A Wand or a Yardstick Dear author,

Your article is a collection of disjointed paragraphs with no real flow of thought connecting one to the next. The only real deduction I could make from your article is that analytic testing of people for HEC scholarships is unfair, due to the fact that (a) we are not taught analytical skills in school and (b) it is subject and domain agnostic.

If my conclusion is correct, I have a few remarks. First off, the HEC test is supposed to be taken by aspiring graduate students. It's not too much to assume that the cream of our undergrad crop should have a certain bare minimum of analytic ability no matter what their domain or how bad their primary/secondary schooling. The second reason, that such tests are domain agnostic, is easily addressed by taking into account subject scores from undergrad transcripts, but at a very small weightage since our institutes are so wildly divergent in quality.

Regards,
Irfan.

Why Vice Chancellors should belong to Academia Very timely article Omar. I agree whole-heartedly with the fact that universities should not be under control of retired military personnel, unless of course the man/woman has been a teacher/researcher in the military. The fact that some military men have restored order and efficiency to certain universities is rather a discredit to our civil (and political) society then a credit to them.

I wrote emails to the HEC chairman and director, and got responses to the effect that appointment of a VC is the decision of the governor of the province and HEC has no say in it.

Regards,
Irfan.

Mumbai Rocked by Seven Bomb Blasts Re: # 91,

Agreed. We are people who know each other (in a manner of speaking). We should not let this venomous incident plunge us into divisive nationalism. The best course would be to rise above our religious/national/sectarian biases and at least voice our sympathies and support for those who have suffered and are still suffering.

Regards,
Irfan Hamid.

Mumbai Rocked by Seven Bomb Blasts Despicable act!!! Nothing could be lower than targeting civilians in this way. I know it doesn`t mean much but my sincerest condolences to those who lost loved ones, and prayers for those who are struggling with injuries.

Now it is up to Pakistan to prove that it has gotten into the peace process with India in good faith. It is up to us to investigate on our side and if we find that it is one of our rabid organizations that carried this out, then we must mete out the severest justice. Otherwise our government and citizenry has no leg to stand on while commenting upon atrocities committed by others.

Regards,
Irfan Hamid.

Fun and Fiasco in the Sky Re: # 4,

How can it be a direct flight if there`s a two hour stopover at Manchester? :)

I`ve been travelling for my studies all over Europe with different European carriers and it has made me RESPECT PIA. Air France is pathetic, extremely pathetic. They won`t give food even if a mealtime is smack in the middle of a 2 hour flight. So I always eat something at the airport before going onboard. The seats are TINY and uncomfortable and the inflight service is non-existant.

But that was still much better than my recent trip to Finland with Scandinavian Airlines. Those jokers actually make people BUY the food onboard. I had to pay for a bottle of mineral water because I got thirsty on the 3 hour long flight.

PIA could definitely use some improvement, but at least they give you that passable biryani every time they take off.

Cheers,
Irfan.

Gods of War Re: # 134,

Your views are admirable, and in an ideal world I would agree. But you see, I would never be in favor of unification, for a number of reasons:

(1) I have only known one identity for myself, Pakistani. I`m not a religious person so Islam or Muslim doesn`t really work for me. And while Pakistan may be struggling to define/find its identity, I`d rather take the hard road less travelled and help in finding it then buckle under and accept the easy way out

(2) We would be underdogs (but probably not repressed) in a unified India. We would be treated like the wayward younger brother that comes home in disgrace

(3) Creating a greater India will not solve our problems, but will add to theirs. Do you think that the seperatists in Balochistan or the fundamentalists in Waziristan will gladly lay down their arms and embrace the democratic ideal if we reunite?

When all is said and done I would like to be called a Pakistani rather than an Indian, not because of any malice or ill-will I hold toward them, but because I was born a Pakistani. Predictably enough, this board has turned into an India vs. Pakistan/Muslim vs. Non-muslim slugfest. Can`t say I`m surprised.

Nowhere in my article did I allude to the Iraq war being a modern-day Crusade, nor a clash of civilizations. I just presented a short, sourced article which seeks to dispel the absolutist claim of American martial nobility; as no other country goes to greater lengths to project it. War is an ugly business, but sometimes the ugliness of war is justified for the greater good (WW II), whereas sometimes it is not (Vietnam, 65`, Iraq II). Atrocities will always be committed by men in authority who have guns, my point is that the US government and the US public need to accept that their boys in khaki are capable and culpable of it too.

Regards,
Irfan.

Gods of War Re: # 111,

Somehow you remind me of the French under German occupation during WW II. Are you paid to spout this propaganda or have you genuinely fallen for the spin doctors?

You are right about insurgencies, they tend to be bloody. But you see, the American Heritage Dictionary defines insurgency as An instance of rebellion and rebellion is defined as Open, armed, and organized resistance to a constituted government. Now will you please tell me how a government instituted by an occupying force which came to be there as a result of an illegal war comes to be viewed as a constituted government by you?

This would have been an insurgency if Saddam Hussain were in government and his own people were rebelling against him. Please stop talking out of your backside just to metaphorically lick American jackboots.

Regards,
Irfan.

Gods of War A few points were raised by various people, let me respond:

- Wikipedia as reference: It`s true that Wikipedia is a collaborative resource and thus is subject to dangers of misinformation, lapse and ommission. But, it remains a quality repository of information. In addition, at the end of each article on Wikipedia you have an External Links section. Thus, any interested reader can create a bibliographic tree and it is for this reason that 5 out of 9 of my references are from there

- Pakistani/Muslim writing about atrocities: This point is just preposterous. Just because my nation or religion has committed excesses in the past or is committing them now disqualifies me from discussing those of others? If that were true we should just tell Germans not to talk about anti-semitism, the Swedes and Danes not to talk about piracy and pillaging and Indians not to talk about racism and classism. I refuse to be brow-beaten into silence because I was born in Pakistan. I can condemn the Bangladesh and Iraq massacres in the same breath, but since this article was about Iraq I didn`t bother.

Gods of War Re: # 49,

I was 16.

Pakistani Obsessions Re: # 33

NOOOOOOOOO! He was giving what is called an ironic hypothesis. The stress is on the even if, and not on the fact that US, Zionists, Mahabharatas (excuse mistake in spelling please) are trying to destroy Pakistan. I myself have only seen one Pakistani film, and looking back I would have preferred jumping off the Minar-e-Pakistan and landing so that a nail catches my eyelid. Courageous you are for hosting that film festival; in fact it is a grand conspiracy by our ISI to render entire Indian public brain-dead by showing Pakistani films over and over and over and over and over and over...

Regards,
Irfan.

PS: You talking about Kashmir? If you keep Govinda and Mithan locked up we will give you K2 as well.

Pakistani Obsessions So true! You have stated a lot of the things a lot of us want to say, and you have done so eloquently. The outlook is bleak, but with a good spattering of people like you the way can be paved for evolution. Because we must not, repeat must not go for a revolution; they begin with bloodshed and end up with the idealists executing them becoming as corrupt and as full of the same vices as those they replace within months (e.g.: Iran).

Regards,
Irfan.

A Failing State in a State of Denial People, you are making a mountain out of a molehill. While I don`t agree with the report`s findings that Pakistan is in a more abysmal state than Afghanistan, Liberia and Nigeria, I also wouldn`t want to bury my head in the sand and claim all is well. We have problems, big ones, rather than huffing and puffing and going blue in the face screaming we don`t have them, we should work to alleviate them.

Since everyone here is obsessed with comparing ourselves to India, here`s some figures

Population below poverty line: India 25%, Pakistan 32%
GPD per capita: India $3400, Pakistan $2400
Unemployment rate: India 9.9%, Pakistan 6.6%
Infant mortality rate: India 55/1000 births, Pakistan 70/1000 births
Median age: India 24 years, Pakistan 20 years
Inflation rate: India 4.6%, Pakistan 9.8%
Public debt: India 82% of GDP, Pakistan 54% of GDP
Forex reserves: India $145 billion, Pakistan $11.73 billion

As is evident, we are largely behind India on most economic/social indicators. Heartening facts are that we have a younger labor force (albeit absorption problems exist), a lower unemployment ratio and lower national debt. On the other hand we have a significantly lower average income per person, much higher infant mortality, much lower forex reserves and higher inflation.

Regards,
Irfan Hamid.

Doctor, Can You Give Me Something for the Pain? The solution is simple: discharge the sexual tension in our society. Open bars, clubs and beaches. Encourage women to get out of the house, encourage them more strongly to wear provocative dresses, encourage pre/extra-marital sex, and watch how our misogynistic society turns into a liberal haven in less than one generation. The trick is to overload the senses of the male half of the population and banalize sex and sexuality to the point that it becomes boring. Then, no woman will be harassed, as there will be no need to harass; it will be more in line with the free-market economic principles and we will have a supply-side situation.

Regards,
Irfan.

PS: Only one thing I disagree with in this article, and that is the assertion that women are somehow paid lesser wages in Pakistan.

Why Aren’t Muslim Women Converting to Christianity? Re: # 22

You racist slob!!! :-)

Irfan.

Proud Pakistani? Re: # 47
@khattak99,

Correction my dear friend, I didn`t just call you a hypocrit, I also explained why I think you are one. As for what I have or have not done for my country, that is a private matter and I would much rather stay quiet than blow my own horn.

Regards,
Irfan.

Proud Pakistani? This guy is so excited about being a journalist he almost can`t stand it himself. My dear friend, it may be subtle but you yourself are quite the hypocrit. In your article you say that you hate Pakistan because people in powerful positions make life easier for them and as a consequence it becomes difficult for others. You yourself tried to do the same thing, when the tide wasn`t in your favor you tried to wave your ``press card`` in people`s face to give YOU preferential treatment. I`m happy your ``joker`` didn`t work. You, in my eyes, are as guilty as a general or a politician getting away with stuff. I`m glad you`re all hot and bothered, I`m glad that your short-cut didn`t work, as it shows a semblance of moving forward. Like others have said, a passport is a ``charged`` document, because as a holder of it you will travel abroad as a Pakistani, so a bit of prudence is called for.

Now, I am not working in NADRA nor have relatives working there. But my experience with them was pleasant. I applied for a NICOP (CNIC for overseas people) here at the Paris embassy. I was given a receipt with a serial number. Using that serial number I could track the status of my NICOP at the NADRA website, right up until it said that my card is now at the Pak embassy in Paris and I can go collect it.

You may be frustrated and fed up with Pakistan. But I`m sure our poor, helpless country is also frustrated of whining wimps like you who rather than having the courage to do something to correct the situation want to cut and run. Remember, rats are always the first one to abandon a sinking ship.

I pray you use your newfound passport to leave the country and somehow or the other become a national of another country. Then, when your worth as a person will often be a function of the color of your skin, you will learn the value of a homeland to call your own which also has the grace to call you ITS own.

Regards,
Irfan.

PS: I have an even worse experience then Charlie`s here in France. Took me a full 3 months and 20 days to renew my residence permit even though all documents were in order.