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Posted: Fri, Aug 14 2009. 1:15 AM IST
The British left six decades too early-Equally applicable to Pakistan-
The British left in 1947, and they left too soon. We celebrate Independence Day, but another six decades of dependence as Great Britain’s colony would have been good for us
Mumbai’s Sea Link bridge took 10 years to make, cost Rs1,600 crore and was inaugurated last month.
For Rs50, it carries drivers across the Mahim Bay from Bandra to Worli’s Seaface. The bridge is designed to shorten the drive from north Mumbai suburbs to the city’s south, where the business district is. Once the driver gets off the bridge at Worli, however, he cannot continue south.Illustration: Jayachandran / Mint
This is because the Maharashtra government planned only for the Sea Link to bridge the bay: No thought was given to what the driver was to do once the bridge ended. Blocked by a divider, the only way the driver can move is back north. So he drives in the opposite direction. Going around a signal, he travels an extra 1.2km before returning to the exact spot where he exited the bridge, but this time facing the right direction. We accept this mindlessness because it’s normal in India.
Indians don’t fully understand modern infrastructure because we have made no contribution to its advance, though we can purchase its designs. For us a bridge is an independent thing. Its environment is a different thing.
Our response to terror attacks is to add a security layer to five-star hotels. The idea of controlling the environment rather than the venue, the idea of a system and its process is alien, and difficult. We can learn about this, but we have nobody to teach us.
The British left in 1947, and they left too soon. We celebrate Independence Day, but another six decades of dependence as Great Britain’s colony would have been good for us. We could have learnt how to run cities. No harm in admitting what is obvious for all to see: We cannot even manage traffic.
Mumbai, not Hong Kong, would have been the centre for finance in Asia, instead of the second-rate city it has become since the British left.
Delhi would have more bits like the ones the British built, the only elegant parts of the city, just as British South Bombay is the only elegant part. Cities such as Surat and Ahmedabad and Hyderabad and Indore would have become civilized. Under English and Scottish bureaucrats, architecture, certainly civic architecture, would not be as ugly as it is.
Justice would mean something. Gandhi and Nehru repeatedly got arrested voluntarily because, correctly, they trusted British justice. Today’s politician resists arrest even though he may be innocent, because he’s liable to get stitched up, like Omar Abdullah.
Also Read Aakar’s previous Lounge columns
What else would be better? Education, through the Macaulay plan.
Europeans, of course, told us who and what we were. After 3,000 years of illiteracy, we learnt of the existence of the Indus Valley civilization from John Marshall in 1924. The identity of our greatest emperor, Ashok (died 232 BC), whose lion capital is our emblem, whose wheel is on our flag, was revealed to us by James Prinsep 175 years ago.
Our Aryan ancestry (or fantasy) was gifted to us by William Jones in 1786, when he reported the link between Sanskrit, Ancient Greek and Latin. The barbarism of Muslims at Vijayanagar was revealed by Robert Sewell, when he translated the 16th century work of Fernaos Nunes and Domingos Paes. Between 1879 and 1894, Max Muller translated the entire Upanishad, Vedas and Dhammapada. This helped Vivekanand go lecture the Americans on India’s greatness at Chicago in 1893.
The great German tradition of Indology continues through men such as Heinrich von Stietencron, but a sustained engagement through colonial government would have resulted in more attention to Indian studies.
Growing up in Surat, the only books I had access to were in Andrews Library, built in 1850. This is because Gujaratis, a mercantile people influenced by Jains, have no use for literature. The British stuffed it down our throats like medicine, educating the first reformers, people such as Narmad Shankar who attended the Elphinstone Institute. Shankar compiled Gujarati’s first dictionary in 1873, but the native instinct was strong and he reverted to Vedic tribalism in the last decade of his life.
That is the cycle South Asians normally follow: illiteracy, awakening through contact with European culture, and then a belief in our superiority.
But our bombast is groundless. America’s First Amendment says that Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech. Article 19(1)(a) of our Constitution also gave us the absolute right to freedom of speech. Within one year, the government amended that, denying us that freedom—and wisely. That was because we cannot have freedom of speech in a country where you can get killed for what you say. Or start a riot. It was different for Periyar and Manto because they lived under rule of law.
Nirad Chaudhuri was hated in 1951 for saying that British rule shaped and quickened all that was good within us. Today our best minds accept colonization by migrating to nations where they cannot vote. But they go anyway, because they can succeed under the other man’s law, where the environment is better controlled than in the Indian city.
The Indian city would have benefited from remaining colonized, but what of the village? In 1981, Amartya Sen concluded that famine was better managed under democracy. But famine is an exceptional situation. Millions die every year in India from malnutrition, and independent India has been no good at changing this.
Watching Doordarshan a couple of days ago, I saw an advertisement. “You can build a toilet in your house now!” it said, “contact the municipal department”.
Why did the villager need to be told in 2009 that he could build a toilet in his house? I could think of two reasons: He did not understand hygiene, and he was stopped from building one by the village’s upper caste.
A people who block each other and themselves need a patron.
Aakar Patel is a director at Hill Road Media.
Write to Aakar at replytoall@livemint.com
Happy Independence Day to Indians.
Lets work together to create a peaceful and prosperous future for the region.
bebus: 3rd Reminder
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/09/visitors-views-news-week-2-august-2009/#comment-245706
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/09/visitors-views-news-week-2-august-2009/#comment-245679
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/09/visitors-views-news-week-2-august-2009/#comment-245637
I’ll just leave this here =D
http://userstyles.org/styles/20221
The Self Explanatory Article which is loudly saying something & telling a story of coming days:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/world/2009/08/090816_us_suicides_na.shtml
JI leadership will be meeting Richard Holboroke ….. kute ke muu mein hadi
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/08/090813_nato_trucks.shtml
Yeh Kaun Shatanian Kur Raha Hai – Chupkay Chupkay?
Leader of Sectarian/Terrorist organisation murdered !
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/17-08-2009/u2647.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/08/090816_sher_haideri.shtml
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/provinces/09-sipah-i-sahaba-leader-haideri-shot-dead-police–szh-04
Kashif Abassi back today in todays Off The Record.
IK in Punjabi …
http://insaf.pk/Media/Videos/tabid/62/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/2674/Imran-Khans-Punjabi-interview-on-Apna-TV-12-August-2009.aspx
Kashif thanks for Nice Posting —Yes — We Pakistani must communicate in our own language without any single thought of Inferiority Complex.
Attn: All Jiyalaya Lovers:
American Report: “Whatever American Admin’n did not see even in dream as not expected just because of Jiyala & Co. achieved with the fruitful result.” —
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/18-08-2009/u2723.htm
Pres. Obama: “Whatever did not assume even in dream but this has become reality. ”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/world/2009/08/090818_obama_afghanistan.shtml
How True Hazrat Ali(KAW) as said: “I’ve recognized to Almighty(Jj) whenever I get Fail.”
@Red-Scorpion
Those who live by the gun die by the bullet.
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/17-08-2009/u2647.htm
kutta na khappay
@lota
You are inviting trouble – my humble advice: change your avatar.
lota
welcome back
Is this welcome from ‘mouth’ or from ‘heart’ ?
whatever you like heart of mouth or mouth of heart
why are you so curious
@ HAZORE WALA HAROON RASHID OR HUMNAWA
Zia’s decade of darkness By Iqbal Ahmad Khan
Tuesday, 18 Aug, 2009 | 08:55 AM PST |
Both Pakistan and Pakistanis continue to be haunted by Zia’s dark decade. — File Photo World
‘Al-Qaeda has shifted bases to Pakistan’ THE DISPOSABLE ALLY
Pakistan highest foreign policy priority: US The unenviable position of the most invidious of Pakistan’s rulers, among democrats and dictators alike, is occupied by Ziaul Haq, the dictator-general who died 21 years ago on Aug 17.
The outward display of humility and affection masked a duplicitous and vengeful personality. These were reflected in the retrogressive and punitive measures the general unleashed on the benighted nation during more than a decade of unmitigated dictatorship.
Whether it was the knotty Article 58-2(b), the much-exploited blasphemy laws or the promotion of a misogynous mindset, Pakistan and Pakistanis continue to be haunted by Zia’s dark decade.
Ziaul Haq was a usurper. He overthrew an elected and arguably Pakistan’s most popular prime minister. As justification he cited danger of civil war as a possible consequence of an impasse in talks between the government and the opposition. This was a lie. It is now fully documented that by July 4, 1977, both protagonists — the PPP and the Pakistan National Alliance or PNA — had reached an agreement to be announced by the prime minister the next day. The general could not have been unaware of this development. His move was purely and simply a power-grab.
The second deception was his avowal of not having any political ambitions, his sole aim being to hold elections within three months in October 1977. But when it dawned upon him that the premier he had ousted continued to enjoy widespread public support, he, not for the first time, conveniently retracted on his promise. He announced that it was neither in the Quran, nor was it revealed to him to hold elections on Oct 18. The promised elections were postponed. The people were provided an insight into his real plans when he pronounced that the country could only be kept together by the armed forces and not by politicians. Obviously, the fact that barely six years ago Pakistan had disintegrated under the watch of a military junta did not seem to bother him.
The sinister general continued to dangle the election bait before the public, while proceeding simultaneously to transform Pakistan into an authoritarian, nay totalitarian state. The constitution was amended beyond recognition in a bid to further empower himself. The notorious Article 58-2(b) corrupted the parliamentary form of government by transforming it into a semi-presidential system. The president now had the power to dissolve the National Assembly. (This power was used to dismiss the prime minister in 1988 while he was on an official visit abroad.)
He arrogantly proclaimed that he was here to stay and would not allow anybody else to rise. So much for the humility and selflessness that some of his apologists were attributing to him. On April 4, 1979, amidst curses from the masses and condemnation from the international community he hanged the legitimately elected and the most accomplished of Pakistan’s prime ministers. Soon thereafter elections were cancelled and political parties banned.
Military courts, armed with massive powers by the chief martial law administrator, spread terror among the people. Political activists and journalists were incarcerated. Some were even flogged in consonance with the punitive punishments that martial law orders had prescribed.
Responding to criticism on the dismissal of certain journalists for demanding restoration of democracy, the general angrily shot back that the punishment was too lenient. They should have been hanged in order to teach others a lesson. The press was muzzled and students and trade unions banned. The right of habeas corpus was annulled for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The judiciary could no longer review the legality and constitutionality of executive decisions.
Despite the comprehensive use of force to quell dissent, the question of legitimacy continued to stalk the regime. It was decided to give an ideological underpinning to Zia’s authoritative rule. In messianic mould the general told BBC that God had entrusted him with the mission to bring Islamic order to Pakistan. A referendum asking the people whether they supported Islamisation resulted in an embarrassing 10 per cent turnout. The ban on political parties was kept intact.
Islam, it was claimed, did not provide either for political parties or for western democracy. The Council of Islamic Ideology was entrusted with the task of preparing a blueprint for an Islamic ideological state. Primitive punishments including amputation of limbs, public lashings and stoning to death were promulgated. Blasphemy laws were introduced which have since become an exploitative instrument in the hands of militants and extremists to manipulate public sentiment and to target minorities.
A raft of retrogressive measures was directed at women. The evidence of two women was made equal to that of one man and the amount of compensation payable for a murdered woman was half that for a murdered man. Women appearing on TV were required to cover their heads and female dancing on TV was prohibited. The regime’s sinister plan involved the establishment of a theocratic-authoritarian state where Gen Zia backed by the military would reign supreme over a fearful populace. It was completely at variance with Quaid’s vision of Pakistan, which was neither theocratic nor authoritarian.
This then is Gen Ziaul Haq’s dark legacy. Lack of space does not permit a chronicle of his foreign policy failures. The roots of all major problems facing Pakistan today lie in Gen Zia’s dark era. To name only a few — the habitual interference of the armed forces in civilian affairs, weakening of state institutions, democracy deficit, rise of intolerance and militant extremism, sectarianism, problems of the Afghan refugees, drugs and the Kalashnikov culture and perennial constitutional problems. To roll all this back is the unenviable task of the present democratically elected government.
Great news – TTP spokesman Molvi Omer is arrested with the help of tribal elders. He also confirmed the death of Baitullah Mehsud through a drone attack.
I am curious how Hamid Mir and Shahid Masood will react to that. Both of them are good journalists. They should have acted cautiously on such a high profile issue. There was no need to put there credebility on stake. Hamid Mir was trying to show his resources witthin miitants and SM was trying to reject gov’s claims as usual. Geo should force them to accept their mistakes on air.
The US President said that terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan cannot be eradicated in a short time span.
Speaking at the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, Obama said that the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan would enable Al-Qaeda to plan similar attacks to that of 9/11.
He reiterated that the war on terror is necessary for the defence of the people.
According to the US president the perpetrators of 9/11 are planning more attacks and if left unchecked the Taliban insurgency will mean the creation of larger safe havens from which Al-Qaeda could plot to kill more Americans.
‘As I said when I announced this strategy, there will be more difficult days ahead. The insurgency in Afghanistan didn’t just happen overnight, and we won’t defeat it overnight. This will not be quick. This will not be easy.’
‘But we must never forget: This is not a war of choice; this is a war of necessity.’
‘Those who attacked America on 9/11 are plotting to do so again. If left unchecked, the Taliban insurgency will mean an even larger safe haven from which Al Qaeda would plot to kill more Americans. So this is not only a war worth fighting. This is fundamental to the defence of our people,’ said the US president.
The Jiyalee’s Statement & CDA’s Bye Laws:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3GqKzsTu_I
@jjkhan
thanx missed you more.
@Kashif
Yellow journalism is alive and well in the Pakistani media. Stories are planted everyday to help a desired cause and win the battle of hearts and minds without any regards to ethics of journalism. The same attitude is also very prevalent in the books we read on different subjects by Pakistani authors. I believe this attitude is part of our national psyche where we bend the truth for the betterment of our dear causes and spew lies without accountability because we are people who in 1947 were a class who were not capable of comprehending that in order to shut off a electric ceiling fan there could be an off switch and instead would use a daang (stick) to hold the blades of the fan in the hope to make it stop oscillating because we had no idea how the world is progressing. It has been a race since independence to improve our standard of living by any means necessary and if deception gets us to where we can assume power the end justify the means.
Presence of Military in US Embassy challenged in Sindh High Court.
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/11-08-2009/u2119.htm
PPP kay Tatto Manzoor watto ka tohfa … sugar will remain expensive …… we have officially double the rate now than india for sugar….. well done people friendly ppp govt constituting of p1gs
Adnan Arshad Mansoori said:
The Jiyalee’s Statement & CDA’s Bye Laws:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3GqKzsTu_I
That Jiyalii is a prost … look at the Zardari’s replacement of Sheryy Rehman …
PML(N) V/s PPP & Army Intervention = Sufferings of poor nation of Pakistan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhjVR-JHmuc
PML(N) has changed the Stance against Pervaiz Musharraff u/a 6 at NA because of MQM along with some of others:
For next seven days the major Topic of TV Talk Shows is as followed:
http://www.nawaiwaqt.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-urdu-online/National/19-Aug-2009/11214
Maulvi Faqir becomes Talibans’ new Ameeer !
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/08/090819_muslimkhan_spokesperson_zs.shtml
@lota6177
Welcome back, comrade !
Miss you on ‘Discuss’ !
Taliban Terrorists burn two more schools in Dir !
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/19-08-2009/u2816.htm
BJP expels Jaswant Singh for praising Jinnah
NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday expelled senior leader Jaswant Singh from the primary membership of the party.
He was expelled days after the release of his book praising Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
BJP president Rajnath Singh told reporters here that the party’s parliamentary board decided to expel the former external affairs minister from the primary membership of the party.
“Yesterday, I issued a statement about the BJP dissociating itself from Jaswant Singh’s views. The party discussed the matter at the chintan baithak (introspection session) and it was decided to expel him,” Rajnath Singh said.
In his book, Jaswant Singh has held Jawaharlal Nehru responsible for the partition of India and Jinnah has been “demonised” in India.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/updates.asp?id=85283
http://jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/19-08-2009/u2826.htm
Latif Khoota said that NRO beneficiary will not be effected … their cases will not be reopened now ….
aysay kuttay martay hain car kay neechay aa kar …. sh4me on jiyalas
The so called “elected” S.O.B, Zardari, is off to another visit abroad.
“President embarks upon four-day China visit on Friday”
Considering his credentials, that is, monery laundering, corruption, lack of education and possiblye murder, he has the best job in the world.
shimatoree said:
I am surprised no Paki has commented on shimatoree copy….
Any one old enough who remembers the prepartition days to say some thing…
Muhammad Usman posted;
Zia’s decade of darkness By Iqbal Ahmad Khan;
Who is Iqbal Khan? And may be people in Pakistan don’t remember Bhutto is all his stupidity brought this upon himself by supercedeing Zia over others generals cuz Zia trapped him by offering the unqualified allegiance to Bhutto…
Afterward in astrological terms Capricorn(goat) Bhutto became Leo Zia’s lunch cuz Bhutto’s offered the position to him on a platter… Just like Iskander Mirza did before for Ayub?
Anyways The Brits had in reality behind the scene left the subcontinent and power vested was with guys who had guns and that was army who was hired by the Brits to fight their wars not yours; the so called politicians were just the facade that still is…As Mao said the power comes out of the barrel of the gun, bigger the better…and he proved it in his life time…He was the practical Capricorn and a fighter …
Were Imran Khan and Benazir Bhutto an item?
She was one of the world’s renowned beauties and he was the shy middle-class lad with smouldering good looks who became a cricketing legend and a notorious ladykiller.
But until now Imran Khan and the assassinated former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto were thought to be at loggerheads personally and politically.
Indeed, just days before her death, he accused her of betrayal.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1207466/Were-Imran-Khan-Benazir-Bhutto-item.html#ixzz0OgxQ9wQm
Zardari and Rehman Dacait are also an item…..they make a sizzling pair indeed.
The above story about benazir and imran is product of a filthy mind…the filthiest and dirtiets mind sitting on an indian toilet in aiwan-e-laddhar. idle brain has nothing to do except for taking ‘bhatta’ and spreading diry gossips. kutta na khapay.
The above story about benazir and imran is product of a filthy mind…the filthiest and dirtiets mind sitting on an indian toilet in aiwan-e-laddhar
lol@ The reason some supposed it went further was because, to quote one Oxford friend: “Imran slept with everyone.”
Jamaat-e-Islami delegation meets Holbrooke
Wednesday, 19 August 2009 21:49
The Jang
By Muhammad Anis
ISLAMABAD: A Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) delegation in a meeting with US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke on Tuesday conveyed the party’s concerns over the expansion in the US embassy in Islamabad and the drone attacks, besides raising the issue of Dr Aafia Siddiqui’s detention. The delegation comprising JI Secretary General Liaquat Baloch and Naib Ameer Dr Muhammad Kamal met the US special envoy at the US Embassy. The JI delegation was invited by the US Embassy for the meeting, which continued for over 90 minutes. The US envoy and over a dozen other officials were also present on the occasion. The JI team also handed over a document to the US official containing their stance on US policies in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Todays Article by Hamid Mir.. The second paragraph is hilarious
http://www.jang.com.pk/jang/aug2009-daily/20-08-2009/col5.htm
http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/arts-letters/the-final-frontier
article on fata by alice albinia (author of my fave book of the year – empires of the indus)
IK & BB @ Oxford ….
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/world/pakistan/Imran-Benazir-had-a-roaring-affair-at-Oxford/articleshow/4912919.cms
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/2009/08/090820_afghan_refugees_khi_rh.shtml
Enjoy the following & think the applicability on Current Election of Afghanistan the horrible circumstances & consequences Pls.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPUdzvfmL3M
@mbokhari
Mohammed Hanif on his homecoming to Pakistan
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/aug/07/mohammed-hanif-pakistan-homecoming
@lota
Thanks :}
@lota
I likes it! I likes your new avatar!!
I read this guy’s exploding mangoes, and watched his wife nimra bucha’s ‘dictator’s wife’ in lahore this year…..
both are mediocre, unfortunately
@Gul
I just read the article and liked the light humor in it and going to read the exploding mangos next. I just read an excerpt of his book about him getting caught red handed helping a friend cheat in the air force academy where as a consequence he got banned from the TV room and had to go to the library. I found it pretty funny. I was in Lahore this April of 2009 but I guess the play started after that. I missed it good for you that you got to see it. I feel left out because ill rather watch the play than sit at some fancy place on m m alam road and waste the night away. I am surprised that his wife is a desi girl and not a gorie.
Mohammed Hanif on his experience in the Pakistan Air Force Academy
http://www.amazon.com/A-Case-of-Exploding-Mangoes/dp/B0018ZS46S/ref=kinw_dp_ke?ie=UTF8&qid=1250792455&sr=1-1
Pro-corruption bill on the way
A person who voluntarily returns the money earned through corruption would not be prosecuted and those facing trial would also be acquitted if they too voluntarily return such money/assets. These provisions of the law instead of serving as a check on corruption, gives a free hand to the corrupt and allow them to make any amount of money. Besides, when they have any fear of being caught could go scot-free by returning such amount voluntarily.
http://thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=23985
@lota
Actually you’re the lucky one, even a non fancy place on mm alam road would have been more entertaining than that play. Her extreme over acting was nerve jangling, and there was no break – she was the only cast!
The theme was strange: how the dictator’s wife is sick of him (and kills him in the end). The extraneous side themes shown were how there is unrest and protests in the country but he is unmoved. It was tired. Even if the play were performed during his rule, it might have held more appeal. But this year, it was just akin to beating a dead horse, with bad acting and a weak story line.
I agree, though, the light humour in the home coming article was good.
Anyway, let’s discuss the book after you’ve read it?
@gul,
hallo! i quite liked ‘case of exploding mangoes’ thought it was hilarious
lota6177,
Why do you and tbp, Anonymous, Ray all have same avatar!
Trying to promote yourself through multiple names!!! LOLzzz……..
May be you didn’t realize, this forum got upgraded. Your changing names to promote yourself isn’t going to work, try with multiple IDs, but then you can get banned if caught
lota sb,
Ok, I have forwarded issue for technical consideration. Let us see when the feedback comes and we will know if it is website that is giving 6 people same avatar or it is one person using 6 names. Wait and see.
jjkhan
thank you for that and relax till you get an answer. I still love you.
oh hi gv!
The book! Well for my part I found the humour a bit risqué, especially given that he was writing about real people (I read the book over a year ago but I remember the not so funny jokes about Zia ul Haq’s wife’s behind).
For purely fictional characters, it might be different, but for real characters I found most of the humour off colour, and not really funny.
I found most of the novel to be an imaginative waffle. But at the end of the book where he talks about the probable cause of the crash, and who might have had a hand in it, he borrows very heavily from Edward Jay Epstein’s brilliant investigative piece in The Vanity Fair without any credits whatsoever.
Here’s the article, read it – you’ll be amazed:
http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/archived/zia.htm
I mean, there’s got to be some truth in the fun you poke at real people, made up stuff is silly at best. My take.
@gul
yep read that piece around the same time as i read the book… well its a work of fiction so i suppose he’s allowed some poetic licence… i kind of enjoyed the satire poked at zia and co… but anyway not important
Lord Macaulay, Minute on Indian Education, delivered in 1835
Macaulay’s Children
Source: wikipedia.org
Amazing to see macaulay’s children jumping & playing around here. They know who they are!
Post 62 classic litar parade by mbokhari, must watch hilarious
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/16/visitors-views-news-week-3-august-2009/
sorry wrong link above here is the correct link
http://mbokhari.pkpolitics.com/2009/08/17/politics-and-philosophy/#comments
It is first of Ramdhan 2009. I didn’t mean to hurt old man with lord macaulay’s minute, just wanted to share it. It seems he could hold back himself and has reacted, but who cares to go and read
I’ll just remind him of macaulay’s children, that would be enough for him and his chamchas, I’ll come back later in the day to enjoy their reaction
All these the followings are Inter Linked with each other – Just wait when NS & Co. starts to speak Only Truth — nothing but the Truth.
http://www.khabrain.com/aaj-akhbar.aspx?pg=1
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/20/islamabad-tonight-20-august-2009/#comment-248016
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/21/aaj-kamran-khan-kay-saath-21-august-2009/#comment-248036
It has been suggested by important people in Islamabad that serious consideration needs to be given to finding a way to united the different ethnic and religious groups of the country.
After long discussion, they have decided that the one thing that the whole country is always united is on the national cricket team.
So why not declare CRICKET the national religion of Pakistan.
This will eliminate the sectarian conflicts as there will be no shia or sunni but just Cricketer. The Baloch, the Pushtoon, the Sindhis and the Punjabis will all be united in their cricketing struggle for Cricket
The entire country will be converted into a peaceful harmonious land where everyone will just plays cricket by the rules of the game.
@Shimatoree
Would you please mind your own business. Pehle apne gher ki khaber lo phir dosro ko mashware do.
Kick on your A**.
Shimla Toree is another ‘Macaulay’s Child’
http://pkpolitics.com/2009/08/16/visitors-views-news-week-3-august-2009/#comment-248029
So far our political elite always ready to learn from the WEST, so that how to behave with Prisoners kindly learn this lesson also only from the WEST — Warning kindly never try to even refer to Prophet Muhammad Ss & others Sahab e Karam in future also as the same Elite never referred in the past.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/world/2009/08/090822_cia_threatened_na.shtml
The Program “Mery Mutabiq” is missing what happened Dr.Shahid Masood is brilliant person and doing great job exposing Zardari Mafia kindly don’t remove his program from Pk politics
Helbrooke arrives in Pakistan to dictate Waziristan operation
PRESS STATEMENT
No: PR09043
Date: 26th Sha’ban 1430 AH / 17th August 2009 CE
Holbrooke arrives in Pakistan to dictate Waziristan operation
American viceroy Richard Holbrooke should be immediately ejected and American embassy close down
Hizb ut-Tahrir held protest demos in front of Islamabad and Lahore press club besides Karachi.
After being chided away by India, the real chief executive of Pakistan Richard Holbrook arrived in Pakistan with the executive orders of initiating Waziristan military operation. The UN has already forecasted large scale displacement of people from South Waziristan even commenced arrangements to cater for it.
Holbrook, who was part of the team responsible for chaos and disorder in Vietnam and Cambodia while he was just 24 year of age, has since been playing with blood in most of his 68 years of life. In his last visit to Pakistan he had ordered bombing of Swat resulting in hundreds of thousands of Muslims displaced and loss of property and lives of innocent women children and the elderly.
Despite this, the political and military leaders of Pakistan are competing over one another to invite this Hulagu Khan of Swat to dine with them. In just seven months of his appointment this butcher has stirred up a blooding violence in Pakistan along with initiating the construction of American fortress in the heart of Islamabad. The prime reason of these intrusive acts of this arrogant man is our rulers who are lying flat in subservience to America. They consider fulfilment of his wishes their fundamental duty even before he could express them.
Masses demand that this man should be immediately ejected from the country and American embassy be closed down. Each passing day is strengthening the devastating American grip over Pakistan. The people of powerful (ahl an-Nusra) should not waste any more time in giving Nusra to Hizb ut-Tahrir so that the colonial control over Pakistan be rooted out. Also the local traitors (whose forefathers were also traitors) could also be brought to justice who have become the pharaohs of Pakistan.
Imran Yousafzai
Deputy spokesman of Hizb ut-Tahrir in Pakistan
Al=Jahiz 9th century Muslim scholar of African origin first proposed the theory of Natural Selection in his book “Kitab al-Hayawan (Book of Animals).But in 21st century Evolution is denied in all of the Muslim countries.
Could this be a factor in our lack of scientific progress?
Dr Dawkins has a new book coming out soon,following is review from Times online.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article6805826.ece
people please please please just accept evolution for the noble cause of laying zia m’s monkey ancestor souls to rest
I think Shimatoree chose wrong words ” national religion”. Reading the view point of Shimatoree I am sure there was no intention to offend anyone and a careful choice of words would have made many of us have a laugh on the humorous side of the comment by Shimatoree.
This nation really needs to straighten its direction and work as one nation and yes Religion should be kept out of all of this as it is a private matter between Allah/God/Bhagwan and the follower.
Shimatoree (dont know whether I should say sahib or sahiba)
Our cricket team is very mercurial in nature, often th e players end up fighting with each other and most of the time the team is on the recieving end. Perhaps we need a better binding factor to hold our nation together.
Hypocrite-
You are correct. This was a tongue in cheek sarcastic spoof on our situation to-day in Pakistan.
JJ KHAN-
Sorry to disappoint you- I do not agree with Lord Macauley and what he did. But the fact is that I was not even born then- even my father was not born then so I am unable to influence events that took place long ago. But the facts on the ground- that like it or not the truth of the matter is English is the official language of Pakistan and the medium in which you communicate with the world. As a matter of fact it-(English)- is a great advantage that people of Pakistan and India have over the Iranians and Arabs when studying and/ or doing business in the world.
JJ Khan
The unfortunate thing is that before English became the official language of British India- the language before was also an IMPOSED language- Persian. and perhaps before that the language of the rulers -Turkish
The derogatory epithet of ” Macauley’s children ” is thus unfair . If you have a system which makes something-( English) paramount as it is in Pakistan and India- you cannot be critical of those that must excel in it in order to get somewhere from a career standpoint. And once you do that- you sort of become a prisoner of that language as you are entrapped in it. To get blamed for being that way is not only unfair but unjust.
Pushto speakers like myself find themselves at a disadvantage in a contrived URDU speaking Pakistan and a Farsi speaking Afghanistan. It is not shock to know that Pushto has a saying-
” Mara Gaida Farsi wai “-( a full stomach speaks Farsi )-
So for us and those like us- English is the great EQUALIZER . Yes we have difficulty in learning it but so do all others including the Urdu speakers. So we are not at a disadvantage. And since the world is being run in English- so much the better.
If I have to spend time and effort to learn URDU well- I can appreciate Faiz’s and Ghalib’s and Meer’s poetry but how does it help me get a student scholarship in the USA or UK or get a Job in Europe or Australia.
So perhaps it is not so bad in following the dictums of Macauley after all in a practical sense sort of way.
Shimatoree,
I’ll try to present my understanding, I know there are a couple of other people also interested in explanation and are waiting patiently to jump at right moment.
You have interpreted it as learning/speaking English vs Urdu/Pashto/Farsi, which I think isn’t what Lord Macaulay intended.
Lord Macaulay says those who are Indian in blood & color but English in taste/opinions/morals & intellect. Where is he talking about language?
You and other prof jumped to same rhetoric of English English… Isn’t the taste/opinion/intellect screaming out loud from your and other guy’s (he knows who he is) writing/thoughts??
Why donot we call this a Visitors PERSONAL VIEWS AND PERSONAL ATTACKS BUT NO NEWS.
VISITORS PERSONAL BATTLE FIELD. same as usual.
any news to share.
Pakistan to owe the world $75 billion by 2015
Sunday, 23 August 2009 12:04
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The Jang
By Mehtab Haider
ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected an alarming rise in Pakistan’s external debt, touting it to touch $75 billion ($74.161 billion to be precise) by the fiscal year 2015-16.
According to the IMF’s staff report released on Saturday, the Pakistani authorities and the Fund staff have estimated that Islamabad’s external debt would climb up to $57.417 billion by end 2009-10, $64.607 billion by 2010-11, $68.894 billion by 2011-12, $70.955 billion by 2012-13, $71.338 by 2013-14, $72.75 billion by 2014-15 and $74.161 billion by 2015-16.
The public and publicly guaranteed debt (including the IMF) would spike to $70.437 billion by 2015-16, while it was projected that the private sector debt from external avenues would remain at the level of $3.724 billion by 2015-16 compared to $3.470 billion by end 2009-10.
Pakistan’s total external debt would touch $57.417 billion by end 2009-10, out of which, public and publicly guaranteed external debt would touch $53.947 billion, while the private sector debt was projected to reach at $3.470 billion.
Pakistan’s medium- and long-term debt would stand at $44.102 billion during the end of the ongoing fiscal, out of which, multilateral creditors debt would be $24.686 billion, while the bilateral creditors’ debt would be $17.888 billion.
The debt amount from the ADB on Pakistan would stand at $11.627 billion, the World Bank $12.440 billion. The IMF’s loan amount will mount to $9.322 billion by end 2009-10.
However, the IMF report says the external debt sustainability analysis shows that the debt stock would remain moderate and the external debt service would be manageable.
The external debt stock would increase from 29.9 per cent of the GDP in 2008/09 to 35.5 per cent in 2010-11, before declining gradually to 32.5 per cent of the GDP by 2013-14. The debt service as a ratio of exports of goods and receipts is projected to increase from below 15 per cent to 20 per cent during the same period, reflecting in part, repayments of fund credit.
Pakistan’s public debt (domestic and external, excluding obligations to the IMF) is projected to remain at around 57 per cent of the GDP over the medium term, it further states. Public debt, including obligations of the IMF is projected to peak at 63.5 per cent of the GDP in 2010-11, and decline to 57.8 per cent of the GDP in 2013-14.
THE ROVING EYE
The Afghan pipe dream
By Pepe Escobar
PARIS – America’s convoluted, Alice-in-Wonderland interpretation of this summer’s top political show – the “free expression of the people” in the Afghanistan election – reads like an opium dream. In fact, it is actually a pipe dream – as in Pipelineistan. With the added twist that no one’s saying a word about the pipe that’s delivering the opium dream.
As in an opium dream, delusion reigns. The chances of United States President Barack Obama actually elaborating what his AfPak strategy really is are as likely as having his super-envoy Richard Holbrooke share a pipe with explosive uber-guerrilla warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Obama says “success in Afghanistan” involves “diplomacy, development and good governance” – but all dazed and confused
world public opinion sees are packs of extra marines being deployed to “fight the Taliban”.
Former Waziristan jihad master Baitullah Mehsud, a “Pak”, not an “Af” Taliban, may have been done in by a clever US Predator drone. But one Osama bin Laden – as in an opium dream – still ghostly roams across the Hindu Kush, eight years after the 9/11 fact. A vision or a waking dream, he may be playing Return of the Living Dead in “Pak”, not “Af” – so why all these extra marines frantically canvassing Afghan lands?
Or should we believe Pakistan
Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, who said there “is no evidence that Osama bin Laden is present in Pakistan” and that “those making claims of his presence in the country should provide valid proof of it”?
Furthermore, the US notion that a motley crew of Pashtun peasants, angry young religious men, gangsters, highway robbers and anti-government rabble-rousers sprinkled around Pashtun country in Afghanistan would suddenly start welcoming shady al-Qaeda new breeders bent on destroying Western civilization as we know it is, well, no less than an opium dream.
As for the sham election, who cares who’s the winner – Pashtun President Hamid Karzai, aka “the kebab seller”, Tajik Abdullah Abdullah or anyone else? Afghanistan will be ruled by Barack Hussein Obama anyway. “The Taliban” – this ghostly, immaterial entity – may start getting less cash from their former Pakistani intelligence masters; but pious, Salafi Persian Gulf potentates will still make sure they more than balance their budget – unlike certain Western powers. They couldn’t care less about super-envoy Holbrooke’s recently announced campaign to freeze wire transfers to “the Taliban”.
Unable to fire Karzai, Washington
watches impotently as he drafts psycho killer Uzbek General Rashid Dostum to campaign for him – as if sporting Tajik commander Muhammad Fahim as his running mate was not enough. It’s Do the Warlord Dance in Kabul – and the prize is buckets of drug money for everybody so funding for private militias remains as free as a full supply of opium to the world economy.
And in the end, the warlords will find a shortcut to get rid of Karzai anyway.
Just ask the perennial Hekmatyar – who is fighting not only Karzai but the US and coalition troops (as if he’s reading too much recent Iraq history, he insists on a timetable for Western troop withdrawal). Incidentally, good ol’ friend of Saudi Arabia Hekmatyar is not a “Taliban” – but a Pashtun nationalist.
As for installed-by-George W Bush Karzai, he may be an Americanized aristocrat from the minor Popolzai tribe who knows his Pashtunwali – the inflexible Pashtun tribal code; but he’s also a no-holds-barred opportunist who studied in India, so he’s betting on India to counter Pakistani influence over Afghanistan. He wants no “Pak” dominating “Af”, while for Washington everything is now “AfPak”. He knows that “the Taliban” control the day and virtually all the night in over half of Afghanistan. He knows he’s got to do something to try to stop Westerners killing Pashtuns in droves. Yet another American puppet turns against his masters.
Ich bin ein Talibanistaner
And what to make of the McChrystal, Gates and Mullen show – worthy of the Marx Brothers? To amuse the galleries, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen did a two-on-one and faced down commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan General Stanley McChyrstal’s inimitable Dr Strangelove impersonation by asking him to take it easy and submit his new Afghan report to Obama only after the Afghan election.
Iron Gates wants an orgy of new troops; super-envoy Holbrooke, for his part, wants a massive nation-building squad – he’s building his own (doomed), counterinsurgency-heavy, Afghan shadow government. The bottom line is that, mired in the opium dream that all Afghans love the concept of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) occupying their country, the Pentagon wants a star-studded AfPak show running for decades.
McChrystal first said the Taliban are winning. Then he said they’re not. Then he asked for – what else – more troops and more help on the civilian side. There will be 68,000 US troops in Afghanistan by the end of 2009. At the moment there are 96,500 US plus NATO troops on the ground – including 4,050 Germans, 485 Norwegians, 470 Bulgarians and 2,378 from “other nations”.
The extrapolations into ridicule boggle the mind. The 4,050 members of the Bundeswehr fighting “Taliban” in northern Afghanistan near Kunduz now have to shout out a trilingual warning before getting down to the nitty gritty. First, in English, it’s “United Nations – stop, or I will fire!” Then comes the Pashto remix – “Melgaero Mellatuna-Dreesch, ka ne se dasee kawum!” And then the Dari remix. Forget about the cool and crisp Achtung! Sounds more like a Monty Python sketch about the European Commission in Brussels
. Even German top commander General Wolfgang Schneiderhahn is embarrassed.
While all this funky charade goes on, virtually nobody – apart from Canadian energy economist John Foster, in an op-ed published by The Star newspaper – is talking about the (real) Afghan pipe dream. Once again, since the late 1990s, it all comes back to TAPI – the Turkmenistan/Afghanistan/Pakistan/India gas pipeline, the key reason Afghanistan (as an energy transit corridor) is of any strategic importance to the US, apart from being deployed as an aircraft carrier stationed right at the borders of geopolitical competitors China and Russia. TAPI, financed by the Asian Development Bank, should in theory start to be built in 2010.
Both Russia and Iran, accomplished chess masters, are honing their moves to make TAPI unworkable. Until then, the AfPak theater basically boils down to the US and NATO at war against nationalist Pashtuns. Washington hysteria will continue to rule – as in “the Taliban” about to take over Islamabad’s nukes and convert the US into TalibanUStan. And last but not least, please save the last bowl of opium for that oh-so-savvy wild bunch – the warlords.
Pepe Escobar is the author of Globalistan: How the Globalized World is Dissolving into Liquid War (Nimble Books, 2007) and Red Zone Blues: a snapshot of Baghdad during the surge. His new book, just out, is Obama does Globalistan (Nimble Books, 2009).
He may be reached at pepeasia@yahoo.com.
@shimatoree
Really sir you have no b4lls to face and answer any logical critic.
@shimatoree
Where are you hiding … such a baised person you are who removed my comments from your blog and few other people … you can’t just take one comment against your blog… and just keep comments those you want to see… p3thatic and l00ser you are.. aren’t you …
Guys shimatoree hosting blog about Islamic divorce law that had nothing to do with divorce law and if you raise this fact he will remove you comments quickly … that guy has no sh4me …
@saleembutt
butt sahid, neither I called em any name .. but he start moedrating my comment without reason. He posted incomplete story with the tile “Islamic Divorce” but no where in the story the Islamic divorce laws were challenged… so I raised the correct question to ask why the title is misleading … but sir they have no answer other than removing my comments … ofcourse butt sahib, shimatoree is UNCOMPARABLE to any prophet even metaphorically. But Shimatoree will like comparison of himself with prophets so he will never remove my comments and my comment will me removed. Cheers
@shimatoree and few other hypocr5tes
Please read the today’s article
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8230844.stm
and see the figure of girls being r4ped in west. 1 out of 16.do remember their age. Why they dont make a headline saying Christian Merriage laws or divorce laws .. because they social issue has nothing to do with the law.
It is same as the stories you are posting … just keep posting with your bunch of self praising people and stay happy.
Hamid Saeed Kazmi … Religious Minister shot … Driver killed…. Kazmi’s condition stable…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/8233514.stm
PPP kay shahidoon ki list main aik or geniune azafa … poor driver shaheed by terrorists….
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