Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool (PBUH)

Glimpses Across Pakistan – Youm-e-Ishq-e-Rasool

5 Cinema’s, 3 Banks, ATM’s, 3 Restaurants, part of Sheraton (yup), 12+ Killed, 100+ Injured, lots of police mobiles torched, & that’s just in Karachi.

In Islamabad the Red Zone was a war zone, with the police unable to cope with what was demanded of them. Residents in the Red Zone ended up crying at home literally because of the extensive use of tear gas by Law Enforcers.

In other cities, Petrol pumps, CNG stations, Cinema’s, Buildings, Restaurants, Banks, and other property was subject to Arsonist’s Galore.

All this was done in the name of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). I do not take his name because, it would be disrespectful to associate the barbaric murder, loot and plunder that was witnessed across Pakistan today, with everything that his lessons teach.

According to the Information minister of Sindh, 2000 policemen were injured across the Islamic Republic of Pakistan today. What the world saw happening across this country is Not a true picture of Islam. In fact it is the farthest of all protests that took place across the muslim world this Friday.

Mufti Munib-Ur-Rahman, a Religious scholar – normally responsible for the sighting of the moon – speaking to the host of the countries most watched news show said, what the world witnessed today was not an example of Islam. He went on to quote from the last sermon of the Holy Prophet (PBUH); that the way the holy City of Mecca has its religious importance, the life of every human being holds just as much importance, and that the best example of ishq-e-rasool is to follow in the foot steps of the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

It is true, because the aim of every pious Muslim is to achieve Sirat-e-Mustaqim (The Righteous Path).

After all a pious muslim begs the Almighty to guide him on that path at least 20 times a day – in the five compulsory prayers – more if the additional prayers are offered. Unfortunately the Mufti is the same man, whom other Mufti’s are in disagreement with every year when it comes to the sighting of the Moon – a task he is responsible for.

That in itself highlights, that even religiously we stand divided into so many groups; that we all have starkly different perceptions of the same thing, and that we all call our evolved versions, Islam. I am saddened to say, that I live in a country where Sirat-e-Mustaqim was an operation launched by the Army in Bara Teshil of Khyber Agency in 2008.

I end this rant, with lines that have left me quite disturbed. I am sure they will have the same effect on every Muslim who reads them :

The men behind the movie said it would expose Islam as a violent religion. Now they’re pointing to the riots as proof. Muslims are “pre-programmed” to rage and kill, says the movie’s promoter. “Islam is a cancer,” says the director. According to the distributor, “The violence that it caused in Egypt is further evidence of how violent the religion and people are and it is evidence that everything in the film is factual.” Congratulations, Rioters. You followed the script perfectly. You did their work for them.

Picture taken from this Album.

71 Pages of Confusion

The Supreme Courts detailed verdict in the Prime Ministers Contempt of Court Case, has created more confusion than clearing up the existing confusion; whether the Prime Minister stands disqualified, or is liable to being disqualified from the Majlis-e-Shoora, remains a mystery that a layman can never solve alone. Being just such a layman, I turned to the experts.

According to Justice (R) Wajihuddin Ahmed; the Supreme Court will only give findings on the contempt of court case. It will not state that the Prime Minster stands disqualified – because the clause for that is present in the constitution (Article 63(1)g).

I further asked, whether the matter will now go to the Speaker to decide whether 63(1)g applies or not. His response, in his opinion, Article 63(2) does not apply because it states “If any question arises whether a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) has become disqualified from being a member, the Speaker or, as the case may be, the Chairman shall, unless he decides that no such question has arisen, refer the question to the Election Commission within thirty days and should he fail to do so within the aforesaid period it shall be deemed to have been referred to the Election Comission.”

I asked why Article 62(2) did not apply. The retired Justice explained, that a question has not arisen a conviction verdict has already been given. Therefore the 30 day time period for the Speaker to ponder over the issue is irrelevant.

On an interesting note, he added, that the Supreme Court had sent the short order to the Speaker as well as the Election Commission, and it is most likely that the complete verdict will also be sent to the Election Commission. Why is this point so interesting ? Because it gives way to the question… “Does the Speaker need to send the matter to the Chief Election Commissioner, or will the Election Commission proceed against Prime Minister GIlani?”

For my second opinion I turned to Senator, Barrister Farogh Nasim. Having himself seen the full verdict I asked him whether Para 71 starting from its last sentence – which speaks of the verdict given on the 10^th of January 2012, now stood validated since the Prime Minister was convicted on the 28^th of April 2012. (For the readers benefit, the said para (starting from its last sentence) is reproduced below)

…. The Respondent was put on notice through Option No.2 in the order dated 10.01.2012 (Ex.P22) of the possible consequences of non-compliance of this Court’s direction and the relevant portion of that order reads:

“5.          This brings us to the actions we may take against willful disobedience to and non-compliance of some parts of the judgment rendered and some of the directions issued by this Court in the case of Dr. Mobashir Hassan (supra). This Court has inter alia the following options available with it in this regard:

 ………It may not be lost sight of that, apart from the other consequences, by virtue of the provisions of clauses (g) and (h) of Article 63(1) read with Article 113 of the Constitution a possible conviction on such a charge may entail a disqualification from being elected or chosen as, and from being, a member of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or a Provincial Assembly for at least a period of five years.”

My question to the Barrister was : After the 26^th April conviction, should the words “may entail a disqualification” be read without the “may” ? He concurred with Justice Wajih on the note, that after the Prime Ministers conviction article 63(1)g does apply, and if the Speaker does forward the matter to the Election Commissioner within 30 days, it will be deemed as forwarded.

While both agreed, that Prime Minister Gilani should morally step down, Farogh Nasim is of the view that the detailed verdict in its self does not disqualify the Prime Minister; while Justice Wajih maintains that there is no reason for the Verdict to even state – that the Prime Minister has been disqualified, because it is already stated clearly in the Constitution. I on the other hand, a Layman, am still confused.

*The Author is not a Legal Expert. The opinions of the legal experts mentioned are as stated : “Opinions”. Therefore any plans you may have of wanting to sue me, should stand nullified thanks to this disclaimer.

Open Letter to help #SaveMVAlbedo !!!

The last time Ahsan Naveed’s family saw him, he had a sparkle in his eyes, he was as excited as any 20 year old would be, ready to embark on his maiden voyage as an ordinary sailor. Little did he know, he would be taken hostage within days. The MV Albedo was taken hostage by Somali Pirates on 26th November 2010.

The MV Albedo’s 22 Man crew consists of 7 Pakistani, 7 Bangladeshi,  6 Sri Lankan 1 Iranian and one 1 Indian national – they have now spent over 500 days in Captivity.

To #SaveMVAlbedo and bring home Captain Jawaid Saleem Khan, 1^st Officer Mujtaba, 3^rd Officer Raheel Anwar, 4^th Engineer Zulfiqar Ali, Ordinary Sailors Ahsan Naveed, Faqir Muhammed and Kashif Islam – the families of  MV Albedo need to raise US 1.7 million.

After 10 months of negotiations, on the request of the families and under instruction from the Governor Sindh Dr. Ishrarul Ebad Khan, CPLC Chief Ahmed Chinoy formally launched the appeal to #SaveMVAlbedo.

The Campaign requires volunteers to help raise funds. The Contribution can be monetary, or man hours. We need to raise Rs. 160,000,000 by the 20th of April.

In the past 17 months a lot has transpired. Mujtaba  has been blessed with a Son, Abdullah – the first boy in his family after a gap of 30 years – now 14 months old has yet to meet his Father. His 3 daughters have stopped attending school because of his captivity. Mujtaba’s children need your help.

Mrs. Jawaid has been living a nightmare. For the sake of her children, she hid the news of their father’s kidnapping for 10 months. At one point she was told by the Pirates that her husband has been killed. She could not bring herself to face her daughters, to tell them what she knew. It was months later that she learned the Pirates had lied. She needs this nightmare to end. She needs your Help to #SaveMVAlbedo.

Onboard the #MvAlbedo the crew is enduring a nightmare far worse than one can imagine. They are fed a single meal of watery rice every day, due to malnutrition the crew has lost on average 20 Kg in weight. Held hostage on board the MV Albedo 60 nautical miles off the Somali Coast, they are provided less than one liter of water per person, per day. They need your Help.

Imagine having to deliver the news that you are about to be killed. Luckily it has only been employed as a pressure tactic, so far. The Captain and 1st Officer need this mental torture to stop – not knowing if the next time the threat will be for Real. They need your Help to #SaveMVAlbedo.

The Pakistani nation has come together in times of need. They have proven time and again that their hearts are made of Gold.
We know 160,000,000 sounds like a formidable amount, but in reality if only everyone in Karachi gave 9 rupees we would be able to bring #MvAlbedo home today. If we can reach out to every fifth person and collect 45 rupees each, this nightmare can be over. We hope to reach every tenth person – with a target of 90 Rupees per pledge. Come join us, let’s bring #MVAlbedo home.

You can make a deposit online using the “pay anyone” option on you banks ‘netbanking’ portal.

You can also make a donation via your banks ATM machine. You don’t need to sign up for this service; just visit your banks ATM machine and choose the funds transfer section. Simply follow the instructions on the ATM screen to transfer funds. Please be advised that there is a charge that your bank will apply when using interbank transfer facility.

The account details for the #SaveMVAlbedo campaing are :

Bank : NIB BANK LTD.
Branch : UNIVERSITY ROAD BRANCH, KARACHI, PAKISTAN
A/C Name: Shahnaz Jawaid & Neelam Mujtaba

A/C No. (PKR): 10052-10653622
A/C No. (USD): 10052-10653789
A/C No. (GBP) :10052-10653808

Swift Code: NIBPPKKA

Confined in Chains, The Future is Dark..

Children at the Madrassa Zakariya, 5 days after the Raid

An unannounced visit to any of Pakistan’s Government Hospital’s will explain without doubt, why there are thousands of Quacks, Spiritual Healers, Pirs, and so called Gifted Individuals playing with the lives of millions in Pakistan.

A Sindh Police raid on the 12th of December at a Madrassa in Sorabh Goth, freed dozens of boys and young men, who were until then being subjected to gross Human Rights Violations – under the pretext that they were being Cured.

Those freed, claimed to be locked up for various reasons. Some for being supposedly possessed, while others for drug addictions. Most had been brought to the ‘Isla’hi Markaz’  or Correctional Center,  by their Parents, to be Cured (or fixed).

During the Media Frenzy that Monday night, conflicting stories of Taliban visit’s and Militant training, Beatings and brutal living conditions resonated on TV sets, from Islamabad to Karachi & beyond.

“My father took me to several spiritual healers who said I was a victim of black magic,” claimed Azmat Ulla, speaking to AFP.

The reason such ‘Isla’hi Marakiz’ exist, is because they provide a cheaper alternative for Pakistan’s poorest – taking care of those with learning difficulties, mental illness & drug problems – than having to lock up the patient or care for him, at home.

Religious seminaries – attached to mosques – are the only schools & sometimes permanent shelters for the poorest children. It is estimated that two million boys are educated in Pakistan’s 15,000+ madrassa’s.

It was now Friday, 5 days had passed since the Police raided Madrassa Zakariya but to my surprise, Wali Muhammad the crying 6 year old whose face was carried by many global publications (and was aired to millions of households), was still at the Madrassa.

Traumatized by Monday’s events Wali Muhammad became hysterical when he saw the Policemen accompanying me. It took a lot of talking before he finally calmed down and smiled for a picture.

When he spoke, he did not describe the madrassa as a Chamber of Torture, where he was being held against his will. Instead he seemed, quite at home. He wasn’t alone either, about a dozen young boys crowded around us when the Police had stepped away.

The temporary Headmaster of the madrassa Mufti Amin Jaan argued, that local news channels had done a great disservice to Pakistan. He said he was sad, that now the world was talking about Pakistan, about how young boys were being indoctrinated for Jihad, when it was not true.

"Curse Upon the Liars - Area Residents"

The local SHO gave credence to the story. According to him, no militant traces were found from the premises, no literature of any kind – which is the norm – instead the only texts found at the madrassa were copies of the Holy Quran, and Ahadees of the Prophet (PBUH).

While Mufti Amin Jaan argued that the ‘Isla’hi Markaz’ was a seperate entity from the madrassa; where regular lessons were conducted, and no body was locked up. His defense does not remove the scars that Wali Muhammad and dozens of other young children will live with for years to come, having seen others locked up like animals.

The sad part is, countless more will experience first hand or witness similar brutality that was practiced at Madrassa Zakariya by Mufti Dawood.

It will take nothing short of a miracle before Pakistan can provide state care for those in the grip of drug addiction, evil spirits or muscle spasms. Until then, the locking up of those “in need of medical attention” will continue; and many Mufti Dawood’s will provide ‘Isla’hi Marakiz’ like the Chamber of Torture seen on TV.

Confined in Chains, the Future of Pakistan is Dark. Without them, it may be Darker.

Zardari Ki Bimaari

Back in 2008, when the candidates for Pakistan’s Presidential Race were submitting their nomination papers; i sat in a corner penning my thoughts. Today when AP broke the story that President Asif Ali Zardari did infact suffer from a Stroke (or something slightly milder), i decided to fish out my penned thoughts from August 2008…

No Monkey Wrench, just wrenched Monkeys 
Ovais.Jafar – 28th August 2008

As Pakistan gets ready for a new president, it was a pleasant surprise to see all three candidates nomination papers be accepted, without any monkey wrenches being hurled by opposing party candidates. However it is very interesting to see a nation of monkeys sitting on the sidelines, not even blinking at this wonderful orchestra performance.

If evolution had kicked in sooner, and we had evolved from ape, into man; many more of us would be questioning the somewhat submissive acceptance by the Chief Election Commissioner.

According to Senator Khalid Ranjha, former president of the Supreme Court Bar and one time Law Minister – Each candidate would have had to submit proof of Qualification as well as Disclose all Assets, at home and abroad. As stated in the Constitution of Pakistan – a candidate must not suffer from mental disabilities proven in a competent Court of Law.

Senator Ranjha, in our brief conversation pointed out that recently released money from Swiss Bank Accounts (approx 60 million dollars) could have hampered Mr. Zardari’s nomination.

60 million dollars or not; I cannot seem to get past the allegations made by the international news daily “Financial Times”.

In a recent article they claim to have been shown Court documents submitted by Mr. Zardari’s lawyers – citing mental instability, post traumatic stress disorder, dementia, major depression, loss of memory, the list goes on.

With no medical knowledge, I personally believe ailments of the mind can be cured by the mind. After all Britain’s greatest Statesman “Winston Churchill” was suffering from Depression, and as Dr. Cosmo Hallstrom from London’s Imperial College puts it; “He was Britain’s greatest Statesman, who saved it from its Darkest hour”.

Dr. Hallstrom also pointed out, that although Churchill suffered from depression, it was curable just like post traumatic stress. The alarming statement was about “dementia” another ailment Mr. Zardari is said to have been suffering from. As Dr. Hallstrom put it, it has no Cure.

If this is true, why wasn’t an issue raised about this during the election commission’s scrutiny. If  Mr. Zardari is really suffering and these ailments were not simply created to delay court proceedings (which they successfully did), the new question is,  can Zardari be Pakistan’s Churchill ??

-END-

Whether you would like me to eat my hat or my shoes for comparing AAZ to Winston Churchill I do not know, and quite frankly i do not care.  He might not have done much for Pakistan, but I’m sure if Winston was alive today.. He’d be taking classes from A.A.Z !!

The Death of English…

During a job interview in Lahore, at the purpose built headquarters of a soon-to-launch news channel, I was asked how I felt about hosting an English language program to cater to the expats responsible for many important decisions.
 
My response back in 2008; the ones who matter already have the means to get the information they need. The idea of an English language news program was great, but not to satisfy the appetites of expats. It was important, first, to satisfy the needs of our own people.
 
The most common response to my idealism – as it was usually considered – was how Geo English had not launched and Dawn News was a failing product from the get-go.
 
I still maintain, had Geo English launched, Dawn News would have understood the difference and gone Urdu a lot sooner, and Express 24/7 would have never seen the light of day.
 
To understand why, it must be noted that from the team that was trained for Geo English, many became the faces of Dawn News. Many more worked behind the scenes as producers, reporters and copy writers.
 
When the time came for Express 24/7, it was launched – again – by most of the core team that was trained for Geo English (the ones who were part of the buildup from NewsDay – Geo’s first English bulletin – till GE’s death)
 
The people who went to Dawn were mostly foreign educated, western influenced individuals. The ones that fell in 24/7′s lap were the thoroughbred Pakistani brains.
 
The mix of those groups of people together had been the winning combination, a real Pakistani English news team. Their target audience was not limited to the whiskey-sipping, cigar smoking, Chanel-adoring Pakistani.
 
The viewer in Nazimabad, the one tucked away in Anarkali, and the young students who would sit at the dhabba in Shadi Khan, were also GE’s target audience.
 
I write this, as an obituary, for the one who was aborted in 2008, the one who denied its existence and the one that died just yesterday.
 
The death of independent English language programming has denied the student of a teacher; who would rely on the English News to improve his own.
 
Before you disagree with my argument; let me tell you about Usman, a colleague who speaks English with a strong american accent.
 
The first time I met Usman, I had approached him to inquire what such a westernized individual was doing in the graveyard shift at an Urdu channel.
 
It turned out that Usman’s English was the product of watching lots of Hollywood movies. He didn’t just enjoy his movies, he learned from them. After years of copying and training himself today he can speak fluent English, with an American accent.
 
I myself have done the same. Only in my case, it took me 20 minutes to read a 2-inch story in the daily Jang back in 2009 and I took a full 10 minutes just to say the word ‘haq-e-khud-iradiyat’ (that’s ‘right to self determination’ in Urdu).
 
Today not only can I type in Urdu, I often correct grammatical mistakes in my colleagues’ copy.
 
To whom do I owe the credit for my achievement? All the Urdu News Channels that I have learned from and the many newspapers and Urdu periodicals I have read.
 
In case you’re still having difficulty accepting my argument, let me remind you of a show called ‘Sesame Street’. Over the last 4 decades, it has taught millions of children, the alphabet, numbers, how to share, and play together. 74 million people in the US alone have learned the basics from this TV Show.
 
If a pre-schooler can learn his alphabet from TV, why can’t an adult learn English the same way?
 
There are many examples out there similar to Usman, if it weren’t for them, the call center industry might not have thrived here.
 
Let’s now observe a moment of silence, on the death of independent English Language programming in Pakistan.
 
Its not just a loss for the burgers, the bun kabab has lost more.

Sim Sim Humara : Sesame Street comes to Pakistan

Back in 1966, when the first discussions about a television show to help young children prepare for school were underway; who would have thought that 45 years later the resulting show would be preparing children for school the world over – across 120 countries, through 20 independent international versions.

The latest addition to the Sesame Street Franchise is Sim Sim Humara. A collaboration between Sesame Workshop and the Rafi Peer Theatre Workshop, funded by USAID’s US$ 20 million 4 year project, Sim Sim Humara will start airing in Pakistan later next month.

It seems Washington is now trying to quash the influence of radicalism in Pakistan even before it makes inroads into young minds.  According to a former Education Officer of USAID, Larry Dolan; “One of the key goals of the show in Pakistan is to increase tolerance toward groups like women and ethenic minorities.”

For this a total of 78 Episodes will be aired over the next 3 years in Urdu. Another 13 in Sindhi, as well as in Pashtu, Punjabi and Balochi are said to be on the cards.

Most grownups today will remember Elmo, Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Grover, Cookie Monster, & the Count. The list of characters is long and memorable. However the Famous Sesame Crew will not be available in Pakistan – with the exception of Elmo.

The Cast of Sim Sim Humara will include Rani a 6 year old (as the Lead) who loves Cricket and Pakistani Music, she will be flanked by Munna a 5 year old obsessed with numbers (Pakistani version of Count), while Baily the donkey, Haseen-o-Jameel the Crocodile and Baaji a strong woman are amongst the few characters that have been identified.

Baji, Rani and Munna

Sesame has successfully adapted to change. Over the years Sesame’s various independent versions have seen specific characters to address the issues in that society. To address the rising AIDS epidemic, Kami a 5-year old HIV-positive Muppet was introduced in Sesame’s South African version. In 2006 Abby Cadabby joined the show as its first female star character to provide a role model for young girls.

Kami with Bill Clinton and Abby Cadabby

The ever growing popularity of Sesame Street can be gauged by its viewership. When the original Sesame Street first aired on November 10th back in 1969, a reported 1.9 million households in America had tuned in. By 1979, the viewership had reached 9 million viewers.

A 1993 U.S. Department of Education survey stated, out of a total of 6.6 million viewers, 2.4 million were Kindergartners, 86% of first and second graders had watched Sesame Street before starting school. 74 million Americans claim to have grown up watching Sesame Street; today 8 million young viewers tune in weekly in USA alone.

Evaluations conducted in the early 70’s have shown Sesame’s positive educational impact on its viewers. Additional studies over the past 4 decades have shown a continued positive effect, due to its content based on laboratory and formative research; following a curriculum “detailed or stated in terms of measurable outcomes.”

Over the years Sesame Street’s format has changed from a magazine type to a more narrative type after research showed its young viewers attention could be held for longer periods than first anticipated. The collection of short funny segments that some blamed for shrinking children’s attention span was phased out.

Since the very first guest appearance when James Earl Jones read the Alphabet, 400 celebrities have followed. From US Presidents Clinton, and Obama to First Ladies (Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michele Obama), to Hollywood Superstars and even Michael Jackson, everyone has made an appearance on Sesame Street.

The latest season (42nd) will have  celebrity guest appearances by Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, Mila Kunis, Bruno Mars, Conan O’Brien, and Seth Rogen to name a few.

According to the shows production team, guest stars help draw in parents and keep the show feeling current. Whether Sim Sim Humara will showcase Pakistan’s A-list or not, I cannot say, but I do hope that Sesame’s Pakistani twist will keep the essence of Sesame Street alive.

In case you’re  in the mood to reminisce;  here’s a trip down memory lane. My Name is You.