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Litlight Publications © Moiz Shaukat 2020 © Hareem Fatima 2020 (Co author) All rights reserved

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Acknowledgment

I love my country and hence I am using my honor my homeland with this book. I hope all fall love with the country after reading it.

And remember, a thankful person is a happy person. So always thank Allah for giving you such a blessed land.

Do leave your reviews at [email protected].

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Contents

Chapter# 1 History of Pakistan: Page 9

Chapter# 2 Games of Thrones: Lust for power: Page 11

Chapter#3 Pakistan, brilliant yet misunderstood: Page 15

Chapter#4 Why am I even writing on Pakistan anyways?: Page 27

Chapter #5 Tourism Potential: Page 35

Chapter # 6 The Amazing Pakistani People I have met: Page 72

Chapter # 7 Pakistan and it’s foreign relations: Page 118

Chapter # 8 Pakistan’s identity and ideology: Page 137

Chapter # 9 Changes needed in the Education system: Page 160

Chapter # 10 Imran Khan as a leader: Page 170

Chapter# 11 Business Potential in Pakistan: Page 178

Chapter # 12 Words of Wisdom: Page 185

Final thoughts: My legacy; I lived, I inspired, I loved: Page 202

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History of Pakistan

Pakistan is a brilliant country. Envious eyes, corrupt leaders, the ghost known as ‘War against terrorism’ and the New Great Game, also somewhat of the Heartland theory have, unfortunately, lead to its economic downfall though.

My name is Moiz Shaukat. I’m a motivational/Ted x speaker, social activist and Entrepreneur. I run Moiz Shaukat Foundation (a charity providing platform) as I’m a philanthropist by nature. I am 19 years of age, however, I feel that am intellectually aware enough to show you the ‘real’ Pakistan from my eyes. 6

So as I was saying, only from a typical analyst’s point of view, many factors have snatched the 70+ year old Pakistan of its initial valour, economic/geographic power and needless to mention, its prestige. Imran Khan, the current Prime Minister of Pakistan simplifies those factors in the most beautiful and comprehensive ways. During his first visit to U.S.A he mentioned the following root causes of decline in his speech (adding some of my own points here too):-

1) Leaders were never accountable 2) Merit system not nepotism should be there 3) Foreign loans were unnecessary and made us look like beggars 4) Lost honour made us the scapegoat of ‘War against Terrorism’ (9/11 incident) 5) Education and health system have also been negatively impacted by corruption 6) High inflation/hyperflation coupled with stagnant economic growth 7) Riyasat e Madinah/ Shariah law has not been implemented throughout the lands 8) Modern education and technology have not reached us yet due to not so strong foreign relations with other countries 9) Balochistan unexploited 10) Tourist potential unexploited

How it all began

I am not going to bore you with history related facts that can be found on google or in any other book greater than this one. I will give you an analyst’s perspective by asking you if what happened ‘should have’ happened or not. Was the EIC Company wrong to have misused their powers? Was the 1857 War of 7

Independence not only a rebellious act from the part of the subcontinent residents or a foolish act as well? Would we have been better off if Pakistan was never made? The subcontinent, that was referred to as ‘a sprawling giant of a country’ by one of our late British rulers was perhaps an excellent way to describe our land. This is because it was not only huge, it was powerful.

The Mughal emperors, even with hearts polluted by greed and lifestyles unidealistic due to lavishness, they did a great job. Some were unhappy under their reign, yes. But most were content. There was honor. Lots of it. Yes, we lacked railways, guns and big ships, but we were a happy lot. Buddha even, he was born in India. You know him as a wise man from History, Comparative religion and Philosophy books, right?

This is only one example of how the subcontinent loved wisdom and had a passion for learning. Some of the emperors themselves were excellent painters and loved astronomy and mathematics. Education was pure at that time. Similar to how Socrates (and other philosophers) strongly believed that something as pure as education should never be monetized, the people of the sub-continent believed so too. The learned for the sake of learned. They loved challenging their minds. Simply beautiful way of living. This ‘sprawling giant’ that was mostly cut off from the rest of world due to less communication networks, was doing fine on its own…till it was discovered..

Let’s bring you back to present for a few moments and talk about the current education system in Pakistan. O and A levels are seen as quality education here, right? It’s a British system? How much are the fees?

There you go. You have spotted one major negative impact of greed that lead to exploitation of both Pakistani parents and students. This is one hint of how our downfall began. Teachers are victims too no doubt and the government is to blame as well. But the roots? Monetizing education was never a good idea in the first place.

Want to be a good competition for U.S.A’s education system? Start by copying them. In the U.S, education till 12th grade/highschool is free. And if we must follow Cambridge, then the least we could do is make education system free till A 8 levels. Yes, corrupt leaders and exploiters will hate me for giving this suggestion, but its integral to be highlighted.

USA even has GED, GRE, SAT, ACT and diploma system/short courses for those who want to make a good career but had to stop midway, due to financial issues or death of a parent perhaps. This should also be implemented in Pakistan.

History and Ethnic Relations

Emergence of the Nation. For many years India sought independence from Great Britain. During most of those years the Muslim League of India was also striving to establish an independent Islamic nation. The Muslim leader was Ali Jinnah from as early as 1916; in 1940 he began advocating and working for a separate Muslim state. When the British finally agreed to India's independence and withdrew in 1947, Pakistan became a Muslim nation, with Ali Jinnah as its first governor- general. Originally it was divided into two parts. The nation now called Pakistan was then called West Pakistan, and on the opposite side of India, some 1,000 miles (1,609 kilometers) away, was another Muslim area, designated East Pakistan. In 1956 Pakistan became a republic. In 1971 East Pakistan waged a successful war of independence from West Pakistan and became the independent nation of Bangladesh. While the history of Pakistan as an independent nation dates only to 1947, the history of the territory it encompasses dates back many thousands of years, during the period when the territory was a portion of the Indian subcontinent. In addition, the land is home to the famous Khyber Pass, which is the route that many invaders into India used. These include Mogul invaders and Alexander the Great. Many centuries ago a number of Buddhists also used that northern section as a route, so Pakistan today has many interesting Buddhist sites and historical notes as part of its history. Punjab is also a portion of the country; it was the home of the founder of the Sikh religion, and it continues to play a significant role in Pakistan. Lines of demarcation between India and Pakistan in northern border areas are unclear in places or in dispute, and controversy continues to surround these lines. 9

National Identity. The national identity of Pakistan today is that of an Islamic nation; it was created as such. However, because the territory that is now Pakistan has a history that goes back several thousand years, the area has a history that forms part of the present identity of Pakistan. That is one of the reasons why both residents and visitors find the relatively young nation of Pakistan historically interesting and why the national identity includes many sites and stories that are centuries older than the nation itself. Ethnic Relations. There are at least five ethnic groups within Pakistan. In general, there are not continuous or frequent problems between the different ethnic groups other than ethnic tensions in Sind, which occur somewhat regularly.

Our neighbours

It is aptly said that if you don't know from where you have started, then how would you appreciate that where you have reached. The comparison of the Nehru Report and Jinnah's 14 points clearly shows that it was the Indian National Congress, who sowed the seeds of this brutal and bloody partition. Since then India has been chanting its hollow and baseless "secularism". Now by scrapping the article 370 from her rather absurd Indian Constitution, the two national theory, is again revised, refreshed and stands firm on its ground even after 71 years of independence. Instead of building up our senseless and enthusiastic national narrative, we badly need to look back and peep into our forgotten history.

Let me link the above with the current state of Indian Occupied Kashmir. What right do any of us, India or Pakistan have over them? Does the U.N or United States fit the image of ‘ideal arbitrator’? What about the silence of other Muslim countries?

Currently (August 8th 2019), the situation of Kashmir is way past worrisome. Google art 370 of the Indian Constitution. You will get all the information about the said issue. With the removal of this article, the Kashmir is going to be the part of the India and would come under the domain of tricolor flag, Trianga. With such 10 scrapping in the Constitution, few things would happen. One, india, the so called biggest democracy of the subcontinent has disowned her own constitution and has changed it. Two, this international dispute further gets bloody. Third, it is against the will of the people. Fourth, their fate is being decided in an unconcerned Parliament. Fifth, this can escalate tensions on the both sides of the border. Lastly, it is violation of the international law in many ways.

Everything stems from the moral vices like greed and envy. Lust for land acquisition or should I call it ‘games of thrones’ cause unnecessary bloodshed. Unfair laws are made in the same way too.

Thus, I can confidently say, that even if we have a good leader like Imran Khan today for Pakistan that even claims to be working for the betterment of Kashmir, the country cannot progress without a detailed/flawless constitution. Take the analogy of Imran Khan being an expert level driver but has a rickshaw to compete with sport car race drivers. Our constitution is the rickshaw. And what is the best constitution for a multi-cultural land like Pakistan?

Imran Khan gave the answer of this himself in his speech ‘Riyasat e Madinah’.

Who should we blame for our decline?

In my point of view, we are not to blame India, the United States or any other nation or cause for Pakistan’s decline. We are to blame ourselves. Our leaders and every single citizen of the nation is accountable. Here I am writing this book, this is my modest try in making a positive difference. Likewise, we all have a voice. Instead, we never dared speak against unjust rulers like Nawaz Sharif and others. We were more or less silent over Zia ul Haq’s extremism as well. We needed a collective strong voice against less competent rulers because who else could we have expected to save our nation besides our ownselves?

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Every single person born within Pakistan or by Pakistani parents is to blame.

Games of thrones

Since ancient times, leaders have been competing for the thrones of their respective empires. Some did it out of love as they felt that they actually did have the potential to make their land a better place. Others simply drooled over the 12 power and finance chambers that came with the huge responsibility. In other words, they simply wanted to exploit their own nations.

Pakistan is 73 years old. And I personally feel that only 2-3 of our Prime Ministers till date actually were sincere till their last moments of reign.

This was not the only problem. It took about 1-2 years for India to design a worthwhile constitution for their government. While Pakistan took 10+ years. India focused more on decentralizing the powers to please federal governments while Pakistan made the dire mistake of making it more or less Unitary. Powerful areas like Balochistan were neglected and East Pakistan, the major agricultural source, was exploited and neglected to the fullest resulting to its separation. Early politics with Balochistan was also a mess. If one googles Pakistan’s history properly, they will spot the many insurgencies carried out by the Baloch people. This was because the Balochis initially refused to become part of Pakistan and Sindh half- heartedly.

What I’m trying to say is that a good leader makes sure that citizens of his nation are happy. He tries his best at least. And our leaders came up with a flawed constitution that is hardly even properly implemented. It will surprise you that the constitution of Pakistan clearly states that all citizens have rights to free education and free court trial for investigations as well. Is A levels free? Certainly not.

Punjab is the richest province. Others like Balochistan, some areas of Sindh and Northern belt of Pakistan could have been economically worked on more if more federal powers were there. Needless to mention, the federal leaders should be free from corruption too. Corruption free leadership can be ensured through accountability and the implementation a proper system. The system is the constitution. And this ‘non-hypocritical’ constitution should either be 100% based on Islamic laws, or bluntly tell the world that we aren’t a Muslim nation in the first place. The hypocrisy is a mockery to our Holy Prophet pbuh, Hazrat Abu Bakr, Hazrat Umar, Hazrat Usman and Hazrat Ali who were the best rulers ever lived. If Islamic history is deeply studied, one would know how even Hazrat Umar made himself accountable to his people. 13

There was one amusing instance that I want to narrate.

Hazrat Umar used to patrol the land during the nights himself to ensure a crime free state. Once he heard music and the laughing of men and women from a household. Indeceny and adultery came to his mind and he entered the house by jumping over its walls and showed his fury.

The man in the household, before giving apologies, asked Hazrat Umar to judge himself first. He claimed that Hazrat Umar broke 3 Quranic hukms:-

1) He spied (surah hujurat) 2) He entered the house without taking permission 3) And he didn’t greet all before entering.

This left Hazrat Umar speechless and if my memory of Islamic history serves me right, he went back after apologizes to the men and women of that home that night.

Yes. Rulers at that time took the Quran this seriously. Even small things like spying were forbidden for the rulers and the entire nations. Should we be ashamed of ourselves? Certainly, yes.

What should our leaders focus on?

Our leaders should have, in my perspective, the following priorities:-

1) Economic stability 2) Strong foreign ties 3) Ideal education system/free of cost till A levels 4) Widespread health facilities 14

5) Technological advancement 6) Industrial advancement 7) Foreign trade 8) Renewal of Judiciary system strictly under Shariah law 9) Media/TV channels improvement (more educational channels and more decency) 10) Non-Islamic practices removed from our Media industry 11) Food management system like FDA/HACCP 12) Cleanliness ensuring facilities 13) Strict traffic laws and traffic education 14) Reduction of prices/inflation 15) More talent shows/talent promotion programs 16) More sportsman facilitating programs/universities designed for sports only 17) Increase in the value of labor jobs like the U.S 18) Increase in the value of Pakistani authors and their respective books/facilitating programs 19) Utilization of tourism potential like how Malaysia and Singapore did to improve their economic conditions 20) Voice of every citizen should be heard through physical, online portals especially the differently abled, trans-genders and minorities.

In the 7 years of Pakistan’s life, I have not seen any serious steps taken for Education, health facility implementation like FDA or tourism site development. What I’ve seen is the misuse of the Education system by raising fees too high for most people to afford. There have always been people under the poverty belt in Pakistan since its birth and less value of labor jobs coupled with high fees of private schools/ universities have only made matters worse. I suggest that Pakistan’s top Educationists should form a board which chains all over the country and work on improving the system with complete support of the government. Same should be done with the points mentioned above. 15

Change is steady. One by one we need to tackle these issues to bring about a widespread economic growth and revolution within the country. The ‘inferiority complex’ and ‘slave/beggary mindset’ will slowly vanish from our personalities as we take steps towards positive difference. This the dream I envision with logical strategies/plan at hand.

Pakistan, brilliant yet misunderstood 16

Foreigners misunderstand Pakistan, yes. But the real problem is that we Pakistanis misunderstand it the most.

In this chapter, I will be answering the question briefly about why it is so misunderstood through the lens of a British Author “Matthew Vaughan”, who has recently written a book on Pakistan.

Here is the starting extract from the book’s epilogue:-

I once went to the airport in Islamabad to meet a guest who was arriving from the UK. Security concerns mean that no visitors are allowed into the airport itself when meeting friends and family. We are all obliged to stand outside in a covered waiting area. Here I stood, with several hundred others, at 2am, waiting for the Emirates flights to disgorge its passengers. When my friend emerged from the terminal he walked out swiftly, anxiously, more quickly than was strictly necessary, with his shoulders hunched forward, flicking furtive glances towards the roof of the buildings around us as if expecting a sniper to take him out any moment.

Anyone travelling to Pakistan for the first time faces this situation. We come with preconceived notions about the country which are difficult to shift: images of angry mobs, of police sirens, of bombs, of violence and danger. We expect to encounter violence and threat, and yet most of us do not. A friend of mine once tried to buy Pakistani rupees at the airport in Bangkok ahead of his flight and was met with an incredulous look by the lady working behind the foreign exchange counter: why on earth would he need them? He wasn’t thinking of actually going there, was he? And then there was the time we got the chance of chatting with the lady who oversaw the children’s playarea in Hearthrow’s Terminal 2.

As we encouraged our children to play in attempt to get them to use up excess energy before getting on the plan we got chatting. As it turned out she was 17 originally from Lahore and when I said how much I liked living in Pakistan she stood there in baffled disbelief, as though a rabbit wearing a pirate’s hat had just crawled out of my left ear, and when she had eventually gathered her thoughts she shot back a single word:

“Why?”

This reaction would be understandable if Pakistan actually was as bad as people think-if people were actually shot by snipers as they emerged from Islamabad airport; if terrorism actually were the norm rather than the exception; if people in Pakistan really were as bad as the media makes them out to be.

So how is Pakistan actually like from Matthew’s eyes?

He continues:-

The point, though, is that none of this is true. People arrive in Pakistan expecting snipers and leave with the impressions of kindness and generosity.

People assume that Pakistan consists of desserts and angry men with beards, and leave with impressions of great natural beauty and kind men, some of whom have beards. I once asked a visiting BBC journalist why there are so few positive programmes about Pakistan- she herself was responsible for one of them, the wonderful documentary “Treasure of the Indus”, so full marks to her-and she replied that in her experience people at the BBC simply don’t believe there are any positive stories worth telling about Pakistan. There is a disconnect, a fundamental divergence, between how people view Pakistan and what is Pakistan actually like. 18

Put simply, Pakistan is frequently misunderstood from the corridors of power to airport terminals in Thailand and London.

Why is Pakistan Misunderstood?

Matt Vaughan gave some brilliant points in his book. To make it brief, I’ll only show you a glance or lets say an overview of the entire scenario he talks about:-

1) Complexity

Put simply, Pakistan is an immensely complex country. It has a large population- perhaps as many as 207 million according to the 2017 census, which would make it the fifth largest country in the world by population. The individual people who between them make up the population of Pakistan are themselves diverse and complex to a degree that is far beyond my own understanding. They live in a broad range of locations, from the deserts of Baluchistan to the soaring mountains of the north to the fertile plains of the soaring mountains of the north to the fertile plains of the Punjab to the high-rise apartment blocks of Karachi. They fill every conceivable spot on the spectrum between poverty and affluence-one meets thin- faced beggar girls on the streets of Islamabad and businessmen and women of truly spectacular wealth, the kind of people who fly first class halfway around the world in order to attend Wimbledon or to watch England play Pakistan at Lord’s.

All of this complexity would totally and utterly pass me by if there were not helpful friends who take the time to explain it to me patiently. There is a whole undercurrent of tribal complexity which affects the day to day running of Pakistan and I am blissfully unaware of it. It’s entirely possible that this is just because I’m a bit thick-it would not be the first time-but I dare say I’m not alone in finding the tribal complexity of Pakistan difficult to appreciate.

2) The identity of Pakistan 19

A further complicating factor is the identity of Pakistan itself. The land on which the modern nation of Pakistan sits has played host to an unparalleled spread of historical drama, from the Indus River civilization which produced Moenjadaro all the way to European imperialism, the Great Game, and the death of Osama bin Laden. Historical figures from Alexander the Great to the Mughal Emperor Jahangir to Princess Diana have been here, Buddhist history flourished here, a significant part of Sikh history took place here, and the concept of the Islamic nation-state was birthed here.

On top of this multi-faceted and complex bedrock was then, in 1947, laid a new identity: that of a Muslim-majority independent nation-state, inspired by luminaries such as the poet-philosopher Allama Iqbal and led into existence by Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Pakistan was built on the ruins of British India as a homeland for the Muslims of the subcontinent who, in a democratic and independent India, would have formed a minority under Hindu rule. Modern Pakistan therefore sits as an Islamic republic, at least 97% of whose population is Muslim, and yet one which constitutionally guarantees freedom of religion for its non-muslim minorities. We therefore find ourselves in the odd position of living in an overwhelmingly Muslim nation in which Christian churches, Hindu temples and Sikh shrines pop up from time to time, their very existence bearing testimony to surprising layers of religious and historical complexity. Pakistan in an Islamic republic, but that’s not even close to being the whole story.

Pakistan is still in the process of working out its own identity. You might think that seventy years is quite long enough to figure out something like this but then Pakistan suffered from two centuries of colonialism, was born in an orgy of bloodshed and slaughter and then became the battleground for half the world’s proxy conflicts. Be kind, eh?

3) The Problem of fear

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The chief obstacle to a better understanding of Pakistan , in my view, is fear. In order to begin to understand a country it is necessary to visit it-and not just pop over for a couple of days, staying in luxury hotels, but actually to get out, tread the streets, and meet the people. In the case of Pakistan, there are simply not many people willing to go to such lengths. The newspaper headlines put people off, and so the fear which seems so tragically profound in our modern world paralyses any attempts to get to know this country better.

This is doubly sad when you consider that the hardy travellers who do pitch up in Pakistan almost always leave with positive impressions of the country and its people. A trickle of their anecdotes makes its way down to us through blogs and social media: the Australian motorbike fanatic who rode the Karakorum Highway all the way to the Chinese border, the retired French couple who came through Pakistan as a part of a round the world drive in a jeep, an American lady who has visited every country in the world and who says that Pakistan is in her personal top ten. I had breakfast at the Serena Hotel in Islamabad recently and met a Belgian couple who have visited 155 countries in the world and who told me in awestruck tones that they have never experienced hospitality such as which was extended to them in Pakistan.

Even the foreigners who do come to Pakistan are not necessarily able to see it for themselves in any meaningful way. I gave a talk on my previous book at the US Embassy in Islamabad and realized early on that in talking about everyday life in Pakistan and the ordinary kindness of Pakistani people I was describing a world which was more or less entirely unknown to the diplomats who were listening to me. The self-imposed restrictions under which they live are so strict that they are barely able to leave the diplomatic enclave in Islamabad, the fortified section of the capital reserved for foreign embassies which is surrounded by high walls and razor wire. The mountains of north of Pakistan, the winter fogs in Lahore, the lush farmland of Punjab, the orange groves of Haripur, the deserts of Sindh-they have seen none of these, have never drank chai from a bazaar stall, have never shoveled down biryani elbow to elbow with Pakistani men at a roadside restaurant.

Not only that, but they come to Pakistan for such short periods of time (sometimes as brief as six months) that learning Urdu or reading about the history or culture of Pakistan is more or less pointless. I do not mean to criticize them-all of them 21 were interested to hear about my experiences of Pakistan and many are keen to see it for themselves, but they are simply unable to do so. I naively assumed that at least part of the role of foreign diplomacy was to improve mutual understanding, but this seems not to be the case in Pakistan: trade deals, cooperation on a range of diplomatic and humanitarian goals, and military aid seem to sum it up, all conducted from behind blast walls and managed by people whose experience of Pakistan consists chiefly of glimpses through the bullet-proof windows of Toyota Land Cruisers as they fly through the city under heavy police escort.

How can we hope to understand Pakistan better when hardly anyone is prepared to visit it, and when those that do visit are separated from the realities of Pakistani life by security guards and razor wire? Until such a time as more people are prepared to come to Pakistan and see it for themselves, its name will continue to be sullied by lazy stereotypes and willful misinformation.

4) Multiphobia

Let’s be blunt: these days, most people are afraid of each other. Let’s be even blunter: people in the West have been afraid of Muslims to one degree or the other for a millennium, and a half, and the feeling seems to be mutual.

9/11 was the defining event of my lifetime, taking place when I was 18 and on the cusp of adulthood, yet although it was perceived by some as a freakish atrocity it 22 did not come out of nowhere. The hostility which inspired it is merely the most recent part of a long thread of mutual antagonism between the Muslim world and the West. Once you pull at the thread, as I did when I started to read history books at the age of 18, the whole appalling story of mistrust, deceit and violence between the Muslim world and the West starts to become clear. Before 9/11 was the Gulf War, before that was the Iranian Revolution, before that was the age of colonialism when ostensibly Christian nations carved up the Muslim world like butchers hacking a bull to pieces, before that was the high point of the Ottoman Turkish power when Muslim armies, moved into Europe and their fleets swept into Malta and came within a hair’s breadth of conquering the Mediterranean, before that came the Crusades, before that came the armies which captured almost all of Spain and almost managed to capture France as well, and before that came the Muslim conquest of the of the Byzantine Middle East. Much of this is unknown in the West, at least outside the ivory towers of academia. How many laypeaple have heard about the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, or the meeting of Francis of Assisi with the Egyptian Sultan in1219, or the Battle of Ayn Jalut in 1260, or the Siege of Malta in1565, or the Battle of Lepanto in 1571? All of these events were hugely significant in the relationship between the worlds of Christianity and Islam yet they are not especially widely known. Historical ignorance abounds. When George Bush declared in the aftermath of 9/11 that “this crusade is going to take a while”, many people around the world knew exactly what he meant and didn’t appreciate the reference.

The fear which exists between Muslims and people in the West-I am choosing not to describe them as Christians because these days not many of them are-has existed for a long time. Do you think that drone strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas are a recent phenomenon? In the 1920s the British Royal Air force bombed villages in Waziristan to punish them for opposing British rule. Do you think it is only modern right-wing politicians who get anxious about the putative threat to Christendom by Muslim people? In 1566 Queen Elizabeth 1 of England called for prayers to be made against the Ottoman Turks lest “all the rest of Christendom should lye as it were naked and open to incursions and invasions of the sayde savage and most cruell enemyes the Turkes.? Is it only contemporary European nationalists who want Muslims to “go back where they came from”? In 1492 Catholic Spain conquered Granada, ended the policy of “live and let live” which 23 had hitherto characterizes relations on the Iberian peninsula, and forced all Muslims to covert or leave.

All of this tortured history has created a situation in which each side fears and mistrusts the other. Nationalists take a glance at Muslim immigrants and ascribe sinister intentions to their decisions to move to the West, seeing them as potential terrorists, while leaders in Muslim countries frequently lay the blame for their misfortunes at the feet of shadowy Western actors: the President of Sudan, Omar- al Bahshir, claimed in 2015 that ISIS and Boko Haram were sponsored and supported by USA, while in the same year the Mayor or Ankara stated Mossad had carried out the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Paris.

This has a particular significance for Pakistan. Its name is synonymous with a resurgent Muslim political identity, emerging as it did from the ruins of British imperialism in South Asia, and as such Pakistan shares an ideological genesis with such totems of Islamic political resurgences as Saddam Hussein , Nasser, Gaddafi, and the Iranian Revolution. No matter that Pakistan has historically been far more pro-Western than any of these characters; the mistrust and fear go pretty deep. Suspicions abound. Who killed Zia ul Haq? Who killed Benazir Bhutto? Who was supporting Musharraf? What is India doing in Balochistan? What is happening in Kashmir? Who is supporting the terrorists, and why?

The relationship between Pakistan and the West seems to me to be based to a significant degree on fear, suspicion, and mutual mistrust. We see this on a large as well as small scale: every time we renew our visas which allow us to remain in Pakistan we are investigated by a raft of security agencies who can’t understand why we would move to Pakistan and, though they never say as much openly, presumably ascribe some sinister motive to it. For as long as terrorism and the gulf between Islam and the West remain, the dominant global narratives I can see no obvious end to this mistrust.

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I chose to show you the situation of Pakistan through the eyes of a foreigner for multiple reasons:-

1) He is evidently older and more experienced than me which makes his words more reliable 2) He is unbiased. I may favor Pakistan too much out of patriotism and deep love for it. 3) You can get a clear picture from what Pakistan looks like from the eyes of the world instead of from a Pakistanis eyes.

Matthew Vaughan, the author of the book ‘Land of beauty, Land of Pain’ from which I picked up the above extracts from, was born in Woking, England, and was educated at Cranleigh School and then at Balliol College, Oxford, where he read Modern Languages. He moved to Pakistan in 2011 with his wife and son. They have had three further children since then, all of them born in Pakistan. At the time of writing, he lived in Islamabad.

How to understand Pakistan better

I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t typed those words. When I speak about Pakistan to Western audiences I am often asked questions about why Pakistan is the way it is, 25 or how we can understand it better, and most of the time I have no idea what to say in response. I spend most of my time in a state of more or less befuddlement. It would be monstrously presumptuous of me to claim an indepth knowledge of Pakistan’s complexity or to offer solutions to any of its problems- this is the “white savior” complex which is rightly condemned these days- and it would also be incorrect. The more time I spend in Pakistan, the more I am confused by it. Life in Pakistan often feels to me like a collection of mutually contradictory tension, all of which seem somehow to go on existing reasonably smoothly, and I honestly can’t work out why.

Nevertheless, I’ll offer a few suggestions to my fellow Westerners in a spirit of humanity and mild cultural bemusement in the hope that they may help guide and assist future visitors to Pakistan.

1) Actually visit Pakistan

It sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised. People need to visit Pakistan. Not many do. Many people form their impressions of Pakistan from what they read in the media, and the media reports are selective and unrepresentative at best and outright wrong at worst. Visit Pakistan! Tourist visas can be obtained reasonably easily. Independent travel is straightforward. Pakistan is welcoming, generous in spirit, and possesses amazing natural beauty. You will find your casual preconceptions dissolving rapidly and your appreciation for the positive side of Pakistani life increasing at the same speed. Go for a hike in the Hunza Valley or walk through the bazaars of Lahore, have tea with someone you meet, and then come back and tell me what Pakistan is like. I’ll bet you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

2) Learn to cope with complexity

We all try to simplify things. So does the media. Of course we do. We have to! How else can we make sense of the complex world we live in? We do this with everything. Take nations: we look at Britian and think ‘green and rainy’, at 26

Canada and think ‘snowy and white’, at America and think “good Lord, they all elected Trump.” Or politics: depending on our own political persuasion we either think that liberals are all whining, idealistic do-gooders, or that conservatives are all hard-hearted, tax-cutting preconceptions about Buddhists are like, or Christians, or Muslims. And so we boil down the complexity of the world into a string of crude stereotypes in order to make it easier to understand.

There is a degree of truth in all of these stereotypes. They wouldn’t exist if this were not the case. But not a single one of them is always accurate. When we apply stereotypes to real life we will always, always find that they break down sooner or later. So when our strategy of making sense of the world is clearly and intrinsically flawed, shouldn’t we be more careful in using it? Trying to understand the world using stereotypes is like exploring a country using a map with half the pages missing. No wonder we get so lost.

This is doubly true when it comes to Pakistan. The country is complex and so easily misunderstood and it is inhabited largely by Muslims who are themselves a complex and misunderstood group of people. Most of the complexities of both Pakistan and Islam are several parasangs beyond my limited understanding, but in the interests of common sense and basic decency let’s at least try to treat people as individuals, not as caricatures.

3) Read books on Pakistan

Take it easy on yourself, start with a couple of novels. I would recommend “Burnt Shadows” or “Home Fire” by Kamila Shamsie, “A Case of Exploding Mangoes” 27 by Mohammed Hanif, or just about anything by Mohsin Hamid or Nadeem Aslam. These are all brilliant brilliant books and will give you a far better insight into Pakistan than anything I am ever likely to write.

If you want to get deeper try “Pakistan: A Hard Country” by Anatol Lieven which is recommended reading for foreign diplomats in Pakistan for a good reason. Lieven has actually travelled extensively around the world around Pakistan which is more rare than you might think among people who write on Pakistan. Read something about Partition: “Indian Summer” by Alex von Tunzelmann is excellent, as is just about anything by Ayesha Jalal.

If you don’t like books and prefer TV, then look up a few documentaries on Pakistan-and a few is all there are, sadly. “Treasures of the Indus” is great as is the episode of “Inida’s Frontier Railways” which deals with the Samjhauta Express.

And no, “Homeland” is not accurate. In case you were wondering.

Well that was all from Matthew’s side and now back to me. He explained things brilliantly, I feel. I could never have done better. Or maybe I can? Let’s explore more about Pakistan in the next chapter!

28 Why am I even writing on Pakistan anyways?

So after completing the previous chapter, I felt that readers would like to know about me as well. Then again, you can always click google and type ‘Moiz Shaukat’ in your search box. But most of it outdated, condensed form of information. Plus, most of us influencers choose to add selective information on the world wide web, even on Wikipedia!

In this chapter, I’ll be walking you through the 19 years of my life. I’ll also try to make you understand why I chose this topic to write on in the first place. Simply put, as an influencer, I want to leave the world, especially my own country, with something that they can benefit from. I’ve dedicated my life in serving mankind since 4 years, when I found motivation to move on in life despite all of my health issues. Yes, I can hardly walk and my right arm is fractured, but still as I’ve mentioned repeatedly in my interviews, that I still have a mind, some functional body parts, courage, empathy, passion and compassion left. After receiving numerous awards and successfully completely many mega projects like ‘Dream Builders’ ngo, ‘Moiz Shaukat Foundation’ and ‘Living the dream show’, this is what I am spending my limited time in this world on next.

Here are a few highlights about myself:-

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1) Founder of Dream Builders 2) Founder of Inspirational Stories of Pakistan 3) Founder/Global President of Moiz Shaukat Foundation 4) Founder of Living the Dream Show 5) Titled as ‘Super hero of Pakistan’ by Neo News in 2017 6) Completed O levels with 6A*s and 3As 7) Completed A levels with 2 As and a B (Chemistry, Physics, Maths) 8) Titled as Pakistan’s Youngest Motivational speaker in 2017 9) Became nationally known as Peace/Education ambassador 10) Invited as guest to share my motivational story on various TV channels like City 42 news, GNN, Samaa TV and so on. 11) Guest speaker at TED X LCWU 12) Guest speaker at TED X Comsats 13) Winner of Pakistan’s Best Youngest Inspirational Personality Award 14) Featured on Mangobazz, Urdu Point, Tubelight and many other online famous Pakistani websites. 15) Organizer of one of the biggest event in the history of Lahore at a very young age 16) Founder of Moiz Shaukat Humanities

So you can say that I’ve had a pretty interesting journey till yet. I keep on serving the world with whatever resources I get and by God’s grace, I get honor, love of people and other blessings in return. Isn’t this what life should be truly about? Spread happiness and be happy yourself? I’ve always believed that Eudamonic happiness is much more integral than Hedonic happiness. Because purpose always weighs heavier on the scale than pleasure.

My story started with the word ‘disabled’ that pushed me into becoming stronger and stronger. It is a derogatory term and I never accepted being belittled by others. Hence, I used all resources the Almighty had blessed me with in proving my worth. I successfully achieved in doing so when I became Pakistan’s Youngest 30

Motivational speaker and got admirable grades in O levels despite all of my health issues. Then, I realized that just proving my potential to the world and becoming voice to the entire disabled community isn’t enough. As I steadily started growing in power, my shoulders began getting weighed down by the sense of responsibility. I wanted to make my country a better place. And so I started with making Dream Builders NGO, Inspirational stories of Pakistan forum, and ‘Disability, my ability’ mega project. And this is how I became habitual of moving further to reach where I currently am today.

Disabled people are considered to be the neglected percentage of people in the world, especially Pakistan. This is because they attract more sympathies and dependencies. When I was in grade school, I was given the label ‘Disabled boy’ and addressed as so rather than by own name. I was bullied. It was quite challenging for me to accept this label and stay hopeful when 2 operations of my leg and arm even went wrong.

Yes, I am a physically challenged man, but I never let this thought tangle my mind. I kept fighting for my identity and kept building and discovering my skills and potential, I eventually realized that I have the capacity to stand against this label and prove that I indeed am not worthless. I admit, I can’t walk properly. But I have a free mind. A motivated soul and hands to write. This simply makes me feel complete. What if one could move freely but had a caged mind? What would the person’s physical stability serve him then?

I write and speak at various motivational platforms to encourage others. I have also initiated many mega humanitarian projects as mentioned earlier in this chapter. This is what I have dedicated my life for.

Also, it is integral to mention that I would have been nothing without my family. They are everything to me and have always supported me. I owe them too much. Especially my mother; she has always been strong and patient while bearing her only son’s illness. She once advised me that, “Whatever you do, be different, if 31 you are different, you will stand out.” These words of hers has always given me strength.

My parents are the driving force behind the refinement of my skills. I use the power of technology to transform lives, communicate ideas which lead to great discoveries. In adverse situations, many would give up and think that the world has nothing more left for them but this is not true. I owe much of my success to my parents and my Mentor.

I give myself credit too. My readiness for learning and discipline opened doors to various opportunities to excel.

Dream Builders

We have taken an initiative by the name Dream Builders for serving deserving people. It is aimed towards reviving the very feeling of enthusiasm of philanthropic acts of kindness which was displayed by Pakistanis till couple of years back. It is to motivate every Pakistani into believing that they deserve a better Pakistan. Students of various colleges and universities are voluntary crew members of this cause. We, in short, work for orphans, street beggars, underprivileged , transgenders and so on. We aim to give them access to better education and bright future.

I believe that there is to much to do yet. But at least, I’ve started this project and will keep on investing on its growth inshaAllah.

Bullied for being different

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I’ve always wanted to spill my heart about this, not only because I’ve faced this my entire academic life, but because as I grew older, I observed that many people were victims of the same social problem. This is beyond my comprehension. If a person, like an acid attack or rape victim per se, is someone that you personally know, will you give that person a supporting hand or bully/mock at that person instead?

Rape victims get humiliated and even killed in conservative cultures due to ‘lost honor’, acid attack victims are labeled as ugly and are constantly stared at, anxiety patients are mocked at for taking medications and being seen as an ‘attention seeker’, children of divorced parents get bullied for having bad parents, and differently abled people get mentally tortured for functioning different. Its sad. I gave a brief list of examples to get the concept across only. Point is, that why do people hurt others more who are already suffering so much? Why not show empathy and compassion instead? Why have we all become so heartless?

A differently abled person is writing this book on Pakistan right now, because he knows and has experienced too many forms of suffering for a lifetime. This differently abled person, doesn’t want to see others in pain because he knows how bad it hurts. The suffering has transformed him into a person with strong moral values and empathy. And the suffering I see and observe almost each day in Pakistan…truly kills me..

As Jordan B Peterson, renowned Clinical psychologist and author, writes in his that it’s all a game of dominance. The stronger animals/people have more serotonin secretions due to the more opportunities they have. They are more confident and are often the risk takers. On the other hand, the weaker ones are left anxious, depressed, suppressed and insecure as they are not living the ideal lives they wish to live. They are usually too afraid to do so. 33

This is why I repeatedly preach in my talks is to ignore others’ opinions of you and live to your potential. Be fearless. Value time and yourselves and make regularly working out of your comfort zones a habit. This is what I always do.

Me and my world

I see the world from a different angle. I have a strong deep connection with both Allah and His people. This makes me never feel alone even when I'm alone. I'm highly spiritual.

I've never been able to fit in society. Not because I look different and have bigger dreams, its because I still believe and strive for humanity in a cruel world. Less people have empathy now and their priorities have changed.

I have hardly watched 1-3 movies in my 19 years of life. This is because I have always found pleasure in work. I like staying productive as I value time. Others think Im going too fast while I feel that all people should be moving faster than me. I have enough excuses. I could have said that my I don't want to have huge life goals because of my fractures and failed operations. Other people never had to face these kinds of obstacles but still, they don't value their time. People hardly value theirselves even and this leads to depression and anxiety.

My motivational talks are aimed at changing this mindset and behaviour patterns. I want Pakistan and the entire world to value theirselves, their time, their families, their blessings, the education and resources they have, the opportunities they get and so on.

I want everyone to become much more successful than me. I want to inspire them to become better and better.

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Games of thrones

Why is Pakistan suffering so much? Hints have been highlighted in previous chapters. Its the greed and competitive nature of world leaders. It’s the result of darkened hearts of national leaders and international ones. Simply put, the world has lost its sense of humanity. Its rare now.

Pakistani constitution and law have been moulded to make sure that the rich grow richer and poor stay poor. Then we have capitalism and crimes and both micro and macro level. Its all a game of thrones. People are power hungry. Others after the wealth. And this isn’t something unknown. We know, but we as a nation haven’t mustered up the courage, the will and the correct strategies to counter all these micro and macro socio economic and political issues. I currently plan to meet Imran Khan and have a detailed discussion of what can be done, and how my team and I can contribute in making Pakistan a little better than before. Each Pakistani, even the differently abled, should contribute in making a positive difference afterall.

My mentor inspired me to write and talk about how we all are ruining our lives for meaningless pleasures and comforts while we were created for much bigger and fulfilling purposes. We have been designed magnificently. All of us have unique neurology and hence distinct mental capabilities. Moreover, some of us are more strongly build than others and serve humanity with the strength of our hands rather than minds.

In Pakistani context, when I see wasted potential and talent, especially of teenagers, I feel deeply saddened. Demotivation is the true cause of the socio economic and political crisis in Pakistan. Hardly anyone is serious about actually bringing a change. Its high time we bring about a collective revolution. Pakistan has vast tourist potential, fossil fuel reserves and talented youth/adults who are literally dying in wait of opportunities. Lack of opportunities leads to brain drain and hence our brilliant minds are used to make other countries better, ours remains neglected. 35

Why I love Pakistan

Let me present you with an analogy. If a child is weak in studies, should you abandon the child or give him/her more attention? Will mocking the child or feeling insecure about him/her help? Most probably not.

Same case with Pakistan. We choose to feel insecure rather than develop it further. We keep on complaining of the lack of health and education facilities but only a small fraction of us use our power to bring about a Positive change. Instead, we hoard money and keep on investing on our respective 'Palaces of gold'. And instead of tackling poverty, we exploit those below poverty lines.

I love Pakistan because it my responsibility as its citizen to do so. Did not Quiad e Azam and Allama Iqbal strive hard to create Pakistan? Why should we be addicted to comfort zones and struggle and less harder than them?

We need to start working. It’s our land's right to be invested on.

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Tourism Potential in Pakistan

I’m afraid that I’m not qualified enough to speak on this topic as it deserves to be spoken about. However, I am indeed highly aware that Pakistan, like Singapore or Malaysia, can be major Tourist states to the extent that much of Pakistan’s revenue can from it.

In this book, I will only state what I have observed under the following subheadings:-

1) Immense beauty

2) Rich historical monuments

3) Interesting culture

4) Diversity 37

5) Northern mountains

6) Race Rally opportunities (in the desert areas)

7) Hospitality

Let’s talk about what online sources talk about some of the above points:-

Immense Beauty

“From the precipitous peaks of the Karakoram range to the fertile Indus River plain, Pakistan is home to a diversity of stunning landscapes. While its rich cultural heritage, ancient Silk Road, and ruins of Mohenjo-daro continue to enchant travelers, venture further afield and discover a lesser-known, wilder Pakistan.

Deosai National Park

Known as “Land of the Giants,” a backdrop of snow-dusted mountains rises from the alpine plateau of Deosai National Park. Each spring, the lush valley is swept by wildflowers and rare butterflies, earning the name “Summer’s Palace” by locals, who enjoy the wildlife after winter’s thaw. This biodiversity hot spot is home to the Tibetan wolf, Himalayan ibex, Tibetan red fox, and golden marmots, but the government granted the park protected status in 1993 with the goal of 38 safeguarding the critically endangered Himalayan brown bear. The park was also nominated for World Heritage status in 2016.

Kaghan Valley

Northern Pakistan's picturesque Kaghan Valley is a place of fairytales. According to one version of a local legend, a prince of Persia fell in love with a fairy princess on the crystalline waters of Lake Saiful Muluk, pictured above. But a giant was also in love with the princess, and held her captive. One day, the prince escaped with her, and in his fury, the giant flooded the valley and created lakes with his tears. Today, visitors from around the world travel to Kaghan Valley for its alpine lakes, mountain scenery, and clear night skies.

Makran Coast

The Makran Coastal Highway is a scenic drive along Pakistan’s Arabian Sea coast. The route starts in Karachi and runs through Gwadar to the Iran border, and is considered a major infrastructural achievement. Unique, lunar rock formations line a section of the highway known as the Buzi Pass in Hingol National Park. Natural rock sculptures, like the sphinx-shaped “Lion of Balochistan,” can be found along the highway.

Hunza

In the northern territory of Gilgit-Baltistan, icy peaks stretch above the Hunza River. Situated on the riverbank and surrounded by glaciers and gorges, the town of Hunza traditionally served as a resting place for travelers descending the Hindu Kush mountains into the Vale of Kashmir. The valley is home to snow leopards, markhors, ibexes, and red-striped foxes. 39

Hingol National Park

Pakistan’s largest national park extends hundreds of miles along the Makran Coast. While Hingol National Park is renowned for its diverse wildlife—Sindh leopards, chinkaras, honey badgers, and Indian pangolins–it is perhaps best known for its cluster of active mud volcanoes. A mix of hot spring activity, gas, and water react chemically with the surrounding rocks to form a boiling mud. When the mud is expelled, it continuously rebuilds the cones, which are easily eroded. One of the most famous mud volcanoes is Chandragup, a sacred annual pilgrimage site for thousands of Hindus, along with the nearby Hinglaj temple.

Baltoro Glacier

In Pakistan’s eastern Karakoram, Baltoro Glacier is one of the world’s largest valley glaciers. Though difficult to access, it is one of the most highly trafficked regions in Pakistan because of mountaineering destinations like K2, Broad Peak, and the Gasherbrum peaks at its head. The area is not only known for its stunning scenery, but as a life source–a large portion northern Pakistan’s population depends on meltwater from the Karakoram glaciers

Neelum Valley

In northern Azad Kashmir, the bow-shaped Neelum Valley is sandwiched between 13,000-foot peaks and blanketed by verdant forest and streams. The small hilltop village of Arang Kel, pictured above, is known as the pearl of Neelum Valley.

Attabad Lake 40

Nestled in the Hunza Valley, Attabad Lake’s vibrant turquoise waters cut through the rocky terrain. Though beautiful, the serene landscape has a violent origin story. The lake was formed in January 2010, when a massive landslide at Attabad Village flooded nearby towns, blocked the flow of the Hunza River, and displaced thousands of people. Today, it's a popular stop for tourists who can take boats out on the water.

My Personal travelling experiences

I have travelled to numerous cities of Pakistan; to give my talks, for important meetings and for award ceremonies. I have, by God’s grace, even visited Pakistan’s famous northern mountain areas and have even written a bit about it. Let me show you:-

Passage 1:-

Northern areas is a treasure of Pakistan. Yes, Pakistanis visit it often especially during the heat wave of summers, but I still feel that it is devalued.

We need to preserve our green areas and protect the nature and wild life there. Tourist spots like Saif ul Maluk Jheel, Mushpuri Top, Nathia gali and Patriata could be much more cleaner. They are polluted by vehicle smoke and fast food rappers.

I'll try my best to show its true value to people both nationally and internationally inshaAllah. Northern Areas are a precious blessing from Allah for Pakistan.

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Northern areas of Pakistan has lush green, sun kissed mountains that are often visited by the clouds. One can even touch the clouds and feel them passing through depending on the altitude one is residing in.

The vegetables and fruits there are the freshest one can find; safe from all harmful chemicals city folk add to the soil while growing them. The sky is blue and white during the day decorated by lining of clouds.

The wildlife include while goats with sharp hooves to climb the mountains, horses, sheep with razor sharp horns, deers and other herbivores. The birds there are in so much variety; vivid colours singing morning songs each day as a muezzin's call.

The nights are peaceful. Even the birds and wildlife fall asleep except the owls. Best time for meditation and to soak in all the refreshing serene energy of nature and feeling the dark blue blankets of the night sky with closed eyes.

And which more of Allah's blessings will you deny?

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Passage 2:-

As you all know, I have dedicated my life to inspire people.

This week, I took upon myself another daring challenge. I climbed Mushpuri top which is an extremely dangerous voyage. Most are afraid of going there. It was my mission to inspire everyone by climbing the top myself so that others might too. We need stamina and love for adventure to do so.

It personally took me 2 hours of walking in the cold breezy hills of Mushpuri till finally I successfully reached its highest point. I breathed long sighs of relief there. I was terribly exhausted yet completely at peace. It was a beautiful experience. The clouds, whether, the aroma of wet grass was simply amazing. Refreshing and blissful.

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Passage 3:-

I'm grateful that Allah granted me the chance to visit Ayubia this weekend. I really needed the relaxing environment with cool refreshing breezes to regain energy after hectic A level exams. Allah has made Ayubia so beautiful mashaAllah.

Ayubia National Park is a small national park in the Murree hills. The scenery is superb with huge pine forests covering the hills.

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The beautiful trees decorated on the sides of hills, with the chirping of birds and cool breeze will make me miss the place a lot. 49

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2) Rich historical monuments

Mohenjo-Daro Mohenjo-Daro is probably the most attractive historic lace in the country which is famous all through the world. It is part of the Larkana District of the province of Sindh and it is just at the right bank of the mighty River Indus. The archeological ruins of the place take us back into the history till 3000BC. So, this makes it a 5000 years old city which is the oldest civilization known to man after the Chinese. It was also the urbanized and the largest civilization in South Asia. They were first discovered in the year 1922 but, it was the year 1965 when significant excavations were completed. Now, people come from all over the places to witness this historic site.

Lahore Fort and the Shalamar Gardens These places in Lahore tell about the charismatic approach of the Mughal dynasty when it comes to making some really attention-grabbing beautiful constructions. They both are distinct places and the royal complexes of the unforgettable Mughal era. The Fort is very prominently located in the northwest part of the Lahore city which has been renovated several times all through its history. The Shalamar Gardens on the other side is the Royal Mughal Gardens with beautiful lawns, fountains and beautiful constructions. It was built by Shah Jahan in the year 1642.

Makli Makli is actually a necropolis in the famous and the historic city of Thatta. The history of Makli dates back to the 14th century. People flock here from different parts of the country and even from outside Pakistan for witnessing the amazing mausoleums and the monuments in the country. The best thing about the place is that it is built with the use of some really top quality stone, glazed tiles and the bricks which represents the actual Sindh civilization of the time.

Takht-i-Bahi The literal meaning of Takht-i-Bahi is the ‘spring throne’ which refers to the monastic complex of the Buddhists dating back to the 1st century BC. It is situated right up a 152 m hill and the place is about 16 km from Mardan city and some 80 54 odd km from the Peshawar city. It has four major parts which are its Stupas courts, monastic complex, tantric complex and a temple complex.

Taxila Taxila is a great archeological site which is very much approachable and nearby the capital city of Pakistan, Islamabad. The history of this city takes us back to the Gandhara period and now it holds the ruins of that civilization. It used to be a very critical place in the history for the Hindus and the Buddhists. Further, it still is a great place for the visitors and also sacred for the people who follows Hinduism or Buddhism traditions.

Minar-e-Pakistan The literal meaning of Minar-e-Pakistan is the ‘Tower of Pakistan’. It is situated right at the heart of Lahore city and it took about 8 years to complete in the year 1968. The history of this place is that the famous Lahore resolution in the year 1940 was passed at this location by the founder of Pakistan, Quaid-e-Azam. It has huge gardens all around it and has become one of the finest historic tourist spots of Pakistan.

Rohtas Fort This fort was actually built as a garrison by the then ruler of the area, Sher Shah Suri. It is located near Jhelum, Punjab at a distance of just about 15 km. This fort is loved by all because of its exceptional architecture and apart from this it also beautifully reflects the Islamic architecture of military. It was built with the help of architectural intelligence of the designers from the Indian subcontinent and Turkey. It has a very strategic location on top of hill which gave the then army good chance to protect themselves against the Ghakkars.

Badshahi Mosque The Great Badshahi Mosque is one of the oldest mosques of the region which was built in the Mughal Era by the Great Emperor Aurangzeb. It was constructed in the year 1671 and today it is the second largest mosque in the country after Shah Faisal Mosque. It can accommodate as much as 100,000 worshippers at a time when all its halls and courtyards are occupied. It was till 1986, that this historic mosque was known as the largest mosque in the world. But, with Shah Faisal Masjid and several other mosques in the entire world were constructed which were bigger than 55

this one. But, that doesn’t take away any credit from this mosque as it is still one of the most frequently visited historic places in Pakistan.

Quaid’s Residency Quaid’s Residency is the last place where the great leader Jinnah spent the last few months of his life. It is located in Ziarat which is a picturesque hill station some 3 hours’ drive from the Quetta city of Baluchistan province. It has historic relevance for the entire nation as the ailing Quaid was recommended by his doctors to live in a peaceful area such as Ziarat. It was because of the fresh mountain air and the fragrance of the place which convinced Jinnah to live here.

Islamia College Islamia College is located in the historic city of Peshawar and it was established by Nawab Abdul Qayyum and George Kepel. It has great historic relevance as the idea here was to develop not only an educational building but also to give a platform for boosting the much needed political activities of the time. It is still in Peshawar and serving students with all the modern knowledge of the time. During the independence movement for Pakistan, Jinnah thrice visited this college to encourage the youth.

4) Diverse Cultures

Pakistan’ is derived from the word ‘Pak’ – a Persian word denoting pure or clean and ‘Istan’ – a Hindi word which refers to place. As such, Pakistan means the ‘Pure Place’ or ‘Pure Land’.

BACKGROUND 56

The modern history of Pakistan was shaped by the British who arrived as traders with the British East India company in the 18th century. This period of imperialism was a time of great violence and gave way to Indian Uprisings against the British oppressors. Demands were made for both independence and the creation of a Muslim state, to which Britain acceded prior to their withdrawal in 1947. The process of departure was not straightforward however and the ensuing bloodshed was greatly due to the poor management of the carving up of the region in to India and Pakistan by a UK based civil servant who had never previously visited the region.

FACTS AND STATISTICS

 Location: Southern Asia, bordering Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km  Capital: Islamabad, located in North-eastern Pakistan  National anthem: ‘Qaumi Taranah’ which translates as ‘The Sacred Land’. The music was composed by Ahmad Chagla in 1949 and the lyrics were written by Hafeez Jullundhri in 1952. It was adopted as the official national anthem for Pakistan in 1954.  Ethnic Make-up: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants)  Population: 203 million (2019 est.)  Population growth rate: 1.45% (2019 est.)  Climate: Although there are some distinct climatic differences depending on where you are in Pakistan, the climate is generally temperate and consists of three seasons which include Summer, Winter and Monsoon. The extremes of these seasons vary depending on location. If visiting, avoid the Monsoon period as the rain can play havoc with the local infrastructure and prevent you getting around as easily as you might wish. It is typically dry and hot in the south of the country and mild in the northern parts of the country.  Time Zone: Pakistan is UTC +5 hours with no daylight saving.  Currency: The Rupee  Government: Pakistan is a federal parliamentary republic. The government serves on a five-year term basis and is headed by the President (the official Head of State) and the Prime Minister. There are 342 members of the National Assembly, 79% of whom are elected to their positions on the basis of popular vote. Of these seats, 57

22% are reserved for women. The four provinces of Pakistan have their own legislative assembly and members are again elected by popular vote.  Internet penetration: At 18% (est. 2016), Pakistan has one of the lowest internet penetration rates in the world.

LANGUAGE IN PAKISTAN Although Urdu is the only official language of Pakistan, English is the lingua franca of the Pakistani elite and most of the government ministries, so it is not uncommon for companies to use English as their internal business language. Urdu is closely related to Hindi but is written in an extended Arabic alphabet rather than in Devanagari. Urdu also has more loans from Arabic and Persian than Hindi has. Many other languages are spoken in Pakistan, including Punjabi, Siraiki, Sindhi, Pashtu, Balochi, Hindko, Brahui, Burushaski, Balti, Khawar, Gujrati and other languages with smaller numbers of speakers.

PAKISTANI CULTURE & SOCIETY

Religion & Beliefs

 Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other (inc. Sikh) 3%  Islam is practised by the majority of Pakistanis and governs their personal, political, economic and legal lives.  Among certain obligations for Muslims are to pray five times a day - at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening.  Friday is the Muslim holy day. Everything is closed.  During the holy month of Ramadan all Muslims must fast from dawn to dusk and are only permitted to work six hours per day. Fasting includes no eating, drinking, cigarette smoking, or gum chewing.

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Major Celebrations/Secular Celebrations In addition to the declaration of national holidays when Pakistan wins key international cricket matches, Pakistan also has 6 formal national holidays which fall on:

 23rd March (Pakistan Day), 1st May (May Day), August 14th (Independence Day), 6th September (Defence of Pakistan Day), 11th September (Death of Ali Jinnah) and 15th December (Birthday of Ali Jinnah)  The most famous festival in Pakistan is undoubtedly the seasonal kite flying festival of ‘Basant’ which marks the beginning of Spring and falls late January or early February. Unfortunately however, this festival has been banned in many areas for the immediate future due to accidents and deaths associated with the festival. It is hoped that the implementation of relevant safety measures will enable this much loved festival to resume.  Another much loved festival is the annual ‘Utchal’ festival which is held on the 15th – 16th July to celebrate the harvesting of wheat and barley.  The national Horse and Cattle Show is a five day festival held in Lahore during the third week of November. This is an exciting pageant of Pakistani culture and involves activities such as folk dancing, music, folk games and activities, cattle racing and cattle dancing. With lots to do for children and adults alike, it is a much adored festival.

The Family

 The extended family is the basis of the social structure and individual identity.  It includes the nuclear family, immediate relatives, distant relatives, tribe members, friends, and neighbours.  Loyalty to the family comes before all other social relationships, even business.  Nepotism is viewed positively, since it guarantees hiring people who can be trusted, which is crucial in a country where working with people one knows and trusts is of primary importance.  The family is more private than in many other cultures.  Female relatives are protected from outside influences. It is considered inappropriate to ask questions about a Pakistani's wife or other female relatives.  Families are quite large by western standards, often having up to 6 children.

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Social Stratification Although there is no caste system in Pakistan, Shi’as, Baluchis and Pashtuns are more likely to live in poverty due to their ethnic and religious differences.

Gender Roles

 Traditional gender roles in Pakistan are fairly marked in that women are far more likely to stay in the home than go out to work.  Although women have the right to work in any profession or to manage their own businesses, the majority that do work are typically employed in roles such as nursing or teaching.  It is worth noting that women are very well represented in government as demonstrated by the appointment of Benazir Bhutto to prime minister in 1988. Women are also represented as ministers and ambassadors and a number of female judges preside within the high courts. Pakistani women also have the same rights to vote and receive an education as men.  Unfortunately, crimes against women appear to be on the increase but government interventions are being put in place to try and reverse this issue.

Socialization

 The mother is the main caregiver for any children and they will typically spend the majority of time with her.  The extended family also play a key role in a child’s socialisation and will support the child’s care.  Islamic understanding, observing Islamic duties (such as prayer and ablution), respect for elders and gender roles are imbued from early childhood.

Food Although there are many staple dishes in Pakistan, cuisine can vary greatly depending on geography. Meat is halal and has been slaughtered in line with Islamic requirements. Pork is forbidden in Islam and, as such, you are unlikely to come across it during your travels. 60

The majority of Pakistanis eat breakfast, lunch and a large evening meal which is shared as a family. Breakfast usually includes bread, tea, fruits, eggs and other items such as honey and nuts. Lunch is typically rice and a meat based curry. Dinner is very much a family affair and it typically incorporates one or more of the following dishes:

 Kofte – Meat kebab.  Korma – Meat or vegetables, cooked in yoghurt and spices.  Biryani – An aromatic rice dish cooked with vegetables or meat and containing s little gravy.  Pulao – Very similar to Biryani. The differences between Biryani and Pulao are often debated but it’s generally agreed that Pulao is slightly blander with less cooking time and spice.  Lentils – Lentils are a very important addition to Asian cooking and are prepared in a number of different ways – usually with spices and a gravy  Roti or Naan – Both roti and naan are flatbreads, but naan takes longer to make and is often made with yeast and refined flour, while roti is made with unrefined flour and far thinner and easier to digest. The naan is sometimes flavoured with spices, fruit or nuts.

International food is also a growing trend in Pakistan and food outlets are becoming more diverse in their offerings

The Economy

 Pakistan is a developing economy which is listed as one of the ‘Next 11’. The ‘Next 11’ is a list of countries which have been assessed as having the potential to become leading financial powers in the 21st century. These eleven countries are in addition to BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).  Pakistan is the 24th largest global economic country and GDP places it in 143rd position.

The Arts Pakistan has a rich culture of arts and crafts which have in some cases been traced back to the artistic culture of the Indus Valley civilization. Some examples of Pakistani love for arts are as follows: 61

 Arabic calligraphy – This beautiful art form, which takes years of dedication to learn, has its roots in Islam. Arabic calligraphy can be found adorning most celebrated places such as mosques and important buildings. Most families will have calligraphy displayed in their homes. This art form also extends to calligraphy on copper pieces, which are widely used as ornaments in homes and public buildings.  Naqashi - This art form is essentially a form of papier mache, which was much loved by the Mughal Emperors. Naqashi artisans are typically use a fine and intricate form of decoration which is said to impact vision in the long term if practiced over too long a time scale. This use of fine detail is also replicated in the crafting of camel skin in lamp shade making. The lamp shades are unique and much sought after.  Glass Chooriyan is another popular and much loved art form in Pakistan which involves the use of glass and other materials to produce beautifully adorned bangles.  Pottery – The production of handcrafted and artistically decorated pottery is just one of the arts with its roots in the Indus Valley civilization. Blue Pottery is a specialist craft which is particularly influenced by Kashgar in China and celebrated for being a unique and unparalleled art form.

SOCIAL CUSTOMS & ETIQUETTE TIPS FOR PAKISTAN

Naming conventions Where possible, the paternal grandfather is asked to name a new born child. The new born child is also swaddled in a piece of clothing that once belonged to the grandfather. Following Islamic tradition, once a name has been given, the child’s head is shaved and the weight of the hair is used to determine an equal weight in gold or silver which is then given as a charitable contribution.

Meeting & Greeting

 Greetings are often between members of the same sex; however, when dealing with people in the middle class, greetings may be across gender lines.  Men shake hands with each other. Once a relationship is developed, they may hug as well as shake hands. 62

 Women generally hug and kiss. Pakistanis take their time during greetings and ask about the person's health, family, and business success.

Communication style

 Third-party introductions are a necessity in this relationship-driven culture.  Pakistanis prefer to work with people they know and trust and will spend a great deal of time on the getting-to-know-you part of relationship building.  You must not appear frustrated by what may appear to be purely social conversation. Pakistanis are hospitable and enjoy hosting foreign guests.  Relationships take time to grow and must be nurtured. This may require several visits.  Pakistanis often ask personal questions as a way to get to know you as a person.  If possible, it is best to answer these questions.  Pakistanis are generally indirect communicators.  Always demonstrate deference to the most senior person in the group.  In general, Pakistanis speak in a roundabout or circuitous fashion. Direct statements are made only to those with whom they have a long-standing personal relationship. They also use a great deal of hyperbole and similes, and go out of their way to find something to praise.  Be prepared to flatter and be flattered.  Pakistanis prefer to converse in a non-controversial manner, so they will say they "will try" rather than admit that they cannot or will not be able to do something.  Therefore, it is important to ask questions in several ways so you can be certain what was meant by a vague response. Silence is often used as a communication tool.  Pakistanis prefer to do business in person. They see the telephone as too impersonal a medium for business communication.

Personal Space Pakistanis do not require as much personal space as most western cultures. As such, they will stand close to you while conversing and you may feel as if your personal space has been violated. Do not back away.

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Gift Giving

 If invited to a Pakistani's home, bring the hostess a small gift such as flowers or good quality chocolates.  Men should avoid giving flowers to women.  Do not give white flowers as they are used at weddings.  If a man must give a gift to a woman, he should say that it is from his wife, mother, sister, or some other female relative.  Do not give alcohol.  Gifts are not opened when received.  Gifts are given with two hands.

Dining & Food

 In more rural areas, it is still common to eat meals from a knee-high round table while sitting on the floor.  Many people in urban areas do not use eating utensils, although more westernized families do.  When in doubt, watch what others are doing and emulate their behaviour.  Guests are served first. Then the oldest, continuing in some rough approximation of age order until the youngest is served.  Do not start eating until the oldest person at the table begins.  You will be urged to take second and even third helpings. Saying "I'm full" will be taken as a polite gesture and not accepted at face value.  Eat only with the right hand.

Visiting a home

 If invited to a home, you will most likely have to remove your shoes. Check to see if the host is wearing shoes. If not, remove yours at the door.  Dress conservatively.  Arrive approximately 15 minutes later than the stipulated time when invited to dinner or a small gathering.  You may arrive up to one hour later than the stipulated time when invited to a party.  Show respect for the elders by greeting them first. 64

Taboos There are a number of subjects that we suggest you don’t touch upon when in the company of Pakistanis that you do not have a close relationship with:

 Sex  Homosexuality  Dating  Challenging Islamic beliefs  Alcohol

BUSINESS CULTURE, ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL IN PAKISTAN

What to wear?

 Pakistanis dress formally and in line with Islamic requirements.  Although women may not cover their hair, they are most likely to wear conservative outfits which do not leave their bare arms or legs exposed. Outfits are also loose in nature and do not overtly display the figure.  For women travelling to the region, we advise that you dress conservatively and adhere to the key principles of covering where possible. It is generally not necessary for you to cover your hair.  Since, Pakistan men are Islamically obligated to cover anything between the navel and the knee, then we advise that anyone travelling there adheres to this principle.  Within the workplace, we advise that both male and females wear smart suits.

Titles

 Pakistani names often include a name that denotes a person's class, tribe, occupation, or other status indicator.  They may also include two names that have a specific meaning when used together, and the meaning is lost if the names are separated. It is best to ask a person how they wish to be addressed.  In general, this is not a culture where first names are commonly used, except among close friends. 65

 Titles are very important and denote respect. It is expected that you will use a person's title and their surname until invited to use their first name.

Business cards

 Business cards are exchanged after the initial introduction.  Include any advanced university degrees or professional honours on your card, as they denote status.  Business cards are exchanged using the right hand only or with two hands.  Make a point of studying any business card you receive before putting into your business card holder

Meetings

 Appointments are necessary and should be made, in writing, 3 to 4 weeks in advance, although meetings with private companies can often be arranged with less notice.  The best time to schedule meetings is in the late morning or early afternoon.  If at all possible, try not to schedule meetings during Ramadan. The workday is shortened, and since Muslims fast, they could not offer you tea, which is a sign of hospitality.  You should arrive at meetings on time and be prepared to be kept waiting.  Pakistanis in the private sector who are accustomed to working with international companies often strive for punctuality, but are not always successful.  It is not uncommon to have a meeting cancelled at the last minute or even once you have arrived.  In general, Pakistanis have an open-door policy, even when they are in a meeting. This means there may be frequent interruptions. Other people may wander into the room and start a different discussion.  Meetings are formal.  Business meetings start after prolonged inquiries about health, family, etc.  During the first several meetings, business may not be discussed at all as the relationship is still being developed.  Maintain indirect eye contact while speaking.

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Negotiating

 Companies are hierarchical. Decisions are made by the highest-ranking person.  Decisions are reached slowly. If you try to rush things, you will give offense and jeopardize your business relationship.  The society is extremely bureaucratic. Most decisions require several layers of approval.  It often takes several visits to accomplish simple tasks.  If you change negotiators, negotiations will have to start over since relationships are to the person and not the company that they represent.  Pakistanis are highly skilled negotiators.  Price is often a determining factor in closing a deal.  Pakistanis strive for win-win outcomes.  Maintain indirect eye contact while speaking.  Do not use high-pressure tactics.  Pakistanis can become highly emotional during negotiations. Discussions may become heated and even revert to Urdu (the national language). It is imperative that you remain calm.

Management

 The workplace is hierarchical in Pakistan and, as such relations are typically formal. Although Pakistani managers have a fairly autocratic manner, they can be equally paternalistic which enables staff members to consult with them in respect to more personal issues.  Employees defer to those in more senior positions and treat with them respect.  Status is important within Pakistan – if the opportunity arises in which you can flatter your colleagues / peers therefore, then the effort will be positively received.  Staff expect their managers to give them advice and guidance. They do not expect to be asked for their opinions and they do not expect to shape strategy or direction.  Managers who try to ‘befriend’ their employees and behave as a peer will, in likelihood, lose the respect of their team.

Demography. The population of Pakistan is estimated to be 135 million. An estimated 40 million live in urban areas, with the balance in rural areas. In addition to the residents of the major cities of Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Peshawar, 67 which is the city at the edge of the Kybher Pass gateway, a number of tribal residents live in valleys. These include Chitral Valley, at an elevation of 3,800 feet (1,158 meters), where the majority of the people are Muslims but that also is home to the Kafir-Kalash (wearers of the black robe), a primitive pagan tribe. In Swat Valley, which was once the cradle of Buddhism, Muslim conquerors fought battles and residents claim to be descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great. In the Hunza Valley, people are noted or longevity, which they claim is because of diet and way of life. The people of Hunza Valley are Muslims and also are believed to be descendants of soldiers of Alexander the Great. In North-West Frontier Province is Kaghan Valley, which is bounded on the west by Swat Valley, on the north by Gilgit, and on the east by Azad Kashmir. The people of Kaghan Valley are Muslim-Pathans as well as Kohistanis and Gujars. Shardu Valley is the capital of the district of Baltistan and is known as "Little Tibet" because the lifestyle there is similar to that in Tibet itself. The people of each of these valley areas are well known for their tribal cultures, handicrafts, and for fascinating clothing, most of which is woven and handmade there and unique to their particular area.

Identification. As part of India's independence from Great Britain in 1947, a partition took part of their land and created Pakistan as a separate Islamic nation. It is estimated that approximately 95 percent of the population are Muslim, but members of several minority religions live there, including some Hindus, Christians, Parsis, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Although the modern nation of Pakistan was but fifty-three years old in 2000, it has territorial areas and tribal populations whose histories date back many centuries; thus Pakistan has both an ancient and a relatively new identity. Location and Geography. Pakistan is in South Asia and is 339,697 square miles (879,815 square kilometers) in area. It was created from what had been the northwest side of India. All of the country except the southern portion is landlocked, with Afghanistan to the northwest, Jammu and Kashmir to the northeast, India to the east and southeast, and Iran to the west. In the southern portion, along the shores of the city of Karachi, which was the original capital when the nation was formed in l947, is the Arabian Sea. Karachi is well known for its shorelines. Most of the northern section of the country consists of mountains and also the famous Khyber Pass, whose history goes back several thousand years. It is in this northern section where most of the ancient tribes still live and where many ancient tribal cultures and customs still exist. 68

Pakistan consists of several provinces, including Punjab, Sind, North-West Frontier, Baluchistan, and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The city of Islamabad, which is centrally located in the country, was officially named the capital of Pakistan in 1961, and construction began on government buildings in addition to others. Islamabad became the active capital in 1966. In addition to modern government buildings it also features a wide variety of modern hotels, an international airport, and the nearby famous ancient city of Rawalpindi. In addition to being known for a number of mountains, including K-2, which is the second-highest mountain in world, Pakistan also has several lakes and rivers, including the Indus River, which is 1,800 miles (2,896 kilometers) long. Pakistan also has several deserts, in Punjab and Sind. Pakistan is also home to Taxila, the oldest known university in the world. In the north, leading from China, through Tammu and Kashmir, is a famous ancient silk road.

Food and Economy Food in Daily Life. Because at least 95 percent of the Pakistani population is Muslim, there are two food customs that are followed almost universally. One is that Muslims do not eat pork (therefore beef, chicken, lamb, and fish are the basic foods), and the other is that during the month of Ramadan, fasting is a daily activity. Spices and curry are an essential part of any Pakistani recipe. The most prevalent spices include chili powder, tumeric, garlic, paprika, black and red pepper, cumin seed, bay leaf, coriander, cardamom, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, saffron, nutmeg, and poppy seeds, among others. Using yogurt to marinate meats is another typical recipe. Because of the use of spices and curry for the main dish, the usual side dish is plain rice. Lentils are another common specialty. The food in the south is more exotic and highly spiced, while that in the north often features plain barbecued meat as the main dish. Usually any meat, fowl, or seafood is curried, and frying is the typical method of cooking. Ghee, which is clarified butter, is another commonly used recipe item and is often used for frying. Wheat and flour products are considered mainstays of the daily diet, and the use of pickles, chutneys, preserves, and sauces along with curried meats, seafood, vegetables, and lentils and are why Pakistani cuisine has such a unique flavor. 69

Green tea is the typical drink served at all meals. Food Customs at Ceremonial Occasions. Fasting is an important part of the Muslim observance of Ramadan, but food does play a role on many other occasions. One such event is the Eid-ul-Azha (Feast of Sacrifice) in the last month of the Muslim calendar, commemorating the occasion when the prophet Abraham was about to sacrifice his son in response to an order from God. Muslims who can afford it are required to sacrifice a sheep, goat, camel, or cow symbolizing Abraham's submission to God. The meat of the sacrificed animal is divided into three equal parts, with the first donated to the poor, the second given to relatives and/or friends, and the third cooked at the home of the person who made the sacrifice. Eating the meat is part of the festival celebration activity. The important religious festival Shab-I-Barat involves a special type of pudding known as halwa and unleavened bread known as nan being distributed among the poor. The halwa and nan dishes are specially decorated with silver or gold leaves and also are sent to relatives and neighbors.

Food also plays a role in the celebration of the end of the Ramadan fasting period. This starts with a special breakfast of sheer kharma (a sweet dish), which is vermicelli cooked in milk with dried dates, raisins, almonds, and other nuts. In addition, crowds hurry to local bazaars to purchase fruit, meat, and sweets as well as new clothes and jewelry. Sweets are distributed as part of the celebration of the birth of a new baby in a family, and an animal sacrificial offering is also made—one goat for a girl and two for a boy, with the animal meat distributed among the poor or among friends and relatives. Food also is involved in a ceremony celebrating a child becoming six or seven months old. Sisters and relatives place rice pudding in the infant's mouth using a silver spoon, and a drop of chicken broth is also put in the mouth. After this ceremony the adults then hold an elaborate dinner concluded with a special dessert called kheer. Basic Economy. Pakistan is a poor country and its economic outlook is bleak. It relies heavily on foreign loans and grants, and debt obligations take nearly 50 percent of the government's expenditures. The average per capita income per person in Pakistan is estimated at $460 (U.S.). A large number of Pakistanis, estimated at 35 percent, live below the poverty line. Land Tenure and Property. An estimated 54.69 million acres (22.14 million hectares) of land are used for agriculture. The major crops are cotton, wheat, rice, 70 and sugarcane. A large amount of land in Pakistan has archaeological sites, such as Moenjo Daro, Harappa, Taxila, Kot Dijji, and Mehr Garh. Commercial Activities. A large percentage of the commercial activities include the sale of handicraft items such as the carpets for which Pakistan is well known. Major Industries. Major industries of Pakistan include textiles, cement, fertilizer, steel, sugar, electric goods, and shipbuilding. Trade. Pakistan's major exports include cotton, textile goods, rice, leather items, carpets, sports goods, fruit, and handicrafts. Major imports include industrial equipment, vehicles, iron ore, petroleum, and edible oil. Trade partners include the United States, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.

A caravan along the Silk Road. Division of Labor. Forty-eight percent of workers are in the service sector, 27 percent are in industry, and 25 percent are in agriculture.

Social Stratification Classes and Castes. There is no caste system in Pakistan. There are high-income, middle-income and a large number of low-income persons throughout the country. Locale makes an important difference in the quality of life; a low-income person in an urban area has more problems than one living in a tribal, mountainous area. 71

Symbols of Social Stratification. There have been and continue to be a number of social development shortcomings in Pakistan, but in recognition of them, the government in 1992–1993 initiated the Social Action Program (SAP) to make social development and social services available to all levels of the Pakistanis. Reports show that while some had benefited, the rural people who were meant to benefit mostly did not. Some of the program's expenditures were for elementary education, primary health, welfare, and rural water supply and sanitation. It is believed that many people do not understand the purpose and scope of the SAP and that substantial changes must be made in the program if it is to be successful.

Political Life Government. The government of Pakistan consists of an elected prime minister, a president, and a Parliament that consists of the Senate (Upper House) and the National Assembly (Lower House). There are 57 members of the Senate and 217 members of the National Assembly. The prime minister is the head of government, and the president, who is elected by the legislature, is the head of state. There are also ministers in charge of government divisions such as education and tourism. These are appointed by the prime minister. They in turn appoint the governors of the different states within the country. Also appointed by the prime minister are the chief justices of the Supreme Court. Leadership and Political Officials. Each individual state within the country has a governor, and each city has its own mayor. Additionally, most tribal groups have a head chief. Social Problems and Controls. The greatest social problem in Pakistan is drug use. There are both governmental and non-government programs 72

Women gathered together at a wedding in Islamabad. Muslim marriages unite not only a couple but also their families. working toward rehabilitation of drug users and ending drug use.

Military Activity. Branches of the military are the army, navy, air force, civil armed forces, and national guard. The military of Pakistan consists of members from all ethnic groups within the country. Their duties have included participation in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping and nation-building activities in different areas of the world. Soldiers in the Pakistani Army are regular participants in the long-running dispute, sometimes resulting in violence, with India regarding sovereignty over Kashmir. Military activity in Pakistan has included four military coups. After those in 1955, 1969, 1977, the government was returned to civilian control via popular election. The most recent coup took place in October 1999, and toward the end of 2000 a general was still acting as the head of the government, although he has promised a democratic election for a new prime minister in the near future.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations There are a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) within Pakistan, including the Aurat and Behood women's organizations, as well as international Lions and Rotary clubs, to which a large number of men belong. The World Bank and its various agencies have been active in Pakistan since 1952. The Aga Khan Rural Support Program has worked to build up village organizations with separate groups for men and women and then, through their groups, to launch a number of development activities. The Orange Pilot Project, 73 headquartered in Karachi, has been active in urban development, including working to improve one of Karachi's worst slum areas, with the first focus being on sanitation, followed by a range of community development activities. Gender Roles and Statuses Division of Labor by Gender. The majority of Pakistani women are homemakers, and men are generally referred to as the breadwinners. The largest percentage of working women in Pakistan are nurses or teachers. Women are represented in government as ministers in Parliament and ambassadors. Benazir Bhutto was the first female prime minister and served from 1988 to 1990. The Relative Status of Women and Men. The women of Pakistan are regular voters as are the men, and women also are regular attendees at colleges. Islam gives women rights to child custody, to alimony, and to inheritance, and they also have the right to conduct business and enter any profession. Women are engaged in agriculture production and the services sector. Women judges have been appointed to four high courts as well as several lower courts and a 10 percent quota was established for women to become police officers. There are growing numbers of violent crimes against or involving women and the government has introduced the concept of women police stations, which have been opened in Rawalpindi, Karachi, and Abbottabad in the North West Frontier. A number of computer training centers have been established for women and the government has opened "women development centers" that specialize in training community development workers in family planning, hygiene, sanitation, adult literacy, community organization, and legal rights.

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75 The Amazing Pakistani People I have met

So without wasting any time, here are the names of some really cool people whom I’ve personally met:-

1) Mir Mohammad Ali Khan 2) Umair Jallianwala 3) Umar Saif 4) Junaid Khan 5) Hareem Farooq 6) Mojiz Hassan 7) Usman Mukhtar 8) Munib Nawaz 9) Saeeda Imtiaz 10) Abida Parveen 11) Faizan Shaikh 12) Qaiser Abbas 13) Chaudry Sarwar 14) Mohammad Rohayl Varind 15) Ovair ahmad Mangawala 16) Rooh 17) Sunny Jafry 18) Shahveer Jaffry 19) Faiza Saleem 20) Meera Jee 21) Ali Zafar 76

22) Hajra Yamin 23) Misbah ul Haq 24) Ali Sethi 25) Atif Aslam 26) Gul Panra 27) Hamza Ali Abbasi 28) Darren Sammy (non Pakistani cricketer) 29) Fawad Chaudry 30) Salim Ghauri 31) Najam Sethi 32) Sami Khan 33) Nadia Jaffry 34) Sadia Vine 35) Mussarrat Misbah 36) Urwa Hocane 37) Farhan Saeed 38) Ruksana David 39) Ayub Ghauri 40) Azra Mujib 41) Sir Iftikhar ul Haq 42) Zafar Khan 43) Sohail Tanvir 44) Yasmin Rashid 45) Muniba Mazari 46) Ainee Nasir Jamy 47) Omair Rana 48) Tanya Wells 49) Osman Khalid Butt 50) Yashma Gill 51) Uzair Jaswal 52) Imran Raza Kazmi 53) Alamdar Khan 54) Ali Rehman Khan 55) Ali Shahbaz 56) Haroon Shahid 77

57) Dr Syed Bilal Qutab 58) Mohsin Abbas Haider 59) Nouman Javaid 60) Jana Malik 61) Chaudry Muhammad Sarwar (ex-governor Punjab) 62) Adeel Hashmi 63) Aima Baig 64) Shafaat Ali 65) Ahsan Khan 66) Shaam Idrees

And many more.

Highlights:-

I met Junaid Khan today. Words can't describe the strong emotions like love I have for him. He has my heart and respect. He is my hero and shall always have my support inshaAllah. He is not just a brilliant actor, singer and model, he is an amazing human being. Try to get more about his personal life than watching him on screen. He is love. A few huge inspiration. The love and honour I received from this humble yet super successful person is unmatchable. Magical moments were spent with him and I am extremely honoured and gratefuln to Allah for giving me a chance to meet and learn from him. His heart and soul are beautiful. He is beautiful inside and out. Thank you, Junaid Bhai for making me a happier and better person

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Meeting Faizan Sheikh was another miricale that Allah blessed me with. You know who he is right? He is one of the most famous actors of Pakistan who has an important role in the upcoming Pakistani Film "Heer Maan ja" along with Hareem Farooq and Ali Rehman and Mojiz Hassan in crew. This person is brilliant. He has my love and respect!!! Salute, Sir!! I know how hard you have worked to reach where you are today. You let out too many sweat and tears to reach success and sacrificed much. Sir, you are my inpsiration!! You are a beautiful person inside and out and I was so so so delighted to meet you! It was a magical experience. The meeting with you is definitely one of my best memories! I can't express in words how great the experience of meeting you was. Perhaps tears are the only way to describe the vast amount of love and respect I received from you. I can't express my gratitude in words either!! Thank you so much sir for brightening up my day and illuminating my heart and soul. You have my heart and support always. 79

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People in the journey of creating a strong tide of #MillionSmiles with a purpose bigger than ourselves. Always a pleasure to meet Qaiser Abbas and team And that hug Qaiser Abbas, I actually feel the shower of blessings soothing my soul. Thank you everyone for being amazing part of my life. So next time, if you make dua for me, make special dua for my brother, he makes me think how much would God love him! He’s one definite parameter to make a rough effort to understand God’s love for His people. Allah Pak ap sbko dono jahano ki naimatain or barkatain ata frmae. Ap Allah Pak ki khaas rehmat hain or meri bohat duaon ka jawab hain. Ameen

Met Chaudhry Sarwar, the Governor of Punjab today. He is a dedicated humanitarian, mashaAllah We discussed how to ensure safe drinking water for us Pakistani citizens in all parts of the country, even the neglected ones like Thar. Since approximately 70% population of Pakistan has no access to clean water, he has decided to eradicate the disease of hepatitis and is passionate to focus and work upon basic issues faced by the youth and women in the region. Looking forward to good contribution for betterment of Pakistan from his side with high hopes. 81

Sincerely and humbly praying that Allah makes this task of serving our country easy for him. Ameen.

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Last night I had the most magical moments of my life. Those who know me they know how crazy I am about Usman. Usman Mukhtar is such a beautiful soul mashaAllah. He is simply amazing. I'm at loss of positive words to describe him. He is beautiful inside and out and a true inspiration for us all. And I'll always remember the way he treated me. So much kindness and honour received from him alhamdulilah. Trust me, he was friendlier than I actually thought he would be. We chatted for about 1 hour (imagine ONE hour with Usman sitting 2cm away from me) , joked around like we know each other since a while and shared thoughts over power of social media/other topics. In those hours I realised that he’s just as human as we are. He’s not arrogant about his celebrity status but is super welcoming and humble. It was an extremely enjoyable experience and to be very honest, I'd love to meet this wonderful person again and again if Allah allows. True hero! I still can’t believe that my dream came true. Thank you Usman Mukhtar for bringing the biggest smile on my face this month! Love Moiz, Your Crazy Fan!

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My fans are my life. I have a very tough life but all the love I receive from them re energise me They have my love, respect and support .

One day definitely isn’t enough to celebrate how much you mean to me. Dad, you have always been my superhero. Happy Father’s Day!! Love you so much baba.

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Ahh. I can't explain my love for you Sami Bhai!! You are super talented and doing great work for Pakistan mashaAllah mashaAllah. You even were awarded with Tamgha e Imtiaz! Well deserved, Sami bhai!! Even though you are such a high achiever, you are too humble, kind, wise and hardworking mashaAllah. Hope to meet you again soon!This caption cannot express my love for you. You are such a beautiful person mashaAllah inside and out. You are my inspiration and I deeply admire you. And im sure that all Pakistanis are inspired by your hardwork, talent and extremely humble personality. A person with a charming personality and a beautiful heart. I dont have words to express but you ROCK. Worked hard day and night to reach the level of sucess and I pray that May Allah grant you EVEN MORE SUCESS AND HAPPINESS IN FUTURE. AMEEN!! We all love you so much Sami bhai. And so glad to have you here in Lahore around us. Our support, prayers and love is with you. Hope to see you again!! This brief meetup with you will always be one of my favorite memories 86

Met this gem few days back and I feel like I know him since ages. He's been a wonderful friend to me and I just love him for who he is. Rooh, you're someone with the most beautiful heart. You're the most talented person I've ever seen and YES YOU'RE the BEST. The bestest. No one can be like you. Have a wonderful day and stay the happiest. I feel the luckiest to have you in my life. We all love you so much Rooh bhai. And so glad to have you here in Lahore. Our support, prayers and love is with you. Hope to see you again!! Love you and miss you Rooh brother.

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Meet Aniqa. She's one of the most nicest person I came across. You're a beautiful soul and I wish nothing but the best for you in life. Here's to a million more years to come. Cheers to our friendship Stay blessed Aniqa Baji. Allah aapko lambi zindagi ata kare Ameen.

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After a reaaaalllyyy long time, Sunny Jafry (YouTuber Star) and I, finally spent few moments together and it was amazing. A person with a charming personality and a beautiful heart. I dont have words to express but you ROCK. I'm one of those who gets over-excited about meeting with him. I feel happy to be asked where I'd like to go and about my life journey. It makes me forget all the worries when we talk about our future plans and shooting a vlog. Today was that kind of a day Alhamdulliah and Masha'Allah. Also, a special thanks to Shahveer Jafry for having me. It was such an amazing meeting you.

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I have met this soul who is humble, passionate, visionary, workaholic, a true mentor and a leader. I have always inspired by his vlogs and dreamt of meeting him one day. We have a beautiful family of "Pakistani Youtubers" and amongst those is an amazing person whom I met just few days ago at his residence and he is one and only "Shahveer Jaffery" After getting a privilege to meet him, I have understood destiny. Well it's not pre-defined. For me, it's earned, it's chased and it's turned into a reality for lifetime. I feel honored to meet with the most respected, loved and renowned name of the learning & development industry Mr. Shahveer Jafry who truly is a star! I always believed in myself and always worked hard to be distinguished for what I do but after meeting this gentleman, I'm even more directed towards goals, vision and purpose in life. He teaches to find your why and inspires to dedicate your energy towards its true discovery. We all love you so much Shahveer bhai. And so glad to have you here in Lahore around us. Our support, prayers and love is with you. Hope to see you again!!

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A great experience of meeting the vigilant and sturdy army officers in Lahore. The passion speaks out of their body. This picture is from a Walima ceremony of my brother in Lahore. Mr. & Ms Bilal we wish you a very happy married life .

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With the legendary Abida Parveen! Another privileged meeting with the Honorable AbidaParveen Dreams do come true! Selfie with the queen of Sufi Music Abida Parveen. Listening to her sing live was a real treat.

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Loved Loved LOVED meeting this beautiful kind soul. Had a great time at Lahore earlier today with the super cool Faiza Saleem. All prayers and best wishes for you!

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Had a great time with Meera Jee earlier today. You're the finest actor in the business representing Pakistan globally, a true and beautiful STAR. Keep doing what you do, you've come a long way. Queen. I learn much from all the people I meet. They all have stories of struggles and hidden wisdom which they selectively reveal. I must admit and say, that the brief meeting with one of Pakistan's shining stars was a productive one.

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With the legendary Ali Zafar . Meeting with Ali Zafar, one of the greatest artist and philanthropist of this nation! A person with a young and beautiful heart. You meet so many people in your life but not everyone leaves a remarkable impact on your personality and life approaches. Here, I am writing this post in order to share what is true definition of leadership which I learnt and experienced under him. In the shortest span of time he gave me what I had been looking for. A truest form of inspiration and motivation. This is the man who transformed my thought processes only in a month since I got this amazing opportunity to meet him many times. Truly honored to stand next to the great Pakistani hero Ali Zafar, may Allah bless you more energy to make this nation great. Ameen.

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People don't respect cricketers as much as they deserve. They serve our nation by training hard and doing the best they can. I personally want to give a huge salute to Mr Misbah ul Haq for his efforts. Was honoured to visit him. I learn much from all the people I meet. They all have stories of struggles and hidden wisdom which they selectively reveal.

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I got a chance to meet and have a chit chat with Atif Aslam. I can say that I was really impressed. I haven’t seen any other artist who knows what the world needs. Thank you for being the light of love, compassion and courage in this dark troubled world! Blessed to have you in my life. It took me minutes and minutes to think what's the most justified caption I could share to express my feelings towards this amazing man standing right next to me but like its beautifully said that there are no words that could ever explain well our bond. The spark in my eyes and the smile on my face says it all.

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Was an honor to meet and interact with one and only Gul Punra. It was wonderful meeting you finally. Keep up the great work! When you find home in people instead of places, no feeling compares to it. The love is all in their expressions. It's a blessing to have found an honest and kind friend.

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Another privileged meeting with Hamza Ali Abbasi who is always there to motivate me representing the country.He boosted my morale and wished me the best for my upcoming projects.Thank you for being the light of love,compassion and courage in this dark troubled world ❤

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Another privileged meeting with the Honorable Daren Sammy who is always there to motivate me and heart of Pakistan ❤ He boosted my morale and wished me the best for my upcoming projects It took me minutes and minutes to think what's the most justified caption I could share to express my feelings towards this amazing man standing right next to me but like its beautifully said that there are no words that could ever explain well our bond. The spark in my eyes and the smile on his face says it all. I could never thank GOD enough for blessing me with him. When you find home in people instead of places, no feeling compares to it. The love is all in their expressions It's a blessing to have found an honest and kind friend. You're very dear to me.

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A Memorable Meeting with Fawad Chaudhary sb (Federal Minister of Information and Broadcasting)...!

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Wonderful to spend time with Mr Salim Ghauri at Netsole. Wonderful to brief about my coming tv program which can play a fundamental role in solving the most challenging problems of our youth.

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Was an honor to meet and interact with Uncle Najam Sethi. It was wonderful meeting you finally. Keep up the great work! In a world where you can be anything, be kind! Uncle Najam thank you for your love!

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Was an honor to meet and interact with Ms Mussrat Misbah.The woman who has always inspired me with her hardwork and dedication towards her job. Thank you for being the light of love, compassion and courage in this dark troubled world! Blessed to have you in my life. And Kudos to all the amazing women with me for making change in Pakistan.

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Blessed to be with you Hajra. Love this one! Full of life ! Finally met this superstar Hajra Yamin Some people always hold a special place. Hajra Yamin and I spoke our hearts out to each other and it was amazing! Alhamdulliah for everything. Love you to the moon and back

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Wonderful meeting with the new Minister Health Dr Yasmin Rashid about my initiatives for the Future Of Pakistan. The woman who has always inspired me with her hardwork and dedication towards her job. The woman who always praised me and motivated me to do better. She's stands firm like mountain yet she's one of the most humble and polite personalities I've ever met. I met her in Lahore and I was pleased to be greeted .. To be greeted by the same lovely smile on her face. Thank you for supporting and believing in me Ma'am Yasmin.

Yesterday on my way back from Karachi, I was even luckier. I finally got to meet one of my sweetheart friends (+ crushes haha) in person, and they were everything I imagined them to be. And imagine, I’ve only known them through Film Industry platform for the past four years but 107 never ac tually met them in person until this day, yet they did so much for me as though we were family. There's still so much yet to learn, but I've come a long way so far. And to have such brilliant people around me that are there for me and can withstand my annoying/stupid self is just unbelievable. I am far too lucky and thank you Farhan Saeed Butt & Urwa Tul Wusqua Hussain for the love and prayers. You people have my heart!! So this is my reminder for 24- home is really not just a place. It can most definitely be people too. And once you find those people who put your heart at ease when it’s going through a lot of anguish, you don’t let them go. In the blink of an eye I’ll be 19 and in another I’ll be 50. There should only be enough time given to those who push us to be our best, most whole and happy selves.

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There's something to be said for people who genuinely make you feel safer. Even if they're far away from you, their existence is so calming and beautiful, that it makes everything seem better somehow. Thank youu Nibras for accepting me the way I am. You're one of the most nicest person.

My dear little girl, I may not meet you again. We saw each other at Services Hospital. You were very curious. You were curious to know where I came from. Why I sounded different and why I looked different. 109

I knew you wanted the answers, so I gave you a ball. I appreciated your sense of style and even though you can't even speak because you were soo young to speak. BUT we both understood each other through the language of love. ~ When you'll grow up, you'll be faced with many "questions". You may wonder why is it difficult for you to do certain things as a girl. But in these 'questions', remember to always listen to your heart. Place your hand over your heart and find the answers in your heartbeat. I assure you, you'll find the courage and determination from within.

Our First Meet-up in Lahore More power to Mr Zafar Khan, he's a person who loved me unconditionally though it was our first meet-up in Lahore. The man who has always inspired me with his hardwork and dedication towards his job. The man who always praised me and motivated me to do better. 110

To all the unsung heroes ~ the ones who endure, time and time again. The ones who fall repeatedly just to push themselves back on their feet with grace. The ones who bend and bend and even break yet find so many ways to put themselves back together again each and every single time. The ones who simply do not quit. The ones with light in their eyes, fire in their souls, the entire world on their shoulders and brave, brave hearts.

This day marks the last day of my first year of A'Levels at LGS Phase 5

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Four months ago if anyone were have to told me that I would not only study at LGS but end up wholly accepting it as my second home, I would have laughed on their face and thought that they were absolutely ridiculous. Yet that confused 'Moiz' made a couple of right decisions and landed himself right here anyway, regardless how he felt. And God, was this one of the best decisions I've ever made in my entire life. Now, I'm all over the place with how to feel whilst not having completely grasped the fact that in 2 years this will all be over already.

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These people who have always inspired me with their hardwork and dedication towards their job. These people who always praised me and motivated me to do better. They're one of the most humble and polite personalities I've ever met. Ms Amber is someone who puts her heart and soul into whatever she does and treats her students like her own children. I met her at The Teacherhood Conference in Beaconhouse Newlands after so many years and I was pleased to be greeted .. To be greeted by the same lovely smile on her face. Thank you for supporting and believing in me Ma'am and thank youuuu sooooooooo mucccchhhhhhh Beaconhouse.

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From strangers to closest friends. I have total belief in it, whatever happens, happens for the best.... I was broken when I was in need of a friend and I had no idea then how would I spend my whole life but I had faith in ALLAH, and HE's there and HE will show me a way for sure and one day I met you FATIMA aapi even though I never knew you before but yesterday spending time with you there was something special. I cried after meeting you thanking GOD again and again that HE sent you in an form of angel, sent from heavens above. So if you guys ask me this question "Do you've any closest and best friend?" So my answer could be now "YES I HAVE FATIMA API IN MY LIFE, (she's my sister's friend). Thank you soooooo mucccchhhhh for accepting me the way I am. Thank you soooooo mucccchhhhh for listening to my jokes for hours and hours. I tolerated you but you always laughed, I love your beautiful smile. I am truly blessed to have you both (Hamna api and Fatima aapi). Love you both to the moon and back. Thank you so very muccchh Muniba Mazari for your love and respect

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE WORLD BESTESS MOTHER,you're a wonderful person inside and out....The world is a little bit brighter because of you :') and you are the one who actually knows me and can make me happy even at my worst times.Thanks for always supporting me,encouraging me and standing by side.I know you are the reason why i am still strong. You are the one made me laugh,even when i am not in mood to smile.You are the best of best.YOU DESERVE ALL OF THE HAPPINESS IN THE WORLD.YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL...LOADS OF LOVE TO YOU. A beautiful woman, a great friend and a wonderful mother. You are all this to me and much more... I feel so lucky and proud to have a mom like you.

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To this man Dr Umar Saif, who has never failed..Be it standing with me, inspiring me, loving me unconditionally, teaching me about myself, helping me climb mountains, supporting me throughout, dreaming with me or believing in me.. Love you brother. Nothing in this world can measure my love for you! I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors.

When she say ""Bhai khaana khul gya hai bhaagei & Bhai, jaldi karein na khaana khatam ho janah hai. p:s: Hiba, you're one talented girl and I admire your many strengths. You're so good at whatever you set out to do and I believe you'll go and do great things some day. 116

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When Mir Mohammad Ali Khan ,a great man Himself tells you "Moiz Shaukat You're my Inspiration" how do you react to it? I can't even express that how much happy I was at that moment. He's someone who's making the whole Pakistan Proud!!!!Had an amazing time with him today, learned a lot of things from him. He's such a humble and down to earth personality. He showed me so much love & respect

Enthralling Meeting with Ma'am Elizabeth from Austin. That's the ideal meeting.... Such a humble and kindhearted personality,

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Pakistan and it’s foreign relations

The strategic location and identity, role or importance in Muslim Ummah are playing key roles in practicing foreign policy. Let's study this in depth

Foreign policy challenges and opportunities for Pakistan

From the very first day of the inception of this country two rival cold war forces, the USSR and the US have showed keen interest to court Pakistan. It has been going on, since the first invitation to the first prime minister of Pakistan, Mr. Liaquat Ali Khan by the US and USSR. The prime minister’s visit to the US sowed 120 the first seeds of aligning Pakistan with a western alliance under the leadership of the US. Pakistan signed SEATO and CENTO in 1954 and 1955 respectively. By signing these agreements Pakistan became a full ally of the West. USSR never liked this much and started to forge a partnership with India.

Pakistan’s engagement with the US further strengthened due to the irrational behavior of India, the threat of USSR through Afghanistan and challenges in the field of economics and defence. Governor Ghulam Muhammad Khan, at that time was the finance minister of Pakistan, and urged the government to look for financial aid from the US to overcome economic problems of the nascent country. US diplomats and security apparatus were also looking at Pakistan as a strategic partner in the region, to contain communism and to secure oil rich Middle East countries. Mr. Ispahani, Pakistan’s ambassador to US, also worked to highlight the strategic importance of Pakistan in the region. The strategic location was the first entry point for the US and the West to build a relationship with Pakistan.

Pakistan should not only rely on strategic location and its identity, it must also explore new ways and avenues in foreign policy. It should strengthen old practices and adopt new dynamics. It must apply the tools of digital diplomacy, economic diplomacy and development diplomacy

China, right after its independence, also recognized the strategic importance of Pakistan. Pakistan also extended a hand of friendship to China. Both countries deepened their friendship over the passage of time. China-India war of 1965, further deepened the relation between the two countries. China’s departure from allying with USSR also contributed to strengthen this relationship. These two incidents highlighted Pakistan’s strategic position and importance in the region for China. Apart from this, China and Pakistan have always enjoyed brotherly relations.

The strategic importance of the country is also visible from the criticism on inclusion of Pakistan in the Belt and Route Initiative and the implementation of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. These initiatives only reiterate the 121 commitment of both the countries towards each other. Both countries consider each other as time tested friends. President Mr. Xi terms this relation as that of “Iron Brothers”. However, some countries feel that Pakistan is drifting towards China through CPEC and BRI. They are considering it as daunting to their strategic goals or ambitions. Therefore, they are putting efforts to malign CPEC and BRI. Owing to this Pakistan is facing challenges at diplomatic fronts and trying hard to devise a way for peaceful conclusion of this challenge.

Strategic location dividend is also visible in the form of an emerging relationship between Pakistan and Russia. Despite the fact that both countries have bitter experiences in the past, but are now working to find new ways of engagement and strengthening relations.

Religion is another area which also plays a key role in defining the foreign policy of a country. Pakistan came into existence in the name of religion and the ideology of Islam. From the start, Pakistan has been trying to ally with Muslim countries. The gradual development of Pakistan as a recognized defence and military power give an edge to Pakistan among Muslim countries. Pakistan is also the only atomic power among Muslim countries. All the Muslim countries try to forge cordial relations with Pakistan.

The recent episode of Yemen and Syria strengthened this notion. Saudi Arabia and Iran both were trying to win the support of Pakistan. Although Pakistan kept its neutral status intact, still both the countries wanted its support. Disagreement between Qatar and Saudi Arabia again put pressure on Pakistan’s foreign office to solve it amicably. The Turkish and the KSA strife over Khashogji murder again brought pressure on the country’s foreign office, as Pakistan enjoys brotherly relations with both countries.

Despite the past behavior of the US and the West, Pakistan again played a frontline role to counter terrorism and the fight in Afghanistan. Pakistan suffered more 122 compared to other countries. However, unfortunately, it is still criticized due to its identity as a Muslim country.

The discussion above can be summarized as, both strategic location and identity playing a role to bring in opportunities and challenges for Pakistan. Two prominent examples to elaborate the point are, Afghanistan peace process and struggle of Pakistan to overcome economic crises. Strategically, it has been admitted by all stakeholders that peace in Afghanistan cannot be delivered without the involvement of Pakistan due to its strategic location. On the other hand, Pakistan is also using its identity and strategic location to overcome economic crises. Pakistan has approached and secured good deals from Saudi Arabia, UAE and China. Now, Pakistan is in the process of securing a deal with Qatar.

However, challenges are also multidimensional. Pakistan always has to walk on a tightrope. The most prominent examples from recent history are Yemen war, Afghanistan war, the tussle between China and the US, alignment of India with the US, unrealistic ambitions of India in the region, and Iran and the US relations. These challenges always keep Pakistan on its toes and its foreign office has to be alert at all times. Although, some people criticize the performance of the Foreign office of Pakistan, but my analysis shows that their performance is satisfactory in the context of challenges and available resources and international dynamics. The Foreign office has managed to secure its interest where they matter the most. However, the state of Pakistan will to have to strengthen the foreign office through human and financial resources. It is necessary to combat future challenges like the fifth generation warfare, rapidly changing international dynamics and extensive opposition to CPEC. Pakistan should not only rely on strategic location and its identity, it must explore new ways and avenues in foreign policy. It should strengthen old practices and adopt new dynamics. It must apply the tools of digital diplomacy, economic diplomacy and development diplomacy.

CHINA-PAKISTAN ECONOMIC CORRIDOR (CPEC)- OPPORTUNITY OR SUBJUGATION

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PAK-CHINA RELATIONSHIP

China–Pakistan relations were established in 1950 .From then onwards, both nations have put significant significance on the upkeep of an amazingly close and strong relationship and the two nations have consistently traded abnormal state visits bringing about an assortment of assertions. The PRC has given monetary, military and specialized help to Pakistan and each considers the other a nearby key partner. Respective relations have advanced from an underlying Chinese arrangement of lack of bias to an organization with a littler however militarily effective Pakistan. Discretionary relations were set up in 1950, military help started in 1966, a key partnership was shaped in 1972 and financial co-operation started in 1979. China has turned into Pakistan's biggest provider of arms and its third- biggest exchanging partner recently; both countries have chosen to coordinate in enhancing Pakistan's thoughtful atomic power division. Keeping up close relations with China is a focal piece of Pakistan's remote policy. China and Pakistan likewise share close military relations, with China providing a scope of current deadly implements to the Pakistani guard powers. China backings Pakistan's position on Kashmir while Pakistan underpins China on the issues of Xinjiang, Tibet, and Taiwan. Military collaboration has extended with joint ventures delivering weapons running from warrior planes to guided rocket frigates. Chinese participation with Pakistan has achieved monetary high focuses, with significant Chinese interest in Pakistani infrastructural development including the Pakistani profound water port at Gwadar. Both nations have a progressing unhindered commerce understanding. Pakistan has filled in as China's primary scaffold between Muslim nations. Pakistan likewise assumed a vital part in crossing over the correspondence crevice amongst China and the West by encouraging the 1972 Nixon visit.

More about CPEC:

China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, also recognized as CPEC, is a partly operational project which works for the development of Pakistan’s infrastructure as well as to fortify its economy. It was established on 20th April’2015 but it became 124 active on 13th November’2016 when Chinese cargo had to be transferred through Gwadar port to West Asia and Africa by sea. Pak-China Economic Corridor is under development. It will interface Pakistan with China and the Central Asian nations with thruway associating Kashgar to Khunjerab and Gwadar. Gwadar port in southern Pakistan will fill in as the exchange operational hub for China, as the vast majority of its exchange particularly that of oil will be done through the port, which is worked by the China Overseas Port Holding Company, a state-possessed Chinese company. Currently, 60% of China's oil must be transported by ship from the Persian Gulf to the main business port in China, Shanghai, a separation of more than 16,000 kilometers. The adventure takes a few months, amid which time the boats are powerless against privateers, awful climate, political adversaries and different dangers. Utilizing Gwadar port rather would decrease the separation and conceivably the cost. However presently there is no arrangement to give an oil pipeline to China and the Gwadar port does not have the capacity to offload or store oil. Development Projects like energy production, economic zones, transportation means are being initiated in Pakistan by CPEC.

How it all began

The Chinese were interested in Gwadar port of Pakistan and so they started construction to extend it in 2002 and it ceased in 2006 because of uprising problems that Pakistan had to face in General Musharaf’s era and also because of the resulting conflict between Taliban activists and Pakistani state. General Pervaiz Musharaf was the first one to propose CPEC but due to political instability this proposal was overlooked. After General Pervaiz Musharaf stepped down, Pakistan’s People Party government followed. Asif Ali Zardari, the President of Pakistan held a luncheon at Aiwan-e-Sadr on 22nd May’ 2013 to praise the Chinese Premier, Li Keqiang. Leaders of all political parties were invited to this formal gathering. Both, the President of Pakistan and the Chinese Premier decided to strengthen their mutual relationship by constructing an economic corridor and also do long term planning regarding the corridor’s future linked to China and Pakistan. 125

DECLARATION OF CPEC: Xi Jinping visited Pakistan followed by Li Keqiang’s visit. In an editorial he wrote that this would be his first visit to Pakistan but he felt as if he would be visiting the home of his brother. An agreement for the commencement of work was signed between the two countries on 20th April’2015. Early Harvesting Projects worth about $46 billion were to be completed by the year 2018’s end.

FOLLOWING DEVELOPMENT PLANS:

In order to increase CPEC’s scale and scope, Pakistan and China both signed additional 20 agreements that were worth $1.6 billion. No specific details have been announced regarding these plans but it can be said for sure that they will be working on expanding generating energy capacity. Pakistan and China have also decided to do combine space research. Two grants were given, in September and October’2015, to the Government of Pakistan by the UK government for the construction of roadways. This was done to compliment CPEC. Agreements regarding Information and Technology Park, infrastructure, solar power and covering logistics were also made in 2015-2016. China’s first convoy carrying 250 containers arrived on Gwadar port on 13th November’2016 to be further exported to ports of Bangladesh, EU, Sri Lanka and UAE. This exportation formalized CPEC’s working. In January 2017, the Chief Minister Pervaiz Khattak of KhyberPakthunkhwha expressed that he had gotten affirmations from Chinese venture organizations that they would contribute up to $20 billion for projects. In March 2017, ascension was marked for the undertakings which include: a $1.5bn oil refinery, water system ventures worth $2 billion, a $2 billion motorway amongst Chitral and DI Khan, and $7 billion worth of hydro-electric projects.

PROJECTS INITIATED BY CPEC:

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Segments of Pak-China's million dollar exchange course have been made through ports in Gwadar The China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which is 3000 km long; connections China's Xinjiang area with Gwadar in Pakistan's Balochistan region. $46bn has been put by China in CPEC trusting that it will expand exchange ease with Africa and Middle East. Khunjerab Pass is the primary opening for this course which is more than 5,000 meters above ocean level in height. China is trying to make this a piece of the old Silk course. "This speculation will pivot Pakistan's economy as well as it will empower Pakistan to end up noticeably independent in vitality and enhance its foundation," Ahsan Iqbal, serve for arranging and improvement of Pakistan, told Al Jazeera. As indicated by Zhao who is the Chinese Embassy Deputy in Chief, the fundamental highlights of CPEC ventures are:

• Balochistan 16

• KPK 8

• Sindh 13

• Punjab 12

16 extend under CPEC are identified with Balochistan, tweets Zhao which are:

• Khuzdar-Basima Highway (N-30)

• I. Khan-Quetta Highway (N-50)

• Hubco Coal Power Plant

• Gwadar Power Plant

• Gwadar-Nawabshah LNG Terminal and Pipeline

• Gwadar Eastbay Expressway

• Gwadar New International Airport

• Gwadar Smart Port City Master Plan

• Expansion of Multi-reason Terminal including Breakwater and Dredging 127

• Wastewater Treatment Plants for Gwadar City

• Gwadar Primary School

• Gwadar Hospital Upgradation

• Gwadar Technical and Vocational College

• Gwadar Eastbay Expressway II

• Fresh Water Supply

• Gwadar Free Zone

Zhao expressed that in KPK, the eight ventures under CPEC are:

• Joint Feasibility Study for Upgradation of ML1

• Establishment of Havelian Dry Port

• KKH II (Havelian-Thakot)

• Upgradation of ML-1

• KKH III (Raikot-Thakot)

• I. Khan-Quetta Highway (N-50)

• SukiKinari Hydropower Project

• Optical Fiber Cable from Rawalpindi to Khunjerab

It was likewise composed that there are 13 CPEC ventures going ahead in Sindh:

• Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line

• Matiari-Faisalabad Transmission Line

• Port Qasim Power Plant

• Engro Thar Power Plant and Surface Mine in Block II of Thar Coal Field

• Dawood Wind Farm

• Jhimpir Wind Farm 128

• Sachal Wind Farm

• China-Sunec Wind Farm

• Upgradation of ML-1

• Thar Coal Block I and Mine Mouth Power Plant

• Gwadar-Nawabshah LNG Terminal and Pipeline

• Karachi-Lahore Motorway (Sukkur-Multan)

• Joint Feasibility Study for Upgradation of ML1

The 12 ventures propelled by CPEC are:

• Optical Fiber Cable from Rawalpindi to Khunjerab

• Haier and Ruba Economic Zone II

• Karachi-Lahore Motorway (Sukkur-Multan)

• Joint Feasibility Study for Upgradation of ML1

• Upgradation of ML-1

• Sahiwal Coal-Fired Power Plant

• Rahimyar Khan Coal Power Plant

• Karot Hydro-Power Plant

• Lahore Orange Line Metro Train

• Matiari-Lahore Transmission Line

• Matiari-Faisalabad Transmission Line

• Quaid-e-Azam Solar Park in Bahawalpur

16 extends out of 30 are under developments which are identified with early- gather. $14 billion have been put resources into them.

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Future Prospects

China's guaranteed objective for speculation incorporate monetary development through shaping exchange courses connecting numerous Asian nations’ together, extending Chinese impact toward the West and to build up a long haul collusion with Pakistan. The significant inspiration for China is to help Pakistan to develop in solidness. Pakistan and China appear to now have a typical adversary that is India; as USA has begun extending its impact there to counter China. Pak-China collusion acts a stabilizer for this new organization together. Pakistan acquired submarines from China to highlight this. Pakistan has been confronting a vitality emergency since numerous years now and the $37 billion undertakings offered by China are planned to cover it. Besides, China has asserted to be earnest towards Pakistan's defenselessness to fear based oppression and other interior clashes. China's own Muslim revolts are apparently attached to the fear based oppression clashes in the Western areas of Pakistan. In this manner, China wants to advance Pakistan's picture inside and abroad as a quiet, developing nation. China's next significant objective is to frame differing vitality exchange courses spreading in the Middle East. China has been concentrating on Asian nations with boundless vitality possibilities to limit its reliance on imports through water joins which the U.S. naval force can go about as deterrents. The CPEC plans to plentifully utilize the Gwadar Port which has been built and kept up by the Chinese for vitality shipping. Additionally, pipelines are proposed to be produced to decrease the need of transportation as an option pathway. The Karakoram Highway which is the fundamental connection to Pakistan from China is likewise prospective re organized. Besides, China has consented to give back to the Iran-Pakistan flammable gas pipeline which has been arranged since a while however not yet actualized. This is most likely why Pakistan is no longer aiming to participate in the Saudi-drove coalition in Yemen as huge vitality speculations are currently being done through Pakistan's quick neighbor. Plainly China's geopolitical objectives are wide and extending to generally declare Beijing's perspectives of its union with Pakistan and to uphold acknowledgment of it being a necessary accomplice for monetary and political development. 130

CPEC is influencing the fields of business, education and media in a very positive way. It is offering an appealing route for investment emerging from economic cooperation between two countries. CPEC is offering high education facilities from foreign countries; it is providing research opportunities and promoting institutional + media collaboration, hence paving a way for the excellence of educational department of both countries. But there are always some opposing points to every settlement/resolution. CPEC’s success has been deprecated and hindrances related to its routes are promoted by political rivals. Some political parties have claimed to start the route of trade via KPK, from Baluchistan to Kashgar and they stand on a stance to get their fair share. The viewpoint of the government regarding this issue is that the basic purpose of the route is to allocate safety and security for the corridor and it is much secure from this side as compared to the route passing through KPK. There is a doubt that the technical and administrative potential of the Pakistani employed staff in CPEC may not compeer to Chinese efficiency and effectiveness and they may not be able to productively absorb such huge investment. Pakistani industrial and trading sector needs to be mobilized to have a positive and productive impact of the corridor. There is a lack of transparency surrounding the entire venture which has raised several doubts about the breakdown of investment and the nature of the loans. Moreover, the inadequacy and deprivation in the department of security, law and order and political consensus in Pakistan are pre- requisites for the success of CPEC.

'We owe China, what can we do?' Why Muslim countries stay silent over China's mass detention of Uighurs

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When Imran Khan was asked this month why he did not criticise China's alleged mass detentions from its Uighur Muslim minority, Pakistan's prime minister was uncharacteristically coy.

The former cricketer said he did not know much about the situation in China's neighbouring Xinjiang province, where Beijing is allegedly holding hundreds of thousands in brainwashing re-education camps.

Moreover, if there were truth to the allegations, he would not criticise his Chinese allies publicly, but raise the subject in private “because that's how [the Chinese] are”, he said. His restraint contrasted with his own previous condemnation of the Islamic world's “shameful” silence over attacks on another Muslim minority, the Rohingya of Myanmar.

Yet for the Uighur community inside Pakistan that has seen friends and family across the border suffer in Beijing's crackdown, Mr Khan's silence is not surprising. “Pakistan is seeking help from every part of the world. China is giving us billions of dollars, if we are in debt to China, what can we do?” said Abdul Rahim, at his silk shop in Rawalpindi.

The 52-year-old trader said neighbouring China had launched a war to stamp out Uighur culture and many of his friends and business associates had disappeared in recent years. But Pakistan would not speak out for fear of angering an ally which is providing billions in loans and investment. 132

A Uighur man looks on as a truck carrying paramilitary policemen travel along a street during an anti-terrorism oath-taking rally CREDIT: REUTERS/STRINGER/FILE PHOTO

“It's diplomacy,” he said. “We cannot go against China.”

The United Nations estimates as many as one million Uighurs, a Turkic-speaking Muslim minority, have been forced into internment camps to undergo political indoctrination and abuse.

While the crackdown has attracted growing condemnation in the West and the US has taken steps towards sanctions, the response from China's allies in the Muslim world has been faint.

The Eastern superpower is using its diplomatic and financial clout to shut off criticism, said Sophie Richardson, China director of Human Rights Watch.

China denies mass detention and political indoctrination, saying instead individuals were sent to vocational training centres to learn useful skills and save them from extremism. 133

“I think China has told everyone in the known universe not to talk about this. That ranges from Muslim to non-Muslim countries,” she said.

“China is powerful. It invests a lot of money in many of these countries and they are loathe to compromise that,” she said.

Imran Khan has looked to China for help as Pakistan's economy falters CREDIT: JASON LEE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Pakistan is at the heart of China's plans to build a modern day silk road network of ports, roads and railways across Asia and is particularly keen not to offend the Chinese.

The country has boasted of fraternal ties “higher than mountains, deeper than the ocean, stronger than steel and sweeter than honey” as China promised a £46bn investment package.

Another pillar of China's plans, Turkey, also appears keen not to publicise the subject as large sums of Chinese investment have poured into its struggling economy. 134

In 2009, after ethnic rioting in Xinjiang between Uighurs and Han Chinese killed nearly 200 people, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked publicly how the Chinese government could stand by and watch what he called “a genocide”. In 2015, Turkey took in more than 500 Uighurs who had fled to Thailand and faced deportation back to China.

Now, Ankara’s need for reliable foreign trade partners amid worsening relations with Washington seems to be tempering its response. Last July, as the Lira faltered and the economy faced a major crisis, China’s Industrial and Commercial Bank stepped in to provide a £2.8 billion loan package.

An ethnic Uighur boy living in Turkey, takes part in a protest against China CREDIT: REUTERS/MURAD SEZER

Abdurehim Parach, a 44-year-old Uighur poet, fled China in 2015, and spent months travelling east, before eventually smuggling himself into Turkey, which has a large Uighur population.

He has since struggled to renew his residency permit after being told “there is some complaint from China about me”. 135

He is unable to communicate with his five adult children in Xinjiang and fears they have been sent for re-education or even killed.

Last month he and eight other Uighurs marched from Istanbul to Ankara to highlight the plight of their people in China. As their numbers swelled to 70 en route, they were stopped by riot police 30 miles from their goal.

China is stepping up its campaign to silence criticism ahead of United Nations' scrutiny of its human rights record scheduled for March. Beijing has told other countries it considers raising the issue to be politically-motivated meddling. For many countries the campaign seems to have been a success.

Prime Minister Imran said that the most important thing that Pakistan could learn from China was the way it lifted people out of poverty.

"What inspires me most about China is the way they have lifted 700 million people out of poverty in 30 years," he said. "This has never happened in human history. The premier said that since his government had come to power, it had taken a conscious decision to make it easier for investors to come to Pakistan.

"We will want them to make profits in Pakistan.

"The Prime Minister's Office is driving opportunities for people to invest in our country. The ease of doing business is driven from the Prime Minister's Office. We have just formed a CPEC Authority because we were having problems in CPEC projects because they were under a lot of different ministries.

"We have now decided that there will be one authority which will resolve all the problems of CPEC, and that authority will be the Prime Minister's Office, so that my office can make it easier for people investing in Pakistan."

The premier recounted various steps that Pakistan had taken including the completion of phase one of the Gwadar Free Zone. 136

He said that there were various reasons for people to invest in Pakistan including its strategic location, its young population and the economic revival taking place in the country — particularly the strides made in the ease of doing business as well as the industrial clusters through special economic zones (SEZs).

Prime Minister Imran named the sectors Pakistan wanted Chinese investment in: textile, manufacturing, IT and financial services, physical and technological logistics, tourism and hospitality, food processing and agriculture, housing as well as in oil and gas.

It was emphasised that now was the time to invest in Pakistan.

"The Prime Minister's Office will dealing with the major investors in our country and CPEC will be dealt again from the Prime Minister's Office.

"It's an exciting time in Pakistan because as we open up our country for business, it is a great opportunity for people to come and invest, and as we change the mindset in Pakistan, we want businesses to come and make money." 137

PM Imran Khan reviews a military honour guard with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during a welcome ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. — AFP

Later, the premier arrived at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing where his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang received him.

According to Radio Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran was presented a guard of honour by a smartly turned out contingent at the official welcome ceremony where the national anthems for both China and Pakistan were played.

The Chinese premier was also introduced to members of the Pakistani delegation.

Earlier, China Gezhouba Group Chairman Lyu Zexiang, among other businessmen, called on the premier. 138

As per an FO press release, the China Gezhouba Group Corporation (CGGC) — one of the most competitive listed companies with very strong financing capabilities in China — showed keen interest in exploring new business avenues in Pakistan particularly in the energy sector.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Khusro Bakhtiar, Chairman Board of Investment Zubair Gillani, Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rashid Ahmad, Adviser to Prime Minister for Commerce, Textile, Industries, Production and Investment Abdul Razzak Dawood and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Petroleum Nadeem Babar were present in the meeting.

'Strengthening economic relations'

Foreign Minister Qureshi while talking to media once said that Pakistan is trying to further cement bilateral relations with China.Talking about the interaction with the Chinese business community, the minister said that the Pakistani delegation apprised them about the measures taken for the security of foreigners. He said that the Chinese were informed that Pakistan has raised a special division for their security. Qureshi noted that the CPEC Authority has also been established to facilitate projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor.

"We have also talked about incentives for Chinese businessmen in Pakistan," he said.

He added that Islamabad wants to bring a balance in bilateral trade between the two countries. He expressed the hope that economic connectivity between the two countries will facilitate the region, particularly its land locked countries.

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Pakistan’s Identity and Ideology

Imran Khan spoke much about ideologies this year, especially when Modi’s ideology of RSS was being exposed. Hence, I feel that this is something that should be discussed.

Moreover, Pakistan is a ‘culturally confused’ country as I mentioned perhaps in the first chapter. It is following the systems (political and educational) somewhat of the U.S., somewhat of Britian, and the rest is its own where religious values and culture can be found. Thus, we can safely say, that Pakistan is still struggling with its identity, with terrorism and economic crisis are the major hindrances to its formation.

Pakistan for more than a decade has been accused of supporting terrorism, mainly because of its support for militants opposing Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan territory of Jammu and Kashmir and also its backing of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. After September 11, 2001, when terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, Pakistan heeded U.S. pressure to reverse course and take a stand against terrorism. Pakistan became a key U.S. ally, facilitating U.S. 140 military operations in Afghanistan and sharing intelligence about Al Qaeda operatives. Nevertheless, terrorists continue to operate in, and from, Pakistan. The country is now a target and a staging ground for terrorism while it is simultaneously seen by U.S. policy makers as the key to ending terrorism in South Asia. Pakistan’s future direction is crucial to the U.S.-led war against terror, not least because of Pakistan’s declared nuclear-weapons capability.

The historic alliance between Islamists and Pakistan’s military

The historic alliance between Islamists and Pakistan’s military, has the potential of frustrating antiterrorist operations, radicalizing key segments of the Islamic world, and bringing India and Pakistan yet again to the brink of war. Pakistan’s Islamists made their strongest showing in a general election during parliamentary polls held in October 2002, when they secured 11.1 percent of the popular vote and 20 percent of the seats in the lower house of Parliament. Since then, they have pressed for Taliban-style Islamization in the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) bordering Afghanistan, where they control the provincial administration. Pakistan’s military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf, has made repeated pronouncements to reassure the world of his intention to radically alter Pakistan’s policy direction away from its recent Islamist and jihadi past.

In a major policy speech on January 12, 2002, Musharraf announced measures to limit the influence of Islamic militants at home, including those previously described by him as “Kashmiri freedom fighters.” “No organizations will be able to carry out terrorism on the pretext of Kashmir,” he declared. “Whoever is involved with such acts in the future will be dealt with strongly whether they come from inside or outside the country.”

Musharraf’s supporters described his speech as revolutionary. 2 He received international applause and support as well. Pakistanis tired of years of religious and 141 sectarian violence agreed with Musharraf’s statement that “Violence and terrorism have been going on for years and we are weary and sick of this Kalashnikov culture . . . The day of reckoning has come.” But soon it became apparent that Musharraf’s government continues to make a distinction between “terrorists” (a term applied to Al Qaeda members who are mainly of foreign origin as well as members of Pakistan’s sectarian militant groups) and “freedom fighters” (the officially preferred label in Pakistan for Kashmiri militants).

The Musharraf government also remains tolerant of remnants of Afghanistan’s Taliban regime, hoping to use them in resuscitating Pakistan’s influence in Afghanistan in case the U.S.-installed regime of President Hamid Karzai falters. This duality in Pakistani policy is a structural problem, rooted in history and a consistent policy of the state. It is not just the inadvertent outcome of decisions by some governments (beginning with that of General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq in 1977), as is widely believed. Since the country’s inception, Pakistan’s leaders have played upon religious sentiment as an instrument of strengthening Pakistan’s identity. Under ostensibly pro-Western rulers, Islam has been the rallying cry against perceived Indian threats.

Such rulers have attempted to “manage” militant Islamism, trying to calibrate it so that it serves its nation-building function without destabilizing internal politics or relations with Western countries. General Zia ul-Haq went farther than others in “Islamizing” Pakistan’s legal and educational system, but his policy of Islamization was the extension of a consistent state ideology, not an aberration. Islamist groups have been sponsored and supported by the state machinery at different times to influence domestic politics and support the military’s political dominance.

In the South Asian region, the Islamists have been allies in the Pakistan military’s efforts to seek strategic depth in Afghanistan and to put pressure on India for negotiations over the future of Kashmir. Relations between ideologically motivated clients and their state patrons are not always smooth, which partly explains the inability of Pakistan’s generals to completely control the Islamists in the post-9/11 phase. 142

The alliance between the mosque and the military in Pakistan was forged over time, and its character has changed with the twists and turns of Pakistani history. Pakistan’s state institutions, especially its national security institutions such as the military and the intelligence services, have played a leading role in building Pakistani national identity on the basis of religion since Pakistan’s emergence as an independent country in August 1947.

This political commitment to an ideological state gradually evolved into a strategic commitment to jihadi ideology —ideology of holy war—especially during and after the Bangladesh war of 1971, when the Pakistani military used Islamist idiom and the help of Islamist groups to keep secular leaders who were supported by and elected by the majority Bengalis peaking population out of power. Rebellion by the Bengalis and their brutal suppression by Pakistan’s military followed.

1971 war

In the 1971 war, Pakistan was split apart with the birth of an independent Bangladesh. After the 1971 war, in the original country’s western wing, the effort to create national cohesion between Pakistan’s disparate ethnic and linguistic groups through religion took on greater significance, and its manifestations became more militant. Religious groups, both armed and unarmed, have become gradually more powerful as a result of this alliance between the mosque and the military. Radical and violent manifestations of Islamist ideology, which sometimes appear to threaten Pakistan’s stability, are in some ways a state project gone wrong. The emergence of Pakistan as an independent state in 1947 was the culmination of decades of debate and divisions among Muslims in British India about their collective future. After the consolidation of British rule in the nineteenth century, Muslims found themselves deprived of the privileged status they enjoyed under Mughal rule.

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Some of their leaders embraced territorial nationalism and did not define their collective personality through religion. They opposed British rule and called for full participation in the Indian nationalist movement led by the Indian National Congress of Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru. Others felt that Muslims had a special identity that would be erased over time by ethnic and territorial nationalism centered primarily on the Hindu majority in India. Coalescing in the All-India Muslim League and led by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, these Muslim nationalists asserted that India’s Muslims constituted a nation separate from non- Muslim Indians and subsequently demanded a separate homeland in areas with a Muslim majority.

British India’s Muslim-majority provinces

British India’s Muslim-majority provinces lay in its northwest and northeast, leading to Pakistan comprising two wings separated by India until the eastern wing became the new state of Bangladesh in December 1971. Pakistan’s creation represented the acceptance of the two-nation theory, which had been periodically articulated long before the formal demand for recognition of a Muslim nation in 1940 but had never been fully explained in terms of how it would be applied. Although Pakistan was intended to save South Asia’s Muslims from being a permanent minority, it never became the homeland of all South Asia’s Muslims. One-third of the Indian subcontinent’s Muslims remained behind as a minority in Hindu-dominated India even after partition in 1947. The other two thirds now lives in two separate countries, Pakistan and Bangladesh, confirming the doubts expressed before independence about the practicality of the two-nation theory.

Pakistan’s freedom struggle

Pakistan’s freedom struggle had been relatively short, beginning with the demand by the All-India Muslim League for separate Muslim and non-Muslim states in 144

1940 and ending with the announcement of the partition plan in June 1947. Although the Muslim League claimed to speak for the majority of Indian Muslims, its strongest support and most of its national leadership came from regions where Muslims were in a minority.

Even after the Muslim League won over local notables in the provinces that were to constitute Pakistan, it did not have a consensus among its leaders over the future direction of the new country. Issues such as the new nation’s constitutional scheme, the status of various ethno-linguistic groups within Pakistan, and the role of religion and theologians in matters of state were still unresolved at independence. Leaders of the Muslim League had given little thought to, and had made no preparations for, how to run a new country. One possible explanation for this lack is that the demand for Pakistan was “devised for bargaining purposes to gain political leverage for Muslims.” Several Muslim leaders, notably poet- philosopher Muhammad Iqbal in 1930, proposed schemes for power sharing between the religious majority and minorities in independent India. They claimed that India’s Muslims constituted a separate nation by virtue of their unique history and cultural differences with the Hindu majority.

This claim to nationhood, however, was not necessarily a claim to separate statehood. A separate Muslim nation could have remained part of a federal or confederal India under special power sharing arrangements and that may have been the original intention of the Muslim League leadership.5 According to this argument, the refusal of the Indian National Congress to contemplate such power- sharing and to accept the notion of a multination state led inadvertently to partition and the creation of a sovereign Pakistan. While seeking recognition of a separate Muslim nation, Jinnah had managed to pull together various elements of Muslim leadership in India, creating communal unity through ambiguity about the final goal. He was “using the demand for Pakistan to negotiate a new constitutional arrangement in which Muslims would have an equal share of power”6 once the British left the subcontinent.

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Islamic unity

Emphasis on Islamic unity was seen as a barrier against the potential tide of ethnic nationalism, which could undermine Pakistan’s integrity. It was also argued that India would use ethnic differences among Pakistanis to divide and devour the new country.30 Very soon after independence, “Islamic Pakistan” was defining itself through the prism of resistance to “Hindu India.” It was also seeking great-power allies to help pay for the economic and military development of the new country. The emphasis on Islam as an element of national policy empowered the new country’s religious leaders. It also created a nexus between the “custodians of Islam” and the country’s military establishment, civilian bureaucracy, and intelligence apparatus, which saw itself as the guardian of the new state. Inflexibility in relations with India, and the belief that India represented an existential threat to Pakistan, led to maintaining a large military, which in turn helped the military assert its dominance in the life of the country.31 The search for foreign allies who could pay for the country’s defense and economic growth resulted in Pakistan’s alliance with the West, especially the United States. Each element of this policy tripod—religious nationalism, confrontation with India, and alliance with the West—influenced the other, sometimes in imperceptible ways. Sometimes one factor required distortions and convoluted explanations to manage the other. Thus, India had to be painted by Pakistan as an enemy of Islam in order to bolster Pakistan’s self-image as a bastion of Islam.

The United States had to be persuaded of the value of Pakistan’s strategic location and its anticommunist credentials to be able to secure weapons, which were needed to confront the Indians. During its history, the greatest threats to Pakistan’s central authority came from groups seeking regional autonomy, ethnic rights, or political inclusion; however, successive Pakistani governments linked these threats to either an Indian-inspired plan to weaken Pakistan or “communists,” even though communist influence in Pakistan was minuscule. The first formal step toward transforming Pakistan into an Islamic ideological state was taken in March 1949 when the country’s first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan, presented the 146

Objectives Resolution in the constituent assembly. The resolution laid out the main principles of a future Pakistani constitution. It provided for democracy, freedom, equality, and social justice “as enunciated by Islam,” opening the door for future controversies about what Islam required of a state. The Objectives Resolution was a curious mix of theology and political science. It read:

Whereas sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to Allah Almighty alone and the authority which He has delegated to the State of Pakistan, through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust; This Constituent Assembly representing the people of Pakistan resolves to frame a Constitution for the sovereign independent State of Pakistan; Wherein the State shall exercise its powers and authority through the chosen representatives of the people; Wherein the principles of democracy, freedom, equality, tolerance and social justice as enunciated by Islam shall be fully observed; Wherein the Muslims shall be enabled to order their lives in the individual and collective spheres in accordance with the teachings and requirements of Islam as set out in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah; Wherein adequate provision shall be made for the minorities to freely profess and practice their religions and develop their cultures; Wherein the territories now included in or in accession with Pakistan and such other territories as may hereafter be included in or accede to Pakistan shall form a Federation wherein the units will be autonomous with such boundaries and limitations on their powers and authority as maybe prescribed; Wherein shall be guaranteed fundamental rights including equality of status, of opportunity and before law, social, economic and political justice, and freedom of thought, expression, belief, faith, worship and association, subject to law and public morality; Where inadequate provisions shall be made to safeguard the legitimate interests of minorities and backward and depressed classes; Where intheindependence of the Judiciary shall be fully secured; Wherein the integrity of the territories of the Federation, its independence and all its rights including its sovereign rights on land, sea and air shall be safeguarded; So that the people of Pakistan may prosper and attain their rightful and honored place amongst the nations of the World and make their full contribution toward international peace and progress and happiness of humanity. 147

Islam and Pakistan

Islamic Pakistan Until 1947 no other state with a predominately Muslim or Islamic population had been founded as a homeland for coreligionists. Most such states had an earlier cultural or civilizational identity before they became Muslim: this was notably true of those with Arab and Persian populations. Pakistan was the product of a classic nationalist movement with a geopolitical vision that sought a protected area where Muslims could live unthreatened lives.

As for Pakistan’s identity, the (personally) secular Jinnah and the Muslim League wanted Pakistan to be a state for Muslims, rather than an Islamic state. Being lawyers brought up in the British tradition, many Muslim League members had practical and political, not theological, concerns and thus were more inclined toward electoral politics and the rule of law. For the most part, those who fought for Pakistan assumed that Islam would bind together the citizens of the new state regardless of their geographic origins.

Pakistanis were to have more in common with each other as Muslims than they did with Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, or Bengali Hindus (who spoke the same language). The Pakistan movement highlighted the idea of the Muslim as victim, subjected to discrimination by a Hindu majority. While the Muslim League did promise a state that would be guided by Islam, this was couched in vague and general terms with no specific blueprint for the future. It was enough to break away from the Hindus.

Many who came late to the idea of Pakistan, however, were skeptical of the League’s secular vision. 148

They rejected the idea of Pakistan as a nationalist movement, and—when they finally came to support Pakistan—envisioned it as an Islamic state. Before independence, their goal was to change the way Muslims lived—to make them more Islamic, to see their lives regulated by the Shariat. After independence, they moved to a larger canvas—Pakistan itself, their mission being to liberate India’s remaining Muslims from Hindu dominance. In several respects—ethnic and cultural pluralism, not to mention religion’s role in both the state and citizenship— Pakistan resembles Israel.

Like Israel, Pakistan had an assimilation problem, in the form of a million migrants from India. It also had to choose among interpretations of the dominant religion, determine which interpretation should receive state support, and accommodate minority religions and secular coreligionists. In both countries, relations between secular and orthodox have been strained, with the former fearing encroachment by the well-organized orthodox, and the latter resenting what they regard as cultural and social slurs by a secular (in Pakistan, “mainstream”) majority. The states differ in that many of Pakistan’s founding fathers considered it a model for coreligionists elsewhere, the first modern Muslim state, a beacon of enlightenment for other Muslims.

Pakistan’s multiple identities can be categorized on the basis of religion and state. One category takes in the nation’s several million non-Muslims (mostly Christians, Parsis, Hindus, and, according to Pakistani law, the Ahmediyya sect). Another encompasses Muslims with secular leanings, most of whom have roots in the territorial state of Pakistan. Yet another consists of Muslims with a close affinity to other South Asian traditions— Hindu, Sikh, Indian Muslim, and Afghan. A fourth category is composed of Muslims who want to turn Pakistan into an Islamic state, and a fifth, of Muslims who would like to bring the message of Islam to other states, by force or by peaceful means. These are not hard and fast distinctions, and 149 there is much interplay between and among the “cultural,” “homeland,” “Islamic state,” and “Islamic vanguard” identities.

This complexity ensures that Pakistan’s politics will always carry an extra burden. Its leaders must not only govern effectively and develop a satisfactory relationship with the dominant army, they must solve the ideological puzzle: reconciling the different permutations of state and religion in a country with widespread ethnic and linguistic conflict and a dysfunctional oligarchic political order. How Pakistanis cope with the competing demands of ideology, power, and statecraft will in part determine the future of their state. This chapter focuses on these tensions and the solutions advanced by its increasingly important Islamic parties and movements. The Islamists and Pakistan India’s Muslim communities were well organized long before 1947, and they were also quite varied. Their members ranged from sophisticated and highly cultured remnants of a number of major Muslim states (and several active ones, notably Hyderabad) to highly Westernized Muslim intellectuals and professionals, to peasants and farmers with their own version of folk Islam. North-south and east-west differences were also evident. The one- quarter of India that was Muslim supported a wide range of associations built around mosques, madaris (religious schools often attached to an important mosque), pilgrimage sites, and individual teachers, scholars, and other religious figures, as well as a rich and varied cultural life.

After the 1920s, in response to Hindu attempts to reconvert Muslims to Hinduism (the Shuddhi movement) and the activities of Christian missionaries, Muslims formed several missionary groups of their own. One of them, the Tablighi Jama’at (TJ), has endured and prospered, and it functions throughout South Asia, the Muslim world, and in Great Britain and other Western states.2 The TJ is usually regarded as apolitical. Other Muslim groups supported a united India, notably the Jama’at-i Ulama-i-Hind. Maulana Kalam Azad (1888–1958) was the first to tie the fortunes of the Muslim community of India to an organizational solution, and he supported the Hizbul’llah (Party of God), which was charged with the revival of Muslim religious consciousness while protecting Muslim political interests. 150

Mawdudi

The organization never amounted to much, and Azad eventually joined Congress, but the idea of an organization that was both a moral beacon and an effective political force appealed to many Muslims, including Maulana Mawdudi.3 Mawdudi and the Jama’at Maulana Mawdudi (1903–79) was the most influential of Pakistan’s Islamists. In his view, Pakistan was not just to be a Muslim homeland but had to be perfected along Islamic lines. A scholar and educator, influenced by the Deobandis in northern India, Mawdudi’s popularity never approached Jinnah’s, yet today his writings are widely propagated and the organization he founded is still strong. His writings also influenced Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, which in turn has produced pan-Islamic doctrines of revolution and change and indirectly influenced the present day al Qaeda. Mawdudi came of age just after the failure of the Khilafat movement (which sought to restore the Islamic Caliphate in Turkey), at a time when accommodationist strategies seemed to have reached their limits and Hindu nationalists were active in North India. Mawdudi was an early supporter of the TJ. He then grew critical of its unwillingness to move beyond opposing reconversion and take a more active stance against the British, the Hindus, and the secular but Hindu-dominated Congress Party. A train ride with a leading Hindu politician in 1935 reportedly convinced Mawdudi that Hindus and Muslims could not live together. He was, in his biographer Vali Nasr’s words, a “Muslim communalist” at heart. Mawdudi remained intellectually active but politically disengaged for fifteen years. He was motivated by a distrust—if not hatred—of Hindu politicians and society. Indeed, Mawdudi was not so much pro-Pakistan as anti-Hindu, and during the years before partition he proposed two schemes as alternatives to the creation of Pakistan.

One was the bifurcation of India into Hindu and Muslim majority provinces within the framework of a single India; the other envisioned one large Hindu province and thirteen smaller Muslim ones, again within a larger Indian context. It was not until the Muslim League promulgated the Pakistan Resolution at Lahore in 1940, raising 151 the prospect of a separate state, that he organized what went on to become South Asia’s most important Islamist organization, the Jama’at-i-Islami (JI), on August 26, 1941. Unlike Jinnah, whom he scorned, Mawdudi set forth a doctrine that addressed the question of how Muslims could live as a minority and eventually shape the state in which they were the majority. Mawdudi’s vehicle, the JI, was to be a tightly knit organization. It was structured along the lines of what a Leninist would call “democratic centralism,” with strong leaders (amirs) at each level, active member participation, and obedience to the organization’s decisions. The Jama’at was to be more than a party; it was, in Nasr’s phrase, the “vanguard” of the Islamic revolution in Pakistan. Each of the seventy-five original members stood up and followed Mawdudi’s lead in professing the Muslim testament of faith (shahadah), thereby reaffirming their Muslimness and forming a new holy community. The JI cadres were required to be good Muslims, shunning corruption and engaging in charitable and public services, and the JI spread quickly throughout India, partly because of the social services it offered to members and nonmembers.

In this way it resembles the militant Hindu organization, the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh, which also helped dislocated refugees and sought to inspire others by its members’ discipline and exemplary behavior. The JI cadres were expected to be more disciplined and effective than the state, and it was Mawdudi’s expectation that the JI would win both the minds and the souls of Indian Muslims, eventually supplanting the Muslim League. Mawdudi’s expectations were unrealistic. Jinnah was a worldrenowned figure, supported by many wealthy Muslims and traditional leaders, and he had the ear of the British. The Jama’at did not even contest local elections in 1945, and at the time of partition, Mawdudi found himself on the wrong side of the new border. He had to be escorted by Pakistan army troops to Lahore from the JI’s headquarters in Pathankot.

The Jama’at then split into separate Indian and Pakistani national organizations.7 Today, it stands apart as an Islamist party, following no particular Islamic sect, 152 disciplined, and intellectually attractive, especially to Pakistan’s middle classes. The Islamists and the State of Pakistan The Islamist groups played an important role in helping Pakistan recover from the devastation of partition, and this gave them additional organizational skills and helped them establish a link to many new Pakistanis— especially the migrants from India. The pattern was to be repeated forty years later when many Islamist groups worked with millions of Afghan refugees who poured into Pakistan from 1980 onward.

After independence

Immediately after independence, a wide spectrum of groups began to press the Muslim League government to turn Pakistan into an Islamic state. Mawdudi developed the argument that the Muslim League had wrought a state ruled by Muslims—a Muslim state—whereas an Islamic state conducts its affairs in accordance with the revealed guidance of Islam and accepts the sovereignty of Allah and the supremacy of Allah’s laws. The Islamists were not content with an ingathering of Indian Muslims; they wanted to eliminate vestiges of the British- derived civil and criminal laws and create a state based upon Shariat.

Shariat law

Most liberal Pakistanis continue to reject the imposition of Shariat law, but the demand is pressed incessantly by all Islamist parties. Although not enthusiastic about Pakistan’s creation, the Islamists were also the first to demand that Islamic, and sometimes highly sectarian, provisions be included in the yet-to-be-adopted constitution. Rigid and conservative, they hampered efforts to reach a constitutional consensus. Mawdudi led this campaign, arguing that his party alone possessed the understanding and commitment needed to accomplish this cherished goal. The JI also led the battle to ban “foreign” or alien cultural influence— especially from India. 153

The Establishment’s Islam The Establishment’s views of how to organize a society were greatly affected by the interplay between traditional Islamic forms of charity, education, and law, on the one hand, and practices inherited from a “colonial” past, on the other. That is to say, Pakistan’s institutions were the result of adapting to a British-dominated environment, while simultaneously supporting and exploiting traditional allegiances and structures.

This had been particularly evident in the army, where traditional modes of valor and loyalty had been harnessed to a British strategic cause, and in the process traditional forms were refined, standardized, and given some degree of influence. The battlegrounds for these competing conceptions of how to order the state range from vital structural issues, such as Pakistan’s legal codes and the degree to which Shariat is adapted, to questions of attire (were Lady Diana’s knees too visible, for example, when she visited Lahore’s largest mosque?).

The Pakistan government also created a number of new identities and organizations for its own purposes—mostly to counter regional nationalist movements and the left. This of course required the creation of counterforces, in an endless attempt to balance forces set in motion by the state, but energized by traditional values and organizations. In response to Islamist forces, but also because of its own commitment to an Islamic Republic, the Muslim League and its leaders slowly moved to “Islamize” the state. While largely secular or “mainstream” in outlook, they viewed Islam as an acceptable (if untried) vehicle for nationbuilding.

Functions of the Parliament and Parliamentary Education (A mix of Islamic shariah and British law)

What is the Parliament?

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The Pakistani parliament is the federal and supreme legislative body of Pakistan. It is a bicameral federal legislature that consists of the Senate as upper house and the National Assembly, as lower houses. According to the constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the President of Pakistan is also a component of the Parliament. The National Assembly is elected for a five-year term on the basis of adult franchise and one-man one-vote. The tenure of a Member of the National Assembly is for the duration of the house, or sooner, in case the Member dies or resigns. The tenure of the National Assembly also comes to an end if dissolved on the advice of the Prime Minister or by the president in his discretion under the Constitution.

Functions of the Pakistani Parliament

The Assembly performs following functions:

• Legislation

• Oversight of the Government

• Financial Accountability

(a) Legislation

Powers and Limitations

The Assembly is empowered to make laws such as criminal, criminal procedure, evidence and any matter. It cannot, however, make any law which is 155

• Repugnant to the injunctions of Islam as laid down in the Holy Quran and the Sunnah

• Repugnant to any provision of the Constitution

• Violation or contravening to any fundamental rights

• Not in consonance with the Principles of Policy

(b) Oversight of the Government

Various parliamentary tools provided in the Rules of Procedure and the Conduct of the Business provide for obtaining necessary information about the working of the Government departments, overseeing the government and making recommendations on matters of public importance. These tools include questions, call attention notices (CANs), adjournment motions, resolutions and general discussion.

(c) Financial Accountability

The Assembly exercises its control over the financial affairs of the government in two ways i.e. consideration as well as approval of the budget and consideration of the reports of the Auditor General of Pakistan by Public Accounts Committees.

Pre-budget Discussion

The Assembly holds discussion and invites proposals from the members for the next year’s budget. The proposals are sent to the government.

Passing of Budget

The government is required to lay a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditure of the government known as the Annual Budget Statement for the next financial year before the House. The Finance Minister, or a Minister acting on his behalf, presents the budget. The Assembly considers it in two stages:

• General discussion on the budget as a whole

• Discussion and voting on demands for grants including voting on motions for reduction (Cut Motions), if any 156

• Discussion on recommendations of the Senate (only in National Assembly)

Parliamentary Education

SENATE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

Since March 2015 under the new leadership, a number of new initiatives have been taken for improving Senate’s outreach. Parliamentary Education Program is on such initiative and the Internship Program is an essential part of it.

Unlike the past practice of involving third parties or development agencies in various initiatives, Senate of Pakistan Internship Program is fully owned, conceived and administered by the Senate. It is a new chapter in the history of Senate of Pakistan.

Basic idea is to engage youth of Pakistan in the Parliament. Give them exposure. We also believe that it will be a two way learning process. The youth will have a lot to learn from here and the Senate will also considerably draw on their talents, energies and fresh ideas.

Interns at the Senate of Pakistan will be presented with a unique opportunity to work at the Upper House of the Parliament, gain hands-on experience of how legislation is done, how Senate Committees function, interact with elected representatives and make vital contributions in the Senate with their knowledge & ideas.

Internship Program has been envisaged with a view to broadening of access to parliament, introducing university students/graduates to key aspects of parliamentary working, building public knowledge of parliament by conducting and disseminating research, and acquiring new ideas and skills that the interns bring with them.

The Program will also serve as a Social Responsibility as well as Parliamentary Education initiative of the Senate of Pakistan. 157

The Program has two components. a. Long term component titled “Clerks of the Parliament Program” b. “Short term internships”

Two of the established programs are Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services (PIPS) and Youth Parliament of Pakistan.

Islamization

During the struggle for Pakistan, Jinnah and other leaders had assured Muslims that the constitution of Pakistan would be based upon the Quran. Strategically, there was also a desire to draw a sharp distinction between India and Pakistan. Islamic Pakistan, as soon portrayed by Jinnah and other leaders, was a trustworthy link to the Islamic world and the Middle East. Pakistan’s Islamic identity was thus a useful way of distinguishing the new state from the larger and more famous India. Between them, the army, the Muslim League, regional and ethnic parties, the intelligence services, and Pakistan’s scholars forged an Establishment view of the link between the state and Islam. Its core concept was that a wall should separate the individual and civil society, on the one hand, and many Islamic practices (especially a codified Shariat-based law), on the other.

This view is in gradual but steady retreat, and Pakistan has become increasingly Islamic. That is, many Western social practices have been altered or abandoned in the name of religion, notably the public consumption of alcohol, gambling, and coeducational classrooms, except in some of Pakistan’s most Westernized cities, such as Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi. Although the Establishment has not reached a consensus on how far and how fast Islamic principles can be introduced, there is general agreement on two points. 158

The first is that abandoning Western-derived practices for unproven Islamic ones is a risky business. Can an Islamic banking system or educational system produce the wealth or the kind of people able to function in the modern world? The second major objection is simply, “Which Islam?” Many interpretations of the Shariat exist, as evidenced by the often bitter disputes among Pakistan’s Islamic parties and theologians. All of these issues arose early in Pakistan’s history.

The first major compromise between the Islamizers and the mainstream secularists was the Constitutional Assembly’s Objectives Resolution of 1949. Its Preamble read: “Sovereignty over the entire universe belongs to God Almighty alone, and the authority which He has delegated to the State of Pakistan through its people for being exercised within the limits prescribed by Him is a sacred trust.” However, this left some questions unanswered. Was the Shariat to be introduced? How were Pakistan’s minorities to be treated? Which sect of Islam would provide guidance? As soon as Liaquat Ali Khan, reflecting the views of the overwhelming number of Pakistanis, insisted that Pakistan would not become a theocracy, the debate with the Islamists was joined.

In another concession, the government assigned different rights of citizenship to Muslims and non-Muslims (the latter could not become prime minister or president). Subsequent Pakistan governments, including those of Ayub, Yahya, and Bhutto, continued to seek compromise with the Islamists. They indulged in the rhetoric of Islam, but none were serious about implementing an Islamic blueprint, even if one could be defined to everyone’s satisfaction. Ayub Khan regarded the Islamist parties, especially the well-organized Jama’at, as a dangerous nuisance.

The Jama’at was banned, and Mawdudi was imprisoned, a move that only enhanced his personal status. Seen to be suffering for their religious beliefs, Islamist leaders portrayed themselves as heroes and martyrs, invoking the memory of the great martyrdoms of early Islam. The government responded by pitting the 159 conservative ulema against the Jama’at and its political allies, playing to the issue of their support of Jinnah’s sister, Fatima Jinnah, in the 1965 presidential election.

The rough treatment gave some of the Islamist parties, notably u Jama’at, a new respect for constitutionalism and civil liberties, and generated among them an animosity toward the whisky-drinking army. Ayub viewed Islam as an adjunct to Pakistan’s security policy. For Ayub, “man as an animal is moved by basic instincts for preservation of life” but longs for an ideology that can command his allegiance—for which “he should be able to lay down his life.” He saw Islam as such an ideology and felt that Pakistan had become vulnerable internally and externally because its citizens had drifted away from the cause that had united them in the first place. For Ayub, the problem was simple: reformulate Islam so that Pakistanis could understand it. He did this in a private note on April 12, 1959, with a nine-point outline of “the ideology of Islam.” Bypassing the ulema, he opted for a bureaucratic approach to the problem of reconciling the laws of the state to the Quran and the Sunnah.

Under Ayub’s sponsorship, panoply of captive research and teaching institutions was established, all state-sponsored and directed, none of which achieved popular support, let alone support among Pakistan’s Islamist parties. Preoccupied with strategy and reshaping Pakistan’s domestic political order, his government said little afterward about Islamizing Pakistan. With the failure of Ayub and his successor, General Yahya Khan, who lost half of Pakistan in 1971, the army’s pragmatic approach to Islamic issues also fell into disgrace. It is often noted that the loss of East Pakistan changed Pakistan’s ethnic and political balance, but it also changed the ideological balance. What shocked many West Pakistanis was not the behavior of the Indians or even the Americans, but the betrayal of Pakistan by East Pakistanis themselves. In trying to explain this, many concluded that the Bengalis were not “truly” Pakistanis.

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That is, they were not truly Islamic or Muslims—theirs was a moral and religious failure, not a political one. Compounding this feeling of betrayal was the fact that even the Islamic world had not intervened to prevent the vivisection of an Islamic brother. The idea of an Islamic Pakistan was seized upon by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. Aware of a growing Islamist movement, which had gathered steam by opposing both Ayub and the blatantly irreligious Yahya Khan, Bhutto advanced the idea of “Islamic socialism.” He was transparently insincere about the Islamic component of this ideology, but it was politically expedient, given the resurgence of Islam as a political issue. Bhutto put the state at the service of Islam, introducing a ban on alcohol and gambling and making Friday a nonwork day (a decision reversed years later by Nawaz Sharif).

His 1973 constitution made further concessions to Islam: in 1974 he supported a move to declare the Ahmediyya sect non-Muslim, and he instructed the army chief, Zia ul-Haq, to Islamize the Pakistan army. Bhutto was later to admit that promoting and encouraging the pious Zia was the biggest mistake of his life. Bhutto also applied Islamic rhetoric to Pakistan’s foreign and strategic policy, hosting a major Organization of the Islamic Conference meeting in Lahore in 1974 and approaching “Islamic” states such as Qadhafi’s Libya for support for Pakistan’s nuclear program, described by Bhutto as an “Islamic bomb.” He also supported several extremist groups in opposition to the Afghan government. These later played a major role in the war against the Soviet Union and were eventually displaced by the Taliban. Most striking, though, was that Bhutto began turning Pakistan’s back on South Asia, looking to the Middle East for aid, ideology, and strategic cooperation. After 1972 the Indian presence—in the form of business, trade, and culture—diminished, and India was regarded as a state that could teach Pakistan nothing, except revenge. Under Bhutto’s admittedly insincere Islamization, Pakistan’s non-Indian identity was emphasized. This may have been important in forming a separate Pakistani identity, but it also meant that Pakistan ceased to learn from the one state that it most resembled. When, twenty-five years later, India began to reform critical sectors of its economy, Pakistan could not follow suit. Zia and Islamism It was under Zia’s effort to launch Pakistan’s moral rearmament that Islamization acquired legitimacy and the backing of the state. Zia combined religious zeal and a shrewd political mind. With a more attractive personality he might have been more popular among Pakistan’s urban middle 161 classes, but his ten years as president suggest a template that might yet be applied by some future leader

Zia’s Islamization

Under Zia, Islamization went beyond the ban on alcohol introduced by his predecessor, General Tikka Khan: more officers grew beards, and a number of hortatory signboards quoting the Quran and the Prophet were placed around the cantonments. Of greater importance, evaluation forms included a box for comments on an officer’s religious sincerity. For Zia, a more truly Islamic Pakistan would have the moral qualities necessary to stand up to India, since its scientists, generals, and politicians would be strengthened, not weakened, by their faith. Zia also cynically used Islamic groups internally against leftist opponents, especially the PPP, though he was not above betraying them when he felt the alliance had outlived its usefulness. Zia left an enduring mark on Pakistan’s civilian schools and institutions. He introduced a core curriculum inculcating a particular interpretation of Pakistan, South Asia, and the world. Bhutto had begun the process of wrecking Pakistan’s colleges and universities by nationalizing private schools; Zia continued the process by encouraging them to become seminaries. The worldview that they were instructed to teach was very close to that of Zia’s new ally, the Jama’at-i- Islami. A new field, “Pakistan Studies,” was made compulsory for all degree students, including those at engineering and medical colleges.

In 1981 the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a directive to prospective textbook authors, “to demonstrate that the basis of Pakistan is not to be founded in racial, linguistic, or geographical factors, but, rather, in the shared experience of a common religion. To get students to know and appreciate the Ideology of Pakistan, and to popularize it with slogans. To guide students towards the ultimate goal of Pakistan—the creation of a completely Islamicized State.”16 One analysis of Pakistani textbooks notes that three Islamic-related events were 162 discussed in detail: the Objectives Resolution, the presentation to the government of a program of Islamization by thirty-one ulema in 1951 (it became the manifesto of the Jama’at), and the implementation of Islamic principles by General Zia.

However, even this was not enough for some of the Islamizers, including a few in the military. One brigadier called for a revival of “the spirit of Jihad,” including compulsory military training for all Pakistani men and women, and a thorough transformation of Pakistan itself. Even under Zia this was a fringe position, but such writing showed how the trauma of 1971 had created fertile ground for the idea that the new Pakistan, shorn of its poorer and partly Hindu East Wing, could be guided by the mission of perfecting Islam itself in Pakistan. Pakistan was not a mere refuge, it was to be an Islamic outpost with a long-term historic mission that transcended South Asia.

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Changes needed in the Education system

This chapter is very close to my heart. I’ve observed not only Pakistani’s suffering at the hands of education system, but worldwide too. Education is integral, but all teachers and educationists but bear in mind the individual differences and overall well being of the child as well. ‘The Reformer Magazine’ and ‘Pakistan ASCD’ are doing an excellent job in reforming Pakistan’s education system through action research. They are working and researching on ideas like the validity/need of examination, educational leadership, need of teaching innovation and so on. Finland is currently is on the top of charts of educational standards. Interestingly, they have little or no exams, give less homework and promote collaboration instead of competition in students. After doing some research on their system, and American programs like the ‘No child left behind act’, I came up with the following:-

Breaking Stereotypes: Know Your potential

There are certain examples we are given today which show us that the society binds us to the conventional stereotypes that have been built up and have sustained the wear and tear of time. Kids are shown with butterfly wings and parents are shown to be cutting those wings with scissors. This example clearly shows that the 164 wings are taken up to be the metaphor of potential. Maybe they have the potential to fly but our society restricts us to the same old clichéd methods.

So what are the main problems here:-

1) Creativity dying down

Students are given a direction or a set of goals by their parents, teachers and other members from society. This destroys the student’s creativity and to be honest, this in turn kills the student (regardless of his age and gender) from within. He is no longer a human being with hopes, dreams and imagination. His identity is lost as well. Because he is expected to become and nothing more. A lifeless zombie perhaps can be an analogy.

2) Students should know what they are.

Ever seen a student doodling on his notebook drawing anime characters instead of being attentive towards the teacher’s lecture? Has anyone wondered why a student does that? Is it because the student is not enjoying the lecture or is it simply because drawing and sketching is a part of his identity?

What about the student that habitually looks out the window during lectures? Let me give you a hint of what may be going on in his head. He is probably staring at trees and mesmerized by the dazzling and powerful sunlight which has left patterns on the trees. He/she is absorbing the beauty and this is giving birth to new ideas. The student wants to take a picture; a good one. Another student who is staring outside as well wants to write on a poem on this view. 165

But when the teacher scolds these kinds of students, their creativity is in turn being discouraged and all comes to a halt. Those students can now be seen frowning while listening to the lecture attentively.

3) Personality and neurological basis.

We have understood that every individual is unique. Well educational psychology has been used how to further comprehend these individual differences. Educationists are now applying specific teaching methodologies to reach maximum performance in educational institutes and these methodologies promote an ‘out of the box’ thinking culture in the classroom.

Individuals who use their right hemispheres more have better creativity potential. And those who rely on the left have better analytical skills and hence, mathematical skills. EQ is related to the brain’s ‘amygdala’. Therefore, the reason why a student is either good or not good in math can be explained by studying neurological basis.

4) Grading system.

Nobody likes to be judged. Every human is like a big question mark. We don’t know what he/she is capable of and the problem is; neither does the individual. Teachers and parents act as the major guidance counsellors in students’ lives. But what about this grading system which is promoting competitiveness and social comparisons?

This is where both teachers and parents forget that every student has different strengths and hence, they expect a fish to climb a tree and when the fish fails to do so, he is scolded, undermined, neglected and even faces social isolation due to the comparatively low scores. 166

In Finland, a new system has been adopted. Grading system is there but at a decreased level. Also, the grades of each individual student are not announced but remain confidential. This has resulted in an enhanced friendly environment in the classroom and statistically proven that the anxiety levels of students drastically have now fallen. There are only a handful of school dropouts in Finland now just because of this revamp in the system.

Moreover, there is another example portrayed as children being of different shapes; circle, triangle, star, etc. But there is this machine called “school” that has a frame of a square and it moulds each shape into the same shape like a machine cutting chocolate bars into small cubes. The point to be noted is that no one is the same. We can have the same thinking on one point with someone, but we can never think entirely the same. Thus, the word “similarity” is used to compare thinking of one person to another.

To think as critically as possible, we need to have our independent reasoning, whether for or against an idea. For this, we may have to think out of the box. Sometimes, we have to think in the opposite direction to what we have been taught or fed our entire lives. Let me take an example. Galileo took the stance against the Church in Italy and announced to everyone that the Sun does not move around the Earth but it was the other way around. Imagine, everyone around you thinking that the Earth is the Centre when it never was the Centre of anything. One man against the rest of the world; that is the extreme example of breaking stereotypes.

Interesting fact of the conclusion is, no one actually knows our potential, not even ourselves sometimes. To know the potential of our thoughts, the extent to which a statement is a fact or a fiction, we need to think in a productive way. Many of us think a lot but it is mostly of no use.

We need to think on the views of ourselves, our family, friends, and acquaintances and even of our enemies or strangers.

Practice Questions:- 167

1) You have a history book about Pakistan written by a Pakistani. You also are given a history book on Pakistan written by a British historian and a third book written by an Indian.

Which do you think shall have the most truth value?

2) A Doctor gives your younger brother a diagnosis. He has an upset stomach so he is given a chest infection. It is prescribed for 5 days 2 times a day. Your brother complains after the second day that these medications are making him feel weak /lethargic.

Try to think of a natural substitute to heal chest infections. You can research from the internet as well.

3) Your classmate is getting better marks than you at mathematics. And you usually get better marks than him at English.

Which of you has a higher IQ?

4) Your mother complains that you watch too much T.V. You try to convince her that watching cartoons and Disney movies make you ‘feel alive’ but you aren’t able to explain why.

Try thinking up of reasons of how T.V can enhance creativity.

5) There has been a car accident on the road. Your Father exclaims that this happens because nobody follows laws in Pakistan.

If you were a traffic-law maker, what laws would you make to ensure less motor vehicle accidents?

How to use knowledge as a tool

To use knowledge as a tool, we need to assess our situation. We are sometimes left with the notion that maybe knowledge is only a mass and we have to acquire it as much as we can. When, in reality, knowledge is like any other tool that we use in 168 our daily lives. What we need to do is to use it like a screwdriver or pliers to solve a problem or to win an argument or to deduce further knowledge from the existing one.

We should use it like a tool and hand it over to somebody else so that they can get rid of the situation like us and be done with their problem. Problem solving techniques are born by the use of our knowledge in a specific direction or for a particular purpose. It is just like concentrating our energy on the tip of the screwdriver to open a screw or tighten one. And just like there is a specific direction to our force while operating a screwdriver, the force of our knowledge should be directed towards productivity. Productivity is the only way to think for better purposes.

Now here are the corresponding problems:

1) Students are given strenuous homework and classwork is also not something lesser than Herculean tasks. When you burden the students with too much written work and then demand from them to have learnt and remembered everything they have read, that is the point from where rote learning starts. Students of all ages, then memorize everything that comes in their way to become “position holders” and “outstanding students” in our educational system.

2) Students of college and higher level are given laboratory work which also gets victimized by rote learning and even though he or she might know the outcome if we mix calcium sulphate with sulphuric acid, they won’t be able to recognize the chemicals at the start and they will not remember this for a very long time, considering the fact that 90% undergraduate students DO NOT remember what they learnt in intermediate.

3) Apart from the basic stuff, students have no idea about the deep science, literature or mathematics they study because the burden of study is too much to let them visualize things in imagination or in reality. A science group student might know how an oscilloscope works, but they have absolutely no idea how an oscilloscope looks like. An economics student might know how to prepare a data on the paper but when he has to prepare a data sheet on Oracle, he is dumbstruck. 169

Interesting point is that if we let our students and children to focus on fewer things with greater concentration rather than focusing on more things with near to zero concentration, they would actually learn something out of their subjects for the sake of concentrated knowledge, better to be used in their professional lives. Being slow and steady always makes you victorious.

What can be deduced from this discussion is that without knowing how to use knowledge practically, it can benefit neither the society nor one’s own self. Hence, attending popular universities can leave those students fruitless if they cannot have weak decision making and analytical skills.

In Pakistan, there is an issue of restricted job opportunities. So what should a person for example with a mechanical engineering degree from Pakistan do? Go USA or any other developed country? Or try to make something out of nothing here in Pakistan?

Applicable knowledge rises from need. And the job of a mechanical engineer is vital. All the person is to list down his opportunities, deduce where he should get his first job, and chart out a well evaluated plan about how he can use this knowledge to make a difference in Pakistan. A fun idea for a mechanical engineer is to even work for providing platforms for other jobless mechanical engineers to start working.

So yes, knowledge is nothing unless you start to question things.

Practice Questions:-

Are we all geniuses? Or is this term an illusion?

“Genius” is a myth for some and reality for others. The difference is whether you believe in yourself. We become geniuses when we don’t stop working. For example, it is said that Thomas Edison was kicked out of his school only because he thought differently from others. He was termed an idiot. Nonetheless, the man proved to be a genius after making a thousand plus inventions. Now, out of the paradox created, what will we call Edison?

The problems that arise in this context are as follows:- 170

1) Sometimes, the people with better grades are coined as geniuses and this happens so much with that they can develop a sense of pride for themselves, and superiority complex as well. This leads to underestimating people around them, bullying them for being “stupid” and similar characteristics while such students enjoy all the more protocol from the institutes. And stats have shown that such students can only go as far as being an engineer, doctor, manager, or teacher, etc. Most of the time people above them in professional life, are those same “idiots”.

2) Like discussed before, grading system and percentages are all there is to measure the intelligence so the students who are weak in studies either get discouraged or they try to go with the flow, hence following the same old targets of parents and teachers, namely engineering, medical, accountants and managers. The genuine artist, singer, dancer, playwright, critic, musician, all of them succumb to the monstrosity of engineering and medical fields. How many of children are encouraged to join Police Force?

3) Using complex language is also known to portrait the excellence of one’s mind. But the language used in the book is the best for all. There have been paper checkers who blindly mark the paper as good or bad only on the basis of language used. A checker crossed all the answers of a student’s paper because he or she had used “you” instead of “we” while writing a procedure of a lab work. Also, handwriting is a given a huge credit in the exams. It is a dead sure guess that the topper of a class is sure to have the best handwriting and presentation skills.

Ingenious people aren’t born just like that. If we think that we will become geniuses one day, out of the blue, then it is certainly absurd to think so. Of course, to become a genius we need to work on ourselves. We need to first think critically. We can take Thomas Edison’s example for this purpose as well. For the invention of tungsten bulb, he used 49 different metals until his assistant interrupted him and asked him for his persistence. And he replied that if he has come this far, why not try a bit further? He thought and believed that the incandescent bulb could made produced, and so he did.

There are many intelligent people who can do nothing just because they slack most of the time and there are many people who climb the ladder only because they work harder than others. This term, in conclusion, remains an illusion for those 171 who don’t think in a different way, i.e. everyone should think in the third dimension. Applying every mundane thought productively:-

So what this sub topic refers to is creativity. Imagine that you are stuck on an island. You have nothing artificial to eat or use. You do not even have internet access or a mobile phone. You now probably understand how technology came into being; it was a need. And people tested their mind’s limitations to see if they could actually create things that were worthwhile.

So on that island, you eventually get tired of living there and want to travel to find new lands. You come up two options; one is to use the buoyancy of the sea (a boat), or the sky. Hot air balloons are something you heard of from someone who visited the island and left. Then again, you can simply copy that person’s idea and use a boat because creating something like a hot air balloon would be tiring and require trial and error process to actually reach success.

So what are the main problems in today’s generation that we can infer from this example? Here are some:-

1) Comfort zones.

We do not like the excessive effort needed to create something anymore. Hence, now we do not create. We feel that as vital needs have already been invented, we shouldn’t think of anything new? This can be called ‘wasting potential ‘because even if it is true nothing new is needed in today’s modern age, then we shouldn’t even try at all?

Content writers apply this interesting concept called ‘reverse engineering ‘which means to covert an already popular idea into something original. And it is noted that those who find it difficult to habitually create original content are in fact addicted to their comfort zones. Contemplation and looking at the same thing with different lens is the key.

2) Need of the time.

Scientists are constantly striving to find new theories that would make the world a better place. Geologists even try to comprehend how geographical positions and a 172 country’s economic state can be beneficial to other countries and hence result in land acquisitions. Mackinder’s Heartland theory is one such theory that was a need for British to realize the importance of the Central Asian States which soon lead to the discovery of huge Hydrocarbon potential in these states.

Today’s need is to reverse the negative impact of certain inventions. One well- known negative impact is the issue of CFCs that is eating up the Ozone layer. Luckily for this generation, due to strenuous efforts by geologists and others, the Ozone layer is said to be healing.

So yes, to benefit society, trial and error is needed to make best use for what we learn at school or universities.

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Imran Khan as a leader

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Imran Khan is the prime minister of Pakistan with governments either led by his own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or parties sympathetic to it in three out of four provinces, including Punjab. Accordingly, many say he will have himself to blame if he does not deliver on his campaign promises. The political situation he is walking into, however, will be treacherous. At the very least, the current structure of power and political culture in Pakistan are inimical to national interest. Imran Khan’s agenda of ‘change’ for a ‘New Pakistan’ will be under constant challenge. He will need all his determination, character and sense of mission to overcome an array of obstacles.

While compromise and consensus-building are essential to any political strategy, beyond a point they become roadblocks to aspirations and missions. Imran Khan will have to live with intense scrutiny of every step he takes. He must lead in Parliament and address the nation regularly on pressing issues.

Foreign policy is the external aspect of national policy. It is a country’s first line of defence and the principal promoter of its interests abroad. It seeks to minimise risks and threats to the security and economic well-being of the country while maximising its policy options and opportunities. It bridges the gap between national capabilities and national priorities. It is not designed to sell home-made, ill-conceived policies abroad. It cannot project a good image of a bad state of affairs.

What are the foreign policy challenges faced by 'Naya Pakistan'

The prime minister of Pakistan, who is responsible for all national policies including foreign policy, must – today more than ever before – also be a foreign policy prime minister. Pakistan has only had one such prime minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. He inspired and, in turn, was hugely assisted by an able and well- motivated foreign service. 175

Imran Khan must start his foreign policy agenda with India and here is why.

An adversary is sometimes more important than a friend. Moreover, the majority of Pakistan’s population lives in proximity to the border with India. It is also the only country with which Pakistan has fought wars and it targets Pakistan with its nuclear weaponry. For Pakistan, India is our only potential nuclear target. The costs for Pakistan of its relations with India exceed those of its relations with any other country. How to significantly reduce these costs without compromising Pakistan’s principled stand on major outstanding issues, especially the ‘core issue’ of Jammu and Kashmir, remains a principal challenge for our foreign policy.

War of any kind is not an option for a Kashmir settlement. The United Nations (UN) resolutions must remain the basis of Pakistan’s Kashmir diplomacy although they cannot in reality deliver a settlement. In fact, there is no short-term solution for Jammu and Kashmir. The international community, including the UN and all major powers, will not force any Kashmir settlement upon India that is unacceptable to it. Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are also irrelevant to the search for a just Kashmir settlement.

Pakistan cannot stay on a transformational economic growth path of an average of 8.9 per cent per annum over the next three decades in a state of tension and confrontation with India — a country seven times its size in population, economy and military strength. Accordingly, the search for a broader and long-term strategy for a Kashmir settlement is inevitable. Any settlement will ultimately entail a principled compromise and it must pass the test of acceptability to the people of Kashmir. Until that time, the United Nations resolutions on Jammu and Kashmir must be the basis of Pakistan’s stand if it is to remain a relevant party to a settlement process.

This requires developing a strong working relationship with India, including a comprehensive and structured dialogue that addresses the core concerns of both countries. This must include the management of nuclear threats. On this basis, a whole range of revived and new confidence and security building measures (CSBMs) can provide a good start, beginning possibly with an invitation to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other heads of state or government from the member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation 176

(SAARC), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO) to attend the prime minister’s inauguration.

Such an approach will be vehemently opposed by the powers that be inside Pakistan. There is also no guarantee that India will immediately reciprocate Pakistan’s initiatives. Public opinion can be deliberately inflamed. Incidents can happen to thwart such initiatives. Caution, consultation and preparation will be essential to prevent them. Even more so will be leadership.

While India is necessarily a longer-term challenge, Afghanistan represents a problem that should not even exist. Mutual trust can be easily built if Pakistan’s policies towards Afghanistan are wise, generous and sincere. There is no historical basis for animus and hostility. There is no reason for Pakistan’s Afghanistan policy to be ‘India-centric’. No Afghan will accept that. The Taliban can also never be a strategic asset for Pakistan if we are to meet the challenges and imperatives of the 21st century. Yes, the Americans need to leave Afghanistan and, yes, the Islamic State is a greater threat to regional stability than the Taliban but the Taliban need to morph into a credible interlocutor for credible peace in Afghanistan.

Pakistan should participate in Afghan peace talks without holding a brief for the Taliban. Nor should Pakistan allow its territory to be used to influence the balance of power inside Afghanistan. That only opens the floodgates to Afghan resentment and Indian influence in Afghanistan. Our Afghanistan policy has been short- sighted and self-defeating. It has been formulated in the dark by people who know little about Afghan history and care less about the Afghan people. Imran Khan will have to ensure that no aspect of Pakistan’s foreign policy remains the preserve of faceless forces.

Let Afghanistan choose its own friends; it will not choose against Pakistan unless Pakistan’s follies force it to, which has happened ever since the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan. Within these parameters, specific issues, including transit trade, border management and refugees, can be easily addressed and a detailed strategy to develop substantial and wide-ranging bilateral ties can be devised. Historically inherited issues, such as the differences over the Durand Line, will lose their salience and eventually disappear. 177

Pakistan also needs to keep in mind that the United States is a global neighbour and will remain the number one military, economic and technological power for the rest of this century. It cannot be a strategic partner of Pakistan because it prefers India. Along with India, it targets the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Nevertheless, predictable, substantive and mutually satisfactory relations with the United States are a priority for Pakistan. The costs of gratuitously annoying it are considerable.

Afghanistan, counterterrorism and Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal remain issues of concern for the United States. Without having to bend a knee, these are not insuperable obstacles for Pakistan especially if it rationalizes its policies and refrains from playing games unrelated to its national interest. The US policy dictation does not have to be accepted. Nor should Pakistan dress up compliance in the guise of defiance to fool its own people. To have an honest bilateral relationship with the United States should be a sufficient foreign policy goal.

Retaining Chinese confidence in the viability of Pakistan as a strategic partner, however, is a challenge that should not be underestimated. Without good governance and a credible foreign policy, Pakistan will not meet this challenge. CPEC is a golden opportunity, not a magic wand or a free ride. China is shaping up to be the future of Asia. And Pakistan can be a critical part of this transformation provided Imran Khan overcomes critical impediments and lays the foundation for a New Pakistan.

Analysis of his first 100 days

One thing that was expected at least in first hundred days was setting the direction of government on major issues without any vagueness. Let’s have a brief look at some positive and negative things that have been rendered by the government in the first hundred days.

The first and foremost positive step this government took was its austerity drive. Several austerity measures were taken like eradication of Prime Minister and Chief Minister’s discretionary funds, cutting down of governmental expenses, reducing 178 the foreign tours of cabinet ministers, auctioning of vehicles and buffaloes that was also taken satirically. Anyway, austerity drive is something that should be praised and encouraged in a poor country like ours.

Another positive thing is clean and green Pakistan campaign. Again it is something that mostly people don’t give importance but environmental problems that we are facing are disastrous and can be very dangerous to our survival in near future. The only way to address this issue is to plant more and more trees and make sure the maintenance of cleanliness all around. So, clean and green Pakistan campaign is a step worth admiring this government has taken so far.

If we analyze the performance of government in the perspective of foreign affairs, there are a few things very welcoming. PM visits to Saudi Arabia, China, UAE and Malaysia can be pivotal for forging relationships with different countries and opening new horizons of collaboration and cooperation with foreign allies. Gaining an economic bailout package from Saudi Arabia is also an achievement for a government that inherited a collapsing economic situation. Though economic challenges still hover over the country but this package may be helpful in sustaining the economy temporarily.

Government stance on blasphemy issue in the United Nations and OIC is also commendable and proved to be a plus point.

Civil military relationship has been very volatile in our history. It rarely happens that both Civil and military leadership get a consensus on major policy related issues but this time it seems that Civil and military leadership is on the same page which is definitely a positive development.

Now look towards some negative aspects of this government. It is said that being confused about something is more dangerous than talking decision regardless of right or wrong. Lack of clarity in taking decision about going to IMF or not is the negative point, further failure in formulating a solid economic plan and its execution to take the country out of economic crisis is still in a waiting list.

Another area where the government got the huge criticism was key appointments in federal and provincial cabinets and top bureaucracy. Appointment of Punjab and KP CMs were considered wrong decisions by the analysts. Selection of people as heads of different important institutions was also criticized badly.

Depoliticizing the police was what Imran Khan considered the greatest achievement in KP province and main pillar of his manifesto was the same claims 179 about revolutionizing the police but what happened in Punjab in the first few days regarding DPO Pakpatan transfer and subsequently IG Punjab transfer incident nullified his own stance. Following the same episode Nasir Durani resigned indicating political interference in police.

In a parliamentary system, significance of parliament is undeniable. Parliament is the forum where policies for the benefits of people are designed and major issues are sorted out. Imran Khan had promised to present in parliament for question and answer session twice a month but it apparently seems he doesn’t give much importance to parliament, which is not good at all. Seriousness of Government regarding parliament can be gauged by the fact that standing committees have still not been constituted. There is a deadlock over the chairperson of public accounts committee. If the same attitude on the part of government continues then it would be difficult for the house to run and make important legislation.

Imran Khan’s accomplishments so far: An analysis

There is no doubt that ever since the election of Imran Khan, Pakistanis have clung on to the highest of hopes for the betterment of Pakistan. The former cricket star has made quite a fundamental impression on Pakistanis from all ages, creeds and differences; mostly because of his ravishing promises and pledges for the Pakistani people and the country. Imran Khan’s PTI government had already made quite an impact within Pakistani culture and politics; garnering support from all over the country; evidently, so much that the party performed so well that it won the extremely challenging national general elections. 180

With the PTI party and Imran Khan being sworn in to power by the people with pride, confidence and high expectations; it is fair to say that an anaylsis of Imran Khan’s accomplishment is much needed, in 2019. Here are Imran Khan’s top seven achievements of his prime ministership of Pakistan so far, 1) Imran Khan takes climate change seriously, so much so that his government successfully took control of Mafia owned land in punjab. With pursuits of turning it in to an eco-friendly forest under his initative known as Plant4Pakistan. 2) He swiftly took upon solving Pakistan’s water crisis to his own hands. The eager leader successfully raised millions of pounds for the Pakistan Dam Fund; both nationally and internationally, just weeks after being sworn in to leadership. 3) Khan’s anti corruption policies have been affirmed as positive. The PTI government holds ‘strict accountability’ towards any activities that maybe deemed as corrupt. For example an assets recovery unit has been developed, to expose hidden assets. 4) The former cricketer, has been focusing greatly on tourism in Pakistan. Khan, recently spoke at the World Government Summit and spoke about how Pakistan has fundamental potential for a successful tourism industry. 5) The government led after Khan, has decreased factory gas prices nationally. This is excellent for the Pakistani economy. 6) The five million home initiative, is a housing program and promise by the PTI government; aimed to provide housing for the poorer community of Pakistan. This huge project has already began to make progression. 7) Imran Khan’s eco-friendly dream goes further; energy production through waste is now in progress. Imran Khan, is no doubt making waves right in the very heart of Pakistan’s political spectrum. The achievements of the PTI government are unprecedented and surpassed by any previous government, and overcome various challenges.

As we all might have now understood after reading the above and observing the current situation of Pakistan, I, Moiz Shaukat, can at least proudly or should I say ‘gratefully’ admit that Imran Khan is so far the best leader Pakistan has ever had. His speeches prove it. His speeches in Washington and in front of the U.N were by far remarkable inspiring the hearts of millions of Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis across the globe.’ 181

May Allah reward him greatly for his services to our beloved nation. Ameen.

182 Business Potential in Pakistan

Well, I personally am not an expert in Business but I’ve hung out with numerous of them. I’m currently working with Salim Ghauri. I’m basically a graphic designer at Salim Ghauri’s renowned company ‘Netsol’. His name can found all over google in lists of top Pakistani entrepreneurs.

Netsol Technologies grew to this extent that it is one of the few which is listed in Karachi Stock Exhange and NASDAQ.

I’ve started this chapter with the mention of entrepreneurship because Pakistan is quite ripe for innovation. People keep on saying that this country doesn’t have many opportunities but this should be seen from an entirely different light. If Pakistan doesn’t have much yet, then it’s a great opportunity of bringing new in!

Even if Pakistanis start a company which sells fun products like roller skates and skateboards, those would sell in almost no time.

Business and innovation is at large scale growth in Pakistan, and it is recommended that foreign countries collaborate too. Pakistanis are witty, innovative and are opportunists and thus foreigners would never regret working with us and even investing in Pakistan based businesses.

Pakistanis on the other hand, need to focus on how to economically catch up with other countries. This can be achieved through utilizing the untapped tourism sites, digging out the unexploited mineral resources from Baluchistan and of course, startups especially tech start-ups.

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Here are some amazing success stories of my fellow Pakistanis:-

Zia Imran

Zia Imran is an entrepreneur, inventor and a motivational speaker in Pakistan. He is currently involved in a project, building home automation and energy saving devices based on IoT technologies. He is also working as part of the SPRING Accelerator team in Pakistan. Zia is the CEO of Vahzay (Pvt) Limited, a software company based in Lahore, which focuses on producing software, IT products, and services. He is also a founding member of Plan 9, one of the largest tech incubators in Pakistan. What makes Zia stands out among other Pakistani entrepreneurs is that he has over fifteen years’ experience of working at Silicon Valley, in product development and program management at several companies, including Oracle and Altera (now Intel). Monis Rahman

Monis Rahman is a Pakistani venture capitalist. He is the founder & CEO of Naseeb Networks, Inc., a business-centered social network, which basically serves the purpose of online job recruitment. In 2006, he started Rozee.pk, a company aimed to promote job opportunities in Pakistan.

Monis is also the co-founder of eDaycare.com, and was responsible for the development of the technology behind the startup. He has also founded and run various companies, ranging from Internet startups to chip design consultancies. He has also raised venture capital for two Internet startups in Silicon Valley. Monis Rahman started his career at Intel Corporation, where he served as a key member of Intel’s microprocessor design team. Monis has also served as the Director of KASHF Microfinance Bank Limited. He has gained a lot of fame and recognition, by being featured in various newspapers and magazines, including New York Times, CNN, InfoWorld, The Chicago Tribune, The San Francisco Chronicle, and Spider. Monis also holds several patents for his innovative work in Pakistan. Ali Rehan 184

Ali Rehan is the Co-founder of Eyedeus Labs and Ingrain. Ali graduated from Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). He is also the CEO of Groopic Inc., and led a team of five to build, release, and market the Groopic App, a mobile application which enables people to take group pictures and include the photographer as well. Groopic has gained great reviews from TechCrunch, Gizmodo, Cult of Mac and CNN. Ali is the Co-founder of Ingrain, a native advertising platform that allows the user to place automatic and individually targeted online videos in real time. The video publisher can monetize the content without compromising the user experience. Ingrain has made significant technology breakthroughs in solving hardware related problems in Pakistan, particularly in Position Tracking & 3D Scene Understanding problems. Team Eyedeus, led by Ali Rehan, were also shortlisted for the Google Blackbox Connect entrepreneurship accelerator in 2013. Maria Umar

Maria Umar is the founder of Women’s Digital League (WDL), an online platform that provides work opportunities and digital training for Pakistani women. The turning point in her career was the Project Artemis/Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women Program, when she was mentored and coached by top business professors and motivational speakers from the Silicon Valley. Maria was nominated as a Thought Leader by Ashoka Changemakers. During her time working in an online digital outsourcing sphere, under her leadership, WDL also won the Early Stage Award in the Changemakers “Women Powering Work” competition. Maria has been featured as an innovative leader by the local and international media, including Mashable, Forbes, Virgin, Ashoka, and Dawn. She is also actively striving to encourage girls to opt for STEM at an early age, through the Technovation Challenge. Zafar Khan

Zafar Khan is the CEO and Founder of Sofizar, a Lahore based Internet marketing company, which sells products directly to consumers in North America, over search engines and through Facebook marketing. Sofizar makes more than ten million dollars per year in revenue. Zafar is also the CEO of Engro Digital, a chemical and processing plant, where sensory data interacts with machine learning 185 based analytics to give real-time recommendations and alerts. Zafar was also the co-founder of PrimeDTV, an ATSC reference design company, based in Shanghai and Anaheim. He has been on the Central Executive Committee of P@SHA, and is a Past Vice Chairman. Zafar has managed to bootstrap his company into a multi- million dollar venture. He is currently working on leading his organization to tackle more verticals, and maintaining their growth rate. Farhan Masood

Farhan Masood is a brilliant and innovative entrepreneur, who has won several international awards for his contributions toward innovation. These awards include The Asia Pacific ICT Awards and the MIT Enterprise Forum BAP 2012 Competition. Farhan is the CEO of SoloInsight Inc. (USA) and SoloTech Labs (Pakistan), which aims to provide innovative solutions, which are custom designed according to the needs of the company’s clients. He has a great level of expertise in perimeter security, and he is always willing to share his knowledge by delivering keynote speeches at various university and college seminars. He is also the founder of Go Green Pakistan, a campaign aimed at promoting the spirit of patriotism in Pakistan and connecting patriots all over the country.

Hisham Sarwar

Hisham is a tech social entrepreneur by heart who wants to give back to his community and is providing hands on training to Pakistani students in different universities all across Pakistan. He is the CEO Infomist Services, co-founder BeingGuru.com. It's one of the world's most popular motivation blog and social media presence. Hisham is also an instructor at www.digiskills.pk, Government of Pakistan's program to train one million freelancers in the country.

Salim Ghauri 186

Salim Ghauri, Founder & CEO NetSol Technologies, is one of the best known figures from the Pakistani IT industry. He has been cited as the ‘Bill Gates of Pakistan’, a reference to his incredible achievements as an IT entrepreneur. Founded by him in 1996, NetSol Technologies developed rapidly to become the leading software company of Pakistan and is today the only CMMI Level 5 organization in the country. It has been the country’s leading software exporter for many years and now caters to a truly impressive list of global blue chip customers, including some of the biggest names in the global IT industry.

Salim Ghauri is one of the country’s leading IT entrepreneurs and the harbinger of development in Pakistan’s IT industry. His founding of NetSol Technologies was the result of his vision to help Pakistan actualize its potential as a leading global IT destination as well his drive to ensure a sustainable market for home-grown talent. Under his leadership, NetSol has gained worldwide recognition and exponential growth, topping the list of IT companies in Pakistan and serving blue-chip clients all over the world.

From the humble beginnings of an office with two rooms and a small team, NetSol Technologies Limited has, today, grown to organization employing over 1300 resources with a truly global footprint. It is Pakistan’s biggest IT exporter, a leading IT employer and the first CMMI Level 5 certified company in the country. Spearheading the company, Salim has helped NetSol achieve global recognition as a leading supplier of IT software and solutions for the finance and leasing; capturing over 90% percent of the Chinese Auto Leasing market. His vision helped the company achieve the Asia Pacific ICT Association Award for the ‘Best Financial Product ’. Under his visionary leadership, NetSol has emerged as Pakistan’s leading IT company. It has won great recognition at both local and global levels.

Nabeel A Qadeer 187

Nabeel Qadeer (born on 10th May 1982) is the lead of Pakistan’s First Business Reality Show, Idea Croron Ka (Modeled after Dragon's Den). As the Chief Innovation Officer of Superior Group, he is now leading Innovation District 92, a hub of innovation, Boom FM 106.6 and Neo Television Network. Prior to joining Superior Group, Qadeer was working at Punjab Information Technology Board as the Director of Entrepreneurship. He is also the founder of a company called Technopsis. An entrepreneur himself, Qadeer’s passion for teaching keeps him busy in his extra time. He is a visiting faculty of Entrepreneurship at various institutes such as FAST, ITU & Superior University. (Wikepedia)

Mudassir Sheikha

Mudassir Sheikha is the CEO and co-founder of ride-hailing app Careem, one of the hottest startups on the Asian continent. In December, it raised US$350 million from superstar investors such as Rakuten and Abraaj Capital, making it the newest unicorn in the transportation space.

Prior to Careem, Mudassir was an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he advised clients on strategy and business building. Before McKinsey, Mudassir spent a decade in the Silicon Valley building technology startups, where he was most recently the co-founder of DeviceAnywhere, which was eventually acquired by Keynote Systems. He has an academic background in Computer Science and Economics from Stanford and USC.

Amazingly, since the last 10 years, many female entrepreneurs have left major impact int the industry too. Some of the most inspiring ones are Sidra Qasim for her startup Markhor, Arusha Imtiaz for Edjuntion, Sahr Said for Beauty Hooked, Rameeza Moin for Transparent Hands, Sana Khan Niazi for Paimona, Saba Gul for Popinjay, Sihah Waris for RiseMom and Sana Farooq for ELN.

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For those people who aren’t of the innovative type, they should know that Pakistan also has amazing business opportunities mostly for agriculture (fish farming/poultry farming), oil and gas industry, Public relations, transport, mobile car wash, internet marketing consulting, computer training, tourism, medical stores, restaurants, cafes/coffee shops, Nylon production, t-shirt printing, leather garment making and so on!

Comparatively, we still need to learn much from other countries to give the world an overall good impression of our business potential. Talent is here, but due to brain drain, most of our talented minds are using their expertise elsewhere. We should understand that we owe much to Pakistan too.

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Words of Wisdom

I started blogging for a reason. Like Mark Manson and J B Peterson, I simply want to see the world a bit better. Here are condensed forms of wisdom I try to teach people:-

Believing in Believing

Believing in believing has changed my life. For things to happen, you have to believe in them. Every time I plan to do something in my life, I don’t expect Allah to hand it to me unless I believe it can be given to me. I close my eyes and believe that what I imagine, WILL happen. And it happens. The hardest part in life is to take the first step towards your dreams and goals. There will be many people who won’t support you and will laugh on you. When you’re taking the first step towards your dreams, you need to believe in yourself, close your eyes and vision yourself, close your eyes and vision yourself where you want to be before it happens and keep practicing what you love doing every single day till your confidence becomes bigger and bigger than your fear of failure and then you’ll see things start happening. If your thoughts believe it can happen, your actions will make sure it does. Just believe.

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Betrayal

I have been through a lot in my life which people have no idea about. I can’t mention or explain.

I have seen people promising confidently that they will always be there through thick and thin, in sickness and health. But eventually…they faded away. I have loved and lost people. I have seen betrayal and backstabs. I have spent many nights staying awake questioning myself why I was the one chosen to deserve all this damage. Many nights I have cried uncontrollably. I have been through indescribable pain and agony which people put me through. Because of that hell, I know I have changed. I find it hard to reciprocate the same way. I have seen people falling in love and then seeing love disappearing in them.

I have experienced the darkest sides of life you see. Life isn’t a rose bed. Life is also not about waiting for the storm to pass. It is about learning how to dance in the rain.

Defeat your fears nonetheless. Let the pain make you stronger. Achieve your goals and dreams and never give up!

Visit to Services hospital

Dear little girl,

I may not be able to meet you again. We found each other at Services hospital. You were very curious. You were curious to know where I came from. You were curious to know why I looked different.

I knew you wanted answers, so I gave you a ball. I appreciated your sense of style and even though you hadn’t learnt to speak yet, we both seemingly understood each other through the language of love. 191

When you’ll grow up, you’ll be faced with many more questions. You may wonder why it is difficult for you to do certain things as a girl. But in these questions, remember to always listen to your heart and you’ll find the answers in your heartbeat. I assure you, you’ll find the courage and determination within. Each day holds a surprise. But only if we expect to see, hear and feel it, only then does it reveal itself to us.

Social work, what is this? And why do people do this? Sometimes in fact many times people ridicule us and call us frauds and stuff. Why do we bare such comments? Because when you help others, I guarantee you will discover that while social work improves lives and the wider world, its greatest reward is the new meaning it will bring to your life. One appreciation and being the reason of someone’s smile is all what we strive for and fill our hearts with such pleasure, it was to make these kids at services hospital happy.

Nobody should live their lives in ways that anyone else would prefer. It’s necessary to understand that people are different. Because of this difference, people have different preferences. Because of these preferences, people make choices that are according to what everyone else is doing. Some are out of the box thinkers and trend setters. People will always be different in how they choose to live, in their interests and lifestyles. The only thing our differences make us is ‘different’; not better or worse. And this is absolutely fine and acceptable. Spread your wings, and shine in your own way, spreading your beautiful colors throughout the world.

For MCAT students

Your score does not define you. Trust me, it does not make you a failure. It does not make you a loser.

This world is full of possibilities. In a few years- not passing the mcat wouldn’t even matter. Don’t let this label you as a failure. In reality, the world isn’t run by 192 doctors alone. System needs artists, lawyers, teachers and all kinds of unique talented people like you too. People will taunt you event your parents will by telling you how they always dreamt of you of becoming a doctors. But give them space and forgiveness, especially your parents. In time when you success in whatever you choose to do, your parents will beam with pride.

Whichever way it goes, it is surely the best for you. Because whatever happens, you won’t stop, you will learn and your life will still progress to take you towards the heights. It’s you that defines you; the complete you, not these grades which define a small, a very small part of you. If you get admirable grades, then great. If you don’t, that’s great too because rejection is simply redirection. You can still be a great human being in life and focus on the coming years, you can always bounce back and even higher than before with new confidence and goals.

Don’t let anyone make you feel down. Take everything that happens as a force that motivates you. You have to motivate yourself because no one else will; only a few maybe. The whole world usually pushes you down. You are the definition of who you are not these grades. You are wonderful and these grades are nothing more than temporary, insufficient measurements of judging someone’s abilities. Look forward, step up, go ahead with the belief of success, with a passion to do what you want to do and with the mindset to learn from every situation and always say to yourself: “I’ll always be the best version of myself. I’m here to win. I matter. My grades do not define my work but good deeds and character does. My services to mankind does. I am brilliant and always will be no matter what kind of situation I am in. And I’ll always love myself unconditionally.”

Suffering in silence

When you are struggling and suffering in silence (whatever your pain may be), it is easy to beat yourself up for not being…‘normal’. Let me remind you that we all are our unique brand of miraculous. 193

There is nothing wrong with you. You need to know that you are not going through this, but rather GROWING through this. This pain is temporary. This moment does not define you. Your circumstances are not your life sentences. You will grow through this.

No matter what happens. Please. Be kind to yourself.

I’ve learned as I’ve grown older that people are selfish; they are there if something is to be gained. Finding people who will actually be there for you are very rare. I’ve also learned that putting that putting off work for a later date only makes your life tougher. Its best to do everything now.

Lastly, I’ve learned to let things go. Still learning actually. One can’t control people and events so it’s best to not keep chasing and holding on materialistic things or people. Not everything and anyone is worth your time and nothing is worth being sad over.

Staying calm

If you ask anyone who knows me closely, they will tell you that aside from my hunger for compassion and success in all areas of life, one of my positive qualities that stands out the most is my ability to be calm in all situations.

Yes, I’ve had ups and downs. However, I am still a very calm and collected person despite all hurdles I experience. I want to share two strategies to help you be comfortable in staying calm.

1) Don’t over exaggerate/overthink about problems

Typically, for someone to not be calm, they are over stimulating their brain with the unnecessary stressors of big tasks or decisions.

2) Step back and look at the big picture 194

This situation that is making you uneasy, will it matter in the big scheme of things? Is it permanent? Can it be fixed? If it won’t impact you or won’t impact you too much a year from today, just know that its not worth stressing over.

People will always judge you

Even when you have best intentions and a pure focus on spreading love and value through your passion, calling, voice and talents: people will still judge you.

They will criticize you. They will try to pull you down. You need to forgive them and move on because they are responding from a state of fear. A state of their own insecurities.

Here is a question that I often get from people, “What should I do to get others to like me? I don’t want to be judged”.

Your purpose in this world far exceeds what the complainers are going to do. You are doing yourself (and those who need you) a disservice by trying to get everyone to love you, love and approve of what you do and support the decisions you make.

Let them talk. Let them judge. That is their business, it is none of your business. Your calling is way more important, so let’s focus on having ‘YOU’ be the most phenomenal person you can be. Dust away that worry about other’s approval off your shoulders and let’s do amazing and exceptional things! This is what you were created for. Live your chapters, write your own legacy. Go off and do something ever so unbelievable!

Failure

I have had more messages and questions about the topic of ‘failure’ than anything else.

Failure is an important part of your “Hero’s Journey”. It is doubt that you should keep an eyes out for. Why is this? 195

Failure is seen as a complete disaster in today’s world, but it is in fact functional. It allows us to grow inward and outward. All those who you aspire to be like failed man more times than you imagine. Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, was about 45 years of age when he made a new chicken recipe. He faced 1009 rejections before his recipe was accepted by a small restaurant in Kentucky and invested upon. And now that brand is known all across the globe!

What you need to do is reframe your thinking regarding the word ‘failure’. Failure is not a stop sign. It is merely a de tour in your track of life.

Keep on asking “what can I learn from this?” Fail hard and fail often and learn from them and outgrow them. It will shape and morph you into the unstoppable force that you are. Doubt is poison in itself. The uncertainty and doubt should be a thing of the past as you continue to fall down through failure. Don’t let setbacks and doubt block the path towards your goals, dreams and aspirations.

Tips and Tricks for Self-Acceptance

 Everything starts with intention. You have to set an intention of accepting yourself first. If you don’t have any intention of accepting yourself, this is not going to work for you. Sit down and have a talk with yourself. Prepare your mind for the whole process.  Identify your strengths and celebrate them. Acknowledge all your strengths and accomplishments.  Don’t wait for anyone else to compliment you. Hype yourself up! If you got ready to go out, look in the mirror and tell yourself that you look good!  Shush your inner critic. Give it a little shut up call.  Know that acceptance is not a resignation from improvement process. You have to accept yourself first to improve yourself.  The work you are putting into the world and into yourself is going to pay off. Fruits of all the investment are closer than you think. 196

Be patient and allow the trust within yourself to nourish your soul, your creativity and beautiful mind. Life is made up of so many moving parts…and it’s the little things that add up to the big successes. Every little thing. All these weeks, months and years you will find yourself working on your dreams. Others around you will get tired and give up. They will surrender to the ‘easy’ life and

not put in the focus, sweat and hardwork.

This is your reminder. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come… which is not so far away.

Empathize with people. Be more forgiving. Be more compassionate. Compliment others. These acts of kindness do wonders to me.

All of this is tried and tested. Incorporating these things in your life will help you accept yourself. Make you more happy and content. And you will genuinely feel amazing.

Love each other

In the world we’re living in, everyone is going through something. Some times their life is going good and at other times, not so much. I see people getting so insensitive about others that it is almost shocking. We have completely forgotten the concept of empathy.

We’re too fast to judge, too fast to label and too fast to say mean things without thinking. Seeing all the people on social media, we start idealizing their lifestyles and blessings without even knowing about the struggles they went through to ‘earn’ those blessings.

Seeing my pictures and posts, have you ever even gotten a clue about how sad I might be? Did the thought ever pass that I might be struggling with something in my life too? No. 197

But believe me, nobody is living a perfect life. I read somewhere, “kisi ko mukammak jahan nahi milta”.

So please try not to say mean things to each other. Because not at all times everyone is ready or stable enough to receive hate. Think before you speak, at least twice. Place yourself at the person’s place you’re saying anything to, and you’ll know how it feels.

Try to make this world beautiful for others. I pray that you all will make flowers grow in the saddest parts of eachother.

Gratitude

Sometimes in life we don’t realize how ungrateful and off track we are. Because apparently everything seems fine. It’s when someone points it out or you self- evaluate that you suddenly realize how messed up everything is. After the realization, you want to turn life around and bring positivity in your life. Here is how you can do that:-

 Stop complaining and appreciate how lucky you are everyday  Embrace loneliness and re-invent yourself in the process  Say good bye to the people who don’t bring positive energy in your life  Take care of yourself. Pamper yourself.  Live one day at a time. Stop wasting your present by worrying about the future.  Make a productive routine for yourself.  Commit to the goals you have set for yourself and never look back.  Eat healthy  Exercise/sweat everyday to boost your mood.  Try to take out some time for yourself each day.  Fail forward. Learn from the mistakes you make in life. 198

Self-love

Dear self, I know it has become quite hard for you lately. I know your life is taking unexpected turns and I understand how you feel. I want to tell you something. You are doing your best even though you don’t think you are. You battle many challenges each day because you chose a productive life instead of being locked inside four walls. You jump outside of your comfort zone every morning although it leaves you tired every night. But you do it and that is what matters. So please, be more kind to yourself. Appreciate how hard you try and how far you have come. Challenges make life difficult for you anyways so why do you make it worse by cursing yourself? You don’t have to live by their standards. You can live by your own and as long as pleasing Allah is your priority, know that you are good.

You are safe. Breathe. Slow down. And even if you aren’t always in your best state, you are still pretty strong because you keep on moving ahead no matter what. Today I want you to appreciate yourself. You should give yourself the love you give others too!

You are doing great. You are bigger than your challenges. Always remember that. Don’t ever give up or lose hope. You are blooming. You are growing. You are going to pull through and make it alive stronger than ever. Have faith in yourself. A rose has thorns beneath it but thorns build its beauty. Seasons change after all. After hardship comes ease.

Bad days

Once, I was going through my whatsapp messages and found one which read out “I am not going through good times lately. I feel stuck in a difficult situation”.

I consoled her by giving a reminder that her current situation isn’t permanent. Like everything else, bad times are temporary too. They are opportunities. If we learn from them with patience and resilience, we become stronger. 199

So take this a trick. Keep searching for lessons that your bad days hold and let them make you stronger and wiser. Take them as challenges which make life adventurous. Every moment is teaching you something.

And remember, life not only requires patience, but also action. A combination of both will drive success like no other.

What to do when you are having an anxiety attack?

I have equipped myself with the tools to get through the tough moments. Here are my strategies:-

1) Be kind to yourself

Do not beat yourself up. Do not get frustrated. Do not overanalyze what caused it.

2) Let it be

Allow the feelings, uncomfortable emotions and bizarre symptoms to move through you. This seems difficult but it isn’t impossible.

3) Surround yourself with support

My mom is a massive comfort for me as I get through my anxiety. She has been with me through my best and worst and knows what I need to heal from any battle.

4) Keep a personal diary, meditate and exercise

These have always helped to restore my dopamine and serotonin levels back into balance. 200

5) Face the stressor or fear

Anxiety attacks typically stem from something. Try to figure out what is causing it and face it. Is it a task? A conversation? A deadline? A health concern?

Testophobia

Many students have exam fear. In fact, teenage suicide’s main cause is testophobia! Here are some ways you can reduce all that overwhelming pressure:-

1) Plan

Have some goals you want accomplished? You can never go wrong if you plan your work. Make a task list and work schedule and stick by it.

2) Pay attention to the task at hand

Live short term. Focus on only the day’s work. Thinking about a month of studying is always going to depress and demotivate you. Instead, finish a chapter a day. Slow and steady wins the race afterall.

3) Cut off all negative energy 201

People, things, anything making you annoyed; block them out!

4) Take relaxing breaks

I absolutely love watching TV with food. When in need of human contact, I spend time with my mom. Sometimes, we just hug and talk about food. Sometimes we go for a drive and get food. Oh and I talk to my mentor everyday!

5) Remember the long term

Always remind yourself why you want this certain thing accomplished. What good it will be for you and your future. I remember during my O levels finals hugging my books and constantly repeating, “if I don’t study, I won’t be able to reach my dreams”.

6) Don’t be too hard on yourself

Made a mistake? Didn’t follow your plan for a day? Relax. You are in control. You slacked off a bit but you can get right back on track and compensate.

How to deal with haters?

Its not easy. But once you start loving yourself, you’ll not only do better in life but you will also have the energy and the ability to simply ignore all the negativity around you.

Just remember one thing. People who send hate to others are super insecure about theirselves. They don’t do anything in life. They aren’t happy with their lives and want the same for others. Such people cannot see someone else do better. They cannot see someone else happy. They die for attention. They need it badly. 202

However, you need to believe in yourself and just let yourself know that the negativity just isn’t worth it. Focus in your work, your skills and your goals. Keep growing. Be humble and grateful too. Do good and good will come to you.

Darkness

Darkness is something which makes you strong while sometime it can turn out to be the force that damages you from within. It has always proven to be the best friend of mankind; it helps in hiding your tears but, also becomes your worst enemy by making you feel hopeless or aggressive.

It depends on whatever you choose to make it. We always have a choice let out our frustration on paper or letting it fade away by taking a nice long relaxing shower. You have to make your way into darkness and make it a slave of yours. Let your internal darkness face the apocalypse alone. Let it burn and get exhaled out of you. Don’t let the inner darkness of your damaged soul overpower the brightness and beauty of your soul. Use it as a tool which steers you out of all negative situation. Convert it into courage and patience.

And start spreading love and start supporting each other in their dark times instead of making it harder for them. Imam Ali a.s said:-

“Correct someone only in private and admire him in front of crowds”.

Misunderstood and mistreated 203

Not everyone will like you. Not everyone will understand your journey. Not everyone will be happy at your success. Not everyone will want you truly to be happy.

But that’s okay.

Just always be true to yourself. Always be kind. Never let peoples’ opinions shape or mold who you actually are. Don’t let the damage that people have done to you make you harsh.

Love all. Forgive all. Be generous and charitable; yet side by side try to have a small social circle. Be with those who actually do want the best for you and accept you the way you are. Be with those who accept your flaws and setbacks. Be with those who want you to improve. Most importantly, always love yourself. Because not all will love you. But trust me, all people deserve love. So don’t give yourself anything less.

People are fickle

People are fickle. They keep on changing. Till date, I’ve not yet come to terms with the fact that people will constantly change. At some point of life, a particular person will be all you need. Then soon later, you probably would struggle to rid yourself of the toxic vibe of the very same person. Happens both in personal life and professional life. Funny part is that you soon find yourself to the ‘new face’ a particular friend or co worker has. And then you will feel guilty for not having the same love you had for them as you did before. And you still keep hoping that they would understand how you are feeling. Side by side, so would they.

We change as well. However, its always upon us to choose our attitudes in the face of adversity. Will you evolve and grow? Or become similar to those you dislike? 204

Most phenomenon in life are paradoxical. To grow, you have to receive damage rather than being nurtured in comfort zones. And to gain more self-esteem and resilience, you must become more forgiving than oppressive. It takes courage to stay calm and let go of all the hurt afterall.

It is safe to view ourselves as travellers; with people coming and going, with people transforming from the ‘best friend’ role to the ‘antagonist’ of your story.

Nonetheless, you have a conscious choice to keep on doing acts of virtue for the ‘greater good’. What is your legacy? What is your glory?

Attachment to people

Why am I dependent on my emotions ? Why am I dependent on people around me? Why can’t I free myself from the hurt that people gave me? Why did someone I love leave me?

You probably have been through this emotional rollercoaster ride too. We all have. Yasmin Mogahed brilliantly suggests in her book ‘Reclaim your heart’, to never keep the blessings of Allah in your heart. Never love them more than you love Allah (the One who gave you the gifts in the first place). If you do, that very person/thing/place you are attached to will become a source of mental torture for you. Keep Allah’s blessings in your hands, and know that all belongs to Allah.

He gives and takes away people and possessions for our own betterment. Like how parents try to cut down our usage of social media.

My champions, be grateful for every single blessing that Allah has given you. I have too much to complain about; my health issues the people who hurt me, my financial restraints, the people whom Allah took away from me… But I never 205 complain. One of my secrets to happiness is that I’m grateful for what I have and for what I DON’T have as well. And Allah has promised us in the Holy Quran that if we are thankful, he will give us more. So my champs, why not be more thankful?

Unexpected turns

Life will always surprise us. Everything is unexpected. Our own chalked out plans take unexpected turns as well. And at times, the risks we take turn out brilliant. It is strange, thrilling and somewhat beautiful. The tears that we shed free us from the exhaustion of our own souls and leave us with indescribable strength that helps us move forward and forward. Go with the flow but be part of the flow too. Make a yacht, and steer your ship; let the cool breezy winds drive yourself to wherever God feels you should be at.

And during the journey, each day, each moment…..

Don’t forget to smile.

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End Note: My legacy; I lived, I inspired, I loved

This book was quite concise. However, It has all my aspirations, dreams, achievements and all that the characteristics I wish to see in the next generation. I have worked and worked and worked. I have never lived a normal life. I never let myself rest or be in comfort even when I could. I struggled, I studied, I served, I loved.

I have met many brilliant people in life. The people who have beautiful hearts are brilliant in my eyes. I never even thought that I’d be able to publish this book. Someone who loved/loves me unconditionally supported me to this extent that this dream and now becoming a reality.

I want to be honest with you all in this short, final chapter. I am tired. I am very tired. Yet I am at peace. I have lived a meaningful life till now and now am planning for further studied in the U.S. Again, this would be another struggle, 207 another obstacle, another challenge that I would have to face. My health issues will always stay with me. But will I let them slow down my speed? No.

As I’m being dangerously open right now, I’d like to walk you through some of my most painful memories where I felt that I was completely stuck. I felt life was over. I blamed; I blamed Pakistan for incompetent doctors, genetics, and questioned Allah’s Wisdom too. I beat myself up for being different even though it wasn’t my fault.

One such time was during the 5th grade when I had a serious operation. After the unsuccessful operation, my body hurt so much and took months to recover (not completely recover though as I’m fated to live with body pains each day). My body used to hurt so much during that time that I could hardly give my exams even. But I acknowledged the fact that even though fate wasn’t in my hands, Allah had gifted us all with ‘choices’. And these choices make us powerful. I chose to move on with all the body aches coupled with taunts of students and labels like ‘disabled’ and other similar names those 5th graders could think of. I would like to point out that it wasn’t just the students who made my life harder than it already is; teachers, neighbors, relatives and passersby treated me weirdly too. I’ve become used to derogatory comments and pitiful stares now. But what I’ve still not gotten used to is the fact that people think that I cannot perform as good as all the rest. My fifth grade teachers tried to oversimplify things to me and this didn’t make me feel good. It made me feel little and this was extremely wrong on their part.

My O levels exam was another huge challenge for me. Yes, CIES already pretty scary for teenagers, but for me; it was a life changer. I just had to complete it because everyone apart from my family (who knew well about my stubborn nature) believed that I couldn’t. I knew in my heart, that if I could not only pass, but get exceptional grades in it, people will start taking me more seriously. People would acknowledge that my physical disability didn’t mean that I, by default would remain behind in academics. I don’t deny that this is true as most differently abled either give up and don’t take up the challenge, and that most actually are bound by health issues that its better for them to stay at home. However, I just 208 wanted to send my heart’s message to the world that life is meant to be lived to its fullest. We should make the most of the resources we have. I focused on being grateful for what I have instead of being ungrateful for what I don’t have. My left arm worked fine and so did my mind; and hence I worked hard to prove the world, little by little, about what Allah has made me capable of. With all the body pains, hospital visits, medications, taunts, stares and already present exam pressure; I studied day and night. As foreseen, Allah didn’t waste my efforts.

And after getting good grades, not only did my family and social circle acknowledge my potential, so did many influencers and a whole castle of opportunities opened its doors for me. I’ve been flying ever since.

Life’s tests started getting tougher and tougher. I had to overcome many fears and take risks according to size of my dreams. Leading my social work project ‘Dream builders’ wasn’t easy. People usually don’t take any dreamers seriously and here people had to lead by a physically challenged teenager. I often did doubt myself obviously and started encountering haters who places obstacle towards my projects for literally no good reason. Simply put, I had to face all what an adult faces in daily life. Along with my social work projects and motivational talks, I myself opted for another huge challenge; A levels.

So basically since the last 2 years I’ve hadn’t had any satisfying periods of rest. I had to work much to do exceptionally well in A levels, and to make sure that my talks were effective and my projects would be worthwhile. I don’t watch movies. I don’t have Netflix. I don’t go out with friends to hang out. I sacrificed a chance of having a normal teenage life to use to the newly gained recognition and influence I gained for good. I wanted to change lives of people. And I actually did. Excellence has become a habit and pressure a norm.

Dream Builders, Moiz Shaukat Foundation, and Living the dream show are the most noticeable projects of mine. I’ve done much other work too especially in the field of education by working with other philanthropic organizations. I love being alive and love spreading smiles. Life is hard, yes. But it doesn’t mean we should allow our circumstances to make up give up. We have potential; we simply doubt ourselves too much too acknowledge this. 209

I currently work with Netsol technologies as their junior graphic designer. Though I am to become a web developer but graphic designing is something I love too. I’m hoping to study Bachelors in I.T or Bscs abroad soon.

My dear readers, life is short. Life is beautiful too. Even God gave us challenges, he gave us blessings too. We take everything for granted; the moon, the sun, the food we have on our table, our parents, our hands and feet. Its funny how we value things only when they are taken away from us. I learned the value of studies because I know and realized how hard my parents are working to afford my fees. They already have been paying much for my hospital bills too. We all take these simple blessings for granted.

Isn’t this why we all are unhappy? We are chasing meaningless things; physical relationships with opposite gender but no real love, chasing money but not trying to develop honest business, pulling others down instead of lifting others up, prioritizing friends and romantic relationship relationships instead of our old parents.

Its our souls that we need to save. One by one. All of us Pakistanis can bring a collective reform if we start by reforming ourselves. We need empathy. We need to care for the Kashmiris. We need to care for all of the Muslims in the world. We need to care for all humans in the world. We need to care about nature. We need to love animals. We need to counter pollution. We need to clean and heal the world.

Michael Jackson’s song ‘heal the world’ is a beautiful reminder for us about where all of our moments and efforts should be directed towards. We need to leave a better world for our children. This isn’t farfetched at all. We just need to get our priorities straights.

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I do wish to write more books. The next one that I am currently working on is about Education; modern strategies of teaching which encourages creativity and critical thinking.

I have tried to contribute my part by serving people of my country and outside of my country unconditionally. I want the world to at least try to support my vision. If not inspired by my efforts, I at least need you to approve and appreciate them and pass these same values of love, honesty, hardwork, empathy and forgiveness in further generations.

Please make my legacy worthwhile.

References:-

 Pakistan https://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Pakistan.html#ixzz5yfSKWfvY

 Resourceshttps://www.commisceo-global.com/resources/country-guides/pakistan- guide

 Pakistan https://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Pakistan.html#ixzz5yfSZK47r

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 China Pakistan Economic Corridor and Defense Pact Sheikh Fahad-Sheikh Fahad-Sheikh Fahad-Fahad Nabeel-Tehreem Bano - http://www.stratagem.pk/economic-review/china-pakistan-economic-corridor-and- defense-pact/

 China Pakistan Economic Corridor: Socio-cultural https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320554555_China_Pakistan_Economic_C orridor..

 Progress Update: China-pakistan Economic Corridor (cpec) Official Website Development Ministry of Planning - http://cpec.gov.pk/progress-update

 China-pakistan Economic Corridor (cpec) Official Website Development Ministry of Planning - http://www.cpec.gov.pk/

 China–pakistan Economic Corridor https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/China%E2%80%93Pakistan_Economic_Corridor  Imran Khan's Accomplishments So Far: An Analysis https://thefrontierpost.com/imran-khans-accomplishments-so-far-an-analysis/  Analysis Of Pti Government's 100 Days' Performance Ali Azami - http://blogs.dunyanews.tv/23779/

 China Pakistan Economic Corridor and Defense Pact - Stratagemhttps://stratagem.pk/economic-review/china-pakistan-economic- corridor-and-defense-pact

 Foreign Policy Challenges and Opportunities For Pakistan https://dailytimes.com.pk/349650/foreign-policy-challenges-and-opportunities-for- pakistan/

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 Dawn.com https://www.dawn.com/authors/3400/ashraf-jehangir-qazi