Watch live Pakistan Vs Australia T20 from Edgbaston

Pakistan is playing first of its two t20 matches against Australia today at edgbaston. Shahid Afridi will lead the side. The last time Pakistan met Australia in a t20 match was back at the T20 World Championship semifinal, where Micheal Hussey made a remarkable effort to beat Pakistan. So far Pakistan team has looked good in England playing T20 matches against Essex and Northampton-shire and winning both. It will be interesting to see how Pakistan fares against them this time round. We will be showing the match live here, on this post. Match will start 8:00pm PST.

Ufone Saaf Awaaz Video Advertisment

Ufone, one of the most popular telecommunication company of Pakistan, has recently launched another advertisment promoting the quality of its network. As usual, this new ad has also become very famous among the Pakistani masses. The ad has been termed as very effective and yet it still continue with the “humor” theme.

Ufone marketing department is considered as The Best Marketing department in the whole telecom company since it always come out with the most appealing and effective ads for its products. Not only this, the frequency of new ads and their media display are among the best as well.

Keep it up Ufone team! Watch the ad for Ufone Saaf Awaaz ka Jadu Ad below:

Providence Has Many Faces

There are singers who sing, and then there are singers who sing for a cause. Almost a year onwards from being awarded the 2009 Patricia Koldyke Fellowship on Social Entrepreneurship by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, I feel very proud to say Shehzad Roy is definitely one of those brilliant artists who sing for a cause. Amidst all the murkiness surrounding Pakistan’s image, he has definitely been one pinnacle of pride for all of us. He is amongst the first Pakistani celebrities to add philanthropy to his portfolio, and focus not just on singing great songs, but becoming the voice of thousands of young kids.

The fellowship recognizes Roy’s commitment to providing better learning opportunities in government-run schools, and honors his goal of encouraging Pakistan’s youth “to value education and provide them with the knowledge and opportunities they need to realize a peaceful, democratic political future.”

Shehzad Roy started off young with his musical career, back in 1995 while he was still in grade 11.His project of empowering thousands of Pakistani children with education through his Zindagi Trust came in 2002. But the seeds of this project were there in his minds well before 2002. Even before he began writing music professionally. In an interview to the Chicago Tribune a few months back, he was asked about his interest towards humanitarian projects, specifically in the educational sector.

“The discrepancy between rich and poor in Pakistan has always pricked my conscience,” he said. “In my childhood, I remember it was always an exciting ride to the airport, in anticipation of my cousins who were visiting from abroad. However, the way back from the airport was an anti-climax as our cousins would pester us with questions on why the beggar boys at traffic lights weren’t in school. I was always dumb-founded!

His I-Am-Paid-To-Learn project is brilliant to say the least J. It focuses on finding those kids who are hired for menial work as apprentices to tailors, mechanics, carpenters etc or hired at tea stalls. They rake in small income pools, for the sake of which their parents wouldn’t let them attend school. With this project, Shehzad Roy and his team would different areas and ask the employers if they would spare the children for around 3 hours. The kids would then be taken to schools and paid Rs. 20, roughly what they would manage to earn in that time. With this system, their parents still got what they were after and “the same parents who used to stop their kids from going to school (so they could work), were checking up on their kids to see if they were attending classes.” This was an important initiative in a country where more than 10.5 million children under the age of 15 work menial jobs to support their families.

We tried to compensate them for what they were making outside. These were street-smart kids, so we used to assess them to see if they went to school and studied hard. Only then, we’d pay them. This program was really successful, and we still have about 3,000 students in the program.

However he realized that this wasn’t enough. Everyone is worried about the millions of children not going to school, but I’m just as worried about the millions of children who are going to public schools!” Out of the almost 28m children in school, nearly 19 million, or two-thirds, attend public schools. We all know the standard that these schools have fallen too. There isn’t actual learning to encourage the students. They probably bring the same textbooks that their parents used to! The environment is dull, authoritarian and encourages ratta. It is no surprise that after spending 10 years in a public school, they have no critical thinking skills and often cannot even write a letter in proper Urdu, their own mother tongue!

So in 2006, Roy became an advocate for quality government education in Pakistan. The task was daunting to say the least. But this mission of reformation was a test of wills, and looking at the changes wrought in the past few years, we can certainly say that this young man is indeed one with a strong will.

Along with Bookgroup (a partner organization) they started off with taking over Fatima Jinnah Girls Government School in Karachi from the government. The idea was to turn around this public school into a model school and then push the government to replicate it in all public schools of Pakistan. The school grounds were being rented out in the evenings for private parties and other functions. The food remains would, in turn, attract dogs and rodents. In fact, when the trust went for its initial inspection, they found a decaying dog body in the kindergarten room. The school water lines were mixed up with the sewage line. There were heaps and heaps of garbage and some walls were on the verge of collapse. He not only renovated the existing structure but also went on to add more facilities such as a library, cafeteria, computer lab, health room, audio-visual room etc that did not exist before. How this school was considered to be one of the ‘city’s best’ is beyond me!

If words didn’t do much for you, I would urge all of you to take out 30 sec and just have a look at these pictures to gauge the amount of tremendous effort being put in these reformations.

Fools couldn’t keep quiet and criticized Shehzad Roy for ‘trying to bring Pakistan’s outdated school syllabus into the 21st century. “Trying to alter the mind-set of the people is the most grueling task.” Wise words indeed. But his efforts bore fruit and for the first time in the history of Pakistan, the syllabus in public schools was revised, new textbooks with attractive layouts were brought in and apart from pure academics, arts and sports were also emphasized. It goes without saying that there a positive nudge to the students’ results and critical thinking skills.

Over the years, with a shift in his lyrical taste and career objectives, Shehzad Roy has been lauded with numerous accolades. I’ve already mentioned the latest one in the beginning, but apart from that, he is also the youngest ever recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (June 2004)—one of the highest Civil Honors awarded in Pakistan for excellence in serving humanity; the Sitara-i-Eisaar (Star of Sacrifice) in 2006 by President Musharraf, in recognition of his relief efforts following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake (remember when Bryan Adams came and like seriously tons of money was collected to help out the victims? Guess who was behind the whole thing!) and he was also selected to be the 2008 Beijing Olympics torch bearer as the pride of Pakistan.

With his music too, Shehzad Roy is out to bring a change. In 2002 he collaborated with Sukhbir for a track promoting peace between Pakistan and India. 2005 saw him working with Bryan Adams to raise funds for the people in distress in Northern Pakistan. In 2007 he worked with Abida Parveen on the track Zindagi, which sent out the message of Equality in Education and then 2008 saw the launch of his album ‘Qismat Apne Haath Maein’ in front of Karachi Juvenile Prison at Central Jail. He underscored the need to rehabilitate Pakistan’s justice system that ignores the pitiable conditions of many prisoners, most of whom have spent many years in jail just waiting on their court hearing. And the most loved track on the album, ‘Laga Reh’ that took a hit on the so-called governance of our government.

The song had some really meaningful lyrics and I would just like to end with the best line in the song that is both a prayer and an awakening.

“Buzurgo ne mujse ye pucha, mulk kese ye chalega?

Buzurgo ko mai ye bolo,

Mujhe fikar ye nahi ke ye mulk kese chalega,

Mujhe fikar ye hai ke ye mulk aise hi na chalta rahe!”

Dead Whale Shark at Karachi Hawkesbay Beach

Was surfing through Dawn News and found this interesting story. A whale shark was found dead after it entangled in a net near the Hawkesbay beach. The fisherman than dragged it on to the shore. In the picture you can see children playing over the body of the Whake shark. I thought would share this picture with our viewers, since its a bit rare of talking about Whale and Sharks near Karachi beach.

Also here is an interesting fact i wanted to share;

The largest specimen so far recorded in the world was caught on Nov 11, 1947 off the Baba Island near Karachi. It was 12.65 metres (41.50ft), weighed more than 21.5 tonnes and had a girth of seven metres, according to information available on the internet.

CNN Octavia Nasr Fired for Praising Late Ayatollah – West Double Standards!

The preachers of “Free Speech” in the West are finding it hard to accept any praise for the Lebanon Ayatollah, who recently died. I just came across a news story appearing in AFPhighlighting the fact that CNN fired its Middle East Editor Octavia Nasr just because she dared to say the following on her Twitter account:

“one of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.”

The West is finding it hard to digest this one sentence while at the same time they preach to us to digest what ever they throw at our respected Holy Prophet. Facebook and JyllandSposten can dare to publish pictures and ridicule our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and their media tycoons will stand by them since it is their protection of free speech but they can not absorb just one praising comment for Ayatollah of Lebanon!

The purpose of sharing this post is to highlight to our own journalists who then preach the same “Freedom of Speech” lecture to us on behalf of their god fathers sitting in the West. This is the reality. There is nothing like Free Speech. It is always a relative terms and can be used to their own benefit whenever and wherever it suits them.

Even the UK Ambassador to Lebanon, who praise the same Ayatollah on his personal blog, was made to delete the post, since Israel strongly objected to it. Now i wonder if any one here in our media will dare to voice their opposition to this act? I am sure Nopes! The only problem they ever see is with us and with our systems while the acts of West are taken as benchmarks for others to follow!

BEIRUT — The Lebanese militant Hezbollah has denounced CNN’s decision to fire a Middle East editor for posting a note on Twitter expressing admiration for the country’s late top Shiite cleric.

Octavia Nasr later apologized for her tweet in which she described Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah as “one of Hezbollah’s giants I respect a lot.” But CNN officials said her credibility had been compromised.

Hezbollah’s spokesman Ibrahim Moussawi says CNN’s decision amounts to “intellectual terrorism” and reflects the West’s “double standards” in dealing with the Mideast.

He said in a statement issued on Friday that the decision to fire Nasr — a Lebanese who worked for CNN for two decades — exposes America’s false claims regarding freedom of expression.

Kashmir Situation – Hell in Paradise

I still remember a message I received last year. Vacations had begun and a friend of mine went to Kashmir in the holidays. That morning, around 7am they were on their way to a place called Banjusa—if I remember the name correctly. It’s been so long but I still remember the vivid description she gave of the place. The smell of pine cones….the fog….the weather, even in my mind it seemed like glorious Heaven. Can’t even imagine how splendid it must have been in real life for her.

This is the Kashmir we know. This is how it was supposed to be. World-famous tourist spot—the Switzerland of Pakistan as it has been called. Beautiful view. Amazing weather. Lakes and mountains all around. So what happened? Mountbatten seriously screwed up didn’t he!!

At the time of independence, Muslims of the subcontinent were relentlessly persecuted and no respect for life, homes, place of worship was shown. It was heartless, but at least it was finite. Once they had all been shepherded into the newly-created Pakistan they found a sanctuary. Those who continued living in India prolonged their state of misery, but eventually everything settled down. Things weren’t ideal, not at all, but the intensity and scale of hardships was reduced at least by some measure for the people. That is much more than we can say for the Kashmiris. They have been stuck in the vortex of Indo-Pak conflicts for the past 63 years now, with the last 2 decades peaking in terms of atrocities and bloodshed. The body count for innocent lives brutalized in senseless murder is rising ominously. Since 1988, over 80,000 civilians including women and children have died at the hands of the Indian army and paramilitary forces. All for the cause of their freedom.

We live only half a day’s journey at the max from the troubled land of Kashmir, and yet we fail to comprehend the half of what the Kashmiris are made to suffer and have been suffering for so long; in terms of life, dignity & honour and commerce. These are some reports of acts of terrorbeing perpetrated in Kashmir back in the early ‘90s. It makes us realize the intensity of the acts and how long they have been going on without any notice of the world.

Early Tortures in Kashmir

“Subjugated, humiliated, tortured and killed by the 650,000-strong Indian army, the people of Kashmir have been living through sheer hell for more than a year, the result of an increasingly brutal campaign of state repression. India hides behind its carefully-crafted image of “non-violence” and presents itself in international forums as a model of democracy and Pluralism. Yet, it is unable to stand up the scrutiny of even its admirers. All journalists, especially television crews, were expelled from the Valley. With no intrusive cameras to record the brutalities of the Indian forces, the world has been kept largely in the dark.” (The Toronto Star, January 25, 1991)

“The security forces have entered hospitals, beaten patients, hit doctors, entered operating theaters, and smashed instruments. Ambulances have been attacked, curfew passes are confiscated.” (Asia Watch, May 1991)

“(On February 23, 1991), at least 23 women were reportedly raped in their homes at gunpoint (at Kunan Poshpora in Kashmir). Some are said to have been gang-raped, others to have been raped in front of their children … The youngest victim was a girl of 13 named Misra, the oldest victim, name Jana, was aged 80″. (Amnesty International, March 1992)

“The most common torture methods are severe beatings, sometimes while the victim is hung upside down, and electric shocks. People have also been crushed with heavy rollers, burned, stabbed with sharp instruments, and had objects such as chilies or thick sticks forced into their rectums. Sexual mutilation has been reported”. (Amnesty International, March 1992)

The notorious Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) is being used as a shield by Indian authorities to validate their war crimes committed in the ‘line of duty’, or so called good faith. Bloodshed, economic terrorism and fallacious accusations continue to be hurled at the Kashmiris as we continue watching. Here are some recent reports now:

Present Killings—Auschwitz in Kashmir

Indian armed forces have resorted to another policy of “Catch and Kill” which means that no sooner a person is taken into custody, within minutes he is brutally tortured and killed. The dead body is then thrown into the street. In other cases, innocent civilians are arrested and taken to border areas where they are shot. The Indian government then publicizes that these people were militants killed in armed encounters with the troops. It is common practice for the paramilitary forces to walk into a quiet village/town and start shooting indiscriminately, killing innocent and unarmed civilians–all under the pretence of crack-down operations against the Freedom-Fighters. In most cases, innocent civilians are killed, women gang-raped and properties set on fire.

The past month has seen11 persons, at least eight of them children between 13 and 19 years old, allegedly killed in shootings by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) paramilitary personnel stationed across the Kashmir valley, as protestors defied curfew regulations, held violent demonstrations and often clashed with the security personnel in Srinagar, Sopore and other towns which were put under curfew.

It was reported on 11 June, that 17-year-old Tufail Ahmed Mattoo of Srinagar was killed, according to initial reports, by a teargas shell fired by the police at the protestors. However, later reports said he was shot in the head. On 20 June, as protests over the killing of Tufail Ahmed Mattoo turned violent, a 24-year-old carpet weaver of Srinagar, Rafiq Ahmed Bangroo, sustained serious head injuries and went into coma. He died on 19 June at the hospital. Some reports suggest that he was beaten by the CRPF personnel during the protests.

In a recent incident in which a serving India Army Major from 4 Rajput Regiment assigned a Special Police Officer (SPO) to trap three unsuspecting youth from Nadihal village to Indian Army Camp in Jammu & Kashmir, on the promise of jobs and money but were murdered. Later they were projected as hard core militant.

Pertaining these killings, Amnesty International has commented, “Authorities in India should avoid excessive use of force while dealing with demonstrators in the Kashmir valley, Amnesty International said today.”

Indian Brand of Democracy in Kashmir

Last week, top Kashmiri leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Chairman of All Parties Hurriyat Conference (G), was arrested from special prayer meeting convened by him at Hazratbal Shrine and is booked under section 151 and 107. He was also arrested last month and released under court orders. He was indicted for “…allegedly making a provocative speech. He was arrested minutes after he had given call for Kashmir bandh on June 21 against the killing of two youths Mohammad Rafiq Bangroo and his cousin Javid Ahmad Malla.” It is worth mentioning that Indian authorities are waiting for the deaths of top Kashmiri leaders like Syed Ali Geelani so there is no one to take the name of Kashmir Movement.

Non Muslims are safe in Kashmir as Kashmir Muslims believe in real communal harmony. The Kashmiris have never targeted non-Muslims during their agitation. In fact, they even provided food and lodging facility to the Yaatris and tourists during the 9-day agitation against the land transfer. They did this magnanimous gesture even while they are under constant attack from occupying forces from India, suffering from Indian torture, genocide and destructions. [Source]

Economic Terrorism in Kashmir

The Hindus in Jammu region have resorted to what is called economic terrorism against Kashmiris particularly in Srinagar sector. They have blocked the national highway from Jammu to Kashmir, the main vein of JK trade.

The Valley’s fruit growers suffered losses to the tune of Rs.60 Crore during the frequent blockades of the Srinagar-Jammu highway by the rightwing Hindu activists. The valley fruit growers, most of them from north Kashmir’s Baramulla district said that they had decided to send their fruit to Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan administered Kashmir as the government had failed to protect the trucks carrying their goods from the attacks of the fanatic Hindus. the fruit especially apple and cherry waiting to be taken to the outside market have rotted in the trucks which has caused huge losses to the fruit growers and people associated with the trade.

All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. What the Kashmiris have and are continuing to go through is barbaric, inhumane, senseless. Can you imagine being a cancer patient and having military people barge in your hospital room and roll you around so that your I/V lines and catheters are ripped out from your veins and you slowly die as they stand there and laugh their moronic heads off? Have you thought about bare wires being attached to your legs and then being doused with water? How about officers storm your school, you’re 11-years old and the only Muslim kid so you end up getting murdered? Perhaps you are an 18-year old bride who got gang-raped and shot before she could even make it to her husband’s home for the first night. You could also be her 7-months pregnant 45-year old aunt who was also gang-raped and then disappeared without a trace. Then there was the 20-year student who was shot in the throat as he was walking to his school, and the 19-year old boy who was pushed up against a tree by the Border Security Forces and suffered 3 waves of shots—a total of 10 bullets to both thighs, both arms, chest, neck and head along with electric shots and severe beatings. Remained alive but with the prognosis of “permanent disability.”

I don’t know much about politics, but I do know that after spending so many decades in purgatory, they deserve the attention of the world and whatever it is they want, it is high time that it should be granted to them. Or else the Indian wish of the demise of all the Kashmiri leaders might come true and the carnage will reign on in the absence of any voices of freedom

Carla Khan – Interview with Squash Queen of Pakistan

Sakina Younus a few days back wrote a great article on female sports celebrities in Pakistanand one of the names she mentioned in that list was Carla Khan.

Pakistan has dominated Squash for decades and one of the names that frequently comes to mind is Carla Khan. We are proud to bring you an exclusive interview with the Squash Queen of Pakistan. She was generous and kind enough to respond to our invitation for interview. Before we start the questions, let us give you a brief background ;

Carla Khan (born August 18th, 1981 in London), is from the great line of squash champions, her grandfather being Azam Khan, great uncle Hashim Khan known as the godfather of squash. She started playing squash in England at age 12. In her early life, her father Wasil Khan (a junior world champion) coached her in squash. She represented England and was a top junior player having won various junior titles including being European junior number one. At the age of 19 she changed to represent Pakistan, Carla then made history as she was the first female from the direct line of champions to pursue a career in the game.

How did it feel being the first female in the family to enter the squash arena?

I Felt very proud, when I was younger and first starting out I didn’t realise I came from such an amazing squash dynasty, only until my game started to improve and play junior tournaments that I realised who I was and what I came from, then I realised that I was the one now carrying on our dynasty which felt a great honour and this gave me a chance to change history for the Khan dynasty, Squash and Pakistan.

What has been the influence of your father and grandfather in your life?

The influence has been that my father introduced the game to me and coached, encouraged and supported me throughout my career, my grandfather I looked up too as a figure of honour of what he had achieved. My main influence in my life is my mum, she was and still is my back bone who has encouraged me, supported me, picked me up through bad times ,loses and injuries and she still continues to back me in whatever I do, whatever I have achieved is because of my parents.

What prompted you to change your national representation to Pakistan?

As a Junior player I represented England but could never really understand why I always was a controversial player, I was a top England player but in my opinion felt I was never treated the same as the other players, through this I imagine is because of my great heritage. When I was 19 I got the chance to go back to Pakistan, whilst in Pakistan I decided I wanted to represent my for fathers country and carry on our dynasty. This then made me even more a controversial player as everyone questioned my decision, but this was the best decision I made and through thick or thin would never change back to England. Some people think I changed because I wasn’t good enough England player but I was ranked 2 or 3 in England u19′s at that time and European champion, this decision was made to change nationalities was my choice and so began the long road ahead of being accepted as a Pakistani Player.

Your best performance to date? or the tournament you enjoyed the most?

I always mention my defeat against Nicol but I think the tournament I enjoyed the most was the first ever Women’s International Pakistani Open in Wah Cantt in 2005, this was my favourite tournament because I won the first ever wispa tournament in Pakistan without dropping a game and the support and encouragement I got from the crowd was unbelievable, this was the tournament that finally got Carla Khan noticed by the Pakistani Public.

How did it feel when you beat current world no 1 Nicol David from Malaysia in the Irish Open in 2004?

Was the best feeling in the world and one I shall never forget.

Why did you decide to retire in 2008? when things were going quite well for you?

In 2006 I started getting injuries sickness and no financial support, I took time out and then injured my back very badly in SAF Games playing for Pakistan, I had no proper help from Pakistan Federation or encouragement to return. It took a long time to get back on tour, once I had in 2007 I was doing very well , I had won 3 tournaments in the space of a few months but with no financial support with tickets or physio, I had finally lost my fight and was tired of always having to work so hard for everything. I felt cheated I had put Pakistan on the map with my achievements but they had never been acknowledged or kept quite by the federation and I could no longer continue to support myself throughout my career.

What spurred you to come out of retirement next year?

I was in U.S coaching squash to the next champions of this era but I am a player and missed the competitive side , so I decided to play a couple of tournaments which were based in the U.S.

Do you feel the time you took out in 2008 has hurt your progress as a player?

Yes but in 2008 and 2009, I was no longer competing properly. I still feel that I could of done better, if I had been given the right chances. My record shows that I had reached top 20 in the world in my early 20′s with no help and the players I have beaten were always higher than me and now most are top 5. I guess it will always be a what if but through my hard work and struggles I have opened the doors for female players in Pakistan.

How has the role of Pakistan Federation been in your career over the years?

As you have already read, not very helpful. They always tried to keep me back but in spite of this I never went away, I am a Pathan and Pathan’s are strong and stick to what they believe and want and I always said I would play for Pakistan and the Pashtoons in spite of everything and I did.

Do you feel that your achievements have made the game more attractive for other female squash players in Pakistan?

Yes, when I first went to Pakistan to train, there was less than a handful of girls playing but with my influence and knowledge of the game other girls started to get interested and wanted to become professional, they were intrigued and they were saying to me they wanted to be the next Carla Khan which has made my struggle worth while. I always said if I can do it so can they, with determination, dedication and belief.

How fluent are you in Urdu/Pashto? how often do you come to Pakistan?

I am asked this question a lot and always hold my head in shame neither am I fluent but my pashto is much better than my Urdu. I used to go to Pakistan about 5 times a year but since I retired I haven’t returned for about 3 years, I miss Pakistan a lot. I am so very proud of my background, I was raised in England but my love Pakistan is great, sometimes I feel I am more Pakistani than most. Pakistan has given me so much and I hope to give back more in the future.

How passionate are you about Pakistan? What is your take on the current situation in Pakistan especially in the northern Western part where you belong to?

I am very passionate about Pakistan, I feel so very sad on what’s happening in Pakistan,

Can you tell us about your fitness schedule and routine? any supreme diet you take in order to keep in supreme physical state?

When I used to train full time my fitness schedule was very intense, as a junior player I used to train up to 4 hours a day on court as I Improved and got older I would train up to 6 hours of on court work, skills , technique, movement, gym strengthening and stamina also swimming and lots of solo practise. Squash is such a hard sport that you need to put so much time in to training and playing many matches for experience of different match play.

In the past interviews you have expressed a desire to help Pakistani women. What do you feel there problems are and how do you intend on helping them?

I would love to help Pakistani women not only in sport but in everyday life, I felt whilst I was in Pakistan training I became a role model because I would speak up for the ladies or just encourage them. My desire is to be a spokeswomen or a voice. In this horrible times we are going through I want to help with charity work to volunteer to help underprivilaged Pakistan and Afghanistan, especially women and children. I am currently seeking the right charity to get involved with.

What is the future of the Khan dynasty? should we look forward to more champions?

Unfortunately from my direct line there is no more players coming from the direct line but you never know what the future holds.

What do we expect from Carla Khan in the future?

Well I am no longer competing as you know, I have now gone into TV Presenting which is my dream and would love one day to be a main presenter on a mainstream channel. I am writing a book and I hope to make more of a change for women in Pakistan and I hope one day my true story of the hurdles and barriers will be told.

What message do you give to your fans and especially to females who want to join sports as a profession?

I would like to say thank you so much to my fans, I receive many emails daily from fans who have supported me right from the beginning. My fans are the ones that have made me what I am. My Pathan fans have supported me throughout even though I have broken many traditions which really touches my heart. For females who want to join sport professionally, find a good club, train hard, never be shy of hard work, always put in 100 percent as long as you have a strong mind and focus you can achieve anything and with negative feedback, or unnecessary criticism take it on board but don’t take it to heart. Please make me and Pakistan proud.

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Thats all, hope you liked the interview. If you have any questions, please ask in the comments section.

Media’s Silence on Kashmir Issue

Let’s say one day something bad happens to you. It could be anything. Let’s also assume that you’re in considerable pain. It won’t help in anyway, but I think it’s just part of the human psyche to desire attention in effect of the injury/ailment. Wouldn’t it make you feel better to know that everyone in the house knows something bad has happened to you, and in so knowing, they could even help you in some way? Suggest a remedy or just say kind words to you. Fuss over you a bit, go the extra mile to keep you feel more comfortable.

On the other hand, how would you feel that you are hurt and no one even notices? Wouldn’t it denote that no one actually cares? They talk about so many things, but they never include your suffering as a topic of discussion. Maybe there were some in your house who even wanted and could’ve helped you out. But the knowledge of your pains was kept a secret. People from outside came to comfort you, and still your own people looked the other way as you endured your misery. They did care once—but you’re just too old to garner any interest now.

This was a very crude example of Kashmir and the Pakistani media. Believe me I know! But just for the sake of getting the point across as simply as I could, wouldn’t you agree that the second scenario would cut you very deeply? The people of Kashmir—our fellow Pakistanis, united by a common nationality, ideology, faith, geography. We don’t know, and aren’t being told by our media, about all that is happening there. It’s not that the news isn’t available. But when you compare the number of news items available on the net, and the number that make their way to the front pages of the top newspapers or claim the headlines in leading news shows—of exclusive Pakistani origin—then the number falls short. Why is that?

I was surprised to read reports in a Sikh newspaper, sikhsiyasat.net in support of the Kashmiris plight and derogating the Indian military for its brutality. It stated that the Indian state was suffering from ‘arrogance of power’, along with reporting many of the recent killings of Kashmiri youth. In a statement party head Harchranjit Singh of Dal Khalsa (socio-religio-political organization of the Sikh nation) said “the Indian security establishment was treating Kashmiris virtually as enemies, like it treated Sikhs in late 80’s and early 90’s in Punjab.” The newspaper publishes regular news updates about what is ongoing in Kashmir and is decidedly in favour of the independence movement.

As Dal Khalsa’s statement suggests, their stance stems from the bond of a common aggressor. They have been subjugated by the same authorities, and watching the Kashmiris undergoing a similar fate strikes a powerful chord. What impression does this leave of our media? Haven’t we faced the same atrocities in bygone times? At the hands of the same forces? Why do we jump to proclaim ‘Kashmir hamara hai’ and ‘Kashmir musalmano ki sarzameen hai’? Are we truly that pompous? We jump to defend our right over a land without paying heed to what is actually going on there? Peace talks and conferences and bilateral emissaries sallying around on either end, but without the explicit knowledge of what Kashmir has become?

Why is our media quiet over Kashmir? And when I say media, I’m talking about the big-shots out there. Kashmir is an issue for small online editions and regional dailies and blogs. Why not the mainstream broadsheets? They put forth opinions in editorials and decry fruitless efforts, but why don’t they report the hard core truth about what is actually happening there. If Kashmir is truly a part of Pakistan, then shouldn’t it deserve equal attention as the other parts? If we say that Kashmiris are being maltreated by the people across the border, does our ignorance of their state and the resulting indifference make us deserve them any better?

The BBC’s Chris Morris in Delhi says the Indian government was slow to realize how volatile the situation had become. He says the result is that Kashmir has reached a very dangerous point – more divided along communal lines than it has been for years. What do any of our leading news media have to say about the Kashmir issue?

We were discussing the Kashmir issue in class a few months ago, and the subject was broached, that why do we really want Kashmir. I think it is just because of the water sources. There isn’t that bond of affinity anymore. We don’t care, for WHO is in Kashmir, we care for WHAT is in Kashmir. I mean if we truly wanted something to happen, why has nothing happened after so very very long? If Quaid-e-Azam had stayed alive just a bit longer, Kashmir would have been a proud province of the Pakistani territory—that is an undisputed fact. Of course no one can possibly parallel him, but is it just because of lack of leadership? No! Lack of interest, lack of motivation. Heck, it took less time to create an entire new country than it has taken to resolve this land dispute. If we don’t particularly care, why would we be running headlines on their plight?

It is sad that foreign news media have a separate section titled Voices of Kashmir but we don’t have any in Pakistan. Why does our media gloss out the reality, is it seeking to pretend any of it isn’t actually happening? Or is it being forced to keep quiet?

Journalists have had their curfew passes torn to pieces and disallowed to carry on with their duties by the control men in Jammu and Kashmir. There are incidents of police high-handedness towards the media during the recent unrest in the Valley, but if journalists of other nations continue to take such a strong interest and regularly keep their audiences updated about Kashmir, why is our media sitting on the side-benches?

Is India not letting the true picture to come out? But if that’s what is happening, then how come people in other parts of the globe have caught on to it? Besides, Kashmir has a plentiful supply of online newspapers that cover each incident and development that takes place (Kashmir Times, Daily Excelsior,Greater Kashmir, Rising Kashmir, Kashmir Watch, Kashmir Global to name a few). It is time that our media lent its voice for the cause of Kashmir and prove that we truly deserve them. We have to be the nation that the Quaid wanted us to be.

And what of the Fake Degree Holders?

The list of Fake degree holders in our Parliament is getting bigger and bigger. There is no respite, even our Baba-e-Qaum Mohammad Ali Jinnah was indulged in this issue to save the skins of dodgy politicians. We have seen ministers resigning and joining back by winning the elections again! so quiet clearly the system is really messed up. I think its time we ask you what should be done with the politicians who have forged fake degrees and caught red handed? what choices do we have ! do we really need the graduation clause? Any way here is a poll in which you guys can participate and let us know what should be done about this issue;

We started a poll a few days back and here are the results;

[poll id="12"]

Almost 50% of the voters want a life ban on these fake degree holders for contesting in elections, which shows the public resentment against these culprits. 25% wants them to be jailed for 10 years, also goes in the vein that the public is very angry. 20% voted that there should not hold any public office in future. There is small support for degree holders whereby 5% wants the graduation clause to be removed, while only 6 votes were for the opinion that the culprits have done no crime.

So its very obvious 95% of the voters don’t want to see them again. If you want to vote check the right side of our side bar 1 and cast your vote.

Satpara Lake Skardu – Picture Gallery

From a tourists point of view, Lake Saif ul Malook is considered to the be the most scenic in Pakistan. However , there are many other lakes which stand their own ground and Satpara Lake Skardu in my opinion is one of the best tourist attractions in Pakistan. If you haven’t visited this place than i would recommend you checking it out on urgent basis. I am sure when you visit north, the local tour itinerary does include visiting this lake.

Here we have some snapshots for you to see which would hopefully encourage you to visit this place in future.