Category Archives: Pakistan

Pakistan, Religion

Christmas peace train inaugurated in Pakistan

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The train will run across the country to showcase unity & harmony with Christians on the eve of Christmas

Pakistan | Dec 22, 2016, 06.44 PM (IST) – Pakistan Minister for Railways Khuwaja Saad Rafique inaugurated the Christmas peace train on Thursday in a move to showcase minority outreach.

The train started its journey from Rawalpindi on Thursday and is scheduled to reach Karachi on December 31, 2016, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.

Christians in Pakistan make up for one of the two largest (non-Muslim) religious minorities along with Hindus.

The total number of Christians in Pakistan was estimated to be 1.6% of the population in 2005.

The minister, while addressing the inauguration ceremony, said Christians played a key role in the development and prosperity of Pakistan.

“The white colour of our national flag denotes minority groups, and it is incomplete without them,” he said, adding that this train would serve as a symbol of unity, tranquility and harmony wherever it would go.

Read more » WIONEWS
See more » http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/christmas-peace-train-inaugurated-in-pakistan-10441

History, India, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

Dialects of Sindhi language

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These are the major dialects of Sindhi Language. The language is the same but their is a slight difference in words or way of speaking. Their are several other dialects of Sindhi language too (like Memoni) but they are not spoken by a big population.

Futher information about the Dialects:

1. Laasi – It is spoken by around 1 million people in Parts of Lasbela, Balochistan and Sindh.

2. Larri – It is spoken by over 2 million people, in Thatto, Sujawal and Tando.

3. Kutchhi, it is spoken by around 2 million people in Pakistan and 2 million in India too. Their is a hug Kutchhi population in Karachi, Sindh. The language bears more grammatical similarity with Sindhi and lexical similarity with Gujarati.

4. Thari or Thareli or (Ddaaddki): it is language of the people of Thar. Spoken on both side of border by over 6-7 million. It is a bit influenced by Rajasthani languages.

5. Vicholi: It is spoken by a huge population of Sindhis. It is spoken mostly in Hyderabad region. Over 11 million people speak this dialect.

6. Siroli: It is spoken by a large Number of people in Upper Sindh, Larkano and Sukkur region, but also in parts of Balochistan and RahimYarKhan (Punjab). It is influenced by Seraiki. It is spoke by over 11 million people. In Balochistan it is known as Firaqi Sindhi, with around 1 million speakers.

* In Karachi the situation is different and Sindhi is more influenced by Urdu, and all dialects mix up. While in rural Karachi people usually speak Laasi or Larri. The total number of Sindhi speakers worldwide is impossible to know as Census of Pakistan and India are politically influenced. According to famous Pakistani demographers the population of Sindh is usually 15-20% shown lesser than it actually is. The total number of Sindhis worldwide is over 40 million, out of which 80% live in Sindh, Pakistan. All the Memon’s and even those that came in 1947 are actually Sindhis by ancestry, their origin is from Thatto. Sindhis in India make up around 6-7 million of the population and while Sindhis in other countries make up around 1.5 million to 2 million, out of which 60% are Indian, and remaining Pakistani Diaspora, but the Pakistani Sindhi diaspora is growing at a faster rate*

Courtesy: Source of above material: Explore the Beauty of Sindh

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Other than that there are some more branches of the Dialects of Sindhi language

1- Lahinda لهندا معنا اولهندي واري زبان
2- Saraiki/ Jatki سرائڪي يا جتڪي
3- Kaytranni ڪيتراڻي جا لهندا سان مشابهت رکي ٿي
4- Ubhee اُڀي
5- Thareli/ ddaddki ٿريلي يا ڍاڍڪي
6- Mokakee موڪاڪي
7- Lorree chienee لوڙي چيني
8- Jadghhalee جدغالي
Reference: Janat-ul-Sindh book ريفرينس جنت السنڌ ڪتاب
Source: https://iaob.wordpress.com/2016/05/02/dialects-of-sindhi-language/
History, India, News, Pakistan, Pakistan, Poetry, Sindh, Sindhi

Sindh: German philologist Ernest Trump gets Latif Award 150 years after compiling Shah jo Risalo

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Ernest Trump

HYDERABAD: For the first time since the inception of the country, the Sindh culture department has posthumously honoured with Latif Award, German philologist Ernest Trumpp who was the first to compile Shah jo Risalo in 1866 and write a book on Sindhi grammar.

Continue reading Sindh: German philologist Ernest Trump gets Latif Award 150 years after compiling Shah jo Risalo →
India, Pakistan, Sindh

Japanese researchers help unravel mystery of the Indus civilization

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KOJI KAMIYA, Nikkei staff writer

TOKYO — A five-year study by a Japanese research team could change the accepted view of the ancient Indus Valley civilization.

The study found that thousands of years ago, several cities in the Indus Valley, in what is today Pakistan and India, created a trade network that became a multicultural, multilingual civilization, and not a society founded on centralized authoritarian rule as previously believed. Many characteristics of this ancient civilization can be seen today in societies of southern Asia, and these links between the ancient and the modern are arousing researchers’ interest.

The fresh image of the Indus civilization is being painted by a team of researchers led by Professor Emeritus Toshiki Osada of the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, which is based in Kyoto. The results of five years of research, known as the Indus Project, were published in October by the Kyoto University Press as “Indus: Exploring the Fundamental World of South Asia” and “The Riddle of the Indus Civilization,” both compiled by Osada.

Read more » NIKKEI ASIAN REVIEW 
See more » http://asia.nikkei.com/magazine/20131219-Power-play/Culture/Japanese-researchers-help-unravel-mystery-of-the-Indus-civilization.

History, Pakistan, Sindh

Karachi, Sindh was known to the ancient Greeks

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The area of Karachi (ڪراچي) was known to the ancient Greeks by many names: ‘Krokola’ and ‘Morontobara’ port (probably the modern Manora Island near the Karachi harbour), from where Alexander the Great’s admiral Nearchus sailed for back home. The Arabs called it the port of Debal, from where Muhammad Bin Qasim led his conquering force into Sindh.

Continue reading Karachi, Sindh was known to the ancient Greeks →
India, International, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

The forgotten utopia: The Indus people may have lived for 700 years without war, weapons or inequality

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The Indus civilisation lived across South Asia from 2600-1900 BC
Artefacts, such as jewellery, have been found, but not a single weapon
There is little evidence of a government, royalty or any other leader
Some experts have said it is impossible for Indus to have lived in this way
But until the Indus scripture has been translated, it is difficult to know

By SHIVALI BEST FOR MAILONLINE

Many believe the idea of a utopian society is an impossible fantasy.

But there may have been one mysterious, ancient group of people that was able to fulfil the dream of life without conflict or rulers.

Remains of the Indus civilisation, which flourished from 2600 to 1900 BC, show no clear signs of weapons, war or inequality.

This is according to Andrew Robinson. the author of ‘The Indus: Lost civilisations’, who has written an in-depth piece in the New Scientist.

‘All signs point to a prosperous and advanced society – one of history’s greatest,’ he writes.

The Indus Empire stretched over more than a million square miles across the plains of the Indus River from the Arabian Sea to the Ganges, over what is now Pakistan, northwest India and eastern Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3791308/The-forgotten-utopia-Indus-people-lived-700-years-without-war-weapons-inequality.html#ixzz4KQArUPmt
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Life, Pakistan

Tales From The Dark Side: The Secret Life of Prostitutes in Pakistan

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You hear her high heeled footsteps on the pavement.

She’s in her best clothes. A shimmery dupatta is draped loosely over her head. At corners she stops. She stops and waits. People see the look in her eyes. The seductive glimmer. Her red lips curl into a smile. She winks at her contenders. Continue reading Tales From The Dark Side: The Secret Life of Prostitutes in Pakistan →

Pakistan, Personalities, Sindh

“If Someone Speaks Unfairly Of Pakistan, It Is Painful To Me…” – Says Emily An American

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How does it feel when a foreigner, especially an American falls in love with Pakistan?

Surprisingly this is not a fairy tale but a true story of Emily Hauze who fell in love with Pakistan and the culture of Sindh. The story does not end here. She initiated on a personal level to improve the image of Pakistan. Isn’t it surprising? Continue reading “If Someone Speaks Unfairly Of Pakistan, It Is Painful To Me…” – Says Emily An American →

India, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

For 35 years, Sindhi volunteers have helped worshippers at a Chennai mosque break their Ramzan fast

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The followers of the Sufi saint Dada Ratanchand carry on the tradition of serving food at the Wallajah Mosque for all thirty days of the fast.

It’s dusk in Chennai. The warm evening light streams in from behind the two white minarets of the Wallajah mosque in Triplicane. In the spacious front yard, more than 50 men wearing white fez caps wait silently. A little before the evening prayers begin in the 220-year-old mosque, a yellow truck swings into the driveway. The men immediately spin into action, unloading metal containers of porridge, biscuits, bananas and vadas.

As they have done for the past 35 years, Sindhi volunteers from the Sufidar Trust – who follow the teachings of Dada Ratanchand, a Partition refugee who settled in Chennai – have gathered to serve iftaar, the meal that ends the daily fast during the month of Ramzan.

The trust aims to spread the teachings of the Sufi saint Shahenshah Baba Nebhraj Sahib of Rohri, Sindh. “We believe all Gods are one, only people have turned it into different sects,” said Govind Bharwani, who has been a volunteer with the Trust almost since its inception. “That is what our guruji told us.”

Read more » Scroll.in
See more » http://scroll.in/article/811273/for-35-years-sindhi-volunteers-have-helped-worshippers-at-a-chennai-mosque-break-their-ramzan-fast

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, News, Pakistan

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belongs to Afghans: Achakzai

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Pashtun leader Mahamood Khan Achakzai has said that he would not allow anyone to harass Afghan refugees in their “own land”. He directly said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province belongs to Afghans and they can live there without fear and irritation.

“If Afghans are harassed in other parts of Pakistan, they should come here to the Pakhtunkhwa province, where no one can ask them for refugee cards, because it also belongs to them,” Achakzai who leads the Pakhtunkhwa Millie Awami Party said.

Read more » The Pashtun Times
See more » http://thepashtuntimes.com/khyber-pakhtunkhwa-belongs-to-afghans-achakzai/

History, India, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

History of Sindh

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In 1947 Sindh’s total population was more than 5.5 million out of which around 1.5 million were Hindus. Karachi’s population was around 525,000 in 1947 out of which more than 260,000 were Hindus. While Hyderabad had a population of over 170,000 out of which 90,000 were Hindus. Hindus made up more than 25% of Sindh while in the Urban areas they made up around 60% of the total population.
More than 750,000 Hindus left Sindh during the partition and now they number over 3 million in India. Karachi had more than 260,000 Hindus out of which almost all of them left for India.
Sindh was one of the most peaceful areas during the partition time, no riots or mass killings took place. Sindhi Muslims were also sad seeing their Sindhi brothers and sisters leaving Sindh forever.
There are still more than 4 million Hindus living in Sindh while 350,000 in Karachi.
Wish if these Hindus had not left for India, Karachi and Hyderabad would have been way ahead of Bombay, Dehli or Lahore.
When it comes to Demographics there are around 5 million Sindhis in India, out of which 1.5 to 2 million Sindhis are local Indian ones who have been living in Kutch and Bikaner since centuries. While in Pakistan there are around 33-35 million Sindhis.
There are also more than 2 million Sindhis living in Diapora, 60% Indian and 40% Pakistani. The growth rate of Pakistani Sindhis in the Diapora is very high.
*The figures given here are not 100% official but can have a fluctuation of 5-10%*
Written by Bilal Akber Mangi.

Courtesy: via Social media/Facebook (This piece of history is taken from Social media.)

India, Music, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

World Sufi Spirit Festival: Folk Sindhi Qawwali ‘Duma Dum Mast Qalandar’ By Langa Children

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Famous Traditional Sindhi Folk Qawwali ‘Duma Dum Mast Qalandar’ By Langa Children

Every living soul at the venue was mesmerised by the soulful singing of Langa Children during the World Sufi Spirit Festival. Their voices echoed in the entire fort, filling it with a long-lasting divine feeling. The average age of children in this group is between 6 to 14 years. Langa and Manganiar are two Muslim ethnic groups living in the Thar Desert in the west of Rajasthan. Their musicians play traditional, semi-classical music of Western Rajasthan and are often part of important traditional ceremonies, rituals and other festivities.

Venue: World Sufi Spirit Festival at Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Video Details: Music Director :-Traditional, Lyrics :-Traditional
Theme & Mood :- Sufi, Label- Saregama India Limited

Courtesy: World Sufi Spirit Festival at Mehrangarh Fort, Jodhpur, Rajasthan

History, India, Pakistan, Sindh

Indus Valley Civilisation much older than thought: report

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KOLKATA: It may be time to rewrite history textbooks. Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have uncovered evidence that the Indus Valley Civilisation is at least 8,000 years old, and not just 5,500 years old. It took root well before the Egyptian (7,000 BC to 3,000 BC) and Mesopotamian (6,500 BC to 3,100 BC) civilisations. What’s more, the researchers have found evidence of a pre-Harappan civilisation that existed for at least 1,000 years before this.

The discovery, published in the prestigious Nature journal on May 25, may force a global rethink on the timelines of the so-called ‘cradles of civilisation’. The scientists believe they also know why the civilisation ended about 3,000 years ago: climate change.

“We have recovered perhaps the oldest pottery from the civilisation. We used a technique called ‘optically stimulated luminescence’ to date pottery shards of the Early Mature Harappan time to nearly 6,000 years ago and the cultural levels of pre-Harappan Hakra phase as far back as 8,000 years,” said Anindya Sarkar, head of the department of geology and geophysics at IIT-Kharagpur.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1261513

India, Pakistan, Personalities, Sindh

The Forgotten Story Of Allah Bux Soomro, India’s Hero Who Strongly Opposed The ‘2 Nation’ Theory

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by Nishant Raj

The name Allah Bux has for long been mistreated on both sides of the border. Allah Bux Soomro, the man who stood for righteousness and advocated secularism, still remains an unsung hero. The prime minister of Sindh during the Quit India Movement of 1942 and the founder of the Ittehad Party, he was one of the first people to vehemently oppose the two-nation theory.

Read more » ScoopWhoop
See more » http://www.scoopwhoop.com/The-Story-Of-Allah-Bux-Soomro/

News, Pakistan, Sindh

Humanity is a bond

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By: Social media

Humanity is a bond that is shared without boundaries and barriers. Iranian initiative of The Wall of Kindness reached Pakistan and now our lovely city Hyderabad has its wall all set to help needy people with help of ‪#‎PUAN‬ Jamshoro chapter. Tomorrow all youngesters, elders and social activists are invited to join hands together, own Dewaar e Meharbaani and donate as many clothes, shoes and school bags as you can.
Venue: Near Giddu traffic chowky, Thandi Sarak. Timing: 2 to 3 pm. Date: 19 Feb 2016

Courtesy: via Facebook

Islamabad, News, Pakistan

‘IT park to improve trade between Pakistan, S. Korea’

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ISLAMABAD: South Korea wants to improve trade ties with Pakistan and the establishment of an IT park in Islamabad is a step towards doing so, South Korean Ambassador Dr Song Jong-Hwan said at a gathering at the Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI).

South Korea will establish one of the biggest and most advanced IT parks in Islamabad in an area of about one million square feet.

The Exim Bank of Korea has agreed to provide $50 million for the establishment of the park and South Korean teams are expected to conduct a feasibility study with assistance from the Ministry of IT and Pakistan Software Exports Board (PSEB).

It is expected that the IT park will attract international companies to develop software and hardware solutions and will also help boost the country’s IT exports.

“Establishing the park will promote small and medium enterprises as well,” Dr Song said.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1240330/

India, Pakistan

The Quest for Political Identification in the Himalayan State of Jammu Kashmir

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BY NAYYAR N KHAN

 

Prior to the emergence of modern state, during the monarchy, the subjects of monarchs had little say in their relationship with the state. Over time, the concept of citizenship and identity developed, with the principle that citizens were not just residents of a given territory, but were members of a political community with a particular identification and recognition. Civil, political, and social rights became associated with citizenship, differing by country in the balance among these and in their scope.

Read more » Kashmir Observer
See more » https://kashmirobserver.net/2016/opinions/quest-political-identification-himalayan-state-jammu-kashmir-2909

Pakistan, Politics, Thoughts

Fatima Bhutto: America’s Moral Hypocrisy on Terrorism

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Pakistani poet and author Fatima Bhutto responds to President Obama’s speech announcing the death of Osama bin Laden, arguing that Obama appeared to ignore suffering caused by America’s ongoing war on terrorism. “In perhaps the grossest pronouncement of triumphalism,” says Bhutto, “we were told that we were either with President Obama in celebratory euphoria, or not.”
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In the Opening Address at the 2011 Sydney Writers Festival, Fatima Bhutto, scion of the Pakistani political dynasty, addresses the current state of her country. Her talk focuses on Pakistan’s love/hate relationship with the United States and, in this way, reminds us of their parallel “nervous breakdowns.”

Pakistan is, at once, a country plagued by natural disasters, endemic political corruption, religious fundamentalism and is claimed by many to be the central headquarters of Islamist terrorism. Bhutto sees this condition Pakistan suffers as a plain result of crippling conspiracy-theorizing and manifesting as paranoiac nuclear armament.

But Bhutto finds not all the fault lies at home. She speaks to the West’s hypocrisy with regards to its aggressive “freedom fighting”, including its ever-mounting use of Drone strikes under Obama’s presidency and the civilian casualties which are beyond measure. – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Fatima Bhutto is an Afghan-born Pakistani poet and writer. She studied at Columbia University and the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London. Bhutto is the granddaughter of former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and niece of Benazir Bhutto. She graduated from Columbia University in 2004, majoring in Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures, and from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in 2005 with a Masters in South Asian Government and Politics. Her books include Whispers of the Desert, 8.50 am 8 October 2005 and, most recently, Songs of Blood and Sword. She is a regular contributor to the New Statesman, The Daily Beast and The Guardian. For More details, please click this link » Youtube

Courtesy: Live Leak + FORA.TV
Read more » http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=c2c_1366507845#QIEkaIexV9KzzpIZ.01

History, India, Pakistan, Sindh, Sindhi

The Indus Valley Civilization en-composed all of Pakistan.

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The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC) was a Bronze Age civilization (3300-1300 BCE; mature period 2600-1900 BCE) extending from what today is northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Along with Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia it was one of three early civilizations of the Old World, and of the three the most widespread It flourished in the basins of the Indus River, one of the major rivers of Asia, and the Ghaggar-Hakra River, which once coursed through northwest India and eastern Pakistan.

Read more » Crystalinks
See more » http://www.crystalinks.com/induscivilization.html

India, News, Pakistan, Politics

Pakistan, India can’t live as enemies, says PM

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By SALEEM SHAHID

ZHOB: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has invited India to hold dialogue with Pakistan on all issues, saying the two countries cannot live as enemies.

“Pakistan and India will have to resolve all issues amicably and in a comprehensive way,” he said while addressing a foundation stone-laying ceremony for the western route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project here on Wednesday.

Read more » DAWN
See more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1229802/

Health, Islamabad, News, Pakistan

National Health Insurance Scheme to cover 100 million Pakistanis

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By APP

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif on Thursday approved the National Health Insurance Scheme aimed at providing health care to some 100 million people in Pakistan.

The prime minister chaired a meeting to give in principle approval to launch the Health Insurance Program. The meeting was attended by Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Chairperson PM’s Youth Program Maryam Nawaz, Minister of State for Health Saira Afzal Tarrar, and senior officers of the health and finance ministries.

Maryam Nawaz, the architect of the scheme, gave a detailed briefing to the Prime Minister in which comparative study of major health blanket models of the European Union, United States and India and options for implementing the scheme in Pakistan were discussed.

“A health insurance programme is the only way forward to provide health care protection to economically deprived people of the society. The scheme is the first of its kind to introduce a grievance redressal system as well as social security safety net for the poor people of Pakistan,” he said.

PM Sharif said the programme will not only give the vulnerable sections of the society an access to cash free health facilities but will also help to develop and revolutionise the health infrastructure across Pakistan.

The prime minister further said the scheme will also increase public-private partnership in Pakistan and will open up further avenues for investment.”

The scheme would be completely apolitical and would provide a blanket for cash free treatment to the poor people of Pakistan for major diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus and complications, burns and RTA (life and limb saving treatment, implants, prosthesis), end stage renal diseases and dialysis, chronic infections (hepatitis), organ failure (hepatic, renal, cardiopulmonary) and cancer treatment.

The meeting also decided to establish the first ever public sector human organ transplant center in Islamabad.

The prime minister directed the Ministries of Finance and Health to coordinate and finalise the technical modalities and implementation strategy in minimum possible time so that an early relief could be given to the people.

News courtesy: DAWN
Read more » http://www.dawn.com/news/1110761