RED: Relationship Enhancement Drive

Published at: http://pakteahouse.net/2011/08/24/red-relationship-enhancement-drive/

To start with, I must quote Iqbal’s verses from “Shikwa” to make the basis of my idea.

Kyun ziyan kaar banoo, sood faramosh rahun

Fiqr-e-farda na karun, mehve ghum-e-dosh rahun

Naaley bulbul ke sunoo. Aur hama tan gosh rahun

Hamnawa mein bhi koi gul hun k khamosh rahun

Iqbal said why I should be at a loss and not capitalize on this opportunity. Just keep on observing and not think about future in these circumstances. Listen to this hue and cry and keep on enjoying? O my friend, I am not a flower who listens cry of bulbul and be silent.

Iqbal wrote these verses while he witnessed the worst condition of Muslims under British rule and wanted to motivate his countrymen to wake up and strive for the dream! A dream that eventually led to creation of a nation that was meant to be the focal point of muslim world. Now after about 75 years, with deep regrets I feel like re-using these verses!

The prevailing situation of Pakistan, specially Karachi and quetta is very alarming and heart-touching for every Pakistani who claims to be patriotic. Being patriotic doesn’t mean to have flag in your hands and running down streets shouting “Pakistan Zindabad”, for me it’s more like a faith that needs to be deep rooted in everyone and enables us to take every step towards common good for all, betterment for everyone.

News like “pathans” killed by “mohajirs” or “balochs” killed by “punjabis” etc are very disturbing and alarming for me atleast. For me, it doesn’t matter if you were born in Quetta or Karachi, or Peshawar or Lahore. As long as you share the green passport, I LOVE YOU! And that’s very logical.

Now the question is, if that’s logical then what makes us kill our brothers on basis of ethnic differences? What makes us consider each other as enemies instead of being brothers? I have such stupid questions and I keep on asking myself, because whenever I bring such a topic people laugh at me calling me an idiot with our national excuse “yaar kuch nae hosakta hamara”. so here are few questions I asked myself and their answers which makes sense atleast to me. But before moving on to these questions I want to clarify one thing. As our national time pass, I love to gossip about these events and end up with “Americans are behind this” or “its india for sure” or “Russia is taking revenge” and the list of excuses goes on. These reasons may be true I don’t know about it. What I know is a very simple thing, if there’s a thief in my house stealing something, whose fault is it? Is it enough for me to say “its him” and that’s it? Will this claim save me from the loss? Or make me a hero that I identified the culprit? For me, the first question is; how did he enter in the first place? How dare he? And why only in my house? The answer is very simple; ‘because I am the most stupid among all’ or ‘I am the easiest target’ or ‘I don’t trust people from inside and this outsider capitalized on it’. Now moving ahead, for whatever reasons, now that he’s in, how can I get rid of him without suffering the least? And that’s what our problem is. That’s what we Pakistanis need to do. Below are questions that I keep on asking myself and now I think I should ask others as well.

• Did I ever consider people from other provinces as trustworthy as from my own area? (Trustworthy in terms of keeping secrets, joining hands for initiatives or projects etc)
• Did I ever bother to listen what their problems are?
• I always wanted to learn foreign languages, did I ever tried to learn their language?
• Do I know about their culture more than I know about other countries?
• I know much about world history and their heroes, do I know all that about my own country?
• I always want others to contribute and keep on trying for immigration in Canada or USA, is it justified?
• I always want hospitals to be built in villages and same for schools and universities, but did I ever think of going there and serving my countrymen?
•  Did I ever express/told them that we belong to same soil, we share beliefs and lent them a hand in need?
• I love to visit foreign countries; did I ever travel to their places?
• I see documentaries on tv and feel pity or sometimes start hating them, did I ever try to interact with them and get to know the truth?
• I call them terrorists/traitors and worse, did I ever try to find out the reason behind this aggression?
• I consider myself to be heir of this country; did I ever acknowledge their sacrifices for this very country?
• In high spirits of patriotism I want foreign NGOs to support them, did I ever myself tried to help them?
• I blame india, America, Russia and Israel for whatever’s happening in the country, did I ever tried to find out why?
• I blame government for being corrupt, have I never committed corruption? No matter of what degree?
• I blame government for electricity, am I not an equal contributor?
• I blame government for inflation, substandard food items etc etc. is it mr. president selling goods or someone like me?

And the list goes on. It’s not that I am with or against government. Just that I want to establish the fact that If I am not ready to do it, how can I expect anyone else to do it for me? I as a Pakistani citizen don’t pay tax and want politicians to pay tax etc. In a training session, our trainer clarified the difference between the words “mine” and “ours”. “ours” seem a very nice words that sounds like a team etc but infect it provides you an excuse to put the blame on others, not taking the lead or responsibility. Its simply like “whose country is this?” ans: “ours” (means we all are responsible so even if I wont contribute, someone else will) but id asked “whose kids are these” ans: “mine” (means I solely have all the responsibility for their upbringing etc) so its “my” country, these are “my” people and its “my” problem and “I” need to be worried and “I” must contribute to get the things right.

We talk about revolutions. Revolutions don’t take place without a reason. And kind of reasons I see around, if there comes a revolution that would be here to destroy us! First and the foremost pre-requisite for a revolution is the ability and willingness for self-accountability, change one’s own-self and leading from the front (leading your own-self first only then people will follow).

To cut the story short, for me, below are some of the steps I think we can take now to stop violence and avoid any such situations in future.

Let’s start a movement, starting with “myself”. As I call it “RED-Relationship enhancement drive”. Because all we need is harmony! We need to get closer, to understand each other to speak out and listen.

Let’s get friends with ourselves, beyond provincial boundaries or castes or sects, lets come closer, lets know about each other, lets lend our hands, lets hug each other, lets spread the smile, lets spread the message of peace.

Let’s get united, lets stand by each other, lets love each other, lets talk! Its very simple, wear Pakistani badges for at least a week to  show that we are united, just make one friend, someone we don’t know, or we have never befriended. Someone who belongs to other ethnicity, someone who speaks a different language, let’s talk to him, lets know him, lets know about his culture, lets know about his land, lets know what he believes is, let’s ask him what he thinks, this will help overcoming a lot of misunderstandings, a start a relationship. It feels like knowing your own-self. Just imagine if only 100 people make friends with 100 people within Pakistan and share what they learn out of it, around 10,000 Pakistanis will know about each other, their own motherland. Something they never knew existed!

And remember, once we are friends with ourselves, no America, india, Russia or Israel would dare thinking about exploiting. This is just the step number 1, next we need to have a system in place that ensure no one from inside exploit. That would only be possible if we trust each other. (continued)

May Allah lead us towards betterment? United we stand! Long live Pakistan

Originally published at: http://pakteahouse.net/2011/08/24/red-relationship-enhancement-drive/

An Open letter to every Pakistani

Originally Published at: http://pakteahouse.net/2011/10/30/an-open-letter-to-every-pakistani/

While PTI and PML (N) are preparing for dharnas and jalsas, which they refer to as a turning point. I am a bit confused, turning point for what? And whom? Apparently it is to tell a bald man that he is bald. We all know he is bald, so what? Is it for Pakistan? Is it for common man? Is it for me? Is it for you? Will it solve all the problems and issues that we face? Will it produce electricity? Will it provide jobs to the unemployed? Will it provide quality education to our children? Will it bring peace in the country? Will it control the inflation and take economy to next level? If so, very good and if not, pardon me; you’re playing with us again!

Leaders will come, address the crowd, and tell us things that we already know. Identify who’s corrupt and whose not and what this government has done and that’s it. The concept seems more like social marketing of their own parties, their ideologies. As far as I know, democracy is ‘doing what everyone wants’. They all have “political agendas”, “political ideologies” and “priorities”. I wish any of them had a “national agenda” a vision and more, an action plan! Instead of telling us our problems, I wish they could tell possible solutions, way forward and shared their vision.

None of our political parties have such plans, all they want is power! If you’re so much sincere and passionate to contribute why do you need power? We can start anything on our own anytime we want. We can build schools, build hospitals, and provide vocational trainings to poor children so they could earn a living (not for political reasons but for humanity).  We can start research centers, we can fund universities we have international contacts that can help getting scholarships for our students and collaborations with international universities and their curriculums. Not for whole nation, least we can start with our own area, constituency.

I request all my countrymen to consider the  suggestions below and our leaders to think about them as well. Our future should be system dependent, not individual dependent. Whoever is elected, we need to be sure that sooner or later, we’ll hit the destination. I wish somehow we could get this included in law and make it a must.

Every candidate must know his/her area/constituency and its problems and submit an action plan/road-map for solutions

Each candidate must share how many hospitals/schools/parks/grounds etc are to be built and renovation required   

Candidates share action plan for security and street crime etc

Candidates share vision/mission for how they will enhance economic activity  in their respective constituencies

These individual plans then constitute a national agenda/plan for the party. And each party must submit a detailed plan/policy book to election commission prior to contesting for elections; this plan must be made public so that in case party/individual fails to deliver people can hold them responsible in court of law.

 Interior policy/plan:

Education plan (from how to enhance literacy to research and setting new universities and where etc)

Commerce plan (how they plan to enhance economic activity in the country, promoting entrepreneurship culture in country which itself will tackle the unemployment issue, which industry they will promote and how, foreign investment and access to international markets etc and how they plan to run money and capital markets)

Policy for state-owned Organizations (how they plan to turn PIA, Railway etc profitable, also the plan to deal with sports boards etc)

• IT Policy
• Agriculture Policy
• Domestic system (administration)
• Plan to deal with corruption
• Health Policy
• Security and prevention of street crime
• Policy to deal with energy crisis
• Innovation (like alternative energy board etc)
• Inter-provincial harmony
• Media/arts policy
• Tourism policy
• Cultural policy

• Foreign policy
• International relations
• International trade
• War on terror
• Scholarships for students and talent exchange programs

 Apart from this, each party must justify the profile of candidate for each portfolio. For example they must nominate someone from education industry’s background/experience for education ministry etc. Also, once a party is elected as government, it shouldn’t indulge in any political activity/campaigning/lobbying.

These steps will not guarantee a prosperous Pakistan in a  day but eventually things will get better. We will see a corruption-free government and a transparent system. Its like a journey and these political parties are drivers. They can choose the lane they want to drive on, but road must be chosen by us, Public.

Pakistan Zindabad

Originally Published at: http://pakteahouse.net/2011/10/30/an-open-letter-to-every-pakistani/

Step Towards Humanity

All my respectable frnds, a humble request. we keep on talking about change but do nothing for it! Whenever i come across poor people who are running after a piece of bread just to feed their kids, it brings tears to my eyes. I cant do anything all alone, i can just stir the silent water and pray to Allah for betterment.

just look around, how many people are going jobless and starving in pakistan. they are like us, they are our brothers and sisters and children.

its already been very late, we can't just sit and watch, else we'll become just like them roaming around for one bread to feed our childeren.

Whichever city you live in, whatever occupation u are, whatever cast is yours, as long as you are pakistani, its your national duty to do something for it. no rebellion, no political movement, no drama no nothing, just a step towards humanity on individual level.

My proposal is very simple. form groups among your friends, collect money on monthly basis (any amount that u can easily spare say Rs. 50) identify poor/deserving people and arrange food for them. (either contact some local small hotel in area to give them free food and you pay in advance OR provide poors with groceries, whatever suits you)

Next step is help them finding a job or business just to earn a living. Pls remember, if we dont do it for them, no one would do it for us as well.

Remember, "every thing starts with a decision to try"