Travels and Opinions of Sajjad Haider

Dera Ismail Khan - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

2010-06-10T18:05:00.013+05:00

As i have begun to do some travelling in the rural parts of Pakistan, i have come to realize that more often than not what you experience from these visits is a lot different from what your perceptions were. Earlier this month, i had the opportunity to be in Dera Ismail Khan and it was an incredibly pleasing experience. It was a work related visit and i was to visit on of our partner NGOs active in that region called FIDA. In particular to visit a handful of biogas plants that were built with RSPN support in 2007.

We got there in the evening after a 5 hour drive from Islamabad passing through Mianwali and the Chashma Barrage and in DI Khan we were graciously assisted in finding our way to the FIDA guest house by the local towns. Its a small city and directions are inevitably given with reference to the nearest petrol station to the destination. Cell phones are jammed in the city for the past 12 months due to suicide bombings and other terrorist activities. The city is not far from the hills and plains of Waziristan where terrorism is supposedly abundant. You would assume that gun carrying, bearded men with vile looks would be the most common thing in the streets. However i was surprised to see women freely moving around by themselves in the city and no gun-toting person to be found.

The first person to meet us there was a local person possibly linked to intelligence agencies and working on counter terrorism activities. The Fida staff prepared for us some delicious 'Sohbat', a local dish of flat bread and chicken eaten traditionally by all from a single large dish. The weather was surprisingly pleasant and we actually got to sleep under the stars on the charpais which was very relaxing and a good change.

We had a hearty breakfast and a really invigorating discussion with an ex-police officer who spoke of his efforts in making the city a better place by exposing eliminating druglords and other thugs from the area. We then set out to see the biogas plants in UC Mandra which is a small island in the Indus River. The boat ride was fantastic and gave me an opportunity to devour some local watermelons. The plants, despite the lack of supervision or quality control were in good working condition and the households were very glad when we helped fix some of the underlying problems.

Another area we visited was in UC Karai which seemed to be staunch supporters of religious zealots with a not so handsome reputation. Nevertheless, all but one of the plants were in good shape and we were happy to see that 3 year old plants were successfully running in the area.

Kathmandu Nepal - Day 6 - Breakfast, Shopping and Departure

2010-03-02T21:44:00.007+05:00

Woke up nice and relaxed at 9am. Packed up my stuff, had a very healthy and chilled out breakfast by the poolside.

Had a good time to think over the past week and all that had transpired through it. There were plenty of learning to take home from this trip, lots about the biogas programme from different countries, the well matured Nepalese programme, the amazingly progressive Bangladeshi Bio-slurry programme, the difficulties faced by the African nations, the growth in the Vietnamese programme, the similarity of the Indonesian Programme with ours as well as learning about the people.

Had an opportunity to socialize with individuals from several countries and learned a lot from those interactions.

Later on in the day, took a taxi to do some shopping, bought some souvenirs and some gifts for family and friends including the famous Nepalese ‘whistling bowls/bells’. Came back stuffed in all we could and headed back on our flight back to the

Pakistan

Kathmandu Nepal - Day 5 - Workshops, networking and the Nepali President

2009-12-02T15:57:00.009+05:00

Woke up at 7 in the morning, with a groggy head due to all the chilling out the previous day. Had a quick breakfast before going into a session on innovations in the biogas plant models and other features of the programme. It was helpful in the sense that it was evident that the GGC 2047 is the best model, especially for conditions as they are in

Pakistan

. Also important was to get some of the information regarding specific data which is very helpful.

Had a very tasty lunch followed by some boring speeches before we were given a bit of a break to network with the other members and I had the opportunity to chat with Hans Heijdra, SNV country director and the ultra casual boss of every boss, Kirk, SNV BoD Chairman who was extremely friendly and helpful to talk and share ideas with. This was a really impressive aspect of the entire workshop, that i could meet with such high places officials in a casual setting and share are experiences. One of these meetings was with the extremely hard working Dr Indira Shakya, Treasurer BSPN and one of the most enterprising and friendly yet extremely intelligent person I’ve met Sheila Oparaocha, Consultant for ETC Foundation, both of whom are related to the Gender Mainstreaming component of Biogas Development. Also got to meet the female mason who has constructed over 400 plants herself, which is quite the achievement. Women in rural Pakistan are hesitant to take up that task.

Then the final presentation took place which included the Honorable President of Nepal, Dr Ram Baran Yadav, who is facing lots of strikes from the Maoists due to his decision to reverse the decision of the Defense Ministry (controlled by Maoists) to oust the Chief of Army Staff (COAS). Even though the COAS has now resigned the Maoists want the government (read President) to accept the mistake and apologize, which does not seem to be happening anytime soon. A lot of awards were given away to the BCCs, MFIs, masons, NGOs etc who had performed exceptionally well during the programme.

After the presentation, there was a grand dinner which i excluded myself from, although i did have some nice chat conversations. Instead i headed out to have dinner at Manjita Sharmas house which was located about 15 minutes away by Taxi. Shared the cab with Shaunna, and walked a little bit in a dark street with a superbly fresh winter breeze which made the evening just awesome. Had a really scrumptious meal and some very fine discussions with the couple while we chilled in their 4-5 bedroom house with a very nice terrace. I even got a ride on the bike as i was dropped off near someplace where i got a taxi and came back to the hotel after an eventful fifth day in Nepal.

Kathmandu Nepal - Day 4 - Plant Visit, Himalayan Lunch and Garden of Dreams

2009-11-19T17:28:00.013+05:00

I woke up at 6:30 am in the morning to have time for

breakfast before the participants headed off in 10 buses at 7:30 am to Bela village located near Dhulikhel in Kavrepalanchok District where three hundred or so plants have been built. A 90 minute initially bumpy drive, Kathmandu roads need quite some repair, to a very scenic area where the plants were located. We had a very nice group of 12 people all different nationalities in our bus. Especially interesting to note was the versatile and knowledgeable Micheal Yon, an American who

writes about the US military among other things for NY Times, takes photographs which have been published in the Smithsonian and the Times Magazine. He spoke of his travels to Iraq, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, India, Nepal and many others. Also made acquaintance with the lively Mariela Andrea Pino from Chile, currently studying in Germany and she had lots of experiences and learnings to share.

We visited two plants, a 6m3 which had been operating for four years and was operational even with one animal. Slurry was however not being produced. The house was still using some firewood to feed their animals (cow, goats, chickens). What really impressed me was that the family was growing organic vegetables for themselves and for selling, they were also transporting beehives from trees to neatly designed borrows in the house walls to collect honey. It was really neat to see the biogas plants transforming and improving the lives of the people in the rural areas.

A tasty and well needed lunch was had at the Himalayan Horizon, an ostentatious place with a view to die for. The landscape was of the Himalayan range showing over 10 peaks ranging from 6000 – 8000 meters, needless to say the lunch session pretty outstanding especially since I got to chat with Shanti Kapila, consultant from the Asian Development Bank, who pretty much everyone

wanted to accost and after speaking with her, it was obvious why that was so. Came back to the Hyatt and set up the stall for PDBP in the marketplace arranged in the workshop. We gave out marketing material and other info on the Pakistan programme. The Nepalese friend from BSPN especially Ameesha was very helpful in our marketing efforts, so was Gisella Mcguiness from ICRC. Great opportunity to see some of the appliances and products that other programmes and manufacturers had developed. From PDBPs perspective i felt the Indonesdian programme is one which we can work together since we are at a similar place.

Then I chilled out with the boss and another colleague before getting onto the buses to go to the Garden of Dreams, which is located in the Kings Palace. The place was really quite grandiose and classy and we had the opportunity to chill out some more. Most important was that we had very exciting discussions with some of the other participants. SNV gave permission for me to invite my Nepali friends to the dinner and I got the opportunity to meet with Bibhushan and Manjita

Sharma which was really fabulous. Had some animated and detailed discussions with Henri Spanjers from LeAF and Fred Marree who was SNVs person for all the logistics arrangements. It was quite an exciting evening overall even though extremely exhausting and I got back pretty late before I finally retired for the evening.

Kathmandu Nepal - Day 3 - Plenary Sessions

2009-11-19T16:40:00.007+05:00

Had to getup at 7:30 for another early start. Registered for the event, had breakfast and then the workshop programme started with initial remarks and some rather bland country presentations from Nepal, China and India. The Indian presentation was exceedingly boring and unprofessional, quite shocking for most of the participants. A very informative and appealing presentation full of numbers by SNVs Felix livened up the proceedings. Had a scrumptious lunch with the company of the appealingly pretty Sweta Pokharel , an investment officer of Nepali origin in Thailand, Marco Linden, Carbon Finance Advisor in Nepal

and the PhD candidate, Shaunna Barnhart from Penn State University. Great to see people from across the globe sharing their experiences in the biogas sector.

Also met several other people including Rajendra Shakya, Regional Head of Admin and a Nepali supporting the Energy initiative in Afghanistan. Attended a rather slow session on realizing biogas benefits including presentations and group work. A couple of the presentations were really good in the sense that we got an understanding of the biogas experience in Ethiopia, gender mainstreaming measures in India and ways of integrating biogas into rural policies and plans. This was the first of two plenary sessions for the workshop and they helped in identifying how the programmes varied from country to country focusing on different issues based on their local needs.

Afterwards we got together at poolside for some chilling with all the attendees of the conference and some nice chit chat while having some very appetizing snacks. Met a Ministry of Environment member from India who gave an insightful account of his experiences. Chilled out with a few colleagues over discussions over the days proceedings and implication on our programme. Came to the room, wrote the blog for the past 3 days and went to sleep relatively early.

Kathmandu Nepal - Day 2 - Meetings

2009-11-18T19:34:00.007+05:00

Start at 9 am with a meeting with the Bangladesh Team -- Formanul Islam (Director and Co. Secy. – Infrastructural Development Company Limited IDCOL) and Nazmul Haque Faisal (Sr. Programme Manager, National Domestic Biogas and Manure Programme NDBMP). Interesting attitudes. Forman was friendly, the younger Faisal seemed to have strong anti-pak feelings. Met Saroj Rai (Executive Director – BSPN) who gave an excellent presentation on the Nepal Programme. Good stats and things to learn from there.

Visited Nepal Biogas Promotion Association (NBPA) and Exec Dir. Mohan Raj Sharma and his team met with us including Dilip Kumar Acharya

(Secy) and Bikash Adhikari (Engineer) who did his Bachelors in Engineering from Quaid-e-Azam University of Engineering in NawabShah in Sindh. The organization was in a dilapidated building and it didn’t seem like a profession setup at all. Their mandate and respinsibilities seemed unclear and obscure. Went to the Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) and met executive director Dr. Narayan Prasad Chaulagain and Neils Juhl Thomson (Chief Advisor). AEPC is responsible for a number of activities of the Biogas programme in

Nepal

. Also visited Renewable Energy Test Station (RETS) and met Prem Bdr. Basnet (General Manager) who gave a tidy presentation and tour of the facilities. Very interesting to see them. The Bangladeshi team wanted to replicate the same lab there. In 2-3 years the PDBP should do the same.

Came to the Hyatt and after some chillout with Bibhushan Bhattacharya and a colleague went to the Rox Bar for some networking, chillout and socializing. Very good session of meeting and getting to know people from a lot of places including SNVs Senior Biogas advisor in Indonesia, the extremely enterprising, Felix SNVs Senior Advisor in Tanzania, the boisterous William Boers, Senior Advisor in Ethiopia, the man of the hour SNVs Wim Van Nes, the enterprising and knowledgeable Bastiaan, SNV advisor to Vietnam, Biogas Practice Leader, Lam Saoleng, Programme Coordinator, National Biodigester Programme, A Cambodian Senate Official, a representative of Lettinga Associates Foundation (LeAF), Netherlands, D. Vidya Sagar, President, SKG Sangha, and the Indonesian programmes (HiVos) counterpart Robert de Groot among many others.

Went with Bibhushan Bhattacharya for dinner on a cab whose rates Bibu had to haggle down a lot. We were stopped at a security check post, probably set up cause there was a scheduled strike the next day and the driver quickly said there is a ‘Vadaishee’ (foreigner), the cop shook my hand and we exchanged greeting in Hindi/Urdu and he let us go through with a smile. J However, was surprised to learn that Kathmandu pretty much closes down by 9-10 pm. None of the restaurants were open, ate some sandwich at a bakery, had some lively chit chat with Bibu, who was very hospitable and came back all the way to the Hyatt, which was completely out of his way just to ensure that I get home safely even though it wasn’t a serious issue. Came home, say the heroics of Mohammad Aamer of the Pakistan cricket team against New Zealand fail at the very end and then dropped asleep.

Kathmandu Nepal - Day 1 - Arrival and chilling

2009-11-18T19:14:00.007+05:00

There was the annual Biogas Workshop taking place in Kathmandu, Nepal from November 9 -13, 2009 for which i, as Programme Manager, Pakistan Domestic Biogas Programme was invited. It was sponsored by the Asian Development Bank and SNV. Took a flight with a long route, from Islamabad to Doha,

Qatar

(4 hours), 4 hours layover and then Doha to Kathmandu,

Nepal

hours). Got some chillout stuff from Doha.

Qatar

airways hostesses were hot but there was a distinct service difference between the two flights including the chillout option in the latter flight. There was no requirement for a visa for Pakistanis, and hence no waiting in line as the goras were made to wait.

Met a non English speaking Mr. Mahman (Benin) and a very happy Mr Bien Alme (Burkino Faso)

and we got some local chillout stuff right outside the airport. The roads were very crowded on the way to the Hyatt and they were rule-free roads. However, the Hyatt Regency, which is the premiere hotel, was just awesome with really big rooms and awesome service.

Foreign Diplomats!

2009-10-30T13:33:00.007+06:00

Imagine two Pakistan embassy officials roaming around in a car (with fake number plates) near the Capital buildings in Washington DC are found with 2 Kalashnikov guns, 6 Grenades, and 6 Bullet proof jackets.

Or how about, a notorious weapons subcontractor of the Pakistani Embassy is found with unlicensed weapons in the tune of dozens.

Would they be

Let go with a smile
Taken off to Guantanamo
Just disappear from the face of the earth

Without a doubt, its likely that option 2 or 3 would be the most likely result. However, as described in Example 1 , Example 2, Example 3, Option 1 was what actually happened.

All these examples were of foreign diplomats with diplomatic immunity. My question is, in times as precarious as we have right now, with bombs and terror attacks happening ever so often, and with plenty of doubt about the actions of foreigners being involved in these activities, whether we should allow diplomatic immunity to these embassies.

Poverty: Population or Inequality

2009-10-23T10:37:00.004+06:00

When experts sit down and discuss the root cause of poverty (since poverty is cited as a major cause for so many evils including extremism), as they did in a recently televised program 50 minutes on Geo TV, they point to the rising population and lack of family planning by poorer households which lead to their own devastating demise. Creating awareness, education, birth control pills etc etc are identified as measures to solve the issue of poverty.

However, there is an alternative picture to eradicating poverty which we feel uncomfortable discussing essentially because it means change has to be brought to 'our lives' (the rich and ruling) and not theirs (the poor and downtrodden). That issue is the lack of equality amongst our people. I recently blogged about Income Inequality in the US, and we saw that the top 1% take a quarter of the country's wealth. I would be sure that this number is far higher in Pakistan where the Legharis, Zardaris, Saigols, Dawoods, Habibs, Adamjees, Bawany, Hashwani, Sharifs and Manshas rule the roost in all matter of income. I was surprised to learn that some studies have been carried out and as seen in this report even with the officially listed companies, the top few families own an incredible amount of wealth. Back in the early 90's, the disclosed wealth of these families was several billion dollars. I would not be surprised if each of these families is hitting the trillion dollar mark by now.

I would, in no way, doubt that encouraging families to ascertain their ability to raise their off springs before having children, supporting birth control measures etc are very much required in a country like Pakistan where women in rural areas commonly have 6 or more children and suffer tremendously as a result. But the significance of spreading the wealth more judiciously may well be enough to bring poverty levels in Pakistan down to manageable levels. How and when that may happen is not clear, but i can sense it will and hopefully within the life of my generation.

Kerry Lugar Bill

2009-10-11T17:07:00.004+06:00

A lot is being said about it, not a lot is really being understood about it. If you care...read the actual bill

http://pakistaniat.com/2009/10/07/full-text-kerry-lugar-bill/

and some very well diagnosed issues within the bill which i found to be most pertinent in understanding what the bill is all about. I agree with whats in here.

http://afpakwar.com/blog/2009/10/10/truly-separating-myth-from-fact-on-the-enhanced-partnership-with-pakistan-act-of-2009/

i personally feel, the bill is just another little step in the actions that was started decades ago to sell this country, its sovereignty and its peoples for money and power. This time its on paper, in the news and hence clearer to all those who matter.

The Veiled Swimsuit

2009-08-21T23:05:00.006+06:00

With Islam in the spotlight ever since the events of 9/11, there have been regular news stories of how Islamic values, as they are practiced by people around the world, come into conflict with the societal norms in those areas. The veil has featured as a confusing and sensitive feature of some of these stories. One of these was when a Muslim woman was banned from a Paris pool for wearing a “burquini", it was deemed too unhygienic by the authorities. For some reason, i feel the ruling has more to do with people objecting to someone being so different from the norm (specifically in the islamic sense) rather than any issue of hygiene but thats just my opinion and may well be way off what the facts on the ground really are.

Nevertheless, what is most surprising to me is how the 'liberation' movement and modernization of society as we know it has changed ideas of what is admissable and what is not. A recent article i read online really has been an eye opener and is what inspired this post. http://www.elle.com/Living/Society-Culture/Swimsuit-Scandals What shocked me the most was that at the start of the 20th century, a suit which covered a little less than the suit above was deemed not modest enough for societal standards. That too, for someone who swam professionally, the pic is of Annette Kellerman, an australian who became the first woman to cross the English Channel. The change from that point in time in 1907 to now in 2009 has been drastic and extremely fast and how it will impact the mindset of generations to come seems makes me quite uneasy. What our next generation may deem to be normal and decent may well be very difficult for us to digest, but i suppose thats how its been for past generations as well. Is this a just a cycle, a degenerative one according to me, that humankind goes through every few centuries or has the current modern man transgressed beyond past historical trends. Time will tell.

Zimmedar Shehri - Responsible Citizen

2009-08-17T11:46:00.017+06:00

In March 2009, a bunch of students took it upon themselves to start cleaning up Lahore city. Meeting every Sunday at 6, volunteers have been joining hands with these dynamic individuals to work all through the summer to clean up Lahore. They are the Zimmedar Shehri (Responsible Citizens) with the motto of 'Creating a sense of social responsibility.'

They started off by meeting at Ghalib Market and by virtue of their persistence, they were able to get media attention (NYTimes, GEO TV, DunyaTV, Examiner, and TheNews) which led to further support in terms of publicity and more individuals getting to know about their efforts and joining hands with these fellows.

It has now been 6 months and their efforts are carrying on unabated, they now meet at Main

Market to create an understanding among the locals that its all about making an effort yourself to clean up your surroundings. With Ramadan approaching, it will be a test for these boys and girls to continue getting good numbers of volunteers but its a test they are ready to take on. Rest assured, as the winter months roll on, this mission is bound to gain momentum and expand even further. So, if you're done with cribbing and complaining about lack of will among our people to bring about change, get your bum off the couch and head down to Main Market next Sunday at 6 to see these awesome people in action.

Income Inequality - US

2009-08-15T13:39:00.009+06:00

A research report by Emmanuel Saez into income inequality rates in the US is really shocking and evidence of the sad direction the US and hence the world is heading into. The data collected highlights the trend of widening gaps between the ultra rich and the 'not quites'. I would not be surprised if these ratios are even more bizarrely skewed in Pakistan.

The first image here indicates the top 0.01% of the working population and what share of the total earning they get. The 2008 stats indicate that these guys get a whopping 6% of the total pie. Thats probably more shocking than it sounds. Just the top 0.01% getting 6%. Thats like saying that if the total number of people is 10,000, 1 of these guys makes 6% of the total of what everyone makes. That just totally boggles my mind. These levels are higher than ever before and if these trends continue, god knows what the outcomes will be for the average people.

This second graph is just as startling if not more so. It indicates how the earnings percentages have changed among the top 1%, 1-5%, and 5-10% of the US population. As seen in the chart, the top 1% makes approximately 23% of the total earnings. I just find it difficult to really get a hang of what that translates into, the resource spread is just so lopsided, its bound to result in devastating results eventually. You can also see that the top 10% are making 50% of the total money. When money starts accumulating in such limited number of hands, how long can you expect there to be peace. Of all the problems the world faces, this seems the hardest to solve.

Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/14/income-inequality-is-at-a_n_259516.html

Critical Mass - Lahore

2009-08-10T12:21:00.005+06:00

Facebook can act as a catalyst to get acquainted to a whole lot of things, a few of these are actually constructive. I got to know of Critical Mass - Lahore through facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38992998526 and was pretty intrigued by these individuals who were meeting up on a regular basis, despite the lahori heat to bike around lahore. So i decided to give it a shot and last Sunday i joined these folks at 6 pm at Zakir Tikka to check out what its all about.

Attendance is low during the summer time yet about 10 individuals showed up in the humid weather. The actual ride was about 8-10 kms on that particular day and the route changes from day to day. The pic showing an outlay of the route on a particular day. I learned that once you start cycling, you really don't feel the heat at all and the distance is not a major factor either and if you have a suitable bicycle and appropriate clothing it really is a joy to ride around town.

What was most exciting was the company of people during the ride. We had Rafay Alam, the insightful lawyer who had plenty of interesting facts to share, Rabia a teacher at NCA, Buraar, a luminite working at Warid, Kate, from Oxford studying urban development and there were plenty other very interesting people as well. All this has resulted in some attention from the media in terms of short news clips in the tv channels and some coverage in the newspapers as well, surprisingly it even caught the attention of international media such as this clip

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.phpv=145621168664&oid=38992998526

The objective of this campaign is to re-introduce the idea of commuting via economically and environmentally feasible means. Rafay, who gives lectures at LUMS, uses his bike to commute to LUMS. So do some of these other people which was indeed very gratifying to know. So the next time you're complaining about not having anything to do and that you do not get enough exercise, just remember that an awesome alternative exists which is not only a lot of fun but a great way to meet new people while you get some good exercise aswell.

Socrates Cafe

2009-07-28T13:00:00.008+06:00

Every Monday at 8 pm, a dozen or so people, mostly students, some teachers, thinkers and people from other walks of life gather together in the spacious art painting decorated hall of Lahore Chitrkar to share thoughts and ideas. A topic is chosen a week in advance and usually a deep insightful discussion ensues.

Last week, the subject of discussion was 'democracy', what it means, why it is regarded as the ultimate form of governance system, what possible conditions are required for it to succeed, what problems are inherent in it, and importantly what alternatives exist to the system. This week the topic was even more interesting, 'Where do ideas come from?'.

More than the specific answers to these questions what was more thrilling is knowing that a forum exists where one can go, listen to and take part in healthy discussion with individuals from different spheres of life willing to share their thoughts and ideas with others. Next week, we talk about 'Death', and though the topic may seem morbid and rather vague, the concept of listening to the viewpoints of others is very exciting for me.

For that we can thank, Shahid Mirza, for hosting the premises and Afdash, for making the requisite arrangement including some tasty snacks.

Lahore Bachao Tehrik

2009-07-26T19:45:00.005+06:00

The Lahore Bachao Tehrik (LBT) is up in arms again with hues and cries bemoaning the canal road widening project undertaken by the government which will result in the cutting of several hundred trees. The premise for the road widening being the exacerbating amount of traffic that flows through that critical area. Approx 220,000 cars pass through the canals daily, that is at least 10,000 cars an hour or 170 odd a minute!! So perhaps a widening of the canal will help, at least to some extent in ensuring a faster flow of traffic, and fewer traffic jams. It is unclear whether accidents will go up or down.

I am very much in favor of widening the canal, not just because of the better flow of traffic, which will result by doing so but rather because of the type of trees that are being cut. Not many people discuss this but the trees planted along the canal are Eucalyptus trees. A grown Eucalyptus tree takes about 100 liters of subsoil water and puts it into the atmosphere every day!* Since the 70's we have been planting these trees like crazy. Corruption, lack of knowledge and the lack of care for the future are the major reasons why that's been happening. But that fact is, in a world where water scarcity is fast becoming an issue which could result in wars, we need to get rid of the eucalyptus not preserve it. Sure, the Eucalyptus may help in ensuring the water that leaks underground from the canal is absorbed by the tree and does not have an impact on the neighboring houses, but surely there is a better way out of that.

So my suggestion would be to get rid of these trees, and widen the canal, while the (LBT) can think of smart solutions by planting indigenous trees which are more useful to us rather than expensive foreign trees which really have no use in this country.

Trees not to be planted: Eucalyptus, Alstonia, Palm etc

Trees to be planted: Sheesham, Peepal, Neem, Ambaltas, and fruit trees like mango, orange, grapefruit, citrus etc

I planted 7 such trees with my own hands today which takes the tally of trees in my house to 45 and trust me its an awesome feeling knowing you're doing something, something insignificant and small, but something for the environment.

* 'Saving what trees, Shehr, The News July 28, 2009'

University of Gujrat

2009-07-03T12:52:00.002+06:00

Image by lokha via Flickr

I made a little road trip yesterday with some family and friends to the town of Gujrat, about 150 kilometers on the Grand Trunk (GT) road from Lahore to Rawalpindi. My actual destination was the University of Gujrat (UOG) which itself is located about 15 kms from the city near Jallalpur Jatta.

UoG was set up a few years back as an HEC funded public university using the model of public state universities elsewhere in the world. It was indeed shocking to see the level of development and infrastructure the university has acquired. Being run by Dr Nizamuddin who has plenty of experience teaching abroad as well as over 15 years spent with the UN. The university is offering various degrees in 8 different department including medicine, law, design, social and basic science for both the Bachelors and Masters programs. The first batch is ready to graduate this summer.

The university has really good faculty, many imported from abroad as well as extremely good facilities including a printing press of thier own, computer labs equipped with macs and 22 inch flat screens, the fanciest dorms ive seen in a while, and a whole lot more. Seriously, good stuff and worth visiting. Keep an eye out about the university. Pretty soon, you'll be hearing a whole lot more about it.

Bad Governance and Public Misery

2009-07-01T09:36:00.015+06:00

I was hoping to re-invigorate the viewership of my blog with some enthusiatically optimistic and encouraging information at the start of the fiscal year 2009-2010 but the current situation in Pakistan is so perplexing and dangerous and that too on so many fronts that i have to start off with some sad news.

There comes a time in a nations history when people begin to realize via dedicated efforts in data gathering and reasearch to unearth the root causes of the problems that they face. In Pakistan today, due to the free media (and it is unarguably quite free with 43 privately owned news channels, atleast much more free than the US media which runs under the whims of a handful of men) as well as the shameless and bizarre legitimacy given to corruption, bribery and kickbacks that it is very easy for us to know what is making life so difficult in this country.

Case in point, the headlines in todays newspaper:
As we all know the country has a massive fiscal deficit (government expenditures > government revenue) to the tune of something like PKR 600 Billion...thats about $7 Billion!! as well as huge amount of foreign and domestic debt (totalling around $117 Billion!!! :-O) so our dear president has been going from tour to tour with his ever expanding entourage and pleading and begging the leaders of the world to support us. Apart from the much deserved, $1.5 BN/year for 5 years from the US, and a million bucks from angelina jolie, what we really have achieved is to get loans from the IMF, World Bank etc to pay off the interest on the loans that we already have. Loans to pay off loans...makes complete sense doesn't it! Conclusion: We're in a whole lot of trouble if we are able to survive the current economic downturn. Does anyone remember how to get loans written off by virtue of fighting someone else's war?

So, in accordance with the IMF loan stipulations, the government has hiked up petrol prices by about 10% which means prices of pretty much all commodities goes up (interestingly 43% of the petrol price is government tax) as well as increases in the price of Diesel, Gas, Kerosene and what not. That's understandable only because we have virtually accepted the fact that lavish and ostentatiously opulent government expenditures by those in power are a very legitimate right and not something that needs to be cut down. This debauchery is clearly indicated by our (dis)honorable Prime Minister who has just doubled the parliamentarians development fund (aka thier own money) from PKR 10 Million to 20 Million.

I mean...what the ....!

Missed chances and upcoming opportunities

2008-12-11T13:37:00.003+05:00

Had a chance to meet with Badar Khushnood from Google after his speech on online entrepreneurship opportunities such as writing a blog, a website such as Danka (www.danka.com.pk) and from that meeting i have come to the conclusion that it is imperative that i make this blog specific to some kind of information. Make it a sort of hub of information and updates for whatever topic i choose.

Although i have been lazy with entries on my blog, a lot of that owing to the strenuous time constraints put up by the MBA program at LUMS, i do intend to choose a topic and stick to it once i can be more regular with my blog entries. Hence, the next few months may not see much activity on this blog but come May, 2009 and i will be back with a bang and with a hunger to make this blog more popular and more successful.

The stats show i have been getting a regular stream of visitors who mostly browse through the main page, thank you guys for persisting and visiting the webpage, soon you'll have more to see on the site.

Malnutrition and the world's lack of interest

2008-10-24T22:32:00.003+06:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7675103.stm

10,000 PEOPLE DIE EVERY DAY DUE TO MALNUTRITION!

.....so how bad was your day!

IMF Loan

2008-10-24T18:45:00.004+06:00

Pakistan seems to be headed into deep financial turmoil. Thanks mainly to inept and spendthrift leadership and a faulty taxation system. The forex reserves have fallen abysmally low (only covering about 2 months of imports). To safeguard the country from default urgent cash is required.

Since the so-called 'friends of Pakistan' have not stepped in to help and we have saturated all demand to give loan to Pakistan by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and DFID, the IMF is the last resort.

But under the agreement under discussion Pakistan will have to bend over backwards to say the least. The $9.6 billion loan comes at a markup of 16.7% and has many other conditions attached, such as disclosing all loan information, cutting the defense budget by 30%, decreasing pensioners, agriculture tax imposition, PKR 50 billion increase in taxation, strong role of IMF in making the financial budget and lots of other controls. This is tantamount to selling the ownership of the country. What is going to happen to this country if agreements like this go through is anybody's guess.

Life is beautiful but it surely does not seem like it at the moment atleast not if you're in Pakistan.

quotes of my own

2008-10-17T18:51:00.007+06:00

There is a term applied to certain times in your day to day life when everything becomes clear and all the whole world seems to make sense. These are referred to as 'moments of clarity'. For some this happens when you've smoked up a bit or after a heavy discussion after a couple of drinks, or after not having had sleep for some time, or having gone without food for more than a few hours, or after somebody or someone has made you feel extremely happy! Usually such moments of clarity go to waste since no effort is made to put them down on paper or their value not truly understood by those lucky enough to witness such moments. I have personally had such moments and though most have been forgotten some were luckily preserved by some coincidence or the other. Here are a few of those thoughts that came during certain 'moments of clarity'

Capitalism vs Social Business: In a world of diminishing resources and a burgeoning population, it is vital to help society meet its needs rather than work on creating 'wants' that the world does not need.

The seed of selfishness and greed planted in our hearts by capitalism inhibit our desire to help the poor.

Money: No one on death bed wishes they'd made more money

Wants and Needs: The inability to differentiate between wants and needs is the cause of all our headaches

....more shall be added as they become clearer! ;-)

Imran Khan - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf - Sasta Tandoor

2008-10-15T23:36:00.007+06:00

One of Pakistans true heroes and a genuine products of the limited democracy Pakistan has had, is Imran Khan. His rise to fame was via guiding Pakistan to success in the 1992 World Cup of cricket. He was instantly a mega hero, a position he used to launch a large scale cancer hospital which charges customer only what they can afford and which in many cases is nothing.

Since then he has moved on to form a political party whose primary objective is justice and service to the underprivileged, something which is badly needed in the country. Considering the recent price hike and incredulous inflation rates hitting the country his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), http://www.insaaf.pk/ came up with a bold new strategy to serve people of low incomes basic food items such a roti (commonly eaten, kinda bread) at a very reduced rate of PKR 2, thats about 3 cents.

This is a really good offer and provides wondrous relief to the poor. He plans to start this scheme, the Sasta Tandoor, all over the country and seeks support. More information can be had via videos such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ryEvVaSM4G8 Donations can be made via the following information.

Bank: Muslim Commercial Bank
Account # 1000701
Routing #: 027470763
SWIFT code: MUCBPKKA

Suicide Bombings

2008-10-15T23:18:00.004+06:00

It has been argued for a while why religious scholars do not openly condemn the suicide bombings and somehow 'justify' to an extent these actions by giving the argument that there is no other option left for those oppressed.

A couple of days ago, however, the Muttehadda Ulema Council, which is a major group of religious scholars, declared via a unanimous decree (fatwa) that suicide bombings are unlawful (haram) which is in my mind one of the first times that a significant religious body has come out so blatantly against it. I hope there is more to come in this regard and rather than keeping hush about it signifying it as an unwritten rule, it should be properly and emphatically criticized by those in control.

Muhammad Yunus - Social Business

2008-10-13T23:58:00.004+06:00

I recently read a great book by Nobel Award winner Muhammad Yunus from Grameen Bank fame - 'Creating a world without poverty'. I wrote a short summary of some of the main parts. This is after having read about 2/3rd's of the book.

A fabulous book about ‘Social Business’ – the business with a goal to help the poor.

He explains the problems inherent in the corporate for-profit companies that are all around us. He terms them as Profit-Making Businesses (PMB) and the problem with them is that their only concern is profit making, where every action is considered actionable only on the basis of how it affects the bottom line. History has shown that such businesses are good only for the rich and not the poor. Income and wealth inequalities are only increasing due to the way these businesses are and hence that is why poverty has increased so much. The fact that 94% of the worlds income goes to 40% of the people is testament to the fact. So how do we go about fixing the poverty issue which affects such a large portion of the world’s population?

Well, there are a few systems/mechanisms in place but they are mostly inadequate to meet those requirements. There is the government, but it us usually too slow, corrupt and inefficient in most underdeveloped countries (where most poverty afflicted people live) and hence the government is unable to deliver. We have non-profit organizations which do a lot to help the poor but the biggest problem with them is that they rely on constant donor support and when that support falls down due to donor fatigue or any other factor, the work of these organizations comes to a halt. Then there are the ‘multilateral institutions’ the World bank, the IMF etc but they only look at GDP as the way to growth, whether or not that helps the poor is not their concern, so their support and work has not helped the poor people at all. (Read John Perkins – Confessions of an economic hit man for more facts about these institutions). Then there are the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) teams of the PMB but they are designed to do things only if it helps them so they will squeeze out as much as they can from the people and then give back a small percentage of that to give back. It all goes back to differing focus on profit rather than social benefit. Social Business takes the positives from these systems but changes the goal so that it helps those that need the help.

Then Yunus talks about his Grameen Bank initiative which came about when he realized that poor people are neglected by the financial services of regular banks because they are deemed to be too risky an investment and they have no collateral and the world considers helping the poor by creating jobs when the fact is that the poor are far better off when they are given reasonable opening to grow via financial opportunities to start their own businesses. Hence, he starts of by giving loans to the poor via a banking system customized to the needs of the poor. The loans are given at much lower rates than what the money lenders in the localities give the loans (20-30% vs 100-250%). The loans are given to the women mostly since research and observations have shown they are more likely to spend the funds on family and business rather than on themselves. The results of his ‘microcredit‘ system are unbelievable as he gets 98% returns on loans which the banks think is not likely to be sustained but it has been for over 20 years. Of those borrowers who have part of the microcredit system over 60% have now risen out of poverty. Now over 100 million families worldwide have been assisted with this method and the target for 2012 is 175 million families. It has not been without hiccups but the system has been transformed to fit the needs and requirements. The system has been copied all around the world with similar results where poverty has been heavily reduced.

Essentially the way a social business runs is that investors/donors contribute funds to a business whose primary objective is to help in social uplift of poverty stricken people. Such a business has to be constructed in such a way that it is not charity or aid given to the people rather good and services are brought to the people at lower rates than market rates. So there is a return on the capital investment. Hence such a business will return the invested capital back to the donors and from then on will bring returns further on and become sustainable. The organization will hopefully keep generating profits which can be used to expand the business or in a slight variation of the above social business type act as PMB and give returns to the target market which will also be the owners of the business. Obviously the design of such a business is not easy and many ideas are bound to fail (just like in the free market) but there will be successes which will help a lot of people come out of poverty. He also differentiates social business from social entrepreneurship which is a very broad concept which encompasses social business as well as for profit, non profit and other variations which help the poor.

Currently the Grameen Family of businesses consists of 26 diverse social initiatives all directed towards assisting the poor in getting out of poverty. These are Grameen Bank, the Grameen Trust, Grameen Krishi (Agriculture) Foundation, Grameen Uddog (Enterprize), Grameen Fund, Grameen Fisheries and Livestock Foundation, Grameen Telecom, Grameen Shamogree (products), Grameen Cybernet, Grameen Energy, Grameen Phone, Grameen Welfare, Grameen Education, Grameen Communication, Grameen Knitwear, Grameen Capital Management, Grameen Solutions, Grameen IT Park, Grameen Business Promotion, Grameen Information Highway, Grameen Star Education, Grameen Bitek, Grameen Healthcare Trust, Grameen Health and Grameen Danone. Some have been successful some have been not but they continue tweaking the businesses to get them to work.

The success of the Grameen Family of businesses can be estimated from the following facts about Bangladesh.

─ The poverty rate has fallen from 74% in 1973 to 57% in 1992 and 40% in 2005
─ Gini Index measuring inequality has remained virtually unchanged despite high growth
─ Population growth curtailed to 1.5% in 2000 from 3% in 1970
─ Life expectancy increased from 56 to 65

Another impressive and interesting fact is how poverty is defined. Although there are over 33 definitions of poverty worldwide, the way it is described here is very unique where rather than focusing on $1 income/day etc it is defined by 10 points that need to be met to be a poverty free family. These give a much more identifiable and clearer picture of their living standards.

The family lives in a tin-roofed house worth >= $370. Sleep on cots not the floor
Drink pure water from tube wells or boiled water, or purified arsenic free water
Able bodied children of age 6 should have attended or be attending primary school
Monthly loan repayment installment is >= $3
Use hygienic and sanitary latrine
Sufficient clothing including clothes, blankets and mosquito nets.
Additional source of income for emergencies
Savings account >= $75
Ability to feed three meals a day throughout the year
Conscious about health, can take action and pay for medical expenses.

He identifies that the best way to start supporting a poor community is with credit, all other systems such as education, health etc as important as they are need to follow afterwards. He once again clarifies that charity is not the answer. The way to go is the formation of a ‘sustainable’, ‘no loss’, ‘no dividend’ social business. He goes into details of how, if south Asian countries formed alliance and did trade could be able to overcome poverty to a large extent and be able to develop economies as well.

The whole heart warming process of creation of the Grameen Danone business is explained in intricate detail including the results it achieved and the benefits it caused not just to the poor target population but to the large $16 billion corporation in terms of a feeling of helping others which Yunus feels resides in every human.

the world and my views

2008-10-04T16:17:00.004+06:00

things are just happening so quickly..its hard to keep up. the US senate and house of reps has approved the bailout plan which i feel is not right without putting regulations on these financial orgs first. this is like giving them a ticket to do whatever u want...and knowing that if things go wrong the govt will save u again because the economy cant survive without u. its a signed check to the financial institutes to party on.

the US elections are getting nearer and i really enjoyed the palin-biden debate. surprised by her actually. she seemed very disappointing in earlier interviews. but she came out pretty strong in the debate..lets see how the presedential debate goes. its all exciting stuff but the truth is, either way it doesnt matter. the presidency is really just a showpiece to the public the real decisions are made by think tanks and advisors and elsewere...but it is nice to follow.

as for pakistan, the corrupt offiicials in power, all elected as part of the democratic process, are robbing the nation of all that is left. it is pretty sad. many friends and family are leaving for more promising jobs abroad. its realy very sad. its times like these i prefer to have a fatalistic attitude and try not to think or worry too much about whats going on.

im nearing the end of my mba program and wondering what path to take as far as much job is concerned. i hope i wont have to bow down and go the way of the multinationals (mnc's) that would be the truly sad. i'd prefer working for a social sector organization and work towards fixing something in this nation where everything seems to be broken.

Abdul Sattar Edhi

2008-09-30T19:20:00.008+06:00

The lums student body had the privilege of having renowned philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi come to LUMS and talk about his extensive work experience and give advice on how we can contribute to the betterment of those around us.

Edhi is now approaching 80 years of age, he has done so much for the community despite very modest beginnings. That is why he has become a renowned and trusted name all across the country and to whom people give in complete trust. Under his leadership the worlds largest volunteer run ambulance service of over 160 ambulances provides services all across Pakistan.

His speech on the day was quite strong and direct. He made no qualms on describing the business world being full of hypocrites and greedy people who did not care about the right if the fellow beings rather focused only on their own selfish desires. The bad part about the audience was that we were all MBA students and sadly perhaps none of us will be joining the social sector and such endearing personalities will be forced to work with workers who have minimal education and have found no other place to work.

Edhi is one of the biggest heroes for me. I hope more people follow in his footsteps and as per his suggestions/insight set up community centers which help support their localities. wait..isn't that what mosques are supposed to do?

Pakistan's Paralymics Medalist, 2008

2008-09-29T21:01:00.003+06:00

Pakistan had a horrible showing at the Beijing Olympics 2008. We failed to come close to, let along win a medal during the games. Something, our highly paid sports bodies need to have a close look at and be shameful of the next time they go scandulously extravagant vacations and trips all paid for by the tax payer.

But we did have something to be happy about at the Paralympics also held in Beijing soon after the Olympics were over and the reason for that happiness was Haider Ali, an athletic who suffers from Cerebral Palsy made his country proud when he won a Silver Medal for his feat at the long jump competition on 9 Sept at the Beijing Paralymics.

His endeavour though, equal to that of the Gold Medal winner, a Tunisian, who ran the same distance that of 6.44 meters, Haider was chosen as the runner up as he was rejected for one of his five jumps during the preliminary rounds. But nonetheless, he managed to do what many his able-bodied counterparts couldn’t achieve just a few weeks prior to his competion – win a Olympics Medal at Beijing.

However, the saddest part is that unlike the other sports persons, there is no annoucement till date from either the Pakistani Olympic sporting bodies or the Government regarding any prize money for our hero. If he had been a cricker or from any other sport, or even a able-bodied olympic athlete, he would by now had been showered with enough accolades and money to last him a life-time. But being an optimist, I can only assume that the great news hasn’t yet reached among those at the higher echelons of power.

Picture and text courtesy of http://www.doodhpattiblog.com/

Ignorance is bliss!

2008-09-21T16:23:00.003+06:00

I'm tired and fatigued from watching, hearing, talking and discussing the updates on the deadly bombing by (only god knows who) yesterday. so instead of talking about the obvious, ill post about something totally off topic. A few day ago i was hanging out with some friends in the LUMS boys dorm. It was a nice chill out since some of these guys have gone for a study abroad program. So here are the pics...enjoy!

Talha, Muneeb, Fazal & Numair
Fazal, Abid & Fahad
Omer, Khawaja and Shoaib
Me and Zeeshan

12 year old invents efficient solar cell

2008-09-18T23:23:00.006+06:00

As full this planet has become with problems...it does not take long before you hear positive news coming in from some end ot ther other. Humans have survived by adapting to all kinds of changes that have come about in the world and its stories like these that makes one think...that the possibilities of sustainable living is very doable if we put our minds to it.

12 Year Old Boy Invents New Type of Solar Cell

http://cleantechnica.com/2008/09/17/12-year-old-boy-invents-new-type-of-solar-cell/

William Yuan’s 3D cell can absorb both visible and UV light. According to his calculations, solar panels equipped with his 3D cells could provide 500 times more light absorption than current commercial solar cells and nine times more light than existing 3D solar cells.

Yuan received a well-deserved $25,000 scholarship for his research. The next step? Getting his invention to market. Of course, the viability of his solar cells will ultimately depend on their cost efficiency—but Yuan has his whole life ahead of him to work on that.

In his project, “A Highly-Efficient 3-Dimensional Nanotube Solar Cell for Visible and UV Light,” William invented a novel solar panel that enables light absorption from visible to ultraviolet light. He designed carbon nanotubes to overcome the barriers of electron movement, doubling the light-electricity conversion efficiency. William also developed a model for solar towers and a computer program to simulate and optimize the tower parameters. His optimized design provides 500 times more light absorption than commercially-available solar cells and nine times more than the cutting-edge, threedimensional solar cell.

Crisis, Crisis Crisis!

2008-09-17T11:47:00.008+06:00

The world around us seems to be going through a lot right now. Pakistan is at the center of many of these stories but some of even bigger significance are also there. Here is a snapshot of some of the biggest stories hitting the headlines. I know there is a lot more than just this...Thailand PM, US election campaigns but these are some of the really shocking ones.

US on the border - Pakistan for once holds firm

http://digg.com/world_news/No_to_US_transgressions_Pakistan_army_ready_to_open_fire

The US has been intruding into Pakistan territory on an almost daily basis for the past few days and finally the Army took a strong stance and instead of just saying we regret and condemn these incursions has issued an open threat that the armed forces will open fire on any US intrusions into Pakistan Territory.

India stop water flows
http://www.dawn.com/2008/09/16/top1.htm
India has once again stopped water flows into Pakistan and the government has lodged the 6th protest in the past 2 months against the act which is against the Indus Water Treaty of 1960. Pakistan will suffer immensely due to the timing of the stoppage as it is time for wheat cultivation.

Lehman Brothers collapses
Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and AIG saved by US Government takeovers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7620127.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7620195.stm
George Soros thinks this is just the start of a financial crisis which he even related to the big depression of the 30's. This could well be the start of a nightmare for global economies. The ramifications of which could last for years if not longer.

Milk powder for babies in China tainted with chemicals

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7620253.stm

Several thousand babies are sick with atleast three deaths due to the addition of a toxic chemical melamine to make the milk appear higher in protien content. All for a little more money, endangering lives is okay. Don't you just love capitalism!!

Carla Bruni (Mrs. Sarkozy) is singing with Metallica
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7619923.stm
What a charming woman! She has impressed world leaders not as much by her looks but moreso due to her understanding of political realities that France faces. A model, singer, musician, and the first lady. She is the 'complete package'!!!

Humor

2008-09-16T13:49:00.005+06:00

Nothing to cheer one up other than a bit of humor...that too with pics!!!

second hand smoke...ruthless!!

talk about a useless pic

the concept prevails in the animal kingdom too.

we keep it simple

lol!

Noah's Ark: The woodpecker has gotta go
hehe!uh oh...striking resemblance there!

It's so obvious!
err..excuse me!

the universal treaty

Fatigued rant!

2008-09-15T21:20:00.009+06:00

Its monday and it seems its been a long week already. That has a lot to do with the fact that at LUMS we had a Written Analysis of a Case (WAC) last weekend for which i was up all of saturday night studying. It was for our project management course and a case on A&D Hight Tech going into the online retail business.

A few hours of sleep later i was getting ready for the Mensa exam which i am hopeful to pass and become a member of MENSA. :) Fingers crossed, lets see. Soon after the exam, it was time for an iftaar dinner and some chilling with friends before getting back to more studying. :(

Another full day of classes today and more studying through the rest of the week including 5 '90-minute' classes in a row starting at 8 am on Thursday and to top it all of there are classes on Saturday as well. So its going to be a hectic routine this week as well. No chance of catching up on my 'To-do' list anytime soon.

Plus, ramadan is half way through and the body begins to weaken just a little especially due to the extra strain of limited sleep. I sound like i'm living in prison but really the way they want us to work for an MBA degree..its almost like forced or slave labor. ;) Okay enough for now...gotta get back to my readings again!

Sahiwal visit

2008-09-11T18:56:00.011+06:00

There is a lot to see in Punjab and i have been fortunate enough to travel to quite a few places in the province, though i do wish to see some more places. Recently, i visited Sahiwal, a town 100 km south of Lahore which was a small village called Montgomery after some Britisher before being named Sahiwal in 1966.

My ancestral village from my paternal side is located about 15 km from Sahiwal near a small village, Nurpur. It actually lies in Pakpattan district but is actually closer to Sahiwal city. We have some farmland there and since we have leased it out to local farmers we do not make it down there more often than a few times a year. It is indeed a very relaxing retreat away from the crowded city and a chance to breathe in some fresh air and enjoy some nature.

It is also where my ancestors are buried..in picture are my grandmother and my great grandfather...just about their graves is my great great grand father. The local village is named after him and is called 'Chak Jaffer Shah'. As i stood there laying petals on my forefathers graves, and praying for thier souls and asking them to guide us, when we need it the word of our professor Imran Ali hit me, am i still stuck in the old custom of glorifying the dead, am i part of the whole shrine culture that he taught us to frown upon. The thought became increasingly worrisome when i visited the shrine of Pir Shakar Ganj who is regarded a very devout person in his time. The question still remain unanswered.

The barren field where Tobacco had been planted is empty for a short while before potato cultivation begins. In the picture below the truckloads of tobacco that had been farmed lies waiting for the right time before it is sold in the market. A hookah, an instrument used by locals to smoke can also be seen.

A nearby field where the rice crop has been cultivated adds a vibrant green color to the landscape. A few more weeks left before this crop is ready.

Right next to our house, is this small farm where we grow different fruits such as oranges, pomegranates etc. It was just a short one day trip but a nice change from the hecticity of living in a big city. I look forward to the next time i can make a getaway and relax in a more serence environment.

Radio @ LUMS

2008-09-09T21:33:00.007+06:00

One of the advantages of living in a free country, is the ability to freely exercise the option of expressing thoughts and ideas publicly. It is something that is not truly valued until you lose that freedom. One of the local television channels, Geo (www.geo.tv) realized that when they were banned by the then President, Pervez Musharraf. Due to public pressure he had to put them back air after a few months or so. Since most of us do not realize the power and value of this freedom we fail to properly utilize it. One way in which i have used that potential is to write this blog. I'm really happy with the fact that viewers from across the globe have been reading the blog. From Japan, to Brazil, Iceland to Malaysia and dozens of places in between people have read my views and commented on them. I find this connection with people from elsewhere really valuable and enlightening for both parties.

Another way i have been doing so is by going on radio and expressing my views via the airwaves. For this i have had the advantage of using the online radio service run by students at LUMS via the URL (radio.lums.edu.pk) Available for access from anywhere in the world but mostly accessed by LUMS students on campus, it gives me the chance to speak on whatever issue i feel need to be pointed out. Listeners can actively participate by chatting with the host and other listeners, send messages and requests to the host of the show or even by calling in from the website itself.

It really is a fascinating experience and even though there are usually a handful of listeners on the show, its good to make ones thoughts public and any opposition and difference in opinion be tolerated. Nothing compels the mind to think harder than organized and regulated discussion. For those of you interested in listening in, we do the show for an hour every Monday at 4 pm GMT (10 PM Pakistan Standard Time). Once again, the URL is (radio.lums.edu.pk). Hope to have you listening in soon!

US Transgressions

2008-09-08T19:56:00.005+06:00

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7603398.stm

Another day and another attack by US forces on Pakistan territory. Sure, they attacked a possible hideout for a terrorist but conceptually and principally this is completely uncalled for. And then they ask, 'but why do you hate us'. I wonder what Americans might think if one day Canadian troops entered and destroyed any place in the US. It's just unthinkable, isn't it? Yet the US does it all the time. You have to remember, you only get what you give.

US drones 'bomb Pakistan target'
At least 11 people have been killed and 15 injured in a suspected US missile strike in Pakistan's border region, witnesses and officials say. Suspected aerial drones bombed a house and seminary linked to Taliban commander Jalaludin Haqqani. Pakistan's army confirmed an explosion in the North Waziristan tribal area. It would be the fourth cross-border attack in less than a week allegedly carried out by US forces, who have not officially confirmed their involvement. This follows persistent US accusations that Pakistan is not doing enough to eliminate Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in the border region. The upsurge in strikes has alarmed Pakistani military and government officials, who say it seriously undermines their counter-insurgency operations
Bodies Villagers say unmanned US aircraft fired several missiles at a house and an Islamic seminary in the tribal area of North

Waziristan.

Haqqani and Sirajuddin were in Afghanistan at the time of the attack - they are alive Badruddin Haqqani Officials and witnesses say the complex was hit a number of times. "There were two drones and they fired three missiles," an unnamed resident of Dandi Darpakheil, a village near Miranshah, the main town of North Waziristan, told Reuters news agency. Other reports speak of three drones. Some reports say the death toll could be as high as 20. Casualties include militants, as well as a number of civilians.

Security officials say that the house belonged to Jalaludin Haqqani, a veteran Afghan Taleban commander said to have close links to Osama Bin Laden. Mr Haqqani and his son, Sirajuddin, who is also a Taliban commander, were not at home, another son, Badruddin, told Reuters by telephone. Badruddin Haqqani said one of his aunts had been killed in the raid, and that women and children were among those who had been hurt. The BBC's M Ilyas Khan says the residential-cum-seminary complex has been raided a number of times by the Pakistani army, and hit by aerial attacks from across the border with Afghanistan. Mr Haqqani has maintained the complex since 1980 and family, clansmen and militants still use the premises, our correspondent says. Our correspondent says militants immediately cordoned off the entire area and shifted bodies dug up from the debris elsewhere. Officials in Miranshah say they still do not have evidence that any high-value target may have been hit.

Rising tensions
In recent months, US forces based in Afghanistan have been accused of stepping up attacks against suspected Taliban targets over the border in Pakistan's tribal region. Last week Pakistan condemned an alleged raid by foreign troops based in Afghanistan, which officials say killed at least 15 villagers in South Waziristan. In the same week, at least 10 people were killed in two suspected US missile strikes on alleged militant targets in North Waziristan. Pakistan's army has warned that such direct US action could rally more tribesmen behind the Taliban and incite a wider uprising, our correspondent says.

Pakistan - Uncertainties ahead

2008-09-07T23:04:00.024+06:00

We have a new president now. President Zardari has been elected with due process. He has been able to out maneuver his rivals. He has been able to successfully remove a military dictator who had been ruling for over 8 years and was adamant to stay in power. He says he is systematically moving towards solving the problems faced by Pakistan one by one. According to him, next on his agenda is to accurately classify what the powers of the President are and curtail them in favor of the parliament. This would involve limiting or absolutely taking away Article 72B from the constitution which gives the President powers over the parliament.

He also talks about resolving the issue of the judges sacked by the military president General (retd) Musharraf. According to the sacked judges who, lead by the deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhary, have been leading a monumental lawyers movement against his sacking, the current Chief Justice Dogar is illegitimately put into place and Iftikhar is the real Chief Justice and needs to be brought back to his justified position.

Meanwhile, some of the judges from the movement, who were supporters of the PPP and Mr Zardari have been backing out of their commitments with the movement and have been taking a renewed oath under the new chief justice and hence damaging the movement badly. About 12 judges have so far done so. But the ones who have not 'sold their souls' are standing tall and are adamant that one day justice will be served to those who are to deliver justice.

Some of the issues the President has yet to speak upon are the numerous security issues. Not only do we have a mammoth problem with the Taliban operating in the NWFP and are having regular skirmishes with the security forces and causing horrendous suicide bombings against innocent civilians and the government is only responding back with force and all efforts of negotiations and reasoning have so far failed. So that's really something he needs to work on. The other problem is of the sanctity of the Pakistan Afghanistan border. The Coalition forces, headed by the US have recently ventured miles into Pakistan territory and actually attacked and in at least one case killed civilians. This is an act of war and the most the government has done is condemn the action and summon the American ambassador and inform him of their anger at it.

Another major issue is the dismal economic condition we face today. There has been rampant inflation earlier in the year. Prices of daily use items have sky rocketed making it extremely difficult for the common man to make ends meet. Much of this has been due to rising oil prices, which has happened worldwide but more so in Pakistan as the IMF has forced the government to remove subsidies on oil and let the populace feel the pressure so that the government can make some of its debt payments. The country's foreign reserves have fallen drastically low due to capital flight as people are very insecure about the government. IMF and World Bank want to step in with more loans so that in the future, they can completely dictate how our government is run. Added to that is the major power shortages the country faces. We have had very high growth in recent years which has resulted in major demands for power. Currently, we face a 4500MW power shortage which needs to be dealt with very soon.

So we see that the President really has his hands full and if he can somehow deliver on most if not all of these issues, i for one, am willing to completely absolve him of all his wrong doings in the past. I am not sure what lies ahead for this country. All i know is, i am here and I'm here to stay, so i hope the future is brighter than the present.

President Zardari

2008-09-04T20:42:00.000+06:00

Pakistan will have a new president on the 6th of September. Chances are that Asif Zardari will be selected. Despite the fact that he is well known to be extremely corrupt and his property list is extremely lengthy. It goes something as follows:

Agricultural land in Deh 51 Dad Taluka, Nawabshah.
Plot No three and four Sikni (Residential) Near Housing Society Ltd, Nawabshah.
Café Sheraz (CS No 2231/2 and 2231/3), Nawabshah.
Agricultural land in Deh 23-Deh Taluka and Nawabshah.
Agricultural land in Deh 72-A, Nusrat Taluka, Nawabshah.
Agricultural land in Deh 76-Nusrat Taluka, Nawabshah.
Plot No A/136 Survey No 2346 Ward A Government Employees Cooperative Housing Society Ltd, Nawabshah.
Agricultural land in Deh Jaryoon, Tando Allah Yar, Hyderabad.
Agricultural land in Deh Aroro, Tando Allah Yar.
Agricultural land in Deh Nondani, Tando Allah Yar.
Agricultural land in Deh Lotko, Tando Allah Yar.
Agricultural land in Deh Jhol, Tando Allah Yar.
Agricultural land in Deh Kandari, Tando Allah Yar.
Agricultural land in Deh Deghi, Tando Mohammad Khan, Hyderabad.
Agricultural land in Deh Rahooki, Hyderabad.
Property in Deh Charo Taluka, Badin.
Agricultural property in Deh Dali Wadi Taluka, Hyderabad.
Five areas prime land allotted by DGKDA in 1995/96
4,000 Kanals on Simli Dam
80 acres of land at Hawkes Bay
13 acres of land at Maj Gulradi (KPT land).
One acre plot, GCI, Clifton.
One acre of land, State life (International Centre, Sadar).

Shares:
Sakrand Sugar Mills, Nawabshah.
Ansari Sugar Mills, Hyderabad.
Mirza Sugar Mills, Badin.
Pangrio Sugar Mills, Thatta.
Bachani Sugar Mills, Sanghar.
FEBCs worth Rs 4,000,000.

Foreign Assets (Front Companies):
Bomer Finance Inc, British Virgin Islands.
Mariston Securities Inc, British Virgin Island.
Marleton Business SA, British Virgin Islands.
Capricorn Trading SA, British Virgin Islands.
Fagarita Consulting Inc, British Virgin Islands.
Marvil Associated Inc, British Virgin Islands.
Pwnbury Finance Ltd, British Virgin Islands.
Oxton Trading Ltd, British Virgin Islands.
Brinslen Invest SA, British Virgin Islands.
Chimitex Holding SA, British Virgin Islands.
Elkins Holding S. A. British Virgin Islands.
Minister Invest Ltd, British Virgin Islands.
Silvernut Investments Inc, British Virgin Islands.
Tacolen Investment Ltd, British Virgin Islands.
Marlcrdon Invest SA, British Virgin Islands.
Dustan Trading Inc, British Virgin Islands.
Reconstruction and Development Finance Inc, British Virgin Islands.
Nassam Alexander Inc.
Westminster Securities Inc.
Lapworth Investment Inc, 202 Saint Martin Drive, West Jacksonville.
Intra Foods Inc, 376 Lomrel Grove, Jacksonville, Florida.
Dynatel Trading Co, Florida.
AS Realty Inc, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.
Bon Voyage Travel Consultancy.

Properties in UK:
Rockwood Estate, Haslemere Road, Surrey.
Flat 6, 11 Queens gate Terrace, London SW7.
26 Palace Mansions, Hammersmith Road, London W14.
27 Pont Street London SW1.
20 Wilton Cresent London SW1.
23 Lord Chancellor Walk, Coombe Hill, Kingston, Surrey KT2 7 AG.
The Mansion, Warren Lane, West Hampstead, London NW6.

Properties in Belgium:
12-3 Boulevard De-Nieuport, 1000, Brussels (building containing 4 shops and 2 large apartments).
Cauisee De-mons, 1670 Brussels.

Properties in US (In Zardari's name and managed by Shimmy Qureshi):
Stud farm in Texas.
Wellington Club East.
West Palm Beach, 12165 West Forest Hills, Florida.
Escue Farm 13524 India Mound, West Palm Beach, Florida.
3220 Santa Barba Drive, Wellington Florida.
13254 Polo Club Road, West Palm Beach, Florida.
3000 North Ocean Drive, Singer Islands, Florida.
525 South Flager Drive, West Palm Beach, Florida.
Holiday Inn Huston (Owned by Asif Ali Zardari, Iqbal Memon and Sadaruddin Hashwani).

Bank Accounts:
Union Bank of Switzerland (Account No.552.343, 257.556.60Q, 433. 142.60V, 216.393.60T).
Citibank Private Limited (SWZ) (Account No.342034).
Citibank NA Dubai (Account No.818097).
Barclays Bank (SUISE) (Account No.62290209).
Barclays Bank (SUISEE) (Account No.62274400).
Banque Centrade Ormard Burrus SA.
Banque Pache SA.
Banque Pictet & Cie.
Banque La Henin, Paris (Account No.00101953552).
Bank Natinede Paris in Geneva (Account No.563.726.9).
Swiss Bank Corporation.
Chase Manhattan Bank Switzerland.
American Express Bank Switzerland
Societe De Banque Swissee.
Barclays Bank (Knightsbridge Branch) (Account No.90991473).
Barclays Bank (Kingston and Chelsea Branch) (Sort Code 20-47-34135).
National Westminster Bank (Alwych Branch (A/C No.96832320).
Harrods Bank Limited (A/c No.11309063).
Midland Bank (Pall Mall Branch).
National Westminster Bank, Barking Branch (A/C No.28559899).
Habib Bank AG, Moorgate, London EC2.
National Westminster Bank, Edgware Road London W2.
Banque Financiei e Dela Citee.
Crdit Suisse.
Habib Bank AG Zurich, Switzerland.
Pictet Et Cie, Geneva.
Credit Agricole, Paris.
Credit Agridolf, Branch 11, Place Brevier. 76440, Forges Les Faux.
Credit Agricole, Branch Haute – Normandie, 76230, Boise Chillaume

Despite him having such extensive array of property and assets, and how he was capable of getting them being totally unknown, we can not have any legal doubts against him being elected as President. He is totally legit as per the laws of the land and just as importantly he is the democratically elected leader of the country.

Those who have any doubts should know that there the Constitution of Pakistan has a very clear method for the President selection. The National Assembly, the provincial assemblies, and the Senate form the electoral college for the president selection. Whichever candidate get a majority of votes in the electoral college is declared president. Zardari is from the PPP which is the majority party and as we shall see has the support of a major portion of those eligible to vote.

Sadly, all cases of corruption. murder and malpractice which were to be against him have been dropped by an illegal judicial system. So his legality is under no doubt. What is most important is what his actions will be when the country is in such dire straits. The economy is in doldrums, the security situation is terrible with the US doing ground incursions well into the country and even commiting war crimes and killing civilians, there is a huge energy crisis, as well as a food crisis, inflation is out of control, we shall just wait and see if he can do anything or the poor shall continue suffering.

Ramadan

2008-09-02T18:31:00.008+06:00

Ramadan, the word itself means intense heat, scorched ground and shortness of rations. So it makes sense that this is the month that muslims all across the world make the sacrifice of not eating, drinking or having sex during the entire day from sunrise to sunset.

It gets particularly difficult during the longer, warmer summer days. The Islamic Calendar as it is based on lunar movements is 10 days shorter than the Western Calendar we are all accustomed to, hence Ramadan and the other 12 Islamic months move back 10 days every year. So for example, since Ramadan began on September 2nd this year, next year it would be starting around August 22nd based on the sighting of the moon. That particular clause, that the moon needs to be sighted, to officially announce the start of the month actually causes quite some disorganization. For example, Ramadan began on three different days in different parts of Pakistan. The NWFP government apparently saw it earlier than the Punjab government, and hence they began Ramadan on different days. Pretty bizarre and disorganized if you ask me. Not the way Islam teaches us to be united.

The main message of the month is to begin to understand all the different things we are blessed with. We begin to understand what it means to be hungry and not be able to do anything about it. Something many people the world over have to live with during thier lives. Since it is a mandatory requirement for all healthy muslims (which means that children, old people, pregnant women etc are exempt) to fast the whole month which is to raise awareness among the rich of the problem of hunger faced by people who are not so well off. Ramadan also teaches you self restraint and control. You learn to withhold food, water and sex which also teaches you the value of these things, as they say you only value what you have, when you lose it.

So thats a bit about Ramadan, on this first day of Ramadan where im feeling the fast, i.e. im quite hungry but i have to control myself, but there is only half an hour left for sunset so not much of a wait left. So one down, 28 odd to go. :D

Speech Fiasco

2008-08-31T14:51:00.006+06:00

I do like the idea of public speaking and up until some time ago thought i was not too bad at it. A speech, if you could call it that, on the Welcome Night for the MBA batch of 2010 at LUMS made sure i change my mind on that thought. It was the first time i had a prepared speech, i love impromptu, i took 2 hours to write it. What contributed to the debacle was a bad audio system, a bad venue and a mike way too far from my face. Here is the tex of the speech.

"Assalam u alaikam ladies and gentleman and welcome to the “Welcome night” for the batch of 2010. There are quite a few activities planned for the evening and im sure you all hate long speeches so I’ll keep this as short as I can.

First of all, on behalf of the batch of 2009 I would like to congratulate you on being added to the illustrious group of individuals who have been a part of the LUMS MBA program. You have here today because your academic performance and work experience make you potential leaders of tomorrow. It is indeed an honor to be in this group and I am sure you will give due respect to this position of privilege.

Now to the more important part, being where you are right now, at the start of a rigorous 2 year MBA program you have plenty of choices in how to go about these 2 years. As your seniors, we consider it our duty and right to give you guidance based on our experiences. Whether you choose to learn from our learnings or want to learn from your own mistakes, is up to you but I would recommend getting some input before you go any further.

To keep it simple, ill choose two obvious options. The first option is that you choose to study real hard. You choose to get as many HP’s as you can, you choose to spend long hours in the library and stay up till 4 am reading up cases a week in advance and you choose to make your parents real proud with your grades and scholastic achievements, you choose to prove your worth not just to everyone around you but to yourself as well. After all there isn’t an academic stage in Pakistan which is as big as the LUMS MBA program. So that’s one option and to those who choose this option I wish you the best of luck and hope you reach the ultimate heights in academic excellence.

Now some students in this program choose not to take that route and instead decided to make a little more use of the freedom offered by college life. You may recall your time during your bachelors program which im sure wasn’t so long ago and along with all those fun filled memories, there are those moments of regret of things you DID NOT do. In the next 2 years you will be pushed to study day in and day out and its easy to get lost in all that rut so my advice is to not let that get to you. Rather live out these two years such that when you finish the MBA program you don’t end up with any regrets at all. Life’s too short and these 2 years will pass u by before u know it So just remember to live a little. You can join a society, become the president of society XY and Z, If you look around you, you’ll see some very special people. People you will make real good friendships with. Study them a little more than your books and I assure you, you’ll learn a lot more about how to better live your life. I must make it clear however I am not encouraging reckless behavior or careless shenanigans but just showing the option to selectively choose actions of a more… frivolous nature which of course must be based on mature judgment. This advice does come with a warning attached, if you take this option too far, you may not be here two years from now. Do remember that before you make your decision.

Well, that’s my two cents worth, its up to you which path you take but just remember any time you need any help you’ll find your colleagues from the batch of 2009 right behind you waiting to give you an extra hand. Thank you for listening and have a nice evening."

It wasn't all that bad though, hanging out with some friends helped ease the pain from the ego-bruising!

Kuala Lumpur - Day 8 - Last Day

2008-08-30T11:56:00.003+06:00

I had a sleepless night due to very high fever. Wanted to go shopping for friends and family but did not have the energy to do so. Checked out of the YMCA one last time, left my Ufone sim behind, headed straight to KL Central station to get to the airport, really enjoyed the scenery while on my way to the airport in the train service. Then it was the two hour wait at the Airport before finally heading off back to Karachi and the next morning to Lahore.

Kuala Lumpur - Day 7 - Goodbyes

2008-08-30T11:51:00.002+06:00

Woke up at about 11 am and headed back to the Marriott to hang out with Darby, Sam and XM. Alice had already left, missed out on saying goodbye to her. The four of us went out and got one of those fancy massages at a pretty neat little place. I would highly recommend the massage, coming in at just 44 RM for an hours massage; it was a steal and extremely soothing for the body. Then we had lunch at a roadside eatery which was pretty cool except it wasn’t too great for the tummy. We said goodbye to Xiao Ming, who was heading back home to return to school which had started already. Came back to the Marriott and got a hold of my phone, thanks a lot to Tammy who had been extremely helpful the whole time. More goodbyes as Darby was headed back home as well and so were many others.

The Conference was over and so was my stay in Binkut Bintang. Went back to the YMCA in KL Central and checked in there. Had a bit of a fever going due to fatigue mainly so slept for a couple of hours before coming back for dinner at La Botega in the Pavillion with Tammy, Nadine and Sam. It was nice to have a relaxed more simple tasting meal after lots of exotic food over the past week. After that it was time for goodbyes, Nadine was heading off for more partying in Singapore, Sam had to prepare for the Academic Conference, Hidemi was heading back home to Japan, Tammy was heading back soon and Chen the local was to stay in Malaysia of course. So met with all these guys, said our heartfelt goodbye and then I roamed the streets of Kuala Lumpur one last time before coming back to a much more regular sleeping time of 1-2 am at the YMCA.

Kuala Lumpur - Day 6 - Fish Massage and Sky Bar

2008-08-28T15:54:00.004+06:00

I had a relatively free morning, so slept in 4 hours. Just chilled out for most of the afternoon, made an attempt to go shopping for souvenirs didn’t really find anything reasonable and affordable so we just walked around and chilled out before we came back to the hotel and took another shot at the Sauna which once again absolutely rocked. In the late afternoon, I arranged for all of us to go for a very exotic and therapeutic fish massage. You basically put your feet in a large aquarium and these little fish (some were as big as my hand) nibble on your legs and gobble up all the dead skin leaving your legs fresh and healthy. It was pretty intense and some of us couldn’t keep our feet in for too long at all.

The fish massage

Yes, we ate that

Friends at the Gala Dinner

In the evening we had the gala dinner, which was truly exceptional. We had several exotic dishes to choose from. It was quite superb. As exhausted as we were, we still went out for the bars. Then we headed to the famous Sky Bar which is on the 38th floor of Traders tower and has a pretty neat view of the KLCC and the Twin towers. We chilled about around the pool and played some fun drinking games with a group of Koreans before heading back home. I lost my phone on the way back and spent a good 45 minutes of frenzied panic before knowing, I’d lost it in a friends car.

A view of the Sky Bar

A view of the Twin Towers

Then we chilled out at Sam’s place, played some really fun card games and then had some food at 6 am before finally hitting the sack at about 7 down at XM’s place near KLCC. Another fantastic day of a hell of a trip.

Kuala Lumpur - Day 5 - Conference and more networking

2008-08-27T23:27:00.006+06:00

I woke up a little groggy at 10 after about 3 hours of sleep. It was already too late for the plenary session and the first round of sessions. Not that I regretted that, as I was to later find out they were quite boring. Had a nice breakfast by the pool at the Marriot to detoxicate and rehydrate myself before attending a session Feng Shui – The art of good living. That also turned out to be very boring so I left that early and headed of to the Sauna which was just mind-blowingly relaxing. 5 star hotels rock…or I think that what the Marriott was.

Breakfast by the pool :)
The Sauna....relaxing!!!

In the evening we had dinner at the food court across the street in the Pavillion. Later on in the evening there was a delegate party at Planet Hollywood. That was pretty cool. We partied with many of the newly made friends at the conference from literally all over the world. It was indeed an incredible evening. Some left for the Poppy Lounge, a pretty hip-hop club but Planet Hollywood had a good crowd going. So it was aight!

Typical dinner - Exciting seafood

Planet Hollywood - Good times.

Came back to the Marriott for our regimented pool party routine, did some fun pool stunts which were more fun to do because it was past 2 am. We had a post party in my room. And Yosuke was kind enough to let us do what we wanted despite the fact he was sleeping. Later on we chilled at Sam’s place for a little while before having breakfast at 7 and heading to bed soon after.

Kuala Lumpur - Day 4 - Conference and Networking

2008-08-24T14:44:00.006+06:00

It was a day full of events at the business conference. It started with an introductory session on globalization which was quite interesting. Despite the fact that I was extremely tired after the previous nights extravaganza and that I missed more of the speech I asked a question to the speaker from GE regarding the role of government policy in curbing the fast pace of globalization to safeguard local companies. Afterwards we had a case discussion on GE’s Eco friendly hybrid engine for rail transport which was really exciting as a high profile employee of GE was present to answer questions and oversee the case discussion. More of the same events in the evening, finally got done at about 4.

Some heavy pre-partying

Networking from around the globe

Dancing away

Then we chilled out the remainder of the evening. Had some seafood dinner at the Pavilion food court followed up by some solid pre-partying at XM’s place and then we were off to the Asian Heritage Drive where there were a row of clubs to choose from. Pretty neat experience, I am not even sure which club we went to but it turned out pretty nice. There was a group of about 20 of us so we pretty much took over the place somewhat. We had the usual 3-4 am pool party followed by some post-partying at Sam’s place. Then we finally called it a night around 6 or so.

Our little group

Kuala Lumpur - Day 3 – Conference initiated

2008-08-22T14:55:00.007+06:00

I switched hotels and came to the JW Marriott which is where the conference was to be held. It is located in an area called Binkut Bintang or more generally the triangle, which is an awesome place with lots happening all around.

The pool on the 6th floor

More relaxing in the afternoon

Did initial registration for the conference, chatted up with some new people there were plenty to choose from as we had over 300 delegates participating, and heard some boring speakers before about 12-15 of us went and had dinner at a place in the Pavilion called Michelangelo’s followed by a pre-party at Xiao Ming’s place attended by about 20 of us. I think the 20 of us were from 17 different countries and 5 continents.

The fancy dinner

It was incredibly good gelling experience, so much so, that instead of going to a club for partying we ended up staying there for the evening. Afterwards a few of us gathered at Sams place for more partying before finally sleeping at about 3 which was very early for the upcoming days standards.

Kuala Lumpur - Day 2 - Hang out

2008-08-21T16:19:00.005+06:00

Most of the delegates for the HPAIR conference had not yet arrived in KL. So took the time to learn more about the MM2H program and spent most of the afternoon meeting government authorized local representatives and using the very efficient train system which reminded me a lot of the T in Boston. In the early evening, Ghazi, my cousin, came over from his college town and we hung out for a bit before heading out to a get together for HPAIR people all set up by Chen.

Scintillating Malay dances

We had a nice group of people including Chen the Malaysian guide, Xiao Ming from Hong Kong, Darby from Canada (her brother goes to ISU!!!), Mohit from a village in Punjab, India, Daniel, a beer loving dude from China/Canada, Hidemi from Japan who will work for Morgan Stanley M&A team when she graduates, Ming a, quiet, local Malaysian, Van and Kirsty from Vietnam and Liza who has her own consulting business in the Phillipines, Ghazi, myself and a few other whom I did not get acquainted to. Most of these guys had travelled to 5-8 countries already which was astounding. Had a pretty wholesome buffet which had a variety of stuff from prawns, shrimp and buttered vegetables to fruit in a spicy sauce and roasted chicken. We witnessed some pretty decent dances from Malaysian, Chinese and Indian backgrounds before we went on stage ourselves and had a great time doing the bamboo dance, some cha-cha type dance and other local dances. It was truly great and well worth the RM 70 that we paid for it all.

Went on stage to do the bamboo dance

The night wasn’t quite over. Those mentioned above excluding Ghazi head out to a bar called the Luna Bar which has some pretty awe inspiring views. The place had a pool instead of a dance floor and was on the 36th floor of some building with an excellent view of the KLCC. Very much recommended spot for anyone travelling there and we had a lovely evening out there. Came home at about 2 am with no real plans for the next day but the way plans are made out here, do not know what might come up next.

Friends at the Luna Bar

Kuala Lumpur - Day 1 - Arrival

2008-08-16T19:38:00.003+06:00

I reached Kuala Lumpur at 3:30 pm after a sleepless night in Karachi. I had been at the airport at 4am after last minute passport retrieval from the Cargo service. Before then, I had been hanging out with Foaad, Zahra and Shehzad at a rock concert at the Art Council followed by dinner at Karachi Bar BQ and a chill out at Shehzads place.

Immigration was exceptionally smooth but not so was the baggage retrieval which took well over 15 minutes. Once i was out of the airport and saw some of the Malaysian landscape it really was an exceptionally enthralling experience. It was so starkly evident how Malaysia has progressed into a relatively well developed nation. There are well organized structured systems in place, people are happy doing their tasks, business seems to be doing well. There is plenty of multiculturalism, several ethnicities living together. There may be one of the 55% of the 24 million population muslims sitting next to you or an orthodox Christian, Hindu or Buddhist and it just will not matter. There is no apparent segregation or rift between them at all.

Food Street - Bintang

Enjoying some local delicacies with Chen and Rebecca (not in picture)

The weather is a bit warm as I find my way to the YMCA which has highly affordable yet very decent rooms. There is a Laundromat, hair saloon, an internet café, electronics store and a grocery store within a minute walk of the place. In the evening headed over to Bukit Bintang to chill out with Chen Chow and Rebecca we walked around the place. Some the Star Hill shopping mall, which is ultra cool and expensive! We ate some roadside Malaysian food in a place like the food street with various vendors selling different types of food. It was an awesome start to the trip.

Mumbai - Day 5

2008-08-11T16:48:00.014+06:00

After an exhausting Day 4, there was not much respite for the attendees at the wedding since it was going to be another day jam-packed with exciting tradiotions, food and lots more. By this time Vivek from ISU had joined us and we had some good chit-chat. Today's two events included the reception and the wedding.

It was all done at the Grand Hyatt, Mumbai but before we headed off there the Baraat got togethor at the Reliance Apartments and we all danced to the drum beat for a little while before assembling into buses and cars and heading off. We got off about a kilometer before the hotel and then we had a band playing as we danced bhangra infront of the groom, who was on a big carriage pulled by horses. Imagine that, me, wearing a turban in the middle of the afternoon and dancing on the street in Central Mumbai. =)

We finally made it in into the aiconditioned and quite superbly decorated marriage Hall. There was an open bar nearby, and lots of tasty tidbits to taste. The first half of the wedding included several customs, most importantly the pheras. After which there was a break for an hour and a half during which everyone changed into formal clothes (we had so far been wearing shalwar kameez (afghani as it is called there), kurta pajama, sherwani etc) and then we had a big ass dinner and more customs and more fun.

All nervous and shy for the ceremony

Lectured by the pundit

Going through the knot untying custom

Then the couple are finally allowed to go to thier suite but, Gaurav, Vivek, Swapnil, myself and a bunch of Richa's friends, as we were such good friends, followed them to thier room and teased and kept them company for a good half an hour or so before finally letting them be. We though of doing some clubbing but as Richa's friends were leaving for Brazil we decided to chill and came back where we chilled. =) Brought to end a very exciting and entertaining wedding. Really enjoyed the experience and the hospitality shown by them all.

Spoiling the fun in thier bedroom

Day 6, and i was travelling back home to Karachi in the afternoon!

Mumbai - Day 4

2008-08-10T23:09:00.011+06:00

The wedding festivities now in full swing. There was plenty in store to watch and learn. There was the Bhaat in which the uncles (mamoos) are officially invited to the wedding by the groom's mother and in return they felicitate the groom and his mother. There is lots of laughter and joy as there is a lot of mithai to be served and little gifts exchanged.

Before the Baraat leaves there are other smaller ceremonies and its all good fun. Then we have the official ring ceremony and after that the dancing begins. There are just 6-7 co-ordinated dances and then the dholwala takes over and we had some good ol fashioned bhangra for a while before the DJ starts playing latest songs which everyone danced to. All the while, there were lots of things to eat, prawns, chicken teriyaki, veggie patties, rolls etc an open bar and also a table from where to get Bhelpur, dahi bhallas and channa chaat. Lots of drinking later, the dancing continued, dinner was served which was scrumptious but i was too busy elsewhere =) which i would regret immensely later.

The couple dressed colorfully

The Couple dancing away

and so does everyone else

Since the sangeet began at around 6 by 1-2 am the event is well over and like most people i was done for the evening and retired to my hotel room. Those with some energy left over head off to the bars, Gaurav and Vivek, who had come from Dubai right after the event went clubbing till 5 am and had some real good fun. While some of Richa's blonde brazillian friends =D ended up gatecrashing a Salman Khan party where Katrina Kaif was there. What a day!

Mumbai - Day 3

2008-08-10T18:58:00.010+06:00

The day was spent sightseeing. Gaurav Sangtani aka Santa drove me around Bandra and Linking road (links it to Khar). More than anything else, i ate. I ate a lot. I had a samosa (smaller than the Pakistani ones, frankies (like a paratha roll), sevpuri which are excruciatingly tasty and a street side sandwich with all the trimmings. It was great, i was stuffed, so we had some Thumbsup and did some shopping.

On a busy street in Bandra

Gaurav having some Sevpuri

Prices were very similar to here in Pakistan, i bought some shoes from Metro, very affordable, i think i needed them for the upcoming Malaysia trip and i used them extensively during the wedding as well. We drove around some more. I saw Shah Rukh Khan's house, Salman Khan's house and the under construction Abhishek Bachan house. All pretty mediocre considering thier incomes but they had nice and views and apparently the land costs in most parts of Mumbai are appalingly high.

Folks dancing at the party

In the evening, Mr ManMohan had thrown a surprise party. It was only the close family and it was absolutely rocking. Had an awesome time. At one point, Mr Manmohan had the music stopped to make an announcement, he got everybody's attention and then introduced me expecially the fact that i had come all the way from Pakistan. A fact, that far earlier, had reached everyones ear and over the next few days, they made sure they had a chat with me and welcomed, and thanked me for attending. It was both flattering and heart warming. Nice memories! =)

Mumbai - Day 2

2008-08-08T15:12:00.007+06:00

Another nice day in Mumbai, it rained again. It is lovely when it rains, there is a good breeze and its not too humid. I stayed at home mostly, chilled with the family, did some of the wedding errands, put the gifts for the guests in thier rooms, and mostly just relaxed and soaked in some of the Mumbai sun.

In the evening we went out to a place called Blue Frog and believe me this place was just incredible. They had fancy blue lights, live music from local upcoming artists which was totally rocking, free entry and some good drinks as well. Even bought a CD from the place.

My phone camera can never do justice to the lighting and aroma of the place

Mumbai - Day 1

2008-08-06T09:26:00.013+06:00

Well, i got to Mumbai on 30th August, i had previously had a delay from Lahore to Karachi due to a bad weather, but no such problem on my flight to Mumbai. Got there in the early afternoon and surprising it took me only about 20-25 minutes to get out of the airport. They had an extra checking feature for Pakistanis but still it was all super easy and super fast. Awesome!

Met up with Samir (the groom), Richa (the bride), her father and two brothers. We went down to a local eatery called Yogi - Chinese Indian style restaurant with not the best taste in music and food that took forever to prepare and wasn't especially good. But there was A LOT of good food coming my way over the next couple of days.

Samir and Richa

Uncle Arjun party guy

Gaurav and I

Went home, which at that time, was the Reliance guesthouse in ChunnaBhatti. Got dressed and drove down to Arjun (Richa's Uncle) party. Almost had an altercation with 5 rowdy youngsters cause my driver had blocked there way as we had stopped for the train to pass. Anyways, got to the party which was at the CCI Lounge which is like an ultra exclusive spot, they dont even accept new members anymore. Arjun Uncle rocked the evening, great hospitality, amazing liquor, even better tidbits to eat, met some really lovely people from both sides of the family, also got to meet with Gaurav, friend from college. Exceptionally good evening and great dinner i might add.

After the party which lasted a mere 3 hours and ended at 11 pm we, now this included Samir, Richa, Gaurav, Manish (Samir's brother in law) an awesome fella, really lively, and Pranay Richa's brother headed out to the bars. First up was Jeffries' a nice little hangout where we had some tequila shots and a couple of drinks. Then we went on to a new place called 'dragon-fly'. A very trendy little nightclub located in an office building. Restaurant by evening, club by night, it was ultra cool. Alcohol was ultra expensive as it is all over Mumbai, had a margarita and some beer.

That was it for Day-1, i was exhausted but there was much more in store for Day-2.

Mumbai visit

2008-08-05T12:37:00.005+06:00

I was in Mumbai for the past week for a friends wedding. stayed at the comfy guest house (Swadeshi apartments) of Reliance in Chunna Bhatti, Central Bombay. It was somewhat discomforting but quite enlightening to see the stark difference between the Mumbai slum-dwellers and those quite well-off living virtually side by side.

Had a great time at the wedding and could not help but relate all the customs, rituals and events to weddings here in Pakistan. Ill be writing in detail of things i did but currently need to get back to work =)

Live in Karachi?!

2008-07-30T09:13:00.005+06:00

Im on my way to Bombay in a few hours, sitting here at the Karachi airport on a Wateen sponsored internet kiosk with air conditioning and 'day-round' electricity, things seem so pleasant. But not so pleasant when i got here from lahore last night.

On my way from the airport, i saw a car (metro-cab) stopped in the middle of the road. There was a motorbike infront of the car to keep him there while there were 3-4 guys standing on either side of the car as one of them got in and was calmly mugging the passenger. Now thats a scary thought, im planning to do some travelling and i was carrying quite some cash and lots of important documents. Though it was quite late at night, 2 am but it was on Shahrah-e-Faisal and in the middle of the road. After passing them i felt terrified everytime i saw somebody on the side of the road. I don't know how locals live with this kind of fear day in and day out. I just know i don't want to be living here, lahore hee set hai!

Music to my ears.

2008-07-27T15:40:00.006+06:00

Two new albums have just been released from two distinctly different bands but both signficantly great to listen to.

The first one was Zeb and Haniya's much awaited album 'Chup'. They also released thier first video. This one is called 'Aitebar' and is hitting the headlines everywhere.

The second one is a brillianltly cool new song by Shehzad Roy who has matured beyond the lovey-dovey songs to a more activism oriented singing personality. This one is called 'Laga reh'

Media and Terrorism

2008-07-25T15:16:00.004+06:00

An interesting point came to light when the International Cricket Council (ICC) was deciding whether it was too risky to stage a cricket tournament in Pakistan. The point was that the alternative venue for the event was Sri Lanka.

Interestingly enough, if you look at the data on terrorism, Sri Lanka has suffered roughly 3,000 deaths since 2006 due to fighting with the Tamil Tigers. In pakistan, the number stands at 3,500. Even stranger, Sri Lanka is a much smaller country and terrorism is close to just about anyone. Yet, Sri Lanka is a no problem spot for cricket whereas Pakistan according to the South African Cricket Association (SACA) and the Australian Cricketer's Association (ACA) is a no-go area. A lot, i feel has to do with media and also the nature of conflict.

Pakistan war is part of a global conflict against terrorists from muslim countries..so it get LOTS of media coverage whereas the Sri Lankan fighting is against a seperatist group with not much of an international agenda so it gets barely any or no coverage.

So although Pakistan is probably just as safe if not safer to play cricket in, it is flagged as a dangerous country and a lot of that has to do with the freedom in the media. Where else in the world do well known terrorists even from organizations like Al-Qaeda are shown openly to viewers. Media freedom is great, but media carelessness is not.

Taliban Recruitments!

2008-07-21T15:37:00.004+06:00

There was an article in 'The News' today on Taliban recruiting female nurses. Extremely perturbing news for several reasons.

1) They find local madrassah owners pay them to find the nurses. Something they are willing to do. Even in cities like Mansehra, Abbotabad, Murree and Rawalpindi!!!

2) They pay the nurses PKR 25,000, a lot more than what they are earning and give their families a years advance, something they cant dream of getting elsewhere

3) they need female nurses because the people hurt from bombings by the coalition forces or Pakistani forces (sic!) include women and the families of the women do not allow male doctors etc to touch them as they are na-mehram. (shocking but true)

4) The people getting recruited are very happy because not only are they getting a good job, they are guaranteed complete security by the Taliban and the women are treated exceptionally well. (sister like treatment, stay with the families of the women taliban)

So if the Taliban can come to our main cities and albiet via third parties recruit from here, how can we fight them? Plus, why is the government not being able to stem thier incomes? So many questions, so few answers!

Thinking loudest!

2008-07-20T22:29:00.005+06:00

With whats happening in our country nowadays, especially as far as violence and extremism is concerned, you cannot stop thinking of what could be possible ways out of this mess. I'm just thinking here, and it may seem significantly inappropriate to suggest something so outrageous, but with all the trouble we're having with the frontier province. including the fact, that a majority of the pashtuns have no respect for our government, our laws, and feel they have stronger social and cultural affiliations with Afghanistan and that the Durand Line is as controversial as it is, would we be not doing a favor to us and them by handing over the lawless parts of the province also called the tribal areas to the Afghanis.

Doing so would make it easier for our troops to put in more effort in regaining their stronghold on the more internal cities of the frontier rather than waste resources on the tribal areas. It would also allow the coalition forces to act freely against forces spreading violence in both countries since we have failed so miserably in curbing them.

As objectionable the idea of giving away land may seem, if we can hold forth, the then created borders and weed out the violent elements from society through media campaigns, public awareness, good governance, smart policies, better leaders…and hence I break my own argument as governance and leadership in this country are mere dreams and nothing more.

Rumi

2008-07-14T22:49:00.005+06:00

Maulana Jalaludin Rumi:
I died as a mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was Man.
Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar
With angels blest; but even from angelhood
I must pass on: all except God doth perish.
When I have sacrificed my angel-soul,
I shall become what no mind e'er conceived.
Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence
Proclaims in organ tones,'
To Him we shall return

I searched for God among the Christians and on the Cross and therein I found Him not.
I went into the ancient temples of idolatry; no trace of Him was there.
I entered the mountain cave of Hira and then went as far as Qandhar but God I found not.
With set purpose I fared to the summit of Mount Caucasus and found there only 'anqa's habitation.
Then I directed my search to the Kaaba, the resort of old and young; God was not there even.
Turning to philosophy I inquired about him from ibn Sina but found Him not within his range.
I fared then to the scene of the Prophet's experience of a great divine manifestation only a 'two bow-lengths' distance from him' but God was not there even in that exalted court.
Finally, I looked into my own heart and there I saw Him; He was nowhere else.

Monsoons

2008-07-13T16:34:00.004+06:00

It is July and the monsoons are here. They are supposed to come around August-September but changes in global weather patterns have altered all that. Nothing really cleans up the air as the monsoon do, all the soot and dust settles, the air is fresh, the sky bluer, the sun somewhat brighter, yet the mercury levels lower and everything seems hunky dory for a while. The zsituation on the ground unfortunately is another story. The drainage system or lack thereof becomes apparent. People houses in low lying areas start having water coming into their abodes; there are more chances of water borne diseases spreading. The hospitals are flooded with gastritis patients; our current hands-on Chief Minister gets a chance to get his feet wet, literally!

Pictures courtesy of Dawn Newspaper epaper.dawn.com
http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleImageEx.aspx?article=13_07_2008_001_004_005&type=2
http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleImageEX.aspx?article=13_07_2008_176_006_006&type=2

American Deaths

2008-07-11T19:09:00.000+06:00

why am i not surprised! talk about 'off base'

Benjamin Franklin Anti-Jewism

2008-07-11T19:05:00.000+06:00

hmmm...wonder why he was so ticked off at ze jews.

Bet you cant do this!

2008-07-11T19:01:00.001+06:00

Amazing, aint it! I have yet to find anyone who can. If you can, lemme know.

Iran Missile Launch

2008-07-11T18:56:00.000+06:00

hmmm...so maybe one of the missile launch is a fake. Now why would they do that. Pictures adjusted via photoshop are quite easily caught nowadays why would the national intelligence agencies let such blunders pass through. Wonder if any of these missiles were successfully fired. It's just a ploy to raise oil prices perhaps. God knows, that all we know!

Some pictures (to add color)

2008-07-10T19:17:00.000+06:00

Friends at Farewell Dinner for MBA 2008

Hanging out with friends

Friends @ sisters wedding

My Blog

2008-07-10T19:08:00.001+06:00

I used to have a blog. I didn't really write much in it. But i kept it alive and colorful and you know... presentable. Then i got busy with my job, then my MBA. Now, that i had some free time, thought i'd update the info on the blog but the thing is i cant find my blog! I forgot the URL. I have no record of it in my email history. Its just gone. Its as if it never existed. Did i just imagine i had a blog. I remember writing on my blog, it was there.

Lets assume it was there and im sure thats a safe assumption. The question is where did it go. Did the blogger people take it away. I even read through the tag 'Iused to have a blog, where did it go' in the help section. But to no avail. My blog is gone. No one knows where it is. All i'm saying is, i used to have a blog