PK Problems

Front Line with Kamran Shahid – 8th August 2011 – Karachi Politics

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Police Gang Rapes a woman – Front Line – 30th July 2011

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Sexual Harassment in Universities – Front Line with Kamran Shahid

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Pakistani Girls on Webcam Scandal in Yahoo and MSN Chat rooms

By Amna Gani

I wonder when the elders and parents of our society will wake up, perhaps when everything will be ruined for their families. They are simply not understanding the perils and the dangers of the virtual social activities of their children, especially of the girls.

Sehrish, a 14 year old girl from Rawalpindi was raped by three boys in a hotel in Murree for the whole day and then she was lucky enough to reach to her home through police. She lost her dignity and went through hell because she was a careless net surfer. Her family is a conservative family and she always used to observe veil in public, but her parents didnt know that the world was watching their daughter without clothes through the webcams in the nights.

Sehrish used to make friends on the net in the Yahoo chat rooms, and then just out of fun, she used to take off her clothes in front of webcam for the boys to see. She soon became a sensation in the chat room and every boy wanted to see her and make friendship of her. She with her fragile mind didnt know the dangers, and she thought that who knows her. One day she was asked by a boy in chatroom to meet him in Islamabad. After much insistance she thought what the heck and she went to meet him. The boy acted nice and dropped her back after a nice lunch.

Then such meetings became frequent and one day boy asked her to accompany him to Murree in morning. Sehrish was fearless  now. She went to Murree with him instead of going school. The boy took her to a hotel, and asked her that he wanted to see her nude live. She after some delay took her clothes off, and then the boy grabbed her and had a consensual sex. Sehrish wanted to go home now, but as both were laying naked in the  bed, two more boys emerged under the bed and grabbed Sehrish and then they raped her. She was abused for five hours then, and the boys didn’t let her go anywhere, and they plucked every part of her body, and then left her senseless in the hotel room. She was found by waiter, who submitted her to police, who contacted her family.

The story isn’t ended here. Her nude pics are circulating all over the chat rooms, and internet sites and Pakistani debonair blog and host of other sex sites in Pakistan, according to a member of that chat room, who actually broke this story to me. According to him, this is just not the one case, but there are numerous other like this.

Would we wake up now?

Babies are not worth much in Pakistan

By: Naveed Iqbal

The news of Pakistan topping the world league of still births creates a sense of indignation. It is yet another sad testament of the country’s health sector.

This is not a debate about political ideologies but of priorities.

Here in the UK, stillbirths are the highest amongst most developed countries. Although one can apportion some of these causes to placental problems, infections or congenital abnormalities, but there is still a significant number which cannot be explained.

Sadly, the UK and Pakistan will address this problem quite differently – perhaps somewhat predictably.

In the UK, major investment in research will often follow to investigate the causes of such high mortality rates. This follows its natural progression to policy research and investment in healthcare. Although seasoned critics, politicians and scientific bodies will argue the methodology and implementation, a conclusion and decision will eventually be reached.

Sadly, this course of events will not take place in Pakistan. Any attempt to understand and address this latest health dilemma will not result in political capital for the governing party in Islamabad and thus absolves any form of accountability.

I was able to witness the frustrations of introducing some form of gynecological and obstetric service in a rural village in Pakistan devastated by the floods, last year whilst I was working for an international NGO.

We advertised for an obstetrician and gynecologist with a competitive salary and benefits. The reason for this move stemmed from our concern that an untrained female dai (midwife) was delivering babies without any clinical knowledge. There was no question of her dedication but as a group of health professionals, it would have been clinical negligence to avoid this fissure in our services. After much deliberation, we managed to hire an obstetrician but soon she resigned.

This event was a snapshot of a national crisis in medical care for women. One can appreciate the argument of Pakistan’s economic woes as one of the reasons for lack of investment in health, but we should take note of the success of Cuba; it is a country which has suffered decades of various sanctions, but still continues to deliver healthcare comparable to many developed nations.

This is not a debate about political ideologies but of priorities, investment and accountability. Otherwise we can maintain the status quo and await the next set of incriminating revelations for Pakistan.

Doctors’ strike: 22 patients die across Punjab

Doctors across Punjab continued their strike Sunday, while unattended patients continued to suffer at hospitals across the province. A total of 22 patients have died across Punjab due to the strike. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Three more patients died in the Nishtar Hospital bringing the death toll in Multan alone to 17, while a patient died in Faisalabad in the morning after being denied medical care.

More than 700 protesting doctors have resigned so far, as the Punjab government has refused to give in to their demands. The provincial government has also announced it will recruit new doctors at public hospitals to fill the vacancies. However, only 350 doctors have applied for the post, who will be interviewed today (Sunday).

Sources say that senior doctors have also gone on strike to support the young doctors. Only two doctors are on duty at the Allied Hospital Faisalabad.
The General Body of the Young Doctors Association has refused to call off their strike until their demands are met.
Blood is on Shahbaz Sharif’s hands says Riaz Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Raja Riaz said on Saturday that he would seek to lodge murder cases against Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif because he was responsible for the deaths that occurred during the ongoing doctors’ strike.
Riaz told The Express Tribune that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) workers would collect data from each hospital about deaths during the strike. They would also reach out to families who had lost loved ones and put them in touch with party legislators to help them seek legal remedy. He said that he would visit police stations personally and seek to get cases registered against the chief minister. If the police refused, he would move the Lahore High Court, he said.
Law Minister Rana Sanaullah brushed off the threat, saying that he hoped that the opposition leader would not object if cases were registered against the federal government over deaths in federal government hospitals in the Punjab.

Blame it on Sharif
Riaz said that the escalation of the standoff between the provincial government and the Young Doctors Association was all down to Sharif. At 4pm on March 31, he said, the YDA Punjab and Senior Advisor Sardar Zulifqar Khosa had reached a deal to end the strike.
The two sides signed a agreement, Riaz said, adding that he had seen a copy of it provided to him by the YDA. He said it was agreed that the chief minister would announce the deal at 9pm that same day. Meanwhile, he said, the YDA announced that the strike was over.
But before 9pm, Riaz claimed, the chief minister was “deliberately misled” by Health Secretary Fawad Hassan Fawad about the contents of the agreement. “Sharif always relies on the briefings of the bureaucracy. He thinks they are the only ones who can solve the problems of the province,” he said.
He said that a YDA Punjab delegation went to the chief minister’s officer at 90, The Mall, to meet Sharif. But when they got there, they were told the meeting had been cancelled. The YDA Punjab called Khosa, but he did not answer his mobile phone, Riaz said. Later that night, the YDA Punjab announced the resumption of their strike.
“The chief minister is very arrogant; he thinks he’s a Mughal emperor. He snubbed the YDA Punjab and because of his stubbornness, dozens of patients have died,” Riaz said. “It’s in his psyche to solve every problem through brutal police torture.”
He added that he would ask the Punjab Assembly speaker to summon the chief minister to attend a special session of the assembly on the issue.
Law Minister Sanaullah said that Riaz’s statement had “exposed those behind the doctors’ strikes” and that his party would suffer for bringing doctors into politics. He said that Riaz should not talk about the doctors, but answer questions instead about the “petrol bomb” the federal government had set off.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 03rd, 2011.

Karachi Has More Than 100,000 Prostitutes

A prostitute born and brought up in Karachi’s Napier Road red-light district, Shumaila never heard about HIV and AIDS until recently. Today, she carries condoms but clients refuse to wear them.

‘None of us were aware about the danger of AIDS looming over us for years but now we all know and can avoid it,’ said the tall 29-year-old who lives in a Victorian-style building in the heart of the neighbourhood.

Shumaila is one of the rare ones who are aware about the perils of HIV/AIDS an thus insist upon using condoms. Hundreds of thousands of condoms have been distributed to sex workers in the last two years, which have saved them from being infected with the lethal virus.

Karachi has up to 100,000 female sex workers, according to data gathered by Pakistan Society, a local welfare organisation. ‘This is 20 percent of their overall population in Pakistan.

Lahore comes next with 75,000 sex workers,’ Saleem Azam, head of the charity.

Prostitution may be illegal but it has prospered in Pakistan, where an economic downturn and widening poverty have forced women and men onto the streets to meet the rising cost of living.

Shaheena, 38, is a home-based sex worker. She is a skilled paramedic but seldom finds a permanent job. ‘So I opted to enter this business on the side,’ she said, veiling her face to hide her identity. ‘I have sibblings, cousins, nephews and nieces who don’t know about my second profession. So I don’t want to identify myself to embarass them. ‘But it’s a question of survival as none of my relatives support me with money. They are all too stretched themselves,’ she said.

More than 60 percent of Pakistan’s prostitutes work from homes or ply the streets, while the elite serve wealthy clients from kothikhanas (houses or rooms) in plush neighbourhoods.

A report said 60 percent of female sex workers and 45 percent of their male clients in Karachi and Lahore do not know that condoms can prevent transmission of HIV. Of those that do, few protect themselves. ‘The number of our clients who agree to wear a condom is small. Female condoms are not available, which can save us more effectively,’ said Nasreen, another prostitute in Napier Road. ‘I can’t carry condoms in my purse on the street as we’re vulnerable to the police and could be arrested if they find them,’ said Afshan, 29, who walks the city’s busy streets looking for clients.

The 2006 survey said only 18 percent of sex workers reported always using condoms. Around 96,000 people, or 0.1 percent of the population, live with HIV in Pakistan. The government says only 5,000 people are infected. The disease is spreading among high-risk groups, especially drug users, who mostly inject and use dirty needles, raising fears the virus could spread quickly from addicts to prostitutes. In 2006, Pakistan said HIV/AIDS prevalence among female sex workers was around 0.02 percent, but independent bodies put it much higher. ‘It is at least 15 per cent, ‘said Azam. ‘They are totally at the mercy of their clients. Most of their clients refuse to wear condoms,’ he said.

‘In Pakistan, this business is illegal, thus there is no law to seriously tackle the issue and save precious lives. Yet a way-out is desperately needed on humanitarian grounds.’ Baig said he had identified an HIV-positive sex worker a few months ago and tried to help her with treatment and a new job but she left because her colleagues considered her a blot on their business. ‘Now, no one knows where she is and what she is doing,’ he said.

Veena Malik Awam ki Adalat main – Front line with kamran shahid 21st jan 2011

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Dr Roy’s Thoughts about Pakistan

I am not a fan of Pakistan. The central Pakistan government doesn’t even pretend to control its outlying provinces, but I am not sure if this is a good idea. It would probably just cause more instability along the Indian border. Though putting the whole country under trusteeship would probaby be a good idea, it’s not going to happen. The real probablem is who controls the nukes and the treachery of the isis.

This artificial nation has already lost Bangladesh. Now floods give good reason to dismember the rest Pakistan “is confronted with an existential threat from fanatics, zealots and extremists on the one hand and from the material devastation caused by the history’s worst floods on the other,” Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari stated earlier this week. “The existence of Pakistan” is now at stake, echoed Pakistan Army Chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

The end of Pakistan — its dismemberment into its constituent parts — could be all for the good. Pakistan — a creation of colonial Britain that’s barely a half-century old — is less a country than an acronym whose passing would soon be forgotten. There is no Pakistani nation.

The P in Pakistan stands for Punjab, its most industrialized region whose Indus River people have an ancient civilization. The A stands for Afghania, a backward rural region (since renamed) that could not be more different than the Punjab. The K stands for Kashmir, an agriculturally rich, conflict-riven area cleaved and claimed by India and China as well as Pakistan. S stands for Sindh, another Indus River nation whose history is also as old as civilization itself, and which rivals the Punjab in literacy and economic development. Pakistan’s last three letters — TAN — represent Balochistan, its largest but least populous and poorest province, despite its mineral riches.

Who is responsible?

By Sana Saleem

Lahore is often known as the heart of Pakistan; the hub of culture and arts, the centre of education, the city of gardens, with the prominent aspect of the city being its ancient history and its deep-rooted connection to Sufism. Living in a city steeped in heritage and culture, Lahoris are known for their fun-loving spirit. This very spirit was attacked on July 1, when two suicide bombers attacked Data Darbar, shrine of the patron saint of Lahore.

The attack killed 45 people and left more than 175 injured.

This is not the first time a shrine has been attacked, previously the shrines of Rahman Baba and Mian Umer Baba in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have also been attacked.

Attacking Data Darbar on a Thursday night was an obvious target – that is the night when the shrine is teeming with worshippers as well as those seeking shelter and food from all walks of life. There is no question that the attack was well-planned – CCTV footage showed scenes of carnage and the bombers just moments before they blew themselves up. The footage showed a security guard chasing after one of the bombers shortly before the bomb went off – body parts and blood splattered everywhere as the survivors fled in all directions.

The most common reactions after the attack are that of denial, with many pointing fingers at foreign involvement. Statements such as “these terrorists can neither be Muslims nor Pakistanis” echoed from the common man to those in authority. Despite a history of intolerance towards Sufism, the notorious TTP has also declined any involvement in the attack claiming they do not attack ‘public places’ Usman, 16, who was identified as the alleged suicide bomber by the authorities, was later reported to be a victim of the attack.

I was asked a similar question : What does the attack on the Ahmedis and on Data Darbar mean? Is this sectarian violence or do terrorists not have a religion? According to The Pakistan Security Report there have been over 249 terrorist attacks across the country, killing around 1182 and leaving over 995 injured. Not a single so-called ‘foreign’ terrorist has been arrested so far, clearly ruling out the possibility of foreign and/or non-muslin suicide bombers at work. As for the possibility of a conspiracy that foreign agencies could be involved, we must understand that the nature of such involvement is opportunistic.

At the end of the day we need to look within ourselves. The attack on the shrine was not just another terror attack; it was an attack on the Sufi saints who have taught us peace, tolerance, spirituality, co-existence and universal brotherhood. It is important we acknowledge that a certain faction of our society continues to harbour hate that can, and has, incite violence. These are not a group of underground terrorists but ordinary citizens who openly declare their disapproval to anything that doesn’t fit within the confines of their strict ideology. One such example can be seen on this forum where a user started a thread suggesting a call for “demolishing ‘centres’ of shirk like Data Darbar and the likes”

The seven-page discussion thread ends with CCTV videos of the attack on the shrine, with one user rightly pointing out, “I have an issue with the title of this thread. ‘Demolish.’ I wonder if it is this type of language that creates confusion and hatred, which leads to suicide attacks, like the one in Lahore on Thursday. Even if those attacks are done by external forces, they leverage internal hatred. Thoughts? [sic]”

Indeed, something that we need to seriously think about. While talking to reporters on the Data Darbar attack Nawaz Sharif repeatedly emphasised that he will not indulge the blame game and refused to point fingers.

I think it is time to point fingers but in the right direction.

Really Shameful – Night Club in Pakistan.

This is very shameful for us to see this video. We are sharing this video to discourage this kind of acts in our country. We are a Muslim country and we shouldn’t adopt the western culture as it will destroy our society and moral values.

Value Added Tax on Peterol and Electricity

Pakistani government blocked the transmission of Geo News TV

The Pakistani government has blocked the transmission of the Geo News TV channel, a company official said Sunday.

GEO News Managing Director Nasir Baig Chugtai told CNN that viewers called the Geo office asking why the transmission of “Meray Mutabik,” a popular prime-time show, was halted.

During the last few programs, the show’s anchor, Shahid Masood, criticized the government for recent bans and threats to journalists. None of several government officials contacted by CNN would discuss the issue.

Information Ministry sources said cable operators were told Sunday night to block GEO TV’s transmission, based on high-level orders.

On Sunday morning in Lahore, cable operators had warned national and international broadcasters that their channels would be blocked if they aired anything critical of the the Pakistani government.

Political parties, civil societies and journalist organizations condemned the bans and demanded the government allow the country’s news media to operate without restrictions.

The Pakistan Broadcasters Association reviewed the restrictions during a meeting Sunday, after which they called the curbs an attack on the fundamental, constitutional right of expression.

The meeting participants passed a resolution requesting the government to show respect for the freedom of expression as guaranteed in the Constitution.

On Sunday, government officials told CNN that journalist Noor Hakkem and four other people were killed Saturday in a roadside bomb blast in Bajaur agency, the Pakistani tribal area near the border with Pakistan.

Hakeem was a correspondent for Daily Pakistan and vice president of the Tribal Union of Journalists.

Always Speak Truth

I am very happy to share this image with you. A Riksha driver is trying to awake this nation. We should learn something from him.

CORRUPTION by Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)

The cancer of corruption is spreading world wide, some spots with thicker growth while others in the growing tumorous stage, but prevalent never-the-less all over. Unfortunately, Pakistan falls in the thick growth area and rated as one of the most corrupt countries, way up in the ladder of the world corruption order. What is still more alarming is that it has been there for quite some time now and likely to stay near the top for some quite seeable future unless measures are taken to wrest the spread. Corruption hurts economies, people, and governments. Corruption is unethical, immoral, and illegal in all societies, religions, and countries. It needs to be rooted out. Private organizations, United Nations, and some governments have attempted to stop corruption or at least prevent it but have failed.

Corruption is primarily of two types, Need Based Corruption (NBC) and the Greed Based Corruption (GBC). Both are found in the public as well as private sectors. NBC takes its birth in the lower echelons of the bureaucracy who are not paid enough to make their both ends meet and on the top of it also not provided with the subsidized amenities and facilities by the government. Imagine the plight of one such functionary whose child is seriously ill and he has no money even to buy him the medicine! He would do anything to save the life of his child, let alone corruption. I am not trying to justify the NBC, but it needs to be seriously looked into. In my opinion instead of eliminating the need-based- corruption with an iron hand more thought and effort are required to eliminate the causes giving rise to it. Small scale corruption has another dimension also in the developing countr ies where a lot needs to be achieved in comparatively a shorter time. In the early 1960s late Mr. M. Latif Qureshi, the first DG of PIDE (Pakistan institute of Development Economics, Islamabad) in reply to my question as to when would we get rid of corruption in Pakistan, had counter questioned me if I tipped the waiters in a restaurant? And then he himself proceeded to answer the question and said, “You tip the waiter To Insure Promptness (TIP) in the service you get next time you visit the place”. He continued, “So is the case in the developing countries. Time is at premium and a lot of work is to be done. To do it promptly someone might have to work over-time. The concerned clerk or the Section Officer could take your file home, do some extra work on it and get your job done quickly saving you in time and money. So you pay him a tip for it”. Somewhat shocked I asked him if he was advocating corruption? “No – no, corruptio n would be if the govt. functionary resorted to extortion, a! rm twist ing, sat on your file or refused to process it unlike you paid what he demanded. That would be the corruption. Here you pay ‘willingly’ for the prompt service that you got from him”, he clarified. Alas, what late Mr. Qureshi didn’t realize then was that the TIP shall transform into the present day curse where nothing would move in the offices until the palm was greased and the money passed under the table. Incidentally, Mr. Qureshi was the author of the first 5 year plan of Pakistan, copy of which was presented to the visiting Korean delegation by President Ayub Khan. Koreans implemented it as it was. Ironically that was the plan which laid the very foundations of the modern Korea’s miraculous economic success!!

The greed-based-corruption is more dangerous and detrimental to the progress of the country and needs to be eradicated from the society. However, it has become a sort of accepted norm in the culture of our elites – politicians, bureaucracy including judiciary, business tycoons and corporate magnates, bankers and lawyers, defence procurement officials both Civil & Military etc. An effective investigation of offenders leading to penalties and prosecution is almost impossible and if there is one it is more of an exception than a rule. Agencies such as the FIA, NAB and police have launched a number of high-profile investigations in recent years, and the higher organs of the judiciary (the Supreme Court as well as the provincial High Courts) regularly issue rulings and directives designed to curb corruption in the public domain , yet the problem is so pervasive and all encompassing that a general climate of impunity seems to prevail. Investigations tend to be costly, laborious and lengthy, with no guarantee of success in many cases. The past master perpetrators are so clever that they hardly leave a trail behind to track them down. Invariably, the court finds itself helpless either out of connivance or at the hands of smart lawyers or both. Who ever heard of appointing the judges of one’s choice at the higher judiciary, other than on merit and seniority? Does someone expect favours from so appointed judges? A judge is a judge and will do only justice irrespective of who appoints him. Judiciary as such has the key role to play in eliminating the curse of the GBC. Alongwith judiciary the civil society has also to rise to the occasion. In that it should disdainfully and contemptuously ostracize the filthy corrupt and boycott them socially altogether. Let the corrupt stew all alone , without any friends, callers-on or sympathizers, in his ow! n soup o f corruption for ever to the extent that none attends even his funeral. Only such a harsh treatment will drench out the last drop of avarice from the blood of these loathsome greed-based-corrupt people.

Regarding the overall corruption in the country – the minor and the major, it would be wrong to assume that the corruption is due only to the attitude of civil servants or those in public administration and law enforcement. It is the insatiate greed in almost every segment of the society which causes corruption. From the ordinary vendor and trader to the largest mills owner indulges in adulteration, under-weighing, counterfeiting, over-charging and tax evasion. Manufacture of fake medicines and different hi-brands of products is quite common. Ever noticed the ice cream cup with its false bottom? The bottom is raised inwardly to hold only about 3/4th of the ice cream in its otherwise full looking cup!! What a shame how the innocent children are cheated of their ice cream? Hoarding, black marketeering, and profiteering are rampant. The petrol pumps’ and taxis’ meters are rigged. Ticketless traveling has gone beyond its customary realm of rail and road travel to the higher spheres of international air travel. Conductors of public transport and toll collectors do not issue ticket to the commuters and thus cheat their owners. Even the education and the sacred educational institutions – schools and universities – and the sacrosanct madrassas and pulpit are no more corruption free.

People seem to have lost the sense of virtue, of right and wrong. Believe it or not, a ruling minister of state in a live telecast TV show was seen and heard lamenting, “Why, don’t we have a right to be corrupt?”!! He went on say that only a fool would not indulge in corruption under the prevalent circumstances.

The prevalent circumstances would have to be changed. If necessary:

“To grasp this sorry scheme of thing entire Shatter it to bits and remould nearer heart desire”  Khyam