Dawn

The Dawn newspaper is the oldest running newspaper in Pakistan and also the most widely circulated. The newspaper contains various sections. Mainly the Headline (FrontPage), National, International and World In Focus section. Reading the newspaper gives me a varied perspective since the newspaper has different angles to different stories. The stories are free of bias and those with an open end are left open so as to let the reader decide their own angle on the story.

I chose to focus on the International & World In Focus section. They both generally showcase various takes on the international community as a whole. The stories in this section are not constrained to the major players in the world or those countries that grace the media very often. Many obscure countries also hit the newspaper with hilarious or serious news. The news is not always grave, it also has a soft angle or just a descriptive angle. For example a story of “Prince William: some facts” provides description of Prince William and nothing else.

There is no set agenda for this section other than presenting different stories of different countries. Many of which are not international players. Countries vary from USA, China, Israel, Iran, Lebanon and UK, which are international players in modern day politics, to Poland, Nigeria, Canberra (Australia) and Ankara (Turkey). This shows that the newspaper does not support one country or focus on one country only. The array of stories also provides the reader from news from different parts of the world, thus, proving that Dawn International and World In Focus section caters well to its name.

The news is up to date with events in the above mentioned countries, while some news stories are stories running as updates to a previous story. For example Iran’s nuclear project is a continuing story which keeps getting updates in the news. While one story “Military action won’t stop Iran N-plan: Gates” focuses on the opposing story, another story the next day “Chavez to back Iran ‘under any circumstances’” focuses on the pro side to Iran’s nuclear program, thus, retaining a very neutral side to the story.

This section also has two pictures that are captioned but don’t necessarily follow a story. The pictures are from any country regardless of their status or importance. The pictures generally offer a nice complete view to the newspaper and are a break from the written stories. The pictures are never graphic but do at times provide a political angle to the story.

Apart from that, the section usually has one advertisement. The advertisement is usually affiliated with a foreign country. For example an advertisement from the USAID (United States Agency for International Development) or Overseas Pakistani Foundation can be found in the newspaper. At times there are local advertisements or a university showcase, such as UNSW (University of New South Wales).

The newspaper retains a very broad perspective on its stories. And has a very up to date agenda with regard to happening stories. The news stories are very different in their angles and truly offer an international know-how. The Dawn is a well established newspaper because of its reliability. There are no offensive stories in the paper or any crude or grammatically incorrect stories. The stories have reliable sources and different perspectives. The Dawn also has a website where follow ups to these international stories can be found. Also the latest news stories can be contributed to by lay-man people. The objectivity and the varied stories in the paper are what make Dawn a preferred newspaper amongst others.        

Peace in Karachi

Karachi is marred by violence abating from terrorist who take refuge in the outskirts of the city. Other than that, sectarian violence is now a part of Karachi’s life. The diversity than envelopes the city keeps it in a state of constant flux which paired with low tolerance in people paves the way for outbursts of violence. Karachi is home to criminal organizations and gangs. These gangs operate within their own law structure and pay no heed to the law of the city. The police fears such powerful people and many organizations are in touch with the top law enforcement agencies which grant them protection. This kind of structure has now been linked with politics as well. Target killings in Karachi are linked with these organizations and the politically motivated murders are a product of gang wars which originate namely in Lyari and other suburban areas of Karachi.  Karachi is a highly political hub with political parties forming the basis of the elite. The feud between the Muhajirs (represented by the MQM) against the Pathans also surfaces time and again which wrecks the social structure of the country.

Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan has stressed the need to ensure peace in Karachi and to restore the confidence of its traders. Since Pakistan is an industrial country, it requires investment which does not come in due to the shaky atmosphere in the city, thus delivering a blow to both traders and the economy. Addressing a high-level meeting at the Governor House, he said Karachi is the economic vein of the country and peace in the city is necessary for rapid progress and prosperity of the country. Terrorism activities in Karachi have shaken the confidence of its citizens. Karachiites feel insecure. Therefore, it is the responsibility of government to take action against the criminal elements without any discrimination so as to restore the confidence of people. Stern action should be taken without considering political and personal interests. There should be a movement to maintain peace in collaboration with police and deal strictly with those who take the law into their hands.

While killings and criminal activities are being regulated, negotiations and talks between feuding parties should be carried out. Specifically the Muhajir and Pathan fall out. Both parties should be able to resolve their conflicts in a civil manner to establish peace in Karachi. Though such talks have been carried out before, they have not been fully implemented after the resolutions have been drafted. Thus, not only should negotiations be carried out but also implemented by a middle party. Sunni clerics and Shia leaders should similarly resolve their conflicts. Sectarian violence is a very big problem in Karachi that basically causes larger casualties than any other form of violence. On religious grounds, both sects believe that Islam is a religion of peace just like any other religion. Using religious sentiments and words, a common ground can be established. However, in recent reports it has been discovered that acts of sectarian violence have not been undertaken by people from opposing sects but by anarchists who wish to destabilize the city and the country in general. Such anarchic elements work in either terrorist frameworks or promote their own ideology in which peace is not a profitable venture.

It is not convincing that the federal government is either sincere or possesses the necessary force to deal with this trend of violence and mayhem. So finally it rests upon the army to take a step forward and take charge of the fast aggravating situation. If the army moves in, it should first of all clamp curfew and root out any corruption and criminal elements in the provincial government of Sindh. Those found involved covertly should be prosecuted and served punishments. The army should issue an ultimatum for submission of weaponry within a time frame. The growing militarism and weapon proliferation is a major contributor to violence in Karachi as well. In a more personal manner, the people should be asked to pinpoint and report the names of the thugs and bandits, land grabbers and outlaws that are known to the residents. The religious militants, foreign agents, and secret saboteurs hiding in various safe havens of the city should be hunted down along with their protectors and sentenced. In order to root out violence in a city, the city has to be turned inside out. The army should keep this operation for at least a year till harmony and normal peaceful life returns to Karachi.

Violence in a country does not always stem from violent elements. They can also rise from people who are dissatisfied and disgruntled. Karachi has its lower class which is denied the basic necessities. With rising food prices and lack of welfare, the people have nowhere to turn to except crime and beggary.  To create a happy population, Karachi needs to be able to provide the basic necessities to its people, even if it is not luxury. In the past, bloody revolutions have risen from a rebellious population. Besides, the exploding civic problems should be resolved along with other problems. From improving the public transport system, to provision of clean and running water, to an uninterrupted and inexpensive supply of electricity, to environmental cleanliness and awareness, to expansion and sturdy building of roads, to removal of encroachments on roads and other similar public reforms should be put in place within the shortest possible time.

Karachi is the heart and metropolitan city and the business hub along with the income source of Pakistan. It attracts various ethnicities and people come here to aspire for a better standard of living. Considering the recent socio economic conditions of the country not to forget the political instability peace seems as farfetched idea for Karachi. However hope is what everyone clings onto. If we believe and work towards bringing peace towards Karachi then I think anything is possible with hard work and determination. It is up to the youth to take matters in their hands, because it is our future. Philanthropists and nonprofit organizations can only do so much. The main effort shall always lie in our hands. The responsibility lies on the shoulders of each and every resident of Karachi to make it a better place since the city is our home, and to dirty ones’ own home is not the aim of any person. Jinnah advocated the tenants of peace in Unity, Faith and Discipline. It is time that we take those three elements and ingrain them into our daily life to promote peace in Karachi.

World Trade Center 1993

On Friday, February 26^th 1993, a bomb blast occurred in the parking lot of the World Trade Center in New York. Eight years later, two aircrafts rammed into the World Trade Center in New York on September 11^th, 2001. Both attacks targeted the same building, but the last attack finished the job by reducing both towers to rubble. The terrorist attack of 1993 brought the War on Terror to US soil first and the second attack left a warning that no terrorist plot was to be left unfinished. Historians believe that both attacks were related to each other and committed by the same organization though Al Qaeda was not a pioneer in terrorist attacks back in 1993. However, there is evidence to prove that the 1993 attack was indeed a set up for the 9/11 bombings. The debate starts at who was responsible for both attacks since there is heavy evidence of FBI involvement in the first terrorist attack. Though both attacks varied in their intensity and their method, the impact supported claims that US soil was no longer a safe haven from terrorism in this world.

Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor, in April 2004 proclaimed at the 9/11 commission:

“The terrorist threat to our Nation did not emerge on September 11th, 2001. Long before that day, radical, freedom-hating terrorists declared war on America and on the civilized world.”

Mohammed A. Salameh was considered as the lead artist in the bombing of 1993 whose truck was apparently used to store the explosives. The FBI also named several plotters in custody, including Nidal Ayyad, an engineer who had acquired chemicals for the bomb, and Mahmoud Abouhalima, who had helped mix the chemicals. Two more conspirators, Ahmed Ajaj and Ramzi Yousef, who was later declared the architect of the attack, were also to be captured by the Bureau. From all above mentioned suspects, only Ramzi Yousef escaped to Pakistan and was on the run for two years before being arrested and sentenced to life in prison. In October 1995 Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, a blind cleric who preached at mosques in Brooklyn and Jersey City, was condemned to life for masterminding the terror campaign. The detainees of the 1993 bombings were regular visitors of the mosques in which Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman preached. Rahman's organisation, is alleged to have associations to Osama Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network, accused of carrying out the 11^th September attacks.

The van packed with explosives was driven in to World Trade Center by Ramzi Yousef and Eyad Ismoil. They parked the van in the Secret Service’s section of the car park under and between New York’s largest towers, lit a 20 foot fuse and walked out of the building unnoticed. At 12:17 pm, the bomb exploded, ripping a huge hole through 3 foot of concrete, sending ash and debris everywhere. The ensuing fire choked the stairs ways with flames and smoke which blocked emergency routes for people who wished to escape in panic. The bomb cut off the emergency lighting systems and the buildings electric grid. Telephone lines, Radio Station lines and television cables were cut off and dismantled for over a week following the bomb blast. The blast shattered glass windows and created complete pandemonium. Architects assert that had the van been parked closer to the buildings foundation, Yousef would have succeeded in toppling the tower. Though the bomb had a devastating effect in the parking area, only 5 people lost their lives and several were injured.

An emotional Mario Cuomo, New York's state governor, told journalists:

"We all have that feeling of being violated. No foreign people or force has ever done this to us. Until now we were invulnerable."  

The fear of the 1993 attacks soon faded of the minds of the Americans who had not yet come to terms with Islamic fundamentalism and extremist elements in the field of terrorism. While the world was following the Palestine and Israeli conflicts in Gaza, another terrorist plot was brewing in Al Qaeda networks.

Peace Hero: Emily Greene

-Emily Greene Balch born on January 8, 1867in Boston,was the daughter of Francis V. and Ellen (Noyes) Balch. She came from a prosperous family, her father being a successful lawyer, at one time secretary to United States Senator Charles Sumner. She went to private schools as a young girl; graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1889, a student of its first graduating class; spent the year 1889-1890 in a study of sociology; used a European Fellowship awarded by Bryn Mawr to study economics in Paris in 1890-1891. She completed her formal studies with dispersed courses at Harvard and the University of Chicago and with a full year of work in economics in 1895-1896 in Berlin.

In 1896 she joined the faculty of Wellesley College, climbing to the rank of professor of economics and sociology in 1913. She was an outstanding teacher; she impressed students by the clearness of her thought, by the extent of her experience, by her kindness for the underprivileged, by her strong-mindedness, and by her firmness that students could express independent judgments only if they shared on-the-spot investigation with their research in the library. During these years she was a member of two municipal boards (one on children and one on urban planning) and of two state commissions (one on industrial education, the other on immigration); she participated in movements for women's suffrage, for racial justice, for control of child labor, for better wages and conditions of labor.

-Miss Balch had always been concerned with the problem of peace and had followed carefully the work of the two peace conferences of 1899 and 1907 at The Hague, she became convinced after the outbreak of World War I in 1914 that her lifework lay in furthering humanity's effort to rid the world of war. As a delegate to the International Congress of Women at The Hague in 1915, she played a prominent role in several important projects: in founding an organization called the Women's International Committee for Permanent Peace, later named the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; in preparing peace proposals for consideration by the warring nations

Emily Balch also remained active in social reform efforts. She helped to found the Women's Trade Union League in 1903. She was involved in starting a new organization, the Women's International Committee for Permanent Peace, later called the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). She was also involved in various projects involving The League of Nations after the first World War. She wanted the world to demilitarize and live in peace. She saw war as an opportunity to spread hatred and thus wanted countried to stop using war as an excuse for power. Her efforts extended to launching programs that supported demilitarization and international anti-war campaigns. It was she who facilitated the U.S. withdrawal from Haiti in 1926, after 11 years of occupation.

She attended the 1919 International Congress of Women, held in Zurich, where she accepted the position of secretary of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, until 1922. She briefly took that position, without pay, in 1934, and later contributed her Nobel Peace Prize financial award to the IWLPF.

- During World War II, Emily Balch reluctantly gave up her strict passivity, believing that the threat of Hitler, she "went through along and painful struggle, and never felt that I had reached a clear and consistent conclusion." However, she worked with refugee resettlement and against the Japanese-American relocation camps.

One of Emily Balch's last projects was a 1959 celebration, organized by the WILPF, honoring the 100th anniversary of Jane Addams birth -- Jane Addams of Hull-House, and with whom Emily Balch had worked on peace projects, and who had won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1931.

-She won her Nobel Preace Prize along with American evangelist John Mott (of the YMCA). in 1946. Hence her efforts were never solely for fame. She always practiced humility and proved to the world that nothing mattered more than living for others. Her Acceptance Speech was as follows:

“I am happy in thinking that not I myself but the Womens' International League for Peace and Freedom, with which I am identified, is the true recipient. Hoping, as I do, that this internationally organized body of women has ahead of it a great opportunity for usefulness in educating people everywhere toward the world-mindedness on which peace must be based with other people, I am hoping that 1946 will mark a turning point in the age-old effort to rid the world of war, to national disarmament, to renunciation of power politics, and to development of international trusteeship, not only for dependent peoples, but for regions and interests”

-Chairman Gunnar Jahn of the Committee in the speech of presentation at the award ceremony in December 1946 reported Emily Balch's "lifelong unrelenting work for peace" and declared, "She has taught us that the reality we seek must be earned by hard and unrelenting toil in the world in which we live, but she has taught us more: that exhaustion is unknown and defeat only gives fresh courage to the man whose soul is fired by the sacred flame."

-In 1955, concerned about the widening gulf between the United States and China, she wrote a poem that was a "letter of love," addressed to "Dear People of China." This is the last stanza:

Let us be patient with one another,                                                                                        

And even patient with ourselves.

We have a long, long way to go.

So let us hasten along the road,

The road of human tenderness and generosity.

Groping, we may find one another's hands in the dark"

Emily Greene Balch retired in 1956 and died in 1961. Her efforts were indeed a beacon of light in a world of darkness. Nothing stopped her and nothing slowed her down. Such dedication is nothing short of an icon in this World.

I chose her as my peace hero since I believe that a hero isn’t expected to leave their mark in the world through any form of status or fanfare, but instead they have to live their life as an exhibition of their efforts. And these efforts can be seen in her life and all the decision she took. Never has any woman risen to such difficulties in a world which had still not liberated women. Thus Emily Greene becomes a figure which not only established peace but also extended her influence to various other phases of life and the world.

Where is Nixor, where did they hide? :O

ZABMUN 2010 started off with a bang and proceeded to amaze the delegates that took part in its glorious Opening Ceremony. However, amongst all the festivities there was one, or rather four, delegations that were not present. Who had cancelled. The very night before. And not informed any of the ZABMUN officials until they were called at 12 o’clock at night for a final confirmation.

The delegations from Nixor College disappeared from the MUN scene and were a no-show even after paying up a hefty sum of money that went up to a 5 digit number. The reason for their absence? Supposedly a test week came out of the blue which completely engulfed the 18 delegates who could not turn up. And these 18 had not even informed any of the ZABMUN team of their so-called cancellation. Maybe ZABMUN would not have felt the loss of these delegates had they not been assigned major countries due to their affiliation with a prestigious A-level college of Pakistan.

Apparently, the Nixor delegates believed that the MUN could proceed without key countries, namely United States of America, Palestine and Israel. That would have indeed been quite a New World Order. Or they perceived that they could be replaced quite easily when the Opening Ceremony was simply 12 hours away. But, while the rest of the delegates, both cancelling and attending delegates slept, the ZABMUN Team, along with their President tried to frantically resolve the crisis. And behold, their awesomeness made them quite successful. And ZABMUN is yet again a miracle worker.

Since the Nixor administration is blissfully unaware of their bloopers and have not yet given any comment on the sudden cancellation, we still remain in the dark regarding the true reason for Nixor not being able to MUN. While ZABMUN rolls on, the Nixor MUN-ers will have to wait to implement their New World Order strategies, perhaps in the future you guys! For now lets just stick to the prevailing United Nation structure, wishful thinking can wait. Cheers!

Procrastination

Procrastination seems to be the bane of every young ones life. After dealing with it throughout the years, it extends like a vine in to our adult professional life; making tomorrow the day that never truly comes. While we all tango with this problem, Dale Roberts makes a living out of procrastinating. That’s right, she’s a professional procrastinator.  

She’s taken up the defense of procrastination as a serious job that has made her icon in the world today. A woman who defies the logic of deadlines and thrives on delays proves to be more of an unnatural phenomenon amid the strange and upcoming events. She has business cards and educates people in the art of procrastination. Dale had written books about procrastination and has successfully diminished the evil side of procrastination. Her so-called business is thriving as she tours the world giving seminars. I wonder where I was when she was hiring.    

According to Dale, punctuality is a relative term. Relative to one’s own convenience. She says she never has to wait for people to show up, since she’s the last person to walk in. The meeting starts after she has taken her seat, hence effectively managing her time better than the rest of those who wasted hours waiting. She says, “If procrastination is bad, why does it begin with the prefix "pro," which means "good?”” It’s quite a mystery for all of us too. Maybe it isn’t such a horrible thing after all. Maybe the whole race for us to meet deadlines and creating time frames just wastes our time. After all, didn’t slow and steady win the race?

Well, it something we should all ponder over. She’s finally complied her book on her proverbs, it’s her best book yet. Submitted though, she hopes people will enjoy it by 2019 :D

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow." (Mark Twain)

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3731678.html?key=01-42161A527E1B136A120C05174A3F593C3B4F36602F2A3342720F0B61651A617E137119731B7B51

Elements of dysfunction in Politics

Pakistan has many political parties. And though the debate of Army vs Democracy continues to resurface every now and then, people have yet to identify the main problem with the exchange of power. According to scholars, Pakistan is firstly divided into many factions, each promoting their own tribe, culture, values and even religion. In present day this is seen in the split of the Bhutto’s (Zardari wing) and Sharif’s (Nawaz Shairf, Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz). The Bhutto’s are more regionally attached to Sindh with a lean towards Shitte culture where as the Sharif’s are Punjab based with a rather Sunii following. This shift in culture plays a great role when either party rises to power. While the bureaucracy relishes its power in Islamabad and sometimes Karachi (both being the countries power hubs), the political parties prefer to fawn over their regional counterparts. In doing so, the demographic split between civilians who vote is widened.

Military power was not a concept that was present in Pakistan during the time of independence. The Pakistani military became independent from the British and took on their role of civil subordination and political aloofness as they traditionally are. The erosion of these traditions was commenced by the gradual fall of political institutions in the 1950’s. The military began to take a greater stance to spread their influence and (along with the civil bureaucracy) soon emerged as a distinguishing factor in the decision making at the national level. The repeated military interventions in politics since 1958 and the military rule of dictators such as Zia and Musharaf, has changed the traditional pattern of relationships between civilians and military.

While the military faction of Pakistan is aligned with the elitist bloc, political parties are aligned with feudalistic blocs. Thus in a battle of powers, the major benefactors are those who hold considerable influence in the country. Pakistan has been unable to dismantle prevalent feudal structures which propel the country blindly with brute force being the driving power. Even so, Pakistan sees the rise in political parties professing to be saviors of the nation. Many parties have shed their former policies to step along the trend of secularism while others choose fundamentalist policies, thus proving that land ties are not the only source of loyalty. Political parties have risen in quantity but declined in political power, principally in relation to the military.  

Manipulation by the Media

The greatest form of conditioning is repetition. This is further put forth by imagery and putting forth information in a subtle way. According to researches by the Glasgow Media Group, media messages are full of connotative codes that evoke emotion and feelings in a person. The most common example of media conditioning is seen by the issue of gender representation in media. Media reinforces capitalists’ ideologies as advocated by Marx. He says that the mass media in every form reinstates females in a passive role and men in an active role. Even children’s books and stories follow the same theme. Disney movies have also reinforced this ideology that females no matter how strong mentally must await their Prince Charming who will sweep them off their feet and give them endless happiness. According to Marxist feminists, this conditioning reinforces women to wait for men to provide for them and remain good home makers instead of fighting for their rights in the work force. The Glasgow Media Group also talks about agenda setting being a common practice in media corporations. Agenda setting involves specific media content being tailored to match elitist perspectives. For example, newspaper editors under Rupert Murdoch tell stories about Murdoch’s telephone calls to direct the content of the front page.

Even if we set aside the blame on media corporations for setting content of their media, the journalist are not free of blame. Journalists of major corporations are trained to specifically broadcast a certain type of message across to the audience. Their style of reporting impacts the public very much. This can be seen in the aftermath of the Iraqi War where many American journalists roamed around with the US Army, reporting the conditions of the Iraqi’s but at the same time from behind the US Army hence never negating their image of freedom fighters irrespective of the views of the Iraqi civilians.  It is not only the news that impacts the people but also subliminal messages in movies, books and magazines. The influence of media is not restricted to reinforcing social norms but also to simply offer a different perspective that can be used negatively or positively by the audience. The influence of media is best illustrated by the headline of Observer International, Sunday 18^th November, 2001, which blamed the movie ‘Scream’ for influencing a teenage girl’s copy cat murderer.

Pakistani History

The history of Pakistan is a struggle for power between the military bureaucracy and the political parties; each who believe that Pakistan would be most progressive in their hands. Since the death of the Quaid, political parties who have been vying for power are steeped in corruption and money laundering thus depleting the treasury of a country that was established as a vision of secular excellence.

According to scholars it is the pre-mature death of the Quaid and the assassination of Liaquat Ali Khan that propelled Pakistan in to a series of political mishaps. Had the Quaid not died, he would have been in a position to launch the country forward and dealt with the problems that had plagued the country as it was born. Also, due to the sudden death of the Quaid, there was no successor that was named to take his place. And though Fatima Jinnah did contest for power in governing Pakistan, she was out voted by men who had glamorous profiles but faulty personalities.

 However, according to others, elements to destabilize Pakistan had been set into motion before its inception was even completed. Many historians turn an eye to Pakistan’s hostile neighbor and the disgruntled British forces that had no say in Pakistani politics. India has played a role in demeaning Pakistan and it had been said that the Indian Government never expected the infant state to survive its elementary years of existence. Though a single reason or corner stone cannot be identified, historians have taken both views into account when studying the historical debacle of Pakistani politics.    

The crumble of Pakistan’s solidarity is when the political parties and military bureaucracy did not see eye to eye on dealing with Pakistani issues. Pakistani leadership has been a contest between these two powers who have been accused of conspiring against each other. The contest continues till today as General Pervaiz Musharaf heads the military bureaucracy and Asif Ali Zardari chairs the political party of PPP (Pakistan Peoples’ Party).

The contest of Military rule against Political Parties

Pakistani history has been plagued by Military dictatorship time and again. The swift exchange of power has been done amid political turmoil when one rule fails and the other steps up to take its place. The battle between the militia and political parties has been in place since former General Iskandar Mirza took up position of power and left it to Ayub Khan, who was also a man of belonging to the military sector. Iskandar Mirza not only abrogated the constitution but was the first one to declare martial law in the country. Pakistan received its first constitution in 1956, 9 years after its creation. Several leaders threw the country in to an abyss of darkness in order to consolidate their own power rather than develop the country from within.

After Ayub Khan’s policies supporting the elite and promoting the bureaucracy and military, Pakistan’s civilians fall in to discontentment and turn against the government. The impending dissatisfaction of East Pakistan with the West Pakistani Military rulers became apparent with the hint of war. West Pakistani bureaucracy saw themselves as a beacon of enlightenment and refused any interference in East Pakistan by any East Pakistani political party. And this mentality led to the war with India for the third time which liberated East Pakistan, turning it into Bangladesh. This turn of events defamed the military rulers such as Ayub Khan and General Yahya Khan.

The rising amount of dissatisfaction led to the election of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto which discredited the Pakistani military and chose to put into action socialist policies which crippled the elitist bureaucracy. This move enabled the civil military to rise against him in an underground movement. By this time, Pakistan has been refaced by a new constitution of 1973. While the country was settling down with Bhutto’s reforms which failed to reach the masses, another military coup under General Zia-Ul-Haq was carried out which made him President of Pakistan. So the military re-established their power with martial law in Pakistan. And thus history repeated itself till present day.

Human Nature in the Sciences'

Human nature is susceptible to constant interpretation which changes over a span of time. And with time not only do meanings change but they lose their older meaning and assume a new one according to the local context.

I agree that natural sciences play a rather important part in social sciences. Every form of study requires some sort of quantitative data to be able to compared and set against changing time. By gaining statistical data, the facts can be compared year after year since the basis of collecting data is repeatable. For e.g. by statistics we know that there has been a change in the attitudes of women towards marriage and careers. Statistical knowledge hence can be put up as facts in a natural scientific realm. But even though this knowledge is very important it cannot answer the ‘why’ question since it eliminates values from the equation. Subjective knowledge though very controversial is very important to understand society layer by layer.

Descriptivists are flawed in their very method on non judgement. Phenomenologist’s though gain a deep insight are not unbiased observers. And if they manage to keep their own judgements out of research they do end up influencing those around them. According to basic sociological study, human behaviour is likely to change if observed due to demand characteristics. Hence, either the data is coloured by judgement or demand characteristics alter the human behaviour under study. Descriptivists escape this criticism by being passive observers but their presence does influence others behaviour. Also descriptions cannot explain personal and social phenomenon as they do not delve deeper than face value. Description is part of the natural sciences therefore they don’t explain events either.

Once again, even if they do gain the ‘why’ perspective by asking questions to the observed group, i ask who do they ask to gain the best interpretation. Within a muslim community, there are rather different interpretations of a single event, many people perceive a similar event with a different interpretation. According to that who is the single authority to define muslim culture? Even in a family, there is a split between an older generation and a younger generation interpretation. Another criticism is that even though descriptivists put their own judgements out of their study they judge people around them. Fauzia saaed followed this same method but she judged society who looked down upon the red light society though she didn’t judge the red light society itself. 

Critical social scientist stand on very stable grounds when they put forth that observations cannot be uncoloured by ones judgement and that social sciences cannot be descriptive alone. Human study if wanted to be evaluated has to be put against a standard and the main question arising is that who sets the standard of what’s wrong and right. There can be no standard of appropriate behaviour in the world. They also advocate that everything in this world is relative hence relativity itself becomes absolute and change becomes constant. But they don’t really put up a proper method to analyse.

Post modernists do hit close to home that every social order and meaning is local and contextual. But according to their theory no society can be studied deeply as a whole since cosmopolitan society has various layers which hold their own local interpretations. Every society has layers and large societies which share different shared values from one and other are ignored in their theory. But they made the best point so far that every value is susceptible to change in every time frame. There is no fixed human behaviour just as there is no one interpretation of human behaviour. But once again many societies don’t form values on their own; they follow it as passed on by higher authorities. Such as in older times religion became the basis of human behaviour hence people didn’t have any social order and meaning of their own but borrowed them from a higher powerful authority. Therefore their behaviour cannot be held as natural and their own as they were forced into submission. Social constructionists give the biggest complexity that objectivity and subjectivity is part of each other. One cannot exist without the other if society is to be studied on a pedestal.

Ode to Pakistani Cinema's

This one fine day,

I went to Saddar,

As lame as it might sound,

Crossing that area is Ghaddar,

Stuck in traffic,

Trying to ignore lewd stares,

I look up in in the sky,

And suddenly at the billboards I glare,

Theres a semi naked woman,

And her tongues poking out,

I don’t mean to offend,

But man was she stout!

The man beside her was just big,

With moustache so black,

Kala Kola would be embarrassed,

Cause they’d fail to ever colour like that,

Now this woman is lying,

Under a bloody charpayee,

The man sits on it,

Having lassi with malayee,

The woman pokes out from under,

The man doesn’t seem to notice,

He must be really blind,

Cause shes the size of Popeye’s Brutus,

The colours of the some clothes that are,

Are garish and bright,

They seem constrictive,

Stuck on her so tight,

The man seems to be breathing well,

In that lungi like skirt,

His kurta seems to be missing,

And hes covered in dirt,

You know what makes me sad?

Is that this could really be art,

Vulgarity shouldn’t be an option,

These guys need a fresh start.

Theres so much talent in the industry,

That’s going  to cheap waste,

The billboards are a shame,

When they can have class and taste.

You have issues with us,

Wearing high capris and low necks,

Why don’t you look at the billboards,

Where you should really be keeping checks,

Hunt for talent,

Upgrade what exists,

Stop going on about the masses,

Theyre not from different planets.

Frankly on the boards,

Is an invitation to soft porn,

Men and boys buy legit tickets,

And watch bullshit with popcorn,

Fresh blood is plenty,

Old blood is willing,

Maybe then we wont have such crappy titles,

Wth is pyasa badan and haseena 20?

Victims of dysfunctional politics

While the political ends of the country rage forward to win over the nation, the power clashes leave behind inerasable marks. The most prominent of these marks would be the separation of former East Pakistan and present day Bangladesh. Had the West Pakistani bureaucracy stepped down from their pedestals, they would’ve been able to quell the growing anguish in the lower segments of East Pakistani society.

Also, the exchange of power based on superiority has led to the loss of proper methods to receive power. In a country that has come 60 plus years from the past, elections are by no means a foreign concept. However, with power being received with coups, martial law declarations, bribery, corruption and impeachment, the concept of graceful power exchange has been lost. No more do parties wish to consort to winning elections with a sufficient amount of votes. In a country where power speaks louder than good will, politics is the ticket to greater spheres of influence.  

Other than the political game losing its innocence, the civilians of Pakistan have also struggled to redefine themselves time and again with the change in political power. With the continuing change in Pakistani power, the Pakistani public has seen no change in the rate of corruption and the level of crime in the country. If a political power starts a reform, it is put aside when power exchanges hands. Thus no reform gets truly implemented long enough to change society. Though many reforms have been implemented, none of them have been watched over to be put into force by the country.

Pakistan has internal problems due to the rise and fall of politics. But the constant political exchange has spoilt any foreign image that Pakistan held as a prosperous or developing country. The change in power has led to foreign intervention in the country and an increase in aid which piles up debt. Pakistan’s economy has crippled due to political leaders robbing the state treasury and depriving the country of any means to prosper. According to many civilians, Pakistani politics is not only limited to political parties and the military, but also includes foreign governmental pressure especially from USA in today’s time.      

Shirin Ebadi: Peace Hero

A peace hero resembles the fairy tale knight in shining armor, who not only rescues the princess but saves all of humanity from a tragic situation. Such has been the life of Shirin Ebadi. She not only set a precedent for her own country and people, but left a glorified example for all of humanity to follow. For me peace is not constricted to the unifying of two nations but also to the unification of ideologies, which, is something Shirin Ebadi has been trying to achieve. 

Born in the city of Hamedan (Northern Iran) on July 2nd 1947, Shirin Ebadis family was both academicals and practicing Muslims. She moved to Iran at the age of one and grew up in the country’s capital. She describes her childhood as one filled with fun and great kindness. Her father, a pioneer of lecturing in Commercial Law, passed away in 1993. But his influence geared Shirin Ebadi to pursue law on her own. She graduated from Tehran University with a degree in Law after three and a half years. Soon after she took the entrance exam for the Department of Justice, and began apprenticeship. She officially served as a judge in 1969 and went on to obtain a doctorate of honors in private law from Tehran University in 1971.

Since then she served multiple position in the Justice Department and became one of the first woman to become a judge in the history of Iran. Unfortunately, after the Iranian Revolution, many female judges were removed from their posts simple because it was considered un-Islamic.  She was made a clerk in the very court she once presided over. After protests, women were made ‘experts’ but not given back their positions. Shirin Ebadi resigned early and her application to practice law was turned down. During her time of unemployment she was housebound. In this moment of angst she penned down several books and articles that were published in Iranian journals.   

Shirin Ebadi began her private law practice after obtaining her license in 1992. Since then she has begun her crusade against the prevailing injustice towards women and children in particular. She represented journalists, women, and children and fought for public justice for anyone who felt oppressed. She also represented serial murder victims. Her work brought Iranian justice into the limelight abroad thus earning her the merit of opening up new avenues for improving social justice in Iran. Apart from seeking justice in courts, she established the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child (SPRC) and the Human Rights Defenders Centre. Her most famous and recent case is of Canadian photojournalist, Zahra Kazemi who was raped, tortured and murdered in Iran.

"In the last 23 years, from the day I was stripped of my judgeship to the years of doing battle in the revolutionary courts of Tehran, I had repeated one refrain: an interpretation of Islam that is in harmony with equality and democracy is an authentic expression of faith," she wrote in her book, Iran Awakening.

She further said that, "It is not religion that binds women, but the selective dictates of those who wish them cloistered. That belief, along with the conviction that change in Iran must come peacefully and from within, has underpinned my work."

She has received awards for her outstanding bravery and pursue of justice. She received an official Human Rights Watch observer in 1996 and she was also the Recipient of the Rafto Human Rights Foundation prize for human rights activities of Norway in 2001. Her book ‘The selection of The Rights of the Child’ was awarded Book of the Year by the Culture and Islamic Guidance Ministry. In 2003 she received the Nobel Peace Prize. Nobel award committee said she had been chosen because "as a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond".

Outspoken, controversial, Shirin Ebadi is one of the most fascinating women today. She has battled for the sake of others while upholding her own values and morals. Shirin Ebadi is a mother, a wife and a social activist. Her cry for justice has stirred human rights sentiments in Iran and many students flock to her for advice and wish to continue in her shadow.

Due to her increasingly controversial nature in Iran, she was forced to flee the country in 2009. Shirin Ebadi claimed to receive death threats and her husband was also harassed. Even so she has not stopped her work and continues to attract international support for victims of intolerance in Iran. She has sought amnesty in UK where she teaches and holds seminars in various parts of the world.

I chose Shirin Ebadi because her voice stands out as a lone defender of human rights in Iran. Also, being against the Iranian system of governance, she still believes in change from within rather than through foreign intervention. Dr. Ebadi doesn’t believe in a forced removal of a government. She wishes people to overcome tyranny and oppression themselves. This according to her is a true struggle which she hopes Iran will one day win.