Pakistan Link - March 13, 2015

Pakistan Link

VOL. 25/11 - 22 Jumadal-ula 1436 H

The Largest Circulated Pakistani-American Newspaper in North America

Friday, March 13, 2015

PAGE 15

PAGE 11

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Changing Mindsets with Knowledge NUST among Top 100 Universities of the World Islamabad: Is-

lamabad’s National University of Science and Technology (NUST) has been listed among the top 100 universities in the BRICS & Emerging Economies Rankings 2015, published by The Times Higher Education (THE).

THE, a leading UK-based magazine, published the 2015 THE World Reputation Rankings – the leading list of the world’s 100 most prestigious universities, based on the largest invitation-only survey of senior academics across the world.

The list includes the top 100 universities of the world, 100 Asian universities and 100 universities from the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and emerging economies.

NUST is the only Pakistani university featured in the latest rankings.

Harvard University NUST, P29

Rangers Operation at Nine Zero a Positive Step, Says Nisar

PTI to Begin Last Phase of Anti-Govt. Drive

Pakistani Girls Sing Way to Fame with Bieber’s Baby

US, Pakistan Working to Boost Trade

Federal Minister for Commerce Engr. Khurram Dastgir Khan greets US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker with a bouquet of flowers in Islamabad

Islamabad: US Ambassador to Pakistan Richard G Olson joined Commerce Minister Khurram Dastgir and Commerce Secretary Shazad Arbab at the closing ceremony of

the third US-Pakistan Business Opportunities Conference. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker served as the US Head of Delegation and opened the two-day Conference on

March 10.

Ambassador Olson said, “While today marks the conclusion of the conference, hopefully it is also the beginning TRADE, P29

Karachi Protests as Rangers Raid Nine Zero

Islamabad: Federal Interior Min-

ister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday hailed the early morning raid by Rangers on MQM headquarters as a step in the positive direction, DawnNews reported.

He said that Rangers personnel did ‘nothing wrong and unlawful’ at MQM headquarters Nine Zero.

Responding to the hue and cry raised over the crackdown on ‘Nine Zero’ on Wednesday morning, Chaudhry Nisar defended the raid and said that the Rangers did nothing wrong and unlawful at the MQM headquarters. He said that the MQM had itself demanded a military operation in Karachi, but now when action was taken, its embers were trying to politicize the issue and prove itself innocent.

Nisar claimed that all political parties were taken into confidence before launching the Karachi operation. The prime minister had given the go-ahead against criminals

NISAR, P29

Schools, business centers and petrol stations were shut down as people and party activists protested the raid

Karachi: A heavy contingent of

Rangers raided Nine Zero, the headquarters of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), in Karachi’s Azizabad neighborhood on Wednesday morning, prompting a protest by party activists and a subsequent

US & Canada $1.00

call for a day of peaceful mourning across the country.

A number of party workers, including a member of MQM’s Rabita Committee Amir Khan, were detained during the raid. The Rabita Committee is MQM’s cen-

tral coordination cell.

The operation was managed and executed by members of the paramilitary force alone and there was no sign of local police in the area.

RAID, P26

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For news, updated round the clock, visit

www.PakistanLink.com Chinese President to Visit Pakistan This Year: Envoy Islamabad: Chinese President Xi

Jinping will visit Pakistan this year, says Ambassador Sun Weidong.

Talking to reporters after taking part in a walk organised by the National Accountability Bureau in the presidency on Tuesday, he said President Xi had to attend the parliamentary session that took place once a year.

Currently, the session is in progress and will continue till the end of March.

Take a look:Diplomatic rigmarole “It is mandatory for all Chinese leaders to be in the country till the parliamentary session ends,” he said.

In reply to a question, he said the president would visit Pakistan this year.

Countless Chinese VIPs, including the liberation icon Zhou Enlai, have visited Pakistan, but never before has a Chinese leader’s trip to this country fallen victim to such gaucherie as the one now surrounding President Xi Jinping’s.

PRESIDENT, P29

Terrorism in Name of Search Operations Be Stopped: Altaf London: The London-based chief of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain on Wednesday said that “terrorism” in the name of search operations should be stopped.

Altaf said that the raid on party headquarters, Nine Zero, and his sister’s house on Wednesday by the Rangers was “completely unjustified”. Addressing a charged and slogan-raising crowd of supporters at Nine Zero, he questioned why the Rangers intruded into his widow sister’s house who is persistently ill and has no children. He went on to say that his brother-in-law was subjected to violence in Adiyala Jail in 1995.

He also condemned the killing of MQM activist Waqas Ali Shah and blamed the Rangers for shooting him, adding that whichever young activist the Rangers could take into custody, they did so without any warrants. He also said that over 60 workers of MQM ALTAF, P29

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OPINION

P4 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

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Changing Mindsets in Universities by Means of Knowledge, Not Force: The Way to Countering Violent Extremism n By Dr Amineh Hoti

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Lahore, Pakistan

pring is gratifyingly here in Pakistan.

Newly bloomed flowers fill the visual landscape with a burst of vibrant color, blossoms are displaying their delicate hues, and new foliage is growing in the green belts of the cities and countryside. Each new life (plant or human) is born in this great land with a rich history and variety – originating in hope and the sure knowledge that life is reason enough to struggle and ultimately survive despite the seemingly overwhelming odds it faces. Despite the harsh cold of winter, new life springs, bringing with it hope and more reasons for renaissance (rebirth).

Last year brought deep sadness and great grief to many people – including and especially the students, parents and staff in schools across Pakistan and across the world in response to children being massacred brutally at a school in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Schools, colleges, and universities, as a result, have been converted into fortresses and a thriving business for security-wallas. It is said that the country ran out of barbed wire because it was in such high demand.

Due to globalization and the mass media, tragedies anywhere in the world are no longer distant events but personal sorrows. They are no longer stories that travel by word of mouth; rather they are transmitted into our very bedrooms and sitting rooms. This means we live the story of “The Other” every day, every hour. Many viewers personalize and internalize these tragedies, which in turn affect moods and memory. The world media, perhaps, does not realize the heavy burden of responsibility it shoulders, and consequently places upon the collective memory of its consumers. Tragedies, especially man-made, are accumulative problems on the conscience of humanity. Yet victories too are a collective triumph – for example, knowledge and discoveries benefit us all across borders. Despite the terrible tragedies in Pakistan, and the rising unease in the world with “The Other”, thankfully, nature has its way of lightening up the human mood.

The warming sunshine, the birds singing in the air against azure blue skies, and the colors that fill our senses are a much-needed uplifting balm for the soul.

Also in spring, a new term begins for university and college students. At Forman Christian College University, the Center for Dialogue and Action has started the third cycle of peace building classes named, “Ilm, Adab aur Insaaniat” (Knowledge, Mutual Respect and Humanity). This is yet another batch of male and female undergrad students we hope to cultivate as Pakistan’s peace builders. Last year, my team and I taught students – many from the Punjab, as well as those from Quetta, South Waziristan and from the northern areas of Pakistan. Unlike this year, last year they were all boys about to graduate from FCCU. Young, enthusiastic, and eager to absorb knowledge and learn a different way of looking at their world.

Yet, many came into class with negative perceptions of not only themselves but also The Other. One boy misunderstood “dialogue” to be an aggressive act, not what it is meant to be in actuality – as peaceful negotiation. Another boy from the tribal belt said he did not feel included by the central government as a citizen and felt left on the periphery of the society. His behavior in class often showed signs of unease with himself. Another Punjabi student of the course confidently told me at the beginning that his uncle from the village said to him that all nonMuslims were “wajib ul qatal” (wajib equates to: necessary or compulsory religious task; and qatal means to kill). This statement by a third year student reflects how pervasive these extreme thoughts are in the region and how necessary ideas of ilm, adab, and insaaniat are across the board in Pakistani educational institutions.

We hope that other universities will open their

Dr Amineh Hoti wants her students to understand themselves and others better with the tools of respect and knowledge

doors to these courses. Many of my colleagues and other students were horrified at this extreme perspective but I stressed that the classroom was a “safe space” and students could voice any opinion, which we would then discuss and debate.

At Cambridge University, where I taught “Introduction to Islam” at Ridley Hall, the young students (often of Judeo-Christian background) also had their vision of Muslims that was more often than not colored negatively by the media.

There too, through dialogue and discussion, we would talk about the difference between religion and culture (their first image of Muslims was “honor killings”. In class we discussed that this was not Islam, it was culture – which is unfor-

Parents, teachers, and policy makers must instill the attitude of being positive and constructive for the bright future of their nation. This is the Pakistan many of us know and believe in – of literature and great poetry, of knowledge and discovery, of Allama Iqbal, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, and the Quaid-i-Azam and many remarkable others tunately practiced by people who happen to be Muslims, Hindus or Christians). We discussed the variety of Muslims from America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Far East: Islam was not a monolith. This helped my students understand Muslims better.

Here in Pakistan, I want my students to understand their own history, themselves, and others better with the tools of mutual respect and deeper understanding. Through the term’s interactive course, taught by a variety of scholars using a variety of interdisciplinary teaching methods, we studied Islam’s inclusive approach, especially as conveyed by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who was Rehmat al Alamin (Mercy unto all of humankind). We also studied the education-oriented and progressive attitudes of

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the founding fathers of Pakistan – Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, Allama Iqbal, and the Quaidi-Azam. We looked at how “the dialogue of civilizations” was far better for the future of humankind than the idea of “clash of civilizations”.

We looked at the building blocks of dialogue: learning to understand what others believe and value; avoiding violent action and language; and preventing disagreement from leading to conflict. We looked at examples from history that worked – Al Andalus – the shining bright star for the idea of dialogue and spread of knowledge from Spain to the rest of the world. We looked at the roots of Pakistani history – from Taxila to the Mughals, to the contemporary and so forth. The contents of this course gave the students rich material to feel a sense of identity and pride in themselves, which they eventually projected in their perception of “The Other”. At the end of the course, when students gave their feedback, predominantly positive, the student who thought all non-Muslims should be killed, said, “I am a changed man!” With this enhancement of perspective, he now wanted to change his world by the pen (the qalam), certainly not by violence.

It is the young and their vision of the world that will determine our world’s future and its direction. Parents, teachers, and policy makers must instill the attitude of being positive and constructive for the bright future of their nation.

This is the Pakistan many of us know and believe in – of literature and great poetry, of knowledge and discovery, of Allama Iqbal, Sir Sayyid Ahmed Khan, and the Quaid-i-Azam and many remarkable others.

Spring is a reminder of how valuable all that we have is, and the reasons we have to struggle to keep it, and to work peacefully to continue building it. It is the reason for new life, a reason to live, a reason for hope, a new way of seeing, and a new beginning.

(Dr Amineh Hoti is the executive director of the Centre for Dialogue and Action at Forman Christian College, Lahore)

Views and opinions expressed by authors and contributors in articles, letters, opinion pieces, reports, advertisements, etc appearing in Pakistan Link and Urdu Link are their own. The paper neither shares nor endorses them and thus should not be held responsible for the views/opinions of the writers & advertisers.

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MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P5

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OPINION

P6 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015 n By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai

T

Washington, DC

he people of Jammu and Kashmir, who are larger in number than 123 currently independent nations and who have a defined historical identity, are at present engaged in a massive, indigenous and non-violent struggle to win their freedom from the foreign occupation of their land. This struggle is not motivated by bigotry or ethnic prejudice, for its sole aim is the right of self-determination of the people, irrespective of their religious affiliations and ethnic preferences.

The applicability of the principle of self-determination to the specific case of Jammu and Kashmir has been explicitly recognized by the United Nations. It was upheld equally by India and Pakistan when the Kashmir dispute was brought before the Security Council. Since, on the establishment of India and Pakistan as sovereign states, Jammu and Kashmir was not part of the territory of either, the two countries entered into an agreement to allow its people to exercise their right of self-determination under impartial auspices and in conditions free from coercion from either side. The agreement is embodied in the resolutions of the United Nations Commission for India and Pakistan explicitly accepted by both Governments. It is binding on both Governments and no allegation of non-performance of any of its provisions by either side can render

Kashmir: People’s Aspiration Must Be Respected it inoperative.

It is commonly thought that the resolutions limited the choice of the people of the State regarding their future to accession to either India or Pakistan. Though understandable, the impression is erroneous because the right of self-determination, by definition, is an unrestricted right.

By entering into the agreement, India and Pakistan excluded, and rendered inadmissible, each other’s claim to the State until that claim was accepted by the people through a vote taken under an impartial authority. They did not, as they could not, decide what options the people would wish to consider. No agreement between two parties can affect the rights of a third: this is an elementary principle of law and justice which no international agreement, if legitimate, can possibly flout.

To put it in everyday language, it was entirely right for India and Pakistan to pledge to each other, as they did, ‘Here is this large territory; let us not fight over it; let us make its people decide its status.’ But it would be wholly illegitimate for them to say, ‘Let one of us get the territory.

Let us go through the motions of a plebiscite to decide which one’. That would not be a fair agreement; it would be a plot to deny the people of Kashmir the substance of selfdetermination while providing them its form. It would amount to telling them that they can choose independently but they cannot choose independence. It would make a mockery of democratic norms.

This is not a novel view of the

Kashmir question. When India first brought the issue to the United Nations, its representative, Sir Gopalaswami Ayyangar, set out three options for Jammu and Kashmir: (a) accession to India, (b) accession to Pakistan, and (c) independence.

The possibility of the third option is reflected in the wording of more than one resolution of the Security Council. Those adopted on March 14, 1950 and March 30, 1951 refer to “the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir (to be) made in accordance with the will of the people expressed by the democratic method of a free and impartial plebiscite conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.” The phrase “final disposition” is inclusive; it has a wider meaning than “accession to India or Pakistan”. The Security Council used this expression not for convenience of drafting but because it would not be justified in foreclos-

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ing any option for the people of the State. These resolutions, which were adopted after the conclusion of the agreement between India and Pakistan, do not detract from the binding nature of that agreement as far as the obligations of these two parties are concerned. But they do imply a recognition of the inherent right of the people of Kashmir to decide their future independently of the contending claims of India and Pakistan.

The idea of independence for Kashmir, if not for all its zones, has in fact never been beyond the mental horizon of its people. Demand for it, however, was either suppressed or somewhat muted because of two factors. The first was the cold war, which generated the fear that an independent Kashmir would be a likely victim of foreign aggression, subversion or intrigue. The second was the supposition that small states would not be able to sustain their indepen-

dence.

Both these inhibiting factors have now disappeared. The cold war has ended. Scores of states, individually smaller in size and population than Kashmir, have taken their rightful place as fully sovereign members of the United Nations. This explains the resurgent support for independence among all the strata of the population of Kashmir.

It must be pointed out that an independent Kashmir would not be a Kashmir isolated from India and Pakistan. On the contrary, it would have close links, some of them established by trilateral treaty provisions, with both its neighbors. Indeed, it would provide them a meeting ground. In this respect, Kashmir could make a contribution to the stabilization of peace in South Asia which no other entity can.

There is only one standing argument against an independent status for Kashmir. It is being contended that the emergence of another sovereign entity in the sub-continent would encourage secessionist tendencies in both India and Pakistan and lead to a collapse of their existing federal structures. The argument may be based on genuine fear or it may be only a stratagem to avoid a just solution of the Kashmir dispute; in either case, it can be faced rationally. When so faced, it proves to be untenable because it ignores two vital considerations.

The first is related to the sui generis nature of the question regarding the final disposition of the State of Jammu and Kashmir. All the former provinces, states or KASHMIR, P26

OPINION n By Dr Mohammad Taqi

“

Florida

Words, words, mere words, no matter from the heart:

Th’effect doth operate another way” — Shakespeare The perception that the Pakistani security establishment has made an about-turn in its decades-old Afghan policy continues to snowball. The impression being given is that under the new management the old way of harboring and using the Afghan Taliban to secure Pakistan’s foreign policy objectives in Afghanistan have been dropped. Pakistan is supposed to have persuaded the Afghan Taliban and they will show up in Doha, Qatar shortly, have a series of meetings with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s team and a dua-e-khair (prayers for a favorable outcome) will seal the deal.

The Pakistani change of heart is said to have come about after the most tragic attack on the Army Public School (APS), Peshawar by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

It seems that in one go the Pakistani security establishment abandoned prosecuting its foreign policy goals through armed proxies and reached out to President Ghani, pledging to bring the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table. The Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif is credited for this clean break from the past.

The policy shift illusion, however, is neither new nor really a clean break from the past. I have noted in this column for years that the Paki-

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P7

Words, Words, Mere Words

stani establishment’s game plan has been to outwait the US and international forces in Afghanistan. The idea all along has been to wear both Washington and Kabul down to the point that Pakistan can dictate not only the timing but also the terms of a peace deal for Afghanistan. In 2001-2002,Taliban assets were tactically harbored in safe havens west of the Durand Line in the face of overwhelming US might, only to be re-inducted later. Former military dictator Pervez Musharraf made a similar ‘clean break’ from the jihadists in his so-called landmark speech in January 2002. Musharraf even nominally banned a slew of jihadist outfits but none were actually decommissioned. He told the world umpteen times that Pakistan was not harboring the Afghan Taliban only to concede in multiple interviews 13 years later that Pakistan did use the Taliban as proxies. A loudmouth and highly visible Musharraf and the reclusive Taliban leader Mullah Omar are now the bad cops while the incumbent COAS is about to undo the damage done by the former two.

The former COAS, General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani, is now the piñata for having delayed an operation in North Waziristan. Like Generals Ayub Khan, Yahya Khan and Ziaul Haq, Kayani as an individual is the fall guy despite every indication that he did not veer an inch from the institutional playbook, which strives to secure a seat for the Taliban at the negotiations in Kabul if not the government there.

The endgame is playing out exactly as it was supposed to, perhaps

even better. The Pakistani objectives and/or possible post-US scenarios

Being a suave scholar and a sharp economist, President Ghani must already be cognizant of the dialectics that lie ahead but it seems that like President Barack Obama, a cloud of academic vacillation is already forming over his decisions. If the carnage continues this summer, President Ghani will face a lot of opposition at home; buying too much into mere words has a steep political price after all in Afghanistan focused on securing a government in Kabul under Paki-

stan’s tutelage a la the 1996 Taliban regime if possible. Elbowing India out of Afghanistan has been the Pakistani establishment’s objective but perhaps even they could not have thought of getting China in there.

China, replacing — not augmenting — both India and the US’s cooperation with Afghanistan is the geopolitical jackpot that Pakistan seems to think it has hit with President Ashraf Ghani’s recent overtures to Beijing and Islamabad. The ‘spectacular’ attacks in Afghan garrison cities and the capital of Kabul stopped suddenly. A similar respite in such vicious attacks took place a few years back also when the then Afghan president, Mr Hamid Karzai, was trying to negotiate a deal with Pakistan and is said to have asked what exactly he could do to stop the bloodshed. Apparently, a diplomatic ‘non-paper’ was sent to Mr Karzai stating that if he severed ties with India the lull could be prolonged.

Mr Karzai said no thanks to the offer, which according to him trampled upon Afghan sovereignty. Ironically, going forward, Pakistan’s Afghan policy remains a throwback to the ‘great game’ and, more recently, the Cold War era, to mark a presumed sphere of influence. When the Pakistani establishment could not induce Afghanistan in the 1980s to succumb to its aims, it tried to stand on the US’s shoulders to stare the Afghans down. This time around China appears to be emerging as the crutch to salvage a dead policy.

President Ashraf Ghani has invested pretty much all the political capital he has amassed over the past

13 years into securing a deal with Pakistan. While more ‘spectacular’ attacks are on hold, deadly terrorist attacks inside Afghanistan continue almost daily. The first all-Afghan military offensive, named Zulfikar, against the Taliban is underway in Helmand. The former and current Afghan political leaders have already impugned President Ghani’s bending over backwards to accommodate Pakistan’s desires. The Afghan military leadership has remained tightlipped but will inevitably follow suit.

The spring equinox, which has for centuries marked Nowruz — literally the Afghan new year — has for the past four decades become synonymous with the start of the fighting season and ensuing bloodshed.

Chances are slim to none that the Afghan Taliban will concede anything substantial let alone a ceasefire to President Ghani over the next several months.

With a deal in sight the Taliban will drag their feet while fighting through the summer months. The effect does operate another way where enough time is bought for Pakistan and China to try to lockout India, not just from geopolitics but also the economy of Afghanistan and Central Asia. Being a suave scholar and a sharp economist, President Ghani must already be cognizant of the dialectics that lie ahead but it seems that like President Barack Obama, a cloud of academic vacillation is already forming over his decisions. If the carnage continues this summer, President Ghani will face a lot of opposition at home; buying too much into mere words has a steep political price after all.

(The writer can be reached at mazdaki@me.com)

Lincoln & Valley View

BUN KABOB (Karachi Style)

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OPINION

P8 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015 n By Dr Asif Javed

T

Williamsport, PA

he other day, as I sat with two Pakistani friends— both physicians--a question was asked: what is the language of Pakistan’s national anthem? Neither knew the answer. During my last visit to Pakistan, as I spent a solid hour in perhaps the biggest bookshop in Lahore, there were hardly any customers. The culture of reading has vanished. Sadly, it has been replaced by the abuse of cellular phone, internet and cable TV.

A young and bright physician, who visited us recently from Lahore, made a passing remark that there is not much to do in Lahore except to eat out. I pointed out that Lahore still has many libraries. He appeared surprised as I pointed out a few names, Punjab Public Library among them.

As we left the bookshop mentioned earlier, my nephew reminded me that it was lunch time.

I asked him to find out any restaurant in the area that he liked. We stopped at two; both were full of customers with long lines stretching almost to the entrance. It then occurred to me that food has taken a high place in our priorities. Our visibly overweight PM recently made headlines: on a tour of Sindh, where scores had died of starvation, he complained of the lack of a certain dish.

Our favorite pastime is “loose talk syndrome.” I once heard a gentleman in a gathering, making a blank statement that everyone of Pakistan’s rulers had been cor-

What Is Wrong with Us?

rupt; everyone agreed. Someone reminded them that the curse of corruption did not always exist in our rulers. He then mentioned a few names—Liaquat Ali Khan, Khwaja Nazamudin, Junejo. Even despised Yahya Khan was not financially corrupt. The conversation ended on a sour note. The loose talk has become endemic. Regrettably, we talk too much and often talk nonsense. Part of the problem is that we have moved away from reading. Internet and TV are poor substitutes for good reading. Most well to do, educated, upper middle-class families — in US and Pakistan — have flat screen TV, good cars, and expensive furniture; only a few have a decent collection of books.

Many years ago, I met a Pakistani physician at the Lahore airport. As we exchanged pleasantries, I asked him about his family: with no hesitation, he said that he was divorced. Mian Abbas was one of the co-accused in the Kasoori murder case along with Z. A. Bhutto.

Just before being hanged, as his last will was read out to him, he pointed out a minor mistake he wanted to be corrected. I never met Mian Abbas and I have not seen that physician since. But I continue to admire both for the same reason: they were precise and truthful; neither was a loose talker.

Insensitivity to others’ feelings is common. People boast of their luxurious lifestyle, oblivious to the fact that some of us may be hand to mouth.

Safar Waseela Zafar is a fa-

mous proverb. Among us, those who can afford, often do so but rarely deviate from a set pattern.

The religious minded keep going

Zia had made it a habit to delay reading files. Arif writes that Zia needed repeated reminders to finish his work. For those whose files were stuck on the CMLA’s desk, it would have been little consolation that he rarely missed his Tahajjud prayer for Hajj and Umra — a friend has been to Saudi Arabia so many times that I have lost count; some travel for better weather; others, for shopping or entertainment; only a few travel to learn and explore. Mark Twain is credited with the saying: “Travel is fetal to bigotry, prejudice and narrow-mindedness and many

of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” The acclaimed American writer had travelled to most continents. In the1890’s, he went off to India and travelled all the way to Rawalpindi from Bombay and Delhi before writing his famous travelogue.

But the mother of all curses is time wasting. It is min-boggling that despite living in the West, where punctuality is the norm, we do not acquire it. I used to work with an American physician whose work started at 6 A.M. He was late just once -- in eight years. The CEO of my hospital was expected at a meeting. As the time approached, he was nowhere to be seen; that is until, he made a frantic call from outside the hospital; he was getting delayed in traffic and asked that proceedings should start, on time, without him. Back home, a parliamentary delegation from Pakistan was recently unable to see the speaker of Lok Sabha at Delhi: the reason: they were late by fifteen minutes; the speaker refused to see them. If accurate, this speaks volumes about our representatives.

“India’s new religion must be based on a work-ethic---We must not waste time,” writes recently deceased Indian writer Khushwant Singh. He, a Sikh, then goes on to quote a Hadith of Prophet Mohammed which says: “La tasabuddhara; Hoo wallahoo”—don’t waste time;

time is God. Gen K.M. Arif who spent years working with Zia-ul-Huq, has made scathing remarks about his Chief ’s work ethics: Zia had made it a habit to delay reading files. Arif writes that Zia needed repeated reminders to finish his work. For those whose files were stuck on the CMLA’s desk, it would have been little consolation that he rarely missed his Tahajjud prayer. Bhutto once kept the whole cabinet waiting for hours while he was nowhere to be seen. A tired J. A. Rahim left; his remark, made in frustration, was conveyed to Bhutto; the result was a real thumping for Rahim by FSF and the loss of one of the few intellectuals for Bhutto. This ugly episode started with time wasting.

Economy with the truth is another problem. The highly educated are not immune from it. A case in point: when I was a student at Govt.

College, Lahore (1972-74), our Principal who was an acclaimed writer and a poet, had lost control of the students. There were frequent strikes and student unrest. He just was not cut out to be a good administrator. After two years, he was replaced; almost overnight, the order was restored. I came across his autobiography recently; he claims to have done a great job at the Government College.

Some of us just hate to work.

The founder of Pakistan was a hardworking man; he did not slow down despite being old and sick. He is credited with the saying, work, work and work. As for us, a fellow Pakistani American was envious US, P26

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OPINION

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

Tradition, Reform and Modernism in the Emergence of Pakistan - Part 2 of 6 n By Professor Nazeer Ahmed

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CA

or military triumph and political consolidation, the offensive weapons must be stronger than the defensive weapons. The Arabs had acquired the technology for siege engines from China and had improved upon them, mounting them on wheels, and stabilizing the launch platform. One such assault engine, the minjanique, could hurl a two-hundred pound stone over a distance of three hundred yards.

In addition, the rapid enveloping movements of the Arab cavalry was more than a match for the more static Indian defenses which relied heavily on elephant mounted armor and infantry. The combination of technology and tactics provided the Arabs a decisive military advantage over their adversaries.

At age of 17, Mohammed bin Qasim was one of the ablest generals in the Umayyad armies. Paying attention to details, he ordered the cavalry to move by land and shipped heavy assault engines by sea. Starting his campaigns near the modern city of Karachi, he moved rapidly to capture Panjore and Armabel and advanced towards Debal. The Raja of Debal closed the gates of the city and locked himself inside his fortress. A long siege ensued. The assault engines hammered the city walls day in and day out taking them down brick by brick. Finally, the mighty fortress walls collapsed, the city fell, the Raja fled and the Arab prisoners were released.

From Debal, Mohammed bin Qasim advanced north, and in a series of campaigns captured Sistan, Bahraj, Cutch, Arore, Karej and Jiore. The Raja of Sindh fell at the battle of Jiore. Baluchistan and Sindh were added to the Umayyad Empire. The Arab armies moved up the Indus River. In 713, Multan fell, opening up the vast Punjab plains to the invading armies. Mohammed bin Qasim added portions of southern Punjab to his conquests and crossed the Indus to its eastern banks. But just as he was preparing for a decisive showdown with the rajas of eastern Punjab, the political situation in Iraq changed and Mohammed bin Qasim was called back to Basra. Following a pattern

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n By Riaz Haq CA

akistan has started verifying identities of over 135 million cell phone users through fingerprints. The massive exercise is being described by Washington Post as the “world’s largest — and fastest — efforts to collect biometric information”.

The deadline for completion in March 14, 2015.

Several countries, including South Africa and India, have recently implemented broad systems for collecting and storing their citizens biometric information. But analysts and communications experts say they can’t recall a country trying to gather biometrics as rapidly as Pakistan is doing, according to the Washington-based American newspaper.

In addition to setting up biometric verification systems at tens of thousands of retail points run by carriers, the cellphone companies have launched massive advertising campaigns and sent mobile vans around the country to accelerate the process. About half of all SIMs have so far been verified.

The companies are warning subscribers that their SIM (subscriber identity module) cards will not work unless the owners’ fingerprints are entered and verified against the database maintained by the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA). They have to show their computerized national identity

they had established in Iran and Egypt, the conquering Arabs set up military cantonments in Debal and Multan but made no attempts to convert the local population as long as they paid the taxes and accepted the protection of the Umayyad governor.

In the year 717, Omar bin Abdel Azeez became the Caliph in Baghdad. Unlike his predecessors, he was a pious man with a noble vision. He gave up the lavish, profligate ways of the Umayyads, adopted an ascetic lifestyle, abolished unfair taxation on Iran, Egypt and Sindh, engaged the dissidents in dialogue, and treated the population of his vast realm with equity and justice. Attracted by his piety and fairness, many of the Zoroastrians in Persia, Coptic Christians in Egypt, Buddhists in Central Asia and Hindus in Sindh accepted Islam. Historically, this was the first wave of conversion in the Islamic world after the death of the Prophet.

However, court intrigue in the palaces of Baghdad intervened once again. Omar bin Abdel Azeez was poisoned in 719 and the far-reaching reforms initiated by him came to a halt. So did the process of conversion.

The Abbasids took over from the Umayyads in 751 CE, founded the city of Baghdad, encouraged learning and shifted their focus from conquest to trade. Arab and Persian merchants established colonies all along the rim of the Indian Ocean including Hermuz in Persia, Aden in Yemen, Dar es Salam in Tanzania, Cochin in India, Debal in Sindh, Multan in Punjab, Malacca in

Malaysia and Canton in China. Arabic became the lingua franca of the littoral states of the Indian Ocean. The traders mingled and intermarried with the local populations. Impressed by their piety, integrity, fairness and egalitarian discipline, many entered the fold of Islam. Conversion was especially brisk along the Malabar Coast of India.

It was with the advent of Fatimid rule in Egypt in the tenth century that conversion picked up in what is today Pakistan. I have in my books on Islam in Global History explained in some detail the religious, political and military events in North Africa and the Middle East surrounding the emergence of the Fatimids. The Fatimids are also called Ismailis. They follow six Imams as opposed to the Ithna Asharis who follow twelve Imams.

Today, they constitute a small but influential section of the Islamic community based primarily in Bombay, Karachi, East Africa and Southern Egypt. The Agha Khan is the titular head of the Ismaili community.

In the year 969, the Fatimid Sultan Muiz captured Egypt. This event was a turning point in Islamic history. Using Egypt as their base, the Fatimids branched out, capturing Mecca, Madina and Jerusalem. For a hundred years thereafter the khutba in Mecca and Madina was read in the name of Fatimid princes whose sway extended from the Atlantic coast in Morocco to the Euphrates River in Iraq. The Sunni Abbasids were cornered into a small area around Baghdad.

Muiz (d 975) was a visionary monarch

Pakistan Uses Big Data to Fight Terror

cards (CNICs) and fingerprints. If the scanner matches their print with the one in a government database, they can keep their SIM card.

If not, or if they don’t show up, their cellphone service is cut off.

The current SIM registration drive is part of the government’s new counter-terrorism campaign. Cellphones have been used in the past to detonate explosive devices as well as to make extortion calls. Identification of SIM cards is expected to discourage such acts of terror and help track down the perpetrators.

The use of Big Data like Pakistan’s biometric database is not limited to catching terrorists and criminals. It can also be used to significantly improve governance. Here’s how Tariq Malik, the architect of Pakistan’s NADRA, describes it in a recent piece for Forbes magazine: BIG Data can now be leveraged for a vari-

ety of public uses, and re-uses. It can strengthen the link between citizens and state to enhance state capacity, and its applications are varied— ranging from disaster management to social service delivery.

Collecting, storing and processing structured and unstructured information is an endeavor that is both massive and meticulous.

But thanks to advancing big data technology, it’s more feasible today than ever before. BIG Data can now be leveraged for a variety of public uses, and re-uses. It can strengthen the link between citizens and state to enhance state capacity, and its applications are varied — ranging from disaster management to social service delivery.

Consider Pakistan’s National Database And Registration Authority (NADRA) that houses one of the world’s largest multi-bio-

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and an able administrator. He established schools, built canals, encouraged agriculture, fostered trade, reduced taxes on the peasants and supported the ulema. It was he who founded the city of Cairo and established the university at Al Azhar (969 CE).

His empire sat astride the trade routes between Asia and Europe and benefited from the east-west trade. Egypt prospered and the people loved him.

With the strategic province of Egypt under their control, the Fatimids attempted to establish a universal Islamic Empire directed by the Fatimid Imams. For over a hundred years, from the conquest of Egypt in 969 to the year 1057 when the Buyids were driven out of Baghdad by the Seljuk Turks, the Fatimid writ reigned supreme over much of the Islamic world. The vast majority of their subjects were orthodox Sunni Muslims. To realize their vision of a global empire, the Fatimids embarked on a conversion program directed at the Sunnis as well as the Ithna Ashari (twelver) Shias. The university at Al Azhar was turned into a vast propaganda center wherein daees were trained and sent to the far-flung corners of the Muslim world. In addition, in the year 1002, a formal dawa center, the Darul Hikmah, was established in Cairo.

Some of the Fatimid daees arrived in Multan and Sindh where they met with a degree of success. By the time Mahmud Ghaznavi appeared in the Punjab (1001CE), the Fatimids had converted the Emir of Multan and the Fatimid presence was well established there. Mahmud fought and defeated Dawud and brought his emirate back into the fold of Sunni Islam (1004 CE). The population which had opted for Fatimid Shi’ism reverted to Sunni schools of fiqh.

The influx of Fatimid daees marked the first organized attempt at mass conversion in Sindh and Multan. A large number of the early Sufi Shaikhs were among these daees.

The names of Pir Sadruddin, Pir Kabiruddin and Pir Yusufuddin are well known in Pakistan. The influx of Sufi Shaikhs continued during the Ghaznavid period. Among the most successful of these Sufis were Shaikh Ismail and Data Ganj Baksh (d 1079). These stalwarts were the earliest missionaries in Western Punjab and their spirituality convinced multitudes of Hindus to accept Islam.

(To be continued) metric citizens database, consisting of ten fingerprints, digital photographs and biographic attributes of each citizen. More than 121 million identities are stored in this database. When floods suddenly hit Pakistan in 2010, over 20 million citizens were displaced. Government wanted to provide monetary subsistence and aid for the rehabilitation and reconstruction effort; however, the problem was that while traditional aid could be dropped via helicopter, cash could not. They were further challenged with verifying claimants; specifically, identifying whether or not they belonged to a calamity hit area.

How could Pakistan support those affected by the disaster? The NADRA had a simple task to perform: cross-verify citizen thumb prints with information stored in its database, then check their permanent address. The result was nothing short of miraculous. Essentially, big data allowed policymakers to know who the victims were and where they lived at the time of the crisis. Smart cards were quickly loaded with cash to help victims with rehabilitation efforts.

More than $1 billion US was disbursed without a single misappropriated penny. The process was swift and transparent, and international auditors were taken aback.

All of this made international aid donors happy, since it cut down their cost of administration, eliminated doubts of corruption and narrowed the trust deficit. But more importantly, the state enforced its writ and citizens realized for the first time that the state is DATA, P29

OPINION

P10 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

Religious Militancy

n By Dr Basheer Ahmed Khan

A

Garden Grove, CA

ddressing the annual ritual of Prayer Breakfast Meeting in Washington DC, President Obama chastised ISIS for its atrocities. Alluding to the Crusades and Inquisition he said that cruelty in the name of religion is not specific to Islam, every religion has its share. The media was understandably furious at these remarks of the President. On the other hand the pundits in the “Liberal Mainstream Media” supported the president in what he said. They protected the President from the fallout of the crime of speaking the truth by terming these remarks as a balancing act of a believing Christian and not the fiery rhetoric of an atheist.

The whole debate seems to be taking a turn to brand religion as evil and the liberal values as the paragon of all virtues on which rests the salvation of humanity. But history has on its record the atrocities committed by the Greco Roman Civilization which is the harbinger of modern liberal secular order. The atrocities committed on Christians before acceptance of Christianity by the Roman King Constantine, the suffering of the helpless gentiles (Jews) in the Greco-Roman arenas, exploitation of colonies in the third world by the European colonizers, Holocaust of the Jews and ethnic cleansing of Bosnians are all a part of the annals of history to disprove this lie of the liberal media.

The worst and the longest type of Religious Militancy that is committed today is the one by Israel in its attempt to establish Jews from all over the world on Palestinian land.

Israel is doing this under the religious edict that this is the Promised Land gifted to the Jews by God. The international community has given a free hand to Israel to continue these atrocities against the Palestinians under the pretext of Israeli right for its security.

What we are seeing in the form of support to militants by some elements of governments is only a repeat of what we witnessed during crusades and inquisitions when church and state colluded with each other to advance their mutually agreed agenda. In order to present itself as paragon of all virtues the state conveniently forgets its role in the mess which it creates, and unfairly blames the religion exclusively for all the evils of the past and present.

As all Truth can’t be told without risking the benefits that come with half-truths, the game of half-truths continues to the detriment of the human civilization. As truth has never been told without risking the bullets from enemies of the truth those who know the truth have most of the time remained silent. As nobody has the time, patience and the

n By Syed Kamran Hashmi

A

Westfield, IN

mountain of crises awaited Mian Nawaz Sharif - a man infamous for his ultra short attention span - after he won the general elections. Could he solve them? Absolutely not. So, he did what he does the best: simplified and short listed his priorities. In fact, he squeezed them down to just three: the Taliban insurgency and terrorism in KPK, the electricity crisis across the nation and the worsening law and order situation in Karachi. By doing so he must realize the outcome of these decisions would define his legacy and might even determine the results of the next elections.

His first initiative to restore peace through dialogue with TTP failed, and failed quite miserably.

While he kept on dragging the issue for a year, the ‘third party’ stepped

need to know The Truth, truth is not known and not cared for by most people. That is why God has kept The Hereafter to reveal the truth of all matters. In the Hereafter Truth will not only be unveiled but we also will be rewarded and punished for our roles in it. We will not believe in it till we see it is another matter.

And till then we have to live with the deceit of half-truth that is dished out to us and which takes us from one calamity to the other.

Not only to set the record straight but also to bring peace, security and progress to the world it is essential that we see and show both sides of the coin. It is essential that both the religious and the liberal pundits understand their evil role in bringing the world to the present chaotic condition and rectify it. Otherwise we will keep swinging like a pendulum between the extremes of religious bigotry and liberal innuendos in succession beyond the capacity of human endurance. As we avoid an honest debate to understand the violent barbaric nature of man and the sure way to tame it through “True Religion”, it raises its ugly head over and over both in the form of religious fanaticism and state fascism.

The history of killing people to achieve ones personal or communal agenda is as old as the history of mankind. This emanates from the militant nature of man itself. Caine killed Able when he was not able to marry the girl of his choice who was the legitimate bride of Able (Genesis Ch4 V8). Religion was a gift of God to restrain man from committing this and such other atrocities. Religion demands that we respect life and do not kill anyone (Ch5 V32). Religion also demands that we promote good and prevent evil (Ch7 V157).

Religion puts restraint on our greed, sets some rules of sexual behavior, and treatment of disenfranchised people to put the societies on path of peace and progress. As this can’t be done by laws alone it instills God Consciousness and accountability before Him. Religion and state should work in unison for the good of mankind by adhering to sound moral principle. Unfortunately this does not happen because of manipulation of religion by state and submission of clergy to the demands of state. Through this unholy nexus kings, dictators, and democratically elected leaders have all killed and harassed the people to establish their power over them all along in history.

Kings and czars were replaced through militant revolutions in the name of ideologies, but with the same purpose of grabbing power to start the game of loot under a new name and under new leaders and with new rules.

The word Muslim is misunderstood as the religious group with this name and not the continuation and culmination of that part of human race who believe and submit to

One God. Muslim is a person who believes, loves and submits to God with all his heart and soul. Muslims have been living in the world even before Muhammad SA was born.

Abraham (PBUH) was a Muslim (Ch3 V67), and by corollary Moses, Jesus and their true followers were also Muslims (Ch3 V110).

The present-day Muslims have received a lot of their religion from people of the book as Allah ordered them to ask from the people of the book about things they do not know (Ch21 V7). Violence and savagery existed

Addressing a Georgetown University gathering on the subject of race relations, FBI director Mr James Comey, has correctly said that everything is not pretty in our society and law enforcement agencies alone are not responsible for it. He further said that building relations is the most difficult task which we are neglecting even before Muhammad SA and continues after him. Not accepting this reality we put all the ills of the present as a DE novo aberration of the group of human being whom we call Muslims. The fact is that all the people in this group, which is now bracketed as Muslims, come from the preceding civilizations with all their bag and baggage.

The world which has been hijacked today by the vested interest is creating a nightmare in the whole world to consolidate power for its stakeholders. While all this is considered as an evolutionary process of human life, Islam is singled out as the only bad ideology and Muslims the only bad guys. This is happening at a time when Muslims are undergoing the struggle to reform their societies from the throes of history committed on them by their selfish rulers and misguided clergy. In an in-

terdependent and globalized world this process of evolution to reach perfection has become more difficult and complex for developing Muslim societies because of the clash of interests between various nations.

This clash of interest is now being given the name of clash of civilization by those who are hopeful of achieving their agenda by naming this struggle as clash of civilization rather than a clash of interest. To understand all this it is necessary to dig deep in history and into the contemporary events to find the roots of militancy in the world.

Islam is accused by every Tom Dick and Harry as a militant religion because of the acts purported to have been committed by a small number of Muslims in recent times.

Those who dispute this thesis wantonly trace militancy of few individual Muslims to the teaching of the Qur’an and the life of the Prophet SA and call it Islamic militancy. Unfortunately, these very people who bemoan the savagery of a few Muslims minimize the suffering of Muslims all over the world that is living in Stone Age because of the retaliatory actions of the coalition of the willing. This is only referred to as “collateral damage” and one invited by Muslims on themselves. This narrative is accepted by the innocent people because of the control of “Mainstream Media” by those who have an interest in spreading Islamophobia. Mainstream media has no time or importance to present the suffering of Muslims as vociferously as they do with the false accusations against them. The media has all the time to project Muslims in a bad image even if it is not true.

Addressing a Georgetown University gathering on the subject of race relations, FBI director Mr James Comey, has correctly said that everything is not pretty in our society and law enforcement agencies alone are not responsible for it. He further said that building relations is the most difficult task which we are neglecting.

As long as our political leadership allows the people with big mouths, deep pockets, and untamed power to spread venom in the name of freedom of speech just to masquerade their strategy to achieve their hidden agendas, even the most civilized society can be degraded to commit and condone savagery. Only if our law makers can make laws to predicate freedom of speech with responsibility and do not make it a license to spread lies, hate and confusion, we can avoid the abhorring and obnoxious actions that we saw in Paris and in Chapel Hill. Only if the media shows restraint and does not portray the actions of few misguided individuals to suit its agenda the world would be a safe place focusing on progress of all societies rather than wasting resources in wasteful and dangerous wars to mollify those who benefit from it.

Another Operation in Karachi in and decided for him what needed to be done in the North Waziristan.

Regarding the power crisis, his strategy to pay off the circulatory debt yielded temporary results, as expected. However, the country without a back up financial plan to keep the debt from building up, dipped back into darkness. Whether in the next three years, Pakistan would emerge from the electricity crisis is yet to be seen. His team, under the leadership of Mian Shahbaz Sharif, although is working hard to resolve the problem; nonetheless, based on Shahbaz Sharif ’s poor administrative capabilities, it is difficult to imagine a successful outcome. So, I would count that a failure too.

Now, let us come to his third major decision: the grand operation in Karachi. Before he swore in, the number of politically motivated target killings had been rising, and the city had turned into a war zone between the feuding political parties, their militant wings, the Taliban and

the criminal gangs. The government - which included both the PPP and the MQM - evaded the responsibility, and wasted more time pointing fingers at each other instead of taking the bull by the horn. Mian Nawaz Sharif, having almost no stake in the city, hence took the initiative.

He went to Karachi a few times and sat with all the mainstream political forces including the emerging PTI. After a few meetings and with the

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consent of all the members, a decision was made and an operation was launched in September of 2013.

One and a half years later, after the operation has failed to achieve almost all its targets, the city still reeks of crime like a putrefying dead body, the reason many experts believe the federal government would intensify its efforts after the senate elections.

You can hear the Prime Minister hinting about it too. First, the fre-

quency of his visits to the capital of Sindh has shot up, an indication of his concern. And second, just last week, while addressing a seminar, he admitted the partial failure of the ongoing operation. “Karachi will once again become the city of lights,” he said. “The ongoing operation in the port city would not be left half way and would continue till its logical end.”

So the question is why did the current operation not yield favorable results? Or perhaps we should ask: if military operations have ever produced positive outcomes? Yes, in the short term, they do reduce the criminal activity, because the criminal gangs or political parties hide their members in the initial phase.

But, no, in the long run, the military operations do not work. As the time goes on and the groups learn the tactics of the (para)military forces, they reorganize and resume their activities - and they always succeed. Unbelievable, I agree, especially when the whole country congratulates the armed forces for their OPERATION, P29

PAKISTAN

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P11

Why the MQM Raid Was Conducted Now and What It Means for Karachi’s Security

A paramilitary soldier displays weapons recovered during the raid on the MQM headquarters

Karachi: Karachi’s residents

woke up to worrying news this morning as they switched on their TVs or went through their smart phones looking for the latest news of the day.

By 7.30am, WhatsApp groups were abuzz with reports of a Rangers operation underway at Nine Zero – Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) headquarters in Karachi. By 9.30am the operation was over. A Rangers spokesman said the office would be under police custody for some time before being handed back to the party.

A video released by the party to news channels showed several men sitting crouched on a road, with their hands behind their heads. Another scene showed a Rangers official, wearing a mask to partially cover his face, talking to MQM leader Aamir Khan. The MQM vehemently protested the action by the paramilitary

force and said it was uncalled for given that the party was more than ready to hand over any criminals within its ranks to law-enforcement agencies.

The Rangers, too, were quick to brief the media. They showed, what they said, were arms and ammunition recovered during the raid. “The arms that we seized during today’s raid include many whose import is banned in Pakistan,” a Rangers spokesman said. He also said that several “hardened criminals and target killers” had been detained during the raid, including Faisal ‘Mota’ who had been awarded death sentence for involvement in the murder of journalist Wali Khan Babar.

That a paramilitary operation had raided the office of Pakistan’s fourth largest political party a day after that party refused to support the ruling PML-N’s candidate for Senate chairman is perhaps too

much of a coincidence to be ignored. Perhaps, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN), without whose consent the raid would not have happened, is sending a message to the MQM for its perceived disloyalty in the Senate chairman’s election.

That said, the raid put the MQM on the defensive, and it responded to the weapons allegation by the Rangers by saying that these weapons were all licensed and kept in the party’s office for security purposes after the party had received threats from the Taliban. (That is a fact. The party came under the ire of outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in 2012 as well as during the run-up to the 2013 general election).

So what now? The party has appealed for calm but the city has all but shut down.

Moreover, markets in several cities in Sindh such as Hyder-

abad, Sukkur, Nawabshah and Mirpurkhas have not opened for the day as well. The party’s response will depend to a great extent on what happens to the several dozen of its members it says the Rangers have taken into custody.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was in Karachi and the MQM would have registered a protest with him. However, given what happened the last time there was a meeting in Karachi on the Karachi situation it is obvious that the real shots are being called by the GHQ and it may prevail on the premier to let matters take their own course.

While the outcome of these events is awaited, the people of Karachi – a city of over 20 million – will have to wait and see. Economic activity for Wednesday will be halted and ordinary people are going to face considerable hardships by way of lost pay (for the hundreds of thousands of day wage earners), a difficult commute to work or no petrol. The MQM is likely to calibrate its response for the coming days going on the day’s developments as they unfold.

No party, in government or in opposition, would be against an operation against hardened criminals and target killers but let’s face it – Karachi has seen violence by armed groups operating across the political spectrum and even jihadi and sectarian outfits have a presence in the city. In the interest of fair play and being seen as even-handed, operations should be conducted against all such entities lest the city’s biggest political party and its supporters feel that they were being unfairly singled out.

Pakistan in a Fix over Saudi Request for Help against IS Islamabad: Islamabad is in a fix

over whether to accept Riyadh’s request for support to preempt possible military incursions into Saudi Arabia by the Islamic State (IS), which has made significant gains in both Iraq and Syria.

The issue was a key item on the agenda during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia, where he received an unprecedented welcome from newly crowned King Salman bin Abdulaziz, a senior government official told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity.

Premier Nawaz visited the oilrich kingdom last week on the special invitation of the Saudi monarch, who is believed to be looking up to his closest allies, including Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan, to boost security at the Saudi borders in a bid to ward off the IS threat.

According to a statement issued

by Pakistan’s Foreign Office following talks between the prime minister and the Saudi king, the two leaders shared identical views on all important issues, including the need to combat terrorism.

The senior official confirmed that the two leaders discussed increased

security cooperation between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Although he declined to go into details, it is believed that Riyadh wants Islamabad to send troops to help it in the fight against IS. In return, the new Saudi monarch has offered Islamabad an economic package, which includes supply of oil on deferred payment, said another official familiar with the discussion.

So far, Prime Minister Nawaz has not given Saudi Arabia any firm assurance in response to the request.

The government is cautious about getting embroiled in any new controversy which could have far-reaching implications for Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries as well as the United States formed a coalition last September against IS. But Pakistan attempted to distance itself from any such coalition fearing a negative fallout.

Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry recently informed the Senate panel on foreign affairs that Pakistan would not become part of any international coalition against IS. “It [Pakistan] should only support multilateral action against IS under the UN Security Coun-

cil resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter,” the top diplomat told the committee.

The policy appears to suggest that Pakistan intends to tread a careful path over the IS issue. The cautious approach is attributed to the fact that joining the fight against IS would create more trouble for Pakistan, which is already preoccupied with fighting its own war against several militant groups.

Another factor is that because of Iran, the current government, despite having close ties with the Saudi royal family, does not want to be seen as too much aligned with Saudi Arabia.

PTI to Begin Last Phase of Anti-Govt. Drive This Month

PTI Chairman gives a shield to the daughter of PTI leader Zahra Shahid Hussain

Lahore: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan announced on Monday that the PTI would launch the last phase of its campaign in the city during the current month against the alleged rigging in general elections 2013.

“We will not go back until justice is dispensed with,” the PTI chief said.

He said that re-count of NA122 votes had been assigned to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and expressed the confidence that results would prove a “massive fraud” in elections.

Speaking at an International Women’s Day event organized by the party’s Punjab chapter at the Aiwan-i-Iqbal, he said the PTI would make `Naya Pakistan’ at any cost.

He paid glowing tribute to the party’s `martyrs’ Zahra Shahid Hussain, Shahi Begum, critically injured Dr Samia Tauqir as well as the Army Public School’s martyred Principal Tahira Qazi and teacher Samia Zarin.

He praised all women workers for having stood shoulder to shoulder with men during the party’s 126-day sit-in in Islamabad against the alleged rigging in elections.

IHC Upholds Mumtaz Qadri’s Death Sentence

WOMEN FROM P12

Women Development and Empowerment Center(WD&EC). The center has been established by the Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM) on Lehtrar Road and its opening marked the International Women Day. The center will offer advanced computer courses, besides training of beautician, embroidery, sewing and cooking to women belonging to marginalized segments of the federal capital and adjacent areas.

www.PakistanLink.com

Mr Khan said that PTI lawmakers had stood firm in recent Senate elections despite having been offered up to Rs40 million for their votes. He said it was a matter of grave concern that bribe and injustice was becoming acceptable to society and added that all parties were unanimous in saying that massive rigging had been reported in the general elections, but no one stood by the PTI for formation of a judicial commission to investigate the matter.

He said that Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, Shahbaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar should inform the nation about their, as well as their families’ assets abroad.

The PTI chairman said that women could bring fundamental changes to society and called upon them to launch a campaign of truthfulness and rightfulness from their homes.

Lauding the unwavering role of women in the party’s sit-in in Islamabad, Mr Khan pointed out that many a day the number of women participants was more than that of men. He said that even children were chanting “Go Nawaz Go” slogans in their schools.

Islamabad: Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld Mumtaz Qadri’s death sentence under Section-302 of the Pakistan Penal Code on Monday for killing former Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer, but struck out a terrorism conviction, making it unlikely that he would be executed soon.

The Islamabad High Court dis-

missed an appeal against the death sentence by Mumtaz Qadri, a former police bodyguard who shot dead Punjab governor Salman Taseer in Islamabad in 2011. However, it declared Qadri’s death sentence under the Anti-Terrorism Act null and void.

Qadri admitted shooting Taseer, saying he objected to the politician’s calls to reform Pakistan’s strict blasphemy laws which can carry the death penalty.

Judges Noorul Haq Qureshi and Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui dismissed the appeal over the murder charge.

An anti-terrorism court handed down double death sentences for murder and terrorism to Qadri in late 2011. However, the self-confessed killer of the former governor Punjab had filed an appeal in the court against his conviction which the IHC dismissed.

Qadri’s lawyer Mian Nazeer said they had not yet decided about appealing to the Supreme Court.

PAKISTAN

P12 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

Government Quietly Dilutes Its Counter-Terrorism Plan Islamabad: Federal authorities have

watered down their counter-terrorism strategy after quietly excluding from the implementation process three key points in the National Action Plan (NAP), a senior official told The Express Tribune on Saturday.

These points are action against proscribed outfits, reform of madrassas (religious seminaries) and the repatriation of Afghan refugees.

The NAP was crafted following the December 16, 2014 deadly Taliban assault on the Army Public School in Peshawar that killed over 150 students and staff. As per plan, the burden would be shifted to the provinces including countering the menace of terrorism, the official said. Yet, despite incidents of terrorism and sectarian clashes, provincial authorities have failed to devise any framework to counter the perpetrators.

Punjab remains the hub for most of these groups. The provincial authorities are considering personspecific laws to bar or discourage individuals from taking part in any activity using the name of any changed platform.

Hamid Ali Khan, national coordinator for the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta), confirmed that the three points are “no more under consideration of Nacta” as these are time-consuming issues

that require long-term planning.

But the remaining 17 points are being vigorously pursued as they are a key part of NAP. Earlier, there were assurances in the counter terrorism strategy that ‘defunct’ outfits will not be allowed to operate under any other name. On that count though, the head of Nacta confessed failure and said that no fresh action had been taken against any proscribed organization and neither had any mechanism been adopted to keep an eye on activities of groups working with changed names.

Experts cite absence of any practical mechanism for this failure.

An expert who was also a part of the government’s experts group told The Express Tribune that the provinces had failed to devise any practical procedure to achieve these goals.

Similarly, point no 10 of the plan reads “registration and regulation of religious seminaries.” The government had not moved forward on this front other than taking a few symbolic actions, the official said.

Measure 19 incorporated in the draft of the NAP calls for the “formulation of a comprehensive policy to deal with the issue of Afghan refugees, beginning with registration of all refugees”. Sources said that the interior ministry has yet to devise any viable strategy for repatriation of Afghan refugees to their

native country. They added that despite the current hype in the media about their return, the ministry had not issued any policy notification in this regard.

Officials pointed out that a large number of CNICs had been issued to these refugees during the rule of Pervez Musharraf. Another challenging task is to create a liaison between National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to determine precise data. Pakistan is also expecting funding from international donors. The Ministry of States and Frontier Regions (SAFRON) has been given the task to work on these tasks.

This is a lengthy process, according to the counter terrorism body’s chief, and one that is hard to monitor regularly.

Seven other ambitious goals identified by the officials include action against elements spreading sectarianism, leaving no room for extremism in any part of the country, and taking concrete measures against promotion of terrorism through the internet and social media. Also listed are administrative and development reforms in Fata.

The goals include freezing all funding sources of terrorists and terrorist outfits, and working on political reconciliation in Balochistan.

President, PM Pledge to Protect and Promote Women’s Rights

Islamabad: Like other countries of the world, Pakistan observed the International Women’s Day 2015 on Sunday to celebrate the economic, political and social achievements of women, with a commitment to promote and protect their rights.

The day was celebrated with the theme ‘Make It Happen’. This year, several government departments arranged a variety of programs for commemorating the day, while a number of organizations held seminars, conferences and rallies to highlight women rights and issues in Pakistan.

On the day, President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reaffirmed the government’s resolve to provide equal opportunities to women enabling them to grow and excel in every sphere of life.

In their separate messages they Relevant officials in the FIA, PTA, interior ministry and information ministry said the government is committed don’t know where the inter-ministerial committee sits, who the members are, the merit the members are chosen on, how they work, its postal/email address, how they evaluate the blockade of websites, where the list of blocked websites are and why they are blocked, and how to get a website unblocked.

However, in the same case, PTA chairman Ismail Shah recently told the court that the authority had blocked 64,000 websites, of which 50,000 pertain to pornography and the remaining relate to blasphemy.

Mudassir Hussain, member Telecom from IT, requested the court to revisit its earlier order in which it had restrained the authority from blocking any website without approval of the court. He said that the ministry is receiving many complaints against certain websites, and he requested the court to allow their blockage.

On the other hand, Bolo Bhi’s counsel Babar Sattar argued that the working of the committee had been non-transparent and dubious. He Delhi: Pakistan’s High Commismaintained that policy is not a law sioner to India Abdul Basit on through which websites had been Monday met Hurriyat leader Syed blocked. Further, he argued that the Ali Shah Geelani in a repeat of last government can move to stop any- year’s event that led to the cancellathing in future. He added that if the tion of secretary-level talks between government is interested in block- the two countries.

Basit visited Geelani at his ing websites, it should introduce a law. Otherwise, such policy directives residence in Delhi following the recould be termed illegal. lease of a separatist, Masarat Alam, State Minister for Information NDTV reported. The meeting, Technology Anusha Rehman said that which lasted about 30 minutes, took the cyber crimes bill 2015 (Preven- place just days after the resumption tion of Electronic Crimes Bill) is be- of talks between India and Pakistan ing thoroughly reviewed in order to after a visit of Indian Foreign Secremake it consistent with the National tary S Jaishankar to Pakistan.

Action Plan (NAP).

Alam was arrested and jailed for leading protests, which involved

Islamic State Has Significant Presence in Pakistan through Propaganda Website

to protecting women from all sorts of exploitation and marginalization.

In his message, the president said observance of the day serves to raise greater awareness about the issues of women and highlight their critical role in the sustained developmental process. He said this day provides an opportunity to pay tributes to the achievements of women and to highlight their needs and concerns at the national, regional and global level. He reiterated that any discrimination against women was a fundamental violation of human rights.

Separately, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said participation of women is a prerequisite for the development of a country and PML-N government would ensure their empowerment and participation in the nation-building process.

BILAWAL’S MESSAGE”: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari reiterated his party’s commitment to the protection and promotion of the rights of women and pledged that PPP shall always stand for equal rights for all, including women.

In his message on the occasion of International Women’s Day, he pointed out that it was the people’s government led by Benazir Bhutto which practically worked for the uplift of women folk and establishment of the First Women’s Bank, Women Police Stations, appointment of women in judiciary and special projects for women’s health.

CENTER: Minister of State for Information and Technology and Telecommunication Anusha Rehman Sunday inaugurated WOMEN, P11

Pakistan High Commissioner Meets Hurriyat Leader in Delhi

Islamabad: The Islamic State (IS), also known as Daesh, has significant presence in Pakistan through a website managed by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Amid confusion and a struggle to remove legislative lacuna to deal with cyber crime-related issues, relevant authorities are reluctant to block the website — which, according to security analysts, is also being used as a launching pad by the Daesh and al Qaeda.

An announcement by the TTP spokesperson can still be accessed on the website through which the terrorist group declared war against Pakistan. The group also claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack on the Army Public School in Peshawar on 16 December, 2014.

Officials tend to blame each other for their inability to disable the website. Currently, a cyber crime wing is functional in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), while a vigilance cell is also operating in Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA),which exclu-

sively deals with such violations with the assistance of its IP wing. However, officials in these wings are not ready to block the website, citing some judicial and administrative hurdles.

Referring to a controversy, PTA’s senior official Abdul Samad said an NGO, Bolo Bhi, which works for the rights of internet users, took the authority to the Islamabad High Court, which restrained the Inter-Ministerial Committee from functioning. The committee decides if a website should be accessed or blocked in Pakistan.

In response to a question, he said an IP wing is still functional in the authority. The PTA official said the NGO had challenged the legal position of the Inter-Ministerial Committee for the Evaluation of Websites (IMCEW) on blocking websites, and questioned the transparency of the committee’s working. The dormant committee has the representation of the interior ministry, PTA, ministry of IT and others to take appropriate action.

The PTA official could not give any details of the defunct committee.

www.PakistanLink.com

stone-throwing in Kashmir in 2010.

The 44-year-old was released on Saturday on orders of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed – of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) - which very recently formed a government in Jammu and Kashmir with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Alam’s release was unacceptable, adding that the decision was made without the consent of the Center. “I also lend my voice to the outrage on the release of the separatist… this is not one party’s outrage, it is the nation’s outrage,” Modi said. He further promised that there would be “no compromise on the integrity of the nation.”

According to the Times of India, Modi had also said there had been no consultation by the J&K government with the Center.

“Whatever action is being taken in J&K is being taken without consulting coalition partner or with central government,” he said.

Additionally, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said a report had been sought by the Center based on the release of Alam.

Interestingly, Modi also added that the Center was to take blame as well, since it is, after all, in coalition.

The Indian premier also told the opposition party, “Do not teach us patriotism.”

PAKISTAN

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P13

Pakistan Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile

Opposition Nominates Raza Rabbani for Senate

Pakistani short range surface-to-surface Ballistic Missile Hatf II is launched from an undisclosed location

Islamabad: Pakistan has conducted a successful test launch of the Shaheen-III surface-to-surface ballistic missile, capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads to a range of 2,750 km.

A statement from Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the test launch was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapons system at its maximum range.

Late last year, Shaheen-I and Shaheen-II missiles were test-fired.

The Shaheen-II test missile was found capable of carrying nuclear and conventional warheads up to a range of 1500 km.

The launch was witnessed by senior officers of the Strategic Plans Division, strategic forces, and scientists and engineers of strategic

organizations. The impact point of the launch was the Arabian Sea. Director General Strategic Plans Division, Lieutenant General Zubair Mahmood Hayat, congratulated the scientists and engineers associated with the launching on achieving yet another milestone of historic significance. He termed it a major step towards strengthening Pakistan’s deterrence capability.

He appreciated the technical prowess, dedication and commitment of scientists who contributed towards making the launch a success.

He showed confidence in the Strategic Command and Control System and the Strategic Forces’ capability to safeguard the security of Pakistan against any aggression.

Pakistan has the world’s fastest

UNICEF Warns Lack of Toilets Tied to Stunting

growing nuclear program, a USbased think tank said in a recently released report.

“Pakistan...is believed to have enough fissile material to produce between 110 and 120 nuclear warheads,” says the report Strategic Stability in the Second Nuclear Age Council released by the influential Council on Foreign Relations.

“By 2020, Pakistan could have a fissile material stockpile sufficient to produce more than 200 nuclear weapons.”

The successful test launch and achievement of the range milestone has also been warmly appreciated by the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan who also congratulated the scientists and engineers on this outstanding achievement.

Sarfraz Gets Promotion in PIA

Islamabad: The opposition parties have nominated Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Raza Rabbani as their candidate for Senate chairmanship, Express News reported.

The decision to nominate Rabbani was announced after a meeting of the alliance of opposition parties held at Zardari House in Islamabad late on Monday.

The meeting was attended by the representatives of PPP, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PLM-Q).

The opposition parties have also agreed to leave the post of deputy chairman for a candidate

from Balochistan, however, no name for the post was announced.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman, who also attended the meeting, will announce his support for the opposition candidates after consulting his party members.

Sixty one-year-old Rabbani, a former advocate of the Supreme Court, has served multiple terms in the Senate and is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security. He has been affiliated with the PPP since 1968. He is the deputy secretary general of the party. Rabbani served as federal minister of state for law and justice in the mid-90s.

PIA Restores Flight Operations to Bangladesh

Islamabad: More than 40 mil-

lion people in Pakistan do not have access to a toilet, forcing them to defecate in the open, which in turn is a major contributor to stunting in the country, a top UNICEF official said.

“There are 41 million people who do not have access to a toilet in Pakistan and as a result they are defecating in the open. And open defecation has significant health and nutritional consequences,” said Geeta Rao Gupta, deputy executive director at UNICEF. She recently spoke to The Associated Press during a trip to Pakistan to draw attention to the problem.

“Open defecation is a major contributor to stunting and that’s why we’ve got to do all we can to stop it,” she said.

Pakistan is the third-largest country when it comes to people going to the bathroom in the open, behind India and Indonesia. The problem can spread disease and lead to intestinal infections, which can contribute to stunting in young children, she said.

Stunting means children don’t grow as tall as they would otherwise, and it can also affect a child’s brain development. Stunted children are more at risk of disease, don’t do as well in school and stunted mothers can also give birth to stunted children.

UNICEF is working with the Pakistan government to improve sanitation by doing things like encouraging people to wash their hands more often. They’re also working with communities to help them build toilets so they don’t have to use the bathroom in a field or elsewhere.

Building more toilets is also vital for empowering women and girls and keeping them in school, Gupta said. If women have to walk long distances to find a private place to relieve themselves, they are more vulnerable and exposed to attack. They’re also less likely to go to school if there are no toilets.

“Having toilets is a big advantage to girls,” she said.

Karachi: Sarfraz Ahmed’s record-

equaling World Cup debut which helped Pakistan beat South Africa on Saturday has not gone unnoticed: PIA has decided to promote the wicketkeeper-batsman.

Sarfraz made run-a-ball 49 to give Pakistan a solid start against the Proteas and then backed up the splendid performance with six catches to equal Australian Adam Gilchirist’s record in an innings in the World Cup. The 27-year-old, who represents PIA in domestic cricket, was previously in group four but is expected to be given a double promotion to group six by the top management.

Former Test cricketer Shoaib Mohammad, who heads the sports department in the organization, said that Sarfraz has done Pakistan proud.

www.PakistanLink.com

Flights to Dhaka were suspended on February 25 in protest against ‘harassment’ of PIA crew and passengers

Karachi: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Monday restored its flight operations to Bangladesh after a week-long suspension.

The flights to Dhaka were suspended on February 25 to protest against ‘harassment’ of PIA crew and passengers by Bangladeshi security personnel.

PIA spokesperson Rana Muhammad Hanif said the national airline had approached the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to resolve the matter with the Bangladesh government. “The ministry has settled the issue and resultantly the first flight – PK-266 – took off today at 9am from Karachi to the Bangladeshi capital,” he said.

PIA operates five flights a

week from Karachi to Dhaka.

“Hopefully, the operations will continue smoothly,” Rana said, adding that he has no information of any problems so far.

“The flight is scheduled to return to Karachi at 4:15pm and the crew can tell us better about the renewed operation,” the spokesperson said.

Bangladeshi intelligence officers had reportedly been harassing PIA officials for the past two months. PIA Station Manager Ali Abbass was once held by the security forces in Bangladesh and was later deported to Pakistan.

Several raids were also conducted on the houses of PIA officials on suspicion of smuggling fake currency.

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MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P15

Pakistan Girls Sing Way to Fame with Justin Bieber’s Baby

Saania and Muqqadas Tabaydar were filmed performing Baby with their mother Shahnaz on percussion (left). The girls, who cannot speak English, sounded out the words and wrote them in Urdu (right). Justin Bieber (below)

n By Shaimaa Khalil Lahore: Neighbors gather at windows and on rooftops surrounding the Tabaydar house in a very poor neighborhood on the outskirts of Lahore.

It feels like an open-air concert - men, women and children are cheering and trying to get the best vantage point to watch the performance.

The two girls they want to see are 15-year-old Saania and 13-yearold Muqqadas Tabaydar, also known as ‘Justin Bibis’.

The teenage sisters became an internet sensation when a video of them singing Justin Bieber’s song Baby, with their mother doing background beats on a pot, went viral.

People in Pakistan took to social media. Some announced that Bieber had “competition” in these two girls.

“Pakistan’s got talent” was another popular comment about the sisters.

“We’ve been singing since we were very young - many members of our family sing too. We know all sorts of Pakistani and Bollywood songs,” said Saania.

“But we especially love Justin Bieber songs because they touch our hearts.

“When we heard Baby, we started dancing and jumping around and we just lost ourselves to it,” she added.

Her sister Muqqadas said they have both listened to the song about 70 times.

“When I heard the song I forgot to eat or drink. I was just listening. I kept practicing and practicing until I learned it by heart.

“This song has been really lucky for us because we’ve now become famous!”

Saania and Muqqadas come from a very poor family and dropped out of education after primary school.

They do not speak much English so to learn the song they sounded out the words and transcribed them into Urdu.

They coached each other on the lyrics and the melodies.

They were soon picked up by local television channels who invited them to perform live.

The new-found fame is a big shift from their daily life.

“We really didn’t expect all of this to happen to us, to be famous like this. Because of this video we got on a plane for the first time and we’ve been on TV. That’s always been our dream.

“We had our hair and make-up done. We’d never been to a beauty parlor before. All of it was like magic so who knows what will happen next,” said Saania smiling.

Their mother Shahnaz Tabaydar said she was also a big fan of Justin Bieber.

“I still can’t believe all of this

happened to my daughters, all thanks to Justin Bieber. I like him a lot. I feel he’s like my son.

“I wish that my girls could one day become professional singers in Pakistan and India. I hope they get the support they need.”

Mrs Tabaydar said the girls were taken out of school because the family was too poor. “But I really want them to go back,” she said.

Their father said he was proud of his daughters.

Pakistan is a religiously conservative country and girls singing in public is frowned upon. But their father says they have not received any criticism. “ M y daughters do something not many others girls can do. They sing English songs which are very hard for them, but they manage it.”

Saania and Muqqadas say they want to travel the world.

“Our biggest wish, though, is to meet Justin Bieber and to sing with him.”

- BBC

www.PakistanLink.com

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and Pakistan, with countless hit songs and innumerable awards.

The core of his talent stems from his In 1995 he contributed towards the music traditional classical training and from the of the Sean Penn movie, “Dead Man Walk- sublime ethos of Sufi music. The rich texing,” and set his sights on a canvas that was ture of his voice coupled with the emotionnot restricted to his home town audience. It al depth of his music captivates the collecwas his debut in the 2004 Indian film, “Paap’ tive soul of his fans, and with each passing with the hit song, “Mann ki lagan,” that cata- year Rahat Fateh Ali Khan improves and pulted him to stardom. Since then his talent his music surmounts any regional, politihas been appreciated by audiences in India cal or linguistic boundaries.

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Online Tickets: www.Sulekha.com • www.ticketmaster.com www.PakistanLink.com

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WOMEN

P18 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

T

rade Development Authority of Pakistan has been working with the cottage industry of fashion to muster exports since the last few years. In its latest endeavour, TDAP hosted a two-day fashion extravaganza as part of the 9th Expo Pakistan to target the 1500-plus foreign buyers and dignitaries.

In his attempt to bring the craft of the Thari women on the catwalk, fashion designer Zaheer Abbas kick-

started day one with his Ode to Thar collection. He collaborated with Sindh's Women Development Minister Rubina Qaimkhani to bring the indigenous handicraft of the Thari women on the ramp. Sahar Atif also showcased her Sultanat collection, with white-on-white and goldon-gold tones in off-shouldre cocktail dresses. Meanwhile Mohsin Ali from the house of Sana Safinaz brought an urban touch to the runway. Gulabo showcased colourful tops inspired by the done and dusted

www.Pakistanlink.com www.PakistanLink.com

Palestinian keffiyeh prints while Deepak Perwani exhibited clean lines in a sleek urban collection.

The first day also showcased collections by Akif Mahmood, NickieNina, Karma Pink, Sublime by Sara Shahid, Adnan Pardesi and Ali Xeeshan.

The second day saw the likes of Huma Adnan, Nauman Arfeen, Nida Azwer and a handful of TDAP mix designers showcase their collections, in what was a much-need refreshing fashion weekend.

COMMUNITY

Community Link

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P19

Friday, March 13, 2015

VOL. 25/11 PAGE 20

Nihad Awad Gets National Recognition

22 Jumadal-ula 1436 H

PAGE PAGE 25 17

egum PAGE 21

Islamic Relief Fundraiser in San Francisco Bay Area

Dhavan Blitz Gives India Fifth Win

For news, updated round the clock, visit

www.PakistanLink.com

Activism on Wheels

The free-spirited Khan, addressing the audience in a packed auditorium that evening, stated that he is tired of the news regarding Pakistan, strewn with negativity, that continues to show a one-sided vision of his country to the world on a regular basis

n By Shahbano Nawaz Pictures by Annie Athar

O

n January 29th, 2015, the Pakistan Arts Council of the USC Pacific Asia Museum hosted a screening of Moin Khan’s documentary “Rediscovering Pakistan-The Untold Tale” in collaboration with the Pasadena Public Library in Pasadena, CA.

The film features Khan as he travels by motorbike with nine international bikers to the northern

areas of Pakistan to experience its unmatched beauty and to dispel some stereotypes along the way.

Moin Khan is best known for his solo journey from San Francisco to Lahore on his motorbike in 2011.

His motivation for that journey was to introduce people he met along the way to a “real” Pakistani.

The free-spirited Khan, addressing the audience in a packed auditorium that evening, stated that he is tired of the news regarding Pakistan, strewn with negativity,

that continues to show a one-sided vision of his country to the world on a regular basis. Moin hopes to provide a more balanced picture of his beloved country by showing its natural beauty and the beautiful spirit of its people. He later stated in a personal interview, “Some might say that I am turning a blind eye to some of the terrible things that are happening in Pakistan, but I grew up there and know that in the midst of it all, there is beauty hidden under the bad media, a beauty that I

www.PakistanLink.com

needed to share…a glimpse of the Pakistan that gave its heart and soul to me and raised me to be the man I am today.”

He accomplished both goals with the nine international bikers.

Their testimonials in the film affirm that Pakistan has an unparalleled beauty that they were captivated by, and that the people of Pakistan they came across are as hospitable as they are kind. Khan also impressed the culturally diverse audience in the auditorium that evening, many of

whom testified to have not known much about Pakistan beyond what is reported in the media.

Khan will continue screening his film throughout the United States and into the UK before he makes the film public on YouTube.

He hopes to start a new solo journey on his bike in the upcoming year, from Alaska to Argentina. For updates, please follow Khan on his Facebook page at Moin Khan-A Different Agenda or email him at adifferentagenda@gmail.com.

COMMUNITY

P20 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

Food and Flavors Fill the Hearts of the Homeless

Nihad Awad Gets National Recognition Anaheim,

n By Maya Téllez

L

ooking at the hundreds of plates filled with Karahi Chicken, Tandoori Naan, Palau, and Aloo-Gobi, one would never have guessed the meal INSAN served on February 27th, 2015 was for the homeless. INSAN for Humanity, a pilot project by INSAN Foundation, works primarily in Sothern California, to provide care for those in need.

As an organization, INSAN focuses on hunger and homeless, minimizing educational disparity, and inspiring future leadership.

INSAN has also been at the forefront of educational and humanitarian causes in India for 50 years. For the

past three years through its INSAN for Humanity project, it has been assisting the Pomona Winter Shelter and its homeless residents, or as INSAN humbly calls them, their guests. Sometime they like to give a treat to their guests by surprising them with an international meal. This time it was Desi (subcontinental) cuisine prepared by a local restaurant, New Aashiana of Diamond Bar. The guests were served Karahi Chicken, named after the Indian wok in which it is prepared. One of the favorites of the guests was the Aloo-Gobi, a traditional potato and cauliflower dish.

Both menus were carefully cooked in an assortment of authentic spices but mild enough for the American taste. Also served was an aromatic Basmati rice pi-

Zubaida Begum Randhawa Passes away It is with deep sadness and grief that the Randhawa family announces that Zubaida Begum Randhawa passed away on the night of Friday, February 18, 2015 at the age of ~91. Funeral services and burial were held after Namaz-e -Juma at the Valley Memorial Park & Cemetery in Novato, California on Friday, February 20 and a Khatam-e-Qur’an was held on Sunday February 22nd at the San Ramon Islamic Center.

She will be deeply missed by her family members and many people who interacted with her in her during her life. Mrs Randhawa is now buried next to her late husband, Dr Iqbal Hussain Randhawa, whom she has finally joined “in eternity”.

Zubaida Begum originated from Quilla Gujjar Singh district of Lahore, where she grew up in very secure and loving Chaudhry family. After her matriculation from Lady Maclagan School Lahore, she was married and because of her husband’s medical assignments she lived in various parts of the Indian subcontinent. After the birth of Pakistan, she lived in all provinces of West Pakistan and raised four sons in Lahore while her husband pursued post-graduate medical studies in the United Kingdom from 1955-60.

Zubaida Begum will be remembered as a most compassionate and giving person. Her home was always open to all and this practice of welcoming people continued till the end of her life. She also had a profound sense of community responsibility and served as a member of APWA (All Pakistan Women’s Association) for several years in Quetta, Hyderabad and Karachi.

May Allah (SWT) grant her Maghfirah and a place in Jannat-ul-Firdaus and may her soul rest in eternal peace. We also pray that her family finds the strength to sustain her loss. The family has asked that we remember her in our prayers.

laf also known as Palau, and Tandoori Naan made fresh in a clay oven. Lastly, the guests were surprised with Jilabi, a sweet donut fried in circular shapes!

As you can imagine, the guests were thrilled and incredibly thankful for the delicious meal.

Almost equally excited were the three dozen volunteers who spent their afternoon helping the guests by setting up their beds, organizing the bathrooms and showers, manning the supply closet, and preparing the meals. While most of INSAN’s volunteers are young adults, they make up a diverse group, coming from many different backgrounds, faiths, and walks of life. INSAN works to provide basic needs for their guests, and to instill hope in them. Unfortu-

nately, the shelter will be closing for the season, and the delicious meal will be one of the last full meal for a while for many of the guests. Yet, as they filled themselves with spiced chicken, fresh vegetables, and steaming Naan, there was not a single troubled face in sight.

As volunteers began to leave, the guests cheerfully thanked them and waved goodbye. After a single day’s work it was clear that INSAN had filled the hearts, as well as stomachs, of its guests and volunteers with the very force with which it is named - humanity.

(Maya Téllez is a freshman at Cal Poly Pomona receiving a communications major and an INSAN Volunteer.

She can be reached at mstellez@cpp. edu)

CA: The Greater Los Angeles office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations ( C A I R- L A ) has conveyed heartfelt congratulations to CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad for his national recognition. The Los Angeles Times has named Nihad Awad as one of the nation’s “new civil rights leaders.”

CAIR was listed along with a number of other civil rights activists “fighting battles old and new” in the newspaper’s coverage marking this month’s 50th anniversary of the historic march on Selma.

The entry for Awad noted that he “has been an outspoken opponent of blanket surveillance of Muslims.” He is quoted saying: “I’m outraged as an American citizen that my government, after decades of civil rights struggle, still spies on political activists and civil right activists and leaders,”. . .”I’m really angry that despite all the work that we have been doing in our communities to serve the nation, we are treated with suspicion.”

“Through my work with Nihad Awad for almost 20 years, I can personally vouch that Awad is one of the nation’s most dedicated and ‘New Civil Rights Leaders,’ “ said CAIR-LA Executive Director Hussam Ayloush. “The LA Times recognition was rightfully merited. I am proud to have him as a colleague and mentor. Our country and especially the American Muslim community are fortunate to have a servant leader of his caliber striving to ensure liberty and justice for all people.”

“As America recalls the historic significance of the march on Selma, we welcome the recognition of our nation’s latest generation of civil rights leaders,” said CAIR National Board Chair Roula Allouch.

Launching the Congressional Leadership Development Program: Application Deadline April 15 Friend, MPAC is proud to announce the launch of its Congressional Leadership Development Program(CLDP), the first of its kind program to support and cultivate future political leaders from the American Muslim community.

Many of our current industry giants had people that helped guide them and created avenues for them to be successful. Many policymakers have risen to the top due to the helping hand of experienced men and women who came before them. Capitol Hill is no exception. Opportunities provided to a large number of politicians and staffers when they were younger gave them the experience and knowledge of the workings of Washington for them to be successful and engaged today.

More than ever, making positive changes in today’s political climate requires creating mentorship and opportunities.

We see groups that have stepped up to ensure that the youth in their communities have opportunities. The African American community has the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a leadership institute which gives young people the opportunity to intern on Capitol Hill. The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute does the same for Hispanic youth.

These programs cultivate the youth, ensuring that they find their way into meaningful positions in congressional offices.

It’s now time for American Muslims to start investing in our future.

The Congressional Leadership Development Program (CLDP) is not just another summer internship program MPAC’s goal is to foster and prepare the next generation of American Muslim leaders. The hope is that our next Muslim

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members of Congress, chiefs of staff, and policymakers will come from this program.

MPAC will select highly-motivated individuals and place them in congressional offices. We have also incorporated a leadership development component. These young American Muslims will participate in weekly classes focusing on the inner workings of Washington - how to talk to congressmen, the art of networking, effective public speaking skills, and much more.

I would like to request two things of you - first, please do spread the word that the application process is now open.

Second, the reason that other similar programs in Washington are successful is through funding. We want to give all qualified future leaders an opportunity to realize their dreams without being held back due to financial obstacles.

Thus, please consider contacting me at saif@mpac.org to invest in the future of the American Muslim community and in our youth.

Sincerely, Saif Inam Policy Analyst

COMMUNITY

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P21

Islamic Relief Fundraiser in San Francisco Bay Area Draws Large Audience

Islamic Relief has been helping Pakistanis since 1992. Since all of this effort requires monetary resources, annual events like a “Fundraising Dinner for Pakistan” are held in different American cities by this organization. On March 6th one such event was held at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark

n By Ras H. Siddiqui

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slamic Relief USA is a humanitarian organization known for its professionalism and focuses on many countries which need assistance when disasters strike or for ongoing projects, bringing health, education and nutrition to poor people on a continuous basis. Within this effort one of the countries which is on their agenda is Pakistan (http:// www.irusa.org/countries/pakistan/) where out of 180 million people, many are poor, uneducated and/or destitute. Islamic Relief has been helping Pakistanis since 1992 and has had an established office in Islamabad since 1994. Since all of this effort requires monetary resources, annual events like a “Fundraising Dinner for Pakistan” are held in different American cities by this organization.

On March 6th one such event was held at the Chandni Restaurant in Newark, California (San Francisco Bay Area). It was a packed event where unusually this time over 80 percent of the guests were female.

After a social hour and a fine Chandni Restaurant dinner (two thumbs up) emcee for the evening Anisah Khan called everyone to attention. Anisha invited Hamayoun Jamali Northwest Coordinator at Islamic Relief USA to the stage to say a few words. He thanked “each and every one” of us for being there that evening and said that everyone present was his special guest. He added that the intention that night was to thank Allah (SWT) and to help the needy. He said that Islamic Relief works in about 40 different countries but tonight is dedicated to Pakistan and that cause is much bigger than us.

Najam Sheraz was next introduced on

stage. A man of many talents known primarily for his contribution to Pakistani pop music, he has now gravitated towards the spiritual, singing songs for God and Prophet (SAWW), making Humds or Nasheeds a part of his bouquet.

He is equally comfortable singing in both English and Urdu and started things off by singing an English peace song “Only Love” which was very well received. He also explained his renewed interest in his spiritual roots. Next, on request of some including this writer he followed up with “Na Tera Khuda Koi Aur Hai, Na Mera Khuda Koi Aur Hai - Yeh Moamla Koi Aur Hai” (Your God is no different from my God -This is about something else), a very moving and evocative description about the current religious-sectarian difficulties in Pakistan. “Alhamdulillah” a Nasheed followed and Najam closed with a beautiful Pakistani national song “Hamari Pehchaan - Pakistan”(Our Identity Pakistan).

A most interesting situation developed as Fawad Afzal Khan of Pakistani television/movies and now also Indian movie fame entered the hall with many escorts and heavy security at a time when a video of the valuable work that Islamic Relief has been doing in Pakistan was being shown. Needless to say the audience was a bit too distracted and it took Shaista Khan, Pakistan Campaign Lead in the USA, to appear some time on stage to bring everyone back to reality. One main reason that almost 80% of the now overflowing hall was of the female gender was Fawad’s presence. The other reason was that the World Cup Cricket Match which was being played between Pakistan and South Africa at the same time and many area Pakistani males were glued to their TV sets at home (some online via Jadoo) while their wives were at this event. The important question was

whether these women had brought their husband’s checkbooks with them?

Shaista Khan added her words of thanks on behalf of Islamic Relief. She also narrated a short story aided by a slide show about a journey that she took to visit some of the beneficiaries of their work in Pakistan. She particularly emphasized the support that orphans have received in that country supported by donors here. A video was shown again (this time with distractions minimized), which highlighted many aspects of the work being done there including improving hygiene, cataract surgery to prevent blindness, countering Hepatitis C, improved food packaging and distribution especially during Ramadan and Bakra Eid (to name a few).

The formal fundraiser was enthusiastically conducted next by Shaykh Saad Eldegwy.

At the time of this report the final figure is not available but close to $90,000 number has been reported to have been raised. This is not a small amount because fundraisers have become quite numerous in the San Francisco Bay Area and donor fatigue is common here.

The “keynote” speech at this event was delivered by Fawad Afzal Khan of Khoobsurat (Beautiful) movie fame. One is glad that this new found stardom is not getting to his head but his management and security exhibited otherwise. His speech was by a much humbler man than the “Rock Star” status which was being projected. Fawad’s presence was also responsible for many Indian-origin people in the audience and that should be welcomed. He thanked everyone and praised Islamic Relief for having organized such a wonderful evening. During his speech he rejected the “Mona Lisa” status accorded to him. “Fawad Khan Na Ho Giya, Mona Lisa Ki Painting Ho Gayi”. He urged everyone to donate to a wonderful cause. “I take

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great pride in being associated with Islamic Relief, having seen their work in Pakistan,” he said. He added that is some ways Pakistan has become a disaster zone. It is facing turbulence on the political and social front and has faced added natural calamities. To counter these problems a consistent effort is needed and that consistency comes from your efforts (donations) here, he said. Do what you can. You efforts will help to keep the poor there away from the wrong people. Someone (sinister) is there to take advantage of the situation, and that is the fear. You can make a difference in that. What seeds we sow today, we will eat the fruits of those trees someday, he added.

Local artist Ayesha Samdani’s work was on display and silently auctioned. The Pakistan Association of San Francisco Bay Area (http:// pasfbayarea.org/) also had a table and is looking for members and support. Their event “Yadgare-Pakistan” will be held here at Chandni on March 21st. Please check their website for details.

It was overall a successful evening in spite of the post-event chaos on the picture taking with Fawad Khan which left many disappointed. A simple announcement on stage would have solved that problem. But it was a night for Pakistan where the need for such efforts is great and any negatives here can be overlooked. I asked local Hamrahi Radio’s Raana Faiz to share some of her views. She said that one should seek to make a positive difference in someone’s life.

“If every Pakistani abroad and in Pakistan takes this mission to heart, Insha’Allah a new Pakistan can be achieved. I pray and motivate individuals every moment for this cause, I have faith in God Almighty’s blessings and fellow human beings to bring hope in their lives. Just $50:00 a month provides education and food.”

P22 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

n By Dr Syed Amir

T

The Eternal Beauty of Alhambra

Bethesda, MD

he fabled Islamic monument, Alhambra, in Granada, draws a large number of visitors from around the world, constituting a rich source of income for the Spanish Government. Often characterized as pearl set in emerald, it is the oldest architectural masterpiece of Muslim-Arab civilization in Europe that has survived with much of its splendor intact.

The palace has been the subject of numerous books and poems, some finding sensuality, magic and romanticism in its sublime beauty. Not surprisingly, the Spanish Government invests much money on its upkeep and takes meticulous care to maintain it.

In the early thirteenth century, when most of Andalusia had fallen to Christian rule, Mohammad bin Yusuf Ibn Nasir carved out an autonomous Kingdom in Granada and founded what has become known as the Nasrid dynasty, which lasted until the capture of Granada in 1492 by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. This small principality became a place of refuge for Muslims from all corners of Andalusia, when the Christian re-conquest of Spain was in progress.

Mohammad bin Yusuf was an enlightened ruler; however, he lacked resources to bring prosperity to his land and people. The Christian powers had pushed Muslims to territories that were not suited to the cultivation of grains or vegetables, as the celebrated anthropologist, Ibn Khaldun, ruefully noted in his Muqadama. Furthermore, Mohammad bin Yusuf was not completely independent as he was forced to pay an exorbitant amount of money as tribute to the Christian King of Castile.

The lasting gift of the Nasrid rulers, however, was the palaces of Alhambra (the red fortress), whose construction Mohammad bin Yosuf initiated on a hill in Granada, with the Sierra Nevada Mountains providing a magnificent backdrop. The castle presented a spectacular sight on moonlit nights. Subsequent Nasrid Sultans made additions and modifications of their own to the palaces. However, most work is believed to have been accomplished during the reign of Sultan Mohammad V (1354-59), who added a number of exquisite structures to the

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complex.

The Moorish palace in the course of the seven centuries of its existence has seen many ups and downs. Following the fall of the Nasrid dynasty and Muslim rule, it served for a while as the residence of the victorious Catholic monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella.

Christopher Columbus presented his proposal to them in the sumptuous

The credit for introducing Alhambra to the world and highlighting its transcendent beauty belongs to Washington Irving, an American diplomat, archeologist and writer. While posted as a diplomat in Spain, he spent a great deal of time exploring various archeological sites. In 1828, he took up residence for several months inside the palace walls, using one of its cham-

the palace was still under some magic spell and in the dead of night, the last Moorish king, Abu Abdullah (Boabdil), materialized and held his majestic court amid great pomp and ceremony.

Stories of fantasy and talisman evoked a new interest in the monument and brought it to the attention of many tourists, especially in Europe and America.

The credit for introducing Alhambra to the world and highlighting its transcendent beauty belongs to Washington Irving, an American diplomat, archeologist and writer. While posted as a diplomat in Spain, he spent a great deal of time exploring various archeological sites. In 1828, he took up residence for several months inside the palace walls, using one of its chambers as his bedroom. Having become enamored of the deserted, decaying Islamic monument, he noted that its beautiful halls had become desolate and some of them fell to ruin, the gardens were destroyed and the fountains ceased to ply.

Irving was not an inspiring writer, but his stay in the ancient palace inspired him to write one of his more readable books, The Alhambra, published in 1832 hall of ambassadors before embarking on his voyage of discovery. In the seventeenth century, the palace was the victim of neglect and fell in a state of dilapidation and decay. At times, it was used as an asylum for convicts and beggars, and for a while was occupied by gypsies. French occupation troops during the Napoleonic period blew up part of several of the Alhambra’s historic towers.

bers as his bedroom. Having become enamored of the deserted, decaying Islamic monument, he noted that its beautiful halls had become desolate and some of them fell to ruin, the gardens were destroyed and the fountains ceased to ply. Irving was not an inspiring writer, but his stay in the ancient palace inspired him to write one of his more readable books, The Alhambra, published in 1832. He fantasized that

Countless books and research articles have been written on Alhambra, examining in details its historic background and its exotic architectural features. A recent book, Alhambra, by Robert Irwin, represents a valuable, recent addition to this collection. The writing style is captivating and the book, with only 200 pages, is highly readable. Irwin has carefully sifted through many enthralling legends

COMMENTARY that have been built over the centuries about the Muslim rulers who resided in these mysterious palaces centuries ago and the events that occurred inside their walls. Some, he believes, are mere fantasies with no basis in historic facts.

At the beginning of the book, Irwin recounts some of the stories fed by the guides in Alhambra to naïve tourists, such as that thirty-nine members of an illustrious clan, known as Abencerrages, were invited for dinner and then mercilessly massacred by King Boabdil in the court of lions, where their blood stains can still be seen.

The author dismisses these stories as largely apocryphal, invented for the entertainment of visitors.

While praising Washington Irving for his abiding contribution towards reviving interest in Alhambra, he faults him for his share in perpetuating some false legends and folklore, such as the red stains in the marble fountains are derived from the blood of slaughtered Abencerrages.

The author is effusive in his praise of the Court of Lions in Alhambra, describing it as “by common consent, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.”

Alhambra is unique in many respects. Unlike the palaces built by Muslim rulers of Spain, such as the storied palace of Madinat-uz-Zahra, built by Amir Abdurrahman, the third, in his capital city of Cordoba, was designed to serve only as the royal abode.

Alhambra was much more than that.

It served as the administrative nerve center, had the grand mosque, a garrison, and guest houses. However, much of the original complex no longer exists today. Ironically, the parts that are now open to visitors represent royal residence which would not have been accessible to anyone except the royal family members. The author marvels at the application of principles of mathematics and geometry to the planning and construction of Alhambra, even though nowhere in the extant medieval texts this knowledge or its application is apparent or documented.

While the Muslim rule in Spain ended over six centuries ago, Alhambra is just one of the legacies that the Muslims left behind. The contributions they made to agriculture, science, language, architecture, medicine and certain other fields, however, will survive forever.

Why You Shouldn’t Leave Your Social Media to a Niece or Nephew

t’s true that millennials are massive users of social media, but does that mean any young friend or family member has the background to be enlisted to give your business’ social media campaign the attention it needs?

Probably not.

Let’s take a look at several good reasons to put your social media marketing in the hands of a pro.

• Experience and education.

Simply put, unless one of your family members has a background in marketing and – more specifically – digital marketing, they likely won’t have a real theoretical basis for their methods.

Yes, we all know how to like, comment, share, tweet, etc., but a real social media expert will have a formal and professional background in their craft. This is vital for ensuring that your social media channels play a real role in the

overall marketing strategy behind your brand or product.

Real social media managers continually hone their knowledge and keep up to date with trends throughout the social space, marketing world, et al. All of this experience and focus are vital to ensuring your social media follow a thought out and effective….

• Strategy. While most of your young family members may have seriously impressive strategies when it comes to Clash of Clans, they likely don’t have a clue about how to build and execute a proper social media strategy.

Why is strategy so important?

Stephen Covey points out that highly effective people must “begin with the end in mind.” This is essentially the basis of all strategy – what are we trying to accomplish? Are we seeking more likes?

Do we want to increase our sales?

Do we seek to drive more traffic to our blog? These questions we an-

swer with an outline of strategies and actions that we believe will help us accomplish our goals and objectives.

A true social media manager will have a formal background in marketing, giving them insight that those without experience or knowledge would be blind to.

Strategy is important for setting goals and outlining the actions you’ll take to achieve them.

• Tools. When you hire a social media strategist you aren’t simply paying for their time. A good social media manager will have a gang of tools procured through countless hours of research or through larger-than-you’d-bet credit card transactions.

Those beautiful analytics reports they create are the result of these costly tools and applications.

They provide insight that would otherwise get lost in the day-today workings of your social real estate. This information is vital for

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doing testing that allows managers to finely tune their strategy to ensure the best possible outcomes.

• Time and attention. A lot of times when we ask others for a favor, they will enthusiastically accept. This enthusiasm will gradually and inevitably decay, leading to your social media presence – and possibly your business – taking a hit.

When you hire a real social media expert, you gain a new member of your marketing team.

Strategists live and breathe social media, but more importantly they love to get their clients results. Just like a chef wants to put out a great tasting meal, a social media strategist wants to have a positive impact on your brand.

Their job is to provide you with the support you need to allow you to focus on the things you excel at. If you’re an author, you can focus on your writing. If you’re an organic food company, you can fo-

cus on your farmers and health of your production. If you’re a CEO, you can focus on the most important and timely aspects of your business. A real social media manager gives their time and attention to giving you back your focus.

• Because you love them. Yes, your young family members look up to you and want to help. Unfortunately, social media management is a lot more work than most assume. It takes wit, writing skills, formal training and education, strategizing, and expensive tools. It takes a lot of time, too. Time your niece or nephew could spend following their dreams, getting scholarships or studying for their finals.

As the adage goes: “If you love something, set it free.” Your relatives will thank you – as will your business.

About Jay York ; Jay York is a social media strategist at EMSI Public Relations, an award-winning national agency.

COMMENTARY

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P23

Dissecting Western Narrative: “India Rising, Pakistan Collapsing” n By Riaz Haq

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CA

s it true that “India is rising and Pakistan is rapidly collapsing”, the currently accepted Western narrative recently re-iterated by Roger Cohen in his New York Times Op Ed from Lahore, Pakistan? Let’s examine it by reviewing reports filed by several Indian journalists after their recent visits to Pakistan:

“I.. saw much in this recent visit (to Pakistan) that did not conform to the main Western narrative for South Asia -- one in which India is steadily rising and Pakistan rapidly collapsing.

Born of certain geopolitical needs and exigencies, this vision was always most useful to those who have built up India as an investment destination and a strategic counterweight to China....Seen through the narrow lens of the West’s security and economic interests, the great internal contradictions and tumult within these two large nation-states disappear.

In the Western view, the credit-fueled consumerism among the Indian middle class appears a much bigger phenomenon than the extraordinary Maoist uprising in Central India”. - Pankaj Mishra’s Bloomberg Op Ed “Pakistan’s Unplanned Revolution Rewrites Its Future” Compare and contrast the two narratives of two seasoned journalists, American Roger Cohen and Indian Pankaj Mishra, on their recent Pakistan visits. Note Mishra’s explanation of why the Western media is parroting the standard post-Cold War Western narrative about India and Pakistan as “seen through the narrow lens of the West’s security and economic interests”, “born of certain geopolitical needs and exigencies”.

Now read the following post titled Indians Share “EyeOpener” Stories of Pakistan that I wrote in July 2012. It’s reproduced below: Several prominent Indian journalists and writers have visited Pakistan in recent years for the first time in their lives.

I am sharing with my readers selected excerpts of the reports from Mahanth Joishy (USIndiaMonitor.com), Panakaj Mishra (Bloomberg), Hindol Sengupta (The Hindu), Madhulika Sikka (NPR) and Yoginder Sikand (Countercurrents) of what they saw and how they felt in the neighbor’s home. My hope is that their stories will help foster close ties between the two estranged South Asian nations.

Mahanth S. Joishy, Editor, usindiamonitor.com : (July, 2012) Many of us travel for business or leisure. But few ever take a trip that dramatically shatters their entire worldview of a country and a people in one fell swoop. I was lucky enough to have returned from just such a trip: a week-long sojourn in Pakistan.

It was a true eye-opener, and a thoroughly enjoyable one at that. Many of the assumptions and feelings I had held toward the country for nearly 30 years were challenged and exposed as wrong and even ignorant outright.

(Upon arrival in Karachi) two uniformed bodyguards with rifles who were exceedingly friendly and welcoming climbed onto the pickup truck bed as we started on a 45-minute drive. I was impressed by the massive, well-maintained parks and gardens surrounding the airport. I was also impressed by the general cleanliness, the orderliness of the traffic, the quality of the roads, and the greenery. Coming from a city government background, I was surprised at how organized Karachi was throughout the ride. I also didn’t see many beggars the entire way. I had just spent significant amounts of time in two major Indian cities, Mumbai and Bangalore, as well as several second-tier cities like Mangalore, and none would compare favorably on maintenance and city planning, especially when it came to potholes and waste management. This was the first surprise; I was expecting that piles of garbage and dirt would line the roads and beggars would overflow onto the streets.

Surely there is dirt and poverty in Karachi, but far less than I was expecting. Karachi was also less dense and crowded than India’s cities.

My second pleasant surprise was to see numerous large development projects under way. I had read about Pakistan’s sluggish GDP growth and corruption in public works and foreign aid disbursement. This may be true, but construction was going on all over the place: new movie theaters, new malls, new skyscrapers, new roads, and entire new neighborhoods being built from scratch. In this regard it was similar to India and every other part of Asia I had seen recently: new development and rapid change continues apace, something we are seeing less of in the West.

We were also able to do some things which may sound more familiar to Americans: bowling at Karachi’s first bowling alley, intense games of pickup basketball with some local teenagers at a large public park (these kids could really play), or passing through massive and well-appointed malls filled with thousands of happy people of all ages walking around, shopping, or eating at the food court. We even attended a grand launch party for Magnum ice cream bars, featuring many of Pakistan’s A-list actors, models, and businesspeople. A friend

who is involved in producing musicals directed an excellent performance at the party, complete with live band, singing, and dancing. This troupe, Made for Stage has also produced shows such as the Broadway musical Chicago to critical acclaim with an all-Pakistani cast for the first time in history.

Even the poor areas we visited, such as the neighborhoods around the Mazar, were filled with families coming out for a picnic or a stroll, enjoying their weekend leisure time in the sun. All I could see were friendly and happy people, including children with striking features running around. At no time did I feel the least bit unsafe anywhere we went, and we definitely went through a mix of neighborhoods with varying profiles.

Lahore is more beautiful overall than Karachi or any large Indian city I’ve seen. Serious effort has gone into keeping the city green and preserving its storied history. Historians would have a field day here. In particular we saw two stunning historic mosques, the Wazir Khan and the Badshahi, both of which should be considered treasures not only for Muslims, Pakistanis, or South Asia, but for all of humanity. I felt it a crime that I’d never even heard of either one. Each of them in different ways features breath-taking architecture and intricate artwork comparable to India’s Taj Mahal. These are must-see sights for any tourist to Lahore. The best way to enjoy the vista of the Badshahi mosque is to have a meal on the rooftop of one of the many superb restaurants on Food Street next to the mosque compound. This interesting area was for hundreds of years an infamous red-light district, made up of a series of old wooden row houses that look like they were lifted straight out of New Orleans’ Bourbon Street, strangely juxtaposed with one of the country’s holiest shrines. From the roof of Cuckoo’s Den restaurant, we could see all of the massive Badshahi complex along with the adjoining royal fortress, all while having a fivestar meal of kebabs, spicy curries in clay pots, and lassi under the stars. We were fortunate to have very pleasant weather as well. This alfresco dining experience with two good friends encompassed my favorite moments in the city.

We did much more in Lahore. We were given a tour of the renowned Aitchison College, which one of my friends attended. This boys’ private prep school is known for its difficult entrance exams, rigorous academic tradition, illustrious list of alumni since the British founded the school, and its gorgeous and impeccably maintained 200-acre campus that puts most major universities including my own Georgetown to shame.

Aitchison has been considered one of the best prep schools in the subcontinent since 1886. However, it would have been impossible to get a tour without the alumni connection because security is very thorough.

Pankaj Mishra, Bloomberg: (April, 2012) ...I also saw much in this recent visit that did not conform to the main Western narrative for South Asia -- one in which India is steadily rising and Pakistan rapidly collapsing.

Born of certain geopolitical needs and exigencies, this vision was always most useful to those who have built up India as an investment destination and a strategic counterweight to China, and who have sought to bribe and cajole Pakistan’s military-intelligence establishment into the war on terrorism.

Seen through the narrow lens of the West’s security and economic interests, the great internal contradictions and tumult within these two large nation-states disappear. In the Western view, the credit-fueled consumerism among the Indian middle class appears a much bigger phenomenon than the extraordinary Maoist uprising in Central India.

Traveling through Pakistan, I realized how much my own knowledge of the country -- its problems as well as prospects -- was partial, defective or simply useless. Certainly, truisms about the general state of crisis were not hard to corroborate.

Criminal gangs shot rocket-propelled grenades at each other and the police in Karachi’s Lyari neighborhood. Shiite Hazaras were being assassinated in Balochistan every day. Street riots broke out in several places over severe power shortages -- indeed, the one sound that seemed to unite the country was the groan of diesel generators, helping the more affluent Pakistanis

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cope with early summer heat.

In this eternally air-conditioned Pakistan, meanwhile, there exist fashion shows, rock bands, literary festivals, internationally prominent writers, Oscar-winning filmmakers and the bold anchors of a lively new electronic media. This is the glamorously liberal country upheld by English-speaking Pakistanis fretting about their national image in the West (some of them might have been gratified by the runaway success of Hello magazine’s first Pakistani edition last week).

But much less conspicuous and more significant, other signs of a society in rapid socioeconomic and political transition abounded. The elected parliament is about to complete its five-year term -- a rare event in Pakistan -- and its amendments to the constitution have taken away some if not all of the neardespotic prerogatives of the president’s office.

Political parties are scrambling to take advantage of the strengthening ethno-linguistic movements for provincial autonomy in Punjab and Sindh provinces. Young men and women, poor as well as upper middle class, have suddenly buoyed the anti-corruption campaign led by Imran Khan, an ex-cricketer turned politician.

After radically increasing the size of the consumerist middle class to 30 million, Pakistan’s formal economy, which grew only 2.4 percent in 2011, currently presents a dismal picture.

But the informal sector of the economy, which spreads across rural and urban areas, is creating what the architect and social scientist Arif Hasan calls Pakistan’s “unplanned revolution.”

Karachi, where a mall of Dubai-grossness recently erupted near the city’s main beach, now boasts “a first world economy and sociology, but with a Third World wage and political structure.”

Even in Lyari, Karachi’s diseased old heart, where young gangsters with Kalashnikovs lurked in the alleys, billboards vended quick proficiency in information technology and the English language. Everywhere, in the Salt Range in northwestern Punjab as well as the long corridor between Lahore and Islamabad, were gated housing colonies, private colleges, fastfood restaurants and other markers of Pakistan’s breakneck suburbanization...

Hindol Sengupta, The Hindu: (May, 2010) Add this bookstore to the list of India-Pakistan rivalry. A bookstore so big that it is actually called a bank. The book store to beat all bookstores in the subcontinent, I have found books I have never seen anywhere in India at the three-storeyed Saeed Book Bank in leafy Islamabad. The collection is diverse, unique and with a special focus on foreign policy and sub-continental politics (I wonder why?), this bookstore is far more satisfying than any of the magazine-laden monstrosities I seem to keep trotting into in India. ...

Yes, that’s right. The meat. There always, always seems to be meat in every meal, everywhere in Pakistan. Everywhere you go, everyone you know is eating meat. From India, with its profusion of vegetarian food, it seems like a glimpse of the other world. The bazaars of Lahore are full of meat of every type and form and shape and size and in Karachi, I have eaten some of the tastiest rolls ever. For a Bengali committed to his non-vegetarianism, this is paradise regained. Also, the quality of meat always seems better, fresher, fatter, more succulent, more seductive, and somehow more tantalizingly carnal in Pakistan. ....

Let me tell you that there is no better leather footwear than in Pakistan. I bought a pair of blue calf leather belt-ons from Karachi two years ago and I wear them almost every day and not a dent or scratch! Not even the slightest tear. They are by far the best footwear I have ever bought and certainly the most comfortable. Indian leather is absolutely no match for the sheer quality and handcraftsmanship of Pakistani leather wear.

Yes. Yes, you read right. The roads. I used to live in Mumbai and now I live in Delhi and, yes, I think good roads are a great, mammoth, gargantuan luxury! Face it, when did you last see a good road in India? Like a really smooth road. Drivable, wide, nicely built and long, yawning, stretching so far that you want zip on till eternity and loosen the gears and let the car fly. A road without squeeze or bump or gaping holes that pop up like blood-dripping kitchen knives in Ramsay Brothers films. When did you last see such roads? Pakistan is full of such roads. Driving on the motorway between Islamabad and Lahore, I thought of the Indian politician who ruled a notorious —, one could almost say viciously — potholed state and spoke of turning the roads so smooth that they would resemble the cheeks of Hema Malini. They remained as dented as the face of Frankenstein’s monster. And here, in Pakistan, I was travelling on roads that — well, how can one now avoid this? — were as smooth as Hema Malini’s cheeks! Pakistani roads are broad and smooth and almost entirely, magically, pot-hole free. How do they do it; this country that is ostensibly so far behind in economic growth compared to India? But they do, and one of my most delightful experiences in Pakistan has been travelling on its fabulous roads. No wonder the country is littered with SUVs — Pakistan has the roads for such cars! Even in tiny Bajaur in the North West frontier province, hard hit by the Taliban, NARRATIVE, P29

COMMENTARY

P24 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

Iqbal’s Concept of ‘Khudi’ - 2

n By Dr. Zafar M. Iqbal

I

Chicago , IL

f Iqbal thinks ‘khudi’ didn’t quite convey everything he had in mind, its English translations (‘self ’, ‘selfhood’, ‘ego-hood’, ‘I-ness’), including what Iqbal himself had used (“ego,” “Slender-I”) are, also unsatisfactory. Each term lacks clarity and/or adds confusion and is misleading, or not as “colorless” (free of emotions), as Iqbal wanted.

Having considered this to some extent in recent months, I think “ Ipseity” [ipse, Latin, self] may come closer to ‘khudi’ that Iqbal really had in mind. It is ‘colorless’ enough. It implies identity and nature of the self, the absolute truth of Being, not just the essence but the “divine essence,” all rolled into one single word, “ipseity” - the state of mind and soul that the Sufis may feel and imagine.

When Asrar-e-Khudi (1915) was translated from Persian into English (“The Secrets of the Self ”), in 1920, by R. A. Nicholson it seemed to have been well received in England. It was even reviewed in the famous British science journal ‘Nature’ (Vol 109, 370-371, 23 March 1922): “This poem has an interest beyond that of its artistic form or aesthetic content, for it reveals the effect on the oriental mind of contact with the culture and philosophy of the West. The writer is a firm and devout believer in Mahomet [Mohammed].” But it was not without criticism of Iqbal’s views in the Western philosophical and literary circles.

Some critics found disturbing similarities between Iqbal’s three-phases from a human being, going through ‘Ithaa-uth’ (obeying the law) , Zabth-e-Nufs’ (self-control) to become the ‘vice-regent’ of Allah (niyabate-Alahi; or Insaan-e-kamil)] and those described by the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) in ‘Thus Spake Zarathushtra’ (1883-1885) [ man’s will to destruction, re-evaluation. destruction of old ideals and overcoming nihilism] to become an Ubermensch or ‘super-man.’

In 1883 when Ubermensch appeared as a concept, Iqbal was not quite a teenager in non-German-speaking Lahore, India, and the concept itself was in the German language, not English or Urdu or Persian. He must have come across it while he was in Europe (1905-1908), unless he did earlier in his college days. Critics of Asrar-e-khudi (1915) accused Iqbal of simply adopting Nietzsche’s view or appropriating it as his own. Iqbal made clear that he wrote about Insaan-e-kamil, part of the Islamic mysticism, soon after leaving college, while still in Lahore.

After‘The Secrets of the Self ’ came out in 1920 and Iqbal became aware of the criticism in England, he wrote a long letter to his translator Nicholson ( 24 January 1921) in his defense. ( I now think, had he responded to the criticism in the British press or a liter-

ary journal he would have reached a much wider readership and the controversy would have died soon). His entire letter is included in ‘Thoughts and Reflections of Iqbal’ (edited by Syed Abdul Vahid), in which Iqbal systematically dismantled this criticism.

Such influences in disciplines like Philosophy are nothing new, nor are the controversies. But the criticism itself was a bit ironic. Influence on Nietzsche’s Ubermensch particularly by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Over-Soul,” for instance, has been well known in literary circles. In Nietzsche himself, footprints of other older philosophers like Heraclitus, a pre-Socratic, Schopenhauer and Wagner are easy to see. In a 1992 book on the “Elective Affinity” between Emerson and Nietzsche, George Stack argues that the “ideas and theories regarded by many as Nietzsche’s original contribution to Western philosophy can actually be traced back to the ideas and theories of Emerson,” which “influenced the development of Nietzsche’s central ideas.”

The critics perhaps forgot that Iqbal first wrote his PhD dissertation on “The Development of Metaphysics in Persia” (University of Munich, 1908). During the course of his doctoral studies, he became much familiar with Persian/Eastern mysticism. His ideas on khudi and insaan-e-kamil were further developed in the following seven years,before he wrote Asrar-e-Khudi (1915) in Persian which was later translated into English in 1920. Criticism on Iqbal was perhaps made without understanding the depth of Iqbal’s extensive background in Persian metaphysics, the source of his concept of ‘khudi’ and insaan-e-kamil.

Some points Iqbal made in his January 1921 letter to Nicholson: (i) “I wrote on the Sufi doctrine of the

Perfect Man (Insaan-e-Kamil) more than twenty years ago, long before I had read or heard anything of Nietzsche. This was then published in the Indian Antiquary of Bombay, and later in 1908 formed part of my Persian Metaphysics [topic of his PhD thesis from University of Munich, 1908]. (ii) Iqbal “deliberately’ tried to present his views in Asrar, in light of Western thinkers-philosophers. That, he said, was to “facilitate” the Western understanding, without imposing the old Sufis and their philosophy -- something which, he could have easily done, scholarly steeped as he already was in that culture. He could have referred particularly to Al-Jili’s idea of ‘Perfect Man’ and the Pantheism of Ibn Arabi and Iraqi, and other Sufi bases for his thoughts. This, he said he had done “in my Hindustani introduction to the first edition of the Asrar.”

Iqbal mentioned that little history could have put Western criticism in better perspective. Iqbal had read Al-Jili, an Islamic mystic (born 1365 - died 1403) - 5 centuries before Nietzsche. Al-Jili was famous for his doctrine “Al-Insān al-kāmil fi maʿrifat al-awākhir wa al-awā ʿil” aboutthe Perfect Man, a doctrine influenced by the pantheist Spanish mystic, Ibn al-Arabi (died 1240), about a century-and-a-half before Al-Jili himself.

Al-Jili believed that the perfect man can unite with the Divine Being. This unity can be achieved through the prophets, from Adam to Moḥammad, and by others who reach the highest level of Being ( wujūd) or the elite among elites, a level at which all conflicts and contradictions among men are resolved. This Perfect Man doctrine later devolved into a belief that all mystics and holy-men can achieve Divine contact. Even centuries later, such concepts were still nov-

el to Western culture.

In his letter, Iqbal emphasized this to Nicholson: “I claim that the philosophy of the Asrar is a direct development out of the experience and speculation of old Muslim Sufis and thinkers. Even [HenriLouis] Bergson’s idea of time is not quite foreign to our Sufis.” [Bergson (1859-1941), an anti-rationalist French philosopher and the 1927 Nobel Laureate in Literature, had some influence on Iqbal, but Iqbal did also criticize him later. Bergson believed that the intuition is deeper than the intellect.] Iqbal also saw similarities in Ubermensch and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Over-Soul,” an essay Emerson had written in 1841, before Nietzsche’s birth (1844), an essay that also had influenced Nietzsche. (iii) To a critic in Athenaeum and a reviewer named ‘ Dickinson’, Iqbal offered factual corrections and detailed defense of his philosophical position in Asrar, including references to other philosophers. For instance, Samuel Alexander, a British contemporary whose view, “If we could know what Deity is, how it feels to be Divine, we should have to become as Gods” was “much bolder than [Iqbal’s]”). In Prof. J. S. Mackenzie’s Introduction to “Social Philosophy” he says, “There can be no ideal society without ideal men....We need prophets as well as teachers, men like Carlyle or Ruskin or Tolstoy ...Perhaps we want a new Christ....” Iqbal added that “It is in the light of the above thoughts that I [Iqbal] want the British public to read my description of the ideal man.” (iv) On Nietzsche, Iqbal elaborated that “reality is a collection of individualities tending to become a harmonious whole through conflict which must inevitably lead to mutual adjustment. This conflict is a necessity in the interests of the evolution of higher forms of life, and of personal immortality. Nietzsche did not believe in personal immortality..... My [Iqbal’s] interest in conflict is mainly ethical ...whereas Nietzsche’s was probably only political.” He then sharpened the difference: “Nietzsche does not at all believe in the spiritual fact which I have described as ‘Khudi’, and that “[a]ccording to Nietzsche, the “I” is a fiction. (v) The three-phase metamorphosis that leads to Nietzsche’s Ubermensch: Camel (a symbol of load-bearing strength); then Lion (strength to kill without pity; pity being a vice to Nietzsche) and finally Child (being a law unto himself, having gone through good and evil). In this, Nietzsche’s materialism is diametrically opposed to Iqbal’s Asrar-e-khudi. Comparing the two, Iqbal said: To Nietzsche, Life is repetition, and to Asrar, creation; “To Nietzsche, there is no such thing as the eternal now”; Ubermensch is “a biological product”; Insaan-eKamil, on the other hand, “is the product of moral and spiritual forces.” (vi) Iqbal also pointed out: “It is unfortunate that the history of Muslim thought is so little known in the West.”

(To be continued)

Everything You Need to Know about Diabetes n By Lubna Mirza, MD

“

Norman, Oklahoma

Let’s check your blood sugar!”

I asked my mother one day during my fellowship in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at the University of Oklahoma. She was in her 50s with increased body weight. Her finger stick blood sugar was 325mg/dl. I looked at her pill box. She was on a blood pressure medicine, a water pill and an aspirin.

“Do you know that you have diabetes?” I asked her. No! She said her doctor had told her that she had some high sugars and she needed to watch her diet. That was all the information and education she was given. I started her on appropriate

bookstore/search.php?search=mirza If you are reading this article thinking it is going to say we are wonderful and awesome and there is nothing wrong with us and our schools, hospitals, police department, streets and people are greatest in the world then I would gently request that you stop reading here.

This paper is about diabetes and lack of education and interest to learn about this serious illness in the South Asian population. Our culture is all about don’t ask and don’t tell. The attitude is that if I ignore a problem it must not exist. At this time, Pakistan is the fastest growing country in the whole world and the population is expected to double in the next 40 years. Diabetes is a

medications right away that she is now taking on a regular basis. Her overall disease is better controlled as compared to before. While talking to her about diabetes I realized there is a gap between current western information/treatment of the disease and understanding of this disease in ethnic minority groups in America.

Have you heard the saying that at some point in your life you find yourself in a position where there is an important job to be done and the person who can do it is you. That was the moment I decided to write a book about diabetes in Urdu. This book “Everything you need to know about diabetes”( in Urdu) is now available from Tate publishing in Mustang, Oklahoma. http://www.tatepublishing.com/

DIABETES, P26

www.PakistanLink.com

SPORTS SPORTS

MARCH PAKISTAN MARCH13, 13, 2015 2015 –-PAKISTAN LINKLINK – P25

Pool B Scenarios: Upsets Could Shake Up Dhawan Blitz Gives India Fifth Consecutive World Cup Victory Race to the Quarters

SYDNEY: Bangladesh's upset win over England on Monday completed the quarter-finals lineup in Pool A with Australia, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Mashrafe Mortaza's side making it to the knockout stage.

In Pool B, Pakistan's stunning win over South Africa ensured the battle for the top four remained wide open.

Currently, only India has qualified for the knock-out stages from Pool B, while South Africa is also in the box seat to advance. Ireland, Pakistan and West Indies are looking set to battle for the final two spots.

Mahmudullah, Rubel Combine to Knock England Out of World Cup

ADELAIDE: England were knocked out of the World Cup by a spirited Bangladesh who grabbed a quarter-final spot following their narrow 15-run victory in a tight Pool A match in Adelaide recently.

Put into bat, Mahmudullah struck Bangladesh's first World Cup century and starred in two key partnerships to lift Bangladesh to 275 for seven.

Three-times finalists England made a mess of their chase on an Adelaide Oval track that held no demons and folded for 260 in the penultimate over.

Bangladesh looked a bundle of nerves towards the end but Rubel Hossain (4-53) claimed two wickets in the 49th over to trigger wild celebrations.

Earlier, with England needing to win both their remaining pool matches to keep their quarter-final hopes alive, captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and decided to field, hoping his bowlers would capitalise on the early morning conditions.

James Anderson did just that, finding enough movement to induce two edges in his first seven deliveries, reducing Bangladesh to

Bangladesh players are elated after pulling off an incredible win, England v Bangladesh, World Cup 2015, Group A, Adelaide.

eight for two.

Mahmudullah (103) led his team's fightback, adding 86 runs with Soumya Sarkar (40) and then 141 with Mushfiqur Rahim (89) to fire Bangladesh, who would reach the quarter-finals if they win the contest, to a competitive total.

Chris Jordan, replacing Steven Finn in the starting 11, however, struggled for rhythm and conceded 15 runs in his second over. The paceman got some revenge when he dismissed Sarkar in the 21st over to end the third wicket partnership.

Moeen Ali then sent back Shakib Al Hasan in the next over to halt Bangladesh's progress.

Mahmudullah, however, found an able ally in Rahim and the duo mixed caution with aggression to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Mahmudullah looked a bundle of nerves approaching the 100-mark, which he eventually reached in the 44th over, scurrying for a single before embarking on an emotional celebration with Rahim.

He would add another three runs before being run out after a 138-ball knock that included seven fours and two sixes.

Rahim continued punishing the English bowlers, hitting eight boundaries and a six in his 77-ball knock, his third half-century of the tournament. J

Maxwell Ton Fires Australia Past Sri Lanka SYDNEY: Australia stormed into the ICC World Cup 2015 quarterfinals with a 64-run victory over Sri Lanka, fired by a spectacular maiden one-day international century from Glenn Maxwell at the Sydney Cricket Ground recently.

Sri Lanka signalled that they are also in fine form for the knockout stages by having a good crack at what would have been a record run chase with Kumar Sangakkara becoming the first man to score three successive centuries at a World Cup. They were always up against it after Maxwell's 53-ball 102 had helped Australia to 376/9, however, and it is the cohosts who are now almost certain to finish second in Pool A and avoid defending champions India or South Africa in the quarterfinals.

On a night when the 40,000 crowd were thrilled by a feast of batting, it was Maxwell's deployment of the full array of shots in his prodigious armoury that proved decisive. His hundred came off 51 balls, just one shy of the record for the quickest World Cup century, and he shared a 160-run partnership with Shane Watson, who hit 67 to celebrate his recall to the team.

Maxwell was dropped by a back-peddling Sangakkara on 95 and there was a nervous wait on 99, his chance of sharing the World Cup record with Irishman Kevin O'Brien disappearing when the umpire ruled a leg bye off the 50th ball he faced.

The century came up soon enough with two runs to midoff, though, and his emotional celebration after reaching the milestone in his 43rd one-day innings was a graphic illustration of what it meant to a player often dismissed as a showpony. Steve Smith (72) and skipper Michael Clarke (68) had earlier steadied the innings with a partnership of 134 after openers David Warner (nine) and Aaron Finch (24) had been dismissed inside the first 10 overs.

Maxwell hit 10 fours and four sixes in his innings and the pyrotechnics continued when Sri Lanka came out to bat, Tillakaratne Dilshan setting the tone by spectacularly hitting six fours off Mitchell Johnson's third over.

Johnson had already dismissed Lahiru Thirimanne caught behind for one in his opening over to bring Dilshan and Sangakkara together at the crease. J

www.Pakistanlink.com www.PakistanLink.com

HAMILTON: Shikhar Dhawan hit an aggressive century as defending champions India recorded their fifth victory in a row at the World Cup with a thumping eight-wicket win over Ireland in Hamilton recently.

Chasing a modest 260-run target, Dhawan notched his second century of the tournament with an 85-ball 100 as India lost only two wickets in only 36.5 overs on a batting-friendly Seddon Park pitch.

This latest victory meant India, yet to lose at this World Cup and already into the quarter-finals, were guaranteed to finish on top of Pool B ahead of their last group game against Zimbabwe in Auckland on Saturday.

Ireland, meanwhile, will likely need a win against Pakistan in their last Pool match in Adelaide on Sunday to reach the last eight.

"We have put in a lot of yards in the last few weeks. It is all about being fresh for Pakistan. If you can't get up for these games you won't be up for any," said Ireland captain William Porterfield.

Pakistan, Ireland and South Africa, who all have six points in five matches, will vie with the West Indies (four points) for the three remaining quarterfinal spots on offer from Pool B. "Our bowlers are really doing the job for us, they've stepped up - not just the three fast bowlers, the spinners are complimenting them and when we've used part-timers they've done well," said India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Ireland's Niall O'Brien scored a run-a-ball 75 while Porterfield made a solid 93-ball 67 in Ireland's 259 all out in 49 overs.

India proved their strength in batting yet again as Dhawan and Rohit Sharma (64) put on their team's best World Cup opening stand of 174 against a struggling Irish attack.

Dhawan, who stroked 137 in the

Shikhar Dhawan raises his bat after making his hundred, India v Ireland, World Cup 2015, Group B, Hamilton.

win over South Africa, completed his eighth one-day international hundred with a single off Kevin O'Brien to square leg. He reached three figures off just 84 balls.

But one ball later Dhawan fell to a loose shot off Stuart Thompson. In all, Dhawan hit 11 fours and five sixes.

Rohit was dismissed when he played on to Thompson after hitting three sixes and as many boundaries off 66 deliveries.

India's previous best opening stand in a World Cup was the 163 shared by batting great Sachin Tendulkar and Ajay Jadeja against Kenya at Cuttack in 1996.

Virat Kohli (44 not out) and Ajinkya Rahane (33 not out) wrapped up the chase with a 70-run unbeaten stand for the third wicket to give Dhoni his ninth straight win in the World Cup, a run that started with the team's march to the 2011 title on home soil. J

Yasir Should Play Against Ireland: Ramiz

SYDNEY: Former Pakistan batsmen and cricket analyst Ramiz Raja has emphasised the need to play leg-spinner Yasir Shah in the match against Ireland.

"It is essential that Yasir Shah should be included in the playing 11.

He is a bowler who Shane Warne wanted to meet which shows his potential."

Speaking on Geo News during his analysis segment 'Cricket Ka Raja' the former opening batsmen further said the team's management had to make a decision if Shahid Afridi could be dropped for a regular leg-spinner.

Ramiz added that not playing Sarfaraz Ahmed in the first few matches was a mistake by the team's management. J

Fitness Concerns Threaten Sri Lanka Before Quarter-Finals HOBART: Now that Sri Lanka has secured a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals, coach Marvan Atapattu focuses ahead of its match against Scotland will be on how to combat the high attrition rate for his squad at the tournament.

Dinesh Chandimal was ruled out of the World Cup after injuring his leg and having to retire hurt as Sri Lanka unsuccessfully tried to chase down Australia's total of 376-9 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Sunday.

Dhammika Prasad, allrounder Jeevan Mendis and batsman Dimuth Karunaratne had already been replaced in the squad due to injuries, and spinner Rangana Herath missed the match against Australia due to a hand injury.

"It's a big blow to lose anybody from our original squad," Atapattu said ahead of Wednesday's match against winless Scotland at Hobart's Bellerive Oval.

"We've come to the stage where, due to unavoidable circumstances, injuries, we have five replacements."

Kusal Perera was drafted in the extended squad after Chandimal was ruled out.

Atapattu said Upul Tharanga would likely remain in the starting lineup as batting cover, and there was no chance his squad would take second-tier Scotland lightly, particularly after Ireland's wins over test-ranked West Indies and Zimbabwe and Bangladesh's win over England on Monday that eliminated the English from contention.

That result confirmed all four quarter finalists in Pool A, with fourtime champion Australia, 1996 champion Sri Lanka and Bangladesh all jockeying for positions behind unbeaten New Zealand.

Scotland has never won a match at the World Cup, narrowly missing out against newcomer Afghanistan last month, and is the only team in the competition that England has managed to beat so far.

"Obviously, if you have a chance to win the game in a convincing way, you take that option," Atapattu said. J

COMMENTARY

P26 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015 DIABETES FROM P24

huge disease burden on the community. We will not talk about the exploding HIV-infected individuals or the uncontrolled population issues today although they do need serious consideration.

Diabetes is increasing all over the world. As per World Health Organization estimates, there are 7.5million diabetics in Pakistan. This number is expected to go up to 11 million in 2025. These numbers need to be taken with a salt of grain since there are many walking around with diabetes without the knowledge of it. South Asians are at a disproportionately increased risk for developing diabetes as compared to Europeans and other Asians. Diabetes is a complex disease which leads to multiple complications such as eye disease, kidney disease, and nerve damage with loss of feeling in feet, heart attacks and strokes.

All of my relatives older than 40 years in America are diabetics today.

We are a family with multiple doctors and teachers. It’s not an uneducated family. One of my cousins told me he gets phone calls from the pharmacy to come and pick up his Metformin. “I don’t take this stuff ” he said, “If I continue to take medicine for diabetes, it will get worse”. There is very little physical activity and weight gain in women is considered a norm.

One of my cousins who had recently moved to America from Karachi once said to me, “You look weak!”

“My body mass index is in normal range!” I told him. Body mass index is a measure of how much you weigh for your height. A normal healthy BMI is between 18 and 23. Over 25 is overweight and over 27 is obese for South Asians. Regular exercise or maintaining a healthy body weight is not on most people’s to do list. There is little knowledge among people about the food groups in a healthy diet, calorie counting, essential minerals and vitaKASHMIR FROM P6

territories which today are included in India or in Pakistan became legally parts of one or the other through a process which harmonized with the expressed will of their people; none was dragged into a union against its wishes. Kashmir is the sole exception. Among all the territories known collectively as India under British rule, Kashmir is the only one which was never provided the opportunity to decide its own status or affiliation. What, therefore, applies to Kashmir does not apply to, for example, Assam or Tamil Nadu in India or to Sind or Baluchistan in Pakistan. This is also plain from the fact that both India and Pakistan solemnly accepted an international obligation regarding Kashmir which neither as a sovereign state would accept regarding any of its constituent units -- the obligation to withdraw their forces from the territory.

The demilitarization of Kashmir, which is the first demand of the people of Kashmir and to which both India and Pakistan are committed legally and morally does not, therefore, mean secession and cannot encourage separation either. Kashmir cannot be regarded to have seceded from what it never acceded to in the first place.

The second consideration which the argument ignores is that Kashmir can emerge as independent in the context of the implementation of an international agreement to which both India and Pakistan are parties. By removing the perennial cause of conflict between them,

mins and portion control.

There is a huge need for doctors from South Asia to help educate these patients in America and I hope that the blog www.diabetesinurdu.com and the book “Everything you need to know about diabetes” in the Urdu language will help bridge some of these gaps in knowledge and understanding of this serious illness.

If you have any questions, you may ask them by visiting the blog site.

RAID FROM P1

The Rangers’ raid at the headquarters of one of the largest political parties in the country on Wednesday appears to have symbolic significance in the Karachi operation that has been underway since October 2013.

Schools to remain close on Thursday: According to a statement released by All Private Schools Management Association, the private schools in Karachi will remain close on Thursday. Moreover, the papers and entry tests scheduled for the day have been postponed and a new schedule will be announced later.

Rangers have authority, not justice: Altaf MQM Chief Altaf Hussain in a telephonic address denounced the raid by Rangers on Nine Zero.

Following is a summary of his address: • Altaf said that this was the first time that the house of a political party chief was raided.

• Addressing Rangers personnel, he remarked that Rangers have authority but they are unable to deliver justice.

• He said that the establishment does not tolerate MQM’s presence.

• He maintained that the ammunition seized from Nine Zero

by Rangers does not belong to MQM. He further said that if the weapons by establishing their relations on the firm basis of good-neighborliness and cooperation in facing their common problems, by giving to each a recognized frontier, the process would encourage their mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and strengthen their internal cohesion. Only reliable conditions of peace and not annexation constitute an effective safeguard against disintegration.

No solution of the Kashmir problem will be just or viable if it ignores the intense and popular sentiments of the people. Justice and pragmatism require that no one of the conceivable options for the people should be excluded.

(The author can be reached at: gnfai2003@yahoo.com) US FROM P8

of someone recently who rarely goes to work and still gets paid. I recall a scene from Lahore that remains etched in my mind: men lined up outside Bhatti Gate. I was told that they came from outside the city every day, hoping to be hired by someone for the day so that there was bread on the table for their children. I shudder to think what happens otherwise.

Back in the 70’s, an old man had come from a village to pursue his case in the court. Being told that the hearing had been adjourned yet again for the umpteenth time, the dejected Pakistani raised his hands towards the sky and was overheard saying, “Waa Angraiz, tera raaj”—O, British, I miss your times. The pain of that statement still haunts me.

belonged to MQM, they would not have been stored in Nine Zero.

• He claimed that the ammunition recovered was planted by Rangers personnel themselves, who carried it inside the headquarters concealed in blankets.

• Altaf demanded that “terrorism in the name of search operations” be stopped.

• He claimed that more than 60 people were arrested during the raid by Rangers • He said that the demise of party worker Waqas Ali Shah has deeply upset him.

• Party office bearer killed:MQM spokesperson Wasay Jalil said a senior party office bearer, Waqas Ali Shah of the central information committee, was killed by Rangers during the raid.

Jalil said that Shah was killed in straight fire by Rangers around 7:45am Wednesday morning. “Dozens of mobiles of Rangers appeared at Nine Zero around 6 am. Personnel proceeded to raid the 50 offices in our headquarters. They went to each office, went through all the files and broke telephones.”

A Rangers spokesperson said no one was killed during the raid but that ‘unidentified men’ opened fire injuring an Express News cameraman.

Rangers personnel after breaking barricades leading to MQM headquarters cordoned off the area and searched through departments of the party’s offices .They also raided adjoining houses and arrested a number of MQM activists and leaders.

Speaking to media, Col Tahir called the two-hour raid a “purely information-based operation” and divulged that the Khursheed Memorial Hall at Nine Zero has been sealed and will be handed over to police for further investigation.

Two generations later, lawyers in Pakistan still find reasons to strike often while the judges are in no hurry to dispose of their cases. That old petitioner is presumably long dead but his heir may still be waiting for justice.

Back in the 90’s, I visited some friends in Pakistan. Over breakfast, as we chatted, I realized that they— a police officer, a magistrate and a district surgeon--were getting late for work. Since none of them appeared to be in a hurry, I tried to remind them. None of them moved.

“The work can wait,” said one with a smile; the others agreed. The chat continued.

An old classmate of mine came to the US and called me from Washington DC. I was delighted to hear from him and invited him to stay with me. I was unable to leave my clinic, however. My inability to bring him from Wash offended him so much that he abruptly changed his plans. I do not think he understood the concept of job responsibility. That was the end of our friendship.

When I was a junior doctor at Mayo Hospital, Lahore, our Professor had the reputation of being a superb clinician. He had been the best graduate of his class and had a picture receiving a gold medal from Ayub Khan proudly displayed in his clinic. Later, he retired as Principal of King Edward Medical College.

But he was infamous for another reason: he rarely made rounds. Most of the patients from his US, P29

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Exchange Rates for Currency Notes* Countries

USA

UK S.Arabia Japan Euro UAE

Buying Rs.

Selling Rs.

101.20 152.62 26.99 0.8307 109.33 27.55

101.40 152.92 27.04 0.8323 109.55 27.61

(*March 10, 2015) US VISA AVAILABILITY IN MARCH 2015 For Pakistan, Bangladesh & India Compiled by Hasan Chishti FAMILY SPONSORED PREFERENCES

Pakistan/Bangladesh

India

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1 Unmarried sons & daughters of U.S. Citizens

August 1, 2007

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2-A Spouses and unmarried children of permanent residents

June 22, 2013

June 22, 2013

2-B Unmarried sons & daughters (21 years of age or older) of permanent residents

July 8, 2008

July 8, 2008

3rd Married sons & daughters of US citizens Jan., 22, 2004 4

th

Brothers & sisters of adult U.S. citizens

May 15, 2002

Jan., 22, 2004 May 15, 2002

EMPLOYMENT BASED CATEGORY 1st Priority workers

Current

Current

2nd Members of the professions holding advanced degree or persons of exceptional ability

Current

Jan., 1, 2007

3rd Skilled workers Other workers

June, 1, 2014 June, 1, 2014

Jan., 1, 2004 Jan., 1, 2004

4th Certain special immigrants Certain religious workers

Current Current

Current Current

5th Employment creation Targeted Employment Areas/ Regional Centers and Pilot Programs

Current

Current

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Returning Residents (SB): Immigrants who lived in the United States previously as lawful permanent residents and are returning to live in the U.S. after a temporary visit of more than one year abroad.

RELIGION

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P27

Time: A Blessing and a Trust

Gems from the Holy Qur’an

n By Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi (Khutbah at Islamic Society of Orange County – Safar 15, 1434/December 28, 2012)

I

t is He who made the sun a shining radiance and the moon a light, determining phases for it so that you might know the number of years and how to calculate time. Allah did not create all these without a true purpose; He explains His signs to those who understand. In the succession of night and day, and in what Allah created in the heavens and earth, there truly are signs for those who are aware of Him . (Yunus 10:56) We are at the end of 2012 and are ready to welcome a new year.

We thank Allah for every moment. We pray to Allah to accept whatever good things we did during this year and forgive us our shortcomings and mistakes. We pray to Him to shower His blessings upon us in the coming year.

May He keep us strong in our faith and help us do the righteous deeds.

I would like to reflect with you today on the subject of time. Time is a great blessing of Allah. It is also His blessing that he taught us the ways to calculate time and to know the number of months and years. Calculation of time is part of human civilization and culture.

It helps us to keep track of time for our worship, work and life. It helps us to learn about the past and plan for the future. Islam gives a lot of importance to time and reminds the believers to be conscious of time in their life. Islam does not emphasize only the calculation of time but it gives a lot of importance to quality of time. We should not only count time but also make our time countable. Unfortunately we human beings waste a lot of our precious time. It is said, that in a lifetime the average American spends about 184,000 hours (almost 21 years) watching television and /or surfing the internet. We also spend about 2-3 years’ time opening the junk mail or reading

From the translation by Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss) (Recently, a media talk show host, well known for his anti-Muslim bias, saw it fit to make scornful remarks against the Qur’an on TV. In these columns, selections from this Holy Book will be published, so that unacquainted readers of the Pakistan Link may be able to judge for themselves.)

and deleting junk emails. A wise man once asked, ‘What is the most valuable thing on earth for a human being? And what is the worst thing on earth for a human being?’ For both the answer he gave was, ‘Time.’ Everything in this world, he said, is acquired in time.

By losing time we lose everything, even ourselves.

Allah reminds us in the Qur’an that in the movement of time and in the succession and variation (ikhtilaf) of the days and nights there are signs for those who wish to be mindful of Allah and grateful to Him (Al-Furqan 25:62). Each one of us has 24 hours every day at our disposal.

There are those who use their time wisely and accomplish a lot. There are also those who waste their time. Time is a non-renewable and non-replaceable resource.

If you lose your money you may get it back; if you lose any of your possessions you may find them or replace them, but no one can get back the time that is gone.

Surah al-‘Asr of the Qur’an is a very short Surah.It does not take much time to read it or to memorize it. It, however, gives a very profound lesson and carries

with it volumes of meanings. The whole human history is a witness to what is said in this Surah. Allah says, By the (passing) time, man is [deep] in loss, except for those who believe, do good deeds, urge one another to the truth, and urge one another to steadfastness. (Al-Asr 103) In several other Surahs we are reminded about the passing nature of time and how important it is to pay attention to every day and night, nay, to every moment.

Allah says: By the Daybreak, by the Ten Nights, by the even and the odd, by the passing night—is this oath strong enough for a person of reason? (Al-Fajr 89:1-5) By the enshrouding night, by the radiant day, by His creation of male and female! The ways you take differ greatly. (Al-Lail 92:1-4) By the dawn and by the night when it grows still. (Al-Duha 93:12) Time is a blessing (ni’mah) and it is also a trust (amanah) of Allah. It is reported in a Hadith, The Prophet – peace be upon him- said, ‘Do not abuse Time, because it is Allah who is time.’ (Muslim, 2246) T h e scholars say this is a metaphorical (majaz) way of speaking. The meaning is that it is Allah who has created time and it is He who has given it to you. It is important that we use every moment wisely and do good and useful things. If we do wrong we should not blame time but ourselves.

Islam teaches us that we should man-

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age our time in a proper and balanced way. Some time we should devote to our Lord and Creator by doing the acts of worship, remembering and thanking Him. Some time we should give to ourselves taking care of our physical needs. Sometime we should spend in study, Halal earning and useful work. Sometime we should give to our families, our spouses, children and for other social needs. Sometime we should give to voluntary and charitable work to help others. No time should be spoiled by committing sins or wasted in useless things. Let us not just count our days, weeks, months and years, let us make them countable and valuable in this life and in the eternal life. Let us make them blessed for us as well as for others.

We have to be conscious of every moment of our life and keep in mind that we shall have to give the account of every moment. On the Day of Judgment Allah will ask: He will say, ‘How many years were you on earth?’ They will reply, ‘We stayed a day or a part of a day, but ask those who keep count.’ He will say, ‘You stayed but a little, if you had only known. Did you think We had created you in vain, and that you would not be brought back to Us? (Al-Mu’minun 23:112-115) The Prophet – peace be upon him- explained this: Mu’adh ibn Jabal reported that the Prophet – peace be upon him- said: The feet of any person shall not move from their place on the Day of Judgment until he/she is asked about four things: about his life, in which deeds he spent it?

About his youth, how he utilized it? About his wealth, how did he earn it and how did he spend it?

About his knowledge, what did he do based on it? (Al-Tabarani, AlMu’jam al-Kabir, Hadith 16569) These are very serious questions. No one can avoid answering them or give false answers. Let us use our time in such a way that on that Day we would not regret or be ashamed, and embarrassed by our answers. May Allah bless us and keep us on the right path. Ameen.

About the translator: Muhammad Asad, Leopold Weiss, was born of Jewish parents in Livow, Austria (later Poland) in 1900, and at the age of 22 made his first visit to the Middle East. He later became an outstanding foreign correspondent for the Franfurter Zeitung, and after his conversion to Islam travelled and worked throughout the Muslim world, from North Africa to as far East as Afghanistan, India and Pakistan. After years of devoted study he became one of the leading Muslim scholars of our age. His translation of the Holy Qur’an is one of the most lucid and well-referenced works in this category.

Chapter 23, Verses 99-100 [As for those who will not believe in the life to come, they go on lying to themselves] until, when death approaches them, he prays: “O my Sustainer! Let me return, let me return [to life], so that I might act righteously in whatever I have failed [aforetime]!”

Nay, it is indeed but a [meaningless] word that he utters: for behind those [who leave the world] there is a barrier [of death] until the Day when all will be raised from the dead!

Chapter 24, Verse 42 For, God’s is the dominion over the heavens and earth, and with God is all journeys’ end.

Chapter 24, Verses 44-45 It is God who causes night and day to alternate: in this [too], behold, there is surely a lesson for all who have eyes to see!

And it is God who has created all animals out of water; and [He has willed that] among them are such as crawl on their bellies, and such as walk on two legs, and such as walk on four.

God creates what He wills: for, verily, God has the power to will anything.

Chapter 25, Verses 1-3 Hallowed is He who from on high, step by step, has bestowed upon His servant the standard by which to discern the true from the false, so that to all the world it will be a warning: He to whom the dominion over the heavens and earth belongs, and who begets no offspring, and has no partner in His dominion: for it is He who creates every thing and determines its nature in accordance with [His own] design.

GEMS, P29

CLASSIFIED & MATRIMONIAL

P28 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

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PAKISTAN NARRATIVE FROM P23

and a little more than a frontier post, the roads were smoother 9than many I know in India. Even Bajaur has a higher road density than India! If there is one thing we should learn from the Pakistanis, it is how to build roads. And oh, another thing, no one throws beer bottles or trash on the highways and motorways.

Madhulika Sikka, NPR News: (May, 2010) This may be hard to believe, but the first thing that crosses your mind when you drive into Islamabad is suburban Virginia — its wide roads, modern buildings, cleanliness and orderliness is a complete contrast to the hustle and bustle of the ancient city of Lahore, some 220 miles east on the Grand Trunk Road.

Islamabad is laid out in a grid with numbered avenues running north to south. The streets are tree lined and flowers abound among the vast open stretches of green space.

Perhaps one of the most beautiful spots is the Margallah Hills National Park. Drive up the winding road on the northern edge of town to the scenic view points and you’ll see the broad planned city stretch before you.

It’s a Sunday afternoon and you could be in any park in any city in the world. Families are out for a stroll and picnicking on park benches. There’s a popcorn vendor and an ice cream seller. Kids are playing on a big inflatable slide. Peacocks strut their full plumage as people are busily clicking away on their cell-phone cameras.

Lively music permeates the air as souvenir sellers are hawking their wares.

Off one of the side paths I notice a young couple lunching at a bench, a respectable distance apart from each other but clearly wanting to be alone.

So what’s it like here? It’s pretty much like everywhere else. On a quiet Sunday afternoon people are out with their families, relaxing and enjoying themselves, taking a break from the stresses and strains of daily life. For all of us this is an image of Pakistan worth remembering. I certainly will.

Yoginder Sikand, Countercurrents.org : (June, 2008) Islamabad is surely the most well-organized, picturesque and endearing city in all of South Asia. Few Indians would, however, know this, or, if they did, would admit it. After all, the Indian media never highlights anything positive about Pakistan, because for it only ‘bad’ news about the country appears to be considered ‘newsworthy’. That realization hit me as a rude shock the moment I stepped out of the plane and entered Islamabad’s plush International Airport, easily far more efficient, modern and better maintained than any of its counterparts in India. And right through my week-long stay in the city, I could not help comparing Islamabad favorably with every other South Asian city that I have visited.

That week in Islamabad consisted essentially of a long string of pleasant surprises, for I had expected Islamabad to be everything that the Indian media so uncharitably and erroneously depicts Pakistan as. The immigration counter was staffed by a smart young woman, whose endearing cheerfulness was a refreshing contrast to the grave, somber and unwelcoming looks that one is generally met with at immigration counters across the world that make visitors to a new country feel instantly unwelcome.

MARCH 13, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P29 GEMS FROM P27

And yet, some choose to worship, instead of Him, [imaginary] deities that cannot create anything but are themselves created and have it not within their power to avert harm from, or bring benefit to, themselves, and have no power over death, nor over life, nor over resurrection!

Chapter 25, Verse 20 And [even] before thee, [O Muhammad,] We never sent as Our message-bearers any but [mortal men,] who indeed ate food [like other human beings] to be a means of testing one another.

Are you able to endure [this test] with patience? For [remember, O man,] thy Sustainer is truly all seeing! _____________ US FROM P26

ward left the hospital without ever seeing him. He would turn up typically around 10-11 A.M., would consume tea in his office, would ask the registrar if everything was ok, and then see a couple of VIP patients before disappearing to his private clinic.

Corruption is not new in Pakistan. What is shocking is its acceptance. While waiting to board a flight to Pakistan at JFK, I spoke to a lady whose brother was a police officer in Pakistan. When asked how was he, she said: “He has just returned from Okara and is very happy, having made a lot of maal.”

As I looked, there was sheer joy on her face. An acquaintance of mine had his son engaged to the daughter of a police officer. Someone asked the soon-to-be father-in-law, “What is your son’s fiancée bringing?” Three crores, was the happy answer. So there it is.

In the heart of London, lies Trafalgar Square with the column of Lord Nelson, one of the great heroes of Great Britain. Nelson had won a famous naval victory against France that saved Britain from invasion. Nelson’s final signal before the battle has since become part of the English folklore: “England expects that every man will do his duty.” In the famous Gettysburg address, President Lincoln had paid tribute to the fallen soldiers “who had given the last full measure of their devotion” to their country.

Should Jinnah’s Pakistan not expect the same from us?

(The writer is a physician in Williamsport, PA and may be reached at asifjaved@comcast.net) DATA FROM P9

there for them in times of need.

At last count, just 800,000 of Pakistan’s 180 million people paid direct taxes. Integrating data across various government databases, then reconciling it with the citizen database along with NADRA big data analytics helped identify 3.5 million tax evaders. It is estimated that if a basic minimum tax rate were applied, Pakistan would have $3.5 billion right away. Although big data analytics is no substitute for radical reform, it at least generates a healthy debate for tax reform.

It’s been argued that state capacity is essentially “extractive capacity”; the ability to effectively tax its citizens and plough it back for public welfare. Advanced data analytics on big data provides an important linchpin in this ongoing debate. As NADRA’s experience illustrates, many fragile states face an even more basic challenge: the ability to accurately count and register its citizens. To col-

lect and process big data in a way that does not compromise citizen privacy can have powerful development externalities, including the ability to build state capacity through tax collection—and avoid approaching the International Monetary Fund with a begging bowl.

Big data analytics for government is a rapidly evolving field, offering exciting opportunities that, when explored and applied, can help fragile states uncover powerful and effective methods for optimizing governance.

OPERATION FROM P10

exceptional performance.

Let me elaborate: in our minds, somehow a standalone, yet a grand military operation would do the trick on every issue and in every part of the country. We assume the army would collect the electricity bills, establish a nuclear plant, develop a real estate project, curb terrorism, oversee foreign policy, run military courts, bring financial accountability, and fight off politicians, all at the same time. The fact is, on the one hand, the uncalled for interference of the military may turn a bad situation like Baluchistan into a complete disaster.

While on the other, success lies in developing team work and focusing on coordination between the various government organizations (civilian and military) just like the cricket in which fielding is as important as batting and bowling. Sure, we create an awe with the thunder of Army tanks rolling in, their automatic machine guns standing atop, but, without the backing of civilian institutions and political will, every operation is bound to fail.

Try counting the number of operations in Karachi in the last twentyfive years. Here I am not mentioning the operations in Baluchistan, numerous ones in FATA and the last operation in Swat, all of which yielded short-term victories and all of them failed to deliver long term benefits.

On June 19, 1992, General Asif Nawaz Janjua with (or without) the information of the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Nawaz Sharif launched a major assault on the city.

It lasted for two years, without reaching a conclusion. In 1993-94, Benazir Bhutto Administration converted that endeavor into a Rangers-led action which was overseen by General (Retd) Naseerullah Babar. That lasted for another three years. The crime rate dropped in the beginning, for sure, but it rose again (with a vengeance) in the years to come. Somewhere during this time, the Rangers was deployed in Karachi on permanent basis hoping to assist the police. And in their presence the city has fallen further in the hands of criminals. The third major operation started in 2013 with near zero outcome; and in 2015 we are talking about the fourth one.

Do you call it a success? I guess if that is how we define victory then I would proclaim Pakistan’s victory in the 1971 war as well.

www.PakistanLink.com

NUST FROM P1

retained first place on the list of the world’s most prestigious universities while Japan leads Asia in the global reputation league, but the University of Tokyo falls still further from the top ten.

There is outstanding progress for China’s leading universities – with Tsinghua and Peking securing their highest ever positions – but Hong Kong lost ground.

The UK’s Cambridge University (2nd) and Oxford (3rd) push the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (4th) and Stanford University (5th) down.

TRADE FROM P1

of new business relationships, professional collaborations, and investments. May the connections you have made here continue to flourish.” He re-affirmed the commitment of the United States, saying, “We are advancing our shared goals in support of peace, prosperity, and stability for Pakistan, the United States, and this entire region. ” He also noted that the presence of US Commerce Secretary Pritzker underscored the seriousness of the United States’ commitment to building a stronger economic relationship with Pakistan. More than 300 conference participants attended presentations regarding investment opportunities and financing options in Pakistan. US and Pakistani companies from various sectors were represented, including textiles, agriculture, information and communication technology (ICT), healthcare, energy, and infrastructure.

The conference also featured a roundtable discussion for women entrepreneurs, highlighting the importance of integrating more women into the economy.

TIFA: Signing of a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) between Pakistan and the United States has been put on the back-burner since America has become the largest export market for Pakistan with a volume of $3.7 billion, said US Secretary of Commerce, Penny Pritzker on Tuesday.

“It is hard to pass new trade legislation right now in the US. Instead we are focusing on business-to-business connections, access to financing and support to entrepreneurship,” Ms Pritzker said.

She infored the volume of bilateral trade stood at $5bn, and both governments were committed to removing hurdles. She added that some legislative impediments are still stuck in the Congress.

“While the Pakistan government is

currently engaged in focusing on energy issues, it should also focus on making the taxation structure more predictable and reliable for companies operating in Pakistan, improving access to companies and making sure that contracts are enforceable.”

PRESIDENT FROM P1

On Sunday, Islamabad for the first time officially denied that President Xi would be in Pakistan on March 23.

The denial came from foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz. Without a fulltime foreign minister, the nation is spectacle to a bizarre phenomenon — it almost seems as if Pakistan has no leader or institution that knows how to conduct diplomacy.

NISAR FROM P1

after the due approval of the cabinet.

Leader of the House in Senate Raja Muhammad Zafarul Haq strongly rejected the allegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement that the ruling Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz (PML-N) was behind the raid at its head office in Karachi.

“This allegation is totally wrong and baseless. I strongly and categorically reject it,” he said.

The MQM Senators staged a walkout from the House to protest the early morning raid at the party head office. Speaking on a point of order, they called for constitution of a monitoring committee to oversee the actions being taken by law enforcement agencies.

Senator Tahir Hussain Mashhadi claimed that over 100 MQM workers have been arrested. “The Karachi operation should not be politicized. The law enforcers should concentrate on apprehending target killers, extortionists and members of proscribed organizations,” he added.

Dr Qayyum Soomro of Pakistan People’s Party said the criminal elements should be apprehended in collaboration with political parties.

Farhatullah Babar of PPP said a human rights committee or special sub-committee should be constituted to probe the allegations against law enforcement agencies.

ALTAF FROM P1

had been arrested during the raid on Wednesday.

He went on to say that the Rangers claim it was not their bullet that killed Waqas and instead it was a bullet from a TT-pistol. He further said that he would reply in a befitting manner to the Rangers’ superiors, asking them for justice.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

MARCH 13, 2015 - PAKISTAN LINK

ENTERTAINMENT

P30 – PAKISTAN LINK – MARCH 13, 2015

I

t felt like deja vu. Watching Tariq Aziz, the Neelam Ghar legend, on a morning show recently brought back memories of my childhood. I was seven years old when I met Tariq Aziz back in the 80s and it seems that he hasn't aged since then.

At 78, he can still charm audiences especially the ones who were hooked on to his vastly popular generalknowledge quiz show Neelam Ghar back in the 70s and 80s.

Sitting face to face with morning show host Sanam Baloch, who wasn't even born when Tariq Aziz first presented Neelam Ghar, he gave glimpses of his past brilliance.

For those who aren't fully aware of Tariq Aziz's legendary status in Pakistan's television history, I will give a brief intro.

Born in 1936, Tariq Aziz began

his career at Radio Pakistan. He was the first male announcer when Pakistan Television was launched from Lahore in 1964. Later, he flirted with a career in movies. Along with Zeba, he starred in Insaniyat, a Pakistani film and then also starred in another movie Haar Gaya Insaan.

In the 90s, Tariq Aziz turned to politics and was elected to the National Assembly from Lahore as a member of the Pakistan Muslim League.

But despite having several feathers in his cap, Tariq Aziz will forever be etched in the collective memory of Pakistanis as the host of Neelam Ghar, which was a huge commercial success.

Today we see various TV channels staging shows that are somehow inspired by Neelam Ghar. But Tariq Aziz is not impressed.

"What I don't like about such shows is that there is no challenge for the participants," he told Sanam.

"You see the host is just throwing away prizes. He can give one to anybody he wants by just asking them their name or saying that this is yours because you are wearing a nice dress.

I don't think that's the right way to do it. I personally believe that such shows should be used to teach something to the audiences. Okay if you don't want to give too many difficult questions then ask them easier ones.

You can even ask them how many months are there in a year instead of just giving them a prize for telling you their names," he said.

The other thing that displeases Tariq Aziz is that many a presenter make the audiences literally beg for prizes. "That's not a very good thing to do," he said.

Tariq Aziz certainly had a point.

There is certainly a great role that our fast expanding media can play in educating the masses.

In a society where literacy rate is far below accepted levels, our TV channels have a duty towards the people. They should try and educate the masses through high quality programmes instead of turning them into beggars in so-called quiz shows.

Back in his heyday Tariq Aziz used to try to stimulate the minds of his audiences by asking intelligent questions and also interviewing accomplished personalities including notable intellectuals, sportsperson and celebrities.

It is true that in today's fast paced world Neelam Ghar sounds outdated and in fact obsolete. But compared to the sort of garbage we are bombarded with on many of our TV channels it still was a great programme. The people at the helm of our channels should take a long, hard look at the content they are churning out. They will certainly get embarrassed.

Moving on from Tariq Aziz, let's talk about drama serial Alvida. The latest installment of Alvida saw the distraught Sanam Jung who is unhappy at her cousin and best friend Imran Abbas' decision to marry Naveen Waqar rather than her.

She is heartbroken and cannot believe that she's been jilted by her Prince Charming - the man she had always thought would be her saviour. The man she had been dreaming of all her life! What makes it worse is the fact that Naveen is actually her sister, a sister she has nothing in common with. In fact she has never been close to Naveen or her other sisters for that matter as she feels her father gave them more importance as compared to her. And now Imran has decided in favour of Naveen also. She tries her level best to tell her khala how mismatched they both are.

How they can never be happy and when Imran sees the extent that she's going to, he admonishes Sanam for her childish behaviour. After all, 'hell hath no fury than a woman scorned!' And Sanam is scorned.

What will she do next? Our guess is as good as yours! Will she give in to destiny or will she try to change it?

These are all questions that later installments of Telemix and the next few episodes of Alvida will tell us.

Watch this space for more!

About Alvida, Sanam had recently confessed in one of her

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interviews that she had great expectations from this project as it was with none other than her favourite director Shahzad Kashmiri, a director she had debuted with as an actor.

"Shahzad Kashmiri has always supported me since my debut. He has always been super accommodating. Most of my projects have been with Shahzad and I like to believe that I am his lucky charm. He has worked on my dialogue delivery also. My diction was more English than Urdu but he worked with me tirelessly in my first serial and here I am today finally spewing out hardcore Urdu words in my morning show."

I would now like to talk about an event that offered so much and then fell flat of all expectations. I'm talking about the over-hyped World Cup

encounter featuring arch-rivals Pakistan and India in the Australian city of Adelaide.

It was a game that stopped Pakistan as the entire nation was glued to their TV sets praying that the national team will finally end its World Cup jinx against India. In the lead up to the eagerly-anticipated encounter there were a series of programmes on almost all the TV channels as experts, analysts, former cricketers and celebs talked and talked on how Pakistan can finally beat India in a World Cup match for the first time.

But unfortunately that never happened. Buoyed by a match-winning century from Virat Kohli, India hammered Pakistan and in the process broke millions of hearts on this side of the border.

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