Pakistan Quarters

Re: # 22
I totally agree that the well off Muhajirs must do somethig for the social and economic uplift of the Muhajirs. However, you must clearly state your suggestions in this regard. One way is to canvass for their rights, which certainly have been denied to them. Another is to motivate them to get the eucation, skills, and knowledge, to help most of them struggle to achieve their rightful place in the mainstream of life in Pakistan. I think that most of the problems are not because of parochialism, but because too few are siphoning too much of the resources.
tariqz

Re: # 23
Following are some suggestions in this regard. After doing some research on lower and middle class Urdu speakers, I have these ideas in mind.........

* Karachi n Hyderabad shud be made a separate province.
* Huge inflow of people from other parts into Karachi be checked n controlled.
* Muhajirs shud have the courage to reject MQM and find a new party which is truly representative of them and which actually fights for their rights in a peaceful manner.
* Rich Muhajirs shud initiate massive economic and social uplift program for their fellow poor Muhajirs.

Anyone has knowledge of how india and its incoming refugees( from newly formed Pakistan) experienced and by now adjusted ....

After all pakistan is not the only country in History to have had mass movement of people across borders ..more recently Bosnia and i guess palestenians come to mind

Re: # 4
Yes you are right, but why do the immigrants to India keep on asserting how well they have been assimilated, and how nationalists they are?. Perhaps you can enlighten me aout that.
tariqz

Mohajirs were/are the establishment....!! Period.


80-85% of them are/were in the Govt Jobs.



the Rizvis, jafris, siddiques,Nomanis, ...quereshis....etc..etc..etc...etc..and...etc.

in every Govt Department.


and with 70% concentrated in Sind , especially karachi, created a Unique Urban/Rural Divde.....which is no where else in Pakisstan.

the remaining 30% , have well assimilated and integrated themselves in the core Pakisani Life....without any problem.

with so much concentration in One City, and along with dying punjabi beaurucray , ZA Bhutto tried to bring a sembelance of Balance , viz-a viz representation in the Govt, hence
the dreaded and notorious Quota System....

which Cut deep in their traditional occupations of Govt Jobs, created resentment.....hence the sense of vicimhood.... hence resentiment which took militant form under Altaf.


Result.... 2 generations of Youth of Karachi, has been crimnalized.

I agree with #1, particularly the last para. The MQM part is a bit incoungrous here, and the author would have done well by dispensing with it in favour of highlighting some prominent personalities who became prominent later. Besides, MQM had its origins in Liaquatabad and not Pakistan Quarters which was home to some very educated and eminent families.

I was raised a Pakistani first. Grandson of the so-call mohajirs, I feel offended by this article. It started off ok but ended with mindless encomium of MQM.

I should not be saying this but if this Muhajir is having difficulty fitting in, I think he should do what the leader of MQM did whose pictures have appeared naturally on betel leaves, tree trunks etc. As followers of MQM blindly chanted, `Hamein manzil nahin rahnuma chahiyay`; i think you should follow your leader because he surely has found his `manzil`.

In its heydey, Pir Altaf Bhai commanded blind following like Malcolm X. He could have asked the community to setup industries, universities, colleges etc and mohajirs including myself would have poured their hearts out. But what he did was destroy a generation, make themselves a terrorist organization and mercenaries, forced employers to hire incompetent employees who just went there to collect salaries, propounded the bhatta `extortion` culture etc.

It goes to credit of Mustafa `Kudaal` Kamal and his predecessor Naimatullah Khan that they started development projects in this ignored city of Karachi. If it was not for Naimatullah`s legacy and MQM`s fear of permanently losing Karachi to Jamatis, they would not have worked on development and would have done what they do best: thrive in lawlessness.

Re: # 1
Sorry for offending you, but who said anything about Altaf being my leader. You see too much in my article. About your suggestion about following somebody abroad, the thought never occured to me. Anyway, I have been there, and found out that there is no place like your home, and no better people to live with than those with whom you have been living with since your childhood. Your suggestion anyway smacks of worst form of chauvinism. Some people have taken up the burden of deciding who can live in this beautiful country, and who cannot without truly understanding the dynamics of nation building, and the crucial role immigrants can play, in making a nation great. Just look at U.S.A. which was made great by immigrants, and the journey goes on.
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