Why I’m proud to be a Pakistani

RE: Nameless# 31

I am glad that you see my point. Read your post again, especially the middle paragraph.

If Asma Jahangir and Hina Jillani are sisters, how come they have different last names? Even if one or both of them are married, I thought in Islam, married women do not change their last name (this piece of info from a Muslim friend. His wife changed her last name back to her original one, when they came to know that changing last names after marriage is not Islamic). Just curious.

Shandana,
Well said. I was so disgusted with that nuclear tests article that I didn’t feel like responding at all…and yet I wanted to say something to express my disapproval…. Thank you very much for writing this piece. Indeed, Pakistani women have shown a lot of courage, and strength in their “Jihad” for Justice and human rights. Strength to Asma Jahangir’s arm! People like Asma are the ones who are engaged in real “Jihad”.

Now, let me tell you what makes me proud to be a Pakistani:
Pathan mazdoor jab woo garmi main rooza rakh kar mazdori kartay hain…. No one in the whole wide world can match their courage and strength.

I hope Rohi Bano gets well soon. I have been in love with her since I was 15 :) She is going to be OK won’t she?

urstruly #2 says

{

A simple word ``THANK YOU`` for a Jawan who died for you will help you control your bile. }

I am glad you bought it up. Has the GOP recognised the deeds of the dead in Kargil. It has not even acknowledged the dead there. They have not even accepted the bodies of the dead.

This stinks - your statement.

A beauty. The article I mean. Having read most of the stuff on chowk for a very very very long time I came to the conclusion that there are not many who can write but this piece changed my opinion.

I liked the optimism in the pice, asa against the blood and gore pesssism of the bomb and finest hour stuff.

I must congratulate you on your efforts - and I must say the most moving part of the essay was this one paragraph

{ ?And she died?. Do I not think this is a terrible, terrible system? Yes I do. Will things get worse? Yes they will. Will they get better? Yes they will. And the certainty with which I say that derives it?s backbone not from a detonation under a mountain or a belief that I am a part of a special religion. It is in the courage of Hawa Bibi that I see the seeds of our regeneration. A simple, illiterate fisherwoman from a village battling feudal smugglers knows it is only a matter of time before she will be killed. But she persists. And while her death makes me hate what we are, it also makes me love what we have the potential to be. If we are producing people like Hawa Bibi, we must be doing something right.}

Is hawa Bibi Pakistan, eternally wanting to get up and go places where there is justice peace and freedom? I say that she symbolises the whole process of nation building. It is not the bombs or the number of jawans who dies that counts. It oyr ability to appreciate the injustices and rectify these.

Talking of jawans has the GOP honourde the poor sould kiiled in the Krgil fiasco!

Loved it!

beautiful work.

SUB-CON PRIDE,

A true vivid example of the despicable version of pride that afflicts the sub con people. Pride in the reflected glory of others, only thing missing is the link up to the family tree, the nexus of contacts and influences... Asma Jahangir is my third cousins fourth uncles wife, Ehdi is the class mate of my fathers uncles fifth wife... What a reason to be proud of the country, these great people turned out to be pakistanis.

One has to be proud of the country because of the collectve achievements, what the millions of unknowns have helped to create, the society, the scientific and the technical achievements, the cultural and artistic monuments.

Yes the bomb is an achievement for which the illiterate diggers of the Changi desert to the esoteric scientists of the atomic energy department have contributed to create a policy space for the future generations of pakistanis. It is a symbol of the collective achievement of pakistan, one every pakistani can be proud of, a lot more than clinging to the hijab of a Ms. Jahangir. Pakistanis must not forget that the `father` who organised the `honour killing` was invited by the Musharaff for a photo shoot, an example of an upright man, which should be balanced against the reflected pride from Ms. Jahangir.

Dear Shandana,



May I add that your honesty and your writings are, at least in my case, among the things that make me proud to be a Pakistani. Bravo.

Dear shandana,

I’m delighted to see names of some remarkable women, in your article, to come from Pakistan . Because I respect them, for what they have done in their respective fields of human rights, arts , literature etc. At the same time I was surprised that you did not mention names of eminent men, which this country has produced in the similar areas. (other then sports icons).

I wonder if its your bias against men, or your lack of knowledge or is it about that typical misuse/abuse of feminist theory in Pakistan?

Shandana,

Thanks for sharing a sincere, and well written article.

Now for some shikwa:



In your rather inimitable style, you have introduced us, (or at least myself) to some names which being a Pakistani i was not quite familiar with, namely that of Khalid Sahib, and his wife. For which i am grateful. My father also testified to the talent of this duo.

In addition you mentioned a variety of important names, from various aspects of our society, from our passion for music, sports, Human rights,to the confident, well-educated pakistani women etc. I know such a study can be exhaustive, and well one has to pick and choose and therefore can not be all encompassing. Yet i felt an important name possibly slipped from your mind. Infact even in the replies so far, no one has even recalled this great man`s committment, dedication, and inspiration for furthering the cause of that esoteric entity, education, and scientific development in my glorious Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

The man in question is Professor Abdul Salaam. I am merely speculating if it was indeed an omission on your part due to the fact that you are writing about those whom you think are important people, or was there any other motive for it.

If it was an omission on your part, due to not being very familiar with him or his work, i can understand. Its not your fault Shandana, we have not been taught to respect our true heroes, outide of politics, sports, music,particularly in the field of education and knowledge. Prof Hoodhbhoy too is still a nobody despite his constant struggle to inspire the people with his wonderful ideas. And thankfully he is still alive.

Shikwa in detail:



(directed at all of us, the younger generation pakistanis)

Our prejudices run so deep that we are even willing to forego the honour of being a Nobel Prize Winning state, on account of Mr Salaam`s unorthodox choice of religion. This man who gave all his energies to promoting scietific education and builkding an infrastructure, was shunned. This man never however was a resolute scientist not willing to be discouraged by the art of pakistani bureacracy and politicians hollow prides. He PERSEVERED. The scientific community accepted his heavy weight presence, and acknowledged HIS EFFORTS with the highest academic award. HIS EFFORTS wereinstrumenatl in setting up the institute for theoretical research at Trieste, Italy, (which i had the good fortune to visit at one time), for the particle physicists from the Muslim world, so that we the Muslim could make the progress which Allah deems necessary to come a step or two closer to HIM.

And today our children are not being taught about this wonderful man. I think its a ragedy that our textbooks on Physics do not even mention his name even at the most senior levels. There is no remmebrance day for him, where children should pay homage to this man, who refused to renounce his green Pakistan passport till his death, depsite numerous offers for immigration to the US, Europe, and the rest of the socalled civilised world. If anything that shows character, for which we ought to remember him along with the Khalids,Imran Khans, and Hina jillanis of Pakistan as a great contributor.

Professor Abdul Salaam makes me proud to be called a Pakistani, for despite all the adversaries in his life, he chose to overcome them with dignity, honour, resilience, and honesty. Till some of us remember his contributions to the body of scientific knowledge,you can never be relegated to oblivion. TThe irony is i feel proud of him living outisde of Pakistan, and many dont know him living in Pakistan...

Why cant we transcend religion and myriads of divisive categories to unite us, for common gain?

I am as ever at a loss for words, to answer this question.

I shall get off my podium now. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to voice my sincerest thoughts

triggered off by reading shandanas excellent article. Once again, you job as a writer is to sow the seeds of discussion. You have done this job well, as ever.. Indeed you have at least made me think about stuff, which i would not normally do.



Asim Hayat

Stanford, Ca.

Very well-written piece, Shandana. I, for one, was absolutely sick of reading about India and Pakistan, Kashmir, nukes,heeng, cow dung and what not! This is a refreshing change. Thanks! :)

I would add the name of Professor Adeeb Rizvi here. For who don`t know about him.

He is FRCS, FRCP (highest recognition for Surgeon and highest recognition award for physician in UK) FCPS (highest recognition award in Pakistan), Tamghae- Imtiaz, Sitara Imtiaz, and in whose recognition a resolution was passed in Sind assembly. The spirit behind the Sind institute of Nephro-urology which started in late 80`s as a 8 bed Urology Department is now housed in 6 storey building. Apart from Emergency treatment and Hospitalized patients, in 1993 (I have no current statistics) it used to do one transplant of kidney per week, 52 dialysis sessions daily, 8 Extracorporeal lithotripsy (breaking kidney stones without operation) daily. And state of the art surgery with laser etc.

And all for free, including medications for transplant patients, and their testing etc.

Dewaan family (one member of which is minister), is investing in projects like these and many others with their Zakaat money.

Also not to forget the scoundrel Agha Hasan Abidi of BCCI fame whose BCCI foundation was very active in many humanitarian projects.

Not to mention thousands of people who individually do the job of teaching students in factories, child who labor in factories.

It is rightly said that only God is running Pakistan (otherwise there was no basis for it to survive) because of some of these people.

I think other people on chowk might bring more names, who are not much recognized in media, but doing a great job.

dear all,

there was meant to be a disclaimer, so let me add it here.

``the author is aware that there are many people, places and things she has omitted. keep them alive in your hearts, wherever you may be``

that`s one explanation for all the names i`ve missed. there are simply too many is the other.



shandana

Well said!

As usual, there is a hidden foreign hand somewhere in this article . . . it does not address the Kashmir issue so what is it doing here?

Sorry for the black humour early in the morning . . . but it makes me feel like, change a few names here and there, this could be an article about any of our countries. What a pity we can`t get our act together to see it as it is . . .

RE: Harmonic # 9

You exactly know what kind of freedom we are talking about here. It is the freedom to build your own laterines and it is also a freedom to save you from cleaning ``other`s`` laterines.

Whether we like it or not but this world is still running on the principle of ``Survival of the fittest``. Until the world is safe enough to say that now it is running on the principle of ``Survival of all`` lowering our guards will mean suicide. In Urdu there is a proverb ``Jurm-e-Zaeefi ki Saza hay marg-e-mafajat`` translation: ``A weak man is condemned to die everyday``.

Try teaching your lessons of humanity to those Kuwaities who wake up one morning to find out that their country is a province of Iraq. Try teaching these lessons to Afghanis who find their country run over by Russians within matter of days. Try telling that to pakistanis who lower their guard and find enemy sitting in the Siachin.

You will be surprised to know that a Jawan sitting at the border just some feet away from enemy`s bunker knows the true value of peace. Show him that the world is now a safe place he will be the first to say farewell to his arms. Until then you do your job and let him do his.