Rashidabad: Beginning Charity at Home Thank you for a very well written and informative article Mehroz. I myself work in an NGO in Interior Sindh and realize the desperate need of such initiatives and the duty of our government to follow such prime examples.
Hope to read more about Rashidabad and how common Pakistanis can help in its amazing work. Thanks again.

Vi Veri Universum Vivus Vici "By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe!"
AMAZING! AMAZING WRITING!
Well done Mr. Ejaz! Your clear connection between the dehumanization of our society and the political de-emphasis on the common man is brilliantly protrayed in the article.
Keep writing more....

The Greatest Sin Thanks for the comments Raw_dust.

It is sort of a first draft and your suggestions will be helpful to make the story better...

I can't believe you pin-pointed my greatest inspiration in Urdu fiction, Intizar Hussain!
His writing is way beyond any contemporary urdu short story writer, a true grand-master of short fiction! What novels of his have you read? Which would you recommend?

The Reality of Disposable Kids jayp#8

Regardless of what you have said in your posts, the WORST idea that you seem to carry and speak so outrageously is that "abhorence of child labour is a western idea."

I mean, honestly, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY???

Have you ever seen a five year old boy picking garbage and hauling it for miles in a plastic bag larger than him? Have you seen 8 - 12 year olds working as apprentices of mechanics, their entire body greasy and blackened from the dirty work? Little girls dodging cars on the street to clean windows or to beg for loose change, tiny hands weaving carpets and dying clothes in sweatshop factories all over South Asia, teenage girls and boys working as 'jamadaars' or helping hands in homes... the examples are endless and equally repulsive...

Yes, I agree that we cannot take them out of work immediately but there are special programs where they can be rehabilitated with monetary benefits etc. that i spoke of in my last post...

You say, "the only way child labour can reduce is when the income increases, and in pakistan of today, and in the context of the jihadis, supporting child labour is a pragmatic option with lot of benefits."

No child working in Pakistan earns enough money to get out of work in the future or to support his family financially enough for his parents and siblings to study or eat a hearty meal. In context of what you are saying is so disgustingly Capitalist, its unbelievable, because it sounds like you are a staunch supporter of: ‘Work Shall Set You Free.’ And if you honestly believe this, you will be better off knowing that this was written on the entrance of the Auschwitz death-camp.
And you really think child labor children DO NOT become jihadis? You think work keeps children out of violence… jayp I really want you to visit Karachi...

I especially DO NOT understand this:
"Read the above not from a westernised moral perspective, but from a realistic pak perspective in terms of options available for pak planners."

What is a western moral perspective and an eastern moral perspective? Please tell me the difference! If you have visited any western country or met someone from there, you would see that they have more civic sense, more courtesy and generally a more humane attitude for the entire world (albeit the minority of rotten eggs in any basket).
Even with the presence of child labor and other inhuman activities in South Asia, no person in the eastern world would ever sanely propagate little children to work on the street other than the reasons that I mentioned in my last post...

And MORALS, especially those pertaining to Child Rights, are universal morals!
If you have any children jayp, if you have any nephews or nieces or little siblings/cousins, look at them when they are having a cozy sleep or eating their favorite food or playing innocently in a park...and then imagine them working 10 - 14 hour shifts, getting little to no proper meals, no love from their elders, no education or time to play like all children...
IT IS MORALLY WRONG!!!

AND I'm not sure what corner of the West you are living in, because certainly if you live/lived in India/Pakistan atleast, ATLEAST you would never say such things....

[P.S. don’t respond with more economic reasons for Child Labor because I think that argument was summed up by me in my last post…]

The Reality of Disposable Kids jayp,

First of all, there is no justification of child labor, not poverty, not social inequalities, none!
Yes, it does exist, is wide-spread and almost unchallengeable in Pakistan.
The first issue is why children are forced into labor? No poor parent, whether in urban or rural areas, wants their child to work. I know this by personal interaction with both kinds of parents. They send them to work because either,
1- There are no schools to enroll them into or,
2- Even with the presence of schools they see no future for their children in the substandard education they receive.

Also, they believe that the child's future is better off in the occupation of his father, since the world has nothing better to offer (I don't think this point needs a counter-argument).

How do you challenge this? By special programs for child laborers to study alongside their work. Yes, its terrible to accept child labor but various projects in Pakistan have proven that it is better to rehabilitate children into school rather than dragging them out of work since his/her family needs the money. This adds to your idea of keeping children into work since it is economically viable for the family and his/her employer. Furthermore, the education of these working children must be of a specific kind, leading to a vocation skill, which will give him ready employment as a technician, computer programmer, carpenter, printer etc. and allows him/her to get further education.

However, this is NOT be a permanent solution! And this cannot be considered better for Pakistan's economy! In this sense child labors digging caves in Congo for diamonds are good for their economy and so are the child soldiers training for war in North Korea.

For your reference please look at Sindh Education Foundation's (S.E.F's) website and check out their Child Labor Education Program (CLEP)- http://www.sef.org.pk/CLEPRFTF.asp
Their center at SherShah in Karachi has helped nearly 300 working children to become full time employees in a well-paying industry and to further pursue education as well.

Your other point about these same children ending up as Jihadis and in madrassas is very true. You are also right that it is not necessarily poverty that makes them jihadis. The extremist element comes from unemployment, brainwashing by demented maulvis and from a general disillusionment from one's life and society.
At the basic level, this problem is simply because of the failed education system of Pakistan. Children go to madrassas because they offer a safe, clean atmosphere (highly contestable) with two to three meals a day. Parents are also happy because their children are gaining 'deeni taleem', considered by most Muslims to be far better than 'dunyavi taleem'. They are present and proliferating all over Pakistan because the state has failed in creating any sort of public education facilities. To understand this further you may read Mr. Hoodbhoy's brilliant article, 'Preventing More Lal Masjids' posted here on chowk.

I don’t understand how you can call this a Western idea or Western article. It is simply talking about a social abnormality in our country. If you are bothered about English, then please go to http://www.forums.com.pk/ where we can interact in Urdu, in Urdu script.

A Footnote in History jayp, I think you need to re-read the piece...

Nowhere does it claim that Pakistan did not have an identity or that it used Islam as a unifying force. Your arguments are valid but i don't think the creation of Pakistan and the use of Islam by its founder are an issue any longer. Its 60 years old now!

The best thing we can do is to learn from the past, understand the present and work for a better future. The problems are clear, the solutions are clearer!

The article is meant to be sarcastic, not pessimistic or anti-pakistani by any means!

Our Tolerance of Comical Illusions Dear Raw_Dust, this is Faris.

I use the alias ``Farigh-man`` and wanted my articles posted with the same nickname but i guess the editors weren`t willing....

I`ve read every fiction i could get my hands on by J.L.Borges. A few recommendations are his stories: `The Immortal`, `The Aleph`, `The Writing of God`, `Tlon, Uqbar and Orbis Tertius` and his many non-fiction works are worth reading as well.

And please excuse `judazpriest`s` comments, he needs a girlfriend and a few days in an army barrack.

T.C.

Our Tolerance of Comical Illusions Here are a few comments about development in Pakistan. A vast number of civil society organizations and individuals are mounting campaigns against ``mega-projects`` like Gwadar deep sea port, Lyari expressway, and the ridiculous Diamond Bar Island City (DBIC). The problem about such protest is two-fold.

One is that (like vanguard pointed out) that the media and general population is fooled into believing by those in power that any opposition to development is wrong. That to speak against the rampant destruction of mangroves on the Karachi coast by the DBIC is to speak against a modern, developing Karachi. Same goes for the other projects and the current building of overheads and underpasses all over the city. Obviously, sensibly, no one can oppose real progress. The overheads and underpasses are benefiting everyone living in karachi. The DBIC might as well benefit Karachiites, Gwadar deep-sea port might be fruitful for Balochis. But a simple scrutiny of these projects reveal the tremendous cost that the poor and marginalized communities have to pay because of them. Add to this are the environmental disasters surely to occur by such `development`. Furthermore, the massive loans the Pakistani govt. is bagging for these megaprojects is a whole other story. Who`s going to repay them? How are they going to repay them? This perspective is not mentioned in the news or circulated amongst the general populace. A grave problem!

The second issue is that civil society organizations and activists are mounting a challenge against DBIC and other megaprojects to the govt. and letters have been written to Emaar properties as well but just like in the past, but the army leaders and corrupts politicians carry too much weight in decision-making directly effecting the masses, that no common NGO or activist`s protest shall ever become effective. The Pakistan Fishermen Folk, http://www.pff.org.pk/, have been carrying out regular protests since the Islands sale and have contacted Emaar properties as well. Who knows how much importance an international monolith like Emaar (making the tallest building in the world, Burj Dubai, and its net profits for 2006 are US$ 1.735 billion) will hear the voice of poor Fishermen folk of Karachi?

Recently, a seminar was held in Karachi on March 28th, 2006 called, ``Peoples perspective on Megaprojects in Pakistan`` where many civil society organizations, journalists, ex-govt. officials and local NGOs from all over Pakistan participated. Participatory Development Initiative (PDI), http://www.pdi.org.pk/, was responsible for the event. 100 - 200 people from Khuzdar, Gawadar, Quetta, cities and towns of Interior Sindh and Karachi-based organizations participated. The speakers, one of who was the esteemed Kaiser Bengali, made some very insightful presentations and remarks about mega-projects, dams, the nature of development in Pakistan, etc. For reasons unknown to me, the event was not publicized in any major newspaper or website. Even PDI’s own website fails to mention it. What’s the use if the public is not sensitized with ‘people’s perspective’ on mega-projects?

Anyhow, efforts are still underway, people are mobilizing under threats from the state and its law-enforcing agencies. All of the above do not diminish the constant struggles of civil society organizations and activists to protect themselves from the state’s and corporations blatant attack on public property and life. And, truly, to bring any sort of opposition I think it is necessary to first at least start TALKING about the issues in need of opposing.