Muhammad Saad Khan – My Bit for Change

A Model of Sacrifice in a Despair Stricken Society – Nasrullah Shajee

In a society stricken by war, insecurity and poverty, where everyone seeks a safe and prosperous life for themselves and their families, and people live lives day to day, we have somehow become self-centered feeling relieved if our families are safe, no matter what disasters are befalling in the other parts of the country. The examples of chivalry, selflessness and sacrifice have become few. Having said that, such examples, no matter how few, light a ray of hope in a bleak and barren landscape of despair.

Nasrullah Shaji, ex-MP Sindh Assembly, just fourty four years of age, a young father of three little children, none of whom has touched even the teenage, dived in the river Kunhaar at Balakot, when his student fell into the river. The year tenth student Sufyan slipped into the one of the angriest known rivers of Pakistan, river Kunhar at Balakot while taking pictures on a school trip. The principal of the school and his teacher, Nasrullah Shaji who was few feet away immediately dived in the river to rescue him. It was a courageous decision indeed. Remembering the speed and flow of river Kunhar, I still feel shivers down my spine as it requires utmost courage to jump into that water for saving the life of a student. Not even for a second, he thought of his three, six and ten year old children back home. A fatherly gesture, a responsibility and courage to fight the furious waves to bring a child back was his way of practicing what he preached all his life.

What made him risk his life for the sake of someone else totally unrelated to him? Indeed the verse of Quran was in his mind that saving one human life is just like saving entire humanity. He is a true hero and a role model as a teacher. He was one of the strongest man I knew, both physically and mentally, always happy to help and guide, a mentor for youth, a friend for the needy and a big brother whatever time of the day you need him. He was a preacher of the Quran, a striver for an Islamic revival, a strong and clean character, a chest filled with knowledge of religion, and eyes set on the goal of seeking Allah’s pleasure, living and dying for the cause of Allah. He practiced what he preached and got what he always wanted, martyrdom. It is a big loss for Jamaat Islami in particular, his political party but also for the society as a whole. But such personalities never die. They set examples for a despair filled society. Such heroes should be celebrated beyond political affiliations as they restore faith in humanity and are rare to find in this selfish world.

It requires fearlessness and nerve, when you see a drowning kid and risk your life for saving his. Such examples are rare in our rotten society. Taking lives in this society is easier and examples of sacrifice are few. Headlines mean bad news, news of murders, bomb blasts and intolerance. The incidences of heroes of our society need to be given more and more airtime and attention, as they are the role models to follow and celebrate. People who live for others and die for others are the pride of Pakistan.

There are some lessons to learn in this tragic story. Life is so temporary and unpredictable. One minute it’s a picnic and fun, and the other minute it is over. We all make big plans for life but we all have to die. There is no age for death. We go when we have to go.

The worldly life is nothing but a game and fun, and the last abode is surely much better for those who fear Allah. Would you still not understand? [6:32]

Nasrullah Shajee survived live bullets, police beatings, difficult times and terrains throughout his life but he left us in a way destined for him by the Divine. Fearing death is just useless and cowardly. We are all moving towards our Lord, everyday. Wisdom lies in investing in the hereafter, living and dying for the pleasure Allah and leave footsteps that become guidelines for the rest of the world to follow.

O man, you are moving on towards your Lord, willy nilly, and are about to meet Him [84:6]

Ghazali Premier College – An Untold Story

I was invited for a talk to Ghazali Premier College (GPC) and I was very surprised when I visited the place. Without any doubt, it was one of the best institutions I had seen in years. GPC immediately became an inspiration for me.
Muhammad Tariq, the director of GPC left a lucrative job in Dubai and came back to Pakistan to play a positive role. It was always on the back of his mind to contribute towards the society. Ghazali education trust took him on board and they went on to acquire this new boarding school which was going to house talented students from all across the country. Students from 354 schools of Ghazali education trust were selected and Ghazali Premier college came into being. One year onward, its something worth visiting.

The facility is located in suburbs of Lahore on Multan road. It is a purpose built campus with attached mosque and hostel in one campus, housing 118 students. These students are selected from all over Pakistan. I was delighted to know that six students from Balochistan are also in this campus. Many of the enrolled kids belong to poor families and quality education is a distant dream for them. GPC provides free education, boarding and lodging to all the students. It is difficult to think about a free boarding school which intakes underprivileged students from all over the country and gives them free education and boarding without any compromise on the quality of education. GPC is certainly a shinning star on the dark horizon of Pakistan.

The focus in GPC is on inculcation of Islamic ethical values along with contemporary education. The schedule of students start with Fajar prayers at the mosque and then they are taught lessons from holy Quran. Entire day activities are thoroughly planned which includes studies and co-curricular activities. Weekends are reserved for social activities and guest lectures. Typically I got impressed with the social activities of students when I was told that currently these students have planted 4000 trees in the nearby locations of the campus. I was told that students are very keen in social activities which is actually a missing aspect in typical Pakistani education system.
My lecture was on contribution of Muslims towards science and how can we get back on track. I tried to involve the kids and was stunned to see their IQ level. The knowledge level of 7^th and 8^th graders was amazing. Their knowledge was also certainly above the text books. They were very energetic and confident. I was amazed by the quality of their questions. Given the scenario that these kids belong to remote areas of the country, their participation in my talk reflected the hard work of their teachers.
During the interaction with the teacher, I came to know that most of them are highly qualified, with some having their Masters from abroad and all of them joined hands to contribute towards the betterment of the society. Ghazali Premier Trust is planning to open many colleges in far flung areas of Pakistan to spread education in remote areas. The beauty of this project is that it is entirely free and the students have to pay nothing. The quality of education is comparable to any best system just because of the dedication of the team.

Resources are key to such projects. The team of GPC is trying its level best to raise donations so far. They are also thinking about expanding this project and plan to open other such boarding schools in remote areas of the country. I hope that people like these will continue their efforts. It is our job to help them in every sense so that they succeed in their mission of making Pakistan a better society.

Goodbye Mr President

Good Bye Mr.President. Those who announced to drag you on streets gave you an honourable farewell in the end. Five years of Zardari regime will be remembered in the history of Pakistan. Corruption, incompetency, lawlessness and ‘mofahimat’ (reconciliation) are the ‘golden’ words of Zardari’s era. If our memory is not too short, we must not forget the long list of corruption scandals PPP government got on its credit. It can easily be marked as the most incompetent government of all times which failed to solve any crisis whatsoever. Rather, it made everything worse. No doubt, it inherited a lot of issues from the regime of Musharraf but it is also a reality that people think of Musharraf era, a’ lesser evil’ in comparison with Zardari tenure.

When Zardari came into power after assassination of his wife, he raised the slogan ‘Pakistan khappey’ which was welcomed across the board. But his decisions/actions were contrary to his slogans. Main goal of the regime was to install Jiyalas on every post and reward PPP stalwarts as if Pakistan was their inherited property.
Incompetency to solve the economic, energy and security issues proved to be disastrous for Pakistan. They raised the slogan that Democracy is the best revenge and indeed the nation felt the revenge. Moreover, murderers of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto remained at large throughout PPP era.

It’s easy to criticize a government which is gone now. Especially when people have given them a real life feedback for their bad governance in the recent years, yet we should not forget that Pakistan touched all lows in Zardari’s era. Zardari has left the office thinking about reorganizing the party to get the next turn or may be bringing Bilawal Bhutto forward to take the next turn. But political legacies and their alternating turns should come to an end now.

PM Nawaz Sharif bade farewell to Zardari in a cordial manner. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif must be reminded of their speeches of the election days when they were openly abusing Zardari. That’s the dilemma of Pakistani politics. The language of public gathering is totally different from drawing room meetings for our politicians. Whatever they promise with public, they easily forget it behind the close doors.

Will Sharif’s be any different in the office? We have to see carefully. They have installed a puppet in the President house. PM holds key ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defence with him and Finance ministry is already out for loans. But I hope that they work responsibly towards national issues. The government has five years to go and I believe they should be given a fair chance to show their real face or service. I believe if Pakistan can survive the disastrous era of Zardari, it will be able to survive the era of Nawaz Sharif also and then people will realize that they are two sides of the same coin.
Zardari era is gone, but the memories will chase us even in the nightmares.

Indeed, Mankind is in Utter Loss

Risk is the greatest source of fear in our lives. Whenever we think about starting a business, we are mostly concerned about the risks of failure involved. A lot of strategies are formulated to mitigate the risks and threats to avoid loss and many a times business is not even started because of the risk of failure. While thinking about our careers and money etc, we calculate all the risks involved. But it’s unfortunate that we are complacent about our real profit and real loss; the sole purpose for which we are sent into this world.

Sura Asr (ch 103 Quran) is a short chapter in Holy Quran which tells us how to avoid the risk of failure in this life and hereafter. It chalks out a strategy for leading a successful life and avoiding what the Almighty calls ‘utter loss of mankind’.

By the time. Lo Mankind is in the state of loss. Except for those who have faith and do righteous deeds, and counsel each other to hold on to truth and counsel each other to be steadfast. (Qur’an – 103)

Allah has sworn by time that it has testified that people are heading towards a total loss and chaos. This is the point of great concern, as our creator has certified that we are in loss. The word of Creator is very important because HE knows us (human beings) inside out to the depth of our cells and DNA. If HE has suggested something, it can’t be wrong.

Allah has given a four point strategy for everyone to follow for what . First and foremost is Faith which has the prime importance on the way of success. Without faith, a person cannot succeed in the eyes of Allah. Faith ties us in a bond and without such a bond, we are free electrons which can be taken away by anything. Belief in Almighty is not something merely philosophical, it shapes the way of life. It defines the framework for our lives and the dos and don’ts we have to cater for in our personal life choices.

Virtuous deeds are tied up with faith. Mere faith is not enough for success. It shows that merely claiming to be a Muslim is not enough, unless and until a person coin his words into actions, therefore, righteous deeds are very significant. It’s a generic term which contains everything done for the betterment of humanity.

Sura Asar teaches us to develop a society which is based on propagation of virtues. Convincing each other about being righteous actually develops a peer pressure. A society where good deeds are easy and bad deeds are difficult. At the moment, we live in a society which is exactly the opposite of this. So Islam impresses upon an integrated and clean social fabric and believers are told to counsel, advice, support and teach each other about the right path. It also shows that faithful are concerned about each other and help out to raise each other’s levels of Eiman (faith). It generates a society based on co-operation instead of cut-throat competition.

Patience means persistence on virtous deeds.It means continuity of good deeds, patience to avoid bad deeds and steadfastness in the times of troubles that come as a package when following the righteous path. It means believers console each other in testing times. It also means patience and tolerance in general life. When dealing with other communities, Muslims need to show patience and tolerance which will help them to propagate peace.

These four steps are mandatory and requisites for ultimate success.

Also, it determines the misconception that I will preach when I am perfect first. It asks muslims to tell each other about truth. Perfection is neither required nor expected, rather a continuous reminder is required.

These simple words defines the fabric of a Muslim society. In simple words this chapter tells us to give importance to ‘real’ success and failure in our life. No matter how much successful we consider ourselves in terms of money and social status, this chapter warns us that we are at loss if we are not on the pathway set for a believer.

Quetta Bleeds – Pakistan Weeps

Entire country is in a state of shock. Repeated attacks on Shia Hazara community in Quetta Balochistan has killed hundreds and brought entire country to a standstill. It is indeed a matter of grave concern that lawlessness has taken over entire country. People are no more safe and living under serious threats. Shia community protested across the country and people from all sects and walks of life stood shoulder to shoulder with them. Government has made some promises, which are yet to be fulfilled. But would they provide the ultimate solution? Where are we heading as a nation in current chaotic situation?

Killings in the name of religion have dented the religion. Terrorism has no religion, whether its state sponsored terrorism of US and her allies, or killings of innocent Hazara Shias. We should condemn terrorism committed by all. Drone strikes on innocent families cannot be termed as collateral damage. This has turned into a revenge war and a breeding ground of terrorism. This terrorism will spread more across the country if we don’t cry halt. The killings of Hazra community is barbaric and brutal and the culprits should be punished in public. It is worth mentioning that the protests of Hazara community have remained peaceful and vast majority supported them and condemned violence in the name of religion.

It is evident that foreign funds are involved in this chaos. But locals are being used as operatives. It’s the prime duty of our law enforcing agencies to target the culprits, and government is totally incompetent. Military action has not born any fruits so far in FATA, rather it has created more lawlessness, revenge and terrorism. Now army would be doing targeted operation, with hopes of better results. But wait a minute! Army is already in control of Balochistan, so will it make a significant difference?

Media, whether conventional or social, pick and choose their ‘favourite’ topics to protest about. Do we know about the 18 people who were gunned down in Khyber agency ; very few voices were raised in their favour. Their family members were not allowed to protest infront of governor house of KPK. Target killing has become a norm in Karachi but media rarely talks about it. The economic hub of Pakistan has been devastated but govt and the ruling parties are conveniently silent and not taking any significant action. Blood of Karachites is cheap and therefore not raising many eye brows. Some friends from Karachi told us that its virtually impossible for Karachites to roam freely in the markets and eat and dine out without fear.

Its time for unity, to identify our real enemies. Ordinary civilians have nothing to do with shia sunni conflict and they want to live with harmony. Military action might be a short term solution, but in the longer run, we need to stop being puppets of foreign forces. Its time that we push our respected leaders to join hands for unity and carve a strategy out of this chaotic situation. I believe we can deal with economic mess and corruption, but security and law and order conditions require national unity. Its utter failure of government and security agencies that they failed to defend the citizens of the country. Life of each and every citizen is important, whether he is killed in target killing, bomb blast or drone strike. We must act on humanitarian grounds. All lives are precious and we must take action to save them.

Imported Revolution

The bullet proof, bomb-proof, container-led revolution of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri has concluded, thankfully without any loss of human life, but needs some reflection on its course, its aims and results.

Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri claimed to bring an overnight revolution because people are sick of current corrupt system. The idea seemed fascinating but the problem remained that the concept of changing the system from outside didn’t fascinate many. Unless there is a strong urge of change from within, no one from outside can impose a change. No matter how catchy the slogans are, people don’t bother if they don’t feel an attachment towards it. When he quoted people like Imam Khumeni who were abroad and came back for revolution, he simply forgot to have a look at his popularity and credibility back home. Also, even in exile, Imam Khumeni was actively leading the movement. Nation would always be sceptical about someone who disappeared for good five years and came back to munch away a fruit which has been ripened with a struggle and misery of years. The tag of support of establishment/hidden hand also proved detrimental for Qadri saheb. His demands and agenda had nothing new and people doubted his real agenda.

A lot has been shared and said about the personal record of credibility of Dr Tahir-ul-Qadri. It’s in bad taste to do character assassination; but still it’s a reality that character of a leader does matter towards his words, slogans and ultimately leadership. Commitment of a leader towards his cause is also very important. Security might be a burning issue, but revolutions don’t come in containers. Also, Qadri took several U-turns from his initial stance and virtually he had to end up with a face-saving agreement. He clearly failed to give a clear vision to his followers and didn’t tell them what the real goal was. People stayed in confusion and lacked proper direction. They still might not know what they were out for in biting cold for 4 nights while the leader and his family stayed in a heated room throughout.

The role of media is disgraceful in this entire situation. Pakistan media lacks direction, professionalism and ethics This revolution drama got passionate coverage further confusing the nation. People were ‘captivated’ for 5 days and entire media was hijacked by the long march but no clear picture was shown to the country. Sensationalism was at its peak which is ruining the society by creating hypes out of nothing, wasting time, nerves and energies. But few exceptions can be seen, where journalists were very clear in their stance and gave remarkable analysis of the long march.

Thousands of people spent 5 nights in cold weather of Islamabad without proper arrangements and the crowd comprised of people from all walks of life. It signifies that supporters of Dr Qadri, no matter what their number was, were committed to the cause. They were blindly following their leader which is another problem in Pakistan; blind following and no questioning of the leader even if it leads to a blind well. The followers of Qadri sb didn’t listen to any dissenting opinion and they still claim victory despite the fact that they have virtually achieved nothing.

Again, it is very important that what shape we want to give to our movement. If someone compares himself to Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) and then shamelessly goes and bows down to those whom he calls yazeedis, nation is simply not going to forgive him. Dr. Qadri was very vocal in calling people names and swearing a lot of times; but all this was actually weakening his cause.

This long march indicated a ray of hope that people are willing to bring change but shallow slogans and inappropriate leadership is the biggest hurdle. Specific goals, thoroughly chalked out agenda and committed leadership is required to bring people back on streets. Also, a lot of people still believe in democratic process and are willing to give it one last chance. If the upcoming elections are rigged and same corrupt politicians appear, we could see the entire episode of long march repeated with much more enthusiasm and probably that will be the final blow to the current system.

But then again, the leadership should be crystal clear about its objectives and should have a strong character, integrity and credibility unlike Dr. Qadri, to whom we can dedicate this urdu verse

عشق قاتل سے بھی، مقتول سے ھمدردی بھی
یہ بتا کس سے محبت کی جزا مانگے گا
سجدہ خالق کو بھی ، ابلیس سے یارانہ بھی
حشر میں کس سے عقیدت کا صلہ مانگے گا

So following conclusions can be derived safely from the entire episode.

No one from outside can forcefully impose a revolution unless the people of country want it that way
The character of leader is of prime importance.
Establishment always misused used the slogan of religious emotionalism and/or political corruption to intervene but now majority of people think , we’ve had enough of boots.
Media can be manipulated by creating a drama with huge funds, but the impact of media is not the final blow.

Qazi Hussain Ahmad – The Sign of Unity of The Ummah

Don’t know how to start … Qazi Hussain Ahmad, former Ameerr of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) left us in deep sorrow and grief and I don’t even have words to express it. He is still living in our hearts and minds.

Like many others, my adulthood was spent in chanting slogans ‘hum baitey kis k __Qazi k’ associating ourselves spiritually with Qazi Hussain Ahmad. Yeah Qazi Hussain was a spiritual leader as he evoked spirits of millions. He was a dynamic leader and his leadership gave us hope and courage to stand for the truth, no matter if we were standing alone.

Many of us can recall sitting in the company of Qazi Sahab and having simplest meals while sitting on floor. Many more will remember running with the vehicle of Qazi sahab chanting slogans ‘raasha raasha __Qazi raasha’; pushto words which became known to everyone due to Qazi sahab. He was a cardiac patient but his energy was phenomenal. He travelled across the country from Khyber to Karachi and we can easily say that he is the only leader who has most widely traveled across the country for unity of the nation, without sufficient security. He is the only leader who visited FATA on regular basis to address congregations but media rarely covered it. His followers and lovers are spread all across the country and there would be no town from Karachi to Khuzdar to Kashmir where you will not find someone loving Qazi Hussain Ahmad.

Qazi Hussain Ahmad was an internationally renowned personality and people across the globe knew him for his courage, enthusiasm, zeal and zest. He received a lot of respect from Islamic movements across the globe as they considered him their leader and often he was involved in consultative processes. The role of Qazi Hussain Ahmad in afghan jihad is unforgettable and whenever history will be written for Russian defeat in Afghanistan, it will not be considered complete without mentioning the efforts of Qazi Hussain Ahmad.

I have listened to many speeches of Qazi Hussain Ahmad and every time got a new spirit. He had the immense quality of motivating youth in extremely disastrous and dire circumstances. He led the way for them and was an inspiration. Beaten up by our own police, he faced teargas and baton-charge while leading JI workers in Rawalpindi but didn’t opt for any bullet proof cabin or car. The remarkable courage of Qazi sahib was booming force behind street power of JI. Many still wonder why JI workers are such a force on streets even if they are small in number; the reason is obvious, JI leaders including Qazi Hussain Ahmad are never in bullet-proof bunkers.

He remained Amir JI for good 22 years and then voluntarily left the post because of his ill-health. His struggle wasn’t for his sons or family or personal benefits, but for the sake of Allah and the cause of Islam. It was dire motivation of Islamic revolution which kept him going till the end of his life.

Qazi Hussain Ahmad had a charisma. He used to tolerate difference of opinion in such a manner that despite heavy differences, people across the board used to love him. Tough questions were asked and often people were rude, but polite answers used to satisfy them always. His efforts for unity of Muslim Ummah are substantial and he was quite successful in bringing different sects together. He has shown us a path of unity in Pakistan which we need to follow.

I remember first speech of Qazi Hussain Ahmad when he was elected as member of Parliament in 2002. In few minutes, he beautifully summed up the basic ideology of Islam, though I fear most of our Parliamentarians failed to understand. Stories are long and memories are not going to fade, so I would finish this piece with verse of Iqbal. Qazi sahab, you may have left us, but you will always live in our hearts.

ہزاروں سال نرگس اپنی بے نوری پہ روتی ہے
بڑی مشکل سے ہوتا ہے چمن میں دیدہ ور پیدا

What Is The Problem Then?

We have got all the ingredients it takes; we just don’t follow our own recipe.

When I landed in Korea couple of years ago, a Korean lab-mate was there to pick me up. On our way to the university, he was showing me advancements of Korea. It was early morning with temperatures running around -15 degrees Celsius. He showed me decorative lights and asked that do such things exist in Pakistan? In his mind, Pakistan was a poor country which may not have seen the luxuries at all. During the discussion, I told him that we are suffering from an energy crisis so we can’t afford to light so many bulbs these days. He asked, ‘don’t you have nuclear (energy) in your country?’ I responded in a super-emotional tone, ‘We are a declared nuclear state and have test-fired nukes’. Hearing this he asked a simple question, ‘What is problem then?’

For a moment, I wasn’t able to understand what he was talking about. Then I realized that he was mentioning ‘civil’ use of nuclear energy which as nation we probably have never thought about. I was literally speechless for couple of moments and then a thought flashed in my mind, ‘we lack political will to implement national interest’. Actually, we don’t know what national interest is and have never been taught how to align our personal goals with the national interest.

For the next two years, I cautiously observed Koreans just to dig out the real ‘thing’ in Koreans which made them successful in implementing the original Pakistani plans. What I learnt was that ‘collective interest’ was embedded in their mind-sets through their educational system. From parking a car, to separating trash into recyclable/non-recyclable categories, everyone used to think about the probable impact of his/her actions on others.

So if anyone asks me the same question, my immediate reply would be that we lack the concept of ‘collective/national’ interest. We are suffering from a deep energy crisis but not solving it because all viable projects have the problem of ‘trust-deficit’. This trust deficit has become such a problem that we are not even ready to listen to each other. We are suffering from worst lawlessness, corruption and disastrous economy, but as a nation, we are badly divided in these testing times. Reason: we don’t trust our rulers because they are working in their self-interests.

It’s not that we have never learnt the concept of collective interest; the issue is that we have forgotten this concept. Our religion taught us 1400 years ago when Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) said that ‘None of you can be a Muslim if he doesn’t like for his brother, whatever he likes for himself’. We read this hadith and pass on without reflecting upon it.

The solution to all of our problems is only one, i.e. each and every one of us should think about the national interest and should align personal choices with it, only then we can bring a change. Otherwise it will just be shallow words with no actions supporting them. Leaders cannot bring change for us, unless we want to change ourselves.

We have got all the ingredients it takes; we just don’t follow our own recipe (Islam).

Gaza Bleeds

Israel destroyed in few days what Palestinians built in years. But this War proved one thing __ Israel is not unconquerable. Israel has used its full military power but wasn’t able to defeat the hearts and minds of people of Gaza. Even after such a heavy destruction, the people of Palestine are steadfast and pursuing their dreams of liberation from the illegal occupation of Israel.This is the month of Muharram, a month of sacrifices. A month which starts with martyrdom of Hazrat Umar (RA) (Conquerer of Al-Aqsa) and reminds us the battle of Karbala in which grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) was brutally martyred.

This time, the battle field of Karbala is Gaza. 1.6 million people of Gaza are living in an open prison under Israeli blockade. Can we think about a life in such a place where basic necessities of life are scarce and is constantly threatened by enemy strikes. 163 were brutally killed in a matter of few days and many more injured, including women and children, but they are not bowing down to Israel. Despite the propaganda of zionists that they are defending themselves, the spilling blood of Palestinians is evident that whats the real truth.

Social media played a vital role in bringing the issue into headlines. Palestinians were very active in it and Muslims all over the world helped them out. But facebook started showing its true face when it started blocking accounts and pages which were posting against Israel. The freedom of speech vanished for those who were standing with the victims of Gaza. But nontheless, brave Palestinians led the campaign and showed the world the true face of Israel.

The role of of Pakistani media (electronic/print) was much deplorable. They totally remained aloof of the victims of Gaza and when they started airing/printing it, some of them were clearly standing with Israel. International media was expectedly inclined towards Israel. BBC and CNN were showing biased opinions. But it is a reality that entire world cannot be fooled for long by Israeli sponsored media.

USA was as usual on the side of oppressor while UNO kept mum. Israel has violated 65 UN resolutions till date but no action has been taken against the oppressive country. Human rights organizations are raising voices but zionists and their backers are not listening to it. OIC is still sleeping. Arab league is useless. So its left to ordinary people to raise their voices, help the poor victims and contribute towards the liberation of Palestine.

Majority of rulers of Muslim Ummah have probably forgotten this verse of Quran. Except Egypt, , Tunisia and Turkey, no one broke silence. Quran says:

“And what is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, “Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper?” [Quran 4:75]

Not surprisingly, leftist(secular/liberal) elite of Pakistan decided to stand with Israel by taking refuge in the rhetoric that ‘Gaza is too far’ and ‘We have our own problems’. The answer is simple indeed, if we have our own problems, it does not mean that we cannot talk about injustice and oppression going on in the world. We need to take practical steps to solve our issues, but we cannot ignore the violence going on in our surroundings. So do actions where they are required (in Pakistan), and at least raise voice for those where you cant do anything more (in case for Gaza).

The most important thing is that we should not forget Gaza now. It should remain not only in our prayers but in our real life efforts. Palestinians need our help to rebuild what Israel has destroyed. They continuously need medical and food supplies. There should be more campaigns like that of ‘freedom flotilla’ for Gaza to help the innocent people. They are victims of brutal oppression and its time that we convert our words into actions.

Malala – A Victim of Evil Desires

A journalist tweeted yesterday “Why Malala and why NOW?”

And it speaks volumes. The innocent girl became a victim of some people’s evil desires; desire to rule the world, a desire to dictate one’s own terms and conditions and a desire to create chaos. The horrific incident of shooting Malala and other two girls is barbaric to the core.

A million dollar question certainly is that who is Ahsanullah Ahsan and why on earth his calls are never tracked. Why does he take blame on himself (i.e. TTP) whatever the incident is and always manages to call international media but no one bothers to trace out who is he in reality.

But before that we need to focus on ‘Why Malala’ question? The innocent brave girl was made an icon against Taliban by all those who sit in their drawing rooms commenting on social media and TV channels while remaining within their comfort zones. Her stories were recorded by BBC Urdu and published as a diary. She was purposely brought to limelight to make her a symbol. The role of media in bringing Malala to limelight and promoting her out of proportion was surprising. Poor girl was used for media ratings. To serve the vested interests, they put the life of innocent girl at risk. She became a target for the terrorists. Even now, media is surely serving someone else’s purpose by giving the issue a lot of twists and turns.

‘Why Now’? The timing is also very crucial. Exactly when the entire world was getting breaking news about drone attacks and questioning the legitimacy of such attacks, suddenly Malala was attacked, she was identified first and then targeted and all of a sudden all the pro US policies, pseudoliberals started talking about Waziristan operation and legitimising illegal drone strikes.

An important thing to note is that the leader of Swat Taliban, Mullah Fazlullah reportedly hides in Afghanistan and operates with the cooperation of US/Afghan forces; so if Taliban of Swat are responsible for this attack, they are operating from Afghanistan and not Waziristan. Why there is never a drone strike across the border, not that I am demanding it, but it’s logical that US definitely has a dubious agenda in the region.

The case looks quite simple; another event in Swat to make grounds for another military operation. Previously it was a fake video, and now the ‘tool’ was an innocent 14 year old girl. The quick and strong condemnation from USA (by President Obama and Hillary Clinton) gives a message in itself. Drone attacks would be portrayed as essential, by citing that government of Pakistan is unable to protect its own citizens from terrorist activities.

The role of government is deplorable. Governments are supposed to protect their citizens, in which our government has terribly failed. Blaming terrorists and arranging air ambulance is not the solution. Government should take complete responsibility of protecting its citizens.

Malala is an asset for the nation. Whether its Malala, Aafia Siddiqui, missing persons, drone attacks , suicide bombs, target killings in Karachi and elsewhere, Pakistanis are at the suffering end.

Dr Shahid Masood quite reasonably asked the people who pick and choose cases for condemnation, if those who are killed in drone attacks are not plastic toys. We are being killed for no reason. The only way out is to get out of this American war. We must not put more and more lives at risk.