Courtesy: dawn
PAKISTAN is not a nation although it has been a state since 1947. Missing is a strong common identity, mental makeup, shared sense of history and common goals. The failure to effectively integrate flows from inequalities of wealth and opportunity, absence of effective democracy and a dysfunctional legal system.
by Khalid Hashmani, McLean, Virginia, USA
Once again comes the heart-wrenching story about the plight of Tharis whose struggle for dignity and simple essentials of life continues unabated. This time, it is a video documentary produced by a Pakistani reporter named Kamran Shahid for a Television program. The video focuses on the daily struggle for for water, education, and jobs for this small Sindhi village and assails the uncaring attitude of politicians, particularly those of PPP. Many of Sindhis if they watch this video are likely to be impacted emotionally and strengthen their resolve to vigorously participate in the alleviation of their plight.
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO
The video shows the daily struggle of village men, women, and children to find drinkable water. It depicts animals and human beings drinking water from the same pond and the effort it takes to pull water from a deep well with the help of donkeys that must pull ropes for almost 100 yards. The broken Urdu that these broken people will convey the sense of helplessness that these people feel to communicate in broken Urdu that they hardly understand. They wish people who knew their own language would come to listen to their sorrows and have heart-to-heart chat about the misery that they suffer.
The reporter is taken to a a site where bare walls of a school that was supposed to start long time ago stand on an empty lot. The video shows disappointed and loitering kids roaming in streets without any where to go without a village school. The kids and their parents demand schools, education, and other opportunities to improve their livelihoods.
The reporter points to the border between India and Pakistan one mile away and asks the villagers if they knew how people lived in villages across the border. They reply immediately that the villagers on the other side have much better lives – they have piped dirking water, many tube-wells, and access to schools. The reporter comments that what is the fault of these people on this side of the border (Pakistan) that they should suffer so much and what makes the people living on other side of the border (India) to live better lives.
The reporter asks if the village has a dispensary or a medical clinic. The villagers reply that such they are not fortunate enough to have such a facility. They must carry their very sick relatives on carts to a hospital 30-40 miles away in the town of Umerkot. Many die sooner as the medical help cannot reach them on a timely basis.
I hope we will double our efforts to put pressure on Pakistani and international governments and institutions to come to rescue of poor Tharis and other Sindhis.
Via – http://pkpolitics.com/2010/03/20/front-line-20-march-2010/
by Omar Ali
… expecting the US and Europe to get up on their own and solve this problem (or any other problem they helped to create) you are being foolish.
On the other hand, it is equally foolish to assume that one can ignore the existence of US, Europe, public opinion, etc and decide “we” (meaning the exalted Ummah) will solve it on our own, thank you.
The facts on the ground are that Israel is the more developed power (with a huge advantage over its Arab neighbors, though not as much as it used to enjoy in the past when the camel jockeys were still stuck in the 18th century). The Palestinians are the weaker party. The weaker party has to use more of its brain than the stronger party (and in the best case, they use Judo: they turn the enemy’s strength against them).
The Palestinians have to work long and hard to get public opinion in Europe and the US to turn adjacent to Israel (and they have done a lot of that work and managed to get Europe especially to move further apart from Israeli hardliner positions, with patient hard work they will get the American public to move the same way, it can be done), they have to resist them on the ground, they have to organize enough to be able to sustain the struggle and they have to eventually offer the Israeli public an “out”…a way to settle this without being annihilated.
The last is important because it is important to remember that the Israeli public also consists of human beings, in this case organized in a rather sophisticated and capable culture. If their only option is annihilation or victory, they will fight tooth and nail. If they have a reasonable option short of annihilation, they too can be split between moderates and hardliners.
..read the voluminous literature about Mahatma Gandhi….
Or check out Hussein Ibish on the internet:
http://wws.princeton.edu/event_rep/HusseinIbish03_31/
Courtesy: crdp@yahoogroups.com, Mar 22, 2010
Dear Friends — For the first time in our nation’s history, Congress has passed comprehensive health care reform. America waited a hundred years and fought for decades to reach this moment. Tonight, thanks to you, we are finally here.
Consider the staggering scope of what you have just accomplished: Because of you, every American will finally be guaranteed high quality, affordable health care coverage.
Every American will be covered under the toughest patient protections in history. Arbitrary premium hikes, insurance cancellations, and discrimination against pre-existing conditions will now be gone forever.
And we’ll finally start reducing the cost of care — creating millions of jobs, preventing families and businesses from plunging into bankruptcy, and removing over a trillion dollars of debt from the backs of our children.
But the victory that matters most tonight goes beyond the laws and far past the numbers.
Govt say, it doesn’t have money and it need money for the corruption.
The Generals of the seventh biggest army of the world say, they are not servant but military Inc. and they only protect their interests first.
Source –
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4adt0-G0OOI&feature=player_embedded
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDB1WE_bFDQ&feature=player_embedded
via – http://www.siasat.pk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=19408&sid=4ba96442f98143fdb71a2a26df3fcec9
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