Modernized Version of The Frog Prince

THE FROG PRINCE

By: Hajra Kabir

Although Charlotte was a princess and traditionally beautiful just like in the faerie tales, things just weren't the same in this day and age. Her golden locks were cut into a fashionable bob, and the only "diamonds" she wore were actually coats of glitter nail polish on her fingers and toes. Her castle was done in a more modern style, and there were no enchanted forests left anywhere in the area. However, in her cultivated gardens, there was a shallow pool of water, and the rocks around its edges were comfortable for sitting. So it was that Charlotte came to sit beside this little pool one day after getting into an argument with her mother, the queen, about her extensive phone bill.

Oh! Princess Charlotte exclaimed as her phone vibrated in her pocket. It took great effort to rummage it out because her designer jeans were cut skin tight. Murmuring in a very un princess like manner, she pulled her apple I phone free and watched in horror as it went flying and landed with a big "sploosh!" in the pool at her feet. "Oh, no!" she cried, pressing her manicured hands against the stones on the water's edge.

    "May I be of assistance, my lady?" a voice called from the rose bushes. Confused, and a little alarmed that someone had gotten past the security gate, Charlotte looked around but couldn't find anyone to place the voice to.

   "Who’s there?" she gambled, and fixed her hair quickly. Whoever it was had a handsome voice, and the Princess wanted to impress him. There came the slight rustling of leaves, and then the voice said again.

  "Please, don't be alarmed." A large green frog jumped out from the roses, and Charlotte blinked in bewilderment.

  "How can you talk?" she finally hesitate, straightening up and putting a hand on her hip. The frog managed a sort of bow, which was awkward with flippers.

  "I am truly a Prince, my lady but an evil cyber witch I met on a dating website turned me into a frog when I refused to go out with her. It is only the kiss of a Princess that can return me to my natural form." Charlotte stared, gaping at him. She had, of course, heard the old tales and knew that all Frog Princes were remarkably dashing once returned to their human form. Biting her lip and trying not to giggle, she smiled and said,

  "Well, I'm a Princess. Maybe I could help?" The frog's mouth widened into a strange sort of smile, and puffing up his chest he said,

  "But first, I must help you, my lady! I shall retrieve what you've dropped into the pool!" Before Charlotte could stop him, the frog leapt into the water, which had become electrified with the charge from her phone. Covering her mouth in horror, the Princess gasped as the frog came floating up to the service, unconscious and twitching. Mortified, and afraid to touch him for fear of getting shocked, she ran back to her castle and never returned to the pool. Who knew how scrambled his brain would be after such a shock? Charlotte didn't want to rescue a Prince who might drool.

Man of Power: Yasir Shah

                Man of Power: Yasir Shah

By: Hajra Kabir

Can there be any doubt that Yasir Shah is one of the finest bowlers of Pakistan? No there isn’t. On the basis of facts, performances and his ability to raise match when chips are down; the right armed leg break spinner is sincerely one of the best bowlers produced by Pakistan in its 64-years test history. He is one of the most renowned bowlers of Pakistan. He was born on 2^nd May 1986 in Swabi. He is the cousin of former cricketer Junaid Khan. His excellent performance in domestic cricket in the country has opened door for his international career. Apart from being a leg-spinner he has also supported Pakistan in crucial situations by showing a bit of his batting skills. He is the second fastest bowler to take 100 wickets in cricket history. At the very young age of 15 his passion for cricket led him to play his debut match at national level. Nine years after going through thick and thins he was able to create space in International Cricket Team of Pakistan. He was given chance to play debut T20 match against Zimbabwe in 2011. Later on in the same series he started showing his class by taking 2 wickets after giving 51 runs in his debut ODI match. Suspension of Saeed Ajmal paved way for Yasir shah to climb the heights of popularity and international rankings. He played his debut test match in 2014 against Australia and in his debut match he made his country proud by taking seven wickets and became threat for other teams. In a very short time of just nine matches he crossed the miles of taking 50 wickets and became first faster bowler from Pakistan to achieve this goal. He climbed the heights of success after picking consecutive Five Wickets Hauls in three tests against Sri Lanka and improved his record in the international cricket rankings. Recently, in 2016 in the series against England he took 5-wicket hauls and made the record of being the first bowler to achieve this feat in a Test Match at Lord’s stadium. With his countless efforts he became the highest single match wicket taker at Lord’s from Asia. He keeps on making his country proud on many occasions recently in his 17^th match against West Indies in Dubai he successfully took 100 wickets and become the second fastest bowler to achieve this landmark and become the fastest bowler to cross the figures of 50 and 100 international test wickets. On 18^th July, 2016, He reached    World # 01 bowler in ICC Test rankings. He is one of the most successful bowlers from Pakistan side and shows his class to the world by his massive bowling spell. Yasir Shah is a huge fan of Shane Warne and he hopes to emulate him and is making an effort to make his dream come true. One cannot achieve his dreams without having constant struggle and efforts. He is a genuine spinner and contributes substantially in the balling side of Pakistan. And since he is only 30 one can safely stick one’s neck out and predict that his best is yet to come.

What makes Pakistani a Pakistani?

By Maryam Mansoor

When you travel around the world the first question people ask after your name is: Where do you belong from? And your reply to that question is I am a Pakistani but what parameters you have to qualify to be called a Pakistani? What make you a Pakistani? That’s a very difficult question to answer. It has no clear answer and the opinion may vary from one person to another.

www.google.com

The simplest notion of what makes Pakistani a Pakistani is the geographical demarcation of boundaries, hence giving you the nationality of a particular piece of land called Pakistan but in my opinion simply because you live in Pakistan does not make you a Pakistani. For that you have to possess certain qualities, Firstly a true Pakistani has to love his country unconditionally and should put his motherland before anything else. He should be prepared for the worst but hope for the best. He should be well aware of the internal and external threats that Pakistan may face and must keep his guards vigilant for the violent forces may pose a serious threat anytime.

Secondly a true Pakistani must own his cultural and should feel proud on his cultural heritage. Our culture is very rich in literatures' of Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Baruhi, Baluchi and Kashmiri languages. A true Pakistani must be an excellent reader of all the legends that Pakistan has like Manto, Ghalib, Iqbal, Sachal Sar Mast, Rahman Baba etc. Every Pakistan must realize the fact that he has to depict his country on international level so he must portray the true picture through his moral values and noble actions. He should be proud to tell that he belongs to Pakistan. I have seen many people who feel ashamed of telling others that they are from Pakistan when asked by a foreigner that’s because they themselves don’t qualify the traits of a true Pakistani.

Thirdly a true Pakistani must have realization of the sacrifices made by our ancestors in the name of Pakistan and should be thankful to his forefathers for this beautiful piece of land. He must keep in mind the true purpose of achieving Pakistan which is in the name of Islam hence he should exhibit all the tremendous traits of a Muslim most important of which is bravery. A true Pakistani must be a patriot and shouldn't hesitate in sacrificing his life in the name of Islam and Pakistan. It is the duty of every Pakistani to correct the misrepresentation that Muslims have in the world by depicting the true side of Islam which is peace and selflessness. Terrorists all over the world have succeeded in destroying the name of Pakistan. So now it’s the duty of every Pakistani to play his part in portraying the true image of our country only then he will be qualified to be called a true Pakistani.

Fourthly a true Pakistani’s sympathies should not be restricted to the people of Pakistan only. He should be selfless and love everyone without any discrimination of cast, colour and creed. A true Pakistani must not be a racist; he should not pay heed to the discriminations that prevail in our society. Everyone should be considered and is treated equal. A true Pakistani must be patient and have a hold over his anger like our great Prophet Muhammad (SAWW). In order to be called a Pakistani we must follow the footsteps of prophet Muhammad (SAWW), how he (SAWW) spent his life has a lesson for every one of us and we must follow the guideline he (SAWW) has set for all the human beings not only muslims.

Lastly in my opinion the most important trait which makes us a Pakistani must be that we inspire others so that when rest of the world see our moral values depicted through our actions like the great Abdul Sattar Edhi, Abdul Salam, Quaid-e-Azam etc. they proudly give our examples to the world. These great personalities have shown the world what a true Pakistani is like. They have inspired others through their work. Abdul Sattar Edhi who recently left us was a man of great valour. He loved everyone; a Muslim, a non-muslim, rich, poor everyone without any discrimination. His motto was Love Humanity no matter what. We must seek the traits of a true Pakistani from his life as he led an exemplary life for which every Pakistani is proud of. 

But seeing the current situation of our country can we proudly say that we possess even one of the above mentioned qualities. Can you? Because sadly I can’t. We are not honest, we are racists. We discriminate others on the basis of caste, colour and creed. We have made our so called standards of nobility and also we have nothing for others so that they get inspiration from us.

When we are able to overcome all these inadequacies and  ready to inspire others only then it will be alright to say that Yes We are Pakistanis. Now it’s a long way for us to reach to that point but we have to keep on trying and be vigilant for there is a very little time and for time has waited for none. 

Students and Strikes

These days strikes have been become a common talk. Workers in factories and mills, clerks in the offices, shopkeepers, students and even sweepers go on strike. In most of the cases the cause of strike is very slight but strikes have become a fashion. Those who go on strike say that their dignity and interest have been injured. In these days, students take more part in strike than any other section of society.

Strikes from students began in our country as political demonstrations. Now they have developed into a habit. The students use this method to get their grievances redressed. They like to go on strikes. Now students are happy at two times: when they have holidays and when they are on strikes. On very idle excuses they throw down their books, close the lecture rooms and come out on roads, raising slogans. If principal fines a defaulter students go on strike. If the teacher is a strict disciplinarian, students go on strike as a protest. This thing is very bad and must come to an end. But this does not mean that all the time students go on strike just for fun. Sometimes there are very genuine causes of these strikes. In the first place, they are exploited by the political leaders. These experienced leaders know that the young blood is very hot. They incite them to go on strikes and thus they gain their own ends. The students of other institutions observe sympathetic strikes. In this way the whole educational atmosphere is spoilt. In the second place, some defects in educational institutions become the cause of strike. Education today is very costly and an average student cannot afford it. Over discipline also provoke the students to adopt wrong and objectionable attitude. Sometimes the behavior of principal or a lecturer sparks off the strike. Some professors never hesitate to abuse, attack and beat the students. In the third place, parents are also to be blamed for the misbehavior of their children. They neglect the upbringing of their wards and they begin to take part in strikes. In the last, the majority of our students have no idea about what they really want to do. A very small percentage of them have any hobby. Thus they spend time to indulge in activities like strikes.

Certain remedies are necessary to end this trend. First, whatever may be the cause of strikes, the students should be dealt wisely. We must give sympathetic consideration to the demands of the student. If their demands are unfair, we should try to advise them and guide them. In case of students, love, sympathy and kindness are more fruitful than violence. Secondly, Greater cooperation and understanding between the teacher and the taught is necessary. The students will follow their teacher’s advice in all matters and there will be no trouble. Lastly, parents should keep a strict eye over the activities of their wards. They should save them from evil influences.

Freedom of Thought and Speech

It is a common saying that thought is free. A man can never be hindered from thinking whatever he chooses. But this natural liberty of private thinking is of little value. If a thinker is not permitted to express his thoughts, he feels uneasy and disturbed. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to hide thoughts that have any power over the mind. If a man is convinced of the truth of his ideas, it is impossible for him to be silent. Some people prefer to face death rather than conceal their thoughts. Thus freedom of thought includes freedom of speech. Both are closely related.

Men have preferred death and made great sacrifices for the sake of their cherished beliefs. Socrates drank the cup of poison to justify the integrity of his character and the truth of his ideas. Galileo suffered torture behind the prison bar because he had the strong conviction of his thoughts. Crashed under the weight of torture, he once said that the earth is stationary, but in the same breath he again said, “No, no, it moves around the sun.” Our Prophet (SAW) suffered torture because his thoughts and his message were against the old established ideas of the infidels of Arabia.

Freedom of thought has often been denied because it is felt to be something dangerous. No doubt, ideas bring about revolutions more than anything else in the world. The socialistic revolution of Russia was brought about by the ideas of Karl Marx and Linen. The great democracy of America came into existence because of the thoughts of some leaders. Pakistan was also achieved on the basis of some ideology.

There can be no progress in any sphere of life without freedom of thought. Scientific progress remained at low point as long as freedom of thought was suppressed in that field. The scientists were suspected of being in league with the devil. When science was freed to these impediments, it took rapid progress to make man’s life happier; it worked wonders in all the branches of life.

In the field of politics, freedom of thought has been crushed in the era of democracies and republics. With the growth of democratic governments, the rights of the common man have been recognized. Now the voters are real masters. The representatives in the parliament are the servants of the public where there is no freedom of thought and expression; people suffer under monarchy  or dictatorship.

An unrestricted freedom of thought can sometimes degenerate into a bad thing. It is quite possible that a group of persons may create misled in their ideas. The state sometimes feels the necessity of putting restrictions upon such loose thinking. The extremes are always bad. Suppression of the freedom of thought is as dangerous as loose thinking. Healthy ideas must be prevailed and unhealthy must be suppressed.

CULTURAL IDENTITY OF PAKISTAN

A group of people who share the same attitude or the way of living forms a culture. Culture is the identity of a group of people living in any geographical area. It makes one community different from the other in terms of values, norms, customs, language, etc.

Every country or state has a number of religious and geographically different communities living in there. Each of the communities follow and share their own believes, norms, values and their culture. This variation in religion and geography makes a country culturally diverse. Cultural variations are good for a nation as it makes it colorful and attractive for people around the world eventually making the tourism rate higher.

Above all, a nation should have a cultural identity to be identified as a nation by other nation states.  A question that often comes to our mind is what is the cultural identity of Pakistan?

Like other countries, Pakistan is also a culturally diverse country. We have 5 provinces, each with different ethnic groups having different languages, believes, rituals and customs. If we go to Punjab, majority of the people living there speak Punjabi. Their men wear Tehmat and long Kurta and their women wear traditional Punjabi Shalwar suit. In Sindh a huge number of population speaks Sindhi as their cultural language. Sindhi men wear Shalwar Kameez or Kurta with Pajama whereas their women wear Shalwar Kameez or Sari. Province Khyber Pakhtun Khawa is again different from other two provinces in terms of language, rituals and customs. Pashtu is the language of the people living there. The men and women wear big flare froks.

Baluchistan and Gilgit Baltistan are not only different from each other but also they differ from other provinces as well. They both have different languages, norms, values, rituals and customs.

In light of the cultural differences of all provinces discussed above it would not be wrong to say that Pakistan has a very colorful and diverse culture. But above all it is very important for a nation to have a cultural identity so that it can be identified as a nation by other nation sates. Cultural identity of a nation not only gives its identification to others but also gives a sense of security to its nationals. Having a cultural identity strengthens a nation and helps it maintain unity among its people. When people are given a cultural identity, everyone will follow it and will own it, eventually this will inculcate a sense of unity among the people regardless of their province, ethnicity, language or believes. In the end, this unity will help the country to step forward with courage and strength on the path of national progress.

In Pakistan, we do not see any cultural identity. We speak a number of different languages like Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtu, Makrani, Saraike, etc. we all wear different dresses, we all are from different religious sects. There is nothing in common among us which can be declared as our identity. A very small fraction that is 8% of our nation speaks Urdu. Although Urdu is our national language yet majority of us speak it as second language or as third language. English is more close to our hearts because it is the official language of Pakistan.

So, to conclude, Pakistani nation has nothing in common to be called as cultural identity. The governing powers and the policy makers should take such steps to unite the nation on one thing. They should provide the nation with an element on which the whole nation, regardless of its cast, color, religious and provincial identity, should get united and practice it every time. Identifying the cultural identity would give the nation strength, courage and power to prosper as a nation.

Syeda Sameen Sarwat

The Three Wishes- A story of Modern Era

The Three Wishes

A story of modern Era

By: Iqra Maqsood

Once there lived a man. Who was well educated but did not find any job. He used to cut the woods so that he may full fill his basic needs. One day the woodcutter went to the forest to cut woods. When he started cutting an old tree he heard that someone is shouting. Initially he ignored the voice. But when he again started to cut down the tree, a beautiful fairy appeared. She begged him not to cut the tree.

The woodcutter asked the fairy “who are you?” The fairy told him that she is a fairy and she lived in this tree. The woodcutter laughed and said to her “it is the world of science. I do not believe in fairies.” The fairy said to the woodcutter that “if you will leave the tree. I will grant you three wishes. In this way you may believe that I am a true fairy.”

The woodcutter was an intelligent and educated person.  He said to the fairy OK! My first wish is, you give me job. The fairy replied that as you know the government has banned all the jobs and the private companies do not offer job without any experience and bribery. Therefore I am sorry I can’t full fill your first wish.

 When he reached home he was hungry. His mother told him that after two hour the meal will get ready as the woods were wet. Then the wood cutter wished for the Sui Gas connection.  The fairy fulfills the second desire. But after some time the gas vanished.  He called the fairy and ask her for the reason that why gas has suddenly vanished. She told that some people have compressors in their homes and they drag all the gas. Therefore I can’t do anything for you.

The fairy asks the woodcutter that she can’t spend more time with the woodcutter because she has to go home early and watch the drama. The woodcutter wished that he may have 24 hours electricity connection as it was a hot sunny day. The fairy laughed at him and asked the woodcutter “you are living in Pakistan not in America. The government is trying to compensate the energy crises for 67 years but failed to do so. How can I change the situation and give you 24 hour electricity connection? I can’t full fill your last desire”

Then suddenly the fairy vanished. And the woodcutter cried for a  long time because he had lost all his wishes.

Chikungunya hits Karachi

   Karachi has been prone to various viral infections and now its citizens are vulnerable to Chikungunya. Chikungunya; a new viral infection spreading among Karachi citizens. Within a few days 100s’ of people including children, youngsters, elderly and old age people have been affected from this viral infection. Most recent figures count over another 100 people diagnosed with this disease in past 24 hours.

   Chikungunya is basically a disease transmitted to humans by a mosquito. The most terrible fact about this disease is that the infected mosquito can carry both Dengue virus and Chikungunya virus at the same time. Consequently, the host of the infected mosquito can suffer from Dengue as well as Chikungunya simultaneously. It was first diagnosed in 1935 and is affecting many people in various countries since then. Recently Chikungunya virus was found in an American island ailing many of its people. It is normally found in tropical countries of Africa and South Asia.

 

    Like all other viral infections, Chikungunya also gives its first symptom as high fever and severe joint pains. Experts say that symptoms of this disease may occur after 3-7 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. Other symptoms can be joint swelling, muscle pain, headache or skin rashes. Doctors say that the disease is not deadly itself but its symptoms can be severe and sometimes may even cause limb disabling. Newborns, old age people (>65 years), blood pressure and heart patients are more vulnerable to Chikungunya. The major difference between Dengue fever and Chikungunya is that Dengue causes bleeding from nose or ears and is fatal whereas Chikungunya is rarely fatal and vanishes in a few days of treatment.

    Physicians and medical experts suggest rest and excessive water consumption to fight dehydration. Doctors also suggest to isolate the infectee from mosquitos as infectious virus can be carried by a mosquito to some other healthy person. Health experts also stress on regular cleanliness habit. They say that mosquitoes and other infections grow in dirty and filthy areas so cleaning garbage and dirt from surrounding can keep one safe from infectious diseases.

 

    Chikungunya can be prevented from spreading further by cleaning garbage and dirt daily from our surroundings. There are piles of garbage in Karachi specially Malir, Kimari and many other areas which is the main cause of the disease. Government should try hard to clean garbage and filth from roads and streets of Karachi to make it safe from other serious infectious diseases. Furthermore, provincial health ministry should also design effective campaigns to communicate importance of cleanliness in the citizens from grass root to higher levels. Other than government, people should also make cleanliness their habit so that they may get themselves protected from future viral infectious diseases.

Syeda Sameen Sarwat

By Maryam Mansoor

Racism in Pakistan on the basis of caste and colour

Racism is a concept we think belongs to west. Whenever we hear the term Racism; the first thing that comes in our minds is that it would be a rift between black and white not realizing that this term has a broad meaning. When we talk about discrimination in Pakistan, it actually exists we cannot deny this fact but Pakistani people are still in the state of denial. They think that racism is a problem only in west where white discriminates against black but I personally believe that racism prevails in our society since the very beginning when east Bengalis were mocked due to their black colours and short heights. The attitude of West Pakistan towards their fellow Muslim brothers in the East Pakistan was unfriendly and ruling elite showed contempt for Bangla speaking fellow citizens. Even though both of them were from the same Indian heritage, West Pakistani elite decided that they were superior as a nation and race compared to their fellow brothers and sisters from East Pakistan; they thought that their language was more noteworthy than Bangla; they felt their culture was more refined and sophisticated. Their attitude demonstrated that they had the divine right to rule. There was institutional racism and Bangla speaking community was at the receiving end of this rotten cultural and political discrimination that finally led to the separation of East and West Pakistan.

One thing that I want to clear is that the distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnicity discrimination is very much vague and they are considered almost the same thing. One of the reasons why racism is not considered an issue in Pakistan is because this type of thinking is very much present in the psyches of the people and they discriminate without even realizing.

Caste system in Pakistan has been a mean of systematic discrimination. We have made our so called standards of high caste systems like Arian, Rajput’s, Chaudharis etc. who are considered nobles of our society and the lower castes majority of which are christens here in Pakistan are called Massalis, Choorahs, Chamars or Changars. They are considered ‘untouchables’ and are hired to do the most demeaning chores like gutter cleaning, toilet cleaning etc. If hired in the offices it is an unwritten rule that they will not be allowed to share the same cutlery used by their Muslim counterparts and neither will they be allowed to prepare and serve tea or food to their Muslim co-workers.

Religious intolerance is considered to be one of the biggest reasons of discrimination here in Pakistan. Muslims here think just because they are Muslims, they are superiors to non-muslim minorities, that it’s ok to laugh at them and it’s alright to call them Choorahs because that’ who they are not realizing that they also have self-respect but the roots of this type of thinking are so strong that we do not even realize that we are demeaning an individual just because of his colour or his caste. In Punjab and Sindh it includes discrimination against the scheduled Hindu castes that serve as farm workers and bonded labourers. They are not given equal rights; they are not even considered humans. The inequality is so severe and deeply embedded in parts of the country that it is hardly even noticed.

The question now is why are we unable to grow out of this discriminatory mind-set and look beyond the colour of a person’s skin? The answer partly lies in the portrayal of beauty in our media. There are many Pakistani ads like that of Fair and lovely ad, Faiza beauty cream ad promoting fair complexion and associating black colour with ugliness and unsuccessfulness, songs like ‘Goray rang ka zamana kabhi hou ga na purana’ and films that advocate the merits of having a fair-complexion. Even corporations are instilling and reinforcing this discriminatory thinking in our minds by promoting beauty products and creams aimed at making the skin fairer. My question is why do we judge beauty on the level of fairness? Why are we so obsessed with white colour and discriminate others on the basis of their dark skin and caste.

 We need to grow out of this discriminatory mind-set which will be possible only when we address discrimination as an issue because every problem first needs to be diagnosed to be treated.

Muhammad Ali Jinnah

A man who was born to be a leader!

By: Faiza Khatoon

“The most important man of the Asia is tall, thin and elegant, with a monocle on a gray skin cord. He can sway the battle this way or that as he chooses. His 100 million Muslims will march to the left, to the right, to the front to the rear at his bidding, and at nobody else’s…that is the point”. Beverly Nichols express his view about Quaid-e-Azam by saying these words in 1944. The writer was right because after three years Mr. Jinnah won the battle and got a free land for Muslims.

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was not just the founder of Pakistan but also a man with great qualities of heart and head. Quaid was a great politician, parliamentarian, thinker and a great lawyer. His qualities made him a leader who is undefeatable. 

Quaid was an intelligent and repartee boy in his student life as well. When he was studying law at the University of London, he had a Professor, named Peter, who had an unexpected animosity for Jinnah, and because Jinnah never backed down, their arguments were very common. One day Mr. Peter was having lunch in the dining room at the university and Jinnah came along with his tray and sat next to the Professor. The Professor, in his arrogance said “M. Jinnah” you do not understand a pig and a bird do not sit together to eat, to which Jinnah replied don’t worry Professor, “I will fly away and he went and sat to another table”. Prof. Peter now red with range planned his revenge in the next test. When the test was taken Jinnah respond brilliantly to all questions. Finally Prof. Peter asked him. Mr. Jinnah If you are walking down the street and found a package, and within it there is a bag of wisdom and another bag with a lot of money; which one would you take? Without hesitating. Jinnah responded, “The one with the money, of course”. Mr. Peter smiling, said, “I in your place, would have taken the wisdom, don’t you think? Jinnah responded indifferently, “Well each one must take what one doesn’t have.

When he became lawyer, he was arguing with a judge to support his client, his glasses fell down. The judge smiled sarcastically and said “Now you will have to bend”. He took out another glass from his pocket and smiled, “Sir, I have a dozen more”.

He was a terrific lawyer who did not lose any case in his whole career. Along with that, he proved himself as a great leader and politician.

Edgar Snow, the well-known American author, noted that even if one only appraised Jinnah as a barrister, it would be to acknowledge that he had won the most monumental judgment in the history of the bar. He had recognized in the romantic ideal of Pakistan, a case that could be fought and won. Lord Denning, the Master of Rolls, in fact, Master of Rulings, had recalled with pleasure the fact that the Quaid-i-Azam, the founder of Pakistan, had been a member of Lincoln’s Inn. Mahatma Gandhi, who, in his letter to Lord Birkenhead, described Mr. Jinnah and Sir Tej Bahadur Sapru as the two cleverest lawyers of India.

 He inspired the Muslims of the sub-continent and prepared them to stand against the ugly forces of Hindu hegemony and British imperialism. He was born on 25th December, 1876. He was a gift for Muslims by Allah. He got his degree in law from London. He started his political career as a member of Bombay legislature. Then he joined congress but with the passage of time he realized that Hinds has such an evil minds and they cannot think good for other nations especially for the Muslims.

He left congress and joined Muslim League. He gave hope to the Muslims of sub-continent of a free homeland in which they can live according to their desires. He knew that Muslims and Hindus are two separate nations and cannot live together so the struggle of a united sub-continent is useless and waste of time. By his endless efforts he united the Muslims of India in one platform for the same objective that was freedom and creation of Pakistan.

He was a true leader who remained loyal and down to earth with his people.

He was a great personality that even his enemies admitted his greatness. Vijay Laxmi Pandit says about Quaid “If Muslim League Has 100 Gandhis and 200 Abdul Kalam Azad and Congress has only one Jinnah than India would have never divided”. Gandhi called him “an impossible man” who never compromises with his principles.

Jinnah always stood like a rock against his enemies. He also has a deep sense of religious understanding. He wanted to make Pakistan a real Islamic state and wanted to introduce a system that reflects the Islamic values. His poor health cannot distract him from his mission. It was the result of his untiring struggle that Pakistan took place on the map of the world on 14^th August, 1947. Pakistan has a unique identity because of its ideology. It is the first Islamic country that was created on the name of Islam.

Quaid-e-Azam through his sincerity and earnestness of his actions, proved that politics is not a business of telling lies, but a sacred display of truth and uprightness. For a man with a stirred up soul, the meaning of life lies in achievement. But there can be no achievement without accepting and facing challenges. How many people accept it? Quaid-e-Azam accepts it, achieved the aims and reached the goals he had set before him. He lives a life what others desired to live.

We are a lucky nation that we were gifted with a man who gives us our identity and made us able to say proudly  that we belongs to a free country. Mussolini was right that “Jinnah was a historic personality which takes birth once in a century”.

Poster

Zarb e Azb Poster

Pk 661: Call of Death

PK 661:  Call of Death

 

By: Hajra Kabir

P

akistan International Airlines (PIA) is government owned airline serving Pakistan since 10^th January 1955. It is Pakistan’s largest airline and is comprised of 35 airplanes. PIA is ranked among the worst airlines in the world and the history of PIA has proven how bad the conditions of the aircrafts are in Pakistan. PK-705 First plane crash took place on 20^th May 1965 because of some unknown reasons near Cairo which resulted into the death of 119 people. 21^st February 1966 PK-17 crashed due to hitting a vulture in cruise flight near Faridpur and 23 people died. 6^th august 1970 PK- 625 plane crash due to thunderstorm near Rawat resulted in 30 causalities. 16^th December 1978 test flight ended up as a plane crash because both engine lost their power. 25^th august 1989 PK-404 crashed near Bunji resulted in 54 causalities. PK-268 crashed on 28^th September 1992 near Katmandu 167 people died. On 10^th July 2006 PK-688 crashed near Multan and took away the lives of 46 people. Several other incidents took place but they did not resulted into any causalities but are the proof of the incompetence of government. From 2010 onwards if we see back we will come to know about how faulty our PIA is PK-653 ran undershot of runway on 31^st August 2012. PK-787 faced technical problem in one engine on 18^th November 2012. On 11^th February 2013 the port side main landing gear of PK- 259 collapsed. On 6^th October 2013 PK-213 caught fire due to some unknown reasons. PK-451 faced some technical difficulty in landing on 8^th August 2016. Now coming towards the most recent and the most horrific incident that took place; on 7^th December 2016 PK-661 enroute to Islamabad from Chitral

crashed near Havelian Abbottabad and as a result of which 47 people died including Junaid Jamshed. This aircraft had its first flight in 2007. While in 2009 this aircraft was damaged during landing attempt at Lahore but was repaired and became the part of PIA aircrafts once again and life of this plane came to an end on 7^th December. According to the mother of Late First officer this plane was totally unfit for flight. As her son was part of PIA he kept on telling his mother about the worst conditions of these aircrafts. He kept on complaining that these crafts might not be allowed to fly in dangerous routes. One passenger told that he heard some creepy noises from the engine of this aircraft when he was traveling from Islamabad to Chitral.

Now question arises here is that whether it be passengers or the staff members of Pakistan International Airline they see the faults in aircrafts and they know that it is dangerous to fly such aircrafts but where are the concerned authorities? What are they doing? Can’t they see the bad condition of this government owned airline. This is actually the incompetence of our government because they are very much busy in taking care of their seat rather than solving the problems being faced by the local people. Government and concerned authorities are still sleeping after this horrific incident. PIA received criticism of its practices and accusations that it did not investigate the aircrafts thoroughly. Two days after this crash another PIA pilot refused to fly an aircraft because of its faulty engine and still government has allowed to fly these unfit aircraft. Instead of making money from these faulty aircraft government and concerned authorities should take action they should ban such aircrafts because PIA has already taken away the lives of 750 people and we cannot afford to lose more lives because of the negligence of government. Government is supposed to take some serious action against this issue otherwise Pakistanis should stop using this service so that it might collapse due to financial crisis.