Chiragh Beautifully expressed sentiments, very touching. My condolences on the loss of your dear friend, I`m sure he remembers you well too.

Love is there Beautifully expressed sentiments. Makes one realize how precious every moment can be if we only learn to appreciate it. A very moving poem.

A Letter to the Prime Minister of Pakistan Angry Pakistan student lodges India N-test complaint

ISLAMABAD, May 14 (Reuters) - A Pakistani student complaining of spiritual distress has filed a complaint against India`s Prime Minister for conducting nuclear tests and says he will sue Pakistan`s Prime Minister if he follows suit.

Police said 21-year-old Akhtar Abbas, doing a masters degree in chemistry at a Lahore college, filed a written complaint against the five nuclear tests carried out by India on Monday and Wednesday.

Abbas said in his complaint against Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee that the tests had caused him ``spiritual, physical and financial distress,`` and cited the effect of nuclear explosions on life and its impact on global warming.

Later he told reporters that he would sue Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan`s top nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan if Islamabad exploded its first nuclear device.

Successive Pakistani governments have said they have the capacity to carry out a nuclear test but have refrained from doing so to keep a lid on tension with India, with whom it has fought three wars since 1947.

``I will definitely sue Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan for precisely the same reasons,`` he said.

Police said there was no example of such a complaint before and it would have to consult its legal department on how to deal with a ``criminal complaint against the Indian Prime Minister.``

India`s underground tests have provoked global condemnation and the United States has imposed economic sanctions estimated by the White House to be worth more than $20 billion.

India tests three nuclear devices Wasiq,

I agree with the gist of the letter. Count me in.

I`ll be back later with some feedback though.

On a slightly different facet of this issue, here`s an interesting website detailing Pakistan`s nuclear program/capabilities:

http://cns.miis.edu/pubs/npr/kochtopping.html

India tests three nuclear devices The pressure from the hawks within the Pakistani political and military establishment to respond in kind will become unbearable. The knee-jerk reaction is to respond immediately, however, I hope cooler heads will prevail.

Pakistan cannot afford to get sucked into an arms race, but its caught between a rock and a hard place. The price for attaining a military balance is too high, as pointed out by SR.

This development does not bode well economically for either country.

For those in the Boston area, there`s a lecture on this issue by Professor Pervez Hoodbhoy, ``Where is the India-Pakistan Nuclear & Missle Race Heading``, at MIT tonight (May 12, 1998). I believe the timing is purely coincidental, otherwise I`m sure the Pakistani and Western intelligence community is actively wooing him by now :-)

Time: 7:00PM
Location: Building 1-190 (I`m told it is somewhere off Memorial Drive)

Sponsored by:

Program in Science, Technology, and Society
Pakistani Students Society at MIT
Alliance for a Secular & Democratic South Asia

Intolerance in Official Practice Thank you for bringing into stark relief the discrepancy between Jinnah`s vision of Pakistan and the current reality, I liked the juxtaposition in the article.

This insidious practice of the government is just another form of persecution of the Ahmedis. There have been instances of where Ahmedis/Qadianis have been imprisoned because they declared themselves to be muslims but then were ``caught`` at the airport trying to board a flight to go attend their annual ``jalsa`` overseas. Some of the other forms of discrimination/persecution include: Ahmadis can’t call their place of worship a masjid and are forced to erase the Kalma from their masjids. Just like the current government has legitimized extrajudicial killings under the Anti Terrorism Act (ATA), the same way it, and previous governments, has ``legalized`` the declaration of Ahmedis/Qadianis as non-muslims. (The Hudood Ordinance and Blasphemy laws are additional examples of legislation used to discriminate against women, minorities and other weaker members of Pakistani society)

One could argue that why don’t Ahmedis/Qadianis simply declare themselves non-muslims. Well, we all know the fate of most non-muslims in Pakistan. They have little or no representation in the political life of the country, thanks to the fixed number of few seats in the Assemblies; another example of official discrimination and oppression of the religious minorities.

(An aside: How does a ``non-muslim`` calling himself/herself a muslim weaken the faith of a ``true muslim``?)

This propaganda against the Ahmedis is not only confined to the realm of religion. Their loyalty to the country is constantly called into question. Every once in a while one hears calls for the ouster/purge of all Ahmedis/Qadianis from the government. This community has proudly served the interests of the country through individuals such as Sir Zafarullah Khan (Pakistan’s foreign minister and ambassador to the UN) and Dr. Abdus Salam, and many other unrecognized individuals.

While the elimination of these statements from the passport application would be a small victory, quite frankly, the question of religion needs to be eliminated entirely. Pressure needs to be applied on the government by various human rights groups, both Ahmedis/Qadiani and non-Ahmedi/Qadiani government officials and ordinary citizens. As some of the readers have already stated, not signing the statement would be a good start.

Anymore ideas, anyone?

Incidently, Ahmedis/Qadianis successfully thwarted an attempt to have them declared non-muslims in South Africa.

Sex Everywhere To the author(AA):

Rape, domestic violence and non-consensual sex in marriage occur in every society - as does consensual sex in and outside marriage, which is very different from the first 3 that have to do with power and dominance . Certain societies, like the Pakistani one, like to bury their head in the sand and prefer to believe in the illusion that Pakistan truly is the Land of the Pure. Thank you for shattering this illusion and raising our awareness.

What I am interested in is what can we - people in and outside the country - do to improve this deplorable situation? When it comes to crimes, any crimes, not just domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, there are often two approaches to dealing with them. One is strategic (long term - proactive), dealing with issues of prevention and the other is tactical(short term/immediate - reactive), dealing with issues of recourse. A strategic approach often prescribes the usual remedies for reforming society through improved literacy & education; creating an awareness of human rights (particularly those of women - it would be nice not to have to make that distinction and sound redundant) and implementing judicial and police reform. In other words, a structural reform of society is advocated to prevent/reduce crimes. Tactical approaches are often responses to the needs of the victims of the crime, providing legal, medical & psychological support. Both are equally important.

I would like to know from you, AA (and other readers), how can I help Pakistan in a concrete manner using these two approaches? I would very much like to get involved in groups (NGOs, Human Rights groups, etc.) to treat the root cause (lack of awareness, etc. ) and symptoms (rape, etc) of this breakdown in civil society (assuming that one ever existed). Can you (or anyone else) suggest names of organizations in the US, Pakistan or elsewhere, and how one can get involved?

Upon the return of a Desi Re. Sabrina,

``Accent does not presuppose proper usage of the English language.``

I agree with you. However, the perception is that people from non-english speaking countries don`t speak english properly. Case in point, a person speaking grammatically incorrect english with a perfect British (Australian, et al) accent is often perceived to be speaking the language ``properly`` - even in the US. Take a desi in the US who speaks grammatically correct english with a ``foreign`` accent and he/she is invariably perceived as not speaking correctly.

Incidently, the reverse is also true. That is, Pakistanis often judge a person`s command of Urdu (and English) by his/her accent. Punjabis and Pathans (and other ethnic groups and westerners) are often criticized for not speaking Urdu correctly.

I think most people adopt accents (however artificial) out of a neccessity to be understood and to avoid repeating themselves - it is a matter pragmatism, atleast in the US.

Sadly, in life, sometimes style is given more importance than substance.

The Rape of Khairpur University Mr. Bhutta,

I found the account of your father`s dedication to the field of education very moving and inspirational. The world needs more people like him. May God bless him and his family.

Defending Pakistan I whole heartedly endorse Rehan Rizvi`s point of view. The imbalance we need to correct is that between military spending and social development expenditure. The greater threat to Pakistan’s national security is the absence of human and economic development, and good governence. What is needed is internal security, a war on economic, social and political decay, if you will. The overwhelming majority of the people of Pakistan don’t have the basic necessities of life: access to potable water, basic healthcare & nutrition, education and jobs. I could state all the depressing human development indices, but I am sure you are aware of them. The procurement, or indigenous development, of the latest and greatest military hardware doesn’t improve any of these basic necessities. Pursuing the course you suggest merely exacerbates an already pathetic situation. If we don’t provide the basics, there will be nothing to defend from any external threat. India faces similar problems and has no intention to take on more of the same by occupying Pakistan.

The loss of East Pakistan is no ones fault but ours, and ours alone. India merely capitalized on a situation that we created thanks to the arrogance of the politicians and people of West Pakistan. If I were India, and I wanted to destroy Pakistan, I would continue to force Pakistan into an arms race that bleeds it dry economically. Even though Pakistan’s total military expenditure is less than India’s, per person, Pakistan spends about 4 times what India does. If we continue with this escalation in spending we are sure to slide into an abyss. This strategy proved to be highly successful for the US against the USSR. At the end of the cold war there was no USSR left.

It’s about time we woke up to the reality that we can never achieve military and economic parity with India. What is need is for us to put our house in order by setting our priorities straight. Establish peaceful relations with our neighbors through diplomatic and economic ties, reduce the military expenditure and fund social sector development with the savings.

For me, national pride is not a matter of who has more bombs and rockets. I am proud to be a peace loving Pakistani.

Pre-Eid Fireworks in Pakistan Adil Khan, I couldn`t agree with you more. My sentiments exactly.

Of Vista Points and Immortality Monis,

Thank you for a very touching and poignant story. I liked the imagery. I am glad to see someone put things in perspective as the inertia of everyday life consumes us. As someone once said, ``life is what`s happening while we are planning for it`` (or something like that).

An aside: the story made me nostalgic for San Francisco and the Bay area. I spent a summer in Berkeley about 13 years ago, your story makes me want to go back ... some day, some day ...

Please spare the poor animals this Eid! Wasiq,

A very good article. I understand where you`re coming from. In my opinion, I don`t think you are offending Islam in any way. We should never stop asking ``why``.

To me the spirit of Qurbani is more important than the ritual. Especially when the ritual can`t be sustained in an appropriate manner in a country like Pakistan. I personally feel it is better to make a personal sacrifice - aid charities, communities and various causes with ones time & money, etc. - rather than follow a ritual for the sake of tradition (and yes, dare I say it, even religion). Like BG said, let God decide who`s a good Muslim. On a personal note, my family has never had a Qurbani performed, we prefer to donate funds at a mosque - I don`t think that makes us bad, or good, Muslims. I think it is harmless, hygenic, and more importantly, it helps people who don`t have the proper amenities to prepare and store meat. Just my opinion.

Traditions are often old solutions to old problems, but change is constant.

An Alternative Seems like a Viking funeral is a cremation for two with a lot of pomp & circumstance - I can see why one would be attracted to it. Personally, I too would prefer a cremation to a burial, followed by a New Orleans funeral. What can I say, I want the best of both types of rituals :-)

Water Buffaloes Absolutely hilarious!! Loved the tempo of the story, very very funny indeed. You have brilliantly captured the essence of the ``desi on the prowl``.

Searching for Answers Farouq:

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences and observations. I think you bring some very pertinent concerns to the fore. Thanks for stimulating a much needed debate.

I second the call for examining every aspect of Islam. However, at the risk of going off on a tangent, I have another question, one that Ibne Sina does allude to:

Is Pakistani identity and culture inherently an islamic one, partition history notwithstanding? I find that whenever one questions the statusquo, or suggests reformation of Pakistani society (or communities overseas), one invariably talks about reinterpretation of Islam - which, as I have already said, I am all for. I am curious to know whether non-muslims of Pakistani origin living overseas feel maladjusted or ``coerced`` to conform to a Pakistani culture that people couch in Islamic ``traditions``.