Quality in question
Prices and quality of milk available in the city vary greatly and call for regulation by the government because milk is an essential food item
By Sajid Bashir
Milk prices vary greatly in the provincial metropolis and so does quality of milk but not according to the pricing. The prices vary from Rs 28 to Rs 42 per litre.

The March 3 terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricket team at Liberty Round About in Gulberg Area was an incident that shook every one from within and shattered the confidence of citizens in their government. No doubt it was the worst armed attack on a sports team visiting Pakistan. Loaded with ammunition, pistols, grenades, explosives, rocket launchers and automatic weapons, around 12 attackers kept on shooting at their targets with immense ease and walked away without being interecepted by the personnel of the law enforcing authorities.

Though they missed the original target of killing Sri Lankan cricket team several policemen came in the line of fire and lost their lives. Later on the footage captured on close circuit TV cameras showed that the attackers did not have to face any resisitance and it seemed they had cordoned off the place of the crime and made it out of bounds for the cops.

No doubt every body in the city was afraid and wary of what could happen next. The fact that none of the attackers could be captured was enough to make them believe that they could expect more terrorist acts like these in the city.

TNS talked to people from various walks of life to know how they felt after the incident. Almost all of them were highly demoralised and clueless as to how their country would come out of the crises it is deep sinking into. Another thought that was common was that the terrorists were coming stronger day by day and the state machinery was no match for them. Though the list of those interviewed is quite long, only a couple of accounts are given below to give a general idea to the readers about the sentiment that prevails in the city.

When asked for comments, Chand Baba, a decoration piece seller in the Walled City, tells TNS that he has been selling decoration pieces for the last two decades. But he says for the last couple of years his sale has come down down drastically. "Business activity in the city is subsiding day by day and the attack on the Sri Lankan team has come as the last nail in the coffin," he says.

Chand Baba predicts demise of cricket in Pakistan. He says it’s a pity that Pakistan’s cricket team is one of the best of the world but nobody is ready to come here and play cricket. Sri Lankan team took a bold step but what they had to face would never let anybody else to head to this part of the world.

He strongly objects to the claims made by officials that some religious organisations are behind this incident. He says he cannot understand why the officials keep on saying that the bullets were fired by the members of religious organisations. "I would refute this claim and say no Muslim can do this. If someone who claims himself to be Muslim has done this I would simply say he is no more a Muslim." 

Akbar Ali, 27, a paan shop owner in Mozang, is really aggrieved to find his city in the grip of terror. He tells TNS that he is an great fan of cricket and would sit glued to the TV screen whenever a match was being played and telecast. He says he still remembers how people of Lahore would go to the cicket stadium in hordes to see cricket match. It would be great fun to see legendary players show their professional skills in the ground. But it seems that international cricket in Pakistan has become a thing of the past, he adds.

Akbar says "I would blame the security forces for this criminal security lapse resulting in this tragedy. It is shameful for all of us that we cannot fight a handful of terrorists. Young boys falling in the age bracket 20-25 could move freely and fire shots at the targets for such a long time and run away on foot. Totally unbelievable!"

TNS observed that despite the firing incident the people of Lahore had thronged tourist spots and public parks. Muhammad Waseem, 16, a university student who had come to see Lahore Fort tells TNS that it is very unwise of the terrorists to think that Pakistanis are unaware of what is happening to their country.

"But I warn them we are on an alert and constantly chasing them. They have tried to harm our honoured guests. They say they are warriors but they must know that true warriors never attack from behind." He says it’s binding on true combatants to fight battles in battlefields. Attacking people unaware is a cowardly act no doubt, he adds.

Waseem was asked as to why had he come to a crowded place especially at a time when there were threats of more incidents like this. To this he said he was not afraid at all. Besides, he says by sitting back in home he did not want to send a message to the terrorists that the people of this country are afraid of them. It’s exactly what they want and one must not help them achieve their goal, he adds.

Tehseen, a middle-aged man settled in Spain, is shocked to find his country in such a sorry state of affairs. Talking to TNS he says the attack is the worst thing that could have happen to this country. "When we are abroad we have to hear nasty things from the people. They would say one day we (Pakistanis) would come and blow ourselves amidst them."

He says he had come to Pakistan to have some rest and spend time with his family. But even here he could not relax and had to go through the agony of seeing his beloved city of Lahore in the grip of terrorists. He says the gory incident has shaken him altogether.

Tehseen is not ready to believe that India is not behind the attack. He says either they were Indians who wanted to take revenge of Mumbai attacks or the Tamil Tigers who are always out to harm the Sri Lankan government’s interests.

• Faiz Amn Mela on March 13-14. Seminar on ‘Threats to Global Peace by Imperialism’ at Alhamra on March 13 and Poetry and singing on March 14 at Open Air Theatre Bagh-e-Jinnah.

• LUMS Olympiad 2009 from March 09 to 13.

• Divine-i Gig night every Saturday from 9pm to 11pm at Al Hafeez Tower opposite Pizza hut MM Alam Road.

• Panjabi Sangat on every Friday at 49 Jail Road Lahore at 7pm. at Najam Hussain Sayed’s house. Any person who chooses to visit the Sangat can freely and actively participate in the above mentioned activities.

• Exhibition: Sight Insight – Drawings by Nadia Khawaja

at Grey Noise till March 22.

• Solo Show by Salman Ikram — New Crystalline work (ceramics) at Ejaz Art Gallery from Mon, 09 Mar to 15 Mar. Stoneware and porcelai work currently available from Ijaz Gallery, Hamial Art Gallery and Art Scene.

• Music: Lahore Chitrkar monthly music concert for March will host renowned Sarangi player Ustad Khawar Hussain, accompanied on Tabla by Kashif Dani on Sat, 14 March at 7:30pm. Fee: 100 Rupees.

exhibition

Essay writing and art classes are usual exercises during school days and we all remember doing it. But I know a very few teachers who actually appreciate something creative and original, something not ‘strictly recommended’ by curriculum. Even in art classes children are supposed to adhere to strict rules of themes and colours laid down in the class. At a recent exhibition held at Shakir Ali Museum, O and A levels students from private schools of the city participated under the title ‘Progressive Pakistan,’ where a flash of young Pakistani minds was seen. As expected, it was a far cry from optimism. There was nothing new about the topic but if a comparison was to be made between now and, say, two decades back the topic would have turned out completely different.

Thirteen schools and a total number of 28 students participated in this competition aimed at showing what the young Pakistanis have in mind for the future of their country. "I think no teacher should try to control and hinder the creative process of children. The paintings are a result of their own creative ideas and their own impressions." If that is true the impressions were, sadly, quite grim. If I was to name a few consistent themes in the paintings they would be terrorism, media, child labour and industry (or the lack of it). It was a surprise to see how acutely aware these young minds are of their surroundings. Adolescents are usually passed for as too self-absorbed to be able to comment on politics or society. But the paintings were a shocker for those who hold that opinion. The presented works brought out the students’ sensitivity and knowledge of the problems faced by their country.

Amna I. Pataudi, the curator of the exhibition, said the idea behind this competition was to bring forth the vision of legendary Shakir Ali and to introduce our children to it. "Like every person in the country every young mind is facing a certain kind of imbalance." The ‘imbalance’ Pataudi pointed out was most evidently brought out through such symbols as the question mark — the mark being a signifier of lack of confidence in their future and the disillusionment with it.

Most of the participants of the competition were from private schools. It is interesting to see that a number of them decided to choose rural themes for their paintings. These city kids with their little exposure to the rural ‘reality’ well presented the drudgery and isolation, an antithesis to the urban reality.

However, those who chose to show reality as they experience it every day came up with a chaotic representation. Trauma would be the word for it. The most important in this regard were the faces. Facial expressions of every person was painted with a frown — most probably a subjective experience. "These children notice even things like child labour," something which is very much accepted in our society.

Another consistent element was the presence of a child in almost every other picture. There are children everywhere — in schools, in workshops and playing around trees. While some paintings show them in the foreground in most of them a child is lurking in the background not as a pleasant figure but mostly as a shadow heralding a future not very pleasant. What struck me most was the children’s perception of how media is working in the country. One of the paintings had fire and terror in the background with an anchor in the foreground. This could be the passiveness of media or an additional burden on the young minds.

But there is hope — more of a luxury for the young minds. If someone had asked me to paint my image of a progressive Pakistan during my school days I would have painted mountains, lush-green fields and children playing. I wonder what our next generation will be thinking with a paint brush in their hands.

Quality in question

Milk prices vary greatly in the provincial metropolis and so does quality of milk but not according to the pricing. The prices vary from Rs 28 to Rs 42 per litre.

A survey conducted by TNS reveals that the daily consumption of milk in Lahore in summer season is around 1.6 million litres out of which 0.3 million is packed milk while the rest 1.3 million is loose milk and some 800 to 900 shops in each town of the city are selling milk.

The milk price varies from area to area and the milk dealers claim they are selling best quality milk and deserve higher rates while reports are to the contrary. A drive to check this variation was started on the instructions of former Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif on receiving complaints from the public. The Food Department was directed to take immediate measures to resolve this problem.

District Officer Live Stock (retd) Dr Aqeel says the dairy department has been neglected for 40 years due to which the milk quality and prices are not constant. "No one can control the price of milk until the supply of milk meets the demand. The sale of milk at Rs. 40 per litre is not much because one litre milk costs Rs 34 to the dealers as well as the Gawalas. As a result they have to sell adulterated milk to get healthy benefit in which chemicals like urea, caustic soda, refined oil, especially used and cheap cooking oil and commonly used detergents are mixed," he says.

These chemicals increase the shelf life of milk and remove traces of adulteration and mixing of hazardous chemicals. The district officer Live Stock says gawalas and farmers are also using oxytocin injections, a human female hormone, on buffaloes and cows to draw more milk. He says people, especially children drinking such milk, run the risk of developing female characteristics in the body like breasts, shrill voice and loss of hair on the face.

Dr Aqeel says it will take at least 10 years to stabilize the price and quality of milk in the city and a long term planning is required for that.

District Offier Food Dr Masood says the City District Government Lahore (CDGL) has decided to establish model shops in every town where it will ensure supply of quality milk on a uniform rate.

The plan to introduce a uniform rate of milk across the provincial metropolis was made by the former chief minister and the CDGL’s Food department was working hard to implement the plan. Now, after the change of government, the plan to introduce a uniform rate of milk across the city has shrunk to establishing some shops in every town.

In a recent meeting the District Coordination Officer (DCO) has asked the Food department to establish eight to ten model milk shops in every town of the city, he adds. District Officer Food says these shops will sell milk at a uniform rate and will also install lactometers to ensure the quality of milk.

He says special teams were also constituted to complete registration of all milk sellers, suppliers and dealers in the city. The department has sent a detailed summary to the DCO Lahore for final decision.

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