Pakistan Link - December 25, 2015 by PL PUBLICATIONS

Pakistan Link The Largest Circulated Pakistani-American Newspaper in North America

Friday, December 25, 2015

VOL. 25/52 - 13 Rabi ‘ul-awwal 1437 H

PAGE 17

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The Army and the Making of Movie Jinnah

Why is Nawaz Getting Cold Feet on Sindh?

Muslims Raise $215,000 for Families of San Bernardino Victims

Members of various organizations are seen at the handing-over-of-check ceremony at the office of United Way

n By Owaiz Dadabhoy San Bernardino, CA: As I write this, temperatures in the Southland are hovering around the 40-degree mark. I walk outside early this morning with a jacket on. It has rained overnight, the air is fresh, and the streets are clean. I hurriedly come back inside to warm up and have a hot drink. I stop and

think for a moment about our neighbors who do not have shelter and I wonder how they will warm up and how they will get their wet clothes, socks and shoes dry again. When we started UPLIFT Charity 10 years ago we knew there were many organizations already doing work. Many of them happened to be from other than the Muslim faith. FAMILIES, P18

New Consul General Takes Charge at Los Angeles Consulate

Consul General Abdul Jabbar Memon

Los Angeles, CA: Mr Abdul Jabbar Memon assumed charge as the Consul General of Pakistan at the Pakistan Consulate in Los Angeles on December 21, 2015. Consul General Memon sat down with Pakistan Link for an exclusive interview at the Consulate.

Following is a verbatim reproduction of the question-and-answer session. PL: Please tell us about your educational background, starting from your early education. CG Memon: My initial CG, P30

US & Canada $1.00

Muslim Woman Wins US Professor of the Year Award

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PTI Stuns PML-N in By-Election Bahawalpur: Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf on Wednesday finally put a stop to the winning streak of rival Pakistan Muslim LeagueNawaz in Punjab as its candidate Jahangir Tareen convincingly defeated the ruling party’s candidate Siddique Khan Baloch in the NA-154 (Lodhran-1) by-election. According to unofficial results, Tareen, who is also general secretary of the PTI, bagged 117,053 votes against 73,247 of Baloch which shows the victory margin was 43,806 votes. Unofficially, the Jubilant Jahangir Khan Tareen and PTI workers celebrate victory in Lodhran turnout was between 55 rupee development pack- May 2013 general elec- bunal’s verdict regarding to 60 per cent. age for the district. tions. The tribunal had re-election. Interestingly, the An election tribunal ordered re-election in Wednesday’s by-elecPML-N candidate lost the had disqualified Baloch the constituency. Later, tion was largely peaceby-election even though for life on August 26 for Baloch approached the ful except for sporadic Prime Minister Nawaz holding a forged educa- Supreme Court, which fistfights and scuffles beSharif visited Lodhran tional certificate on the on October 28, allowed tween PTI and PML-N on November 6 and an- plea of Tareen, who was him to contest the by-poll supporters at a few nounced a multibillion- defeated by Baloch in the while maintaining the tri- PTI, P28

Interfaith “United We Stand” Event in Sacramento

The lineup of formidable speakers included Father Michael Kiernan (Chaplain, Beale Air Force Base), Ms Ellen Eggers (Office of State Public Defender), Gary Miller (Clerk, Sacramento Friends (Quakers), Troy Sowers (Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, FBI), Rabbi Mona Alfi (Congregation B’nai Israel), Rev Brian Baker (Dean, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral), Scott Jones (Sheriff, Sacramento County), Imam Kashif Ahmed (SALAM Religious Director), Rev Alan Jones (St Mark’s United Methodist Church), George Nicholson (Justice, Third District Court of Appeal), Dr Anne Kjemtrup (Chairperson SALAM), Imam Azeez (President, Tarbiya Institute) and Rev Jeff Cota (Church of Scientology)

n By Ras H. Siddiqui Sacramento, CA: The theme for

the evening was “United We Stand” and the packed SALAM Commu-

nity Center exhibited an exemplary warmth and understanding between faiths on December 14, 2015, one which took the Sacramento community to the next level of peace

Periodical postage paid at Newport Beach, CA and additional mailing offices

and togetherness. The event was arranged by the Interfaith Council of Greater Sacramento and it addressed the need

EVENT, P19

P2 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

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DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P3

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OPINION

P4 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

Pakistan Link President

Arif Zaffar Mansuri

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Regional Offices YKKB ykkb03@gmail.com Sacramento, CA

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Jlodhi@pakistanlink.com Houston, TX Houston@Plpublications.org Phoenix, AZ Phoenix@Plpublications.org Ontario, Canada Ontario@Plpublications.org

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Banning Muslims n By Mowahid Hussain Shah

y calling for banning Muslims from America, Donald Trump may have done a favor. The open legitimizing of bigotry has sounded a timely bugle for a wake-up call.

Whether in the East or the West, the common denominator as to who bears the brunt of hate is the weakness of the intended target. Trump’s call is an acid test of Muslims’ mettle – a test now unavoidable. It clarifies and crystallizes the stunning lack of leverage of worldwide Muslims – 25 percent of the world’s population. It also exposes how much of Muslim energies have been squandered into corrupt futility and its self-respect demeaned by cruising on borrowed brains, borrowed friends, and borrowed guns. Exposed, too, is the affluent Arab Establishment, whose divisive Fitna role has left, in its wake, Muslims unsafe, disunited, and clawing at each other. Unfettered social media in the West is now radioactive with anti-Muslim venom. Violative of Islamic values – and equally reprehensible – is mistreatment of minorities in Muslim-majority lands. 1400 years ago, Hazrat Ali had warned about the triple perils of timidity, avarice, and being miserly. These traits have enfeebled unity of commitment. Lest self-pitying victimology overtake good sense, it may be pertinent to gently remind that there

are 57 member states in the OIC. What prevents emerging from hibernation to convene an emergency session to thrash out an interna-

ident. What prevents the US Muslim community transitioning from the margins and living its rightful role as an integral part of first-class

What Trump and his allies are suggesting is unconstitutional under US law. Establishing a religious test for anyone wanting to enter the United States likely violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion, the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process, and the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under law. It also runs counter to the spirit of the Constitution, Article VI of which prohibits requiring a religious test to qualify for public office tional action plan to thwart threats to its dignity and security? The results of docility and being frozen with fear are self-ev-

American citizenry? The emphasis here is on living, not on existing. Sitting quietly means that consent has been given for perpetual vilifi-

cation and bullying. What Trump and his allies are suggesting is unconstitutional under US law. Establishing a religious test for anyone wanting to enter the United States likely violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of freedom of religion, the Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process, and the 14th Amendment’s guarantee of equal protection under law. It also runs counter to the spirit of the Constitution, Article VI of which prohibits requiring a religious test to qualify for public office. It is also illegal under international law, when the world has just celebrated the 67th anniversary, on December 10, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Eleanor Roosevelt, widow of President Franklin Roosevelt, chaired the commission that drafted the document. Article 1 declares that all human beings are equal in dignity and rights, and Article 7 prohibits discrimination under equal protection of the law. In addition, under Article 26 of the 1966 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, all persons are entitled to equal and effective protection from discrimination based on religion. No one segment of society should have that much power. And no segment of society should be that weak. If Muslims feel that their grievances and aspirations are unacknowledged, trivialized, and misrepresented, then the onus is on them to set it right. They can cry about it or do something about it. High shall be the price of inaction.

Thanks to Donald Trump, I Finally The Process of Learning Islam and the Dangers of (Self-) Radicalization Feel American

n By Dr Shahid Athar

n By Aymann Ismail

his is a bit of an unpopular opinion, but thank Allah for Donald Trump. As a Muslim American, it’s been very easy to feel like a foreigner in the country I was born in. Constantly being told that Muslim values don’t equal American values, or that I must be a “moderate” because I haven’t committed a murder, or, more recently, that a strategy for combating terrorism is barring Muslims from entering our country, you begin to wonder yourself if it’s possible to simultaneously be both Muslim and American. But in Islam, if you ask for strength, God will deliver you obstacles to overcome and grow stronger. Muslims have been praying for our plight to be heard, and God gave us Donald Trump. On Thursday, Michael Moore shared a photo of himself defiantly holding a #WeAreAllMuslim poster in front of Trump Tower in New York City. At first I was disgusted by what feels like (and probably is) a publicity stunt and also white person hijacking of a very serious issue. As if something we have been voicing for years is now suddenly legitimate, and shareable on Facebook, because a non-Muslim co-signed. Holding a sign can’t possibly mean you understand the Muslim American experience. But it hasn’t just been Michael Moore who is showing his solidarity

Carmel, Indiana

he purpose of Islam is to make us better human beings. When we fail to do so, we cannot blame the religion but should blame those followers who misunderstood or distorted the message. Sometime they have their own agenda and act irrationally, even justifying their misguided actions.

with Muslims lately. Talk show hosts, celebrity journalists, democrats, even Republicans have been coming together to defend their Muslim neighbors. None of this would be possible without Donald Trump. He showed the world a way of thinking that Muslims have seen their entire lives—“We have a problem, it’s called Muslims”—and the outrage in response has been beautiful. It turns out, America needed a Donald Trump. Without him, Islam would continue to only be discussed in the context of violence and terrorism. Instead, Trump brought Islamophobia onto every prime-time news network and social media feed, and for the first time in my life I feel overwhelmingly American. (Aymann Ismail is a Slate video producer/editor)

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Many Muslims do not learn Islam in a systemic and organized manner like they study text books of science or medicine. They learn it in a haphazard way and thus fail to fully grasp the philosophy of Islam. The philosophy of Islam includes the mission of the Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), that is love and mercy for all, and respect for the sanctity of human life. We think terrorists and extremists are misguided souls due to lack of education. This is not always true as educated individuals and professionals can be brainwashed and become killers as testified by the Safoora bus massacre in Karachi and the carnage in Paris and San Bernardino. The assailants failed to imbibe the true teachings of Islam and had a flawed interpretation of Islamic education. A true Muslim aims not to vanquish his opponent physically but tries to win over his heart that eventually ushers him

into Islam that signifies surrender to God. A radicalized person’s mind is inoculated with hate and revenge. Brain flow scans show that the morphology of the brain is changed during hate and anger. Thus, during hate and anger one may act with violence which he or she will not indulge in a peaceful state of mind. Before we act, we should ask if this action will please God and His messenger or make Satan happy. One of the core messages of Islam is Justice, not only for oneself and ones loved ones but for all. “O you who believe! Be upright for God, bearer of witness with Justice and let not the hatred of others depart you from PROCESS, P28

Views and opinions express e d by authors and contributors in articles, letters, opinion pieces, reports, advertisements, etc appearing in Pakistan Link and Urdu Link are their own. The paper neither shares nor endorses them and thus should not be held responsible for the views/opinions of the writers & advertisers.

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P5

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OPINION

P6 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

Pakistan Rebounds: An Eye-witness Account n By Mohammad Ashraf Chaudhry

“

Pittsburg, CA

A poor man gets access to chicken meat twice in his life: once when the chicken gets sick, and second when he himself gets sick.” - Ibn Insha, a well-known writer.

I visited Pakistan after six years in November, and I found it remarkably changed, presenting an entirely different look. I had an option to live in Islamabad, but I deliberately chose to live in my ancestral home located in the inner city of Rawalpindi. I wanted to spend as much time as possible at a place where I had spent my childhood; where my children had been born, and where my parents had lived. Besides this emotional back-pack, there was another cogent reason to live there as well. I wanted to get a first-hand knowledge of how the people in the inner cities lived; what their attitude towards life was, how much they invested in human relations, and how cohesive they were in day-to-day life, etc. Positive things first. It is well said by Mr A. P. Gouthey, “To get profit without risk, experience without danger, and reward without work is as impossible as it is to live without being born”. The law of nature and of ethics is that there is no success without sacrifice. Sacrifice is not just parting with something; it is a long-term investment too. The people of Pakistan very genuinely feel thankful to the ultimate sacrifice made by the 144 children and their teachers at the Army Public School in Peshawar on December 16, 2014, that put Pakistan on the sane track. This incident alone finally shut all those mouths that exhausted themselves by convincing that poison is also good in a way; that there is a hidden virtue in extremism; that all evils in Pakistan are the imported ones. The civil governments, in-

cluding the incumbent one, known for footdragging, could never have taken such a firm action as was taken by General Sharif, and that has finally put Pakistan back on the right track. This is not an opinion; it is the general consensus of the people, ranging from a barber to a bureaucrat. Pakistan, currently is going through a process of sloughing itself of what is dead and rotten. But the poisonous residue being sticky like the chewed gum, is still holding on in certain quarters. Still every second madrassa is unregistered; still intelligence sharing is not total; still educational reforms are wanting. One thing is sure, it was observed, the resolve of the army and of people against extremism and terrorism is rocky firm. 80% crimes relating to these two evils have been brought under control. Religious sickness, fanaticism,

intolerance of each other’s views, and the general practice of propagating divisive and hate-filled messages through the platform of religious places has been brought to an end. In the Friday prayers that I offered at five different places during my stay, I heard some very insightful and enlightening Khutbas. For the first time, I moved around in all places without any inhibitions, and without any sense of fear. Fear had actually robbed the people of Pakistan of their creativity, of their potential, and of their freedoms. It was so remarkable to observe an acute sense of self-awareness reemerging afresh in the people. Politicians, however, just looked so out of tune when they were heard making lofty and meaningless pronouncements. Even a street vendor now would know that such statements mean nothing. The politicians must change themselves or they

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would become just redundant. The distrust of common people in the political parties and in politicians has disturbingly reached a very high level, which is not a healthy sign. What, however, was very encouraging to notice was that the people in general appeared sprightly sanguine; bravely facing the brunt of life with stars in their eyes. A very healthy change clearly was perceptible in most of the cities I visited. These common people in essence constitute the real Pakistan, not the one I met with in such posh localities as the Defense; the Bahria; the Faziaia and many more. They are good developments, but they are mockingly in contrast to the lifestyle of the common people. Real people living in the inner cities of Pakistan seem to have been abandoned by the rich and the powerful and by those who govern them. The children of these common people attend sub-standard schools operated in houses; their health conditions also did not appear very satisfactory. Most of them were found suffering from life-threatening diseases to which they got exposed due to the polluted drinking water, and due to the unhygienic clinics they visited. Their miseries were pathetic in the sense that they appeared to have been left at the mercy of the doctors who fleeced them with a sense of vengeance. The street in front of the house I lived in was re-surfaced due to the reasons known best to the government that released the funds just before the local body elections. They did re-surface the street, but damaged the underground water pipes. The result being that in one street alone I spotted the water leaking out at four different places. And this was a common phenomenon. In all the 27 days that I lived there, no effort was made to remedy the situation. A kind of passivity and resignation appeared to have settled in the people. Clearly there was lack of unity among the people PAKISTAN, P20

OPINION

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P7

Why is Nawaz Getting Cold Feet on Sindh? n By Karamatullah K. Ghori Toronto, Canada

here couldn’t be a more deserving case for the power barons of Islamabad to impose the governor’s rule on Sindh.

The imbecile Chief Minister of Sindh—the doddering octogenarian, Qaim Ali Shah—has been daring Islamabad to call his bluff with his provocative dragging of feet on the issue of renewing the Pakistan Rangers’ mandate to carry on their 18-month-old cleanup operation in Karachi. At Qaim’s behest the Sindh Assembly, with its thumping PPP majority has been playing cat-andmouse with the issue, mischievously filibustering and calculatedly thumbing their noses at Islamabad’s puffed-up power dispensers. But this brash petulance of Qaim and his minions is apparently not provocative enough for a stolid Nawaz Sharif, for it isn’t moving him, at all, or rubbing him on the wrong side. As in so many other similar situations in the past, Nawaz has taken to the aerial route and just nonchalantly embarked on overseas jaunts, leaving his minions to scramble, scratch their heads in bewilderment and wonder why the boss is showing so much insensitivity that could only embolden the erring Sindh ruling elite into more indiscretion and

misconduct. I, for one, have never had any fancy notions about Nawaz being a man of any imagination or insight. The man is a sinecure and it could only be attributed to the misfortune—or misdeeds—of the people of Pakistan that a politician of his low caliber has been PM for a third time. But even a man of his abysmal intelligence ought to understand the gravity of the situation unleashed by Sindh’s perennially incompetent and corrupt ruling thugs’ calculated affront to a force that has been working its butts out to tackle the monster of terrorism in Karachi. It’s clear as daylight why and how a knee-jerk buffoon like Qaim Ali Shah has suddenly donned the mantle of a Superman and taken upon himself to defy the collective might of GHQ and Islamabad’s civilian cabal headed by Nawaz. Qaim is no better than a puppet at the end of the string and is doing the bidding of his master, who fled the country months ago to ensconce himself in the haven of his Dubai hideout and call the shots in Sindh from the safety of that remote sanctuary. Nawaz’ home honcho, the incorrigible Chaudhry Nisar, has got it right. He hit the bull’s eye, in his press conference of a few days ago, when he, calling a spade a spade, said it in so many words: the junkies in the PPP-studded Sindh establishment are challenging the Rangers, and the powers-that-be, only for the sake of one man. That one man, as every Paki-

stani is aware of, is none other than Asif Ali Zardari. The corruption-incarnate Zardari has been feeling the heat of the Rangers’ anti-corruption drive from the day his principal factotum in the wholesale plunder and loot of Sindh, Dr Asim Hussain, was nabbed by them and brought within the reach of the arm of law of the land. Zardari could never have imagined that denouement befalling his cohort and confidant. He could feel the noose tightening against him and decided to do what every beleaguered con artist would do in such a situation: hit back and take recourse to a last-ditch offence as your best defense. Qaim Ali Shah and the whole corruption-infested PPP clap-trap in the Sindh Assembly are collectively beholden to Zardari for being

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in positions of power. He’s the ring master who has been whipping his minions around and using them as pawns in his elaborate and arcane game of robbing Sindh of its wealth in more ways than one. It should be obvious to Nawaz—it certainly is obvious to Chaudhry Nisar—that Zardari is in his last ditch effort to keep the Rangers from reaching the inner sanctum of his fortress of corruption. No wonder his minions have sprung to action to save their chief ’s fortress from falling to the Rangers’ assault at its ramparts. Dr Asim Hussain was a prized asset to Zardari and with him in the clutches of Rangers and NAB, Zardari’s fortress is that close to being blown up to bits. The Zardari circus is on its last legs; if the Rangers are given the green light to go about their mission

as methodically as they have up to this point, Zardari’s tent could fold within months, if not weeks. The Zardari camp knows it, too, and, hence, has brought its guns out and blazing them as the last throw of their dice. Chaudhry Nisar has done his homework. He has hinted at several options—so many darts in his quiver—at the disposal of the federal government if the Sindh government continues to misbehave or persists in its reluctance to sign on the dotted lines. In the ugly scenario triggered by Zardari’s thugs in Sindh, the imposition of Governor’s rule over the province seems like the most workable solution to overcome the impasse. Such a move is fully warranted under the provision of Pakistan’s Constitution. It is not only a right of the federal government to enforce its will on an erring province but, in the ongoing typical situation in Sindh, more than an obligation too. Rangers have been deployed in Karachi under the anti-terrorism act of Pakistan. It is, in its letterand-spirit a federal subject shared with the province. However, as in this case, if the province concerned shows reluctance, or perceptible lack of will, to do its bit of work, the federal government will have every right to conduct the operation entirely on its own. Pundits keeping their focus over Sindh have long been of the view that the cleanup operation— which was never intended to SINDH, P28

OPINION

P8 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

Paris Agreement on Climate Change: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly n By Henrik Selin and Adil Najam Federick S Pardee School of Global Studies Boston

t 7:27 pm local time Saturday, December 12th, 2015, a new Paris Agreement on global climate change

was born after four years of taxing labor. Its much-anticipated birth was quickly followed by copious self-congratulations by many of the parents in the room who almost all were overcome by joy and bursting with pride.

Praise heaped upon newborns should be taken with a grain of salt. “Historic” is a term often thrown about too cavalierly, and a “new era” does not start every time government bureaucrats pull a few allnighters. But, what has come out of Paris clearly marks a new direction for global climate cooperation. We wish the newborn well, but upon some post-natal reflection, it is clear that the birth of the Paris Agreement should be cause for both hope and caution. Certain political developments are principally good and welcome. Other changes are largely bad. And some purposeful omissions may be plain

Joy and satisfaction moments after the gavel went down to pass the Paris Agreement. Stephane Mahe/Reuters

ugly. The good: climate change policy is back The Paris Agreement signals that climate change is back at the

have been struggling to recover from the Copenhagen fiasco in 2009, where countries failed to agree on a common strategy. The lingering gloom of Copenhagen

helped to breathe new and muchneeded life into the multilateral process of formulating a global approach to climate change mitigation and adaptation. Unprecedent-

The result is a Paris agreement replete with the sound and fury of good intentions, but little else. It is heartwarming, for example, that Paris endorsed the new 1.5°C temperature target. But what is not in the agreement is any clue to how this might be achieved center of the global political agenda – at least for now. A collective weight has been lifted off the backs of the many delegates who for the past six years

has been replaced by Paris euphoria. For this, the French hosts deserve much credit. The two weeks that preceded the birth of the Paris Agreement

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ed participation by world leaders, including President Obama, Chinese President Xi Jinping and other heads of state, at the beginning of the summit helped set the tone

that then allowed national delegates to make the necessary compromises. The Paris Agreement signifies a very welcome return to multilateralism. Much of the Paris conference was also refreshingly transparent; the attempt to be inclusive was honest. As a result, a new collective ambition – of “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels” (Article 2) - has made its way into the text. A major strength of the Paris Agreement is its near universal participation and acceptance of responsibility. This is much-welcome progress from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which only required mitigation action by a limited number of industrial country emitters responsible for bulk of historical emissions. It is also an important step forward from the 2009 Copenhagen Accord, which was put together at great haste by a small group, leaving most countries on the political sidelines. The bad: unaccountable and uncertain The 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change laid down a broad legal structure for global cooperation to which future agreements were intended to provide more specificity. Paris did nothing of AGREEMENT, P9

OPINION n By Dr Akbar S. Ahmed Chair of Islamic Studies at American University Washington, DC

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P9

The Army and the Making of Jinnah

ate in the 1980s when I began to plan a film on the Quaid-i-Azam at Cambridge University I thought it was important to find out how Gandhi was made and who supported the producers. I was most curious, for example, about the spectacular funeral procession in the film. It was said some 400,000 extras participated in that brief scene and because of the numbers it entered the Guinness Book of Records.

That is when I met Rani Dube, co-producer of the Gandhi film, in London and invited her to Cambridge. Rani was most forthcoming and sympathetic to my idea of a film on Jinnah. She recounted her own story. Richard Attenborough was finding it difficult to raise money for the Gandhi film when Rani was asked to fly to Delhi and meet Indira Gandhi, the Prime Minister. Indira Gandhi was immediately convinced of the importance of making the film. She realized that it would be the most powerful asset in projecting an idea of India on the global stage. Indira summoned several of her leading bureaucrats and instructed them to work closely with Rani. The head of the central bank, the airlines and the army were asked to work closely with the cabinet secretary who would in turn liaise with Rani. Most crucially, Indira Gandhi sanctioned ten million dollars for the film. Attenborough was able to raise the rest of the budget on the back of that sum. Talking to Rani, I understood how crucial it was to get the full support of the government. I learnt from her, for example, that the funeral scene was such a success because the sea of humanity was made up mainly of Indian army soldiers. The film Gandhi came to define the man globally. No biography – and there are many really good ones – has had the same impact. And in ways that cannot be calculated, the film projected the image of India as a land of nonviolence, wisdom and peace. In short, Gandhi became the greatest ambassador for India. Today the film is shown frequently across the world and Gandhi is acknowledged as one of the leading iconic figures of modern times. Every new generation therefore sees Gandhi and leaves the theatre in awe of the man. However simplistic in its message and story-line, it is a powerful and spectacular film. Gandhi was a master stroke for India---it made Gandhi a super-saint while permanently demoting Jinnah to scowling supervillain. Some Pakistanis do not quite get it. Many told me—yes but how can you compare the two? See the film Gandhi---he was a saint and Jinnah was a very negative man! For anyone who doubts the power of a film to consolidate the image of a man look no further than David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. More than the biographies

Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it. (Professor Akbar Ahmed is Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies, American University, Washington DC. His recently released film is Journey into Europe and he is working on the book of the same title for Brookings Press as the fourth project of his awardwinning quartet of studies examining relations between the West and the world of Islam.) AGREEMENT FROM P8

Christopher Lee (left) in the role of Quaid-i-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah (right)

and newsreels, Peter O’Toole’s portrayal has become the defining image of T.E. Lawrence. Both Ben Kingsley and Peter O’Toole won Oscars for their portrayals and the films gathered several Oscars each. In contrast to the making of Gandhi and the consistent and massive support it received from the government of India, I was struggling in the 1990s with my Jinnah Quartet with the most erratic political set-up in the background as governments fell like nine-pins. Prime Ministers came and went with alarming frequency and some came twice. There were even interim prime ministers and it all ended as it invariably does in Pakistan in Martial Law. Every change in government affected my projects. The new leaders inevitably scrapped earlier agreements and looked at projects being conducted with the previous regime with disfavor. In some senses, I had to constantly start again. At one point one million pounds was committed to me in formal agreements by one of the governments and I flew back to London to prepare the cast and crew to fly to Pakistan for the shoot. In the meantime another government took over and promptly reneged. I was constantly asked by top people: What’s in it for us? There was non-stop slander and incitement to violence in the media. This rattled the cast and crew. I give full marks to them for their hard work and commitment to finish the film in spite of the challenges. Even my meager pay as the Iqbal Chair at Cambridge University was stopped more than once in an effort to trip me up. There was one exception to the erratic and changing attitudes of the governments: The Pakistan army. From the very first meetings that I had at GHQ in the early 1990s, the army stood by the Jinnah projects. It had instinctively understood what Rani Dube and Indira Gandhi had grasped: that modern nations project their image through the media and films and that modern wars are fought through ideas and images, not just missiles and tanks. The Army Chief, Jehangir Karamat, was a soldier-gentleman of the old school and was very positive about my idea. His Chief of Staff was an old school fellow

from Burn Hall and many officers also knew me as the elder brother of Brigadier Sikander. In an unprecedented move a full regiment was put at my disposal for the shoot. They provided the crucial crowd scenes for example when we showed the refugees pouring across the borders in 1947 or the railway station scenes with trains carrying dead passengers massacred on the way by fanatics. The news of the support of the army

There was one exception to the erratic and changing attitudes of the governments: The Pakistan army. From the very first meetings that I had at GHQ in the early 1990s, the army stood by the Jinnah projects. It had instinctively understood what Rani Dube and Indira Gandhi had grasped: that modern nations project their image through the media and films and that modern wars are fought through ideas and images, not just missiles and tanks also had a positive effect on people generally, especially important in view of the negative media and malicious rumors. My friend Abbas Khattak, whom I first met decades ago when he was a dashing young pilot, was now the distinguished head of the air force with the title of the Air Chief Marshall. He met me warmly and when I requested him that we be allowed to use the actual plane Jinnah flew in when

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Pakistan was created he agreed without hesitation. The problem was that it had been neglected for decades and one of its wings was in serious disrepair. We had the crew fix it and, although the plane is actually stationary, its interior was used convincingly for the scene in which Jinnah flies to Pakistan. In Karachi a retired Major, influenced by the media, took us to court claiming that the Jinnah film was a conspiracy to destroy Pakistan. If he succeeded the film would be closed down. Once again Lee and others asked me why it was that Pakistanis could not understand that we were here to pay tribute to the Quaid. It was the classic own-goal. In the event SS Pirzada and Liaqat Merchant represented the film in court and brilliantly had the case dismissed (the story is covered in the documentary Dare to Dream https://www. youtube.com/ watch?v=VKmJFbWXuzc). For the record, these two outstanding lawyers worked gratis as they believed in the project and had been supporting and advising me long before the shoot. Besides, by then our budget was exhausted and no money was forthcoming from the government in spite of numerous promises. For the climactic scene at the Badshahi mosque we needed the largest crowd scene possible and I rang and requested General Karamat, the Army Chief, for another two regiments. He explained that as we were now in Lahore, the protection of the provincial capital was involved, and if he suddenly moved two regiments from the front facing India just a few miles away, the information would be picked up by the Indian army and he did not want to take the slightest risk of a sneak attack. I will always support democracy as an idea and in practice. Good or bad, politicians must be allowed to play out their tenure till Pakistanis select better and better people. But it is reassuring that there is an alert institution like the Pakistan army with a command and control structure still in place keeping a watchful eye on the fate of the nation. As for the Jinnah film, those who would complain why assistance was given to it by the army need to remember the lessons of Indira Gandhi and the Gandhi film and heed the saying:

the sort. Instead, the Paris Agreement introduces a new, and mainly worrisome, model of voluntary “nationally determined contributions” by governments. Many of the results are expected to be delivered by the magic of markets and not-yetcommercially available revolutionary technology, with world leaders cheering the change along. For different reasons, this new model of voluntary national measures fits the interests of many key players, including the United States, China and India. But it leaves the future timetable for actual emission reductions squarely in the hands of the largest polluters with no collective system in place to enforce that individual countries meet clear targets. The success of the system depends too much on the goodwill of world leaders. Many national politicians who invested political capital in making the Paris Agreement a reality – for example, US President Barack Obama – will not be in office to oversee even initial implementation. The continued interest of those who will replace them cannot be easily assumed. The result is a global system characterized by political uncertainty about the future scope of action and a lack of a clear price signal for carbon. This is a situation that markets will not respond well to and the planet may not be able to afford. The ugly: no pledge, no commitment This so-called “bottom-up” approach may have been necessary to reach a deal in Paris. But it made it impossible to create an agreement where countries are clearly held answerable. The flamboyant language of aspiration coming out of Paris cannot hide the fact that the agreement is essentially void of clearly actionable commitments. On both the two high-profile issues that matter the most – emission reductions and financial investments – there are no new explicit numerical targets for individual countries and no meaningful mechanism for ensuring accountability. The Paris Agreement does not anywhere dare use the words “pledge” or “commitment.” So averse is the agreement to anything that may be seen as too binding that its announcement was delayed at the very last minute as the United States insisted on replacing the word ‘shall’ with ‘should’ in relation to the responsibility of industrialized countries to mitigate the effects of climate change (Article 4.4). The result is a Paris agreement replete with the sound and fury of good intentions, but little else. It is heartwarming, for example, that Paris endorsed AGREEMENT, P24

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DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P11

Pakistan Taliban Reject Islamic State Leader’s Claim to Be ‘Caliph’

Dera Ismail Khan: Pakistan’s Taliban have rejected Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s claim to be the global leader of all Muslims, the movement said in a statement seen by Reuters on Saturday. The Pakistani Taliban’s statement comes after a similar rejection by the Afghan Taliban following pledges of allegiance from low-level commanders of both Islamist movements to the Middle East-based Islamic State (IS). Last year, IS, an al Qaeda offshoot, proclaimed its leader as “caliph” - the head of the state. AlBaghdadi aspires to establish a global caliphate with himself at its head. The latest statement from the Pakistani Taliban comes amid speculation that the movement’s leadership, whose goal is to topple the government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif and set up a sharia state, is actually wary of IS, which is driven

by different ambitions that have little to do with South Asia. “Baghdadi is not Khalifa (caliph) because in Islam, Khalifa means that he has command over all the Muslim world, while Baghdadi has no such command; he has command over a specific people and territory,” the Pakistan Taliban said in a statement. “Baghdadi is not an Islamic Khalifa because his selection is not according to Islamic rules,” the statement said, adding that the IS leader had little control in Muslim countries like Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan. The Pakistani Taliban operate separately from the Afghan insurgents of the same name, but are loosely aligned with them. Late last year, a few breakaway factions of the Pakistani Taliban declared allegiance to Islamic State and ordered militants across the region

to join its campaign to set up a global Islamic caliphate. Pakistani authorities say IS has no financial ties with any Pakistani group. But there are concerns about further turmoil in the region as USled foreign troops withdraw from Afghanistan, with groups like the Haqqani network and IS likely to exploit the security vacuum. The entry of Islamic State, while its numbers remain small, will also complicate Pakistan’s fight against indigenous Islamist militants fighting to overthrow the government. The Pakistani Taliban have been beset by bitter internal rivalries in the recent past, with the influential Mehsud tribal faction of the group refusing to accept the authority of Mullah Fazlullah, who came to power in late 2013. IS, in an effort to extend its global reach, could exploit these rivalries to its advantage, wading into a region ripe with fierce anti-Western ideology and full of young unemployed men ready to take up guns and fight in the name of religion. In its latest statement, the Pakistani Taliban, like the Afghan Taliban, also condemn the ‘barbarity’ of Islamic State’s rule. “Baghdadi’s caliphate is not Islamic because in a real caliphate you provide real justice while Baghdadi’s men kill many innocent mujahideen (fighters) of other groups,” the statement said. Earlier this year, the Afghan Taliban sent a letter to al-Baghdadi to stop recruiting in Afghanistan, saying there is room for only “one flag, one leadership” in their fight to re-establish strict Islamist rule.

Four Well-Educated Men Held on Terrorism Charges Karachi: Four well-educated indi-

viduals, including one who had studied at two American universities and was running his own educational institution, have been arrested for involvement in the Safoora carnage and other terrorist attacks, according to a senior police officer. The chief of police’s CounterTerrorism Department (CTD), Raja Umar Khattab, said at a press conference on Friday that the wives of two of the arrested suspects, along with their accomplices, used to brainwash educated and rich women through sermons and videos about the militant Islamic State (IS) group and other terrorist outfits. Mr Khattab said the four — Khalid Yusuf Bari, Saleem Ahmed, Mohammad Suleman Saeed and Adil Masood Butt — allegedly provided financial support and brainwashed the accused to prepare them for killing members of the Ismaili community in a bus near Safoora Goth. Adil Butt had studied in the US and had set up his own College of Accountancy and Management Sciences, which had three branches where around 2,000 students were enrolled. Mr Khattab informed a special team arrested Khalid Bari, an engineer who used to work for the Pakistan International Airlines, on the basis of findings of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Safoora

carnage case. Bari’s ties with Al Qaeda member Dr Akmal Waheed were established in 1996, he said. Previously, he was associated with Tanzeem-iIslami led by late Dr Israr Ahmed but later left it. Bari had also developed ties with the Karachi chief of Al Qaeda, Umar alias Jalal Chandio, the mastermind of the Safoora attack; Abdullah Yusuf, Saad Aziz, Mufti Tausif, Saleem Ahmed, Suleman Saad and Adil Butt. “They all were associated with a network of terrorists and provided financial and other support to the militants,” said the CTD chief. Khalid Bari was an electronics engineer who studied at the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (now a university). During initial investigations, he made several important disclosures, said Mr Khattab. For instance, he told the interrogators that his wife had established Al-Zikra Academy where at least 20 educated and rich women were allegedly involved in brainwashing women besides generating funds for terrorist groups. On the basis of his disclosures, another three suspects — Saleem Ahmed, Mohammed Suleman Saeed and Adil Butt — were arrested. Saleem Ahmed used to collect donations for a militant group in 1992-93. During this period he also

gave sermons which were attended among others by Abdullah Yusuf, the mastermind of the Safoora bus attack. “Abdullah Yusuf and his brother Farhan Yusuf were associated with Al Qaeda,” said Mr Khattab. Saleem also had close ties with Moid Islam, a member of Al Qaeda who was killed in an encounter with Rangers in Gulistan-i-Johar. Mohammad Suleman Saeed is brother-in-law of Abdullah Yusuf and used to collect donations outside mosques and was also involved in delivering sermons in mosques and homes. He was also associated with the Dar-ul-Fanoon Trust and used to provide funds to it. “Adil Masood Butt is a highly qualified and rich man who studied at St Patrick’s and St Paul’s schools in Karachi and proceeded to the US where he did BBA from Indiana University in 1987 and MBA from New York Fordham University in 1992,” Mr Khattab said. Adil Butt along with his partners established the College of Accountancy and Management Sciences (CAMS). “The arrest of the four suspects revealed that a strong network of women was being led by Mrs Khalid Yusuf Bari who also distributed USBs containing videos about IS,” Mr Khattab said. The arrests showed clearly that

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Rangers Get Two-Month Extension with Full Powers

Islamabad: The Interior Ministry on Tuesday gave a free hand to the Sindh Rangers in Karachi to continue their policing job under the AntiTerrorism Act 1997 without having been influenced by the Sindh Assembly resolution or the provincial government’s executive order. In its letter issued to the provincial government on Tuesday evening following high-level consultations, the Interior Ministry conveyed to the Sindh government that the powers conferred to the Rangers under the Anti Terrorism Act 1997 could not be abridged, customized or made conditional. Following the Dr Asim-linked controversy, the Sindh government had recently curtailed the Rangers’ powers and restricted them to operate only against target killers, sectarian killings, extortions and kidnappings for ransom. The Sindh government had clipped the Rangers’ powers relating to terrorism and terror financing besides stopping the agency from arresting any political figure or raiding any provincial office without the permission of the chief minister. A few days back, the provincial government had forwarded its notification regarding the slashing

of Rangers’ powers to the Interior Ministry, which on Tuesday formally responded on the matter. In its response, the federal government rejected all the conditions set by the provincial government in its summary and revived all past powers of the Rangers. In its letter, the Interior Ministry told the Sindh government that its action was not within the ambit of the law and Constitution. The provincial government was told that powers conferred to the Rangers under Section 4 of ATA 1997 cannot be abridged, customized or made conditional. The Sindh government was also told that the law does not allow any authority to separate or distinguish the powers given to any law enforcing agency under the ATA unless the law is amended. The ATA 1997 is a federal law, thus it cannot be amended by the provincial government or the assembly. The provincial government was also told that an assembly resolution or provincial government’s notification could not limit the operation of a federal law. The interior ministry, however, notified the extension of the Rangers authority under ATA 1997 for 60 days as per the law and the Constitution.

Center’s Move to Extend Powers to Rangers Is Unconstitutional, Says PPP Islamabad: The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Tuesday said the federal government’s move to give powers to the Rangers was unconstitutional and amounts to transgressing its mandate and authority. PPP Co-Chairman Asif Zardari’s spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar said that by rejecting the constitutional right of Sindh to limit the scope of the Rangers’ powers, the federal government had acted in sheer violation of the Constitution. He quoted Article 147 which states: “Notwithstanding anything contained in the Constitution, the government of a province may, with the consent of the federal government, entrust, either conditionally or unconditionally, to the federal government, or to its officers, functions in relation to any matter to which the executive authority of

the province extends: Provided that the provincial government shall get the functions so entrusted ratified by the provincial assembly within 60 days”. He said it is thus abundantly clear that the imposition of certain conditions on the authority of the Rangers as well as seeking ratification of those limitations from the provincial assembly is well within the constitutional right of the provincial government. “The federal government has transgressed its mandate and authority,” the spokesman said. Babar said the PPP will not permit this invasion on the provincial domain and warned against its consequences for the political stability of the federation. He said the party will fight against this highhandedness at all available forums, including parliament, and seek to overturn the decision of the federal government.

militant and terrorist organizations had established strong networks in educational institutions, he said. The CTD chief said police were closely monitoring all universities in

Sindh, including Karachi. He urged the people to exercise extreme caution while giving donations which might be used for carrying out terrorist attacks.

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DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P13

US Agrees to Extend Military Assistance to Pakistan for another Year

Secretary Defense Lt. General (Retd) Muhammad Alam Khattak poses with US Defense Officials in Washington

Islamabad: The United States has

agreed to extend Pakistan’s military assistance under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for another year, a defense ministry official said on Friday after highlevel talks between the two countries in Washington. Pakistan had sought the extension in US assistance under the CSF, which is meant to reimburse costs Islamabad incurred in the fight against terrorism. The CSF, which was established by the US in 2001 to cover some of the cost issues countries face in the fight against extremist violence, was originally supposed to expire in 2014. The US extended the facility for Pakistan until 2015 last year. “Now, the CSF arrangement will continue in 2016 as well,” the defense ministry official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity. The agreement was reached during the meeting of the USPakistan Defense Consultative Group (DCG) held in Washington on December 16 and 17, he said. Defense Secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Alam Khattak led the Pakistani delegation and US Under-Secretary of Defense for Policy Christine E Wormuth led the Americans. According to the official, the US also gave a commitment that the assistance for Pakistan would continue beyond 2016. It is not clear, though, as to whether this

assistance will continue under the CSF or if the two sides will have a new arrangement. A joint statement issued after the DCG talks said the US and Pakistan discussed continuing support for security assistance and CSF. The statement said both sides welcomed the continued positive trajectory of the US-Pakistan bilateral security relationship and acknowledged that this cooperation was vital for peace and stability in the region. “They expressed satisfaction that bilateral security relationship had played a critical role in degrading al Qaeda and other violent extremists in the region,” the statement added. The US reiterated its support to the Pakistan military in their ongoing operation in North Waziristan Agency and recognized that disruption of militant networks as significant progress towards stabilizing the Pak-Afghan border. The joint statement further said the US recognized the sacrifices of Pakistani security forces in securing areas along the border with Afghanistan. Pakistani side, on its part, assured the US that its ongoing military offensive against terrorists and extremists would continue. The two countries reviewed and shared their perspective on the current challenges facing the region. They expressed their support to efforts seeking the resump-

tion of stalled Afghan reconciliation process, the joint statement said.

of his peers behind while playing the role of Allan. On stage, his script and wellversed dialogues always received rounds and rounds of applause. Though, Allan is no more among us, but his writings and the services he rendered will continue to serve as an

institution. Despite being a very popular celebrity, Kamal Rizvi always kept a modest profile and stayed away from pompous publicity. It would not be wrong to say he was one of the pioneers of Pakistan

US, Pakistan Discuss Security Situation

Washington, DC: During the twoday defense talks with Pakistan last week, the United States discussed “the political and security situation” in the region with the Pakistani delegation, says a joint statement issued on Friday. According to the joint statement, the US team also discussed President Barack Obama’s decision to sustain a longer US military presence in Afghanistan and the administration’s counter-terrorism priorities. The United States had intended to withdraw all its troops from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 but President Obama has now extended their stay, leaving it for the next administration to decide whether to continue or end US military presence in the country. At the DCG meeting, “both sides reviewed the numerous challenges facing regional security, and shared their views regarding the importance of regional peace and stability and expressed support for efforts for reconciliation in Afghanistan,” said the joint statement. The DCG is the primary defense forum for the United States and Pakistan to exchange views and coordinate defense policy with the goal of strengthening cooperation in areas of mutual security interests.

Kamal Ahmed Rizvi Passes away Karachi: Kamal Ahmed Rizvi, who made millions laugh through his acting and writings, breathed his last in Karachi on Thursday. He suffered a cardiac attack. Born in 1930, the legendary actor earned a huge fame playing the character of Allan in ‘Alif Noon’. Rizvi moved to Lahore in 1951, where he got close to Saadat Hassan Manto - another Pakistani writer of great fame - and began to write in many genres. He acted in a number of dramas, but it is hard to forget Allan, the most loveable conman of our television - the tall and lean character with a quizzical smile on his face. Kamal Ahmed Rizvi left many

ALLAN, P28

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Pakistan-backed Afghan Peace Talks May Restart within Weeks

File photo of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani (R) with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif after a news conference in Kabul, May 12, 2015

Islamabad/Kabul:

Pakistan-brokered peace talks between Afghanistan and Taliban insurgents could restart in early January after weeks of pressure from partners including the United States and China, officials in Islamabad and Kabul said. Army chief General Raheel Sharif is expected in Afghanistan this week in the latest series of high-level contacts between Islamabad and Kabul to restart the peace process which was broken off in July. The aim is to end more than 14 years of war with the Taliban, who held power in Afghanistan until 2001 but were overthrown in a US-backed campaign for harboring the al Qaeda leaders responsible for the Sept 11 attacks. Since then they have waged a potent insurgency against the Kabul government, stepping up their attacks since the pullout of most foreign troops in 2014. A senior Pakistani official told Reuters the resumption of talks should take “not longer than two weeks … I would say the first week of January we will see the process restart again”. He said the current plan was for the meetings to be held in Pakistan. The aim was to bring Afghan and Pakistani leaders together with special representatives from China and the United States as well as Taliban representatives. “The understanding is that all stakeholders should be there, everyone with a stake in this,” said the official, requesting anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media on the issue. According to a Taliban official in Qatar, Pakistan had also asked deputy Taliban leader Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of a Taliban-affiliated network blamed for a spate of recent suicide attacks in Kabul, to join the talks. But after repeated failed efforts, prospects for any immediate breakthrough appear distant, with a high risk the process may “crash soon after takeoff ”, in the words of one senior Afghan official who has been closely involved. “The Taliban are suffering from leadership chaos and the movement is fractured and it is not clear who is going to talk and which side is going to continue to fight,” said the official, who like others spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Talks uninterrupted: An earlier round of talks in the Pakistani hill re-

sort of Murree came to a halt in July, when confirmation came that the Taliban’s elusive leader, Mullah Omar, had in fact been dead for more than two years. His successor, Mullah Akhtar Mansour, has faced strong opposition from rival insurgent factions and the Taliban were recently forced to deny widespread reports he had been badly wounded or even killed in a shootout during an internal dispute. Islamic State has also been posing a growing challenge, fueling fears that Taliban leaders will be reluctant to be drawn into talks for fear of losing credibility among rank-and-file militants who have been buoyed by a string of battlefield successes.

Terrorism Case Registered against Organizers of Pro-Qadri Rally Karachi: Police on Friday registered a terrorism case against the organizers of a rally staged for the release of Mumtaz Qadri, the self-confessed killer of Punjab governor Salman Taseer. The rally was organized by the Tanzeemat-i-Ahle Sunnat, an alliance of religious parties, demanding the release of Qadri whose appeal against the death sentence has recently been turned down by the apex court. Vehicular traffic was suspended on the arterial M. A. Jinnah Road when scores of protesters, mostly students of seminaries, marched towards Numaish from Gurumandir causing a traffic mess on adjoining roads. In a bid to open the road for traffic, the police baton-charged the protesters and arrested some of them. A spokesman for the Sunni Tehreek, one of the parties in the alliance, said that the police resorted to a baton charge on “the peaceful rally and arrested several participants”. He said that a protest sit-in was staged at Numaish for the release of the arrested workers. “Our leader Shahid Ghori talked to the authorities for the release of workers. We ended our sit-in following the release of the workers,” he added.

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Pakistan to Question Exclusion of Islamic Countries from Anti-Terror Alliance Islamabad: The adviser to prime

minister on foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, told Senate that the exclusion of some Islamic countries from the Saudi-led 34-nation anti-terror alliance will be discussed at international level. Answering a question posed by Senate chairman on exclusion of Syria, Iraq and Iran from the Saudiled alliance, Aziz said on Monday the issue would be discussed in upcoming meetings in the next couple of weeks and also in the upcoming Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) Summit. “We have some ideas about the issue which are yet to be discussed,” he added. Winding up a motion moved by Senator Sehar Kamran about the success and failure of Pakistan’s foreign policy, Aziz said the prime objective of the country’s foreign policy was to protect Pakistan’s interests, sovereignty, security and non-interference in other countries’ affairs. He was of the view that Paki-

stan took a principled stance on all issues including those of the Middle East and Arab countries. “On the Syrian war, we supported Syrian sovereignty and territorial integrity while on the Yemen issue we showed solidarity with Saudi Arabia and stressed a peaceful resolution of the issue through the dialogue process,” said the premier’s adviser. Spelling out the top priorities

of the country’s foreign policy, Aziz said that Pakistan believes that a peaceful neighborhood is essential for economic revival and progress, adding the country’s focus was on trade and investment and not aid. Aziz added that when the PML-N came into power, the prime minister wrote letters to all missions that economic diplomacy was the country’s top priority. Talking about recent terrorist incidents in Afghanistan, he said that it was Afghanistan’s internal issue, adding that “Pakistan has no favorite group in Afghanistan and it is committed to durable peace in the neighboring country”. He also informed the Senators that following the successful visits of PM Nawaz Sharif, foreign investment and mega projects have been initiated. Thanks to these initiatives a country like Russia has promised investment in the gas pipeline project and Central Asian countries have shown willingness to join the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

Mother Travels to Dubai on Son’s Passport! Lahore: The Dubai immigration

authorities have imposed a fine of 5,000 dirham on PIA for allowing a woman passenger to reach there on her son’s passport. A PIA official told Dawn that the immigration and PIA authorities at the Lahore airport allowed Afshan Siddiqui to board a flight for Dubai on the passport of her son early last week. “When she reached Dubai, the immigration authorities detained her and asked how she managed to travel on her son’s passport. She said she mistakenly carried the

n By Mirza Khurram Shahzad Peshawar: Days after a classified

report was leaked, suggesting that Peshawar’s currency exchange market is a hub of the illicit trading of money and a major source of terror financing, I thought the market would be in a panic. But the historic Chowk Yadgar market, known for the money exchange business, reflects no signs of fluster. The usual rush of customers buying or selling international currencies continues. As I enter the market, people sitting on carpets or behind glass counters displaying currencies from several countries stare at me, evaluating whether I could be a potential client. For my part, I’m looking for a suitable host who could divulge some information. There are Pakhtuns here, some Hindko-speaking, and many Afghans. I scan the market, which takes a turn behind the famous Chowk Yadgar Kulfa Faluda shop (and selling chicken corn soup in the winter). I spot a possible hundi (informal money transaction) dealer and approach him through my friend, a local, who asks him in Pashto to cooperate for a transaction from Saudi Arabia. The man, in his early 30s, with Central Asian features and a Pashto dialect that confirms him as an Afghan, tells us to go to the bank. I say that bank charges very high and I’m looking for another option. He

passport of her son and the im-

migration authorities back home perhaps did not notice this and allowed her to board the flight,” the official said. The Dubai immigration deported her on a flight the following day and imposed a fine of 5,000 Dirham on Pakistan’s flag carrier. The PIA official said: “Both the immigration and PIA officials are responsible for this gross negligence.” An inquiry had been launched into the incident and the amount would be recovered from those found guilty, he added.

Police Take Dr Asim into Custody as ATC Rejects Investigation Report

Karachi: The administrative judge of

the anti-terrorism courts (ATCs), Justice Naimutallah Phulpoto on Monday rejected the police investigation report that had acquitted Dr Asim Hussain of all terror charges, and ordered that the suspect be presented before ATC-II for further proceedings. Dr Hussain, who was in NAB custody, has now been handed over to the police. The police report was presented in court by investigation officer (IO) DSP Altaf Hussain, who explained why Dr Asim Hussain was released. “We did not find any evidence during the course of the investigation,” the DSP told the court. He said the investigation report was first sent to the concerned SSP for approval, then to the DIG concerned, and was finally approved by the police’s legal team. On Dec 11, police had informed the court that “no terror-related evidence” was found against Dr Hussain under Section 497 (II) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and he was not required to be detained. But in contrast to the police statement, the Rangers prosecutor had contended that enough evidence

Dollars on the Move asks about the amount and my friend tells him it’s 20,000 Saudi riyals. He ponders for a moment, then signals towards a plaza and tells us to ask for a man called Ilyas. In that building, a few yards ahead of the Afghan dealer’s tiny shop, people are having lunch, sitting on carpets behind their counters. We can’t find Ilyas. Then finally, we enter a shop where four men — apparently from the tribal belt — have just finished their meal. Again we ask for assistance to receive money from Saudi Arabia. One of them writes a name on a piece of a paper, and guides us to another building close to Chowk Yadgar Kulfa Faluda shop. There, a man signals towards the second floor. Upstairs, on a small balcony, about a dozen men are sitting on plastic chairs. They are waiting for their turn to get money from the man behind a locked glass counter which is protected by a steel grill. My friend approaches him and hands him over the chit. He directs a probing look at us, then advises us to go downstairs and see his brother. Down we come and meet his brother, a man in his 40s. He is very careful in his conversation. “How much money will be sent to you?” he asks. “At least 70,000 Saudi riyals from Riyadh to begin with,” my

friend says. “We’re expecting some amount from the UAE too.” “Okay, we’ll handle it. Just come to me when you need to get the money,” he says. “We will deliver it to you, but not at this shop, at my house, because the authorities are always after us.” “Why are the authorities after you?” I ask. “There are a number of spies here in this market, who sniff around as to which dealer has currencies in bulk. When they confirm it, a robbery takes place and all the money is taken. These spies and FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] men are making money from here,” he replies. “But the large trade of dollars is still continuing in this market and dollars are being smuggled to Afghanistan?”

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“It’s everywhere, dollars come here from Kabul too,” replies another dealer in the shop. “So what if I need to buy dollars?” I ask. “How much you need?” the first dealer shows interest. “Twenty thousand at the moment, but I will buy more later.” “Okay, we will provide you as much you require. But not here, at our house.” We leave the place with a promise to contact them when the transactions are ready. On taking another round of the market, we enter a three-storey building where the shops are closed but a few dozen men have gathered in the courtyard and are shouting. “What is going on here?” I ask a person standing there.

existed against Dr Hussain to implicate him. The statement of Dr Yousuf Sattar — the managing director of Ziauddin Hospitals — was concrete evidence against Dr Hussain, he had said. The Rangers prosecutor went on to say that the IO did not consult the Rangers during investigations despite the case having been initiated by the paramilitary force. After the Rangers’ strong opposition to the police stance, the court had ordered the police IO to submit a report within 10 days demanding an explanation as to why no charges could be established against Dr Hussain under the CrPC. During the hearing, Anwar Mansoor Khan, counsel for Dr Hussain, informed the court he was receiving threats from certain quarters for defending Dr Hussain. In a statement to the court, Dr Hussain said: “My life is under threat. I have been humiliated by the press, by electronic media. And I am the son of those who played a vital role in the creation of Pakistan.” He alleged he was facing “personal vendetta” and said all evidence against him was “false.” The arrest of Dr Hussain, chairman of the Sindh Higher Education Commission, came on Aug 26 and was described as the first major action against PPP leaders during the ongoing Karachi operation. Following the end of his 90-day preventive detention with Rangers, police sought multiple extensions in his remand for further questioning and collection of evidence in a case relating to treatment of, and sheltering, terrorists. After police released him on Dec 11, he was arrested by NAB from the court’s premises and an accountability court later remanded him to the anti-graft body’s custody. “American dollars are being auctioned. These people are announcing the rates.” “And why are these shops closed?” “The FIA sealed them many months ago for involvement in hundi, hawala and the smuggling of dollars,” I am told. “So why do people gather here and trade dollars in this way?” “They come here for a short time and disperse if there is any risk.” On our way back, I try to contact Abdullah Sarraf, president of the money changers association. His phone is off. A local trader tells me he is busy because the FIA is raiding money changers’ offices and shops. “The illegal trade of American dollars and hawala andhundi is taking place everywhere in the province,” says a senior official of the FIA who is involved in action against the activity. “There are hundreds of illegal money changers here, and only 83 are legal. We have sealed over 200 shops, arrested around 150 illegal traders and registered 126 cases. But still the smuggling of American dollars continues.” According to the FIA official, the legal trade of American dollars in Peshawar’s currency market is almost $40,000 a day. “However, the illegal trade — which includes smuggling, hawala and hundi — is approximately $4 million a day.” - Dawn

P16 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

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COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P17

Community Link Friday, December 25, 2015

VOL. 25/52 PAGE 18

Couple Sets up ‘Ask a Muslim’ Booth in Cambridge

13 Rabi ‘ul-awwal 1437 H

PAGE PAGE19 17

PAGE 18 egum PAGE

We Are All Muslim, Says Michael Moore

SJC Chief Justice Assures Muslims of Protection

For news, updated round the clock, visit

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Muslim Woman Wins US Professor of the Year 2015 Award n By Hasna Mokhtar

never knew chemistry could be a source of happiness, excitement and create positively critical citizens until I heard it from Collin College Professor Dr Amina El-Ashmawy.

Her unique relationship with Chemistry not only makes her a passionate mentor, but also earned her the title 2015 US Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She is a published author, a trusted adviser in the American Chemical Society and serves on countless task forces. She also holds an associate degree from Kilgore College, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry from Texas A&M University and a PhD in chemistry from the University of North Texas. El-Ashmawy’s website welcomes readers with an intriguing quote. She cites American chemist Linus Pauling saying, “I feel sorry for people who don’t understand anything about chemistry. They are missing an important source of happiness.” So what is it about chemistry that delights El-Ashmawy? “Having an understanding of chemistry allows you to see the beauty of everything around you at a deeper level and be more critical of information presented,” ElAshmawy told us. “A few examples include contemplating the molecular structure of clouds while on an airplane, when to add salt to water in cooking pasta, or deciding which over-thecounter healthcare product to buy.” Born in Egypt and raised in the US, El-Ashmawy said during her acceptance speech that her mother used to call her “Mademoiselle Deroose” — or “Miss Lessons” and that planted a seed. “The spark that ignited my passion for teaching happened at Kilgore College in freshman general chemistry class. My instructor, Mrs Anita Neeley — who has since retired — made the subject interesting, relatable and fun to learn.” Surrounded by education and science all her life, as both her parents had double doctorate degrees, El-Ashmawy remembers as a child watching how the water from a hose was absorbed in the soil wondering what happens to it after she couldn’t see it. “I always liked knowing why or how.

My mother recognized this in me. Her calling me ‘Miss Lessons’ meant a lot to me be-

I think it is important to make my students feel they matter and are important,” El-

cause her opinion weighed heavily. It made me feel special. Consequently, as a teacher,

Ashmawy said. Honoring the fun and practical teach-

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ing style that prompted her to enjoy chemistry, El-Ashmawy encourages her students to not think of the subject as a hurdle but a great opportunity to become more learned, analytical, positively critical citizens. “Chemistry builds from the simplest concepts up to complex, multi-concept topics. Each piece is related and linked to many others and, with enough pieces, they all ultimately fit together to present a beautiful, majestic picture,” she said. El-Ashmawy told us, “The objective is to develop higher-order thinking skills that allow students to be better thinkers, learners and problem solvers. I’ve had thousands of students over the years. Some of them realized through my class that their major, usually a STEM field, is or is not the right major for them. Many of my former students are highly successful doctors, engineers, pharmacists, nurses, scientists, researchers, business owners and executives, among other professions. I am aware that one of my former students ran for public office.” To keep her students engaged, El-Ashmawy uses real examples to show the relevance and importance of chemistry in everyday life. But the task is not always easy and comes with certain challenges. “Chemistry is highly abstract. One has to relate the macroscopic world to a nanoscopic world of atoms, molecules, ions, electrons, etc., which is difficult for most students. In addition, there is a lot of math to be applied that requires conceptual understanding. Students have not been taught how to think in those terms,” she said. Despite the challenges, El-Ashmawy continues to be a motivated educator feeling responsible for shaping her country and the world’s future through educating students to the best of her ability. “Through the course of the semester, it’s quite exciting when my students’ perceptions about chemistry slowly transform. When they can see how chemistry impacts everyday life and why chemistry is so important to society. Those transformations are precisely what drive me every day as I walk into the classroom,” she said. Overwhelmed, humbled and honored to have received such national recognition, El-Ashmawy said that it is a huge blessing. “One I cannot quite wrap my mind around totally. God’s gifts to us are beyond our comprehension!” To Muslim women mentors El-Ashmawy says, “Be proud of who and what you are. Carry yourself with dignity and respect.” – Muslim World

COMMUNITY

P18 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015 FAMILIES FROM P1

We decided that assisting people in dire straits was not only the right thing to do but also our duty as people and Americans. We wanted to continue to use our financial resources but as importantly we wanted to use our energy and time to contribute to our local neighborhoods and neighbors. One such opportunity to assist resulted from the December 2nd San Bernardino tragedy that led to the untimely death of 14 of our neighbors. Each of the families has to deal with the loss of their loved one, and in many cases, they have to suddenly deal with a loss of an income. The local Muslim community came together to raise funds to alleviate some of the hardship for the victims’ family members. UPLIFT quickly joined MiNDS and Dr Faisal Qazi’s initiative to raise $20,000 for the family members of the victims. However, the Muslim community responded in such a tremendous way that the goal was increased several times, ultimately set at $175,000. During the first 100 hours of the campaign $1,000 per hour was being collected. Over 2,000 people contributed to this effort to help those that are going through the most difficult time in their lives. An incredible $215,000 was raised by the campaign’s end. Tragedies like the one in San Bernardino fortunately do not occur every

day. However, the tragedy of individuals and families living on streets and in parks is an everyday occurrence. UPLIFT created a project years ago to deliver jackets, blankets and other clothing to our homeless neighbors during the winter season. Other faith-based organizations that are usually present, thank us for participating and they tell us that it’s great to see Muslims doing work for the local community. The truth is that Muslims have been assisting people ever since they arrived in this country. It’s part of our DNA and part of our faith. However, having organizations that are run by Muslims do the work in a systematic way on a schedule provides much more benefit to the recipients and gives Muslims a more meaningful way to participate. When an organization like UPLIFT asks for volunteers we reach our maximum very quickly. This shows that Muslim community members want to get involved, and love to get involved. In addition to providing blankets and jackets and other clothing to our homeless neighbors we’ve found that providing hygiene items and tube socks are a big benefit to them as well. As I talk to some of the homeless families they tell me “socks are worth their weight in gold out here”. When I ask why, they tell me that they are

People of different backgrounds hold hands and pray for victims of the San Bernardino tragedy

walking and sleeping in the same socks all day and night and they end up getting wet, dirty, and torn after just a few days. What I take from these conversations is a realization that the items that I take for granted are critical items for others. On the morning of December 24th, UPLIFT will partner with the youth group from the Islamic Society of Orange County and distribute over 300 blankets to our neighbors living in parks and streets. A catered breakfast will be served to all. On Martin Luther King Day, UPLIFT will partner with other Muslim-led organizations to conduct another distribution in a different area of Southern

California. During this past Ramadan, our team along with 50 plus volunteers, served “iftar” dinner to the people living in the Santa Ana streets and parks. A number of businesses provided restaurant meals and volunteers brought additional food. Anyone that wanted to eat that night had an opportunity to eat and anyone who wanted to participate with their hands had an opportunity to come out and serve people and represent their community and their faith. While UPLIFT’s primary initiative is zakat distribution, we’ve found that having a general fund and a deep pool of volunteers allows us to provide assis-

SJC Chief Justice Assures Muslims of Protection

Couple Sets up ‘Ask a Muslim’ Booth in Cambridge

Mona Haydar and her husband, Sebastian Robins, stand outside of a library in Cambridge

n By Steve Annear

ona Haydar knew that when she set up two signs outside a Cambridge library last week with the words “Ask a Muslim” and “Talk to a Muslim,” she had to be prepared for strong opinions about her faith.

But the Duxbury resident said the impromptu experiment led to a meaningful series of conversations about religion, politics, history, and sports. It was an experience that, even in a time of prejudice against

Muslims, showed Haydar that “the community is loving.” “We just wanted to talk to people and we didn’t see any harm in doing that,” said Haydar. “We are just normal people. There is definitely fear [in America], and I want to talk about it, because it’s actually misplaced and misguided — I am really nice!” Holding a box of doughnuts and cartons of coffee from Dunkin’ Donuts, and wearing a traditional hijab, Haydar last Friday and Saturday planted herself alongside her husband, Sebastian Robins, outside the

library for several hours each day. Haydar said that over the two days they spoke with more than 100 strangers. The initiative, she said, was inspired by a similar act, called Talk to an Iraqi, that was featured on “This American Life” in 2008. Some conversations revolved around her experiences as a Muslim woman growing up in the United States. Other discussions concerned Donald Trump’s recent comments about keeping Muslims out of the country. But mostly, she said, the interactions led to idle chatter. Those neighborly discussions are among her favorite things about spending time in a welcoming place like Cambridge. “People brought up the Red Sox, climate change, swimming — whatever,” she said. One woman who stopped to talk with Haydar and Robbins, who are both Muslim, was a student at Harvard Divinity School. Coincidentally, Haydar is applying to the school to pursue a graduate degree. Another woman stopped and talked about Chinese food. A man came by and they got to talking about dead languages. “There were some funny moments,” she said. But there were also tense ones. “I’m very visible, and people know I’m Muslim, and they’re curious of my experience. With BOOTH, P20

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tance to those hardest hit in our own backyard. At a time when Muslims in America are being demonized and being labeled in certain ways, it is important for the Muslim community and communities of other faiths to know that Muslims have created and are leading dozens of initiatives in Southern California. Since all of us live in this country and receive the benefits of this great land we feel it is vitally important that we also give back and participate in charitable work for the greater good. Muslims in Southern California have established food pantries, a food bank, women’s shelters, shelters for domestic violence vic-

tims, refugee resettlement programs, free medical and dental clinics, homeless assistance programs, psychological services, and much more. It is important that all charitable work is done with sincerity and without consideration of recognition and reward from other people. However, it is also important that our fellow citizens realize that Muslims are engaged in work to benefit society. UPLIFT is an acronym which stands for “Uplifting People’s Lives based on Islamic Followings and Teachings”. Since UPLIFT was founded in 2006, more than $1.4 million dollars has been spent on saving families from eviction, finding housing for those who have recently become homeless, feeding programs, assistance with resettling of refugees, emergency lodging, and assistance to families who have had their utilities turned off due to lack of adequate payments. Let’s continue to get involved and increase the work that we all do for the most fragile and vulnerable amongst us. (Owaiz M. Dadabhoy has worked in the financial services field for over 20 years and is the President of UPLIFT Charity. Visit www.UPLIFTCharity.org for more information about the programs mentioned or follow on Facebook at UPLIFT Charity)

n By Lisa Wangsness

he chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court assured Muslims at New England’s largest mosque Friday that the state’s justice system would protect their rights amid a wave of anti-Muslim sentiment sweeping the country.

Chief Justice Ralph Gants, in an extraordinary appearance at the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center following the midday prayer service, told hundreds of worshipers he had asked mosque leaders if he could speak because he knew it was a difficult time for American Muslims. “I am here to assure you that you do not stand alone,” he said, to applause. “You have a constitution and laws to protect your right to practice your religion, to protect

you from discrimination . . . and to protect you from acts of violence that may be committed against you because of your religion or your nation of origin.” Gants joins a growing contingent of prominent religious and civic figures who have lent public support to Boston’s Muslim community at a time when the rise of the Islamic State group and terrorist attacks abroad by their collaborators and sympathizers have stoked anti-Muslim fervor. Earlier this month, Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans and several interfaith leaders addressed the Roxbury mosque following Friday prayers. The Massachusetts Board of Rabbis has denounced the demonization of Muslims and stood alongside a broad swath of the interfaith community in opposing calls to halt acceptance of Syrian refugees. And on Thursday, Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley published a piece in the archdiocesan newspaper urging Catholics to reject group hatred and “walk boldly in the path of the Good Samaritan.” Gants told the congregation that the Declaration of Rights in the Massachusetts Constitution was designed to protect the rights of the minority. “We in our judiciary recognize our obligation to enforce those rights where they are abridged, regardless of whether it is popular to do PROTECTION, P28

COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P19

EVENT FROM P1

of our times in the aftermath of horrific events in Paris and San Bernardino where not only have innocent people been ruthlessly murdered but the religion of Islam has been hung in the process. It is no secret that Muslims in America today feel bewildered, shocked and intimidated after the reported actions of a few individuals who have hijacked their narrative. It is for this reason that an evening like this has become important, a show of solidarity where clergy from different religions and denominations along with officials from local law enforcement (Judicial, Police and FBI) and members of the wider community offer their support to members of the Islamic community. The event emcee was Jon Fish, current President of the Interfaith Council. And the lineup of formidable speakers included Father Michael Kiernan (Chaplain, Beale Air Force Base), Ms Ellen Eggers (Office of State Public Defender), Gary Miller (Clerk, Sacramento Friends (Quakers), Troy Sowers (Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, FBI), Rabbi Mona Alfi (Congregation B’nai Israel), Rev Brian Baker (Dean, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral), Scott Jones (Sheriff, Sacramento County), Imam Kashif Ahmed (SALAM Religious Director), Rev Alan Jones (St Mark’s United Methodist Church), George Nicholson (Justice, Third District Court of Appeal), Dr Anne Kjemtrup (Chairperson SALAM), Imam Azeez (President, Tarbiya Institute) and Rev Jeff Cota (Church of Scientology). The three Abrahamic faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam - have had a close cooperative relationship in the Sacramento region for quite some time. The community is no stranger to religious targeting since the 1999 attacks on local synagogues left Sacramento stunned. But we remained united. After 9/11 an annual “A Day of Unity” emerged. And these gatherings have also included people of other faiths like Buddhists, Hindus, Sikhs, and includes those without faith who were present at this gathering as well. All the speakers spoke convincingly and made their points. Since an encapsulation of the entire evening is just not possible in this report, a few highlights are

being shared which reflect on the theme of “United We Stand”. Jon Fish (Mormon Church) said that the whole goal for tonight is to go home and convince everybody you know that we have got to love each other more (for which he received quite a bit of applause). He added that we join with the Muslim community and people of all faiths in prayers for victims of the recent attacks in San Bernardino (and Paris), and that we condemn the use of His (God’s) most holy name for this violence. He added that many are here tonight because we are trying to do some good in our society. We have to do all kinds of good. Under our skin, we are all brothers and sisters, Children of God. Ms Ellen Eggers started with “Peace be with you” and recognized her friendship with SALAM’s Dr Metwalli Amer as one of the main reasons for her being present in the event. She said that she was a Retired State Public Defender who had a chance to represent people on death row for over 25 years which led her to become an advocate against the

death penalty. It is not only ISIS that commits extreme acts of violence, our country is capable of that too, she said. She said that the recent violence against Planned Parenthood, for instance, had nothing to do with Islam. Troy Sowers from the FBI thanked the organizers for the invitation to be part of this event. He said that the FBI has resources around the world but what is more important is that they feel that they are members of the local community. “We are one of you,” he said. He added that safety and security are recognized as a community affair. He said that the mission of the FBI is to protect the United States of America and every individual living in it from any threats. Rabbi Mona Alfi next read from the scriptures on how good it is when we dwell together as brothers and sisters standing united. She said that people of all faiths, including the Muslim community, stood by the Jewish community when their synagogues were attacked 16 years

Michael Moore Tells Donald Trump: We Are All Muslim

ago. She added that the Jewish and the Muslim faiths share many teachings which is not surprising since we worship the same God and we are cousins, both children of our father Abraham. And we both came here (to America) because we believe in the ideals that this nation stands for. Imam Kashif Ahmed of SALAM in his speech thanked all the speakers who had been supportive of the Muslim community. He said that our religion does not teach, support or help those people who have no respect for humanity or innocent life. He shared a story about his visit to a gas station where someone apologized to him for some of the anti-Muslim rhetoric generated after the Paris attacks because of the actions of a few misguided individuals. We Muslims support those individuals who are law-abiding citizens, not those who harm others in the name of religion. We support those who care for and love one another, he said. He added that Muslims support those who are willing to give their lives to save another life. Dr Anne Kjemtrup said that

on behalf of SALAM we are honored, touched and overwhelmed by your presence. She said that the main motivation for this event is that we are discussing how we are going to counter these messages of hate. She added that at SALAM they have received only letters of love and concern, particularly from the area clergy. She added that as Muslims we are devastated whenever these horrific acts occur. The announcement by Dr Metwalli Amer that Imam Azeez who was the former Imam at SALAM was here to address us gave another boost to the “United We Stand” theme of the day. Imam Azeez shared his daughter Zainab’s response to a bigoted comment at school. He also proceeded to condemn those he called thugs (ISIS) and said that he would only call them by their name of Daesh. He said that they are trying to drive a wedge between Muslims and the rest of America and that they will not succeed. The evening ended with a closing prayer led by Rev Jeff Cota.

Muslim Organizations Warn 2016 Candidates: Spew ‘Islamophobia’ at Your Political Peril

merican documentary filmmaker and screenwriter Michael Moore has responded to Donald Trump’s repeated hate speech against Muslims in the most original way.

The political activist posted a picture of himself standing outside the Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, holding a placard inscribed with the words, “We Are All Muslim.” “Today I stood in front of the Trump Tower and held a sign until police came. Then I went home and wrote Donald Trump a letter,” Moore said in a post on his Facebook page. The letter reminded the Republican front-runner that he and his supporters are no longer a representation of what the United States stands for. “Fortunately, Donald, you and your supporters no longer look like what America actually is today. We are not a country of angry white

guys. Here’s a statistic that is going to make your hair spin: 81 per cent of the electorate who will pick the president next year are either female, people of color, or young people between the ages of 18 and 35. In other words, not you. And not the people who want you leading their country,” the letter stated. Commenting particularly on

the recent remarks by Trump in which he called for the barring of all Muslims from the United States, Moore said, “So, in desperation and insanity, you call for a ban on all Muslims entering this country. I was raised to believe that we are all each other’s brother and sister, regardless of race, creed or color. That

MOORE, P20

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American Muslim Alliance director Mahdi Bray speaks at the National Press Club on Monday, December 21, 2015. He is flanked by Council on American-Islamic Relations national executive director, Nihad Awad, and CAIR national board chair Roula Allouch

n By Patrick Goodenough Washington, DC: Leaders of several American Muslim organizations warned Donald Trump and other presidential candidates Monday that if they engage in bigotry and “Islamophobia” they will pay a politi-

cal price because Muslim voters – in the words of one – will mobilize and “make sure you are out of there.” “Let it be heard, and clear, to all political candidates, be it Donald Trump or whoever else, that indeed, if you engage in Islamophobia, if

ORGANIZATIONS, P28

COMMENTARY

P20 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015 PAKISTAN FROM P6

even on an issue that impacted all of them, and all my efforts to highlight the need, and to bring it jointly to the notice of the authorities that mattered was seen as just irrelevant. They as usual cursed the municipality and the government, and went their way, leaving the problem as it was to get further compounded. Was it due to the lack of time, or was it the result of the impact of the onslaughts of hardships that had buffeted these common people that I found in them a clear lack of warmth, both in relationships and in the attitudes that once characterized these streets. The hello signal came only when physical encounter took place, otherwise even the close relatives did not feel obligated to make a planned visit to each other, unless a gift exchange was the bait. But life bristled in all its colors and shades in a different part of Pakistan where just 10% of the population lived. Their wide and well-lighted streets, big palatial houses, teams of servants, cooks and drivers, and ladies wearing designers’ suits, and men talking of good restaurants, of latest car models, and of their visits abroad, and of shopping, all this and much more made even the American way of living appear ordinary. I can safely bet all my life-long earnings that it is just not possible for any person in Pakistan to maintain that kind of lifestyle unless he is ditching the government somewhere, or if he is not corrupt. Corruption, like the vanilla flavor in the ice-cream, is just inseparable from the main recipe. It is an integral part of the milk and sugar; even when separated, it would still leave behind its flavor. Another change that I noticed this time was that most of the youth now can be spotted moving on the motor-bikes, thanks to student loans. In the evening, and it is a favorite pastime, it was a common scenario that these young people in gangs would begin what is called wheeling on the roads, endangering the lives of their own folk, who could be making their way to a chemist, or to a store. At night, another kind of curse would befall these tired people, preparing to rest after a day’s hard work in those dark and over-crowded homes. Some very young teenagers would take out their motorbikes without silencers, and in groups would begin displaying their acrobatic skills in those narrow streets. Stress and blood pressure both would rise, but nothing could be done. When I attempted to rally a few people, urging them to get together and visit those homes from where this curse was emanating, they would tailor excuses. Leaving things as they are is a very familiar response. There was total disregard on the part of the law-enforcement agencies, who, mired in corruption, would nab such miscreants only to fleece the parents. I dropped my jaws in wonder, when one such teenager amusingly told me how once he got detained by the police, and how his parents paid for his release, starting from feeding the police on the way to the court, to the filling of the gas tank, to even paying for the key that would get lost in the court room, and would finally be found in order to unlock the hand-cuff

in the court, in front of the judge. Either the parental control over their children had been reduced to the minimum, or the grip of the government had become nonexistent; in either case, it was not a good sign. Pakistan is bulging out of seams in all directions. It seriously needs a sense of discipline in all walks of life which was not seen anywhere. Mr Nazir Naji is right when he says the row between the Sindh government and the Rangers is not over the modality of the operation; it is all about corruption. What use is it in being in power, if one does not have a free hand in corruption. This is the general perception of democracy and politics in Pakistan. Mr Larry Diamond in his book, “The Spirit of Democracy”, quotes the former Singapore PM, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who so aptly once summed up the Asian values. What he said is matched by most analysts who also endorse that Asian values do not fit well with the Western liberal notions of democracy. Asians do not care much about individualism as much as they do about community; they are suspicious of authority; they stress loyalty to the family and group over individual freedom and needs; they defer and respect authority, and they have deep cravings for the security of dependency; they value order over conflict. This is one reason that the true spirit of democracy is often not found missing there, it is often just a semblance or a shadow of it, because it mutes criticism of authority, and scraps the essential tools of checks and balances that keep the democracy in its true form. Worst, in Asia democracy centers power in individual leaders… passive obedience is what is construed of a good rule. It was felt that Pakistan needs to understand, sooner than later, that corruption is not like an icing on the cake; it is the mother of all evils, be those terrorism, or extremism, religious fanaticism, or sectarianism, extortion, or kidnapping. Our behavior is very much tied to our economics. We do not even go to a movie even if planned with the family, or even if the weather turns bad; but we would definitely go if we had bought the tickets that could not be returned; we need to overcome our temptations and fancy desires, leading to adopt corrupt ways, like Ulysses did. Temptations are often irresistible. The Greeks equated them with evil spirits appearing before us like beautiful women. Once Ulysses reached an island he discovered that it was inhabited by evil spirits who appeared before his sailors as beautiful women, playing tempting tunes on a magical musical instrument. One by one, his sailors began falling prey to them. He finally instructed his crew to fill in their ears with wax so that the bewitching tunes would not reach them. This was a good strategy, but a faulty one. What about his own self? He asked himself to be tied to the mast because it was not enough to just discipline the sailors, and himself stay free to get lured. The political leaders in Pakistan want the people to plug in their ears to the luring tunes of corruption, but are not willing to tie themselves to the mast. It is not working, and it is not going to work.

Nations do not fail overnight, say Daron Acemoglu and James A Robinson in their book, “Why Nations Fail…” The seeds of their destruction are sown deep within their political institutions. Often countries do not fall like a thud like Afghanistan did; most taste their destruction through a slow process; they fail not with a bang, but with a whimper. They fail when they become utterly unable to take advantage of their society’s huge potential for growth, and condemn their citizens to a lifetime of poverty, to a state of inequality, to injustice, to corruption. Pakistan will be choosing failure by design if it retreats now from its resolve to crush the corrupt; to destroy the fanatics and extremists and the intolerant ones. One painful aspect revealed to me during this visit was the curse of child labor. The so-called posh and planned localities in big cities now get a regular supply of small children to act as servants. They live there and stay in the serving mode for 24 hours. Poor families have invented this callous way of making money by producing children and handing them over to the rich. I saw a few coming and getting advance of four to five months to the tune of 20 thousand rupees, as these children get hired for 5-6 thousand rupees a month. Such children get abused in all manners. Very few families treat them as human beings. It needs to be checked. Forced labor and child labor are a surefire way to fail as a state. Uzbekistan is one such example. Severity of punishment is not as effective as the surety of punishment. Pakistan should not turn into a country like Somalia where law and order either does not exist, or it exists only for the poor. A powerful centralized state has no substitute. The 18th Amendment should not have been a conduit for the elite of Sindh, Punjab, Pukhtunkhwa and Baluchistan to prosper through corruption; nor should it have given them a free hand to loot and plunder the resources of the country. With the exception of the Armed Forces, all other institutions of the country are neither strong nor effective. And the weakest one is the central government and the judiciary. Pakistan could be another Columbia or Nigeria if its central government fails to exert its effectiveness. Political exploitation in Pakistan is taking an ugly turn like it did in Bolivia. The country’s resources are falling into the hands of the politicians as if they were their personal assets. They abuse them with immunity. The country needs to immediately reform its judiciary. In order to award a simple power of attorney to my brother, it took me two visits to the court. First time I learned what a jungle of entanglements our court-yard is. It was found teeming with a huge crowd of touts, agents, munshis, lawyers and what not. One simple power of attorney, a job of 15 minutes, consumed my full two days and 6,000 rupees, with each person on a robbing spree, and all this taking place under the nose of the judges and magistrates. When was the last time that some judicial reforms were introduced! Even Dickens’ in his Bleak House could not have visualized what I saw in the Kutchery yard. Just to reform

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the criminal law is not enough; the urgent need is to reform the whole judicial system. On the whole I found this visit rewarding. Former students of the class of 1976, on the initiation of Mr Arif Azim, a Federal Secretary and a former student, assembled in a house to honor me. It was just so refreshing to see those faces after a period of some 40 years. Values still count quite tangibly in determining the inner strength of a country. Pakistan, notwithstanding all its failures, is a country where the family system works; where illegitimacy is viewed as a sin; where parents are respected, and where sincere teachers are still valued. High rises and metros may be necessary in order to give Pakistan a modern look; but the urgent need is to address the basic problems of the common people. Wearing a festive look with borrowed smiles is not reflective of the hidden ugliness. When was the last time that these ruling people of Pakistan visited those dark streets where once they lived themselves too! Real Pakistan lives there; not in the Defense or in the city of grades, Islamabad. When people get clean water to drink; when their children go to good schools; when they get reasonably good health care; when they get equal opportunities to rise; when they sleep well and in security; then it can be said that Pakistan has made progress, and Pakistan is strong. COMPANIES FROM P21

exclusive discounts for their services. A beauty with brains, Sahr Said, the CEO of Beauty Hooked, aims to create an online platform for Pakistani women to compare the services of various beauty salons. The website currently offers discounts in over 30 salons in Lahore and plans to sign up a lot more in the next few months. What’s more, all of its subscribers are top-tier salons. Mango Baaz Put simply, MangoBaaz is the Mashable of Pakistan. It is an online channel for news, information and entertainment that highlights stories for Pakistani youth that are not picked up by mainstream media. It portrays a very lively, and fun-loving image of Pakistanis to the international audience. The website also plans to redefine digital advertising in the country by analyzing user data, and using it to generate stories that are more meaningful and connect brands with an engaged audience. Ges-Drive Ges-Drive is a start-up that creates a gaming experience for special children. These children can play video games through it via simple gestures. It is a proven fact that video games relieve chronic stress. The Al Umeed Rehabilitation Association (AURA) Karachi is using the prototype to test how this might work. The system costs $850 per package and will be sold for $1,200 per piece to hospitals and medical institutions. Acrobatic At Home was one such competitor that developed a shoulder pad but it wasn’t commercialized. Ges-Drive aims to tap recreational centers like Sindbad, Wonderland in Lahore, and Arena in Karachi. The founders are Computer Science graduates from FAST Karachi and are putting their genius to good use.

RELIGION FROM P23

bring order to the chaos which the world is facing and for this we should revisit religion and not reject it. We may have succeeded in creating the skeleton of global world order through political maneuvers of the past one hundred years. We will not be able to make an edifice out of this skeleton just by political alliances, economic zones, ideological groups, organizations, conferences, and resolutions over the next hundred years as suggested by some “thinkers”. To manage it and fulfill the aspirations of the constituents who have contributed to its formation we need justice, morality and patience and this can’t be generated by politics of greed, inducements and threats. Promise of pleasures of the hedonistic culture of the empires propagated by mass media can’t be the basis for a civilized democratic world order. Nor a religion which has sacrificed its spirit at the altar of institutional tradition can be the basis of it; we need a reformed universal religion. Let us revisit religion, review it, revitalize it and universalize it, but let us not reject it. BOOTH FROM P18

other people it was heady conversation,” she said. Some people walked by briskly, avoiding eye contact. But Haydar said she understands that it’s the busy holiday season, and people have places to be, things to do. Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen, who is also Muslim, applauded the spontaneous “conversation starter,” calling the experiment a good way to dissolve people’s misguided perceptions about Islam. “I’m feeling super-positive about any type of spontaneous, civic, press, or public engagement, because clearly there is a situation in which an unusual modicum of Americans don’t really know what the religion is about,” he said. “I’m definitely supportive of anything that supports intercultural or interfaith sharing.” A Facebook post by Haydar, which included pictures of her twoday experience, has been shared more than 4,000 times, and has inspired others to want to try it. Haydar said she has received many uplifting e-mails from people who have been supportive of the project, and who asked for advice on how to set up a “booth” of their own. She said her and her husband plan to go back out again after the holidays, to give away doughnuts and talk with the community some more. In the meantime, she has one message, which she posted online, for Muslims everywhere: “The world is a good and beautiful place with small pockets of hatred here and there. There is an overwhelming amount of love, and so remember this post when you are faced with bigotry and hatred towards you or your faith,” Haydar wrote last Friday. “Remember that you are as American as apple pie. And I ask you now, since we did this in Cambridge, right near the cafe where in ‘Goodwill Hunting’ Matt Damon asks, ‘How ’bout them apples?,’ — how about ’em?” – The Boston Globe MOORE FROM P19

means if you want to ban Muslims, you are first going to have to ban me. And everyone else.” Further, Moore told the real estate billionaire, “If you don’t like living by these American rules, then you need to go to the time-out room in any one of your Towers, sit MOORE, P28

COMMENTARY

hese young innovative Pakistani minds are increasingly making inroads into technologically advanced ways, resultantly, life is going to get a whole lot easier.

A recent graduate of the Lahore School of Economics, Muhammad Amin, has founded Payload – an app that is introducing Bitcoin technology to Pakistani users. Bitcoin is a type of digital currency used to verify and transfer funds. With $121 million worth of transactions taking place through Bitcoin every day, the technology is fast becoming a reliable method of transaction for individuals and businesses worldwide. And the best thing about this system is that it’s foolproof – it cannot be hacked. It’s fast and cheap, with minimal transactional fee. Pakistan is a predominantly cash economy, where many people are not comfortable making payments via credit cards which makes Payload extremely relevant. The start-up is planning to create awareness drives for university students to educate them about this improved way of transacting.

Healthwire Want to find a healthcare professional? Check outHealthwire. It is the easiest way to find a doctor. Founded by partners Hamza Iqbal and Harris Durrani, this mobile app is currently in its developmental phase. You can, however, book your appointments through their website, and rate your experiences too. It charges a nominal Rs. 1500 monthly subscription fee from medical professionals. While the website currently deals with dentists only, the platform will soon bring various specialists on-board. So far, it has signed up more than 80 dentists. And the best thing is; only PMDC-certified doctors can register on the website. Healthwire verifies doctors through their registered numbers. At the moment, the app can segment by gender and location only, but more sub-specialties like cardiology and neurology are set to be included soon, now patients can easily filter doctors according to their needs. Dockit While there is no shortage of discount cards available in the market, Dockit is doing something different. It is offering discounts for up to 12 months, and charging a membership fee of Rs. 999 per year. If it is able to acquire 50,000 users per year, well, you can do the math. It is currently seeking endorsements from various fashion brands. HSY & Maria B have already agreed to keep Dockit discount cards in their outlets. The start-up has successfully taken 380 vendors on-board. It will also offer a free voucher magazine for its customers that will cover categories ranging from electronics to apparel, groceries and food. It is now in talks with Oppo and Haier. As far as competition from ecommerce giants like Daraz.pk and Foodpanda is concerned, Dockit has got that sorted out too. It plans to integrate with both and offer their customers an additional discount, if they choose to buy from Daraz.pk/ Foodpanda via the Dockit card. The co-founders are graduates of IBA and FAST and have a pretty comprehensive understanding of the

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P21

15 Start-Up Companies Are Literally Reshaping the Way Pakistanis Work and Play

online world of business.

Meezaj With a catchy tagline ‘My Fashion, My Meezaj’, Meezaj aims to cut the middleman out and connect fashion designers directly with customers. Once it is up and running in January, it will serve as a platform for professional growth for talented young fashion designers from various universities who seek to develop their own brand name and business. Meezaj has already taken nine fresh designers on-board and will also be organizing fashion shows in the near future. The National College of Arts and Home Economics College have agreed to become its strategic partners. You would be surprised to know that Meezaj has already got popular brands like Charcoal, Coogar and Hadiqa Kiani hooked, and will charge them a 10 per cent commission if their products are sold through the portal. What’s more, these big brands will also sponsor their fashion shows. As for student designers and new faces, Meezaj will charge a hefty 25-30 per cent commission from them. Meezaj also plans to be an event management company, and will charge a ticket fee from entrants and a registration fee from designers seeking to partake in their events. ShaadiBox ShaadiBox provides an online marketplace that connects you with wedding vendors. The website is expected to be up and rolling in a couple of days. It aims to lessen the hassle of booking banquet halls and salons, and that too, on a discount. While it is currently in talks with Damas and Solitaire as vendors, Mahfooz Jewelers and Hanif Jewelers are already on-board. The platform will charge a subscription fee from jewelers – roughly around Rs. 5,000 – and a commission of 10-20 per cent from wedding halls vendors. The only competition it faces at the moment is Wedding Planit. But, while the latter is planning and executing the entire shaadi event for its clients, ShaadiBox will simply connect you to the right people. It is founded by programmers from the University of Management and Technology, Lahore. Chimera Chimera, which is a Greek word for ‘vision’, offers users a unique virtual dressing room experience. It already has five to six major clients on-board, including the likes of Charcoal, Splash Dubai, Breakout, Nishat Group and Servis Shoes. The website uses a 3D model, which allows its customers to rotate an image fully and see how a certain item (shoes/clothes) looks on them. It earns revenue via a deployment fee and is expected to reach break-even within a year. Virtual dressing rooms are already a big hit on the international retail scene, and Chimera will be a forerunner in bringing the technology to Pakistan. Auto Genie Auto Genie is a car repair service which has raised 10 million rupees from PakWheels. The CEO, Hamza Abbas Baksh plans utilizing

Home Foodies Home Foodies aspires to be a platform to enable housewives to set up their own food businesses from within the comfort of their homes. It will charge a 20 per cent commission per order. They have already signed up the famous Aunty Samina (Samina’s Kitchen) and Sir Kaiser (La Masion). Although, it currently gets 40-50 orders a month, the volume is expected to increase exponentially. The website targets hostelites and office workers at the moment. It has a strict quality assurance system where the owners of Home Foodies personally go and visit each kitchen before signing up a client. It plans to take over the Lahore market within the next six months.

Dockit — Muhammad Uns’ team

Chimera’s Sadoon Javaid and his team

Auto Genie’s Abdullah Cheema with his team

Home Foodies: Rana Waleed Asmat with co-founder Adeel Nur

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Smart Devices This is perhaps the first IoT (Internet of Things) start-up in Pakistan that aims to sell smart devices directly to consumers. It is currently in the prototype phase and considers Effective Labs and Apple Homekit to be its competitors. The founder says that by 2020, your home devices will consume more data than your mobile devices. While it currently only has 10 beta users, international giant Infotech has already shown interest in buying the company. The start-up has also made many of Super Asia’s devices WiFienabled and has developed a browser extension for Chrome and Opera so that your home devices can be operated, but the technology still needs to be certified. The company recently won a ‘Smart Home’ award at the IoT awards hosted by Telenor. Rabbit Drop Rabbit Drop helps deliver grocery anywhere in Lahore within 6090 minutes. Its name comes from a twist on the words ‘Rapid Delivery’. The start-up earns revenue via commissions from retailers. While it currently has only 70 registered users, it is expected to expand its user base once the website is officially launched. One of the founders has a degree in Modeling and Simulation Engineering, while the other has studied Computer Engineering.

Edutative’s Hira Irshad with co-founder

these funds to tap into the Karachi and Islamabad markets, after Lahore. This isn’t just a useful service for car enthusiasts, but also for a lot of people who don’t know much about the technical aspect of automobiles, except for how to drive one. So if something is wrong with your car but you can’t tell what the problem is, don’t worry! Instead of going to the nearest petrol station and getting overcharged, just ring Auto Genie’s hotline and let them do the job for you. You can order regular car maintenance services, like an oil change and tuning or A/C servicing, now from the comfort of your home.

line tests for SAT, MCAT and ECAT, along with various other test papers, and will generate evaluation reports for students to monitor their progress.

Edutative Edutative plans to take all local universities on-board and compete with the likes of LinkedIn for education in Pakistan. It will offer student reviews and ratings for various Pakistani universities and host student societies online for users to discuss issues pertaining to their specific field of study. Currently, it is running on investment from friends and family. The founders of Edutative are Economics and Business Majors. Out of the 180 universities in Pakistan with 220 campuses across the country, 40 universities are currently collaborating with them. The website will also offer on-

Patari Patari is simply the Gaana (song) of Pakistan and seeks to become a hub for the local music scene. While Tune.pk and Zemtv.com have done the same for Pakistani dramas and talk shows, there was hardly a platform where one could get high-quality Pakistani music and SoundCloud’s song remixes didn’t make the situation any easier. This is where Patari comes in. It boasts of more than 50,000 registered users with 750,000 tracks streamed per month. Its mobile app has been downloaded by 20,000 people already. Khalid Bajwa, the founder of Patari, claims to have created the most viral campaign in Pakistan for his mobile app by using innovative social media engagement techniques. Beauty Hooked Beauty Hooked allows you to find and book salons and parlors near your location and avail COMPANIES, P20

COMMENTARY

P22 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

Historic Pakistani Plunder at Oval

n By John Arlott

very club cricketer regularly perceives that cricket is an uncertain game: from time to time, too, that truth is demonstrated at the most exalted - Test - level. That was the case when Pakistan beat England in the Oval Test of 1954, the fourth and last of that year’s series. Neither was it merely a nine days’ wonder; no country had ever before won a Test in their first rubber in England and, in fact, they drew the series. Above all, it was historic in reinforcing national pride in the young country - created by Partition only in 1947 - and it confirmed the previously rather uncommitted public following the cricket there. It also established in confidence some previously tentative young or inexperienced players.

England had won the Second Test at Trent Bridge by a margin as great as an innings and 129, while the other two were rain-ruined and drawn, with England building a great advantage in the third. In view of the imminent tour of Australia, England brought in two fresh pace bowlers in Frank Tyson and Peter Loader and, to accommodate them, left out two `regulars’ in Alec Bedser and Trevor Bailey. In the event, that probably disturbed the balance of the side sufficiently to account for the eventual defeat by 24 runs. The two newcomers could not be blamed for the outcome; between them they took eight wickets for 118 runs; but they were both specialist bowlers and their presence made the England tail uncomfortably long. Bailey’s batting was sorely missed at the crucial stage; in fact, he bowled little in that series, only 12 overs in his three Tests: he might have rescued the second English in-

nings; but let us not detract from a boldly-won triumph. Defeat can hardly have been in English minds when, after rain delayed the start until 2.30, Kardar gave Pakistan first innings; and they lost seven wickets for 51. Statham and Loader, with two wickets each, and Tyson, who bowled quite fast when he settled down, with three, were responsible. Of those 51 runs, Imtiaz Ahmed (23) and Abdul Hafeez Kardar (eventually 36) were largely responsible: of the other batsmen in the first eight, only Alimuddin (10) scored double figures, and there were four noughts. In catching Kardar off Statham, Godfrey Evans passed Bert Oldfield’s Test wicket-keeping record of 130 dismissals. After tea, though, the tail gave gallant trouble. Shuja-udDin hung on for nearly two hours for his 16 not out, while the other spinner, Zulfiqar Ahmed (16),

and the fast bowler Mahmood Hussain (23) batted well above their station. So, given a good example by Kardar, the last three wickets put on 82 runs that were to prove crucial. This was to be Fazal Mahmood’s match. His action was not prepossessing; but he was strong, immensely fit, built like the policeman he was and, in many ways, was the ideal fast-medium bowler. His length was consistently accurate, he took punishment well, his stamina and determination were such that he never flagged and, given the opportunity of a breakthrough, he would persist untiringly. His stock in trade, like his pace, was similar to that of Alec Bedser; although originally a wrist-spinner, he developed sharp swing; but probably his keenest weapons were his cutters, which, particularly from leg, he bowled outstandingly and, in helpful circumstances, with deadly effect.

He came from Lahore and had played effectively for Northern India. He was as immensely successful a bowler on matting as he later was on turf; and was unlucky not to tour England with Pataudi’s side in 1946. He was, in fact, chosen to go with the 194748 Indian team to Australia, but Partition prevented him from making the tour. So he became one of the first few major `pure’ Pakistani Test cricketers and, although he did not play his First Test until 1952 (against India), when he was 25, he went on to appear 34 times for his country and to take an impressive 139 wickets (an average of over four a match) at 24.70. He often hit hard and usefully in the lower part of the batting order and had a safe pair of hands: a cheerful, good-hearted cricketer. There was, though, only time for him to bowl a single over before the close on that first evening; and a short but vio-

lent cloudburst in the morning washed away any possibility of play on Friday. When play was possible on Saturday - before the second-largest post-war crowd at The Oval - Fazal Mahmood and Mahmood Hussain could barely believe their luck; unused to such conditions in their own country, they had only to bowl a length and the pitch did the rest; one or two balls an over rose disturbingly; the batsman’s skill often lay in leaving rather than in playing. Very early, Mahmood Hussain found the edge of Reg Simpson’s bat, for a catch to slip; meanwhile Fazal drove into his long stint; he bowled throughout the innings - 30 overs. Mahmood Hussain got through 21; he was twice briefly spelled by Zulfiqar and Shuja; but the pitch was not yet ready for spin. At 26 Hutton was taken at the wicket ( Imtiaz) off Fazal, who then addressed himself to what promised to be

- and proved - England’s main resistance; the partnership between Denis Compton and Peter May. Fazal had poor luck; at least three close catches went down; but, typically, he showed neither irritation nor disappointment, but simply seemed eager to bowl the next ball. The pair put on 30 before he had May caught at slip, Tom Graveney went almost as soon as he came; so did Evans; and Pakistan went through to the tail at one end. At the other Compton, in one of his bravest Test innings, often by ingenious improvisation, contrived 53 out of England’s eventual 130. Otherwise, Jim McConnon (11) was only the fourth England batsman to reach double figures. Fazal’s 6 for 53 was magnificent; but the figures might have been even better if the catching had been sharper; Mahmood Hussain bore him good company with 4 for 58; and jubilantly Pakistan marked their seventh Independence Day by taking a lead of three on the first innings. There were, too, many and vocal Pakistanis present in a rare but happily bi-partisan crowd for The Oval to hail the achievement. As the pitch continued to dry out, the ball began to turn, and Wardle used the conditions skillfully. This was the point when England could - probably should - have done enough to win. Jim McConnon, the off-spinner, though, proved ineffective. This was no matter of lack of ability; from a good height, he could spin the ball hard and flight it most subtly; and his length and line were good. Certainly Wardle was the more experienced of the two; but from the time he came into the county game - late of 27 OVAL, P24

The ‘Glamping’ Trend Helps Put a New Spin on Holiday Travel

he holiday season is here once again, and for many families that means it’s time to travel.

But while you stay with the in-laws or book a hotel room, others are taking a different approach. They are “glamping” – a term that aims to put “glamour” into camping. And for anyone whose New Year’s resolutions include spending more time with family in 2016, glamping also provides the perfect way to do that. “If you want to enjoy nature, but you are not the roughing-it type, glamping is a wonderful compromise and has become especially popular in the RV community,” says Susan Schlapkohl, co-founder of InterVac Design (www.intervacdesign.com), which makes builtin vacuum cleaner systems for RVs, boats and small homes. “It has become such a different lifestyle than RVing used to be. It’s not just going into the woods and cooking Beanie Weenies anymore.” Glamping as a word and a movement has been around less than a decade, but Glamping. com, which has a blog dedicated to this luxurious version of camping, points out that the concept is not that new. Hundreds of years ago, Turkish Ottomans set up elaborate tent cities as a mobile palace for their sultan, and in the early 20th century wealthy Americans and Europeans often insisted on a touch of luxury for their African safaris. These days, you don’t need to be a sultan or extraordinarily wealthy to add a slice of glamour as you trek into the wilderness. Recreational vehicles are adding features that make roughing it much less rough for those who prefer to feel pampered as they venture into the great outdoors for a brush with nature.

Meanwhile, some RV destinations include spas, equestrian facilities and other amenities not usually associated with the back-to-nature, more primitive style of camping. These days, RVs with fireplaces, big screen TVs and even patios are not uncommon, Schlapkohl says. Meanwhile, built-in vacuum cleaners help holiday “glampers” sweep up any crumbs left by sugar cookies or pumpkin pie crusts. “I think women especially like the features that make their life in the RV a little more convenient,” Schlapkohl says. “When you are glamping, you are there to enjoy yourself, so you want cleanup time to be as quick and simple as possible. Instead of a hauling out a stick vacuum that takes up storage space and constantly needs

to be recharged, you just pull out the hose from the one that’s built-in. Pretty soon, you’re sipping a glass of wine and sitting in front of the fireplace.” Of course, the fireplace is electric, so you won’t be roasting any chestnuts, but the ambiance and charm are still there. Rugged outdoorsmen and women may pooh-pooh the whole “glamping” phenomenon, but Schlapkohl says there are definite advantages. • Home away from home. Because today’s manufacturers are building feature-rich RVs that provide as many amenities as possible, the allure of hitting the road is greater than ever. You get all – or at least most – of the comforts of home, but the view outside your window chang-

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es regularly. Many retired baby boomers are even ditching their houses for fulltime RVing. • Meeting the likeminded. People who embrace the RV lifestyle become something of a community. They socialize with each other, trade tips for improving life on the road, and during the holidays may even share dessert recipes. • Family togetherness. Glamping has something to offer all ages. Both parents and children can enjoy the experience and some families may want to turn a family glamping trip into an annual tradition, Schlapkohl says. Last year, spending more time with family and friends was one of the top five New Year’s resolutions, according to the Nielsen Company. Glamping without a doubt helps you accomplish that, she says. • Enjoying the outdoors. Don’t forget that “camping” is one of the two root words that form “glamping.” That means nature is still involved, just not as much of the sweaty, itchy, shivery version. You get to soak in beautiful scenery, head down hiking trails and spot wildlife, but without making yourself uncomfortable in the bargain. “It lets you be part of the camping experience,” Schlapkohl says, “even if you aren’t the roughing-it type.” (Susan Schlapkohl, who has a background in finance and investment, is founder with her husband, Peter, of InterVac Design (www.intervacdesign.com), which manufactures builtin vacuum cleaner systems for boats, RVs and small homes. Schlapkohl previously had 30 years of banking experience, and also was president of JJFN Services Inc., which purchased model homes from builders and leased them back to the builder)

COMMENTARY n By Dr Basheer Ahmed Khan Garden Grove, CA

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P23

Revisit Religion, Do Not Reject It

n the morning of November 28, 2015, I saw an anchor of Fox News conducting an interview with a student of seventh grade. Her teacher had failed her in a test because she was not willing to believe that God was a myth, and she did not comply with her teacher’s instruction to base her answer on intellect, and not on scriptures. This girl who believed in God and loved Him with all her heart, soul and spirit is not considered a Muslim in ethnic or legal sense. Thanks to the attitude of the religious establishment which values tradition of the church and mosque more than the letter and spirit of scripture. In the GMA program of ABC News, dated December 17, 2015, there was a ticker which said: A professor in a Chicago College was removed from her job because she taught her students that the God of Christians and Muslims was the same.

The argument against religion is on the rise these days because of the abuse of religious symbols and slogans by those involved in wars going on around the world. A knife is meant for cutting vegetables and fruits. If someone uses it to kill a person then the blame should not rest on the knife but on the individual who has abused it. Religion is exempt from this rule and is blamed for all the heinous acts committed in its name even by those who have no remote relation with it. The pity is that the influential antiReligion lobby wants to eliminate religion and the reality of God from the public square and some satanic forces furnish them a pretext for this. This assault on religion is a greater loss to the Public Square than to religion. Despite the chaos which governments are creating in the world by their corruption and deliberate negligence no one wants to shun the governments except the few who want to take over its role to continue with their loot, unhinged, but everyone is ready to pounce on the religion and push it out of the public square on every pretext. The main aim of religion was to evoke in people God-consciousness which is essential to guard the actions of individuals that trample upon the rights of fellow beings and disrupt peace in the public square. Laws and law enforcement machinery alone are not enough to make men law-abiding. By making religion a private affair we may create some law-abiding, churchgoing citizens, but they are not enough to bring peace to the world when the rest of the people are working to destroy it with their wanton behavior. We need honest and sincere people in parliament and in law enforcement to make just laws and enforce them impartially to keep the public square inclusive and safe. Political maneuvering and laws based on popular sentiments engineered by mass media to serve interest groups may solve our problem temporarily only to emerge with a vengeance in the immediate future. We need a deep sense of responsibility in polity to solve the problems of our public square and this can be achieved more easily and successfully by developing God-consciousness than through expensive and cumbersome legal process. Fear of law and law enforcement machinery is not enough for those who make laws and enforce them. Religion is needed as much for the clerks in the office as it is

needed for the choir in the church not to dish out favor to coreligionists but to uphold the spirit of fairness in the public square. As we are not imbued with the true spirit of God-consciousness and pay only lip service to religion, the laws which we make help us to punish the weak for their misdemeanor, but they are weak to catch and punish those who are strong and plunder society by being part of the system. This is what Jesus (PBUH) meant when he said: You swallow the camels while avoiding the flies. Jesus (PBUH) further said: I have not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it (Matthew Ch5 V17). What he implied by this is that I want to awaken in you God-consciousness and accountability before Him so that you make just laws and apply them uniformly on Jews and Gentile alike. Those who stand to benefit by bad laws, bad governance and bad religion and whose interest lies in expanding the scope and operation of law enforcement to enforce unjust laws do not like this God-consciousness. All governments have leaders with such traits but these days they are dominating the establishment. That is why this girl in 7th grade, and many other such men and women, are suffering around the world as Jesus had to suffer at the hands of Pharisees in Jerusalem while mankind is waiting for the second coming of Jesus (PBUH). Those who doubt the existence of God with a capacity to monitor individuals more effectively than the law-enforcement machinery may read my article “Science and Technology Opens Window to God Consciousness” (Pakistan Link dated June 4, 2010), and those who doubt the Day of Judgment when we will be taken into account for our deeds without any mercy by the merciful God may read my article “Belief in Resurrection is The Way to Salvation” (Pakistan Link dated January 24, 2014). Ignoring this one important function of developing God-consciousness we have used religion to advance all other impossible and less important objectives in its name to harm ourselves and the religion. Most have used it to decide the matter which God has kept to Himself, like who He is going to put in hell and who He will send to heaven. This is not an exercise to understand and correct our behavior to go to heaven and avoid the hell, but a ploy to gather crowd of coreligionists around on the promise of heaven and to demonize the opponents to justify revenge against them as subjects of Hell. Some have used religion to understand the creation of man and the universe while some

others have used it as a mean to purify the soul and merge it with the Super Soul. Some have abused religion to make laws so that they could use the divine sanction which the religion enjoys to run their writ in its name. Indeed religion has all these functions but we have always overdone by going from one extreme to another on these matters and ignored its original and natural role of developing God-consciousness. This has damaged religion and disrupted the normal functioning of our society and governments. One may read my article “Reli-

We will not be able to make an edifice out of this skeleton just by political alliances, economic zones, ideological groups, organizations, conferences, and resolutions over the next hundred years as suggested by some “thinkers”. To manage it and fulfill the aspirations of the constituents who have contributed to its formation we need justice, morality and patience and this can’t be generated by politics of greed, inducements and threats gion and Science Can Come Together to Reconcile Creation with Evolution” (Pakistan Link April 30, 2010) to understand the reality of Creation and Evolution which is dividing the so-called “scientific” community from the “religious” to create their sphere of influence among the masses by punishing that girl in 7th grade. One may read my article about “Fikr e Iqbal” published in three parts in Pakistan Link of Sept 11, Sept 18 and Oct 2, 2015 to understand the difference between True Religion and the Neoplatonic thought which has degraded the actual position of man by making him

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feign god or by making him deny his existence itself as an illusion. Two books were released recently exposing the skeletons in the closet. There are skeletons in closets of all religions but the timing of their exposure most of the time is not with the intention of cleansing them but to take political and economic advantage from them. When Elizabeth Palmer, a much respected journalist of CBS, tried to contact Vatican officials for their response on those books, they were silent but for a tweet implying work was in progress on the issue. But a person who is aware of the functioning of the Vatican said something very interesting and very relevant: The problem which Pope Francis faces is not the one of his making or by his predecessor, they inherited it as a backlog of 2000 years of church history and it takes time to solve it (CBS evening news dated Nov 4, 2015). This assertion should alert us to the urgency of revisiting religion, not just by the church but by the people of all religious denominations and by the people of all the historical civilizations to which we still vow our allegiance. While religious institutions should restore religion to its originality, it is imperative for our rulers with the mindset of historical civilizations that they ponder about the historical mistakes which they have committed to corrupt religion, societies and governments. Religion came to give the principles of laws governing individual behavior, social ethos and rules for collective living. These were summarized in Ten Commandments. Prophet Muhammad SA was sent to restore the religion of previous prophets in its original form to his followers and not to set them on a new religion (Ch4 V26). Therefore Allah elaborated the principles of Ten Commandments for his followers in verse 151-153 of chapter 6, and verse 23-39 of chapter 7, and at several other places in the Qur’an. These and such other universal principles enunciated in scriptures were common in all religions and were essential for a life of satisfaction for individuals and peace and progress of the society. In religion there was a provision for framing new rules to accommodate to the changing needs of society based upon these principles. But people overstepped this freedom and diluted and distorted the principles of divine law not to meet the needs of the society but to satisfy the unnecessary and unnatural demands of the masses and to satiate the appetite for pleasure and possession by the elite. As bad religion was good for the bad people to put the blame of their misdeeds on religion, the prince cultivated the priest and the clerk be-

friended the clergy from time immemorial to disgrace religion and disrupt governments. As a result of this nexus, religion became responsible for keeping the masses stuck in the Stone Age. Majority of the religious scholars in the past, and many still, think in their naivety that our Aslaf (religious scholars from the distant past) had done their job of perfecting the religion and the law and there was no need for us to review it. No doubt that our Aslaf were the best people as far as their God-consciousness and sincerity to religion was concerned, but they were not aware of the needs of future times to make laws for them. Many prophets were sent amongst the children of Israel to reform the corruption introduced into religion by this nexus and to tune up laws to the need of time. Bible is a testimony to their efforts and the result of it. As Nabi SA was the last messenger many reformers (mujtahids) came to give the message of reform in every century but the established clergy paid only lip service to them and continued on the old ways (Tareekh e Daawath o Azeemath by Abul Hasan Ali Nadvi Vol 1-5). It was not just the respect of the Aslaf that was putting brakes on the movement of reforming religion and restore its vibrancy and dynamism, but it was a design to keep the masses mired in confusion and hardship under the yoke of distorted religion so that the prince and priest could have control over them. When the tradition of Aslaf trumped over the reformed interpretation of revelation then it was no more a religion to restrain the behavior of man but a license to permit wrong in its name. We need to correct these errors which all religions have made over the last four millenniums and this can’t be done if we create a dichotomy between faith and fact. One may read my article “Intellect and Islam” published in Pakistan Link dated May 23, 2014 to understand the relationship between the two. One may read my article “Myth and Reality of Religion” in Pakistan Link dated May 14, 2010 to understand the need for good religion for good society, and my article “Allah, A Perfect Name to Personify His Glory” in Pakistan Link dated Dec 6, 2013 to understand how this can be achieved. In fact the God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, peace be upon all of them, is One and the same God to whom everything belongs, and to whom our total obeisance is due, and which is epitomized in one word “AlLahu” and “Ilaha” of the Arabic language. Followers of different religions have given Him different names and thus made One Unifying and Universal Entity into many names in order to etch out their constituency and get their share in the marketplace of religion. How pathetic that a Unifying Force is used for divisive purpose by those who claim to be His dedicated servants. Allah knows that the people who have lived their lives in accordance with their beliefs for long will find it difficult to abandon it. Allah therefore gives us time till the truth is clear to us (Ch42 V53). Till then Allah wants us to vie with each other in matters of goodness (Ch5 V48) and asks us to cooperate with each other in matter of piety and desist from cooperating in the matter of sin and injustice (Ch5 V6). For this we should create conscious and conscientious people of true religion who are willing to go against their interest and the interest of their clans (Ch5 V8, Ch4 V135) for the sake of truth, justice and peace. Only such people can RELIGION, P20

COMMENTARY

P24 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

Short Bases Have Long History of Failure, Look for Larger Bases n By Saghir Aslam

Rawalpindi, Pakistan

(The following information is provided solely to educate the Muslim community about investing and financial planning. It is hoped that the Ummah will benefit from this effort through greater financial empowerment, enabling the community to live in security and dignity and fulfill their religious and moral obligations towards charitable activities) Without a solid foundation, even the finest mansion stands on shaky grounds. For much the same reason, investors should avoid buying rising stocks lacking proper bases. Otherwise, they could put their financial house in disorder. In the current rally, scads of leading stocks have raced ahead like runaway trains. They haven’t given investors much of a chance to get on board. Such pullbacks may seem like a good time to get into these stocks. But it’s a risky tactic. In most cases, stocks should consolidate at least seven or eight weeks before breaking out. The only major exception is a flat base, which can take as little as five weeks. These are bare minimums. Stocks can base for more than a year. Stocks coming out of short consolidations are much more like-

ly to blow up in your face. After a small run, they may retrace most or all of their gains. If you buy a stock on the initial breakout, you might have a big enough profit cushion to ride out a correction. But from an extended buy point, a correcting stock can quickly put you more than 8% in the red before nearing its old base. Always sell if you’re down 7% to 8% no matter what. Don’t compound a bad buying decision by letting your losses mount. If you’re not fully invested by the time a market rally is in full swing, you may be too late. The stocks breaking out at this point, for example, are probably laggards. Investing in such stocks lowers the odds of catching a big winner while raising the risk of picking losers. Like farmers preparing for spring planting during winter, investors should get ready for the next rally during a market correction. Keep a list of top-notch stocks. Insist on companies with superior

AGREEMENT FROM P9

OVAL FROM P22

the new 1.5°C temperature target. But what is not in the agreement is any clue to how this might be achieved. What is in the agreement suggests that it will not. Similarly, it is nice that Article 7 on adaptation to climate change (a perennial developing country concern) is amongst the longest. But there is nothing concrete in that section, especially not on financial support. The inclusion of the language “loss and damage” to deal with potentially irreversible costs of climate change in vulnerable developing countries (Article 8) is a step in the right direction. But the related conference Decision attached to the Paris Agreement makes it clear that the article “does not involve or provide a basis for any liability or compensation” (Paragraph 52). The collective result is a Paris Agreement that makes it necessary to continue talking about the same set of issues we have now talked about for a quarter of a century. Meanwhile, the reality of climate change grows worse. (Adil Najam was on the delegation of Pakistan at the opening of the Paris COP21 negotiations. He also serves on the Board of WWF-International and Chairs the Boards of LEAD-Pakistan and the South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE). He is Dean, Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University. Henrik Selinis is Associate Professor in the Frederick S Pardee School of Global Studies, Boston University)

in 1950, McConnon was clearly a talented cricketer. In only his second season he was fifth - effectively fourth - in the firstclass averages with 126 wickets at 16.07. For this match he was again - to the surprise of some shrewd judges - preferred to Jim Laker. He lacked, though, not to his human discredit, the killer urge. Here he failed to destroy the Pakistan batting; and in addition dislocated a finger, and he never played for England again; he was taken on the following Australia tour - of 1954-55- but returned early after injury. This was one of the few major Pakistani Tests of his time in which Hanif Mohammad - most deservingly dubbed - `The Little Master’- a national hero in his own country, did not play a major part. Recognizing that, after rolling, this was going to become a turning pitch, he rattled away against the opening pace bowlers and made all the 19 runs scored for the first wicket before Wardle came on, and had him caught at slip. His opening partner, promoted after his success in the first innings, was Shuja-ud-Din; who again defended doggedly. There was another large crowd on Monday when Wardle, with the aid of a wicket apiece from Tyson and McConnon, and a runout, brought them down to 82 for 8, a lead of only 85, and England seemed in a winning position. Once again, however, the Pakistan tail saved them; Hanif ’s eldest brother, Wazir (42 not out), batted with immense aplomb. The pitch had improved and, again, Zulfiqar (34) and Mahmood Hussain (6, but sharing a stand of 24) did more than could reasonably have been expected of them: improbably, but gamely, the last two wickets exactly doubled the score. England needed 168 to win and, against these same bowlers, they had

No Orphan Without Education

share price and fundamental performance. They should be leaders in growing industries and enjoy support by mutual funds and other big institutional investors. These large institutions are the key to success. Have a plan, follow the plan. The watch and wait. Once the market bottoms, pounce on your target stocks as they break out of sound bases on strong volume. Follow this formula and Insha Allah the reward will be handsome. Remember what I have written many times. You must have a plan, a long term plan. Do your homework. Do research and research thoroughly. Once your research has been completed and it meets all of your plans then go ahead and pull the trigger (invest). Once you invest with a plan, you will win but you must have solid plan and you must be patience. (Saghir A. Aslam only explains strategies and formulas that he has been using. He is merely providing information, and NO ADVICE is given. Mr Aslam does not endorse or recommend any broker, brokerage firm, or any investment at all, nor does he suggest that anyone will earn a profit when or if they purchase stocks, bonds or any other investments. All stocks or investment vehicles mentioned are for illustrative purposes only. Mr Aslam is not an attorney, accountant, real estate broker, stockbroker, investment advisor, or certified financial planner. Mr Aslam does not have anything for sale.)

It costs just $10 per month to educate an orphan in need.

scored 558 for 6 at Trent Bridge and 359 for 8 at Old Trafford; their task seemed relatively simple. Two-and-a-half hours were left that day and, though Hutton nicked the pertinacious Fazal to the wicketkeeper, Simpson batted with his usual impression of ease, May with absolute confidence, and only Compton with any - intuitive? - suggestion of anxiety. May rolled out some regal strokes and, with Simpson, put on 51 at better than a run a minute; when he was out England needed only 59 to win with seven wickets left. At this point the game was running so well for England that Hutton sent in Evans, presumably in the hope of finishing the game that night. Evans, though, was fired out by Fazal; Graveney was beaten through the air by Shuja and, when Compton touched Fazal’s legcutter to Imtiaz, just before the close, England were, suddenly, struggling. There was no Bailey to give the innings an anchor. Next morning, with an unexpectedly large number of Pakistanis turning up for what could only be a short period of play, England, with four surviving wickets - including that of the injured McConnon- needed 43 to win; the game had somersaulted. Now Fazal seized the opportunity he had himself created by taking the wickets of Wardle and Tyson. McConnon was run out, Loader caught off Mahmood Hussian, and the junior Test-playing country had achieved the unexpected. Fazal this time had 6 for 46: in all, 12 for 99; but so many had contributed to their triumph that the euphoria was shared, not least by those supporters of the winning side who managed to turn up for the winning moment. It would have been a mean Englishman who did not grant Kardar’s young men credit for creating their piece of cricket history.

(*23 December, 2015)

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RELIGION

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P25

Being a Muslim: What Does It Mean?

n By Dr Muzammil H. Siddiqi

Gems from the Holy Qur’an

ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the Evil One; for he is to you an avowed enemy. (Al-Baqarah 2:208)

A Muslim is a person who is all the time submitting and surrendering to Allah. A Muslim enters into Islam, walks on the straight path, step by step moves ahead, goes higher and higher and never stops this movement until the end of his/her life. Being a Muslim is a process. It is a continuous struggle within oneself and with the outside world to transform and to make everything better. Ibn Kathir, the famous commentator of the Qur’an explains the above ayah with these words: Allah commands His servants who believe in Him and who have accepted His Messenger to hold fast to all the principles and laws of Islam, to do all His commands and to avoid all His prohibitions as much as they can. Being a Muslim is not just a label or an ethnic or family identity. To be a Muslim is to belong to Allah, to accept Islam as a way of life and to mold one’s behavior on the pattern of Prophet’s Muhammad’s Sunnah. It means to be a Muslim in one’s beliefs, worship, morals, manners, family relations, social relations, business pursuits, private and public, every aspect of life. Being a Muslim is to know that Allah is One, to have deep and strong faith and trust in Allah, and to love Allah more than anything and everything. Allah is the Creator, Owner, Master and Lord of this whole universe, but a Muslims says further that Allah is my Lord, my Master, my Creator and my Owner. Allah is Loving, Kind, Compassionate and Merciful. He is also Powerful, Just and He knows everything. All the Good Names belong to Him. It is to know that Allah created and creates everything for a purpose. He created us, human beings, for a purpose. Being a Muslim is to know that Allah chose from amongst the human beings some individuals. He gave them His message and made

From the translation by Muhammad Asad (Leopold Weiss) About the translator: Muhammad Asad, Leopold Weiss, was born of Jewish parents in Livow, Austria (later Poland) in 1900, and at the age of 22 made his first visit to the Middle East. He later became an outstanding foreign correspondent for the Franfurter Zeitung, and after years of devoted study became one of the leading Muslim scholars of our age. His translation of the Holy Qur’an is one of the most lucid and well-referenced works in this category, dedicated to “li-qawmin yatafakkaroon” (people who think).

them guides of humanity. There were many Prophets and Messengers and Prophet Muhammad was the Last and Final among them. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and upon all His prophets and messengers. Messengers came to guide human beings and to tell them the purpose of their existence. Messengers must be followed and their teachings and examples must be taken seriously. Being a Muslim is to know that this life is not the only life. There will be life after death and all human beings will stand before Allah to give the account of their lives. The righteous will be rewarded with eternal bliss in Jannah. Those who rejected Allah and His Messengers will be punished in Jahannam. It is our choice to choose whatever path we want. If we choose the right path, Allah helps us to move in that direction. However, if we choose the wrong path, it is our choice and consequences will be terrible. Being a Muslim is to worship Allah and to make Allah, His Messenger and His Deen the priority of

life.

Say: If it be that your fathers, your sons, your brothers, your mates, or your kindred; the wealth that ye have gained; the commerce in which ye fear a decline; or the dwellings in which ye delight - are dearer to you than Allah, Or His Messenger, or the striving in His cause - then wait until Allah brings about His decision: and Allah guides not the rebellious. (Al-Tawbah 9:24) Being a Muslim is to have good character, good morals and manners. It is to be truthful, honest, patient, humble, kind, courteous, generous, and hospitable. It is to live pure and clean life with no alcohol, drugs, fornication, adultery, homosexuality or any evil. Being a Muslim is to love and care for one’s family. It is to be a good spouse, loving, kind and caring to children, obedient and respectful to parents, kind and loving to brothers and sisters and to all relatives - members of our extended family. Being a Muslim is to love other Muslims. It is to consider every Muslim a brother or sister. It is to have no racial, ethnic, color, or language prejudice. It is to love to be with Muslims as much as possible, live with them, deal with them, interact with them, feeling happy when they are happy and feeling sad when they are sad. It is to care for them, struggle for their rights and protect them wherever they are. Being a Muslim is to be

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good to all human beings and to all the creation of Allah. It is to deal with every person, friend or foe with fairness and justice. It is to be tolerant and peaceful, kind and courteous to neighbors, to coworkers, to associates and to strangers. It is to be involved in humanitarian work, building relations with all people. It is also to covey Allah’s message to all people, with wisdom and without any coercion and compulsion. It is to invite them to join the brotherhood of Islam, become the people of Allah, but it is also to respect them and deal with them with justice even if they do not accept Islam. Being a Muslim is to care for all creatures and for the environment, without wasting the resources and without hurting or harming anyone. Being a Muslim is to be optimistic, never lose hope and never give up. It is to be sure that in the end the truth will prevail and the falsehood will vanish. It is to remain steadfast and work hard with wisdom and patience. A Muslim scholar gave ten qualities of a Muslim: 1. (Salim al-‘Aqidah): A person of sound faith, 2. (Sahih al-‘Ibadah): Worshiper in a correct way 3. (Qawiyy al-jism): Strong physically 4. (Matin al-khuluq): A person of solid character 5. (Muthaqqaf al-fikr): A person of refined mind 6. (Qadir ‘ala al-kasb): Able to earn 7. (Mujahid linafsihi): Self disciplined 8. (Haris ‘ala waqtihi): Conscientious about his time 9. (Munazzam fi shu’unih): Organized in his affairs 10. (Nafi’ lighairihi): Beneficial to others (Khutbah at Islamic Center of Hawthorne, CA – Jumadal Ula 17, 1434/ March 29, 2013)

Chapter 103, Al-’Asr (The Flight of Time), Verses 1-3(Complete Surah) Consider the flight of time! Verily, man is bound to lose himself unless he be of those [ 1 ] who attain to faith, and do good works, and enjoin upon one another the keeping to the truth, and enjoin upon one another patience in adversity. Chapter 104, Al-Humazah (The Slanderer), Verses 1-8 (Complete Surah) Woe unto every slanderer, fault-finder! [ 2 ] [Woe unto him] who amasses wealth and counts it as a safeguard, thinking that his wealth will make him live for ever! Nay, but [in the life to come such as] he shall indeed be abandoned to crushing torment! And what can make thee conceive what that crushing torment will be? A fire kindled by God, which will rise over the [guilty] hearts: verily, it will close in upon them in endless columns. [ 3 ] Chapter 107, Al-Maa’uun (Assistance), Verses 1-4 (Complete Surah) Hast thou ever considered [the kind of man] who gives the lie to all moral law? Behold, it is this [kind of man] that thrusts the orphan away, and feels no urge to feed the needy. Woe, then unto those praying ones whose hearts from their prayer are remote – those who want only to be seen and praised, and, withal, deny all assistance [to their fellowmen]! Chapter 109, Al-Kaafiruun (Those who deny the truth), Verses 1-6 (Complete Surah) Say, “O you who deny the truth! “I do not worship what you worship, and neither do you worship that which I worship. “And I will not worship that which you have [ever] worshipped, and neither will you [ever] worship that which I worship. “Unto you, your moral law, and unto me, mine!” GEMS, P28

P26 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

Meelad-e-Mohammad Mustafa (PBUH) California Presents

Speaker

Shaikh Faisal Abdur Razak (Canada - English)

Naat Khwan

Syed Fasih Uddin Soharwardi (Pakistan)

Local Ulema e Kiraam & Renowned Naat Khwan Speaker

Allama Liaquat Hussain (Pakistan - Urdu)

Sunday January, 3rd, 2016 4:00PM - 8:00PM

Knott's Berry Farm Resort Hotel 7675 Crescent Ave., Buena Park, CA 90620, (714)-995-1111

Youth Session Qiraat, Speech, Naat, & Quiz

Salat ul Asr Jamat at 3:45PM InshaAllah Program will begin right after Salat ul Asr

For Further Information, Please Contact: Phone: 800-611-5429, www.meeladusa.com, E-Mail: info@meeladusa.com Facebook: Meelad e Mohammad Mustafa (saw) ► Separate Section for sisters ► Free Admission

► Free Parking

► Complementary Dinner by Bismillah Restaurant

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DECEMBER25, 25, 2015 LINK LINK â&#x20AC;&#x201C; P27 DECEMBER 2015â&#x20AC;&#x201C; PAKISTAN - PAKISTAN

Pakistan Super League: Players Drafting Process Underway Rules - Each team has to select three players from the Platinum, Diamond and Gold categories. - At least two emerging players need to be selected by each team. - Five players from the silver category have to be selected. - Once a player is not selected in his initial category, he will automatically be demoted to the next lower category. LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League (PSL) players draft in underway in the LUMS, Lahore recently. Karachi Kings: Shoaib Malik, Shakib alHasan, Sohail Tanvir, Imad Wasim. Peshawar Zalmi: Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Darren Sammy, Kamran Akmal. Islamabad United: Shane Watson, Andre Russell, Misbahul Haq, Samuel Badree, Muhammad

Irfan, Brad Haddin. Lahore Qalandars: Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Umar Akmal, Muhammad Rizwan. Quetta Gladiators: Kevin Pietersen, Sarfraz Ahmed, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali. Islamabad get to pick again. Brad Haddin has been picked from Diamond category. Peshawar have picked Kamran Akmal from the Diamond category.

Two picks for Islamabad now due to their trade with Peshawar. First pick: West Indian leg-spinner Samuel Badree. Spin will be important on UAE pitched. Pacers will not find much business there. Second pick: Finally tall left-arm pacer has been picked by Islamabad. Muhammad Irfan it is. The Colombo hero Anwar Ali has been picked by Quetta. A good all-rounder added to the team. J

Williamson Moves Past AB in Rankings CAPE TOWN: Kane Williamson has become the second New Zealand batsman after Glenn Turner to top the ICC player rankings for Test batsmen after producing a man-of-the-match performance in the Hamilton Test against Sri Lanka, which helped the home side win the match by five wickets and the series 2-0. ICC player rankings Williamson scored 108 not out, his 13th century in 46 Tests, as New Zealand achieved the 189-run target with five wickets to spare. Williamson, who also played in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2008, earned 11 points for his efforts, which was enough to put him ahead of England's Joe Root and AB de Villiers of South Africa in the No 1 batting spot. Root has dropped down to No 2, with De Villiers down to No 3. Turner was at the top for 425 days between 1973 and 1975, but this was before the ICC rankings were officially launched in 1987. The other highest-ranked New Zealand batsmen have been Martin Crowe (third), John F Reid (third), John R Reid (fourth), Bert Sutcliffe (fourth), Mark Richardson (sixth) and John Wright (seventh). In terms of points, the all-time leading New Zealand batsman is Williamson, who achieved 893 points

last month. He is followed by Ross Taylor (871 in 2013), Turner (845 in 1974) and Geoff Howarth (804 in 1981). The foursome are the only New Zealand batsmen to reach the 800point mark in Test cricket. With the ball, Richard Hadlee was the No 1-ranked bowler for 1 824 days between 1984 and 1990, while Jack

ICC Test Team Championship (as on December 21, after the end of New Zealand-Sri Lanka Test series) 1. South Africa 114 points 2. India 110 3. Australia 109 4. Pakistan 106 5. England 99 6 New Zealand 99 7 Sri Lanka 89 8 West Indies 76 9 Bangladesh 47 10 Zimbabwe 5 Cowie topped the bowling chart for 266 days in 1947. Root and De Villiers, along with Australia's fourth-ranked Steven Smith and fifth-ranked David Warner, will go into the Boxing Day Tests aiming to finish the year as the No 1ranked Test batsman. Root and De Villiers trail Williamson by three and eight points, respectively, while Smith is 15 points and Warner 26 points

behind the New Zealander. It has been an outstanding year for Williamson. He started the year in 13th position, but after scoring 1 172 runs in 16 innings and eight Tests with five centuries and four half-centuries, he has stormed to the top of the tree. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka's middleorder batsman Milinda Siriwardana has broken into the top 50 for the first time in his career after vaulting 18 places. He is now in 48th position after scoring 62 and 26 in the Hamilton Test. In the ICC player rankings for Test bowlers, New Zealand's Tim Southee has returned to the top 10 after rising two places to 10th. Southee, who won the Player of the 2008 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup award, returned figures of three for 63 and four for 26. Southee's team-mate, Doug Bracewell, has moved up four places to 36th after match figures of four for 112, while Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera has achieved a career-best ranking of 50th. Chameera recorded figures of five for 47 and four for 68, for which he has been rewarded with a jump of 39 places. The bowling table is still headed by South Africa's Dale Steyn. He leads India's Ravichandran Ashwin by just four points, which means the fast bowler will have to perform strongly in the Boxing Day Test against England to retain the top spot. J

Waqar Wants to Personally Oversee Aamir's Progress KARACHI: Keeping a close watch on M Aamir's possible return to international cricket, Pakistan head coach Waqar Younis has stopped the left-arm pacer from appearing in the fresh round of domestic cricket in order to personally oversee his progress. Aamir was told to reach Lahore to attend the short conditioning camp beginning from on Monday instead of going to Karachi to play the latest super eight round of the Quaid-eAzam Trophy first-class tournament. "The Pakistan Cricket Board allowed all the other players named for the camp to represent their teams in this round only Aamir has been held back. We wrote a letter seeking a reason for holding him back and were told Waqar wants to spend time with him," the manager of the Sui Southern Gas team for whom Aamir plays, told PTI. Ironically, all the other top players including Misbahul-Haq, Azhar Ali, M Hafeez, Umar Akmal, M Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz etc. have been allowed to represent their teams in Karachi in matches that began recently. Aamir along with the two other tainted players Salman Butt and M Asif and a host of other national players returned from Qatar on Saturday after playing in a festival match in Doha. The PCB had granted permission to the players to play in the festival

match to celebrate the national day of Qatar. "Waqar wants to watch Aamir closely and check his fitness and attitude. He wants to have oneto-one talk sessions with him to be sure that the youngster is now sincerely repentant for his deeds and is ready to be given another chance to play for Pakistan," a national selector said. "That is why he has told Amir to attend the camp." "The idea is also that he will get time with Aamir and be prepared to handle the situation when the other senior players also join the camp in Lahore," he said. Seniors do not want Aamir back in dressing room A reliable source in the PCB said that Waqar and the selectors wanted Aamir in the ODI and T20 squads for the tour to New Zealand next month but remained apprehensive about the reaction of some players to recalling Aamir to the national squad. "Assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed has been given the task of talking to the main players while Aamir is in Lahore and convincing them to accept the youngster back in the dressing room," the source said. "There are still some players notably Hafeez and Azhar Ali who are not comfortable with the idea of having Amir in the team. In fact Hafeez has made it a point he will not play in the franchise which chooses Aamir for the Pakistan Super League this week," he added. J

Indo-Pak Series Appears Difficult: BCCI Secretary NEW DELHI: BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has all but ruled out the IndiaPakistan series, given the short window ahead of India's limited-overs tour of Australia, which begins on January 12. "It's 19th already and even if a decision comes in the next week, it might not be possible to host a series in such short notice," Thakur said at the press conference in Delhi, where the ODI and T20 squads for the tour of Australia were announced. He, however, said the onus of making that call rested with Pakistan, who are the hosts for the series in accordance with the MoU signed between the BCCI and PCB. "This is not a decision for us to make," Thakur said. "It is for Pakistan to make should the Indian government grant permission. But, given the situation today, it appears difficult." The series has remained in limbo for a while now with little progress made in the last few weeks. While the Pakistan government has green-lit the series, there has been no word from its Indian counterpart yet. J

Sepp Blatter Vows to Appeal 8-Year Ban From FIFA Committee SWITZERLAND: Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini were each banned for eight years by the FIFA ethics committee recently in a stunning removal of world soccer's most powerful leaders. FIFA President Blatter and his one-time protege Platini were kicked out of the sport for conflict of interest and disloyalty to FIFA in a $2 million payment deal that is also the subject of a criminal investigation in Switzerland. In a defiant news conference shortly after the verdict was announced, Blatter said he would appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, insisting he had done nothing wrong. 'I will fight," Blatter said. "I will fight until the end.' His last words on leaving the conference were "I'll be back."

Blatter's FIFA career is ending in disgrace after more than 17 years as

president and 40 years in total with the scandal-hit governing body.

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Platini's bid to succeed his former mentor in the Feb. 26 presidential election is now likely over. Platini,, a FIFA vice-president and head of European governing body UEFA, is also expected to appeal. Blatter made it clear he regretted his current position but declared he was innocent of any wrongdoing. "I regret, but I am not ashamed," he said. ""I am sorry that I am a punching ball. I am sorry for football... I am now suspended eight years, suspended eight years. Suspended eight years for what?" FIFA's ethics judges decided that Blatter and Platini broke ethics rules on conflicts of interest, breach of loyalty and offering or receiving gifts. Both denied wrongdoing in 2011 when Platini took $2 million of FIFA money approved by Blatter as uncon-

tracted salary for work as a presidential adviser from 1999-2002. In Monday's verdict, Blatter was fined 50,000 Swiss francs ($50,250) and Platini 80,000 Swiss francs ($80,400). "Neither in his written statement nor in his personal hearing was Mr. Blatter able to demonstrate another legal basis for this payment," the judges said. "By failing to place FIFA's interests first and abstain from doing anything which could be contrary to FIFA's interests, Mr. Blatter violated his fiduciary duty to FIFA. "His (Blatter's) assertion of an oral agreement was determined as not convincing and was rejected by the chamber." Blatter hit back at that conclusion during his news conference, portraying the ethics committee as saying: "He's a liar and I'm a liar." J

PAKISTAN

P28 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015 SINDH FROM P7

be confined to fighting terrorism alone but also included combating its twin scourge, Sindh’s rampant corruption—should have been put under direct federal supervision and oversight. The Zardari cabal ruling the roost in Sindh is part of the problem and should never have been co-opted as an adjunct to the party seeking a solution. It may have seemed like a good political gimmick for Nawaz to hawk Qaim Ali Shah’s credentials as ‘captain’ of the cleanup operation but it smacked of poor strategy. How could a Zardari factotum be trusted to work as an honest broker? It was an oxymoron; an obvious contradiction in terms. But it begs the question why Nawaz is having cold feet in taking on Zardari? Why should a PM who has successfully thwarted the assault at his citadel from a populist and charismatic Imran Khan be so shy in confronting a person like Zardari? The only logical explanation for Nawaz’ diffidence, dear Dr Watson (as Sherlock Holmes would’ve said) could be his fear of the same medicine being administered to him too. Nay-sayers have long been insinuating at an unwritten agreement between Zardari and Nawaz. Others say the London Plan—worked out by Nawaz and Benazir Bhutto—is still operational and alive. PPP and Nawaz League wouldn’t hold each other accountable; period. But while both of them—Nawaz and Zardar—may still feel honorbound by the spirit of that unholy alliance they know it so well that in the Pakistani calculus of power there’s a third force too. And that third force has power flowing from the barrel of its guns. As Imran Khan said recently in Delhi—for the benefit of his Indian interlocutors—the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, is the most popular man in Pakistan and he is determined to rid the country of the twin scourge of terrorism and corruption. So much as Nawaz may wish he didn’t have to bite the bullet on the Rangers’ mission in Karachi he may not have much choice to do otherwise. He would be a fool if he thought he could be on friendly terms with both the saint and the rogue. - K_K_ ghori@hotmail.com (The author is a former ambassador and career diplomat) GEMS FROM P25

Translator’s Notes [ 1 ] Literally, “man is in a (state of loss), except those….”, etc. [ 2 ] I.e., everyone who maliciously tries to uncover real or imaginary faults in others. [ 3 ] Literally, “in extended columns”, i.e., overwhelming with despair. ___________________

ALLAN FROM P13

Television and he groomed a whole generation of actors, directors and writers during his decades-long career. For the past several years Kamal had stopped writing for television. But his famous work ‘Alif Noon’ had undoubtedly been a trendsetter in the field of comedy and sitcoms. His other projects, including ‘Mr Shaitan’, ‘Adhi Baat’ and ‘Sahib Bibi Ghulam’, ‘Khoya Huwa Aadmi’ and ‘Hum Sub Chor’ had been equally innovative and showcased his extraordinary skills of portraying the

corrupt in our society. Kamal was a true artist since he never penned down a scripts without being truly inspired. He used to say it would be impossible to create magic in the absence of inspiration. His death will be widely mourned. PROCESS FROM P4

justice. Be just that is nearer to piety. Be careful of for your duty to God for God is surely aware of what you do” (Qur’an 5:8) There is no short cut to Islamic Knowledge. Haphazard, desultory self-learning, especially via internet and social media, will not help in gaining in-depth knowledge. It could lead to self-radicalization and prompt acts out of hate and revenge. To all Muslims, young and old, new to Islam or “born again” Muslims, I advise to learn Islam from the source, i.e. the Qur’an. Dr Mohammad Iqbal’s father once told him, “Son! When you read Qur’an, assume it was revealed on to you and God is addressing you “. The life of Prophet Mohammad, the Messenger of Peace, and the manner in which he dealt with those who opposed him, will serve as a glowing example. Students of Islam should have a Muslim teacher who can guide them in this journey. “Believers! Enter into Islam wholeheartedly and follow not the footsteps of Satan as he is your open enemy.” (Qur’an 2:208) “God changes not the condition of a nation unless they change what is in their self.” (13:11) We will not be questioned for what others did to us but we will be questioned for what we did in response. MOORE FROM P20

there, and think about what you’ve said.” “And then leave the rest of us alone so we can elect a real president who is both compassionate and strong,” he added. “We are all Muslim. Deal with it,” Moore’s letter concluded. Moore asked everyone who read the letter and agreed with it to take a picture of themselves holding up the same sign and post it on their instagram and other social media portals. PROTECTION FROM P18

so, sometimes knowing it will not be popular to do so,” he said. As a Jew, he added, his own people were “strangers in the land of Egypt” in ancient times, as well as unwelcome newcomers to America more recently. Wave after wave of immigrants and enslaved people, he said, were vilified and ostracized at various points in American history. “If you add up all of those who are Irish-Americans, Italian-Americans, German-Americans, MexicanAmericans, Asian-Americans, African-Americans, Jewish-Americans — all those who were once strangers in this land of Egypt — you end up with the vast majority of this nation,” he said. “So I hold firm in the hope that if we remember . . . that we, too, once were strangers in the land of Egypt, the vast majority of Americans will stand arm-in-arm with Muslim Americans, and together we will get past these troubling times.” Zainab Elmi, who immigrated to the United States from Somalia 15 years ago and lives in Somerville, called his talk “wonderful.” “It was reassurance that we all are one community,” she said. - Boston Globe

ORGANIZATIONS FROM P19

you engage in demagoguery and bigotry, you will pay a political price,” American Muslim Alliance director Mahdi Bray said at the National Press Club. “Because we’re going to register our people and we’re going to use our ballot and we’re going to ‘take our souls to the polls’ and make sure you are out of there,” he continued. Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) national executive director, Nihad Awad, standing alongside Bray, quickly clarified that the organizations on the platform – members of the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO) – were not endorsing any candidate. “There will be another organization that might be formed from the community that will make that decision, but we are – most of us are 501(c)(3) organizations,” Awad said. “So – but yes, we’re going to be engaged, and as we say, ‘in November we will remember,’” Awad added. “We’re non-profit,” quipped Bray, “but not non-principled.” Bray and Awad were participating in a USCMO press conference announcing initiatives “to address growing Islamophobia in America.” Another participant, Islamic Society of North America vice-president Altaf Husain, urged political candidates at all levels to take time to engage with American Muslims. “If you as a political candidate choose to spew hatred, bigotry, and to vilify Muslim Americans, you do so at your own political risk,” he warned. “We will use every democratic – small d – democratic means and political strategies to ensure that you – your candidacy never succeeds.” Awad of CAIR said the media should not give undeserved attention to “politicians who are trying to scapegoat the American Muslim community.” In response to a question, he said he agreed with Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s charge that Trump has become a recruiting tool for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). “I happen to agree with her, because I said similar stuff – that Donald Trump’s statements are helping ISIS, because he’s playing into their hands, he’s not fighting ISIS, he’s helping ISIS,” Awad said. “ISIS leaders know that they cannot destroy the United States, they cannot defeat the United States. But what they hope to do is to divide Americans and to scare us,” he said. “So my message to all candidates, not only Donald Trump and his likes but all candidates: Stop being afraid. America is strong.” - CNSNews.com According to another report the alliance of Muslim groups is launching a national bus tour and voter registration drive to respond to what it calls an alarming rise in anti-Muslim attacks that it says is driven by Islamophobia in 2016 presidential campaign rhetoric. The voter registration drive, which seeks to sign up a million new voters over the next year, isn’t limited to Muslims. Robert McCaw, government affairs director at CAIR, said the effort seeks to bring in Americans of all creeds and political persuasions. McCaw said that he hopes these voters cast ballots while conscious of the stances of 2016 candidates, but that the effort doesn’t endorse one party or platform. The get-out-thevote effort will simply inform citizens of candidates’ positions, he said. “We’re not looking to register 1 million more Muslims. We’re looking to work with interfaith partners to

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register 1 million more Americans,” McCaw said. “This is going to be more of an interfaith and community project. When you look at the toxic political climate in the United States, minority community members take the brunt of many political attacks now more than ever. We have to join together so we’re heard. The best way is to go to the polls.” PTI FROM P1

polling stations. The polling started at 8am and continued uninterruptedly till 5pm. As many as 303 polling stations were set up for 419,182 registered voters of the constituency. Lodhran’s DCO Muhammad Shahid Niaz had enforced Section 144 which prohibited carrying licensed firearms, display of weapons, aerial firing and conducting rallies, processions and gathering of more than five persons within the 300-meter radius of the polling station. Political workers had also established their polling camps and a lot of enthusiasm was seen among the workers of the PML-N and the PTI. While the contest was largely between the two rival parties, there were in all 20 candidates in the run. Speaking at the occasion, Tareen said he had himself collected all the results from the returning officers. “Today’s results confirm that the PML-N had rigged the May 2013 polls,” he said, adding that his victory was the victory of the people of Lodhran.

Infant Dies as Bilawal’s Security Staff Prevents Family from Entering Hospital Karachi: A 10-month-old girl died

on Wednesday when her family was unable to enter Civil Hospital due to security measures in place for the arrival of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and other leaders. Bisma, a resident of Gabol Park in Lyari, was suffering from measles and had a high fever when her father, Faisal, brought her to the hospital. He arrived at the Trauma Center entrance, which was manned by security officials for the arrival of Bilawal, Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and others. Faisal said the security officers deployed on the road stopped him from using the gate even after he argued for some time. By the time he walked around the premises to reach the second entrance to the emergency ward, Bisma’s condition had deteriorated. The doctors told him that she was dead and that her life could have been saved had she been brought in on time. “The doctors believed that she could have survived if I had reached at least 15 minutes earlier,” Faisal sobbed in front of television cameras as he held her lifeless body. VIP protocol took away her life, he said. According to Civil Hospital management, the door that Faisal was trying to enter was for the Trauma Center. “All other doors were open,” said the medical superintendent, Dr Saeed Ahmed Qureshi. The main emergency gate and the Baba-e-Urdu Road gate were open for public, he added. Dr Qureshi clarified that the security officers deployed at the gates were not of the hospital. The management does not close doors on patients at any time, he said.

Non-bailable Warrants for Arrest of 25 MQM Leaders Karachi:

An AntiTerrorism C o u r t (ATC) issued nonbailable w ar r ant s for the arrest of 25 senior leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), including party chief Altaf Hussain, in 10 cases for delivering and listening to a speech criticizing the military establishment. The MQM leaders were named in different FIRs by private complainants who alleged that the named persons had attended a public gathering and listened to Altaf Hussain’s outburst against the security agencies on July 12 this year. In his speech, Hussain had accused the paramilitary forces of torturing and killing his party workers. Compiled on the basis of FIRs registered against the MQM leaders at police stations in Malir cantonment, Sukhan, Bin Qasim Town, New Town and Steel Town, the Karachi police presented before the ATC a charge sheet in which the MQM leaders were charged under Section 12 (collection of evidence in the absence of accused) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). Police submitted charge-sheets in 10 cases and showed MQM leaders as absconders except Rauf Siddiqui, who is on a pre-arrest bail. Accepting the charge sheet, ATC-I judge Bashir Ahmed Khoso issued non-bailable arrest warrants for 25 MQM leaders, including MQM chief Altaf Hussain, MQM’s mayoral candidate for Karachi Waseem Akhtar and senior party leaders Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Rauf Siddiqui, Qamar Mansoor, Rehan Hashmi , Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Rasheed Godil, Kaiful Wara and others. The court directed the police to arrest and present the accused before the court on January 2. The development comes a week after the MQM nominated Waseem Akhtar for the position of Karachi mayor following its comprehensive victory in local government elections in Karachi earlier this month. In July, FIRs were registered in different parts of the country against Altaf Hussain for remarks made by him against the chief of Rangers in Sindh and the paramilitary force in his speeches. In the FIRs, the MQM chief was accused of involvement in cases of criminal conspiracy, waging or attempting or abetting the waging of war against Pakistan and committing acts of terrorism. His July 12 speech was apparently in response to media reports that quoted Rangers sources as saying the paramilitary force was going to release a factsheet about the March 11 raid on MQM’s Nine Zero headquarters in Azizabad. Altaf Hussain had called upon the army chief to take notice of the alleged violation of army’s code of conduct by the director general of Sindh Rangers and other officials and urged him to do justice in the matter.

CLASSIFIED & MATRIMONIAL

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P29

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COMMUNITY

P30 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015 CG FROM P1

schooling was in my hometown, Tandojam district Hyderabad. I attended the Government Primary School in Tandojam and the Cantonment School in Hyderabad up to the 6th grade. I subsequently studied at the Cadet College Pitaro up to the 12th grade and then enrolled in the Sindh Medical College (SMC), Karachi, for a medical degree. Unfortunately, I couldn’t continue my studies there - Allah (swt) had a different plan for me then that was decided by my family! I discontinued perusing my medical degree in my 2nd year at SMC, and then finished my graduation and appeared in the Civil Services Competitive examination in 1989. After clearing the Civil Services exam in the first attempt, I was selected for Pakistan Railways Occupational Group. I continued my training there and served at the Railway Marshalling Yard at Pipri in Karachi. In 1991, I reappeared in the Civil Services Exam and was placed in the Foreign Service of Pakistan. PL: You have served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for almost 25 years now. Most recently you served as the Director General Afghanistan, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. Please tell us about your postings outside Pakistan. CG Memon: Prior to joining as Consul General in Los Angeles, I served as Director General Europe and Director General Afghanistan in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs I have also held various diplomatic assignments in Pakistan Missions abroad. I served as the Third Secretary, Embassy of Pakistan, Madrid, Spain; Deputy Head of Mission (DHM), Embassy of Pakistan, Cairo, Egypt; and Deputy High Commissioner/Minister, High Commission of Pakistan, Pretoria, South Africa. My posting as the Consul General of Pakistan in Los Angeles is my fourth posting abroad. PL: What has been your experience with the various Pakistani expatriate communities in the countries you have served so far and what is your expectation of the community here in the West Coast of the United States of America? CG Memon: My experiences varied from country to country. We do have thriving and vibrant communities in the countries I served in. When I was initially in Madrid, I did my Spanish language course at the University of Salamanca - I had limited interaction with the Pakistani community as the Third Secretary, Embassy of Pakistan, Madrid, Spain. In Cairo, there was a smaller community as there were about 1,000 members of the Pakistani community and most of those were working for the United Nations, Banks or had other high profile jobs - it was relatively easier to serve their needs because it was a smaller community - but when I joined the High Commission of Pakistan in Pretoria, South Africa as the Deputy High Commissioner I had heavy involvement with the community - unfortunately South Africa used to be a hotbed of illegal immigration, not only from Pakistan but from

Consul General Abdul Jabbar Memon talks to Pakistan Link in his LA office. Right below he is seen with Mr Arif Zaffar Mansuri, President, PL Publications, publishers of Pakistan Link, Urdu Link and South Asian Fashion and Lifestyle Magazine

many other countries – there were some peculiar issues dealing with the community but by the grace of Allah I was very successful in serving the community and taking care of their needs. I have fond memories of all the places I have served and many of the community members from those communities still stay in touch with me. It is my second day here at the Pakistan Consulate Los Angeles. I am sure that there is a great dynamic and vibrant Pakistani community here and I am looking forward to meeting and serving the needs of this wonderful community! PL: What are your immediate goals and priorities? CG Memon: My top priority is to make sure that our Consulate is serving the needs of the entire Pakistani community within the jurisdiction of the Pakistan Consulate Los Angeles, which is the 11 Western States of the United States. I am the Consul General

of all the members of the Pakistani community – it would be my sincere endeavor to extend the services of the Consulate to the whole community. I would love to have the community’s assistance and contribution where we can jointly work and build the image of Pakistan in the USA, and jointly pursue goals that address a range of bilateral issues and initiatives that can contribute in the building of better relations between Pakistan and the United States. PL: What do you think are the current and future prospects of the US-Pakistan relations? CG Memon: There have been ups and downs in the USPakistan relations over the years. However, a resilient US-Pakistan Partnership is vital to regional and global peace and security to address evolving threats in South Asia. The geo-strategic position of Pakistan and Pakistan’s status as a nuclear power makes it an important country in the region.

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Pakistan is committed to fostering a deeper, stronger, multidimensional partnership with the US based on mutual respect, trust and understanding to cooperatively tackle the global challenges of the twenty-first century. PL: When you look back at your long career in Foreign Service, what makes you feel proud of what you have accomplished in your profession? CG Memon: I have served my country with dignity, honesty and sincerity. It has always been a great honor for me to serve my community abroad and I have looked after my community to the best of my capabilities and left behind a good legacy and good memories. By the grace of Allah, I have enjoyed a long and unblemished career in the Foreign Service and hit all my personal career goals. Now I am looking forward to serving the community here at the Pakistan Consulate in Los Angeles.

PL: What do you like to do in your spare time? CG Memon: In my school days I used to play many sports; cricket, hockey, football, basketball, swimming, tennis, and squash. When I was in Islamabad I used to go hiking in the Margala Hights. Now my favorite activity is my morning walk that I do very regularly. Besides that, I love to read books - I also love to cook! PL: What message would you like to give to the Pakistani community through Pakistan Link. CG Memon: My message is that I am the Consul General of the entire Pakistani community. I am here to serve the whole community and to resolve their issues. I invite every member of the community to bring any issue or problem that they are facing to my attention. I will do my best to address these concerns or issues efficiently. I have an open-door policy and I want to make sure that whoever needs to talk to me can easily get through to me.

WOMENS WORLD

DECEMBER 25, 2015 - PAKISTAN LINK

WOMEN

Don't we all get more than excited when a designer opens up their own outlet? After all, we all love to play dress up and for that we need new designers who can create stunning outfits for us fashion conscious women. So, the good news is that recently, textile design graduate and an artist by profession with formal training in pattern cutting Mariyam D Rizwan launched her first outlet in Clifton, Karachi. Mariyam did her bachelor's degree in Textile Design from Chelsea College of Art & Design London. Later, she did her post grad course from Central Saint Martins London and studied pattern making from Institute Fran�ais de la Mode PARIS. Working with some of the pres-

DECEMBER 25, 2015 – PAKISTAN LINK – P31

tigious brands like Alexander Mcqueen, Ted Baker and H&M, designer Mariyam D Rizwan is all set to cater the needs of the modern Pakistani woman who is beautiful and confident. The designer's creations depicts the concept of beauty through her experiences of travelling and getting inspired by the architecture, traditions and cultures of various places. The outlet will feature pr�t and luxury pr�t pieces in a number of designs incorporating variance of colours, contemporary patterns, and accessories that are carefully thought out to complement every outfit. The brand offers gowns, coats, jackets with daily wear kurtas based in bright and a blend of beautiful pastel colours.

The designer aims to keep the element of individuality in her designs which will be reflected through the use of 100 per cent pure fabrics, finest techniques and her signature style. Speaking at the event, Mariyam D

www.Pakistanlink.com www.PakistanLink.com

Rizwan said, "I am excited to bring my love of luxury, fashion and years of my formal training in the form of my first store launch. For me every independent Pakistani woman should look elegant and beautiful. I am excited to launch in

a city like Karachi which has so much diversity and that is how I envision my brand." So girls, don't forget to check out the outlet now and get ready to be blown away by her exquisite designs. Happy shopping!

P32 – PAKISTAN LINK – DECEMBER 25, 2015

SAVE THE DATE

ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT EVENT OF THE PAKISTANI AMERICAN COMMUNITY

ORGANIZED BY

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF PAKISTANI AMERICANS

EVENT DATE

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2016 - 6:30 PM TO 11:30 PM

VENUE

JW Marriott Los Angeles, L.A. LIVE 900 W. Olympic Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90015

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

Several of the most prominent and influential dignitaries from USA and Pakistan have been invited to this event, to discuss the issues facing the Pakistani American community - following have confirmed thier attendence so far!

Richard G. Olson US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan

Keith M. Ellison US Congressman

Eliot L. Engel

US Congressman - Ranking Member House Foreign Affairs Committee

Ed Royce

US Congressman - Chairman House Foreign Affairs Committee

ENTERTAINMENT

Jalil Abbas Jilani

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States

Come enjoy an enthralling display of the vitality of the Pakistani culture and traditions in the form of a meticulously-organised musical event that will showcase Pakistani songs and dances.

ADMISSION Ticket Price Per Table of 10 $750 - $1,000 - $1,500

CONTACT

For further information, please call: Arif Mansuri (310) 890-0551 Dr Shoaib Patail (909) 731-8875 Asif Chattha (310) 877-5632 Samin Faruqui (951) 830-7488

www.NationalAssociationOfPakistaniAmericans.com www.PakistanLink.com