped out and put the citizens to sword. Thus, the Greeks managed to defeat Trojans, devastating and capturing the city. Hence the idiom Trojan horse used in English language for something carrying a deep and deceptive evil. The fierce sword fighting at this finale by the students was remarkable. So many of them die at this stage that one is thankful it was only a drama.

The story ends here leaving the spectator wondering as to who actually won, since Helen is still referred to as Helen of Troy. Perhaps the Trojan horse of love can play a greater trick.