Ideas to Save Pakistan
By Hassan Baig • Sep 2nd, 2008 • Category: Politics • 29 CommentsSeveral people sometimes ask me what can us individuals with scant political and socioeconomic clout really do to make a difference in our motherland. Especially in recent times this question has taken on an unprecedented urgency. Now whereas I can intellectualize possible answers to this question in terms of fruitless abstractions, I have thus far been unable to concretize any real-world prescriptions which would potentially alleviate our misery.
And unfortunatlely, mere fluff won’t save us.
A cousin of mine who has acted several times as a voice of practical reason (in my generally fluffy life) recently came up with a simple and elegant idea. He said we’re all sons and daughters of privilege - so if ever/whenever we amass enough wealth in life, let’s each sponsor a minor poster run or one prominent bill-board in the motherland which displays public awareness messages (as against attractive women a la designer campaigns). These messages could deal with social evils like domestic violence or abuse, or they could gnaw against our national pessimism via true tales - short bios if you will - of how poor, have-not Pakistanis (e.g. kisaans, laborers etc) braved their rough lives, ascended the system and finally defeated their condition through the supreme perseverence of hope.
Or localized instances of injustices that all citizens in a neighborhood need to be aware of. Or true stories of greed and corruption backed with evidence of how the homeland is bleeding a little every day thanks to them. Etcetra.
I think this is a neat, very practical idea in that it wouldn’t require any of us to go too much out of our way. Maybe we can do this whenever we have the capacity (or today if we or our elders are able enough). Moreover we can tell our friends and family too. In person, on the phone, text them, facebook it, work it into a casual conversation, or just forward this message to everyone.
And in case you do forward this, perhaps you can add some other useful ideas to this message. We can end up having a repository of small-world, practical ideas that will aid us in doing our individual bits to incrementally better our country. To be sure - this will probably not be the chain letter that saved us all.
But it’s a start.
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My Dear Hassan Baig,
I’m a bit confused on the premise of your ramblings which I shouldn’t have in th first place since this is a posting in blogosphere where every Dick and Harry can say whatever pleases them but seriously why waste the precious bandwidth with such nonsense.
First, you never bother to divulge what is going to destroy Pakistan lest of all assinine suggestions made by you to save it. Now, if you’re referring to the prospect of Asif Zardari’s ascendency to the president’s house which is going to destroy Pakistan. My dear, worry no more. You and other people like you blabbering about this issue are idiots and with no knowledge of how democracry works. You will gladly accept a military dictator come riding on the tank and occupying president’s house but you will not accept a person who is being elected in accordance with the constitution and law of the land.
Second, billboards are for selling things and attractive women do help in selling things so please leave them on billboards and do something practical like volunteering to help poor people in finding work or in improving their skills. And, why everything has to come down to do something to women or removing women pictures or protecting them. Leave the women alone since they’re quite adept at protecting themselves.
Zork, gotta agree with you.
Just a thought for Mr Baig : how about trying your best to do well whatever it’s that you do. You and your ‘that’ cousin can always share your ‘privileges’ with those less privileged in our society.
Mr. Baig
I feel sorry for you, my country is save and doing fine, for thousands of years, as proved in Texila and Mohenjodaro. Make some quick bucks and save yourself of trouble, ” Saving Pakistan ”
I also feel like crying
Wall Street Journal has come out with this article today (in case some of you have not seen this):
Pakistan’s Next President Is a Category 5 Disaster
By BRET STEPHENS
If there’s a case to be made against democracy, few countries make it better than Pakistan.
On Saturday, Pakistani legislators will elect a new president to replace Pervez Musharraf, the general-turned-strongman who resigned the office last month.
In one corner there is Mushahid Hussain Sayed, a former journalist and one-time political prisoner of Mr. Musharraf who is nonetheless running as the candidate of the general’s old party. Mr. Mushahid, probably the best of the bunch, stands next to no chance of winning.
In another corner there is Saeeduzzaman Siddiqui, candidate of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s party. Mr. Sharif — whose record includes bankrupting his country, presiding over a disastrous military campaign against India, and attempting to implement Sharia law while awarding himself near-dictatorial powers — has made it clear he intends to gut the powers of the presidency should he return to office.
And then there is Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and leader of the Pakistan People’s Party. Mr. Zardari, who has compared himself to Jesus (an innocent accused of crimes he did not commit), is easily one of the most notorious figures in the long parade of horribles that make up the country’s political history. He is, of course, expected to win Saturday’s ballot handily.
Just how bad is Mr. Zardari? It would be a relief if it were true that he was merely suffering from dementia, a diagnosis offered by two New York psychiatrists last year. But that diagnosis seems to have been produced mainly with a view toward defending himself against corruption charges in a British court.
Mr. Zardari — who earned the moniker “Mr. 10%” for allegedly demanding kickbacks during his wife’s two terms in office — has long been dogged by accusations of corruption. In 2003, a Swiss magistrate found him and Mrs. Bhutto guilty of laundering $10 million. Mr. Zardari has admitted to owning a 355-acre estate near London, despite coming from a family of relatively modest means and reporting little income at the time it was purchased. A 1998 report by the New York Times’s John Burns suggests he may have made off with as much as $1.5 billion in kickbacks. This was at a time when his wife was piously claiming to represent the interests of Pakistan’s impoverished masses and denouncing corrupt leaders who “leave the cupboard bare.”
It’s an open question whether Mr. Zardari will be more or less restrained in his behavior if he’s elected: His return to politics has meant the dropping of all charges against him and the release of millions in frozen assets. (The presidency will also confer legal immunity.) That may make him one of the few men in Pakistan to get richer this year: The economy, which grew in an unprecedented way under Mr. Musharraf, has tanked under civilian management. The Karachi stock exchange has lost about a third of its value and the currency about a fifth in recent months. Markets often have better memories than voters.
It’s also an open question whether Pakistan’s increasingly dire security outlook will focus Mr. Zardari’s mind on the urgent tasks of governance. Mr. Zardari has sought to parley himself internationally as a pro-Western candidate, and maybe he is. Yet over the weekend the Pakistani government agreed to stop its air strikes on the Taliban, in exchange for which Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam, a religious party, agreed to throw its support to Mr. Zardari. The Taliban has used previous cease-fires to regroup and re-arm for operations against both Afghanistan and Islamabad.
Then there is al Qaeda, now openly endeavoring to use its last redoubts in Pakistan to take over the country. Last month, Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a long broadcast (in English, no less) denouncing Mr. Musharraf as an American tool and calling on Pakistan’s army to come over to his side.
That call was unlikely to be heeded against Mr. Musharraf, who could count on the loyalty of his troops. But Mr. Zardari is a caricature of everything that’s morally bankrupt with the country’s Westernized elite, and thus an inviting propaganda target for al Qaeda and the Taliban. It doesn’t help, either, that they are working fertile political soil: 71% of Pakistanis oppose cooperating with the U.S. in counterterrorism, and 51% oppose fighting the Taliban at all, according to a June poll.
Al Qaeda and the Taliban feed on chaos, and a Zardari presidency will almost certainly provide more of it. For Pakistanis, this is a self-inflicted wound and a rebuke to their democracy. For the rest of world, it’s a matter of hoping that Pakistan will somehow muddle through. For now, however, this looks like a Category 5 hurricane, dark and vast and visible just offshore.
Here is the link the article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122031186647388745.html
i couldnt believe my eyes when i read mr saeed khans reply to mr baigs post…..comparing pakistan to a couple of ruins???? and pakistan is fine??? the economy is going doing….food prices are going sky high!! and mr saeed is thousands of miles away making claims that the country is fine??? i am sure mr saeed will be able to enlighten us with his point of view.. and for mr baigs idea…he may be rambling ( according to some ) but if u think about the mere idea…forget about the female adverts or anyother adverts on billboards….just think about the idea itself…the aim behind it…before lashing out at people who are atleast thinking about how to make our Pakistan better atleast sit down and think….
PAKISTANNAB may reopen Nawaz cases
ISLAMABAD: Prosecutors said on Tuesday that they are pressing ahead with corruption cases against opposition leader Nawaz Sharif, a move his lawyer called politically motivated as the presidential race grew increasingly testy.
Zulfiqar Ahmed Bhutta, a top prosecutor with the National Accountability Bureau, confirmed on Tuesday that it moved late last month to challenge a court decision to indefinitely adjourn a set of cases against Sharif, also a former prime minister.
The cases stretch back years, and their accusations against Sharif include money laundering, loan defaults and accumulation of wealth beyond his known sources of income.
“It appears to be aimed at using the accountability courts against Nawaz Sharif,” said the opposition leader’s lawyer, Khwaja Haris. “It appears to be used for political ends.”
Zardari has garnered the support of several political factions and parties in recent days, making him a virtual lock for the presidency. His party aides are calling him the “consensus candidate,” even though Sharif’s party, the second largest, opposes him.
Information Minister Sherry Rehman, a top Zardari party member, insisted on Tuesday there was no need to “put any pressure” on Sharif’s party in the race.
Asif Ali Zardari, head of the main ruling party and widower of slain ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, is expected to capture lawmakers’ votes for president on Saturday. Sharif’s party is fielding a retired judge as its candidate.
My dear Shaz
You are right, may be I am wrong.
But I trust my nation, blessing of God, its past and present.
God promised us, Don’t be disappointed, ” Allah ki madad nazdeek hai “
“Second, billboards are for selling things and attractive women do help in selling things so please leave them on billboards and do something practical like volunteering to help poor people in finding work or in improving their skills. And, why everything has to come down to do something to women or removing women pictures or protecting them. Leave the women alone since they’re quite adept at protecting themselves.”
I would like to point out the fact that you Mr. Zork are wrong about billboards. They aren’t JUST for selling things, yes granted most view it as a form of advertising, but at the same time it CAN and HAS been used to create awareness too. Try taking the example of the WEST, (since we all are influenced by them in almost every walk of life).. one of the largest billboards these days is all about GLOBAL WARMING and if i may say so, it doesn’t have any attractive women trying to create awareness about this issue of concern. So yes I think the idea of using billboards to create awareness is not utter bullshit, but it actually does make sense and maybe, JUST maybe it might make narrowminded people who think billboards are for selling things and only attractive women have the right to be portrayed on them, will view them differently.
Comment # 8: Rightly said.
Saeed Khan sahib ne sub kuch ALLAHHHH par chore diya
Aur Zork sahib ne sub kuch Zardari par chore diya
Aftab sahib privileged honay ka rona rotey rehay
sigh
Baig sahib aap apne grass-root reformist ideas le kar wapis chaley jaien. Hamarey mulk mien aap jaisoon ke liye koi jagah nahi hai
From the first few posts it seems that before we can fight the enemy, we have to fight eachother. Pakistanis are toast
Dear Mr. Saeed Khan,
I’m sure leaving ur homeland and living in ‘Toronto’ probably provides a chance for you to think your country is “save” as you say, and watching the number of dying people increase everyday on ur TV from the safety of your living room probably doesnt affect you in anyway, to do anything more than say “Allah khair karay”, n think your duty is done.
I cannot believe that there are actually people as ignorant as you out there, who see places like Marriott burning down to ashes, yet say our country is “save”
All I’ll say is, if you dont have the IQ or the capabilty to atleast THINK on the lines of making things better, step aside, shut up, n let those people who DO want to do something, do something.
ur rite Harri.
But Its people like Mr.ZORK, who REALLY make me laugh…
I guess people like him deserve circumstances like these, who think they r fine and on the road to prosperity, while the whole world laughs and points at them, watching them bring their own destruction upon themselves, all the time thinking ‘we are fine. we dont need to do anything’
Ur comment was very amusing mr.Zork, it makes me feel better about myself, that atleast i can ACKNOWLEDGE a problem, n not be so dense as to ignore the actualy problem at hand, the one Pakistan faces, and focus on “whether women should be on billboards or not”
lol, like i said, people like you deserve to be in a state Pakistan is in.
Interesting. I’ll definitely think about starting a forwarded email like you suggest
[...] [vi] http://www.pakspectator.com/ideas-to-save-pakistan/ [...]
All immigrants (born here & bred there or earning bread there.) have mostly same detached view about pakistan. They are but insecure in their environments. Their comments are usually more rosy about our future (make believe) or totally over the hill, supporting what ever crap is fed them by Media.
Baig, Msg# 8, 4,5 have some fore sight.
Msg# 1,2.3 are “summun, bukmun, umyun”
After reading all these comments, how can we expect to create any form of awareness or to even move forward and walk with the world today, when we as Pakistani’s can’t even stand one another. One person has an idea and there will be 20 ppl to shoot it down. Anything new and out of the ordinary scares us. Its actually pretty pathetic if you think about it.
Rather then trying to encourage the person for thinking outside the box and forming a voice of reason,or sharing their opinions or thoughts, we just tell them to shut up and sit back and let things be the way they are. Unfortunately we’ve become too comfortable with the way things are…
Unity, Faith and Discipline - (i’m sure we’ve all seen these three words on various landmarks across Pakistan) …
Do we as a nation have Unity - No.
Do we as a nation have Faith - No
Do we as a nation have Discipline- No
No wonder today Pakistan is where it is!!
i go with hurry he is really true
Five regional cities should be upgraded with in the provinces in Pakistan. Regional cities of Dera Ismail Khan in NWFP, Gawadar/ Qalat in Balouchistan, Sukkar/ Larkana in Upper Sind, Jehlam/ Rawalpindi and Multan in Punjab province. These regional cities have been ignored by the federal and provincial governments although these cities have their own history, culture and languages. The people of these regions have to travel to provincial capitals for every small issue and requirement of the daily life which should be provided in nearby cities. A good number of population travel to big cities for their survival to earn livelihood as the local feudal own majority land and keep the common man as their slaves. Creation of regional government and upgrading of the regional cities will save a lot of money and time of the poor people of these regions. Circuit courts of the High Courts are already working in these areas and only requirement is the additional staff of different departments involved in additional work at the provincial capitals. The concern authorities should immediately consider to upgrade the regional cities. And immediate attention should be given upgrade the airports,TV station, civic center, libraries,hospitals, educational institutes and investment opportunities for Pakistanis living abroad and foreign firms to create jobs in the area as majority population in rural Pakistan do not have enough resources to survive.It’s remind me the condition of pre Islamic revolution of Iran in Shah time when the rural Iran was ignored and the capital Tehran was developed in way to call the Paris of Middle East with modren life style. Couple of other big cities like Isfahan and Caspian sea are was taken care of because of foreign tourists but rural area was ruled by cruel police and intelligence. Then what happen after revolution rural population moved to Tehran and other big cities. But the new government developed, built and upgraded the riral areas of the country.KHWAJA AFTAB ALI,( former secretary, Iranian embassy, Saudi Arabia) Advocate High Court & I.P. Attorney,presently residing in Florida, USA
Ten Things We Waste
1. –Our Knowledge– Wasted by not taking action with it.
2. –Our Actions– Wasted by committing them with out sincerity.
3. –Our Wealth– Wasted by using on things that will not bring us ajr. We waste our money, our status, our authority, on things which have no benefit in this life or in akhirah.
4. –Our Hearts– Wasted because they are empty from the love of Allah, and the feeling of longing to go to Him, and a feeling of peace and contentment. In it’s place, our hearts are filled with something or someone else.
5. –Our Bodies– Wasted because we don’t use them in ibadah and service of Allah
6. –Our Love– Our emotional love is misdirected, not towards Allah, but towards something/someone else.
7. –Our Time– Wasted, not used properly, to compensate for that which has passed, by doing what is righteous to make up for past deeds
8. –Our Intellect– Wasted on things that are not beneficial, that are detremental to society and the individual, not in contemplation or reflection.
9. –Our Service– Wasted in service of someone who will not bring us closer to Allah, or benefit in dunyaa
10. –Our Dhikr– Wasted, because it does not effect us or our hearts.