Left Side of the Right Brain

Infinix Note 3: Bigger, better, faster

2016-09-22T05:09:00.000-07:00

Infinix Note 3 is launching soon to shake up the smartphone market in Pakistan, with its incredibly large screen, 2-day battery, ultra-fast charging and fingerprint sensor.

Infinix Note 3 boasts two network variants, 3G enabled handsets and 4G enabled handsets. Note 3’s fast charging technology allows 200 mins of talktime with a quick 5 minute charge and with the Aerospace Cooling technology, the phone is never too hot to handle.

SPECIFICATIONS

Dimensions: 162.5 x 82.8 x 8.4 mm

Weight: 199 g

Battery: 4500 mAh Li-Po battery (XCharge 3.0)

OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with XOS

Processors: 1.3 GHz octa-core CPU, MediaTek Helio X10 MT6753 chipset

Display: 6.0 inches, 1080 x 1920 pixels, 368 pixels per inch (PPI)

RAM: 2GB

Internal storage: 16GB

Memory Card Slot: MicroSD, up to 128 GB

Camera: Primary: 13MP with dual LED flash (up to 4128 x 3096-pixel pictures)

Secondary: 5MP with soft flash (up to 2592 x 1944-pixel pictures)

Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.1, GPS, Wi-Fi 802.11n and 3G capability

Charging port type: MicroUSB 2.0

Dual SIM compatibility: Yes

Design

With a thickness of only 8.4mm to go along with the large screen, the Infinix Note 3 has a unique feel about it. The body is made out of aluminum alloy that lends it a fine textured finish. The Cadillac masculine sides of the phone look classy and go very well with the overall look of the phone.

Display

The Note 3's 6.0”, 1,080-pixel ultra-high definition screen increases both the viewable area and image quality. Streaming videos on your phone, looking at your pictures and videos or just browsing the internet - all can be done and viewed on the big screen. Gamers would love the huge screen of the Note 3. With the high definition graphics and a processor that can take the heat, a lot of heavy duty games can be played seamlessly on Note 3.

Hardware

Equipped with a 1.3 GHz octa-core processor and MediaTek Helio X10 MT6753 chipset, the Infinix Note 3 is quite heavy-duty under the cover. With a slot for extendable storage via a MicroSD memory card, you will always have room for your data and files.

Standard connectivity of WiFi, Bluetooth and and 3G are available on the phone. Dual SIM slots are available for those with the need for the extra SIM card. The speaker components have been tested and they provide high quality sound to go along with the giant screen to give you the best out of your viewing experience.

Software

The Infinix Note 3 runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with XOS, a customized operating system that boasts battery optimization capabilities. The interface performs smoothly and you can even make use of fun and useful features such as customized themes, XPower, smart cleanup and Freezer. Power consumption is reduced by 30% while performing at the same optimum level.

Performance

The processor, chips and RAM come together beautifully to give a smooth and hassle free performance. The Note 3 is able to perform everyday tasks with efficiency. Multiple applications can be run without any lag. The latest software makes sure that it is compatible with most applications.

Camera

Note 3 incorporates built-in blue glass (BG filters) that reduces flares, in both its 13-megapixel rear camera and the secondary 5.0-megapixel front-facing camera. The bright rear dual flashes take excellent photos even in dark lighting conditions. The front camera comes with a soft flash so even your selfies can come out bright.

The primary camera has a Phase Detection Autofocus (PDAF) feature with 0.25-sec accurate recognition and fast focusing that lets you easily capture subjects in motion. This makes the Note 3's camera able to challenge some of the best in the industry.

Battery

As mentioned and covered earlier, the battery is one of the key features of Infinix Note 3 boasts. A 4500mAh battery capable of achieving a standby time of 2.5 hours. Coupled with the fast charging capability, your Infinix Note 3 should not die on you unexpectedly.

Verdict

The Infinix Note 3 is well worth the money considering the features that it offers. The very same features can be found in other high end flagship phones which cost a lot more. If you want an unusually big bang for your buck, Infinix Note 3 is definitely the phone for you. The phone is launching on Daraz.pk on September 26 at https://www.daraz.pk/infinix-note3/ with free 4G data bundle from Telenor.

Ufone Bloggers’ Meet

2016-09-05T02:24:00.001-07:00

Press Release:

Ufone recently arranged a bloggers’ meet to create awareness about the unsung heroes that are actively reshaping the society through their utmost efforts for humanity. Taking its primary message forward, ‘It’s all about U’, the company extends its support to consumers and people around, thus making them the core focus so as to serve them right.

Ufone makes conscious efforts in recognizing and highlighting people who are an outstanding role model and a personification of the very message ‘It is all about U’. These are the people who, despite their challenges, have risen above and beyond them and made it big in

life. These are the role models who people will look up to as an inspiration as their achievements send out a message that inspires others to do good in their own capacity.

Four of these compassionate individuals were invited to share their inspirational stories and discuss about their endeavours in order to instill a higher sense of benevolence in people around. These included Muhammad Mohsin Ali, Shamim Akhtar, Saqib Ali Kazmi, and Sabia Abbat. Heroes in their respective areas, Ufone scouted them and picked them up to portray them as models of excellence to the society, so as to trigger the self-belief and inspiration needed to excel in life. Through TVCs and a comprehensive 360 degree campaign, the company has highlighted the life stories of these individuals, their struggles and their unparalleled achievements to inspire the nation and instill in them the belief that nothing is beyond their reach, provided they have the determination to make their dream come true.

Shamim Akhtar one of these heroes, at 53 is Pakistan’s first female driver; she is one such example who decided to go against all odds to make both ends meet for her family and adapted to a role skewed toward gender based obstacles. She attributes her success to the Islamabad Traffic Police Training course that paved the way for her to show her the possibilities of being able to drive heavy vehicles as she had gained an excellent road sense and courage to defy all stereotypes associated with driving vehicles. Her untiring efforts later helped her gain a public service vehicle license, making her the first Pakistani woman licensed to drive trailers, tractors and trucks.

Similarly, Muhammad Mohsin, son of a bread maker and resident of Hafizabad scored 688 points in his B.A exams through his uncanny efforts; thereby topping the list in B.A/B.Sc exams held by the Punjab University and made waves nationwide. Not being able to manage his college dues, he still had his motivation geared towards his goal of completing his graduation and therefore appeared for exams as a private candidate. Mohsin continued his quest for education while assisting his father to support his family and ensured that financial obstacles do not become the reason for a break in his education.

Sabia Abbat, on the other hand, is a 25 year old cyclist hailing from the village of Haripur and has also been handpicked by Ufone to brace its campaign. Within two years of her enthusiastic endeavors for sports, she became the national champion in Lahore; prior to this, she had been representing her college in regional events. She is now a professional cyclist and holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education.

Another flourishing example is of Saqib Ali Kazmi, an inspiring young entrepreneur and social worker from Karachi. From education to health, Kazmi works in the development sector to help the underprivileged of the society however he can. He started a project called “Mera Karachi Meri Zimmedari”. The name being self-explanatory focused on the role of each individual towards the society instead of relying on the politicians or ruling elites to facilitate people. Taking a leap forward, he worked in a small school and later with the help of his friends identified two areas of development in Interior Sindh, that is, water and education. To resolve the water crisis in the area, Saqib and his friends installed 320 hand pumps in different areas of Interior Sindh, particularly Gharo and Thatta. Saqib and the team also manage an educational venture in a village in Gharo. They provide books, free education, uniform and linguistic training to children to allow them to grow and prosper as well as make a difference.

As part of Ufone’s brand philosophy, it also supported people and organisations not generally known to the public but who all have been doing extra ordinary work for the betterment of the society. These were small scale philanthropic initiatives started by individuals on a personal basis who later went an extra mile, thus impacting their surroundings magnanimously. These include Operation Eid Child, Deewar-e-Mehrbani, and Khaana Ghar. All 3 initiatives have been conceived and are conducted by individuals in their personal capacities. These are being highlighted by Ufone to inspire similar ventures and to invite participation in the on-going activities. Ufone showcased these initiatives through a large electronic media campaign to share the message of goodness with all Pakistanis. Parveen Saeed of Khana Ghar also graced the event with her presence and explained how she was encouraged to pursue her mission of feeding the underprivileged when she heard of a mother having killed her two children as she was unable to feed them.

The discussion by these unsung heroes was followed by an interactive session with the bloggers whose keen interest in their endeavours revealed many more unsung heroes in the making!

Kaymu.pk and KVTC join hands to empower the Intellectually Challenged

2016-08-08T01:43:00.001-07:00

Press Release

Karachi; July 28, 2016: Kaymu.pk, Pakistan’s largest online marketplace and a part of Daraz Group, has joined hands with KVTC, Karachi Vocational Training Centre for the Intellectually Challenged, to provide an online platform to sell products made by their students.

The prevalence of disability in Pakistan, mental or physical, is estimated at 2.54% of the total population, or over 5 million people. Under the banner of Jiddat, an initiative of KVTC, a wide range of Women’s Apparel and Home Craft, including cushions, tables, lamps, etc., are handmade by the intellectually challenged trainees who are imparted vocational training so that they can become independent and contributing members of society. These products are now also available on Kaymu.pk, giving them exposure to a nationwide audience.

“The internet offers a great avenue to promote inclusion and accessibility for the equal participation of persons with disabilities. We believe that it is imperative to work towards empowering all segments of society and we are thrilled to have KVTC on board in line with Kaymu’s vision to enable and empower people all over Pakistan to earn their own livelihoods,” said Bjarke Mikkelsen, Co-CEO at Daraz Group Asia.

Masroor Baweja, Project Manager for Jiddat, said, “Social inclusion and financial independence are part of our main objectives and we are confident that working with Kaymu will add value to our mission.” As part of the collaboration, Kaymu also conducts trainings with the team members of KVTC to share insights on how to cater to the online customer and guide them with regard to market trends.

Magical Times at Dolmen Mall

2016-08-08T01:39:00.000-07:00

Press Release

Pakistan’s first international standard mall, Dolmen mall, is renowned for always staying a step ahead of its competitors. As summer 2016 approached its end, Dolmen hosted the city’s biggest Back to School Festival. Held from 29^th to 31^st July 2016 across all three Dolmen Malls, the festival aimed at school going kids and families; giving them a chance to celebrate and be excited about the beginning of another scholastic year.

The Marketing Head at Dolmen, Anum Nadeem said, “We’re holding this event for the first time and are expecting families to shop, eat and have fun. We’ve brought together some great shopping options for our customers.”

At Dolmen Mall Clifton, the Back to School edition of the Dolmen Bazaar saw leading retailers like Hub, Leisure Club, Kidz Dunya & Sindbad as well as budding entrepreneurial ventures like Magic Hands and Paperworks showcase their Back to school range. From school bags, notebooks and stationery to a delightful display of balloon art, the little ones thoroughly enjoyed themselves in this maze of amazement. Parents, on the other hand, rejoiced the rare opportunity for their kids to have fun in a safe and family-friendly environment.

Adding some magic to the cauldron of excitement, Dolmen Mall conjured up the launch of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in collaboration with Liberty Books on the third day of Back to School Festival. The launch of the 8^th Harry Potter book was held on Harry Potter’s birthday, 31^st July. The response was staggering; the event saw a union of three generations of Potterheads. From five year old HP fanatics flaunting painted scars on their foreheads, to tweens donned in wizard’s robes - even grownups didn’t shy away from swishing their wands and crying out ‘Wingardium Leviosa”. Fans lined up at 9:30 AM to receive their copy of the awaited book on this unique occasion where Harry Potter fandom was so majestically celebrated in Pakistan. Thematic décor, wands, hats, trivia games, giveaway for the best dressed fans and countless photo opportunities with a truly magical ambience and music, the event was a memorable one.

Dolmen Mall capitalized on the organic pull of Harry Potter fandom and took Back to School Festival to a whole new level. The event exceeded expectation on all fronts, and provided visitors with three days of festivity in a completely family-friendly environment. Dolmen aims to continue surprising its visitors with more such events in the future.

Bloggers and Key Opinion Leaders were hosted by Dolmen Mall and given out special Harry Potter themed giveaways. They shared the impact the book has had on their lives and also relived their back to school memories. They were provided refreshments in the form of crispy and grilled chicken from Golden Chick and delicious cupcakes and coffee from Lals. Everyone left the vicinity of the mall happy and content, with their copy of their favourite book with them.

Daraz shares Eid with the underprivileged

2016-07-18T00:16:00.000-07:00

Press Release:

In spirit of Ramzan and Eid, Daraz.pk sought to give back to the community with donations to the nation’s upcoming and leading organizations Daraz.pk, the leading e-commerce platform in Pakistan, spent Eid this year by sharing the festivities with the underprivileged community. The Daraz team distributed clothing items as Eid gifts amongst young students at The Footpath School and the Seylani Welfare Trust, organizations dedicated to the welfare and development of society. Daraz distributed clothing items to over 300 students at the Footpath School, an initiative of Ocean Welfare Organization to educate underprivileged children in the area. Additionally, over 1300 clothing items were donated amongst people at the Seylani Welfare Trust, a leading charitable organization. This was Daraz’s way of spreading smiles across faces of numerous young children and their families, to mark the spirit of Ramzan and Eid. Daraz is dedicated to contributing towards the welfare of the people, with a keen focus on the less fortunate, and will continue to give back to society via various CSR campaigns in the future as well.

Kaymu.pk celebrates 3rd anniversary

2016-02-24T04:18:00.000-08:00

Press Release

Kaymu.pk celebrates 3rd anniversary

Feb 23, 2016: Kaymu.pk, Pakistan’s largest online marketplace, is celebrating its third year of operations in the country with a website update, week-long anniversary sales and giveaways every day for the week Feb 22-Feb 29, 2016.

The new website design promises enhanced user experience, allowing complete communication between buyers and sellers. “We owe a huge part of our success to our buyers and sellers. Website redesign coupled with week-long anniversary sales is our way of celebrating this milestone with them!” said Ali Zain Sheikh, Country Manager, Kaymu.pk

Sheikh further added, “Kaymu has seen incredible growth in the past year. We have scaled up to over 250,000 product listings to showcase the largest variety one could find. We also introduced wholesale to enable easy access to traders. We are already catering to over 230 towns/ cities in Pakistan and are striving to cover all of the country before our next anniversary.”

Kaymu.pk has enabled over 15,000 sellers digitize and expand their businesses since its launch three years ago. In the coming years, Kaymu.pk aims to continue playing a strong, positive role in the development of e-commerce in Pakistan by empowering businesses to reach wider audiences.

--END—

About Kaymu.pk

Kaymu.pk is the largest online shopping community in Pakistan which connects and empowers buyers and sellers to take advantage of the best deals on an extensive range of products including electronics, mobile phones, fashion items and gadgets. It has enabled around 15,000 sellers and over 300,000 buyers from all over Pakistan.

For further information, please contact:

Mariya Dada

PR Manager, Kaymu.pk

92-300-0704284

mariya.dada@kaymu.pk

The Divine Magic

2015-12-25T08:46:00.001-08:00

25^th December 1954

Karachi

Julius Fonseca went by the name of The Amazing Fonseca. His name was well known to all those who loved magic acts and went to see them performed live in the garden of Metropole Hotel. He was much sought after, but boss Cyrus forbade him to perform anywhere but Metropole.

On that night of 25^th December, he had just finished his act and was planning to get some alone time at Lido’s Bar on Queen’s Road and celebrate a lonely Christmas with an Old Fitzgerald.

He walked out of Metropole to be greeted by the crisp and cold night air of Karachi. Well to do couples walked by on the sidewalk holding hands. Corduroy Sport Coats, acetate and rayon crepe lined Box Jackets, Tafettas and pleated skirts populated this side of Metropole while kurtas and dhotis made up the opposite footpath.

He walked on for some time towards the nearest bus stop of the route where his bus would take him to Lido’s only to see a gaggle of men, flash lights in hand, checking passing cars until they stopped a teal Frazer sedan with a seemingly well to do family sitting in it.

“Kamal Ahmed! “, barked one of the men in the mob.He was dark complexioned with a goatee. "Brothers, does he look like Kamal Ahmed?", he asked around the group. One scrawny teen in a white kurta peered into the car and recognized the driver. The driver of the car was indeed Kamal Ahmed along with his family.
Excitement rippled through the crowd as if they had sensed blood. “Kamal Ahmed, get out now or we will burn you and your family in this car!”. The man with the goatee said in a loud cold voice.

Kamal Ahmed, a middle aged french-bearded doctor who worked at the Civil Hospital, stepped out of the car with a terrified look on his face and shivering from head to toe. His wife immediately locked the car from inside turned back to calm down her two children who had started to cry.

“Kaafir! Stop promoting your blasphemies to our sick folk, we warned you last time about the consequences but you haven’t stopped. You keep talking about your fake prophet to our family folk who visit you. We cant take this anymore!, cried the goatee'd fellow. Another piped up, " It’s time to cleanse vermin like you from Karachi like our brothers have done in Lahore." With each word being shouted at his way, Kamal shrank in size, it looked.

“But..I am not that person...I didn't… “, stuttered a positively terrified Kamal only to be punched in the face by the man in kurta pajama who seemed to have crossed boundaries of reason. Perhaps seeing his victim so terrified and not even trying to put up a fight provoked him.
"Check his car", he ordered the scrawny teenager. The teenager tried to open the car but it was locked. " Open up",he said to the doctor's wife inside. She didn't open. He looked at the man in kurta pajama. The kurta pajama man punched the doctor again who promptly fell on the ground. His wife inside shrieked and immediately opened the door, but thought better to not come out of the safety of the car.
The teenager opened the car and looked around inside it. Opened the glove box and fumbled inside it trying to find anything- anything to justify the violence which he was promised before the group had set out on the hunt.
His hands found a pamphlet.
He stepped out and showed the pamphlet to the kurta pajama man. The teen couldn't read.
Another fellow shined his torch on the pamphlet and the kurta pajama man read what was written in it.
It was pamphlet which had some quotes from a man named Ghulam Ahmed Qadiani.
Kamal Ahmed, it turned out, was an Ahmadi.
Others didn't need any signal or cue and promptly descended upon the poor doctor, kicking and punching him.

Julius Fonseca stood there looking at scene unfold infront of him. He thought of calling the police for help, but the police would never get in time and the other people would not risk their faith in defending an Ahmadi, so he decided to take the matters in his own hands.

He took off his coat and tie, stuffed them in his bag and placed it under a wooden pole. Without his coat and tie he looked like an office clerk.
He walked towards the site of violence.

“ Assalam u Alekum brothers”, he called out to the group, whose one member now had the doctor in a chokehold.

“For Allah’s sake, stop beating this poor man, what has he done to you?” he asked them in his most concerned voice.

“He is a Kaafir Qadiyani! That’s what he has done to us”, said the man in kurta pajama.

Fonseca walked towards the doctor who who was still in a chokehold. His head was bleeding and his tailored suit was torn and stained.
He looked at the doctor. And he stood there and just looked at the doctor.
" Release him for a moment", he quitely asked the man who had the doctor in a chokehold. The man looked at the kurta pajama guy who nodded. The chokehold was released.
" Are you a Qadiyani?", Fonseca asked the doctor.
The doctor nodded. Speech had left him it seemed.

“He is a Qadiyani, and he must renounce his faith, otherwise he must be killed as the Shariah demands”, Fonseca looked around and spoke to the men.The crowd chanted Yes in unision.They seemed more interested in the killing than conversion.

“Yes, if he renounces his blasphemies then he will be spared”, said the man with the goatee and the mob only murmured its agreement. Most of the men just wanted a killing. The thrill. Killing a kaafir was a thrill, but it seemed that the goatee'd fellow commanded a measure of respect.

“Very well” said Fonseca. He looked straight and hard into the eyes of Kamal. “Brothers, I sense something”, Fonseca called out to the mob still looking at Kamal.

The group now looked at Fonseca excitedly.

“Help me Allah”, said Fonseca.

He grabbed the doctor’s head in his hands and shouted, “Kaafir! From this day henceforth you will renounce your faith in your filthy ideology and lead the life of a good Muslim. Do you wish to do so?”

Fonseca did the smallest of nods which the doctor, who was now looking at Fonseca with dazed eyes, copied.

The mob shivered with excitement.

“Do you renounce your faith infidel?” Fonseca shouted at the doctor. “Say, I renounce my faith”.

The doctor, still dazed, said in a robotic manner, “I renounce my faith”.

The mob erupted into shouts of Allah u Akbar.

The doctor looked around with dazed eyes.

The man in kurta pajama came up to Fonseca and asked in a reverent tone,” Mashallah brother, you seem to have Allah’s blessing in your hands, what is your name?"

“Syed Umer Ahmed”, lied Fonseca without any hesitation.

“Mashallah, that explains the whole thing, of course. Allah performs his wonders through the hands of Syeds. Subhanallah”, somebody in the crowd said. The rest chirped in agreement.
" It seems that our task is done", said the goatee'd fellow. " But if you ever convert back to your vile ideology, we will kill you without warning", he said to the doctor in a menacing voice.
The doctor nodded. Still in a daze.

The mob then started to disperse and when the last person (the man in kurta pajama) had left, Fonseca looked at the doctor and snapped his fingers. The doctor jerked and seemed to have come out of the daze.

“Who…what…who are you...what happened...he blurted out. “ Who were those men?” he asked Fonseca.

“Bhai, those were just some Ahraris who had come out to attack you. But Allah finally intervened and put his fear in their hearts so they walked away”.

“Uh?”

“Yes, see, they have gone now. So dont worry. Allah always looks after those who believe in the promised Messiah”, said Fonseca in his most pious voice.

“Let me help you to the car”.

The wife who was seeing the two men walk towards the car, threw open the door and helped the doctor in, thanking Fonseca profusely. The doctor also thanked Fonseca while wincing from the pain of bruises.

“What is your name brother?” asked the tearful wife.

Fonseca replied, "My name is Ghulam Ahmed”, lying easily, again.
" Are you...umm...Are you Ahmadi sir?", the doctor asked, somewhat hesitantly.
" Yes I am with the grace of Allah", the magician replied with a smile.

“Mashallah, such a blessed name, it’s the Jamaat members like you who strengthen my faith everyday”, said the Doctor.

After many thanks and requests to drop him home (which Fonseca declined), the family finally drove away leaving Fonseca alone on the street.

“The Amazing Fonseca”, he said, with a smile playing along his face as he went on his way to Lido’s Bar for a good night’s Christmas drink.

Book Review: Go Set A Watchman

2015-11-18T21:15:00.001-08:00

There have been a few books written which have captured the minds and imaginations of people all over the world through gripping storytelling and gone on to become classics. One such book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, which was written in 1960 and is still popular all over the world. A classic in a true sense, To Kill A Mockingbird shows the racism and lack of a just system prevalent back in 1930s when the author was only 10 years old. Such was the success of the book that it went on to become a motion picture and won 3 Oscars in the process.

The author of one of the greatest books ever written is back with her recent book, Go Set A Watchman. Released in July 2015, the story is sort of a prequel to Kill A Mockingbird. It was written before the classic novel but was never released. The book shows several characters of To Kill A Mockingbird at an earlier time. While marketed as a sequel to the book, Go Set A Watchman is set at least 20 years back in time than the original work.

Set in the backdrop of the civil war, the story explores the events in the life of a young woman, Jean Louis-Finch, who return home to her ailing father. Her father has raised her well but at times of moral crisis, like racism in those days, even the rational minds lose their focus. When she debates with her father about issues bothering her, especially women’s rights and racism, she is surprised to find her father supporting the other side. She also discovers some shocking things about her family and community.

For anyone looking to get a deeper look into the classic novel, To Kill A Mockingbird, this book is a great way to understand the dynamics of the society at that time. Go Set A Watchman gives you a deeper understandings of the issues faced by the characters in To Kill A Mockingbird and the role society plays in determining the decisions of individuals.

For all the fans of To Kill A Mockingbird as well as followers of great American literature, Go Set A Watchman is a must read book. It is a book you must have in your library. Just a few months into its launch and it has become a best seller in USA. It is also the most preordered book on Amazon. In Pakistan, you can buy the latest work of Harper Lee from all leading bookstores as well as online marketplaces like Kaymu.

Paper is Permanent, Digital is Temporary

2015-09-21T00:36:00.000-07:00

You are sitting at a café and having a nice cup of coffee. You have your kindle

on your lap trying to finish the first chapter of a book by your favorite author that you waited six months for. You look at the screen trying to read the last bit but something keeps you from getting into your reading zone. Exasperated, you lift your face and look to your side and see a book shelf with a number of books of on it. They catch your attention, you get up to see what is there. You spot a book by the same author and take it to your table and open the first page. The next thing you know two hours have passed and you have read half of the book and you don’t want to put it down. It is late so you leave the book and go to the nearest bookstore and get the paperback version of it. Then you realize that the paperback took you to your reading zone. That is the beauty of a physical book!

There has been a huge ongoing debate since the invention of the E-reader about the difference between the paperback and the digital book. Many people have chosen their sides but many are confused. A study from Scholastic revealed that the percentage of children who have read an e-book has almost doubled since 2010 to almost half of all kids aged 9 to 17, while the number who want to continue to read books in print instead of electronically declined from 66% to 58%. This points to the decline of the paperback but that is not always the case.(http://mediaroom.scholastic.com/kfrr) Although the digital book is in fashion but it is just temporary as nothing can beat the traditional feel of holding and reading a book in your hand. Many different online portals such as Kaymu have a wide range of books available that avid book readers can choose from and enjoy!

Why the physical book is better than the online one?

1. They give the experience!

Paperbacks give you the real feel of reading a book. You can hold it in your hand and flip the pages with your own will. You can even earmark the pages the way you want and feel them with your own hands which enhances the tactile feeling. When you read a paperback you can get really engrossed in it and get the sense of the characters and the situations in it. You can keep the classical value that it provides and gain a wholesome experience.

2. You can collect them!

Printed books are collectible and they last with you through the ages. Every copy that a person owns has its own level of uniqueness. Some of the books in people’s collections are so rare that there are no other copies. Another additional factor is that you can loan your book to a friend but you would never lend your e-reader, it is an obvious fact.

3. You can save and spend elsewhere!

Printed books always cost a fraction of what the e-books cost; and paperbacks are even cheaper than the hardcovers. Also you don’t have to charge a printed book as compared to an e-reader. You can take it anywhere you want and use it anyway you want to.

Nothing can beat the physical beauty that is present in a book or the feeling that it gives the reader. That will always remain eternal. It might seem old fashioned to read a paperback but it gives the overall satisfaction of actually reading something worthwhile.

2+2=5 ?

2015-06-12T19:56:00.000-07:00

When the protagonist of the classic Orwell novel 1984 is asked during torture whether 2+2 equals 5, he wonders if the state makes it true and everybody is made to believe it, does that make 2+2=5 true?

Used in a novel published in 1949, Orwell’s allegory for totalitarianism, revisionism and the sheep like behavior of gullible citizens still rings true.

Pakistan too suffers from this 2+2=5 syndrome. Does our educational system produce a crop of students who are able to think out of the box, challenge existing notions and have the courage to bring change? Is creativity encouraged or discouraged. Sadly the answer to these questions is no. Our educational system does not produce such a crop of students and yes, creativity is discouraged. Barring the institutions that are located in our apparently progressive and elite urban bubbles, curiosity and questioning is discouraged, though putting the blame solely on the educational system would be unfair.

Take a look at our culture, after all every institution that exists in this country is derived from our culture. Does our culture promote values of free speech, encourage curiosity and applaud change?

Years ago when studying biology in my 9^th class, our teacher skipped the chapter on evolution because it was un-Islamic. In my 2^nd year, my physics teacher spent two class sessions explaining to us in no less detail about the physical and mathematical proofs of Shab e Mairaj. No questions were asked, nor were we expected to ask. Who would have dared to ask?

Including religious content in school textbooks and especially scientific textbooks discourages the student’s ability to think and reason with an open mind. Recently, Maulana Sherani, chairman of the Council of Islamic Ideology called for ‘introducing a uniform system of education throughout the country, integrating religious teachings with the contemporary, mainstream education’. In other words, he envisions a madrassafied educational system of Pakistan while remaining completely oblivious to the rising sectarian tensions, religious extremism and economic strife. But Maulana sahib is a product of this system, what else he could have said?

Putting aside educational institutions, would questioning our values be allowed in our culture? The images of Salman Taseer, Shahbaz Bhatti and Sabeen Mehmud pop up as a warning. Question and you will share the same fate. Many pens stop. Many cerebral cogs cease to work. The murderer of Sabeen Mehmud was an IBA graduate, but more so he was the product of this culturally constrained educational machinery. When confronted with facts which threaten to bring down everything you have been taught to believe is true, turning to violence is only but natural. What sort of educated aalim was Aamir Liaquat Husain when he spewed vicious comments on the Ahmadi minority on live television? Weren’t those who introduced Blasphemy law and laying foundations of hatred towards no Muslims, products of this system?

Extremism is a product of this system and it exists on both ends of our country’s religious spectrum. Moderation is but a wispy figment of our imagination.

Look at the scenario unfolding on Pakistani social media. The people either out rightly accept a news or out rightly reject it. Everything is seen in a George Bush-esque black and white perspective. The amount of vitriol that is spewed out, the amount of hate that is generated, the number of unfounded accusations passionately advocated, give us an insight into the mind of an educated and tech savvy Pakistani- the so called future. The exploits of Imran Khan’s social media supporters have been discussed by every respected journalist. Say anything about PTI and you would be harassed by trolls who will insist on you to take your words back. Scratch that, you will find many extremist organizations like ASWJ running their social media accounts with ease and spreading their toxic ideology to the gullible and mostly young social media users. Don’t forget the Rawalpindi sponsored ghairat brigade as well. Criticize the ‘boys’ and you will face an onslaught of jingoist zombies who will make you cringe with their indoctrinated wisdom.

Moderation has become but a wispy figment of our imagination. The age old machinery continues to churn out more obsolete products.

The practice of revisionism and adding religious hues to textbooks that started in Bhutto’s time, intensified in Zia’s era and given an added momentum in Musharraf’s years has put Pakistan on a path which only leads to religious fascism.

No matter how much funds are reserved for educational growth, it still won’t matter if the children are taught to believe in the superiority of their own faith, suspect minorities and present faith inspired counter arguments. Our textbooks glorify the battles between Muslims and Hindus. The Hindus are introduced as uncultured folk who are shown the light of culture by the Muslim invaders. And they always end up deceiving Muslims. Imagine being a Hindu child in a Pakistani classroom. In our secondary level social studies textbooks, Muslims of Pakistan are always told to be related to Arabs, Turks and Persians. No link to South Asia is ever mentioned. One religion is taught to be made up of a Master Race and other minority religions are taught to consist of second class citizens. What sort of adults will our children become after being fed with such drivel? Outside of academic institutions, people around these children continue to inculcate them with ideas of segregation, intolerance and being subservient to the existing moth eaten culture which has brought Pakistan to this state where governance without patronage of criminal activities is impossible and where vote is still given on caste, creed and connections not on the manifesto and resume.

For these moth eaten societal structures to change we have to ask ourselves the ultimate questions

If your religion says that 2+2=5, would you accept it?
If your culture says that 2+2=5, would you accept it?

Dear ET, Try keeping it confidential !

2013-10-23T11:36:00.000-07:00

Media in Pakistan has played a great role in bringing out issues that otherwise would have remained hidden to the public eye. Many a poor and disadvantaged have found donors to help them out just because of reports published and broadcasted by our media.

That being said, an important consideration that is often overlooked is, confidentiality.

Should I put this person’s name in my report who is suffering from illness which might cause him embarrassment in his public life? Should I identify this person in my article which might make him vulnerable to slurs? These are the questions which any responsible journalist must ask before publishing reports on issues relating to gender, sexuality, health and abuse. In Pakistan specifically, it is essential for a journalist to guard a victim/patient/gender’s identity due to the fact that we as a society still live in the seventh century when it comes to recognizing LGBT rights, stigmatizing rape victims and gossiping about a person’s illness. Can a person with a sexual disease ever come out without being judged and comments passed on him/her because of imagined sexual indulgences? Can a rape victim come out in the open without being told that the DNA evidence in her/his case is unacceptable according to Council of Islamic Ideology? In a country where 60% of the people surveyed, would not like to be friends with a transgender, a journalist must make his/her top priority not to reveal names when doing reports on these kind of stories. The 5-year old girl raped in Lahore should never have been named in the first place, but ratings and sensationalism continue to have a vice like grip on our media.

Recently I came across a story published on ET regarding a girl in Abbottabad diagnosed with “ambiguous genitalia”- a birth defect which effects sexual growth in a person. Although it is not a disease but due to the birth defect it is hard to ascertain the sex of a person based on outside appearance of genitalia. The girl’s father is poor and cannot afford to pay for the surgery (costing RS.200, 000) and five medical tests (costing Rs. 35,000) that would be required to fully transform her into a girl.

It would be a good thing if, due to the report, that girl’s father gets the donations so that the she can receive proper medical attention. That’s the good part. But, what about the behavior of the society after her identity has been revealed? Who can guarantee that she wouldn’t be a victim to slurs because of her medical condition? Wouldn’t this report make her vulnerable to ridicule by her class mates? Neighbors? Did the reporter who filed the story think about the impact of this story?

Industrialist and social activist Majyd Aziz remarked:

“Pragmatic way would have been to identify the kid with an initial, request well known person to spearhead collections. People tend to remember negative aspects. Moreover, child would be ridiculed by class-fellows. Family may be mocked too”.

Writer and poet Sarah B Gillani called this “absolutely wrong”.

Hence I call upon the concerned editorial staff at ET to remove the child’s name from the story and kindly enable the practice of protecting the confidentiality of such cases in the future. While let us all hope that in the future that no Pakistani is judged based on gender, sexual orientation and religious beliefs.

How A Terrorist Is Made- A Comic

2013-10-17T03:06:00.000-07:00

The Syrian Bear Trap Part 2.

2013-09-03T22:38:00.000-07:00

“He has proven instead only his contempt for the United Nations and for all his pledges. By breaking every pledge, by his deceptions and by his cruelties….”

You might be thinking that this is an excerpt from an Obama press conference citing the reasons for a strike against Bashar al Assad’s Syria. Yet, these words were spoken by George W Bush at the United Nations on 13 September 2002, and the above quote ends with…,

“Saddam Hussein has made the case against himself.”

Some things never change.
With the UN weapons inspectors pulling out of Syria with the “possible” evidence of chemical attacks, it seems that the US is hell bent on attacking Syria and “punishing the country for using chemical weapons”. It must be noted that the weapons inspectors would only have evidence concerning the occurrence of chemical attack and not who did it. This leaves the field open for the US to assert its “moral authority” to attack Syria based on its own “reliable” intelligence. The possible US attack on Syria would again throw the region into geopolitical turmoil the likes of which can only be matched by the Iraq invasion disaster.
But the US is not alone. France –fresh and confident from its adventures in Mali and Libya- is ready to assist the US in “punishing” Syria for using chemical weapons. The UK’s parliament has thankfully voted against any intervention.
The American public, in a latest poll, has voted against any intervention in Syria. 53% say that they are against US military intervention in Syria, though it must be acknowledged that the numbers were higher in the previous week (60%). Even the officers in the US military have doubts regarding the wisdom of attacking Syria when they are already coping with the economic and military battering that the US has received from both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Iranian and Hezbollah threat is always present. Thus, the case against any intervention in Syria is strong.
So why is the American administration hell-bent on engaging in another military adventure which nearly everyone thinks will probably end like another Afghanistan?
The answer can be sought in the preparations that the jihadis in Syria are making for the coming American strike. Many jihadist organisations are shifting bases, evacuating headquarters, moving equipment and even finding safe hiding places in the mountainous terrains. They think that the coming US attack would also be aimed at jihadist organisations that control vast swathes of land in the northern and eastern provinces of Syria. In a statement, the jihadi outfit Fatehul Islam has said that,

“For every US missile that hits a regime target, another will strike a jihadi base.”

The bread and butter of any standard jihadi outfit depends on how well it fights and speaks against US hegemony. This might be a heaven sent opportunity for the jihadis to entangle the US in another war.
It must be asked that who will benefit if the US destroys President Assad’s military strike capability.
The only winner in that case would be Jabahat-al-Nusra and other jihadi outfits who have travelled all across the world to take part in the war. Indeed, it is now becoming increasingly evident that if President Assad falls and when the Syrian civil war is over and done with, Jabahat al Nusra would eventually fall out with Free Syria Army (FSA) (endorsed by the US and NATO and is the official rebel army in Syria) and with seasoned fighters coming from Iraq and other neighbouring battlefields, it would eventually succeed in stopping the FSA from gaining further power and quite possibly open the way for bringing the Syrian war into Iraq against the Shiite government over there, led by Nouri Al Maliki. The Syrian war would spill all over the middle-east and the chemical weapons that Assad allegedly possesses might fall into very wrong hands.
This might be reason as to why the US wants to have a presence in Syria; to stop the jihadists from gaining any further control and chemical attacks were only an excuse. Other than that, we only have the “USA has a moral duty” explanations, and no one in the post-World War II history has ever bought that.
The US might find itself caught in a bear trap that it laid for the Soviets.

This blog of mine was published on Express Tribune on August 31, 2013. http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/18694/the-us-war-on-afghanistan-is-over-syria-is-the-new-project/

The Cuckoo's Calling : Book Review

2013-08-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

The Cuckoo’s Calling, by Robert Galbraith was doing an OK business (1500 copies sold since April) until it was leaked that the crime novel was actually written by none other than JK. Rowling herself !

The leak propelled the novel to number 1 and reprints were ordered. Her fans (including me) went into ecstasy found only in the seventh heaven and did all that we could to get our hands on The Cuckoo’s Calling.

As it turned out, the book didn’t disappoint at all. Although JK Rowling has expressed her anger because she didn’t want her false-identity as RobertGalbraith to be leaked to the media. According to her she enjoyed the liberating experience of writing under a pseudonym without any hype and expectations.

The Cuckoo’s Calling is crime-detective novel featuring Cormoran Strike as a private detective who has been hired to investigate the apparent suicide of super model Lula Landry. Together with his newly hired secretary Robin, Cormoran has to navigate through the dazzling world of fashion, paparazzi and waddle across the murky marshes of destitution, drugs, alcoholism, and racism. This is a novel that brings surprises at every turning, but not without some diligent detective work by Cormoran Strike, which to some readers might get a bit tedious to read.

The chemistry between Cormoran and Robin develops wonderfully but leaves a lot to be desired. Good news is that Robert Galbraith (JKR) already has completed the second book, in what appears to be a series.

Essentially, the book is a continuation of JK Rowling’s crusade against media hacks, paparazzi, and the snobbish elites of the society. Exploitation of individuals who are misunderstood by the society is a major theme in the novel. For example, Evan Duffield who is Lula Landry’s boyfriend is believed by nearly all characters in the novel to be a spoilt, drug addled human being but later he is revealed to be complex character who is as much susceptible to human fallibilities as any other person and who is misunderstood by majority of the people around him.

One thing that is becoming the hallmark of her novels is her embracing of the populist theme. That is something to which the reader from the lower classes of the society can easily relate to, no matter which country he/she may belong to. The depiction of the mutual disgust which both the rich and the poor have for each other is well written. The novel’s strongest moments in my view come when detective Cormoran Strike interacts with an impecunious mother who has to give up her child for adoption in a rich family so that the child can have a better future. JK Rowling it seems has a well-entrenched revulsion against the apathetic hereditary rich and those who get rich on the corpses of others. This loathing has been there in all the seven Harry Potter novels (Malfoys) and TheCasual Vacancy (the Mollisons) and now has spilled into her 9^th novel has well.

But aside from politics and directing the odium against the useless waste of human intelligence which we normally call celebrity journalism, JK Rowling’s novel is a fantastic read. Despite the information overload in some parts of the novel, the plot development is well paced and you feel that the curtain on the villain will be lifted at the very end of the novel in a dramatic fashion and all mysteries will be resolved.

Though there is nothing spectacular about the novel, as the crime genre has been well trodden before, the book will find its way to your bookshelf but probably not on your favorite books list.

The Missionaries- second installment

2013-07-28T09:26:00.005-07:00

7:30 AM

PECHS, Karachi, Pakistan

The alarm of a Samsung mobile phone was buzzing and playing an AC/DC song on the bedside table. It kept on playing for 5 minutes when finally a hand reached out from under the sheets on the bed and killed the alarm.

Arif Hasan got off bed and looked at the time.

“Fuck me!” He swore out loud. For the 4^th day running he was late for work. He had recently got a job at a market research company, thanks to a friend of his dad’s. He loved the job but he always got in late. He rushed to the bathroom had a quick shower, brushed his teeth, dashed back, blindly picked a pair of pants, a shirt and a tie, dressed up, got into his worn out shoes, grabbed his wallet and phone and rushed into the adjoining living room, which served as both a TV lounge and a drawing room.

“Arif, you are late again!! His mother shouted out from the kitchen

“And let me warn you, if you get fired, I will personally fire you from the house and your dad won’t be able to do anything about it!”

She came out of the kitchen sweating. She had a kind looking face which was now contorted with rage. Arif said, “mom, ok, don’t worry. Promise it won’t happen again.ok…” and he kissed her on the cheeks. He took the milkshake mug from her hands gulped it down in one go.

He turned to the television and switched it open and flicked to Geo News.

“You are seeing live visuals from Washington DC, it is extraordinary. The President of the United States has been murdered. I repeat. The President of America Joseph Reid has been killed. He has been beheaded and his head is missing. The security agencies have been unable to locate the head and security all around USA and its bases have been put on red alert. The American nation is stunned and answers are being sought. The CIA has attributed the murder to a terrorist strike but no finger prints or any weapons have been recovered from crime scene….To further discuss the situation we have invited the host of Capital….”

Arif was looking at the TV too stunned to speak anything. The President of United States, killed in the most secure building on the planet, he thought. Like something from a Roland Emmerich disaster movie.

“Mom, I know I will be late today, but can you stop frying eggs and come out to see this”, he called out.

His mother came out of the kitchen asked what was happening. Arif pointed to the TV screen which now showed a well-known talk show host who, as Arif noticed, couldn’t suppress a smirk. Arif’s mom read the ticker running on the screen and looked at Arif.

“Is this really happening? I am telling you, expect America to attack Pakistan within the next few hours”, she said darkly. And then she went back to the kitchen to fry eggs which left Arif in no doubt that to his mother beheading of the most powerful man in the world was not a big deal.

His phone was buzzing, he looked and saw 35 twitter and 20 Facebook notifications. Of course the social media would be buzzing, but Arif had long since come to the conclusion that chatter on social media was about as productive as the chatter of crows on trees. Meaning. It was just annoying. So much righteous outrage, so many laptop activists, so many news analysts. He just got bored with it and never used it much. That being said, he had made some very good friends on these websites and talked with them only on SMS or voice calls.

Right he was fighting an urge to stay and watch the incredible news or head to the office, to which by this time he was already 40 minutes late. Therefore he wrenched his eyes away from the TV and said good bye to his mother ran to the bus stop. Fortunately, he spotted the bus coming and climbed on it. As soon as he sat on the seat, a text message came on his phone, he opened it and saw that it was from his friend Kaleemullah, an aspiring Jihadi and a Database Administrator working at Humanity Plus, a US government funded NGO. Kaleemullah had assured Arif on numerous occasions that his concern was to manage the company databases and not spread the ‘kufr’ of Satan America, hence was doing nothing wrong. When Arif pointed out that his work kept the databases of the ‘Kufar’ running, Kaleem said, “Hey, even Ali had to work in the garden of a Jew. Bro, you have to. Bad financial times you know...Anyways…did you check out Mathira’s pics?” Arif had always wondered, how Kaleem ever became a Hafiz.

The message from Kaleem read

“Allah be praised, the great American Satan is dead. Allah u Akbar”

Arif smiled. In his mind’s eye he saw Kaleem doing a Gangnam in the mosque.

“Halal Gangnam”, he spoke to himself smiling, which was heard by an old man in a white kurta, sitting beside him. The old man gave him an annoyed partly patronizing look and turned his face back to the window.

Another text message appeared on Arif’s phone, this was from his friend Shahnawaz, who was the son of an industrialist and was his former class fellow. The message,

“Dude, USA president is now Prezi-dead. Fuck!! Whoever dunnit was a daddy cool”.

Arif replied, “Hi Five J “

To pass time, Arif started reading older messages, and saw Sophia’s name on the list. Ah, Sophie, he thought ….when suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by blaring sirens of a dozen police vans speeding past the bus.

Must be another suicide attack, he thought. He inwardly prayed that it was a grenade attack rather than suicide one. Suicide attacks had the potential to cause hour long traffic jams , while grenade blasts caused jams lasting up to 15 minutes, firing, none. “Karachi” he said to himself. When you are a Karachiite you don’t wish for killings to not happen, instead you prayed for killings to happen less.

The bus conductor came to his eat and asked for the fare,

’10 rupees brother, he said.

Arif took out his wallet and pulled out 10 rupees from it, realizing that now his wallet was empty.

‘Brother, brother, brother’, sighed the conductor while looking at the Arif empty wallet. Arif didn’t want a bus conductor to pity him so he stowed back his wallet quickly in his pocket.

Suddenly he heard loud sounds coming from outside the bus, the old man sitting next to Arif looked out of the window and saw 5 helicopters in the sky going straight in the same directions as the bus. And they were flying very low.

Arif had never seen 5 helicopters flying together on the Karachi skies before and somehow the rushing police vans and the helicopters seemed connected to Arif. He looked at the helicopters and saw that they were 2 Aerospatiale SA 330 Pumas and 3 Mil-MI 7 helicopters, all with Pak Army insignia on them.

‘Wow’ said Arif, looking at the helicopters.

Then suddenly the bus drivers swerved the bus to the left to make room for Army’s Armored Vehicles which went rushing Past followed by ambulances.

“Whatever is happening, doesn’t look good” the old man told Arif.

“Baba, the Chief Minister’s house is straight ahead right? “

“Yes son, but if some blast had taken place, we would have heard it because we are just 5 minutes away from the minister’s residence.

Arif sent a sms to both Sophia, Kaleem and Shah, asking if something had happened in Karachi. Then his phone started ringing, the caller ID showed that it was a call coming from his home.

“Yes mom” Arif answered the phone.

“Son, come home quick, your dad is already home and your brother is coming back from school too.” his mom told in a tone that suggested panic and worry.

“Mom, what happened??” Arif asked.

“Son, it just came on the news, although they are not confirming it. The President, Prime Ministers, and the Chief Ministers of all the provinces have been found headless in their respective homes!”

"What??"

"Yes son, just come home because angry mobs of the ruling party are setting on fire anything that they come across, already 15 people have died within 10 minutes.....son come home please"

"Ok mom, don't worry, I am coming back, give the phone to dad"

“Your dad has went out to fetch Imran, he seems to stuck in a traffic jam".

"OK mom I am coming back."

Arif got up from his seat and banged his hands on the bus door. The driver stopped the bus and he got out.

‘Fucking Hell’

Arif knew that if the CM was killed, it would be a weeks’ worth of indiscriminate killings and economic shutdown.

‘Bitches can’t even die without killings 20, 30 folks’ he thought angrily, now crossing the road. ‘But fuck man, 4 CMs and a President. Insane!!!... That would be months’ worth of strikes and carnage…and no work’ Arif bitterly thought. Arif still remembered the events after Benazir Bhutto’s assassination.

Suddenly he heard gunshots behind him and saw that a gang of young men were forcing the shopkeepers to shutdown shops. Aerial shots were being fired. He saw two policemen running for cover. This, Arif saw as a signal that the area was now under gang control and the civilians were on their own.

Ahead he saw a taxi in which the driver was about to get in.

“Hey!!! Hey!” Arif shouted to the driver as he ran toward the taxi.

The taxi was about to drive away when Arif reached it.

“Hey, brother,…PECHS…please”

The taxi driver looked at him and said, “You are lucky I was going in that direction, get in before we both get shot”

“Fucking thanks man” and Arif got into the taxi and they both drove away.

They reached Arif’s home, and Arif saw his dad standing at the gate waiting.

“Dad I don’t have money, the fare was 150 rupees”, said Arif as he came out of the taxi.

His dad took out 200 from his wallet, and gave it to the taxi driver thanking him profusely.

“Sir it was nothing” and he gave back the remaining 50 rupees.

Arif’s dad Mr. Hasan, insisted that driver take the 50 rupees, but the driver only wanted the fare and ignoring Mr. Hasan’s requests, he drove away.

“Good guy” Arif said while looking at the taxi.

“May God keep him safe “said Mr. Hasan.

“ God..yeah whatever..” Arif mumbled and went inside the house, his dad followed him inside.

The Missionaries- Novel by Einsjam

2013-07-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

21:00 Hrs.

Washington DC. White House: The Rose Garden,

Agent Bryan McNamara was patrolling the Rose Garden in the White House. It was a pleasant evening. Mid November. Cold, but that’s the way he liked Washington DC. The cold reminded him of his hometown of Talkeetna, Alaska. It was a simple town, whose ceremonial mayor was a cat named Stubbs.

The chilly wind felt good on his freshly shaved face. He paced around the garden listening to any noise, keeping a look out for anything out of the ordinary. He had an 8 hour shift today. Larry Schwartzman was supposed to patrol the premises and he Bryan would have been watching the Red Wings game with his beloved Katie.

He walked further reaching a lamppost bathing him in an orange light. The White House building behind him. Suddenly he heard a whooshing noise, behind him. He turned to look around quickly, his eyes scanning for the source of the noise.

The leaves of the trees were gently rustling, ahead he saw the shadow of a man walking with his dog. ‘Jose Rivera’, he thought, recognizing the figure. Everything looked normal. ‘Must be a gust of wind' he thought. He checked his watch’. 21:01 Hrs.

He turned back and started walking when suddenly a panicked voice crackled on his earpiece. “Code Red, Code Red, The Devil is gone. I repeat the…… The Devil is gone’. McNamara felt the ground beneath his boots slip. The Devil was not in the house. A second later his sense started to trickle in. The Devil must be in any of the House’s 132 rooms. But they wouldn’t have put it out if they weren’t completely sure if the Devil was not there. It just couldn’t be.

He ran towards the building, reaching the famous columns he met Agent Jackson who was about to dash inside. ‘Hey Jack, what’s happening?’

‘They say The Devil is missing’, Jackson replied panting, it seemed that he had run a distance.

‘Has anybody run a thorough check?’ McNamara inquired.

‘Yeah they have’ and Agent Jackson sprinted away into the House.

His earpiece crackled again,’ The Devil has been found. His head is missing’.

Now, McNamara really felt his the ground underneath him tremble and shake. He ran into the House following another agent whom he recognized as Eric Smithfield.

‘Hey Eric, You sure it’s not some freak exercise bullshit by the command? Cause’ if it aint, we are fucked’. McNamara said to Smithfield while running.

‘ No, this is happening, a shit tsunami is about to kick in’ said Smithfield in dread laced tones, while running towards the White House Movie Theatre, where the voice inside Smithfield’s earpiece was directing him towards.

McNamara followed Smithfield and entered the movie theatre and a horrific sight greeted him. On the roof there was perfect circular hole through which the night sky was visible and directly underneath it was the headless of body a well-built tall man in red striped pajamas. The body lay spread eagled, while stump of the neck oozed out blood.

5 other agents were busy scanning the whole place while 2 stood guard over the body.

The murder had happened just now, the terrorist must be here somewhere, McNamara thought, while still grasping the fact that The Devil was lying in front of him, dead. While Smithfield looked at the body horrorstruck.

McNamara could now hear the alarms howling around him, hundreds of feet thumping the floors, dog barks, shouts, and a lone scream.

Agents and security guards were fanning around the White House, helicopters were circling the building shining powerful beams on the House and its surroundings.

McNamara looked at the body. The Devil was a good man, he thought. He cared for his family, went to the church, and always appeared humble. Managing a laugh even if his approval ratings were down. These days it was going slowly back up because of his intervention in Pakistan, where he had decided to carpet bomb a whole city, whose name McNamara couldn’t even pronounce, but it started with a P. He was a witty fellow who had played so dirty tricks on his opponents, that when the time to give him a codename came, he was named as The Devil. It was a no-brainer as far as McNamara was concerned.

And now, The Devil lay lifeless and headless in front of him. He thought about the mysterious whooshing sound he heard. He looked at the enigmatic hole in the roof that had been precisely cut in a circular shape.

One thing, however was crushingly clear to Bryan McNamara. Joseph Reid codenamed The Devil, President of the United States of America had just been brutally murdered.

With Ziarat Residency Burnt, A Piece of Pakistan Died Too

2013-06-14T22:29:00.003-07:00

June 15, 2013 would now be remembered forever now. Today the legendary building that adorns our hundred rupee notes was burnt and destroyed in a targeted terrorist attack. All the historical photographs and furniture were destroyed and as always the militants escaped unhurt. Today, not just a wood and brick building was destroyed, but also a piece of Pakistan died with it too.

Quick history check: Ziarat residency was constructed in 1892 with the idea of it becoming a sanatorium due to the presence of a Juniper forest in the area in which it was constructed. Later on it was converted into a summer residence of the Agent to the Governor General. But it being the building where Quaid e Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah spent his last days is what it makes it truly historical. Nations all around the world, preserve such places, securing them, guarding them from any calamity, manmade or natural. But we failed to protect our revered founder’s second last earthly residence. Jinnah, loved the peace and quiet of Ziarat, as Fatima Jinnah in her book My Brother informs us, but he also said that it was easier to breathe in Quetta rather than Ziarat.

It was a majestic building, with so much history in it. Its walls were privy to the musings of the ailing leader who was concerned about the genocide that was happening along the border, worried about the future of the fledgling new created state, worried about who would replace him in the future and would he be able to keep the ship of Pakistan afloat. Its walls saw many leaders arrive, begging for Jinnah’s guidance. Its walls saw Jinnah fighting bravely against tuberculosis, unwilling to give up. The walls heard everything, the walls saw everything, but we never will.

The very fact that the founder of the nation’s residence has now been burnt down to the ground- destroyed in a militant attack- speaks volumes about where we as a nation have come down to since 1948. It is not just about the priceless archives, photos and Quaid’s furniture, it is not about the loss of a tourist hotspot in Ziarat. It’s about preserving the memories of a man who gave his all for our freedom. It is about the preserving the idea of Pakistan, where every ethnicity and religious group is free to live and practice its customs because this has nothing to do with the business of the state. But when intolerance and tyranny seeps in, it destroys the ideals on which this state was founded. When people are alienated with daily abductions, killings, then you force them down the path of separatism that further leads down towards terrorism. Burning down Ziarat Residency was a symbolic act of terrorism. An act to show the world that they don’t want to be part of Pakistan any more. By burning down Ziarat residency the terrorists have shown that the idea of being part of Pakistan is abhorrent to them. The impact of this event are enormous. How many people would go missing? How many pipelines would be blown up? How many Punjabis professionals would be shot in the aftermath? Would we approach this matter softly or come down harsh?

In a way, the burnt down hulk of Ziarat Residency is a perfect metaphor for the state of Pakistan’s affairs. Pakistan lies burnt to the ground with militancy, corruption, nepotism rife. May be in the future, Ziarat residency might be restored, replicas of furniture installed. But would we and our country be able to rise out of the ashes? That remains to be seen. I hope that our authorities would take appropriate steps to ensure the security of all places associated with Quaid e Azam.

For now, Dear Quaid, I am sorry, we couldn’t protect your property.

Authoritarianism Strikes Turkey

2013-06-05T12:11:00.001-07:00

Some say it’s the Turkish Spring, others opine that it’s a protest by the increasingly sidelined secularists who feel that Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan’s government is not listening to their voice and turning progressively dictatorial.

Turkey has seen a remarkable rise in its fortunes under Tayyip Erdogan’s government. Exports have increased tenfold in the last ten years, credit rating upgrades by Moody’s, JCR and other agencies around the world, stellar GDP growth rates and a growing political influence in Africa and Middle East have all made Turkey, a major regional power. But all of this came at price. At least this is how the apparently wronged secularists feel. Their major beef with Erdogan’s AKP led government is that under his rule, the country has started to lean towards Islamization thereby abandoning the secular principles on which Mustafa Kemal Pasha founded modern Turkey.

Tayyip Erdogan’s track record in listening to public opinion and media freedom has been less than stellar than his economic and foreign policy wizardry. These protests that are largely a grassroots movement are essentially a disapproval of the Turkish prime minister’s increasingly authoritarian style of government.

The protests started with the Turkish government’s plans to build a shopping mall on the Gezi Park on Turkey’s iconic Taksim Square. The protesters maintained that the park was one of the few remaining green spaces in Istanbul. However, the Turkish government seemed to be unimpressed by these views and pushed ahead with the development. At the start the protestors numbered in just hundreds, but due to the brutal response of Turkish authorities, the numbers ballooned to hundreds of thousands and protests have spread to 67 town and cities including Ankara, Izmir and Konya. Well over 3000 protestors have been injured and so far 2 deaths have been confirmed. The viciousness of the crackdown on protestors has drawn condemnation from both AKP members and international governments. Even the Turkish president Abdullah Gul and Deputy Prime minister Bulant Arinc have spoken against the police brutality on peaceful protestors and urged the authorities to show restraint. But the most important person in this episode, Tayyip Erdogan has bluntly said,

“"I am not going to seek the permission of [the opposition] or a handful of plunderers”. He further said, "If they call someone who has served the people a 'dictator', I have nothing to say”.

It is becoming apparent that Erdogan is succumbing to the disease of self-righteousness and authoritarianism that has plagued the heads of countries emerging out of Arab Spring. For example, according to human rights groups, Morsi led government in Egypt is proving worse than Mubarak’s dictatorship with curbs on media, judiciary and attacks on protestors. It’s a phenomenon that occurs every time leaders are swept into power by a huge public mandate. They begin to think that only they know how to solve the country’s issues since the people have trusted them and thus they bypass all the checks and balances that are kept on the heads of states, turning increasingly paranoid and see enemies everywhere-in short they become dictators.

The protests that started from saving a park have now become a demonstration against Erdogan’s style of government. Turkish media has been silenced on the protests, but it has been the social media that has risen to the occasion. No doubt perturbed by the success of social media in sharing the brutality of government crackdown, Erdogan has condemned it- especially twitter- saying,

“Now we have a menace that is called Twitter. The best example of lies can be found there. To me, social media is the worst menace to society.”

He also declared social media as a ‘danger to society’. Parallels with Arab dictatorships can be safely drawn.

These protests have cracked open the divisions in the Turkish society, on one side are the rising Muslim conservatives that helped Erdogan secure 50% mandate and on the other hand are the Kemalist secularists that are getting disconcerted with what they term are ‘Islamist’ views on alcohol consumption, morality, women rights, abortion and of course, intolerance of critical views. Also, they fear that Erdogan will pass laws by the time of 2014 elections that enable more power to be vested in the President and might to try to become President.

Well, these protests have surely dented Erdogan’s bid to become a powerful president- if he tries to become one- and might also effect his election campaign in 2014. How much damage has Erdogan’s AKP sustained? It seems that 2014’s ballot will decide. In the meanwhile, just a humble advise to the Turkish PM: Please listen to your people.

Book Review : Inferno by Dan Brown. A Thriller Tourist Guide

2013-05-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

With a Bourne Identity meets Dante meets Harris Tweed thriller, Dan Brown is back with a bang with his new novel, Inferno and with it we again meet the erudite Harvard symbolist Robert Langdon.

Much was speculated before Inferno hit the shelves, including whether the book would be about Da Vinci’s long lost master piece in Florence but the speculations have now been laid to rest.

Robert Langdon in this story finds himself in a Florence hospital with no recollections of how he got there and only has a laser pointer that reveals renaissance artist, Sandro Botticelli’s depiction of medieval literary giant, Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, which is a part of Dante’s epic poem the Divine Comedy, the other parts being, Purgatory and Paradise. Aided by the attractive 208 IQ Dr. Sienna Brooks, and hunted by shadowy Backwater type security agency, The Consortium. Langdon is launched on a quest to discover a weapon, built by a crazy mad scientist that has the ability to depopulate the planet of human species. To find that weapon, Langdon has to race against time, solving various puzzles and codes, travel from Florence, Venice to Istanbul before it’s too late to save the planet.

The novel deals with the futuristic concepts of trans-humanism (an international movement that aims to enhance human intellectual, physical and psychological abilities by using cutting edge scientific research), delves deep into the question of overpopulation and its effects on human civilization while exploring deepest recesses of the hell visualized by Dante more than 600 years ago .

Although Inferno is definitely a page turner, it suffers from being a bit too formulaic. From Angels and Demons, Da Vinci Code, Lost Symbol to Inferno, it seems that Dan Brown is following a certain pattern for the Robert Langdon series, consisting of famous art pieces, a mad genius villain on an arcane quest, beautiful but intelligent female sidekick and a forever alone Robert Langdon. All of this actually has the effect of making the novels a bit too predictable. Although to Dan Brown’s credit, he does pull out some surprises, thus upsetting the formula he has so faithfully followed in the preceding novels, but then quickly reverts back to the same setting as the novel nears ending, speaking of which, I found the ending of the novel somewhat anti-climactic, considering the crescendo of revelations and surprises that he was building up towards the end.

Also, the book falls into the trap of erudition in which its predecessor, The Lost Symbol fell in, thus making the pace of the story lethargic. Parts of the novel give an impression that Dan Brown is acting more like a tour guide rather than a thriller author. It seems that he is under pressure from the armies of fans and detractors alike who religiously dissect every piece of fact to either uncover some hidden knowledge or to prove that Brown is really a nutjob. And thus the author in order to impress (apparently) tries to cram ever more information so that you got to have an encyclopedia with you every time while you are reading the book.

Compared to Lost Symbol, this book is less lethargic, but unfortunately nowhere near the genius of Da Vinci Code, Angels and Demons, Deception Point and Digital Fortress. That does not mean that Inferno doesn’t make up for a good read. The novel might make up for a summer blockbuster, but that, so far is undecided.

Moreover it seems that Dante’s Divine Comedy will enjoy a brief resurgence in readership amongst the younger audience before slowly fading back to relative obscurity.

Despite some factual errors and a slow moving narrative, it nonetheless is a highly interesting read and towards the conclusion, the novel is unputdownable.

Inferno definitely deserves a place in your bookshelf.

The Syrian Bear Trap

2013-04-25T19:31:00.003-07:00

It seemed an unlikely alliance, an unholy matrimony, when Syrian rebel Jihadis and USA joined arms to get rid of embattled Syrian President Bashar Al Assad. Jihadis and USA maintained a tacit alliance, rebels didn’t disturb USA and USA returned the favor by not disturbing them despite clear indications that Al Qaida was behind them. All of that was kept under the table and it seemed that we were back to the good old days of Soviet-Afghan war where jihadis had the blessings of CIA. Jihadi rebels became more effective, car bombings increased, suicide attacks multiplied but NATO and USA remained mostly mum.

All of that now, unfortunately (sarcasm intended ) , is set to change as the most fundamentalist and undoubtedly successful Syrian jihadist group, Jabahat-an-Nusra’s leader Abu Mohammed Al Jawlani has publically declared allegiance to Ayman Zawahiri’s Al-Qaida, thus placing the organization –literally-at Israel’s doorstep. Al Qaida’s “official” presence is now a cause of headache for both Israel and USA, as it is the very last group on planet Earth that Israel needs nearby. USA formally declared Jabahat-an-Nusra as a terrorist organization last year but didn’t take any action.

For jihadis that are now pouring from Libya, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Tunisia, Palestine, Lebanon, Australia, Chechnya, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, France, Iraq and Spain etc. into Syria, it is now a golden opportunity to establish a fundamentalist Islamic state in Syria (as has been their demand) and on cue Al-Qaida’s wing in Iraq, Islamic State in Iraq has announced to merge with Jabahat-an-Nusra to create a caliphate consisting of Iraq and Syria called Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), in the style of the 7^th century Islamic caliphate.

For the Americans and their regional allies, Jabahat-an-Nusra’s formidable fighting force of 5000 men along with undercover operatives and suicide bombers presents a serious challenge to the already fragile security apparatus in the Middle East.

It is now becoming increasingly evident that when the Syrian civil war is over and done with, Jabahat An Nusra would eventually fall out with Free Syria Army (FSA) (endorsed by USA and NATO and the official rebel army in Syria) and with seasoned fighters coming from Iraq and other neighboring battle fields, it would eventually succeed in stopping FSA from gaining further power and quite possibly open the way for bringing the Syrian war into Iraq against the Shiite government over there, led by Nouri Al Maliki. The battlefield of Syria is waiting to be spread all over, the chemical weapons that Assad possesses might fall into very wrong hands.

And to support this doom laden conjecture, out came Assad himself giving a dire warning to the western nations that the current support of USA and its allies to Syrian opposition groups will turn Syria into the next Afghanistan where the 1980’s support of jihadis by USA led to the rise of AL Qaeda and Taliban. ‘West will pray a high price’ he exclaimed in a state television interview.

Could, the rise of Alqaeda in Syria trigger western intervention?

Possibly so.

The US now sensing the danger (again created due to its apparent folly) has decided to put 200 intelligence, logistics and operations specialists from the Army’s 1st Armored Division in Jordan to help check violence along the Syrian-Jordanian border, help in ‘humanitarian aid supplies’, and plan for potential military strikes inside Syria. Chuck Hagel, the new US Defense Secretary (highly unpopular with AIPAC) said that military option will be the last resort, but the worsening situation in Syria is showing no signs of betterment and Assad’s forces, despite the repeated rebel onslaughts have largely withstood their ground with aid from Iran.

Obama is wary and doesn’t want to drag USA into another war which is showing every possible sign of being as costly as the Iraq and Afghanistan misadventures, if USA really decides to physically intervene.

But the American intervention will only strengthen Jabahat as its branding as a terrorist organization by the US in 2012 only increased its jihadist credentials. Also, it is an established fact that Al-Qaida and its affiliates thrive in violence. Given this scenario, is Al Qaeda using Syria as a bait for US to come into Syria and hence drag the whole region into chaos?

It’s a theory that another Al Qaeda affiliate, AQAP (Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula) is putting into action, as it stated last year that it wanted to drag USA into another “bleeding war”. Could this be the strategy that AL Qaeda is employing in Syria as well? Would USA take the bait? Could this prove to be the same ‘Bear Trap’ that USA had laid for the Soviets in Afghanistan years ago and which Al Qaeda is laying for US? Only time will tell.

The Joke that is Poll Scrutiny

2013-04-05T20:11:00.001-07:00

On 2nd April, I was reading Dawn Newspaper when my eyes fell upon this headline:

“Poll Scrutiny turns into an Islamic Studies Test”

And then of course we all heard about how veteran and brilliant columnist, Ayaz Amir's application was turned down by the returning officer because in the past his articles have been accused of being against the "ideology of Pakistan".

Word is that ECP officials are employing “ruthless scrutiny” measures for properly screening the candidates. Candidates from different parties are being asked questions about Islamic injunctions, and upon failure to properly answer; the returning officers are rejecting candidates applications thus enjoying their five minutes of media fame.

In order to grasp the sheer foolishness of such a process, let us run through this small mental exercise:

Suppose a candidate from an XYZ political party having degrees in civil engineering, town planning etc from prestigious universities around the globe, and who plans to introduce many changes in his constituency if elected as an MNA, presents his credentials to the ECP returning officer, who checks the documents. The returning officer , let’s assume, asks him to recite ‘Ayat-ul-Qursi’ , and let us suppose that the candidate doesn’t know it, and just on that basis the returning officer dismisses the candidate’s application. Degrees, aims and objectives, plans and policies be damned.

So now, those degrees, credentials and professional experiences are irrelevant, because the ECP official has to be satisfied that the candidate has necessary knowledge of Islam rather than governance to become Member of Parliament according to Articles 62 and 63.

After such a ‘Zia-esque’ demonstration of electoral scrutiny, I am guessing that the said ECP officials somehow time traveled from the good old’ Islamist 80s into 2013.

Thankfully, the political parties also have taken issue with these practices and ANP’s Mr. Bashir Jan was quite right in saying that “One can’t reject an honest and upright candidate just because he has not learnt any Quranic verse by heart”.

In the recent years, much has been written over the utter pointlessness of articles 62 and 63 and to summarize various commentaries, the contents of these articles are mostly vague and terms like “good character” ,“abstains from sins” etc can be easily slanted to serve one’s own purpose. It would be highly irrational to even presume that 90% of parliamentarians have never indulged in major sins and I have not even begun commenting on 63-G (defaming judiciary) as politicians in the past and present have been guilty of indulging in it with relish.

The main point that can be gleaned from such articles in our constitution is that though the political parties are proposing to launch many projects and reform initiatives, one key reform that all parties have overlooked is the constitutional reform. It is irrational to build a tall building if the structure on which you plan to erect the building is corroded and fragile. No reform, no policies in Pakistan can succeed unless and until structural changes in our constitution are made. Abnormalities like the Blasphemy laws, parallel judicial system (Federal Shariat Court), Articles 62-63, 203, are glaring examples.

Thus before attempting to screen candidates, the ECP, respected lawmakers and upholders of those laws should revisit Quaid-eAzam’s oft quoted (and oft forgotten) excerpt from his 11th August 1947 speech:

“… You may belong to any religion or caste or creed - that has nothing to do with the business of the State...”

Sadly, we have mixed religion with the business of the state and evolved into the exact anti-thesis of what the Quaid preached on 11th August 1947. Hence, now it has become more important to remember Quranic verses then to have proper educational and professional credentials. This has to end.

PS: On Ayaz Amir's case I shall just say as epigrammaticaly as possible:

There never was an Ideology of Pakistan. The closest thing that we had near to an ideology died on the streets of Dhaka on December 1971, so don't kid us.

Time to Re-Evaluate Relations with Saudi Arabia

2013-04-02T06:03:00.001-07:00

"We in Saudi Arabia are not observers in Pakistan, we are participants."

Saudi Arabian Ambassador to the US Adel al-Jubeir

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have enjoyed strong bi-lateral ties for decades and Pakistani citizens mostly regard Saudi Arab rulers with reverence, as Saudi rulers are the self-proclaimed guardians of the Holy Shrines in Mecca and Medina.

That being said, it is worth noting that the influence of Saudi Arabia in Pakistani affairs has been –for want of a better word- unhealthy. When it comes to making decisions on regional policies, solving energy issues or even parliamentary affairs, somehow Saudi Arabia will be involved in them. Thus, such an unhealthy interest in our national affairs by a foreign country should be a cause of concern for us a nation and more so for our policy planners, but are they even concerned?

Recently when Ex-Dictator cum Ex-President Pervez Musharraf arrived in Pakistan after four years of self imposed exile, it was reported that he did so after Saudis played a key role in sealing a deal with Nawaz Sharif to keep clear off Musharraf and turned the keys here and there in the corridors of power in Islamabad to ensure Pervez Muharraf’s safe arrival.

In wiki leaks cables it was found that though Saudis clearly favor Nawaz Sharif in Pakistani politics, and it has been shown a number of times, but they also have a certain likeness for Musharraf and view the Army “as their winning horse” Pakistan.

In addition, it is common knowledge that many of our religious parties –dare I say all of them?-are on Saudi payroll, and the Saudis have funneled huge sums of money in creation of religious institutions throughout Pakistan. It strikes me as singularly amusing when I see religious parties in Pakistan indulging in anti-US tirades but conveniently forgetting that their biggest financier is USA’s main enforcer in this region.

Also, the Saudi petro-dollar being dished out to religious parties and seminaries is becoming a headache for Pakistan. In South Punjab, for instance, it has been reported that Saudis are funding almost 100 million dollars each year to Deobandi and Ahl-e Hadith clerics, who are using those funds to establish extremist networks in those areas and from where terrorists can fan out in Pakistan to attack religious minorities and security officials.

The PMLN led government in Punjab has never been interested in dismantling those networks and putting restrictions on such financing. But they can be forgiven for their lack of action in this regards, since Mian Nawaz Sharif himself is Saudi Arabia’s favorite politician in Pakistan, who is heavily indebted to them for their ‘generous help’ in election campaigns and providing ‘special development loans’ to him during his exile there.

Besides financing terrorist outfits in Punjab, Saudis are also ‘allegedly ‘involved in Baluchistan crisis (aren’t they already too much involved?). Reason being the Pak Iran Gas pipeline which is critical for addressing the nation’s crisis, but which is being sabotaged by the nexus of USA and Saudi Arabia because they do not want to see the spread of Iranian influence in the region and also because Saudis consider Iranian enemies based on differences in sects. Indeed, it has been revealed that this nexus of Saudi Arabia and USA has been involved in fomenting separatism in Baluchistan, which is resulting in numerous deaths in the province and is a cause of concern for both Pakistan and Iran because if the separatist strife keeps on increasing in Baluchistan, it would put the gas pipe line in jeopardy ( much to the satisfaction of Saudis and Americans).

Thus with all the trouble that Saudis are responsible for creating in Pakistan, it is time for our government and political/politico-religious parties to reevaluate their relations with KSA, as its constant interference in our affairs is giving us more harm rather than the benefits it purports to provide. For that, our leaders will have to take tough decisions as Saudis still provide us with much needed crude oil and aid assistance. It is a tricky balancing act, but one that has to performed, as too much damage has already been done by our love affair with the ‘brotherly Muslim country’.

The SUPARCO Lag

2013-03-20T05:28:00.000-07:00

In 1961 when our only Nobel laureate Dr. Abdus Salam and Commodore WJM Turowicz were busy laying down the foundations of SUPARCO, little they might have thought that 52 years later, the nation’s space agency would either, still be renting foreign built satellites or else hitchhiking on foreign rockets to launch indigenously built satellites into space.

The beginnings of SUPARCO reflected the dreams and goals of its founders and the scientists involved. Frequent rocket tests, collaborations with NASA regarding training of Pakistani scientists and engineers, and with keen government interest in the field, one might have had guessed that within a decade or two we would be sending our own satellites into space using indigenously built rockets. But then Dr. Salam was shunned by the Pak government, collaborations with NASA stopped, government lost interest and ever since that time SUPARCO seems to exist just because it has to, without any entrepreneurial zeal, devoid of innovation and lacking a clear cut direction.

Currently, SUPARCO is undertaking programs relating to communication satellites, remote sensing, geo graphic information systems and space studies. It provides services in land surveying, crop monitoring, vehicle tracking systems etc. Its customer base is diverse; ranging from the Kutchi Abadi Authorities toPakistan Railways. Also in its Space Program 2040-approved by Ex-Pm Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani- it plans on producing and launching its own satellites by the year 2040.

But is that it? Will our satellite system be only focused on crop monitoring, land surveys and tracking? Where’s the vision in it? The services that SUPARCO provides are a staple in any standard space agency-there is nothing special in that. Also, achieving indigenous satellite production and launch capabilities and that too by 2040 speaks volumes about the ‘vision’ that is set by SUPARCO. When right now, our neighboring countries are sending probes to mars and beyond, achieving the ability to develop and launching satellites by 2040 is just not enough!

We have to realize that a well functioning space program is crucial to the development of a nation. From enriched baby food to solar panels used in homes, there have been many commercial spinoffs from the technologies that were originally intended to be used in space. Space Technology development does not only benefit one particular branch of science but is equally beneficial to an economy as well. According to former NASA scientist, Scott Hubbard, for every 1 dollar invested in NASA projects $7-8 worth of goods are produced in the industry!

SUPARCO now has to take on a more active role and its vision 2040 should really be vision 2020. It has to work on increasing coordination with schools colleges and universities so that a crop of future engineers and scientists are motivated, and their skills honed. The government has to pay more attention to SUPARCO regarding its developmental projects. As Antoine St. Exupery once said,

“If you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea”.

Thus, the government along with SUPARCO should undertake initiatives to educate public about space sciences in a way that they understand in order to build popular support

Dear readers, Space programs not only satisfy human desire to explore the universe but also create thousands of jobs; jobs that are certainly not limited to engineering only but spill over to diverse fields, ranging from textiles to psychiatrics.

The shambles in which European and USA economies are in right now means that the stage for the next space race would be set in Asia, aided and abetted by western companies who have the expertise but lack funding support from their respective governments. Indeed China and India are making significant progress in space exploration; the former is planning to send manned missions to the moon while the latter is sending a space probe to Mars by November.

The development of an ambitious space program would not only benefit Pakistan in the military field, but will also create an air of innovation and ideas that will cross-pollinate many separate scientific and business disciplines.

Nevertheless, we face the daunting task of tackling our domestic terrorism and political issues in parallel to the development of a proper space program and that requires not only a visionary leadership but also entrepreneurs who are ready to propel us into the future.

This is not the time to lag behind. The next space race is ‘on’ in Asia and we have to be a part of it, otherwise we would be left very far behind, even farther than we are right now.

Black Contents of a White Memo

2013-02-09T02:28:00.000-08:00

Image Courtesy www.boilingfrogspost.com

This is in response to the recent blog on The Express Tribune by the name of, Can the US Government kill American Citizens?

Although I agree with the author on the point that any person found guilty of treason should be punished, I would like to add a few points of my own, and clarify some confusion caused over the White memo.

A brief summary of the White memo is provided below:

1) The White memo lays down the legal justification for targeting persons through drones. US Citizens, who are al Qaeda operational leaders, members and sympathisers, are the intended targets.

2) USA assumes that al Qaeda is continually planning terrorist activities and thus US drones can strike al Qaeda suspects anywhere, any time. Even if the attack was never planned in actuality, nor had any threat appeared, but just on the off chance, US Administration can authorise a drone strike so that any ‘supposed’ threat might be neutralised.

3) If you can’t capture a “suspected” terrorist for questioning and interrogation because you “think” that, your troops might encounter mortal risk, then just carry out a drone strike and save the trouble of interrogation and tedious judicial process.

4) According to the memo, even if there is no evidence that the suspects are an imminent threat, but only believes and suspects that they “might” be an imminent threat, the USA has the authority to strike them whenever and wherever.

5) Without even confirmation from interrogation and just on the suspicion that the suspect has not renounced the terrorist activities, the USA can assassinate him.

6) USA assumes that killing of suspected al Qaeda members before they even become imminent threats is justified because the US Administration thinks so. So, please repose your faith in it and don’t question it.

7) The memo doesn’t define the word ‘imminent’. It doesn’t tell how imminent a threat has to be in order for a drone strike to be called. From the document, one gets an impression that if US officials think that such and such persons will come together to plan something sinister, they become qualified targets.

Dear readers, this is an extraordinary document, the implications of whose contents are horrific.

USA is fighting violence with more extreme violence. The issue is not about killing known terrorists who are US citizens. The issue is about killing “suspected terrorists” about whom the government will not share any information, nor the decisions will be available for judicial review, so that the government is not answerable to judiciary and cannot be held responsible even if the drone strike missed the intended target and killed innocent civilians.

There is a huge difference between killing a suspect and killing a known terrorist.

Yes, those US citizens who are promulgating extremism and threatening the US president must be brought to book, but killing and assassinating before the crime was even committed?

Before they are even brought under trial?

That is just plain barbaric and puts US administration at par with al Qaeda.

Through this memo, one gets the impression that the US government is advocating a ‘shoot first ask questions later’ policy and one has to ask, whom will it benefit?

image courtesy blogdogcicle.blogspot.com

The first benefactor of this drone war would be al Qaeda itself. Remember, al Qaeda and its allies are fighting not just on the military front but on the ideological front as well. It is a hateful and detestable ideology that won’t be just eliminated by drone strikes but only gain followers due to unjustified American violence.

The second benefactor would be the neo-cons and defence contractors. The neo-cons, thanks to Obama, have just continued George W Bush’s policies without any hindrances and the appointment of Bush era CIA torturer John Brennan proves that.

The defence contractors would benefit because of increased orders for more drones and associated technologies, which would mean more cash rolling in.

Even if we assume that drone attacks have achieved intended military results (corroborated by the near wipe out of top al Qaeda cadre), then do they guarantee that the hateful ideology of al Qaeda would just disappear with it leaders?

Thanks to continuous military adventures and arrogant outreach efforts by USA, al Qaeda’s offshoots have spread far and wide, who act quite independent from the mother organisation and are even more eager to spread destruction.

If the American drone policy remains the same as evident from the White memo, then the issue of Islamic radicalism might never be resolved.

Frankly, I found the White memo as repugnant as Mein Kampf.

Read more by Jamaluddin here or follow him on Twitter @einsjam

The Blame Lies with Us.

2013-01-17T00:27:00.005-08:00

I thought that this was it.

The brave Hazara protestors by sitting silently on Alamdar road, without firing a single shot, without burning a single building had brought down one of the most corrupt and inept governments in six decades of Pakistan’s existence.

I thought that a new day has begun, the overwhelming support for the Hazara community and the rejection of all forms of sectarian violence was heartwarming. We Are All Hazara, Justice For Hazara and Quetta Sit-in hash tags flooded twitter, in the end, the government decided that ignoring the issue was no longer an option and caved in.

Peaceful struggle had won.

But then, on the evening of this Tuesday, another tragedy struck. This time in Alam Gudar, KPK, where 15 tribesmen were reported, shot dead by ‘unknown’ persons, which tribesmen claim were security forces and which the security forces claim were the militants of Mangal Bagh.They rose up in protest, bodies were lain down in front of KPK Governor, Syed Masood Kausar’s house, a delegation sent to present demands, negotiations were reported to be successful, the delegation returned to the protestors, but they did not accept the offer. Their demand was that the government should end operation in the tribal area.

The delegation had failed them.

They protested on, Senator Hameedullah Jan Afridi, attempted to speak with the tribesmen, but the enraged tribesmen hurled shoes and stones at him, police came in, tear gas shells were fired, protestors were beaten, dispersed and the dead bodies hauled over trucks and moved to cold storage.

This happened in the province of a democratically elected government of Awami National Party.Regardless of who killed the tribes people, whether it were Mangal Bagh henchmen in FC disguise or whether it was the security forces who shot the civilians, in the end it mattered how a democratic government who’s steeped in the ethos of non-violence promulgated by Bacha Khan, ended up dealing with the protestors.

It was a sensitive issue dealt with all the sensitivity of a blunt knife. If that’s the way the KPK government chooses to end protests of Tribesmen, then their reconciliation approaches in the war-ravaged areas of FATA must be questioned.

I ask the KPK government, did the protestors set fire to any government building?

Did they destroy any public property?

Were they a threat to the security of KPK?

Were their hurled shoes similar in threat to rockets and shells?

The protest was overall peaceful; the 12-member delegation that was sent couldn’t effectively fight the tribesmen case and hence enraged the tribesmen. However, the tribesmen didn’t go on a rampage, they chose to sit in. If they chose a peaceful method of protest in the hope of being given the same justice as the Hazara community and have their grievances addressed, then it was the government’s responsibility to reply in a similar manner.

Another important thing that strikes me in this tragedy is the deafening media silence on the issue. How many channels covered the sit in? But perhaps the important question here is how many Pakistanis actually chose to give an ear and an eye to the sit in?

Let’s ask ourselves truthfully; weren’t we looking for more entertainment provided by a Canadian national hiding behind bulletproof glass?Let us answer honestly; aren’t we desensitized over daily killings in FATA?

The details of the massacre are wooly and the nation needs to ask questions. Who did the killings? Why is it so that those killings come days after Lashkar e Islam Chief Mangal Baghthreatened violence against Khasadars, and for the first time in three years, Tribal Militia was redeployed in Bara to counter that threat. Who were those people that were gunned down? Were they related to the Khasadars? Answers must be given, perpetrators must be brought to book. The KPK government must be made to apologize for using force against the protestors !But no, perhaps the answers to these questions, the solution to our problems lies in the hollow harangues of a certain Shaikh Ul Islam. I blame you Pakistanis.