Pak-Millennium Conference 1999

The transcripts will be provided. Definitely at the website http://www.pak2000.org and perhaps on Chowk as well.

-Bilal

::Chowk will provide a coverage of the conference.

Can we still expect transcripts of the conference here or at pak2000.org? I sincerely hope so.

Haniya:

Could you let me know what you thought about Safi Qureshi. I am thinking about helping out in a non-profit eudcation program for kids he has started in Pakistan, on the lines of Sesame Street. Did he talk about that?

Thanks,

UR

To haniya,

What is really needed is young people like you to express them selves. Chowk is full of old teachers and army men. I wish you well, agression in youth is an embelishment, in an old age it is vulgar. There is no need for apologies, the future is yours, grave is ours.

In response to Haniya (Reply # 29):

Dear Haniya:

I admire your effort to go to the Conference and take a stand in support of it. I presume you are a young lady (between 16-26 years), and if so, you definitely need to be motivated and hopeful. Many young people do not like any criticism, even if the intended purpose of the same is constructive. Although the future of Pakistan seems very gloomy, I still believe (like you) that ``there might still be something that can be done.`` Of course, something can always be done. The questions is, how?

We can contribute by changing ourselves through inculcating a set of good values and convictions in our own minds, bodies, and spirits. This course, in some ways, is very fruitful, but it may requires a lot of sacrifices. It would, however, provide you an inner happiness and satisfaction. Don`t I sound very religious and idealistic?

Having said this, let me draw your attention toward two of your statements: First, you wrote, ``If even one person out of all of those who posted something on this page criticizing the conference has ever done something constructive for the nation, I will be genuinely surprised.`` How do you know that no one has ever done anything constructive for the nation? Anything? I think, if a person possesses a few basic good values and doesn`t digress much from them in his/her ordinary life, I would consider him/her as a constructive citizen (at least in the context of Pakistan).

Then, you wrote, ``Instead of being so cynical and passing comments on petty issues like why they used the word millenium, please encourage those who want to help.`` In this regard, I would like you to read my postings (Replies # 4 and 20) carefully and decide yourself the aptness of your statement. However, the rhetoric often tells a lot about the project (Maybe, not in this case).

Your indeed are right that we need to work in the interest of our young and coming generations. Having said this, please tell us more about the intended objectives and achievements of the Conference.

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

I`m a student and actually did go to the conference. I might be ``starry eyed``, but at least I have hope. I came back from the conference completely motivated, and I think the fact that this conference achieved that is more than we`re achieving just sitting on our hands and complaining and criticizing.

It might all be elitist and in the hands of ``the chosen few``, but at least theyr`e doing something. If even one person out of all of those who posted something on this page criticizing the conference has ever done something constructive for the nation, I will be genuinely surprised.

Being part of the generation who only saw Pakistan Zia onwards, I have a very dim and pessimistic view of our future. Or I should say had. Having heard people like Naseem Ashraf and having talked to them, I actually feel as if there might still be something that can be done. Nobody claimed that the conference would be the solution to all of Pakistan`s problems, but I feel the least the rest of you can do is laud the efforts of those who at least have the will to try.

Instead of being so cynical and passing comments on petty issues like why they used the word millenium, please encourage those who want to help. You never know. We might end up achieving something.

Wouldn`t that be a blow to all the cynics out there.

I didn`t mean to sound so aggressive, but it truly upsets me when people don`t get the praise and encouragement they deserve, which is the root cause of the absence of a meritocracry in pakistan. A change in the nation-wide attitude is needed, and I plead chowkwalas to initiate it.

If not for yourselves, at least for our generation.

Thanks for bearing with me,

Haniya

Probably the best site for updated news....

http://fullcoverage.yahoo.com/fc/breaking/Pakistan/

Any info from Pakistan on this would be greatly appreciated:

Pakistani army moves against prime minister after military chief sacked

Pakistan fell into confusion and uncertainty Tuesday when the country`s army took control of key government and public buildings in the Pakistani capital, including Prime Minster Nawaz Sharif`s official residence.

Two hours before the troop mobilization, Sharif had announced the firing of his powerful army chief, Gen. Pervaiz Musharraf.

India offers no comment on Pakistan situation.

The army then shut down Islamabad`s airport and official radio and television, and reportedly arrested Information Minister Mushahid Hussein. Troops also surrounded the home of Foreign Minister Sartaj Aziz and were said to have taken over a number of other important buildings in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi.

Witnesses reported hearing shots fired in an Islamabad suburb after the troop deployment.

`Precautionary measures`

Sharif was at his residence when the army made its move, reportedly meeting with the country`s secret service head, Gen. Zia Uddin, the man he named to replace Musharraf as head of Pakistan`s military.

Musharraf had been out of the country on a visit to Sri Lanka. He arrived back in Islamabad Tuesday and was seen going into a meeting with the army`s top generals.

Television and radio broadcasts ended when the army seized the broadcast facilities. Mobile phone service was also cut.

Military sources told reporters the moves were ``precautionary measures`` to safeguard important facilities from public reaction to Musharraf`s dismissal. The sources would not elaborate.

Sharif`s office, contacted by CNN, said it would have no comment. At the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, officials said the foreign minister was in a meeting.

Rift between Sharif, military over Kashmir

Musharraf`s dismissal, announced on state-run television as an early retirement, came as a surprise. Musharraf`s term as army chief was to have ended in April 2000.

Defense sources said Sharif also dismissed Chief of General Staff Mohammed Aziz.

Rumors of a military coup had flown since Sharif`s decision to order militants to withdraw this summer from Indian territory in the Kargil region of disputed Kashmir. The move ended a bitter two-month border dispute with India, but prompted demonstrations calling for Sharif`s resignation.

Sharif`s order apparently began a rift between the prime minister and Musharraf, who had reportedly been involved in organizing the incursion into Indian territory.

The summer border dispute in Kashmir nearly erupted into full-scale war between nuclear neighbors Pakistan and India. Three of four wars the two countries have fought in their 52-year history have been over Kashmir.

No immediate comment from India

India had no immediate comment on the reports from Islamabad.

``We are aware of developments there,`` a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. ``As a policy, we do not comment on the internal affairs of another country.``

An aide of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee told Reuters that authorities were still trying to find out the latest developments and would consider a statement only after ascertaining details.

``We are collecting the information,`` the aide, Ashok Tandon, said. ``Only then we will make a comment.``

One of the biggest problems entrepreneurs face in Pakistan is that it is very difficult to compete with people who have political contacts and/or are dishonest. This creates an environment where nepotism and corruption rules supreme. The ultimitate result is a very unbalanced playing field for entrepreneurs who have no contacts and want to play by the rules.

The current political leaders themselves have many proven corruption cases against them. Many of them, including the previous PM, the current PM himself, as well as their close associates have advanced their businesses through illegal means. All of this has been well-documented with proof by the local and international press.

There is definitely no shortage of talent and even capital amongst the Pakistanis. However, I doubt any serious investment will take place until the politicians, who are trying to promote these investments, deal with the skeletons in their own closets. Did anyone ask Mr. Ahsan Iqbal what is being done about getting his boss and political associates to play by the rules? Answers from people who attended the function will be greatly appreciated.

Salaam.

I was myself present at the conference and I would also rcommend the Chowk readers to look out for HDFNA, Vision 2010, and some other NGO type organizations that are operating in Pakistan. The speakers clearly knew that their audience wanted a true assessment of the development in Pakistan as we enter the new millennium. There was a lot of talk of the IT business expanding in Lahore and Karachi and the need of an investment into building a sustainable infrastructure for this new knowledge based economy in the 21st century.

Even though the panels had no women speakers, it was satisfying (to a certain degree) that almost all panels talked at length about the participation of women in our eceonomic growth and how their education and empowerment is necessary not just for an added economic growth but to combat problems of human rights and sexual oppression. If any of you are interested in these topics, I recommend you to contact Mr. Naseem Ashraf or Mr. Safi Qureshey.

Even though Mr Ashan Iqbal won many praises for his surprise unveiling of gov`t plans, Ambassador Fatemi disappointed me. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal was clearly abreast with the knowledge based reforms that pakistanis ar demanding. He had plenty of plans to revamp the education sector and provided some encouragement with some data on improved school enrollment at primary levels. Mr. Ahsan Iqbal also mentioned the provision of 300 PHD scholarships which will also come with a grant to support the reserach. Since Pakistan lacks people with high academic qualifications in almost all fields of study, this is a necessary move. Mr. Fatemi, on the other hand, had an agenda that wasn`t even clear to the Pakistanis - how will he ever convince the non-Pakistanis. He wanted to be a Quaid Azam in his speech and talked more like a passionate and emotial politician than the diplomat that he is supposed to be. It will be difficult to fit in the shoes of Amb. Riaz Khokar.

Nevertheless, I am highly impressed by the speakers and the role of the young Pakistanis in moivating people to come together on a collective platform. I witnessed some strong networking within the attendees, esp. between the entrepreneurs and the students, which is the need of the day to bring the intellect and investments back to the country. I, for myself, left the conference on a positive note that regardless of how depressed I might get at times at the state of my country, there is always hope and there are always avenues of revolutionary reforms and collective growth. Whether I chose to stay in the US after I finish my education, or I go back, I should always feel and fulfill my responsibility towards the development and gowth of my nation. It is possible - and Inshallah it will happen.

I am looking forward to the next of these 5-conference series.

No post conference responses yet, so let me be the first one in that case.

I attended the Pak-Millenium Conference in its entirety. Many thanks to the organizers of the conference, Mr. Adil Najam and all the volunteers that helped make it a success.

Success for whom? For all Pakistanis. Those who harbored concerns about the `real` issues not being addressed. I wish you could have been there to listen to presentations such as that of Dr. Naseem Ashraf. He put the general malaise regarding society in very correct context. I don`t think I can do justice to his presentation by summarizing it so I would encourage getting videotapes of the conference.

The role of IT in leapfrogging into an exponentially growing competitive market, where it is expected that 97% of the world`s business is going to flow through countries that are geared up for an e-commerce infrastructure, was interesting. People voiced there fears of putting all eggs in the IT basket.

The conference had concluded with a panel discussion on the role of ex-pats. I`ve walked away with two umbrella programs that I will be keeping track of. One is the Human Development Foundation (HDFNA: North America Chapter) and the Vision 2010 program of the Government of Pakistan. Mr. Ihsan Iqbal who is the Chairman planning commission of the Government of Pakistan was a pleasant surprise. It is always reassuring to meet and hear a government official who is a sharp technocrat (Wharton grad) who comes from a non-feudal background and talks sense and understands the context of problems in educating the population. All prayers and wishes to him to carry through in his agenda, because in the end, what matters most is implementation.

I`ve left out many healthy debates that took place, covering a wide spectrum of concerns. Do check out the websites of the Human Development Foundation and the Vision 2010 program of the Government of Pakistan.

Soorya,

Thanks for the corrections on the date. I need obviously need to invest in a calendar.

Re: Reply #21

A slight correction, the article is in the Oct 9th`s (not 8th) edition of the Wash. Post.

Also, the statement regarding household income read as follows:

``According to 1990 census data, Indian Americans have the highest average household income --``

There is a front page article in the Washington Post this morning (Saturday, 10/8) concerning the growing political influence of the Indian community in the US, now 1.5 million strong and with a household income averaging above the US average. I also know that a number of Pakistani-Americans have been contributing to US legislators in an attempt to build up a counter-influence. I have question for the panel: Is this a new front that is opening up in the mindless competition of one-up-manship with India? If so, is it worth it?

In response to Wasiq (Reply # 16) and mubbashir (Reply # 19):

Dear Wasiq:

I support your questions. They make sense to a layperson like me. However, do you really believe that the organizers of the Conference have no hidden agenda to make a lot of money in Pakistan and/or provide support to a government that is facing a crisis of legitimacy?

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

Dear mubbashir:

I am unable to understand the link between this Conference and the trouble in Karachi. Could you place explain, perhap in the reply section of F. R. Khan`s piece on a state of confusion in Pakistan?

Sincerely, Bilal Ahmad

so paki`s are also getting into the millinial action. maybe we should have dressed Karachi up like jerusalam and have a big parade, its too bad that disney beat us to it. perhaps next time.

heres the latest from karachi

www.dawn.com

10/7/99

Bomb Blast Kills one, injures 17 in Karachi

Updated at 19:45 PST (14:45 GMT)

KARACHI, Oct 7: One person was killed and at least 17 injured today when an explosive device went off in a bus, police said. A senior police officer told Reuters that the device went off just after the bus had crossed a bridge in the southern part of Karachi.

``The bomb disposal squad has arrived and will determine what caused the blast,`` said Farooq Jamali, a Deputy Superintendent Police. Police said it was too early to say if the blast was linked to the recent wave of sectarian violence in the country. (Reuters)

Senior TV Official Killed in Sectarian unrest

Updated at 13:25 PST (08:25 GMT)

ISLAMABAD, Oct 7: A senior official from Pakistan`s Television (PTV) was shot dead today following the death of three doctors overnight in the latest wave of sectarian violence, police said. Two motorcyclists in the nearby city of Rawalpindi attacked Aun Mohammad Rizvi, a Shiite Muslim and controller of programmes at the PTV headquarters in Islamabad, police said.

The unidentified attackers ambushed him near his home and fled, police sources said, suspecting the attack was religiously motivated. The killings raised the death toll in Pakistan sectarian unrest since last Friday to 36, majority of them Muslims from the Shiite community. Shiite political party, Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan (TJP), has blamed the Sunni extremist group Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) for the killing of Shiite Muslims. The SSP has denied involvement. (AFP)

--------

3 doctors among 6 killed in Karachi

By Arman Sabir

KARACHI, Oct 6: At least six people, including three doctors, were shot dead in Karachi on Wednesday. In what appeared to be a sectarian-motivated killing, Dr Aley Hasan, 85, and his son Dr Mohtashim, 40, were shot at and wounded by unidentified attackers outside their home in Block 7 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar

They were rushed to Nadeem Medical Centre in Gulshan-i-Iqbal where they died.

A senior police official also said a sectarian motive behind the killing could not be ruled out.

In another incident, 62-year-old Dr Nisar Ahmed, a Jamaat-i- Islami member, was shot dead by unknown assailants in Gulshan-i- Iqbal.

According to initial reports, the body of Dr Nisar Ahmed was found in his car that was parked near the Gulshan Chowrangi. He had suffered a bullet wound in his temple and died on the spot. Owner of the Nisar Medical Centre in Block-1 in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, he was returning to his home in Block-6 when attacked.

The body was taken to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for an autopsy.

ENCOUNTER: Two young men were gunned down by the police in an alleged encounter in Defence on Wednesday.

Identifying the deceased as Ahmed Ali and Zia and describing them as bandits, the police said these two people, who were equipped with automatic weapons, had looted three contractors of Rs10,000 at an under-construction bungalow in Darakhshan area.

One of the victim contractors, Abdul Hameed, chased the bandits on his motorcycle soon after they had fled the scene.

He also informed a police mobile van, which was on patrol in the area, about the bandits. The police finally surrounded the bandits near Rahat Milk Corner, Phase-II Extension in the Defence Housing Authority, according to the police.

The police also claimed that the alleged bandits opened fire on them, and they returned the fire wounding the suspects.

The police recovered the looted cash, a stolen motorcycle and illegal weapons from the possession of the suspects and shifted them to a hospital where they succumbed to their injuries.

The police claimed that the suspects were killed in an encounter. However, neither any policeman suffered injuries nor the police van was damaged in the encounter as claimed by the police.

Witnesses said the police shot at two young men who suffered bullet wounds. They remained writhing in agony and the police delayed their shifting to the hospital, they added.

MURDER: A young man was shot dead and his friend wounded in an armed attack in Baldia Town on Wednesday.

Reports said five men armed with automatic weapons attacked Malik Sohail, aged 25, near his Rasheedabad residence. Sohail suffered bullet wounds. Dildar Khan, aged 40, a friend of Sohail, who was standing beside him, also came under attack and died on the spot. The assailants fled leaving them in a pool of blood. They were riding in a car.

The dead and injured were rushed to a hospital. The hospital sources said Sohails condition was serious.

Malik Mushtaq, Sohails father, has registered an FIR at Baldia Town police station. He has named attackers in the FIR. The police, however, kept the identity of those people secret.

The police said Sohail was the target of the assailants, but Dildar accidentally came under attack. Sohail is a Suzuki pickup driver. Dildar worked as a watchman at a factory, the police said

The police said they had started investigations and mounted a search for the alleged killers.

The deputy commissioner West has issued a press note on the incident.