Pakistan, my land

                                         Unique is the land where I am born

                                 Childhood & growing were to horn
                                Memories of laughter, happiness & pain
                          Each facet of life opened a new challenge yet again

                      A land where Mountains, Rivers & valleys are wellborn
                                 Pines, Mulberry, Walnut, Mango all well known
                            Harrapa, Moenjodaro, Indus, Potohar,Taxila were to gain
                                 History, Economics, and Architecture, now in bane
                     Migrants of Persian, Grecian, Parthian, Arab, White Hun
                            Afghan, Turk, Mughal, Saka all blended and reborn
                             With colours and cuisine not found in any reign
                              Arts and crafts marvelled of the seasoned brain

                         Western Highlands, Karakorum & Pamir mountains warn
                        The height and might of the land & its people with a scorn
                            For the new invaders and enemies will suffer in pain
                              With the Wrath of its men will leave them slain

                          Such is my land with a history so forgone
                             Yet to see a country which bears with a smile in morn
                           For its people have endured much without a complaint
                              With hard work, resilience & a handful of grain

                          Jinnah made this country of talent and sworn
                      Iqbal thought it would be the citadel of Islam for govern
                                   Minorities shall flourish without a strain
                                  Treasures of nature shall open their drain

                           Oh Lord, Pakistan is my home I so deeply adorn
                       Play writes, Martyrs, freedom lovers, Scientists who shorn
                                The shape of a nation all in a beautiful chain
                              Keep it safe, long living, with equality maintain

(The above poem was published in my Anthology of Poetry "Building Bridges" in 2011)

Balochistan Needs Us

BLA Militants destroyed the historical landmark "Quaid-e-Azam Residency" in Ziarat, Quetta. Three rockets fired between the Friday-Saturday night which left the two storey National Heritage completely ruined. A policeman got killed in this attack. Saturday afternoon; according to media reports, "Four Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel and Deputy Commissioner Mansur Kakar were martyred as a result of a terrorist siege at Bolan Medical Complex. Reports of four nurses were also amongst those killed in the attack. Earlier, at least 14 female students were killed in a blast which targeted the bus of a women’s only university in the city. The improvised explosive device was planted inside the bus." 

With media reports slowly pouring in; the nation was told 25 people were killed in terrorists attacks at a women's university bus and Bolan Medical Complex on Saturday. As the victims were being shifted to the Bolan Medical Complex, a second blast struck the emergency ward where several terrorists stormed the complex laying siege to it. Four FC personnel, the city’s DC and four nurses were lost lives in the attack. The Medico Legal Officer of Bolan Medical Complex who was seriously wounded in the attack later succumbed to his injuries.             

Pakistanis across the country and abroad who saw the events on television unfold were dumbstruck, frustrated and angry on this inhuman attack. The scenes looked like those from a battlefield somewhere in the Middle East or Afghanistan. The messages given in these attacks were quite simple to understand, the national heritage, women of this country along with men have no value to the  enemy. A foe that is hell bent to destroy the morale of this nation, bit by bit. 

Alot has been written on Balochistan, enough statements have been hurled on media by the politicians. A vague policy on this province will not do anymore. The newly elected provincial Government needs back up in actions and not words, we are already too late. The stakeholders namely; the democratically elected government, the leading political parties, the Army, the interior ministry, the responsible citizens of this country, media persons etc should sit together and find a unilateral solution, bring all on board and resolve this menace of terrorism which is taking lives of innocent people. It is beyond time now, serious accountability of criminals must take place, a transparency of changed policies must happen NOW. Undefined policies create misperception and allow the foreign forces to exploit the situation to implement their long-term agenda against the state of Pakistan.                                                                                                                                                

   

Majority of the Baloch (Baloch and Pakhtoons who live in Balochistan) want to stay and be part of Pakistan. What they demand is to develop the province, create jobs like all the other provinces of Pakistan. GOP (Government of Pakistan) MUST start and complete development projects in Balochistan which should include Education, health, industry etc. Pakistan Army has done a commendable job in Balochistan and as a result in the last two years almost 12000 Balochs have joined Pakistan army.

With the democracy now in place a professional army to back the civilian administration, Balochistan will see rapid and positive developments in the next few months. There never was and never will be any truth in Balochistan breaking away from Pakistan. The handful Sardars who only hold three districts out of thirty are using Baloch youth to keep the province lawless are being heavily backed by foreign accounts to break off from Pakistan. Killing Baloch nationalists and youth is not the panacea. They are being supplied by ammunition which should now be exposed to the world. Enough of vagueness. 

If you look all throughout history, the stakeholders have to learn to sink their egos, agendas and histories, and recognize the common issues that unite them.

Pakistan Government must confidently put the trouble makers on the spot by proposing a coherent plan saying: “This is what we want. This is how we’re going to get from here to there”. They must show what they stand for.  One should analyse & understand  who is the beneficiary of missing persons or else killing of the Baloch masses.  

A socio-economic activity & development of the province would 

play a major role in calming the situation. There is a dire need that representatives of the federal and provincial governments along with responsible bureaucracy must visit the province physically to know the real problems and to address grievances on spot. These visits should not be restricted to Quetta and to meet the political allies, but meant to reach over to those aggrieved parties, irrespective of political affiliation. These groups should have a mandate to decide things on ground and later in consultation with the respective government should initiate long-term projects. The Baloch youth,  irrespective of their education or qualification should be given jobs to absorb them in the larger Pakistani society.

Its time for action, for owing your own people, for giving them what they rightfully deserve. 

Does Pakistan Have Dearth of Talent?

Kareena poses for Firdous Lawn

Its not an India versus Pakistan scenario here that the article is about. Seriously, if one switches on the telly eight out of ten advertisements shown these-days have Bollywood faces. One is left seriously wondering : Am I living in India or Pakistan? Has Pakistan gone on dearth with good looking men and women who have worked so hard in modelling? Why is it that our models are not shown in their own country? Is it fair to all of them? If not us then who would showcase their endowment? Damaging our local industry is a wise choice?

While one drives around the city Billboards carrying faces of Shahrukh Khan, Kajol, Katrina Kaif, Ranbir Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Shilpa Shety, Akhshay Kumar are visible everywhere. I have nothing against their stars, but; What is this phenomenon? Do we need Bollywood stars to tell us Pepsi is a good drink, or lawn prints are best worn by a bollywood star? Or that Lux used in Bollywood style would leave more fragrance? Or that a shampoo used in Bollywood way would leave the hair tangle free? Or noodles made the Bollywood way would be more delicious for our children? Or Bollywood style tea gives more kick?

From business point of view, according to advertisers:  "If the audience responds to a foreign face, there is no reason to go against the tide. At the same time, using foreign talent in no way implies that local talent is not good enough. One has to look at availabilities to work according to the timelines and demands of the clients.

We have very few known directors and even fewer DOPs both of which are extremely important when producing a TVC. Clients are often pressed for time. Companies in the FMCG and Telecom sector, some of which air more than 5 commercials per quarter, cannot at times wait for the good directors’ schedules to clear up and therefore prefer to explore options elsewhere."

For the local Pakistan industry the above is not a viable argument. Our models are NOT shown in any Indian advertisement, they use their local talent. One has to take risks in any industry. There are a lot of actors/models from our side that need to be given a fair chance, after all Indians also gave their models a chance and they have proved themselves. So why are we hesitating? In order to excel in any field and prove oneself one has to put on line alot which the Indians did & now look where they stand. 

Agreed our actors are working in Bollywood movies but then this argument should not be taken negatively. If our actors are working, their actors should work in our movies, which Naseer-ud-Din Shah did several years ago in Shoaib Mansoor's movie "Khuda Kay Lieye". Audience in Pakistan loved to see Shah sb in cinema, it was a treat in reality. Why aren't our models getting their advertisements? This is the argument. If our models are not welcome in Indian market should we close our doors on them in the local market?

The truth is: Pakistani channels and dramas are banned in India, whereas here Indian soaps and dramas are watched, their channels open to general public. What is this hypocrisy? Our prime time dramas are suffering because the air time is given to Indian programs, is this fair in any sense? Why is PEMRA all mum about this? Why are cable operators hell bent upon tattering what is left of our talent?

Another issue is the dearth of ideas in our advertisements. Everything these-days revolves around expensive clothes and models dancing on Bollywood style routines.  Wedding ceremony seems to be the only story board which is being followed in 70% commercials being made. Our biscuits to mobile companies to detergents all show wedding sequences. I am sure there is more to life and ideas than weddings! 

 With fresh graduates coming to the field every year in media we must utilise their brain strength, ideas and concepts, with that our advertisements can do far better than "Mere des ka biscuit gala" ( Our national biscuit is Gala)!  Innovative ideas and utilisation of fresh minds is the order of the day to survive in a bustling international market. We need to understand that "old is gold" for English diction and  phrases is fine but where creativity is concerned fresh and new ideas need to be welcome and flowed so that diversity and talent combined with new perception can achieve long term heights to a stagnant industry. 

At a quick glance; As you look around your office, is everyone just like you? Probably not. The demographics of Pakistan workforce have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. In the 1950s, more than 60% of the our workforce consisted of males. They were typically the sole breadwinners in the household, expected to retire by age 65 and spend their retirement years in leisure peaceful activities. Today, our workforce is a better reflection of the population with a significant mix of genders, race, religion, age and other background factors. Why cant we retire our older greater minds at 65 so that the younger lot can breathe in fresh air to this dying creative field? The older lot can be used as Mentors rather than Managers. 

Everywhere in the World: The long-term success of any business calls for a diverse body of talent that can bring fresh ideas, perspectives and in-genuine views to their work. The challenge that diversity poses, therefore, is enabling your younger managers to capitalize on the mixture of genders, cultural backgrounds, ages and lifestyles to respond to business opportunities more rapidly and creatively to make it a sure shot success.

The Myth of Sit in

This remarkable development started in Lahore, Faisalabad, Islamabad, and Karachi for Pakistan and London and Canada for the overseas Pakistanis simultaneously by PTI supporters. It left many baffled on why these people were not ready to accept defeat for the results that emerged. One needs to understand; it is not about defeat, it is about honesty and truth being heard, it is about the integrity of an institution that took responsibility of delivering free and fair elections. It is about people’s choice.
Mian Nawaz Sharif and his party have won the elections, many congratulations and sincere wishes to him that he becomes a just ruler to the people of Pakistan and can tackle the grave issues which the country faces. But many of his party members feel Sit-in’s or Dharna’s are a waste of time, that PTI should accept their defeat, that they are ruining their celebrations and that they should let normal course of Government making take place. One can’t blame them to think this way, not their fault, in one way; it is their short sightedness and zero experience in dealing with a public like PTI supporters.


In the past elections, Muslim League Nawaz in Punjab and MQM in the Karachi have dealt with populations who were bound to vote for them. In some case or the other, these parties made sure that the turn-out of people comes only in their favor by hook or by crook. In May 2013 election, the past history did not repeat. In fact this time, the turn-out of voters reached to a staggering 62% a figure which was never witnessed in the history of Pakistan. These were those silent majorities who had never come out for the ballots. These were those people who were first time voters, women, newly turned 18’s and old people who had lost hope in any change to ever happen. Most of them had taken days off from work, taken flights from overseas and specially come to Pakistan to cast their votes.  These people had been motivated by a Phrase called “Naya Pakistan” which brought hordes of them out to get what they felt.

These sit-in are being done by middle, upper and elite class who are the movers and shakers of Pakistani society. They include Doctors, Engineers, Writers, Actors, Journalists, Social activists, teachers, the fashion industry etc. People who have been part of massive campaigns in the country in terms of environment pollution, marathon walks, charity, hospital making, who are CEO’s of cooperate sector, or who have been related to one awareness program or another. They have been such since two to three generations. These people are educated, highly professional, who know the importance of their ID card and Passport. Just like they keep both the documents up to date, and secure similar is the way they feel responsible, give importance to the value of vote. Such section of society, who stand up for their rights on daily basis, would never give up on the rigging issue that has surfaced where they feel they have been blatantly cheated.

The polling day had several stories which were told verbally by people to each, later that night of 11^th May, video evidences recorded by female and male voters started to emerge on Facebook, Twitter and other Social Media sites. Pakistani media also showed several in their news bulletins. Amazingly; the first polling result was announced on television few minutes past 5pm whereas the closing time for ballots was 6pm. Results were announced by private channels, at 8:30pm a contestant who was taking a lead of 41000 + votes had lost by the next morning. Was it magic or was it tampered, that is what brought the people out.

With many claims of Election Commission of Pakistan of holding free and fair elections, the public that turned to these sit-ins refused to accept the results that were being confirmed by the given authority. These massive crowds have house wives, female students, elderly, pensioners, male students, and professional people. They are a segment of society; that has never done this before in the country’s history. Their demands are: Either the counting of votes should be done again or a re-election of their constituencies is done so that truth prevails. The questionable constituencies with doctored results are: NA-57, NA-81, NA-85, NA-86, NA-93, NA-118, NA-120, NA-122, NA-125, NA-127, NA-128, NA-135, NA-168, NA-170, NA-190 and PP-7, PP-68, PP-160, PP-281. According to Ejaz Chaudhry PTI Punjab President, “rigging complaints were received from all the 297 constituencies, where police and polling station staff favored PML-N. “Our winning candidates have not only defeated their opponents but also the rigging practices,” he claimed.

According to media reports; Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman, Imran Khan demanded recounting of votes with fingerprint verification on four constituencies conducted by NADRA. In his recorded message Khan said if the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) failed to accept their demands within three days, protests would be held. “We are giving a three day deadline to the ECP to conduct fingerprint based recounting on four sample seats. If proven correct we allege rigging on 25 seats,” Khan said.


On one hand a new Government needs to take over, alliances to be made on provincial levels, a smooth transition of power from the caretakers to the elected. On the other hand there is this issue of rigging and sit-ins which have become a burning issue on daily basis. What needs to be seriously thought is; prior to the elections the ECP said that the ballot papers were being printed under the supervision of Army and were distributed by the army as well. So how come they were printed in excess of voting numbers? Where were bogus vote copies acquired from? In excess of the numbers of vote of a specific area how come ballot papers entered into the ballot boxes? These ballot boxes were shifted under the supervision of army to different areas, What happened after that magic or what? People of Pakistan surely wonder; is this election result related to Afghan war/CIA/ Establishment in Pakistan? How come the judiciary is so quiet? When previously they used to take suo-moto on two wine bottles?
Jayein tau Jayein Kahan? On the roads, Sit-ins!




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