Health matters

Here is something that really happened – extremely useful from both religious and health points of view. It is claimed that by following this practice in letter and in spirit, one can stay healthy all one’s life. Quote from Aalim Diary, 2019:“Recently I was looking for a location for making a film. I was passing through Falaj Mulla on my way to Sharjah (UAE). This village lies between Sharjah and Amalqen on the way to Fujera. They have very extensive camel farms here and also a very big race course. It is supposed to be a village but it has all modern amenities. We reached there at 11 am and asked the guide for the way to the race course. On the way we came across a very old mosque. There was a tea shop nearby and there were quite a few Arabs sitting there drinking tea.“There was also an old man sitting with them having tea. Since I am always eager to gain information, I decided to go and sit with the old man. I asked other staff members to sit elsewhere and I went to the old man alone with a cup of tea in my hand. I guessed he was Baloch and after greeting him I found my guess to be correct. I mentioned the purpose of my visit. He asked me to sit down and, upon my insistence, he gave me a detailed description and other information about camels.“Before continuing our conversation I told him how old I was and asked him his age. He said he was 95 and that his mother had died at 105. Then he said: ‘You are quite young compared to me’. In order to change the topic, I asked him to tell me the secret of longevity and good health. He smiled and said: ‘Don’t get sick’. I told him that was beyond our control. He smiled and said: ‘Yes, it is in our control.’ I asked him to tell me the secret and promised to practise it. He came closer and said: ‘Never eat or drink anything before saying ‘Bismillah’, even if it is a drop of water.’ I remained silent.“Then he said: ‘The Almighty has not produced anything without a purpose – beneficial or harmful. Whenever we eat something and say ‘Bismillah’, the Almighty neutralizes the harmful effects. Always recite ‘Bismillah’ before eating anything and thank God in your heart for providing that blessing. And when you have finished eating, say: ‘Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah for providing this blessing and making me a believer, a Muslim’. I am sure you will never get any serious illness then.’“He held my hand and asked me to sit down once more and then he said: ‘Please listen to the last advice. If you are having meals with other people, never take a bite first, no matter how hungry you are. First serve the person sitting near you and eat only after he has put food into his mouth.’ He said: ‘This will be the ‘sadqa’ of your meal. The Almighty will be pleased that you have taken care of your guest. Please remember that food is for the body and Bismillah is for the soul. Now tell me, is it possible to get sick from such food?’ I got up, kissed both his hands and left wondering about the difference in upbringing between our generation and the young generation.”Since the above deals with health, here are some simple home remedies said to help prevent and/or cure cancer, the most common and most fatal of all diseases. 1) Cancer is said to sometimes be caused by a shortage of vitamin B-17. This is found in high quantities in almonds. Eating 7 or 8 almonds a day is claimed to prevent the onset of cancer. 2) Take the juice of one boiled beetroot, one apple, one large carrot and one lemon. Drink a glass of this twice a day. It is said to destroy cancer cells in the body and lead to good health. 3) Cut a few rings of bitter gourd, put in a glass and fill with hot water. Allow to cool and drink twice a day. Said to kill cancer cells.4) Cut a few pieces of coconut. Place in a glass and fill with hot water. Allow to cool and drink twice or thrice a day. Said to kill cancer cells. 5) Take the juice of one lemon, mix with water and drink three times a day. Said to kill cancer cells.While undergoing chemotherapy or radiation for cancer, contact Nasir Dawakhana at Rabwa to obtain Sachi Buti tablets. Take four of these three times a day. They will help neutralize the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Hair loss is said to be limited and haemoglobin levels maintained at acceptable levels. I know of many patients who have benefitted from this medicine.May Almighty Allah give good health and long life to all those suffering from this disease – Ameen.Email: dr.a.quadeer.khan@gmail.com

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Border abuse

Nearly four years ago, the devastating photos of a Syrian toddler named Alan Kurdi, whose little body had washed ashore in Turkey, shocked the world.Kurdi’s story was tragically typical – his family had fled the Syrian war and attempted to cross the Mediterranean to seek refuge in Greece. All of Kurdi’s siblings and his mother died while crossing. Only his father survived.Today, the photo of the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martínez and his two-year-old daughter, Angie Valeria, who drowned on the U.S.-Mexico border while crossing the Rio Grande, offers a heartbreaking analogy to Kurdi’s story. The two Salvadorans were forced to wait in Mexico, as per President Donald Trump’s demand, after they escaped their home country to try to seek asylum in the US.Just as artists, activists and politicians the world over memorialized Kurdi’s death as a reminder of the injustice of the Syrian war and the barriers facing refugees, the deaths of Martinez and Valeria ought to serve as a reminder of the humanitarian catastrophes unfolding in Central America and driving large numbers of refugees northward.Immigrants, including children, are suffering abuse and death on all sides of this battle for migration, and at nearly every step their harsh treatment is attributable to US policies. The violence in their countries that is spurring northward migration stems from US intervention in Central America. Coups such as the 1954 ousting of democratically elected Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala, as well as the removal only ten years ago of President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras, are a signature part of Washington’s policies. Writing in the Guardian, reporter Julian Borger concluded, “The families in the migrant caravans trudging towards the US border are trying to escape a hell that the US has helped to create.”Central American refugees are also facing abuse in Mexico, where the Trump administration has insisted that they be detained. An Associated Press report about Mexico’s largest detention center just north of its border with Guatemala found the facility to be “sorely overcrowded and filthy,” with “alleged repeated abusive treatment by agents tasked with running it.” Trump has threatened Mexico with harsh tariffs over the border crossings of Central Americans into the US through Mexico.Farther north, at the US-Mexico border, deaths like those of Martinez and Valeria are a tragically routine occurrence. On the same day that the father and daughter perished, three young children and a 20-year-old woman were also found lifeless from what appeared to be dehydration and excessive heat. The Texas Civil Rights Project placed the blame for the border deaths squarely at the feet of the Trump administration, saying, “When the government creates policies that make it harder to cross the border safely, people die. Children die.”And here in the US, conditions facing immigrant detainees, particularly children, have made headlines in recent days with disturbing reports from Border Patrol facilities in Clint, Texas, which told of “dangerous overcrowding” and a total lack of access to basic hygiene for children as young as one year old.Children remained locked in cages, suffered from the flu with no treatment, and older children were tasked with caring for younger ones in what can only be described as a “concentration camp” environment. Although the children were moved out of the facility after the outcry, about 100 were relocated back to the same facility just days later. Another detention center, in Calexico, Calif., was found to be operating in a similarly dangerous fashion.In May, reports emerged of migrants needing medical attention being shackled while receiving treatment. So far, at least seven children have died in US custody.Excerpted from: ‘As Immigrant Deaths Pile Up, We Need to Find Our Moral Compass’.Courtesy: CFommondreams.org

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Some more on Tipu and Tughluq

My previous column about Girish Karnad and his plays ‘The Dreams of Tipu’ and ‘Tughluq’ drew the attention of readers more internationally than nationally.There was a stream of emails agreeing and disagreeing with the column. Most readers from Pakistan appreciated the column but comments from across the border were more in disagreement, especially about Tipu Sultan. It is not possible to respond to all emails so here only a few of them are being discussed. Some emails were from academics and students and some others from readers who wanted more details about these topics.For example, renowned critic and writer, Nasir Abbas Nayyar, wrote that it was a wonderful piece and he thought that the relevance of Tughluq was evident. Another reader, Asif Iqbal Mirza, sought to know more details, “What was the overall economic situation before Tughluq? What were the causes that enforced (sic) Tughluq to mint more and more coins? If there is any illustration in any book kindly suggest it plz (sic).” Well, in this age of the internet, researching such topics and finding names of books is relatively easy, the challenge is to get and read them.Some books I mentioned in my previous columns, and more books that I have in my collection include: ‘Some Aspects of Medieval Indian History’ by U N Day; ‘Advanced Study in the History of Medieval India’ by J L Mehta Vol 3 has a chapter on Tughluq’s financial policy. In Urdu, Ishtiaq Hussain Qureshi’s book ‘Sultanate-e-Delhi ka Nazm-e-Hukumat’ has a 40-page chapter on finances. Another good source is the third volume of ‘The History of India as told by its own historians’, edited from the posthumous papers of Sir H M Elliot by John Dowson published in Pakistan by Islamic Book Service, Urdu Bazaar Lahore.An email from Suresh Ramaswami was interesting, he writes, “Girish Karnad was no doubt a great literary, theatre and movie personality when dealing with social issues. However, one is not so sure when he is dealing with historical figures, specially (sic) when depicting Muslims. When you are dealing with a historical figure, you need to be neutral and depict all facets of that personality both in terms of fairness and balance. One can’t only glorify a person when the facts point to other facets also. For example, Tipu was a Muslim king who fought against all his competitors with equal ferocity, be it the Marathas, Nizam of Hyderabad or the British.”While respecting the opinion of Mr Ramaswami, this writer maintains that being neutral in history is ideal, but hardly achievable. Moreover in a stage play it is well-nigh impossible to depict all facets of a personality. Girish Karnad tried to be as balanced and fair as possible with both Tughluq and Tipu and succeeded in writing plays that are free from religious prejudices and bigotry. The playwright neither glorified Tipu not lionized Tughluq; it is simply a matter of how you look at them.Most historical sources confirm that Tipu did try to align with the Marathas and the Nizam of Hyderabad but both preferred to side with the British and saved their own principalities, whereas Tipu died fighting. Mr Ramaswami continues, “He {Tipu} died fighting the British without making any compromise. Hence he is feted as a great freedom fighter, which is not correct. He only fought for his kingdom. Secondly, Tipu died in 1799, which is just 220 years ago, and hence is relatively recent in historical terms. Multiple historical facts exist from different sources regarding his rule.”Of course, he is rightly feted as a great freedom fighter, and yes he was fighting for his kingdom; as Jinnah and Nehru were fighting for their country. You may also conclude that Jinnah and Nehru were fighting to become the rulers of India and Pakistan, which is true but it does not diminish their stature as freedom fighters. It is true that multiple historical facts can be deduced from different sources, but again it is up to the reader and writer to draw conclusions from them. All great figures in history can be painted black or white depending on what you choose to do.Mr Ramaswami concludes by saying, “There is strong evidence to show that Tipu was a despot, communal person. He killed and also converted thousands of innocent people. People like Girish Karnad only want to paint Tipu as a brave king who fought the British and was a tolerant person who helped all his subjects equally.”There is no denying the fact that Tipu was a king, and all kings are despots; but I am not sure about his being a communal person. There is plenty of evidence that he recruited and promoted Hindus as well.Another reader from London, Naresh Wadhera, was even more scathing in his email. He wrote almost a three-page long article to respond to the column. He refers to several news reports from Pakistani newspapers about destruction of temples in Pakistan, especially in Sindh. He also highlights how minorities are badly treated in Pakistan. One wonders what it has to do with Girish Karnad, or with Tipu and Tughluq. Then Mr Wadhera moves on to cite Mahmood Ghaznavi as the culprit who attacked the temple of Somnath and butchered thousands of Hindus and Ismaili Muslims.Now all this may be true, but according one of the most respected Indian historians, Romila Thapar, the Somnath episode is all but a fiction. Mahmood Ghaznavi was again a ruler and just like any other king must have been responsible for so many deaths. Just like Narendra Modi was responsible for thousands of deaths in Gujarat; not that he himself killed so many people but because he turned a blind eye to the killings that were going on. Mr Wadhera quotes from Ziauddin Barani’s book, ‘Fatawa-e-Jahandari’ to prove that Barani called for “an all-out struggle against Hinduism”.Here Mr Wadhera is right; Barani was not a tolerant person neither was he an objective and neutral historian. He did maintain a certain dislike – or even hatred – against other religions. The Urdu translation of ‘Fatawa-e-Jahandari’ that I have was done by Prof Ateeq-ur-Rahman, and it provides ample evidence of an extremist approach followed and suggested by Barani. He urges the Muslim rulers of India to impose a strict religious code without sparing anyone. Fortunately, most Muslim rulers in India did not follow Barani’s advice, otherwise it would have been a disaster for India.Mr Wadhera is also right in pointing out that Pakistani curricula and school textbooks do not inculcate tolerance with other religions and highlight the ‘Hindu mindset’ as conspiratorial and against Muslims and Pakistan. This is something serious and has prompted liberal and progressive columnists and educationists – which are not many – to demand a more tolerant curriculum that should promote harmony in society. Unfortunately, even in India now the BJP government is changing its curriculum to suit its agenda of Hindutva.I would like to conclude this column with an email from Shikarpur Sindh, by Azhar Azad Mughal. He translated the column into Sindhi and wants some clarification on some words such as Manthan, Marathas, and Kannada. Manthan means churning, as when you make a lassi or milkshake you churn the ingredients. Here Manthan means a revolutionary churning in society. Marathas are a nationality in India, today mostly living in the Indian state of Maharashtra. They were united in the 17th century by Sivaji who is considered the father of the Maratha nation. Kannada is the language mostly spoken in the Indian state of Karnataka.The writer holds a PhD from theUniversity of Birmingham, UK and works in Islamabad.Email: mnazir1964@yahoo.co.uk

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It’s the people

Ten months into office and PM Khan seems to have settled in the role of the nation’s chief instructor. One wonders if he will have success as a reformer, or retire, echoing what President Charles de Gaulle of France had felt: my problem is the people.Having been credited with pulling France out of the morass after WWII, De Gaulle realized that he and the people were no longer in sync. He called a referendum. The people voted against his national project in 1969. De Gaulle took no time in resigning and returning to his village in Eastern France.Here is a little experience that sheds light on prevailing attitudes. To my utter shock, the attendant filling my car at the service station had vanished in the middle of his job, leaving the pump on auto-pilot. My loud protests led to someone saying that the man had gone to answer nature’s call without asking one of his colleagues to complete the transaction. I protested to the manager over this height of negligence but left it to him to sort out matters almost convinced that nothing would really happen because of a general ‘mitti pao’ mindset.Rest assured, Mr Prime Minister, the previous regimes and assorted mafias are not the only causes of our miseries. It’s us, the people. No amount of exhortations to the people to become responsible citizens and fill state coffers is going to work. The people may listen but they are unlikely to follow his mantra.Prime Minister Imran Khan was back on the box, exhorting the rich and richer to declare their hidden assets and become tax filers. It appears increasingly a matter of human psychology: how to persuade the people to part with their money. He goes on to cite the example of the nation’s generosity in funding the Shaukat Khanum hospitals sponsored by him.Indeed, there is paradox here as Pakistanis are among the most charitable in the world but extremely reluctant to pay tax on incomes. They are per force made to pay taxes on goods and services they use. PM Khan is of course free to give sermons on paying taxes but those are failing to bring results. The solution does not lie in more speeches or interviews but in making the tax collectors more efficient. His promise to bring reforms in the FBR in the coming months is very timely.Then again, why would a particular segment become super-efficient when the state and government are pathetically inefficient? Hence my suggestion to PM Khan: speak softly and carry a big stick. In other words, don’t scare the people in general and the businessmen in particular. Do your job conscientiously and the results will follow. Remember the people elected you to deliver not to lecture.Some of us have been following Bangladesh’s strides in social and economic fields, surpassing Pakistan in human development, exports, foreign exchange reserves and lately in per capita income. It has hardly come as a surprise then that Bangladesh has graduated out of the category of Least Developed Countries – LDCs – something Pakistan achieved long ago, thereby losing the edge of zero tariff to Bangladesh in the European Union.Pakistan’s performance in the areas cited above has been on the decline. It arguably has the best road system, telecom network and social security programmes in the Subcontinent but the economic cost has been steep as is evident from the prevailing debt crisis. The present economic situation does not give hope and the prime minister’s warnings of hard times ahead only raise the level of mass demoralization.The reports of a possible move to raise retirement age in public service from 60 to 63 and the clarification that the proposal had been deferred led me to look up the retirement age in Bangladesh. It is unchanged at 59 and Prime Minister Haseena Wajid has turned down proposals to raise it to 60, saying that the government has to provide jobs to a maximum number of people. Besides, the Bangladesh government works six days a week, which means that the public servants of that country have around 50 holidays less than Pakistan every year. The powers that matter may reflect on that before looking at schemes like raising the retirement age. In sum, we cannot start following practices in the developed countries while the country goes downhill.The PTI finds convenient scapegoats in the country’s two major parties for this state of indebtedness but it has a longer history. Every time Pakistan was an ally of the US, aid levels increased exponentially. But when the assignment came to an end, Pakistan was placed under sanctions and restrictions on aid. Pakistan was on the verge of a default in 1998-99 and again in 2001, and then 9/11 happened. The debts were written off or rescheduled, large new aid packages were announced.Things have changed dramatically since the arrival of US President Donald Trump. Pakistan’s aid has been cut but the demands to do more have not ceased. Rather than encouraging India to lower its repression in Indian-occupied Kashmir, Washington has backed India on rooting out jihadi outfits in Pakistan while brandishing the threat of blacklisting by the FATF. These are some of the facts the PTI leadership should keep in mind while explaining the unsustainable level of debt.The PTI government is doing what the predecessors have done: taking new loans to pay off the old ones. In fact, its speed of piling new debt is breath-taking. Retribution has no time limits and this government will surely be held to responsibility for a stupendous increase in the country’s foreign debt.Someone said that inflation of words is the worst of all inflations.Email: saeed.saeedk@gmail.com

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Border abuse

Nearly four years ago, the devastating photos of a Syrian toddler named Alan Kurdi, whose little body had washed ashore in Turkey, shocked the world.Kurdi’s story was tragically typical – his family had fled the Syrian war and attempted to cross the Mediterranean to seek refuge in Greece. All of Kurdi’s siblings and his mother died while crossing. Only his father survived.Today, the photo of the bodies of Oscar Alberto Martínez and his two-year-old daughter, Angie Valeria, who drowned on the U.S.-Mexico border while crossing the Rio Grande, offers a heartbreaking analogy to Kurdi’s story. The two Salvadorans were forced to wait in Mexico, as per President Donald Trump’s demand, after they escaped their home country to try to seek asylum in the US.Just as artists, activists and politicians the world over memorialized Kurdi’s death as a reminder of the injustice of the Syrian war and the barriers facing refugees, the deaths of Martinez and Valeria ought to serve as a reminder of the humanitarian catastrophes unfolding in Central America and driving large numbers of refugees northward.Immigrants, including children, are suffering abuse and death on all sides of this battle for migration, and at nearly every step their harsh treatment is attributable to US policies. The violence in their countries that is spurring northward migration stems from US intervention in Central America. Coups such as the 1954 ousting of democratically elected Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala, as well as the removal only ten years ago of President Manuel Zelaya in Honduras, are a signature part of Washington’s policies. Writing in the Guardian, reporter Julian Borger concluded, “The families in the migrant caravans trudging towards the US border are trying to escape a hell that the US has helped to create.”Central American refugees are also facing abuse in Mexico, where the Trump administration has insisted that they be detained. An Associated Press report about Mexico’s largest detention center just north of its border with Guatemala found the facility to be “sorely overcrowded and filthy,” with “alleged repeated abusive treatment by agents tasked with running it.” Trump has threatened Mexico with harsh tariffs over the border crossings of Central Americans into the US through Mexico.Farther north, at the US-Mexico border, deaths like those of Martinez and Valeria are a tragically routine occurrence. On the same day that the father and daughter perished, three young children and a 20-year-old woman were also found lifeless from what appeared to be dehydration and excessive heat. The Texas Civil Rights Project placed the blame for the border deaths squarely at the feet of the Trump administration, saying, “When the government creates policies that make it harder to cross the border safely, people die. Children die.”And here in the US, conditions facing immigrant detainees, particularly children, have made headlines in recent days with disturbing reports from Border Patrol facilities in Clint, Texas, which told of “dangerous overcrowding” and a total lack of access to basic hygiene for children as young as one year old.Children remained locked in cages, suffered from the flu with no treatment, and older children were tasked with caring for younger ones in what can only be described as a “concentration camp” environment. Although the children were moved out of the facility after the outcry, about 100 were relocated back to the same facility just days later. Another detention center, in Calexico, Calif., was found to be operating in a similarly dangerous fashion.In May, reports emerged of migrants needing medical attention being shackled while receiving treatment. So far, at least seven children have died in US custody.Excerpted from: ‘As Immigrant Deaths Pile Up, We Need to Find Our Moral Compass’.Courtesy: CFommondreams.org

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Ghazi Barotha Project imperative to overcome water shortage

Rawalpindi : Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) Chairman Muhammad Arif Abbasi stressed that the materialization of Ghazi Barotha Project is the only and best solution to overcome water problem for the next 40 to 50 years.Giving the details, he said that present population of Rawalpindi city is 2.6 million including WASA served area of 1.6 million people.The present demand of water in WASA area is 64 million gallons per day (mgd) whereas current production is 51 mgd.Major sources of water for Rawalpindi are Rawal Dam, Khanpur Dam and tube-wells.Due to massive depletion of ground water tube-wells are not feasible to meet future requirements of water.Otherwise the present resources like tube-wells are failing to provide good results because of depletion of ground water level to a greater extent and climate change phenomena. The storage capacity of Rawal Dam and Khanpur Dam is also substantially reduced over the period of time.Currently Wasa is already facing a shortfall of 13 mgd which is increasing in every coming year.It is therefore dire need to develop new water resources preferably based on surface water in order to meet present shortfall but also cater for future growth of the city.An integrated approach may be adopted by twin cities to resolve the issue of water supply issue.In this regard a feasibility study to augment water supply for twin cities from River Indus has already been done and project was principally approved by Council of Common Interest (CCI) Government of Pakistan.This is three phase project and 600 mgd water will be available after completion.In the first phase 200 mgd water will be supplied to twin cities out which 100 mgd for Islamabad and 50 mgd each for city and Cantonment area.The approximate cost of this project is 75 billion which will be shared by the Federal and Punjab Government accordingly.

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Chaudhry Fawad to be chairperson of Comsats consultative committee

Islamabad : The Government of Pakistan attaches great importance to the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (Comsats) - an inter-governmental organisation based in Islamabad. An indication of this is the designation of the Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, as ex-officio Chairperson of Comsats Consultative Committee (which was previously chaired by the Federal Secretary) , says a press release.This development has raised the level of the Committee in order to provide maximum support and patronage to the programmes and undertakings of the organization. During a recent visit to Comsats Headquarters, the Federal Minister stated that he considers Comsats a potent platform for South-South cooperation in science and technology.A brain-child of Pakistani Nobel Laureate, Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam, Comsats is working for sustainable socio-economic uplift of the developing countries through judicious application of science and technology. It comprises 27 developing countries (13 from Asia, 12 from Africa and 2 from Latin America) and a Network of 22 International S&T Centres of Excellence. Hon. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, President of Republic of Ghana, is the incumbent Chairperson of Comsats.The organisation is completing 25 years of its existence and successful operations in October 2019. Some of the success stories of Comsats are the establishment of Comsats University Islamabad (CUI), Comsats Internet Services (CIS), Comsats Telehealth Programme, International Thematic Research Groups (ITRGs) in emerging fields of science and technology, and series of workshops and conferences in those areas that are most relevant to the socio-economic needs of developing countries.In order to mark its 25th Anniversary, Comsats Secretariat is holding an array of activities in Pakistan and abroad, which includes meetings of its Organs. The 4th General Meeting of the Commission will be hosted and chaired by the President of Ghana in Accra. The meeting of Consultative Committee will be chaired by the Pakistani Minister for S&T. A series of celebratory events, round-table discussions, and S&T exhibitions are also being organised.

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Strict action ordered against preachers of hate speech

Rawalpindi : The City Police Officer (CPO) Rawalpindi, DIG Muhammad Faisal Rana has directed the officers concerned to take strict action against those involved in publishing hate material, illegal wall-chalking and uploading hate speech on social media.According to a police spokesman, the CPO had instructed the police officers to implement National Action Plan in letter and spirit and the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by Punjab Interior Department should also be strictly followed.DIG Faisal Rana directed the police officers not to tolerate any activity which could disturb the peace and create law and order situation.He said that the society could not afford the hate speech and hate material against any sect.He said, strict action in accordance with the law should be taken against those who add fuel to the fire.The CPO directed all the Station House Officers of Rawalpindi Police to take action against those who promote hate speech, illegal wall-chalking and uploading hate material on social media.The SPs and SDPOs should supervise such operations.He said, FIRs should be registered under anti-terrorist act against those who upload hate material on social media or share it and they should be sent behind the bars.Action should also be taken against those running whatsapp groups to promote or spreading hate material.The facilitators and abettors of such criminal activities should also be arrested, he added.The CPO said, Rawalpindi district police on the directives of Chief Minister Punjab and IGP would make all out efforts to maintain peace and order and the activities of all banned outfits would be checked and stopped with full force.

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Eateries continue to violate hygiene standards

Veiled surprises in food ordered from their favorite roadside eateries, fast food chains or even some restaurants are not new to Pindiites. They have spotted dead creepy-crawlies, cockroaches and house flies in their plates. Even rats have been detected in their kitchens. Some cases have been brought to light by the media about the ‘extra nutrition’ food lovers are being served, others choose to keep mum.“Recently, I bought a pizza from a high-scale fast food chain. When I cut it into pieces at home a fried cockroach was found there. The situation is no different, rather worse, at unlicensed roadside eateries. Though many eateries proudly claim hygienic conditions, a glance inside the cooking area is enough to shock the strongest hearts,” says Saad Ali.Kamal Haider says: “Authorities claim that as they receive complaints, food inspectors swing into action, inspect the place and slap fines on eateries. However, charging paltry amounts as fines doesn’t serve as a strong deterrent for the violators.”“Sadly, a majority of eateries in the city are using sub-standard items to prepare the food. Consumers, who shell out a huge amount of money at these food joints, often do fall ill,” says Asad Hasan.The other day a person found a dead insect in a biryani dish at a food court on Stadium Road. Musarrat Hussain, one of their employees, alleges: “Lack of monitoring by food inspectors give proprietors of eateries a leeway to flout food standards on a daily basis. That’s why they do not maintain minimum cleanliness. Moreover, the managers of eateries bribe officials to not check the quality of the food.”Alamdar Hussain says: “Many food points located near schools, hospitals, markets, government and private offices sell shawarmas, pakoras, samosas, kebabs, burgers, haleem, rice, dahi bhallay prepared from substandard items with slight or no attention to cleanliness.”“Many eateries are run in germ-infested environments. The areas where they serve are often surrounded by flies and garbage. While the food at almost all the points can be seen uncovered. Their food items are not just unhealthy but owing to their location near roadsides, the smoke and dust also mixes up with food which makes the food even more unsafe,” says Aziz Alvi.“Likewise, they do not sterilize serving plates and glasses. They do not have a supply of running water and they resort to using water stored in plastic tubs for cooking food as well as for washing dishes,” adds Aziz.Raza Naqvi says: “It is really unfortunate that the majority of waiters, cooks, kitchen assistants and delivery persons working at roadside eateries, fast food chains or even some restaurants and hotels never undergo medical check-up.”

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IGP lauds police team over recovery of two abducted girls

Islamabad: Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Muhammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan has appreciated a team of Industrial area police station which recovered two abducted girls.According to details, Industrial area police received a complaint regarding abduction of two girls following which IGP Islamabad directed SP (Industrial Zone) Sayed Aziz to ensure their immediate recovery. He constituted a special police team which succeeded to recover both kidnapped girls. One of the girl Reeba Ilyas was recovered from Karachi while other Ira Ilyan from Punjab. Both have been shifted to Protection Center and further investigation is underway.IGP Islamabad said that such abduction cases are very much sensitive and police must ensure immediate help to the affected families. Police officials must realize the pain of parents in such cases and should do utmost efforts to resolve them.He appreciated the performance of police team including SHO Industrial Area police station which succeeded to recover both kidnapped girls through prompt action under supervision of SP Sayed Aziz.

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33-member national youth council notified

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has formally approved the launch of 33-member National Youth Council (NYC) for uplift of youth of the country.“As per decision, the program Patron in chief will be Prime Minister Imran Khan while chairman will be PMYA’s adviser (Prime Minister Youth Affairs ) Usman Dar”, an official told this agency.He said that it is a remarkable initiative to ensure active participation of young professionals in national development.He said that it would be a devised scheme to economically empower the youth who had deprived of better livelihood and income opportunities.He told that prominent figures from various fields including Education, Sports, Religion, Economy and Arts will part of NYC.He said that Ghazi from operation Zarb-e-Azb Major Tanveer Shafi, Cricketer Hassan Ali, Sana Meer, Actor Hamza Ali Abbassi , Mahira khan, Samina Baig and Muniba Mizari will be part of the program.Youth Ministers from all provinces will be also part of NYC and National heroes and youth icons will also join in programme.He said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has been focusing to bring institutional change to achieve socio-economic empowerment of youth which comprises major chunk of the nation’s population, adding the youth must fully avail this programme.

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Medical colleges performance to be evaluated annually: PMDC

Islamabad : Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has planned to evaluate the performance of all public and private medical and dental colleges to have their annual quality categorisation and pointing out loopholes in the system.According to an official of PMDC, all medical and dental colleges will be graded into five categories from A+ to D based on performance and facilities and faculty basis with a purpose to assist students in making their choices as well as enabling colleges to improve their quality.As a first step the council has decided to inspect all existing public and private medical and dental colleges in the single largest inspection ever undertaken where all 167 colleges will be inspected on the new frameworks this year.He said the inspection system has been developed to provide for a transparent and merit based system.He added inspections will be carried out on a periodical basis of the colleges on an annual or two or three year basis.He said that a new organogram of the organization has been approved which has setup the necessary departments with each department being headed by a Head of Department and supervising the different sections and management officers in such sections with the implementation of the best governance practices of the industry.He said that the council has formulated a policy to impose a revalidation requirement upon doctors in line with best international practices rather than merely renewing their license after a specific period.The official said this step will help doctors to have update on modern developments and techniques to ensure best quality treatment to patients.He said the council has initiated major IT reforms and currently there is a definitive lack of digital enablement at the PMDC.He added steps have been taken on an urgent basis to further improve efficiency by implementing a policy of immediate automation and digitisation of all resources.He said the digital portal is being designed to enable public to verify doctors credentials including specialization through a mobile application.The digital portal will also enable public to submit their complaints online as well as well review any disciplinary action taken against any doctor.He said the council has decided to install proprietary software to provide for digitalization and electronic access of the registration processes undertaken by the PMDC.These systems will allow students and doctors to apply and renew their licenses and obtain other certifications through an online system, he added.The council has taken a proactive policy to address pending litigation consisting of hundreds of cases in courts across country in order to resolve those disputes which could be resolved by the council, the official said.

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Painting exhibition concludes at PNCA

Islamabad : A three-day national painting exhibition Sunday concluded after a successful display at Pakistan National Council of the Arts (PNCA) organised by Pakistan Peace Collective (PPC), a project of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.The last day of the exhibition was attributed to public display so the locals can come and enjoy the paintings by students from 24 universities across the country themed around interfaith harmony and religious tolerance.Talking to APP, PNCA Director VAD, Amna Pataudi said this exhibition received over 3000 entries from across the country and a jury of distinguished judges selected the best among them for display at PNCA.She said universities that participated in this event included National College of Arts Rawalpindi, Fatima Jinnah University Rawalpindi, Institute of Arts and Designs University Jamshoro, Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University Quetta and Karachi school of Arts.The exhibition attracted crowds of art enthusiasts who expressed profound appreciation for the talent, drive and imagination of the young artists, who gave out important messages for peace, harmony and resilience against extremism through the paint and brush.

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AIOU to receive tutors’ registration applications till July 5

Islamabad : Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) has announced that it will receive applications for appointment of part-time tutors till July 5.The eligible persons have been asked to get them enrolled by the stipulated date through the prescribed E-registration process.For the tutorship from the next semester, the re-registration is required both by previous and fresh ones.The qualification and experience, set for the tutors will be strictly followed, as per the directives of Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Zia-Ul-Qayyum.The University through its digital transformation process has created an online portal for the e-registration of the part-time tutors.According to Director Regional Services, Dr. Inamullah Sheikh, this step is also in line with the initiative taken by the Vice Chancellor, focusing on latest methods and technology for appointing qualified tutors.This is also aimed at providing efficient teaching support to their over 1.4 million students for ensuring quality education.The e-registration system has made easy and aspirants, who meet the qualification and experience requirements laid down by the university, could apply by visiting https://ift.tt/2J0excD and get themselves registered. The applicants could also create their profile easily using smart-phone by accessing the portal. The registration will be completed after depositing requisite fee and selection of courses.Processing fee of Rs1000 can be deposited in any branch of MCB bank after 48 hours of downloading the fee challan from the portal.The applicants will update the fee details on portal and retain the receipt. Their fee will automatically be varied from the bank. After depositing the fee, the applicants will submit the fee details on portal and they don’t have to send the receipt copy to AIOU.

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Unemployment rate of women in Punjab stands at10.9%

Islamabad : A survey conducted by Punjab Commission on Status of Women (PCSW ) on Women’s Economic and Social Wellbeing revealed that unemployment rate of women in the Punjab was 10.9 per cent.According to the survey, the rate in rural areas (9.7) is lower than urban areas with 14.3 per cent and unemployment rate is lowest for currently married women with 10.0 per cent followed by never married women with 11.5 per cent.However, it is much higher for widowed, divorced or separated women with19.2 per cent and unemployment rate for the disabled was significantly higher with 26.9 per cent as compared to women with no disability with10.0 per cent.In Punjab, among all employed women of aged 15-64 years 58.3 per cent were part time workers who were working less than 35 hours and the proportion of women were part time varies from 59.8 per cent in rural areas to 54.0 per cent in urban areas, it said.The overall under unemployment rate of the currently economically active women aged 15-64 years in Punjab is 1.6 per cent which is higher in urban areas as compared to the rural areas.Report further said that among disabled women aged 15-64 years,51.3 per cent were part time employed whereas the under employment rate for the group is 0.7 per cent.Survey stressed that female comprises half of the population so there was need to increase their labour force participation which would definitely benefit woman itself and to country’s economy and women in country also have great entrepreneurial potential so opportunities were required at national level to engage them in economical activities.PCSW undertook a set of survey for the project Generating Data to Advance Women’s Economic and Social well-being in Pakistan.PCSW is a special institution of the women for promotion of women’s rights and empowerment.

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650 phoned CTP to seek help

Rawalpindi : The City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi received more than 650 phone calls from road users seeking help or guidance during the last month.According to details, the calls related to complaints of public service vehicles overcharging, road accidents, one wheeling by youngsters and serious traffic violations.Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Muhammad Bin Ashraf said that strict action would be taken against the violators and no one would be allowed to violate rule of law.He said that obnoxious calls create problems for the staff, adding that citizens should behave as responsible citizens and abide by the law.He directed the Wardens to ensure traffic flow on city roads. He urged citizens to register their complaints on 051-9272616 and 051-9272839 for guidance.

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Fawara Chowk shelter home accommodates over 18,000 homeless

Rawalpindi : Over 18,000 homeless people have been provided free accommodation facility in Fawara Chowk Shelter Home during last seven months.According to focal person, Shelter Home/Sub-Registrar Cantonment Hafiz Muhammad Imran, 1002 homeless persons were accommodated in December 2018, 2511 in January 2019 and 2862 in February.Similarly, 3145 persons were registered in March, 3302 in April and 2732 in May while 2509 homeless persons were accommodated in the shelter home during June.He said, the Punjab government on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan established a shelter home here to provide proper accommodation facility to the homeless and poor citizens.He said that initially, arrangements were made for 80 persons in the basement of Raja Bazaar Parking Plaza; however, the facility had been enhanced for 125 persons.The basement was being used as a shelter home temporarily while a proper shelter home’s building would be constructed after pointing out a suitable place for the purpose, he added. To a question, he said that the basement of the parking plaza was finalized as the government wanted to start the shelter home immediately to provide shelter to people in the harsh winter.The project is aimed at restoring the self-respect of those who spend the night under the open sky, he said, adding that it was also aimed at broadening the circle of the state’s social responsibility. To another question, he said that expenditures of the shelter home were being borne through donations by philanthropists.

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Who cares for the national interest?

Very often one has witnessed common people in various towns discussing interest and national interest. Unlike leaders they come to terms over a cup of home-grown tea and decide to work together for everybody's benefit.In matters that are economic, financial or commercial, or in any way connected with trade and industry, the word 'interest' means the extra money that we pay back when we borrow money from someone, that is, we pay interest on a loan. How much 'interest' in billions have we paid to foreign lenders so far and how much we've yet to pay to loan sharks is a big question lurking in the people's mind.Experts say every newly born Pakistani child carries an 'interest' burden of Rs60/70,000 over his/her head.Interest also means benefit, for instance, to look after one's interests, or use one's interest with any institution or any person or group of persons in power. A notable example of such an activity has been set by leaders of self-interest over the years. Who suffers socially and economically from such governance? Obviously, the sufferers are the masses who have no voice in what has been branded a coward parliament. Will any of the elected assemblies bounce back like a brawny assembly of people's real representatives to solve the social and economic problems of the common man? If something happens in such a rightly positive direction that will be in what is called national interest."What have we gained and what have we lost over the years? And where our doings lead us to? Who will free our motherland from the conspiratorial cobweb woven around it by some foreign countries by way of striking at its socio-economic and defence capabilities?"These are some of the questions perturbing the suffering masses. Patriotism is not the monopoly of rulers whoever they may be; patriots are found in Lahore also, where the demand for Pakistan was raised at the historic Muslim League mammoth meeting chaired by Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah.One can say a consensus is developing among the common people that it's the self-interest which has eroded our society. Interaction with the people of a number of cities who travel from one place to another by Pakistan Railways, revealed that 'soch ka rishta' (ideological relationship) is taking shape because the story of the exploitation of the poor masses is the one and the same everywhere. There are hundreds of thousands of educated and half-educated young men and women and children in the Punjab and Federal Capital Territory, who are hungry because of joblessness.A rickshaw or a taxi-cab driver or a bus conductor, a small shopkeeper or a tea vendor, whoever he may be, blames people's representatives for not doing anything concrete against the food price hike. "All of them are selfish, they remain silent over the common man's social, economic, educational and health problems, their politics revolves round acquisition of position and privilege, money and ministry, fine jobs for their close relatives and free travels abroad," say the people crippled financially by heavy cost of living. "How we can look to the future with robust confidence when we ourselves, our leaders and our representatives relax and fritter away energies in internal dissensions," city elders ask.— zasarwar@hotmail.com

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1,300 vehicles of token tax defaulters impounded

Rawalpindi : The Excise and Taxation (E&T) Rawalpindi impounded 1,300 vehicles of token tax defaulters and collected revenue amounting to over Rs19 million during last six months.According to an E & T officer, total 42 general hold ups were conducted against the defaulters, improper number plates and unregistered vehicles during the period.He said, special teams were formed for the general hold up which conducted operations simultaneously in different areas of the district.The unregistered vehicles were also impounded during the operations, he added.A team led by Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer Sohail Shahzad conducted special checking of vehicles in the city while excise inspectors led the other teams which were deployed in different areas.As many as 10,780 vehicles were issued challan slips, he said.The authorities concerned had strictly ordered to tighten noose around the defaulters of vehicle of token and other taxes defaulters, he added.He said the citizens should help the department to indicate the vehicles which were plying on roads without payment of token tax fee.Director E&T Rawalpindi Division had directed the officers to take strict action against token tax defaulters in accordance with the law, he added.

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Eight of a family gunned down in Multan

MULTAN: Eight members of a family were killed and set on fire in an honour-related incident at  Hassanabad area of Multan on Sunday night.Rescue officials told media that six of the deceased were gunned down while two of them were burnt alive inside a room. Multan’s Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) was reported to have said that Ajmal allegedly killed his wife and seven in-laws over the honour issue, adding that the assailant, along with his brother and father Zafar, broke into his in-laws' house  and opened fire at his wife, mother-in-law and other family members. Resultantly six family members were killed on-the-spot. Later, the suspects allegedly locked two others in a room and set them on fire, he added. According to the police, Ajmal had returned from Saudi Arabia few days earlier and he had suspicions about character of his wife. Two of the  alleged assailants have been arrested, while police were trying to apprehend a brother of the accused, who had fled the scene during the raid. 

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Melissa McCarthy in talks to play Ursula in Disney’s live-action movie Little Mermaid

After The Lion King and the recently released Aladdin’s live-action remakes, Disney is all set to give the same treatment to The Little Mermaid. According to recent reports, comedian and actress Melissa McCarthy is in early talks to play the villain, Ursula, in Disney’s latest live-action movie. “No deal has been done, but it would be the latest piece in place for the project, part of Disney’s reboots of its animated classics that include the recent Aladdin and the upcoming The Lion King,” reported Deadline. While Ron Clements and John Musker were behind the 1989 original, the latest undersea movie will be helmed by Mary Poppins Returns director Rob Marshall.Moreover, Lin-Manuel Miranda will join the original composer Alan Menken for an updated list of songs from the 1989 hit. David Magee, who has Life of Pi and Mary Poppins Returns to his credit, has penned the script of the live-action movie. The animated movie loosely retold the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen and was about a mermaid named Ariel who yearns to be human after she falls in love with a prince. She makes a deal with the sea witch Ursula who grants her wish but takes her voice. The original sea-witch Ursula was famously voiced by Pat Carroll and modeled after the late drag queen icon Divine. The character also takes on a human appearance in the original film (voiced by Jodi Benson), which makes us wonder whether Melissa McCarthy would play both sides of the role. This will mark one of the first family-friendly roles for McCarthy, who has built her career on adult comedies including Spy, The Heat and Bridesmaids, which earned her an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. She was most recently seen in Can You Ever Forgive Me?, a dramatic turn that also earned her an Oscar nomination, this time for best actress.

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SOC Films release seventh short, Forced Marriage, from Aagahi series

Last year, SOC Films helmed by Oscar winning documentary filmmaker and journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, launched a public service campaign, titled Aagahi, to educate women about their legal rights in Pakistan.After launching six animated shorts as part of the initiative, SOC films has released the seventh part, titled Forced Marriage – Zabardasti Ki Shaadi.The seventh animated short in Urdu, which is almost three-minutes long, describes what can be considered a forced marriage and highlights existing laws that are present to protect women and children from this practice.With Aamina Sheikh lending her vocals, the video asserts that Pakistani law provides every girl the freedom to choose who to marry.Recently the Aagahi series was shortlisted under the ‘Sustainable Development Goals Lions in the Gender Equality’ category at 66th Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The campaign, produced by SOC Films in collaboration with Women Action Forum Karachi, not only highlights key issues that confront women but also explains ways to counter them.Aagahi is a series of 14 short animated films that explains and clarifies a series of legislations which affect women. It gives an overview of what legal provisions exist and can be granted to them should they apply in a given situation. Examples include how to file an FIR, what does the law state on instances of domestic violence, divorce, cyber-crimes and inheritance and what is the procedure for reporting issues like these and who should be approached for help.

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The weekly mixtape 03: Meesha Shafi and Strings reveal what’s been on their playlist

Some of the biggest names in the history of contemporary music of Pakistan, Strings co-founders Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood who have released all but one song from the album 30 (Tees), and the singer of the decade, Meesha Shafi, tell Instep what they’ve been listening to and what are some of the songs/artists on their mixtape.Bilal Maqsood from Strings, Pakistan’s longest running music group… The five songs Bilal Maqsood has been listening to off late include ‘Friday’ by Goldspot from the 2005 record Tally of the Yes Men; ‘Play God’ by singer-songwriter Sam Fender; ‘Land Lady’ by the Irish rock band, U2; Porcupine Tree’s 2005 release, ‘Lazarus’ and ‘Up&Up’ from Coldplay’s fantastic 2015 album, A Head Full of Dreams. Faisal Kapadia from Strings, Pakistan’s longest running music group… The 5-tracks Faisal Kapadia has been listening to include a varied list as well as a Pakistani artist. They include ‘Closer to the Edge’ by 30 seconds to Mars, ‘In My Blood’ by Shawn Mendes, the evergreem Coldplay number, ‘Fix You’, U2’s 1992 release, ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’ and Ali Sethi’s Noah Georgeson produced single, ‘Chandni Raat’. Speaking to Instep, Faisal Kapadia explained, “‘Closer to the Edge’ is my gym song and whenever I hit the gym, the workout session starts with this song.”‘In My Blood’ by Shawn Mendes is, according to Faisal, is a song he was introduced to by his children and whenever he goes to drop them to school, this song is playing loudly in the car. “‘Fix You’ is an all-time favourite,” admits Faisal by Coldplay and it’s in my playlist in a permanent sense. It is one of those songs I have to listen to every single day.”U2’s 1992 release, ‘Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses’ has been special to Faisal because as he tells Instep, “When the song released, I was in college; I remember I used to drive and every day I would listen to the whole album and this was my favourite and it is still my favourite and I listen to it a lot. Ali Sethi’s Noah Georgeson produced single, ‘Chandni Raat’ says Faisal Kapadia, “In recent releases locally, ‘Chandni Raat’ by Ali Sethi is something I thoroughly enjoy. I enjoy Ali’s singing and so, I’ve been listening to it, a lot.”Meesha Shafi, singer-songwriter, composerThe singer of the decade - if you asked me - who broke new ground in mainstream with ‘Mein and is coming back as a judge on Pepsi Battle of the Bands - Meesha Shafi is a non-conformist and it reflects in everything she does including her current playlist.Talking to Instep, Meesha Shafi revealed the five songs that she is presently listening to and we are intrigued. Among them is ‘Cigarettes after **x’ by Apocalypse; Billie Eilish’s ‘Ilomilo’, John Mayer’s ‘New Light’, the epic Florence and the Machine’s ‘Howl’, Bjork’s ‘Venus As A boy’, London Grammar’s ‘Hey Now’, Coldplay’s ‘Don’t Panic’ and Angelo De Augustine’s ‘You Needed Love, I Needed You’.

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Waldschmidt targets record as Germany meet Spain in Euro U21 final

UDINE, Italy: Germany star Luca Waldschmidt will be looking to set a new goal-scoring record as the defending champions take on Spain in Sunday’s (today’s) final of the European under-21 championships in Udine.Waldschmidt has scored seven goals so far in the tournament and one more would see him overtake Swede Marcus Berg’s record achieved in 2009 for the most scored at the continental championships.“What matters more is the title,” insisted Walschmidt, who has emerged as one of the stars of the tournament which also doubled as a qualifier for the 2020 Olympics.It is estimated that the 23-year-old’s value has tripled from the five million euros ($5.7 million) paid last summer by Bundesliga club Freiburg, where he scored nine goals in his first season.But the Vespa-loving player whose full name is actually the Italian ‘Gian Luca’ has come into his own in Italy.Waldschmidt scored a hat-trick against Serbia in the group stage and a brace against Romania in the semi-finals.Coach Stefan Kuntz insisted however there was more to his team than Waldschmidt. “(Waldschmidt) had a great performance, but I don’t want to single out one of my players,” said Kuntz after the semi-finals in Bologna.

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Lashley hangs onto PGA Tour lead as Champ charges

WASHINGTON: Nate Lashley maintained his one-shot lead at the US PGA Tour’s Rocket Mortgage Classic Friday, firing a five-under par 67 for a 14-under par total of 130 to keep red-hot Cameron Champ at bay.Champ, seeking the second victory of his inaugural US PGA Tour season, surged up the leaderboard at Detroit Golf Club with an eight-under 28 on the front nine before finishing with a seven-under 65.He was in the clubhouse on 13-under 131 as Lashley, an alternate who was the last player to make it into the field, finished his follow-up to a first-round 63.

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Undaunted Waseem moving on

This year is going to be very important for Pakistan’s professional boxer Mohammad Waseem who is undergoing strenuous training under MTK Global, a world renowned boxer development company.The 31-year-old fighter, who has to his credit two World Boxing Council (WBC) titles, is scheduled to fly out of Glasgow for Madrid today (Sunday) to train for a week. The purpose of his training in Madrid is to improve his conditioning. The weather in Spain is warm while it is chilly in Glasgow. And a variety of sparring partners in Madrid will help the former Asian Games bronze medallist have a new experience of training. Three other boxers and two trainers are going to Madrid with the Quetta-born fighter.In a detailed chat with the fighter, it has been learnt that training in Glasgow is going to be a turning point in Waseem’s career as MTK Global is providing him with facilities of every kind. The focus is on conditioning which is the most important thing in the modern era.It was unfortunate that Waseem’s first fight under MTK Global, scheduled for June 22 against John Chuwa of Tanzania, was cancelled because of irregularities in transmission of the MRI reports to the British Boxing Board of Control. The reason behind it could not be ascertained as Waseem’s trainer Danny Vaughan did not respond when I asked him about the issue.But certainly cancelling a fight at the eleventh hour is not good. Waseem was perfectly prepared for the ranking fight, scheduled at the Emirates Arena of the MTK Global Glasgow Centre.But Waseem has digested it and is eagerly waiting for the next fight. After his medical tests, it is highly expected that he will fight in the second week of July in a Liverpool show.Waseeem has trained in the US, Japan and South Korea, all different environments. In the US, the focus is on speed and in Japan boxing is a bit slow with focus on techniques.After losing the IBF flyweight world title to South African fighter Moruti Mthalane last year Waseem is yet to return to the ring.His aim is to stay calm, play a few fights and then go for the world title. “It is going to be a very important year for me. Although I have yet to return to the ring after my bout in last summer in Kuala Lumpur my focus has been on training,” Waseem told ‘The News on Sunday’ (TNS) in an interview.“I am extremely happy that it is going very well. I am super fit for any challenge. But what I want first is to battle for regaining the WBC flyweight world silver title.“It’s going to be very important as I need to improve my ranking. If I regained the WBC silver crown I would go to the top and that would help me challenge a world champion,” he said.“I will not rush. I will stay calm. It is hundred percent sure that I will play a WBC world silver title fight this year and I am optimistic that I will regain that,” he said.Having won the WBC world flyweight silver crown twice in the second half of 2016, Waseem had to fight for meeting his financial needs. There was a time while working with AK Promotions of South Korea when Waseem did not attract sponsors despite having held two world silver crowns.Being World No1 it was not difficult for him to win any fight but he could not play his world silver title defence fight because of financial issues. He not only lost his top ranking but also the coveted belt.Waseem feels that Pakistan’s corporate sector has ignored him. And without any valid reason.Former two-time world champion Amir Khan of England is warmly welcomed when he comes here. We always see a big media protocol when Amir comes to Karachi. Sponsors come and he is treated like a Pakistani champion despite the fact that he has never played a fight for Pakistan in his entire career.Amir got good media coverage during Ramadan when he had to brief the reporters about his fight against Indian boxer Neeraj Goyat, which will be held in Jeddah on July 12.But when Waseem holds a presser, only a few reporters attend that.Yes, Waseem is now a professional boxer, but at least he represented Pakistan for over a decade in amateur circuit.He has been the only boxer of Pakistan to win medals in international circuit after the last batch of Pakistani boxers featured in 2004 Athens Olympics.In the post-2004 generation Waseem was a real star who started clicking at a time when former AIBA and Pakistan Boxing Federation (PBF) chief Professor Anwar Chowdhry’s golden era had ended and Pakistan’s boxing was not in good hands.We rarely hear any good news from sports other than cricket. So why not own and respect Waseem, who stunned the entire world by claiming the WBC world silver crown in only his fourth pro bout?Amir Khan has his own place and he should be respected as his parents belong to Pakistan. But Waseem should not be ignored. His fights should be broadcast live. Waseem is also willing to play some bouts in Pakistan in future. His trainer Danny Vaughan told me a few days ago that MTK was also keen to see Waseem play in Pakistan.The day is not far when Waseem will become the first Pakistani to win a world title in professional boxing.Let’s treat him like a hero and give him respect which will motivate other Pakistani young boxers, too.Waseem has played nine bouts in his pro career, winning eight with six knock-outs. He lost only against Moruti Mthalane of South Africa in the IBF world title bout in Kuala Lumpur last summer.73.alam@gmail.com

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Game over for Malik?

After the Cricket World Cup 2019, many players are expected to hang their boots. Among them are MS Dhoni, Lasith Malinga, Chris Gayle, Ross Taylor, Dale Steyn and Hashim Amla.Pakistan former captain Shoaib Malik has also announced that this World Cup will be his last ODI tournament, but he will continue to play T20Is and professional leagues. Malik is one of the only two cricketers currently playing who started their careers in ‘90s. The other is West Indies’ Chris Gayle.Malik has played three matches in the ongoing World Cup: against England, Australia and India, and managed 8, 0 and 0, respectively.Malik said last year: “We have won two big events: the World T20 in 2009 and the Champions Trophy in 2017. The only major title that I have not won in my career is the 50-overs World Cup.”Despite his poor form in recent years, the team management was confident that Malik with his vast experience would be handy for the team, but he has failed to live up to the expectations.Malik made his ODI debut as an off-spinner on October 14, 1999, in a Champions Trophy match against West Indies. He didn’t bat as his name was on the 10th position. He took two wickets for 23 runs in eight overs.In 20 years, Malik has played 287 ODIs, scored 7534 runs, averaging 34.55 with nine centuries and 44 fifties.He is a fine batsman of spin bowling, but his average is surprisingly low against fast bowlers.At home, Malik played only 65 ODIs, scored 2199 runs, averaging 44.87 with four hundreds and 14 fifties. His best performances have come against India. He played 42 matches against the arch-rivals, scored 1782 runs, at an average of 46.89. He scored four centuries and 11 fifties against India. His best ODI score, 143, also came against India.But against Australia, England and New Zealand on their soil, his average is 30.78, 13.07 and 10.44, respectively.He is the only player who has batted from the first position to the 10th. In his first three matches, he was at 10th position, but after showing his batting skills, he got a promotion.In 147 ODIs, he has batted on the fifth and the sixth positions. But his best average came when he batted third — 2594 runs, averaging over 40.The worst year of his career was 2011 in which he scored only 35 runs in eight ODIs, averaging just 5.83. This year also hasn’t been memorable for Malik as he scored just 250 runs in 13 matches, averaging 20.83.Since the beginning of 2018, Malik has played 30 ODIs, he has scored 608 runs, with just three fifties.Malik’s career hasn’t been clear of controversies. During the tour of Australia in 2010, a video showed discord between senior members of the side. PCB banned Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf for an indefinite period, and handed out one-year bans to Malik and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.Later, Malik’s appeal against the punishment was “partially accepted” by an independent arbitration tribunal, overturning his one-year ban and halving his fine.Malik has been accused by teammates and coaches of being a negative influence on the team. He has even been called “termite”.Intikhab Alam told an investigating committee: “Malik was a negative person and he creates problems. I wanted him to be sent back home. Malik had initially agreed to bat at No.3 but shied away during the tour of New Zealand, which preceded the Australia series.”Muhammad Yousuf, who was the captain during the Australia tour of 2009-10, told the committee: “Malik played politics all the time.”Malik responded by saying: “I went out during water break in the Sydney Test on the final day and told him to attack Mike Hussey but he didn’t listen. His captaincy in Australia was pathetic, he has no confidence to take decisions.”Shahid Afridi said: “I told him (Malik) clearly that if he continued this practice of his double standards he would not survive in the team for too long and I would not have him in the team if I was made the captain,” Afridi said.Malik’s selection for the current World Cup raised many questions, mainly due to his poor performance with the bat and the ball, but he dismissed the criticism. He said: “I don’t follow Pakistani media, so what it says about me I don’t care. The big thing is that it is my last World Cup and I am in the team and I will try my best to give my best for the team as I always played for my team, not for myself.”Interestingly, Malik has played only six World Cup matches in his 20-year career, and scored 100 runs with a low average of 16.66.Malik’s performance remains under par in the major ICC tournaments. He averages 16.66 and 23.75, in World Cup and Champions Trophy, respectively.Malik led Pakistan in 41 ODIs. As the captain he batted with more responsibility, averaging 42.43.Malik played 35 Test matches for Pakistan, scored 1898 runs with three centuries and eight half-centuries, averaging 35.14. He took 32 wickets at an average of 47.46. He retired from Test cricket in 2015 after scoring his career-best 245 against England at Sharjah.Malik scored 2263 runs in 111 T20Is, averaging 30.58, including seven fifties. He also took 28 wickets, averaging 23.khurrams87@yahoo.com

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Federer, Djokovic set to battle it out for Wimbledon

It has been 17 years since any man other than Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal or Andy Murray won Wimbledon. Last year, it was the Serb who broke his two year barren spell at the majors to win a fourth Wimbledon crown, eventually initiating a Grand Slam run that wasn’t broken till Dominic Thiem’s win over him at Roland Garros. And with Murray only in the doubles contest this year, the odds are heavily stacked in favour of one of the Big Three winning Wimbledon this year.As the Championships begin at SW19 on Monday, the battle for the crown is likely to be between Federer and Djokovic. With Wimbledon seeding the World No 3 Swiss maestro second ahead of Nadal, both Djokovic and Federer will be in the opposite half and can only meet in the final – just like they did in 2014 and 2015, with the Serb coming out on top on both occasions.Federer’s bid to win a record extending 9th Wimbledon and 21st major were bolstered by his triumph in Halle last week. Unlike the previous two seasons, where he had skipped the clay court season in its entirety to boost his chances at Wimbledon, Federer decided to participate in Madrid, Rome and Roland Garros this year. The move seems to have paid dividends, with the World No 3 having more match play under his belt heading into SW19 – something that he lacked last year, resulting in his shock quarterfinal exit after being two sets to love up against Kevin Anderson.After a sensational start to the year, where he swept away Nadal in the Australian Open final, Djokovic has had a below par five months. His only other title this year has been the Madrid Masters, with a resilient Thiem having got the better of him at the French Open semifinal. With the clay swing having culminated, the World No 1 would now look to find his mojo again that saw him win back to back majors last summer.Nadal, meanwhile, hasn’t made it to a Wimbledon final since playing five successive finals at the Championships from 2006 to 2011. With continued, and well documented, struggles for the Spaniard from 2012 to 2016 on grass, Nadal has showed his best form on the surface since 2011 over the past two years. Last year, the World No 2 was a point away from serving for a place in the final, as he lost to Djokovic in the semifinal in one of the most memorable clashes at Wimbledon in recent memory.Even though the noise from the Nadal camp has been positive after winning a truly staggering 12th French Open title, he has been handed a minefield of a draw at Wimbledon. He could potentially face Nick Kyrgios, Dennis Shapovalov/Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, MaricCilic, Thiem, Federer and Djokovic for a run to the final.Djokovic has a tough opening round against Philipp Kohlschreiber, a potential fourth round against Gael Monfils or upcoming young gun Auger Aliassime, a likely quarterfinal against StefanosTsitsipas or Daniil Medvedev, and the semifinal against Anderson or Alexander Zverev. The Next Gen might be standing in his way towards another Wimbledon final, but that’s been a challenge that the World No 1 has effortlessly dealt with at majors.Federer, meanwhile, is projected to meet Lucas Pouille in the third round and BornaCoric – the man who beat him in the Halle final last year – in the fourth round. Federer could meet Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinal, before a possible Fedal semifinal.Of the Big Three, Federer has the easiest route to the final and Nadal the toughest. However, Wimbledon can throw massive surprises during the first week with potential giant-killers emerging and conjuring upsets.Nadal would be especially wary of the first week, where he has traditionally been the most vulnerable even during his successful days on grass. The second round clash against Kyrgios, who beat the Spaniard in the fourth round in 2014, will be especially tough. But as showed above, Nadal’s projected draw doesn’t get easier through the rounds, and for him to make it to the semifinal he would probably need upsets in his section of the draw.Outside the top three, it is French Open finalist Thiem – present is in Nadal’s quarter – who might be the best bet to go the distance. While grass might not be his preferred surface, the Austrian has made it deep into Halle in the past and even has a win over Federer there. After winning his first ATP Masters 1000 at Indian Wells on hard, and making back to back Roland Garros final, Thiem would be looking to prove that he is tough to beat on grass as well.While Zverev might have the all-court game that would make his a major threat on all surfaces at any tournament in the future, as things stand he still has limited success at the Grand Slam stage. He has a favourable draw to right that over the next fortnight, but hasn’t showed enough to beat one of the Big Three at a major just yet.A third Wimbledon final between Djokovic and Federer remains the likeliest scenario. The Swiss has the right combination of rest and match-play under his belt to go the distance on grass, while the Serb has reserved his best for the Grand Slam events over the past 12 months.A Grand Slam winner outside the Big Three might be what the ATP tour needs right now. But the chasing pack might have to wait a little longer.

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Shaheen shines at sizzling Edgbaston

LEEDS, England: For the second match in a row, Mohammad Amir wasn’t among the wicket-takers for Pakistan. And for second time in a row, it was the 19-year-old Shaheen Shah Afridi, who ripped through the opposition’s batting line-up to keep the national team in the hunt for a place in the World Cup semi-finals.Shaheen became the youngest player in World Cup history to take a four-wicket haul as his 4-47 helped Pakistan restrict Afghanistan to 227-9 in another do-or-die World Cup match here at Headingley on Wednesday. While Amir wasn’t rewarded with any wicket, finishing with figures of 10-1-41-0 – his first wicketless outing in this World Cup – Shaheen was in full flow as he followed his three-wicket haul against New Zealand with another impressive showing.The Afghans were never in the hunt for a big total after opting to bat first on a bright sunny morning on a wicket that seemed to have been imported from Asia.With Shaheen in top gear and Imad Wasim (2-48) and Wahab Riaz (2-29) also chipping, the Afghans were never really able to put up any worthwhile partnerships. Asghar Afghan (42 from 35 balls) and Najibullah Zardan (42 from 54 balls) were the top scorers while opener Rahmat Shah (35 from 43 balls) was the only other batsman with any substantial contribution.Afghanistan were off to a flying start as openers Rahmat Shah and Gulbadin Naib put on 27 from 27 balls before Shaheen got into action. The left-armer was greeted by Gulbadin with two fours when he replaced Imad Wasim but he responded with two wickets of successive deliveries. The Afghan captain was the first to go as he edged one to Sarfraz Ahmed behind the stumps. But umpire Nigel Llong turned down the appeal. Pakistan went or a review and the decision was overturned.Next ball it was the prolific Hashmatullah Shahidi who fell trying to hit an angling delivery through the leg side only to balloon it towards where Imad Wasim took a comfortable catch.Shaheen’s third victim was Najibullah Zardan, Afghanistan’s top-scorer. Just when the Afghans were bringing their innings on track, Najibullah tried to hit Shaheen through extra cover only to drag the ball onto off stump.Shaheen’s party continued when he dismissed Rashid Khan with a slower ball. He bowled almost an offcutter beating Rashid all end up and Fakhar Zaman made it 210-8 by taking a simple catch at mid-off.Score BoardAfghanistanRahmat Shah c Babar b Imad 35Gulbadin Naib c Sarfaraz b Shaheen 15Hashmat Shahidi c Imad b Shaheen 0Ikram Alikhil c Hafeez b Imad 24Asghar Afghan b Shadab 42Mohammad Nabi c Amir b Riaz 16Najibullah Zadran b Shaheen 42Samiullah Shinwari not out 19Rashid Khan c Fakhar b Shaheen 8Hamid Hassan b Riaz 1Mujeeb Ur Rahman not out 7Extras: (lb8, w10) 18Total: (for nine wkts, 50 overs) 227Fall of wickets: 1-27 (Naib), 2-27 (Shahidi), 3-57 (Shah), 4-121 (Asghar), 5-125 (Alikhil), 6-167 (Nabi), 7-202 (Najibullah), 8-210 (Rashid), 9-219 (Hassan)Bowling: Imad 10-0-48-2, Amir 10-1-41-0 (1w), Shaheen 10-0-47-4 (4w), Hafeez 2-0-10-0, Riaz 8-0-29-2 (4w), Shadab 10-0-44-1 (1w) Toss: Afghanistan Umpires: Nigel Llong (ENG) and Paul Wilson (AUS)TV Umpires: Chris Gaffaney (NZL).

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ATP should have say over ‘unfair’ Wimbledon seedings: Nadal

LONDON: Rafael Nadal said Saturday that the ATP should have more say over the seedings at Wimbledon with the two-time champion, who was relegated a spot for this year’s tournament, describing the system as “unfair.”The 33-year-old, who moved to within two of Roger Federer’s record 20 Grand Slam triumphs with his 12th French Open earlier this month, said his qualms over Wimbledon organisers modifying the seedings according to grass court form rather than adhering to the world rankings, were valid as it is the only Grand Slam event to do so.Nadal has been leap-frogged by eight-time champion Roger Federer in the seedings with the Spaniard seeded three, one below his ranking of second in the world. He believes men’s tour ruling body the ATP should use their influence that comes with giving Wimbledon 2000 ranking points to affect how they seed the players.“I respect all the situations,” said Nadal at his pre-Wimbledon press conference on Saturday. “The stuff is about the ATP. We give two thousand points to this event. “We let them to do whatever they want. That’s something that I don’t understand, because I can’t create an impact, not by myself.”Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 Wimbledon champion, said he was also worried the impact that altered seedings could have on the end of season rankings on players such as Alexander Zverev or Dominic Thiem.Last year’s beaten finalist Kevin Anderson has been seeded fourth even though he has had an injury-affected season and is ranked at eight in the world, below Zverev and French Open finalist Thiem.

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FIFA decides to appoint body to resolve PFF dispute

KARACHI: In order to resolve the long-standing dispute between the two factions FIFA has decided to appoint a normalisation committee which will run day-to-day affairs of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) and hold elections of the federation and respective districts and provincial associations within nine months.This also ended a long rule of the outgoing PFF chief Faisal Saleh Hayat who had been running the federation since 2003.However it is not yet known whether Faisal will contest the PFF next elections under the normalisation committee or not. “On 27 June 2019, the Bureau of the FIFA Council decided to appoint a normalisation committee for the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) in accordance with art. 14 par. 1 (a) and art. 8 par. 2 of the FIFA Statutes,” FIFA said in a press release on Saturday.“The decision follows the recent FIFA/AFC fact-finding mission’s visit to Pakistan, which concluded that only free, fair and transparent elections of the PFF executive committee would reunite the football stakeholders in Pakistan and set the basis for the development of football which has been at a standstill since 2015,” FIFA said. A joint four-member fact-finding mission of FIFA and the AFC last month had investigated the issue by interviewing all parties concerned and its report caused FIFA’s decision to appoint normalisation committee.According to FIFA, the normalisation committee will run the PFF’s daily affairs, ensure the proper registration and scrutiny of the clubs in Pakistan, draft and ratify, with the assistance of FIFA and the AFC, an electoral code for the PFF, organise and conduct elections at district followed by provincial levels and organise and conduct the elections of a new PFF executive committee. “The normalisation committee will be composed of an adequate number of members to be identified by the FIFA administration, in consultation with the AFC and relevant local stakeholders. In line with the FIFA Governance Regulations, all members of the normalisation committee will be subject to an eligibility check,” FIFA said.“The normalisation committee would act as an electoral committee whose decisions are final and binding, and the specified period of time during which it will perform its functions will expire as soon as it has fulfilled all of its tasks but no later than nine months after its members have been officially appointed by FIFA,” it conceded.“FIFA and the AFC will now begin the task of identifying, interviewing and selecting the members of the normalisation committee – an update will be provided on that matter in due course,” FIFA said.Pakistan’s football suffered a lot due to the dispute between the two factions since 2015.Pakistan also faced FIFA’s suspension in late 2017. The nation missed numerous international events because of the dispute.The outgoing PFF president Faisal Saleh Hayat has appreciated the decision of FIFA of appointing a normalisation committee.“It’s a positive decision for the future of the game in Pakistan,” Faisal told ‘The News’ on Saturday from London.“I have said repeatedly that without FIFA and AFC Pakistan football cannot grow and prosper. It is vital to follow and fully adopt their statutes and directives. FIFA has, in its decision, maintained its earlier position of not accepting December 12, 2018 Supreme Court-imposed elections which Ashfaq and Company were repeatedly trumpeting that they will have to accept,” he said.“I have always contributed in a positive and selfless manner towards the growth of football in Pakistan which was nowhere when I took over and established a strong infrastructure and foundation in the then non-existent system,” claimed Faisal, also the AFC vice-president.“My international contacts have always been employed to help and develop Pakistan as records prove without doubt. Because of the obstinacy, self-seeking and corrupt mindsets of these destroyers of Pakistan football today we find ourselves at rock bottom of international standings and in comparison look at our achievements in 2014 and early 2015 where we beat teams much higher in rankings than us,” Faisal said.He said turmoil started in 2015 with the massive government interference and the perpetrators of that were still there to keep eating up the huge money the PFF under him had saved for the development of the game and in the process completely destroyed football.“Now these corrupt and inept elements have nowhere to go but to vacate the offices they occupy and surrender the funds they continue to squander, given to PFF by FIFA and the AFC,” Faisal said.Meanwhile Syed Ashfaq Hussain, president of PFF formed on December 12, 2018 as a result of the Supreme Court-ordered elections, also welcomed FIFA’s decision of appointing normalisation committee. “I am more than happy and it should have been done,” Ashfaq told this correspondent.“We had told the FIFA mission that we are ready for elections. We are waiting for the FIFA decision who the world body will appoint as members of the normalisation committee. If elections are held under FIFA then I hope they will be fair and transparent,” Ashfaq said. About handling of PFF accounts so far Ashfaq said everything had been fair.“Personally I have not spent a single penny on myself from the PFF exchequer. When I move around the country I spend from my own pocket,” said Ashfaq. He said he had no enmity with Faisal, adding, his sole aim was to serve football and work for its betterment.

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Lord’s balcony fitting stage for Barty

LONDON: Australia’s women’s tennis world number one Ashleigh Barty has achieved another dream — standing on the balcony at Lord’s, the home of cricket.The 23-year-old French Open champion, who last Sunday emulated compatriot Evonne Goolagong Cawley in topping the women’s world rankings, was invited onto the balcony by the Australian men’s cricket team after they beat England in their World Cup match. Barty had pulled out of the Eastbourne tournament due to a sore arm which she says is now absolutely fine. So, as she rested her injury, she headed to Lord’s. “It’s always good when Aussies beat the English, isn’t it?” said Barty, who once took a break from tennis to play professional cricket.“At Lords, it was incredible. “The Australian cricket team were nice enough to invite us into the dressing rooms, as well, which was a bucket list item. “Standing on the balcony at Lords was pretty incredible.”Barty, like Goolagong Cawley an indigenous Australian, said being number one had not changed her outlook.

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What went wrong?

Pakistan confronts a serious paradox. It was once home to world-class achievers in virtually every field of human activity. Today, it stagnates. We remember the icons the country produced in philanthropy, science, literature, poetry, banking, industry, diplomacy and sports. The glaring omission from this exalted list is competent and devoted politicians; this omission actually spawns our predicament! (There were exceptions of course like Husyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, Muhammad Khan Junejo and our soldiers, sailors and airmen).Have we justified our independence? Perhaps not. Our failure negatively impacts both akistanis and the 150 million Muslims left behind in India. ‘Where did we go wrong?’ was the question I put to Ghulam Ishaq Khan, Justice Bhagwan Das, Gen Sahibzada Yaqub, Professor Khwaja Masud, Ardeshir Cowasjee, Dr Ruth Pfau, Air Marshal Asghar Khan and Roedad Khan. (Add Abdul Sattar Edhi, Dr Adeeb Rizvi, Dr Bari and a couple of others to this list and you will find the finest the country ever saw). Their answers were broadly similar; the country suffered because the leadership deviated from the cherished ideals. A sceptic might conjecture that leadership betrayal alone may not provide the complete answer because it begs further query on why quality leadership remained absent in the Islamic republic?What were the cherished ideals? Simply stated, good governance in an egalitarian society. The culture of intolerance, in Pakistan and elsewhere, is survival-based. It is generally a product of a subsistence environment, forbidding geography, scorching temperatures, water scarcity and diverse ethnicity. This explains our violent, acquisitive and intemperate conduct. The competition for scarce resources, interspersed with blood-curdling invasions, has mostly spawned our base traits. These traits form the bedrock of our politics today. Everyone needs to associate with the power wielders; outsiders are deemed enemies. (Generally, Muslims showed greater religious, cultural and intellectual tolerance in the more benign climes of Spain, Mesopotamia and Turkey (in parts) and in Malaysia and Indonesia).Pakistan both, before and after 1971, was egregiously polarized ethnically and materially. Economic disparities soon led to obvious consequences. Insensitive resource allocations actually heightened disparities among provinces and regions over time. Denial of effective political clout and financial disempowerment to neglected provinces and regions bred frustrations. The forced amalgamation into One Unit in West Pakistan was a body blow while the coerced electoral parity with East Pakistan, also in 1956, led to the political divide. What was required was wise leadership but what the people got was partisan rhetoric and abusive conduct by the politicians. They strutted around arrogantly while in power and cringed sheepishly when out of it.Today the rampaging animosities along personal, political, ethnic and sectarian lines prevent the leadership from focusing on politics of compromise and consensus. In the erstwhile tribal areas contentious matters were resolved through ‘give and take’ bargaining, quite similar to the ‘A Willingness to Offer – A Willingness to Accept’ formula taught in Harvard. Serious differences prevail on managing the economy, the preferred mode of merging the former tribal agencies, enhancing complete literacy, technical education, family planning, land use regulation and developing water reservoirs. These can only be resolved through compromise, consideration and civility. Remember: abusive language cannot be washed.Major issues aside, Pakistanis cannot even manage sport. Old Trafford is now the new metaphor. Hockey, squash, football, athletics, cricket and other sports associations are riddled with discord, incompetence, nepotism and corruption but the powerful mafias remain unaccountable. Pakistan today cannot qualify for the final rounds in international hockey and athletics events though way back gold medals came our way regularly. Wrestlers, boxers and footballers from Lyari, Pishin and Quetta find no sponsors while nearly a billion rupees are allegedly misspent by one major sport federation alone.Can this situation be remedied? I really doubt it because after all it is the politicians who make all decisions and why would they disturb the gratuitous status quo? Anyway here are a few suggestions to streamline our political environment. (Conscience-keepers, please note).There is broad consensus among development gurus that political stability is the most important ingredient in a nation’s quest for growth. Some thinkers place 75 percent weight to long-term policy consistency. China, South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, Turkey and Chile are good examples. And Bangladesh too during the past quarter century. Debating the efficacies of presidential and parliamentary forms of government is therefore a sterile exercise because both systems would remain under the politicians’ control.Three amendments need consideration for achieving greater political and economic stability. First, the figurehead office of the president needs additional constitutional authority in monitoring defence, foreign affairs and the economy.Second, the majority party after assuming power should not be subject to removal for the first three years of its tenure through floor crossing. This would provide continuity to policies, eliminate the politics of blackmail and reduce political temperatures.Lastly, there must be a fairer distribution of the country’s resources for under-developed regions like central and south Balochistan, southern Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. All concerned should reread our history. For instance, the economically developed provinces cannot remain callously unmindful to the genuine needs of the long neglected people of the recently merged tribal areas. All major development programmes of the federation and the provinces should be evaluated by the recently established National Development Council, with regional representatives, to pre-empt squandering of precious resources on unproductive monuments like costly metros and mushrooming humanities universities.Some time back I asked a person from Balochistan when the disturbances in the province would end. He replied ‘when every house has water and electricity with convenient access to education and health facilities’. He did not appear highly educated but his vision was twenty-twenty. As for the vision of those who ruled us since long, the less said the better.The writer has served as the chief secretary of GB, AJK, KP and Sindh and was the chairman of Wapda and the Pakistan Railways.Email: markhornine@gmail.com

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Beware, we’re losing it

Every passing day we seem to be getting fresh hints that we, collectively, are beginning to lose it. But the evidence there is of a likely societal failure is not always easy to decipher. With our focus on rising economic difficulties and gathering political disarray, there is not enough concern about our fearful deficiencies in the domain of social capital and human development.What is, however, obvious is loss of hope. Even when they do not understand the economy and the assertions made by political adversaries, ordinary people are fully cognisant of the brutal realities of their own lives. And they do not only see but live this drift towards disaster.Meanwhile, we have to contend with the heady rush of headlines in the media. So the big news at this time is that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, with the help of its allies, managed to get the budget approved from the National Assembly on Friday.Also on Friday, Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Bajwa addressed a seminar on ‘Pakistan’s Economy: Challenges and Way Forward’, held at the National Defence University (NDU). In the present situation, his observations are quite significant and it was perfect news sense that they became the main lead in Saturday’s papers. The passing of the budget was largely a formality and had to take second place.He endorsed the tough measures taken by the government of Imran Khan and blamed decisions that had been taken in the past for the current fiscal mess. It has been noted that Gen Bajwa’s observations were very significant since he is the first army chief of the country to have been included in a top economic consultative body.For the purpose of this column, I want to underline the army chief’s appreciation of the present difficulties and that “it’s time to be a nation”. He endorsed the view that Pakistan should have greater connectivity with all its neighbours and with the region. The stress, thus, was on trade and greater economic cooperation.The big question, as always, is why this has not happened. Why are we not a nation, in some ways? Why have we not concentrated on our social and economic development? And, finally, what can we do with what we are left with?One measure of what is rotting is the spectacle we are constrained to watch on the floor of the National Assembly. I find the squabble over the expression ‘prime minister select’ or ‘selected prime minister’ very instructive. It tells a lot about how our political discourse has degenerated in recent times and what messages are contained in this communication.Look at the comedy that was prompted by the ban on the word ‘selected’ by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly even when the august House has usually been reverberating with vile accusations against adversaries. Of course, an idea can be conveyed in many different words. Marriyum Aurangzeb called Imran Khan ‘handpicked’ in the National Assembly on Friday.Expectedly, this frivolity of making an innocent world un-parliamentary invited widespread comment, including in the foreign media. It was said that the phrase ‘selected prime minister’ thus used by the opposition, implied that Imran Khan’s election victory last year was engineered by the establishment, the press was muzzled and opposing parties were targeted long before the polls.Still, take this as an aside. Incredibly more serious and shocking were remarks made by Faisal Vawda, who is a federal minister, in one session of the National Assembly. If you remember, he had suggested in a talk show that if 5,000 persons were hanged, the problems of the country would be resolved. Speaking in the sacred premises of the National Assembly, he amended his previous recipe for progress by recommending that those people should first be tied to a vehicle and dragged on the streets before being hanged.Believe it or not, this is what we have to endure and if we really try to comprehend this and similar performance of a number of federal ministers and leaders of the PTI, our minds boggle. Needless to say, Vawda’s words spoken in the National Assembly were not expunged. Are we slowly and gradually slipping into some kind of a fascist dispensation? Some of the signs, with reference to freedom of expression and human rights, are easily detectable.Hence, the real worry is about where we are headed, despite all the corrective measures that our rulers are now being compelled to adopt. As I see it, and it is something that social scientists should be assigned to study, the life that is led in the lower depths of our society is beyond redemption. It is so dreary and contrary to any political perception of what the ‘awam’ really are like that if any change is in the offing, it is bound to be catastrophic.Signs of a breakdown are becoming more fearsome. Reports of suicides, murders, heinous crimes and other forms of what they call deviant behaviour are not properly reported. Only occasionally does a child sexual abuse case become a national crisis. But this does not seem to affect the situation on the ground.You may find some glimpses of this collective disorder if you make contact with ordinary people and observe the struggle they go through to make simply to stay alive. You can see how they behave when they become members of a mob. Walk the streets and breathe the air of utter madness that pervades the environment.Yes, there are also some hard facts about our social reality that are truly disturbing. Probe any aspect of our society relating to education, health, women, children, minorities and many other areas polluted with violent extremism and orthodoxy and you will find some evidence of what is happening to us.One area of great concern is mental health. I recall that in one discussion on the subject of de-stigmatising mental health held last month, Dr Haroon Ahmed, president of Pakistan Association for Mental Health had said that every second house in Karachi has one or more persons taking tranquilizers and every fourth house has a psychosomatic or psychiatrist problem. This and widespread, masked depressive disorder.Unfortunately, the IMF cannot advise or help us in dealing with these issues. All it can do is contribute to our post-budget stress disorder. But our rulers do talk about other countries that have met their challenges, without being able to look at the difference.The writer is a senior journalist.Email: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com

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