He had no Choice!

Listen to what our Mr. Najam Sethi has to say in his latest editorial ..

[Why didn`t Dr Yaqub disagree with the plan to test the bomb in June 1998? The economy was in a crisis since 1990 and showing signs of tilting into default. As an economist he should have foreseen the dire consequences and, ignoring the collective jingoism attached to the bomb, dug his heels in at the risk of losing his job. Now the economy is once again in the oxygen tent, the prime minister who staged the tests is in jail, and the generals who staged Kargil are hard put to salvage the economy. When should the economist, whose discipline enjoins him to stand aside from the nationalist furore, challenge the political masters and offer to resign? Dr Yaqub could have saved his honour by leaving the State Bank in 1998. Why didn`t he do it? If he thought he could save his skin by allowing the rulers to test the bomb, he was wrong. It is his head which has rolled barely a year after the collective orgy of Chaghai.]

Doesn´t this guy Sethi know which Govt could have survived it if hadn´t responded to the Indian Nuclear tests ? If any Govt hadn´t responded to restore the balance of power ? Would there still be an Azad Kashmir had there been no response ? Indeed didn´t he know all of that even though he was the National Security Advisor during Farooq Laghari´s interim Govt. ?

This is exactly what I mean by Yellow Journalism.

Gnostics # ???

Dear Gnostics:

I am glad to see you back. I read all of your recent posts today and enjoyed them very much. Since the court will not meat until January 12th, I do not have anything to say about black boxes. Few days ago I tried to write a comparison of black boxes and black holes but decided not to post it. After reading your posts, I am glad I made the right choice. Never mind my blah blah about physics etc. (BTW, I am not a physicist), it was more like a coffee break in the middle of important discussions relevant to the current situation. Such posts are supposed to be read and immediately ignored. Zeemax has been dealing with the black boxes in great detail, in lot more intellegent way, and I would hope to see him continue with his discourses without any unnececessary interruption from any of us. I can feel that the trial will move very slowly with frquent adjounments. In the last few days though, attention has been shifted to another hijacking, either advertantly or inadvertantly. Please do not think that I am suggesting any conspiracy theory. In my opinion, at best, it may, may be a lower level planning by some operatives. Whole affairs of two hijackings near the end of millenium provide a metaphor for the plight of sub-continent and its people in the past millenium, the passengers are the people and hijackers are the rulers. The rulers have taken the people for a ride throughout the past millenium spicing it with frequent killings, pillaging and plundering in the name of their `just` causes. It appears, it will be the same story in the next millenium again, going through again and again, desparate tims. Hor choopo ganney.......

This reminds me of your lashing out on me for suggesting to add Mian and Nayyar`s article to the `favorites`. I still think it is a better way to get there with just one click of the ``chooha``, unless Chowk staff heeds to our cries.

So which other posts of mine are irrelevent? I think, Lyallpur, blind mullahs and PML platform in any future elections are relevent. Please agree with me, for once!( show some ``murrawat``) There is no doubt that the issues of over-population, education, economy and democracy are major concerns and feudalism, devolution, treatment of minorities, Kashmir and identity are also very important. At the same time, accepting these rules of the game, also mean surrendering to my smarter friends like yourself, Bilal Ahmad, Zeemax Umairr, RAJanjua and others. Just kidding!!!

I was surprised to see Punjabi poems by Faiz near the end of his poetic life. His early poetry was loaded with difficult urdu vocabulary (persian?). Although, he was born in Sialkot but I am not familiar with his roots. I believe his father served in the court of Wali-e-Afghanistan, Abdul Rehman Khan.

Regards,

Sameer

I hope that concerned individuals have taken note of Ayaz Amir`s latest column, about the treatment being meted out to Rana Sanaullah. If accurate, it requires investigation. It would certainly be a more concrete expression of a resolve for change in our usual approach to criticism. Was this the action of a local overenthusiastic official thinking that business (such as it is) was to continue as usual? Or just a continuance of `traditional policy`?

bahmad #965

Thanks for an interesting and inspiring biography of Akhtar Hameed Khan. I guess the many institutions he set up and the people he trained would indeed be taking active interest in influencing government policy in Pakistan through newspaper articles and other published material even if not officially recognized?

Sadhana

Gnostics re:968

I agree (probably *was * the late night making me unable to think straight). Regardless of our political leanings, we do/will hopefully all make a genuine effort towards the uplift of Pakistan. And hopefully we will remember to put Pakistan first in the event of finding ourselves in a position to choose between personal enrichment (in the material sense, of course) and the welfare of Pakistan.

Plus, of course, I sadly shortchanged exemplary contributions by many others.. like Asma Jehangir, columnists like Cowasjee, Amir and Mazdak (whom I do happen to think of as honest and sincere, not as individuals waiting for payoffs!) and the people who work for the CPLC. Perhaps it would make a positive change to the usual pessismism and sturm-und-drang on these board for us to think about the people working hard for Pakistanis.

Assad_K #966

It was very sad to think anew of the deaths of the three good individuals of Pakistan. I happened to know all three of them. Dr. Salam was my `tutor` (Tutorial Groups!!)for a couple of months way back then before he was `thrown out` of Pakistan. In recent years we missed each other by a few hours or a day but communication was in place. Eqbal Ahmad (and Firoz Ahmad) were contemporaries although Firoz was much more in contact. Eqbal`s younger brother, Saghir, was a much closer friend. I knew Akhtar Hamid Khan through his younger brother who was Allama Mashriqi`s son-in-law. And through my Mohtram and respected friend, Dr. Aquila Kiani, who was very proud of the fact that Hameed sb. had named one of his nazms to/for her! I will, at a future occasion, say a word or two about Hameed sahib after I double check it in my papers. But you are right. It is sad. And I am confident that one may become maudlin at such loses; one after the other in quick succession. But,

Assad_K, if you and I are true of heart, diligent workers, are honest, civil and kind and empathetic to people around us, then why raise the question that you do at the end of your post? WE ARE THEM: THE GREAT PEOPLE. WE ALL ARE. Never short change yourself if you are true to yourself, to your country and to humanity at large. These are the hallmark of greatness. If we possess the characteristics I mention above then we are it. Great poeople are made of no special, designer, genes. They too are like you and I, and Zeemax, and Sameer, and bahmad, and Bashir Syed, provided we possess the above characteristics.

Very Sincerely yours,

Gnostic



SameerJB:

Was good to know that somebody remembered that I was not `in evidence` for a few days. I was busy in this same b`kherra. We shall talk about it in better times.

`Watne diyan... .` was good to be reminded of. Faiz sb. read it at my place and a friend of mine who is in the Gulf area, separated from his family, cried like a child. I Should write something about and on Faiz Sb., one of these days. There is a background to his saying a few nazms in Punjabi and one in Hyderabadi Urdu. I shall share it sometime.

Sincerely yours,

Gnostic





TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN

Could/would/does somebody have an idea why do we not see anybody from the U.K., in these posts? Does Chowk have exposure there? It was good to have input from the U.K., since my experience informs me of a different, and often brainy and refreshing ideas from there.

SOME POLICIES

To XXYZ,

I, in general agree with your first post that the chowkwalas have been disappointing in terms of suggesting some policy alternatives to the CE. Now that there is an opportunity to take decisions with out much `corruption`, some sensible policy alternatives would have been desirable, particularly from expat Pakistanis. Having been a provocateur on the chowk, let me put on a different hat, stoke the dying embers of economics when I was a Robert S. McNamarra fellow of the World Bank more than a decade ago.

Economy abhors uncertainty, simply because the activities and investments takes time to produce. CE talking about restoring democracy suggests that he is only temporary, may be two years, and that is not good enough. He should convey that he is part of the landscape, even in `democracy` he will have a significant role.

The overall economic situation of Pakistan does not leave much option for demand side policies. It has to be on the supply side, some of the policies for company takeovers and some exit policies are badly needed. The CE can specifically look at the pending requests for productive facilities, if Pakistan is half a `license raj`, there should be many ideas rotting in the red tapes. These can be specially reviewed and the implementation accelerated. Some under developed sectors like insurance; superannuation and long term debt securitisation schemes can be tried to mobilize resources.

After the visit to Saudi, CE declared that he did not go there to beg. With the high oil prices there should be some loose change to spare, and a little bit pride with the brethren can go a long way.

The latest demon about interest rates, `riba` will have to settled, sooner, rather than later. That is all with out using the ` other hand`. One handed economists are rare.

Bahmed re:965

I and a friend planned to go and see Akhtar Hameed Khan this summer. I don`t know if we would have succeeded, but we never followed through out of sheer disorganization. I wish we had done so.

With Dr. Abdus Salam, Prof. Eqbal Ahmed and Mr. Hameed Khan having all passed away.. is there anyone other than Edhi who can wear the mantle of a Great Pakistani? And when Edhi passes away... who will we have left?

Perhaps it`s the late hour that`s making me maudlin. I know that it isn`t half as bleak as all that, and that people will be able to point out Pakistanis who are working to elevate Pakistans name, rather than their own.

Cheers, AK

Akhtar Hameed Khan: Dean of Community Development in Pakistan

This piece is particularly for Sadhana,.Sameer, and Zeemaz. On August 13, 1999, Khaled Ahmed of Friday Times published his list of ten great Pakistanis. One of them was Akhtar Hameed Khan, a well-known Pakistani social worker. Khaled Ahmed writes:

``Akhtar Hameed Khan belongs in the realm of service, in company with late Hakim Said, Imran Khan and Abdus Sattar Edhi. He began by leaving the revered ICS cadre of civil servants and devoting himself to rural welfare. The success of rural development in Bangladesh today is owed to his seminal cooperatives movement which he began in East Pakistan in the Comilla district, and for which he is worshipped by the Bangladeshis. After 1970, he began working in Karachi where his Orangi Project is now known all over the world and is an inspiration to dozens of other housing projects in Karachi and Hyderabad. He lectured in Harvard on rural development and has an intellectual world view encompassing Islamic philosophy and world economics.``

I never met him personally. He was a good friend of some of my senior colleagues and former teachers. Now, I regret why I did not meet him when he was in Karachi. People like Akhtar Hameed Khan are rarely born, and they remain alive even after their death. The correspondent of the News International, in his obituary wrote (October 12, 1999).

``Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan was born in Agra in 1914. After completing his education from Aligarh and Cambridge University, he joined the Indian Civil Service (ICS) in 1936 and served on various government posts. Later, he resigned from the government service and opened a small locker factory. He also served in Jamia Islamia Delhi as headmaster.

Having migrated to Pakistan, he founded Rural Development Academy (an NGO) in Commilla, former East Pakistan; and motivated farmers to save one paisa for development. Later, he set up another NGO for bus and rickshaw workers. However, his wide recognition in Pakistan was for establishing the Orangi Pilot Project in 1980 and developing the slums with the help of local people.

The government in recognition of his work awarded him Sitara-e-Imtiaz and Hilal-e-Imtiaz. The Philippine government also awarded him `Magsaysay Award` for his services. Dr Akhtar`s rural and urban development plans were adopted by various countries.

Dr Hameed was also the author of two books. He also wrote various columns for a number of national and international newspapers and magazines. He would believe in self-reliance and oppose foreign aid. His philosophy was that ``no foreign agency or bank favour development in any country and only local people can carry out development of their areas, cities and country on cooperative bases.```

A more detailed obituary (by Sarfaraz Ahmed) was published in Dawn (October 11, 1999).

``Highly respected social scientist and founder of the Orangi Pilot Project and Comilla Rural Development Project Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan died in Indiana, US, on Saturday. He was 85. He leaves behind his wife, four daughters and a son.

According to his son, Akbar Khan, the body is expected to reach Karachi in a couple of days.

Dr Akhtar Hameed, who had gone to the US in May on a personal visit, died at a hospital where he had gone for a periodic check-up, his family said.

Born in 1914 at Agra, Mr Khan won selection in the Indian Civil Service and later spent two years at Cambridge. In 1945, he quit the service and worked as a labourer or a lock-maker. Later, he joined Delhi`s Jamia Millia Islamia as a teacher.

Mr Khan migrated to Pakistan in early 50s. He was the founding-director of Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, Comilla, before he was appointed principal of the Comilla Victoria College (Bangladesh).

He launched the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) in 1980 and remained associated with it till his death. He was on the boards of a number of educational institutions in the country.

He was a visiting professor of Michigan State University, US, which later awarded him an honorary doctorate.

He was recipient of Magsaysay Award and was also awarded Sitara-i-Pakistan and Hilal-i-Imtiaz.

``Indeed, it`s a very big loss,`` lamented Ghulam Kibria, who remained associated with Dr Khan for the past 60 years. He said Dr Khan believed in resolving problems of the common man on a self-help basis.

He said it was his (Dr Khan`s) work and efforts that peasants in the then East Pakistan had accepted the idea of making savings through their meagre source of income to encourage the setting up of cooperatives.

In April 1980, he said, Dr Khan laid the foundation of the OPP where people built a sewerage system in over 6,000 lanes and by-lanes on a self-help basis at a cost which was one-fifth of the civic agencies` estimate.

On the same pattern, Mr Kibria said, the organization set up by Dr Khan helped improve the condition of around 700 schools in Orangi Township.

``This he achieved through setting up committees of area people to execute and monitor the development work by themselves,`` he said.

Till his last day in Pakistan, he said, Dr Khan had been going to the OPP office regularly.

``He was the greatest social scientist the country has ever produced,`` said Tasneem Siddiqui, adding that he did not believe in merely theories but was a practitioner of action research.

He said ``Dr Khan was always experimenting. He was open to new ideas and was never shy of accepting his mistakes``.

Mr Siddiqui said that Dr Khan was very vocal about his views on the role of world monetary agencies and had said on a number of occasions that the ``World Bank and Asian Development Bank can take Pakistan to nowhere``.

He said Dr Khan had great faith in the low-income group people that they had the capacity and willingness to pay for development provided they were involved in its entire process.

``He believed in low-profile research and he used to apply that research to test new ideas,`` Mr Siddiqui said, adding that Dr Khan was always of the view that the basic job of NGOs was to carry out research, which had always been the weakness of the government.

He said the models prepared by Dr Khan were not only adopted and replicated in the country, but outside the world as well.

``He was one of the most important social scientists of the world,`` said Arif Hasan, who was appointed OPP`s technical adviser some 20 years ago.

He said Dr Khan was not only a social scientist or thinker but also a scholar of a high order.

Besides English and Urdu, he said, Dr Khan was adept in Persian, Arabic and Pali and was a good poet, and added that the second collection of his poetry would soon be coming into print.

He said the Comilla project became a model of rural development in various parts of the world; a number of books were written on it and it served as a basis of research in many an institution around the globe.

He said Dr Khan set up four model centres in the fields of education, primary healthcare, sanitation and income generation as these were the problems being confronted by a vast majority of the people of Pakistan and the Third World.

He said it was Dr Khan`s desire that his institutions were designated by the government as institutions of official training and thus included in the policy-making process.

He further said that except for the Sindh Kachchi Abadis Authority no other government department or agency chose any of Dr Khan`s institutes for official training.

Dr Khan encountered obstacles in the accomplishment of his mission. When he was in the then East Pakistan, he was branded a CIA agent. When he tried to rehabilitate the Pukhtoon population of Orangi and Qasba, who had been uprooted in the wake of the Aligarh Colony killings, he received pressure from a political party and others.

All those and other obstacles could not weaken the life-long spirit of Dr Khan as he always remained vibrant with his ideas to translate them into reality for the good of the common man, Arif Hasan said.

Gnostic# 962, ( In Z&N: Zeemax #547,SameerJB #548, Umair #549)

Since I seem to be the only one left on this Board, I think I shall write myself another post:

I share Zemax`s (#547)concern about the four articles ant their forums/boards. Early on, VERY early on, when Bilal M`s article was taken off the front page (Home), it was requested that in view of the circumstances and the severity of seriousness accompanying them, it would be desirable to somehow leave a link of some sort for that article on the Home page. But it was not done. Zia and Nayyar`s contribution has met the same fate, and the rest will soon bite the same dust as the ones before.

SameerJ.B.`s solution reminds me of a Lahori story: A young fellow, an apprentice of sorts, asked the local wise man how to catch a stork/flamingo. The ustad ji said that `Putra aeh koii mamooli kum naieen. But still, what you do is this. Take a candle, light it and approach the bugla from behind, don`t even breathe, stealthily approach it and stick the candle on the stork`s head. After a while the molten wax will slide down over the stork`s head and blind him. Then you just go and catch the stork!`

At this the apprentice asked, `ustad ji, why not catch him when one goes to place the candle on the stork`s head?`, to which the ustad ji replied, `oh, bevqoofaaa, tey oudhey wichh fair ustaadi keeh hoii?`

Sameer advises to bookmark the site. Khoob, bahoot khoob. Sameer, for a person as I, every thing under the sun is on the bookmark, since I am so new to the computer that even the barcode price tag is still on it. I don`t remove it lest there be a relationship between it and the `drive`. Prior to this the only `Drive` I knew was the word on the gearbox settings on the car in which Farkhanda drives me about occasionally.

But to get back to the bookmark. It takes more time to get the forum through it than if you went to it via Bathinda!

I feel that if Rehan Ansari`s piece can stay out there on the home page since, for me, the world began, then the Pakistani debacle piece(s) could also stay there.

HOWEVER, if the webmasters/owners/operators/M.D.`s started listening to us, [the readers, the writers, the users], they could be accused of, and typed/branded as, practicing `democracy`. Now, SameerJB., are you making fun of us!



Umairr #549

Since my background in the Pakistani military is as impeccable and authentic as anybody`s - if not more - I was surprised to read the first two lines of your post. At which time I stopped reading further.

Let`s see our army`s high points:

1. In 1965, we `gained` 350sq. miles of Indian territory in Kashmir and Khem Karan area. Lost 1200 sq. miles in the southwest next to rann of Kutch. Had to go to Tashkand and our noses were rubbed in it.

2. 1971. East Pakistan. The less said, the better. [ I have been reading the posts in this area. I had kept quiet since the energies and time of Pakistanis was being made to be spent on ten different `fronts`, in the process of which many friends got involved in settling the Kashmir problem in these forums. The saving grace offered was that these were the only places where people could interact from both sides of the border. I /know/ that the Kashmir issue was being settled only by one side of the border. How do I know it? /I/ just know it. If you have doubts about it watch the next ten, fifteen, fifty years. You`ll get the proof of the veracity of my claim.

In the East Pakistan fiasco the regular Indian

army infiltrators, and later, the Mukti Bahni, taught in `regular clases` by the Indian regulars (infiltrators, as well as on Indian soil), as to how to spread fear, hatred, wreake havock there, did so. Our own women, my family`s, were killed, raped, disfigured, dragged in such numbers that you would never imagine. [ If certain Reports are made public, you will go out of you mind to learn the details.

The army, given the conditions, didn`t do as badly as we have been made to believe. BUT, they could have done much better given morale and organized leadership. But certainly not a feather in their cap].

3. ?

Fatuhaat:

1. Pakistan 1958-59

2. Pakistan 1968

3. Pakistan 1977

4. Pakistan 1999

Not an unimpressive record, is it?

I haven`t followed the discussion on the army`s job benefits and costs. [I can do that, though. I`ll start with the availability of an orderly, to begin with, and its equivalent cost in the civil life; housing, the pieces of land which have made just the officers from Kohat alone own more land in Sindh than Bannu, Thal and Kohat combined! Go Figure; or figger].

When you left the army for a job ouside of it because you were better off out than in, then, logically, it is incumbent upon you to say why the ones who stayed in, did so? One way explanations never qualify as explanations; pulling the wool over others` eyes, ingenuous (or even ingenious) statements, perhaps. But not `explanations.

Secondly, since you pique my curiosity, what was the educational quotient of your colleagues as compared to your own when you left?

And finally, why did you join the army to begin with? Because you looked ba`roub in the uniform, the desirable marriage partners were more favourably, (and favourable; moneyed, with jaidad, in upper reaches of the class structure; in other words, with the possibility of hypergamy) available?

Or, was it to serve the nation,

Or, to go for Jehad in the service of Islam,

Or, now you go ahead.......

Gnostic

Gnostic re:962

Your generosity is overwhelming. Yippee! There`s hope for me yet!

Cheers, AK

Ref. Zeemax 954-55

You see Zeemax, my strategy to deal with anger, frustration, disappointment, agony, and tyranny, mixed with the feelings of helplessness and powerlessness (de-powered? social impotence?), is to go autobiographical.

Recalling and recountinting of my turning points in life, moments of unusual fortitude, always rejuvenate me. They tell me, ``yes, I can; yes, I can``.

And by God, yes, haq hai keh I can! And, so can you.

We have the brains and we have the power. All of us.[Even Umairr and Assad_K!]



Your friend,

Gnostic

re. Many previous posts of recent and earlier vintage.

The following two items are not only for your tafannan-e-tab`aa (manuranjanjan, if you are hooked on Indian movies), but for some poignant lesson/s.

1. I feel like a mosquito in a nudist colony. I know what to do but don`t know where to start!

2. There was this fellow in Karachi ( Lahore, Islamabad, Gujranwala, Sukkhar, Jehlum, Quetta, Hyderabad) squatting on the sidewalk and crying. A passerby stopped and asked him why was he crying. The fellow said that he was the victim of a cruel act.

``You see,`` he said, `` I was sitting here minding my own business, when a car stopped by. A gentleman peered out of its window and asked me if I would like to join him in dinner. Now, I was hungry and without much money, so I said that I would.

He, then, took me to his bungalow where a sumptuous dinner was had. I enjoyed it and ate to my heart`s content. So far so good, but then he forcibly sodomized me and that`s why I am crying``. The passerby consoled him and advised him not to trust everybody who comes along and that to use one`s commonsense and discretion was a great virtue.

A few days later this passerby comes along and sees this same fellow, crying again. So he asks him what was the matter this time. The crying fellow says, ``It`s the same story, you see! This same fellow in the car took me home , fed me as before and forcibly sodomized me again. That`s why I am crying. A great cruelty and injustice has been done to me sir.`` The passerby asked him that if he already had an unpleasant experience before why did he not refuse the carwalla`s invitation? At which the squatter looked at the passerby with disdain and said,

``Junnab, murrawat bhi koii shaey hoti hai aakhir!``

The first indicates the dilemma posed by XXYZ and touched by Zeemax Sameer, and Dua`go. We have a problem at our hands but so much of it(vast?)that we don`t know from where to start! The totality of the problem may just be impossible to deal with all at the same time; but only in bits and pieces; nickel and dimes, as you b`desheis say.

The second one is more serious. Our nation gets screwed with monsoon like frequency by the army. When the world at large looks askance at us, or by a few wise individuals within the country, the answer from the nation, in general, is ``Junab murrawat bhi koii shaey hoti hai aakhir!``

Hor Choopo!!

More to follow.

Gnostic

Zeemax #954

You should be in a state of mind in which Ghalib said:

Mushkilain mujh per praieen itni keh aa`saan ho gaieen

Still, jumhuriat_ asked for aresponses at his personal address. Don`t respond yet, if you are busy.

Sameer is only dealing with the question of relevant variables that go into an explanation and those which are `non-relevant` to it. Again, a matter directly related to one pointed out by Mrs. XXYZ. From what I know of theory construction, the black box is a `relevant` variable, and should be dealt with by all of us.

On the matter of the black box being blank I have been in touch with the High Commissions of Pakistan in the U.K. and Canada, and the Pakistani embassy in the States; plus a letter to the Dawn. These are only the beginnings.

I have been thinking that some of us, who agree, should get in touch with the mass media outlets, world Air Control bodies, IATA, World Civil Aviation/Control Agencies, World `Justice` agencies, to protest these shenanigans of the arms of the government (Black box not having a taping of conversation), while in the custody of the police! for example.

As a drastic measure a law suit or two could be launched against the Mutt in Pakistani and International courts.

Please advise. I can say one thing though. Writing in this forum is not going to accomplish anything unless it is combined with other measures.

Zeemax, you know, you are not alone in this. Others also have the same concerns on their minds. What is lacking is the concerted action of some practical consequence.

Gnostic

Re #950-51

Didn`t know today was the birthday of Mr. Nawaz Sharif.

Happy Birthday Mr. Prime Minister.

Gnostic reminded me that Faiz being a too civilized for his own good said

Nisar main teri galyiyoon kay aeh watan keh jahan

chali hai rasm keh koii na sar utha kay chalai

But Jalib, a more jeealaa fellow said:

Zamana aik saa Jalib sadaa nahin rehta

chalain gai hum bhi kabhi sar utha kay rastay main

A Very auspicious 50th birthday to the abducted Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr. Nawaz Sharif.

We wish you many, many more happy returns of the day.

Ravian One and Family

(Arslan, Imtinan, Mumtaz, Savera aur, Saba)