Remembering the Day of Reckoning

It will soon be a year since the earthquake struck our northern lands. Much has been said about the devastation caused by the disaster and even more has been said about the inefficiency of our government. Articles pertaining to both these things have found their way time and again on the front pages of newspapers and equal coverage has been given to these issues in the media.

However, amidst all this negativity, one major positive aspect has been ignored. No one has really come up and celebrated the spirit shown by the whole Pakistani nation. This spirit was something that rose out of nowhere. In fact, many people in the past have doubted the ability of this nation to rise in the time of need and devastation, and yet, when the earthquake struck, it woke up the nationalistic spirit within our society that had been dormant.

From thousands of volunteers working day and night at the PAF Air Base to hundreds of groups going to the north to help in the rehabilitation of the survivors, our people, especially the youth did more than what was expected of them. People who had observed our society for many years were overwhelmed with this sudden national unity and the were forced to applaud the wonderful effort of our people.

It is true that a lot more could have been done had the government and the respective agencies been efficient. It is also true that a lot of funds went missing and it is also true that a significant amount of supplies for the earthquake survivors found there way into the markets. But these actions aren’t representative of the average Pakistani. In fact, it may well be correct to say that the government and the agencies are not clear representatives of our people!

I felt proud to hear an elderly person tell me that the effort he had seen by the Pakistani youth had reminded him of the war effort in 1965 and the unity shown by the people freshened his memories of the unity that the Pakistani people had shown at the time of independence. i felt proud because my generation had done something parallel to the great feats that those before us had accomplished.

As I know look in the past at that day of reckoning, I realize that even though the earthquakes destroyed the homes of our brothers and sisters, it woke up the sleeping giant that had been within us for a long time.  And i believe that along with expressing sorrow over what happened a year ago, we must also celebrate the spirit that this nation showed after that day of reckoning

Uzair M. Younis SY-L

Bill Clinton at The Labour Party Conference

Former US President Bill Clinton was chief guest at the Labour Party Conference 2006 in Blackpool. He addressed the party making what turned out to be a truly inspiring and momentous speech. What stood out was his presentation of vast ideologies in short phrases that not only delivered tremendous and stunning impact but captured the audience and gave a clear message. He began by praising the Prime Minister Tony Blair, his cabinet and the Labour Party for their successes, especially at battling the problems of poverty, instability and global warming and for preserving the UK’s alliance with the USA. Clinton then began the main part of his speech addressing many current issues and challenges. “It’s a different world. This world has been a really good deal for many of us,” he said. “But fundamentally the fact remains that the modern world is unequal, unstable and unsustainable.”

The world remains unequal because of problems such as economic incongruity, poverty, social contrast and racial prejudice. These problems stem from our failure to realise the principle of equality among all human beings. The former President addressed this problem recalling the day when, during a video conference with Tony Blair, there was news of a breakthrough by scientists in human genome research. It was discovered that all human beings were 99.9% genetically identical. Furthermore if, for example, a genetic sample was taken from one person from an interbred tribe in the Middle East and a genetic sample was taken from a person from an interbred tribe in South America, the two samples would be more similar than two samples from the same tribe. He also presented the fact that most people spend 99% of their time thinking about the 0.1% difference between themselves and others. Therefore we should realise our similarity and equality and try to achieve reduce disparity. “We really believe our common humanity is more important than our interesting differences,” he said. He then continued, “We know that half a world away, trapped in poverty, there’s some little kid … who’s just as smart as our kid and just as deserving of a decent life.”

The world remains unstable because of problems such as political insecurity and terrorism. These problems can only be tackled if their roots are addressed because if they are not then these problems will only resurface. Fighting a war does not address the roots of these problems and therefore it is more appropriate to use more sensible approaches that would save lives and would be less costly. “Since we can’t kill, jail or occupy all of our enemies… we also have to spend some time and money making more and more partners and fewer enemies,” he said. He went on to explain, “It is so much cheaper to alleviate poverty, put kids in school, fight disease, build government capacity and economic capacity in a poor country than it is to fight a war.” Clinton also expressed regret at missing his opportunity during his term to send aid to Pakistan to develop education along with aid he had sent to support Pakistan militarily and now the country was threatened by terrorism as many children who could not afford education went to madrassahs and at some children were taught a twisted version of their faith.

The world remains unsustainable because of problems such as the depletion of resources and global warming. Finding cleaner alternative sources of energy is not only an environmental issue, it has economic implications. The result would be less reliance and demand on non-renewable resources and generally less instability which would be the key not only to future growth but it would be the key to protecting ourselves and the environment from the harmful effects of global warming. He promised that a full commitment to finding cleaner and alternative energy sources would not only prevent natural disasters, save lives, and sustain and protect the environment but would also bring about a fresh round of economic growth.

Clinton’s speech was, to say the least, admirable. It was hopeful and courageous yet clear and precise and despite the fact that in many peoples’ eyes the shadow of the infamous scandal still looms over him, I am sure that the speech itself gained him the respect and appreciation of many.

Walid Sharif FY

Fatima Bhutto stops by to talk about her book, based on Oct 8 2005 earthquake

On 3 Oct, Fatima Bhutto, daughter of late Murtaza Bhutto, and grand-daughter of former prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, was invited by the ‘History Society’ of Karachi Grammar School, to talk about her book, “8:50 AM: stories of hope and courage from the earthquake areas.”  

The book, which is based on the earthquake that hit Pakistan’s northern areas, was written with the help of her mother. Its purpose is to keep the reality of the earthquake fresh in each and every one of our minds and hearts, with special importance being laid upon the role of the youth.  

She spoke about how she was sad to see how Pakistani people’s attitude towards earthquake victims had changed drastically in the short period of a year. 

Last year, Ms.Bhutto visited the earthquake affected areas, where she developed close relationships with victims. She narrated the case of a child, Afia, at the Sachet Clinic in Islamabad, a set-up converted into a field hospital for the quake-affected people. Afia had had to have her fingers amputated. But even with the burden of physical pain, when Afia talked, there was a tone of hope and optimism in her voice. On being asked her name, instead of saying it, she quickly scribbled it on a piece of paper, despite her amputated fingers.   

Ms.Bhutto spoke of the needs of the children – a thirst to talk to people, to let them know what they, the children had experienced. Victims will given the chance tell us what exactly happened on October 8th 2005.  

Balakot has been destroyed to such an extent, that the government is building a new city under the name of ‘Balakot’, in Bakrial, a place 30km south of the actual Balakot. The government intends on modernizing this city as well as making it a tourist resort. While she was staying in Balakot, an idea came up about how to build temporary houses. People were to take jute bags and fill them with anything they could find, like rocks, mud, etc. They should build the house in the shape of an igloo so that in case of an earthquake, if the bags were to fall inwards, they would not cause damage to the extent that the bricks had. But, this idea was not followed up later, because in Ms. Bhutto’s words, “people did not want the sense of permanency.”  

She questioned the wisdom of shifting villages in the quake-ravaged areas to new sites rather than reconstructing them at the present ones. Referring to a big hoarding depicting, a VIP calling for co-operation in semi-reconstruction of the quake-ravaged areas, she exclaimed, “Why semi-reconstruction? Why not total reconstruction?”. She expressed doubts on as to whether the President’s Relief Fund would be enough to cater to the massive needs of the affected areas.  

She felt that there is a lack in awareness and education. In her opinion, if a country such as Pakistan is built on a fault line, then the citizens should be trained in the case of an earthquake, especially in schools. She narrated an incident of an all-girls school, in which the students on feeling the earthquake, started to run out of the classrooms. The teacher called them back inside and told them to sit down and pray. After a while, when the situation got serious, the students and teachers evacuated the building. However, it was too late and many girls lost their precious lives.  

From a clear cut tone, a mode of cynicism began to take over the mood of the talk. There was $6 billion us dollars collected in relief aid provided by international agencies, but, “where did it go?” questioned Fatima Bhutto. By stating that the government was corrupt and it had been noticed that most of the money was “eaten” by political leaders, she urged the youth, citizens and the like to question because they had the right to know where the money they donated was spent. On this point, she also felt there was often difficulty in being able to donate money to reliable sources.  

Fatima Bhutto gave an idea on how to improve awareness amongst our society. She said that young people should be making it a point to discuss such issues on TV shows, and write insightful and questioning articles.  

She felt that the government is not involved in helping out to the same degree as a common man. The army was not doing sufficient work, as their attitude came across as derogatory and critical towards civilians. The lower officers were more helpful as they had personally suffered family losses.  

At the time of the earthquake, there were 3 Pakistani and 1 US helicopter, which for Ms.Bhutto was a very poor use of manpower. She questioned why we are so independent on foreign aid and foreign know-how when we have considerable resources of our own and a highly trained manpower.  

On a more positive note, she felt that the reconstruction stage appeared promising – firstly, the way the Pakistani population came together like never before, and secondly, in the sense that it opened up a new field of experience for many youngsters.  

The only way in Fatima Bhutto’s opinion that the situation of the earthquake can improve is, if we, as individuals, continue to do what we can. We must get together with other young people, write and speak out.    

Fatima would donate all the royalty from the book to rebuild the lives of children, victims of the apocalyptic quake, who had lost most of their dear ones to the monstrous tragedy, while the Oxford University Press (OUP) would give the proceeds from the sale of the book to The Citizens’ Foundation (TCF) for the rehabilitation of the affected folk.

To contact Fatima Bhutto: fatima.bhutto@gmail.com  

The Passion for Sports is there, all we need are the Facilities

The only sport in which Pakistan seems to excel internationally is cricket. Gone is the time when Pakistan were world champions in hockey; they came sixth in the Hockey World Cup 2006. What is the reason for that? More and more people embrace cricket as it can be played almost anywhere. How many fields do we have in which people can freely go and play hockey?

The worrying issue is that the government is paying absolutely no attention to the many complaints that have already reached Dawn and Daily Times. Why then do we still declare Hockey as the national sport of Pakistan when nobody is willing to devote himself or herself to it? Even cricket has been undergoing a slight but steady decline. Whilst people play cricket very often, ninety nine out of hundred times one will see them playing with a “tape ball” (this needs no explanation) on the streets. Playing cricket with a tennis ball is very different from cork ball cricket, which is played internationally(not to mention at high grades of club cricket as well as first class cricket). Playing cork ball cricket requires a field and, of course, we have very few people who can afford daily or even weekly practice in such fields to attain mastery in the sport.

Let us move to the growing sport of football. Sure, a lot of us can access the Khayaban-e-Rahat ground ground very frequently and enjoy the sport more than cricket. But what of the rest (and I dare say majority) of us? There are only three local football grounds in Karachi: The Rahat Stadium, the Aga Khan Football Ground and the KMC Football Ground. All of these three grounds are quite expensive to book. Besides this, due to the lack of fields these grounds are almost always booked and thus not only is it tedious to arrange a football match, but the grass is worn out due to over-usage.

Athletics is another area where Pakistan may prove to be very good at but seeing that there is only the National Coaching centre available to the entire population of Karachi, the chances of Pakistan excelling are very dim. Even swimming is difficult to access. Public swimming pools are so dirty that many are afraid to use them in fear of a skin infection, if not anything worse.

Undoubtedly private clubs such as the Karachi Club or Karachi Gymkhana have excellent sporting facilities. Yet the question is: How many of us have access to them? Membership costs can go up to an incredulous one million Pakistani Rupees(not to mention monthly fees etc) and due to Pakistan being a developing country a small minority can afford it.

The Government must do something about this increasing problem as the population grows each day. Sporting facilities can not only serve as a source of revenue to the government but can also produce sportsmen who can raise Pakistan’s stature in the world of sport as well as providing local people a better, healthier society to live in. If the government does not make such facilities available to all, then many potential world champions will die as commoners which will be a great loss for everyone. 

Hasan Abbas FY-M