6 Pak universities among top 300 Asian universities, says HEC

LAHORE - The Higher Education Commission (HEC) Executive Director Prof Dr Sohail H. Hayat while addressing a video conferencing seminar on Monday in connection with the 10 years establishment of HEC, said that six Pakistani universities have been ranked among the top 300 Asian universities while two Pakistani universities are standing among the top 300 sciences and technology institutions of the world.
Besides this, 41 more universities had been established across the country in a span of ten years to educate the people with modern and quality education, he observed. Dr Sohail urged the educationists and the researchers to maintain good relations with the industry in order to transform their knowledge into goods and services by solving the problems of the industries with the help of good research work.
Highlighting the contributions of the HEC during the last ten years, he said that they had enabled the spread of higher education to every region of Pakistan with an increase in the number of university campuses in Pakistan from 168 to 258, including the establishment of 41 new universities. While sharing statistics with the participants, Dr. Sohail said that due to the efforts of the HEC, there was an increase in student enrollment at universities from 330,000 to over a million, increase in the enrollment of women in universities from 36 percent to 46 percent, awarding of more than 10,000 local and foreign scholarships through a well-defined and transparent mechanism that did not make any compromise on merit, awarding of 2,000 scholarships for the talented youth of Balochistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA), and the launch of additional 600 MPhil/PhD scholarships exclusively for the students of Balochistan.
Prof Dr Zakir Hussain said the university was bearing a deficit budget of Rs. 150 million two years ago but because of good financial interventions, the university surplus budget had gone up to Rs. 480 million this year. He pointed out that the university was standing among the top universities of country as it had emerged to number six in the overall rankings, whereas last year the university was at number 19. He lauded the steps taken by the HEC to improve the quality of education for making them at par with international standards by raising the standard of education and uplifting the status of the teaching staff with hefty pays.
He apprised that the university was committed to take any tangible steps for meeting the criteria of 33 agendas set by the HEC. He said that it was a matter of pride for the varsity that it had 200 PhDs and had hired 70 teachers on tenure track system. He also informed the audience about the new campus of the university which was being set up at Jhang road on 200 acres of land. The new building would be built at a distance of a few kilometers from the current campus to meet the demand of increasing students, he added.

Pakistani youth take spouse visa route to success

A Pakistani passport. An increasing number of Pakistani men have married foreign-residents despite being in relationship with women and having wives back home – File photo courtesy Creative Commons

Young, old, fat, short, tall, fair, dark, smart, intelligent, caring – it doesn’t matter for young Pakistani men seeking prospective brides as a shortcut exit overseas. The only criterion is that you must hold a foreign passport and be able to financially support yourself as a young woman because this type of man isn’t in it for the long run.
Simple, innocent and conservative overseas-born or raised Pakistani girls are an easy target for these men. Most Pakistani families living abroad raise their children in a sheltered and protective environment, where they try to maintain their traditional ties with their native country and expect the same respect in return.
Marriage is a sacred union. Majority of overseas Pakistanis and respectable families in Pakistan cherish this system, adhering to the values and upholding the sacred union. However, seeing the latest matrimonial advertisements in the leading Pakistani national newspapers and online websites, marriage has become a business agreement. A culturally arranged marriage has become rather a business deal, where the groom needs to chalk out a business plan, conduct a SWOT analysis and check their return on investment.
It’s not only Pakistani men but also Pakistani women that are being married to foreign-passport-holding Pakistani men regardless of checking their compatibility, education, personality, age and long-term commitment, just to secure a better life for their family back home.
Frustrated by the economic and political instability and limited opportunities within their own country, Pakistani men and women are seeking refuge in other countries through any means. According to a British Higher Education Statistics Agency report, Pakistan accounts for 54 per cent of UK’s (non-EU) international students. In 2009-2012 there were over 9, 815 Pakistani students enrolled in higher education institutes. Furthermore, popular countries such as Canada, North America, several North European countries, including Sweden and Finland are attracting thousands of Pakistani students to their universities. More than 8, 458 Pakistani students studied in Australia in 2009-2010, increase of 11.4 per cent over 2008-2009.
Unless there is financial backing, life is tough for these Pakistani students overseas. Expensive college/university tuition fees, low-wages, odd jobs and unstable living conditions lead them to resentment and bitterness towards their country of stay. Moreover, they become opportunistic individuals that are willing to compromise and deceive others in order for them to gain permanent residency. An easy shortcut solution is to marry a local citizen.
The Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) recently stated that there are a record number of fraudulent weddings and spouse claims being made by visa cheats in order to gain entry in the county and obtain Australian-citizenship.
According to the Herald Sun special DIAC report (August, 2012) more than 1,300 overseas-born partners have been sent packing in the past four years after their relationships with Australian residents and citizens were exposed as lies – 406, or eight a week, in the past year alone. Four in 10 partner visa applications came from foreigners already in the country on student, work or holiday visas in the past year, and they were most often rejected.
In New Zealand, nearly 500 people were turned away by immigration officers in the previous financial year after claiming to be in a long-term and stable relationship with New Zealanders.
Increasing number of statistics of Pakistani men involved in polygamous marriages and unregistered marriages in Pakistan is alarming; this is where Pakistani men have married foreign-residents despite being in relationship with women and having wives back home. They are not only spoiling the lives of innocent women in Pakistan for their self-vested interest abroad but leaving a social stigma for both these women residing abroad and in Pakistan.
According to a BBC report,  Pakistani woman, Dr Zabina Shahain married a well-known man Mr Pervez Choudhry, former Conservative party leader residing in United Kingdom, who did not disclose but was still married. He did not realise that marriage in Pakistan was legally valid in the UK and was given a community order after admitting bigamy.
Similar cases are now emerging among young Pakistani men overseas that are taking part in dual marriages without disclosing information to their prospective spouses. Once these men secure their permanent visas, and achieve their goals they take the exit route. Left behind, are distraught and mentally disturbed women that have no option but to either stay due to family commitments or face social challenges if they leave them behind.
Common signs that Pakistani families need to be cautious of when assessing prospective spouses for their dear ones is to have a thorough background check, assess their emotional involvement towards their spouse to-be, disclosing of personal information and whereabouts and be wary of excessive blandishment.
A time where Pakistan already faces political, economic and social challenges domestically and in the international arena, the country cannot afford individuals to further damage its image.

Bridging gap between borders and generations

Bridging gap between borders and generations

‘Face to Faith’ brings students from Pakistan and India together to talk about treatment of elders

The mention of Pakistan conjured up stark images for students of Brindavan Vidyalaya until an interaction through video conferencing this week shattered the cultivated stereotypes.

Though divided by borders, students from both nations found a common pitch in challenges they faced, including the widening gap between Generation Y and senior citizens.

Organised by international organisation , ‘Face to Faith’ that brings students across cultures and faiths together through technology, the video-conference between four schools, two from Pakistan and two from India , included Brindavan Vidyalaya, Thiruvanaikoil as a participant. The school had invited grandparents to join students in the discussion centred on International Day of Older Persons observed on October 1.

The mediator encouraged students to share anecdotes and axioms from scriptures to express what diverse faiths talk about treatment of elders.

Students from Brindavan Vidyalaya joined their counterparts in Bal Bharathi Public School, Pitampura, New Delhi, in narrating instances from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, and sayings by Thiruvalluvar and Avvaiyar.

Rama’s exile in obedience to Dasaratha, Shravan Kumar’s devotion to his aged parents who were carried in two baskets slung over his shoulder, Parasurama who beheaded his mother’s head in compliance with his father’s order and used a boon granted by him to restore her to life, were cited.

Students from across the border quoted the Prophet on the value of respecting elders.

Surmounting technological challenge

“New technologies and communication have widened the gap between grandparents and grandchildren” said a grandparent. “While we struggle to keep up with the pace of advancement, we are looked down upon by youngsters as people who know nothing. It makes us feel inferior.”

While grandparents felt that grandchildren no longer listened to their stories, children felt it was because the tales were not relevant and held no interest to them. In the course of the discussion there was a shift in attitudes.

“It is not the stories that matter, but spending time listening to them or finding alternatives like watching television together,” said a student. Another felt it was important to ‘replace sympathy with empathy and put ourselves in their shoes’.

The challenge for this generation is to not permit technology to get in the way of their relationship with the older generation, said the mediator.

“Can you switch off the television earlier? Can you spend less time talking on the phone? Can you get off your computer to spend time with your grandparent?”

Ghairat is not Honor!

An interesting read. I guess many of non-resident Pakistanis and Indians can to some degree relate to this article.

They do not have a word for ‘ghairat’ in English

Soruce: They do not have a word for

“They do not have a word for ‘ghairat’ in English,” said Khadim. He paused, looked at his audience and asked: “Do you know why?”

Without waiting for a response, he added: “Because they do not have ‘ghairat’ in the West.” His remarks, as he had expected, pleased this audience of South Asian Muslims, Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis. “Not true,” said Farhan, one of the few liberals in the crowd. “They do have a word for ‘ghairat,’ honour.”

“Incorrect,” declared Khadim, “honour is a very light word. It does not have the intensity of ‘ghairat.’”

Many in the audience understood this ‘intensity’ well. They had grown-up daughters. And every time their daughters went out, in jeans or shalwar-kameez, they felt this intensity. The intensity increases, if the jeans are a bit too tight or the headscarves do not cover the head properly.

Farhan had so far been very patient. It was the ‘barsi’ or the annual prayer meeting for someone who had died last year. It was a solemn occasion, where conservatives outnumber others. He did not want a confrontation with them. Whenever they lose an argument, they go to his father who forces Farhan to apologise to “your elders.”

But he could hold no more. He looked around and found a copy of the day’s newspaper. He opened a page, holding it above his head and said:

“Look, this is your ‘ghairat’ and this is what you do when this intensity gets out of control.” And he started reading the caption under a picture:

“This is a June 19, 2012, file photo of Iftikhar Ahmed, the father of murdered teen-ager Shafilea Ahmed. A British court found that Iftikhar and his wife Farzana Ahmed suffocated their 17-year-old daughter, Shafilea, in 2003, because she was seeing boys and had refused to accept an arranged marriage. Both parents are originally from Pakistan.

“During the trial, Shafilea’s sister Alesha told the jury that her parents pushed Shafilea onto the couch and she heard her mother say ‘just finish it here’ as they forced a plastic bag into the girl’s mouth.”

(On Friday Aug. 3, 2012, the court found the parents guilty of murdering their teenage daughter in a so-called honour killing.)

Farhan stopped, waiting for the words to sink in, and said: “If this is ‘ghairat,’ thank God people in the West do not have this ‘ghairat.’ They only have honour.”

“Enough. Sit down,” shouted one of the elders at Farhan. “Who invited this brat to this religious gathering?” Nobody answered him, although they all knew why Farhan was invited.

Unlike most in the audience, Farhan had learned the Holy Quran from an Arab teacher. He recited it faster than others and pronounced every word correctly. He also had a sweet voice. So he was always invited to such places.

And his parents made sure that he went to all such gatherings, sometimes against his will.
This was the last Friday before Ramazan. They finished the recital, said the evening prayers and were waiting for the meal when the argument started.

They usually served kebabs and rasmalais at such dinners and Farhan loved both. But the argument upset him, so he walked out, got into his car and drove away.

Once outside, he realised he did not want to go home yet. So he drove to a nearby shisha bar.

“Still no news of the moon?” Razi, who runs this alcohol free shisha bar in a Washington suburb, asked as he saw Farhan.

“Not my problem,” said Farhan, who was still upset.

“It is my problem, though,” said Razi, also a Pakistani-American. “I need to know, to decide whether to have belly dance tonight.”

Around 10 pm, a friend called and told Razi their local mosque had announced that Ramazan starts tomorrow. “OK, there will be no belly dance tonight,” he said.

It was Friday night and the dancer was already there. Razi paid her $400 and sent her home. The dancer, Zebi, although nobody knew her real name, was also a Muslim, a Central Asian Muslim. “I am going to fast as well,” she said. Some believed her. Some did not.

“You wasted $400,” Farhan said to Razi.

“Yes, I cannot do this during Ramazan,” said Razi.

“Oh, I see. You are a Muslim too, right?” said Farhan, “As if Islam allows dancing on other nights.”

“It does not and that’s why I do not serve alcohol at my place. You see, this is America so we have to compromise on some issues.”

What Razi and thousands of others do in America is not a simple compromise. They modify their faith to suit their needs.

Selling alcohol is prohibited but some Muslims sell alcoholic beverages. They justify it by claiming that since they deal with an interest-based banking system, which is also forbidden, they can sell liquor too.

Others deal with the problems they face by drawing lines between what they would and would not do. For instance, most people will not eat pork but they will comfortably gulp down a bottle of beer or a glass of wine.

Some are so particular about halal or haram that they carefully read ingredients list every time they buy a chocolate or a packet of biscuits. But the same people do not mind having girlfriends or even bringing call girls with them.

One such man came home with a call girl and while he was in the bedroom, his friends cooked ‘karahi-gosht’ for him. When he came out, he asked: “Where did you get this meat from?” When told that the meat was from the common refrigerator, he said: “No, I cannot eat this. I know the meat was not halal.”

Razi tried to engage Farhan into a debate on what is allowed and what is forbidden during Ramazan, but Farhan was not interested.

“Not tonight,” he said, “I have had enough of religion for one night.”

“Why, what happened?” asked Razi. Farhan explained and then said, “I am fed up with these FOBs (freshly off the boat). Why did they come here if they were so concerned about preserving their customs?”

Razi, a second generation American like Farhan, agreed. “I am also fed up these one-track uncles and aunts,” he said. “All they discuss is politics, religion or cricket.”

While they were talking, a customer came with a DVD of Afghan songs and asked Razi to play it. He did. The customer went inside the shisha room where a group of young men and women were waiting for him.

The women – all Muslims from Afghanistan, Pakistan and North Africa – started dancing. The men joined them.

“What will you do now?” asked Farhan with a big grin on his face.

“Nothing, this is America and here the customer is always right,” said Razi, eyeing the dancers with some interest.

As they were watching the amateur dancers, Farhan said he was hungry. Razi called a waiter from the halal restaurant next door.

“What is the Ramazan special, doctor sahib?” he asked the waiter.

“Partridges,” said the waiter, a physician who had twice failed the qualification in America and was now preparing for his third attempt.

“Wow, delicious,” said Razi, “bring two with nans.”

“You should tip this poor physician handsomely,” said Farhan.

“I always do but wait till he passes his exam and then he will be tipping us,” said Razi.

“Do you remember Dr. Nadir,” he asked.

“Yes, I do. Why?” asked Farhan.

“He used to live in a studio apartment before he passed his exam. Last week, he invited me to a dinner at his home. He lives in a palace now. His swimming pool is bigger than three of these shops put together,” said Razi.

“Yes, America is for the doctors,” said Farhan, a software engineer who earned a decent salary but nowhere near what a physician does.

The waiter brought three partridges. “Why three?” asked Razi. “Mr. Khan also wants to join you.” Khan owned the halal restaurant.

While they were eating, two middle-aged men came and said they wanted to talk to Razi separately. Razi took them to a corner, spoke with them for a few minutes and came back. The men went back to their car.

“What do they want?” asked Farhan.

“The same old story. One of them is a Pakistani and the other an Afghan. Their daughters are inside, dancing. They want me to send them home.”

“What did you say?” asked Khan.

“I told them I always checked their IDs and all the girls inside are above 21. So I cannot do anything but they started pleading, asking me to help them as a fellow Muslim. I asked them to wait in the car.”

Farhan finished his food. Then went to the shisha room and spoke to the women. Two of them came out with him, went to their fathers, spoke with them for few minutes, promised to return home soon and came back.

The men drove away.

“What did you say?” Razi asked one of the women.

“We told them we cannot go with them right now because if we do others will make fun of us. We will go soon,” she said. They stayed for another half an hour and then went home.

“This ended nicely,” said Khan. “Remember the other shisha bar, ‘Hookahwalas’? They had to close down because of the parent-children fights.”

“I learned from their mistakes,” said Razi. “First of all, I make sure that all my customers are adults. IDs are always checked.” Then he pointed at a police car, parked on the other side of the road. “And when I sense trouble, I call the cops.”

“I can see why they do that,” said Farhan whose anger had subsided and he was now feeling sorry for the parent-generation. “Poor devils, they had no choice. They came here because they wanted some prosperity, which they got. They were not ready for this huge cultural shock.”

Farhan was right. Most of their parents were from small villages, half-educated and were unable to understand the difference between working in Dubai and migrating to America.

“Why is their ‘ghairat’ always linked to women? Why not men? Nobody comes looking for their sons,” said Khan.

“They do, they worry about their sons too,” said Farhan thinking of his mother who often stays up at night, particularly during Ramazan, praying to God to make sure that her sons remained good Muslims.

Razi said that while the parents of his customers were upset with him for opening this shisha bar, they did not want him to close it down either. “They say that if you close, our daughters will go to other bars where they also serve alcohol.”

“I am sure those two poor souls must have been crying on their way home,” said Farhan.

“Yet, nothing justifies killing your daughter,” he added, thinking of the 17-year old girl killed by her parents in England. “No sympathy for murderers, even if they are parents.

They should be hanged,” he said.

“No, nothing justifies a murder, honour or no honour,” Razi agreed.

Khan, who was also a first generation immigrant, was too lost in thoughts in respond.

Pakistan school offers hope for children rescued from the Taliban

At first glance they seem just like any other group of high-spirited teenage schoolboys. Dressed in the compulsory school uniform comprising green-and-white striped shirts and cream trousers, they spend their mornings studying hard for their exams and their afternoons on the playing fields.

To observe these boys studiously poring over their textbooks, or running around the sports field during games of football or basketball, it was hard to imagine that only a few months previously they had been living a very different existence.
For the 180 or so boys attending this highly specialised school on Pakistan's lawless North-West Frontier are all veterans of the Taliban, the militant Islamist movement that is waging war on both sides of the border with neighbouring Afghanistan.
Seized or bought from their families by Taliban fighters promising them a better life, they were plunged into a relentless cycle of indoctrination aimed at turning them into suicide bombers or fighters willing to sacrifice their lives attacking Nato forces in Afghanistan or taking part in the Taliban's increasingly violent campaign against the Pakistani government.
In one such case, the Taliban seized a seven-year-old boy who, after three years of indoctrination and training, was sent to Afghanistan to kill a policeman. His mission, thankfully, failed. On his return to Pakistan, he was found by his parents who, appalled at his exploits, surrendered him to the authorities in the hope they could help him to rebuild his life.
The boy, now 11, is one of the lucky ones. Pakistani security officials estimate that hundreds, if not thousands, of children have been killed in the Taliban's relentless campaign of terrorism.


In one of the worst examples, a Pakistani boy was caught on a CCTV camera moments before he blew himself up outside a Sufi shrine in Lahore in 2010, killing 45 people and maiming another 175. Overall, it is estimated that more than 4,000 people have been killed by 200 attacks carried out by teenage Taliban suicide bombers.
As a result, Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the head of the Pakistan army, ordered that a specialist school be set up to rehabilitate these teenage victims of the Taliban's indoctrination programme.
Called the Sabaoon School (Sabaoon in Pashto means the first light of dawn), it is located in the frontier town of Malakand, where, in 1897, the young Winston Churchill took part in his first military campaign with the British Army, as well as writing the occasional dispatch for the The Daily Telegraph.
Run on the same principles as any normal boarding school, with the children learning the same curriculum taught in other schools in the area, Sabaoon also boasts an team of child psychologists who work closely with the children to help them learn the error of their ways.
"Our main task is to try to reverse the brainwashing they have suffered at the hands of the Taliban," said Col Mohammed Islam, who runs the school, which receives funding from Unicef and the Pakistan government.
"We are trying to break the myth of misplaced perceptions perpetrated by the terrorists."
This is no easy task, particularly as the school remains a prime target for the Taliban, which has pledged to kill anyone involved in the project. Its precise location is kept secret and the complex is protected by steel barricades and razor wire. Weapons are trained on visitors from the windows, roof, gatehouse and guard posts that occupy each corner.
Despite these intense security precautions, the Taliban managed to murder one of the school's founders, Dr Mohammed Farooq Khan, a Pakistani religious teacher and intellectual who publicly denounced the Taliban's brain-washing techniques.
By far the biggest difficulty the Sabaoon staff face, though, is in trying to deal with the traumatic experiences many of the children have suffered.
Speaking through an interpreter, one boy, aged about 13, related how he had been recruited by the Taliban after attending his local mosque in the Swat Valley three years ago. "There were guns in the mosque," he explained to one of the psychologists, and he was encouraged to support the Taliban's campaign to impose Sharia on Pakistan.
On one occasion after joining the movement, the boy came across a group of Taliban fighters whipping a girl. "One of them came up and handed me the cane and ordered me to whip her, and I did," he explained. "If I hadn't done what they told me to do they would have killed me. I tried to hit her gently, but they told me off and told me to hit her harder."
Another pupil explained how the Taliban forced him to become a suicide bomber. His family had handed him over to the Taliban because he had a drink problem, and was causing problems at home. "They beat me very badly with sticks and they showed me the way of suicide," he explained. "They taught me it was the best way to fight."
Some of the children at the school were bought by the Taliban from their families for 25,000 rupees (about £160). "They come from poor families who have too many children and can't afford to keep them," explained one of the school's psychologists. "They sell them to the Taliban thinking they will be looked after, and it is only later that they discover what is going on."
One of the biggest challenges the school faces is to persuade parents to take their children back once they are deemed fit. "The families don't want them because of the cost," he said.
Even so, Col Islam believes he is making good progress at helping the children to reject the Taliban's ideology and make a better life for themselves. To date only three of those released from the school have rejoined the Taliban, which he believes is a major achievement given the scale and effectiveness of the organisation's brainwashing techniques.
"We find that once these children have been introduced to proper education they don't want to stop learning," said Col Islam.

Pakistan school offers hope for children rescued from the Taliban - Telegraph

Imran Khan, knowingly or unknowingly ‘Taliban’ Khan – The Express Tribune Blog

Imran Khan is guilty of one of two things. He is either guilty of deliberately and knowingly legitimising the Pakistani Taliban as a political force for what he perceives to be his own populist gain, or he is guilty of colossal naivety and unintelligibility.

Personally, I am far more worried by the latter, and also far more convinced of its plausibility.

Allow me to explain.

Let’s consider the possibility that Imran Khan is indeed playing to what he understands the populist tune to be and that his soft, apologetic stance towards the Pakistani Taliban is a deliberate ploy fueled out of a mixture of two fears; one fear being of his own life and the other being of antagonising his Pashtun support base.

This is not implausible.

It would not make sense for Imran Khan to be making new enemies with elections and his first real chance of being a major part of a coalition fast approaching. This would also allow him the liberty of being able to take a harsher stance towards the Pakistani Taliban once he is actually part of a government and has less, not everything, to lose.

This is what most die-hard PTI supporters will tell you when you exasperatedly ask them what on earth their dear leader is up to. They will tell you with the utmost conviction, that this is all part of an elaborate master plan that will only become apparent when Imran Khan wants it too.

They will tell you, with straight faces, that this is the same master plan that includes Imran Khan’s mysterious ‘team’ of young and brilliant public administrators that can and will only be announced when the ‘time is right’ because , you know, the system would corrupt them otherwise.

Here’s what I think is actually the case. I think that Imran Khan has conflated a number of distinct entities and problems and has ended up thoroughly confusing himself and everyone else as a consequence.

First of all, I believe that Imran Khan doesn’t really actually know very much about the Pakistani Taliban or their, short but colourful, history, profile and goals.

I believe, and fear, that Imran Khan’s conception of the Pakistani Taliban is clouded by his notion and understanding of the Afghan Taliban, and that he hardly takes the trouble to distinguish between the two. I think he has accidentally conflated the issue of drones and the Pakistani Taliban, not realising that opposing drone strikes and endorsing the legitimacy of the group responsible for 30,000 civilian and 4000 Pakistani military deaths is two very different things.

I think Imran Khan truly believes that the Pakistani Taliban have a legitimate cause and that they are people with whom negotiation, dialogue and compromise is a possibility.

Worst of all, I think Imran Khan still has not accepted, and refuses to accept, the fact that regardless of how and why it came to be, this is very much Pakistan’s war now.

Imran has often been, somewhat, jokingly referred to as Taliban Khan for his apologist tendencies, which up till now I have always thought to be a bit unfair. Yet this entire affair of even considering the possibility of relying on the Taliban for security during a political rally is akin to crossing the dangerous line between innocent flirting and unforgivable advance. This is a deplorable and dangerous policy, for if Imran continues to engage and endorse the Pakistani Taliban, it will have the unintended consequence of granting unwanted legitimacy to whatever nutty, far out cause they claim to have.

Imran will be giving our enemies exactly what they have been trying to acquire for years; some sort of mainstream political endorsement.

This transforms them from a purely militant organisation to a political entity and recognised ideology. You can stamp out militants but not ideologies Captaan sab, please remember this. If you strengthen, albeit accidentally, the position of our enemy then the blood spilled as a result will be on your hands as well.

An analysis, of the recent methods of the Pakistani Taliban, indicates an increasing want of political legitimacy and recognition. This is both a sign of strategic maturity and overall weakness. When the Pakistani Taliban was at its peak in 2009 there were attacks on civilians almost every day in major cities. Then Operation Rah-e-Raast was conducted and the Pakistan Army literally killed a thousand Taliban fighters in a matter of days and with them losing much of their top leadership.

Since then heavy amounts of military operations have been underway in South Waziristan and the Pakistani Taliban is decidedly on a back foot, now in a position of relative strength in only North Waziristan. This back foot has dictated a huge reduction in the targeting of civilians and a large increase in the targeting of military individuals and installations. This deliberate sparing of civilians is designed to lure people into a false sense of security, not unlike we did to them in Swat, as if to say that our war is only with your army and not you. This is a classical psychological guerrilla tactic; it causes people to question the role, right and moral position of our armed forces, whom have been valiantly defending the country from the Taliban menace for years now.

In such situations, it is the responsibility of the political leaders of the nation to stand firmly behind their armed forces, building a war narrative, outlawing and delegitimising the enemy, not agreeing to be protected by them. It is the responsibility of our leaders to take ownership of the war, not take the cowards way out by continuing to call it America’s war on terror despite it being quite apparent that the Pakistani Taliban’s war is with us and not with the Americans.

That would be the Afghan Taliban, an older, more mature and politically mature group that has focused goals and is ready to make political concessions. The Pakistani Taliban is nothing more than a group of well trained, naturally warlike criminals and brigands that have delusions of grandeur; of imposing their own draconic interpretation of Islam on a nation of 160 million people.

With a penchant for beheadings and blowing up schools, funded by foreign powers, and comprising of a large percentage of foreign fighters, the Pakistani Taliban is the most backward, savage, cruel and downright despicable group of fighters in the world today. They are dangerous because they are young, determined and well disciplined. The average age of a Pakistani Taliban commander is between 30-35 years, making their rank and file extremely young and immature, prone to the deliverance of absolute savagery and cruelty in the name of Islam. The Pakistani Taliban is our enemy, and he is an enemy we should fear for two reasons, the first being that he is a formidable enemy and the second being that it is only out of fear that Pakistani’s have ever stood united. We must oppose them with all the moral righteousness that they oppose us with. We must fight fire with fire and not cease until ultimate victory is not achieved.

In short, we must clear North Waziristan once and for all, come what may, no matter the sacrifice. It will not be easy, and there will be heavy losses, yet if there was ever an army capable of such a task it is the Pakistan Army.

The, very good, reason that the Pakistan Army does not launch an operation in North Waziristan is precisely because of people like Imran Khan. Public opinion shapers just don’t get the fact that the army is almost powerless without them, or maybe they do, and that is the problem. Unless the civilian government and major public opinion shapers do not stand firmly behind the army in a unanimous and unwavering vow of commitment to the defeat of the Pakistani Taliban, it is not viable.

The moment the operation is launched there will be a backlash in major cities.

Soft targets such as malls, markets, cinemas and public gatherings will be relentlessly attacked by suicide bombers. Support for the war, hardly existent to begin with, will quickly dwindle, with the Najam Sethi’s and Asma Jehangir’s of our society jumping on the opportunity to ridicule, criticise and antagonise our military using the irresponsible media to their full advantage. There will be anarchy like never before in Pakistan, the economy will further plummet, violence will skyrocket and effective public administration, what we need more than anything, will be the least of anyone’s worries.

The Americans, who have been waiting for an excuse, will finally conclude that Pakistan cannot in fact guarantee the safety of its nuclear arsenal and will use the unrest to justify launching special operations to relieve us of our nuclear capabilities. The Army will stand routed amidst the storm of chaos that will begin to rain down and it will have all been for nothing.

Thus the choice lies with us.

Accept this bunch of crazies as a legitimate entity within our country, as Imran Khan seems to be doing, or rid our home of this evil once and for all. The power to fight our enemy lies with us, and begins with our recognition of a common enemy and the need to defeat him.

As always the right choice is the hard choice, but it’s one we must all make, pronto. For in indecision lies only more of the same.

Palestine cancel tour to Pakistan

KARACHI: Palestine’s tour to Pakistan for two friendly football matches has been cancelled, a Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) press release issued on Sunday confirmed.

The Palestine national team were set to play two friendly matches between October 14-18 in Pakistan but the venue was yet to be confirmed.

According to the statement issued, the Sports Board of Punjab confirmed the availability of Punjab Stadium for the two matches very late due to which Palestine was forced to withdraw as they could not send a team on such a short notice.

Palestine also toured Pakistan last year for a two-match series which was played in Karachi and Lahore. The visitors won the series 1-0.

Pakistan is likely to tour Singapore in November as it would be difficult to arrange any other series, PFF’s secretary general Ahmad Yar Lodhi was quoted as saying by a local newspaper.

The World's Most Dangerous Cities

http://www.cnbc.com/id/47534909/The_World_s_Most_Dangerous_Cities?slide=1

Salute To Pakistani Soldiers !!!

Salute To Pakistani Soldiers !!!

May Allah rest their souls in peace !!

Major Mujahid and Captain Usman Shaheed !!!



Captain Usman Ali Age of his Daughter 2.5 month



Captain Usman Ali



Major Mujahid from 105 L/C who embraced shahadat in NATO attack on Pakistani checkpost in Salsala Village



Namaz-e-Janaza of Nato Attk Martyrs







“This is not true. Theyare making up excuses. What are their losses, casualties?” said army spokesmanMajor-General Athar Abbas
“I cannot rule outthe possibility that this was a deliberate attack by Isaf,” said Abbas. “IfIsaf was receiving fire, then they must tell us what their losses were.”

Pakistani armyofficials said the posts that were attacked were about 300 metres intoPakistani territory. Isaf officers, however, maintain that the borderin that area is disputed.
Abbas told the Guardian that the firing lasted forover an hour, and that Isaf made “no attempt” to contact the Pakistani side.

“This was a totally unprovoked attack. There are nosafe havens or hideouts left there [for militants] in Mohmand,” he said.

“This was a visible, well-made post, on top ofridges, made of concrete. Militants don’t operate from mountaintops, fromconcrete structures.”

The article, which followed a similar report by theGuardian, cited three Afghan officials and one Western official as saying theair raid was called in to shield allied forces targeting Taliban fighters.
Nato and Afghan forces “were fired on from a Pakistaniarmy base”, the unnamed Western official told the Wall Street Journal. “It wasa defensive action.”

The United States has been told by Pakistan's military leadership to evacuate a logisticallykey airbase it operates in Balochistan – Shamsie Airbase – within 15 days. In addition, pakistan's fury was driven home with an officialstatement that it will shut down Nato supply routes operating through itsterritory – something that has happened for the first time, though supplyroutes have previously been temporarily blocked unofficially following similar attacks.



Allah Almighty be with our soldiers,gives strength to all of our soldiers (ameen)

New Chief of the Air staff Air Chief Marshal Tahir rafique Butt...!!

Air Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt Monday has taken over the charge of Chief of the Air Staff.

A formal “Change of Command Ceremony” was arranged at Pakistan Air Force Headquarters on Monday morning where former Chief of the Air Staff Rao Qamar Suleman handed over the command to the new Air Chief. Earlier, the outgoing air chief examined the guard of honour, and salute was presented to the new air chief.

قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم

قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جس کے پاس عقیدے تو بہت ہیں
مگر دل یقیں سے خالی ہیں

قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جو ایسے کپڑے پہنتی ہے
جس کے لیے کپاس
اُن کے اپنے کھیتوں نے پیدا نہیں کی

اورقابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جو باتیں بنانے والے کو
اپنا سب کچھ سمجھ لیتی ہے
اور چمکتی ہوئی تلوار سے بنے ٹھنے فاتح کو
اپنا انداتا سمجھ لیتی ہے

اور قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جو بظاہر خواب کی حالت میں بھی
حوس اور لالچ سے نفرت کرتی ہے
مگر عالم بیداری میں
مفاد پرستی کو اپنا شعار بنا لیتی ہے

قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جو جنازوں کے جلوس کے سوا
کہیں اور اپنی آواز بلند نہیں کرتی
اور ماضی کی یادوں کے سوا
اس کے پاس فخرکرنے کا کوئی سامان نہیں ہوتا

وہ اس وقت تک صورتِ حال کے خلاف احتجاج نہیں کرتی
جب تک اس کی گردن
عین تلوار کے نیچے نہیں آجاتی

اور قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جس کے نام نہاد سیاستدان
لومڑیوں کی طرح مکّار اور دھوکے بازہوں
اور جس کے دانشور
محض شعبدہ باز اور مداری ہوں

اور قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جو اپنے نئے حکمران کو
ڈھول بجا کر خوش آمدید کہتی ہے
اور جب وہ اقتدار سے محروم ہوں
تو ان پر آوازیں کسنے لگتی ہے

اور قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جس کے اہلِ علم و دانش
وقت کی گردش میں
گونگے بہرے ہوکر رہ گئے ہوں

اور قابلِ رحم ہے وہ قوم
جو ٹکڑوں میں بٹ چکی ہو اور جس کا ہر تبقہ
اپنے آپ کو پوری قوم سمجھتا ہو

خلیل جبران

Post ~~ پاکستان کے ایک گمنام گوشے کی سیر ~~

یہ تصویرے انٹرنیٹ سے لی گئی ہے۔ یہ ضلع دیرہے جو کہ صوبہ سرحد میں ہے اور چترال کے جنوب اور سوات کے مغرب میں واقع ہے۔ بہت کم لوگ اس کے مطالق جانتے ہونگے۔


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حامد میر !! زرا حیال کرو

حامد صاحب !!
ٹھیک ہے ‘ مُجھے اعتراض تو نہیں۔۔۔۔۔ آپ کے پاس اِس پروگرام کو آن ایر کرنے کی کافی وجہ ہو گی (جیسے کہ آپ نے کسی وعدہ کا بھی زکر کیا) پر یوں کہ کاش آپ اِس پروگرام کو کسی اور موقع پر آن ایر کرتے۔۔۔۔۔۔ ابھی تو میرے کراچی میں مارے جانے والے بزرگ‘ بھائ‘ بچے ‘بچیاں اور خصوصاً خواتین کی لاشیں شاید مردہ خانے میں بے گور و کفن رکھی ہیں۔
جناب !! میں قبرستان میں روشنیاں دیکھ کر پھر بھی ناچ نہیں سکتا۔
۲۵مئ ۲۰۱۲ کے روزنامہ جنگ کی خبر کے مطابق‘جھنگ کی رہاشٔی خالدہ پروین کو رشتے سے انکار پر تیزاب پھنک کر جھلسا دیا گیا۔۔۔۔۔ اِس خاتون کے حق میں آواز اُٹھا کر انصاف دلوانے میں مدد کیجیۓ
انصاف میں تاخیر انصاف کے خون کے مترادف ہے۔
عروس البلاد کراچی سے مجھے بھی بہت محبت ہے لیکن اِس کی روشنیاں پھر کبھی سہی۔
بحوالہ جنگ چھبیس مئ ۲۰۱۲