Pakistan’s water resources are under threat of being dried out soon!
Pakistan’s water problems are only a part of its already full plate. Internal and external terrorism, power outages, fuel shortages, unemployment and chaos are also part of our troubles. On the water front, India is reportedly building scores of new dams on rivers flowing into [...]
Recently, a dear friend of mine, Abdul Ahad, was martyred while resisting a mobile snatching attempt. He was a young lad and was truly the personification of “good” in these selfish times. He was polite, obedient, studious, caring and above all, a true practicing Muslim who considered Islam to be a system of life instead of a set of rituals.
His brother Farrukh Hassan, who is one my dearest friends and whom I’ve known for a decade now, is a management consultant and an instructor at a local business school, he’s also persuing his research for PhD with Karachi University. Farrukh wrote this writeup after Abdul Ahad’s martyrdom. It’s a moving piece of writing which not only makes one cry but also a practical one giving something to act upon instead of leaving a void of helplessness.
This is all about change that starts from one’s own self. Nothing extraordinary. No fancy fanhood, no need for donation. Just one request, don’t let anyone oppress you. Let’s not let Abdul Ahad’s blood go in vain and say no to street crimes and oppression!
اتوارکی صبح کے گیارہ بج رہے تھے جب اقبال صاحب کے گھر کی گھنٹی بجی۔ اقبال صاحب نے باہر نکل کے دیکھا تو ان کے قریبی عزیز فرید صاحب اور ان کا بیٹا رشید آئے تھے۔ “ارے بھئی واہ فرید، رشید میاں کیا وقت پہ آئے ہو۔آجاؤ اندر بس ناشتہ تیار ہے۔ ” “جی وہ میں اندر تو آجاؤں گا لیکن یہ بتائیں آپ کی صاحب زادی گھر پہ ہیں؟ “” ہاں ہیں لیکن خیریت تم کیوں پوچھ ہے ہو؟ ” اقبال صاحب کے لہجے میں برہمی نمایاں تھی۔ لیکن رشید نے نہایت سکون سے جواب دیا۔ “جی خیریت ہے۔ وہ ان سے کہیں ذرا تیار ہو جائیں میں ذرا انہیں دیکھنا چاہ رہا تھا۔کل سنا ہے واصف کی شادی میں بہت اچھی لگ رہی تھیں، مجھ سے خاندان کے کافی مردوں نے تعریف کی تو میں بھی دیکھنے چلا آیا، امید ہے آپ مائنڈ نہیں کریں گے۔”
ہر حکمران کی زندگی میں ایک ایسا لمحہ لازماً آتا ہے جب اسے یہ فیصلہ کرنا ہوتا ہے کہ وہ تاریخ میں کیا مقام چاہتا ہے۔ کسی ٹی وی ڈرامے کے بر عکس تاریخ میں کسی کردار سے مماثلت “محض اتفاق” نہیں ہوتی، بلکہ حکمران اس بات کا خود فیصلہ کرتا ہے کہ وہ صلاح الدین ایوبی بننا چاہتا ہے یا میر صادق، یوسف بن تاشفین بننا چاہتا ہے یا بہادر شاہ یا پھرسلطان ٹیپو بننا چاہتا ہے یا نظام دکن۔ اس تناظر میں اپنے حکمرانوں کا جائزہ لیں تو محسوس ہوتا یے کہ ان سب نے شاہ رنگیلا بننے کی قسم کھائی ہوئی ہے۔
Ayub Khan’s regime was extremely similar to Musharraf’s in that he and Musharraf both were the blue-eyed boys of the US, wrote a book about it, enjoyed absolute authority for about a decade, engineered elections to stay in power, changed the electoral process, were able to find a big faction in the Muslim League to [...]
Musharraf quits! So swiftly that it might even have surprised the coalition partners. And herein lies the big test for them. They had a common enemy, that common enemy is no more, and consequently, the coalition has lost its raison d’être. What’ll happen next is a test of their characters, sincerity and honesty. For that [...]
The Indus Highway is one of the busiest national routes connecting several important cities of Pakistan with one another. Around three months ago, an angry mob, which was seemingly oblivious to this fact, shut it down for traffic. The closure presumably forced dozens of commuters on either sides of the blockade to look for alternate [...]
It’s official, Mr. Gillani has dropped several places on my personal PM rankings! Well, it’s not like he ever held the top spot on that “premier” list, but he was a decent outfit nonetheless.
However, last week’s speech was a huge disappointment, not because of the lack of content, but because of his lack of confidence. [...]
Since 1954, about 100 of the most influential people in Europe and North America meet over a weekend, in secrecy. They include, current and prospective political office bearers, billionaires, royalties, notable statesman, just about anyone in the who’s who of these two power regions. That select group is called, the Bilderberg group.
With such high [...]
Barack Obama’s presidential campaign hinges on one pivot: Change!
From US’s Iraq policy to Universal Health care and from Home Financing to NAFTA, he has got a plateful of changes to offer to the American people. And it’s not a surprise that the world is seeing Obama as the agent of change, but is he for [...]
