Regional Updates Feb. 01-Feb 07 Please click here to read news of the week

Crackdown continue for the arrest of miscreants in the valley;dozens were already detained on charges of creating law and order situation
VoH Report
KHAPLU,SKARDU, Feb.04: (Jafar Ali) The crack down for the arrest of miscreants and those involved in attack on Khapulo Headquarter Police station was continue. Many have been reportedly arrested on charge of creating law and order situation in the town. According to details, about 70 people have been arrested followed by sporadic skirmishes started in various parts between two rival groups on last Friday due to tearing of political posters and banners in the town. A mob later attacked police station of Khaplu, the headquarters of the Ghanche district to get release of the two arrested persons by police few hours ahead. Superintendent of Police Syed Ahmed Shah in compliance with the directions received from Waqar Ahmad, Assistant Commissioner Ghanche started raids with special police party to detained all involved in the incident. Talking to our correspondent, Syed Ahmed Shah said that the crack down will continue till the arrest of last person involved in creating law and order situation. An FIR had been registered against those who were involved in damage to public property.





Govt should provide chopper service for goods forwarding between Sost and Gilgit city: Javed Hasan
VoH Monitoring desk
GILGIT, Feb.03: (Shamsuddin Muhammad) Javed Hasan Khan, president Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Gilgit-Baltistan has called upon government of Pakistan to facilitate trade community by providing helicopter service to shift trade goods dumped in Sost, Upper Hunza. Addressing a press conference, he said that goods of more than 4billion worth was dumped at Sost, Gojal causing great financial burden and loss for traders. He demanded of government to provide M.I. 17 helicopter service to facilitate shifting of goods to destination. He also demanded of government to write off loans to compensate loss faced by traders community following the blocked of Karakorum High Way. He claimed that the pace of work to clear KKH and release water from lake is extremely slow adding a detailed complaint letter has been sent to Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, Daily K2, Urdu reports.





Additional Machinery reaching: FWO
VoH Monitoring desk
By: Zulfiqar Ali Khan

HUNZA, Feb. 03: All resources were being utilized to create cut on the spillway point of the blockade in order to ensure the release of water from the lake formed on Hunza river, said Col. Naseem Hassan, Project Director, Frontier Works Organization while briefing the media persons at the lake site. He said the engineers of FWO and CRBC have started excavations work on Jan 29 after completing the 600 meter access road. He said the spillway point is about 82 meter high from the present level of water in the lake. Lt Col (R) Khawaja Sohail Hafeez, DPR FWO said the concerned authorities are fully realising the problems of the local communities and no stone will be left unturned to reduce potential damages. He said that an exact time frame could be given as many of the factors are beyond human control. The composition and nature of the debris and the weather condition could influence the pace of work, he added. Lt. General Shahid Niaz, Engineer in Chief Pakistan Army, and Major General Najeeb ullah Khan, DG FWO, are personally monitoring the daily progress of the work, the media was told. Major Arshad ullah Baig, representative of FWO at the site said that about 5,000 cubic meters of the debris has been excavated with the help of available machinery. He said more machinery will reach soon and it could take about 45 days to release the water. He said the length of the area is about one kilometer and the volume of the debris is about one lak cubic meter. He said Ayeenabad could come under water if the water rising level remained the same. He said there is less chance of any flooding due to any sudden outburst.Meanwhile, three more houses of Ghulam Baqir and Salahuddin submerged in the lake adding the total submerged houses to five, Pamir times reported.





Huge gold reserves found in Yasin valley
VoH Monitor
YASIN, Feb.01: A huge reserve of gold have been discovered at the Qhorqholti village of Yasen, the former capital of the ancient Brushal state, which is situated at a distance of about 10 km from the tehsil headquarters, it has been learnt here. As a result, national and international firms and companies have swung into action to put their hands on the natural wealth buried at the village.

Yasin valley, once a gift of nature to pacify the lust of all those earnest to see natural beauty on earth now tends to unearth gold reserves

In the fore front of the companies searching for the gold reserves are Chinese and a dozen are Chinese firms are said to be arriving in the area to cash in on the situation.According to the foreign experts, the area has vast reserves of gold, copper, iron, sulphur etc and their exploitation can bring a revolution not only in the region but also in the whole country.There are a number of Pakistan and other companies who are planning to get lease of the minerals in the areas. However, the mineral development department of Gilgit-Baltistan has not yet taken any initiative to start work on the project.It is also being reported that there have sound of been numerous underground blasts in the mineral rich village of Qhorqholti and the experts say that these sounds of blast are a result of clash between high quality sulphur. The residents say that if a reputed national or international firm is allowed to work on the exploitation of the mineral, the destiny of the region can be changed overnight.However, the people say that Gilgfit-Baltistan is a disputed area and without the agreement of the local people no outsider company can be given permission to work on the project in the region. Earlier, people of Gandaye area in Yasen started protest against a Chinese company when it was given lease of mineral exploitation.It has also been learnt that the government of Pakistan is planning to lease out the reserve by keeping the local people in the dark. However, theresidents not only rejected the government's plan but also warned it of dire consequences. They also called upon the international community to put pressure on Pakistan not to exploit the resources of the disputed region without taking its people into confidence, Weekly Baang reports.






Nationalist parties blames regional and federal government for negligance
VoH Report
ISLAMABAD: ( Shamsuddin Muhammad) Nationalist parties has once again blamed regional and federal government for lack of interest in the issue despite warnings given by FOCUS and Geological Survey of Pakistan and other media reports to evacuate and relocate population on both side of artificially formed lake following the land slide in first week of new year. Talking to VoH, returning from Faisalabad Workers Annual Convention, Baba Jan, Chief Organizer Progressive Youth, Hunza-Nagar chapter blamed ruling government of negligence in work of release of water saying slow pace of work may bring another tragedy. He said that many people in far flung valleys are getting out of basic essentials of life." Any loss of life or property would be considered as blunder of on part of ruling government," he added. He has demanded of both federal and regional government to make efforts to rehabilitate the affected population along the river on two sides to save further lives in danger, expedite work to release water through breach in blockade and clearance of KKH in collaboration with Chinese engineers.






In time approval of admissions on increased quota in Medical colleges implies sincerity of federal government says Amber advocate
VoH Monitor
KARACHI, Feb.01: (Shamsuddin Muhammad) Amber Hussain advocate Vice President Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), women wing Gilgit-Baltistan chapter has said federal government through comprehensive efforts has cleared all hurdles impinged the processes of admissions emerged following disapproval of Pakistan Medical and Dental College saying notification beyond the authority of Punjab government and against the rules of institutions. Talking to media persons, she said that it was Prime Minister's personal efforts that resulted into in time approval of admissions on 50% increased quota for students from Gilgit-Baltistan implies federal government's sincerity with the region. "According to Prime Minister's announcement flights ought to be scheduled even in bad weather, students tourists and patients equally suffers simultaneously; a large portion of total population affiliated with the tourism that affects so it is important to address this issue on priority basis," she added. She said that about 140 students will be awarded scholarship under internship programme.She claimed that the youth of Gilgit-Baltistan are not behind the youth of other parts of the country in any field adding underestimation of their skills and expertise have served to infuse disappointment among youth of the region. She demanded of Chief Minister Syed Mehdi Shah to initiate struggle for rights of the people of Gilgit-Baltistan and opposed the tendency of hiring of personnel from NWFP in local government institutions, Daily K2, Urdu reported.

Read More
Posted by Shamsuddin Muhammad on Sunday
1 comments
categories: , , | | edit post

Mag: From Aesthetics to General Knowledge

A nation takes off
 VoH Monitoring desk
By:Zabi
Pakistani history can be charted through flights that have landed, crashed, been shot down, or hijacked on this nation’s tarmac. Urban theorist Michel de Certeau famously wrote that the only way to “see” New York City was from the 110th floor of the World Trade Center. At the city’s summit, lifted away from the hustle and bustle of the crowds, traffic, and street corners, one can start to make sense of the city’s complexities, he argued. From a bird’s eye view, the city becomes readable, and the practices of those who inhabit it are laid bare for one to consider. This argument is even truer for one looking down on the world from a plane. As flights land, passengers look down on cities that suddenly seem orderly, expansive, and inevitable. Familiar places take on new identities, and their proximity or similarity to other landmarks is revealed. Coming in for a landing – suspended in that liminal space between here and there, leaving and arriving, past and future – one enjoys a fresh perspective on what has long been known. Perhaps for that reason it is apt to view the history of Pakistan from that same vantage point, from the cockpits of the innumerable flights that have landed – or crashed, or been diverted, hijacked, or shot down – on this nation’s tarmac.After all, planes, and those they have carried, have changed the course of Pakistan’s political history, shaped its national identity, enabled foreign policy, determined the outcome of wars, spurred immigration and exile, and even inspired art and fiction. Any mention of planes in Pakistan, and most people are transported to an open space on the outskirts of Bahawalpur, on August 17, 1988, where the scattered and smoking parts of a C-130 Hercules announce the death of everyone on board, including General Ziaul Haq, then American Ambassador Arnold Raphel, and General Akhtar Abdur Rehman, then chairman of the Pakistan Joint Chiefs of Staff. By going into a near-vertical dive, that plane ended 11 years of military rule, ushered in a tumultuous ‘decade of democracy,’ and chartered a new course for General Zia’s process of Islamisation. The plane crash also forever altered US-Pak relations, once robust, now tainted with suspicion and conspiracy theorising as many in Pakistan’s intelligence agencies believed that the CIA had masterminded the crash by spiking a crate of mangoes on board with VX gas. Others, who believed a secret 365-page report on the incident byPakistani investigators that pointed towards sabotage, blamed the KGB, Mossad, or the al-Zulfikar group led by Murtaza Bhutto. Accident or assassination? That question prompted Mohammed Hanif to write A Case of Exploding Mangoes, one of the most popular English-language novels from this country. It also enshrined cynicism, suspicion, and irony as the bases ofPakistani identity. The fact is, as a nation we learnt unforgettable lessons from the remains of that C-130: that obvious circumstances (such as a plane crash) have sinister origins; that there is no such thing as absolute truth in politics; that nothing is what it seems; and, finally, that those who fly high will eventually come crashing down. But the plane in which General Zia died is not the only one that has altered the course of Pakistani history – many aircraft that have crisscrossed these skies can take similar credit.



Sky warriors
Of course, the Pakistan Air Force planes that have taken off during wartime – and the pilots that manned them – have played an important role. Not unexpectedly, the PAF’s first real altercation involved the Indian Air Force (IAF) in April 1959, when an IAF Electric Canberra intruded intoPakistani airspace and was brought down over Rawat. This skirmish was to set the tone for most of the PAF’s outings in years to come. During the 1965 war, for example, the PAF fleet was outnumbered by its rival five to one, but the former lost only 19 aircraft during that conflict, while the latter lost at least 75. And it was in this war that Air Commodore M.M. Alam downed nine Indian fighters – five of them in less than a minute. That feat earned him a Sitara-e-Jurrat, and forever changed the iconography of Pakistan’s roads. Not only has a major artery in Lahore been named after Commodore M.M. Alam (and duly populated with a string of fancy restaurants), but hundreds of roundabouts across the country are adorned with the plane Alam piloted: F-86 Sabres, a hundred of which were received by the PAF under a US aid program in 1957. In 1971, Pilot Officer Rashid Minhas emerged as the PAF’s airborne hero (and prompted the naming of another road, this time in Karachi) when he crashed a T-33 plane rather than let it be hijacked and taken over to the Indian side. Minhas’s valour came to have particular significance as the PAF’s performance during the rest of the conflict left much to be desired. Outnumbered 10 to one in East Pakistan, the PAF decreased the number of its sorties, and eventually failed to support Pakistan Army ground forces during the Battle of Longewala, despite repeated requests. The defence of Karachi, too, was left to the Pakistan Navy when the Indian Navy staged a raid on the port city. In recent years, the PAF’s wartime activity has decreased. During the Kargil conflict in 1999, the PAF shot down an Indian MiG-21 fighter. One month later, over the Rann of Kutch, the IAF brought down a Pakistan Navy Breguet Atlantique patrol plane, with 16 people on board, sparking fears of yet another conflict between the long-time rivals. Despite its checkered history, the PAF has fired the imagination of three generations of schoolboys who are endlessly fascinated by its pilots’ heroics – and by its impressive fleet. Interestingly, the sense of national pride evoked by the air force has, at times, been matched by Pakistanis’ admiration for their national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

A nation takes off
its early days, PIA came to symbolise this young country’s aspirations on the world stage. In 1976, the airline’s green-white-gold logo was recognised as the most visible tail in the world (a record PIA holds to this day) and helped sealed Pakistan’s reputation as a proud country, eager to make it mark in the global arena. The savvy marketing decision to have French fashion sensation Pierre Cardin design uniforms for air hostesses raised the bar for in-flight style, and made the PIA pajama a fashion sensation across Europe. It seemed as if PIA were destined to take flight, metaphorically speaking, especially in light of Pakistan’s aerial colonial legacy (Karachi became the first airport in the British Empire in 1924). The national carrier flew its first service between Karachi and Dhaka in 1954, and went on to break many records before breaking the hearts of Pakistanis who had come to rely on their national airline and take pride in its reputation. In 1960, PIA became the first Asian airline to fly a Boeing 707-321 jet aircraft. Just two years later, the carrier broke a world record when Captain Abdullah Baig flew a new Boeing 720 from London to Karachi in 6 hours and 43 minutes during its delivery flight from Seattle. Many feats were to follow, as PIA was the first airline to show in-flight movies on international routes; operate a flight with an all-female crew both in the cockpit and cabin; and set up Pakistan’s first planetarium in Karachi. But declining standards over the years took their toll, and in a trajectory that echoed the failures of the Pakistani state, PIA came to stand for ‘Perhaps I Arrive’ by the late 1980s. In 2007, the airline experienced its darkest days when the European Commission banned all but eight planes of the PIA fleet from flying to Europe, citing safety concerns. Despite the ups and downs – or more appropriately, take-offs and landings – of both PIA and the PAF, flights launched in Pakistan came to impact global events in profound ways, and, in some instances, dictated this nation’s foreign policy.


Airborne diplomacy
Pakistani planes have bridged the distance between Islamabad and Beijing, cementing Sino-Pak relations since the 1960s. In April 1964, PIA offered a service to Shanghai (from Karachi, via Canton), making Pakistan the first non-communist country to fly to the People’s Republic of China. Indeed, PIA was also the first non-communist airline to fly between Europe and Asia, via Moscow.This airborne diplomacy continued into the 1970s, when President Yahya Khan arranged for then US National Security Adviser Henry Kissinger to take a stealth flight from Islamabad to Beijing, a journey that began the process of normalising US-China relations.Of course, Richard Nixon was not the only American president to use Pakistan’s planes as a conduit for US foreign policy. Previously, in 1957, President Dwight Eisenhower had requested permission to fly U-2 ‘spy-in-the-sky’ planes over the USSR from Badaber, the airbase at Peshawar.Starting in 1981, as a testament to strong US-Pak relations in the context of the Cold War and anti-Soviet jihad in Afghanistan, the two governments also struck numerous deals for Pakistan to purchase F-16 fighter jets. It was a proud day for this country (one that is enshrined in artful painted numbers, letters, and images on almost every truck, minibus, or water tank in this country) when Pakistan’s first F-16 touched down at Sargodha airbase on January 15, 1983. But in 1990, Washington blocked the sale of F-16s to Pakistan as part of sanctions against the country’s nuclear weapons program, amidst fears that certain F-16s had been modified to carry and deliver Pakistani nukes. It was not until 2005, when the US-led war against terror was in full swing, that Washington reconsidered its policy and resumed sales of the fighter jets to the PAF. Although eight more F-16s are due to be delivered to Pakistan this summer, US-Pak relations can hardly be described as flourishing. Anti-Americanism amongst the Pakistani public is at an all-time high, owing, ironically enough, to the many flights taken by a different kind of plane: unmanned Predator drones. Used by the US to strike at terrorists in the country’s tribal region, drones have invoked the ire of Pakistanis for high civilian death tolls. In 2009 alone, there were 44 drone attacks in Fata that killed 708 people. Of these, five successfully hit terrorist targets, meaning that for each militant killed, 140 innocent civilians also had to die. These drone attacks are not the only examples in Pakistan’s history when planes and terrorism have come together – unfortunately, this country has also seen its fair share of hijackings.



Cabin captives
In 1981, the militant, leftist Al-Zulfiqar group hijacked a PIA flight en route to Peshawar from Karachi, and diverted it to Kabul, before finally touching down in Damascus. Demanding the release of 92 political prisoners, three hijackers kept more than 100 hostages on board for 13 days, and even shot dead Lieutenant Tariq Rahim. At the time, it was the longest hijacking incident on record. A few years later, on September 5, 1986, members of the Abu Nidal Organisation hijacked Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. Four armed men boarded the Frankfurt-bound flight dressed in the uniforms of Karachi airport security staff, and went on to kill 20 of the passengers they were keeping hostage. The hijackers were captured and sentenced to death by Pakistan, but eventually released, much to the chagrin of the US and India. In an ironic case of coming full circle, a drone attack in mid-January 2010 is believed to have killed Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, a Palestinian militant who was wanted by the FBI in connection with the Pan Am hijacking. More recently, the year 1999 saw two – completely different – hijackings. In December of that year, five Pakistanis affiliated with the terrorist Harkatul Mujahideen group hijacked Indian Airlines Flight 814 from Kathmandu to Delhi. Over seven days, the flight briefly landed in Amritsar, Lahore, and Dubai before setting down in Kandahar. To avoid being implicated in the act of terrorism, the Pakistani government shut down air traffic services and switched of all lights at Lahore Airport. However, when it seemed the plane might crash, it was permitted to land at Lahore for refueling. The saga concluded only when India agreed to the release of three militants: Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (who was later arrested for the murder of Daniel Pearl), and Maulana Masood Azhar (who later founded Jaish-e-Mohammed). In that way, this hijacking precipitated the Lal Masjid fiasco of 2007 and sparked Pakistan’s internal war against homegrown terrorists which now threatens to destabilise the country. Earlier in the year, another ‘hijacking’ of sorts had set the tone for a political tussle that also continues into the present. On October 12, 1999, then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif replaced General Pervez Musharraf with another chief of army staff. At that point, Musharraf was on a flight to Karachi from Colombo, and Sharif was later accused of attempting a ‘hijacking from the ground’ by ordering that the general’s flight be diverted to another country. But Musharraf landed in Karachi, overthrew Sharif’s government, and ushered Pakistan into another nine-year-long stretch of military rule. A decade later, Sharif was acquitted of hijacking charges and, in turn, began calling for General Musharraf to be tried on various counts.Courtesy: Breaking News





Time check: Ancient India: State affairs
Assessment of the Mauryan Empire
VoH watch
By: Mubarak Ali
The Mauryan Empire nearly stretched to occupy most of ancient India. It was the first Indian Empire which united the country from Hindukush to Mesor. However, to rule over such a vast empire, the duties and responsibilities of a ruler increased. He had to maintain a balance among people belonging to different regions and faiths, as he was the protector of all his subjects.


It was impossible for a single person in the system of kingship to rule over such a vast empire, which is why rulers appointed efficient and intelligent ministers, governors, administrators and advisors to take their advice on how to run the state efficiently. The Mauryan rulers divided the empire into five provinces whose governors belonged to the royal family. The empire also required an army to maintain peace and crush any rebellion. There were four types of armies in the Mauryan empire. The first were kashtriyas — the warrior caste whose members were related to the royal family and scions of nobility. Second was the army, which was paid regularly. The third category of the army included solders recruited by the business communities for their own protection. The forth was the naval force whose duty was to guard and protect the coastal territory and check any invasion by sea. In the Mauryan empire, the raja directly communicated with his people and listened to their complaints and resolved their issues based on justice. However, there were judicial courts as well throughout the empire to settle the disputes. People had the right to appeal to the higher authority against a judgment. In case a person committed a crime and refused to accept his crime, he then had to go through fire or boiled water in order to prove his innocence.There were different kinds of laws, namely religious laws, customary practices and the ruler’s edicts which were implemented by the judges to resolve different cases.
The Mauryan society was divided into castes and classes. Ruling classes consisted of the members of royal family, government officials, feudal lords and courtiers. There were tribes and communities as well, but these were not included in the category of caste or class. Similarly the untouchables, slaves and foreigners were excluded from the caste system.Individuals were also identified by their profession such as traders, moneylenders, shopkeepers, goldsmiths, carpenters, physicians and priests. The tribes who lived in forests were independent but they were assigned by the army to provide timber and capture elephants to be used in the army. Dawn

Read More
Posted by Shamsuddin Muhammad on
0 comments
categories: , , , , , , , , , | | edit post

National News Updates Feb.01- to- Feb. 08 Please click here to read full

Karachi killings politically motivated, says Mirza VoH Monitoring report
KARACHI,Jan.03: Sindh Home Minister Zulfikar Mirza on Tuesday described the targeted killings as politically motivated and said he had been bringing that fact to the knowledge of the president and the governor and the chief minister of Sindh.

KARACHI: Home Minister Sindh, Zulfiqar Mirza. Photo by: APP

In a policy statement on the obtaining law and order situation and the current spate of targeted killings, he said he had told the relevant quarters, whose responsibility was to defend the borders, that killings were taking place in Karachi and the army should take over the control. He asked the “people of Karachi” to stop bloodshed of poor and helpless people. He wondered why he was not made a target and why no MNA and MPA had been killed in Karachi and why only poor people were being killed.“We have to go before Allah, and if we have faith in the Day of Judgment, I plead with you to stop killings for the sake of Allah. “If we are powerful today, someone else may be more powerful than us tomorrow. And one should have fear of that day when some danda-bearer may come and sit on our heads,” he said. The minister said that everyone should thank Allah for his blessings and bounties. “Whatever respect, repute and power we enjoy is all given by the poor of Sindh, who are today being killed and their blood being shed,” Mr Mirza said.He requested Deputy Speaker Shehla Raza, who was chairing the session, to place a copy of the Quran in the house and let everyone take an oath on it that he or she would not be involved in crime. And if even then anyone is killed, he would get himself hanged. He said the only problem was that sincerity was lacking. The minister said that if ever the PPP felt that “I have become a liability”, he would not stay in office even for a moment. He said it was because of the sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto that they all were sitting in the assembly.“It is a last chance and it should not be squandered. This chance is to be utilised for the betterment of the country and nation,” he said.
On the other hand, according to private news channel, Sindh government has called upon holding a high-level meeting to review law and order situation in province including provincial capital Karachi particularly in connection with the rising tragic incidents of target killings in metropolis, Geo and Dawn news reported.
Rs.256b loans written off in last 38 years
VoH Watch
ISLAMABAD, Jan.03 In an official disclosure, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has submitted a list of top guns of Pakistan, who got their loans written off worth over Rs 256 billion during last 38 years, in the Supreme Court here on Tuesday. The SBP told the apex court that more than 640,000 people were benefited through various schemes introduced by the then governments during last four decades. Various government banks and financial institutions had written off the loans of hundred of thousands of people, it added. The central bank presented the report with regard to a suo motu case. A three-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Muhammed Raza was hearing the case. Justice Chaudhry Ejaz Ahmad and Justice Mehmood Akhtar Shahid Siddiqui were the other judges of the bench. Syed Iqbal Haider, counsel for the State Bank informed the court that the loans were written off under the Circular 29 and each and every objection could not be raised over them. The loans, which had been got written off legally could not be retrieved. The State Bank only monitors whether the loans have been got written off legally or otherwise, he added. The nation and Pakistan news reports.






MQM-PPP rift: PM telephones Altaf
VoH Watch dog

ISLAMABAD, Feb.03: Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani today spoke to Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain on phone and discussed with him issues regarding Sindh Assembly’s incident According to a statement issued from MQM’s London Secretariat, Prime Minster Gilani has regretted the inappropriate behavior of PPP provincial ministers during the Sindh Assembly’s session. Speaking to Altaf Hussain, the premier said that President Asif Ali Zardari, taking strict notice of the incident, reprimanded provincial ministers Agha Siraj Durrani and Zulfiqar Ali Mirza and stopped them from making any provocative statement. Gilani said he met with President Zardari immediately after the Sindh Assembly’s chaos and informed him about the unfortunate incident.

The prime minister deplored that better atmosphere of reconciliation created after President Zardari’s meeting with MQM was spoiled.“President Asif Ali Zardari has reprimanded Agha Siraj Durrani and Zulfiqar Ali Mirza in front of me. We all want to go along together, but you two are destroying my reconciliatory policy,” Gilani told Altaf. The prime minister continued: “I have no doubt in my mind that we will be partners in future also and we don’t want to waste our strength by opposing the MQM.” The News






Obama proposes $1.2 bln to aid Pakistani military
VoH Monitor
WASHINGTON, Feb.02: U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday proposed $1.2 billion in funding next year to help train and equip Pakistani security forces to fight Taliban militants.Created by Congress last year, the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund set aside some $700 million in 2009 to train and equip the country's army and other security forces. AFP






1.52 million cases pending in courts countrywide
VoH Monitor
ISLAMABAD, Feb. 01: As many as 1.52 million cases were pending in the country’s courts until January 15, 2010, a number that could swell due to a shortage of judges in both the superior and subordinate judiciaries.After the imposition of the National Judicial Policy (NJP) on June 1, 2009, the Supreme Court has been able to reduce its backlog of cases from 19,055 to 18,312, until January 15 this year.
The National Judicial (Policy Making) Committee, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, implemented the NJP on June 1, 2009 to tackle the increasing backlog of cases in the country’s courts and dispensation of speedy justice to the litigants.According to statistics, at the time the policy was announced, 19,055 cases were pending in the Supreme Court, 2,092 at the Federal Shariat Court, 84,704 at the Lahore High Court, 18,571 at the Sindh High Court, 10,363 at the Peshawar High Court and 4,160 at the Baluchistan High Court.Whereas, on January 15, 2010 – seven and a half months after the policy was announced – 18,312 cases were pending at the Supreme Court, 1,680 at the Federal Shariat Court, 110,110 at the Lahore High Court, 29,414 at the Sindh High Court, 14,522 at the Peshawar High Court and 4,893 at the Baluchistan High Court. At the time the NJP was enforced, 1,225,879 cases were pending in the subordinate judiciary in Punjab, 144,942 in Sindh, 187,441 in NWFP and 7,664 in Balochistan. However, on January 15, 2010, the number of pending cases in Punjab’s subordinate judiciary was 1,092,669, 115,994 in Sindh, 128,102 in NWFP and 6,322 in Balochistan.When the policy was enforced, it was announced that all fresh and pending cases in the Supreme Court and the high courts would be decided within a year and those in Balochistan within six months. Courtesy: Daily Times






Sword strikes on poors' head -OGRA increases price of petrol products
 VoH Monitor
ISLAMABAD, February 01: ISLAMABAD: The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has said that the price of petrol will be increased by three rupees and diesel by two rupees a litre. A notification was issued by OGRA which said that the new prices will take effect from the 1st of February.

ISLAMABAD: After the hike in petroleum products came into effect, many petrol pumps have been closed and started dumping their products
Official sources told a private news channel that a weakening rupee against dollar is one of the major factors that have contributed to the rise in fuel prices.After the hike comes into effect the price of petrol will go up to seventy-one rupees and twenty-one paisas per liter, diesel will cost sixty-one rupees and seven paisas per liter, kerosene oil will cost sixty-four rupees and seven paisas and HOBC will be available on eighty-six rupees and eighty-four paisas per liter in the market. After the increase in the per liter prices of petroleum products most of the petrol pumps closed and they have started dumping the products, where as people are facing real difficulties in getting these products, Dawn News and APP reported.

Read More
Posted by Shamsuddin Muhammad on
0 comments
categories: , | | edit post

Magnificent Baltit Fort- a legacy of Tibetan architecture shines in winter moon light [MAGAZINE]

VoH
HUNZA, Jan.30: (Shamsuddin Muhammad) The Magnificent Baltit Fort, a master piece of Tibetan architecture and Balti craftsmanship is lying on the top of Karimabad settlement, about 8000 feet above sea level in Hunza.

The splendid Baltit fort worry on calamity in Hunza. Photo by APP

The fort was built about 700 years ago. Ghazanfar Ali Khan, Mir of Hunza Mir of Hunza, who still enjoys a substantial support of the people of Hunza, generously donated it to Baltit Heritage Trust (BHT). Later, it was renovated by AKCSP and won UNESCO award in 2004. Baltit fort was a symbol of prestige of Hunza in former regimes and remained home of royal dynasty for many years. It continues to attract visitors even more in moon nights coming every year around the world.

Read More
Posted by Shamsuddin Muhammad on Friday
1 comments
categories: , , , , | | edit post

Disaster Relief work under way [Breaking News]

Local volunteers, Scouts and NGOs playing an active role with govt in relief operations; NDMA choppers continue to shift daily life necessities to temporary relief camps and Upper Hunza, P.Cs demands immediate release of water from lake
Voice of Hunza Report
By: Fazal Shams Hunzai
HUNZA, Jan. 27: The relief work for affectees or Internally displaced persons (IDPs) of the disaster hit village Attaabad and Sarat is under way since the second day of calamity.
HUNZA, Aliabad: Local volunteers, boyscouts, NGO representitives and government officials load relief goods into a helicopter

Local Ismaili volunteers, Boy scouts, members of Civil Society and Non Governmental Organizations with some of government institutions actively are busy in humanitarian work. Public circles (P.Cs) applaud their contribution and demanded immediate release of water as the next step on priority basis from artificially formed lake following land sliding.
It is pertinent to tell our readers that National Disaster Management Authority has provided helicopters as an air lift facility to shift daily life necessities and facilitate moment of masses and commuters from Central to Upper Hunza, locked for more than twenty three days following the massive land slide tragedy. Government has provided compensation to every family affected in the disaster yet many have concerns on slow pace of work in release of water.
HUNZA: Relief goods being shifted to Gojal, Upper Hunza
Photos by: Fazal Karim Hunzai

Meanwhile, it is known to VoH that Nazir Sabir, former member Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly has left capital for Hunza along some officials of NDMA to observe relief operations and the situation emerged due to blocked of water on Hunza River.




___________________________________________________________________________





Maj. General Farooq visits Hunza; over-viewed clearance work
VoH Report
HUNZA, Jan. 28: Maj. General Farooq Ahmad Khan,chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) along other dignitaries visited the disaster hit area. He reached thes spot to overview both the relief work and efforts on release of water from artificially formed lake. Zafar Waqar Taj,Deputy Commissioner Hunza-Nagar, Nazir Sabir, former member GBLA, Wazir Baig,speaker GBLA, Dr. Khuwaja Khan, Pesident Ismaili regional council were also present on the occasion. Talking to journalists, Wazir Baig,speaker GBLA said that the government is doing its best to bring the masses of Upper Hunza out of the trouble. Asked a Chinese engineering how long it would take to release water he said that at least one month would be required to release blocked water. Zafar Waqar Taj,Deputy Commissioner Hunza-Nagar briefed Mr. Farooq about the efforts being made by the local civil administration.



Generla Farooq's visit to Hunza movie clip
VoH

Movie by: Zulfiqar Ali Khan and Ikram Najmir

Read More
Posted by Shamsuddin Muhammad on Wednesday
1 comments
categories: , , | | edit post

Regional News Jan. 23- to- Jan. 31 Please click here to read all News of the Week

PMDC declines proposed 50% increased quota for G.B students
VoH Monitoring report
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 31: According to available media reports, Pakistan Medical and Dental Association (PMDC) has declined the notification issued by government of Punjab to in compliance with the orders from Chief Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif to increase in quota seats for students by 50% of Gilgit – Baltistan in medical and dental colleges throughout Punjab province. According to details, Medical Council, after due consideration has rejected the order saying against rules and regulations of the institutions. Consequently, hundreds of students waiting for admission from Gilgit-Batistan facing troubles. PML(N) chief Mian Nawaz Sharif in his visit ahead of poles had announced doubling of quota for the student of Gilgit-Baltistan may prove just an announcement. Student circles have demanded of Mian Shehbaz Sharif, Chief Minister Punjab to take remedial actions to materialize his pledges with the masses of the region. Daily K2-Urdu





Uproar over food shortage a tactic of opponents aims to create hurdles for govt says Wazir Baig
VoH Monitoring Desk
HUNZA, Jan.28: (Shamsuddin Muahammad): According to an Urdu regional daily, Wazir Baig, newly elected speaker of Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly has said that the government was using its all resources to cope with the challenges following the disaster in Attaabad village. He claimed that re-opening of Khunjerab border aimed at assurance of provision of daily necessities in the besieged are of Upper Hunza due to blockade of KKH, the only land route that link between Central and Upper Hunza. He said that a delegation of local traders will be allowed to go to China to fetch the goods to the masses on affordable prices under the supervision of government departments. He claimed that there is no such issue of food shortage adding that was a political tactic from the opponents decry the efforts of ruling government." The essential goods and medicines are sent Gojal via helicopters on daily basis and water from artificial lake would be released with in fourty days," he added. Daily K2.Urdu




Generla Farooq's visit to Hunza
VoH


Movie by: Zulfiqar Ali Khan and Ikram Najmir





Usman rejects allegations of favoritism, says remarks against him unjust and highly discouraging
VoH Watch
HUNZA, Jan 26: Muhammad Usman, Assistant Commissioner sub division Hunza, has rejected the allegation of favoritism and inhumane attitude towards commuters against the facility by choppers of NDMA. “The news published regarding me in an online regional portal is highly discouraging and unbearable because being a son of the soil I am trying my level best to facilitate the local community”, said the Assistant Commissioner Muhammad Usman talking to the the portal on phone. As a response to a news item published in portal on 25th January, a day earlier, he said, “till today none of my friends or family members visited me in Gulmit as I am myself living in a single room of Chinese Camp”, he further said. “I was flying to Gilgit on the same day and on the request of the pilots four people from Gojal volunteered to give space for an elder women patient with three others with whom I don’t had any relationship”, he explained. “As sympathy I paid the four volunteers 100 rupees each from my pocket so that they would not bear the burden of the ticket from Aliabad to Gilgit”, he added.
On the other hand, representatives of the relief committee in Gojal has applauded the role of the Mr.Usman in relief operations. “He extends all possible support to the committee and facilitates the local community”, they said, Pamir Times reported.





Rupani donates 0.2 m for Attaabad disaster relief fund
VOH Monitor
Press release
HUNZA, Altit, Aliabad, Jan. 26: A delegation led by Wazir Baig, speaker of GBLA, a member board of trustee of Rupani Rupani Foundation and other officials called on officials of Ismaili Regional Council for Hunza on at Baltit where they offered the invoice of donation for the disaster hit population of Attaabad village. Masaidullah Baig, assistant Cheif Executive Officer and Tika Khan, secretary Ismaili regional council for Hunza, Mutabiat Shah, technocrat member GBLA and others. were also present on the occasion. Dr. Khuwaja Khan, president Ismail Regional council thanked Rupani for their contribution of Rs. 0.2 million to the Attaabad Disaster Relief Fund. Delegation also visited temporary camps at Altit and Aliabad town and recited Fatiha for deceased.





Deserved families to be supported; quota system eliminated: Farzana Raja
VOH Monitor
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 26:(Shamsuddin Muhammad) Farzana Raja, chairperson Benazir Bhutto Income support Programme (BBISP) has said that the programme with give preference to those all deserves families who have less than six thousand income monthly. Talking to a delegation headed by Chief Minister Mehdi Shah she said that Pakistan Peoples Party will keep its all promises made with the people. She pledged to extend support from programme without any discrimination of party affiliation. She said that the quota system has been eliminated and this will benifit directly in many ways." Deserving peopleof Gilgit-Baltistan will be given equal share to other parts of the country,"she added. Daily Express Islamabad, Urdu.






MQM to give representation in Sindh assembly: Raja Azam
Voice of Hunza Monitor
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 26: Member Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and newly elected member Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Council (GBLA) has said that Mutahida will give a representation to Gilgit-Baltistan in Sindh Assembly.Speaking to a large public gathering organized by Shigar community of twin cities in capital on Sunday he said that more than five lakh people of Baltistan are residing in Karachi. He said that there is no scarcity of talent in Shigar; if something is deficient, that is low rate of literacy. He asserted that he is going reserve and utilize seventy percent of available fund on education.He claimed that in the last tenure, he placed more emphasis and once ogain he will give preference to education sector. He said that the fog of election is faded away and its the time to work jointly." We should forget our differences for the better interest of masses of the poor region," he added. He said that those either supported and opposed him are his brothers adding his is representing party of poor and oppressed.






PYF stages protest against official empathy; immediate tangible efforts for release of water demanded
VoH Report
By: Shamsuddin Muhammad
ISLAMABAD, Jan.25 : Progressive Youth Front, Hunza chapter staged a demonstration against negligence and empathy of government for release of water from artificially formed lake on Hunza river following the land sliding incident that claimed many lives and left many injured critically. Parotestor holding play-cards and banners chanted slogans against the slow pace of work on release of blocked water and clearance of Karakorum High Way (KKH). Baba Jan, Chief organizer, Progressive Youth Front, Hunza speaking to the occasion said that not only many precious lives have been lost in the disaster but also threatened the population of more than twenty five thousand people on both sides of the blocked water. He criticized the newly elected representation saying they preferred their party matters on welfare of people." Natural disaster coupled with government's negligence has further increased the difficulties of the people in upper Hunza," he added. Sami Barcha, Nisar Shah advocate and other also addressed the gathering. Speakers demanded of government to provide better equipment and funds to release water to save the population under threat.





CM vows to implement the announcement of right off the loans of afftectees
Bureau Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan.24: (Shamsuddin Muhammad) Syed Mehdi Shah, newly chief minister Syed Mehdi Shah has said that people of disaster hit areas like Attaabad, Sarat, Ayeenabad and other low lying areas who are affected in either form will be given absolution to the agricultural, small-medium business and national bank loans in order to implement the announcement made by Qamar Zaman Kaira, governor Gilgit-Baltistan during his recent visit to the region.He said the loans along with their respective mark ups will be written off through recommendation of legislative assembly as an additional relief by the government. He expressed these views during a meeting with Raja Shehbaz Khan,former member district council here in capital on Friday.Mr. Shehbaz briefed Chief Minister about the dire situation and threat of sinking of many low lying settlements like Ayeen Abad, Shishkat, Hussani due to blocked of Hunza river. Mr. Shehbaz said that in response to his letter to Chinese government, who has given approval of about 13 million rupees. Mr. Mehdi ensured his complete cooperation to facilitate payment from Chinese authorities.





Govt ready to deal with emergency says Mehdi Shah
VoH Monitoring Report
HUNZA, Shishkat, Jan.24:(W.B) The local as well as federal governments are ready to meet the crisis emerging in the cut-off Gojal tehsil due to blockade of the Hunza River and Karakoram Highway. "All out efforts would be made to manage the situation arising due to the blockade of the river after the Atabad landslide," said Gilgit-Baltistan chief minister Mehdi Shah while addressing a public gathering at Shishkat village on Wednesday. Mr Shah said his government was in close contact with the Center as well as the affected communities to deal with any emergency. He announced setting up of a basic health unit under the People's Primary Health Initiative Programme at Shishkat. Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly speaker Wazir Baig, famous mountaineer Nazir Sabir and government officials were accompanying him during his visit to the village facing threat from the blocked river water.
The chief minister also met with the people of Ayeen Abad having immediate threat from formation of the lake. The people urged the chief minister to save the houses and properties of the 30 families of the village from inundation, weekly Baang reports.





Chinese engineers reach as the Khujerab border opens; additional equipment and personnel due soon
VoH Report
HUNZA, Sost, Shiskat,Jan. 23: (Rahmet Amin) As many as thirty Chinese engineer reached Sost on Friday to release water blocked on Hunza river following land slide menace that inundated the Karakorum High Way (KKH) the only mean to connect both Upper and Central Hunza and the sole land trade route Pakistan and china. The engineers who are mostly experts of Chinese Bridge and Road Constructions (CBRC), a private Chinese firm working on expansion of Karakorum High Way.




NACE criticises Legisltive Assembly's enactment on Attaabad disaster
Voice of Hunza Report
ISLAMABAD, Jan. 23: The National Committee on Environment on Tuesday criticized Gilgit Baltistan Legislative Assembly for its enactment and negligence to the issue that led to perish Attaabad village after a massive land slide on January blocking both Hunza river, turning into an artificial lake, inundating Karakorum High Way (KKH) and posed an severe threat to villages on both sides. The committee shown its dissatisfaction on performance that could not take up to issue to save the lives of those buried under rubles. They claimed that reports of both Geological Survey of Pakistan and FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance were either taken lightly or given little preference to making and breaking in formation of coalition government adding delay in tangible efforts to open Chinese border to facilitate the people of Gojal falls on part of the regional government. The Parliamentarians have recommended to provide immediate compensation and rehabilitation to the families of injured deceased and speed up pace of work of water release to pacify their feeling of deprivation.

Read More
Posted by Shamsuddin Muhammad on Sunday
2 comments
categories: , , , , | | edit post

Monitoring every regional historical development

Monitoring every regional historical development
Click above to visit blog

Discerning social Change in Gilgit-Baltistan

Discerning social Change in Gilgit-Baltistan
Reflecting socio-economic, administrative and cultural impulses in regional periphery

SRs Times

SRs Times
Click on above picture to know....

World in Focus-Top News


RSS and Widgets and Widgets and RSS feeds

Valleys with invaluable natural beauty

Valleys with invaluable natural beauty
Gift of Nature

Click to read unheard regional stories

Click to read unheard regional stories
GBEcho

Mission Statement & Weekly VoH Publishing team


VoH
Voice of Voiceless

The blog aims to disseminate the accurate regional information without consideration of race, color, ethnicity, religion and ideology to the valuable readers across the globe. We promise to abide with the moral and professional ethics of citizen journalism through this medium of communication. The voiceless masses of this one of the most beautiful places on earth, situated in Gilgit-Baltistan region of Pakistan experience hard times due to continuous natural and man made disasters which have left them at surviving stage. Shortly speaking, in a short span of time, Hunza valley has embraces a steady socio-economic and ecological development making it self an authentic book to read about or take a model for rest of far flung valleys bordering Chines Sinkiang province in the extreme north of the country. The haphazard material development in this comparatively small area has also served to create various socio-economic and ethical problems which ultimately served to shake the fabrics of very roots and foundations of culture and civility among dwellers. On geo-political front, analysts find a very little say of a common man in the major decisions related to regional socio-economic development, violation of meritocracy by mafias in political parties, pressure groups which safe guard their own interests, a unbridled bureaucracy, corrupt regimes that patronizing nepotism or favoritism and who wield powers in Gilgit, the main hub and capital of Gilgit-Baltistan. Rapid increase in expenditures ranging from general commodity price hikes to transportation has left no option or time for people to think on other issues.
The so called Economic-Recession, unequal distribution of wealth, concentration of opportunities towards certain beings, lack of social responsiveness and transparency in government sector and no check and balance on private sector has brought its ugly implication in terms of high unemployment, depression among the youngsters, anxiety and hatred towards system of governance.
We vow to bring fore the issues of common man at grass root level, strive to highlight irregularities in government sector and flaws in public policy and finance in a democratic way. We shall continue to give our opinion on issues of importance and determine to prove a viable platform to have a positive role for public welfare, inter-communal harmony, integrity and social justice.
Amid such a situation when even the survival of country is on stake and is defamed due to continual terrorist incidents throughout the our county, we may pray for a peaceful and prosperous future of the nation. May Lord save the peaceful Gilgit-Baltistan region from the evil designs of devils in human form.

The blog has been developed and upgrading by the efforts of the following dedicated volunteers.


Board of Editors
Editor: Shamsuddin Muhammad
Email:jaashams@gmail.com


Co-editor: Inam Karim
Email: inamkarim02@gmail.com


Reporting Team
Karachi: Sartaj Karim
Email: sartaj_compaq@hotmail.com



Hunza: Naeem Hamoon
Email: naeemhmn@hotmail.com


Gilgit: Aslam Shah

Email: hunzaishah@gmail.com


Islamabad: Ikramullah Baig
Email: hunza_havenonearth@yahoo.com

Voice of the voiceless!

The blog is a venture with exclusive news updates, unbiased analysis and opinion on historical, cultural, ecological, socio-economic, geopolitical and administrative issues and events occurring in country in general and the region particular. It would serve as a portfolio of credible information retained first hand from own and secondary reliable electronic and print media sources and aspire to become a powerful voice for a common man. We are committed to adhere with the professional ethics of citizen journalism, a new trend to shackle the chains of excessive curb over dissemination of reality either for any cause in the name of so-called sensor, with maximum possible accuracy and least deviation while delivering information to show the real side of picture of events so that our valuable readers will have an alternative portal to know what developments are going on various levels, particularly backward areas like that of Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Azad Jamu and Kahsmir, Tribal areas etc., across the country. One can easily discern a great social change in terms of attitudes, perceptions both in individual and society; values and reaction to the variables in daily life patterns among the dwellers of the comparatively backwards areas like Gilgit-Baltistan, a deprived region of its fundamental rights for more than six decades of its liberation from colonial yolk. In a quest to voice over issues of vital importance, keeping closer to circle of concern, Hunza, a name famous for its beauty and rich cultural heritage has been selected to represent as a case to further the cause and issues of the rest of the region. Virtually, the region especially Hunza-Nagar retained a rapid development with a short span of time after remaining isolated for centuries to out side world. The blog also aims focus largely to identify core areas from on bottom or grass root level to the top. Keeping due consideration of inter-religious harmony, tolerance, respecting pluralism, diversity, mutual respect, democracy, equal opportunity and other aspects of human rights and professional values of journalism, the blog will serve as a binding force and medium of voice of the voiceless people of the area with reference to Gilgit-Baltistan region.

The idea of creation of this blog came into my mind during a visit after spending few years of career at Karachi, capital of Southern province to the region. While traveling from south pole of the country to north, I experienced many new changes nearly in all aspects of life explicit in urban areas and implicit in rural belts: people have opted to modern technology, availed faster means of communication; task centered behavior, selfishness, following short-cuts, chase of wealth and more opportunities in their career and many more that made their lives much more easier but crazier than before. Nevertheless, the scene suddenly turned bit dim when I entered the region of Gilgit-Baltistan. I could not believe my eyes that this was the Gilgit I saw four years ago. Many things, except the faces were utterly unchanged formats primitive outlook. The Chinese bridge that linked Danyore and Gilgit and a main source of transportation was no more. Few people told me that few journalists have lost their lives in lethal road accident due to lack of arrangements on part of concerned authority to avoid the incident. Karakorum High Way (KKH), one of the highest truck able route and so-called eighth wonder in the world is under construction and many places portray nothing but a passage through a rough stony pasture. It took nearly twenty four hours from Rawalpindi to reach after an exhaustive journey to Hunza, my home town, compared to nineteen hours in past. The scenario seemed worse in Hunza, my home town which remained unchanged for last four years except a drastic decline in standard of living of more than fifty percent of the population. One may think that people have replaced muddy homes with cement ones but that are not the real yardstick of measurement of both mental and material development. Infrastructure, fixtures, telecommunication systems were largely depreciated to their estimated life coupled with inappropriate number of personnel required in educational, administrative and health institutions. The so-called economic meltdown that started from American giant Leman soon took the world into its tyrant claws, shaking many stable economies of the world including the rural areas of developing states- a big example of negligence and subjugation by the rulers of respective countries where people live not above the level of animals. Apart from the allegations on policy makers of industrialized nations having economic interest only, the poor, irrational, incompetent, self-centered and corrupt leadership in Pakistan like other third world countries where immature economies spends it larger portion of budget expenditure on defense could not resist the negative consequences of economic crisis in terms of high rate of unemployment, recession, right or down sizing, price hikes, violation of consumer rights and so on. Hunza-Nagar, like other parts of Gilgit-Baltistan was no exception. The smiling faces that greeted us once warmly few years ago turned unhappy for the crisis brought its ugly implication on the daily life pattern of an individual thus sucking down the unique attributes of population: courtesy, generosity and hospitality. Having a so-called high rate of literacy in the country unfortunately, the region is facing many problems ranging from health to drinking water and energy sector. To many, it was because of lack of geo-political awareness and excessive tendency towards NGO culture where people little bother to beg their rights from the states besides emphasis on duties. Historical chronicles vindicate that the region remained in isolation for many centuries due to a specific location and lack of access to out side world. Many dynasties ruled the area that hardly accepted change in a traditionally sophisticated feudal based society. The wheel of transition continued to move and finally the area got librated through a mutiny with the help of indigenous population from the clutches of Dogra subjugation. Later, the area was affiliated with Pakistan vide a secret treaty called Karachi Treatise as defacto part, unconditionally. Gilgit-Baltistan region got on real terms an impetus to grow from zero level with the visit of three icons of development: Aga Khan, President Ayub Khan and Z.A.Bhutto- a historic event of its nature with long standing implications on live of the people of the region.The area could hardly observed any impulse for more than half dozen years of affiliation with Pakistan when Sir Sultan Muhammad Shah, Aga Khan (3rd) first time introduced Diamond Jubilee Schools network during mid fifties in the region. A real phase of development gain impetus when Shah Karim Alhusaini, Aga Khan (fourth) stepped in the region, a population with miserable conditions in 1960. He initiated many new projects in different aspect of life, strengthening the existing educational network under the umbrella of Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) for the betterment and uplift standard of living of masses lived under poverty line. Aga Khan Development Network in collaboration with donor agencies, with a view to bring social change from grass roots level, initiated rural support programme and other services for less-privileged societies in the region. In simple words, initial projects were stretched to new areas under AKDN umbrella ranging from self-entrepreneurship to planning and building services. These development programmes served a catalyst for a common man who, earlier was confine to a certain limit where facilities and perks were confined to a specific creed, definitely a big change in society led to process of decline of so-called nobility. By, 1974, Z.A.Bhutto, chief of Pakistan Peoples Party and his cabinet undertook a disintegrated country following the fall of Dhaka, albeit eliminating princely status of numerous states gave them democratic structures, initiated socio-economic, political and administrative reforms in civil services cadres under 1973 constitution of Pakistan. These reforms opened a path for further reforms in tribal and affiliated princely states, mostly in mountain regions. Elders assert, by 1976, when Bhutto abolished the princely status of the units and replaced the princely flag with that of the country declared region formally its de-fecto part. The new development allowed for the first time a limited right of franchise and representation in a parallel council governed from capital. He in collaboration with international donor agencies like UNICEF and World Food Programme helped ensure provision of basic necessities like food to indigenous population still in poor conditions. He gave word to poor and enables to build his destiny. The facility fell a prey of Zia-ul-Haq who abolished the programme to benefit his favorite breed. He altered such programmes to facilitate Mujahideen busy fighting Afghan war against Soviet invasion on behalf of American assistance. By, 1988, before the withdrawal of USSR, Zia regime played a dirty game: as an integral strategy to get parallel success, he supported a breed of militants to eliminate all those against his faith in Gilgit-Baltistan. Unfortunately, the indigenous people could not understand his nefarious designs under the veil of religion that had to sustain his regime using divide and rule tactic and nothing to do with public welfare fell a prey of communal discord. Thousands of innocent people were brutally killed without a reason from both sides and this in turn sowed the seeds of sectarianism thus introducing a Kalashnikov culture in this region. On country’s political front, frequent interventions of military in politics in the wake of undemocratic moves of leadership, double standard attitude of bureaucracy and excessive influence of establishment forces harmed political evolution during last sixty two years of country's history. A finest dictatorship is considered worse than a worse democracy for it largely overlook the opinion of masses. The undemocratic regimes since 1952 onwards in general and during dictators’ regimes left people with no option but to support immature, corrupt and unable leadership confined to their self interests coupled with narrow vision. On global front, with the withdrawal of USSR from Afghanistan, American administration started to shift its strategy of dependency and support for Pakistan especially that to check movement and expansion of communist philosophy, an anxiety among the then US policy planners. Political front once again passed through a new change in 1999 when military took over in October 1999. Numerous Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), both national and international rapport delivered remarkable work since 1990s to 2004 in many sectors like education, health, cultural preservation, design and building.

History repeated itself, but in a new form under different circumstances after cold war, when terrorists attacked twin towers of World Trade Centre, an icon of prestige and glory of America killing thousands of innocent people as a response to US policies inviting a fresh hostility between US and Islamist groups or in other words initiated an open conflict between two countering forces. To some, hidden forces worked behind the incident: Muslims thought it was a Judaist elements while to Europe and US a strike of Islamist elements; even the then Bush administration alleged Islamist groups behind this nefarious act to initiate an open armed struggle to defy its policies and interests. The September 11 incident served a cause to create sufferings for the Muslim communities residing in America and Europe. Being a sponsoring source of Jihadist elements, Pakistan was in real trouble as it was asked either ally the US or ready to go into stone age. Consequently, Pervez Musharraf took U-turn in state policy against billions of dollars as assistance. Once again, US dependency on Pakistan after Afghan war, in an endless war against an invisible enemy in terms of Osama started, leading farmer to think to gain control over natural resources in Afghanistan and Central Asian states. As a state, Pakistan endured many hardships, mostly from inside elements, Majority of our political leadership, for instance is largely nurtured under the aegis of military establishments and always ready to achieve their own interest lest it comes to compromise on national matters, evident from the successive overthrowing of representative regimes. They could not deliver any remarkable to uplift the standard of living of a common man except false promises. It was the Musharraf regime which can be given credit for many reasons: allowed a national government to complete its five year tenure, introduced local government systems for dicentralization of power though a move to by pass the then political and administrative forces like his predecessors military dictators to bolster one man show. Apart from few of blunders in terms of killing of Akbar Bugti, subjugation of judiciary, appointment of army on service and retired personnel in institutions offering higher education, other key positions in major public organiztions and using force as a decisive force instead of dialogue his regime can be recalled for many things during last eight years. He was the first who put hand on non-state actors, brought changes in status of deprived regions like Gilgit-Baltistan bringing reforms and took initiatives to improve education and health facilities. He gave us an International University, increased woman representation, empowered Northern Light Infantry, established N.A scouts and notified Hunza-Nagar district and many more. Yet, at the same time on mass level, despite many accomplishments, it failed to address the real issues of poor. Giant fishes got most and poor further got depressed as the regime greatly revolved around the interests of Chaurdhries and lords. December 2007, shall be remembered a black day when Benazir Bhutto, a female leader of international repute was assassinated at the same place where one of the most famous Prime Minister Liaquat Ali Khan as killed. Country fell into chaos and observed an extreme internal and internal threat to her existence second time after 1971. Good heaven, the situation soon normalized. With the dawn of democracy, based on Benazir Bhutto's sacrifice has brought a hope of change of image of the country in global economy. PPP led contemporary government has given a new Self Governance Reforms Package 2009 ahead of poles to empower the assembly to legislate on various subjects not allowed in past and choose their own Chief Minister unanimously with the consent of Prime Minister, the head of set up-a good initiative after Z.A Bhutto's compassions for the region. The package has opened a door for more autonomy resembles to that of Azad Kashmir. Though, there are many flaws in the package yet, it will serve to reduce feeling of deprivation among the masses.

There is another side of the picture that the poor performance in many of the departments in government sector during last two years has raised many questions in our mind regarding its capability to cope the challenges that the country faces internally and externally. Public welfare, security from internal and external aggressions and provision of basic necessities to the citizens is the fundamental responsibilities of modern states. Yet, more focus on external threats under security syndrome has left the country nothing but to expend on defense-thus neglecting other sectors like education, strategic personnel planning, health, trade and industry and exploitation of natural resources to strengthen our economy. As for as the private sector especially the NGOs are concerned, the are now confine to reporting to get funds, roam and measure the length of roads in their luxury vehicles. Now it depends on flow of events that will decide the future course of history.





Shamsuddin Muhammad,

Author and Editor,

VoH



BLOG VISITORS

free counters

About Me

My photo
Hyderabad,, IslamicRepublic of Pakistan, Pakistan
I am social person with a tendency towards learning knowledge that will balance the material world and the hereafter, a legacy obtained from the family. I earned my MA (General History with specialization in Modern History) and M.A.S (Master of Administrative siences with speciliazation in HRM) both from University of Karachi in 2005 and 2007 respectively, am fond of social work and public welfare. The blog focuses on social change caused by socio- economic and geo-political impulse in the country in general and the region particular.

Labels