Road to Change

Pakistan is a country that has an impeccable amount of resources and the best geographical position that anybody can think of. An Islamic state that was created on 14 August 1947 with a lot of hard work and dedication, the dream to make it what the founders thought is yet to be fulfilled. From the start of its creation till now, the nation and its citizen have gone through a number of challenges and tough situations. From the interference of the foreign powers to the kind of government that were setup along with the social, economic and natural issues we faced, anything disastrous could have occurred. However the strength and determination of the people have never let it down. 

This is a country that possesses all the resources that can gain us maximum prosperity. From the sea to river, desert to plain, valley to mountain, dams to barrages, fruits and vegetables, all types of weather, every single item of use and whatever we can think of, everything is available in this land. Just what is needed to move us forward is a sincere and optimistic leader who can combine the use of labor and natural benefits in efforts for the welfare of the people keeping in mind the terms of equality. We have gone through a variety of systems in our political setup. There have been civil as well as military rulers who have served for even10 to 15 years. But the amount of progress that was made couldn’t be linked to the tenure for which they ruled since the demands and rights of people were left to be catered. The individuals of this society however have always been in an urge to do something extraordinary. In 1999 we became the First Islamic Nuclear power through the efforts of Dr. AQ Khan. It happened during the time period of former Prime minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.  That was the time when all the Anti-Pakistan forces raised fingers on us and wanted to deprive us of the nuclear tests that became a necessity to be conducted. We all were united since it was a matter of our sovereignty. That was a motivational factor for all of us and our enemies were left shocked. Similarly, the 9/11 situation wasn't handled in a proper manner and resulted in lot of one-sided decisions and socially affected the areas that were hit by it and infact the whole country.'' Simply cannot understand why our political forces are not more concerned about the people than their bank balances''. Even a literate teenager can understand that we have been made to pay in issues where we weren't even involved. West have always been in a mode of exploiting the rights of Muslims since they are afraid of them. Unfortunately, there is a strong conflict among some of the important Islamic states that makes the handling of issue very difficult and there is a great lack of unity. The amount of people affected in the war that we are fighting is rising day by day. Even if the war is conducted in our areas and our forces are heavily affected by it why aren't we selfish enough to handle it on our own terms? A lot of sacrifices are given by the armed forces and the innocent civilians who were being ordered to protect the frontiers and the lives of resident in those affected areas. Infrastructure was totally damaged and even shortage of food was viewed in some of the areas due to cut of supplies.  Nothing substantial or worth concluding is sorted out in this regard even after so much spending. Even if we are trying to initiate terms of talk or any method to create peace the Americans and their likeminded allies put restrictions on us. Then how can we rate ourselves as a sovereign nation if we don’t have the right to make our own policies and decisions? Why can’t we consider our neighbor Iran in this regard. A country that is not a nuclear power and is still trying to develop itself is in a far better situation and is standing face to face in front of their enemies. Even after so many allegations, they are standing firm. Similar is the case for North Korea. Their people are standing with the leader who is on right path for them.

 

It is never too late. A good nation is the one that learn from its mistakes and try to find solution to its remedies. Its high time that we care about every single individual who forms a part of this population. People who are patriotic and have feelings for the nation should be given a chance to come forward and serve them. We are not short of anything except the will. Democracy is pursuing in our country and there are very healthy signs of bringing a change through ballot. If the political situation improves, the social situation will automatically change. Unemployment, poverty leads to negative ideas and hence chaos. If we are trying to create peace in our area then obviously we are inviting more opportunity for the filling of needs. We need to help the ones worst affected so that they are not lead astray. Since their necessities are going to be handled the level of satisfaction will draw them into the progress of nation. Also we need to look at the foreign elements that are constantly trying to prick holes in the integrity of this nation. Those who are against the stability of this nation. With a change in strategy and thinking we can finish all the injustice that prevails and our system becomes strong enough to protect every individual of this nation. With the potential this country has we can become the best!

 

Author: M.Amanullah Khan

Is lack of education the main reason behind our economy's downfall

The allocated budget spent on education is just 2% which is a shocking figure seeing the literacy rate dropping every year in Pakistan. Education has always been a major problem in Pakistan. Behind all what is happening in the country such as beggary, rapes, murders, stealing and corruption, the reason is the lack of education in people.
The issuing of fake degrees is also one major problem countering proper education. People dont hesitate to get a degree of their own when they can afford to get it in a certain amount. This is present a lot in families having a political background or rich landlords. Secondly there is a shortage of qualified teachers in the rural schools with no facilities of proper classrooms. As a result, many students are forced to study on plain grounds or even in open air without a roof. The figures state that 9% of primary schools do not have a blackboard, 24% do not have textbooks available for pupils, and 46% do not have desks for their students.This is all due to the lack of finance being spent of the education system in Pakistan.On the contrary only 36%  of public primary schools have access to electricity..  Educating women in Pakistan has always been a major problem. Our rural culture does not support the concept of co education due to which females are always restricted from studying. There were 14 million girls studying in basic education in 2006, compared to 18.3 million boys
When education is a problem in a country, then there is always less stability and a chance of a higher crime rate. Hence corruption occurs which disrupts the economy as a whole. Due to the instability and terrorism in the country, there has been very little investment in the country. Little investment means less employment. Our economy is in a recession since the last 5 years experienced with a hyper inflation which has resulted in stagflation in the country. The main reason lies in the fact that no effective policies have been taken to reduce inflation and terrorism due to which Pakistans economy has massively declined.

HOW FAR CAN WE GO? By: Moeen Qureshi

Education is one of the basic factors which play a very vital role in the development of any country. It also combats unemployment, confirms sound foundation of social equity, awareness, tolerance, self-esteem and spread of political socialization and cultural vitality. Like many other developing countries, the situation of Pakistan’s education sector has not been very encouraging due to poverty, unemployment, over-population and slow pace of economic development. Through 62 years and 23 policies and action plans, the available stats and figures on the internet still show that the educational sector is waiting for an arrival of a savior. Musharraf’s government invested heavily in the educational sector and that era saw a visible positive educational change in the Pakistani society. Today, the economic situation in Pakistan is under a lot of stress and education suffers at the most in between all the hassle and chaos.

Recently, Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Member National Assembly Ahsan Iqbal said that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s scholarship program is the biggest educational initiative in the world. It is a step taken to motivate the youth.

This is one such initiative that was promoted on such a wider scale that it became so popular and Pakistan needs many such youth based motivational programs and by the aforementioned initiative taken by the rulers of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) ,we, as the Pakistani citizens are certainly capable of providing such initiatives. It is high time that we as part of the Pakistani youth start taking such steps to bring about a change and play our part towards the betterment of the nation in the long term. And if we keep carving out such initiatives to educate our people and implement them effectively then pinnacle of success and growth is HOW FAR CAN WE GO.

                                       

It’s a shout out to all the Pakistani’s that it is about time to bring the winds of change so       

WAKE UP!!!

Author: Moeen Qureshi

Anum Aftab

Terror isn’t fading away

The expressions that the word ‘Pakistan’ solely generates on the faces of outsiders are a proof enough to get the idea of what they think about it.

Pakistan, the land of pure which was conceived as a pure thought by Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal is now enveloped in the vicious cycle of terrorism.

Pakistan is a developing country and it is politically unstable. We live in the world where everything is possible. Democratic governments have always failed to complete their tenure which eventually results in a long lasting dictatorship reign. The political system has been stagnant since 70′s and no dire change has taken place. In Pakistani politics, there is a clear domination by few families only and these families have failed to produce long lasting productive results. The chair of head of state has been a war between the head of the army staff and a few noticeable political leaders. Who has suffered? Well, you guessed it right, the nation! If we observe the political situation of Pakistan, much of the politics is based on different racial groups. It’s fair to say that the contemporary political situation of Pakistan is in dire need of significant changes if we it weigh against it to the political systems of leading nations in the world.

Pakistani politics has started to take an unpleasant route as the layman pursues to struggle in the furrow. The existing situation in Karachi and Baluchistan is worse than ever. The blame of these riots clearly is on politicians who are just manipulating different groups to reap benefits for themselves. If the current political situation in Pakistan does not change, the country would keep on suffering at the hands of monarchs and waderas! The role of youth in politics seems to be missing in this scenario and needs to be looked upon if the country is to strive for betterment. One possible solution for the fundamental problem is to improve the problems of education system that erodes as every day falls behind.

Almost every political party represents a particular ethnic group; therefore no party has got the support in every region because the role of political parties in Pakistan is very much based upon different cultural groups they represent. This is one of the major reasons of slow development in some specific areas as compared to others. There are a number key problems in political system of Pakistan, & the list grows on and on with every passing minute.

Ever in the record of Pakistan has a democratically elected civilian government served out its full term and then been replaced by another one, also through democratic elections. It is that context that makes the latest political crisis in Pakistan so important. If the government falls and elections are held ahead of schedule in 2013, the opportunity for Pakistan to have a government which serves its full term will be lost.

Given the peculiar nature of Pakistani politics, where the military exerts a powerful role behind the scenes, no one is predicting anything with any certainty. In recent times the main opposition leader, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has shown little enthusiasm for forcing an early election which could boost his Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) into power at a time when the country is facing huge economic and security problems. Having been ousted in a coup in 1999, Sharif remained deeply suspicious of the army, and he has ruled out supporting any moves against the government that might be orchestrated by the military. Giving democracy time to bed down, by allowing the government led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) to serve its full term, could set a useful precedent for a future PML-N administration.

The army itself has shown no inclination to run the country directly, and it already controls the issues that matter most to it – foreign and security policy.  It has barely disguised its frustration with Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari — who also leads the PPP — particularly after he travelled to France and Britain last summer while the country suffered from devastating floods.  But that does not translate into wanting to see Sharif back in power.

We don’t actually know for sure whether there is a groundswell of popular support in favor of ditching the current government, though there is, as Nadeem Paracha argued in Dawn,  a great deal of populist sloganeering on television channels about the state of the country.

 “Akin to a black comedy is the fact that most TV anchors and hosts that go on spouting all these concerns – unemployment, inflation, drone attacks, ‘good governance’, Aafia ki wapsi (jailed Pakistani scientist Aafia Siddiqui)  – are sitting pretty with hefty salaries and perks, and, what some would suggest, an agenda to safeguard the interests of some of the most anti-democracy classes in this country i.e., the military, the mullah and large sections of the upper and middle-classes.”

We also don’t know for sure whether having a resident government complete its term would necessarily be good for democracy. And to be fair there are many in Pakistan who question whether democracy is even the right system for the country; others who complain that the PPP is not particularly democratic given its dominance by the Bhutto family dynasty and the feudal elite. 

But we can say for sure that there is rather more at stake in this political crisis than merely the survival of a government or even the implementation of policies.   It could have implications for how the country is run which will endure for many years.

“Words, without power, is mere philosophy”

Let’s join hands, let’s walk together, and let’s make Pakistan a better nation!

By: Anum Aftab