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Posted by sharjil in PAKISTANIS LIGHT UP THE WORLD on July 17th, 2013
Some are Born Mediocre (Pakistan’s Rulers),
Some Achieve Mediocrity (Pakistan’s Elite-Jagirdar, Zamindar, Bureaucrats, & Industrialists)
Some have Mediocrity Thrust Upon Them (The Rest of 180 Million Pakistanis)
with apologies to the Bard of Avon.
By
Dr. Manzer Jamil Khan Durrani
Why have we become helpless gluttons for abuse by our rulers and a nation of mediocre thinking? That is a question that always haunts me. We pursue shortcuts in everything. We want admission in a good college, we look for a sifarish. We want a good job, we look for the right contacts. We want to sell something, we want a cut-throat price. If somebody does not agree with us, we want to bury them alive. The path of Critical Thinking , which our Prophet Muhammad(PBUH) embedded in his teaching is virtually non-existent amongst us. Debate, Mubaiyaisa, discussion, consensus, have no place in our decisions. WE have become our own biggest enemies and in the process, we are hurting ourselves and our future generations irreparably. We spend our days in pursuit of “Almighty” Dollar. Shirk is not confined to idols made of clay. Today, our idols a 8 Kanal Kothi, a Farm, a Bungalow in Pir Sohawa, a house in Murree, a flat in London, next to the international bhaand and Don of Murder Inc, otherwise known as Altaf Bhai, the money launderer. Throughout history,Pakistan (with a few exceptions) has been run by a conniving band of mediocrities; whose claim to fame is political thuggery. Look at the present leadership, Nawaz Sharif, he somehow got admission in GCUL(at that time in 60s, it was Government college,Lahore), through Abbajees contacts or povah. He took most of the chump courses in Arts and even at that could hardly clear English, which at that time required 33 out of 100 marks to pass a subject. But, Abbajees largesse was inevitable, Nawaz Sharif struggled through FA barely. Abbajee, the lohaar, did not know what to do with his least bright son. So, he chucked him into politics, the refuge for for n’er do well Jagirdars, Zamindars, Waderas, Sardars and a host of scoundrels coming out of the noveau riche vulgarian incubator called Aitchison College,Lahore. Now this man runs a country of 180 million people, I ask the question what managerial skills he has? He did not even run his Abbajees Ittefaq Foundry, which his elder brother managed. Abbajee again used his contacts in the military to get this chump hooked up with the dictator Zia-ul-Haq and the rest is history. Now, this chump wines and dines with great leaders like Xi Ping, whose resume of achievement is long enough to make Nawaz Sharif’s poorly fitting sherwani. How come Nawaz Sharif has a bewildered look, whenever he is photographed with a global leader, as if he is totally confused and befuddled. My generation which saw the birth of Pakistan has to suffer under 3 stints of this village idiot, Nawaz Sharif, whom I suspect suffers from Attention Deficit Disorder, as told to me by a Pakistani Nuclear engineer, who had the bad luck to give Nawaz Sharif, a presentation on the progress of Pakistan’s Nuclear Program . According to him, Nawaz Sharif never focused on such a strategically crucial briefing. Rather, he was more interested in his trip back to Lahore and was trying to have certain amenities when he arrived there, including a serving of cold badami lassi. Can such a mediocrity solve the monumental problems Pakistan is facing? If you believe that, then I have a Bridge in Brooklyn, N.Y., which I want to sell to you! May Allah Save Pakistan and Pakistanis from the sixty five year vise grip of intrinsically inept Mediocrities. Ameen
The Only Criterion From Allah (SWT) For Distinguishing Among Humanity, irrespective of race,ethnicity, and GENDER.
[49:13] O people, we created you from the same male and female, and rendered you distinct peoples and tribes, that you may recognize one another. The best among you in the sight of GOD is the most righteous. GOD is Omniscient, Cognizant.
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Ayesha Farooq, 26, Pakistan’s only female war-ready fighter pilot, poses for photograph as she sits in the cockpit of a Chinese-made F-7PG fighter jet at Mushaf base in Sargodha, North Pakistan June 6, 2013. Farooq, from Punjab province’s historic city of Bahawalpur, is one of 19 women who have become pilots in the Pakistan Air Force over the last decade – there are five other female fighter pilots, but they have yet to take the final tests to qualify for combat. A growing number of women have joined Pakistan’s defence forces in recent years as attitudes towards women change. Picture taken June 6, 2013.[Photo/Agencies] |
Posted by ali rehan munir in Defense, Pakistan Air Force, PAKISTAN BRIGHT FUTURE, Pakistan-US Relations, PAKISTANIS LIGHT UP THE WORLD, Shaheen on June 3rd, 2013
Story by Kenneth Stewart
Pakistani air force Air Commodore Shahid Latif Bajwa, a member of the upcoming summer graduating class, earned outstanding thesis honors for his detailed analysis of the intricate relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan, and its impact on the region.
MONTEREY, Calif. – Pakistani air force Air Commodore Shahid Latif Bajwa will graduate with outstanding thesis honors during the Naval Postgraduate School’s upcoming Summer Graduation Ceremony, an honor bestowed upon less than 10 percent of the school’s graduates and the first of its kind to a senior Pakistani officer.
“I’d like to acknowledge the immense contribution made by my thesis adviser, Dr. Carolyn Halladay. I hold her in the highest esteem, as a scholar and as a human being,” said Bajwa.
As a general officer in the Pakistani Air Force, Bajwa offers a unique perspective on U.S. foreign policy in South Asia. Prior to attending NPS, Bajwa spent three years teaching at Pakistan’s National Defense University, and credits his NPS experience with opening his eyes to different viewpoints.
“I received a different perspective [at NPS] … I have learned here that if you say something that is logical and makes sense, then it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from, people will listen and respect what you have to say,” said Bajwa. “I benefited from the faculty, comprised of accomplished scholars who have published in their respective fields and from fellow students that are coming from the field in Afghanistan … [And] they too benefit from the Pakistani perspective.”
Much of Bajwa’s thesis, “U.S. Security Cooperation with India and Pakistan: A comparative study,” details the history of U.S.-Pakistani relations over the last 60 years.
“The U.S. and Pakistani relationship is like a marriage, it has its up and its down but ‘divorce’ is always not the answer. There is no doubt that it is in both of our nations’ interests to pursue cooperation that is in our mutual benefit,” said Bajwa.
Through his studies, Bajwa painstakingly analyzes the regional effects of U.S. aid and military intervention in South Asia with special emphasis given to its effect upon the tenuous relationship between Pakistan and India.
“Much of what India acquires in terms of enhancing its military capability has a direct impact on Pakistan, affecting the security calculus between the two countries. This disparity would be further accentuated if military cooperation between Pakistan and the United States declines,” said Bajwa.
Bajwa describes in great detail the on-again/off-again history of the rocky Pakistani-U.S. diplomatic relationship and offers a Pakistani perspective on several complex security issues, and the global war on terror (GWOT).
“Through 2011, Pakistan has lost more than 3,500 security personnel in counter-terrorism operations and as a result of retaliatory terrorist attacks on them. The direct and indirect economic costs were upwards of $67 billion; the enormous social costs cannot be measured,” said Bajwa. “Despite all these sacrifices, doubts have been repeatedly raised about Pakistan’s sincerity in the GWOT.”
Bajwa expresses concern over the potential for weakening U.S.-Pakistani relations, but also offers recommendations and a road ahead on issues critical to both nations’ interests in the region. Bajwa contends that a successful U.S. strategy in South Asia should involve, amongst other things, “broad-based, long-term relations with two main stakeholders, India and Pakistan, keeping their mutual sensitivities in view.
“The United States should [also] invest more into the projects that directly benefit the masses,” said Bajwa. “USAID and its positive projection in the Pakistani media is a step in the right direction, but it needs further expansion. An internally stable and prosperous Pakistan would suit everyone in the region and beyond.”
Upon graduation, Bajwa will return to Pakistan where he looks forwarding to incorporating the lessons he learned at NPS in future leadership positions.
“When I go back to Pakistan and become a senior commander or a staff officer, the knowledge that I gained here will be very useful. I will be able to share a different perspective with my superiors, my subordinates, and fellow policy makers. What I have learned here will be put to good use for the benefit of my service, my country, and its valued ally, the United States,” said Bajwa.
Posted by admin in BALOCHISTAN-A RAY OF HOPE FOR PAKISTAN, My Scintillating Homeland, Pakistan's Beauty, Pakistan-A Nation of Hope, PAKISTANIS LIGHT UP THE WORLD, Roshan Pakistan, Sohni Dharti Allah Rakhay on April 21st, 2013
by admin on Oct 24, 2011
The British Parliament passed the Indian Independence Act on July 18, 1947. The Act created two dominions, Indian Union and Pakistan. It also provided for the complete end of British control over Indian affairs from August 15, 1947. The Muslims of the Sub-continent had finally achieved their goal to have an independent state for themselves, but only after a long and relentless struggle under the single-minded guidance of the Quaid.
The Muslims faced a gamut of problems immediately after independence. However, keeping true to their traditions, they overcame them after a while. Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was appointed the first Governor General of Pakistan and Liaquat Ali Khan became its first Prime Minister. Pakistan became a dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations.
The boundaries of Pakistan emerged on the map of the world in 1947. This was accomplished on the basis of the Two-Nation Theory. This theory held that there were two nations, Hindus and Muslims living in the territory of the Sub-continent. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan was the first exponent of the Two-Nation Theory in the modern era. He believed that India was a continent and not a country, and that among the vast population of different races and different creeds, Hindus and Muslims were the two major nations on the basis of nationality, religion, way-of-life, customs, traditions, culture and historical conditions.
The politicization of the Muslim community came about as a consequence of three developments:
While the antecedents of Muslim nationalism in India go back to the early Islamic conquests of the Sub-continent, organizationally it stems from the demands presented by the Simla Deputation to Lord Minto, the Governor General of India, in October 1906, proposing separate electorates for the Indian Muslims. The principal reason behind this demand was the maintenance of a separate identity of the Muslim nationhood.
In the same year, the founding of the All India Muslim League, a separate political organization for Muslims, elucidated the fact that the Muslims of India had lost trust in the Hindu-dominated Indian National Congress. Besides being a Hindu-dominated body, the Congress leaders in order to win grass-root support for their political movements, used Hindu religious symbols and slogans, thereby arousing Muslim suspicions regarding the secular character of the Congress.
Events like the Urdu-Hindi controversy (1867), the partition of Bengal (1905), and Hindu revivalism, set the two nations, the Hindus and the Muslims, further apart. Re-annulment of the partition of Bengal in 1911 by the British government brought the Congress and the Muslim League on one platform. Starting with the constitutional cooperation in the Lucknow Pact (1916), they launched the Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movements to press upon the British government the demand for constitutional reforms in India in the post-World War I era.
But after the collapse of the Khilafat Movement, Hindu-Muslim antagonism was revived once again. The Muslim League rejected the proposals forwarded by the Nehru Report and they chose a separate path for themselves. The idea of a separate homeland for the Muslims of Northern India as proposed by Allama Iqbal in his famous Allahabad Address showed that the creation of two separate states for the Muslims and Hindus was the only solution. The idea was reiterated during the Sindh provincial meeting of the League, and finally adopted as the official League position in the Lahore Declaration of March 23, 1940.
Thus these historical, cultural, religious and social differences between the two nations accelerated the pace of political developments, finally leading to the division of British India into two separate, independent states, Pakistan and India, on August 14 & 15, 1947, respectively.
COURTESY: PLEASE VISIT A WONDERFUL SCHOLARLY WEBSITE ON PAKISTAN: STORY OF PAKISTAN
http://storyofpakistan.com/the-birth-of-pakistan/
Grate Acknowledgement of Pakistani Photographer Muhammad Shoaib Tanoli
 
 Pakistan – The Coffee table book
A publication of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Govt of Pakistan   NORTHERN PAKISTANJust before Pakistan-China border  Northern PakistanA snapshot of some of my travels in the breathtaking areas of Northern Pakistan 12 years ago – the red line across the mountains is the border with Azad Kashmir. In fact, this view also takes in Punjab, the Islamabad Capital Territory and the North-West Frontier Province- four of Pakistan’s eight provinces  Pakistan through my eyesPardon me for making another mosaic collection of my photographs but I just couldn’t help it. Having photographed Pakistan especially Islamabad-Rawalpindi (where I live) extensively I have come to appreciate everything about Pakistan- and I have found beauty in them- from Pakistan’s sunsets to landscapes to architecture to remnants of British colonial buildings to a weather-beaten tap to a single dew on a plant- and especially culture.  Karachi Shoe Shop- PakistanSaleem-Shahi Sandels/Shoes at Hyderi Market Karachi Pakistan
 PAKISTAN MILITARYPAKISTAN MILITARY Khurram Gardezi
 Pakistan MapPakistan Map at Wagha Border Lahore.  Roots (Mountain Nanga Perbat, Fairy Meadow, Pakistan)My Beautiful Pakistan. Roots (Mountain Nanga Perbat, Fairy Meadow, Pakistan)My Beautiful Pakistan.
 Pakistan, KarachiPakistan, Karachi beach  Colors Of Pakistan.Cultural Dresses of Pakistan. |
2.JPG&w=400&h=285&ei=Z6JzUd_QNoSWiQLp3YHwAw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:9,s:0,i:109)
Posted by admin in BALOCHISTAN-A RAY OF HOPE FOR PAKISTAN, PAKISTAN BRIGHT FUTURE, Pakistan-A Nation of Hope, Pakistan-US Relations, PAKISTANIS LIGHT UP THE WORLD, US on April 8th, 2013
I belong to the minority of people who actually know the correct pronunciation of “Abbottabad,” unlike President Obama, or Jon Stewart because I grew up there. While I have always taken interest in socio-political issues in Pakistan, this time it was a little surreal.
Walk into an average household in Pakistan in the late afternoon and its not unusual to find middle aged men gathered over tea and biscuits discussing politics with a healthy dose of lambasting America. Its also not uncommon to find them charmed by the likes of Angelina Jolie or the prospects of sending their children for higher education to America.
Why do Pakistanis have such mixed opinions about America? On the one hand, they love American pop culture, jeans, and Hollywood. On the other, the percentage of people that view the United States as favorable is lower in Pakistan than in Egypt, Lebanon, or in the Palestinian territories.
So it’s no wonder that the Western world struggles to understand Pakistanis. I sometimes wonder if we Pakistanis even understand ourselves. In this section, we will use the powerful combination of citizen journalism and social media to explore these questions, and others.
As a member of the HuffPost Tech Team, I approached the editorial side after the event in Abbottabad. I felt there was a strong need to explore the diversity of viewpoints among Pakistanis to make sense of the complex and vulnerable relationship between Americans and Pakistanis. I felt that an honest and open social dialogue was crucial.
We have been gathering opinions from Pakistanis on a range of issues via Skype, email, and personal interviews on the streets. This series, Voices of Pakistan, will pull together their responses to our questions, as well as commentaries from a diverse group of writers and bloggers.
The first thing to know about Pakistanis is that they are not a monolithic group, and questions like, “What do Pakistanis think?” will never have a single right answer.
Like any country with hundreds of millions of people, Pakistan is heterogeneous, varied, and complex, comprising multiple ethnicities, languages, and cultures. While the Islamic religion unites the majority of Pakistanis, it also divides them at the sectarian level, often violently.
There are too many people suffering in Pakistan because of extremism, illiteracy, and poverty. I worry about the country I grew up in. I would like to see a shift in the focus of the media from the stereotypes to the more positive aspects of Pakistanis that can be tapped and utilized as a tool to drive social change. We have developed this forum as a place where Pakistanis can be heard speaking for themselves. Resolution will come, but not without a diagnosis.
Below are some of the preliminary responses we have gathered to our questions:
The first question we asked Pakistanis was “What would you like America and the rest of the world to know about Pakistan that you feel they don’t right now?”
Azhar Ali, 65, retired professor believes that the US should have attempted to understand the dynamics of the Pakistani nation and its people instead of focusing on the Pakistan military.
“Ignoring the aspirations of throbbing nation of 180 million people for so long has wounded the Pakistani nation psyche irreparably and the military is no more all powerful due to self inflicted serious wounds.“
Arsalan believes that its the paradoxical nature of the nation that makes it hard to understand.
“Not all of us want to kill you or rob you but a few of us might. We’re a land of paradoxes in so many ways that its almost farcical, a land of rebels and conformists, philanthropists and con artists, murderers and poets.“
Many others who responded were concerned by Western media’s portrayal of Pakistan.
“I think Americans think that we are all stereotypes,” said Syed Harris Hassan, 22, a university student in Islamabad. “They think that all the people in Pakistan are extremists, intolerant, unaccepting and support terrorism.“
Hassan, like others, said that the majority of Pakistanis aren’t extremists and “we hate terrorists just like everyone else does.”
And some wanted the world to know that Pakistan has bigger problems than terrorists
“The people of Pakistan suffer hugely from illiteracy corruption violence and poverty. Most people do back breaking work all day just to put food on the table for their families.“ said Rabia Sultan, a 30-year-old cardiologist from Karachi who currently lives in New York.
We also heard responses like “Americans have done enough” and “Stay out of our country.”
“What Americans don’t understand about Pakistan is getting their way always through powerful Pakistan military is not the best approach. Whenever they were in a spot the military helped them in working out a quick fix while the nation looked on disinterestedly. Ignoring the aspirations of throbbing nation of 180 million people for so long has wounded the Pakistani nation psyche irreparably and the military is no more all powerful due to self inflicted serious wounds. The strategy would have worked well for the Americans, had it been an insignificant state geopolitical in the deep of Africa. But underrating a vibrant nation of sixty percent youth had been a capital sin. Now the Americans are running between the threatening pillar of Pakistani nation and threatened Pakistan Military post to get their nuts out of the fire. Result is not difficult to imagine.”
~ Azhar Ali, 65, lives in Islamabad and is a retired professor.
“Not all of us want to kill you or rob you but a few of us might. We’re a land of paradoxes in so many ways that its almost farcical, a land of rebels and conformists, philanthropists and con artists, murderers and poets. Pakistan is the best and worst of humanity existing side by side ripping apart everything in the middle Most of us live in remote and disconnected villages and wouldn’t know Osama Bin Laden from Justin Bieber and are too hungry to care.
Time is not money in Pakistan its time, we have plenty of time but no money We all live in a state of permanent confusion, anarchy and fear, terrible things happen around us every day. Yet strangely enough we seem to bundle along and miraculously and almost stubbornly manage to retain some hope.”
~ Arsalan Khan, 24, lives in Karachi and is a University Student.
“I think Americans think that we are all stereotypes. They think that all the people in Pakistan are extremists, intolerant, unaccepting and support terrorism. I want to let them know that the general people in Pakistan live their lives as do people in United States. We love peace, we like freedom, we are terrified when there is a suicide blast, and we hate terrorists just like everyone else does. There is a particular group which believes in extremism and is intolerant towards other religions and cultures, but they are not in the majority.”
~ Syed Harris Hassan, 22, lives in Islamabad and is a University Student.
“The people of Pakistan suffer hugely from illiteracy corruption violence and poverty. Most people do back breaking work all day just to put food on the table for their families. They often live incredibly sad lives with great dignity. In spite of this religious fanaticism and mass violence in Pakistan did not find roots till the soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
I’d also like to remind people that a country that can barely feed its own people is the 5th largest army in the whole world . This is because for most of its existence Pakistan has been America’s military ally run by military dictators. If there hadn’t been this huge military collaboration then perhaps Pakistan would probably have a smaller military and better education and human rights today.”
~ Rabia Sultan, 30, was born in Karachi currently living in New York City, where she is a cardiologist in Brooklyn.
“Pakistanis have never voted for religious parties’ en masse at the most their vote bank is 4-6%, BUT 4-6% of 180 million are still a lot of people and when fraction of that segment turn up in streets to burn American flag, although it makes for good t.v, but it doesn’t really make the whole country nuts.
It’s a misnomer that Pakistan is an extremist country. It’s a country which has had the rule of one institution and one intuition only for the past 52 years. It has had facade of democratic governments but at NO POINT civilians made defense policy OR foreign policy or even economic policy. Whenever civilians have tried to take the reins, they have either been hanged, forced to exile or shot dead in broad-daylight.
Americans should also know that Pakistan doesn’t need to be an inherent beggar. It has enough agricultural growth, industrial infrastructure, natural resources and the human-material to stand on its own feet. Our tax to GDP ratio is at a meager 7%. Like the rest of the civilized world if its around 17-19%, it wont solve all our problems, but it will be a start. We currently don’t tax our biggest industry which is agriculture, if we start taxing just big farmers who are literally millionaires in American sense, PLUS we start taxing real estate (anything bigger than 1500 sq. yards), And bring the stock exchange earnings under tax bracket, we wont need IMF anymore. There is a corruption of at least a billion dollars every month at the top/governmental level. A big problem is economy and inflation which fans extremism. When people don’t have a job, no light at the end of the tunnel, brothers/sisters/parents blowing up in pieces either through a drone or by military gunship helicopter OR by a suicide bomber, world is a living hell, THEN paradise and 72 virgins sounds mighty fine. The rush is not to arrive in paradise; the rush is to check out from the hell that we have collectively created for them.
But here is the silver lining. For the first time in the history of Pakistan, majority of
Pakistanis (read punjabis) have come to this conclusion that there is no way forward for
Pakistan but civilian supremacy/democracy.”
~ Ahmer, 36, grew up in Karachi is now living in Pennsylvania and works as a Tech Consultant.
Source: HuffPost World
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