Pakistan unites against Taliban!

Moderate Madrassa Students protest against Taliban Extremism.
Photo Courtesy: The Daily Times, Pakistan. 20.06.09

Writer's Block: We fight to win! - Bushra Hassan

Rozan in Islamabad, needs helpers. It needs volunteers who will help them do whatever they aim to do for the IDPs. Rozan needs people like you and me, who have an hour or so free, to lend a hand in their work for the IDPs.

I’m sure Rozan is not the only organization that needs more support. The task at hand is enormous. From shelter, to rehabilitation, food and health issues. More than everything else, they need some one to just spend time with IDPs and care. The IDPs are like us, no different. Had Talibans actually reached Islamabad, as the media tried to portray, then we would be like them too. Forced to leave our jobs surviving on what little we have of savings, moving in with relatives we don’t necessarily get along with. It’s a test of human sacrifice, of patience, of resilience. But resilience we have plenty of.

“Forced to leave our jobs surviving on what little we have of savings, moving in with relatives we don’t necessarily get along with. It’s a test of human sacrifice, of patience, of resilience. But resilience we have plenty of.”




We’re a country that’s fought three wars, lost a significant part of it, undergone martial laws, civil rights violations, bans of various kinds, massive earthquakes and nation wide floods nearly every other year, and all this while living in an environment of poverty, corruption and political chaos. However, here we are standing firm and standing tall. Half the women survive legalized rape, domestic violence and lack of basic human rights, while the other half work in corporate offices, wear unisex clothes, speak their minds and outperform men in all walks of life.

Women strive for empowerment, the youth for liberty, and men for respect. Most importantly we strive therefore we understand, how we’re all the same, why our cause is the same.

The IDPs issues hit our very hearts because it latches onto our vulnerability of existence, and the IDPs remind us of our fight, of our courage and our daily misfortunes.

“The IDPs issues hit our very hearts because it latches onto our vulnerability of existence, and the IDPs remind us of our fight, of our courage and our daily misfortunes.”

Mostly they remind us of how blessed we are, better off, just plain lucky. As a result we can feel for them more, because we were spared this ordeal, and therefore, we wish to do more. We, the nation, are in this together. We’ve realized this through our survival over the decades. We’re all one, one nation, standing under one flag, reciting one kalma, and bowing our head to the same anthem.

“This is Pakistan, these are our people. From the shelter camps to the Oval Cricket ground, this is us, and we do not play to lose!”

This was never more obvious than last night, when the entire nation stayed awake till early morning to pray for and rejoice in the semi-final victory of the young men of our cricket team, who fought a heavier, mature, more accomplished adversary, not bowing out of fear or resolution to fate.



This is Pakistan, these are our people. From the shelter camps to the Oval Cricket ground, this is us, and we do not play to lose!

To Volunteer for IDPs: Call Zeest @ Rozan at 051-2890506-7 and 0345-8507181
Images courtesy: http://bariisiyobasto.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/images-of-the-idp-in-pakistans-swat-valley-region/
and http://cricket.yahoo.com/photos/Semi-finals-South-Africa-Vs-Pakistan_12453498364794#10

The Tell Tale Heart: Soul Jam - Mehreena Aziz Khan

In the last few days, many of my fellow countrymen have been posting videos from Coke Studios second season airing this month on Pakistani television channels. Sitting in my apartment unit in Sydney, Australia, the status updates and YouTube posts keep me well updated on what is happening back home, whether it’s the bewailing of another deadly bomb attack, jubilation over restoration of the judiciary, or the laments and joy over cricketing performances.

For one accustomed to chilling reportage of the Swat operation, shedding tears over fallen martyrs in the war against the Taliban or cringing at videos of young girls being flogged in public, the Coke Studio videos were a veritable breath, nay gust of fresh air.

For one accustomed to chilling reportage of the Swat operation, shedding tears over fallen martyrs in the war against the Taliban or cringing at videos of young girls being flogged in public, the Coke Studio videos were a veritable breath, nay gust of fresh air.

This is the Pakistan I know and the one I grew up in. Rich with talent both folk and pop, both classical and modern. Where talented music and video producers have the skill to conduct creative experiments and come up with top-notch productions despite meager resources and training. Knowing a lot of the people behind the project personally, I know for a fact that most never attended a musical academy or formally studied production. They just have raw talent and determination, while their skills are self-taught. Whether it was learning to strum the guitar or the keyboard keys through books, or learning the ropes of music and video production from the internet.

One by one, the performances began and ended with aplomb, with every performer putting their soul into it, and the jam sessions began to feel like a balm for the embittered Pakistani soul - a soul wounded by violence and internal strife. This is the Pakistan that easily married the glory and timelessness of traditional folklore with modern pop. Where globalization and modernization enjoyed a peaceful and respectful camaradie with the historical and classical.

When two girls from Peshawar sang timeless quatrains of Omer Khayyam at the melodious strumming of the rabab, they evoked nostalgia for the beautiful heritage of the war-torn mess Afghanistan and parts of NWFP have become. Before the time where girls had their faces burnt with acid, their schools shut down and their teachers shot. Before CD shops were burnt, before ancient statues were ruthlessly bombed and before classical musicians were issued death threats and boycotted into oblivion. If only we could manage modernization and progress while preserving our culture as smoothly as the adept synchronization of western percussion instruments with the classic rabab by Rohail Hyatt's team.

All the performances were marked with the same characteristic. Saieen Zahoor's melodious rendition of verses of ancient wisdom reminded one of the Sufi poetry and mindset that once helped spread Islam in the Subcontinent. A time when love, poetry, tolerance and a deep respect for human values was the mode for propagation of religious sentiments. How the scene has changed since then. And as Saieen's voice died down, a fashionably bearded Ali Noor and his brother Ali Hamza took up the tune… both dressed in western attire, both ably carrying the tune forward and representing the modern face of Pakistani music with a sensibility and respect for their musical heritage.

The performance evoked memories of Zia-era PTV when Muhammad Ali Sheikhi and Allan Fakir's "Allah Allah kar bhayya" became hugely popular as the original pop-meets-folk ditty. A time when the likes of Nazia and Zoheb were banned from television. The triumphant re-emergence of pop music after the end of the Zia era, when youthful raw talent like Vital Signs and Jupiters sang jubilant and hope-filled anthems on the eve of Benazir's promised era of liberalization.

When I had returned to Pakistan in 2004 after spending a number of years in Germany, I found a vastly changed media landscape in the wake of the satellite television revolution. But a stark dichotomy was visible in television content as one click would take you from devout rant of Aalim Online or bearded mullahs talking about the intricacies of performing ablution, to the tantalizing gyrations of the likes of Nimra or scantily clad local models at a glitzy fashion show. The neutral majority found itself feeling alienated by both.

When I had returned to Pakistan in 2004 after spending a number of years in Germany, I found a vastly changed media landscape in the wake of the satellite television revolution. But a stark dichotomy was visible in television content as one click would take you from devout rant of Aalim Online or bearded mullahs talking about the intricacies of performing ablution, to the tantalizing gyrations of the likes of Nimra or scantily clad local models at a glitzy fashion show. The neutral majority found itself feeling alienated by both. The Coke Studio performances on the other hand seem to symbolize a balanced middle ground between the two extremes. At the same time they are a quantum leap from the pre-millenium PTV era of uninspired performance clips featuring rubab, tabla and other folk instruments that would dot the broadcast back then.

So hats off to all involved with the production and that, along with the welcome news of Pakistan's victories in the Twenty20 World Cup at the moment, is what I want my news of Pakistan to keep on being filled of: feats in arts and sports rather than deadly bombings and floggings.

Until next time its cheers from Aussie mate!

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http://www.cokestudio.com.pk/ for more on Coke Studio

Soap Box: The Power of One - Zahid Husain

Between 1944 and 1985, so much happened in the Motherland, some of it I was not part of, as I reacted to the dictates of the Government in power in 1972; I was stationed in Karachi, then with a young enthusiastic and politically aware spouse, who supported my view, that as Pakistanis we were NOT going to start speaking Sindhi just because we lived there! By the way we were not alone in this belief, Karachi was in turmoil then and curfew was imposed upon a free spirited citizenry. So we sold our belongings and along with a friend of the same ilk, we set out to face the Big Wide World.

We wandered where we fancied in Europe, taking in the Old World and all it offered and stood for, while taking for granted the spirit with which we were welcomed everywhere, we felt like we were at home, thus drawing out in us the best we had to offer our hosts, as proud PAKISTANIS; seldom did we look over our shoulder and regret our decision.

As I look back now, I recall, that all the while I was growing up in my Motherland, never once was there ever any mention or news of racial, sectarian, religious, caste, rich or poor or social tensions; we all grew up then as fellow Pakistanis, proud to be able to sing our national anthem, to stand when the Flag was displayed in a cinema hall, and to stand in silence with respect while the anthem played!

We were afraid of the policemen, when we rode double-sawari on a bicycle, one would jump off or he would take the air out of the two tires, while we stood sheepishly bye feeling very guilty, for having broken the law; and making sure we had lights on our bikes if we were going to be out in the dark!

In school, we had a class period, when our class teacher Mrs. Jamaluddin taught us moral science and character building! That subject is no more part of any curriculum or syllabus in any school I know of, in Pakistan

My point is that with all that in the background, we never once looked at one another as anyone else, as anything other than as being a Pakistani! We were then moving towards Nationhood, one people, one country, one PAKISTAN.

We had great Bengali friends, throughout school and college; never did we discriminate between each other’s backgrounds or beliefs, there was peace and harmony, till we got US-Aid, that’s when our real troubles started. And when our people started going abroad to work in the Gulf where they were brainwashed and discriminated against by the sharper, shrewder, cliquish Indians and Arabs, thus forcing us to adapt and adopt ways that were till then alien to us.

Over the past 25 years we have transformed in to our present selves, forgetting our oneness true Pakistanis, and descending into the pits of this strife ridden society as all sorts of people first and Pakistanis afterwards! We muster under numerous flags that we believe represent our being and our association and forget what our forefathers’ sacrificed their all so that we could inherit a Motherland called PAKISTAN.

You notice I steer clear of the how’s, who and whys of our situation, because we now need to steer ourselves back into the right frame of mind by discarding all those misguiding ways, beliefs and views of each other drop the provincialism to 2^nd level and bond together as One Nation under One Flag on the 1^st level as PAKISTANIS FIRST AND FOREMOST!

NO other flag counts or matters, they ALL must be shed, and we all MUST only look to the Green & White Crescent & Star as the only path to our salvation as a Nation! This is very simple to achieve, and the quickest way is to start with oneself, I mean YOU, yes! YOU; Believe you are a Pakistani first and ONLY a Pakistani, nothing else matters or counts Forever!

Then make or convince your own family to change their thinking process that they are ONLY Pakistanis. Then move to your inner circle of friends and make them understand that they are Pakistani first and ONLY Pakistani

And so on, if each one of us can do this every day, day after day, 365/12, we will just begin to build ourselves into a NATION as the Quaid e Azam envisioned. Our recognition around the world is that we are PAKISTANI and our salvation on earth, lies in building a strong, united, faithful and disciplined country called PAKISTAN, We will then automatically think first of our country, the MOTHERLAND, also then ask yourself what it is that you can and must do for your Motherland not what can the Motherland do for you!

May the Almighty give us all the strength to give up our old hateful thoughts and ways and accept Pakistaniat.

Have a great Day! Pakistanis, where ever you may be!

Remember “PAKISTAN hum sub ke Char-devaaree hai, is kee hefaazat hum sub key zimadaree hai” PAKISTAN PAINDABAD FOREVER!

Jerry's First Take: On Contradiction and Compliance.

So as usual Pakistan is at a crossroads, passing through the most critical phase of its history. Shahzad Roy had it right in his latest album. every 10 years we seem to be at the most critical phase of our history. If ever there was a country where the adage "history repeats itself" holds true its our motherland.

We crib endlessly over meals and tea, at tea stalls and drawing rooms yet very few of us do anything about it and those who do, do so in an individual capacity.

Now all 170 million of us have grown tired of this. Many have resigned themselves to this fate. Those who can have gotten non green looking passports as backups while very few continue to maintain this disastrous status-quo. We crib endlessly over meals and tea, at tea stalls and drawing rooms yet very few of us do anything about it and those who do, do so in an individual capacity. We blast governments of all hues and stripes and rightly so. Yet very few among us dare to introspect. Many among us lie and cheat regularly to make a quick buck. we have fake doctors and pirs. Our "conservative" merchants jack up prices of essentials just prior to the onset of Ramadan. Hoarding is common place. Treating traffic laws as a nuisance that's better ignored is more the norm than the exception. As a society we take great pride in calling ourselves an Islamic society yet we treat humans, animals and our environment with the utmost contempt.

Our "conservative" merchants jack up prices of essentials just prior to the onset of Ramadan. Hoarding is common place. Treating traffic laws as a nuisance that's better ignored is more the norm than the exception. As a society we take great pride in calling ourselves an Islamic society yet we treat humans, animals and our environment with the utmost contempt.

"safai nisf imaan hai" cleanliness is 50% of our faith yet our streets are filthy, our garbage strewn everywhere with open sewage creating a dream home for all those elements that make our lives a nightmare. Basically what I'm getting at is that we need to take not only ownership of our home but ownership of our streets, of our mohallas, of our cities and finally our Pakistan. little things matter. We worry about the American/Israeli/Indian conspiracy to break up our country yet we do nothing about the pile of garbage on our street corner that mind you, in addition to being an eyesore, is giving rise to a host of easily preventable health problems. We worry about the sheer incompetence of our politicians yet we vote them in time and time again.

So far I've been talking in the most general terms and that's because this is my intro post. I'm sure there are many of you out there who are actually doing something, who are taking responsibility and ownership. We need to spread this. We need to have an awakening, a renaissance. The status-quo wont do anymore. The incompetence of the politicians wont do anymore. We can no longer afford business as usual. The stakes have become just way to big for us to remain oblivious anymore and all of us can do this. We can make a difference.

We are the 6th largest country in the world, one of 7 nuclear weapon states, sitting at the crossroads of China, Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. We have, in spite of the efforts of various governments created a platform but now its time to truly achieve our potential because time is running out.

We are the 6th largest country in the world, one of 7 nuclear weapon states, sitting at the crossroads of China, Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. We have, in spite of the efforts of various governments created a platform but now its time to truly achieve our potential because time is running out. The extremist so called Muslims are here and (were, fingers crossed) making gains. but once these extremist thugs are defeated and they will be, then what? back to the days of political musical chairs amongst the two families? the biggest challenge to this country does not come from the extremists, at least not yet. Our biggest challenge is our demographic composition.

100 million Pakistanis are under the age of 25. approximately 3 to 4 million new jobs will have to be created each year for them to be employed. The highest number of jobs our nation has ever created is 2.5 million jobs in one year back in 2004-05. Now we have always had a law and order problem in our country. Apart from the extremists and sectarian problem, we have been plagued with street crime, robberies and dacoities since before i was born. Just imagine the pressure on this society, on this country if we fail to cater to the youth of this country in the coming years. Actually we don't have the luxury of even that. We needed to start catering to them yesterday. Apart from petty crime the ranks of extremists could easily be swelled by unemployed, frustrated youth from across the country. However there is a silver lining.

Whereas this happens to be our biggest challenge, it can also become Pakistan's biggest opportunity. These 100 million or so are our version of the 'baby boomers'. If most of them end up with jobs the amount of consumption these guys will undertake from buying homes, cars, electronics, eating out,planning vacations etc will drive our country from the third world into the first in one generation. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. but this has happened else where before and frankly what other choice do we have?

We must do what we can to make this country a better place to live. We must ensure that the political governments are held to account and that they actually start governing. We need to shake off our political apathy (and drawing room conversations are political apathy) and make our voices heard.

Finally in conclusion, all of us have to take ownership of this country. We must do what we can to make this country a better place to live. We must ensure that the political governments are held to account and that they actually start governing. We need to shake off our political apathy (and drawing room conversations are political apathy) and make our voices heard. Do a letter campaign, hold protests, come on the media, write blogs and/or for newspapers and do what we can to create awareness. If you know people who have access to the corridors of power, talk to them, bring about a change in their thinking and attitude. We need to get off our collective backsides because like i said before what other choice do we have?

Pakistan Hamesha Zindabad!!!

PS: Congrats to the Cricket Team and all of you on reaching the T20 semis!!

Timeline: 11/9 or 9/11, A date that has changed our past, present and our future! - Aabi Asif

What the world knows now to be 9/11 wasn’t what I knew of it when I was growing up. I never knew the extent of how one incident could entirely over shadow another in a way that not only would it change not only how we see our present, but also how we view our past.

Before the uneventful incident where planes hit the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, 11th September had a totally different value in the hearts of Pakistanis. 11th September 1948, was the day when our beloved founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah passed away, leaving the nation without a leader, a void that has perhaps not been filled to date.

As a child I remember that 11/9 was observed as a very somber day with the President and the Prime Minister along with the Governor of Sindh visited mausoleum of the Quaid the armed forces gave a 21 gun salute and they laid wreaths. It used to be a gazetted holiday and all the day through talk shows, interviews, documentaries and dramas based on the life of Quaid-e-Azam were aired. Special supplements of the newspapers were published with similar information.


As a result we learned a great of our history through the media. We had quizzes at school again based on history and on the life of the great leader; we sang national songs and were well aware of what the day was all about. Unfortunately for us, the significance of this day as a day of remembrance for our dear Quaid is no more.

Quaid-e-Azam was a man who had studied in London, and had the opportunity not to come back but he chose to come back to the sub-continent. He managed to create Pakistan for the Muslims because he wanted that we should be able to live in an independent state and lead our lives according to the teachings of Islam.

His speeches were filled with plans on how Pakistan should proceed. What our policies should be and how should we take Pakistan into a bright future? Treatment of minorities, taking the leaves out from the way the Khulfa-e-Rashdeen ruled adopting the Islamic rules to deal issues of all kind.

It is indeed a shame that his death was a big shock for the state but what did we do?
We have just placed his picture in all of the government and non government offices and printed millions of books on his life filled with his speeches but don’t bother to implement what he actually propagated.

After 2001, the incident not only affected USA and its citizens; it has had deep impact on people all over the world and in particular Pakistan.

First and foremost we had to side by USA in the War Against Terrorism. News channels, newspapers and the internet are filled with only the tragedy that struck USA that day and the death anniversary of Quaid has moved backstage.

It no longer is a gazetted holiday and the children of today only know of the twin tower hitting incident.

The other day in the school where I teach we had held a special assembly on the life of Quaid-e-Azam and students of grade 6 and 7 were asking what was the other event that happened besides 9/11.

It’s amazing how we have conveniently prioritized the events and have placed the events that will help our next generations to understand our history in the background and have given importance to dates that are significant for other countries.

Although progression and gaining knowledge of current affairs is good but I feel that we need to be strongly rooted in our history to grow strong in our future. For us to be real patriots and appreciate our country we need to make sure that we know where we hail from and how much was sacrificed to attain what we have in our hands today?

Pandora's Box: Introduction - Aabi Asif

Pakistan is a country fortunate to be blessed with many treasures. Four provinces that have diverse physical features - the plains and mountains of Sarhad, the coastal line of Sindh, the rich fields in Punjab the land of five rivers and the minerally rich mountain range of Balochistan.

Not only do these provinces differ in their physical features, they all have a world of their own with their special and unique culture. The food, dresses, music, life style, architecture all vary from each other and have added colour in our lives.

I look forward to exploring all of these wonderful treasures each week with you.

Pandora’s Box will include all these areas individually each week starting with the land of five rivers, Punjab. We will explore one area each week to add to our local knowledge.

Adios till next week
Aabi

Postcards from Pakistan: Badshahi Mosque - Faraz Niaz

Donate Blood!

What's your plan for the day? How about fighting along your troops and security forces? Or saving a life otherwise? It's sometimes very easy to forget the importance of donating blood.

Whether it's the sons of this soil fighting for your safety because they choose to or security forces getting injured inorder to save you from harm or our fellow countrymen fighting an unfortunate circumstance... You can make a difference!

Would you think twice before donating blood for those who are not thinking twice giving their life for you?? Find your local Combined Military Hospital (CMH) or Military Hospital (MH) and be the blood running through the veins of the Defenders of this nation!

Donate Blood. Be the Hero.

Pakistan Youth Alliance - Swat Refugee Initiatives

It was on February 16, 2009, much before operation ‘Rah-e-Rast’ had begun, when few young individuals came on the streets of Islamabad and Lahore to raise money for the women of Swat who had been deprived of the right of education. When others were only protesting against the growing effect of ‘Talebanisation’ in Swat, these individuals were in fact on the roads to do something about the next generation of Swat who were likely to grow up without the light of education if the situation persisted. In no time, they were able to collect Rs 250,000 for the burnt schools in Swat from the streets of Islamabad.

When the war drums started beating and tanks began rolling in Buner, these young individuals were sitting in a TV show vowing to put aside their differences on whether they support the operation or not, and to launch an effective relief campaign for the internally displaced persons. Their faces wore determination and compassion, and they appealed to the youth to step forward, and to live the change instead of demanding one. These individuals were from Pakistan Youth Alliance, a youth based and youth administered non-political organisation.

Having a history that starts from Musharraf’s Emergency rule, PYA had stood up when and before no one even cared. A group of youth were more politically and socially aware then their peers, which realized the dream of having an unbiased platform for the youth of Pakistan, different from the “student unions” which were used by political parties to realize their shady motives. Casually dressed in jeans young boys and girls, ostentatiously representing the ‘urban elite’ which is often labeled as apathetic, were out there in scorching heat of noon in Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar and Karachi, when they ought to be sitting in their air-conditioned homes. It was a heart warming sight as they had not only set up camps at various market places but they also reached personally to people and asked them to contribute generously. It all started from Bahria Town, Islamabad where Rs 100,000 were collected in few hours on May 16, and they targeted Mardan Khas government school on the very next day to distribute the relief items. The first relief effort was successfully completed in 36 hrs, and the spark they ignited had to spread amongst masses and turn into a big fire.

With every passing day their ranks started to swell as more and more young people joined the cause and donations started rising. They held fundraising campaigns during the whole week in different cities, and on the weekends instead of sitting on comfy sofas at some eating place they reached those far lying schools of Mardan and Swabi which were holding fresh refugees. PYA had representation of local young individuals who knew the region well, and this made the task of need assessment easier. In this manner they touched hundreds of families. On their second trip they distributed relief items of worth more than half a million rupees in schools of Mardan Khas and Daula Zai. This practice continued for the weeks to come as they also reached families in the areas of Shakrial in Islamabad and Topi, Swabi.

Their work still continues as they believe that these relief efforts must not be worn out by time. The work of PYA has been acknowledged by various segments of media and people belonging to different walks of life. By posting pictures, documentations and receipts on various social networking websites like facebook, they were open to all to ensure transparency and accountability, which appealed greatly to the donors. The pictures of young kids of Swat smiling celestially and wearing tags and shirts of PYA have often replaced apathy with the feeling of empathy in the hearts of many. They proclaim to “Live the change” instead of just proposing it and how well have they lived up to their words.

What is enthralling about these people is that they are not an outgrowth of some political party or a NGO. PYA comprises of bright young individuals belonging to various universities, or who have different jobs, and they know no divides on the lines of sectarianism or provincialism. Rather than limiting themselves in daily drudgery, they take some time out of their daily routine to ponder how they themselves can be the change they believe in.

As Wordsworth had written about the French Revolution, “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive... But to be young was very Heaven.” The current wave of youth activism is a silent revolution, not a rebellious one indeed. And it is very heaven to be young these days.

The ways of world have changed
Tune is new, Instruments have changed
Free your mind from mental slavery
Make the young masters of the old
- Husham Ahmed

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More on PYA coming soon...

Pakistan Youth Alliance

Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Citizens Trust Blog, takes immense pride in presenting to you... Pakistan Youth Alliance.
What follows is a compilation of material from various sources. We urge you to read, review and watch everything... If this doesn't wake you up... Nothing will!





An Interview with the Founding Force of Pakistan Youth Alliance.
By Khadija Ranjha on January 23, 2009

Source: The Viewspaper

Mr. Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi is a 22 year old man, who lives in Islamabad, Pakistan. Very recently, he, along with his friends, started a youth movement, that by the looks of it is all set to change the course of our country. With planned and organized rallies being held throughout the country, the Pakistan Youth Alliance is serving its purpose well by providing a platform for the youth of today.

The PYA, although only initiated a few months back, has already shown its potential, and will hopefully lead Pakistan forward! I got a chance to talk to Syed Ali Abbas Zaidi about the PYA, the difficulties he had to face, and his achievements and the future of Pakistan, and his commitment to his cause is a force to reckon with.

VP- Tell me about your movement, the Pakistan Youth Alliance. What is it about?

PYA- PYA is silent revolution; it is by no means a rebellious initiative. We don’t like to point, we aim to change! We don’t mean to burn, we aim to spark! PYA is a youth motivated, youth run, and youth centered non-political/ indigenous movement which aims to wake the youth of Pakistan from the sleep of apathy. We have had it with the flaws, we have had it with injustice and we have had it being quiet. The anger in us all boils our inside so much that we wish to scream, but if we come out on streets in an unorganized manner, no one would listen.

We are educated, we are enlightened and we wish to change the mindsets! We start from self-accountability and self realization (Khudi - Iqbal) and then wish to spread the vibes in our schools, universities and neighborhoods. We want to realize the dream of Iqbal and make it Quaid’s Pakistan. We want to change the attitude “this is Pakistan, everything works!”. We want to make the kids realize that they would have to lead this country, in whatever capacity they would be, so they must be mentally prepared to put their country’s interest before personal gains and lusts. We wish to nourish their souls, so that 160 million souls coincide to form such a strong bond, that it won’t be broken and no one would dare challenge our sovereignty and eye our land!

We started as three people, we are getting hundreds of e-mails and calls every day of youth wanting to join us. From Bajaur (non-Talibanized youth) to Toronto, Pakistan, the youth yearns to be noticed and we will provide a stable platform for them, so that they are heard! And they have the courage to challenge what is wrong, even if it is a small matter in their vicinities. From individual to a collective level – that is how we aim to live the change we want to see in this country

VP- What motivated or inspired you to start this?

PYA- I was like everyone else. I was sitting at Hotspot with some friends, who were here from Harvard and some who were just angry at what drama had unfolded in the country, I am talking about the time of emergency, when the only emergency seemed to be in President’s House. The moment emergency was announced, we started roaming around in the capital to see where the emergency was at, but we couldn’t find it anywhere.

When some people thought that keeping us in the dark and blocking media and outside world contact might help us absorb what they were doing, we had this sudden revelation that we have to stand up. If we won’t, who will? This anger in us, when channelized properly, gave us the strength and courage to stand up and make ourselves heard, and by the grace of God, we are at least trying.

VP- What difficulties have you had to/still face with regard to the development of the PYA?

PYA- Difficulties! The more precious the thing is, the harder it is to get. Nature teaches us that. The more the struggle, the greater the rift and the in the end, the greater the prize! We are facing pressures from everyone, families to intelligence to big shot political parties, this has never happened in the history of this country. We are being stopped in every step. They try to malign what is so needed, you can’t ignore it! You have to fight and remain true, like a soldier in war, we won’t give up, even if it takes everything away from us.

VP- What would you call your success milestones over the years?

PYA- I got a call from Bajaur agency, a young passionate Pakistani who loved Pakistan to the core, his village was bombed, 42 members of his family died and he still had the purity to love his country! He called and wanted to join us, I met him and he melted my heart.

I did an event that got postponed to another date due to weather conditions, a woman in green Vitz with a Pakistan flag souring high from her window came with her little kids, I stood there and it melted my heart.

I get e-mails and calls daily from America to Japan, passionate Pakistani youth wanting to join us. That is my milestone, and that is what gives me hope and instills in me, greater faith! We are good people, Pakistanis, we just need to learn from our past and wake up. Like Iqbal says, “God hasn’t changed the state of that nation, that which in itself does not want to change!” We need to understand Iqbal; his words are enough to guide us and show us light.

VP- What reaction did you get from your family and peers when you told them your plans regarding the PYA?

PYA- Initially, my family didn’t support me. They had issues with me being a “kid” and “trying to be a hero” but with time they realized that a person has to do what he has to do. They realized that if they, the educated lot would stop me from trying to wake people up, imagine what would happen to the rest 70 % of the uneducated?

I request every parent/guardian/teacher reading this, that it is your responsibility more than mine to try and change the mind sets of the strayed youth of this country. We are 60% of the total population. We are the future of this country, you did a terrible job and brought us here, at least realize it now and prepare little soldiers in your houses. If you would discourage them, we would cease to be. The whole world is after us!

VP- To what extent is the media influential in enhancing the mental development of the youth?

PYA- Media can play the role of the catalyst to reform our society, it needs to be more responsible and create the right “hype “. All this negativity won’t help! How many programs have you seen on these 30 odd TV channels with good looking women being the newscasters and reporting that Shahrukh Khan’s new movie has been released? They need to set their priorities straight and play the role of a catalyst rather than making fuss all the time!

VP-Can the PYA ever serve as a foundation for a political career in the future for you?

PYA- I am already being contacted by big shot political personalities asking to join them. But the seeds that I have sown will take time to grow, let it grow and if this dream transforms into reality, you will see us running this country.

VP- What does the youth of today mean to you?

PYA- Youth of today is a dark house. Youth of today is the light at the end of the tunnel. Youth of today would define who we would be in 2020. Youth of today can lead us. They are the ONLY HOPE!

Very few people at such a young age actually take the initiative to work towards such causes, and I, like many other people my age, was thoroughly impressed with what the PYA has planned in the near future. Such movements have potential, and will hopefully, go a long way!

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Everyone who wants to be a part of this unprecedented movement can
E-mail at pakistanyouthalliance@gmail.com
Phone: +92.333.4532030
Facebook Group “Pakistan Youth Alliance”
Web Portal: http://www.pya.org.pk/

Mobilink Camp becomes operational - First Families Move In!

In just one week since Mobilink announced its formal commitment to establish a relief camp for 1,000 displaced families and has committed $ 1 million to it, it is an honour to share that the first families have begun to move into the camp, with approx. 200 families expected to be inhabited by end of week.

Mobilink camp, situated at Kund Park near Nowshera, is located on the confluence of the Indus and Kabul rivers where NWFP meets Punjab province. This park is a tourist destination with greenery and lush vegetation providing plenty of shade. Children’s recreational areas are also available on site such as swings.

With the dedicated efforts of our various teams including Procurement, Security and Marketing, in consultation with the implementing partners, the camp establishment has been divided into phases to ensure that the IDPs are accommodated at the earliest. In the first phase, approx. 200 tents have already been pitched. Latrines and sanitation areas as well as water tanks have also been installed on-site to ensure adequate access to basic amenities. Upon registration, each family is provided with the following items:

· Tent
· Bedding
· Water buckets & Jerry cans
· Chatai (floor mat)
· Kitchen utensils including cooking pots, cutlery and crockery
· Food rations
· Personal Hygiene kits including towel, washing and laundry soaps, tooth paste and toothbrush, combs
· Water cooler
· Mosquito nets

Incoming families will be provided with cooked food for the first couple of days as they settle in. Planning to set up a Basic Health Unit as well as primary and secondary schools is underway.

Procurement of items has been personally conducted and supervised by a team of Mobilink employees to ensure that quality standards are maintained.

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The blog admin urges you to make hearty donations. Donations can be made at Mobilink offices at Special Donations Camps set on site.

Life's Too Short- So Why Wait?

A short story competition for brilliant young Pakistani minds.

I love the jury: Kamila Shamsee, Daniyal Mueenuddin and Mohammad Hanif (a case of exploding mangoes)!

There are cash prizes for the winners and amazing opportunities to get your story published.

All details on http://www.lifestooshort.pk/

Deadline is the 30th of June, so Hurry and express yourself with a lovely story.

Writers Block: Lets Get Local - Bushra Hassan

I can not speak any local language. I do now know any. Of the over dozen languages spoken in my country, I know none. I do know English though, which is why I’m here. Writing, communicating to a wider audience. I have reached out, through articles and academic papers to the international community, but it’s a shame I am unable to converse with the IDPs, who have moved to my city, and tell them I care. I do not have the words. I can not understand when they share their plight. I will not be able to reach out to my own people, and for that I am ashamed.

My parents spoke Punjabi at home, sometimes, mostly to speak to the servants in the house, but I was never interested. No one spoke these languages in school. It was considered uncouth. I do know enough Punjabi to sing along to wedding songs, and Kh. Khursheed Anwar’s timeless music. I understand Punjabi, somewhat, but what about other languages. What about the rest of my people?

I work in the development sector, because I want to help. Period. No two ways about it. But how can I go about propagating wanting to reach out to the people when I am handicapped. Rozan Islamabad needs volunteers to provide counseling to the IDPs. I want to be a part of this process, part of this journey. I want to feel like I’m a small part of something bigger, better, greater than myself. Yet, I can not.

What about our Sindhi siblings, and the Baloch, who feel alienated and isolated? If only I, with my Islamabad upbringing, fashionable English and western attire, could go and sit inside a Balochi home, and speak in their language, listen to their stories. Maybe then they would feel less isolated.My daughter is two. She talks more than her father and I combined, and yet, we have taught her nothing but urdu and some feeble English. Her cousins, I feel, are superior, since they speak Seraiki at home. My daughter will remain underprivileged because she is privileged. I urge you all, as I urge myself, not to deprive your child or yourself from the essence of who we are. Urdu, we are proud of, but other languages connect us to each other. Just as we encourage our children to connect to the outside, let’s connect to one another. Maybe that will make us a better nation, more united, more together.

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Urdu is the national language of Pakistan and English is the official language. Apart from Urdu and English, there are four major provincial languages spoken in Pakistan and these are Punjabi (44%), Pashto (15%), Sindhi (14%) and Baluchi (4%). The number of living languages listed for Pakistan is 72, some with millions and some with only around thousand or so speakers.

photo source: http://twitpic.com/61sip

Soap Box: Cause & Effect - Zahid Husain

The innocent people of this Motherland, inherited from the will of intentions of Mohammad Ali Jinnah Quaid e Azam, have been both intentionally and carelessly led down the proverbial garden path, by the 2nd and 3rd generations of Baboos who run this Motherland, seriously believing that they have be ordained into the ruling elite, conveniently forgetting who pays their wages and all their benefits , fringe and stolen! They are in fact, in the simplest of terms,

civil servants in the employ of the state, to manage it. Just like the Armed Forces are likewise employed to defend it! No the establishment or the Bureaucracy!

How and why you ask, aghast at such a suggestion! Simply put in one word, EDUCATION.

Having grown up going to a range of schools from some that had class rooms without roofs and doors to 'tatties' (toilets) in Gujranwala (late 1949-51)! to the posh upper class ones like Trinity School, Karachi, run by the great old lady Miss Dickens, (early 1950 s), Saint Josephs Convent (Sister Cecelia), Saint Francis Grammar School, Quetta ( Father Cadeireo, later Cardinal), Saint Marys PAF School, Peshawar (Father Grant) where I got the basic grounding in my EDUCATION and went to College at Edwardes College, Peshawar, (Phil Edmonds, aka Baba) my greatest Teacher and Mentor in EDUCATION and life!

While this was unfolding, I noted how my family ensured that the children of the cook of many years, were also getting an EDUCATION, not just at school but at home with exposure to a better life style!

While this was unfolding, I noted how my family ensured that the children of the cook of many years, were also getting an EDUCATION, not just at school but at home with exposure to a better life style! The result was that they all studied to BA level before one son became an executive in an Insurance firm in the 1960 s, one daughter married a Businessman living in East Pakistan, one daughter joined the Nursing Services in the PAF Medical Corps and married an airforce officer! the youngest was still studying when I lost track of them; the father was a young tea picker in the Kangra Valley who got a job as a masaalchee before I was born. He retired as the Head Chef of the PAF Officers Mess, at Mauripur in the 1970 s!

Now coming back to the realities of today, EDUCATION has failed us or we have failed it, and in turn failed the entire Motherland; have you noticed, how I avoid the use of the word Nation, and choose the word Motherland? reason, we are NOT a Nation yet after 60+ years! sadly.

Upon analysis, I concluded that over the last 60 years, our EDUCATION system has steadily deteriorated, despite everything the money pumped into the sector by entrepreneurs, wishing to make a buck did not provide EDUCATION. How, well for starters we did not research or

develop our syllabus to keep pace with modern times, we did not spread it to the lower levels of the population and if we tried it was too little too late!

More importantly, the delivery system for EDUCATION has been 'nakas' as we say in the vernacular. We have nuclear scientists, aviators, miners, medical men, you name them we have them, and we have Baboos but we do not have top level,high grade teachers! not enough of them at all for 16 million population!

There are not enough Top Quality colleges and Universities for the profession of EDUCATION.
Why? its obvious!!! the wages they get don't draw or attract the finest brains in the land! so there isn't a demand for EDUCATION institutions; and that's where we have failed our Motherland and the hapless EDUCATION fraternity.

We are still continuing to give little priority to EDUCATION in the budget and unless more generous allocation is made we will slide further down the tube to oblivion among the lessor developed states in the world, sad but true!

I returned to the Motherland in the mid 80s and very quickly realised the problem, first I went

around requesting people to make me the minister of EDUCATION, and they laughed when I told them why! then I went around wanting then (Baboos) to make teachers the highest paid cadre in the land, they laughed again!! I ask who's laughing now! not me! I ground my teeth with frustration and my dentist got rich! but still I wasn't able to make the difference.

So, here is, what we all must do, put one child/person through school so they can develop in to contributing members of society, at any level, along side that push for more allocation in Federal and Provincial budgets in EDUCATION and only elect those to the Parliament who have a sworn commitment to further the cause of EDUCATION!

Maybe, one day, someone who is a daily wage laborer will sit down at his home and browse the net and say, Amen!

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About Zahid Husain: Formerly, Head of Business Development with various Multi-National Companies, a senior and experienced, conceptually literate management professional, his career has spanned over 39 years encompassing both executive marketing and head office management roles. A result driven “Serial Start-up Professional”, He has developed, guided and implemented successful strategies for the various Multi-Nationals belonging to both Manufacturing and Services Sectors, in which, he was a highly contributing member of the management team. For the Past 10 years he has managed his own HR Services & Solutions firm.

In Harsh Times, Pakistanis Seek Comfort On Facebook - Pia Sawhney

Source: The Huffington Post

When Arshad Kaleem left Baton Rouge for Pakistan two weeks ago to attend ceremonies following his mother's funeral, his wife Saima posted her fears online by updating her Facebook status. Bombings erupted in Lahore just hours after Kaleem boarded his flight.

Saima Zaman-Kaleem is glad Arshad is almost in Islamabad and very worried about things in Pakistan

she wrote in the status line of her profile on the widely popular social networking website.

Nearly instantaneously, her update elicited support and sympathy from friends and family members. "InshaAllah he goes safely and comes back safely," wrote one poster. "Yeah, it's crazy there," her brother replied. "I told mom to be careful too!" Another friend tried to console her. "Oh boy," she wrote, following the phrase with a string of prayers and good wishes in Urdu.

While the nation's news media has been prohibited from reporting extensively on military exercises, on Facebook and over instant text and e-mail messaging, concerns crop up swiftly among Pakistani users when attacks ensue. Lately, among those Pakistanis who live either at home or abroad, discussions on whether the government's offensive to root out Taliban militants might have been implemented any sooner are becoming commonplace.

Estimates reflect three million people have now been displaced from Buner and Swat districts - a figure akin to the late nineteen-forties when the region saw tremendous upheaval during Partition, that moment in which modern India and Pakistan were first formed. The vast migration of people to the two, newly-cast, separate territories forced millions from their lands and ancestral homes at the time, leaving families vulnerable to mob attacks, rioting and civil unrest.

The day Kaleem's plane landed in Islamabad he had planned to attend ceremonies in his mother's hometown of Malakand, a village near Swat, several miles north.

But once he arrived, explosions seventy-five miles south in the eastern city of Lahore prompted him to change course. Minutes from the blasts, Shahana Munawar, a mother of two, began alerting friends and family as she watched the news. She uploaded television footage of the incidents to her Facebook profile. Munawar had been called to pick her children up from school and, at the time the incidents occurred, felt her doors and windows vibrate.

It was alarming. [I] didn't know what it was till messages poured in. Got a call from my 6-year old's school to collect him in the middle of final exams. The school decided summer vacation was in immediate effect.

In response to the news footage Munawar posted, one friend considered other harrowing moments in the country's previously unstable past.

This reminds me of all the madness that happened in Karachi and in the southern part of the country in the 80s

he commented under her video.

I remember some place called Bhori Bazaar and seeing pictures in Time magazine.

Pakistanis have experienced significant violence in recent weeks, but similar incidents in the late seventies plagued the country, after the proxy war the US launched in Afghanistan to thwart Soviet interests, made life perilous for locals. Weapons that flooded the country's frontier provinces brought mayhem to city residents. Similar explosions were planned in prominent and heavily-trafficked civilian areas. Karachi, otherwise isolated by its geography in the south, turned out being most vulnerable to resulting sectarian clashes.

Mehreen Jabbar, a Pakistani filmmaker, based in the city was emotional the day of the Lahore bombings.

My bleeding, beloved country

she wrote in an update. The response to her post was brisk and spirited. "It hurts," wrote one Facebook friend. Another suggested people donate to help those displaced from Swat Valley. Others urged for a local theatre production promoting patriotism and free expression.

In an interview, Saima Zaman-Kaleem was rueful. "This operation is something that should have happened years ago. Why would they take this long to do it? Why broker a compromise in Swat at all?" Zaman-Kaleem's family members, in the meanwhile, canceled plans to have the funeral in Malakand after curfews were instituted, and relatives instead opted to stay in Peshawar where much of the family is based. However, Zaman-Kaleem says they are now considering a move to areas away from the outskirts where much of the family lives and where military operations are underway. Instead, they're searching for a place closer to the city center.

Munawar stressed that her friends on Facebook are concerned about safety but haven't yet opted to move. According to her, they support the military's offensive.

Most people I know have one stance and that is, "Long live the troops, drop dead Taleban." They are not taking any measures to leave or migrate. If they travel, it's only for summer break.

She added the city is back to normal and that people who choose not to leave home daily do so not because they fear attacks, but because of citywide power cuts and the unforgiving summer heat.

URL: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pia-sawhney/in-harsh-times-pakistanis_b_213929.html

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Pia Sawhney, Director/producer, Chai Break Films. Pia is an award-winning independent producer and director, and has collaborated on films for PBS/Frontline, PBS/American Experience, HBO and MTV Networks. She holds a graduate degree in broadcast journalism, and lives in New York.

HuffPost profile:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pia-sawhney/
"Roots In The Garden" short film (9') & website:
http://mediastorm.org/workshops_0002.htm
"Out of Status" short film (11'):
http://current.com/items/76442962_out-of-status.htm
"Out of Status" feature film site (info only):
www.outofstatus.com

I SPY: Having a Blast, Pakistan Style - Sadaf Zarrar

Recently, some friends who are due to arrive in Pakistan for an upcoming wedding inquired if it was safe to visit. Whereas I don't blame them at all for generating this query courtesy the world media mostly and the on ground situation partially, I did smile after reassuring them it would be fine. Perhaps you'll wonder why I smiled, and that was at the beautiful irony of the situation itself... People worrying about their security; yet here we are gearing to celebrate the Shadi in the true Pakistani style and colours.

This is my Pakistan. For most of you, who live here and a few of you who might be contemplating a visit or just googling Pakistan for the sheer sake of curiosity, I present to you my beloved homeland and its people... Finally, the Taliban has met its match.

I will not get into the politics of how we ended where we are now, perhaps because I firmly believe that this isn't the end to begin with. But I will tell you where we are... We are passing through a very difficult time, there is no denying that. Where we end up from here will greatly be defined as who we are... and let me tell you...

We cry when our people cry and together we laugh heartier than any nation in this world. We are the best of friends and unfortunately for the Taliban, we are also the worst of enemies.

We are a nation as colourful as the Yellow Mustard that grows in our fields, or the Red that a bride adorns, or as Green as our flag that flies, as Blue as each one of the rivers that gushes through our land. We are musical... Tablas, Dhols, Sarangis, Sitars, Bansories... you name it. We are festive, we celebrate our Eids with the same fervor that we celebrate our independence day and even Basant, We are nation that is alive... we cry when our people cry and together we laugh heartier than any nation in this world. We are the best of friends and unfortunately for the Taliban, we are also the worst of enemies. We are nation of brave women, who send their sons to war with their head high, We are a nation of brave men who will gladly give their lives three times over before letting anyone take us over!


All this is probably sounding extremely emotional to you... and it is. But that is who we are. So yes, when I say the Taliban has met its match, I say this because we cannot and will not let them win. Such is the resilience of my country and its people. We have so far survived what not many nations could... and we have come out stronger. Our people are more inspired and involved today than they have ever been.

We have so far survived what not many nations could... and we have come out stronger. Our people are more inspired and involved today than they have ever been.

For every time the cowardly jackasses blow themselves up, our people are more resolved to get rid of them. What the world sees of us today is grey, but take it from me... As soon as the sun rises you will see all the colours of this beautiful nation.

As Jarrar would say: 'Pakistan Hamesha Zindabad'

Taliban feel Pakistani wrath after mosque blast

Source: Yahoo News

Library Image: Local Jirga Tribemen, You don't mess with them!!

Source: www.samsearth.com

By ASIF SHAHZAD, Associated Press Writer Asif Shahzad, Associated Press Writer – Sun Jun 7, 10:56 am ET

ISLAMABAD – Hundreds of Pakistani tribesmen furious over a deadly suicide bombing at a mosque laid siege to several Taliban strongholds in their troubled northwestern region, killing at least 11 militants, officials said Sunday.

The weekend clashes appeared to be the latest evidence of growing anti-Taliban sentiment in U.S.-allied Pakistan, a shift that comes as suicide attacks have surged and the military wages an offensive in the nearby Swat Valley.

attack on the mosque left 33 worshippers dead and wounded dozens more during Friday prayers, angering residents of the Haya Gai area of Upper Dir district who have had tensions and minor clashes with local militants for months.
Some 400 villagers banded together to attack five villages in the nearby Dhok Darra area that were known militant strongholds, said Atif-ur-Rehman, the district coordination officer.

The citizens' militia has occupied three of the villages since Saturday and was trying to push the Taliban out of the other two Sunday. Some 20 houses suspected of harboring Taliban were destroyed, he said.
At least 11 militants had died as of Sunday afternoon, district police Chief Ejaz Ahmad said. He said around 200 militants were putting up a tough fight but were surrounded by the villagers.
The government has encouraged local citizens to set up militias, known as lashkars, to oust Taliban fighters, especially in the regions that border Afghanistan where al-Qaida and the Taliban have hide-outs. But villagers' willingness to do so has often hinged on confidence that authorities will back them up if necessary.
With the army reporting advances against the Taliban in Swat — an operation that also reaches into Lower Dir district and has broad public support — that confidence appears to be growing.
Already, military officials say that as they've proceeded with the operation in Swat, local residents who have remained in the region have grown increasingly cooperative, providing tips on militants' hide-outs and more. "It is something very positive that tribesmen are standing against the militants. It will discourage the miscreants," Rehman said.

Ahmad, the police chief, added, "We will send security forces, maybe artillery too, if the villagers ask for a reinforcement."

Najmuddin Malik, a lawmaker from Upper Dir, said the militants fighting with villagers were from all over Pakistan, including Swat, but that most were foreigners. He said there was no need for army intervention yet.
"People there have arms, small and big, and they are fighting on their own," Malik said. The month-old Swat offensive, the latest round in a valley that has experienced fighting for two years, is seen as a test of Pakistan's resolve to take on al-Qaida and Taliban fighters on its soil.

The U.S. hopes the offensive will eliminate a potential sanctuary for militants implicated in attacks on Western forces across the border in Afghanistan.

More than 1,300 militants and 105 soldiers have died so far in the offensive, the military says.
The offensive has generally broad public support, thanks in part to Pakistani anger over a video showing militants flogging a young woman and a speech by a pro-Taliban cleric that condemned the notions of democracy and elections.

Taliban infiltration into a district just 60 miles (95 kilometers) from the capital also rattled Pakistanis who had long considered the militancy a distant problem easily blamed on the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

The Taliban have threatened to stage suicide attacks in major Pakistani cities in revenge for the Swat operation.

One attack that seemed to fit with the threat came late Saturday in Islamabad, when a man wearing an explosives-laden jacket attacked a police compound but was shot before he could enter the main building. Two officers died and six were wounded in the explosion, police said.
Also Sunday, police in the southern city of Karachi said they arrested a would-be bomber allegedly linked to Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud. Explosives and bomb-laden jackets were found during the morning raid, senior police official Javed Bukhari said, "He was planning to carry out large attacks in Karachi with other accomplices, but we have averted the attempt," Bukhari said.

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Associated Press writers Habib Khan in Khar and Ashraf Khan in Islamabad contributed to this report.

For a Change, Ask what 'YOU' can do for the Country - Pinkish Green

Folks,

The time has come. The time to rise, the time to make a positive difference, the time to give a damn (about things other than Shahrukh Khan and your neighbours love life) and the time to get your hands down and dirty. Your country needs you! And while it may seem that she has not given you anything, you are what you are because of her.

Time to separate the boys from men, Time to separate women of substance from women on substance. You can choose to fail; you can choose to do nothing (Going to the pakistan India Cricket match wearing the Pakistan Green doesn't necessarily count). But, where you have always asked what your country has done for you, I ask you... what have you ever done for this country? The question is answered by a question always ‘…but what can we do?’

I am extremely sorry to say, I find the ‘helpless’ tone in this question almost pathetic. Do we still have to ask what we can do? Look around you, the more pertinent question to ask here is, where do I start? As a result of a fairly fruitful random discussion on the topic, I have to thank a good friend, for having come up with what I will choose to call. The ‘A little more, for a Whole lot more’ List:

Respect:
Perhaps one of the biggest problems with our society is lack of respect. We don’t respect anyone but our own selves, who perhaps we respect a little more than needed. I urge everyone to instill a sense of respect in themselves and people around them. Insist and Emphasize on dignity of Labor, Someone’s financial status does not and should not dictate the respect you give. Start calling people ‘AAP’ for a change. You’re pretty educated; act and sound like you are too!

Pay the Household Help More:
We are lucky to live in a country where labor comes cheap. As a result we have maids and drivers and gardeners and cleaners and chefs and God only knows who else. By paying someone more, you’re increasing their quality of life. A few thousand might not pinch you as much, but they will make a huge difference in someone else’s life. Run a welfare state in your house, it pays back in more ways than you can imagine.

Teach:
If you dedicate man hours to actually go to an underprivileged school great, but if you feel that it’s not worth messing your Gucci loafers, teach at home. Teach underprivileged children Mathematics, Teach Parveen or Nasreen or whoever works for you a thing or two about the benefits of family planning, give out basic lessons on hygiene or civic sense or patriotism… I’m sure you’ll find plenty around you desperately needing these lessons, teach someone how to use a computer or Perhaps English. No excuses!

Blog:
If you’re smart enough to read this, you’re probably smart enough to write this. Trying googling Pakistan or Pakistan Police or Pakistan Army or anything Pakistan. Make it your mission to change the way the World (wide web) sees Pakistan. Start uploading positive images, start writing positive thoughts, start commenting on negative news items about Pakistan. The world needs to know that we’re not a lost cause and you of all the things sure as hell aren’t.

If you can think of anything else to add to this list feel free to add to comments.

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'In a world of Blues, here I am to give the Pink perspective on everything Green.' Think Pink? Share your thoughts: auntypakistani@gmail.com

Where is our Yellow Ribbon - Ayeda Naqvi

Our soldiers are men who willingly lay down their lives, men who often return maimed or paralysed to their families. In other countries, such men would enjoy heroic statures. And yet, here in Pakistan, when they turn on their television sets at night, they see their nation scoffing at them.

Many years ago, as a student in New York, I was invited to my roommate’s house for the weekend. Her parents lived a couple of hours away from the city in a quiet little town where she had grown up. As for myself, I must admit, I was looking forward to leaving the concrete jungle of Manhattan behind for a few days.

As we drove over the Willis Avenue Bridge towards the Taconic Parkway, leaving the grey high-rises behind, I saw more than just the landscape change. And I realised that Manhattan was an island in more ways than one.

Besides being physically set apart from the land around it, it stood alone in its liberalism. The left-wing writers whom I loved, my professors who freely criticised their government, even the people rallying in front of the United Nations in protest of Bush Sr’s invasion of Iraq, had no place in small town America. This was a place where everyone was a “patriot”.

As we drove through the cluster of little streets that led to her house, I noticed that all the houses in her neighbourhood had either an American flag or a giant yellow ribbon pasted on the front door. The flag, I understood — the country was at war. But the yellow ribbon? “It’s our way of saying we support our troops,” said my roommate.

“But you said you didn’t feel that the invasion of Iraq was justified,” I said.

“I don’t,” she replied. “But I still support our troops — our soldiers who are willing to die for us.”

“But you said you didn’t feel that the invasion of Iraq was justified,” I said. “I don’t,” she replied. “But I still support our troops — our soldiers who are willing to die for us.”

That weekend, I admit, I got into many a debate about the yellow ribbons. Not only were they on the houses, they were pinned onto people’s clothes! They irked me. If you didn’t agree with your government, how could you support your troops? They were, after all, carrying the government’s agenda. I returned to the city on Sunday night quite irritated, convinced that everyone in suburbia was brainwashed.

It has been more than 17 years since that day. Much has happened in the world since then. But today, as Pakistan stands on the verge of anarchy, at war with an enemy that has seeped into the very fabric of our society, I long for an expression of unity. And I find myself thinking more and more of that yellow ribbon.

What is so wrong with being a patriot? And why are we afraid to rally behind our armed forces, to send out positive, supportive signs as these men lay down their lives for us?

What is so wrong with being a patriot? And why are we afraid to rally behind our armed forces, to send out positive, supportive signs as these men lay down their lives for us?

Since 9/11, the Pakistani army has suffered more than any other army in the world in terms of casualties. And yet we get nothing but negative reports about its performance in the media. One can be angry with Zardari, think that Musharraf sold out and believe that the ISI is a “sinister” organisation with its own agenda without losing compassion for our soldiers, the young men who are being killed every day.

These are men who willingly lay down their lives, men who often return maimed or paralysed to their families. In other countries, such men would enjoy heroic statures. And yet, here in Pakistan, when they turn on their television sets at night, they see their nation scoffing at them.

So fond of flinging mud on all in sight, our media moguls seem to have lost sight of the larger picture. And so used to being cynical, we have stopped empathising with those willing to die for us.

Seventeen years ago, I met a group of people in a small suburb of New York who were neither sophisticated nor educated. And yet they were able to recognise the shades of grey, the fact that it is possible to support your troops without blindly supporting your government.

Here in Pakistan today, we are too busy either being Taliban apologists or posing as intellectuals who feel it is our duty to run down everything in sight, without thinking of the national interest.

Here in Pakistan today, we are too busy either being Taliban apologists or posing as intellectuals who feel it is our duty to run down everything in sight, without thinking of the national interest.

As we stand on the eve of a massive crackdown on the Taliban, we need to realise that in the weeks and months ahead, there will be blood — dead soldiers and dead civilians. And yet there has never been a greater time to stand behind our troops, to show solidarity as a nation if we want to defeat the single greatest threat to our way of life.

Our intellectuals will have to learn that it is possible to be analytical without being negative, to be patriotic without being brainless. And our media moguls and talk show hosts will have to learn to stop catering to the lowest common denominator by sympathising with a group of murderers.

When Jinnah created Pakistan, he envisioned us as a nation that adhered to the principles of “Unity”, “Faith” and “Discipline”. For me there can be no greater show of unity than for a nation to support its troops. Maybe a yellow ribbon is not the answer. But I, for one, am putting a Pakistani flag outside my house today to show my solidarity with my nation — the one created by Jinnah, not the Taliban.

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Ayeda Naqvi is a journalist who lives and works in Lahore. She can be contacted at ayedanaqvi@yahoo.com

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