Many Faces of Pride of Pakistan Women

A social segment of Pakistan that deserves to be presented as a true pride of the country is women. If one tries to think of an area of activity in which Pakistan’s women are not actively participating, he will find none. 

From education to exploration, from social to natural sciences, from medical practice to civil aviation, from farming to business and human resource management, from human rights activism to active military service, from politics to diplomacy, from maintaining law and order to playing cricket, football and hockey and from journalism to judicial duties women are seen working, competing and winning in and outside their country making Pakistan and Pakistanis proud. 

In majority of the households women are literally in command in running day to day affairs. They look after their homes, husbands and children and often work outside home and run business houses too. They beautifully maintain a satisfactory balance in their domestic, professional and business activities. Exceptions are obviously there but not to such an alarming extent as unfortunately alleged in national and international media. 

From Fatima Jinnah to Benazir Bhutto women have always been allowed to play a leading role in country’s politics too. 

Is it unfair to expect from international media to highlight this neglected aspect of the role of women in Pakistan’s overall performance also? A number of television programs and documentaries have been produced and national award ceremonies have been organized within Pakistan to acknowledge the laudable contributions of women in their respective areas of expertise. 

International women organizations have also appreciated the role of women in promoting social and economic justice and equality, emphasizing women’s rights, fighting for democracy and freedom of expression. These women genuinely deserve to be presented in international media also. 

One cannot deny that there are cases of serious violation of women’s rights. These violations have been rightly condemned in national and international media through internationally acclaimed award winning documentaries creating awareness of the need for treating the women with respect and giving them equal rights in deciding what they want to do in their lives. 

A few pictures reflect how women are active in different walks of life. These pictures can be given voice and brought into action on CNN and other foreign TV channels to present them as genuine non-controversial role- models for women in Pakistan as well as other countries of the world.

How Important Obama’s Speech in Jerusalem is for Permanent Peace in and around Israel?

OBAMA’S 3-POINT PROPOSAL FOR PEACE IN AND AROUND ISRAEL!

PEACE IS NECESSARY, PEACE IS JUST AND PEACE IS POSSIBLE!

How these important words can turn an area of conflict into a heaven of peace?

Is peace necessary? Yes, it is.

Is peace just? Yes, it can be.

Is peace possible? Yes, it is because where there is a will there is always a way.

To begin with President Obama has pointed out a very important aspect of historical realities which have not been so passionately highlighted before:

“It’s a story of centuries of slavery, and years of wandering in the desert; a story of perseverance amidst persecution, and faith in God and the Torah. It’s a story about finding freedom in your own land. And for the Jewish people, this story is central to who you’ve become. But it’s also a story that holds within it the universal human experience, with all of its suffering, but also all of its salvation.”

“It’s a part of the three great religions — Judaism, Christianity, and Islam — that trace their origins to Abraham, and see Jerusalem as sacred.”

Jerusalem is the only place on earth that is equally sacred for Jews, Christians and Muslims. They have a long history of fighting against each other, killing each other, making each other homeless, winning and losing wars against each other.

Now they can put an end to it by agreeing to live together in peace. They need to now seriously consider two options:

“Israel-Palestine issue doesn’t have a military solution. The best way out is to bring on table a Blueprint for Guaranteed Fair Economic Co-Existence of Israelis and Palestinians through the establishment of equally accessible Economic Development Zones for the creation of business and employment opportunities with a definitive timeline declaring Jerusalem an International Religious Capital administered jointly by Jews, Christians and Muslims with proportionate representation and equal voting rights.”

It is proposed to set up two independent task forces to prepare blue prints for inter-religions harmony and a comprehensive economic development package covering both Israeli and Palestinian areas focusing initially on points of consensus first and then gradually add those points on which there are such differences that can be amicably resolved. Once the two parties agree on the outline then they can start working on “Pilot Projects for Religious Harmony and Economic Development” to monitor, evaluate and review the implementation process, outcome and put up other plans for the future.

The exchange of threats and politically annoying statements needs to be immediately stopped.

In today’s world it is easy to threaten a declared and or undeclared nuclear state. No sensible person can even imagine a country’s leadership to practically indulge in such an act of suicidal madness.

Israel is now a reality and the Muslim world will have to live with it. Similarly, it will be good for Israelis and Palestinians to understand that:

Peace is necessary.

Peace is just.

and

Peace is possible.

The world cannot afford a state of perpetual uncertainty and tension in one of the world’s most sensitive economic zones. It will be in the interest of the entire world to demand immediate serious action for the implementation of Obama’s 3-Point Proposal for Permanent Peace in and Around Israel.

Counting the cost of Iraq War and A Politician who was right about Iraq War

Two stories with thanks from Mr. Phil Ebersole’s Blog

I am pleased to share two stories by Mr. Phil Ebersole without any comment.

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-945054

This is what Obama said in October 2002 when he was a Senator:

“I know that even a successful war against Iraq will require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences.”

“I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of al-Qaeda.”

http://usliberals.about.com/od/extraordinaryspeeches/a/Obama2002War.htm

This is what the spokesman of Bush said:

“The invasion of Iraq was going to be a cakewalk, and the cost would be paid out of Iraq oil revenues.”

And now look at:

The Iraq War Ledger (2013 Update)
A Look at the War’s Human, Financial, and Strategic Costs

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/report/2013/03/19/57173/the-iraq-war-ledger-2013-update/

After reading all this is there anything left to say?

The answer is that there is nothing more precious than a human life. Material cost of war is of no importance.

THE COST OF LIFE, IRRESPECTIVE OF THE CONSIDERATION OF WHOSE LIFE IT IS, A CHRISTIAN, A JEW, A HINDU OR A MUSLIM, DEFINITELY IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE.

After all they are all human beings and belong to the same family as sons and daughters of Adam and Eve.

I wish and pray that we try to understand and always keep that in mind for making the world a better place to live!

LOVE TO ALL — MALICE TO NONE!

Why governance has become a labor of Sisyphus? Part 1

Why global good governance has become a labor of sisyphus?

The missing contextual connection between what we are doing and what needs to be done!

Pakistan Iran Gas Pipeline: An idea for replacing diplomacy of confrontation with dialogue for economic cooperation

By: Zahid Hussain Khalid

The timing of the inauguration of Pak-Iran Gas Pipeline has multiple geo-economic, diplomatic and military dimensions that need to be re-visited.

The historical background and its different aspects can be studied here:

http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2011/11/25/news/profit/iran-pakistan-gas-pipeline-traversing-history/
http://www.riazhaq.com/2012/04/pakistans-shale-gas-with-us-ksa-help.html

Click to access ff124.pdf

http://www.lhrtimes.com/2013/02/28/us-openly-opposes-pak-iran-gas-pipeline-state-dept/
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93Pakistan_gas_pipeline

Iran is the second last frontier, Pakistan being the last frontier, in the war against terrorism as a strongly perceived threat to American and Israeli interests and survival as categorically declared by both the countries repeatedly. The economic strangulation of Iran through strict sanctions, though against the commercial interests of a large number of oil and gas dependent countries in every continent of the world, is a bitter pill that majority of the countries have been forced to swallow. Will this kind of diplomatic pressure through such sanctions will work or fire back is not yet clear because the serious impact of the efforts to economically isolate Iran has been so far non-productive for a number of defensive country-to-country counter measures by Iran and its trade partners. Things have not gone so bad that serious discussions on the re-alignment of economic, diplomatic and even military formations can be initiated in media because media only starts serious discussions on a subject when an event of historical significance knocks the heads of content developers and shakes up their fixed point charts, news bulletins and discussion programs.

What today’s global scenario presents is an arena full of ill-advised hawkish leaders with their boxing gloves on working on pre-planned military solutions of those artificially engineered issues that need to be discussed not with a bi-lateral or a multi-lateral but global perspective to replace diplomacy of confrontation and threats of military action with dialogue for economic cooperation by turning security threats into initiatives for global peace, progress and prosperity.

Israel is NOW a sovereign REALITY that cannot be IGNORED and defied for any reason whatsoever. The Muslim countries will have to ultimately admit that and live with it. Having said that now is the time that instead of pushing South Asia and Middle East into the hell of war without the slightest idea of the magnitude of its global impact it is better to stress on an initiative of peaceful co-existence forgetting and forgiving everything, particularly reminding or recalling who had done what, for making the world a better place to live. Instead of adding fuel to the fire it will be advisable to put an Economic Plan on table guaranteeing both Israelis and Palestinians that they will have equal access to social and economic opportunities and justice making GCC countries, OIC, Arab League, USA, EU and Chairmen of all regional social and economic development alliances as co-guarantors. There is only one solution to Arab-Israel Conflict and that solution is Consensus on an Arab-Israel Economic Agenda based on equal opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians. This may appear over ambitious at present but the ambition needs to be taken out and replaced with a serious plan of action to put an end to a perpetual threat not to Israel and surrounding countries alone but the entire world peace.

The second bone of contention is nuclear proliferation and Iran’s determination to acquire nuclear capability no matter what. The exchange of threats between Iran and Israel has become nerve shattering routine in a world passing through a storm after storms of crises. Is Iran-Israel confrontation on nuclear issue such a serious military threat that it cannot be dealt with in any other way? Yes, there is a way and that way is to declare nuclear capability an international asset for non-military uses by an international consortium of nuclear scientists for which a comprehensive plan needs to be developed for the creation of Regional Nuclear Research and Social and Economic Services Felicitation Hubs. Every nuclear state will surrender its military command’s control except overall comprehensive security vigilence on nuclear sites handing over their management to the proposed International Consortium of Nuclear Scientists. This is another over-ambitious proposal for the consideration of global leaders.

It is said that extraordinary situation demands exceptional leadership qualities and today’s world is presenting a bouquet of such opportunities to the world leaders. Now the world has to see how capable they are.

Inauguration of Pak-Iran Pipeline Project is the first step in that direction. There are other similar projects pending for consensus on action. Will the world leaders re-visit their international priorities and work for peace instead of adding fuel to fire.

Reminder of the time to display ANGER without GREED and FEAR

Anger is a status-specific display of human behavior. Usually, the people with authority, power and affluence are entitled to be angry with or without a reason but they don’t need to because what they want is provided to them. What they order is obeyed.

Only the weak and poor people without any power or authority are considered and expected to be the masters in the art of “anger management.” They are not supposed to react to annoying situations that they have to face from dawn to dusk.

• They pay the artificially inflated utility bills for irregular and frequently interrupted services and they are asked to remain calm too.

• They have to wait in queue for hours to get their car’s petrol or gas tank filled and they are expected to keep smiling.

• They buy packaged products without price tags and are defiantly told that the prices will further increases within next few days and they cannot dare to demand an explanation.

• They receive a polite written message from the Police Station that due to the non-availability of funds and resources they will have to hire security guards for their protection and helplessly see half a dozen luxury land cruisers with more than two dozen civil or military policemen escorting a VIP (Very Insecure Incompetent Person popularly known as either a public representative or a public servant).

• More than two hundred people die after using a medicine prescribed by doctors of both public and private hospitals and the family members of the deceased have no choice but to remain quiet.

• More than a dozen people are killed by unknown target killers every day in Karachi and the government and media both don’t know who the killers are. The people leave their homes in the morning without knowing that they will be able to return home alive or not but they have no one to turn to for the assurance of their safety…They have no one to look at for their protection. They have to go through the hell called living without complaining.

Everybody expects the poor resource-less people to be happy and not to worry.

A group of political leaders sign Charter of Democracy to protect each other’s neck after committing crimes.

A smart political leader with the support of intelligence agencies of half a dozen countries succeeds in convincing a President in military uniform to sign a National Reconciliation Ordinance withdrawing all the pending cases against her in the courts in and outside the country, consenting to her demand of becoming prime minister of the country for the third term which the country’s constitution does not allow. No one knows why she had been showered with these favors. She returns to Pakistan and gets killed.

After her assassination her husband riding on so-called sympathy votes becomes President of the country. The Supreme Court declares the NRO unlawful and orders reopening of the closed cases against all the beneficiaries of NRO including the husband of the deceased leader but the man at the highest position in the State remains above the law of the land because constitution of the country entitles him of such a privilege.

What to do?

No one can do anything but remain calm, quiet and patient. For how long does they have to remain that way? They have to wait till the next elections by remaining calm instead of displaying any anger.

They will soon get a chance to go to polling stations and use the vote quietly and wisely. Isn’t it the best way to showcase an intelligent nation’s anger or appreciation for any reason? But what are they expected to do? They are expected to vote the same lot back into power and continue suffering for the next five years. How anyone can explain this state of affairs?

It is called positive expectation from a perpetually negative situation and positive response to negative Status Quo!

Wasted Past, Unwashed Future

Did anyone see the change he wanted to during his lifetime after working like a gardner who sows the seeds, waters them and dies before the trees grow and are loaded with all kinds of fruits and provide shadow in a hot summer day.

If not you will also like this story about “Save Water, Shower With A Friend.” and this “Message from F.C.A.: Unauthorized Water Use Is Terrorism.”

Read the story here: http://rarasaur.wordpress.com/2013/02/28/an-unwashed-future/

In Response to: “Why I Raise My Children Without God”

In Response to Why I Raise My Children Without God