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| October 12, 2008 | Sunday | Shawwal 12, 1429 |
Updated round-the-clock, with major updates after 10:00 PST (05:00 GMT)
Gunship raid kills 35 militants in Orakzai Sunday, 12 Oct, ISLAMABAD: Pakistani helicopter gunships on Sunday bombed a meeting of Taliban militants in Orakzai tribal region, leaving 35 fighters dead, security officials said. The attack in the northwestern district of Orakzai agency came two days after a suicide bomber killed at least 40 anti-Taliban tribesmen at a tribal gathering in the same district. Among the dead in Sunday's attack were two Taliban commanders and about 12 potential suicide bombers, officials said. ‘Helicopter gunships carried out a successful raid at a militant hide-out in Orakzai district killing 35,’ a senior security official told AFP. Separately, a paramilitary official confirmed around a dozen potential suicide bombers were among those killed. (Posted @ 23:02 PST)
‘We are not losing in Afghanistan:’ McKiernan Sunday, 12 Oct, KABUL: The commander of international forces in Afghanistan, US General David McKiernan, said Sunday that the West had not lost the war against Taliban insurgents but more troops and equipment were needed to tackle the rebels. McKiernan commands about 70,000 mainly Western international soldiers deployed in Afghanistan to fight an insurgency led by remnants of the Taliban which was toppled from government seven years ago. Since then, the insurgency has increased every year, raising concerns in the troop-contributing countries that the mission here is failing. ‘We are not losing in Afghanistan,’ the four-star US general, who commands both the 40-nation NATO-led International Security Assistance Force and the separate US-led coalition, told reporters in Kabul. (Posted @ 21:34 PST)
India fightback slows Australia's victory bid Sunday, 12 Oct, BANGALORE: Australian captain Ricky Ponting faced a tricky decision on a likely target for India after the hosts clawed their way back into the first cricket Test on Sunday. The tourists will start the final day's play on Monday with an overall lead of 263 with five wickets in hand on a deteriorating wicket that is making batting difficult. Ponting, whose team closed the fourth day at 193-5 in their second knock, has three sessions left in the match to force a result by giving his bowlers enough time to dismiss India again. The highest fourth innings total at the Chinnaswamy stadium is only 239, but Australia could be handicapped by an elbow injury to seamer Stuart Clark that prevented him from bowling on Sunday. (Posted @ 20:38 PST)
Pakistan expects India to abide by water agreements Sunday, 12 Oct, ISLAMABAD: Pakistan expects India to abide by international agreements on sharing of water in the Indus River system, President Asif Ali Zardari said Sunday. ‘Pakistan would be paying a very high price for India's move to block Pakistan's water supply from the Chenab River. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had assured me in our meeting in New York that his country is seriously committed to our water sharing treaty. We expect him to stand by his commitment,’ President Zardari said. Pointing to the ramifications of the violation of the Indus Water Treaty, President Zardari said that the Indian move would damage the bilateral ties the two countries had built over the years. ‘India should not trade-off important regional objectives for short-term domestic goals.’ (Posted @ 20:04 PST)
At least 13 killed in spate of Baghdad attacks Sunday, 12 Oct, BAGHDAD: A spate of attacks in the Iraqi capital on Sunday killed at least 13 people and wounded 24 others, including women and children, security officials said. In the deadliest attack at least nine people were killed and 13 wounded in a car bombing at a crowded market in Baghdad's Bayaa district, a mainly Shiite area in the southwest of the capital, police said. Workers at the nearby Yarmouk hospital said women and children were among those wounded in the midday attack. Two policemen were also killed by sniper fire in the western neighbourhood of Mansour, police told AFP, while two guards manning a checkpoint in the mainly Sunni quarter of Dora were killed in a drive-by shooting. (Posted @ 18:50 PST)
British govt to take control of two major banks: reports Sunday, 12 Oct, LONDON: The British government is preparing to take controlling stakes in Royal Bank of Scotland and HBOS, two of the banks worst affected by the financial crisis, reports said on Sunday, according to AFP. The unprecedented move would make the government the biggest shareholder in the banks and government representatives would be installed on their boards, the Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph newspapers reported. The scale of the rescue plan could go beyond the 50-billion-pound (64-billion-euro, 87-billion-dollar) bailout for the British banking sector announced by the government on Wednesday, with the government now prepared to make 75 billion pounds available, the Sunday Times said. The Sunday Times said RBS, which has seen its shares plummet by about 80 percent since the credit crunch began, would ask the government for 15 billion pounds in return for a controlling stake. (Posted @ 17:50 PST)
Arab stocks plummet on global concerns Sunday, 12 Oct, KUWAIT CITY: Stock markets across the Middle East traded sharply down on Sunday amid fresh concerns about the global financial crisis, as the United Arab Emirates said it would guarantee deposits in local banks in a bid to halt the slide. The UAE government also said it would ensure that no local bank would be exposed to credit risks and would guarantee inter-bank lending operations among all banks operating in the oil-rich Gulf country. But the latest measure, coupled with interest rate cuts announced last week, failed to lift investor sentiment and shares in the UAE, as well as the rest of the region, slumped sharply. The Dubai Financial Market Index slipped 5.4 per cent to 3,025.08 points, slightly recovering from early losses that sent the index below the 3,000 mark. It has dipped 26.7 percent since last week. (Posted @ 17:40 PST)
Indian troops kill six Kashmiri fighters Sunday, 12 Oct, SRINAGAR: Indian troops have shot dead six Kashmiri fighters during gunbattles in occupied Kashmir, including along the de facto border between India and Pakistan, police said on Sunday. The skirmishes broke out overnight as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wound up a two-day trip to the region marked by anti-India protests that left two protesters dead and nearly 80 people injured, including 34 policemen. Four fighters were killed in northern Kupwara and southern Poonch districts, both bordering Pakistan, a police statement said. Two more were killed in Pulwama district, about 30 kilometres (18 miles) south of Srinagar. (Posted @ 17:08 PST)
NKorea vows to disable nuclear plants after deal Sunday, 12 Oct, SEOUL: North Korea said Sunday it would resume work to disable its plutonium-producing nuclear plants and readmit UN inspectors after the United States removed Pyongyang from a terrorism blacklist. South Korea said Washington's move had put the nuclear disarmament process back on track, after a six-party deal appeared close to collapse, but a Japanese minister strongly criticised the US decision. ‘As the US fulfilled its commitment to make political compensation and a fair verification procedure...the DPRK (North Korea) decided to resume the disablement of nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and allow the inspectors of the US and the IAEA to perform their duties,’ a foreign ministry spokesman said. (Posted @ 16:10 PST)
Double standards killing Pakistan cricket: Ranatunga TORONTO, Oct 11: Arjuna Ranatunga, President Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to form a policy for ending what he termed the double standards shown by players in order to save Pakistan cricket which is suffering due to cancellation of foreign teams’ tours to the country. 'It is a sad situation Pakistan cricket is going through as teams have refused to visit the country owing to security concerns. Pakistan was deprived of holding the ICC Champions Trophy and due to such development Pakistan cricket is suffering a lot,' Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captain, said here on Saturday. (Posted 14:49 PST)
What made investors run for the exits? PARIS: ‘In a few months, I expect to see the stock market much higher than today,’ Irving Fisher, America's most illustrious economist, predicted in the middle of October 1929. Two weeks later, the Dow Jones index fell by 23 percent over two days. (Posted 14:43 PST)
Lawson unimpressive so far: Ijaz Butt KARACHI: Pakistan's new cricket boss has turned the heat on the team's Australian coach Geoff Lawson, saying he favoured having a home-grown player in charge. Ijaz Butt, who took over as chief of the Pakistan cricket Board last week, said there were plenty of former Pakistan players capable of coaching the national side. (Posted 14:15 PST)
Malaysia knights Bollywood heart-throb amid outcry KUALA LUMPUR: India's top Bollywood star has been given Malaysia's equivalent of a knighthood in a move criticised by opposition lawmakers and the public. Shah Rukh Khan has been conferred with the governor's award for promoting Malacca state after filming a movie there and for his contribution to the region's film industry, state officials said in weekend news reports. (Posted 13:56 PST)
Alonso wins, Hamilton pointless in Japan FUJI SPEEDWAY: Fernando Alonso took full advantage of others’ mistakes and misfortunes to claim his second successive victory on Sunday when he won the Japanese Grand Prix. The Spaniard made the most of incidents and errors that wrecked the day for championship contenders Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa as he steered his Renault to the 21st win of his career, following his victory in Singapore. (Posted 12:52 PST)
US drones prowl after missile strike in Pakistan MIRAMSHAH: US pilotless spy planes on Sunday flew over a Pakistani tribal town bordering Afghanistan just hours after a missile strike killed at least five people, residents said. Two missiles from suspected US drones overnight struck a compound just outside Miramshah, the main town in the restive North Waziristan district, which is seen as a safe haven for al-Qaeda and Taliban militants. (Posted 12:52 PST)
Sindh’s opposition annuls Thar coal body order ISLAMABAD: The Cabinet Division on Saturday withdrew its notification for establishment of the Thar Coal Authority (TCA), approved by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, due to severe opposition from the Sindh government, sources told Dawn. The Cabinet Division on July 8 had constituted a seven-member TCA with the Sindh chief minister as its chairman until the appointment of a professional of eminence by the provincial assembly. The minister for water and power was notified as vice-chairman of the TCA. Its member included the deputy chairman of the planning commission, one provincial minister to be nominated by the chief minister, Sindh chief secretary and TCA’s managing director. (Posted 12:23 PST)
‘Civis Pakistanus sum’ In 1847, the home of a British subject living in Athens, a Jew by the name of Don Pacifico, was vandalised and plundered by an anti-Semitic mob. After unsuccessfully appealing to the Greek government for compensation, he turned to the British government. The British foreign secretary, Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston, took unilateral action in support of Pacifico by sending a Royal Navy squadron into the Aegean in 1850 to seize Greek ships and property equal to the value of Pacifico’s claims. The squadron eventually blockaded the port of Piraeus. (Posted 11:57 PST)
Pakistan edge Sri Lanka in Toronto T20 thriller TORONTO: Pakistan defeated Sri Lanka by three wickets to win their Toronto Twenty20 clash with just one ball to spare on Saturday. Pakistan made 141-7 with man of the match Shoaib Malik making an unbeaten 42 after Sri Lanka, who rested skipper Mahela Jayawardene and spin wizard Ajantha Mendis, had hit 137-9 off their 20 overs. (Posted 11:42 PST)
More than 100 Taliban killed in Afghan battles KANDAHAR: Taliban militants launched a surprise attack on a key southern Afghan city Sunday sparking a battle that killed some 60 insurgents, an Afghan official said. Other clashes in the region left 40 militants dead. Taliban fighters used rockets and heavy weapons to attack Afghan forces on the outskirts of Lashkar Gah, the capital of Helmand province, said Daud Ahmadi, spokesman for Helmand's governor. (Posted 11:35 PST)
US helping Pakistan overcome challenges: Rice WASHINGTON: The United States has a common goal with Pakistan to deal with violent extremism and Washington is actively engaged in efforts to help the democratic government overcome economic problems facing the South Asian country, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Saturday. 'We have a new situation in Pakistan, and it's a situation that we actually advocated for, which is that there would be a civilian government, the end of military rule in Pakistan, which came into being in 1999. It's been 10 years, nearly 10 years of military rule,' Rice told FOX News while applauding Pakistan's democratic transition. (Posted 11:08 PST)
Klitschko beats Peter to regain WBC title BERLIN: Exactly 1,400 days after his last fight Vitali Klitschko beat champion Samuel Peter on Saturday to regain the WBC heavyweight belt and seal the Klitschko brothers’ world domination of the division. The 37-year-old Klitschko - elder brother of IBF, WBO and IBO heavyweight champion Vladimir - added the WBC crown to the family’s collection having last fought in December 2004 before a knee injury led to his temporary retirement. (Posted 11:02 PST)
W. Cup qualifiers: Spain, England score big wins LONDON: European champions Spain beat Estonia 3-0 to extend their unbeaten streak to 25 games, and England outplayed Kazakhstan 5-1 in another World Cup qualifying game Saturday after being booed off the field by their own fans at halftime. Struggling France hit back from two goals down to draw 2-2 in Romania and ease the pressure on coach Raymond Domenech, and Germany edged Russia 2-1 to stay at the top of their group. (Posted 10:41 PST)
ANP and its antecedents There was once a political party named the Awami League, based largely in East Pakistan and headed by Maulana Bhashani. In February 1957 it split because of differences between him and Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy over issues of foreign policy. Bhashani and the leftist contingent in the party left and in July formed the National Awami Party (NAP). (Posted 10:12 PST)
KESC told not to charge April-Aug arrears KARACHI: Amid outrage and vehement rejection of the notified increase in power tariff, the government has told the Karachi Electric Supply Company not to charge arrears from April to August, a spokesman for the KESC, said on Saturday. The utility has now been allowed to pass on the burden to consumers with retrospective effect from Sept 1. (Posted 09:15 PST)
Parents’ refusal leaves 40,000 unvaccinated PESHAWAR: About 40,000 children were left out in the last polio vaccination campaign conducted in August in NWFP and Fata due to refusal by their parents, an official said. The parents refused the administration of oral polio vaccine (OPV) to their children under the misconception that it caused impotency and infertility. (Posted 09:08 PST)
Taliban under pressure? The devastating attack on a tribal peace jirga on Friday betrays one obvious truth about the Taliban: they are clearly under pressure. The security forces have been half-heartedly battling them for years but with little success. However, the military operation that began in November seems to have hit them hard. In Swat the situation may be uncertain but in Bajaur the army appears to be gaining the upper hand. (Posted 08:40 PST)
IMF warns of meltdown; Europe to act WASHINGTON: The IMF warned on Saturday the world’s financial system was near meltdown and France promised that a meeting of European leaders in Paris will detail measures to keep a market panic from triggering the most severe global downturn in decades. The International Monetary Fund said it backed a Group of Seven plan to try to stabilise markets and urged ‘exceptional vigilance, coordination and readiness to take bold action’ to contain a firestorm that pushed global stocks to five-year lows on Friday. (Posted 08:04 PST)
Russia test-fires intercontinental missile MURMANSK, Russia: Russia test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile to the equatorial part of the Pacific Ocean for the first time on Saturday, at a time when Moscow's growing assertiveness is fuelling tension with the west. The missile, fired from a nuclear submarine, beat previous records by landing in the Pacific Ocean 11,547 kilometres away. (Posted 07:27 PST)
Lahore based group siphons off millions of pounds LONDON: A sophisticated ‘chip and pin’ scam run by criminal gangs in Pakistan and China is netting millions of pounds from the bank accounts of British shoppers, said a report in the Daily Telegraph on Saturday. Dr Joel Brenner, the US National Counterintelligence Executive, in an exclusive interview with the DT warned that hundreds of chip and pin machines in stores and supermarkets across Europe have been tampered with to allow details of shoppers’ credit card accounts to be relayed via mobile phone networks to underworld electronic experts in Lahore, Pakistan. (Posted 05:11 PST)
PPP information secretary alleges unfair dismissal HYDERABAD: PPP information secretary Hyderabad district, Ms Sheba Zardari and her husband, Amir Zardari, PPP Sindh council member have strongly protested against their expulsion from the party and said that if they were not reinstated on their posts, they will stage hunger strike unto death with effect from October 13. Speaking at a news conference at the press club here on Saturday, Ms Sheba Zardari said that a news item had been published in the newspapers in which a spokesman PPP Sindh has stated that she and her husband had nothing to do with PPP. (Posted 03:58 PST)
Fired workers want promises fulfilled NAWABSHAH: Like hundreds of others, Gul Mohammed Unnar, an officer of grade-III in Doulatpur Saffan branch of United Bank Limited and some other senior officers received the shock of their lives, when they reached office on 12th October 1997 and were asked by the manager from the head office to sign a letter. The UBL management had retrenched them from service. Gul Mohammad was retrenched during the Nawaz Sharif second tenure because he got his due promotion like thousands of others during the 2nd government of Peoples Party in 1994. (Posted 03:30 PST)
US space tourist to recoup 30 million-dollar ticket AIKONUR: Richard Garriott, who is set to become the first American to follow his astronaut father into space on Sunday, hopes to be able to recoup the 30 million dollars he paid for the experience. 'I am trying to demonstrate with my flight... that private participants can do business in space that returns revenues at similar scales to the cost,' Garriott told a press conference Saturday. (Posted 02:44 PST)
Nephew of Maulana Fazlullah killed by security forces MINGORA: Three militants including a nephew of Maulana Fazlullah and one soldier were killed while four personnel wounded during an encounter in the Barri locality of the troubled Swat district on Saturday, officials said. Separately, four security personnel were wounded in a roadside explosion in Kabal and six civilians, including three women, suffered injuries when helicopters targeted a house in Sher Palum area of Matta tehsil. The wounded were shifted to Saidu Sharif hospital, according the local police. (Posted 02:37 PST)
Amitabh Bachchan admitted to hospital MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was admitted to a hospital in Mumbai on Saturday after complaining of stomach pain, a hospital spokesman said. Bachchan, who turned 66 on Saturday, was rushed to Lilavati hospital, where the actor had undergone surgery in 2005 for an intestinal condition. (Posted 02:22 PST)
Five killed in US missile attack in Pakistan MIRANSHAH: Suspected US drones fired two missile on Saturday into a Pakistani region regarded as an al Qaeda and Taliban safe haven, killing at least five militants, residents and an intelligence official said. It was the second such attack in North Waziristan tribal region on the Afghan border this week. (Posted 02:12 PST)
Malik vows not to repeat previous govt's mistakes LAHORE: Prime Minister's Advisor on Interior, Rehman Malik said that government has put in place effective measures to eliminate terrorism from Pakistan. He stated this while addressing a seminar on ‘The prevailing situation of country: Role and responsibilities of our educational institutions’ held under the aegis of Mir Khalil-ur-Rehman Memorial Society at a local hotel on Saturday. (Posted 01:22 PST)
Mbeki heads back to Zimbabwe as deal teeters JOHANNESBURG: Former South African president Thabo Mbeki is to go to Zimbabwe Monday on a new mediation bid, a spokesman said Saturday, as a power-sharing deal he brokered ran into new trouble. 'He's continuing with the mediation process,' Mbeki spokesman Mukoni Ratshitanga said after reports that Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe had unilaterally allocated control of the main ministries to his ZANU-PF party. (Posted 01:11 PST)
Peace Jirga resumes deliberations in Islamabad ISLAMABAD: The prevalent law and order situation in the country forced a peace Jirga of tribesmen to resume their deliberations in the capital city of Islamabad and form a 15-member reconciliation committee from each side to hammer out modalities on ending ongoing sectarian violence in the restive Kurram Agency where hundreds of people from both sects had been killed in the year long sectarian strife. Facilitated by the Political Agent of Parachinar Kurram Azam Khan the 100-member Jirga comprising 50 members each from Turi and Bangash tribes also including parliamentarians from both the rival groups was held here at a local hotel under the tight security. Member parliament Munir Khan Orakzai, Sujid Hussian Turi, Senator Engineer Rasheed Khan and other notables of the area were also present during the meeting. (Posted 01:04 PST)
India won’t object to US-Pakistan nuclear cooperation WASHINGTON: Indian External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee has indicated that New Delhi would not object to the United States and Pakistan having civilian nuclear cooperation since every country has its right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. 'We would like to encourage civil nuclear cooperation, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, as we believe every country has its right to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes,' he said in a media interaction. (Posted 12:27 PST)
General Motors, Chrysler in merger talks WASHINGTON: General Motors is in preliminary talks about a possible merger with fellow US automaker Chrysler, The New York Times reported late on Friday. The talks between GM and Cerberus Capital Management, the private equity firm that owns Chrysler, began more than a month ago and are not certain to produce a deal, the paper said. (Posted 12:10 PST)
fdsf By Imran H. Khan Suddahazai
Have you ever noticed how the sunlight from the setting sun has an almost hypnotic aura that is at once illusionary in its tract yet so transitory in its being. Have you ever lapsed into the midst of complete admiration and contemplation at the wonders of nature and the manifestation of the divine essence right before your eyes? Sometimes one can only be witness to such magnificence when in complete solitude and harmony. However, there are times when one is made to bear witness by the mere words and actions of others.
So it was, as I reclined, comfortably in my chair and stared into the horizon, subdued by a golden haze which had engulfed the late afternoon sky. I was subsequently subtracted from my trance by the mellifluous calls of the azaan echoing and shifting my consciousness into a harmonious gear. I was enthralled by the moment, mesmerized by the tranquility, captured by the beauty and awed by the moment.
I once again became aware of my surroundings; a veranda of a wooden structured house that resembled more a Swiss chalet in the Alps than the family retreat of a university professor’s home in Abbottabad.
I had just concluded my interview with the former vice chancellor of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) Professor Syed Zahoor Hassan.
The conversation with Prof Hassan had lasted some two hours and it ebbed and flowed between his own remarkable journey to becoming vice chancellor of LUMS to the viability and impeding future of Pakistan under democratic rule.
Prof Hassan and I connected immediately as he had studied and lived in Northern California. Thus he was well versed with the American culture and the Pakistani expatriate communities. He had attained his doctorate in Computer Science from Stanford in 1984 and had gone back to the same institute in 1985 to complete his Masters degree in Engineering Management. Stanford had allowed him to expand his horizons and question his stereotypical comprehensions of the world which were formed in an alienated society.
A case in point that Prof Hassan recalls is when the Jewish students’ union protested Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982. “I could never imagine that happening. I was always under the impression that all Jewish activists would always support Israel no matter what the consequences. Yet here was a Jewish student body that actively employed their intellectual training, values on justice and humanity to stand up to a perceived wrong. So it gave me the confidence that I could get involved and make a difference, no matter how small. I knew the opportunity was there if I really wanted to do something. This was a refreshing attitude that I adopted.”
However, at the onset of the technological boom that would shift the Silicon Valley into a global village, Prof Hassan gave it all up and moved back to Pakistan. It was the longing of his soul that eventually convinced him that it was the appropriate thing to do. His intent had never been to stay in the US and once he had attained a level of education that he felt sufficient enough to utilise in his native Pakistan, he went back.
So what made him abandon this great society for a nation under military dictatorship, actively involved in a proxy struggle against the might of the Soviets and an uncertain future at best?
“I always wanted to go back to Pakistan. I was trained in an academic environment and had acquired a great deal of experience from my various jobs, study and interactions. Therefore, it was an innate desire to employ my academic training to teach and have the knowledge to implement new ideas and initiatives. Thus, on going back to Pakistan I was fortunate enough to meet with Syed Babar Ali who founded LUMS.”
I was very curious to know what the lure was in joining LUMS. It was a new venture with no previous history or track record.
“Mr Ali had a vision that was based on a long-term strategy to counter the uncertainty and instability of the nation. He deciphered that it was the lack of leadership, authority and organisation in Pakistani society that had caused more alarms to ring than were necessary. Thus, LUMS would become the first institute of its time in Pakistan to focus on the backbone of any society, the economic and business structures. We wanted to change our society through education and the creation of leaders in society who could understand and implement the changes necessary to keep Pakistan afloat and then help it to progress.”
I wanted to know if LUMS was following the western models of teaching whereby specialisation had people compartmented into a very narrow area of research and study, thus their weltanschauung would be heavily biased and limited by their knowledge? “That is a problem that western academies are only now beginning to acknowledge. People are limited by just being economists or sociologists. However, we have overcome this hurdle not through any great design but by natural dictation. We started life as such a small outfit that in order for us to have survived initially we relied on a cross disciplinary culture to teach. Therefore, inherently all subject matters were integrated with the opinions of other departments. It is only now that western institutes are talking about such an approach.”
Looking forward I wondered if LUMS would succumb to the political shenanigans and chicanery that even the most respected and established Pakistani institutes have fallen prey to.
“When the government begins to appoint chancellors it compromises the values of education and its merit. The tenure of Zia-ul-Haq really began an institutional breakdown through the introduction of sectarianism and party factionalism. During Musharraf’s reign we witnessed more funding for higher education but conversely retired army officers were presented with important posts that they were ill-equipped to develop. We still have a situation where merit alone is not recognised to be an indicator of success. We must be allowed to work and develop our own civilian institutes. A nation is only a representative ideal of its institutes.”
I wanted to conclude the discussion by asking him to share with us his own personal opinion on how anyone with deep convictions for Pakistan could make a difference?
“The Diaspora has to realise that it’s a huge commitment to make but if they have the genuine passion and desire to evolve Pakistan then they can. It is not easy but the fun is in the struggle. They need to get involved and be here. People have tremendous potential and require guidance and models to lead them. So if you truly want to do something for your nation, then ask as Kennedy did ‘not what can my nation do for me but what can I do for my nation’.”
This point encapsulated my imagination in a surreal embodiment of possibility. This man who had proven his point through the course of his own actions had offered advice that neither contradicted his own history nor his beliefs. These are the qualities that are required to elevate both the nation and the populace on to the global stage as a paragon of excellence.
The writer holds a Masters degree in Global Politics from the University of London and is director of International Communications, Global Alliances for the American Academy of Ophthalmology in San Francisco, USA
Founder: Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah
Editor: Abbas Nasir
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