Balochistan: a case of social injustice.

A child in Loralai, Balochistan.

It might have been reported several times in the last six decades that there is an education crisis in Balochistan through various advocacy and human rights organizations, NGOs and even through government statistics. Over the years, the fact has become obvious that low literacy rate is the root cause for all the crises the province is engulfed with. The question is why all stakeholders have turned deaf? Stakeholders include the government at the center and province; it includes people like you and me who are based in developed urban centers.


As per the economic survey of Pakistan of 2009-2010, the literacy rate of Balochistan is hovering at 45% and the gender parity index (GPI) is 0.38 i.e. is the ratio of female enrollment to male enrollment. A GPI of more than one indicates that, in proportion to every male in the school, there is more than one female. So, you can see how critical the situation is in the province, especially for females. Additionally, the basic infrastructure at government schools is also in a wretched condition. 681 schools are without buildings, 7,689 are without boundary walls, 4197 are without drinking water facilities, 8,425 are without latrines, and 9,806 are without electricity.

The most critical gap is the lack of quality teachers and for this issue one party cannot be held as a scapegoat. The government has been unable to train quality teachers and Aghaz-e-Haqooq Balochistan has just given jobs with hefty salaries to teachers who barely qualify to be called one; cock eyed amongst the blind to be brutally honest. Moreover, only the rare honest ones give quality time to their students while the rest prefer to reach home before their duty hours are over. Most of them just spent a couple of hours at school and head back to their shells depriving ‘the future’ of a better future. Teachers are nothing less than guides; and if we are going to have such guides for our children, especially those in Balochistan, then only God can save Pakistan.

To control the backlash and the concerns of the Balochi people, the government was speedy in offering jobs to the unemployed youth in Balochistan and since education was a major concern several jobs were given in this particular field. But, due to hasty planning and non-existent monitoring and evaluation system, we look forward to a Messiah to descend and stop the carnage of education by the hands of government and the opportunists who are not performing their duties properly. A catastrophe which could have been easily avoided.

The above facts and figures are extremely worrying, considering the fact the population of Balochistan is approximately 1/3^rd of Karachi. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel and that light will not fade away only if we all start working with pure intentions – karma has its own unique way of handling issues. The change we dream about will not come out if we do not break the chains which tie us and come out of the cage (shells) we live in i.e. our comfort zones; our drawing rooms. Yes, debate is necessary, but taking instant and sensible actions is imperative.

Honestly speaking, even if an honest political and administrative is established, the revolution will not come overnight; especially considering the fact the internal and external debts of this country cross a 100 billion dollars. The solution lies in the hands of the Balochi people, you and me. The Balochis (which includes 45% Pakhtuns living in the province) have to instill the feelings of honesty in their teachers so that they perform their duties properly and have to make sure they also send their daughters to schools. In the meantime, you and me have to rally around in order to provide them the resources which can help them and the government to build basic infrastructures which will make a facility eligible to be called a 'school'. We have to step up and show our support so that the students can gain education comfortably because the economic situation in Pakistan will not allow to fix the budgetary issues related to education all of a sudden; we need to self-generate the resources required to restore sanity into the education system of Balochistan.

We accuse that the government indulges in luxuries; come to think of it, aren’t they from us and quite similar to us? No? Well, if ‘no’ is the case do remember constructing a boundary wall is less than the price of the latest 15” Macbook Pro, providing a drinking facility to 200 people costs less than the registration you pay in order to get your new Honda Civic registered with government authorities in Islamabad and constructing latrines sufficient for 50 students costs less than a Samsung Galaxy Tab.

No matter how corrupt our system and politicians are, but we cannot be oblivious in pushing them in a corner. Putting our leaders, our servants in real terms, in constant pressure will surely make them perform well. But, as emphasized earlier, the change has to start within us - the ordinary people, if we want to see it reciprocating in the masses and eventually in our leaders/system of governance. This is the only solution to exterminate illiteracy in one of the oldest civilization of the world – Balochistan.

Actions speak louder than words.

STEP UP, PAKISTAN!

Peace redefined by Akhuwat.

Signing of MOU with Dr. Amjad Saqib, Executive Director, Akhuwat

For me and the 12 other cyclists, the voyage was life changing and inspirational. From the outlook of it, many people will conclude it as an activity which would have tested our physical fitness only. I tend to disagree with those people; my disagreement will make me stand at least two football fields away from them.

I do not have the right set of words to express my gratitude to each and every one who stood with us during this journey. My first post after Pedal for Peace is dedicated to Akhuwat – The Largest Interest Free Microfinance Network inPakistan and our first supporter.

Each and every one from Akhuwat was so compassionate with us throughout that the last six (6) months felt like a fairy tale rather than a roller coaster ride. It all began when I decided to share the idea of Pedal of Peace with a mentor of mine - Saleem Ahmed Ranjha saab. He was in Saudi Arabia that time and we talked over Facebook chat about this.

I still remember that once I had explained him the idea that we wanted to promote the message of notable organizations that are bringing a social change, or I would call revolution in Akhuwat's case, his words were, "I hope it will not be uncomfortable for you." For him, my health and safety was first; for me to forget such a caring attitude is impossible.

He referred us to Dr. Amjad Saqib who is the Executive Director of Akhuwat. During the meeting with him in Lahore, I got answers for those issues which I had not visualized before and I might not have ever visualized if I did not meet him. After 30 minutes into the conversation it felt I was not presenting him an idea, instead it felt we had switched roles and he was the one sharing his idea. The sense of ownership he showed was astonishing; it was the defining point of this journey. We got a guide whose only job in the world is to empower the deprived and lead people towards peace.

Later on, a lot of other organizations jumped on the band wagon - national and international. The partnership with Akhuwat opened endless number of doors. Following were the other partners who joined after Akhuwat: Taaleem Foundation, Essakhel Foundation, Human Relief Foundation UK, National Highways and Motorway Police, Future Leaders of Pakistan, Islamabad the Capital website, Kuch Khaas, Focal Point Magazine, The News International, News One, Radio 1 FM 91 and Jemware.

Like any other journey, the hurdles one has to cross to reach the end always come unexpected. We had numerous situations were at times it looked like we would never be able to Pedal for Peace. But, the support and guidance from each and every person who stood behind us during the course of this journey boosted our morale to incomparable levels every day. We had three accidents on the way, I was involved in two. But, none was an obstacle which could have brought our effort to a grinding halt. We all moved on. 

From 5-8th January 2012, we were pushed into a realm of knowledge where emotions were going to be used in educating humanity about humanity. Dr. Amjad Saqib had introduced us to Anser Nawaz Chatta. The duo planned an itinerary for us which sparkled and revived the human in our souls which usually gets lost in the monotony of our professional lives.

After being flagged off from Faisal Mosque, we were welcomed by LRBT at our first stop in Mandara. LRBT is a welfare hospital which restores the eyesight of the needy. In the language of symbolism, it was surely an eye opener for blind people like us, who can see through eyes but are unable to see through our hearts; who are oblivion to the blessings, who take blessings for granted. Moving on to the next day, we were welcomed by organizations which are playing a significant role in providing solutions to special children and the deaf. We met such organizations at Dina and Jhelum.

On Day 1, it was more of a race than a march towards Peace. After meeting the children who these organizations were serving, we re-grouped instinctively and started looking for those who were in our group and left behind. The sight of those special children waiting to flag us off and waving their placards early in the morning brought a lot of cyclists to tears. Those who were fast on the track started to wait for the brothers who were slow. The transformation had begun; the seeds of brotherhood had been sowed.
 

The second day ended at the Bashir Hospital in Gujrat. Battling it out with the rain and in my case with injuries due to the two accidents I had, we all reached successfully to Gujrat. Dr. Ijaz Bashir welcomed us in the most jubilant fashion. For us it was a treat, to know about his work and effort for those who are suffering from cleft lip and palate syndrome. Staying at his house and the dinner was also a treat. 

The meeting with Dr. Ijaz Bashir and his brothers made us realize that success comes to those who are modest and fulfill the obligation which Allah has given them i.e. to help the human race with the resources Allah has given them. Beyond doubt, that is a test Dr. Ijaz Bashir is passing it with flying colors. What else can be better than giving someone the ability to smile? He is doing that for twenty years by providing free operations to those suffering from cleft lip and palate syndrome.

We left from Gujrat after a heavy breakfast at Dr. Ijaz Bashir's house. We felt a little shy as there was gas shortage in the city on that particular day, but he and his family did not let it hinder the grand table which was laid in front of us - most of it home cooked food; channay, poori, halwa and I am still wondering why he forgot lassi?!

We left towards Gujranwala after being flagged of by the Dr. Ijaz Bashir, his brothers and the DC Gujrat with a lot of zeal, zest and ‘fat’ in our bodies - maybe that was the reason that we ended up at our final destination an hour earlier - which surprised the organizers on the way, in Gujranwala, and the District Government waiting to receive us at the Jinnah Stadium. It is the same stadium where Sachin Tendulkar made his ODI debut in 18^th December 1989.  

On our route to Gujranwala, after crossing the Chenab Toll Plaza we were welcomed by The Knowledge School. Near Rahwali Cantonments we were welcome by students who could not hear but were full of life and positive energy. We were offered the traditional Gujranwala delicacy - Kulfi. We interacted with the young boys through the help of interpreters. They knew why we were on the road cycling, though they were not cycling with us but they assured us of their support.

One thing which will be fair to say is that throughout this trip the meaning of peace was being defined and refined – the evolution did not stop at all. Peace is just not a word to describe happiness, calmness and serenity; it is a subject which covers different aspects of our society which needs to be stable in order to call an environment ‘peaceful’.

Tiredness had taken a toll on our bodies now and some of us succumbed to it – we woke up late on the final day. Thankfully, we re-grouped and left Gujranwala; one and half hours late. Such was the effect of re-grouping, pep talk we had and the bond of brotherhood that we reached on time i.e. we reached 1 and a half hours earlier to everyone's surprise. Surely, Allah can do anything and everything. He shortens and lengthens and He makes the tests easier and tough to test His slaves. 

Children who could not hear, at Kamoke, waited for us. We could hear them; we could see they were full of lives. We could see they had to will to succeed, no matter what; having one sense less was no hindrance for them. I could see old and young in my group bursting and hiding their tears at the same time. Some wore glasses to hide their emotions, some just escaped into corners so they do not get noticed. Realization was sinking in, unfulfilled desires of life did not matter much for this group anymore; the revival had begun - the resurgence showed us that blessings can never be taken for granted. 

Children at Kamoke

We entered into Lahore at 3.55 PM.

The road was cordoned off by NH & MP and the local police. Lahore was on a standstill when we entered, we had made it to Minar-i-Pakistan. In that moment of celebration near Minar-i-Pakistan and with all that noise in that area; we could still hear a strange silence inside us. It was the silence which we had set ourselves for – the quietness of peace.

Throughout this journey, I used to enlighten the cyclists and the supporters the meaning behind our idea of cycling from Faisal Masjid to Minar-i-Pakistan. The idea which created Pakistan was Islam and Minar-i-Pakistan depicts the success of the idea. Hence, in the same way Pedal for Peace (1st Edition) was a journey to show that ideas can become realities.  


We entered into Lahore and were welcomed by Dr. Amjad Saqib, Dr. Izhar Hashmi and some more Akhuwat members. For us, we concluded that this was the end of our endurance.

Dr. Amjad Saqib and Anser Nawaz had informed us that our night stay would be at Fountain House. After toiling on the roads for the past four (4) days in freezing temperatures, singing Chalta Ja Rey and Dil Dil Pakistan, we reached Fountain House. No one had ever heard about Fountain House and everyone who was asking me about the place where we will spend the night in Lahore before and during the trip, I used to say, "We will be staying at a guest house, by the name of Fountain House…". I thought it was some lavish guest house.

Early in my life, ALHAMDULILAH, Allah (SWT) had given me an opportunity to help a person who had reached to a level of depression which could have taken his life. So, ending up at Fountain House gave me that strong feeling of déjà vu. Fountain House is working for decades to help people who lose mental stability due to depression or drugs. It is a welfare hospital which accommodates more than 400 patients – men and women – who are provided with excellent food, living conditions and medical care.

The realization and reality was sinking in now; for once all this sinking feeling did not make me sick. Going through Fountain House and meeting the members (the patients) over there was a life altering. Throughout Pedal for Peace, I thought I was the shepherd who was taking his flock along to graze the field to give them an opportunity which can nurture them, but, instead, I was a member of the flock which was being nurtured by Akhuwat. The meeting with Akhuwat members in the end and knowing people like Ranjha Saab, Amjad Saab, Izhar Hashmi Saab, Anser Saab and a lot more was the best we could have ever got.

I can go on and on in elucidating which cannot be described. I can go on and on to share all the lessons our group learnt or tried to preach, but I do not have the right set of words to express my gratitude to Allah and then to Akhuwat and every member of its.

Thank you Akhuwat!

Pedal for Peace: Journey towards Change and Hope

Pedal for Peace Team: Mohsin Saadat, Laeeq Ahmad, Natheer Moaid, Zain Sadullah, Mohsin Ejaz, Imran Khan and Abdul Basit

After seeing the destruction floods had caused last year and working to provide solutions factually every day till December 2010, life came to a pause, for a while. I was working for a UK based charity then and rescue and relief work was an everyday job. That pause proved to be the catalyst which gave birth to Pedal for Peace. It took me out of the oblivions of the world I was living in and trying to serve. It took me to the one which really mattered – the world where only I existed with The One who reins my life.

That little pause in my life taught me once again, if I had not heard it before, that change begins from within and would not reproduce in the outside world until the process is completed successfully within. I came back to Pakistan three years back after spending 23 years in UAE, the country where I was born in. After going through some hardships and being deprived of some basic fundamental rights in my birth country, I knew the ultimate goal of my life was to help those who I can with my time and resources; seeing someone suffering was too challenging to eyewitness anymore. In the process, I learnt humility is the key to success which eventually eliminated “I” and all what I was ever blessed with or later on was a blessing and a push forward by Allah towards the purpose of life He has decided for me to execute. But, I am no superman and I do get indulged in the materialistic world on and off which tries to plug me into a world of deceit and selfishness, reluctantly and unconsciously.

I was fortunate to get a full time job in the non-profit sector as soon as I came back which provided me the opportunity to serve and interact with thousands of people deprived due to the socio-economic situation, man-made and natural disasters. After observing the situation for more than two and a half years I realized it was not tents, clean water, food, shelters and livelihood which people needed. Peace was the ultimate need and demand; the things mentioned above were just the means to keep them alive to see their dream materialize and to become manifest.

As soon as I came out of the pause, I knew that if I want to achieve something for myself and for the people I have to care for, it just could not be a materialistic desire, it had to be a need and I knew that peace was the ultimate need. So, I decided that I would cycle from Islamabad to Lahore to kick start the change process. It was very tough in the beginning as nobody was ready to support, especially emotionally. There was a solid resistance at my home, especially from the side of my mother, my ultimate strength.

But, eventually, things started to roll. I started to discuss the idea with friends and organizations I knew. They wanted to become a part of it and wanted to pedal for peace; the idea just clicked with everyone right away. As of today, we have 4 non-profit organizations - Akhuwat, Taaleem Foundation, Essakhel Foundation & Human Relief Foundation - supporting Pedal for Peace to achieve what it has set out for. Seven more cyclists have joined this activity and the way the number is increasing, I am not sure how many would be there in the first week of January 2012 when we will set out from Faisal Masjid towards Minar-e-Pakistan. My family and especially my mother has now become a staunch supporter, she knows what it means to me and the rest.

Through our activity, we want to support those causes which we consider necessary in uplifting our community from the dearth of everything which is required to live our lives with sanity. Firstly, we want to support the education and basic needs of 25 orphans for a year at least. Secondly, to promote the need of health centers in rural areas, we are asking people to support in order to make an eye hospital in the deprived sub district of Isakhel in Mianwali.  Moreover, we want to revolutionize the education system in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan where literacy rate hovers around 48%. We want to build e-learning centers and libraries in districts engulfed with unrest and crises, such as Mastung, Dera Bugti, Kohlu, Pishin, Loralai, Zhob and Killa Saifullah. These steps are small and just might help three to four thousand people; but our intention is to make everyone realize that such steps have to be taken by the fortunate on a much larger scale regularly to make lives peaceful for those who are less fortunate.

The cyclists will go through a lot of challenges; from cold weather and security issues to health concerns and injuries, to name a few. But, what matters is the intention we all have set ourselves out for i.e. to achieve serenity within us so that we are able to witness the same outside, one day. Let the change begin.

Pakistan’s Ugly Duckling

First published in Focal Point Magazine Issue 3: http://www.enterfocalpoint.com/focalpoint/?p=388

The Ugly Duckling” is a literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen first published in 1843. The story tells of a homely little bird born in a barnyard who suffers abuse and neglect. But, much to his delight (and to the surprise of others), he matures into a beautiful swan, the most beautiful bird of all. The story is beloved around the world as a tale about personal transformation for the better despite challenges.

Have we been treating our educational system with the same abuse and neglect? If we don’t start proper nurturing of education and continue to leave it out in the cold, it will eventually collapse or it may fly away and bloom elsewhere as told in the story. And you may note, many of our bright minds do just that by going abroad and succeeding when they are direly needed here. But this is a story is of hope, perseverance and a strong message.

Education is the heart and life blood of development. Without it, Pakistan will remain an impoverished and a weak third world country. If education is not allowed to prevail, the problems in Pakistan will reach at a stage which will make this country very vulnerable; if it has not already. It is very important to focus and provide education to the masses as it is the only way to uplift poverty and uplift economic indicators in the country.

Statistically, Pakistan has made a reasonable march since independence in many fields including education. Less than 1 million students were enrolled in schools at the time of independence, astonishingly, today 12 million school-age children are enrolled. But there are another 12 million children who are working out of necessity. Many times, this puts their lives in danger and causes them to miss quality education. As a matter of fact, full enrollment at primary education is still not a reality, but a very distant dream – and to curtail child labor is also just that.

The recent census of China and India show that Pakistan is substantially behind the two larger Asian powerhouses in education. China’s literacy rate is nearing 90% and India has reached above 65%. Pakistan is still around 50 percent. This surely means our progress has not been up to the mark. Moreover, the statistics in India and China surely embarrass us vehemently, as our performance should have been better as we had lesser population. Also, we were not as big as China and India in terms of geographical area; therefore, we should have had more resources to be invested per capita.

Let’s shift our focus over to the provinces and see the standards. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as NWFP), Baluchistan and Sindh were very much behind in terms of everything at the time of independence in 1947. By now many universities have opened in these three provinces but sadly, the female literacy rate is still less than 30% in these provinces. The resources in Punjab were surely enough to make the province achieve the 100% target, but feudal, bureaucratic and political forces did not put resources to effective use. Efforts from Pervaiz Elahi, ‘Parha Likha Punjab’ did not work out as there was a lack of commitment from the stakeholders while the MMA government’s effort in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa managed to increase just 1% of literacy rate in a period of 5 years.

The new setup which took over after the demise of the dictatorship had a huge task to spread and strengthen education. Unfortunately, the performance is nothing the incumbent leaders can be proud of. There were several reasons for their failure in this field. Firstly and foremostly, the focus of the country have been foreign relations, War on Terror, and maintaining a policy of reconciliation with the allies and opposition parties. Focus on these issues has literally left the current government without time and resources to invest on education. Furthermore, the natural and man-made disasters, in the shape of floods and displacements, became the last straw on the camel’s back.

Secondly, like previous governments, the current one has not been able to put the resources to work aptly. Education in Pakistan is overseen by Ministry of Education of Government of Pakistan. The academic institutions are the responsibility of the provincial governments whereas the federal government mostly assists in curriculum development, accreditation and some financing of research. The provincial governments have failed miserably in upgrading the system to accommodate more students and the central government has not been successful in enhancing the curriculum, accreditation, research and in passing on their achievements to be implemented by the provincial governments.

The root cause for this lack of achievement – public expenditure on education lies on the fringes of 2% of GDP only. However, the government recently approved the new national education policy, which stipulates that education expenditure will be increased to 7% of GDP, an idea that was first suggested by the Punjab government. The most important questions are: Is the current force hired to implement the policy capable to pull of the activities written down in the new national education policy? Is the dedication to bring a positive change present in those who have the reigns on the horses? One should be optimistic, but after the exit of old cabinet, no full fledge minister has been selected to lead the education sector from the government. In its current state, the old leader Mir Hazar Khan Bijrani, a full fledge minister, was asked to resign due to the unpopularity of the cabinet. Now, Ghulam Farid Kathia has been chosen as Minister of State for this ministry.

Turnkey solutions have to be formulated and implemented in order to generate positive results. Firstly, awareness campaigns should be initiated so that the public, especially from the rural areas, should send both their sons and daughters to schools rather than to work, so that they and their children gain in the future due to this timely investment. Secondly, the root causes for the spread of evil activities in the society and production of ideologically corrupt mindsets is due to the lack of education only. People with vested interests target the illiterate for defaming Islam, the society and the culture. Because of this, such enemies are at large. This is allowed to gain success in the society because people do not have the capability to distinguish between right and wrong; the capability which defines the essence of education.

Additionally, lack of education has not spared any sector but has majorly affected the fiscal and economic sector. As the general public is usually not qualified, they are unable to run businesses appropriately and compete within and outside the country. During the time of a crisis, they are forced to shut down, eventually, because they lack the ability to identify the reasons for their loss; this causes them to lose hope instead of the will of trying to improve tactics which can benefit their lives and businesses. In today’s global world, education is a pre-requisite to get empowered. Without it, we will not be able to promote our industries, products and services.

Another debacle which hits us quite often is that the definition of literacy gets changed in our country at the will of the planners so that the figures can be molested with ease. This activity is carried out in order to show that the current or previous regimes made landmark achievements in the field of education. For example, they say someone who can read and write is literate. At times they say a person who has reached 5th grade standard is a literate. Once, it was also believed that a person who could calculate is also a literate  so everyone who knows 2+2=4 is literate, yes this is how silly it can be!

There are many organizations  from government to semi governement to non profit to businesses  which are trying to provide qualitative improvement in education to bring a social change which takes the community towards enormous success in the future. Beaconhouse Education System, Punjab Educational Endowment Fund, Taaleem Foundation and many more self motivated organizations and individuals have adopted the task to improve the quality of education from Islamabad  which enjoys a 87% literacy rate  to Kohlu which has one of the lowest literacy rates in the country  just 20%.

Education has been treated as the ugly duckling by the stakeholders – from the government to the general public. Even after six decades we haven’t realized that the religion adopted by this country emphasizes most on gaining knowledge. In fact the first revelation to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged him to read. But, the treatment it has received over the years surely signifies that this ugly duckling will transform into a beautiful and graceful swan soon. Achieving 100 % literacy is not a reality but a dream, and only those nations succeed who dare to dream. To transform this dream into reality, we have to take actions for a uniformed qualitative educational system provided by state to churn out the future leaders of Pakistan.

True Warriors...

Found this heaven on my way to Zhob from Loralai

I should have written this long time ago, but as soon as I returned from Balochistan, I was caught in the cage and chains from which everyone tries to escape from. Nevertheless, it is a constant struggle to break the shackles of urban life, to get freed is not as easy as we think because our enemy is within us; the enemy which we feed with our own hands – the materialistic self ego.

To defeat this sonofagun, one has to get rid of the fuel and the vehicle it rides on to command and control every aspect of our life and body. It needs to be starved and maybe that is the reason why we are told to fast. To completely let it go, food intake control is always not enough, we need to switch off the world outside us to realize the world inside us; the world where no one exists i.e. where you find Him and find yourself in seclusion.

During my recent trip to Balochistan, I found such places of seclusion; especially, on the way to Zhob from Loralai through the deserted roads constructed most probably by the British from Mekhter Junction. I desired to stop, sit, think and desired to self realize and find Him to find peace. Though, I believe one has to travel in order to redefine oneself, but I realized it is not about my peace of mind anymore; I believe it’s not about give and take anymore, its just about giving and that is how one can reach salvation.

On my way to Zhob through the deserted plains and mountainous havens, I did not panic once. Well, I did not have another choice and I do well when I do not have much option. It took 6 hours of ‘off roading’ to cover 218 kilometers where life ceased to exist most of the time. But, at times, from nowhere a young shepherd with his flock of sheep used to come, stare at me and shock me for a while and my usual question to my driver Rasheed Lala used to be: “Ye Kahan se aya, Lala?” (From where did he come?)…

Rasheed Lala in his usual chuckling tone, “Pata nai yaar” (Don’t know friend...)

For most of the time, there was no road, after travelling for 3 hours down the tranquil atmosphere, we reached at Murgha Kibzai – surely a ghost town. From Murgha Kibzai, one road turns towards Zhob and the other one towards Musakhail District. We had tea over there and I interviewed the chap, Sakhi Jaan (generous life, yeah I know the translation doesn’t make much sense), who runs a ‘hotel’ (restaurants are usually called hotels in Pakistan). He has been running it for decades and showed me the delicacies he cooks day in day out. Took his photographs and showed him the pictures on my digital camera, surely the technology astonished him and I could see him moving around with his chest lifted a tinge. He was telling his customers that the story of his hotel would be published in Islamabad. I told him, the world will know about it, not just Islamabad.

Throughout the route, I decided to sustain myself to laugh until I see life everywhere once again i.e. until I see Zhob. Lala did not show a sign of irritation when I constantly reminded him of his long lost love, losing the track and that we have certainly lost our way and are in Afghanistan. After going through which many will term as ‘an ordeal’, I reached Zhob, that too in the Cantonment Area, relief!  Zhob was known as Fort Sandeman long back, Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto changed its name to Zhob. I stayed at “The Castle” built by Lord Sandeman once again - as it was my second trip - but it did not excite me much this time round. I guess I am used to living like a king whenever I visit Zhob.

My next stop was Sui, which is in Dera Bugti, where I have heard people are against Punjabis, I was born in an Arab country which did not give me nationality, so I am from the Punjab province due to descent, that means I am in trouble. This was a problem and was the biggest one without doubt - I had no idea how to deal with it. The flight from Zhob to Karachi via Quetta was no doubt the worst flight I ever took – I had never witnessed so much turbulence during a flight. A medical team was called to check the condition of the Captain, when the flight stopped at Quetta; that is how bad it was. The flight to Sui was the worst, the Beech 1900 plane is an 18 seater plane, size of a drawing room above the average size, and when it flew through the air pockets in Dera Bugti, the plane used to lose altitude of more than 20 – 30 feet in one go. I asked for forgiveness throughout the flight and begged to be given another chance in life.

As soon as I reached Sui, I was welcomed by a young guy we have recently employed at Taaleem Foundation. We have thrown a Lahori dude to work in Sui and he is certainly not there just for money, the passion to succeed through the hardest channel is surely his desire, in fact I believe he has decided that it is his need to make the two ends meet in this fashion. I call people like him professionals and that’s how one should make a career i.e. by living like a dare devil. Our Sui School is run by an enthralling couple which decided to serve in Dera Bugti as soon as they graduated and got married. The adventure for them is still continuing and from the look of it they are enjoying the experience like anything. Providing education, that too English medium in a co education atmosphere in Balochistan is surely an adventure in every aspect; in which they thoroughly rejoice.

Anyways, I saw security guards, army personnel and FC guards in less than 2 kilometer of travel from the airport to the school. Due to the gas field, Sui is a highly protected area. For those who have forgotten or do not know, Sui is in Dera Bugti District where we get our CNG and cooking gas from and the operation was launched on Nawab Akbar Bugti and his followers by the sense less and the most useless President of Pakistan – General Pervez Musharraf - in its vicinity. 

I thought I would camouflage myself and the beard did help a great deal. But, I wanted to run back to the Airport as soon as I got to know that the last name of my driver in Sui was Bugti. For a second, I did panic, because here I was standing at the core where all the insurgency, hatred and separatist movements began and shook all parts of Balochistan and I was being told that a Bugti was going to take me around! But, I do well when I do not have much option and decided to live this one out.

To my surprise, the young boy was really humble and he did not have any feelings against me or my race, some still say he was hiding it. But, I could see it that this was not the case. Yes, Nawab was his leader, a leader he respected so much that he could have given his life; maybe I think. But, I was a guest and guarding me and providing me hospitality was a matter of honor too.

Coming back to Sui, you can fry an egg on the roof top of your car in Sui, that’s how hot it is in Sui; I usually preferred to stay indoors. Qadeer Saab, a senior and experienced teacher at our school and a funny character, did a good job at convincing me to go to Dera Bugti and I would have gone if I had more time. I have to go to Dera Bugti town the next time I come which is just 40 kms from Sui town; for now I convinced him to show me Sui – the Sui which was at the other side of the secured fencing area. We left without guards and he showed all the meaningful places over there. The Bugti fellow was with us too who drove us to the Military College Sui and other historical places such as the Bugti palace which is now under the control of security forces. The Army has recently opened a college and after 6 years the first batch of “Hub-ul-Watan” 30 captains would pass out, which the local populace has appreciated a lot, to my surprise.

We took some cold drinks to get some respite from the killing summer heat in the middle of the bazaar and nothing happened to me and to the other two Punjabis with me. After not being shot at the bazaar, I concluded the gist of the Balochistan situation: people over there do not hate us as we are told by the news we see scrolling day and night on our television sets, actions have to be taken to see that basic amenities are provided and the court has to provide justice they have been waiting to hear for more than a couple of years. I headed off to Karachi from there in the same aircraft, the journey was no better than the previous one, but as I said I do well when I do not have much options.

“I do well when I do not have much option”, I have said that more than a couple of times during this blog. You must be wondering why? Well, I learnt that due to Masood Baluch a.k.a. Munna Bhai. He was one of the first sophisticated Baluchs I met in my life, a (he is going to love this one) young and an energetic fellow who has done MBA and when he starts talking or working, even the whites wonder “Aey kitho aya hai?” (From where did he come?), you rarely find such species in Baluch people or in any race for that matter. But, he has got a problem; this guy gets confused whenever he has to choose a restaurant for dinner. For hours, at times, we used to roam around on the roads of Sharjah in wee hours to decide whether we should eat fast food, arabi, desi, pizza, meat, vegetables, lentils, spicy, Chinese, Italian, Indian, Ghora, Ghadda, Insaan … and the attitude did not change a bit till I was there. Now, he is married and I guess his better half has been successful somehow to tame the fellow. There were so many options and Munna Bhai over there; that I realized I can never do well when options are available because I used to be as confused as he used to be due to the availability of so many options!

I was meeting with him after sometime and it is always a pleasure to meet this Baluch family which I consider mine. Met her sister - who I consider as my phuppo (aunt) - and stayed at their place for two nights. After a long trip in Balochistan covering more than 2000 kilometers on the road it was good to be at home with people who are more close to me than my family at times. Shared my experiences of the war, the wild and the wilderness and heard some old stories from their side.

The one which I will end this blog with is going to shape my life, if it has not already, and of many others. This is from the experience they shared in Karachi round about 1 AM, the perfect time for such talks:


(Get your bowl of popcorn and drinks...)

My Phuppo went to Iraq to become a doctor. Everything was going merry go lucky in Baghdad. Unfortunately, the First Gulf War started round about the same time. I have always known her as an iron lady, but never knew her courage was much more beyond what I had perceived. She decided not to leave Iraq because she did not want to lose a year of education, such dedication is not easily digestible, please bear I can understand your how tough this is to believe. But, this is true.

She decided to stay and she informed her family that her decision is final. She decided to grab the bull by the horns and tame it into a pussy cat, her family lost contact with her for full 6 months which was an ordeal for all parties. She survived bomb attacks, missile attacks and “you-name-it” and she survived it boi! She used to ‘dry’ the food – tomatoes, bread and other vegetables – with her cousins on roof tops and survived on it for months. At times, the bread used to get so hard that it was hard to bite and digest. She came up with a solution, she cooked a stew which was as good as boiled water and all the survivors used to dip the bread in it, make it soft and gulp it down. Well, I can never praise her for that effort. 


When they were out of supplies, they just used to have one glass of milk as their only meal for the day. At times, they had to shift into bunkers during heavy fighting; one such bunker got hit and could not survive the hit. More than 5000 people burned to death not due to the after effects of a missile attack, but due to the hot water system in the bunker which got jolted due to the hit. The dead were not taken out, the smell was too unpleasant.

The sacrifice she made to achieve her dream is what we need from future leaders of Pakistan and what we need to do ourselves. I might be wrong, but I guess her dream was not just to become a doctor, as she has Baluch blood running in her body, she is a fighter by descent and did not want to escape when the tough becomes toughest straightaway, I don’t even know that has she realized this or not up till now, but chances are that she has not because being strong physically and mentally is a natural instinct of a Baluch. She could not disown the land which was not even hers, this was the country which promised to educate her when the rest refused or did not bother.

When she arrived back to her family, at the airport, there was a crowd to welcome the hero back. She told an airport official, pointing at the waiting lounge, from left to right, from one point to the end. “You see over there, that is my family which has come from all parts to welcome and receive me”, the official at the airport was spell bound, I was spell bound; I had tears of joy in my eyes, though I could not let it out because the Baluchs would have harassed me for the rest of my life, as I was living the moment there and then. Phuppo, I feel I was there at the airport, I felt I was there to receive you…

Such people I look up to. Such true warriors I meet everyday in my life. Such people He has decided that I have to take lessons from and I can only testify that we think that we plan and carry out what we do, but in reality He plans and we do what He commands; no doubt He is The Best Planner and we are nothing...

  

NGO Cooperation: Need of the hour...

First Published in Focal Point, Issue 1: http://www.enterfocalpoint.com/focalpoint/?p=169

For the past five years especially, Pakistan has gone through frequent man-made and natural disasters. From the earthquake of 2005 to the recent floods, and from the early operations in Bajaur to the recent ones of Waziristan, the growth of the country has taken a serious jolt which has hampered its economic, social and technological growth. Moreover, constant political instability has increased corruption, mishandling of important institutions and is pushing more and more people towards poverty. All the aforesaid created the validation for international and local organizations to come forward and assist this country which is going through crisis every other day.

Throughout the history of Pakistan, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) existed but were better known as voluntary organizations in the early days. After 1970, an upsurge was recorded when the Marital Law Government expounded its policy of social work and welfare. But the real upsurge was witnessed in the last decade where numerous organizations have started their operations in Pakistan and disaster after disaster has prolonged their stay. In a publication of UNDP in 2001, number of non government organizations was suggested to be from 8,000 to 16,000. If non-registered NGOs are added to registered ones, number of Pakistani NGOs could be anywhere from 25,000 to 35,000.

Considering the number of organizations working in Pakistan, the growth of the economy and the society has not been as positive as one might expect. The inflation rate has gone up from 3.90 % in 2003 to 13.60 in 2009-10. Moreover, the debt has also increased from US $ 33 billion in 2004 to more than US $ 50 billion and is still on the rise. The unemployment rate also shows a grim state of affairs. The unemployment rate has increased from 7.8% in 2003 to 14 % now. All these indicators usually raise some eye brows because a positive impact of NGOs is hard to find.It is necessary to keep in mind, that if NGOs would not have intervened regularly from 1947 till date, indicators could have been worse.  But, as there are a lot of macroeconomic reasons associated with the downfall in the economy of the country, it is time that NGOs regroup themselves and do a SWOT analysis on the industry they are associated with instead of doing it on the country’s various economic and social sectors and institutions. The number of NGOs in Pakistan certainly should have uplifted the economy of the 25th largest economy of the world – in terms of purchasing power – towards prosperity earlier.

Mr. Saleem Ranjha, Director of Akhuwat Microfinance Network  one of the largest interest-free microfinance network in Pakistan  expressed his thoughts on the issue of limited success by NGOs. He told us, “Lack of mutual cooperation between organizations and other institutions is the main reason for Pakistan not being able to change its condition. Mutual cooperation would open doors which will welcome exchange of technical skills and funding and believe me, sky is the limit if we change the current practices of working in isolation and without coordination”.

He also added, “The first step has to be that organizations should work with a pure intention to help the most deprived through the most cost-effective way and keeping a check on the quality of service delivery. Most importantly, mutual cooperation between organizations and government is the need of the hour and is the key towards success and I strongly believe that Muslim charities especially, should learn from the actions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and implement it in order to get blessings from Allah (SWT) and to make life easier for the deprived instead of concentrating on covering their overheads”.

Hence, the major reason for NGOs not being able to achieve what they could have, other than the failures of the government in terms of political, economic, social and technological factors, is primarily due to limited mutual cooperation between NGOs with each other and with the government. Some critics accuse that due to specialization in the industry, the greater impact was not achieved i.e.  NGOs have got divided into the following four sectors:

• - Advocacy and lobbying
• - Policy issues and debates
• - Emergency relief and rehabilitation
• - Implementation of development programs

But those critics fail to understand that specialization and disintegration has played a vital role in getting more output and skilled workers in this field just like it has done in any other field. The real problem as mentioned before is that there is a need for every organization to come forward and cooperate with each other. The first point to realize is that the work of one NGO does not make it alien or superior to another NGO working in a different field. In simpler terms, the nature between NGOs is as complementary in nature as the relationship between petrol and a car – one can be the driving force while the another one can be the one who capitalizes and complements the driving force in order to achieve the greater good, mutually.

For example, usually advocacy and lobbying, and emergency relief and rehabilitation are two industries within the NGOs sub sectors which are thought to be poles apart. But, some recent amalgamation between the two has brought rewarding results. For instance, advocacy and lobbying created the path for relief and rehabilitation agencies to help out the flood survivors more easily. This was done by pressurizing and persuading the government to lift the rule of acquiring a no-objection certificate prior to relief work and relaxation in the visa rules where international humanitarian workers were given visas on arrival. Numerous partnerships like these are taking place regularly now and an increase in the frequency of it will surely generate greater positive results for which the people are waiting for a long time.

Organizations working in the sector of policy making and debates can prove essential in imparting knowledge to NGOs related to other sub sectors. Likewise, if organizations from different sub sectors intend to work together, the policy sector can help immensely in drafting safe practices; the advocacy sector can pressurize stakeholders in implementing it and the development sector can carry out its program with more ease and efficiency. If the chemistry works out well between the different sub-sectors, the end product would always be successful and sustainable.

Usually, organizations repudiate to collaborate with each other on the basis of having a difference between their vision and those of other organizations. The only thing organizations need to comprehend is that the greater idea of all organizations is to help the humanity and boost their standards from meager to optimum (at least) without discriminating each other in terms of color, race, religion, ethnicity and creed. If all the organizations start believing in this supreme dogma; it will be the universal similarity which can bring all the stakeholders together.

The incorporation between different sub sectors and the NGO industry with the government will open new doors and bring infinite advantages:

Firstly, funding in to this industry will increase immensely. Donors will feel more confident to rally around the industry which helps the community to become sustainable because better cooperation between the members of the NGO industry would show better and improved results.

Secondly, it would encourage the corporate sector to fund the industry as well. All profit making companies produce goods or services in order to generate increased profits. Sustainability in their progress can only be insured if the society grows on par with the growth of the corporate sector. Therefore, they would be compelled to carry out their corporate social responsibility through the NGO sector.

Thirdly, if organizations start sitting together with stakeholders from all walks of life it will help to fix a lot of economic and social indicators. Usually, the priority is health or education as it should be because we lag behind in these fields compared to other developing countries. But, usually through their activities, NGOs at times forget to insure that the investment they are doing in the lives of the beneficiaries should be a productive investment instead of being consumptive. For instance, an NGO may provide soft loans to the needy people, but due to the lack of checks and balances, these loans are used to purchase dowry instead of becoming a beacon to increase the livelihood of a household.

Fourthly, the collaboration between NGOs would be able to eliminate the concept of duplication. Throughout the history of charitable organizations working in Pakistan, the biggest impasse for all of them has been to identify those beneficiaries who have not received relief or aid from any other organization. The reason to eliminate replication is significant because in a time of crisis aid is limited and the effort should reach all. Therefore, to reach the maximum number of people and those most deprived, many organizations prefer to help those who have not received aid at all.

Almost all organizations spend a lot of resources and effort to cross the logistical and social barriers to reach the affected sites; in the end they habitually find that the type of relief they are offering is also being offered by several others in the same region. At times, due to the pressure from the donors and the competition between the organizations, organizations succumb to the pressure and launch their activities in a hub which is already populated with a lot of social/welfare organizations. This attitude neglects other people in need and other divisions organizations need to focus on.

We do not need to go far to search for examples. For a long period of time during the recent floods, the focus was on Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), especially at Nowshera and Charsadda when the destruction in Southern Punjab and Sindh was creating havoc. Moreover, the focus was also on providing relief through food. The type of instant and effective intervention by aid agencies in the KPK province is hard to find in other provinces.

There are several reasons for it: one being that the province is near the capital of Pakistan and the NGO industry. But, it does not give organizations the leverage to over hoard relief items into this region only because it is accessible to them. There have been several reports where food was over supplied and I have personally been told by the flood survivors as early in the month of September, that they were more interested to receive aid in terms of medical facilities and reconstruction. Similar cases were also reported throughout the country where flood survivors had food supplies for more than two-three months with them in stock.

The healthy signal is that NGOs have realized that without any mutual cooperation, they would not be able to realize the ultimate goal which is to fortify the community and economic conditions of the people in a dignified method.

Organizations have started to combine forces with each other; in order to get accredited by different code of conducts which demand the signatory to believe in coordination with other stakeholders rather than functioning in seclusion.

Memberships of such code of conducts help organizations to accumulate funds easily as donors fancy ‘members’ with their ideal. Recent examples of forums and clusters making positive changes have been observed in Pakistan and are the following: UN OCHA, Muslim Charities Forum UK & the OIC Forum.

Hence, the need for mutual cooperation between organizations and government for all intents and purposes is required to lift the society and prevent it from other man-made and natural disasters. There is a saturation point to everything which exists; thus the need to converge into one focal point is the need of the hour or else there is a huge probability that the recurrence of disasters might ram the country and its people towards extreme poverty and unvarying failure.

Hope for the Determined

Isakhel, Mianwali: HRF Isakhel Hospital in collaboration with Esakhel Foundation.

The devastating floods hit Pakistan in the end of July to leave more than 20 million people homeless and over 2000 citizens of this country dead. Several were injured and were left stranded with no access to basic amenities which are required by a human being to survive. The destruction flowed from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Thatta in Sindh, destroying Punjab and Balochistan on the way; the natural disaster did not reprieve any one on its course. Several organizations arrived on the scene to provide relief to the destitute flood survivors.

One of the first ones to rush to the scene was Human Relief Foundation UK (HRF). HRF was established in 1991 by a group of dedicated and committed professionals. They wanted to alleviate the suffering of the ordinary people of Iraq who were affected by the Gulf War of 1991 and the UN sanctions imposed on the country. This relief work has since expanded to other countries and areas. These include Somalia, Ethiopia, Chechnya, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kashmir, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Palestine and many other areas. HRF established itself in Pakistan in the year 2005 after the life destroying earthquake which shook parts of Kashmir and Balakot; since then HRF has established a permanent office in Pakistan to change life of those hit by natural and man made disasters.

On a priority, HRF provided basic amenities to the flood survivors in order to equip them to battle out the crisis. HRF distributed food ration, clean drinking water, non food items, clothing, and provided urgent medical help in order to secure lives. The distribution of relief goods was implemented all over the country; notably in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) and Punjab. Relief work from the organization spread into the unreachable districts of SWAT, Nowshera and Charssada – in KPK – and Attock, Mianwali and several areas in Southern Punjab were also covered by the organization. More than 30,000 beneficiaries alone have benefited from the effort where HRF workers on the field toiled day and night in order to save and change lives.

As soon as the winter season arrived, the need for a shelter and warm clothing increased. In order to help them to fight the harsh winter season, HRF provided clothing, bedding, blankets and quilts to the deserving families, till date families are benefiting through this effort launched by HRF which rescued them at the right time. Moreover, HRF launched a pilot project during the emergency phase to provide sources of livelihood immediately to those flood affected families which lost their source of income due to the flood. HRF distributed livestock to over 100 families in the month of November 2010 in order to take the lives of those affected by floods towards self sufficiency and economic prosperity. The daring project took special care of the vulnerable segment of the society i.e. female headed houses were mostly selected for this sort of reprieve.

HRF strongly believes that in order to restore sanity after a crisis, medical facilities in a crisis hit region should be upgraded in order to stop communicable diseases and control non communicable diseases. HRF played a key role to curtail spreadable diseases like malaria, cholera, etc. in the District of Mianwali. As the government hospital was flooded and occupied by several organizations who wanted to reconstruct it, HRF did not wait and opened up a parallel facility instead to accommodate the grievances and medical problems in the area. The Sub District of Isakhel has a population of over 600,000 out of which 62 % of the population was severely hit according to the surveys conducted by the foundation, Pakistan Government and UN agencies operating in the region.

Therefore, HRF launched a hospital which is known as the HRF Isakhel Hospital. Today, it is providing the best medical facilities in relation to mother and child care, skin, eye, chronic, communicable and non communicable disease in order to recover them from the physical trauma they had to face due to the crisis. The hospital is equipped with the latest medical facilities and has a state of the art operation theatre for eye and other essential surgeries. HRF Isakhel Hospital has provided free cataract operation to over 150 patients before the end of 2010; a true Sadaqah-i-Jarriah. Moreover, the facility is capable to provide rehabilitation to over 150,000 people living in the surrounding areas; according to UK standards that is unacceptable, but there was only one hospital to serve a population of 600,000 flood affected people before HRF established a hospital in the region.

A major concern in the area, even before the floods, was the lack of mother and child care facilities. HRF took a notice of the situation and equipped itself with the required resources to end misery for pregnant ladies in the region, who used to usually lose the battle with their lives on the way to the hospitals in Mianwali city which is more than 90 kilometers away from the region. The infant mortality rate , i.e. deaths of those under the age of five, is as high as 40 % in the area of Isakhel in District Mianwali. The first delivery which arrived at the HRF Isakhel Hospital was a critical case where the organization was bestowed by Allah (SWT) to save the life of the mother; the child did not make it alive into this world.

It was one of the most heartbreaking moments for the field staff and for me personally. It was a terrible sight for the medical staff to witness a new born breathless, but to see the mother alive triggered the passion in the staff to work even hard to protect lives of the vulnerable people living in the region.

Allah (SWT) entered joy and happiness in leaps and bounds into the lives of the people living in the region and the field staff serving day and night to protect lives in a dignified way. Maryam was born; the first child to be born at HRF Isakhel Hospital. There were celebrations, laughter, smiles and tears all over the hospital, For me, it was a world cup moment, holding Maryam in my arms was nothing less than holding a trophy...

Since then, HRF Isakhel Hospital has continued to serve unconditionally the deprived yet determined people of Isakhel. Most importantly, Human Relief Foundation has transformed HRF Isakhel Hospital into an institution striving to provide all sorts of relief to the people living in the region. A full time field office has been established in the region which is providing assistance in relation to distribution of food items, non-food items, shelters and economic empowerment opportunities to push the lives of the flood survivors towards the optimum level of sanity and normality.

Human Relief Foundation is an organization led by humans overpowered with pure intentions to bring a positive change in third world countries suffering from hardships and economic disparity. There is one thing common between the people who are running this organization, hospital and the community and i.e. for them “Crisis means and creates motivation” – no doubt Allah (SWT) helps those who ask for His Mercy at all times.