Usman's Share in re-making of Pakistan

Luxury or Needs first? We got to decide it.

2011-01-23T23:54:00.000-08:00

The blame game is on for years now and we should have been sick and tired of this dirty drama depicting the negativities around us and not showing and revealing the positive side of issues around us.
We blame the government is not anything and simply forget our role in the scenario. We cannot get a much needed change of attitude if we keep on holding other people responsible for all the problems of the world. A famous saying “If you are not the part of the solution, then you are part of the problem in the first place”.
Bold TV Anchors, Straight forward Journalists, so called honest Politicians, Talented industrialists, Leading religious activists, Famous lawyers, Truly good poets, Educationists, all seem to condemn the system and have their own views to fix the Problem. We as common Pakistanis are by negative grounds, forced to confined our life in the walled circle of basic survival which is a rented place, house hold expenses, kids Education, Kids marriages, Utility bills, safety of all family members and many more problems that we do not have time to discuss the core issues or take some revolutionary steps as a Nation on the whole to fix the problem. We need to show our own sincerity to our home land by surviving in the limited means of income, we have made our life so troublesome cause of the fact that a worker wants to adopt the life style of a Super visor, A super visor wishes to match his spending with a manager, Manager will follow footsteps of a Senior manager and cycle goes on till we reach the stage when some big shot is trying to match the life style of the President of Pakistan.
That compels people to take the short route of corruption to excel in life, this short route could start from not paying taxes, frauds in business and with people, mis-using the talents of people by paying them less, not returning loans, not re-investing the profits in to business and sending earning abroad in the foreign accounts, taking bribes at all levels, making sure that honest people do not grow or are placed at positions where they can be a stumbling block in the way of corruption and that includes electing the people to rule us, begging from an ordinary street beggar to a level of a Head of the State asking for loans, then comes the evil of Credit cards, that has made every one addicted to enjoy the money which is not earned by hard work, the interest free business dealings system given to us by our religion is still the best way to survive within our own sources.
Some people regard certain kinds of work or professions as contemptible. However, the Prophet (peace be on him) denied the validity of this notion. He taught his Companions that the whole of a human being’s dignity is tied up with his work—any sort of work —and that real disgrace and humiliation consist of depending on other people’s help. He said, It is better that a person should take a rope and bring a bundle of wood on his back to sell so that Allah may preserve his honor, than that he should beg from people, (regardless of) whether they give to him or refuse him. (Reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
Allah will inflict a disgrace upon you which will not be removed until you return to your religion. (Reported by Abu Daoud.)
We are still having the fate of being disgraced by the people who control us all cause of our lust and greed for wealth, in order to fulfill our wrong desires we can go to any extent starting from dodging own family members and friends to the level of looting the resources of our home land when and where given a chance.
But when they see some business or amusement, they disperse to it and leave thee standing. Say: ‘What is with Allah is better than amusement and than business; and Allah is the best of providers.’ (62:11)
We got to learn to survive in the available means and we must pursue our basic right of having equal opportunities in life as there is absolutely no restriction of pursuing better life backed up by fair means efforts. We start playing our part and keep on pushing the decision makers that they got to move in the right direction.
It is not necessary to have a 1300 cc car when we can hardly afford an 800 cc one, it is not needed to spend a lot on marriages just to show off, it is not needed to rent a bigger house when we can’t afford it, bank loan is not needed when we can gradually build our business, it is not needed to wear expensive brands when we can survive in equally good clothes but at less than 1/4th of the price, we can survive with a cheaper cell phone rather than spending thousands on it just to show others that how expensive mobile phone we have got despite the fact that we do not even use its full features that make it expensive, and there could be hundreds of examples. We adopt wrong means of earning when we exhaust every limit of available financial means and then we make our life miserable in the rat race of earning. The biggest problem of all is that we start in the company of Elites who are filthy rich and become complexed and we ruin ourselves by matching their spending pattern, their life style etc and make a bad out of a good life we were enjoying before our interaction with them.
It is a fact that our leaders and rulers are a true representation of what we are these days as a Nation but we keep on denying the fact that we need to mend our ways first, if we become honest at individual level, then a chain reaction will start which will purify the system and over all out of us as a Nation will certainly improve.
Allah bless Pakistan and move us all in the right direction!

Revolution?

2011-01-23T21:29:00.000-08:00

We talk a lot about a revolution, a major change in the system and seeing a new Pakistan with in no time. We vote for the same people, same parties, same culprits again despite the fact that the media is highlighting their true character in front of the readers and viewers.
70 percent of our voters are illiterate, most of them are in bonded labor of Feudal Lords in Sindh and Punjab and Sarhad. The so called lords discourage education of the labor class to keep intact their vote bank and get elected every time by building a fear factor, forced voting and often buy votes at the price of a decent meal.
Majority of the Pakistanis belong to a struggling class, they spend 16-18 hours in work to earn two decent meals a day for their family, they cannot judge the cruel acts of the politicians and always vote blindly on the basis of clans, tribes, communes, family and native area and at times out of peer pressure as well. They are so badly crushed in the struggle of life that they see vote casting as an opportunity to earn some money or to get false promises of farm land ownership, better health facilities, roads and infrastructure development and jobs for them and their kids. They don’t have the ability to reason and convince anyone if they had made the right choice while voting. On the other hand what choices do we have? It’s the same party system bringing in mostly corrupt people having forged documents and educational certificates and degrees, so they just choose the one culprit from the group of cheats.
You cannot educate them, because they listen and only see their needs because they have been seeing deprivation for decades which includes hunger, no shelter, no health facilities, no education and no right to be treated as a human being even.
We are expecting a change and a revolution from them who are blinded by the circumstances around them, they see the remote chances of their betterment only, they are made silent by the powerful feudal Lords and they can hear only the promises of their future.
Imran Khan and Sheikh Rasheed is hinting a bloody revolution in the coming months, again Politicians will bring people on the road for their own vested interests to grasp the power to rule Pakistan and then forget them as soon as they will be in Power.
If we want to see a real revolution, we must provide good and quality education to the people of Pakistan, their basic needs should be fulfilled which are food, health, security and justice. People cannot make judgment with an empty stomach. Millions of displaced people in all provinces due to flood who hate their ruling elites for some time and then get back to their own routine for struggle in life and will forget what these mean buggers had done to them. We understand that floods are far bigger a problem than the available resources for government to tackle the situation but the question remains that for how many times we will give people of Pakistan an excuse that “WE WERE NOT READY FOR THIS “. For a change the focus should turn to the people of Pakistan, years effort would be needed to re-build the infrastructure but before that people need love, affection and care from all of us including the so called leaders.
It’s about time that politicians and we as Pakistanis stop playing with the emotions of poor and troubled people around us and do some real time effort to help and support them. Every effort counts, every act of kindness has it effects. Poor people of Pakistan are not only an opportunity for having votes from them but they are human beings as well who should be treated well and remembered even after the elections. Common man dies on the road for politicians attempt to bring revolution to take them to the government. We are not yet fully ready to handle democracy because we attempt to loot Pakistan when ever given a chance even by electoral process to rule Pakistan. It is a sad thing that western media calls our head of the state as Mr. Ten Percent, again a democratically elected head of the state by the people who are blinded by their needs and hopes, and are deaf and dumb cause the law and justice is not made for them so they do not raise their voice and do not even listen to the words of wisdom by anchor persons in TV channels cause all of them know deep down their hearts that their life style will not change and they are born to suffer.
Let’s join hands in an effort to do justice to our motherland, our jobs, our families and to our next generation to change our mean life style to caring and helping and also by working honestly. Poor people are least bothered if a shoe is thrown at Zardari Sb, or if some MNA’s degree is fake, or if Umar Gul is not playing the next cricket match, or if Reema and Javed Sheikh are making a movie together, or if a new season of Coke studio is being shown or if Justice is silent, all they need is just enough chance to make enough money to merely survive in these rough and tough circumstances.
Democracy means rule of majority and unfortunately there is a majority of ignorant and illiterate people as compared to educated ones, so the poor condition of the people is being manipulated with false promises in every elections and people do not have any choice but to be betrayed again cause they don’t have a sense to judge the right from the wrong as most of the times they have to chose from the available “WRONGS” in elections.

The flowers and candles for Imanae Malik!

2009-12-09T03:26:00.000-08:00

We the people of Lahore gathered with flowers and candles at Liberty round abound at the main Boulevard Gulberg to register our silent protest against the criminal negligence of the Doctor's Hospital duty doctors which resulted in sudden death of a three year old beautiful Princes named Imanae Malik. The reason I was forced to go there was the fact that if this could happen to Mr. Aqeel Malik's daughter, it could happen to our kids as well.
In order to get superior medical attention, Imanae Malik's parents took her for treatment after a minor burn to Doctor's Hospital, but casual and criminal attitude of Doctors lead her to death cause the case was mishandled from the word go. The removal by Doctors Hospital Management of screen printed message for silent protest by her parents, clearly indicates the fact that the management is not much bothered about this incident and taking it as a routine matter.
No way on earth they could treat it as a routine matter as some body's beautiful little Princess died there. Hats off to media for supporting the cause of getting this hospital of murderers shut down as their mentality clearly indicates that they are selfish and self centered people focused only to make huge profits by getting en-cashed miseries of people who happen to have money to afford expensive medical treatment. I find it very strange on part of Chief Minister Punjab's Silence over this serious matter, at least one of the directors of Doctor's Hospital should have been sent behind the Bars to start with. Governor Punjab, Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan should get their act put together and should issue directives to investigate this issue on top priority and make sure the culprits are duly treated by the law.
A full wave of silent protests must be done and all parents from all walks of life to support the cause of Imanae Malik's parents so that a wake up call can be given to all such Hospitals that if they are not going to work in a professional manner, they will be dealt severely by the law.
Government is taking it very lightly which is further adding to the grief of the effected family. Imanae was the Princess for her parents like we have got our own Princesses at our homes and our daughters are always being treated as Princesses no matter we have got blood relation with them or not. I wonder how difficult it must have been for Mr. & Mrs. Aqeel Malik to bear this great loss, its end of life for them as their eyes must be looking for her cute looks while she used to run around in the house, they must be missing her lovely smiles and giggles and they must be missing their little Princess who has left a huge gap in their life by departing them at a stage when every body in the house was cheering her presence. Like us they must have had plans for her bright future, all is gone with the wind now. They are left with her sweet memories and a shear pain and agony for rest of their lives.
Who is going to take charge for the quick action to provide a speedy justice to the parents. The need of the hour is that through our political system, we get a legal Punitive law approved by the National Assembly to tackle such Criminal negligence in future and to make sure that licenses of all such hospitals are cancelled and strict measures are taken which should include sending of the Director's of such Hospitals behind the bars for life imprisonment.
Human life is the most precious thing in the entire Universe and for Parents the well being and good health of their Kids matter the most. I am along with the people living in Lahore, are there to strongly support the struggle of the Malik Family who are seeking justice from the Ruling elites who are not focusing on their core duties and spending most of their time discussing NRO, whether President should stay or not, cutting down of expenses etc but we are are least concerned of such activities by them. We want them to provide immediate justice to Imanae Malik's parents or if they will not bother to do so, they do not have a right to sit in their offices as head of Provinces and of the country as well.
We all seek justice on humanitarian grounds and will keep on registering our protests till the culprits are sent behind the bars. It might look as an ordinary incident in our rulers eyes but for us who also have small kids at home, its a matter of life and death as we live for our children's future and can not live with out them if they are being parted from us due to criminal negligence. I am sure the doctors who are responsible for the death of Imanae, must be having kids of their own and they would try their best to bring every comfort in their kids lives, they should look after their patients especially who are small kids in the same manner other wise there is no difference between them and butchers! Its a noble profession to play a role of a healer but if the duties are performed in a rightful manner, it can turn out to be most pain inflicting profession in the world.
Its about time that the doctors who are responsible for this brutal act, come forward and hand over them selves to the authorities with signed confessions, this might save the grace whats left in them.
The struggle for the justice would not come to an end, it would be spread like a epidemic and sooner or later a movement would be triggered through out the Pakistan to get Justice to Imanae Malik's parents the rightful justice. Their daughter was killed and the killers are on the loose, their next target could be our kids as well, I would request all readers to help us all in convincing the Government that they have to provide justice to the people of Pakistan. if they will not respond quickly, they will be become part of such killing by not making arrangements to stop these and they will be answerable to Allah, in the biggest courts of all, at the judgement day.
We look forward to a selfless support from all especially continued guidance and help from the media (newspapers and TV channels) , its a struggle that will ensure safe future of our kids in the days to come.
Another of such incident reported in the past, please follow the link below to find out the continued mismanagement at Doctors Hospital, they have a history to prove that they are thorough non professionals.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5C02%5C12%5Cstory_12-2-2006_pg3_7

The Clicks Of The Time Bombs!

2009-10-13T03:01:00.000-07:00

The increased number of recent attacks in the last two weeks on civil and military establishments has arose the the major concerns in the masses and in the government as well.

Some are relating it to the American plans to get hold of Pakistan's nuclear assets and over all submission to its God Father's demands. Kerry - Luger bill much in discussion these days but core issues are put aside. Our Nation is put to test to pass through extreme violent times under heavy stress so that we can not decide as a Nation that what we want in our future. We were a Muslim threat to Israel and Jewish lobby in USA from the day we got independence.

Its been history of Muslim rulers in our part of the world to play in the hands of foreign invaders whether its east India company's control of Sub Continent or its Joint effort of India, USA and Israel to weaken us through incompetent and corrupt leader ship whether Marshal Law dictators or the politicians. We have sold our integrity and character to west to make own lives a heaven and of masses a living hell. Parents are not sure whether their kids to school, their sons and daughters gone to offices, their relatives on a recreational trip would come back or not due to major terrorists strikes at the places where security is supposed to fool proof. Civil service is also a hidden factor. One wonders how come these so called CSPor PCS officers make so much money that they spend their holidays abroad, their kinds studying in the most expensive of the universities, their life styles are that of billionaires, their parties are worth seeing the way they spend on all banned things. Then comes the business community who hide their actual earnings and pass lives of Kings and Queens.

The Army is forced to cover and clean the mess of the Former President and the politicians of current and previous governments. The heavy death toll is recorded for innocent civilians and Armed forces personnel and it is becoming a never ending story.

Media is jumping up and down to claim that they are the first one to be at the bombing sites, first one to disclose the government weaknesses etc to sell their air time of telecast in a profitable manner. Vested interests are being given preferences. Our Nation has become and a chronic patient of stress and extreme depression, those who could afford are selling off properties and getting Nationalities abroad. Those who are left behind are awaiting an end to their destiny whether they would be able to face the after effects of poor economic conditions, poor law and order, poor educational facilities, poorly developed health sector, law and justice to support the people who could afford to fight their cases and pay the lawyers and the people concerned. A person found on the road snatching a mobile phone is sent to Jail where its his luck if he is presented before a court of law or sent home by police after taking bribe or is kept behind bars with out even registering a case on the contrary for elites we have a Law called NRO which enables them to get away with murders, financial crimes and so on. This generates a high level of helplessness and frustration in our youth and start thinking on the lines to use ill legal means of earning livelihood which often let them fall in to the cruel hands of terrorist organizations which brain wash these young men and use them for suicide bombings etc.

It is a harsh fact that in severe economic crisis a person can go to extreme actions which include suicide and a suicide which can bring good life to the rest of family members with a payment (as suggested in media) of 2-3 million rupees, a person is like to fall in the trap. Its sad but a bitter reality that our governments whether current or from the past, have thoroughly failed to change the fate of the people of Pakistan where majority of the population is still living beyond poverty level. What would our corrupt leaders do with a such a wealth which is earned by making deals to sell sovereignty and existence of Pakistan. We dont educate people of the rural areas cause it was an old plan before partition to give wealth and education opportunities to the limited minority and let that minority rule for ages by sucking sweat and blood of poor people. We dont have social and economic justice no matter what governments say, the ground reality is that the poor are given very limited chances to grow, and those who managed to grow, they grow over night by fitting in a system of corruption, deception and fraud.

I would like to remind all the rulers of current times and the ex rulers who are still alive that west have always used our ruling class as toilet paper, when the purpose is served, they no longer use them. Killing of Gen. Zia, Bhutto, Benazir Bhutto etc is a fine example. Still our leadership is not waking up from false dreams. If you talk about masses, they are not even bothered whether black water is in Pakistan or Drone attacks are frequent, whether GHQ is attacked or the parliament cause they are currently fighting a war of their own existence in times when they are not able to earn two meals for the family, the are not provided with basic human rights. What do you think that A person who needs one million to save his son after a major surgery would care much about anything else than to make arrangements to get him being operated upon. Nothing in the world other than survival of his son is considered more important for him or her. We talk a lot about Food, clothing and shelter to the poor, this is just not enough. Equal opportunities to excel in life should be made sure well.

Lets play our part by helping the needy with in and out of our limits and also by forcing all political parties to arrange housing for people rather then spending billions on long marches, by dedicating a certain portion of our earning to the people who are struggling in life and above all making sure that an impartial system is there to discourage and stop the mis-use of resources. The time has already gone past, we need to mend our ways on war footing basis or else we would be making more and more likely targets for terrorist organizations to use our own people against us. The sense of deprivation and total degradation of human values can put all Nation in danger as if we are sitting with time bombs all around us, cant find any of those and only listening to the clicks of the watch of time bomb and not knowing the person sitting next to us is wearing a suicide jacket under neath his dress or not?????

Its all about setting of priorities and fixing short term goals to save what is left with us. We dont want another head of state leaving/fleeing the country with a character certificate of a Saint issued by the USA government or issued under the influence of USA. Our corrupt leaders approved NRO to save their necks but this Nation and the time will never forgive them. Even if they get away with their deeds in their life times, another trial will be waiting for them, they will be charged and repeatedly executed at the judgement day. Life is short but after effects of bad deeds of our leaders are long term.

The Simplicity!

2009-08-17T23:10:00.000-07:00

We are in a habit of making our lives complicated, tough and hard by continuously following the on going traditions, styles and trends. In doing so we have to bear a huge expense and we make our domestic budget non-workable at times.

We have become class and brand conscious, which has made us complexed people. We target the life style of a higher class and try to be like them in terms of general living and and their out look. In order to do so, we would love to wear the brands they like or the brands which are considered in style, we would go for interior decor of the house, we would spend our life saving on a latest model car which is considered as "cool" car to have by the gentry. We would send our kids to the schools where only elites could afford to send their kids and confusing our kids with excellent facilities at school and less attractive home as compared to the school. Ladies would love to buy the in trend ready made garments of an expensive label and would try n match that with equally expensive jewellery and shoes. We strive to achieve an artificial life style in which media is playing a vital role. With the facilitation of the government in last 4-5 years, a lot of new channels are being operational which use their air time to show glamour and artificial life style to make the people wish for things which they can not afford at all.

Now how would they get it, the first thing would be coming in to trap of getting a credit card with a good limit and then keep on getting the credit the new cards from different banks every month. By the time a year ends, they will get at least 6-7 different cards and are spending heavily through each of these. This story never ends here, when they are under heavy debt cause of the interest and principle amount still not paid, they indulge themselves in to illegal ways of earning money that includes bribes, frauds etc. Thus to cut short, they make their life a living hell in a matter of 2-3 years which other wise would have been lot easier and simple if they had managed to survive with in their means of earning and that too legal.

I can understand that it is a birth right of every person to pursue the dreams and go higher and higher in life in terms of success in the careers and life. But it should be at the expense of making ones life miserable and difficult along with its family as the race of jumping from class to higher elite class of the society is a never ending story. We spend our life time to pay back the loans etc we had taken un-necessary in our life as we wanted to have the confidence in moving in the circle of elites. We would love to go there in their parties wearing HSY, Armani or Gucci in a latest Sedan driven by a chauffeur and then brag about it when sitting in the people who actually belong to the same class of society as we are, but those people are sensible and never ran after an artificial life.

Its easy to adopt a simple living style and enjoy most of it using the available source of income we have to get a smooth sailing in family and professional life. Life can be difficult as there are so many attractions coming our way to tempt us to spend far beyond our earning means. We want more and more in our life, first we strive for one thing in our life when we achieve it then we want to grow limitless in terms of enjoying luxuries of life, it starts a vicious circle of loans, credit cards, debts etc and we get financially fully exhausted in a mere two years time and struggle like any thing to get out of these loan payments but we cant get out of it.

This clash of the classes has made life close to miserable of so many people around. Due to excessive spending and burrowing, such people do not normally have any kind of saving at all for the any un-foreseen bad patch in life and we see them becoming patients of depression and stress at a very young age.

Our religion Islam tells us to spend according to our means of earning and highly condemns getting loans against interest. The interest is considered as going for an all out war against The Almighty Allah. But unfortunately our whole economy is based on a system which does not support interest free banking at all. The division that deals ordinary people like us in any bank is called consumer banking. This division has got many ways to attract people with the advertisement campaigns of getting cars on lease, home loans, home improvement loans, house hold goods on lease, educational loans and send us regularly a list of 100's of attractive things which we might get on installments using our credit card.

I sincerely wish and hope that all of us limit our spending to less than what we earn and influence our family members to go for savings every month by try to lead a very simple but a happy life. We are running blindly after the things which we don't really need, if we can live two suits reserved for party wearing and on weddings etc, why to go for a new suit on every function that we attend. Secondly there is no point wearing the international brands and labels when we can not afford those, we spend millions every year on our out look just to be seen distinguished and branded from head to toe just to hear comments like " Oh my God, you look stunning! what is it? Oh Hugo Boss my Gosh"

This is an artificial way of life and suits only to those who earn 100 times more than what they spend, no matter their earnings are through fair means or not. Its not not us at all, we have to save our selves from the on slought of International brands and labels in Pakistan. We tend to get hold of these if we can not afford these, we buy readily available fake imitations of Rolex watches, Armani and Boss Suiting's and shirts, M&S garments, LV and Gucci ladies hand bags etc.

This thing is making every thing seems like fake even the relations of love and trust as people tend not to settle with one life partner and strive for the better options all the times.

All of us to do a self assessment of our spending patterns and refrain our self from undue and un-necessary spending just ot show off and impress people around us. The reality bites and bites very hard when we utilise all available resources one day and look for support and help from others which may or may not come forward at the hour of our need.

Baba Bulleh Shah: The Sufi poet!

2009-08-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

Bulleh Shah is believed to have been born in 1680, in the small village of Uch, Bahawalpur, Punjab, now in Pakistan. His ancestors had migrated from Bukhara in modern Uzbekistan . At the age of six months, his parents relocated to Malakwal. There his father, Shah Muhammad Darwaish, was a preacher in the village mosque and a teacher. His father later got a job in Pandoke, about 50 miles southeast of Kasur. Bulleh Shah received his early schooling in Pandoke, and moved to Kasur for higher education, to become a student of the prominent professor, Ghulam Murtaza. He also received education from Maulana Mohiyuddin. His spiritual teacher was the eminent Sufi saint, Shah Inayat Qadri . Bulleh Shah was a direct descendant of Muhammad, through the progeny of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Gillani of Baghdad. A large amount of what is known about Bulleh Shah comes through legends, and is subjective; to the point that there isn’t even agreement among historians concerning his precise date and place of birth. Some “facts” about his life have been pieced together from his own writings. Other “facts” seem to have been passed down through oral traditions. Bulleh Shah practiced the Sufi tradition of Punjabi poetry established by poets like Shah Hussain (1538 – 1599), Sultan Bahu (1629 – 1691), and Shah Sharaf (1640 – 1724). Bulleh Shah lived in the same period as the famous Sindhi Sufi poet, Shah Abdul Latif Bhatai (1689 – 1752). His lifespan also overlapped with the legendary Punjabi poet Waris Shah (1722 – 1798), of Heer Ranjha fame, and the famous Sindhi Sufi poet Abdul Wahad (1739 – 1829), better known by his pen-name, Sachal Sarmast (“truth seeking leader of the intoxicated ones”). Amongst Urdu poets, Bulleh Shah lived 400 miles away from Mir Taqi Mir (1723 – 1810) of Agra. He died in 1758, and his tomb is located in Kasur, Pakistan. Poetry Style The verse form Bulleh Shah primarily employed is called the Kafi (Refrain), a traditional style of Punjabi poetry used by Punjabi Sufis and Sikh gurus (such as Guru Nanak and Guru Gobind Singh). In Bulleh's time, Sufi poets often did not adopt the classical languages of Persian and Urdu, instead choosing to write their verses in Punjabi, Saraiki, and Sindhi – languages of the common folk amongst whom they lived. Although the number is disputed, Bulleh Shah is credited with authoring anywhere from 50 to 150 Kafi, 1 Athwara, 1 Baramah, 3 Siharfi, 49 Oeodh and 40 Gandhan. This appears to be a large body of work; however, this oeuvre is small enough that one could read it all in a few weeks. What is most striking about Bulleh Shah’s poetry and philosophy is his audacious critique of the religious orthodoxy of his day, particularly the Islamic religious orthodoxy. His poetry is filled with direct attacks on those who claim control over religion, to the point of comparing mullahs to barking dogs and crowing roostersTemplate Spiritual Purification Sufis typically spend their lives trying to penetrate the meaning of life while searching for God. Those among them who were poets articulated this exploration through their poetry. ‘Who is the Creator?’ ‘What is the truth?’ ‘What is the meaning of life?’ ‘How can one find God?’ ‘Who am I?’ These are some of the questions Sufis have tried to answer, by dissociating themselves from worldly activity, and moving onto a saintly field where they are no longer bound by conventionally interpreted holy or material boundaries. Bulleh Shah studied Arabic, Persian and the Quran under his traditional teachers. After that, in an attempt to move to the next level (of mystic realization), he searched for a spiritual guide. Ultimately he found his murshid, in the form of Inayat Shah Qadri. Inayat Shah Qadri (or Shah Inayat, as he is referred to in Bulleh Shah’s poetry) was a Sufi of the Qadri order, who authored many Persian books on mysticism. He was from the Arian cast and grew vegetables to earn a living. Paradoxically, Bulleh Shah was of the much higher Syed caste. Yet, in defiance of tradition, Bulleh Shah accepted Shah Inayat as his spiritual master, and subordinated his life to his lower-caste murshid. Much of Bulleh Shah’s verses about love are addressed directly to his spiritual guide, Shah Inayat. Religion Despite being very critical of religion, Bulleh Shah does not denounce religion as a whole. Nor does he appear to be pushing any other structure of thought to supplant religious notions. His ideas, therefore, cannot be placed into the category of secularism or atheism. In reality, Bulleh Shah seems somewhat critical of all persons in authority - including intellectuals, academicians and jurists - who create obstacles and needless complexities for common people in discovering love, and through love, discovering God. Bulleh Shah preaches an uncomplicated conception of humanity, as the common connection through which persons of all faiths, creeds and opinions can attain a superior and more pure existence, eventually coming closer to God. Humanist Bulleh Shah’s writings represent him as a humanist, someone providing solutions to the sociological problems of the world around him as he lives through it, describing the turbulence his motherland of Punjab is passing through, while concurrently searching for God. His poetry highlights his mystical spiritual voyage through the four stages of Sufism: Shariat (Islamic Law), Tariqat (Observance), Haqiqat (Truth-Essence) and Marfat (Union or God knowledge). The simplicity with which Bulleh Shah has been able to address the complex fundamental issues of life and humanity is a large part of his appeal. Thus, many people have put his kafis to music, from humble street-singers to renowned Sufi singers like the Waddali Brothers and Abida Parveen, from the synthesized techno qawwali remixes of UK-based Asian artists to the rock band Junoon. Bulleh Shah’s popularity stretches uniformly across Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, to the point that much of the written material about this Muslim thinker is from Hindu and Sikh authors. A Beacon of Peace Baba Bulleh Shah's time was marked with communal strife between Muslims and Sikhs. But in that age Baba Bulleh Shah was a beacon of hope and peace for the citizens of Punjab. While Bulleh Shah was in Pandoke, Muslims killed a young Sikh man who was riding through their village in retaliation for murder of some Muslims by Sikhs. Baba Bulleh Shah denounced the murder of an innocent Sikh and was censured by the mullas and muftis of Pandoke. Bulleh Shah maintained that violence was not the answer to violence. Bulleh Shah also hailed Guru Tegh Bahadur as a ghazi (Islamic term for a religious warrior) and incurred the wrath of the mullas. In one of his poems, he also writes "I don't talk of here and there, I will say the truth only; Had there not been Guru Gobind Singh all the Hinds would have got circumcision" in reference to not what the Sikhs did for the Hindus, but against oppresion and tyranny. Banda Singh Bairagi was a contemporary of Bulleh Shah. In retaliation for the murder of Guru Gobind Singh's two sons by Aurangzeb, he sought revenge by killing common Muslims. Baba Bulleh Shah tried to convince Banda Singh Bairagi to renounce his campaign of revenge. Bulleh Shah told him that the same sword which fell upon Guru Gobind Singh's sons and innocent Sikhs also fell upon innocent Muslims. Hence killing innocent Muslim was not the answer to Aurangzeb's reign of oppression. Modern Renditions !n the 1990s Junoon, Asia's biggest Sufi rock band from Pakistan, has also rendered such poems as Aleph (Ilmon Bas Kareen O Yaar) and Bullah Ki Jaana. Bulleh Shah's verses have also been adapted and used in Bollywood film songs. In 2004, Rabbi Shergill successfully performed the unlikely feat of turning the abstruse metaphysical poem Bullah Ki Jaana into a Rock/Fusion song, which became hugely popular in India. Another version was performed by Lakhwinder Wadali titled simply Bulla. Examples include the songs Chhayya Chhayya and Thayya Thayya in the movie Dil Se. Few translations of his work, Neither Hindu nor Muslim, Sacrificing pride, let us sit together. Neither Sunni nor Shia, Let us walk the road of peace. We are neither hungry nor replete, Neither naked nor covered up. Neither weeping nor laughing, Neither ruined nor settled, We are not sinners or pure and virtuous, What is sin and what is virtue, this I do not know. Says Bulhe Shah, one who attaches his self with the lord. Gives up both hindu and Muslim. Bullah is neither Rafzi nor Sunni, nor learned nor an intellectual nor a Jaini. I have learnt the lesson of love of God alone. People say : Bulleh is an Infidel (Kafar) and an idol-worshipper. But in the Lords court, both the Momin and Kafar (Believer and un-believer) are treated alike. I am free, my mind is free, I am neither a sick person nor a physician Neither a believer nor an infidel Nor a mullah or syed In the fourteen spheres I walk in freedom I can be imprisoned nowhere. I know not who I am I am neither a believer going to the mosque Nor given to non-believing ways Neither clean, nor unclean Neither Moses not Pharaoh I know not who I am I am neither among sinners nor among saints Neither happy, nor unhappy I belong neither to water not to earth I am neither fire, not air I know not who I am The more we read his poetry, the more our hearts are enlightenened and our minds are opened to the world of Sufi thoughts!

Khalil Jibran Quotes!

2009-08-15T00:44:00.000-07:00

One of the amazing and beautiful writers and poets of our times, some of his quotes to refresh your memories.

His Date of Birth:
January 6, 1883
His Date of Death:
April 10, 1931

But his works still live in the hearts and minds of millions of admirers across the world.

But let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you. Love one another but make not a bond of love: let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Coming generations will learn equality from poverty, and love from woes.
Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation.
Exaggeration is truth that has lost its temper.
A friend who is far away is sometimes much nearer than one who is at hand. Is not the mountain far more awe-inspiring and more clearly visible to one passing through the valley than to those who inhabit the mountain?
A little knowledge that acts is worth infinitely more than much knowledge that is idle.
All our words are but crumbs that fall down from the feast of the mind.
Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood.
Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that faith is his twin brother.
Faith is a knowledge within the heart, beyond the reach of proof.
Faith is an oasis in the heart which will never be reached by the caravan of thinking.
Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.
Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.
Hallow the body as a temple to comeliness and sanctify the heart as a sacrifice to love; love recompenses the adorers.
Generosity is not giving me that which I need more than you do, but it is giving me that which you need more than I do.
I existed from all eternity and, behold, I am here; and I shall exist till the end of time, for my being has no end.
I have learned silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet, strange, I am ungrateful to those teachers.
I love you when you bow in your mosque, kneel in your temple, pray in your church. For you and I are sons of one religion, and it is the spirit.
I prefer to be a dreamer among the humblest, with visions to be realized, than lord among those without dreams and desires.
I wash my hands of those who imagine chattering to be knowledge, silence to be ignorance, and affection to be art.
If my survival caused another to perish, then death would be sweeter and more beloved.
If the other person injures you, you may forget the injury; but if you injure him you will always remember.
If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work.
If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. And if they don't, they never were.
If you reveal your secrets to the wind, you should not blame the wind for revealing them to the trees.
If your heart is a volcano, how shall you expect flowers to bloom?
In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures. For in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed.
Keep me away from the wisdom which does not cry, the philosophy which does not laugh and the greatness which does not bow before children.
Knowledge cultivates your seeds and does not sow in you seeds.
Knowledge of the self is the mother of all knowledge. So it is incumbent on me to know my self, to know it completely, to know its minutiae, its characteristics, its subtleties, and its very atoms.
Let there be no purpose in friendship save the deepening of the spirit.
Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit.
Love and doubt have never been on speaking terms.
Love is trembling happiness.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love: Let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
Love possesses not nor will it be possessed, for love is sufficient unto love.
Love... It surrounds every being and extends slowly to embrace all that shall be.
Many a doctrine is like a window pane. We see truth through it but it divides us from truth.
March on. Do not tarry. To go forward is to move toward perfection. March on, and fear not the thorns, or the sharp stones on life's path.
Most people who ask for advice from others have already resolved to act as it pleases them.
Much of your pain is the bitter potion by which the physician within you heals your sick self.
No man can reveal to you nothing but that which already lies half-asleep in the dawning of your knowledge.
Nor shall derision prove powerful against those who listen to humanity or those who follow in the footsteps of divinity, for they shall live forever. Forever.
Of life's two chief prizes, beauty and truth, I found the first in a loving heart and the second in a laborer's hand.
Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars.
Pain and foolishness lead to great bliss and complete knowledge, for Eternal Wisdom created nothing under the sun in vain.
Poetry is a deal of joy and pain and wonder, with a dash of the dictionary.
Poverty is a veil that obscures the face of greatness. An appeal is a mask covering the face of tribulation.
Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be.
Rebellion without truth is like spring in a bleak, arid desert.
Sadness is but a wall between two gardens.
Safeguarding the rights of others is the most noble and beautiful end of a human being.
Say not, 'I have found the truth,' but rather, 'I have found a truth.'
The eye of a human being is a microscope, which makes the world seem bigger than it really is.
The just is close to the people's heart, but the merciful is close to the heart of God.
The lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.
The most pitiful among men is he who turns his dreams into silver and gold.
The obvious is that which is never seen until someone expresses it simply.
The person you consider ignorant and insignificant is the one who came from God, that he might learn bliss from grief and knowledge from gloom.
The teacher who is indeed wise does not bid you to enter the house of his wisdom but rather leads you to the threshold of your mind.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
They consider me to have sharp and penetrating vision because I see them through the mesh of a sieve.
Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.
To be able to look back upon ones life in satisfaction, is to live twice.
To understand the heart and mind of a person, look not at what he has already achieved, but at what he aspires to.
Trust in dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.
Truth is a deep kindness that teaches us to be content in our everyday life and share with the people the same happiness.
We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
What difference is there between us, save a restless dream that follows my soul but fears to come near you?
What is this world that is hastening me toward I know not what, viewing me with contempt?
When love beckons to you, follow him, Though his ways are hard and steep. And when his wings enfold you yield to him, Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
When we turn to one another for counsel we reduce the number of our enemies.
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
When you work you are a flute through whose heart the whispering of the hours turns to music. Which of you would be a reed, dumb and silent, when all else sings together in unison?
Where is the justice of political power if it executes the murderer and jails the plunderer, and then itself marches upon neighboring lands, killing thousands and pillaging the very hills?
Wisdom ceases to be wisdom when it becomes too proud to weep, too grave to laugh, and too selfish to seek other than itself.
Wisdom stands at the turn in the road and calls upon us publicly, but we consider it false and despise its adherents.
Work is love made visible. And if you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work and sit at the gate of the temple and take alms of those who work with joy.
Would that I were a dry well, and that the people tossed stones into me, for that would be easier than to be a spring of flowing water that the thirsty pass by, and from which they avoid drinking.
Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream.
Yesterday we obeyed kings and bent our necks before emperors. But today we kneel only to truth, follow only beauty, and obey only love.
You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.
You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
You have your ideology and I have mine.
You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance.
Your children are not your children. They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself. They came through you but not from you and though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
Your daily life is your temple and your religion. When you enter into it take with you your all.
Your friend is your needs answered.
Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.
Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.
Zeal is a volcano, the peak of which the grass of indecisiveness does not grow.

The dreams of the neglected!

2009-08-13T07:11:00.001-07:00

It gives me heart ache to see a lot of kids roaming on the streets at the mercy of our society to help them or to let them be beggars or may end up getting in to the hands of a criminal gang to be a potential out law of future. Tomorrow is 14th August, 09. We would see our leaders once again at the flag hosting ceremony, we would listen to their address to the Nation on the media, we would hear there promises once again that they will change the fate of Pakistan by removing poverty, by spreading education, by opening new job opportunities, by rewarding the talented people, by upholding the law, by ensuring respect and due rights for women blah blah blah!

But the thing that we always miss is the governments support to these children on the streets and alot of kids being raised in the central jails for the sins committed by their father or mother. they are also Pakistani citizens although they might not be having the legal documented proof of being a Pakistani Citizen. Their smiles are not an indicator of their ill fate. They have learnt to live life the way the living rights are being given to them. In seminars we condemn the child labor, next day we get our cars fixed from an eleven year old. They observe the world and literally miss every thing that can bring them at par with the kids who live with their parents and who could afford to send them to schools, who could afford to take them to parks and fun lands, who could take them to hill stations in vacations, who could feed them with the clean and healthy food, who could get them a good medical attention if they become ill, who could bring them the toys and gadgets that could make them happy, who could plan their future years in advance.

We see them on the roads, consider them beggars and thieves and simply ignore them. We fail to see the hopes in their eyes which are still there, we fail to see a future A.Q Khan, Imran Khan, An Army General, a leading medical specialist, a natural singer, a talented teacher, an excellent fighter pilot, a man of letters, a future head of the state and a versatile actor in them. All we see is our unknown and un-realistic hatred for them for what they are today. If we part handswith our government and NGOs.

I managed to talk to few of these little kids five to ten years of average age, I could see so much deprivation in their eyes and so much feeling of being neglected when they talk, every one wanted to study, every one had a dream to pursue like our kids, every one wanted to live in a nice clean place and to put on a nice clean dress, every one had a different profession in mind and I met one kid who has seen a movie of Pakistani actor Shan, just one movie and he wanted to become a "Wehshi Gujar" and to beat and kill all the bad guys! Food, clothes and shelter is the basic promise of almost every political party before and after coming in government or in rule. What happens next is quite evident by the presence of thousands of homeless people around in every city who are looked after in elections only for two weeks to get the desired votes and then they are at the mercy of the cruel society. We are making thieves, dacoits,burglars, terrorists on our streets by not providing them food, shelter and education which creates a natural aggression in their behaviour and they want to snatch all the luxuries of life which they see that other are enjoying. Parents only feed them once cause of the poverty and rest two meals they have to earn by working at work shops, restaurants, small businesses or they will snatch it from one their mates who gets food in return of a day's work.

I am sure no body would plan a long march for these kids basic rights as a citizen of Pakistan, Hats off to EdhiFoundation, Anjuman e Faiz ul Islam (orphanage), Ansar Barni Trust, and other NGos which provide education and shelter to these kids.

Our heads of the state should consider people of Pakistan as their family where parents can not sleep if any of their children is suffering or struggling in life. A lot has been bragged about that the fate of Nation is going to be changed, who will promise these kids that their dreams can come true, all of us will join hands to work as a team as a nation to help them pursue a good life, which is their basic right. Its us all who can bring a genuine smile on these little angels innocent faces but we consider it a government's task and leave these human beings to rot their life in the slums cause all we focus is on the fact that our kids sleep in an air conditioned room, if there is no light, the stand by generators or UPS will not disturb their sleep, bank balances are just right enough to get out kids best of the education and living etc. But parents of these homeless kids only worry about the fact that how will they feed their kids with a single meal tomorrow.

We could see a lot of awareness being generated by the media but am sorry to say its more directed towards the fact that how to sell the air time with program where facts are being told in a harsh manner, government officials being humiliated, heads of states being ridiculed to make it funny and worth watching for general public and after that telecast nothing happens in general.

As Pakistani citizens and Muslims its our foremost duty to help these innocent kids to be a useful and effective citizen of Pakistan who can contribute to the over all development and prosperity of Pakistan. We can make their dreams come true, we can take them out of slums and let them live in a respectable manner, we can take them out of complex of being inferior to any one, we can make them all proud Pakistanis. I would request every body to come forward and give their share in re-habilitation of these ignored and helpless kids and their families. I have seen a lot sorrow, depression and helplessness when they communicate but I can still see a lively spirit in all of them to celebrate 14th August, some of them carrying small flag flags, some of them having a flag affixed their donkey and horse carts etc, Can our leaders have mercy on them and Allah might have mercy on them (leaders) as well.

I wish we could celeberate an independence day with a real sense of freedom!

2009-08-13T00:11:00.000-07:00

It is always good to see live wires in a dull routine of our nation especially in the second week of August every year. All of a sudden as if a reminder struck our mind to refresh our memory, a wave of happiness and pride take charge of us we want to celebrate the independence day, 14th August, 1947. That is the day when all of us thought our worries are over as we are a free nation after all. Did the freedom actually come in to existence as well? The answer is some what not satisfactory for any any body.

The idea was to establish a government which can provide food, shelter, jobs, social and economic justice and above all an equal opportunity to all to strive for a bright future. Initially every thing seemed to be working in a perfectly well manner. Then starts the era When Quaid E Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Nawabzada Liaquat Ali Khan left uswith very short intervals. Afterwards we saw an invasion of people on the resources of Pakistan who were some how made our leaders and the progress got slowed a great deal if not stopped at all.

We saw military dictator ships, we saw our leaders playing in the hands of west and serving western interests. We saw religious and ethnic riots being staged and handful of people getting benefit out of it. We saw mass corruption which resulted in over all turmoil of the economy and our journey. Despite these we saw great individuals giving fame to our country on International level like Behram Avari (water sports), Jahangir Khan (Squash), Imran Khan (Cricket) ,Hameedi, ISlahul din, Sami Ullah, Hassan Sardar, Akhtar Rasool, Shehnaz Sheikh, Shahbaz senior in hockey, HussainShah in boxing and Yousaf in Snooker. Apart from that works of our great poets of current times like Faiz, Faraz,Qasmi, Amjad Islam Amjad, Parveen Shakir brought us fame in the literally circle across the globe. Performing arts saw wonderful works of Tallat Hussain, Qavi Khan, Uzma Gillani, Najeeb Ullah Anjum, Subhani Bayounis, ShahnazSheikh, Roohi Bano, Shafi Muhammad, Javed Sheikh, Abid Ali, Shoaib Mansoor, Shoaib Hashmi etc to entertain generations. Music industry saw works of Sohail Rana, Attray, Khalil Ahmed, Nisar Bazmi as Directors and in the great line of singers we were lucky enough to see the majical voice of Madam Noor jahan, Ustaad Amanat Ali Khan, NayyaraNoor, Malika e Pukhraj, Fareeda Khanum, Bilquees, Mehdi Hassan Khan, Ahmed Rushdi, Alamgir, Shehki and a long list of bands and solo singers of current generation. In the social welfare sector we saw Ansar Barni, Edhi Sb and AsmaJahangir playing a role to help the needy under all circumstances especially the women.

We saw great achievements in the field of science and technology thanks to Dr. A. Q Khan, Dr. Atta Ul Rehman. We see heroics of Bhutto against dictators, we saw heroics of our armed forces in the wars, we saw mean dictators, we saw dedicated struggle of people to up hold the rule of law.

But we never saw an end to the suffering of people who are almost 65% of our population and are still deprived of basic human rights, we never saw equal opportunities for women despite having a female Prime minister Benazir Bhutto, we saw 10 % of our population enjoying and rest being crushed in the life cycle for mere survival. We saw an invasion of terrorism and ethnic violence cause we parted with USA to defeat Russia in Afghanistan and then to defeat Al Qaedathere, end result was we were used like toilet paper and were thrown and forgotten when the purpose was served. Our education system is a total failure based on elite producing and ignoring the people who can not afford to the expensive education.

We are celebrating freedom but we are not free to caste our vote with out influence or pressure, we are not free to criticize government policies, we waste our time in useless activities and like our leaders have forgotten to work hard, we are not free to pursue our liked professions cause we cant afford the necessary education at Universities. We are not free to uphold the judiciary system, we are not free to catch the convicts, we are not free to associate with each other with out biases, ethnic and social differences as state and our leaders encourage the ethnic and social differences to pursue their own vested interests, we are not free to determine and monitor equal distribution of wealth. We are finding it very hard to digest that an ordinary man has the right to flourish in life. We are free to do corruption as long as we are in government, in rule and have got some body influential enough to get us away from murder even. We are free to make or break the law/constitution the way it suits us.

Are we an independent state whose state of affairs are being dictated by the west and our leaders for own good always keep our welfare and dignity as a secondary matter as the prime importance for them is their own well being and people around them which includes key party leaders and their own family. We are fighting a much bigger battle than our initial efforts for independence in early 1900's as our existence as a Muslim Nation and an Independent state is at danger. We see huge palaces (presidency and prime minister house ) stretched over the 100 of acres and having provision of all the necessary luxuries in life that one could even think of and people residing in those palaces rely on begging rather than earning the livings for themselves and for the Nation. 80% of our government officials foreign trips are focused on getting aid to run the state, in return our independent leaders do what the money lenders want them to do.

It is great to see the love of people especially of the kids and younger generation in Pakistan eagerly awaiting the 14thAugust Celebrations through out the country and I have great hopes after seeing a change reaction of speaking of thetruth on media and making our youth aware of what to do and what not to do. If our next generation could come forward and take charge and get all politicians and other corrupt people who are proven guilty by the law, punished in such a manner that they serve a sentence in jail and then are asked to leave our home land, if this could happen then I would be able to breathe may be for a brief time in a real independent state and will really spend the independence daywith a flag in my hand, dancing madly on the tunes of National songs.

I salute all the people who have contributed positively for the growth of Pakistan after the independence in a positive manner with out keeping own benefits at the back of their minds and are the real reason for our Nation's survival in the world of negative tactics by the west to destabilize an Islamic state which can unite the Muslim world for a better future for the generations to come.

Long Live The Pakistan!

Little Angels telling us how to live!

2009-08-11T01:54:00.000-07:00

The real and deep hearted love is reflected in our interaction with little children under the age of the three years. The more we interact with them the more we feel happy and the more we love them. But again the children remain children for parents even they reach the age of sixty and become grand parents them selves.

We often ignore our kids best age which is early childhood cause of our commitments to the business and job in general and normally dont get enough time to spare to interact with them. But still no matter how stressed out we are, how busy we remained in the day or how difficult the day was for us, when we look at our children we forget every thing and become stress in the matter of few minutes by playing and chatting with them.

These little angels give us lessons to mend our life styles. Their interaction with other kids is based on true feelings of love and innocence and when they fight amongst each other, they have a valid reason for that. They believe in forgive n forget and are very good at socializing. Its us the elders who are non-accommodating, believe in nurturing grudges, think of taking revenge, plan to ruin each others life, less tolerant, mean and cruel in our day to day dealings. Our such routine is making our lives much more complicated and stressed out. These little angels give us a message every day through their innocent gestures that world can be a much better place to live if we learn to facilitate each other and also can learn the ways for a successful mutual co-existence. We read books, watch informative programs, visit different places in the world to enhance our knowledge and widen our IQ horizon but we rarely stop by and observe our kids playing and how they handle different situations.

The present day scenario is giving us a very gloomy picture of no hope, but the rays of hope are around us but our false egos dont allow us to stand under these rays. Kids believe in love, we believe in our goals. Kids are straight forward when it comes to dealing, we are rather hypocrites. Children are fun loving where as our joy is not fully focused. They are more innovative and we waste our time in leg pulling and other useless activities at the work place. Kids focus on the things of their interest and loose interest in the things which are supposed to be requiring the most attention. Kids offer loving gestures, smiles and few sweet words when they like something and we have forgot to appreciate and acknowledge each others efforts. Kids get inspired quickly and we think that we are the most perfect human beings and who need inspiration to be more precise. Children dont have any emotional, social or religious barriers to interact with each other and we tend to hide behind the walls of biased beliefs, hatred and cross culturalboundries.

We should learn to observe our kids and from them we should learn to spread love and care feelings for each other and should try our level best to make some time for our family from our busy life. It often happens that the only memory from the old days remains visible in family photo albums in which we are often not visible. It reminds us that we have not enjoyed the presence of beautiful children around us when they were there to bring cheers and laughter in our life. Above all this initial close interaction with children helps parents remain close to their kids through out their lives which enhances a true spirit of love, affection and respect.

Its time for us all to come out of a self made cover or a barrier between us and the true happiness, all we need to do is to look around us in our family and make the most of all happy moments that come our way by having blessed with children, then becoming lucky enough to see them growing and enjoying every part of their life. Kids are the best teachers if we try and think on these facts in a rather more open and understanding manner. This would help us in avoiding the so called stress and worries that we have created for us out of unknown reasons and at times the reasons are very obvious too!

Sweet & Sour!

2009-08-01T00:30:00.000-07:00

Wife can be a good friend but dont share secrets or else you will get the beating of a life time which normally never remains a secret FOR LONG …

What are the three words guaranteed to humiliate men everywhere?
‘Hold my purse.’

To generate more revenue Government has decided to impose ” Bathroom tax”, so please try to eat less otherwise this tax will EAT all of your income…….

The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because the average man can see better than he can think.

I told my wife that a husband is like a fine wine; he gets better with age. The next day, she locked me in the cellar.

WASHINGTON POST COMPETITION ASKED FOR A TWO-LINE RHYME WITH THE MOST
ROMANTIC FIRST LINE, BUT THE LEAST ROMANTIC SECOND LINE

I see your face when I am dreaming.

That’s why I always wake up screaming.

Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;

This describes everything you are not.

Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.

But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the

sugar bowl’s empty and so is your head.

I love your smile, your face, and your eyes –

Damn, I’m good at telling lies!

This is the winner:-

My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife,

Marrying you screwed up my life.

life is simple, dont make it complicated with marriage, if marriage is un avoidable, then u need definitely need a life insurance policy, one for you and three for your other three girl friends.

wife and a used car are the same, both need maintenance every now and then and the more you spend on them the less they improve.

A wife is similar to American spy satellite, it follows foot steps of a husband after 8pm, tracks it down and attack him like a drone and destroy the moments he was about to enjoy,

kids are too smart these days, they can even tell that dad gets sparkle in his eyes when he sees aunt next door.

all the good things in life are either not available, illegal, banned or married to others.

better half which is wife is always ignored for worst half ….. the girl friend

speaking truth will be so rare in National assembly and at TV channels that a National Truth speaking day will be celeberated in which the concerned have to speak at least one real truth in a day

And now some real time messages of day to day life some we even see on buses n rickshaws and some we hear from intellectuals and some we read ……

dont be jealous, be a hard worker!

you gave your mom a hard time, now you drive a rickshaw

It takes a minute to find some one special, an hour to appreciate him or her, a day to fall in love and an entire ligr to forget them if you get married!

gave you heart thinking you are kind hearted but you ate my heart like a sweet

ok we shall meet again

old driver, too good service

my heart n breaks both fail to see lovely ladies

accident always seems impossible until its done!

Silence is the fence around wisdom. If your foot slips, you can always regain your balance…! But, if your tongue slips, you can never recall the words.

Life is like a coin. Pleasure and pain are the 2 sides. Only 1 side is visible at a time. But remember other side is also waiting for its turn…!

Don’t make relations before understanding & Don’t break relation after misunderstanding!

‘Successful people do not plan Results, They plan Beginning. Because Right Results always Follow the Right Beginning

”Dream is Not that What U See in SleeP.. Dream is The ThinG Which Does Not allow you to sleeP”

Luck is like sand in hands. It will sneak out through the fingers, no matter gripped firmly or held loosely. Only hands in the praying posture can save it..

What we Do> what we Think> what we Experience> what we Expose…

Wandering and dreaming, the words have different meaning

The cruelest lies are often told in silence.

Let no man pull you low enough to hate him.

Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.

The positive thinker sees the invisible, feels the intangible, and achieves the impossible.

The past is a source of knowledge, and the future is a source of hope. Love of the past implies faith in the future.

Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can.

faith is taking the first step, even when you don’t see the whole staircase.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

You see someone through the window Who you’ve just learned to miss

life is short, believe in miracles so play more…

in chinese, the word “crises” is composed of two characters: danger + opportunity…

When the voice and the vision on the inside become more profound clearer and louder than the opinions on the outside, you have mastered your life

One must desire something to be alive.

keep your mind off the things you don’t want, by keeping it on the things you do want….

Our judgements, even concerning ordinary things, are frequently clouded by our emotions.

you can get everything in life you want if you will just help other people get what they want…

the secret to concentration is the acceptance of endless distractions.

Luv is a fire ,but weather its gonna warm ur heart or burn down ur house,u can never tell ….

setting an alarm clock for 7:01 or 6:59am reminds you that you have choice in everything you do.

Giving up doesn’t always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go n forget.

Even the best of friends need time apart.

The man who smiles when things go wrong has thought of someone to blame it on.

It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we’ve been missing until it arrives.

Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.

If only our great thinkers could learn to talk, and our great talkers could learn to think!

2009-07-31T00:43:00.000-07:00

Speaking of right man for the right job. We see a great number of mis-fits around us. We see people who never played even Ludo, as head of Sports boards, we see people who have got nothing to do with finance, as our finance ministers, we see people who cant even talk or explain things as our information minister, people who cant even handle internal affairs as head of foreign affairs, people who dont know anything about aviation, as head of CAA, a target oriented businessman as head of our country and hundreds of more examples could be mentioned here ..... but at the of the day these mis-fits are no good for our country.

The hiring at senior positions by the government is politically motivated that gives a chance to every Tom, Dick and Harry to enjoy the top positions with out having necessary ability and thus ruining the whole system.

Question comes to our mind" Are we short of specialists and consultants? Answer is no despite the fact that the brain drain from Pakistan is evident when a lot of talented people who are masters in their own fields, leave Pakistan in frustration cause they were not given the right environment and opportunities to serve Pakistan and they had to no option to return abroad where they got their higher education. Secondly our top men either corporate bosses or heads of the state, dont like to hear NO and problems with professionals is that they can only do whats right as per their knowledge and understanding.

We are in a moral and administrative crises and need to identify the best men and women around who have the necessary back ground to help us get out of troubled waters. These people should be given an all out chance to guide us through and to redesign our workings right from up holding of Islamic laws, Banking, finance, defence, Judiciary, Sports, Women and child rights, education, justice, exports, industrial management and you name it. Its about time that we and our leadership let the specialists work independently with out any un-due pressure so that things can be improved with a much rapid pace as compared to the speed of recovery right now.

But it can be done only from people like us and the professionals in print and electronic media to highlight this need with an uproar to people in the government and to people in walks of life. Its time to focus our efforts on the re-construction of Pakistan and forget about scandals in politics, film industry, Sports etc in Pakistan and around the world and start highlighting lack of able men around in every possible field which can put Pakistan on fast track as far as socio-economic development is concerned.

Lets join hands to get our bloved homeland out of trouble!

The life long silence and sufferings!

2009-07-28T23:08:00.001-07:00

When she is born, majority of the parents start treating her as a burden from the day one, mothers start fearing that she badly needs a baby boy next time to avoid any complications in their married life. Her birth is considered as a bad omen and bad luck and an un-wanted person. She is alone, ignored and not properly brought up by the parents. Her rights to basic education and higher education are often denied. She is considered as a helping hand to mother, care taker of brothers and sisters and her father. She lives in dreams which are often not fulfilled cause there is no body around to give her the love, affection and guidance she needs to excel in her life. She is deprived of the basic rights and her voice if raised is being forced to silence as our society has established the rule that she can not be a rebel in Man's world. Yes she is the Pakistani woman in the role of daughter, sister, mother and a wife.

Our Religion stresses strongly on the security and self respect of women but no one amongst us is coming up with an arrangement to provide her safe, healthy and care free working environment to study, work and play her part in the progress and development of our country. We have double standards, we dont send our daughters out to study cause the society is not yet ready to provide the much needed respect and security to her. Question is who is the society? Its all of us whose collective thinking and effort bring about a rational or irrational change in the system, and a of today our efforts are not good enough to support more than 50% of our population.

The elites and the well off class dont have such problems, their daughters feel fully secured, are well educated and even go for studies abroad and move around in the society with confidence of their family and educational back ground and even work as business organization's heads. But the lower middle class does not have means to educate them and they focus on giving education to their sons rather cause they consider them their future earning hands and the parents who give proper education to their daughters by working very hard to bear their educational expenses even dont feel comfortable to send their daughters to work in private organizations where there is no concept of basic employee rights and a every third male is a wolf in disguise of a man!

We start blaming governments, institutions, law enforcing agencies and when we could not find any thing else, we hold society responsible for it. Where is our role to support the women of Pakistan? We think Government and NGOs are responsible to improve their well being and provide secured environment to them to study and to work, agreed but they cant do it alone, a much needed support from our end is to be extended.

A lot of women sit at home after doing masters in various fields cause there was no granting of permission to do the job either from parents or from husband or his family. We are short of female doctors, IT specialists, scientists, engineers, writers, teachers, poets, members of the parliament and provincial assemblies, local bodies government, architects, designers, Textile marketers, aviators and many of such position in a lot of different fields. Its not the fact that women lack the spirit or basic qualification rather they are better than men in most of the fields but they are not provided the ease and comfort level to work freely in a secured environment. Ultimate goal of life for parents is get their daughters married in a good family with an equally good life partner and they think they have done justice to the role of being parents. Which is wrong, parents should plan their daughters future the way they plan it for their sons. Our Man lead society does not believe in making women independent through their own earning either from business or via job to maintain their so called supremacy over women. We are Nation having most practical and accommodative religion but in terms of real life situation we are narrow minded, arrogant, non accommodative, less supportive and very little open to providing opportunities to women who if properly included to come forward and give their share in the progress of our country can make such a significant difference that we can ten fold the speed of of our development and we could be a much better and stable economy.

She is being sent to the land of unknown, or in totally different family set up, or made life partner to close to impossible man in terms of her well being, or forced to be life partner of a persons she does not like, or have to bury her dreams of becoming the best professional working women in her respective field cause her parents decide where she should marry or she is been given very limited choices even they ask her willingness. Parents think that their role and responsibility is over when they get her married and she has to bear every thing including mental and physical torture in case her husband is a psychotic, or even does not treat her well or give her proper respect and breathing space to live. She keeps her silence and cool for the sake of her parents and keep on bearing every thing cause she knows her parents wont be able to face the society if she chooses to leave a person who is not her husband by any definition available.

I consider this a crime on every body's part to destroy the life of an innocent soul who has also got every right to enjoy her life to the fullest, domestic crimes against women are at very rate in our society and only handful of women are able to reach courts on their own or with help of NGOs, rest of the women pass their lives as if serving a sentence of life time imprisonment or house arrest where she has to take permission of every thing she does, has to give explanation on every dime she spends and above all has to work like a bonded slave to look after every member of her husband's family. Parents when send their daughters away from home after wedding, weep for a week or so and then start thinking that she is very happy and living an ideal life and never try to find out whats in side her heart. Even if the daughter tells them she is in trouble, they keep on advising her to deal her husband and her family with patience even the so called husband beats her every day like an animal, or keeps on torturing her. Parents are more concerned about their respect and honour which they earned with efforts and hard work over the years and let their daughter's live with a beast, some time willingly ar at times not knowingly. A girl before marriage who has not seen much of an out side world, has not got any experience to read the mean motives of her husband and In laws, blindly trusts every one and often suffers.

These silent sufferings are not fully documented and high lighted by NGOs, media whether print or electronic, but when they do highlight it, they do it in such a manner that it hurts the family members of the suffering girl in an irrecoverable manner. Who will provide justice to these innocent women who dont even file a complaint and keep on living with sufferings and sorrows around her. This can be done when we give proper respect, education and equal chances to excel in life to her so that no body can take un due advantage of her being dependent first on parents and then on her life partner. The improvement will start from our homes when we start giving respect and the right to women to take major decisions in her life with our support and provision of best education and equally good opportunities to strive in life with excellence.

Their are people who look after their daughters, sisters, wives and mothers equally good and go ends out to give them good education, respect and a prosperous working life, not every person is having negative notions for females, we should follow these people as our role models and ideals and learn from their life styles. Irony of the situation is that there is a majority of the population which is not willing to accommodate females in their so called world. The test ofmanlihood is not in torturing and mis-treating women but it is in the way to treat them with love, care, affection and above all as a human being who has own dreams and paths to follow in their lives to get a sense of achievment and confidence.

We are at fault first, not them!

2009-07-27T02:32:00.001-07:00

The news papers are full of indications that there is no hope for common man, the electronic media Internet and Television Channels are screaming aloud that we are on the verge of a massive economic and ethnic disaster.

No hope is the signaled from any where. But I still see people going to mosques despite threats of terrorism and violence, I see kids going to school, I see people going to cinemas and enjoying with their families, I see a lot of kids in the parks on the week ends and on daily basis at evenings. I see people befriends with others regardless of their religion caste and where abouts, I see people still going out to courts to seek justice, I see people still willing to vote, I see people coming out to support their leaders on the political rallies. I see people making good money in business cause they are working extra hard to fight recession and poor economic conditions. I see more cars on the roads then ever before, imported cars business is still on boom, banks are not allowed to do car leasing but people have not stopped car buying on cash from 600 cc cars to 3000 cc luxury Sedans. Textiles in severe depression, I dont see any change in life style of the industry big shots, people are still working in the private and government organizations, all expensive schools are having regular new students registration for admissions, We see entertainment business doing well on the average, still records selling well even of the singers/artists who are not the most famous ones. I see farmers ploughing the fields, crop is not bad for cotton and wheat and sugar cane. People are making more than enough money to survive apart from the daily wages workers but even they have work in hand to survive.

What I do not see is a decrease in our spending on useless traditions on weddings, our buying exceeding our earnings by using credit cards cause we are brand conscious for clothing, watches, cars, shoes, audio and video systems and many more. Our spending is not planned according to our means and the whole benefit is going out to banks and the people who sell these branded stuff. We love to eat out at expensive of places but we are not willing to share our earnings to the people who do not even get a decent meal a day! We talk about Islam and we do not study it and find it more attractive to adopt the western norms which are rather taboos in our religion, we look for short cuts for every thing and then blame that there is a great deal of corruption in the society although we are encouraging it our selves, we blame our leaders and consider our selves relieved of the down fall of of the economy and degradation of living standards of a common man, we criticize our governments spending on education and health but are not willing to take the responsibility of giving decent education to one deserving child, we highlight poor conditions of hospitals but are not willing to pay taxes with an excuse that our tax money will be mis-used by the government. We scream aloud to have an up hold of Islamic Law in Pakistan, but we do not like the way our religion tells us to punish the culprits of thefts, murder, sexual crimes and frauds cause the laws are straight forward and severe.

We are an emotional Nation, we start spending a lot when there is an alarming need to help the people in suffering like the current situation in IDps and earth quakes few years back but we lack this spirit on regular basis. 50% of the people come to offices with an intention of not to do work and facilitate people, we do our job and rate it as a favor to people despite the fact we are paid for what we do at the job. We like to waste half day in discussions over politics, religious affairs, world scenario, movies, TV channels famous programs, top models and actresses, heroes n heroines etc and end our day by blaming government for load shedding and not taking care of the people, petrol price hikes, inflation etc but we completely ignore our role and share in making the things right, things can be improved if we only start doing our work on timely basis and with a willing spirit to help people around us and try to manage our expenses with in our limits so that we cant keep an eye on the income gathered from un-fair means.

Most of the revolutions were having a same origin or root cause: social in justice, deprivation, hunger and starvation. We are heading towards the same scenario but if we could put our act together rightly we can still reverse the the effects if we as individuals decide to contribute our share fairly. But government alone cant do it, if we rate government not competent enough, then we should vote for the competent people for the next elections (a lot ofeducateted people dont even cast the vote and blame the system and government all the time) Our approach to the religion, society and the law is self centred, as long as we are safe, we are not moved at all despite lawlessness and turmoil around us.

Blaming and criticizing is our national hobby and we do it for the sake of doing it as every body else is doing it. We rate our selves better than our leaders cause we never got the chance to lay our hands on the National resources so we are good citizens as long as we are not tested in this field. In Pakistan the person is called a Saint unless and until he or she gets caught or exposed. We are making hue n cry over an MNA being caught red handed to use stolen credit card, but the Evil dies itself, those of you amongst us who feel they are better than her can be caught some day on not paying taxes or paying not to the full, on making our houses boundary walls bigger than the actual land bought, mis-using government resources and company resources (private sector) etc and many more.

There is a law of the country but above it its Law of the Nature which is more Powerful, When Allah decides to answer the prayers of the crushed and depressed people, then a strange power of do or die comes to the people who were passing their lives in a dull and useless manner. When this happens we see dictators die on the streets, Kings hanged in Public, Presidents brought before firing squads, elites sent to prison and an ordinary man becomes the Savior of people and Humanity. Man can not rule by force, by love or by law for ever, there is an end to every story whether its sad, happy or horrifying and the end matters on what the main characters in the story of life had been doing? But before that we need to a psycho-analysis of our personality on the whole and believe me we dont need any body's help, we do know what's wrong in us all we need is a courage to admit it and then take the corrective actions and preventive measures to start contributing from our share in making the things right and then keep on moving in the right direction, if we achieve this then we would be able to choose better leaders (the lesser evils as they will not be Saints but they would know that people and the law is watching every move they make).

In the present circumstances, the fault lies with us as individuals and not only with our leaders and ruling class! Lets work together to improve things practically and stop the blame games, criticism is good when its been done with positive motives behind it, so lets correct our selves first and our leaders will be forced to correct their style of governance seeing this major change rather a chain reaction of correcting attitudes in us the people of Pakistan.

Way to go in Private Jobs!

2009-07-18T02:08:00.000-07:00

Below is not applicable on all the private sector organizations, this is for the ones who treat employees like animals and bonded slaves. 1. Employees are like the people working in the red light area, they dont get respect even they earn a lot. 2. Cant trust even your own Shadow, the more you trust people the more you get heart, Selfishness is the key to success. 3. Dont train a junior under you, may be in an other 20 years he might replace you. 4. Managements use you as toilet paper, when the purpose is served, they throw you out. 5. Say yes to every demand of management even if its not in the interest of the company or against professional ethics as you are rated as "Bought Servants for Life" 6. Praise your boss even if he is stupid, this would help you become a boss. 7. try to be part of system, if you are a professional and honest, there is a little room for you in this dirty world of private sector. 8. When you perform well, you are not accomodated in personal growth and monetary benefits, if you performance is a bit down, your management will throw you out like trash with out considering your years of efforts and contribution in the growth of the company 9. Even if you do the impossible, its not just enough for the company 10. Temperament should only be for juniors, for seniors, you play soft and make them comitt blunders Betray for success even you got to do it to your own brother 11. Every working day can be your last day and every next working day can also be your last day: what a job security, what a private corporate sector set up what a country!!!! be ready for surprises 12. Dont argue with old employees even if they dont know a clue about the work they do, they are company assets and you could be thrown out if you finger any company asset 13. if some body is not sure, make him more confused to get eventually get rid of him 14. You work only with your team, and in order to build a team, you might have to sacrifice genuine and non genuine players who are part of your team. 15. Dont get sick, companies pay you for a healthy being and for always being present or else you resign and relax at own expense. Dont go with your family on recreational trips, recreation is only for mill owners and not for employees 16. People involved in lip servicing, are the most successful people at jobs 17. Dont try to make your own decision, ask management even if you have to go to toilet. 18. No body is a sincere friend in private sector jobs, use your friends as steps in a ladder for your growth as mills management uses managers for own growth and later on say bye bye and dont even recognize them after words.

The after effects!

2009-07-17T03:16:00.001-07:00

[1] Marriage is a relationship in which one person is always right and the
other is the husband!

[2] Don't marry the person you want to live with, marry the one you cannot
live without, but whatever you do, you'll regret it later.

[3] You can't buy love, but you pay heavily for it.

[4] Marriage is give and take. You'd better give it to her or she'll take
it anyway.

[5] My wife and I always compromise. I admit I'm wrong and she agrees with
me.

[6] It doesn't matter how often a married man changes his job, he still
ends up with the same boss.

[7] They call our language the mother tongue because the father seldom gets
to speak!

[8] Man: Is there any way for long life?
Dr: Get married.
Man: Will it help?
Dr: No, but then the thought of long life will never come.

[9]Why do couples hold hands during their wedding? It's a formality just
like two boxers shaking hands before the fight begins!

[10]Wife: Darling today is our anniversary, what should we do?
Husband: Let us stand in silence for 2 minutes.

[11]It's funny when people discuss Love Marriage vs Arranged. It's like
asking someone, if suicide is better or being murdered.

[12]There is only one perfect wife in the world and every neighbor has it.

Sultan Salah ul Din Ayubi: The legend never dies.

2009-07-14T22:59:00.000-07:00

Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi, the hero of hundreds of battles, was the person who for twenty years braved the storm of the Crusaders and ultimately pushed back the combined forces of Europe which had come to swarm the Holy Land. The world has hardly witnessed a more chivalrous and humane conqueror.
The Crusades represent the maddest and the longest war in the history of mankind, in which the storm of savage fanaticism of the Christian West burst in all its fury over western Asia. `The Crusades form’, says a Western writer, `one of the maddest episodes in history. Christianity hurled itself against Muhammadanism in expedition after expedition for nearly three centuries, until failure brought lassitude, and superstition itself was undermined by its own labour. Europe was drained off men and money, and threatened with social bankruptcy, if not with annihilation. Millions perished in battle, hunger or disease and every atrocity imagination can conceive disgraced the warrior of the Cross’. The Christian West was excited to a mad religious frenzy by Peter the Hermit, and his followers to liberate the Holy Land from the hands of the Muslims. `Every means’, says Hallam, `was used to excite an epidemical frenzy’. During the time that a Crusader bore the Cross, he was under the protection of the Church and exempted from all taxes as well as free to commit all sins.
Peter the Hermit himself led the second host of the Crusaders comprising forty thousand people. `Arriving at Mallevile, they avenged their precursors by assaulting the town, slaying seven thousand of the inhabitants, and abandoning themselves to every species of grossness and liberalism’. The savage hordes called Crusaders converted Hungary and Bulgaria into desolate regions. When they reached Asia Minor, they, according to Michaud, `committed crimes which made nature shudder’.
The third wave of the Crusaders commanded by a German monk, according to Gibbon, `were comprised of the most stupid and savage refuse of people. They mingled with their devotion a brutal licence of rapine, prostitution and drunkenness’. `They forgot Constantinople and Jerusalem’, says Michaud `in tumultuous scenes of debauchery, and pillage, violation and murder was everywhere left on the traces of their passage’.
The fourth horde of the Crusaders which had risen from western Europe was, according to Mill, `another herd of wild and desperate savages… The internal multitude hurried on the south in their usual career of carnage and rapine’. But, at last, they were annihilated by the infuriated Hungarian Army which had a foretaste of the madness of the earlier Crusaders.
Later the Crusaders met with initial success and conquered a major part of Syria and Palestine, including the Holy city of Jerusalem. But their victories were followed by such brutalities and massacres of innocent Muslims which eclipsed the massacres of Changiz and Hulaku. Mill, a Christian historian, testifies to this massacre of the Muslim population on the fall of the Muslim town of Autioch. He writes: `The dignity of age, the helplessness of youth and the beauty of the weaker sex were disregarded by the Latin savages. Houses were no sanctuaries, and the sign of a mosque added new virulence to cruelty’. According to Michaud: `if contemporary account can be credited, all the vices of the infamous Babylon prevailed among the liberators of Scion’. The Crusaders laid waste to flourishing towns of Syria, butchered their population in cold blood and burnt to ashes the invaluable treasures of art and learning including the world famous library of Tripolis (Syria) containing more than three million volumes. `The streets ran with blood until ferocity was tired out’, says Mill. `Those who were vigorous or beautiful were reserved for the slave market at Antioch, but the aged and the infirm were immolated at the altar of cruelty’.
But in the second half of the 12th century, when the Crusaders were in their greatest fury and the emperors of Germany and France and Richard, the lion-hearted king of England, had taken the field in person for the conquest of the Holy Land, the Crusaders were met by Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi, a great warrior who pushed back the surging wave of Christianity out to engulf the Holy Land. He was not able to clear the gathering storm but in him the Crusaders met a man of indomitable will and dauntless courage who could accept the challenge of the Christian West.
Salahuddin was born in 1137. He got his early training under his illustrious father Najmuddin Ayub and his chivalrous uncle Asaduddin Sherkoh, who were the trusted lieutenants of Nooruddin Mahmud, the monarch of Syria. Asaduddin Sherkoh, a great warrior general was the commander of the Syrian force, which had defeated the Crusaders both in Syria and Egypt. Sherkoh entered Egypt in 1167 to meet the challenge of the Fatamide Minister Shawer who had allied himself with the French. The marches and counter-marches of the gallant Sherkoh and his ultimate victory at Babain over the allied force, according to Michaud, `show military capacity of the highest order’. Ibni Atheer writes about it: `Never has history recorded a more extraordinary event than the rout of the Egyptian force and the French at the littoral by only a thousand cavaliers’.
On January 8, 1169 Sherkoh arrived in Cairo and was appointed as the Minister and Commander-in-Chief by the Fatimid Caliph. But Sherokh was not destined to enjoy the fruits of his high office long. He died two months later in 1169. On his death, his nephew Salahuddin Ayubi became the Prime Minister of Egypt. He soon won the hearts of the people by his liberality and justice and on the death of the Egyptian Caliph became the virtual ruler of Egypt.
In Syria too, the celebrated Nooruddin Mahmud died in 1174 and was succeeded by his eleven year old son, Malik-us-Saleh who became a tool in the hands of his courtiers, specially Gumushtagin. Salahuddin sent a message to Malik-us-Saleh offering his services and devotion. He even continued to keep his name in the `Khutaba’ (Friday Sermons) and coinage. But all these considerations were of no avail for the young ruler and his ambitious courtiers. This state of affairs once more heartened the Crusaders who were kept down by the advice of Gumushtagin retired to Alippo, leaving Damascus exposed to a Frankish attack. The Crusaders instantly laid siege to the Capital city and released it only after being paid heavy ransom. This enraged Salahuddin who hurried to Damascus with a small force and took possession of it.
After occupying Damascus, he did not enter the palace of his patron, Nooruddin Mahmud, but stayed in his father’s house. The Muslims, on the other hand, were much dismayed by the activities of Malik-us-Saleh and invited him to rule over the area. But Salahuddin continued to rule on behalf of the young Malik-us-Saleh. On the death of Malik-us-Saleh in 1181-82, the authority of Salahuddin was acknowledged by all the sovereigns of western Asia.
There was a truce between the Sultan and the Franks in Palestine but, according to the French historian Michaud, `the Mussalmans respected their pledged faith, whilst the Christians gave the signal of a new war’. Contrary to the terms of the truce, the Christian ruler Renaud or Reginald of Chatillon attacked a Muslim caravan passing by his castle, massacred a large number of people and looted their property. The Sultan was now free to act. By a skilful manoeuvre, Salahuddin entrapped the powerful enemy forces near the hill of Hittin in 1187 and routed them with heavy loses. The Sultan did allow the Christians to recover and rapidly followed up his victory of Hittin. In a remarkably short time, he reoccupied a large number of cities which were in possession of the Christians including Nablus, Jericko, Ramlah, Caesarea, Arsuf, Jaffa and Beirut. Ascalon, too, submitted after a short siege and was granted generous terms by the kind-hearted Sultan.
The Sultan now turned his attention to Jerusalem which contained more than sixty thousand Crusaders. The Christians, could not withstand the onslaught of the Sultan’s forces and capitulated in 1187. The humanity of the Sultan towards the defeated Christians of Jerusalem procures an unpleasant contrast to the massacre of the Muslims in Jerusalem when conquered by the Christians about ninety years before.
According to the French historian Michaud, on the conquest of Jerusalem by the Christians in 1099 `the Saracens were massacred in the streets and in the houses. Jerusalem had no refuge for the vanquished. Some fled from death by precipitating themselves from the ramparts; others crowded for shelter into the palaces, the towers and above all, in the mosques where they could not conceal themselves from the Christians. The Crusaders, masters of the Mosque of Umar, where the Saracens defended themselves for sometime, renewed their deplorable scenes which disgraced the conquest of Titus. The infantry and the cavalry rushed pell-mell among the fugitives. Amid the most horrid tumult, nothing was heard but the groans and cries of death; the victors trod over heaps of corpses in pursuing those who vainly attempted to escape. Raymond d’Agiles who was an eye-witness, says :that under the portico of the mosque, the blood was knee-deep, and reached the horses’ bridles.’
There was a short lull in the act of slaughter when the Crusaders assembled to offer their thanksgiving prayer for the victory they had achieved. But soon it was renewed with great ferocity. `All the captives’, says Michaud, `whom the lassitude of carnage had at first spared, all those who had been saved in the hope of rich ransom, were butchered in cold blood. The Saracens were forced to throw themselves from the tops of towers and houses; they were burnt alive; they were dragged from their subterranean retreats, they were hauled to the public places, and immolated on piles of the dead. Neither the tears of women nor the cries of little children— not even the sight of the place where Jesus Christ forgave his executioners, could mollify the victors’ passion… The carnage lasted for a week. The few who escaped were reduced to horrible servitude’.
Another Christian historian, Mill adds: `It was resolved that no pity should be shown to the Mussalmans. The subjugated people were, therefore, dragged into the public places, and slain as victims. Women with children at their breast, girls and boys, all were slaughtered. The squares, the streets and even the un-inhabited places of Jerusalem, were strewn with the dead bodies of men and women, and the mangled limbs of children. No heart melted in compassion, or expanded into benevolence’.
These are the graphic accounts of the massacre of the Muslims in Jerusalem about ninety years before the reoccupation of the Holy city by Sultan Salahuddin in which more than seventy thousand Muslims perished.
On the other hand, when the Sultan captured Jerusalem in 1187, he gave free pardon to the Christians living in the city. Only the combatants were asked to leave the city on payment of a nominal ransom. In most of the cases, the Sultan provided the ransom money from his own pocket and even provided them transport. A number of weeping Christian women carrying their children in their arms approached the Sultan and said `You see us on foot, the wives, mothers and dauthers of the warriors who are your prisoners; we are quitting forever this country; they aided us in our lives, in losing them we lose our last hope; if you give them to us, they can alleviate our miseries and we shall not be without support on earth’. The Sultan was highly moved with their appeal and set free their men. Those who left the city were allowed to carry all their bag and baggage. The humane and benevolent behaviour of the Sultan with the defeated Christians of Jerusalem provides a striking contrast to the butchery of the Muslims in this city at the hands of the Crusaders ninety years before. The commanders under the Sultan vied with each other in showing mercy to the defeated Crusaders.
The Christian refugees of Jerusalem were not given refuge by the cities ruled by the Christians. `Many of the Christians who left Jerusalem’, says Mill, `went to Antioch but Bohemond not only denied them hospitality, but even stripped them. They marched into the Saracenian country, and were well received’. Michaud gives a long account of the Christian inhumanity to the Christian refugees of Jerusalem. Tripoli shut its gates on them and, according to Michaud, `one woman, urged by despair, cast her infant into the sea, cursing the Christians who refused them succour’. But the Sultan was very considerate towards the defeated Christians. Respecting their feelings, he did not enter the city of Jerusalem until the Crusaders had left.
From Jerusalem, the Sultan marched upon Tyre, where the ungrateful Crusaders pardoned by Sultan in Jerusalem had organized to meet him. The Sultan captured a number of towns held by the Crusaders on the sea coast, including Laodicea, Jabala, Saihun, Becas, Bozair and Derbersak. The Sultan had set free Guy de Luginan on the promise that he would instantly leave for Europe. But, as soon as this ungrateful Christian Knight got freedom, he broke his pledged word and collecting a large army, laid siege to Ptolemais.
The fall of Jerusalem into the hands of the Muslims threw Christendom into violent commotion and reinforcements began to pour in from all parts of Europe. The Emperors of Germany and France as well as Richard, the Lion-hearted, king of England, hurried with large armies to seize the Holy Land from the Muslims. They laid siege to Acre which lasted for several months. In several open combats against the Sultan,, the Crusaders were routed with terrible losses.
The Sultan had now to face the combined might of Europe. Incessant reinforcements continued pouring in for the Crusaders and despite their heavy slaughter in combats against the Sultan, their number continued increasing. The besieged Muslims of Acre, who held on so long against the flower of the European army and who had been crippled with famine at last capitulated on the solemn promise that none would be killed and that they would pay 2,00,000 pieces of gold to the chiefs of the Crusaders. There was some delay in the payment of the ransom when the Lion-hearted king of England butchered the helpless Muslims in cold blood within the sight of their brethren.
This act of the king of England infuriated the Sultan. He vowed to avenge the blood of the innocent Muslims. Along the 150 miles of coastlines, in eleven Homeric battles, the Sultan inflicted heavy losses on the Christian forces.
At the last the Lion-hearted king of England sued for peace, which was accepted by the Sultan. He had found facing him a man of indomitable will and boundless energy and had realized the futility of continuing the struggle against such a person. In September 1192, peace was concluded and the Crusaders left the Holy Land with bag and baggage, bound for their homes in Europe.
`Thus ended the third Crusade’, writes Michaud, `in which the combined forces of the west could not gain more than the capture of Acre and the destruction of Ascaion. In it, Germany lost one of its greatest emperors and the flower of its army. More than six lakh Crusaders landed in front of Acre and hardly one lakh returned to their homes. Europe has more reasons to wail on the outcome of this Crusade as in it had participated the best armies of Europe. The flower of Western chivalry which Europe was proud of had fought in these wars’.
The Sultan devoted the rest of his life to public welfare activities and built hospitals, schools, colleges and mosques all over his dominion.
But he was not destined to live long to enjoy the fruits of peace. A few months later, he died on March 4, 1193 at Damascus. `The day of his death’ says a Muslim writer, `was for Islam and the Mussalmans, a misfortune such as they never suffered since they were deprived of the first four Caliphs. The palace, the empire, and the world was overwhelmed with grief, the whole city was plunged in sorrow, and followed his bier weeping and crying’.
Thus died Sultan Salahuddin, one of the most humane and chivalrous monarchs in the annals of mankind. In him, nature had very harmoniously blended the benevolent and merciful heart of a Muslim with a matchless military genius. The messenger who took the news of his death to Baghdad brought the Sultan’s coat of mail, his horse one dinar and 36 dirhams which was all the property he had left. His contemporaries and other historians are unanimous in acknowledging Salahuddin as a tender-hearted, kind, patient, affable person— a friend of the learned and the virtuous whom he treated with utmost respect and beneficence. `In Europe’, says Phillip K. Hitti, `he touched the fancy of the English minstrels as well as the modern novelists and is still considered the paragon of chivalry’.

REFERENCES:

Maalouf, Amin. The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. Translated by Jon Rothschild, 1984. Al Saqi Books, 26 Wetbourne Grove, London W2.

Do we need any other support or reference?

2009-07-11T04:54:00.001-07:00

Lets read the below Hadith and ask our selves the question” On whome we are counting on?

Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu anhu reports

that Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam in a Hadith Qudsi narrated

that Allah Ta’ala says:

I treat My men according to his expectations from Me..

I am with him when he remembers Me;

and if he remembers Me in his heart,

I remember him in My heart;

and if he remembers Me in a gathering,

I remember him in a better and nobler gathering (of angels).

If he comes closer to Me by one span,

I go closer to him an arm’s length;

if he comes towards Me an arm’s length,

I go towards him two-arm’s length;

and if he comes to Me walking,

I run to him.

(Bukhari)

Its a simple answer to our every day problems starting from house hold, business, education, ruling a country and you name it. On the contrary, its a strange and painful reality that majority of the Muslims do not have the basic knowledge of Islam as they do not study Translation of the Holy Book Quran by themselves and are often confused by the so called Authorities on the religion, Lets review our Quran, its far better spending time on Quran than reading of the international best sellers and watching the greatest of the movies and documentaries. I have tried it and felt very good cause it took out most of the confusions I had in my mind. Lets be clear about the concepts of Islam by putting in our effort to study Islam on our own first and if needed seek guidance from any scholar who does not spread the word of violence and hatred in his books or speeches.

We are in the most difficult time of our history our Book clearly teaches us cricis management through following the Islamic principles, encourages unity, mutual consultation, equality, justice, rule of the law, respect for women, elders and children and above all the right and responsibilities of each and every individual in a society.

So the message is simple, precise to the point for all of us to re-think our standing on the current scenario.

Do we need any other support or reference?

2009-07-11T04:50:00.000-07:00

Lets read the below Hadith and ask our selves the question” On whome we are counting on?

Abu Hurairah Radiyallahu anhu reports

that Nabi Sallallahu alaihi wasallam in a Hadith Qudsi narrated

that Allah Ta’ala says:

I treat My men according to his expectations from Me..

I am with him when he remembers Me;

and if he remembers Me in his heart,

I remember him in My heart;

and if he remembers Me in a gathering,

I remember him in a better and nobler gathering (of angels).

If he comes closer to Me by one span,

I go closer to him an arm’s length;

if he comes towards Me an arm’s length,

I go towards him two-arm’s length;

and if he comes to Me walking,

I run to him.

(Bukhari)

So the message is simple, precise to the point for all of us to re-think our standing on the current scenario.

The complex of Casts and Sects: The seed planted by the British, has now grown in to a poisenous Tree of Hatred!

2009-07-10T03:49:00.000-07:00

Divide and Rule, the golden and proven successful policy of the British which helped them in ruling the Sub-continent for years. The irony is that they landed on our land with a handful of traders who formed East India Company.

Read the history and relate it to our present day scenario, Are not we spending rather wasting half of our life time in developing grudges, differences, hatred and lack of co-operation entirely based on our religious, ethnic, casts, sects and regional differences. Our pace for the development is very slow cause we have time for every thing other than the positive contribution to the prosperity of Pakistan. We can not leave our false visions and un-realistic mind sets cause we take pride in representing a certain group or tribe in our society. We consider it a Taboo to study the clan norms whether these are correct or not cause we are blinded by the base less faith and wrong sense of attachment to our beliefs. Freedom to exercise basic religious rights is a key in spreading of Islam from the days of Mohammad peace be upon him. All I see people encashing the negativity's (in our thinking) of any sect or religions or even a group of people who share similar ideas about life, on the contrary we should have highlighted the positivity and let them people analyse it and then join us.

Am not a religious scholar or somebody having political likes or dislikes to comment on religion, tribes traditions, life complexities, life styles and beliefs of the people. As an ordinary man I would request all of us including myself to get out of a shell of complex and wrong perceptions and start treating each other as human beings first. Our hate, wrath and love is being channelised and mis-used by the people we call leaders, heads, scholars etc for their vested interests. This built in Biases in us force us to comitt blunders, take wrong steps and ignore the truth which results in an over all degradation of socio-economic system. It effects the over all of well being of citizens of a country cause certain areas and people are continuously neglected and their growth is halted as well. This dejection and neglection builds up a sense of deprivation and loss and feeling of uni-directional wrath for the people who are responsible for it. Years of harbouring grudges comes up with a volcanic explosion of grief and anger sentiments which forces people to struggle for their own seperate independent home land: A state with in a state is their solution to the problem. What I have seen so far after studying the life styles of heads of various different clans, groups, tribes, schools of thoughts, religious activists, social welfare organization etc is the fact that "If you are not part of the solution, you are certainly part of the problem"

Now many of you comment that what on earth does the above statement mean? The answer is that the people who are blindly followed by the people can make things worst and can also make a heaven out of our country which is being struck by a wave of terrorism, ethnic violence, religious intolerance, law and order troubles, justice and above all badly treated common people.

They all need to sit together and find a solution to this problem, we want to and should reflect a picture of a United and strong Nation to the world and especially to the countries who do not believe in very existence of our country. Now who will bell the cat, the leaders find it against their will and egos to be flexible. The West always wanted us to be weak and dependent on them on each and every aspect from running of government, technology, security and above financial survival and above all they want to weaken our armed forces strength with in the region.

Lets study the extract of an email from a friend to understand the long term negative intentions of the every country against Islam and Muslim world.

A famous and an honest Pakistani bureaucrat, QUDRATUALLAH SHAHAB, wrote the following in his autobiography, SHAHAB NAMA, in page 778. I have translated this from Urdu to English:

‘‘In 1969, when I was a member of the executive board of UNISCO, one of my friends from Poland was angry that Russia is influencing Poland against the will of polish people. The Poles were against the Soviet bloc and they didn’t like the Soviet influence in Poland. But the Polish government was a client of the Soviet Union. My polish friend was one of the senior and experienced foreign affairs officers of his country.

One day during a chat and discussion he said, ‘Although Russia and America are enemies but on some issues they become friends.’

I was surprised and asked, ‘For example?’

He said, ‘For example, PAKISTAN.’

‘I was stunned. I requested him to explain.’

On my request he explained, ‘It is a reality not hidden from whole world that the Pakistani military is one of the highly disciplined and professional military in the WORLD. And that REALITY is not acceptable to both countries, I meanRUSSIA and AMERCIA.

1. RUSSIANS are looking towards AFGHANISTAN

2. RUSSIANS are looking towards ARABIAN SEA

3. RUSSIANS favor India and want to support that country

But the PAKISTANI MILITARY is the main OBSTRUCTION in the path of all these three RUSSIAN objectives.

And

1. AMERICA‘S real and original faith is with ISRAEL

2. AMERICA wants friendship and alliance with INDIA

America is a friend of Pakistan only in name. And the AMERICANS know very well that ONLY THE PAKISTANI MILITARY AND PAKISTANI NATION can confront American designs. And that the PAKISTANI ARMY AND NATION HAVE THE PASSION TO FIGHT AS WELL if attacked. So the PAKISTANI MILITARY is the main OBSTRUCTION in the path of American objectives.

INDIA also does not like the PAKISTANI MILITARY.

In this way, the decimation and destruction of the Pakistani military is the main objective of RUSSIA, AMERICA and INDIA.

That’s why they all want to weaken the Pakistani military and the Pakistani nation, destroy it and to make it useless.

‘But how will they achieve this combined goal?’ I asked.

He laughed and than said, ‘They shall engage PAKISTANI ARMY in civil and government matters as much as they can for a long period by pushing them to take over governments.’

Then QUDRATUALLAH SHAHAB comments:

‘‘This conversation took place in 1969, when the Soviet Union had not invaded Afghanistan, nor was Bangladesh movement started. Out of 17 years of independence, 13 years have gone to MARTIAL LAW. And I am in fear may be those American, Russian and Indian objectives are about to complete…”

So what are we waiting for? Why do we always realise the severity of the things when most of the damage has already been done? There is no point cursing our leadership of their wrong doings cause we did not play our part to stop them doing it? most of the educated people enjoy a holiday and dont cast their vote on election day, who will bring the change then? If we would be looted by the same thugs in a slightly different stance over the issues and in a disguise of sincere leaders. All of us to play our part to stop this non-sense of division of on the basis of religions, tribes, language etc or our enemies will keep on winning in making us a fragile economy and a divided Nation. We need to be united, if its in our fate to go down under, we go down together with a common struggle to save Pakistan, shoulder to shoulder as Pakistanis and Muslims and not as Mahajar, Pathan, Sindhi, Punjabi, Balochi, Christian or Hindu. Who would deliberately destroy the house he lives in? But we are doing it cause of the shades of biases and disbelief on our eyes. Lets start an effort from with in a family to stand united and then spread this effort across every house, every city and across Pakistan. We lost east Pakistan, we will not let any body to dare parting our fellow country men no matter who they are and where they live.

Lets make it a resolution for our rest of lives for the betterment of our generations to come.

"Are you with me Pakistan?"

The Effective Stress Management!

2009-07-10T01:07:00.000-07:00

Some of the good things I learnt from the web on stress management, worth reading for all of us no matter which age group we are.

Are you stressed? Who isn't? At one time or another, we're bound to feel stress from work, family, finances, social situations, or illness. It might be acute, short-term stress which comes from being stuck in a traffic jam or your boss confronting you at work. Or it could be chronic, long-term stress, the kind that comes from being in an unhappy marriage or taking care of a sick family member for a long time.

At times, some stress is motivating, like when it helps you win a competition or meet a deadline. But we mostly think of stress as a negative or uncomfortable feeling that we associate with sweaty palms, a racing heart, and feeling out of control.

Do you want to live stress-free? You may be wondering if that is even humanly possible. To be realistic, you may not be able to live your life with absolutely no stress at all, but you can be free from stress. What I mean is, that you don’t have to allow stress to hinder you. Even though some stress is unavoidable in life, you can manage your life so that your experience with stress is limited, and so that the negative effects of stress are practically non-existent.

Causes of Stress and the Problems it can Cause

Change can be really stressful. Reactions to good or bad changes vary greatly from person to person. Typically, the more significant the change, the more stress it can cause a person. Marriage or divorce, promotion or termination could be cause for someone to feel stressed. Other common causes for stress are heavy workloads or increased demands on your time and energy, financial issues, and all aspects of parenting.

When you begin to feel worried, anxious, or afraid about something, your body tenses up and stress hormones to release throughout your body. These hormones are helpful in emergencies, but since your body is not meant to sustain that level of high-energy overtime, prolonged stress can be harmful to your health. Fatigue, back pain,insomnia, upset stomach, and weight gain are all symptoms of prolonged stress.

This can also lead to emotional and psychological problems like anxiety or depression. Your relationships can greatly suffer if you are undergoing chronic stress.

These are the reasons why it is important to learn how to reduce and manage stress in your life.

How to Reduce Stress in Your Life

Often times stress enters our lives when we feel like we are losing control. There are two ways that we can combat this type of stress. First, don't worry about things that you have no control over, like the weather and the choices other people make. You can have an influence on the latter, but ultimately, you cannot control others. The second thing that you can do is take control over what you do have power over: yourself. This means prepare for changes that you know will happen. When things take you by surprise, it is up to you to stay cool.

You can also avoid stress by managing your time wisely and treating procrastination like an enemy. No matter what you have to do, take care of it as soon as possible. This will not only keep your to do list from growing to a massive size, but this will also create free time that you didn't know you had. If you stop putting things off, you will be able to relax and enjoy yourself knowing that important things are done.

Another stress-relieving time management tip is to say "no" once in a while. You are probably not a robot, so you can't do everything for everyone all of the time. Be realistic about the number of tasks you take on, and don't try to be a superhuman. Personal time should be kept religiously so that you are refreshed and energized to take care of what is truly important in your life.

How to Cope with Stressful Times

Life is not always easy and regardless of how much time you spend preparing for change and avoiding stress, it will find you. Now what will you do? Here are a few quick tips that can help reduce feelings of stress when it comes:

- Exercise
- Meditate
- Talk about it
- Write about it

Getting to the root cause of the stress can help you cope with it better. Sometimes communicating with someone else or getting your emotions down on paper can greatly relieve tension. Exercise is a great way to combat the physical side effects of stress, and meditation can help you find inner peace and relaxation.

Knowing all of this, you can live your life with less stress.

Different things can trigger stress in different people. For instance, planning a big house party or having to give a speech might delight you but totally unnerve a friend.

How you respond to stressful situations depends on several things, including your:

view of the stressful situation – How bad is this? Can you get through it?
general outlook on life – Do you tend to be more positive or negative?
general health and well-being – Are you well-rested or sleep-deprived? Do you have a healthy diet or live on junk food? Do you get enough exercise or is there never enough time to fit it in? Are you healthy overall or do you have chronic health problems?

Many people who never seem to get stressed have learned to cope successfully with stressful situations.

Stress Affects Your Health

Any stress that keeps occurring can lead to getting sick more often; problems concentrating, sleeping and eating; high blood pressure and heart disease; and anxiety and depression. In other words, left alone stress can be bad for both your physical and mental health.

That's why you want to get control of your stress before it controls you. The time and energy you spend managing your stress will pay off in the long run by promoting health and happiness. Here are five steps to help you get start:

Steps to Less Stress

Make a list. Think of the things that cause you the most stress. Write them down, along with the level of stress they cause (off the charts versus a great deal) and how they affect you (keep you awake at night, make you feel shaky inside, etc).

Take control. Decide which things on your list you can do something about. Remember that you might not be able to control everything on your list. For instance, your children leaving home or traffic jams are the trying parts of life. Even though you can't control these events, you can control how you react to them. Instead of getting worked up during morning rush hour traffic, use the time in your car to listen to a book on tape or a morning radio show. Even small changes can make a difference and help you feel more in control of your life. Pick one or two of these suggestions and try them.

Assign some of your household chores to other family members.
Sign up for community services to help you care for a sick parent.
Start planning early for the holidays – create a budget and stick to it.

Unload and learn to say "no." If there are things at home or at work that you just can't or don't want to do, let them go - cross them off your list if you can. And don't commit to new things just because you feel you have to. Say "no" to heading up that new project if you already have too many duties at work. Let someone else run the church bazaar this year.

Learning to say "no" might take some practice. It might feel uncomfortable at first. But taking on too much and failing is more stressful than "passing" on a request in the first place.
Work on shedding the "perfection impulse." Don't expect perfection from yourself or others. For some things, doing an okay job is just fine.

Practice setting limits. The key to setting limits is to first set priorities. Decide what is most important for your family and you, and set time aside for those things, such as family meals, fun time, or retirement planning. For everything that falls outside your priority list, ask yourself, "What's the worst thing that would happen if I didn't do this?" If you can live with the answer, then drop it from your 'to do' list.

Learning to manage the stress in your life can help you live healthier and happier; enjoy your job, family, and friends more; and focus your energies on the things in life that really count.

The strong politics at the work place: The hidden reason of slow progress!

2009-07-09T00:55:00.000-07:00

Politics is some thing that has a vast scope and meaning in Pakistan. It is not only done by the political parties, its being regularly exercised in all walks of life especially in the government sector organization and private companies.

Hiring and firing in government sector is politically motivated and in private sector it is influenced by law of necessity that is when you need good professionals your hire them use or mis use them for short term and then get rid of them. There are no free lunches in this world, the relation of an employer and an employee goes on smooth when an employer is getting 20 times in return what he is paying the employee.

We are politicians by nature and when it comes to work place, nothing harm any organization more than the politics between the employees. We do not believe in preparing number two or second in command in private sector because of the fear of the un-known that we might loose control or even or own job cause a junior might be a good and in-expensive option for the management if he is trained well. This unfortunate problem deprive good organizations of trained and professional middle management.

We cant stand bright, more qualified and honest people around us, so when ever such a gentleman or a lady joins an organization, a group of people who believe in negative tactics, gathers around and decide to throw the new talent out of the company with back biting, politics, and negative feed back to management. So resulting in exit of a true talented employee which should be treated as an asset to any organization.

If you visit un-organized government and private sector organization, you will see every body working in such a manner as if they are doing an extra ordinary favor to the nation by working for two hours daily and rest of the hours busy in politics, cursing society and in net working. We are an under developed country and need a collaborative effort to improve our economy by working hard round the clock and giving 100% effort with an extra 1%. The extra one percent is some thing that is not taught at schools and trainings at organization. The extra one % is your readiness to serve people with a smile, going all ends out to help them and realising that you enjoy serving people and not taking it as a burden.

Hiring and firing can be done on the grounds of the performance of the people. We often see that the people who are not good at work but still grow through their multi dimensional abilities of lip servicing for their seniors and making use of the politics to be in the favorite books of the seniors. Politics on the work place discourages the over all growth of any organization and and of the people working there, this can be eliminated when people are given proper contracts/appointment letters and their job description is designed and documented based on their contracts. Secondly it should be made clear that appraisal will be based on performance only. We see managements in Pakistan to hire a professional at 2000 us$ and ask feed back regarding performance from a so called trust worthy junior drawing us$100/month. To discourage such culture, a proper HR and ADMN department should be functional to guide the management.

We are becoming intolerant as every day passes by. We do not work hard to get success but at the same time can not tolerate some body else's growth which he or she got with the effort and hard work. We cant stand juniors who are more qualified and more talented than us, we can not stand people who believe in work only and dont engage themselves in other time wasting use less activities like long tea and lunch breaks etc, we can not work under female boss and or with female colleagues and also do not treat our female juniors very well. This is resulting in a lot of people quitting jobs, leaving Pakistan in desperation as their hard work is not rewarded and in the worst case scenario become part of the culture and looking for short cuts rather than the usual hard work.

This is the biggest draw back in our day to day working with in the organization whether in government sector and private sector. The CEOs must realize it first, then the trickle down effect should take place first and every body should realise that they have got to contribute positively to the success of the organization from where they are earning livelihood for their family. This lesson has to be learnt quickly before its too late and all the educated, well groomed and talented professionals out there in the field must realise that if they start correcting their approach on personal level, a significant number of people will start following them and good people will not be a minority in coming 5 to six years time. Its a big ask but it needs some point to start and I start it by correcting my actions first and then expecting it from the people around and the people who will read this article.

And we Talk about Equal opportunities and respect for Women!

2009-07-08T01:35:00.000-07:00

Read the below the resignation of a female journalist and be part of her cause

Article taken from Pakistan Politics - http://pkpolitics.com
URL to article: http://pkpolitics.com/2009/06/24/sexual-harassment-of-female-journalist/

Sexual Harassment of Female Journalist
Posted By admin pkpolitics On June 24, 2009 (11:36 pm) In News

A female correspondent of Dunya News, Maheen Usmani has recently resigned on protest of Sexual Harassment by Managing Director Yousuf Baig Mirza. Attached is her resignation letter address to the HR department.

________________________

June 15, 2009

Dear Director Human Resources,

It was with great expectations and high hopes that I became part of Dunya’s launch team in November 2008, and I took great pride in being part of Dunya ‘family’ as it climbed the ladder of success and gave tough competition to leading channels. Seven months later, it is with great regret that I have decided to tender my resignation as the circumstances have forced me to leave this organization due to the continued harassment, coercion and highly unethical conduct of the top management of Dunya News.

Now it has become unbearable to work here as the situation has increasingly turned out to be insecure, rather punishing, for professional female journalists who want to work, as well as, protect their self-respect. I have waited with patience since May 11, 2009 that the Managing Director of Dunya News, Yousaf Beg Mirza, would stop abusing his official position and put an end to his ugly tactics of harassing a senior female journalist working here. I, however, was totally disappointed with this organization when I realized that Mr Mirza’s employer, CEO and the owner of this news channel, is not interested in protecting the female employees from the advances of the MD but is in connivance with him.

It was shocking to know that Mr Mirza is being shielded by the CEO of the organization, Mian Amer Mahmood, who was told about Mr Mirza’s indecent advances but he did not stop the MD from abusing his authority. Once it was brought to his notice, Mr Mahmood had given the assurances that no such harassment would take place but not only that this harassment continued, the CEO instead of empowering the Director News or respective Bureau Chiefs, gave the MD more powers to interact directly with the reporters who already felt harassed by him.

This all started on May 11th, 2009 at 10:01 p.m., when I received a call from one of the staff members of the Managing Director, Yousaf Beg Mirza, aka YBM, to confirm my cell number. This was followed by another call at 10:07 p.m., made by the MD. During that phone call, which continued for few minutes, his suggestive talk was loathed with innuendoes, and offers as he counted the expected benefits that a less-important, bureau-reporter can get in return for keeping a direct “contact” with the Managing Director on his “personal number.”

I was shocked to hear the “friendly” MD, who had been denying the contractual rights of male staff members all these months despite repeated reminders, going out of his way to oblige a female staff member. I have worked with country’s best media organizations during my career and never faced such an ugly situation.

Finding the whole monologue, which continued for few minutes, detestable, I immediately brought the matter to the notice of Director News because he was the one who had hired us assuring that our rights will be protected in this organization, which had developed an unsavory standing in the media industry and we also had our reservations about the reputation of the MD before joining it.

I had decided to resign then but the DN asked me to withhold it and let him talk to the MD first. The DN took up this issue with the MD who apologized with the DN over this incident and said he would seek apology from me as well in the presence of the DN.

The DN assured me that such an incident would not happen again and the MD would make an apology to me as well.

However, with the sudden departure of the DN, the situation took the worst turn and the MD found an opportunity to revenge, and hence re-launched his harassment campaign. This was going to happen despite CEO, Mian Amer Mahmood’s, assurances and promises to the outgoing DN that no member of his team would either be thrown out or be harassed by the MD.

Since the CEO was informed of MD’s harassing tactics, Mr Mahmood repeatedly reassured the former DN that no female employee would be harassed by YBM. “Humaray employees hamaray bachon ki tarah hain. Hum un ko protect kartain hain,” were the words which the former DN quoted me as the CEO had told him. Hearing these lofty words, I took a sigh of relief that my life and respect would be protected in this organization but what I forgot was that I was not their own daughter.

What they forgot was that despite their discriminatory tactics, before Allah all daughters are equal. Ayat 195 of Sura Aal-Imran says: “I never let go waste the labor of anyone that works among you, whether male or female, for in my sight all of you are alike.”

Instead of reining in the MD, the CEO gave him an open hand and the MD immediately embarked on a campaign to place obstacles in my path. He insisted on personally scrutinizing a special assignment report of mine in Islamabad instead of previewing it in Lahore. After previewing the report, and throwing his weight around in the Islamabad office, he ordered to withhold it on frivolous grounds.

I did not comply, because the changes were devoid of logic and reason. I had done extensive research for my project and the MD had been unaware of the historical context of Sri Lankan conflict which was not surprising since he is not a journalist, and reasons of his survival in Pakistani media, particularly during former military dictator Musharraf’s era, were other than professional. The bottom line is that the package has been dumped in Lahore, because of the MD’s intransigence and my refusal to “contact” him.

I have been associated for a long time with ‘Meri Dharti Meri Dunya,’ a weekly landmark program of Dunya, which has proved its popularity by garnering commercials, and a wide viewership. On the rating chart the program has been going from strength to strength and at times it registered a much higher rating than any other Current Affairs program of Dunya News and that too without any extra investment of the company.

Due to this huge success, the program got commercials and sponsorship of multinational companies which had also asked for increase in the frequency of the program and to be made it twice-weekly.

Unfortunately, my association with ‘Meri Dharti Meri Dunyai’ has proved to be its death knell, because the MD has set out to destroy this program to teach me a lesson. What he forgot, however, is that he was trying to mess with a credible senior journalist and not one of those female opportunists, who are masquerading as journalists and are being heavily promoted for the last few days on Dunya News.

On 18th May, 2009 I was symbolically put in charge of the program’s production in Islamabad just to streamline the links, their quality and better coordination with the head office. Consequently, we had tried to introduce some innovation in the production and script which got us excellent feedback. However, on 1st June, 2009 the MD forced all concerned working under him to issue another notification and remove me as Production Incharge. But no reason was given for the abrupt and irrational change.

In the next few days, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya’s repeat slot was repeatedly taken away and given to Current Affairs programs which have their own fixed slots as well. On June 1st, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya’s producers were suddenly told at 5:30 p.m., by the Transmission Incharge that the program would not be aired that day at its scheduled and publicized time slot of 7:05 p.m., and it was being replaced by a ‘documentary’. When the producer protested at the sudden axing of the program, he was told that the orders had come directly from the CEO. When the ‘documentary’ aired, we were shocked to see the program ‘One 2 One’ which has its own time slot. Again no reason was given for this unexpected change in schedule.

We were informed that this episode of Meri Dharti Meri Dunya would air next Monday. Two days later, on Wednesday, June 3rd, the Transmission Incharge informed Meri Dharti Meri Dunya’s producers at 6:30 p.m., that the program would be going on air in 30 minutes at 7:00 p.m., instead of the scheduled sports program. The producers protested at this arbitrary and unfair treatment being meted out to Meri Dharti Meri Dunya once again, but were told that the MD had issued the orders.

This was being done despite the fact that a day earlier an announcement was made that President Zardari, Richard Holbrooke and Shah Mahmood Qureshi would address a press conference which would go live at the same time.

Having no choice in the matter, the puzzled producers readied the program and it went on air at 7:05 p.m. Barely 15 minutes later, the program was trashed to live broadcast the scheduled press conference. Instead of spoiling their sports program or airing a 10 minutes bulletin as a filler as is the norm, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya was selected as the sacrificial goat once again.

On 5th June, the CEO, Mian Amer Mahmood, held a meeting with the Islamabad Bureau and when his attention was drawn to the unfair and discriminatory treatment being meted out to Dunya News’ most popular program he was unable to provide any justification for such unprofessional behavior. He did concede that Meri Dharti Meri Dunya had extremely good ratings, and said that the program’s timing was being changed ‘to improve its production value.’

Is the CEO not aware that such distortion of the program has a negative impact on the channel’s credibility, not to mention its marketing value? Despite the Islamabad meeting of June 5th chaired by the CEO, nothing improved for Meri Dharti Meri Dunya and it continued to suffer the wrath of the top management.

On June 10th, the most popular program of Dunya News was once again used as a filler when it was aired at 4:05 a.m. This time it was used to fill Ayla Malik’s program’s repeat slot as the management preferred to withhold her show due to the bomb blast in PC Peshawar earlier in the night of June 9. It was surprising as Meri Dharti Meri Dunya was not repeated during its scheduled time-slot on June 9.

Same day on June 10th, Meri Dharti Meri Dunya was chopped to 20/25 minutes duration and was once again aired, without any prior announcement, at 2:20 p.m.—again as a filler in place of Ms Malik’s show. Feeling disturbed over the situation, I separated myself from the program and told the producers last week that I will not be available for the next episode.

My colleagues are perplexed and keep asking me why a successful program is being systematically destroyed to the detriment of the channel. I owe them the truth and they must know why it is happening.

The reason is self evident—a personal vendetta of the MD against me for not “contacting” him, and which is being aided and abetted by the CEO. The very same CEO, who starts every meeting with a recitation from the Holy Quran and who keeps instructing us to speak the truth and not be corrupt, has given the MD his blessings and sanction to harass a female employee just because she won’t compromise on her principles.

I advise the CEO to refer to Ayat 124 of Sura Al-Nisa: “And those who do good deeds, whether men or women, provided that they are believers, will enter into paradise and they will not be deprived in the least of their rightful rewards.”

When I was hesitant to face an elderly employee at Dunya News who had spoken to me in a vulgar manner a few months ago, Director Current Affairs, Nasim Zehra, had advised me to be brave and “look him in the eye.” Because, Ms Zehra said, he was the one who had stepped out of line. She asked why female employees were so reluctant to speak out and adhered to a conspiracy of silence when in fact there should be a policy of zero tolerance against such creeps. She said that “our” silence encouraged such sleazy elements to continue their sexual harassment.

Her advice made sense to me then and now it gives me the motivation and courage to look the senior management in the eye and ask them: Does this policy of zero tolerance not apply to them?

Journalists fight for the rights of others, but how can we do that when our own rights are not protected and are trampled upon at will by sleazy characters? As a professional journalist, I am shocked at the unethical conduct of these people and their ability to stoop so low. How can they preach to viewers and their employees to speak the truth and behave according to the Quran and Sunnah when they themselves are mired in dubious practices and sleazy behavior in clear violation of the Quranic injunctions?

To them I can only quote the punch line of a promo being aired by Dunya News: “Khuda Sey Daro.” What you sow for others’ daughters, you will reap yourself one day.

During the last few days, I have been thinking a lot on this issue and have ultimately decided not to fall prey to this conspiracy of silence and should take a public stand to expose such shady individuals plaguing the media. This will also put Nasim Zehra’s words to test. I will wait for her to stand up in this cause with me and support a fellow female journalist in exposing such elements and help protect the collective respect of working women.

Under the influence of his desire and powerful position, the MD completely ignored the fact that such an insidious campaign would only destroy the image of the organization, and it would force those seasoned journalists to leave who value their noble professional ethics much more than anything else.

In an effort to improve the legislation to protect women at work places and create awareness about malpractices in Pakistan’s media industry, I am forwarding this resignation to few powerful women of Pakistan such as Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza, former Minister of Information Sherry Rehman, President’s Adviser/spokesperson Farahnaz Isphani, Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, national, international media and rights organizations, Chairman PEMRA Mushtaque Malik, Minister for Information Qamruzzaman Kaira, Secretary Information Ashfaque Gondal, and other relevant civil and military institutions dealing with the media.

I am also reporting this to Lord Khalid Hameed, Member House of Lords, British Parliament, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, Member House of Commons, British Parliament, Asma Jehangir, Special Rapporteur of the UN Commission for Human Rights, Renate Schroeder, Director International Federation of Journalists, Brussels, and I. A. Rehman, Chairman Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

I would like to express my appreciation for my colleagues, the Assignment Desk, the cameramen, and the NLEs who I have had the privilege of working with and knowing during my association with Dunya News. I will miss all of you and our camaraderie, but I would rather be jobless than to continue working for a channel headed by such morally corrupt media barons who treat women in such a cheap manner which is repugnant for any self respecting female. It’s time to root out such people, because they give the media a bad name due to their disgusting and lewd behavior.

Maheen Usmani
Correspondent
Dunya News
Islamabad

Pakistan Private Unlimited!

2009-07-07T23:24:00.001-07:00

We are always looking for a short cut to do every thing, even if we have to break the rules and regulations, tease ourfellow country men and do what ever possible in our means to get our target achieved.

It seems like an absence of of the rule of the law to a certain un-acceptable extent that we consider it our birth right to break the law.

We learnt how to acquire government land by Land Mafia and we are duly impressed by Malik Riaz, did all sort of frauds and document forgeries we could at our level. Why is it discipline and honesty so important that its been taught by our Holy book Quran, our parents emphasize on it, our teachers play a major role to enable us to realize its important, our elders come up with their share to guide us? The answer is simple, to lead a good and use ful life, one has to follow simple rules and laws as basic principles so that these could become our second nature. So now a big question comes why are we not following it?

We have two complete sets of laws, rules and regulations for our ruling class and the for the class which is being ruled by them for decades. Influential, well connected and above all people having a status of a too well to do, can over look all the rules in our country rather they crush these principles under their feet on their way to so called success in life. We see people having VIP status at airports, at offices, at public places, at conferences and everywhere. We are standing in a queue to get our passport stamped and "their" passports are stamped and handed over to them in the VIP lounges at airports, we stand in long lines out side Nadra office to get our ID card made, A black Range Rover Vogue arrives, a person in an expensive piece of suiting comes out goes in there with out minding the ques with his personal guards around him, gets his picture taken and away he goes and same day his secretary hands him over the new ID card. We have clubs for the elites like Gymkhana, Islamabad Club, Royal Palm so that they and their families dont get spoiled by mixing with ordinary Pakistanis, and we the ordinary Pakistanis can only hear stories about these clubs from the lower and middle management employees. We have different schooling for elites and ordinary Pakistanis, this is again and effort on part of the big shots to prepare their kids for future in which they dont show any mercy to ordinary people serving in their banks, mills, IT and Telecoms companies, hotels, clubs etc. The people we vote and elect are lost behind the posh offices, luxurious vehicles, MNA hostels having heavenly comfort, National and provincial assemblies where an ordinary man can not go or can not even think about it as his dreams and problems are ordinary like him in the books of the ruling class, so all he could do is to keep on searching for justice. These leaders are the ones in whose political rallies before elections and after elections, him (ordinary Pakistani) and alot like him, used to walk for miles to reach political rally site and then wait for hours in the extreme of weathers to have a glimpse of his or her leader and to listen to the speech, to shout slogans at the top of his voice for the support of his dear leader. Once elected the "Dear" leader vanishes like a ghost and re-appears in the next election and an ordinary man who has his own beliefs and political affiliations, supports his party candidate no matter what is the back ground of the candidate and how many registered cases are against him in the court of law. By nature we are an emotional nation and our ruling class is too good at playing with our emotions and often direct our emotions and aggression pretty well for their own good and evil grounds. Its amazing we make them leaders and they only make a fool out of each every one of us.

We call our country as a land of opportunities but for me it is more of a country which is being run by Like a "Private Limited" company where the board of directors "Rulers" can do what ever they wish to make the life miserable of people in the company "Public". Here rights are not mentioned but responsibilities are assigned irrespective of the amount of work load or stress one can handle. Like a private limited company, the "rulers" have the full say to use the available resources in a manner they intend to, there are no laws and rules of engagement, if you follow the rulings of the directors, you are allowed to get your salary share "earning of livelihood" as long as we dont say a word against the company policies.

We are a Nation whose 70% of the population is always kept in the dark of whats going around them cause of two reasons, one is that they keep on electing the leaders with out questioning their ability as a leader, second is that their role is only of "King Makers" and should not even think of becoming the kings themselves. Education facility is very limited to masses as education gives sense of reason and analysis of the situations and environment around and also initiates an independent judgement process which in my books would not be a good sign for the ruling class. An ordinary man is being pushed deliberately in to the vicious circle of arranging two meals for his family through hard work and labor and his life revolves around arrangement of these two meals, a shelter for kids etc. The basic social welfare and health rights are denied to them as by getting the National Identity card they are not entitled to all facilities a person would get in any welfare state. They are being treated like employees in a private company who do not have appointment letters and do not have written company policies for their employees to claim their legal rights. We talk alot about constitution of Pakistan, but of the laws that suit or do not suit the ruling class. Who is going to check whether all laws and clauses that are related to the general welfare of a Pakistani Citizen are followed or not, if not is there any notice being taken even what to talk about people not being punished by the law for not following the constitution of Pakistan, there should be rule of the law not the rule of the outlaws in Pakistan. When system is beingmis-used from the top, the rest of the people consider it their birth right to violate the law in their limited capacities. Some people will extend boundary wall of their house and also extend drive way which will result in narrowing of the road and thus creating traffic problems, some will not pay Tax by not declaring income properly, some will get their kin goods jobs (even they are not worth it and alot of deserving people are ignored even they have the talent, education and necessary experience as well ) with good references and recommendations of the big shots.

Pakistan is being made a paradise for the ruling class as they are un-touch ables and its a "Paradise lost" for the people who are not born in elites and who believe in hard work only, its having un-limited opportunities for those who have un-limited resources and connections to make the best use of these, rest which is majority of Pakistan will be suffering unless we as individual correct or selves first and then make a demand of our basic rights. The life style of our elites will not let them survive if they are placed in a single story house in Landhi or in Quetta for a day with no air conditioning and 14 hours of load shedding, but this exercise could let them think for few hours (later on they will forget naturally) that what suffering they have imposed on the people of Pakistan.

I will end up mentioning the life style of Caliph Hazrat Omer Bin Abdul Aziz may peace be upon him who led a very simple life despite being head of the state who used to weep a lot during the prayers at mid night. When asked why the rulers of Muslims weeps whole night during the prayers, the answer is a history "Am afraid that even a goat if died cause of hunger at the shores of of Dajla, Allah will not spare me at the day of judgement"

Basic needs are not luxuries but if the luxuries are made basic needs, then there is no end to lust and greed mania of which our ruling class is suffering and our public is also trying its best to enjoy limited luxuries from the wealth gathered by un-fair means.

Idea of relaxation for an ordinary man (no one is ordinary in my opinion am just referring to the difference of haves and have nots, its our deeds that make us special or ordinary and may be the ordinary people in Pakistan have much better rating in the books of Almighty then the rating of our so called rulers ) would be to go for a swim in a stream and eat water melon and idea for relaxation for our ruling class could be going out with family to the tourists resorts of the world starting from USA, Europe, Australia, far east South Africa.

Mice Hearted Lions!

2009-07-07T03:29:00.000-07:00

Courage, bravery, honour, Faith, straight forwardness and many more such traits are related to a "Man" in books of history. The scenario has changed now, the future historians say in year 2080 would not find such typical charecteristics in Men of the past (our time) What has gone wrong? Let's study the root causes.
The first thing that comes forward is faith, with so many other attractions around us in the material world having great temptations of wealth and women, the likely choice would not be remaining on the right track. The real test of faith is when you have the opportunity to do the wrong (which has more worldly gains) and the decision is also in your hand. Your decision will determine if you let go the opportunity and try to follow the path which is clearly indicated by Islam and all other religions which is to follow the good and avoid the evil.
The other attribute is character which is developed over the years and is dependent on the efforts of your parents and elders, your respected teachers at school, colleges and universities, your friend's company and the basic work and business ethics you are taught when you enter the practical life. Here again you are tested every day with an equal opportunity to work hard and make your career and living or go for short cuts and cheat your way to the top of the ladder.
Flexibility is another personality trait that determines your willingness to accomodate people with in the limits drawn by the law and the religion. Its another factor that tests us how arrgant and how helping we are. In our society helping attitude with out any material gain in mind is often consider as the weakness and is mis-used by the people but one can not be a total flexible or a totally non-cooperating arrogant. Its a tough task to mantain a balance in which people often fail and only remain flexible if there is a material benefit in doing so and on the contrary they become absolute arrogant for own benefits and later on encash it by showing relaxation if the undue benefit is there.
Courage backed up by the faith and wisdom is one of the key trait of great men. As of today in our society its difficult to find in the majority of the men. We dont see the controlled courage that was there in Prophet Muhammad may peace be upon him when he went on along with his fiathful companions to defeat a much a much bigger and stronger Army, Tariq Bin Ziad burning his ships and went on to conquer Spain, Hazrat Khalid Bin Waleed despite the fact he was the commander n Chief of the Muslim Army, shown courage to face suspension at the orders of the Caliph and you will find 100 of examples of such nature in our and in the history of the world irrespective of country, religion and race.
Will power and determination and none other example can be fit in the best other if we study the life of Quaid E Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in the present day and of our Prophet Mohammad may peace be upon who is a leading example for all times and eras till the life ends. We hardly find Men of words these days who would stood by their words and commitments come what may.
If I analyse my own life and of people, every second decision that we make is a compromise and we find lame excuses for every wrong step we take. I can understand that none of us is perfect and we are subject to commit mistakes, sins and wrong decisions, its very normal but what seems abnormal is that its becoming habitual and feel no shame in doing the wrong as we have an excuse that every one else is doing it. Every one else is answerable for own actions and we are for our own. We need to mend our ways on personal level first to improve our own outlook as a peson, all we are doing right now is a simple blame game and finding faults in others. We got to be lion hearted, wise and devoted to our family, city, country, Nation and the world in a step by step plan to improve our personality by consulting our Holy book "The Quran" and following good people from present and past as our role models.
We have made our lives very complicated and tough by ignoring our own duties and focusing on what others are not doing. Over all improvement of any nation starts from the day when first individual decides to go for improvement in the system by correcting own actions first.

A role model for us and our leaders: Mr. Abdul Sattar Edhi

2009-07-06T03:44:00.000-07:00

Before we discuss the above lets have a look at brief profile of Mr. Edhi (source:www.edhi.org)

Every society is destined to face the problems of looking after the welfare of the sick, the weak, the destitute and the needy. All societies are alike in this respect. One way of assessing the status of a society on the road to civilization is the value accorded to an individual and his basic human needs. These have not always received the attention they deserve in the planning of economics, particularly in developing countries. Most of the available resources are consumed by defense needs and pressing demands for technological progress.

Programs for development in the social sector stay a long way behind mainly because of financial constraints. Special efforts are, therefore, needed to mobilize community resources to initiate and develop programs for the welfare of the weak and the disadvantaged members of the society.

Sometimes it happens that a fortunate combination of the national situation and personal characteristics produce an individual with a capacity to understand the challenge and develop appropriate responses to this challenge. Such an individual in the case of Pakistan is Abdul Sattar Edhi, the founder of Edhi Foundation

Abdul Sattar Edhi was born in 1928 in a small village of Bantva near Joonah Garh, Gujrat (India). The seeds of compassion for the suffering humanity were sown in his soul by his mother's infirmity. When Edhi was at the tender age of eleven, his mother became paralyzed and later got mentally ill. Young Abdul Sattar devoted himself for looking after all her needs; cleaning, bathing, changing clothes and feeding. This proved to be a loosing battle against the disease, and her helplessness increased over the years. Her persistent woeful condition left a lasting impression on young Edhi. The course of his life took a different turn from other persons of his age. His studies were also seriously affected and he could not complete his high school level. For him the world of suffering became his tutor and source of wisdom.

Edhi's mother died when he was 19. His personal experience made him think of thousands and millions, suffering like his mother, around with nobody to look after them. He thought that he had a call to help these people. He had a vision of chains of welfare centers and hospitals that could be opened to alleviate the pain of those suffering from illness and neglect. He also thought of the in-human treatment meted out to the mentally ill, the insane and the disabled persons. Even at this early age, he felt personally responsible for taking on the challenge of developing a system of services to reduce human miseries. The task was huge; he had no resources. But it was something that he had to do even if he had to walk to the streets with a cap in hand to beg for this purpose.

Edhi and his family migrated to Pakistan in 1947. In order to earn his living, Abdul Sattar Edhi initially started as a pedlar, later became a commission agent selling cloth in the wholesale market in Karachi. After a couple of years, he left this occupation and with the support of some members of his community decided to establish a free dispensary. He became involved in this charity work. However, soon his personal vision of a growing and developing system of multifarious services made him decide to establish a welfare trust of his own and named it "Edhi Trust". An appeal was made to the public for funds. The response was good, and Rs. 200,000 was raised. The range and scope of work of Edhi Trust expanded with remarkable speed under the driving spirit of the man behind it. A maternity home was established and emergency ambulance service was started. More donations were received as people's confidence in the activities of the trust grew. With the passage of time, masses gave him the title of the "Angel of mercy".

Abdul Sattat Edhi was married in 1965 to Bilquis, a nurse who worked at the Edhi dispensary. The couple has four children, two daughters and two sons. Bilquis runs the free maternity home at the headquarter in Karachi and organizes the adoption of illegitimate and abandoned babies. The husband-wife team has come to share the common vision of single minded devotion to the cause of alleviation of human sufferings and a sense of personal responsibility to respond to each call for help, regardless of race, creed or status.

Despite his enormous fame and the vast sums of money that passes through his hands, Edhi adheres to a very modest lifestyle. He and his family live in a two room apartment adjacent to the premises of Foundation's headquarter. Neither Edhi nor Bilquis receives any salary, the live on the income from government securities that Edhi bought many years ago to take care of their personal needs for the rest of their lives, thereby freeing them to devote single mindedly to their missionary work.

Reading above, I am sure all of you must have been impressed and have got great deal of respect and admiration for Edhi sb for his his selfless devotion for the welfare of the society. He is a simple man who handles millions of rupees transactions on daily basis with out any greed and lust and even a thought to mis-use it. Its a great honor for me to write and dedicate this article to the Great Edhi sb. Edhi sb runs his organization with a simple rule: "when there is a positive will there is way out". He does not need a fleet of ministers, consultants, advisors and above all foreign aid to run his institution. Reason is very simple, he knows what he doing and we blindly trust him. This is the trust and fame none of the personalities enjoyed apart from Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah in this region. Compare his life style with that of our leaders, ministers, buruecretes, businessmen, feudal Lords, and rest of the big shots and you will find out the very basis of our system is wrong. We provide luxuries of life at the expense of tax payer's money who does not even need luxuries, but are still hungry and greedy for it. We dont curtail our expenses so that the maximum of our revenues should be spent at the welfare of the society on the whole. Edhi sb does not need a protocol convoy of security vehicles, he does not have to wear an Armani suit to impress people, he does not have to address people in gatherings and political processions, he does not need a Presidency or a PM's position to do some thing for Pakistan, he is not even touched by the cat n mouse race of gathering as much as possible all the wealth in the word, he is a simple straight forward man to offer what ever in his means for social welfare, help of the deprived people, taking care of the old and also running nurseries, Ambulance services for free, medical expense coverage for people who cant afford it. In the times when what to talk of government, your beloved ones and blood relations even deny help, you will always find Edhi sb there for you with the possible help and support. You will never find Edhi sb publicly hand over support cheques to people in front of media like our ministers and President and PM would do. He is not after false fame, he is doing it for the sake of personal satisfaction and as a duty assigned by our religion Islam to help fellow Muslims. He is running such a huge set up successfully primarily cause of one reason, his personal and his team's commitment to help the needy with out any personal gains in mind.

Can he be the role model for our politicians and for people from all walks of life in Pakistan? Such a humble man that you can not believe that this is the man who achieved so much over the years and still call it an effort to be of any use to the people of Pakistan's general welfare.

People Like Edhi sb, Ansar Barni and Asma Jahangir should be our role models and leaders than any of the present around. We all must rise above the sky to join hands with people who know how to support a social welfare and equal justice for all cause to make sure our country reflects a picture of true Islamic Welfare state.

My personal salute of admiration and respect to Edhi sb along with a salute from writers

of TPSfor the wonderful care and love he has extended to millions of Pakistanis over the years and my request to the ruling class and law makers, keep people like Edhi sb always in mind while enjoying all the luxuries of life at Nation's expense. We dont make dams (Kala Bagh Dam pending cause of the conflict of interests of Politicians, no body is analysing its benefits to the common man) to reduce the cost of electricity for masses, we dont encourage support to small scale business operators improve house hold income, We spend less on education cause politicians could rule only at the ignorant and illiterate people who are caught in the worst feudal system of the world. Our history has never seen so called elites to be answerable to the inhumane treatment given to Harees, Kissan, Muzaraah, brick factory workers, textile mills emoployees etc.

We need people with selfless devotion like Mr. & Mrs Abdul Sattar Edhi, to lead us through the difficult times and run the government like missionaries spirit. Media should project people like Edhi sb alot of print and electronic media so that people get motivated and serve our Nation with out having monetary benefits at the back of our minds.

Enemy with in our lines already!

2009-07-06T00:57:00.000-07:00

A lot has said and written about the Government's decision to invade the northern areas after getting a green signal rather the imposed pressure by Americans. Our leaders have shown a very short term approach to the problem. Recent alarming news of presence of Non-Muslim militants who were caught there during Operation Rah-e-Raast. Our leaders are sitting at Laurels and doing nothing about it despite having the solid evidences. Where as India threatened us with out having solid proof and commented before International Media that they will strike these terrorist elements in Pakistan if they have and their war planes did come in side Pakistan to show their intentions.

Indian Presence in Afghanistan is primarily cause of the reason that Americans and Indians have one agenda: to gradually bring Pakistan to such a position that it can not survive the on slaughter of terrorism and can also fight Indian Agrees ion at the same time. It is evident that CIA and Raw have joined hands and Indians are for sure involved in providing training and weapons to Taliban. Now we reserve of first strike on Indian Military bases in Afghanistan as they are supporting the Anti-Pakistan elements from there and to save our sovereignty, we must strike them out of Afghanistan.

We are not doing it cause we fear American aid would vanish, America is aiding us to facilitate destruction of Pakistan by parting with India. We are providing Nato forces a route to send supplies and weapons that are being used against us as there are also distributed by Americans and Indians to Taliban. We are sitting silent, counting our good days, look at leaders they seemed to busy in getting their hands on the resources available to them. Every body wants to be in Power so that the left over can be looted in our country. Mosad, Raw and CIA have got only one vision, to destroy Pakistan's ability to defend itself. America needs an entry in Pakistan for obvious reasons, it’s using India as well and when the purpose will be fulfilled, Indians would be no more needed.

China could be Pakistan's only hope, but we are counting on USA despite the fact that China has always come to our help and Americans have always abandoned us in the hour of need. If it is evident that we are surrounded by the enemies from all ends, our leadership, Armed forces and the people of Pakistan should fight like "Cornered Tigers" to make our way out of this and make every attempt a total failure which is designed by the Americans and Indians to destroy us as a Nations as a whole. But that step needs courage, courage from our leadership which is Prime Minister and President as our Armed forces are under direct command of these two dignitaries. If the end is in sight, we would go down in the history fighting hard against all odds, but what’s the history of leaders, they have contributed a lot to the efforts of the west to keep us in Turmoil.

Its time for our leadership to wake and come out of a phobia that every thing is all right. All we are targeting right now is to mis-use and abuse the powers we have in hand, as a Nation and as an ordinary Pakistani; we are fed up with this attitude of government. Pakistan is in Problem, none of the allowances and privileges of Ministers are taken. In order to reward all the parties supporting government, three new ministries were formed with an initial expense of Rupees 60 Million, Ministry of special initiatives, Ministry of live stock and Ministry of Postal services and in the current budget a heavy amount of a multi million expense is reserved for these ministries so that the ministers could enjoy.

We have internally displaced people in camps in all provinces and a lot of militants in disguise have entered main stream cities of Pakistan so plans of Americans and Indians have worked perfectly well to make grounds to make further damage to our state from with in while our Army will be engaged at the northern areas. Thanks to low IQ level of our leadership to fell in to the hands of American pre-planned destruction initiative against Pakistan. An all-out attempt to weaken Pakistan’s economy, internal security and to lower overall morale of the masses has successfully been triggered and looks at us we are fighting amongst each other to have independent states etc a state with in a state concept that could wash out our hopes of national consensus and integration. An the irony of the situation is if Allah forbid, some thing happens to Pakistan, half of our leaders would vanish in hours to lead a luxurious life in any part of the world with the money looted from Pakistan and being by the Americans to look after American interests in Pakistan.

We need to live like a Nation who knew how to keep its pride and honor, our leaders could always be ready to be available at sale when the price and environments is right, but we are not! We as a Nation would go down in History as a nation who fought for their existence even if we had corrupt leaders so that history would remember us a strong nation and our leaders will be remembered as traitors.

Our social and economic system is favoring the people who have means to play with the available resources. An ordinary man daily goes out to work as a farmer, laborer, Mason, Auto mechanic, street hawker etc with out the assurance of work which could give his family a chance to eat twice a day what to talk of basic human rights of shelter, justice, health etc. Where as our Leaders are deliberately allowing the militants to enter all major cities knowingly that its a wrong decision but they need foreign aid for a self made unstable Pakistan so that they can mis-use the funds and loans available for the people of Pakistan.

Despite having the worst economic and political scenario, we are not declared by the Americans and Europeans as a favored nation so that our exports could go as duty free to these zones, again a serious effort is lacking on our governments part. Our surroundings are giving us a very gloomy picture but we as Nation should fight our way out of this mess on our own, our leaders apart from Quaid E Azam, have never been sincere with us so why clinging to the false hope. We loose hope so quickly, we are still better off if compared to Bangladesh and India.

We are a great Nation being led a totally selfish clan of people who do not believe in human rights, religious norms, social taboos, social welfare, justice for all with out discrimination, respect for women and their rights and above all dont believe in making Pakistan a true Welfare state. Their religion is "POLITICS" and their faith is "MONEY”. My final message is that if we see corruption at the very top level which includes our leaders, politicians etc, we need not to lower our moral and integrity standards by become corrupt ourselves. We have to reject them as our leaders and a time has come that we start finding leaders with in our self to replace the current lot of scavengers. We will not allow hand full of terrorist elements backed up our enemies to get control of our beautiful land. We should send the so called leaders out of Pakistan who are on payroll of our enemies, there is no such place for them in Pakistan, they can face Pakistani law first and if found guilty should leave us for ever along with their families.

Am looking forward to see a final countdown action by our Judiciary as our nation has proved its worth by not bowing down in front of Military and civil dictators to restore Judiciary in a hope that our law is the supreme of All and law enforcers will use this opportunity given by the Almighty Allah to bring every body to Justice but as of today we are not expecting the pace and tone of events the way it should have been after restoration of Chief Justice. Our last and final hope is our Judiciary and if it’s also given a sleeping pill than only Allah can save us from the after effect of blunders and crimes done by Musharaf first and now Mr. Zardari. We need an answer to innocent killings at laal Masjid and now in the northern areas. Our leaders feel safe inside the bullet proof cars, bomb proof residents, hundreds of armed men surrounding them when they go out side but they have forgot that when Allah listens to a single prayer by any person who is pain and agony, it could become end of days for even strongest of the leaders. Alexander, Hitler, Mussolini, Lenin, Napoleon all went down cause they thought they could do any thing they wish but they never knew what’s in their fate despite they thought they are making their fate with their own hands.

A Pakistani big shot with a real Fortune Teller!

2009-07-04T03:58:00.000-07:00

We do like to go to fortune tellers and Palmists whether we belive them or not.Lets create a hypothetical dramatic dialogue situation.

One such Pakistani big shot having indutries and banks went to a Fortune teller who had training at CIA head Quarters and was a former President of Pakistan as well but sitting in a disguise of a fortune teller to hide his Identity. Whats happened then is briefly decribed, P.S: FT would be used for Fortune teller and PK for Pakistani.

Pk: hi how are you today? (shake of hands)

FT: you are Pakistani for sure.

PK: well how do you know that? You are some kind of special fortune teller tells people about their Nationality with mere shake hands.

FT: No no, your hand smell like Lahori Broast!

PK: yes I had broast but it was not Lahori.

FT: so why are you here?

PK: I dont know, you know even our President Musharaf did know why he was President he was there for so many years. I want to know about my future.

FT: your future is still dark.

PK: yes I know, am a coal mine worker.

FT: you seek love desperately in your life !

PK: yes you are right, I have 12 kids and am planning to have 13th in near future.

FT: What are you a Pakistani rabit?

PK: No No this is the only entertainment an ordinary Pakistani can afford at the expense of his Inlaws

FT: You will win a lottery.

PK: Shut up no more lotteries

FT: why?

PK: last time I won lottery a guy came to me and said: Mr. Zardari wants his share. I asked how much in %. He replied 100%.

FT: Your wife will leave you?

PK: AAAHa you mean she will die delivering 13th child

FT: No she will be jailed after killing your girl friend!!!

PK: Equally good boss equally good!

FT: I can turn things in your favour.

PK: how?

FT: I know majic as well

PK: hahahaahaaa majic, no body knows majic better than us Pakistanis, we take loan we dont return it, we make banks silent with one call from PM secreteriate, we earn money but revenue deptt cant find it, so we dont pay tax, we do crimes, no body notices it and even make criminals as head of states hahahahahaa what majic you are talking about.

FT: what if a 200 million $ loan is sanctioned to you through my majic heee heee hee!

PK: now we are talking business not majic! what would be the condition

FT: I get 180 Million and you get 20 million US$, dont worry about returning the loan

PK: now you are not talking like a majician, you sound more like our President Zardari.

FT: Yes or no! make it simple

PK: yes yes who hates enjoying luxuries on free government loan.

FT: Am giving you a tip for business, but it wont be free

PK: I know I know corporate majician, whats in it for me?

FT: buy ware houses and buy wheat to be stored in it with half of the loan money?

PK: what would I do with that quantity of wheat?

FT: We will generate artificial shoratge of wheat by exporting/smuggle it to neighbouring countries to our people and then get it imported in to Pakistan on cash against documents and make our money 10 times. Not to mention that I will get the 80% of the profit.

PK: you are not a fortune teller by any means, you are a habitual fortune maker, you have any other project in mind?

FT: I want to offer you a job?

PK: Am chairman of the biggest industrial and banking group, do I need a job?

FT: Yes you badly need a job for 6 months or a year contract, it would be very beneficial for you.

PK: are you making me president of Pakistan, thats the only way I can make trillions in 6 months

FT: No No, there are even better ways to earn trillions and no body would notice even?

PK: and whats that?

FT: We will make you Chairman of PIA and CAA, and that can change your life?

PK: My son remained chairman of PIA but it never changed his life rather our business suffer as he was spending more time on PIA rather than our banks, so I asked him to quit. But would you get me that position?

FT: You should know by now that am well connected?

PK: so what do I have to do by being a chariman?

FT: Ground your jumbo jets sell these to a country I tell you and ask quoattions from companies I tell you?

PK: haaah haaa ak aprt from 20% profit what would I get after buying jets at a 40% higher price I guess?

FT: You get un-limited travel for you and your family and ten persons that you recommend. All first class and as a chairman hire as many of your friends and relatives you wish, give procurement tenders to your known people MTV enjoy!

PK: sounds fun!

FT: Yes it is

PK: What if I get caught?

FT: My friends in USA will help you in any case you will not get caught if you play smart, even if you do, my friends in USA will launch a new law and get you out, do you think NRO was Musharaf's idea, it was my bosses in the USA who wrote it in the first place.

PK: what about opposition and party in power, they will certainly interfere.

FT: No they will not, they report to My USA friends through independent wings, these idiots think that they are the only trustworthy allies in Pakistan for USA.

PK: Even the religious political wings?

FT: Yes they are but through a separate wing in USA

PK: the more I learn about it the more I get excited.

FT: Nothing more exciting then the gathering all the wealth in the world, we will be monitoring you, if you perform exactly as per our presentation, you could be next president of Pakistan

PK: you must be kidding, hows that possible.

FT: if My friends in USA can take out a person from Jail, use NRO to make his record clean and removed the necessary hurdles one by one and made him cureent President of Pakistan. We have the power we have the Gold and money hee heee

PK: you have the necessary power and the money and we have the required to sell our faith if the price is right!!!! I must thank my friend who asked me to see you.

FT: no need to thank him, I asked him to send you to me. We keep on looking for flexible people who are having strrong financial or political back ground. You friend is our strategic partner for ten years.

PK: but he is an industrialist, makes life saving drugs and very religious man.

FT: but he is felxible thats why we gave him a license and investment support to run an Amercian Phrmaceutical company. My Amercian friend are real fortune tellers and you, me n your friend are fortune makers. A banker becomes your Prime Minister and wins election from a city called Attock that he never visited, it happens all you need is people of similar thought process and of course flexibility.

Its a hypothetical dialogue by two fiction characters created to visualise how some of us befreinds with the enemy of the state for own vested interests and leave the country before found guilty and leave millions of Pakistani suffering, struggling and crying in agony. The above dialogue is hypothetical but the fact that our leaders have become tools to our enemies to facilitate their negative intentions against us. Even the history speaks for it self, we have been let down by our own people with in our ranks who sold their faith to the people with good price, you start from losing governments in Spain, Turkey, Sub-continent etc, we have certain people always available in the past and its number is certainly grown up. I have studied economics while doing masters in business administration, from a person whose Dad remained head of the most strongest religious party, but his son and my teacher had schooling, college education and then PHD all done in the USA. Where as his dad is famous for his anti-american slogans.

In the past it was difficult to trace such persons and organizations who were running their operations from funding of Anti-Pakistan and Anti-Islam elements/countries. Now with awareness and independent media and resources like internet, we can tell a traitor from a true Pakistani. Analyse a sudden growth of a private TV channel which hired people at 3 times the salaries they were getting at PTV or other channels, elite columnists were also hired with an income proposal of their life time, what was all that about? West needed more flexible people and before that a massive brain washing of masses has already been done through talk shows, dramas, music etc and it has all been done in such a classy manner that before we started realising that its wrong, it was already too late. A mass struggle is needed from us all who could write and send a message across and who believe that they can not be made successful as already my country and my fellow country men have suffered alot cause of the traitors in our ranks in all segments and positions. None of the channels and political parties can justify their actual source of have huge funds at their disposal if an independent audit is carried out. This is how an un-equal distribution of wealth and resources is done.

Limited Opportunities for Ladies in a so called "Gentlemen's world"

2009-07-03T01:25:00.000-07:00

The first major change that was brought forward by Islam was to give equal rights to women to excel in life. Their rights as a daughter, wife, sister and mother are clearly mentioned in the Quran. Despite that we see as an every day news that women beaten up, tortured and denied basic rights by the men and women who are well educated and sensible. Where are we heading? We desperately seek women's help in re-making of Pakistan as after more than 50 years of Independence, we are still an under developed nation. The fact on the other hand is that we never focused women to be part of a struggle to develop Pakistan. The success stories of Pakistani women are very limited but very inspiring to read, its their struggle in the so called Men's world which always creates hurdles, troubles and frusteration for women.

We are a society with dual standards, we take pride in being Muslims but we cant fulfill our duties as a Muslim when it comes to giving women the rights our religion gave them. Its still the unfortunate like the dark days before Islam that still people repent having a baby girl which is regarded as "Blessing" by our Holy Prophet may peace be upon him. We distribute sweets at the arrival of a baby boy and on the other hand we try not to tell any body if its a baby girl. No every body does it but majority is doing it which is alarming and disappointing.

So the discrimination starts for a girl from the day she is born, then she would face dicrimination again when separate facilities of education are being provided to her brothers and to her. As of today it is considered as waste of investment to spend on girl's education as more return is expected from investing in a boys education. Girls are normally considered to get married after their bachelor's or even before that and even if they do Masters and further higher education, the general opinion is that they will not continue studies after marriage or if at job, she will be a house wife.

The government is coming with a right of education for every girl, their target is primary education only, what about higher education? The answer is as confusing as our policies. We had seen a fresh air of change with Ms. Benazir Bhutto emerging as the first female prime minister of Pakistan, she was a lady with broader vision and excellent plans for the females as well. We saw launching of first Women Bank, more jobs for women, more respect to them and above all their representation in the national and provincial assemblies, we had further hopes from her but the most powerful lady in the history of Pakistan was so in secure in the men's World that after few attempts, she finally gave her life for a right cause, I dont have any political affiliations but I still admire Ms. Bhuto for her struggle againts the tides of time and evetually emerging as a winner. But she was not liked by the selfish and mean men, its a loss and an evidence to prove my point that when the most poweful lady in Pakistan is killed by a planned assasination what could become of a common women who does not have the strong financial and family back ground.

I was lucky enough to born in a family where provision of education was considered even more important for females. I have seen my sisters, cousins, aunts studying hard and then coming in to practical life and equally competing with the men and at times performing far better than the men. But there are only hand ful of families who consider it a TABOO to not to give equal opportunities.

We have seen a wave of awareness in the lower to middle class of the society in which females are allowed to study up till graduation and these ladies, its a good things but again they cant go for higher education cause they cant afford it, for that higher education comission should be given more resources to give away a lot of scholar ships or even easy loans with out mark up. Majority of the jobs being offered to females are either as front office executives, receptions, call centre operators, teachers, customer care executives and in the electronic media productions at various positions.

The hour of the need is that we give women more representation in the business sector, she should come up as an enterpreneur of a small and medium enterprise and gradually develop business to become a major company. Women are doing fabulous stuff on the fashion designing and its encouraqging to see varios brands establishing their presence in all major cities, there a few multi-talented ladies who run their own export houses. majority of the parents whose daughters have secured excellent grades in the academics, wants them to join the job or business sector, but they have the fear of the un-known called" Society". Unfortunately the Society in Pakistan is heavily dominated by the men who find it difficult to accept the fact if women are performing much better than them, so they try negative tactics which can includes harrasment etc. So at times the dedicated women even decide to quit jobs or shut down business operations in mere fear and frusteration. We as men have to decide now to give respect and breathing space to women who by financial problems or out of great zeal come in practical life with hope and standards set very high, we have to help them rather than creating hurdles in their ways.

The most stupid arguement I have come across so far is who will manage the kids and the family if women continue to work after marriages. My question is where it is written that its only a woman's task to look after the house. General view of the women especially the mother in laws think that a newly wed has to come n join their family and start working as if she is a paid servant, which is totally wrong and most of the men do not allow their wives to do a handsome job due to immense family pressure mainly mother and sisters. She has to be given a fair chance to pursue her dreams to work using the education they got. Some men's false ego will not allow her more talented and hard working wife cause they feel she will get freedom and limited reliability on him and might overshadow his presence. The success story of women often us that they were succesful cause they had a wonderfully understanding husband. I was seeing the other day Interview of a famous educationist, drama Artist and an equally good mother of his son. In the interview she said my husband was very supportive to such an extent that she does not have to worry about the cooking.

We have millions of talented ladies out there in Pakistan just waiting to get a helping hand to start their practical life through jobs or through businesses and play their much awaited role of contributing to the growth of Pakistan. They need assurances and real time support from us first and then the government. All they need is equal opprtunity to study, she is flying fighter jets now what to talk of any minor achievement. She has a world of opportunities befor her but she is afraid to enter it and even when she makes an entry of so called our world, she is pushed back by our biased approach towards woman to the world wheet where she has to look after her husband and kids and her husbands family as well and even if she is not married, she sits at home after completion of higher studies looking after parents and brothers and waiting for her turn to get married and suffer even a worst fate, which is to get used to expectations and demands of a totally strange family (if she gets married out side the family) and adjust her life style according to the her in laws (I call them out laws on the loose) requirements.

I know a lot of men would not take this article seriously, but there would be a lot more articles, news head lines, tv programs on Women rights, there would be a change for sure no matter slow but I will always be there to support them through my writings and discussion forums. I have two daughters and a son and I will go all ends out to provide them equally good opportunities for education and to join the practical fiedls they wish to. This is my toast and salute to all those daughters, sisters, wives, and mothers out there and the message to them is very clear, we would come forward to help them and not try to discourage them. Our changed resolution should be "Equal rights for women" for a change. Todays succesful women are equally good in managing home and office at the same time, its all about setting your priorities and managing these in the given time. All we need is a good healthy and care free working environment which only we can ensure but we always wait for our government to do it and our government remains too busy in other important matters like how to earn trillions in a day in the form of kick backs and comissions.

Life lines for a Nation that is almost forgetting to laugh!

2009-07-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

I have felt great deal of hopelessness, dejection and aggression in the posted articles at TPS which is quite natural in terms of the general mood of the people and the problems we all are facing these days. But life is not all about complaining and moaning, its about the having the guts of managing few smiles as well every now and then to reduce stress factor and encouraging interaction.

Every picture has two sides, lets go for a critical analysis of the current scenario with a little bit of twisted humor so that we let the people around us who are directly or directly involved in the overall deterioration of system and politics.

Lets start with our President Zardari, half of his name is ZAR which means wealth and cash in Urdu language so the old sayings of our elders seems correct "Names have an effect on one's personality" we can understand Zardari not only got hold of the share of wealth from his family but also became lucky enough to sit like a snake on Ms. Benazir Bhutto's money as well but now adays whole Pakistan Nation's money is at steak. Its strange the name Zardari is being used to hint on frauds and dishonesty and the phrases like emerge " Dont be Zardari, we are equal partners", Are you Zardari or what that I pay you with out any work completed yet", haa haa! dont tell me you are going to inform government about my frauds hahahahaa you really mean Zardari's government"

Lets come down to our good looking humble and soft spoken PA opps sorry PM Mr. Gillani. People describe him as PM of Multan and Lahore some say that he will come out of day dreaming and will become savior of People of Pakistan not not that of Mr. Zardari. He has passed time with Zardari sb in the jail as well so I suggest we start screening for our next President and Prime Miniiter from renowned Jails of Adyala, Mach and Lahore and bring the selected criminals I mean the candidates in a reality show or a quiz show Like Kon banayga PM or President, we cant name the program as Kon banay ga Crore Patti as its understtod that people could become multi billionaires after becoming PM or President. PM is an inocent man, he still says in his addresses to People of Pakistan that "he has decided", "he has ordered", "he has done it", "I have plans to go to", come on Mr. PM, we cant laugh at same joke every day we know its not you its Mr. Zardari's talent of Multi tasking through which he is running presidency and PM secretariat at the same time on profit sharing basis, profit sharing on the basis that one who gets all the work done, gets all the share, seems like a workable deal.

Normal sorry common man in Pakistan at time thinks that there are Million of Dollars and Mahsud's head, and if he could strike a deal with a good plastic surgeon, he could ask his family to present his dead body to Americans and America's Zardari to earn livelihood for his family which he would not have dreamt as an alive commoner. That Idea has to be kept secret other wise if Mr. Zardari would get a mere hint about it, he would get a surgery done on any of the opposition leaders and rest would be history.

20/20 cricket has given me the idea of getting marraiges organised for twenty weeks contract, if its workable for both parties during that time then a life time membership contract can be awarded. Pakistan is a strange country, a couple keeps on hating each other in the heart but tell each other and the people with in their families that they are madly in love ..... Folks in my books they are madly busy in producing children and then looking after them and each other half heartedly. There is no point living with a person you dont love for the sake of your parents respect and the care of your children. This 20/20 contract would be valid only with strict condition of no babies please (once they are willing to go together as life partners they would be allowed to have as many kids as possible on asap basis) Its a natural phenomena for men in Pakistan that soon afther their Nikah (signing of marraige certificate) all the other women in the world start looking far more beautiful and attractive, its like buying a new mobile phone and then repenting that if I would have a little more, a new sleek, stylish and more hi-tech phone would have been available at the same time. And once you try to get rid of your mobile or a newly wedded wife, chances are total loss of initial investment and the fear as well that both new models would loose their face value with in six months, cause of mobiles with limited warranty and wife with six months pregnancy.

In Zia ul Haqs regime, minister ship was an easy job, all you had to do was to "do nothing" Junejo sb did not like the idea, he asked ministers to not to spend money on luxuries and start doing work, all ministers worked hard to ensure that Junejo sb is no more a prime minister. With the Musharaf in government, Ministerhsip was more of a high street life style thing, a red carpet Catwalk of celebrities like ministers both male and famale wearing International and National top of the line brands and expensive perfumes all around the venue used to the national assembly session. This trend brought in the number contenders competition with in the likes of Sherry Rehman, Kashmala Tariq, Ms. Laghari etc to won the prime title of most attractive politician around, for that daily tonnes of make up material used before the final appearence from the ward robe of atleast 300 new labels according to the weather, occasion and nature of the meeting! Who says we dont have glamour in politics, politics is all about glamour these days, its never been about people's welfare atleast in Pakistan for the last few years.

Budget has always been a "Bad Jut" as it focuses on making the life miserable of the people already in misery and its not like the real legendry " Maula Jut" who had been a savior of the poor and another name of death to the eiltes who gather money by un-fair means. My suggestion is that before making the budget, the team reponsible to make the budget including the minister, should be sent to a two bed room house in Karachi's Kachi abaadi along with their families with Rupees 6000 a total budget to pay utility bills, run the kitchen, kids schooling, looking after parents and brothers and sisters and above all remain normal in 14 hours load shedding in a day. Then they would know how one mere change of couple of percent in price can effect rather make or break lives of ordinary people, No one is ordinary Allah has created every human being with some speciality and its our governement who has made them think of them selves as lowlifes. Thanks to NGO's and my salute to Edhi Foundation for their continued support and free help to the deprived people.

Talking of specialities, we have certain spoecialities that none of the Nation's posses. We have the speciality to auction the seat of PM secretly, we have the speciality to say yes to USA as long as we are not suffered, we have speciality to cover budget deficits from 20% of our population rest all are either not falling under the taxable income category or simply they dont pay taxes. We have a speciality singer she sings special dirty songs which make you hate all kind of music, so you dont buy buy audio and video gadgets, no cds n stuff and keep your expenses under control. We have a speciality in getting away even with murder what to talk of ordinary crimes with a special under cover law by the name of NRO, we were away from mainstream war front for quite some time now so our government showed a speciality to the armed forces, a special practice of war in which they will not only kill the terrorists in the northern areas but they will be free to kill our own innocent helpless people who are being used as cover by the taalibaans, the biggest speciality in us so far in Pakistan (of course after Zardari sb) is our selfish special attitude which does not bother us at all when our own brothers n sisters including kids are being butchered but we are happy enjoying life, buying a 3 million rupees price tagged car for girl friend, organising dance parties, planning summer vacations etc.

My genuine fear is that these specialities might result in a revolution which could be similar to that of France and Iran, if I discuss it with half sedated Politicians, they would say " Yes we are equally good like French when it comes to revolution stuff"

Now the ending notes on ex-Lord of the Kings "Gen. r . Musharaf" can some body please tell him to stop getting humiliated in the conferences like he was in India by a local Muslim Scholar who suggested his nose out of Indian Muslims problems. I would not go for a Million dollar to the country which is always rated by the biggest enemy of the state and get my self rediculed and degraded by every body and still thinking that people love to hear me. Musharaf can write a hot selling book of 10,001 laughing moments that would include excerpts from his lectures and speeches he delivered inside and out side of Pakistan during his rule and during the time he was ruled out!!!! (his previous book was also having 3 jokes per page so when it comes to good comic script writing Musharaf is the kinG in his tarde).

Yes we are a Nation brave enough to offer our life for our state and sensitive enough to comitt suicide if not given the due respect but apart from that we still enjoy good humour, we watch news at every channel dont we folks? We go out and vote the same people every election, we cant change our old car and an old wife but we expect bigger chnages in the country over night with out our participation and hard ships, we do wrong and we dont admitt it, we take bribe and we keep beard, we go out for Preaching of Islam and when we come back we export substandard goods across the world, we claim as leaders that we will live n die for the people of Pakistan but we run away with or with out suitcases on the very first chance we get. We try to live in people's heart by sitting in London to avoid criminal cases and funniest of these is the fact that we tell people that we are your President and Prime Minister, Chief Minister, governer etc of Pakistan, but we serve American interests.

I dont know whether you end up laughing or get more depressed reading above but we have to go for a collaborative effort to fix things and attitudes back to normal before its too late. Is not it too late already?

Accepting mistakes and learning from these for future!

2009-07-02T02:46:00.001-07:00

In an overall analysis of us all as a Pakistani Nation, it is evident that do not have the moral courage to accept our mistakes and making sure we do not commit those in the future.

It gives me tremors and a haunting feeling when its been highlighted by our own media that "We are the 2nd most corrupt Nation in the world" this is one statement that should not let us sleep till we start doing some thing about it as a Nation.

Unfortunately this culture travels from the ruling class to the class which has been ruled for generations. We are not ashamed of what we do even if get caught, we will not accept our faults and mistakes and rather blame it on somebody else. This starts a chain reaction of further lies, further mistakes, further blame games, unrest and turmoil but no one ever come forward and be a dare devil to accept own mistakes and apologise from the people who were directly effected by it.

In my opinion, one could always save the face and the grace if the mistakes, errors, mis-judgements, mis-calculations in planning, not being faithful in relations, not being honest at times etc are realised well on time, accepted apologised and leave rest to the affectees.

Whats going on right now is a total reversal: A head of any corporate Giant, spends time there for couple of years and gives a tremendous blow to the organization just because of fact that he was not capable and was there as a result of a favor from some body in the decision makers, such a person knowingly disturbs the whole working of a set up and sticks to his or her job despite continuous failures cause he has the backing of the decision makers mainly government etc and and they are confident that no body could come forward and dare to remove him. What could have been a better scenario, a screening should be done if governments, political parties, associations etc want to reward certain people, it would be much better to hire professionals i-e, right man for the right job. This error over the error cycle continues until new government comes and an inquiry is conducted and even with out an inquiry the heads of organizations are removed and own people are placed. This is being going on for years now, I have never seen any government to accept its faults, I have not seen people to agree to mis-management of funds andhuman resources on their part, all I see them saying or writing that we did our best. This can not be changed as its our culture that we always tend to accommodate our dear ones and would always over look the fact that we need specialist heading different concerned set ups and not our uncles, friends are Aunts who dont have a clue what they will do.

When it comes to Moralities we rate ourselves as the best Nation as we are Muslims, here a question arises "Are we good practical Muslims or Muslims by the stroke of luck that we are born in the Muslim families in a Muslim State/country?"

Then why we have only example of a Minister (Sherry Rehman to be exact) to leave her minister ship on pure grounds of basic principles. Why do our leaders and ourselves wait till the level of humiliation that we are no longer required cause we are not good enough by any means. Why can we a Nation start saying "No" to any opportunity that comes our way by un-fair way before we make a mess of every thing primarily due to the fact that it was not our forte? Some people at times think they could every thing, they are masters of all trades and this over confidence results in a disastrous situation for them andmore for people around them cause their false ego will not allow them to step down or leave a hot seat and furthermore they are too ashamed to accept and agree to the fact that they have made a mistake in the first place to accept this challenge, if we step down by accepting our failure and make way for a proper replacement, we would be doing tonnes of favours to the people around us and the organizations that would have taken a huge dip in the growth graph.

We as a Nation are trying to hide away facts andalways tend to project our selves as the "Specialists" where deep down in our hearts we know that we cant do it. When we are a proven failure as a "Political Party" in the last few elections, we should realise that we are not "wanted" by the people, may be politics is not our cup of tea but we would not resign to this fact and would get our selves engaged in playing dirty politics. Similarly as head of states, certainly I would mention Musharaf who lost his respect and credibility even before realising its already too late step down and top of that never admitted his mistakes and left with out apologies to the Nation and made himself as an example of a leader who was self centred and selfish, brought alot of harm to the Nation.

People are of the view that we should let the democratic process go on, I fully agree to it but have a question to every body irrespective of political affiliations, religion, class and group "When the whole Nation knows that our leadership is not in safe hands or capable hands, is it worth taking a risk and wait for five years to let them do the damage which can not be repairable at all even for decades? Sensible answer would be a straight forward "No" but a biased and un-realistic answer would be a yes wait till they improve as the steak holders to the after effects of mass corruption are poor Pakistani public whose life is made impossible to live with every passing day. The leadership share,wealth and prosperity has always remained with less than 10% of our population and rest of the 90% our Nation has suffered with different variations of severity cause of the wrong doings of ruling and filthy rich class. Another argument that is being brought forward is that we are being elected by the people of Pakistan and we have heavy mandate and right to rule them. The answer is very limited or same choice being given to people in every election and secondly the voting is controlled by feudal lords, Political mafias, advantage due to lack of education of the masses, Elites as unfortunately votes are casted in peer pressure, in fear of people who feed the poor against looking after their fields, in fear of a political wing who make their life miserable if they dont vote for them and unfortunately a man who is so poor and have ID card, can cast his vote against one decent meal and a small amount of money as they are not bothered whether its Party X in power Party Y in control as their fate has remained same since independence and even got worst. In my opinion, the people who have more power and money and are backed up by the west mainly USA, are given the power and given a chance to retain it to the time they are useful for them.

I have not seen book of confessions from our leaders of the past, they all say they are Saints of very high category, if any one has not committed any mistake, what went wrong for us? Answer to this would go on with a blame game to previous governments and it would go on andon to previous rulers till the start of man kind with no body actually having the moral courage of accepting own mistakes and leaving lessons to the people who would come in our way.

Good parents always share their achievements and failures in life openelywith their children so that a clear guide line is there for them to lead their life after their parents are no more around to look after them.

We need to learn as an individual first to gracefully accept defeats, mistakes andfollies right from the word go so that the minor mistakes do not become blunders that could harm not only us but people around us and could lead to the total break down of any system on the whole. We always think the whole system and whole society is corrupt, which is a generalised view being used to not to take any blame or responsibility but I still a lot of people leading a successful life which they based on the principles of honesty and hard work and with an effort to go for a continuous improvement by establishing self checks and balances to mend their ways themselves before start highlighting it. One thing we are very good at is criticizing each other all the time with out our own life style's analysis. We are ordinary human beings and mistakes and misjudgements are a daily routine matter, I have learnt one thing from my parents and elders that a mistake should be accepted as soon as it occurs and a mind set has to be made clearly afterwards that it will be committed by me again. I have seen a lot of growth in my personal and professional life by amending or even withdrawing my decisions openly when I felt I might not be right here and have even listened and implemented a better idea/solution that even came from my juniors. There is no such thing as false ego, if we want to stick firm to our decisions we should be sure our self that its the right one and best suited not to me but to every one effected directly or in-directly cause of it. Why would Muslim Sufis and Saints would always go to seek further knowledge to other famous Sufis and Saints in distantareas? Answer to it is very simple, if better people are around who further improve our though process and bring more clarity in our religious beliefs, there is always a benefit of getting a further evaluation of what we do from the best of the best.

Its a blessing of Allah if we are brought back to track even after comitting sins/mistakes as alotof people spend their life time with out realising and accepting that its not right we are doing cause we are not in a habit to have a self check on in our system. Life can be lot more simple and easy if we start looking for faults with in us andnot in the people living around us, if we decide an idividuals to do a serious effort of being a good citizen and a Muslim at the same time, we could see a gradual improvement with in the society and we desperately seek "Improvement" after whats been going on andthe kind of stress we a Nation have already gone through due to it.

In the west, We have seen Presidents stepping down, ministers going home, CEOs resigning, players Quitting etc on very timely basis to show Nations that they have guts to accept their faults and have a will to get them replaced by the people who in their opinion or in majority of the people's opinion would be much better.

Why cant we find heads of states not being punished of they did wrong here in our country after independence? Answer is simple we never had will to make things transparent and social and justice system so active that it can not allow blunders that could change our history. We saw East Pakistan separation which resulted due to false egos and personalities clash, when no body realised that they are doing wrong, no body accepted it even that tragedy happened and we are on the verge of having such a tragedy again if we dont start realising mistakes and shortcomings even if we never committed them but we are now in a position to undo those.

May the God help us all!

Tolerance and Patience: Two traits we hardly find in us now.

2009-06-29T06:30:00.000-07:00

With an ever changing fast track life style and unstable priorities, its becoming difficult for us to tackle our anger, frustrations, disappointments, grudges and self created distances from others. Our society often reflects and present us a some what non-tolerant and aggressive people by nature. Although their are many contributors to it but the major weight can be given to social and economic injustice prevailing with in our country.

Our religions stresses on showing tolerance and patience to fellow Muslims and to people with other religions. Our Holy Prophet Mohammad (may peace be upon him) won the hearts of thousands ignorant Arabs and eventually got success in giving the world the best Religion: Islam. Through out his life The Prophet Mohammad may peace be upon him, tolerated disrespectful behaviour, harsh treatment, troubles and hardships cause of the Non- believers even at the City of Taif when he was asked by the Gabriel the Angel whether he should crush the Taif people between the two mountains, Our Prophet denied the idea and asked Allah to provide wisdom and faith to the city of Taif who were throwing stones and Garbage on Him.

We have to look in to this issue with two perspective, the first at personal level and then at the collective level as a nation and a society.

At personal Level we need to master the art of anger management by following teachings of Islam and our religion clearly teaches us how to control our emotions and get rewarded by the Allah at the same time as one of the Quranic verses clearly indicates " the best amongst you are ones who control their anger and wrath". We have been told by the Quran that" We have divided you in to tribes and clans so that you can recognize each other for Allah the best amongst you are the true Believers who avoid committing Sins"

Where as in the present perspective, we have fallen atrap to the west's strategy of Divide and Rule and we are punjabis, Pathans, Balochis, Sindhis and Mahajars first then Muslims living in Pakistan. After death of Quaid E Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Liaquat Ali Khan, our leaders tend to provide opportunities and comforts to the people of their own provinces or areas where they belonged to and often shown out of the way supports to people in an unjustified manner to create frustration in the minds of the people who were not looked after well by them.

Some areas and some people were ignored entirely when it came to equal distribution of wealth, resources and basic human rights which created an ever climbing wall between the people and their hearts. For instance, East Pakistan was ignored to such an extent that people were no longer to think of even to be part of Pakistan. People and analysts often think that a foreign hand was involved in separating East Pakistan from us, they could be 40% true but the truth of the matter is we ignored people of East Pakistan so badly that they fell an easy pray to Indian agencies which later one plotted the separation movement and supported it heavily with Arms, training and alot of cash inflow. We saw East Pakistan turning in to Bangladesh in 1971, but we learnt any lessons.

We saw again a huge drift between mahajirs (I think its even wrong to call them Mahajirs as they deserve more than us to be called as Pakistanis the way they suffered them selves along with their families and moved to Pakistan at the time of partition and even lost their beloved ones in mass killings of Muslims migrating to Pakistan in India and started their lives once again from scratch) Pathans have their own reservations, Balochis have their own view point, Sindhis want to go their own way, Punjabis think they have the biggest area and Population, they could do what ever they want. This resulted in a dangerous and up front violence backed movements by all above and later own it got a religious element in it when mass scale Shia Sunni killings were staged. Governments came, used resources for their own benefits and away they go. Each government upon its exit leaving Pakistan in a worst shape then before to the new government as far as the law and order situation, economic turmoil and social in justice is concerned. None of the leaders came forward to launch mass scale movements to unite Pakistanis. Politics was played on the basis of separates movements.

Whenever their is a grudge between two family members in the house, the elders who have the decision making power tend to bring both angry members across the table and listen to their problems and then give them a solution which is suitable for all concerned and before they depart they either shake hands or embrace each other to give a gesture that no hard feelings are there any more. Where as, sorry to say our political leaders nurtured these difference to run a sloppy shop of their politics and to increase their vote bank. We being a very sensitive and an emotional Nation, fell an easy pray to these manipulators and the our differences became more serious and grave in nature and brought us to a point of no return. Our mosques were used to fire out the negative thoughts about other sects rather than true Islamic preachings, our leaders played dirty politics and kept on using us for their own vested interests. Our leaders were influenced by the west mainly USA which eventually led us to a situation that west had control on each and every thing with in our country. More seeds were planted to spread hate and violence and when ever we were on the verge of reaching an economic recovery stage, out governments got topple, Dictator ship came in and we were back to square one even after so many of the efforts. Why cant we live together as a Nation any more? Why are we so angry and non tolerant to each other? why cant we stand truth? Why are we so weak to get in to the hands of enemy of Islam and state? Where are our famous trait of hospitality, friendship, care and providing shelter to the needy? Were we so bad from the word go, I guess not our all energy is being channelised by the mean leaders to use our resources and strengths against each other. Almost 65% of our nation cant read and write and belong to working class which lives far below the poverty level. These people are ruled by politicians, Feudal Lords and big shots like barbarian kings who not listen to the word "No" and want people to serve them as slaves. how can we change our fate once 65% of our population can not or dont have the wisdom to vote on their free will and understanding. They are kept back ward and illiterate for obvious reasons and we call our self an independent state whose more than half of the population is serving as slaves to the big shots who are under the direct command of governments and agencies of the enemies of the state.

In order to develop tolerance and patience in people you have got to give the basic rights of the citizens of Pakistan, they should get education religious and modern including science and Technology, they should be given equal opportunities in life, there should not be a major discrimination of haves and have nots in the society, our local and national governments should have the new faces from grass root level and there should be an end of few particular families holding the 80% of the wealth of Pakistan and are always in government in one way or the other, education opens new horizons, it helps people to listen to reason and allow them to give their own reasoning as well when ever needed, it helps them to follow their heart and mind when it comes to decision making, it allows them to come and compete in the main stream market offering equal opportunities to citizens of Pakistan. We should be able to offer them a system of justice which has the power to hang President of our country if found guilty, currently a minor crime by a person struggling to meet his both ends is not over looked and the person is sent behind the bars. We can not ask them to be patient and cool when a former President, yes I will dare to mention his name "Musharaf" gives easy money and easy life to all the top rated corrupt people in the most wanted people's list by the law in Pakistan but instead he got succeeded in giving them a legal cover of NRO to make them "Untouchables" Our judiciary is on a strange tone of silence on NRO and in my books silence means open support to this unjustified and unlawful law not created by the law makers, but a dictator himself.

So can I ask a person to show tolerance and patience whose son was sent in jail for stealing a bicycle where as people were set free to got to home and any where in the world under supreme protection of NRO despite the fact their crimes had to punished cause of the crimes serious nature and cause of the fact that Pakistani nation suffered alot. Can I ask a wife to show patience whose innocent husband got killed in a an operation against militants? Can I ask thousands of kids to not to weep and still love Pakistan even after their immediate family members are killed as innocents in order to wipe out militants? They dont have education and wisdom to explain it to them that their family members are killed cause we had to wipe out a major evil of talibans and their family members sacrificedtheir lives for Pakistan. We can not ask them to control their hatred and vengeance against our government and such remained alive left overs of the crushed part of our society become a helping hand to enemies of Pakistan who plan mass murdering through suicide attacks.

We are wiping one evil and giving a healthy birth to an other evil for our generations to come. We want our own identity, we dont want to be called as Pakistanis, we want independent states to mis-use the resources available to us and if it becomes well known to people that most corrupt and most wanted criminal's group is now leading Pakistan, the others who dont have the means to grab wealth with both hands, come up with an idea of their own state so that they can also loot the available resources.

Patience and tolerance is some thing that I dont see coming back to our Nation unless and until all convicts are brought to Justice, equal rights for all citizens, putting an end to elite class culture descrimination in which masses have to wait for hours in traffic for their Kings and Queens and their so called governors and chief ministers to go pass by with ease on the roads for security and protocol reasons. The law should be blind to all, its selective blindness destroys the over all out look of any nation in the world. West is surviving on just one thing: they have a very strong justice and social security system and we waste our time in bragging that our religion is better than theirs, we are a better society etc but we always over look one question: Are we following our own religion? Are all laws according to our Holy Book Quran? Do we understand the very spirit of the messages conveyed in our Holy Book? The answers to such questions will bring out a very gloomy picture.

The solution to the problem of a non-tolerant and impatient society is that we start focusing on our self as an individual and leave aside all political and religious differences and for a change start acting like a Nation which is not afraid to take challenges and can persuade its leaders to implement the uphold of the law and to provide enough education to start with to our deprived part of the society and above all open new avenues and projects in the areas which were neglected by all governments in the past so that an over all improvement is seen in the areas whose public was never looked after in the past. First we give the people their due rights and look after them in manner that is used to bring back the people who were not at good terms with you at all, actions always speak louder than words if we as an individual start giving each other respect and give each other breathing space to live life trouble free then an overall thinking of tolerance and patience can be evolved and can soread speedily with in our nation. We should learn to respect each others feelings, traditions, norms and life styles to make Pakistan a country that stands with pride on the face of earth as an Independent Islamic state with people living in it in peace and harmony from all walks of life, tribes, religions and histories.

The Message of Sufis and Saints and Our Younger Generation

2009-06-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

In our modern days life, parents are finding it difficult to teach and transfer religious and family norms to their children. It has happened in the last decade when the life became too fast and a speedy race to improve life style and status by the people which has made them lost focus on the good up bringing of their kids. In my opinion children living with their grand parents do know a lot about religious norms and family values than the children living away from them. Secondly, modern technology has brough in its own evils, we have seen a great decline in book reading trends in kids than what was there in our school days cause now the kids are more keen on play stations, Nintendos etc and spend more time on internet. parents have decided that their role is to get them in to good schools, feed them well, give them all luxuries of life and their responsibility is over. It does not end here, we are responsible and answerable to alot more than that.

I still remember my parents and grand parents in my childhood were very keen and concious to have me read the good books especially on Islamic History and life stories of our Sufis and Saints. Kids at my age those days used to enjoy reading "Saif Ul Malook" Dastaan e Ameer hamza" Dastaan Eeeman Faroshoon ki by Dr. Anayat Ullah, Books of Nasim Hijazi, Life History of Hazarat Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jillani rehmatulla Elaeh, at little younger age magazines like Taleem o Tarbeeyat, Nonayhaal etc. The reason of making us read these books at that time was to have us thorough knowledge about basic manners, how to behave in public and in front of guests at home, basic know how of Islamic idealogy, respect of elders and love to juniors, how to maintain hygeine around us, offering of prayers on timely basis, a disciplined life by following a daily activity chart set by parents, table manners and a lot more.

The messages in the books and the stories told by our parents and grand parents about the Sufis and Saints were how to be a good Muslim, how to serve parents and elders, respect for others, minding self respect by doing nothing wrong, work and study hard, emphasis on out door games to develop physical fitness and team spirit, performing religious duties, how to interact with elders and friends and many more guide lines for us to be a good human being.

I have read alot of books that are being taught at school these days till fith grade, these are also good for character building but in absence of parents effort on kids to make them realise that the messages given in the books are useful for their life ahead, kids take these books a mere reading to get a good score in exams and very few of the kids realise whats the real message in these books.

In the past in an era when Hinduism was touching its peaks, Mohammad Bin Qasim changed the very face of the outlook of the Sub-continent by exposing people to the teachings of Islam. He was quite successful in attracting the struggling and crushed class of Hindus towards acceptance and embracing of Islam. After Mohammad Bin Qasim we see a series of Sufis and Saints who were spread across the sub continent busy in preaching Islam through lectures on Islamic Principles, Poetry and books to give out a message of hope based on euality, justice, no gender descrimination and peace and harmony in life. The biggest motivator was rights of women clearly defined in our religion where as women were having toughest of times in those days being a Hindu, traditions like Satti were common at that time and there was no charm for women in life but these Sufis and Saints of various schools of thoughts highlited as Silsilla e Naqhbandia, Silsilla e Qadria etc did a marvelluos effort to bring people close to Islam and eventually getting huge success in turning a lot of non-Muslims to Islam.

I would strongly stress that there is a need to develop short stories in an intersting format both in English and Urdu about the life stories of these Saints and these should be included in our curriculm and should be taught to kids before they reach the fifth grade and in senior grades they should be offered in depth studies on the life styles of the people who have made it possible for us today to be Muslims first and then having an idependent Islamic state in the heart of the land which was dominated by Hinduism.

The basic personality of a child completes with in first few years of education and these years are very critical, a special attention has to be given to them by the parents at home and teachers at school. Our kids should know who are we, what were our roots, how difficult it was to have this home land, how following Islam can bring positive changes in our lives, how good is for them to study and read life stories of Saints and Sufis to develop tolerance, forgiveness, discipline and humble attitude in their lives to be good Muslims and very good citizens of Pakistan.

The real fortune that we would leave for our kids in future is to make them straight forward inn dealings, fair in relationships, hard working by nature, caring for parents and elders, loving to juniors, a good and solid education, make them a practising Muslim, broaden their horizon of understanding through teachings of Islam and the Holy Prophet Mohammad may peace be upon him, His companions, Muslim Scholars and saints and above all make them a good human being in terms of day to day dealings with people around them.

Unfortunately we as parents of this generation have lost our focus to maintain a balance of providing good education and luxuries of life. On birthdays we give them play stations, computers, expensive toys, branded shoes and clothing but a very few of them would present a good book to them to read and learn good lessons. When I was a teenager, my grand father would always give me good books as presents/gifts and once I used to finish reading these books, then my grand father will have an open discussion session with me to describe the lessons I got from reading of it. Reading enhances analytical skills, gives fresh ideas, develops good parts of personality traits and above all develops a clean and constructive thinking all these develops good personality traits.

Its very important for us to let our children know who are we? who are our heroes, what should we follow, what should be read and what does it take to become a good person. In my humble opinion it will be far better than getting involved in cat n mouse chase of gathering wealth and thinking that tonnes of money, houses, plots, plazas, gold and diamonds can make their future secure. Our foremost duty is to give them the best possible modern education backed up by religious education as well and we should stress on our kids to read the translation of the Holy Book Quran so that there should be no ambiguities and confusions in their minds in terms of knowing whats the guide line given in our religion in coping certain issues and problems. We need to make them tolerant and practical Muslims who would run this country by taking pride in their religion, The Holy Prophet's may peace be up on him teachings and the good lessons they learnt from study of life styles and books of renowned Muslim Scholars, Sufis and Saints.

I dedicate above effort to my Grand father Mian Karim Baksh who guided me a lot from childhood to what to read and write and enlightened my horizon of understanding the basics of Islam and helped and guided me get success in life. May his soul rest in peace. Amin!

The role of educated women in Pakistan's development

2009-06-26T00:38:00.000-07:00

We look at the history and our religion, the women were allowed to do business and they were quite good at it, biggest example is Hazrat Khadija (may peace be upon her) the first wife of the Holy Prophet Mohammad (may peace be upon him). The role of women in country’s development and rapid growth is simply can not be ignored but the fact remains that their potential is not being fully utilised in Pakistan as yet.

Women in Pakistan are expected to adopt the role of a house wife and to serve the whole family. I have seen alot of talented, highly educated ladies who could become very good entrepreneurs, are spending their time in managing the house and the family despite their strong urge to set up their own businesses. The reason comes out as usual “they are not allowed by their families or husbands”

I consider that violation of basic human rights that our religion gave the women 1400 years ago. The man’s ego wont allow his life partner to earn equally or more than him. The in laws think that a women’s role is just to look after them. Come on folks! she has a heart too, she has her own dreams which she always put aside to play her role as a house wife. In my opinion women are far more better than us in time management, they are task oriented, better and multi tasking and far better in communication skills if they have a solid educational back ground. They manage kids, manage the house, look after her husbands parents and at times whole family, she manages the routine house hold, she is very good at budgeting and savings, very good administrator, very good at handling stress and pressure, good in convincing through logic and above all very patient. So why waste such a tremendous talent?

If we go through the statistics, nearly 65% of the female doctors dont do jobs after their marriages, 80% of business graduates sit at home after marriage, not even 10 % of the educated women are entrepreneurs and running their own business on their own, their scope of jobs is always limited to teaching, customer care, call centres, designing, training and fashion. They need a fresh break as they could do far better than that. Men by nature in Pakistan are un-organised and dont contribute any thing to manage the house apart from bringing the money to run it. The lady of the house needs his support as she works like a robot in a monotonous routine for years. Our Prophet may peace be up on him, used to do all chores at home by himself despite having more than one wives. But here in our society, the man needs his wife to get his house organised, his kids very well looked after, special attention to his parents, a nice clean and calm house, a VIP treatment to his friends and relatives, his ward robe organised, take care of family affairs, attend the family functions with enthusiasm, manage house hold from groceries to shopping for him and kids. If she could do all that why not try talents in her field of interest if she wants to try her luck in business or in a job.

I have met a lot of multi-talented ladies who are running big businesses excellently and managing their house equally good. In order to grow as nation we need their presence in all fields whether its education, IT, Telecom, Small and medium enterprises, Textiles, Banking, Health care, Fashion, Electronic and print media, HR and all other possible venues for them.

The biggest support they need is from their life partners who could convince their family members that they can do far better than what they are already doing provided given a fair chance to them to perform and prove their worth. They need to join hands with men to contribute to the over all growth of the country but for that they need equal opportunities in the jobs and assurance from their families that they can pursue their carriers in the way they want with out disturbing their family life. It is often considered that women who want to do job or want to set up their own businesses want an un necessary freedom and can be victim of modern society evils. But this is not the case, men have always kept double standards, they do things which they are not supposed to do in accordance with our religious norms and social taboos but on the other hand they would always build barriers and walls around women so that they can not get to know whats going on in the world around them and lead a life of a well’s frog! If men know how to carry themselves in the society so should be the women, its a mere dilemma that men always considered them the best in decision making and handling crisis but I have seen working women performing miracles in the work they do by adopting firm business and work ethics and above all cause of their natural ability to cope hard work and stress. It time for all women to stand up and speak for their basic living right and with their presence already in the national assembly, raise their voice to get his right to change the world around them which is wrongly dominated by the men. they have education, talent and a strong will to compete men in all fields of practical life. there presence should not be limited to certain agreed and determined fields by our society, they should be given a chance to pursue their dreams, earn their own livelihood, become less dependent on men who always use women’s dependency as their weakness. We need a rapid growth to have a strong stance against the overall economic turmoil in the country and across the world and for that we should allow women to come forward and join hands with men to be part of the progress and growth of Pakistan in the days to come.

Economic indicators suggest that life will be very tough in the coming years, a single earning hand in a house hold wont be sufficient to survive. Government can not always come to our support and if you talk of Pakistani governments officials and our leaders, they are too busy in making a life time fortune in the time they are in government and power, so realistically we should not be relying on them at all. men and women have to work together to survive in the coming days. Our society has already seeing a change where kids now work and study at colleges at the parallel to cover their education expenses and the next step would be the partnership of men and women to carry the burden of expenses by equal sharing. I would request all women with bachelors, masters and PHD degrees and doing nothing, to come forward and join hands with all of us. They are as much entitled as men to choose their destiny in life, its not correct that if they are married they lead their life on men’s dictation whether its right or wrong. Our religion allows women to work and earn with certain conditions which are not at all difficult to manage. Its a dilemma that we would hire the most beautiful lady we can in our office but we will not allow our wives to go out and work with a reason that our society is not good enough to allow them to work outside. What is the out side world for women in Pakistan, its a world full of men like us who should learn to give respect to women at the work place then the society would easily accommodate alot more working women. We should develop a working environment where all parents and husbands send their daughters and wives with out any worry and second thoughts to their work places.

Its not all about dominating women, it should be all about accommodating them when they already sacrifice each and every second of their life for our comfort and ease. I am positive that Women in Pakistan certainly deserve more space and confidence from us than they are currently getting. Its their life as well but we are currently trying to control each movement in their life like puppet masters controlling the moves and moods of a puppet but women are human beings not robots or puppets, they have likes and dislikes, they have ambitions, they have plans for themselves also, they want to get fame out of their work and business, they want to achieve success, they want to be treated well, they need an understanding life partner, they need us to provide comfort to them in life, they need their share in the progress and development of Pakistan, they need to be in the field of work they find appropriate, they need to equal chances to earn their livelihoods, they need to maintain their grace and dignity, they need a bunch of family members around them who show confidence in them and ensure their full support to let them see success in life.

But a society dominated by men in Pakistan is hardly doing it, they want the out side world of theirs a total secret to their female life partners, they dont share rather they snatch and impose, they heart feelings rather then boosting the Morales with encouragement. We had a female head of the state by the name of Ms. Benazir Bhutto, whos was miles ahead of all male politicians of her time in terms of courage, determination, know how of internal and external politics, planning for the betterment of the deprived people in Pakistan and above all had all necessary administrative and managerial skills to manage and run a government dominated by 95% of men. She was better than most of them, if we cant accept it we should have a look at the independent analysis of experts and specialists in the field who still rate her death as a huge loss to Pakistan and democratic movement here.

Can we be a far more open minded and realistic when it comes to possible good role of women in Pakistan’s growth? I strongly urge that its about time that we all do it.

Who will have the last laughs?

2009-06-25T21:46:00.000-07:00

When it comes to excellent comedy script writing, writing a comedy stage show or a drama serial we staright away think of Anwar Maqsood, Dr. Younis Butt, Haseena Moin, Mustansar Hussain Tarar and Munoo Bhai. These are the writers who have always given us clean and quality comedy to see on screen or in their books as well. Why are we lacking good writers in the present generation who could revive the drama craze in Pakistan. One could see good work from Jawad, Faisal Qureshi, Adeem Hashmi but its not up to the calibre of above seasoned writers.

The stuff we see on all channels is mere adaptations, and copies of the stuff shown on International Channels and with in Pakistan. Worst case example is Adaptation and copy of Dr. Younis Butt's famous program "hum sab umeed say hayn" shown one Geo and its cheap and substandard imitation being shown on Duniya TV in the program called "Miss Duniya"

As a nation under great deal of stress, depression, economic turmoil and above all under the threat of extremists militants, we need to see healthy and enjoyable comedy backed up by facts not the fiction. I have seen stress and fear of the unknown at the faces of people in the last few months, its due to the combined effect of increasing concern for the safety of their children and family and also the fact that its almost impossible to cope with the increasing inflation which makes their survival very tough or even impossible at times.

In my opinion media is not playing the justified role, they always show bad side of the picture and try to sell their time by creating a sense of fear, remoarse, loss, no hope and above all a feeling that nothing is going to get back to normal.

Its good that the truth is being told at channels but its always in the harsh and twisted manner. Zia regime was probably the toughest for people of Pakistan in terms of freedom of press and electronic media, but with the limited and checked and monitored resources great Comic writers came up with programs like Shosha, fifty fifty,tariq aziz show, studio 2, moin akhtar show, silver jubilee, aangan tayrah which made people laugh their guts out and for some time took their worries away from the day to day worries of life.

Now the situation is one channelshowing substandard comedy which no family can dare to watch and enjoy together and other is issueing summuns that Pakistan's end is near. One would show dancing queen show and the other would show dead bodies of the blast victoms, one would praise government and the other would criticise governments policies up front.

Can the bigger names in the art of writing and making people laugh sit together and form a writers guild and aggressively produce series of programs who could actually force a family to sit together and watch these programs and enjoy to the fullest. Every thing which is being done now is based entirely on commercial basis, few good looking models and actors are gathered and are asked to perform on a third rate script under the worst of directions. We need to see the fresh works of Anwar Maqsood, Haseena Moin, Dr. Younis Butt and would request the come back of Bushra Ansari, Saba Pervaiz, Moin Akhtar, Omer Sharif, Ismail Tara, zeba Shahnaz Ashraf khan, Shahzad Raza, Behroze Sabzwari, Sohail Ahmed, Iftikhar Thakur, AfzalKhab (rambo), Sarwat Atiq, Marina Khan, Shehnaz Sheikh, khayam Sarhadi, faisal Qureshi, jawad bashir, majid jahangir, Farooq Qaiser (uncle sargam fame), Shoaib Hashmi,Naveed Shahzad,Arshad Mehmood, Shakil, Najib ullah Anjum, Naji Khan, Abid Ali, Shafi Mohammad, Zulqarnain Haider, Qavi khan and Fridaus Jamal to come n rock the TV channels though comedy serials stage shows etc, we love you all and admire your great contribution to make a Nation laugh in the past and present. All of them should team up with likes of Shoaib Mansoor, Qasim Jilali,Rahat Kazmi,Farooq Qaiser, Iqbal Ansari, Jawad Bashir, Sahira Kazmi, Faisal Qureshi, Marina Khan and Nusrat Thakur to start bring in the master pieces again in front of the TV audience. It has to be done on war footing basis, so that we learn to have a good appreciative laugh at a good piece of work of all these masters of their trade that I have mentioned.

We long for good, clean constructive comedy and also the true spirit of Drama that PTV gave us, back in all channels. Enough of sorrow, distress and disappointment around, its about time that we see a lot of fire works on all channels so that our Nation can re-learn to laugh and enjoy aloud despite the miseries and sorrows around. We suffering of Swat immigrants a lot, why not all above masters of the trait join hands and produce fund raising shows and programs for a change so that a visible effort is seen on the media for the people who have already suffered a lot.

We need to give the world a message that we are young at heart tough Nation who would always have the last laughs no matter what foreign elements try to take out living spirit out of our heats and Soul.

I salute all writers and artists who have always brought smiles on our faces, whether government recognise their contributions or not, they live in the hearts of millions of Pakistanis living in and out side Pakistan and Pray to Allah to shower blessings and bounties on all of them may live long!

President Zardari in Wonderland!

2009-06-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

His story starts after his wedding with the multi-talented leading political leader Benazir Bhutto. Before that people hardly new him, world media took that wedding a surprise as he was no where near the calibre of Ms. Bhutto at that time. Then he emerges as Mr. 10% in the local and international media cause of corrupt activities which really tarnished Benazir Bhutto's image across the world apart from Pakistan. Then came the series of corruption scandals, allegations and case filings in the court against him in Nawaz Sharif's rule and then in Musharaf's rule. A long stay at major jails of Pakistan.

Time changes, PPP and MQM strikes a deal with General Musharaf who wants to save his Presidency, there comes the NRO, all corrupts, criminals, law breakers, convicts are set free and those who were abroad were allowed to enter Pakistan as respectable citizens. NRO as of today stands as a biggest slap on the Nation's face and on the judiciary as well.

A twist of tales started for Mr. Zardari, Benazir is killed in a sniper shoot out and a suicide bombing just after addressing the people of Rawalpindi at Liquat bagh. All evidences were removed from the crime scene and then a suggestion was made to seek help of FBI. No FIR filed from Zardari sb.

A care ful and in depth analysis of the Benazir killing makes Zardari a sole benficiary of the situation. No wonder people blame him and his associate Rehman Malik for Benazir's killing, but of course no evidences were found and no cases were filed against them despite the fact it was highlighted by national and International press alot.

Zardari was a man who despite alot of time in jail got any kind of fame with in the Peoples Party or outside of it. He was over shadowed by Benazir Bhutto's personality who was respected across the world by Nations and their leaders for her leadership, strong hold on local and international politics and above all as a leader of the people who loved her alot not only because of her father Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto but for her own as she looked after the deprived people in Pakistan. But again, alot of analysts including me not totally agree to some of the decisions that she took. But again no body is perfect.

A total twist of fate occurs when Zardari sb emerges as elected President of Pakistan with a dummy prime minister Gillani under him. World media was shocked, Pakistani public was in distress but nothing can be done cause he was elected by the member of national and provincial assemblies who were voted by people of Pakistan. It was a total failure of our electoral process in which a known most corrupt and most hated person of Pakistan was given the seat of President. Sharif brother's initial support to Zardari cleared the way for him and he reached his ultimate goal of life: to become President of Pakistan which he would never have made it if Benazir Bhutto was alive. Thanks to people like Musharaf who gave him and others around Zardari a solid Cover of NRO and now we have criminals, convicts and most wanted people by the law with an absolute clean criminal record and ruling and looting us with the law watching their backs.

After death of Quad e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and martyrdom of Khan Liaquat Ali Khan, A series of corrupt leaders kept on ruling us along with elite class, industrialists, beuraecrates, fuedel Lords and from people who became rich over night by rulers special favours or from money gathered from un-fair means. 70% of Nation as of today after 50 years of independence comprises of "have nots" who struggle through out their lives to earn food for them and their family atleast once a day. Life is designed for have nots in such a way that they can not even spare an hour in their life to evaluate what the ruling class is doing to them cause they are in a cruel cycle of events called survival. How come they rise up together then and reject the acts of their ruling class and start a revolution. But our rulers are forgetting one thing which is the fact that when people decide to stand upfront against the corruption and lawlessness and un-equal distribution of wealth, then comes the french revolution, Iranian revolution, Russian revolution etc which can not be controlled by Armies even.

We have deliberately opened a door to destruction with in our own country firstly by Musharaf by Nurturing Talibans and now by Zardari to declare all out war against them on our own soil. This time enemy is not India, Israel or West, its we gainst our Muslim brothers in an Islamic country. I am not at all against the operation against the terrorists but the the thing that gives me tremors is the fact that with every militant six innocent civilians are being killed. Our leaders dont have a vision and common sense even, they declare all out war against Talibans after couple of hours meeting with so called dignitaries from USA, parliament was not taken in to confidence even. Parliament cant complain, they chose Zardari sb as their President. Are we not nurturing another generation of terrorists amongst us as the innocent people who are being killed in the north have relatives sitting in the camps, would they forgive government and us when ever they get a chance to strike back. Raw, Moosad and CIA uses such people for their own vested interests and such effectees are easy to brain wash and to use against Pakistan.

It gives me heart ache to see Musharaf roaming around in the world as state guest delivering lectures after what he did to Pakistan to prolong his stay in power. In my opinion he should be charged by the law in our courts for what he did at Laal Masjid and should be hanged till death with a tree in the same Mosque's lawn in front of public gathering so that none of the future leaders would dare doing any thing like it in future but who will bring Musharaf to the courts! may be we are awaiting angels from heavens to do that.

The life style of Mr. Zardari suggests that he is literally found heaven on earth along with people around him. We are using situation in northern areas to get more aid which can be mis-used once again. We are a nation under great deal of depression and economic recession still we spend billions on protocol, maintenance of presidency and Prime Minister house, parliament lodges, Presidents travelling, fringe benefits to members of assemblies and on the other hand we say that we dont have means to support effectess of northern areas, we deliberately show them in misery to world media like we do in Kashmir camps. Times are changing Mr. President, I see your stay as Mighty Ruler of wonderland of Pakistan, very limited or even over if you dont put your act together. You have seen one defeat of your stubornness in the judiaciary case where handful of lawyers made your life miserable, please dont wait for the whole nation to turn against you. The masses awakening is already in the air, all they need is a good and trustworthy leader to guide them through. We have already seen massive brain drain from Pakistan where educated and talented Pakistanis have left to other parts of the world where they might not get respect but one thing is for sure they will get justice no matter what and in another years time only those people will left behind who dont have sources to go abroad or who have decided to live in die in Pakistan, the heaven it used to be on the face of earth!

Nation is seeking answers from you Mr. President and from the law makers and the law enforcers, when would you take NRO back and all the criminals would turn themselves in. When would we see the full investigation report on Laal Masjid Killings in Islamabad and people responsible are brought to justice as well. We would not let any body to flee from Pakistan and sit in London and do dirty politics. Hats off to Imran Khan who actually tried once to bring culprits to justice even abroad but he can not be a one man Army to change our fates. Its time for us to become the leader and savior of our own self and focus on collaboarative effort for one common goal, restoration of peace and justice with out any discrimination of race, gender, status and religion.

Long live Pakistan! Our heaven on earth.

The quality and content of TV programs and their after effects

2009-06-24T05:43:00.000-07:00

There has been a change in our comedy programmes shown at various channels these days. Now they seemed more influenced by the western and Indian origin programs. Where are our norms gone which we established through programs like Fifty Fifty, tot batot, Show time, Studio 2, Moeen Akhtar Show, Zia Mohaeeul din Show etc.
These programs were for family, the dress code and script was not vulgar at all, the whole family used to enjoy it and there was a clear message in these of our religious, social and cultural norms and a very clean comedy style. We have taken a 360 degree twist, dress codes are vulgar which we now depict as modern fashion and styling and script is absolute pathetic and message less. Youth is getting spoiled and are learning to show dis respect to their parents and seniors, women is made a sex symbol and is being used as such even in serious talk shows. In the old days there used to be a censor board for films and TV which used to filter content that has to be aired, its no more there and we see programs which are not a true reflection of our society. A time has come now that we say no to such content to be shown on TV and launch an agressive compaign against it. Where is marvellous Drama that PTV used to show, we need dramas having same strength and message that we saw in Tabeer, Aakhri Chatan, Waaris, An kahi, Tanhaaiyaan, Samundar, Totaa kahani, fehmeeda ki kahani ustaani farhat ki zabaani and many more.
We are destroying our kids personalities with programs which could let them idealise dancing heroes and heroines as their ideals. We are an underdeveloped nation, we need an eduactional activity based programs which are in line with our religion and not in line with Indian Culture or English cultural depiction. A maasive chain reaction has started to destroy over all personality of our kids who have to run this country in an other 10-15 years and medias role in keeping the youth on the right track is more than ever needed now.
We cant teach our kids to redicule their parents and seniors and cosider "donts" as "dos". We need to make them tolerant and humble and not as arrogant fools who are un knowingly falling in a trap of west to keep them away from their roots. We cant enjoy vulgarity, non sense talks, ill comdey and promotion of western norms in our comedy serials and talk shows, we should learn to reject them in public and in private. We got to tell our kids that the stuff shown on TV is not what you are or your fore fathers were.
Why do we allow all Indian Channels to be allowed to shown and some of Indian programs being allowed to show on local TV channels. This is a mass brain washing of our youth and this is the biggest of threats to our existence than Talibanization, terrorism or enemies across the border and the world. Wake up time for our nation as its a do or die situation, scenario is already not very good but with our efforts at all ends we could save our kids to reach a certain stage of demoralization and corruption, a point of return is very near and we are waiting for our government and NGOs to do it for us. They cant help us, we have to focus on our individual house hold and start correcting things from our own home rather than condemning the whole Nation and the system. Our youth is not bad by nature it only needs good level of guidance and support from us all, we can bring them on track but we need to do it on war footing basis.
Change of focus is needed and matters that need immediate attention should be given proirity. We can afford to see few more governments not allowed to complete tenure but we cant afford to see our youth being made in different and immoral due to the culture being promoted by most of the channels who heavily rely on financial supports from invisible hands of the west.
A few more long marches needed to get us all to the point from where we started to be off track. Parents, teachers, scholars, media Giants, educational institutes, NGOs, welfare organizations, religious organizations, Armed forces, Private sector and every body should join hands to save our Islamic Identity which is the core to survive and to keep us intact as a Nation. Our leaders spend more time in critising each other and asking for charity of loans and aid from foreign world, they should take emergency steps to ensure our image of an independent Islamic state and to make our youth aware that we are the best nation in the world living in a country which was formed on Islamic Idealogy.
Our survival is in adopting Islam in its true of forms that can support our survival in the modern world and above all make our youth proud to be Muslims first and then Pakistanis. Talk shows highlight further division of Pakistan these days, nothing of such nature should be discussed even. The basic rights health, education and trade should be given equally to all citizens of Pakistan and it should be with descrimination of race, gender, tribe or a provence. Every thing has to be decided on true merits according to our religion. What better system do we need other than Islam our religion has already given us but we still look to western econometrics, social security policies and legal and justice system. What a pity we have every solution to our problems written in a Holy Book called Quran which we often lock it our cupboards and not very often refer to it when we need help, on the contrarary we call foreign consultants to tell us what to do after paying millions of dollars worth of tax payer's money!

Middle Management Employees in Textile Sector: The suffering of un-sung Heroes

2009-06-24T05:35:00.000-07:00

For over the last three decades, private sector is seeing remarkableprogress in the Textile sector with the help of highly educated,well trainedand devoted staff in the middle management.These managers and junior executives serve in the production,sales and marketing, procurement and IT divisions. 75% of themcurrently work with out any written contract or appointmentletter and are most of the times made redundent, fired andsent home with out settling any dues and notice pay. Why is ithappening? Simple reason: There is no law that covers hiringand firing rights and absolutely no law cover for middle and
senior management employees in the private sector. People are usedrather mis-used at textile mills and and when a short term benefit is gained
from them, they are kicked out of the company. It happens especially in
Punjab where most of the mill owners are not havingsolid educational back ground and came in to textiles afterselling their bit of agricultural land or use land as a guaranteegot loans from bank and set up an industry or some of themtry to convert their much gathered black money in to whitemoney by investing in textiles and putting up a modernvertically integrated textile set ups having spinning, weaving,
processing and stitching set ups under one flag ship company.
Now the culture of not giving employees their right has gone worst.NRO has proved that people can even get away with murder,frauds, crimes against the state, bank loan defaults etc andevery wrong doer thinks no body can stop him.
Textile sector is already under severe slump cause of over all
economic recession across the world. Down sizing is understable but firingpeople and not giving them their rightful dues is criminal act.How can a salaried person survive a month if he or she is not givenlast month salary, notice pay, gratuity or provident fund dues etcCan any body throw a light on that and ask law makers to ensurethe people who literally run Pakistan’s economy are not just thrownout on roads by some of the so called industrial tycoons. Not evry mill is bad, companies like Kohinoor Group, Nishat, Sapphire, Arshad Group Crescent,Bonero, Yunus, Liberty and few other the ones any senior managerwould love to work for. Rest all are almost the same, secondly when ever a senior manager reaches a verge of further growth, he is senthome with out any reasons and a junior person is asked to take charge.this is mere exploitation and mis-use of talent of middle andsenior level management staff in the textile sector who canchange the fate of companies if allowed to work on aprofessional manner. Secondly there is a so called “Mian Sahab” culturein which a mill owners words are final no matter what a professionalmanager says whether its useful for the company. These Textilemills CEOs or “Mian Sahabs” are the major source of decline in the textile sector as buyers across the world want excellent product backedup by timely updates on production schedules which some of theseilliterate Mian Sahabs cant provide to them at all. They cheat withtheir employees and also cheat with their customers.
Who is going to take care of this middle management staff inthe textile sector, they are experts in textiles and can be agood difference if looked after well by mill owners. But they aretreated like slaves and animals instead. A salaried person can noteven think of going agaisnt any big shot in the courts if he isthrown out of the company with out any good reason becase of thefollowing: -
1. No law to ensure each employee is given a contract at the timeof hiring.2. No law to enforce professional HR and Admn practices.3. No working body for these professionals which can fight fortheir right.4. Most of the indutrialists are sitting in government, they would make sure no law is made which is not suitable for them.5. there is no job pool available in this sector which can immediatelyadjust people in any other mill and unfortunately word spreadsvery quickly when a senior manager is fired and other mills tend toavoid hiring people who were fired from last jobs and they dont even to bother investigating why that person was sent home.
Its a great opportunity for me to use TPS plat form and high lightthi major problem which disturbs thousands of families every monthand government and media does not seemed to be much bothered about it.
Lets call this effort of mine a first step towards the restorationof basic employee rights in the private sector