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We want to build a better Pakistan and invite guest posts from you and your suggestions for improving Pakistan. Remember our aim is simple; we want to open up a space where different ideas and world views can be shared so that we can work towards building a better, more just Pakistan. So please do help build that ‘ Other Pakistan’ by sending me your guest posts via email at:
Guest Posts Disclaimer - The views expressed in guest posts are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Other Pakistan. A selection of archive guest posts posted so far are shown below.
Dangerous Flirtations by Nadeem Arif Najmi- Posted on 21st April 2008
As I write there are ten days remaining until the Muree declaration’s 30 day deadline for the new government’s reinstatement of the sixty or more judges illegally removed by General (Rtd) Musharraf on the 3rd of November 2007. Even at this stage, the clear and unambiguous pact is being made controversial by PPP attempts to try to ‘get around’ restoring the Chief Justice through the ingenious device of cutting his term to three years, which he has already served.
One stratagem also involves installing Justice Falak Sher as Chief Justice, based on a new definition of ‘seniority’ within the superior judiciary. Needless to say these crude and unprincipled attempts to wreak havoc with the fragile democratic coalition brought into being on a pro-judiciary and anti-musharraf landslide on February 18th could prove disastrous for law and order in a country bursting with rage over massive and rising inflation, terrible poverty and inequality and the unavailability of gas and electricity.
One wonders how Zardari and his henchmen hope to survive the wave of anger that will sweep the country if he does the dirty on the judges and hops openly and unabashedly into bed with the Q-leaguers that he famously described as the ‘Qaatil’ league.
Does he really believe that the robust lawyer and civil society movement that brought an unassailable military dictator to his knees will spare his virtually non-existent parliamentary majority? Does he think that the millions of people who came out in the burning heat of the Pakistani summer to greet the Chief Justice will stand idly by as the PPP ditches their greatest hero and sides with the dictator who they had collectively slapped down on February 18th?
But then to Zardari’s diseased mind, and those of his cohorts like Babar Awan and Latif Khosa it’s not the ‘politicised’ and ‘job hungry’ Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary and the lawyers movement who have brought an end to dictatorship in Pakistan, it’s Benazir Bhutto’s martyrdom and her work for the restoration of democracy during her lifetime
If only that were true. I am afraid, for all the sorrow every Pakistani feels at the callous murder of such a fine political talent, the sad truth is that she had legitimised Musharraf’s in-uniform election by refusing to ask her parliamentarians to resign in exchange for getting a disgraceful ‘national reconciliation ordinance’ passed aimed at whitewashing all the billions of dollars allegedly looted from the Pakistani exchequer by Zardari amongst others.
Thereafter she had pretended to protest against martial law, whilst shifting her position on the judiciary after a phone call from John Negroponte. Soon enough she was talking about ‘working with Musharraf’ as per the wishes of her American overlords just a week after declaring that he must resign and she could not work with him, whether in uniform or without.
Subsequently she left Nawaz Sharif no choice but to fight the election, after refusing to boycott. Had the PPP done so and joined the lawyers and civil society on the streets, Musharraf would have had to quit and there would have been a transition to a proper democratic order supported by a free judiciary, rather than the half-way house that we have at the moment.
If today, the PPP prime minister complains about the ‘forces of dictatorship’ conspiring against the coalition government, he should recall that it was his party’s leadership that made deals which saved these very forces which would have otherwise been consigned to the dustbin of history - where they belong.
If today the PPP is busy maligning Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, It’s not because they can dispute the fact he is adored by the Pakistani masses for taking up thousands of cases for ordinary litigants in the highest court in the land. Or that he stopped corruption in the Steel Mills and Karachi stock exchange cases. Or that he set up a human rights cell in the Supreme Court that brought hope to millions of Pakistanis who had lost all faith that they could expect the police or intelligence agencies to be held to basic standards of human rights.
Nor can they dispute that even if he did take an oath on a PCO in 1999 and acted as an establishment crony for years afterwards, he bravely faced the dictatorship on a whole series of cases well before he was illegally made ‘non-functional’ on March 9th 2007. They know therefore, that he is a truly independent and brave judge who has brought a silent revolution in this country by standing up to a military dictator and has paid the price for this by being manhandled and imprisoned for five months with his entire family.
A judge of such character deserves to be treated with honour not contempt yet Zardari, Awan and Khosa have tried to portray the man as a job-hungry unprincipled fame seeker. This description is more apt for Zardari who covets the premiership even though he has full control of the PPP.
One would have thought the tragic murder of Benazir Bhutto would have awoken the People’s Party from its slumber and set the stage for true democracy in Pakistan. Instead they are carrying on right until ‘restoration day’ arrives, with the same unprincipled games that have got them nowhere and which stopped them from gaining any sympathy vote despite the outpouring of public grief when Mrs Bhutto was murdered.
It’s time the PPP stopped its flirtation with the murderous dictator for once and for all. It’s time they worried not about amnesties for their corruption allegations, but the future of Pakistan. It’s time they fulfilled their pledge and restored all judges sacked under the PCO and impeached Musharraf.
Only then can they claim to be true heirs to the legacy of a Bhutto who actually did sacrifice himself for democracy, choosing to hang from the gallows rather than to compromise on principle.
Nadeem Arif Najmi is a poet, a thinker, and above all a proud Pakistani.
Hope Curtailed by Zubair Torwali - Posted on 18th April 2008
I have before me three top stories, a column and an editorial. The three print media journalists, Ansar Abbasi, Rauf Klasra and Tariq Butt, who are ever first to sniff out the inside news, have three lead stories on the front page. The editorial, and the column by the veteran journalist, Mir Jamilur Rehman, are also saying the same things-”disturbing signs”.
According to these reliable sources Benazir Bhutto’s widower, Asif Ali Zardari reprimanded the veteran lawyer Aizaz Ahsan for his steadfast demand of the restoration of the judges. Not only did he rebuke Aitzaz but also disclosed what was feared of him. He even went personal on the judges saying that he was let down by these judges, who had even refused to release him on parole to attend the funeral of his nephew.
It was also disclosed that Asif wants a constitutional package with the restoration of the judges. The lawyers’ community has already showed their resentment of such a package. It is generally feared by the legal community that the Musharraf’s camp wants to get rid of the Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry by hook and crook. It is said that such a conspiracy package is being hatched in the presidency.
The unwonted remarks by Zardari have annoyed everybody but Musharraf and his buddies. It stupefied those who like to see Zardari grow a statesman of international caliber. His role after the election was appraised by every analyst. After the murder of Benazir Bhutto it was evident that the establishment would break PPP into small ‘useful’ portions. Zardari showed his mettle of management and prevented the party from disintegration; with Nawaz Sharif’s unconditional support, of course.
After the election a natural coalition of the three main stream parties, PPP, PML-N and ANP emerged with hail and awe from the society. This was (is?) a natural coalition for the three parties had pushed to walls by General(R) Perviz Musharraf. But when Zardari made Maulana Fazalur Rehman his “brother” doubts were raised as the Maulana is a tactful alley of Musharraf.
Yet the analysts did not give up hope for they thought the Maulana had a handful of seats that could not influence the coalition to tilt towards the presidency. The second shock came when the prime minister stood up in the National Assembly and unnecessarily made a request to PML-Q to cast for him the vote of trust. And recently Zardari’s visit to Nine Zero and making Altaf Hussain his “brother” raised many a questions inside the coalition parties. But Zardari did not stop here. He publicly denounced the legal community including the deposed judges.
It seems what is now happening in the political parties is as per the “script” written long before the election. The characters perform well except the lawyers and the deposed judges. God forbid the murder of Benazir Bhutto would not be an act of the script! Ahmad Mukhtar’s praise of General (R) Perviz Musharraf as a “national asset” and Zardari’s discloser of the PPP leadership’s intention were not merely statements devoid of context but well groomed ‘dialogues’ assigned to them by the script writer and director.
All this is not an abrupt development. It has its beginning in the time when Benazir Bhutto was alive. It is a fact that cannot be denied that she agreed to the National Reconciliation Ordinance. Perhaps owing to her commitment she let her policy oscillate on the restoration of the judges. This caused impressive harm to PPP. Although it emerged as the largest party in the election but that was due to the tragic murder of its leader. If PPP were clear on the judicial issue it would surely have gained a sweeping majority.
It now seems clear that the “script” did not allow Nawaz Sharif a level playing field; and he had to come back only a day before the closing deadline of the nomination papers submission for he was not supposed to even get a bargaining position. What PML-N achieved, in spite of the dire straits, was undoubtedly a response to its clear slogan of restoring the judiciary to November 2 position.
Being forgetful as a nation, we did not bother about the “ground realities” and hoped a new birth of Pakistan. The election results blurred us for we were cunningly made anticipate worse. We forgot that the results were the same as planned in the “script” with minute deviation of PML-N performing better than PML-Q.
After the election the delay in government formation was to remind us of the “script” but we were then assured that all this was to plan how to reinstate the deposed judges, how to address the national gross problems; and how to tackle our foreign “friends”. At last the prime minister was elected and he ordered to release the deposed judges. We felt free and distributed sweets as a living nation.
The last two weeks were like a respite for many who took the coalition commitment to democracy for granted and forgot that the presidency was rendezvous of conspiracies to subdue the mandate of the people. We forgot that our dear leaders would dance to the music of the dictator cum director. Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar [from Gujrat], Zardari and the like must keep in mind that the mandate given to them by the people is the popular rancour against General (r ) Musharraf who had superciliously dishonoured the judiciary. And bravo to them! They are placidly playing the dictator’s game.
How could they propitiate the civil society and the lawyers, only time can tell? They are not mere voters who could easily be forgotten. In spite of general support by the lawyers, media, civil society and intelligentsia our politicians are still timorous. They can thump the desks well but cannot see out a dictator. The over 90 per cent Pakistanis are perhaps rabble to them as they have no respect of their mandate rested with them.
Let’s stop hoping for it is in the words of John Clare:
A cobweb, hiding disappointment’s thorn,
Which stings more keenly through the thin disguise.
Zubair Torwali is a Freelance Blogger and can be contacted at angeltorwali@gmail.com
The No by Zubair Torwali - Posted on 31st March 2008
It was spring. Flowers of many colours had sprouted in the capital. People were rejoicing the new season with hopes of rebirth. Fresh was the air but somewhere in the corridors of power and avarice suffocation and commotion was breeding.
Shylocks were uneasy with the failure of their self growth plans. They all conspired against the harbinger of hopes. He was called and demanded to submit before the barrel. They were very sure of his subservience owing to the tradition adhered with such previous manoeveuvres.
On March 9, 2007 the Chief Justice of Pakistan said a clear ‘No’ to the all powerful baton laden general at the Army Camp Office. This ‘no’ became a landmark in the tattered history of Pakistan. It has changed the power paradigm. Common people were surprised with awe and pleasure, for they thought brutal power was the only omnipotence in this country.
This ‘no’ has blessed the nation with invaluable gifts that will definitely set a different course into future. The lawyers were considered in the society as mere tools to manipulate laws for the sake of money. They were mostly aloof to the pressing problems of the country. The historic ‘no’ has converted them into a pressure group to influence the society and government policies as well.
After 13th March 2007 the lawyers’ community launched the movement that probably has no precedent in human history. Their perseverance and commitment with the single goal- the rule of law- has earned grace for them. Many a young people now opt to be lawyers.
The lawyers’ movement and the Musharraf-launched legal crisis injected an awareness of law and constitution in the people. Laymen tried to explain legal and constitutional issues in their own understanding. This installed a new approach among the people to rethink the power paradigm. They for the first time saw that there was something above the barrel.
“Power flows through the barrel of the gun” has lost its validity.
Thus the single ‘no’ became a critical tool to educate the people. As for civil society we had no good record in our history. The civil society organizations were lazy with alien agendas and approaches. Their work was merely confined to 5 stars hotel seminars. They lived here but adopted the lifestyles of western civilization. This attitude, along with many other factors, had made them not only alien but also suspects in the eyes of the ordinary people.
The ‘no’ provided them with the chance to slough off the aloofness and face the real issues. Happily they stood by the lawyers; and with them beaten were on the streets by the brute force of the state. They were dragged on the streets, even the ladies, too. The civil society thus realized the real issues. They came forward and began the struggle for freedom and human rights. They are now a national asset as they have regained the trust of the people. Being learned and informed they spared no efforts to change the status quo.
The ‘no’ has brightened the former dim stars on the national horizon. Media was no longer a silent spectator. It broke the walls of false inquisition and stood for the law and the constitution. This ‘double martial law’ was similar to its predecessors in spirit and deeds. It was different only in respect of time. The revolution in information technology has made it impossible for a dictator to disguise his manoeveuvres in the name of either religion or enlightenment. The media facilitated a discourse across the country enabling the masses to fix their problems.
Perhaps for the first time in Pakistan armed forces share in corporate sectors; and in national exchequer came under discussion. It was the media that made the February 18 election issues-based. Here again the ‘no’ played the role of a guiding star.
But a dictator does not pay heed to public voice. Musharraf and cronies tried to sabotage the reawakening in the country. He tried to style himself an indispensable alley in the US led so called ‘war on terror’. They came to his rescue and persuaded Benazir Bhutto Shaheed to cooperate. The Shaheed has taken the bitter pill for democracy. It is often said that she sacrificed her principles by signing an agreement with the general.
Her reconciliation was not that narrow. Her book is an ample evidence of her motto of global reconciliation. Then the doffing of the ’skin’ uniform came. The president cum COAS did not want to put aside this ’symbol’ of Pakistani power. The political parties struggled to compel the president to vacate the post of COAS but were failed every time. At last the reconciliation came and he doffed his uniform. The reconciliation was an inevitable impact of the historic ‘no’ on 3/9.
Holistically, what happened after 3/9 whether it is the home coming of the exiled leaders, reawakening of the people, issue based February election, doffing of the uniform or the pleasant coalition of former hostile parties are all sweet fruits of that historic ‘no’ by My Lord, the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry.
He is an agent of change Pakistan is blessed with.
Zubair Torwali is a Freelance Blogger and can be contacted at angeltorwali@gmail.com
Do or Die by Nadeem Arif Najmi - Posted on 5th December 2007
The intelligentsia of Pakistan, its lawyers, journalists, teachers, students and civil rights activists are almost united in believing that Pakistan can only survive and succeed if the armed forces concentrate on defending our borders and allow the democratically elected representatives of the people to govern the country and the judiciary and media to play their full part in providing the checks and balances essential to democratic governance.
I say ‘almost’ because there are some ‘doves’ who still believe that avoiding confrontation is a safer bet, and Musharraf should be allowed to manipulate the law up to a point in order to pave the way for a ‘stable’ and peaceful transition to democracy.
On the surface of it they have a point. ‘President’ Musharraf has removed his uniform and it’s widely thought General Kiyani has no intentions of interfering in politics even on his former bosses’ instructions. The doves demand simply that all restrictions on the media should be removed, political parties should be given a level-playing field and a fair and transparent election should take place under a restored constititution. They believe that it is ‘too much’ to expect Musharraf to restore the deposed judges of the Supreme and High Courts and Musharraf should be accepted as a legitimate President to avoid ‘anarchy’ even if his claim to be so is highly suspect in terms of the law and constitution.
Their logic is deceptively simple. Let Musharraf get what he wants this once, and be content with a less than perfect democracy because the alternative could be violence, permanent martial law or even civil war. This logic is flawed in several key respects and is a fundamental misreading of the present situation. As that valiant guardian of the constitution, former Supreme Court Bar Association President Munir A. Malik pointed out in his timely article this week (which he wrote from a hospital bed after suffering near fatal renal failure caused by mistreatment in illegal detention) at every stage in the electoral process it is the judiciary that must adjudicate on any question of fraud, rigging or intimidation.
If the judiciary is emptied of all independent judges and filled with establishment lackeys who have sworn to obey Musharraf and justify his every move, can anybody actually expect them to behave impartially and take Musharraf’s allies to task for any rigging that might occur? An independent judiciary, as well as a completely free media are essential to fair and free elections as much as an impartial election commission is.
Secondly the ‘doves’ seem utterly ignorant about the objective of the lawyers movement that began after the illegal removal of Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudary on the 9th of March. The aim was not simply to get one judge, however great, restored. It was to bury the dreaded ‘doctrine of necessity’ and to campaign in favour of a judiciary that had the courage to say ‘no’ to the armed forces manipulation of the law and constitution to cling onto power.
If Musharraf gets away a second time with committing high treason and illegally replacing independent judges with puppets who have resurrected the spirit of Justice Munir, every potential future military dictator will find the attraction of power too hard to resist. If that happens, Pakistan will never start building the institutions it needs to survive as a federal democratic and Islamic nation. It is essential that the judges are restored and Musharraf is held to account for his crimes, if not we will see the same instability in Pakistan in the next 60 years that we have seen in the last six decades.
This may prove to be toxic for a federation that is dependent on equal representation and democracy for its very existence. Pakistan cannot afford to have its democratic governments removed by army generals or their stooge presidents, and that is exactly what would keep happening but for the fear of an independent judiciary that would act as a buffer against military rule, guaranteeing full terms to governments.
Over several decades this would allow a truly democratic culture to flourish in Pakistan of the kind we see in neighbouring India. It is absolutely vital that Chief Justice Ifthikar Choudhary and 60 % of the superior judiciary who refused to take an Oath under the PCO are restored. Vital, if we want the game of musical chairs to stop so that the public not GCHQ get rid of bad or corrupt governments. Vital, if we want politicians to work hard to earn their votes and to worry about the needs of their constituents not the wishes of a serving or retired army chief. Vital, so that a vibrant media and free judiciary can reign in the corruption and mismanagement witnessed in the era of previous elected governments. If this doesn’t happen we should be prepared for the short and long-term consequences of Musharraf’s ‘peaceful transition to democracy’.
It seems highly likely that Musharraf will rig the election on a massive scale and gets his required indemnity from parliament, probably further amending the constitution to give him even more powers and a longer term as President. Parliament will be obedient to his commands as will his handpicked Prime Minister. The judiciary will rubber-stamp everything he chooses to do. In other words Musharraf will ride supreme over every institution and Pakistan will continue to be run as one-man show.
This dictatorship in the guise of democracy will drive more and more Pakistanis into the arms of secessionists and badly weaken the federation especially in Baluchistan and the Frontier. Musharraf will probably choose to repress his opponents, especially civil rights activists, lawyers and journalists even more brutally than now, amending the constitution to allow him to do this.
It will prove impossible to drive him from power no matter how much violence, terrorism, sectarianism and inter-provincial conflict his unquenchable thirst for power will provoke. The only chance to stop this from happening would be for the whole opposition to come together if Musharraf massively rigged the elections to drive him from office and to restore the judges who would also act as check on future democratic governments.
If he doesn’t rig it he might have to escape the country after Nawaz Sharif or Benazir win a majority in parliament and deny him indemnity for treason. If Benazir however relents amid US pressure and provides him with indemnity entering into a coalition with Musharraf supporters, Musharraf and Benazir will have to work together.
It’s anybody guess how long these two arrogant, selfish and power-hungry leaders can stomach each other. Before long 58 2B would wave ‘goodbye’ to the elected prime minister and without an independent Supreme Court to worry about, Musharraf would surely bring in a new government subservient to his will or subvert the constititution once again. So much for a ‘transition’ to democracy.
The choice Pakistan now faces is not therefore a stable, orderly but imperfect transfer to a democratic set-up becoming more democratic as time goes on or ‘anarchy’, but rather endless dictatorship and political instability or a truly democratic government held to account for any abuse of power by a ferociously independent media and a truly free judiciary. The choice is between never-ending and self-repeating crises or a do-or-die struggle fought once and for all to create that ‘Other Pakistan’ the Pakistan of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam.
Nadeem Arif Najmi is a poet, a thinker, and above all a proud Pakistani.
Unbearable: The Future of a Retired General by Nadeem Arif Najmi- Posted on 30th November 2007
The retired General should be a happy man. Pervez Musharraf, has after all completed his much wished for third phase in his illusory ‘transition to democracy’ and suddenly metamorphed into an ‘elected’ civilian President. Yet oddly, as Musharraf passed the all-powerful baton to his hand-picked and ostensibly loyal successor Gen. Kiyani he seemed devastated and broken, pathetically choking back tears as he bid adieu to an army career of 46 years.
It is of course to be expected that an army officer who has served for so long is bound to be somewhat emotional about retiring. But Musharraf’s crunched up body posture, grim expression and deflated appearance gave a clear indication that the outgoing General has not relinquished the baton willingly. Rather a fatal combination of his own follies and the force of the valiant struggle against him led by the legal fraternity and civil society have meant that the baton has been taken forcefully from him whilst he still hoped to wield it for a while longer- maybe a bit longer than that even.
Today as Musharraf looks to the future he might actually be waking up to the new realities that his arrogance and incompetence have shaped for him. He no longer has the armed forces of Pakistan or its associated intelligent agencies genuflecting before his every whim and fancy.
The United States of America has finally started showing signs that it is looking beyond Musharraf and while it still carries a flame for the civilian Musharraf he is no longer an attractive prospect for them as a hopelessly unpopular civilian President rather than as an all-powerful military dictator. Pakistan’s two most popular politicians Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto are back in Pakistan and the next elections (even if not boycotted by the major parties) would have to be rigged on a industrial scale to produce a two third majority for Musharraf that could provide him with indemnity for his most recent act of treason.
If he doesn’t rig it, the battle for political legitimacy could take a horrific turn for Musharraf and he could find himself in the Supreme Court of Chief Justice Iftikhar Choudhary and his detained and maligned brother judges answering to the charge of having subjugated the constitution by force and being liable to death by firing squad.
If rig it he does, BB (who has held back from compounding Musharraf’s woes for fear of a restored Supreme Court cancelling the immunity given her under the National Reconciliation Ordinance) will have no option to take to the streets along with the lawyers and a united opposition, to demand Musharraf’s resignation and a fair and free election, this time with the honourable judges restored. The USA will have to end its flirtation with its old ‘bit on the side’ for once and for all, and cosy up exclusively to its new partner in the battle against ‘extremism’ in the shape of BB’s PPP.
It is not hard to envisage a terrified Musharraf fleeing Pakistan for the sunny shores of his beloved Turkey. No wonder we heard the ‘I am invincible’ former army chief express frailty for the first time a few days ago when he said he might consider leaving if the situation becomes ‘unbearable’.
It is likely to becoming increasingly so for the dictator who started digging his own grave in March when he launched his war against the constitution by illegally removing and detaining the independent minded saviour of Pakistan’s downtrodden CJ Iftikhar Choudhary. The final battle commenced on November 3rd when as the Chief of Army staff he launched a full throttle assault on the judiciary, the media and human rights activists and suspended the fundamental rights of 160 million people in order to save his illegitimate and unconstitutional rule and to silence his dissenters. This cruel act promises to be the final nail in the coffin (maybe even literally) of the man who once bestrode the stage of Pakistani politics like a colossus and seemed utterly unbeatable.
Yet while Musharraf is overcome by sympathy for himself, the families of thousands picked up, detained, tortured and ‘disappeared’ with no charges against them have been facing an ‘unbearable’ situation for years for which Musharraf is responsible. Those innocent people in Swat and who are facing indiscriminate bombardment and who have begged the army to take notice of issues as soon as they arise, not let them spiral out of control until a full-military assault becomes necessary, are also facing a unbearable situation of Musharraf’s making.
Courageous lawyers like Munir A Malik and Justice (retired) Tariq Mahmood who are bravely fighting severe illness caused by illegal detention in inhumane conditions are also in ‘unbearable’ situation, and its author is one General (retired) Pervez Musharraf.
If Musharraf wants to salvage any kind of legacy for himself and be remembered for anything good that he may have done, he should walk while he still has the chance and hand over the country to a unity government that would restore the deposed judges, reconstitute the election commission and hold fair and free elections.
Otherwise Pakistani politics could come full circle and an Army chief one day might meet his death in the same brutal manner meted out by his iniquitous predecessor to Pakistan’s first and greatest elected Prime Minister. If Musharraf wants to avoid this ‘unbearable scenario’, the time to leave is …..NOW!
Nadeem Arif Najmi is a poet, a thinker, and above all a proud Pakistani.
Visiting a Primary School in Sindh by Raza Rumi- Posted on 5th November 2007
I was in rural Sindh (in Pakistan) after many years. Met interesting people and many members of the ever expanding middle class. We also visited a few public schools - there are more students, more facilities even though the overall progress remains less than desired.
I took a few photos in one such school where the students and their intent participation in classes was most heartening. These students are from families who cannot afford the expensive private education. State run schools are the only option for such students. The challenge is to improve their quality, coverage and standards.
Our collective cynicism often impairs the when it concerns the future of Pakistan and its younger generations. I remain an optimist. And I saw many signs that are comforting. Most teachers seemed dedicated and chose this profession voluntarily.
The girls on the bottom left were asking questions in Sindhi. They had sparkling eyes brimming with hope and innocence. Admittedly, I was there for a short while and should not generalise too much. On the other hand, moaning about the future of the country and its state of affairs is not the solution either. When I saw these images again, I liked the bottom right one below. I thought it spoke many words.
Raza Rumi is a Freelance Columnist and blogs at Jahane Rumi
Brand Pakistan by Dilnawaz Inqalabi- Posted on 14th August 2007
The government has decided to celebrate 2007 as the Visit Pakistan year. Regardless of the debate concerning whether all stakeholders especially overseas Pakistanis, tour operators were taken into confidence and whether there is any discussion with western governments namely USA,UK and Europeans to ease the negative travel advisories regarding Pakistan. Malaysia celebrating its 50th independence anniversary has already started a vigorous TV campaign for a visit Malaysia year 2007.
In Pakistan, government initiatives I have learned through previous experiences are most of the time riddled with red tape of bureaucracy, half hearted, half baked and ill conceived, but nevertheless it’s a start, keeping our fingers crossed that it will be a success. Tourism today is one of the biggest industries in the world; it brings employment, opportunities and equality to otherwise less developed areas.
Pakistan is the best kept secret of the tourism industry. its Northern areas, its festivals, its cultural and religious tourism to name a few. Here we want to talk about the feel good factor that Pakistanis are experiencing due to a new found confidence in economic and geopolitical spheres that Pakistan is enjoying at the moment. The Brand Pakistan discussion is about how ordinary Pakistanis, and forums like ATP and Other Pakistan, play a part in defining what is meant by the label ” made in Pakistan” and brand Pakistan in terms of culture and the tourism potential of Pakistan.
Everyone has their own ideas on Pakistan and ATP has ably demonstrated our “unity in diversity”. Surely ATP and Other Pakistan are the right forums for “visit Pakistan 2007″ discussions and we would like to explore avenues of participation and promotion by ATP and Other Pakistan readers, contributors for Brand Pakistan and how Pakistan tourism can become a permanent spot on the world tourism map.
We would like to link the ATP photo quiz, stories about festivals, destinations, food culture music and art of Pakistan and hopefully we can make it a year long exercise updated at regular intervals. Institutions like the national flag carrier (PIA) can become a calling card for Pakistani tourism and hospitality. State run Pakistan TV world and global Channels, through their reach in Middle East Europe and USA, can be the ambassador for brand Pakistan, like the bilingual TV programmes from Duteche welle Germany, French TV.
The successful business model based on public -private sector partnership can be adopted between PTV and major Pakistani satellite channels like Indus group, ARY, Geo and Jang Group, AAJ TV. The Aim is to bring back the Pakistan Diaspora; foreigners will definitely follow in their footsteps, see link below for more details- http://bradistanuk.blogspot.com