Month: March 2010

My Lessons in Life

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An Article Address by Azim Premji in the ‘Shaping Young Minds Program’ (SYMP) organized by AIMA in collaboration with the Bombay Management Association (BMA) in Mumbai on ‘My Lessons in Life’. I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. As my hair turned from black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.

Pakistan Day

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Ik lateefa main sunaoun Sunna chaho tum agar Sadiq ata hai ye bilkul ahle Pakistan per aik din Akbar ne yeh Mullah Dopyaza se kaha hai wafadar e hukumat jo bhi hai chota bara bolay Mullah yun yaqeen har giz na lana chahiay aik din saari reyayaa aazmana chahiay doodh se yeh saamnay ka houz bharwa deejiay layain bhar kar ik ghara sab se farma dijiay doosray din houz main paani hi paani tha bhara ik zara se imtehan main khul gya khota khara har koi samjha k baqi loug jitney ayain ge apnay hissay ka ghara wo doodh ka bhar jayen ge ik ghara pani ka ismain mil gya mera kya itni amezesh se aakhir kon bharta jaye ga tum ho Pakistan k yeh hai tumhara hi watan is ko rakho ya ujaro hai tumhara hi chaman doosray latay hain paani unko bhi samjhao tum unko samjhanay se pehlay doodh khud tou lao tum Published on All Things Pakistan

Quaid’s Islam; Quaid’s Pakistan

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By Awaam We celebrate a number of national days throughout the year. Such days are always meant for reflection. 63 years after the creation of Pakistan where do we stand. Crisis upon crisis engulfs us, to the extent that people are questioning the very viability of the state. The core of the problem is failure to achieve and define the Identity of Pakistan. Like it or not ‘Islam’ is the crux of the matter. The word in context of Pakistan ignites fiery passions and debates. There are two main groups. People who claim that Islam makes the basis of the creation of the Pakistan and therefore they want to impose their version of Islam/ Sharia upon us. The opposing group is led by progressive Muslims who claim that Pakistan was never meant to be a theocracy. Both groups can quote enough examples of speeches by Quaid to support their stance.

Wominnovation

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Some innovations help women more than others From The Economist online TWO recent innovations have garnered a lot of attention for the way they empower women. One is microcredit, a system of lending to very poor people, the majority of whom are female microentrepreneurs who are thus helped to climb out of poverty. The other is the mobile phone, which among other things has led to the emergence of an army of “telephone ladies” in countries such as Bangladesh, who earn a decent living by buying a phone and renting it out to other villagers.

Mai Jori

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The column was published in The News on 12th March 2010 Harris Khalique Habib Jalib wrote a poem for Benazir Bhutto when she came back to Pakistan in 1986 to lead the struggle against General Zia’s rule of darkness. It was titled “Aik Nihatti Larki” (One unarmed girl). He highlighted the fears of the powerful, the omnipotent dictator and the coterie of undignified men who surrounded him. They were fearful of a frail young woman, physically frail but mentally stronger than mountains in her resolve to bring change to her country. It was a replay of an earlier struggle launched by the political workers of this country led by the sister of the founder of Pakistan, Fatima Jinnah. The otherwise weak, old woman stood up to take on General Ayub Khan, the man responsible for sowing the seeds of military dictatorship in the country. The status of both these women transcends their party affiliations and many of us consider them our common heroes. For the same reason, Mai Jori, the peasant woman who ran for …

Twin suicide attack kills 39 in Lahore: police

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Dawn News- 12 March 2010 LAHORE: Twin suicide attacks seconds apart targeted the Pakistani military Friday, killing 39 people in the second attack to hit security forces in the country’s cultural capital this week. The bombers walked up to Pakistani army vehicles in the densely populated R A Bazaar area of Lahore, blowing themselves up as people sat down to eat before the Friday prayers were to begin, a senior official said. The bombers targeted the cantonment of Lahore, an area home to army officials and military installations, as well as hospitals and schools run by the military. The area includes civilian homes, shops and restaurants. Mohammad Nadeem, a young man in his 20s whose white shalwar khamis was stained with blood down the front, told AFP he was saying prayers in the mosque when he heard the first blast and rushed out. “I saw people crying and running in different directions. They were panicked,” he said. “The second blast took place very near a military vehicle. I sensed real danger and started running. “There …

MUHAMMAD (PBUH) AS LIBERATOR)

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Asghar Ali Engineer This month we will be celebrating the birth day of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is celebrated by Muslims with great devotion and reverence. But often it has been seen that devotees do not reflect on the message of the person whom they so venerate. It just becomes a tradition rather than occasion for deep reflection. Muslims also refer to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as Muhsin-e-Insaniyyat i.e. the benefactor of humanity but hardly care to know in what respect he became benefactor?

Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: British Muslims are running out of friends

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The establishment has surpassed its previous disgraceful record in its attitudes to Islam I am but Muslim lite, a non-conformist believer who will not be told what and how by sanctimonious religious sentinels for whom religion is a long list of rules to be obeyed by bovine followers. Readers know I am often critical of Muslim people and nations. Bad things that happen to us cannot all be attributed to “Islamophobia”, a nebulous and imprecise concept that, like anti-Semitism, can be used to besmirch and sully and silence criticism.

Toxic toys on sale

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By Faiza Ilyas Monday, 01 Mar, 2010 KARACHI: Laboratory tests carried out on a number of imported toys randomly collected from city markets have shown that they contain high levels of toxic metals and chemicals. While these toxic materials can cause a wide range of health disorders in case of human exposure, there exists no system in the city at any level to check contamination in toys, whether manufactured locally, imported or smuggled in. Also, there are no Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority guidelines specifically on toys to ensure children’s safety, an investigation carried out by Dawn has revealed. The tests on toys were conducted at Karachi University’s centralised science laboratory. The toxic elements include lead, cadmium and various types of phthalates. The 14 tested samples included eight soft toys and six hard ones. The toxic ingredients were found not only in the plastic material the toys were made from, but also in the thin coating of spray paint that is used to paint them. The prices of the imported toys ranged from Rs20 …

Frustrated Strivers in Pakistan Turn to Jihad

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By Sabrina Tavernise and Waqar Gillani Published: February 27, 2010 Cross Post from The New York Times LAHORE, Pakistan — Umar Kundi was his parents’ pride, an ambitious young man from a small town who made it to medical school in the big city. It seemed like a story of working-class success, living proof in this unequal society that a telephone operator’s son could become a doctor. Lahore has enduring social problems like chronic unemployment. But things went wrong along the way. On campus Mr. Kundi fell in with a hard-line Islamic group. His degree did not get him a job, and he drifted in the urban crush of young people looking for work. His early radicalization helped channel his ambitions in a grander, more sinister way. Instead of healing the sick, Mr. Kundi went on to become one of Pakistan’s most accomplished militants. Working under a handler from Al Qaeda, he was part of a network that carried out some of the boldest attacks against the Pakistani state and its people last year, the …