Police Negligence in Paras Shah Murder Case

When someone's loved one dies, his heirs are like broken bones, especially the parents.

At this time, the parents and family members of Syed Paras Shah, who was killed in a mysterious manner in Hyderabad, are also going through the same situation. He was killed in his own house.  The police is hesitant and failed to arrest the murderer.  Who will take actions against bandits?

Paras Shah will be ordinary in the eyes of anyone, but the sophisticated and intelligent class of Sindh considers him special, because he is the son of that great personality, who has a great name in the field of Sindhi literature and broadcasting and even today if anything.  Go back to the past and focus on the mind that a powerful voice and a beautiful face like Syed Makan Shah Rizvi will be in front of everyone, who is currently lying in bed with a serious illness. When, it has been told that his son Paras was brutally murdered, what would be his mental condition?  Or when the dead body of his young son came in front of his mother, what agony would she have gone through?  That's why we say that parents die alive in such incidents. The video on social media makes everyone cry, in which Syed Pars Shah's mother cries over his death, but unfortunately no one helps them.  As a result, his sister and famous artist Sahar Shah Rizvi has to go out on the streets for his brother along with his family members and well wishers.

In the murder case of Paras Shah, who was killed in the jurisdiction of Bhittai Nagar police station of Qasimabad, the police's recklessness can be gauged from the fact that only those evidences were not collected from the place of death, which would have been the biggest leads.  It would have been understandable if the police officers of the police station of a backward area would have done so, but this is the police of Hyderabad, the second largest city of Sindh, which has to be investigated in a modern way.  The police say that there is no evidence of beatings on Pars Shah in the medical report, but the whole media is witnessing the blood flowed at the place where the body was found.  

 We regret that the police of Bhittai Nagar police station of Hyderabad have been showing irresponsibility in the murder case of Pars Shah since the first day, which is a sad and condemnable act.  By this time, the killers should have been arrested and their families should have been arrested, but from his silence, it seems that all the police officers from the bottom to the top do not realize what their responsibilities are!  Therefore, instead of appealing to them, we will request the IG Sindh to conduct a full investigation into the murder case of Paras 

Pakistan's diplomatic efforts at Doha

 

By Dr Noorjahan

Pakistan's efforts in countering terrorism in the region is exemplary. Since, Afghan turmoi India has always tried to promote terrorism in Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is not alarming to see that the United States (US) media and its think tanks are criticizing Pakistan for the affairs of Afghanistan. Different think tanks including the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) are criticizing Pakistan for its failures in Afghanistan. This propaganda is nothing new and there is no need to worry about it. It was quite normal and I was expecting it a long ago even before the fall of Kabul at the hands of the Taliban. It is a reality that the Taliban defeated a superpower of this century with very few resources in their hands.

It wasn’t surprising for me when I read the criticism of the US think tank on Pakistan in the ongoing scenario of Afghanistan. Just remember the pictures that went viral on social media when the Taliban took over Kabul last year. The Taliban fighters were seen in ordinary dresses while a US soldier was dressed up in a proper military uniform with the complete gear of war. There was a huge difference in the cost between what a Taliban fighter was wearing and what a US soldier had. The US was spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan with a huge deployment of soldiers there. But, what happened in Afghanistan? History has witnessed that the Taliban defeated all the western powers with very limited resources. So, the reaction of these think tanks is quite normal because they lost a war here even after spending billions of dollars.

It was quite obvious that the western media will blame Pakistan for its failure in Afghanistan. Now, they are trying to damage the repute of Pakistan through their negative propaganda and putting the onus on us. Attempts are being made by the western world to hold Pakistan responsible for the Afghan fiasco. But the story is altogether different and every sane mind believes that Pakistan is the country that always played its role in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Pakistan is an important and responsible regional player and it knows its worth too. Just have a look at the maiden visit of Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister to the United States. He was warmly welcomed there because the US knows very well the significance of Pakistan in the region. It was Pakistan that played the key role in Doha Talks that took place between the US and the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan prepared and convinced the Afghan Taliban to sit with the US at the negotiating table which ultimately paved the way for the US exit from the Afghan land. It is also a matter of fact that US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad first used to land in Islamabad before going to Kabul. He was an eyewitness to the Doha Talks and therefore he was very well aware of Pakistan’s role in signing that historical document.

(The writer is Karachi based Post Doctorate who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist).

 

Why Pakistan Blamed for US Failures in Afghanistan!

  

By Dr Noorjahan

US being a military superpower failed to win the Afghanistan war as there were fundamental strategic problems that resulted in the present circumstances. The US was sure of winning the 20 years long war but smoothly taking over most of the Afghan soil and falling of quick Afghan government by the Taliban was not expected. There was a huge criticism seen on President Joe Biden’s decision on the end of military presence and withdrawal of logistics.

When I read the criticism of the US think tank on Pakistan in the ongoing scenario of Afghanistan. Just remember the pictures that went viral on social media when the Taliban took over Kabul last year. The Taliban fighters were seen in ordinary dresses while a US soldier was dressed up in a proper military uniform with the complete gear of war. There was a huge difference in the cost between what a Taliban fighter was wearing and what a US soldier had. The US was spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan with a huge deployment of soldiers there. But, what happened in Afghanistan? History has witnessed that the Taliban defeated all the western powers with very limited resources. So, the reaction of these think tanks is quite normal because they lost a war here even after spending billions of dollars.

It was quite obvious that the western media will blame Pakistan for its failure in Afghanistan. Now, they are trying to damage the repute of Pakistan through their negative propaganda and putting the onus on us. Attempts are being made by the western world to hold Pakistan responsible for the Afghan fiasco. But the story is altogether different and every sane mind believes that Pakistan is the country that always played its role in bringing peace and stability to Afghanistan. Pakistan is an important and responsible regional player and it knows its worth too. Just have a look at the maiden visit of Pakistan’s new Foreign Minister to the United States. He was warmly welcomed there because the US knows very well the significance of Pakistan in the region. It was Pakistan that played the key role in Doha Talks that took place between the US and the Afghan Taliban. Pakistan prepared and convinced the Afghan Taliban to sit with the US at the negotiating table which ultimately paved the way for the US exit from the Afghan land. It is also a matter of fact that US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad first used to land in Islamabad before going to Kabul. He was an eyewitness to the Doha Talks and therefore he was very well aware of Pakistan’s role in signing that historical document.

Pakistan paid a heavy cost of this war on terror that had severely hit this region. We sacrificed our soldiers, our mothers lost their children and our economy was shattered due to this war. It will be remembered in world history that our nation showed great resilience in bringing peace to the region. Our Generals fought on the front lines in the difficult mountainous terrains to defeat the hidden enemy but never compromised on the principles. Many proxies were fighting on this toughest battlefield including India only to harm Pakistan. India did a huge investment in Afghanistan only in the hatred of Pakistan but still, India was the biggest loser in this whole saga of Afghanistan. When the Taliban took over Kabul, the staff of the Indian embassy fled in the darkness of night in utter embarrassment. It was a humiliating defeat for India in the region.

Afghanistan has a great history of empires where Great Britain and the Soviet Union have fallen. Taliban have firm faith in Allah and their unshakable emaan led to this victory. The criticism of the US’s decision is valid as the decision was stemmed from the approach of military seizuring of international territory to fight extremist ideologies and movements that were wrong. The political dialogue was considered by most leaders more effective in the place of using military force. Initially, it was seen that the US’s intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan was justified to control and eliminate the serious national security threats of weapons of mass destruction and Al-Qaeda. But with time, after fulfilling the initial desired aim, it was changed into a long-term approach for preventing future threats from these countries. It was planned to provide security and stability to both nations in establishing the governments in their respective countries.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a long history and a border spanning hundreds of kilometres. The people of Pakistan and Afghanistan also share a close bond knitted with a rich legacy, culture and civilization. There are hundreds of people who cross the border between the two countries on daily basis. A large number of Afghan refugees are residing in Pakistan for decades which shows the hospitality of Pakistan towards its neighbours. The Afghan government alone is unable to run the education and health sectors after the withdrawal of international forces and the stoppage of funds.

It is need of the hour that the international community should step forward to help the Afghan community just on humanitarian grounds. Earlier, Afghan surprised millions of people by defeating the western powers in their land and now they are also surprising the western powers by respecting basic human rights.Instead of blaming Pakistan, the western powers should engage with the Taliban and appreciate the peace efforts of Pakistan. Pakistan is playing a positive role in Afghanistan based on the principle of humanity but it is being portrayed negatively by the spoilers and miscreants.

The writer is Karachi based Post Doctorate who believes in freedom of expression, a freelance columnist, entrepreneur and social activist.

 

 

Sinkholes, hottest day and a billion trees: Pakistan’s climate scorecard in 2018

By Prof. Kaisar Gill

The year 2018 did not come with glad tidings for Pakistan — a country, which according to 2018 Global Climate Risk Index report, ranks among top 10 countries most susceptible to climate change.

From ferocious heat waves to water woes, Pakistan needs to work urgently to combat the challenges ahead such as mass migration, loss of lives and livelihood, damage to the economy and crops.

Pakistan lost $382 million due to climate change

Between 1998 to 2017, Pakistan lost $3,826 million battling climate change issues, according to the report, and more than 10,000 human lives.

In order to mitigate the issue of greenhouse gas emissions, Pakistan would need $40 billion in funds, according to the Asian Development Bank.

Hottest day in April in Nawabshah

Consecutive heatwaves were witnessed in 2018's harsh summer/ file photo

This year, Nawabshah in Sindh witnessed the hottest day recorded on earth during April, as temperature soared to 50.2° Celsius. Several people reportedly suffered from heat-related dizziness and fainting.

Lahore records 214 mm rains, the heaviest in 38 years

In July, Punjab capital city, Lahore, recorded 214 millimetres (8.4 inches) of rain within a single day, the heaviest shower it has had in over 38 years. The torrential rain killed eight people, inundated areas and left many stranded. Two large sinkholes also appeared on the main thoroughfares of the city, 20ft deep and 200ft wide.

Karachi heatwaves

Not one, not two, but five heatwaves spells lashed Karachi, with highest temperature recorded as 45°C in May. The city faced an extended heatwave when the mercury reached 44°C for four to five days. Interior Sindh cities, Mohenjo Daro witnessed 50°C while in other cities, including Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana, Dadu, Jacobabad, Lasbella, Sibbi, and Bahawalnagar the mercury went up to 49°C.

Water scarcity and the dam initiative

Pakistan to likely run dry by 2025/ file photo

Official projections show that Pakistan, whose population has increased fivefold since 1960 to over 207 million, will run dry by 2025. The country will be facing an absolute scarcity of water with less than 500 cubic metres available per person.

Following the emergence of the news, the Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar launched a campaign to raise funds for the construction of two large water dams.

Election year, party manifestos

This year’s election was somewhat different. One departure from the norm was the talk of environment. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, which went on to form government, placed special importance on the need to save the environment in its party’s manifesto.

Since Imran Khan has been elected prime minister, he has rolled out several initiatives to increase Pakistan’s green-cover, such as the Clean and Green Pakistan drive and the Billion Tree Tsunami campaign.

Fighting smog

Due to the onslaught of smog during winters, Pakistan government ordered the closure of brick kilns for 70 days, starting October/ file photo

Due to the onslaught of smog during winters, the provincial government ordered the closure of brick kilns for 70 days, starting October till December 31.

Pakistanis among 800 million at risk of Global Warming: WB

The World Bank in a report had stated that 800 million South Asians were to face dire living conditions due to climate change, if greenhouse gas emissions were not reduced. The report said that the hotspots for climatic deterioration included six countries of the region.

( Courtesy: Nida Mujahid Hussain   https://www.geo.tv/latest/223341-sinkholes-hottest-day-and-a-billion-trees-pakistans-climate-scorecard-in-2018 )

‘Teachers play vital role in character building of students’

QUETTA: The role of teachers is most important in character building of students for achieving lasting peace, tranquility, promotion of human rights and resolution of religious, political conflicts.

Addressing a training workshop titled “Insaniyt, Ikhliaqiyat and Shariyyat in Pakistan,” representatives of civil society, educationalists and scholars said the role of teachers and students was most important in promoting love, fraternity and resolving disputes in the society. The training session was organized by the University of Balochistan in collaboration with the Higher Education Commission. The speakers included Director Legislation, Parliament House Dr Kashmir, Director Higher Education Commission Balochistan, Habibullah Nasir, Dean Social Sciences Department, Balochistan University Professor Dr Abdul Ali Achakzai, Professor Muhammad Hanif Barozai, Arbab Tahir, Advocate, Munir Hussein Khattak, Farkhanda Aslam, Professor Saadat Baloch and others. The training session was attended by a large number of teachers, students and members of civil society representatives.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Kashif said character building of students could also ensure significant change in the society. He said another training session for country’s vice chancellors would be organized in Islamabad on November 20 after the conclusion of this two-day training session of students of Balochistan University and Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University.

Highlighting the importance of training sessions, the speakers stressed such sessions were need of the hour. They advocated the importance of cementing relations among government, state and educational institutes adding that protection of human life is most important. They suggested including human rights topics in curriculum.  They said conflicts among students could only be resolved by judicious approach. Society could be changed by understanding the basic role of the womenfolk. The change could be started from own home, family and institutions.

Diversity and Peace: Challenges to Social Discourse

By Dr. Nancy Fahim

KARACHI: “A large part of the community is suffering from mutual hatred, ethnocentric mindset, intolerance, extremism and terrorism. Creating and promoting diversity is a noble cause under such circumstances,” said Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi, professor emeritus, Punjab University, in his keynote address at the inauguration of an international conference titled ‘Diversity and peace: challenges to social discourse’ organised by the faculty of social sciences, University of Karachi, on Tuesday.

“The need of the hour is to promote political accommodation of diversity and a culture of tolerance and harmony through a dialogue across all kinds of divides that we encounter today. We need to build bridges of cooperation, positive interaction, dialogue and mutual sharing rather than barriers and walls that divide us and cause mutual distrust and conflict,” he said.

“Religious and cultural extremism and terrorism dating back to the 1980s involved domestic and global factors and adversely affected Pakistani society and Pakistan lost the societal feature of cultural and religious tolerance and political accommodation. Academicians and intellectuals have a leading role in encouraging dialogue among different sections of society. Dialogue among people of different lands and their governments is essential to accommodate diversity and emphasise pluralism,” he added.

“Currently, there is a realisation of what has gone wrong with Pakistan, the efforts of the state and society to counter violent and terrorist activities in the country and also intolerance. The state is also making serious efforts for the promotion of dialogue and accommodation, which is indeed commendable,” said Dr Askari.

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Earlier, KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Ajmal Khan welcomed all the scholars, including visiting scholars from abroad. He said social sciences was no longer an isolated field. Rather it had gained significant importance in the backdrop of the political, social and economic events taking place in the world. “These changes are no longer limited by political, physical and natural boundaries; the need for the intellectual community to conduct critical debate on theories and practices of conflict resolution, inter-cultural harmony, peace and development has increased manifold,” he said.

“This conference will not only strengthen the ideology of Pakistan but also unleash the process of meaningful academic discourse which can positively transform the mindset of our people and bring a qualitative change in our society through meaningful research in the field of social sciences,” said Dr Ajmal Khan.

Dr Ghulam Raza Bhatti, member (operations and planning), HEC, said that man was a scavenger, who ate everything he saw Dean of the faculty of social sciences Prof Dr Mohammad Ahmed Qadri said Pakistan is a land of peace which respected all cultures and ideologies.

While presenting his paper Prof Dr Qadri with Dr Xiaoqing Xie from the China University of Geosciences said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and One Belt One Road projects were closely linked.

Dr Olena Bordilovska of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University, Ukraine, while presenting her research paper said that Ukraine, as one of the so-called New Independent States, was a bright example of both peace proclamations and security challenges.

Paulina Fecht from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, while presenting her research paper said the post-Second World War era was a revolution in itself due to the emerging trend of reconciliation among the European states, which was unprecedented in the past due to power politics.

Dr Yahya Yesilyurt from Kastamonu University, Turkey, said that due to Turkey’s geographical position, it would have the role of a coordinator, which would provide power to the region, and it would also be able to generate promising policies on a global scale. For this reason, the developing countries such as Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia had a share in the regional developments and contribution to world peace.

Scholars from China, Turkey and Ukraine called for signing memorandums of understanding with the University of Karachi on behalf of their national universities for a student/faculty exchange programme.

Diversity and Peace: Challenges to Social Discourse

By Dr. Nancy Fahim

KARACHI: “A large part of the community is suffering from mutual hatred, ethnocentric mindset, intolerance, extremism and terrorism. Creating and promoting diversity is a noble cause under such circumstances,” said Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi, professor emeritus, Punjab University, in his keynote address at the inauguration of an international conference titled ‘Diversity and peace: challenges to social discourse’ organised by the faculty of social sciences, University of Karachi, on Tuesday.

“The need of the hour is to promote political accommodation of diversity and a culture of tolerance and harmony through a dialogue across all kinds of divides that we encounter today. We need to build bridges of cooperation, positive interaction, dialogue and mutual sharing rather than barriers and walls that divide us and cause mutual distrust and conflict,” he said.

“Religious and cultural extremism and terrorism dating back to the 1980s involved domestic and global factors and adversely affected Pakistani society and Pakistan lost the societal feature of cultural and religious tolerance and political accommodation. Academicians and intellectuals have a leading role in encouraging dialogue among different sections of society. Dialogue among people of different lands and their governments is essential to accommodate diversity and emphasise pluralism,” he added.

“Currently, there is a realisation of what has gone wrong with Pakistan, the efforts of the state and society to counter violent and terrorist activities in the country and also intolerance. The state is also making serious efforts for the promotion of dialogue and accommodation, which is indeed commendable,” said Dr Askari.

ADVERTISEMENT

Earlier, KU Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mohammad Ajmal Khan welcomed all the scholars, including visiting scholars from abroad. He said social sciences was no longer an isolated field. Rather it had gained significant importance in the backdrop of the political, social and economic events taking place in the world. “These changes are no longer limited by political, physical and natural boundaries; the need for the intellectual community to conduct critical debate on theories and practices of conflict resolution, inter-cultural harmony, peace and development has increased manifold,” he said.

“This conference will not only strengthen the ideology of Pakistan but also unleash the process of meaningful academic discourse which can positively transform the mindset of our people and bring a qualitative change in our society through meaningful research in the field of social sciences,” said Dr Ajmal Khan.

Dr Ghulam Raza Bhatti, member (operations and planning), HEC, said that man was a scavenger, who ate everything he saw Dean of the faculty of social sciences Prof Dr Mohammad Ahmed Qadri said Pakistan is a land of peace which respected all cultures and ideologies.

While presenting his paper Prof Dr Qadri with Dr Xiaoqing Xie from the China University of Geosciences said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and One Belt One Road projects were closely linked.

Dr Olena Bordilovska of Kyiv Taras Shevchenko National University, Ukraine, while presenting her research paper said that Ukraine, as one of the so-called New Independent States, was a bright example of both peace proclamations and security challenges.

Paulina Fecht from the University of Heidelberg, Germany, while presenting her research paper said the post-Second World War era was a revolution in itself due to the emerging trend of reconciliation among the European states, which was unprecedented in the past due to power politics.

Dr Yahya Yesilyurt from Kastamonu University, Turkey, said that due to Turkey’s geographical position, it would have the role of a coordinator, which would provide power to the region, and it would also be able to generate promising policies on a global scale. For this reason, the developing countries such as Pakistan, Azerbaijan and Indonesia had a share in the regional developments and contribution to world peace.

Scholars from China, Turkey and Ukraine called for signing memorandums of understanding with the University of Karachi on behalf of their national universities for a student/faculty exchange programme.