Quaid-e-Azam’s care, consideration and counseling for children, especially for the youth, knew no bounds. There is one enlightening story after another how he advised, counseled, groomed and rejuvenated the young nation during Pakistan Movement and for the future.
Once, in April, 1945, Quaid-e-Azam visited a school in Qalat, Baluchistan with his host, Khan of Qalat. As a little boy shook hands with him, the Quaid pointed towards the Khan of Qalat and asked this boy as to he was. The boy replied, “Our king.” Next Quaid-e-Azam inquired with the little boy about himself and asked whether the boy knew him. The boy answered, “you are our King’s guest.” Finally, the Quaid asked the boy to introduce himself. The boy said, “I am a Baloch.” At this point the Quaid gestured towards the Khan of Qalat and earnestly requested him to tell children that they were first Muslims and later the rest of the identities.
Among Muslim League’s monumental problems at the threshold of independence was scarcity of resources as the young nation was all set to embark on the road to development. It was at a Muslim League crucial meeting at the Sindh Government House Karachi, attended by Ghulam Hussain Hiddayat, Chief Minister of Sindh and Shaheed Soharwardi, that the Quaid advised the young nation to practice austerity, economize resources and believe in the magical principle of self-help, self-reliance and self-actualization.
The importance Quaid-e-Azam attached to the youth and the inspiration he provided them need no introduction. When, in 1941, Raja Ghazanfar Ali, Quaid’s close aid and admirer and Sir Sikandar Hayyat, Chief Minister of Punjab, desired to meet the Quaid, who was then attending the annual congregation of Muslims Students Federation in Lahore, the Quaid politely refused to give them appointments and requested them to check for his schedule with the office bearers of the Muslims Students Federation who were coordinating all his appointments during this period.
Quaid-e-Azam always regarded children as the future of the nation. He had always pinned high hopes in the future architects of the nation. The most inspiring part of the Quaid’s guidance to the youth was that he himself chaired their meetings and was thoroughly involved in their guidance and grooming. He was so confident about the youth’s potential that in 1937 he himself organized the All-India Muslim Students Youth Federation. The same year he presided and addressed its first meeting in Calcutta and said that youth was the cornerstone of Pakistan Movement, the nation has many Jinnahs in the making and our future is secured with the future generations.
The year was 1946. General elections were like a referendum for Pakistan. Quaid-i-Azam was addressing the highly inspired yet well disciplined gathering at Islamia College, Lahore. He addressed the youth straight from the heart: “My dear young nation, I have neither lands nor the Victoria Cross to offer you. But I must tell you the fact that I am proud of you. It’s not only me but the entire nation is proud of you.”
Quaid-e-Azam’s feelings for and image of the youth can be gauged from many a statement he made about the young nation. For example, he termed youth as ambassadors of the nation at Aligarh, acknowledged as the centre of Pakistan Movement and honored youth as magazine of the nation at a Patna’s Muslim League congregation, believed in youth as the pillar of strength for the nation at so many places and so on. However, he prioritized for the youth the need for national character, respect for law, devotion to studies, spirit of self-reliance and the motto of unity, faith and discipline that resulted in the dream-come-true reality of Pakistan and where lies the salivation of our present problems and future prospects.
Unless the residents have a desire of self-help for the change of their life, even if they wait for 5000 years, there will be no change. If the village residents try to change their life now, even with little support of government, they will be able to change their life in 2-3 years’. (Ex Korean President Park Jung Hee)
These simple words underline the spirit of the a movement which revolutionized the life of Koreans. The lesson is very important __ No one will bring change for you, if you don’t want it yourself. And small consistent changes, will lead to a big and visible transformation.
Korea was ruined by Japanese colonization and inter-Korean war. In 1950s, the plight of Koreans was miserable and the nation was extremely poor, with very little food to survive. Harsh winters added to their miseries and ‘food n shelter’ was first priority for all Koreans. Per capita income was $79 in 1960, while that of Pakistan was $91 during the same Year.
Koreans studied Pakistani 5-year plan system and adopted it in 1962. They started industrialization and the results were soon obvious in shape of industrial growth and development of cities, but the rural areas were still lagging far. Koreans soon realized that sustainable growth cannot be achieved without rural development. The standard of life in the villages was very low, with only 20% of the villages having electricity and only 20 % houses having roof. Roads, infrastructure, tools and equipment for farming were missing altogether. The positive things were good literacy rate and mandatory military service which produced a disciplined workforce.
In 1970, Saemul Undong (New Village Movement) was launched, aimed at improving the life of villagers. The idea was to pave the gap between rural and urban life, improving the living standard in rural areas and increasing the opportunities for the villagers to earn more. The idea was to stop migration to cities. ‘A better village to live in’ was the goal of the movement.
Government started with SMU in a unique way. They asked the villagers to participate in the program on self-help basis. Three principles of ‘diligence, self help and cooperation’ were decided to be the basis of the movement. The underlying spirit was to work with diligence as there is no freebie in the world and ‘early bird catches the worm’. The lazy and lethargic Koreans were taught to take actions for fulfilling their desires. The spirit of cooperation was also very important, as one cannot wash face with one finger.
When the movement started, government was not in a very good financial situation, so they asked for the cooperation of residents of villages. It provided 335 packs of cement to each of 33,267 villages in the country. Government suggested ten projects such as making roads, reforming roofs of homes, constructing public wells, making small water reservoirs and small bridges etc .Villagers had to decide one of the projects and then implement it. They had to arrange the material such as sand and pebbles themselves, and had to work together to execute the project. They had to select Seamaul leaders for themselves, who were volunteers, and would play the role of coordinators and arbitrators.
After one year of evaluation, the success ratio was about 50% .The performance of 16,600 villages was good, and they had completed their first task. It was a turning point, the government decided to generate competition. They gave 500 sacks of cement and one ton steel to only these 16,600 villages, which were able to complete their first task, while remaining villages were told to do something with self-help and then government will decide accordingly.
This produced amazing results; a lot of villages improved very quickly, and more and more were joining the movement actively. Based on this, government classified the villages into three categories according to their progress, and supported the outstanding villages more, which generated high competition.
The government established central council for the movement, to analyze and evaluate the performance. A training center was instituted to train the leaders elected by villagers. This helped in development of leadership at grass root level. Women and youth were given equal participation, each village selecting a a leader, woman leader and young leader for the project. These voluntary leaders helped the government to plan, cooridnate and carry out the projects in a proper manner.
New projects were considered on the basis of their benefits to the entire community. The government did not interfere directly into the selection of projects. It was just overseeing the technical aspects and providing help with which the villagers couldn’t do themselves.
Soon they realized that without improving the income of villagers, their life could not be improved, so the next step was to improve the income level of villagers and eliminate poverty. Projects were focused to improve roads to the farms so that tractors and other machinery could be used in farming. Farmers were provided with basic tools and were trained for the better productivity. Irrigation system was improved and small water reservoirs were built to preserve water. Also green houses were developed to do farming in winters. Investments were done in live-stocks and villagers were encouraged to grow live-stock for better income.
Agricultural complexes were made for profitable products such as mushrooms and tobacco, which helped to increase over all income. Greenhouses allowed farmers to harvest during harsh winter season. Fishing villages changed their production methods from fishing to breeding fish. All of this improved the income level of villagers. As a result, agriculture household income was more than that of city workers. After only four years, the rural community household income was $674, more than that of urban household income of $644. This economic growth led to subjugate poverty and brought revolution in the mindset of people.
Residents were given the sense of ownership and they were the direct beneficiaries. During initial stage, the focus was on improvement of thatched houses, heating system inside homes and agriculture roads. Then the focus shifted to more infra-structure reforms. Electricity and water supply, agriculture machinery, irrigation system, all were aimed to improve the life of villagers with their involvement. The concepts of hard-work and self-help were embedded in this whole movement.
Due to proper evaluation system, government soon realized the mistakes of the movement. Villagers lacked technical skills to build bridges and roads. So government provided technical support and training required for the projects.
Grass root level leadership evolved as a reason of this movement, which lead to the development of Korea on many fronts. Corruption wasn’t a problem in this project, as population was involved in it, and the residents carried out the projects themselves. They also contributed financially to the extent they were able to do. The collective participation brought in transparency and better utilization of resources. The change went from rural to urban areas of Korea, whereas it is usually the other way around.
Korea today has become one of the top growing economies in the world, with national income of $ 20,014 per capita, (remember in 1960, Korea was at $79, and Pakistan was $91). This is despite the fact that Korea has no natural resources, and it relies only on its human resource. It is now one of the most advanced countries in internet usage, banking system and industrialized nation.
Korea has started to implement this project in African countries. While other countries prefer to perform charity work, Koreans are trying to engage villagers by asking them to contribute equally. For instance, the project of establishing a goat bank is very good idea. Villagers are given goats, to raise, and when they breed more goats, the original ones are returned, thus establishing a live-stock bank.
In Pakistan, if we want to do something, our ‘actions must speak louder than words’; so the projects must be aimed at ‘doing more-talking less’ spirit. The basic element in these projects should be consistency and continuity, learning from past experiences and improving with time. We can learn from these experiences as we are a resource rich country. We don’t have the problem of poverty similar to that of Koreans, our infra structure is not very up to the mark, but we do have something to build upon, so we don’t have to start from zero. Our villages are usually big, and we lack consensus on leadership and projects. We are heavily divided and our women don’t work usually as labour workforce in building the bridges and widening the roads. So we need to make certain changes in this model and in our society too, for our growth and development.
All we need is to participate on community basis, helping ourselves, and taking bold initiatives. When this movement started in Korea, a lot of people criticized it, but government continued persuading villagers to take part in the development process, and it yielded results. The evaluation of projects was step-wise and better performing villages were rewarded on the basis of merit. This helped a great deal in raising awareness and competition level.
Saemaul Movement members hold a briefing session with locals in Tanzania, to explain the concept and meaning of the Saemaul Undong
Most important notion to learn is the reforms of the mind-set, to ‘we can do it’. Starting by simple, small projects, doing something tangible, will lead to something better and bigger eventually. We think of big projects first, but sometimes we need to think ‘small’ and ‘in the box’. Making roofs for homes, kitchens in houses, toilets, small water reservoirs, improving sanitary conditions, building small bridges, improving water supply and sewerage systems- eventually the change will be getting bigger and visible which will help in improving the living standards.
Another point to focus is to increase the income of villagers, to stop urbanization. We believe in giving alms and charity, but instead we should focus more on trying to make poor people earn more money. Increasing their income will change their mentality. As I mentioned earlier, Saemaul Undong wasn’t focusing on education and public health in the start, because people were mostly concerned about food and shelter, but as the movement went on to bring the change, people started thinking about education, health, learning opportunities and community life. Koreans did that successfully and now their rural life has almost all the facilities of their urban life so more and more people are preferring rural life.
In short, collaborative efforts will bring change, and rural development is the key to sustainable development even in the industrialized nations. More importantly, the focus should be to ‘ do more, talk less’
While flipping through the channels, I stared blankly at the TV screen as I sat there wondering how the media has evolved over the past few years. From just a single black and white channel to a vast variety to choose from, the media has done its part in not only entertaining us but also keeping us updated on what’s happening around the globe, but not without some repercussions.
Not so long ago, the women, allegedly the chief audience of the tube, were hooked on to the Indian soaps, so much so that they were adopting the Indian culture as their own, with use of Hindi language in their everyday conversation, mimicking their style of dressing, pouring thousands of their hard earned money on make up in their efforts to look more and more like the Tulsis, Parvatis and Kashishs of the Indian television industry.
As if things couldn’t get any worse, the Pakistani media thought it their duty to start making dramas that would revolve around the same plots as the Indian soaps, with the same exaggerated expressions and glamorous ambience, in hopes of attracting more viewers.
In the past, the plays echoed real life issues with the performers focusing solely on expressing the emotions that were required, not a show of amplified sentiments. Most of the current inclination of our entertainment industry as far as television is concerned is to provide the juiciest show they possibly can without worrying about its consequences. From how I see it, it has become a race and media is trying its utmost to win it any way it can.
Lately, to my utter astonishment and horror, an astounding number of dramas are being filmed on topics that are not even close to reality. The favourite theme of every channel nowadays is extramarital affair, prostitution and/or promiscuity. Gone are the days when the dramas that were made to view in the family hour, could be viewed with the family. This is contrary to the current trends of productions.
Why then do we worry about the youth not being as innocent as they were back in olden days? Are we not responsible for most of what has happened? As goes the saying, as you sow, so shall you reap!
I still think our duty as a citizen of the state is not finished. If we want a better Pakistan, a state which was founded on the ideology of Islam and named for its purity, we need to come forward and speak up for putting a stop to absurdities like immoral representation of our culture and blatant spread of debauchery by some of the private productions.
Nearly two decades of ‘slow but steady’ struggle which sometimes looked like a ‘one-man’ show and labelled as ‘just a fan club’ by critics has surely turned the tables in one big show of strength. “The Lahore Jalsa” has shaken repeatedly tested corrupt giants. There is a fear in their tone, and you can sense it.
Pakistan is a country where:
– 60% of the people enjoy the day of election as a ‘day off-work’ at home and opt not to vote
– one-third of the voters list constitutes fake and non-existent names
– majority of the voters decide overnight to cast their votes due to pressure, fear or incentives like a day’s ration, sewing machines, or ‘Ghee ke dabbay’.
True, along with the corrupt ruling elite, the silent majority is equally to be blamed for the mess. The majority who either do not know the power of their vote or cannot think of a reason to come out of their comfort zones to vote. They dwell in air-conditioned rooms, cars and offices, hardly knowing the problems of a common man, so why bother?
I feel lucky to have witnessed a day when people, especially youth, from all social backgrounds, some wearing Shalwar Kameez and headscarves and others in jeans and designer sunglasses, some travelling by public transport and others in their valuable and comfy cars, some speaking the Lahori style Punjabi and others insisting on their ‘dude’ style English, all came out to gather in the heart of Punjab under Jinnah and Iqbal’s posters, Pakistani flags, National Anthem and songs on the 30th of October on Imran Khan’s call to be part of ‘Tsunami of change’.
After carefully watching the big day in the history of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf and the utter failure of media to ‘change the topic’ or turn a blind eye to the mammoth crowd, one wonders as to what has brought the sleeping silent majority out. Fifteen years is not a long time, keeping in mind the fact that a sport hero turned politician, with no roots in established political houses of the country, and with no experience of fraudulent short cuts, talks about dreams which this nation had probably dumped into cold storage for years.
The critics may, very rightly, say that this big crowd doesn’t mean anything electorally and wouldn’t constitute a single seat constituency but it cannot be ignored or taken lightly that people from all walks of life, from labourers, hawkers, rickshaw drivers to educated youth from all colleges and universities including the most ‘westernised’ reached the uneven ground of Minar-e-Pakistan which most of the elite youth might not have been to in years.
What was the motivation? What was the call for? The question is extremely significant. The ruling class has always talked about problems of common man but all we have seen is years of hopelessness, heaps of broken promises and blatant lies. No one has delivered. Standard of living changes after elections but only for those who reach the Parliament houses, ever expanding offices, ministries and ranks created every day. It has never trickled down to the commoners.
The call to gather was for ‘change’. Imran Khan talks of the common man and he has delivered, although on a smaller scale (Shaukat Khanum and Mianwali University Projects). He talks of the ‘Rule of Law’. Having explored the Western culture and comparatively studying Islam, he takes pride in owning Islamic values and systems. He promises not to bow for anyone’s interest and keep the interest of Pakistan supreme. He opposes Pakistan’s alliance with US War on terror and condemns the innocent casualties as a result of US drone strikes in Pakistan.
‘Friends with all, slaves of none’ was his message boldly sent out from the stage surrounded by thousands of chanting and adrenaline pumped Pakistanis. And most important of all, he takes inspiration from the Qur’anic principles of social justice and equality, Iqbal’s philosophy of ‘Khudi’ (self-respect) and Jinnah’s concepts of Islamic democracy. He strongly believes in Pakistan being an ideological state based on Two Nation Theory , a concept disputed by westernised ‘liberals’ in the country who are bent upon labelling him as ‘Taliban Khan’. Call it wishful thinking, but if the right-wing hardliners do not see him ‘up to the mark’ and the secularists see him as a ‘Mullah’, the nation would look up to him as a moderate leader capable of establishing a modern Islamic state.
Excerpts from Imran Khan’s latest book: Pakistan-A Personal History:
“Gone were the insidious humiliations of colonialism and the fear of being drowned in an overwhelming Hindu majority in an independent India. We were free people, free to rediscover an Islamic culture that had once towered over the subcontinent. Free, too, to implement the ideals of Islam based on equality, and social and economic justice. A democracy, as Pakistan’s founding father Muhammad Ali Jinnah said, not a theocracy. We were to be the shining example in the Muslim world of what Islam could achieve were it allowed to flourish. Such dreams we had…”
“ …Iqbal not only conceived of a self-governing Muslim state, his passionate voice awakened and activated Indian Muslims motivating them not only to strive to free themselves from the bondage of imperialism and colonialism, but also to challenge other forms of totalitarian control. Believing fervently in human equality and the right of human beings to dignity, justice and freedom, Iqbal empowered the disempowered to stand up and be counted.”
This rally is not less than a wave of big change and a practical demonstration of the Gallup survey and also the WorldPublicOpinion.org survey in collaboration with U.S. Institute of Peace with statistics inferring:
‘..strong public support for a wider role for Islam. Asked to gauge the importance of living “in a country that is governed according to Islamic principles” on a 10-point scale, 61 percent give an answer of 10 (meaning “absolutely important”). The mean response is 9.0’
So, Pakistanis want rule of law, and self-respect and a society based on Islamic principles, exactly the things promised by Imran Khan. That is why they came out in numbers to show their unconditional support. A ‘clean sweep’ in coming elections still looks unrealistic for Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf. However, by joining hands with honest forces, without compromising his principles, Imran Khan is capable enough to change Pakistan for better.
My Generation grew up at a time when colonial hang up was at its peak. Our older generation had been slaves and had a huge inferiority complex of the British. The school I went to was similar to all elite schools in Pakistan, despite becoming independent, they were, and still are, producing replicas of public school boys rather than Pakistanis. I read Shakespeare which was fine, but no Allama Iqbal.
The Islamic class was not considered to be serious, and when I left the school I was considered amongst the elite of the country because I could speak English and wore western clothes. Despite periodically shouting Pakistan Zindabad at school functions, I considered my own culture backward and Islam an outdated religion. Amongst our group if any one talked about religion, prayed or kept a beard he was immediately branded a Mullah. Because of the power of the Western media, all our heroes were western movie or pop stars. When I went to Oxford already burdened with this hang up from my school days, things didn’t get any easier. In University not just Islam but all religions were considered anachronism. Science had replaced religion and if something couldn’t be logically proved it did not exist. All supernatural stuff was confined to themovies. Philosophers like Darwin who with his half-baked theory of evolution was supposed to have disproved the creation of men and hence religion.
Moreover, the European history had an awful experience with religion, The horrors committed by the Christian clergy in the name of God during the Inquisition had left a powerful impact on the western mind.
To understand why the west is so keen on secularism, one should go to places like Cordoba in Spain and see torture apparatus used during Spanish Inquisition. Also the persecution of scientists as heretics by the clergy and convinced the Europeans that all religions are regressive. However, the biggest factor that drove people like me away from religion was the selective Islam practised by most of its preachers. In other words, there was a huge difference between what they practised and what they preached. Also, rather than explaining the philosophy behind the religion, there was an over emphasis on rituals. I feel that humans are different; to animals whereas the latter can be drilled, humans need to be intellectually convinced. That is why the Qur’an constantly appeals to reason. The worst of course, was the exploitation of Islam for political gains by various individuals or groups. Hence, it was a miracle I did not become an atheist.
The only reason why I did not was the powerful religious influence wielded by my mother on me since my childhood. It was not so much out of conviction but love for her that I stayed a Muslim. However, my Islam was selective, i.e. I accepted only parts of the religion that suited me. Prayers were restricted to Eid days and occasionally on Fridays, when my father insisted on taking me with him. If there was a God I was not sure about it and certainly felt that he did not interfere with my life. All in all I was smoothly moving to becoming a Pukka Brown Sahib. After all I had the right credentials in terms of the right school, university and above all, acceptability in the English aristocracy, something that our brown sahibs would give their lives for. So what led me to do a lota on the Brown Sahib culture and instead become a desi? Well it did not just happen overnight. Firstly, the inferiority complex that my generation had inherited, gradually went as I developed into a world class athlete. Secondly, I had the unique position of living between two cultures. I began to see the advantages and the disadvantages of both the societies. In western societies, institutions were strong while they were collapsing in our country. However, there was an area where we were and still are superior, and that is our family life. I used to notice the loneliness of the old-age pensioners at Hove Cricket ground (during my Sussex years). Imagine sending your parents to Old Peoples’ Homes! Even the children there never had the sort of love and warmth that we grew up with here. They completely miss out on the security blanket that a joint family system provides. However, began to realise that the biggest loss to the western society and that in trying to free itself from the oppression of the clergy, they had removed both God and religion from their lives. While science can answer a lot of questions, no matter how much it progresses, two questions it will never be able to answer: One, what is the purpose of the existence and two, what happens to us when we die? It is this vacuum that I felt created the materialistic and the hedonistic culture. If this is the only life then one must make hay while the sun shines and in order to do so one needs money. Such a culture is bound to cause psychological problems in a human being, as there is going to be an imbalance between the body and the soul. Consequently, in the USA, which has shown the greatest materialistic progress and also gives its citizens the greatest human rights, almost 60 per cent of the population consult psychiatrists. Yet, amazingly in modern psychology, there is no study of the human soul. Sweden and Switzerland, who provide the most welfare to their citizens, also have the highest suicide rates; hence, man is not necessarily content with material well being he needs something more. Since all morality has it roots in religion, once religion was removed, immorality has progressively escalated since the 70’s. The direct impact of it is on thefamily life. In UK, the divorce rate is 60 per cent, while it is estimated that there are over 35 per cent single mothers. The crime rate is rising in almost all western societies, but the most disturbing fact is the alarming increase in racism. While science always tries to prove the inequality of man (recent survey showing the American Black to be genetically less intelligent than whites) it is only religion which preaches the equality of man. Between ’91 and ’97, it was estimated that total immigration into Europe was around 520,000, and there were racially motivated attacks all over, especially in Britain, France and Germany. In Pakistan during the Afghan war, we had over four million refugees, and despite the people being so much poorer here and in the NWFP, they suffered a considerable loss in their standard of living as a result of the refugees yet, there was no racial tension, No wonder, last year in Britain, religious education was reintroduced into schools.
There was a sequence of events in the 80’s that moved me towards God. As the Quran says: “There are signs for people of understanding”. One of them was cricket. As I was a student of the game, the more I understood the game, the more I began to realize that what I considered to be chance was, in fact, the will of Allah, the pattern which became clearer with time. But it was not until Salman Rushdie’s Satanic Verses that my understanding of Islam began to develop. People like me who were living in the western world bore the brunt of anti-Islam prejudice that followed the Muslim reaction to the book. We were left with two choices: fight or flight. Since I felt strongly that the attacks on Islam were unfair, I decided to fight.
It was then I realised that I was not equipped to do so as my knowledge of Islam was inadequate. Hence I started my research and for me a period of my greatest enlightenment. I read scholars like Ali Shariati, Mohammad Asad, Iqbal, Gai Eaton, plus of course, a study of the Holy Quran.
I will try to explain as concisely as is possible, what “discovering the truth” meant for me. When the believers are addressed in the Quran, it always says, “Those who believe and do good deeds.”
In other words, a Muslim has dual function, one towards God and the other towards fellow human beings. The greatest impact of believing in God for me, meant that I lost all fear of human beings. The Quran liberates man from man when it says that life anddeath and respect and humiliation are God’s jurisdiction, so we do not have to bow before other human beings. As Iqbal puts it:
Wo aik Sajda jisay tu giran samajhta hai,
Hazaar sajdon say deta hai aadmi ko nijaat.
Moreover, since this is a transitory world where we prepare for the eternal one, I broke out of the self-imposed prisons, such as growing old (such a curse in the western world, as a result of which, plastic surgeons are having a field day), materialism, ego, what people say and so on. It is important to note that one does not eliminate the earthly desires, simply that instead of being controlled by them, one controls them.
By following the second part of believing in Islam, I have become a better human being. Rather than being self-centred and living for the self, I feel that because the Almighty gave so much to me, in turn I must use that blessing to help the less privileged. By following the fundamentals of Islam rather than becoming a Kalashnikov-wielding fanatic I have become a tolerant and a giving human being who feels compassion for the under-privileged.
Instead of attributing success to myself, I know it is because of God’s will, hence humility instead of arrogance. Also, instead of the snobbish Brown Sahib attitude towards our masses, I believe in egalitarianism and strongly feel against the injustice done to the weak in our society according to the Quran, “Oppression is worse than killing.” In fact only now do I understand the true meaning of Islam, if you submit to the will of Allah, you have inner peace. Through my faith, I have discovered strength within me that I never knew existed and that has released my potential in life: My educationprogramme that I intend to announce in March is far more ambitious than the cancer hospital project.
I feel that in Pakistan we have selective Islam. Just believing in God and going through the rituals is not enough one also has to be a good human being. I feel there are certain western countries with far more Islamic traits than us, especially in the way they protect the rights of their citizens, or for that matter their justice system. In fact some of the finest individuals I know live there. What I dislike about them is their double-standards in the way they protect the rights of their citizens and yet considercitizens of other countries as being somehow inferior to them as human being, e.g. dumping toxic waste in the Third World, advertising cigarettes that are not allowed in the west and selling drugs that are banned in the west. One of the problems facingPakistan is the polarisation of two reactionary groups. On the one side is the westernised group that looks upon Islam through western eyes and has inadequate knowledge about the subject. It reacts to any one trying to impose Islam in the society and wants only a selective part of the religion. On the other extreme is the group that reacts to this westernised elite and in trying to become a defender of the faith, takes up such intolerant and self-righteous attitudes that are repugnant to the spirit of Islam.
What needs to be done is to somehow start a dialogue between the two extremes. In order for this to happen, the group on whom the greatest proportion of our educational resources are spent in this country must study Islam properly. Whether they become practising Muslims or believe in God is entirely a ;personal choice; as the Quran tells us that there is “no compulsion in religion.” However, they must arm themselves with knowledge as a weapon to fight extremism. Turning up their noses at extremism is not going to solve the problem.
The Quran calls Muslims “the middle nation”, i.e. not of extremes. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was told to simply give the message and not worry whether people converted or not, therefore, there is no question in Islam of forcing your opinions on any one else. Moreover, we are told to respect other religions, their places of worship and their prophets. It should be noted that no Muslim missionaries or armies never went to Malaysia or Indonesia. The people converted to Islam due to the high principles and impeccable character of the Muslim traders. At the moment, the worst advertisement for Islam are the Muslim countries with their selective Islam, especially where thereligion is used to deprive people of their rights. In fact, a society that obeys fundamentals of Islam has to be a liberal one.
If our westernised class started to study Islam, not only will it be able to help our society fight sectarianism and extremism, but it will also make them realise what a progressive religion Islam is. They will also be able to help the western world by articulating Islamic concepts. Last year, Prince Charles accepted that the western world can learn from Islam during his speech at the Oxford Union. But how can this happen if the group that is in to best position to project Islam gets its attitudes from the west and considers Islam backward? Islam is a universal religion and that is why our Prophet (PBUH) was called a mercy for all mankind.
For years ‘France’, to a common man in the Muslim world was associated with the Eiffel Tower and the French Fries, however in recent years it has started to be associated with negative connotations. Having already banned wearing of Hijab in schools, this year in April, France imposed a fine of 150 Euro on wearing a face veil by Muslim women. And in September, it has now enforced a ban on praying in streets. The hostility of the French government is clearly evident from these legislations, which target tenets of Islam. This exposes the true nature of a secularism that France proudly boasts about.
The foreign policy of France with regards to the Muslim world, also resembles its domestic policies. In the past the French had collaborated with the British to break apart the Caliphate into nation states, by signing the Sykes–Picot Agreement of 1916. After succeeding in division of the Muslim lands once unified under Khilafah, the French Gov. and the British Gov. maintained cordial relationship with the dictators they planted over the Muslim lands, and plundered their resources.
The French, like other nations, has always pursued its vested interests. Despite the fact that Gaddafi’s oppression of his own people was well known, throughout his entire rule the French were not bothered about the regime’s human rights record.
The closeness of the secular government of France, and the tyrant in Libya, has been evident on many occasions. During the 2005 civil unrest in France, Gaddafi called Chirac and offered him his help in quelling the resistors, who were largely North African, for which President Chirac had thanked him, although the offer was declined. Sarkozy welcomed Gaddafi to Paris, and hosted a meeting at Elysee Palace in Paris in December 2007. The French Gov. had also helped negotiate with Gaddafi over key issues, in order to bring it out of isolation, and normalize relationship with EU and the US.
So close were the ties between Sarkozy and Gaddafi that Saif al-Islam commenting on France move to recognize NTC said: “Sarkozy must first give back the money he took from Libya to finance his electoral campaign. We funded it and we have all the details and are ready to reveal everything”.
The French Government pursued lucrative deals with Gaddafi in a number of areas. In 2009 France’s minister for development, Alain Joyandet represented France in Libya on the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of Muammar al-Gaddafi’s brutal regime.
However, this year 2011 witnessed a rapid change in the political dynamics of North African states i.e. Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. Cunningly the French Government which for years had deliberately ignored the gross atrocities of the Gaddafi regime switched sides when it became evident from uprising of Muslims that Gaddafi’s dictatorship was no longer sustainable. Only weeks before siding with Arab uprising, Sarkozy had offered police back-up to the Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, while protesters were dying in Tunisia’s streets.
The French Government was swift in her actions to ensure that its influence in Libya was kept consolidated. The French government was the first to formally recognize the rebel alliance under NTC, and successfully engaged in efforts to bring EU and NATO on board for military intervention in Libya.
Sarkozy has taken an ‘intensely personal interest’ in Libya. According to Elynsée observers ‘not since the cold war has a French leader made an international conflict such a personal obsession, poring over maps and plans, having the last word on arming rebel fighters’.
The open aggression of France against tenets of Islamic faith domestically and outright wars on Muslim lands, stands in a stunning contrast to history. The very region which France is feasting as its latest win was once part of a formidable power in international politics i.e. the Caliphate. In 1525 at the battle of Pavia, the French King Francis I was captured. Humiliated at the capture of her king, her army tried to rescue the king from captivity, but they failed. France – in utter hopelessness – then approached the known super power of its time, the Islamic Khilafah state. On 6th December 1525 the French, on behalf of their King sent a message to the Uthmani Khilafah, to seek help. The messenger met the Uthmani Khaleef ‘Sulayman al-Qanooni’, who decided to help France. Sulayman gave the messenger a letter which read: “we have received the letter delivered by your messenger, and in which you stated that your enemy has attacked your country and you are imprisoned and seek our help in respect to securing your release. We have answered your request so be at ease and do not worry”. These explicit words in which Sulayman responded speak volumes of the stature of the state in international politics. The Khilafah state used its international weight and military power to rescue the King of France and made an effective contribution towards his release. It is pertinent to note that The Khaleefah of the Muslims helped France without compensation, without occupying a part of France or colonizing any region of France in return. Rather, the Khilafah state did the action as an act of goodwill.
Today, France openly and shamelessly espouses its rotten secular values, by legislating bans targeting Muslims. And moreover, it openly boasts of its new fortified influence in Libya and is eagerness to secure energy and other interests there. However the Muslims should realize the hypocrisy of French intervention and intentions which lay brazenly exposed.
It will be utterly naive if the Muslims in Libya, who have sacrificed immensely in the struggle against the tyrant, look up to western powers such as France, as friends. Instead, the Muslims in general, and the NTC in particular must heed lessons from the past, and realize that their sovereignty lies in reviving a Caliphate, which is an indigenous model of governance rooted in the Islamic ideology, and historically has worked tremendously well for the region.
For Libya, the Caliphate can usher an era free from foreign influence, and Libya would have the potential to lead the Arabs who are currently eagerly looking for a new leadership. Also this move will enable Libya to garner support from other African nations, who have suffered from foreign interventions. The people of Libya can change the status quo for the better by standing on their own feet, and thereby reminding France of the favour they have long forgotten.
From grandpa’s diary:
‘My six year old granddaughter Zara is all excited to celebrate the 64th birthday of Pakistan. Every year when this day arrives, it brings back many beautiful memories. Poverty, homelessness, travelling in the worst circumstances, leaving behind our homes; nothing looked ugly, nothing felt difficult. I was a young and energetic teenager, a student for whom going to school had multiple reasons. Of course, my parents like all the others, wanted me to be a successful man but there was something else in my blood which pushed me every day to an institution where we met, planned and strengthened our ideas. The most wonderful and rarest of the blessings of that time was a true leader in the shape of Mr Jinnah. Our energies were different. Our blood was gushing more powerfully than many others in the united India. We were so close to the goal, a dream was to come true towards which I had seen my grandparents and parents struggling with all their devotion and commitment. Our lives were like those of a tenant’s who was eagerly waiting to move to his own house. We were struggling for a home where we could live according to our wishes independently, where we are not answerable to any ‘Landlord’ except the True Lord, where no one else could impose his rules and regulations on us, but God. I had lost many friends, uncles and cousins during the struggle. A lot of blood was spilt, but not wasted, I was sure. Everyone was talking about ‘the time’ which was near and as sure to come as a written fact. We could see it coming with our very eyes.
14th August 1947 was the day no less than Eid for us. My forehead was prostrating in front of Allah whom we had made promises with; a deal that we made about implementing His laws, if He gives us a land with no interference from anyone. My eyes were tearful with my heart jumping in joy and humble with thankfulness to God. Our ‘haveli’, our decades old business, our property and valuables, jobs and careers; nothing was a hindrance to travel to our new born homeland. We were desperately seeking for this day of ‘Independence’ when we are nobody’s slaves but the Creator’s. The very thought of the long awaited moment when we’d kiss the land was working as adrenaline in our blood vessels. Days or nights didn’t matter, we were moving. A big number of people lost their lives in this transit but the caravans wouldn’t stop. Nothing could halt the sea of these charged and sparked people who left by choice everything they had, for a dream, a promise, a struggle and a mission. We had broken the idols of colonial captivity and seen Iqbal’s dream becoming a reality under a selfless man called Jinnah and we were all motivated for a better tomorrow.
Zara shakes my arm to bring me out of a very true movie saved in my eyes and dearest to my heart, which I watch every now and then but more so in August every year. She wants me to leave gardening and come indoors as she wanted to show me her green outfit that she bought for school celebrations.
I am a 79 year old frail man with no physical energy left in me. I have seen these 64 years like a Banyan tree that bears the most scorching sun and also refreshing rains. I have been an honest man and have given every drop of sweat to this land. After seeing Zara’s glittery green dress, I sit back to analyse why this land of mine is in a mess. There is still bloodshed, poverty, homelessness, displaced people, and this actually is ugly and painful. Independence from all worldly masters is what we strived for. The proposed dream of Iqbal who left us many years before Independence Day was based on faith i.e. to live according to the Rules and Laws of Allah with no interference from anyone. The whole struggle was based on this fact and the demand of separation was based on Muslim majority areas. But this is the very foundation which some people are questioning today. 64 years down the road, listening to a discussion in a TV show as to whether Pakistan was created in the name of Islam or not is absurd and extremely painful. Such conversation and the dishonesty that prevails on individual and national level is equivalent to breaking the pact that we made with Allah and betraying the blood which, I still have faith, wouldn’t go waste.
Following Islam at individual level or practising ‘Sovereignty belongs to Allah’ at national level, is still a myth. The injustices in the society, the bloodshed, the linguistic divisions, the social deprivation, and inequality of men on material grounds, are surely ugly. The idol of colonial times is not entirely broken either. Our identity is still vague. We still worship some worldly gods and that too happily. My people are still unsafe not because of a foreign regime but due to some men who are from us, look like us and speak the language that we understand and claim to lead the country and hold the governing offices. Our decisions are not taken by our own men or in our own interests. Many of our sons and daughters have been sold for foreign money. Many are missing for years. Many are bombed to death by monstrous drones. Big fish get away with everything. Poor get crushed in the cruel ‘system. Foreign spies are willingly welcomed through front doors and helped to escape through backdoors after killing our men… Too much, too ugly!
I miss Jinnah, someone who could look daringly into the eyes of the colonial monsters , walked with a head up high, knew the worth of this nation and could say a bold ‘NO’ in the best interest of his people. The frailest of nations we were but we stood behind him with strong faith and formed a force which no power in the world could beat. With no money, no alms, no arms and no treasures, the people turned into a tornado and broke all the barriers to achieve the goal. I miss a leader, who could take us to the door of true ‘independence; which I am still seeking.
But, all is not ugly. There is something extremely beautiful about today as well, despite the thick clouds of despair. It’s the devotion of the new generation and the youth and its unshaken affiliation to this gift of Allah, Pakistan. The energies being brought together to pull the country out of the mess and the growing awareness of the problems we face, is a silver lining. The magnitude is small when I compare it to the force pushing us into the ditch, may it be foreign hand or our own enslaved leaders or demoralising media elements. But, same was the case in 1947. The two opposite forces were not comparable in strength and magnitude and would never be. It’s faith and trust in God which has always made our side of the scale heavier and that’s what is required. Allah will fulfil the promises of His bounties if we fulfil our promises that we made with Him more than half a century ago.
‘Recall My favour which I had bestowed on you, and fulfil your covenant with Me and I shall fulfil my covenant with you, and fear Me alone.’ [Al-Baqarah 40]
I feel tiny hands wiping tears off my face while I sit in the arm chair with my eyes closed. I open my eyes to see my Zara, my faith and hope for Pakistan, the surest reason to smile again’.
Call him an assailant, an attacker, a gunman, a guy with a bad temperament; anything but a terrorist. After all, does he look like a terrorist? No, not at all! He has blond hair and white skin. He’s not Muzzlim. Well he did kill above ninety people, and yes he should not have done that; especially in front of kids. Kids should be kept away from violence; video games being the exception. It was an act of violence, as stated by the U.S. State department. This type of violence is fine to promote on popular media, but we should try not imitating it in real life. And besides, he’s a lone wolf; an exception. Terrorism is such a strong word, and should be used with responsibility.
If he is a Muzzlim, you are allowed, with all blessings of thy democracy, to be xenophobic, racist, and completely indifferent. You should hate Muzzlims, because they have beards and their women cover themselves. Yes, Jesus had a beard, and Nuns do wear similar outfits; but when Muzzlims do it, they are on to something. They might just explode in front of you, and kill everybody in sight, and especially those who are white, innocent… and white! They are not even humans; in fact, they are alien monsters out to chop off your heads and chew your flesh, slowly. Izzlaam teaches hate; it’s full of Jeehad, and to kill Christians and Jews.
And the lameness goes on and on.
How many times have you not heard the statement “Every Muslim may not be a terrorist, but every terrorist is a Muslim”. And this idea of absolute indifference is propounded not only by foreign neoconservative fascists, but even more so by local “liberal” apologetics.
The Norway incident is just one slip that got things exposed. So easy was it to condemn the event as an act of terror; absolute terror conducted by the likes of Al-Qaeeda. The Global media couldn’t wait tillthe actual story unfolded, and had got its accusations running in advance. Little does anyone care of the consequences, the Muslim communities have to go through.
But then things turned out different than what Islamophobes predicted. The guy was actually a Christian fundamentalist and an ethnic Norwegian. Yet the lameness continued.
The New York Times, for example, was quick to say “Even if the authorities ruled out Islamic terrorism as the cause of Friday’s assaults, other kinds of groups or individuals were mimicking Al Qaeda’s brutality and multiple attacks.”
So basically when Muslims have nothing to do with it; they still do. The guy was motivated by his hate for Muslims; hate that these media groups had helped fuel. And yet these propagandists have the nerve to bring Al-Qaeda into the equation somehow.
Further still, the term “terrorism” almost completely disappeared to describe this act from popular media discourse. As though the very definition of the word implies, that it must be an act carried out by a Muslim.
So, what about the “lone wolf” thing? Well, statistics tend to differ. According to FBI reports, from the years 1980 till 2005, terrorist activities conducted by Islamist Groups on U.S soil only make about 6 percent of the total. In fact, activities of such nature conducted by Jews, motivated by religion, amount to 7 percent; more than those by Muslims. The greatest perpetuators of such acts happen to be Latino groups.
Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Soil by Group, From 1980 to 2005, According to FBI Database
In Europe, according to Europol, from the years 2007 till 2009, terrorist attacks conducted by groups with Islamist motivations make only 0.15 percent of the total. Separatist groups are the main conductors of terrorism in Europe, and yet all Muslims carry the label.
These statistics do not include the massive state terrorism, conducted by western powers, which we often wrongly term “Bad foreign policy”. Killing thousands of people, genocide, is not foreign policy; it’s organized terrorism, period.
So where does Islamophobia come from? It comes from hate, pure and simple. Some people just want a clash of civilizations. It should not come as a surprise that the Norwegian terrorist described himself as a modern day crusader.
So much does this aspect reveal. The Original Crusades was also a period of Anti-Muslim Propaganda. The message of Islam and the image of the Prophet were distorted and demonized. Muslims were depicted as Satanic Barbarians, off to destroy the Judo-Christian traditions. And the whole of Christian Europe was united on a one point agenda; destroying and stopping Muslims and their faith. The “danger” of creeping otherness took over the minds of the masses, and so begun the bloody crusades.
Let may be very clear on this, Anders Breivik, the Norwegian terrorist is not the only crusader here. The global (or Western, or Eurocentric) media plays its part equally; they just don’t say it out loud. Many western intellectuals have rested not the least, in distorting and demonizing Muslims and Islam, and, by so doing, giving intellectual space to Islamophobia. The United States and her Allies have pretty well acted as Crusaders by bombarding Muslim lands at will, fostering Anti-Muslim sentiment, ridiculing Muslim sensitivities through public policy and in countless other ways.
So it should not be seen as that strange now that George Bush mentioned about launching a crusade in one of his pre-unleashing-of-terror speeches. He called it a slip of the tongue; and sure was it a slip of the tongue, indeed.
River Indus the life line of Pakistan, rises up in Tibet China, enters Indian held Ladakh region before entering Pakistan up north. It flows from east to west before turning its course southwards in Gilgit Baltistan region towards Arabian Sea. It runs the entire length of Pakistan, snaking pass some of the highest mountain ranges in Himalaya and Karakoram; it flows through the deepest gorges in the shadow of numerous majestic peaks that rise above 5000 meters before entering the plains.
All along its treacherous journey though mountain ranges spread over hundreds and thousands of kilometres, what starts as a small stream in Tibet enters the plains as a mighty river. Further downstream it is joined by five of its major tributaries and by other river systems; it traverses through the rest of the country before emptying into Arabian Sea.
A journey spread over 3,000 kilometres starts as a small stream and as it flows through its course it is joined by springs, streams, small and big rivers along with their tributaries, giving it strength and might. Indus gives life and colour to a land where we all live in. Without this river system this land would turn into a desert. Most of Pakistan is an arid land; this river system is the life giver to our land. It provides life to Pakistan!
What will happen to river Indus if its springs, streams and all of its tributary rivers follow a path of their own? What will happen to the springs and streams? What will happen to the river joining Indus if their springs and streams follow a path of their own? What will happen to the people and land supported by Indus River System?
It doesn’t take Einstein to answer these questions. Indus as we know of exists only because it goes from strength to strength, from a small glacial stream up in remote reaches of Himalaya to a mighty powerful roaring river as it joined by waters all along its course. Without these waters giving life and strength, Indus will lose its identity, might and seize to flow. All of its springs, streams won’t have the strength to flow either; hence the land we know as of today will turn into a desert. Even grimmer outcome would be that this land won’t be able to support us.
Indus only exists because it is joined by waters of great many springs and streams. These springs and streams not only give their waters to river Indus but also give Indus its identity. Moreover all these springs and streams do retain character of their own.
One of the interesting facts of Indus is that all rivers of our land join it from all provinces to give it strength and might. Let it be spring, streams and rivers of Gilgit Baltistan or five rivers of Punjab or in Khyber Pakhtunkhawa river Swat joining river Kabul before falling into Indus or lesser known rivers like Tochi, rising from Sufaid koh, traversing though North Waziristan, Bannu and joining river Indus near Mianwali or Gomal River of South Waziristan or Zhob river rising in mountain ranges of Koh Suleman, flowing through Balouchistan, eventually into River Indus.
Rivers are formed when joined by waters of springs and streams; the mightier the river more spring and streams it is bound to have. Or let’s put it this way; collectivism gives rise to great and mighty. Collectivism is exactly what Islam also preaches and asks all faithful to adhere to. United we stand, divided we fall.
Let’s ask ourselves another set of questions, why we are Pashtun, Mohajir, Saraki, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Punjabi, Balouchis, Balti, Hindko and not Pakistani? Are we willing to lose our national identity? Are we willing to remain small springs, streams, ethnic groups and tribes? Not a powerful, resourceful and mighty nation? Is this our fate? Is this that our forefathers and elders fought from British? Is this we want to pass on to our children? Is this really what we want?
Let me theorize, we are the Sons and Daughters of river Indus. Our identity is anchored in the waters of this mighty river and not etched in faraway lands of Central Asia or Arabia or any other place. We might have come from there but we are settled here for centuries and hence Indus and the land it supports gives us our identity. We are the window of our glorious past looking upon us from the great civilizations of Moen Jo Daro (present day Sindh Province), Harapa (Punjab province) and Mehrgarh (Baluchistan Province). We are the modern day forerunners of the civilizations which existed in our land; they were as ancient as any other civilization in the world and most sophisticated for their times.
We are Pashtuns, Mohajirs, Sarakis, Kashmiris, Sindhis, Punjabis, Balochis, Balti and Hindkos. We can be ethnically diverse; tribally assorted and linguistically varied. But we all are springs and streams that give their identity and name to make a Nation, a Nation we call Pakistan. We need to put our act together, go from strength to strength, support & respect each other and rise as a resourceful, respected and mighty Nation!
I am a doctor by profession; I took my five year training at a private university hospital in Karachi, with an adequate amount of clinical exposure. I opted for public setting to work because I already had some experience of electives in the government hospitals, and I loved the experience. I particularly enjoyed being thoroughly involved with the patients, from the time of deciding on their admission in the Emergency Room (ER)/Out Patient Department (OPD), guiding them to the ward, helping them get hold of a ‘feasible’ bed – with a working fan and light, and if lucky enough, a functioning socket as well, monitoring and recording their vitals, sampling them, catheterizing and NG tubing the patient if needed, (Yes! In our government hospitals, this all is the doctor’s job) doing the necessary counseling, briefing them about the nature of their illness in the most-comprehendible language for them, be it pseudo-Sindhi, -Punjabi or –Pashto, explaining to them after each ward round what the ‘barra’ doctor said about them, all in addition to the routine history, examination and treatment. You may even find yourself answering their queries about the neighboring beds patients. At the end of the day, it’s one of their innocent concerns about you, or their sweet compliments, which make your day. This all was a very new experience for me, the patient being thankful for as little as listening to him attentively. Nothing warms you up more than a patient inquiring specifically for you at the clinics or wards.
All was going very smoothly, that some protests started settling in, affecting the work and ultimately the patients. I will be honest, it wasn’t as bad most days as the media showed, but it was bad enough that the doctor was being involved in something going against patient benefit. The term ‘doctors on strike’ surprised me. How can doctors be on strike! What happened to the oath of always putting patient benefit above yours, and offering treatment to all, at all times, without any discrimination. A patient, who you have told at the time of relieving from the hospital, to follow up for his treatment in the OPD, comes to you compliantly- when compliance is already a trait very rare in our patients -and you tell him you can’t see him because of some protest. Or even worse, you don’t show up at all! Although knowing that the cause of your protest has nothing to do with the patients you are choosing to turn down.
They say that when they ‘call’ the strike, it was aired on electronic and print media, so it won’t harm the patients much. Little do they know that the population they cater to may not afford ‘generated’ electricity, or newspaper.
Spend ten minutes outside the main gate of any public hospital, and you’ll know what I mean. I have actually seen patients un-able to walk, getting themselves to the hospital, in public buses, getting down with the help of their relatives. There are many old ones who do not even have anyone accompanying them. The bus driver only sometimes is nice enough to stop the bus for them to get down, at others he just slows it down for a minute or half. They are risking whatever remains of health they have left, only to be seen by some doctors, who may not even be there.
If you were one of them, what would you go through if you were refused to be seen at the public hospital after getting there after undergoing great mental, physical and emotional stress? Taking you further, what if you cannot go to any other hospital, because of, if not financial, but time constraint, what will your heart and mind go through? Now think of all the times when you have, directly or indirectly done this to others and that you will be accountable before God for it, or held responsible for the loss you have caused.
Even more saddening was that just because most of our beloved are unbothered by these strikes, a lot of the doctors who were not really supporting the protests, were conveniently following them! Well, who minds some extra money and a few days off the hectic schedule?
Why should the nurses not raise voice for their ‘professional rights’ if doctors are doing so… As it happens, this stirred a wave of unrest at all levels. A lot of patients deteriorated because there was very limited oxygen coming in to the wards, as the oxygen cylinder supply depends on the nursing attendants, who were conveniently protesting. The medicine and equipment supply also was affected for the same reason. The emergency laboratory would function, but what about investigations other than the very primary ones that it offers. A basic liver function test costs Rs.690/- at the nearest charity-based private hospital. How can you ask a patient to get it done who has only a thousand or so for his entire hospital stay?
Coming to the facts, I admit the doctors are being over worked and under-paid, also the amount of time and resources it takes to produce a doctor is much more than any other professional. But, at the same time, we all know that it has always been like this. Doctors have to work hard, first to become a doctor, later to survive. These are ground facts. Then too, if anyone chooses to be a doctor, that means they are indirectly agreeing to the given conditions. So then they can’t really complain.
Reminding that you are one of the most highly educated, thoroughly trained personnel of the society, you shouldn’t simply follow the recently set trends of destructive protests. To me, if it’s about protesting only, then instead of protesting by refusing to run the hospitals, what seems more reasonable is to gather at the press club, or chief minister or governor house in groups after duty hours and get your message through. A professional way of going about it is to write to the concerned authorities, meet them and discuss your problems. You could also demand for a reduction in work-hours, and have a daily 8 hour shift of different timings instead of alternating 12-30 hour shifts on night calls. The time doctors save from here, maybe utilized in working elsewhere, running your own clinics, giving tuitions, etc. It will not exactly make the doctors prosperous, but it will certainly improve the financial situation to an extent.
So dear brothers and sisters in profession, it’s all over now, thankfully, but next time, God forbid if you ever come across such a situation again, please show some concern for the patients you want to treat. It’s not some extra humanity, but only the necessary humanity I’m asking you to exhibit. Don’t choose to let your patients deteriorate. The worldly benefits you may get will leave you with nothing but heavy hearts.
Quaid-e-Azam’s care, consideration and counseling for children, especially for the youth, knew no bounds. There is one enlightening story after another how he advised, counseled, groomed and rejuvenated the young nation during Pakistan Movement and for the future.
