Situation in Balouchistan

Before I begin my observation about Balouchistan, let me tell you what is Balouchistan?

Most of our people do not know that before the siege of the English Balouchistan was an independent state with the name of Qalat. Its boundaries met with Multan and Dera Ismail Khan in east and many parts of Afghanistan and Iran were included in it. This state was never part of India. At the time of independence it it had to join with either Pakistan or India.

With the consensus of Quaid-e-Azam and other leaders it became part of Pakistan on condition that it will remain independent in its internal affairs.

Today’s Balouchistan Includes the region of Qalat and also some parts of Pashtoon region which were taken from the English, as they were known as British Balouchistan in those days.

After the independence of Bangladesh and breaking of the One Unit of Pakistan, Balochistan was given the status of a province of Pakistan.

In its first election the Balouch & Pashtoon nationalists swept the seats and Sardar Ataullah Khan Maingal became the first chief minister and Mir Ghous Bux Bazinjo became its governor. This government was dissolved and a a new government was inducted in by the center.
On this change the Pushtoons of Balouchistan became quite and accepted the norms of center but this initiated a wave of unrest and agitation in the Balouch regions. To curtail the unrest biggest military operation was conducted which inflated the fundamentalism and Baloch national movement became more strong.

Ationalists won the elections again and came into power, this time Sardar Akhtar maingal became the chief minister but he was also removed like his father.

Center has always wished that Balouchistan should have its Yes Man government. Balouch basically are nearly all nationalists. Their only demand from the center is that they must be given the right of governance in their provine with out any intereference from the center as per the pact of Quaid E Azam and Khan of Qalat, so that they can come out of the poverty and backwardness in its region. But Islamabad’s nearly every government has viewed their wish of development as mutiny and stiffness and have used the armed forces against them. The present movement of Balouch areas is the effect of this unjust behavior.

And now the demand has escalated from mere freedom of governing to the independence of Balouchistan. In order to get the attention of the government they started to do the target killing of Punjabis and other people in Balouchistan, now they have even started to attack Balouchs who do not approve them, while they continue to attack the security forces centers and travelers.

In response to this leaders of resistant movements are being kidnapped and are killed with violence and their bodies are being found every now and than in remote areas.

Balouch put the blame of this on security forces while government denies it. This violence and killings have not only been noticed by the country’s judiciary but some international organizations have also taken notice of it.

Government so far has been unsuccessful in stopping all this. Government announced Balouchistan package to uplift the economic and moral situation of the people in Balouchistan but none of Balouch leaders were taken in confidence for this package and on the other hand none of the points of this packages have actually started effectively.

“Angry brothers” and Balouch leaders have been invited for talks but only in media, there has been no real contacts with the Balouch leaders for this.

Nawaz Sharief of Muslim league Nonn met with some Balouch leaders and during his visit to Balouchista announced that his party will call a all parties conference on Balouchistn issue in Islamabad where nationalist leaders will also be invited however all leaders of the country when they visit Bouchistan they make promises but they forgt all about it whe they return home. Let us hope that Mian Nawaz sharief takes this issue seriously and takes some steps.

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The Sultan of the Samma dynasty in Thatta

Driving through the largest necropolis in the world — the historical Makli graveyard in Thatta — is like driving through different eras of ancient history: great kings representing several dynasties are buried here as along with great saints, scholars, philosophers and common men.

As we reached the far end of the Makli graveyard, we found an area that was more restored and preserved than the rest. Men laboured away with machines and tools at a beautiful, intricately carved tomb that was completely different from the others. This tomb belonged to Jam Nizamuddin II or, as he was popularly known, Jam Nindo — one of the greatest rulers of Sindh and the Sultan of the Samma dynasty.

Jam Nizammudin II reigned from 1461 to 1509 and, along with Sindh, ruled portions of Punjab and Balochistan as well. His rule is known as the golden age of the Samma dynasty as it is during this time that the legacy of the dynasty reached its peak.

He was known for his progressive ideals and his was a peaceful rule. He was a deeply religious man and was known for his pleasant disposition. His kingdom was based on strict Islamic rule where the welfare and safety of all was of paramount concern; travellers could pass through his land without being harmed. After his succession to the throne, he travelled with a large army to Bakkhar, rooting out troublemakers and robbers who had made the life of his people difficult.

Jam Nindo spent much of his time in discourse with learned men of his time. He was known seeker of knowledge. It is said diat Jalaluddin Rumi sent two of his pupils, Mir Shamsuddin and Mir Muin, to Thatta to arrange for his asylum. When Jam Nindo eame to know of this, he sent Rumi’s pupils back with a generous amount of money for Uavelling expenses and instructed them to return with Rumi immediately. He then ordered spacious, comfortable homes to be prepared for Rumi to live in. Unfortunately, by the time Mir Shamsuddin and Mir Muin reached Persia, Rumi had passed away.

During the latter part of Jam Nindo’s rule, a Mughal army from Kandahar under Shah Beg Arghun tried to invade parts of Jam Nindo’s empire. Under the command of his vizier, Darya Khan, Jam Nindo sent a large army to
Halukhar (Duruh-i-Kureeb back then) near Sibi and defeated the army — killing Shah Beg Arghun’s brother, Abu Muhammad Mirza in the fight. The Mughals retreated immediately and they never made another attempt at invasion as long as Jam Nindo ruled the area. Jam Nindo passed away soon after.

The Sindh Samma Welfare Organisation recently paid tribute to Jam Nindo on his 503rd death anniversary last year. Sindh Minister lor Culture, Sassui Palijo, announced on the occasion that the Urs of Jam Nindo would be officially organised by the Sindh Culture department diis year.

The elaborate and intricate carvings on the tomb of Jam Nindo are symbolic of Hindu architecture in the Gujrati style with a slight influence of Mughal imperial architecture. There is no dome on the tomb; the walls stop at the springing lines — a horizontal line between the springing of the arch. The tomb has been constructed with painstaking detail and is breathtaking to behold.

In conUast, there is a simple, unadorned tomb nearby that the locals say belongs to a pious woman whose prayers protected Thatta from invasion for as long as she was alive and after whom the graveyard was named: Mai Makli.

Behind the tomb you see wide patches of lush green — vegetation that has grown on what once used to be the bed of the River Indus when it still ran through Thatta and when Thatta was a major commercial and cultural hub of the Subcontinent.

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On changing the names of places in Lahore

Pakistan came into being only in 1947 however the roads buildings institutions parks and many other objects of civilization were built discovered and used by the common people much before the existence of Pakistan.

Immediately after the demise of founder of nation people in the country started to grab the names for themselves some started grabbing lands in the south and some started promoting religion in the way they felt right.

Not just the people started getting new names and conversion of people’s liberal beliefs to hardliner beliefs the buildings, parks and educational institutions were also renamed and were made to look like the new so called Muslim names.

Like every other religious and grabbing activity Punjab’s capital Lahore was ahead in the race of this conversion. The names of places which had some Hindu element were renamed to Muslim names. Kirshan Nagar and Dev Samaj areas were renamed to “Islam Pura” and Sant Nagar was renamed to “Sunnat Nagar” and later Sandha.

The Our Fall road was renamed to “Jeelani Road” a way to pay homage to Islami Scholar Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jeelani although his educations were buried in the locked libraries .

This change was not always Islamic but it also attacked on historical names the old Grand Trunk road in Lahore was renamed to founder of Pakistan’s name “Shahrae Quaid-e-Azam” the road infront of Punjab assembly was renamed from Queen’s road to Fatima Jinnah road. The Jail Road was renamed to Allama Iqbal road and Davis road was renamed to “Sir Aga Kha road” however nor the values and teachings of these great men and woman were adopted not the names of these roads completely vanished people still call these places by their old names.

On the same Mall Road is the National College of arts which got its Pakistani name from “Meo School of Arts”.

Tempbell Street was give the name of the founder of Daily Nawai Waqt Hameed Nizami. This change of names was also brought on to the Parks the Lawrence garden of Lahore was renamed to “Baghe Jinnah” due to change of name of the nearby library from Montgomery Hall to Quaid E Azam Library.

The historical Munto Park was renamed to Iqbal Park and the Race Course park on Lawrence road was renamed on the name of Lt. Retired Ghulam Jeelani Khan, who was the Governor of Punjabi during the government of Ziaul Haq, as Jeelani Park

Javed Sheeda who is the representative of Parks and Horticulture Authority says that it is a time consuming and hard job to see when why were these names changed. One will need to check the old files to see how and on what grounds were the names kept and renamed .

Mukhtar Ahmed who has lived in Lahore since 60 years is against this process of changing the names. The old were given to these places for the good service of the men who served people in this country. According to him if the government wanted to remember its national heroes there are many other platforms. The textbooks of children are full of stories from the past of Pakistan and its making. What is the fault of the pre-Pakistan heroes if the young generation can not taken any lesson from those text of the books and follow their leaders.

Lahore has seen changed names for many buildings and places but there are still many objects whose names are not yet changed for example some of these are called and used by Lahoris with pride. For example Lady Wellington Hospital, Gulab Devi Hospital, Gangaram Hospital, Meo hospital. Also the Dayal Singh college Queen Marry College, Canair College and Atchison’s College. Are saved from the renaming.

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Situation in Pakistan in 2012 – An overview

The year 2011 began with usual terrorist attacks and target killings in Karachi however as this year ends now we se that there has been a significant decrease in the number of killings due to terrorist activities. In 2011 a total of 4500 people were killed these include common people in streets police and security personal, military and the terrorists themselves. Comparing to year 2010 this figure is about 3000 people less which is although can not be said good but it is certainly a positive sign. This figure was 11600 in 2009 so actually there is a gradual decline in the terrorism.

How will the year 2012 shape this scene and what could be the causes of this reduction and overall reduction in terrorist attacks in the country. Mr. Zafar Hilali who is a columnist for daily times and the News international says that one reason for this reduction in the killings can be that our detection of terrorists has improved a bit and the there is more awareness among people towards this issue. An other reason may be the the country has shifted from the policy of using force alone towards talks with the terrorists. Another reason in Mr. Zafar Hilali’s opinion may be that the terrorists have weaken n the course of time for example their funding is becoming scarce due to back channel money transfer systems like hundy & Hawala have been controlled. You can see the increase in looting of Banks recently in the country, this can be related to this very fact.

Dr. Mutahir Sheikh has a different point of view in this regards. He thinks that the command and controll system of Al-Qaida has weaken this may be due to the death of Osama Bin Laden also we need to see the reports which show that Al-Qaida is shifting from North Waziristan towards Africa. On Taliban Side according to Dr. Mutahir Sheikh the drone attacks in the north western Pakistan have definitely made a collateral damage to Taliban’s command and control system. Many of the people involved in these activities have actually been killed in these attacks. Another thing is the worldwide diplomatic efforts to bring Taliban to talk is also a factor for example Taliban is opening office in Qatar and Germany is going to solicit talks with them is a sentential effect of the damage to Taliban which has forced them to come on the table.

According to Mazhar Abbas who is a journalist in Pakistan terrorists may have changed their strategy for eample in 2010 they has suffered a huge damage. They hav enow become selective in their attacks this may also be due to the feeling among the supporters of Taliban that killing common people is not justified in this war. Taliban may be feeling that killing common men may be against their ideology and may this is the reason that now they have agreed for negotiations and Pakistan’s establishment also has a role in this.

On the other hand we can also see that on one hand there is reduction in the attacks on both sies and on the other hand both America & Pakistan seem to be having conflicts and are literally going far apart from each other. According to Mr. Zafar Ilahi it actually a myth to say that Americans have eradicated Taliban from Afghanistan and have forced them to come on table. In Mr. Ilahi’s opinion it is a porpaganda from the American because they want to get out of the region and will leave by saying that they have accomplished their mission in the region but they could not eliminate the safe heavens of terrorists in Pakistan.

The drift with the US is actually a success for Pakistan as if we an part with the US than these elements which are fueling this war on terror will get eliminated and Taliban will come forward for talks for peace.

If we look at the past decade we can see that terrorism has increased in these years rather than decreasing. There are scores of groups of terrorist organization which did not exist before 9/11 and each group has its own strategy so in fact the world war on terror has actually failed. Even though the number of killings in Pakistan have reduced significantly still the anti-American sentiment has increased in Pakistan so we can say that the war on terror has actually failed.

The anti-American sentiment in Pakistan has been there since 1964 but if you look at the 2002 the electoral power of religious political parties was not as much as it is today. If you look at the number of people in the public gatherings of these parties there is a huge increase there.

Another interesting fact is that there is no definition of War of Terror yet the UN body has not come to consensus to define the “War on Terror”

According to Dr. Mutahis Shaikh there has been a big defeat for the terrorist elements after the 2009 on both political and strategic fronts. The main reason for them to come for talk is that the government of Northern Alliance in Afghanistan is supported worldwide. Turkey has offered the most support to it and Turkey is a good friend of Pakistan. All the other parties are trying to give this situation a regional aspect where as Pakistan’s security establishment is trying to give it a look of country based issue, there is where the biggest problem arises. This is also one of the reason why there is tension between civil and military establishments of Pakistan. This is the reason that Pakistan’s security establishment is trying to show that they are now against the US and so on. The political or civil establishment realizes that divorce with American is not going to be that easy hence this is where the problem lies.

Based on the facs above Zafari Hilali believes that US should simply declere that they are indeed leaving in 2014 or if they will leave few thousands of their troops in the fortifications, which they have built, after 2014. If they say they will leve their few thousand people than these Taliban forces will keep fighting, and it wil not be possible that the Pushtoons on Pakistan will not go and not help The Taliban in Afghanistan. So it all depends on the US because the motivational force is the US.

So basically 2012 will also be the same unless US brings about some change.

According to Mutahr sheikh we must go back to history to see what will effect the situation in 2012 we must see that since 1954 and 955 when Pakistan went to Sito Cento what was the reason, it was the “Central role of Pakistan in the middle east situation” traditional we have always done in middle East what US wanted us to do. Today situation is exactly the same. It is difficult to understand if Pakistan can take any stance without the Americans in the the Middle East. According to Dr. Mutahir the things will remain same in 2012 and the main key will be in Rawalpindi If Pakistan goes with the world as it is clear and agreed than things will get better but if it does some thing different than things could get worst.

According to Mazhar Abbas whether terrorist activities increase or not but fundamentalism is definitely on the rise the direction of Rawalpindi that is referred seems to be going back rather than forward, which is a dangrous trend. This means that if Pakistan goes back to the position of before 9/11 than we are not taking in view he hings happening around us. Although it depends on the Pakistan’s establishment but according to Mazhar Abbas hings do not look to good in the beginning of 2012

By Jamal Panhwar

The facts and figures are from a discussion program of BBC Urdu with Mr. Wusatullah Khan.

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Mountaineers Viktor Kozlov heading to K2 in winter

ISLAMABAD, Dec 13: Viktor Kozlov and his team of veteran mountain climbers have a reputation of achieving what no man has ever accomplished before this year they are heading for K2 in winter.

The 16-member expedition team is in Pakistan after five years to climb K2 in winter, an almost unthinkable mission that too on K2 which has a history of losing one out of four climbers even during summer. If the expedition is successful, it would be first ever summit on K2 in winter.

In 201 a team of Polish, British and Canadian climbers had attempted a similar climb but failed.

Another expedition through China also remained unsuccessful, however this will be 2nd attempt to climb K2 in winter from Pakistan side.

In 2010, an expedition involving three climbers from Italy and Russia successfully reached the summit of Gasherbrum II during the winter sea-son. Considered to be the toughest team in the mountaineering world, the Russian K2 Winter Expedition led by Viktor Kozlov, a veteran mountaineer and explorer, is here for three months and will attempt to climb in two months and 15 days.

The team, a blend of engineers, scientists, guides and experienced mountaineers, has a long list of achievements collectively as well as individually.

“The team always attempts the hardest, never climbed and straight routes on the world’s highest peaks,” said Viktor Kozlov during a departure ceremony at the Sports Complex on Tuesday.

Their first attempt was in 2001 when they climbed the 8,414 metres high Lhoste in Nepal taking a direct route. The second was the world’s tallest 8,848 metres Mount Everest, which was suc-

successfully attempted in 2004 through a new route known as Central North Wall. In 2007 their target was K2′s West Wall, a straight direct walk where they successfully reached the summit through a route never attempted before.

If Viktor Kozlov team successfully climbs K2, it would be yet another record of climbing the world’s toughest mountain in a harsh winter.

“We are expecting 25 to 30 degree below Celsius temperature at the base camp. Weather is predictable there in normal days but unstable towards the end of December and January. Wherever we find a window we will attempt to reach the summit,” said Vitaliy Gorelik.

The team has never climbed in extreme cold weather conditions outside Russia. They will attempt this particular climb without oxygen tanks on December 24.

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Lost, found and lost – Article on British architecture

RUNNING the risk of sounding trite, let’s revisit the same premise: Karachi has countless buildings made at the time when Pakistan had not been carved out of India. Some are readily recognizable which is why they hold a special position in the city’s architectural profile — the Sindh High Court, the Sindh Assembly, the State Bank of Pakistan, Hindu Gymkhana, Mohatta Palace, Quaid-i-Azam House, Mules Mansion, the BVS School etc, to name a few.

Then there are buildings that students of history and architecture hold dear, and are not as commonly known as structures in the category mentioned above — Bristol Hotel, the Karachi Goan Association Hall and Commissioner’s House being a few examples.

A majority of old buildings built in colonial times lie in densely populated localities and bazaars. They are inhabited either by the people who reside in them or by businessmen who use these structures as their offices. These can be spotted only through a detailed (on foot, mind you) visit to the vicinities where they stand. This helps understand what kind of architectural richness Karachi once had, and yet it was not very in-your-face.

However, there is a big number of per-partition pieces of stone masonry which, in spite of them being placed in prominent neighborhoods, get inadvertently (in some cases knowingly) overlooked. This overlooking can be ascribed either to the disharmony that exists around them or to sheer ignorance. But once you discover these beauties, you have only yourself to blame for not chancing upon them earlier.

Karachiites visit the area around the old (campus) NED University’s Department of Architecture and Planning and Burnes Road on a regular basis. No matter what section of society they come from or what part of the city the denizens belong to, they cannot take their eyes off the DJ Science College Building or the magnificent chimney in one comer of the NED University.

If you are headed towards Burnes Road and the chimney falls on your left, do not cross the traffic signal and wait for a moment. A sea of people and a bevy of vehicles can drive you crazy. Patience is the key. You will turn left to reach the university’s gate, do not do that. Stay at a point where Deen Mohammad Wafai Road intersects left and right, back and straight (towards Burnes Road). You are likely to see a wonderful building, on whose ground storey there is a bank and some shops try and belie its age. It has an off-white shade, which may not be the colour of the stone used in its construction. The structure is, as told by a senior shopkeeper, called Gidumal Building.

Gidumal Building is a two-storey lovely work of art on whose roof nice balustrades are more than visible. The rectilinear windows, some open, some appear to be shut for a long time, are good to look at; and the stone, which is the mainstay of its built, seems to be pretty strong. It is the first building that you will see if you head towards the fresco signal, and opposite it (on the right side) is a huge, not in use, building, Shafqat House, the most prominent feature of which is a big, cracked dome on top. Those who love architecture will surely feel saddened to have a look at it, since it comes across as a facility ravaged by some kind of man-made or natural calamity. Let’s stick to the side where Gidumal Building is, and move in the direction which leads to the NED gate.

The structure to Gidumal’s left is small in size, and is quite different in makeup. It has arched openings and the front of the building has been stuffed, nay closed with cement bricks, as if to block entrance. There are stories attached to this building not meant for the faint-hearted, so we shall not cause their hearts uncalled-for trouble.

Next up, and you can see it while standing at the university’s entrance, is Alfalah Building. Again, it is not easy to ascertain whether that is its maiden name. Though it is nothing like the above-mentioned two structures, it is clearly em oldie (with bigger balconies) which needs to be looked after.

Architect Noman Ahmed says: “Basically these were residential buildings, and some 10 years ago warehousing activity gained impetus here because a printing market exists nearby. A few buildings on this road have also been lying abandoned. We have often tried to contact the people concerned so that their property could be restored, to no avail.”

Sometimes it sounds rather tasteless to finish off a write-up with a quotation. The following line by Richard Meier is one such utterance: “An important work of architectur e will create polemics.” Mr Meier could not have been more wrong. Karachi’s neglected works of architecture have failed to create any polemics whatsoever. Reason: no one gives a darn about them.

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Pakistan a paradise for mountaineers Says Nazir Sabir

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is a paradise for the mountaineers of the world and needs special global attention to facilitate the climbers around the world to benefit from this opportunity.

This was stated by the world renowned Pakistani mountaineer Nazir Sabir while giving a talk on his K2 and Everest climbs and the mountain heritage in Pakistan at Pakistan High Commission, London, said a press release issued here on Thursday.

The neglect of such facilities, he said would give room to anti-social elements to exploit the poor and vulnerable population of the region.

This neglect amounts to denying the climbers and lovers of this sport the opportunity to attempt the most challenging mountainous region on earth, he added.

There is need, he emphasized to develop and improve the infrastructure around this region to attract and facilitate the climbers.

In his enthralling hour-long presentation embellished with stunning imagery Nazir Sabir explained the unique details of the 1977 expedition to K-2 covering its geology, sociology and history. He also briefed the audience of his success to reach the highest mountain of the world Mount Everest in 2001.

The event was attended by media persons, members of Pakistani society and the British society.

Mr. Nazir Sabir was invited by Mr. Doug Scott the world renowned Himalayan climber from England to be part of the special event on K2 called “First on K2″ where all those climbers who were lucky to have climbed a new route on K2 and were still around to tell the story of the success.

So far he has delivered his talks at the UK’s prestigious institutions like Natural History Museum Oxford, Royal Geographical Society London, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Riady Theatre Napier University Edinburgh and Kendal Mountain Festival London. He is scheduled to meet the Queen on December 8, along with other mountaineers.

The event was also attended by climbers from USA and Japan. After the event Mr Nazir Sabir Mr Doug, Mr. Jim Wickwire went on a series of talks to other places

Mr Nazir Sabir also gave his presentations at four others places during the visit and also in a few schools and colleges and the Pakistan community at Bradford.

About Mountain K2

The mountain K-2 with an altitude of 8611 meters is known as the “Savage Mountain” because of its difficult climb and extreme cold conditions.

K2 (also known as Savage Mountain, Mountaineer’s Mountain, Mount Godwin-Austen, Balti: Chogori and Sarikoli: Mount Qogir) is the second-highest mountain on Earth, after Mount Everest. With a peak elevation of 8,611 m (28,251 feet), K2 is part of the Karakoram Range, and is located on the border[2] between Baltistan, in Gilgit-Baltistan of Pakistan-administered Kashmir and the Taxkorgan Tajik Autonomous County of Xinjiang, China.[3][note] It is more hazardous to reach K2 from the Chinese side; thus, it is mostly climbed from the Pakistani side.

K2 is known as the Savage Mountain due to the difficulty of ascent and the second-highest fatality rate among the “eight thousanders” for those who climb it. For every four people who have reached the summit, one has died trying.[4] Unlike Annapurna, the mountain with the highest fatality rate, K2 has never been climbed in winter.

About Mr. Nazir Sabir

Mr. Nazir Sabir is a mountain climber from Hunza Pakistan where he was born and brought up. Over two decades he has achieved many successes including the distinction of having climbed four of the five 8000m peaks in Pakistan including the K2 (8616m) the world’s second highest mountain that too via a new route – the West Ridge/SSW Ridge in 1981.

On May 17, 2000 he was also also successful in climbing the summit of Everest becoming the first Pakistani to scale the roof of the world.

He earned the prestigious President’s Award for Pride of Performance in 1982 and The Sitara-i-Imtiaz (Star of Distinction) in 2001 for his outstanding achievements in mountaineering. He was also elected as representative to the Northern Area Legislative Council from Hunza district, in the October 1994 elections and was appointed Advisor on Education and Tourism to the government.

He runs an adventure travel business in Pakistan under the name of “Nazir Sabir Expeditions”

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