Why Pakistan has to wait for it's Tahrir moment?

Recent political situation in Pakistan has given hopes to leaders and public of a Tahrir like revolution in Pakistan. In my view, that's a distant dream, far from reality at the moment.

First, the energies of the protesters were focused against one enemy and one demand - Hosni Mubarik and new leadership. In Pakistan, the fight against status-quo is not against one figure/department/political party; it's against the whole system. In the current scenario, it is difficult to separate party affiliations and prejudice from people and to bring them to one demand; to create unity among diversity.

Secondly, unfortunately, unlike Egypt, face of Chief Executive changes in Pakistan; at times with delay but it does happen through elections or coups, regularly. Egyptians suffered from the hands of Hosni for good three decades, and their frustration helped them to remove him from the reigns of power. We are suffering for more than six decades, in our case, the tormentor gets changed again and again. This makes it real difficult to give a face to our enemy; makes it impossible to identify the enemy. That's why conspiracy theories and evolution of our thinking, from time to time, has led to confusion in identifying the enemy - sometimes we blame the army, politicians, bureaucrats and/or the general public even.

What we need to understand is that our enemy # 1 is the mismanagement in governance which is the root cause to all of our problems - sectarianism, inflation, unemployment, terrorism, crime, rape, non development of infrastructure , education, corruption and health.

We need to stand against it, we have to demand reform in politics, judiciary, bureaucracy, military and in ourselves. We need to stop choosing the lesser evil, we have to stop compromising.

To get rid of our Chaing Kai Sheks, King Louis XVI, Musharrafs, Mubaraks, Ben Alis - we need to stand united against those who are evil by choice; not by mistake.

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...

  

The Cell Phone Story!

Missiles are known for destruction, but 5 missiles hit the telecommunications of Pakistan to transform it into supremacy which has spread smiles over the face of 85.4 million citizens with no strings attached.

Foreign companies starting operations in a country scares the home industry and its people because we still have the memories of the British India Company in our mind. But, the invasion of telecom industry by foreign investments in Pakistan has brought fruitful results – Government has a new source of income, the telecommunications giants in Pakistan are generating profits as fast as a minting factory generates money and this industry has given ‘bread and butter’ to millions.

The Telecommunications sector is divided into two parts as it is in most of the countries– Basic Home Phone Line Providers and Cell Phone Facility Providers. First to mention is the Land line sector which is currently dominated by the Government but due to evolution it has now integrated with Etisalat, a UAE based Telecom Company, to facilitate existing consumers in order to produce more customers through the introduction of new strategies, plans and packages. The landline sector is still a monopoly shared by the Government of Pakistan and Etisalat which has the management rights. Due to the partnership between the two, experience and new ideas have made a perfect combination which has made the basic home phone line experience cheaper in Pakistan.

CDMA, a new mode of communication introduced in Pakistan, is creating waves in the telecom sector through Wateen, Dialog and GoCDMA. While on the other hand, the Cell Phone Industry has turned from a seed into a huge tree just like Jack and his Beanstalk. Pakistan, like other countries, went through the period where having a cell phone was considered a luxury. But that is not the scene anymore for sure (I call my maid on her cell phone when she’s late!) The SIM cards are now as low as 100 rupees, which at times carry credit of the same amount, and if you are lucky you might also get it for absolutely free during promotions. The thrones for development in this sector go to the 5 players in the cell phone industry of Pakistan – Mobilink, Telenor, Warid Telecom, Zong & Ufone.

These major players have changed the mood and has awaken the consumers from a deep slumber in the market by churning out new strategies at the speed of light to make cell phones a necessity for the common man rather than a luxury. All the major players have brought benefits to the market with their expertise which has positively affected the rate of growth in this sector and has now touched unprecedented heights.

Firstly, Mobilink is Pakistan’s biggest cellular company with 31.9 million subscribers nationwide. Therefore, there are no qualms about who deserves to be called the BIGESST in Pakistan. At times people criticize Mobilink for its comparatively higher rates but it is still gulping down major chunk of subscribers due to the fact business class people are hesitant to switch their network due to line quality, brand loyalty and in order to avoid the inconvenience of informing associates of a number change. A finer aspect is that Mobilink is known for exclusivity. The proof of this is the finest group of brand ambassadors from the entertainment industry vis-à-vis Shan, Vaneeza, Iman, Strings, Wasim Akram, Zenab Qayyum etc

Secondly, Ufone is a matter of honor for the countrymen as it is a subsidiary of PTCL which was established to provide cellular services across Pakistan and has more than 17 million customers according to the data above. Ufone is currently providing quality services by providing various calling options than any provider in the country. The night package of Ufone persuades one to be awake all night. It has from time to time used humor in advertisements campaigns to attract customers. The antics of Adeel Hashmi and Faisal Qureshi on TV makes one to jump off the couch and run to the nearest Ufone.

Thirdly, Telenor has proved with innovation one can invent success. In a short period, Telenor has accumulated a mammoth figure of subscribers – 17.8 million subscribers. The introduction of the ‘easy load facility’ has made calling affordable throughout Pakistan because one can re-charge account from 10 to 1000 rupees. Telenor can surely emerge as the biggest cellular company in Pakistan. Telenor has used glamour and music as the part of their promotion as it’s surely what Pakistanis get attracted too. Ali Zafar’s ‘TELENOR TALKSHAWK’ jingles with Aamina Haq’s million dollar smile is wooing customers towards Telenor.

Fourthly, Warid operated by Abu Dhabi Group led by Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan has already grabbed 15.1 million customers in a period shorter than an average rule of a dictator in this country! Warid captured customers by giving them relief where it pains the most – the pocket. With reduced charges, Warid lured customers towards it because it knew that to be a household name in Pakistan one has to be the provider with the best rates for products and services. Reema’s touch to their adverts adds glitter to the already shining armor of warid and EP’s former Ahmed Ali Butt in ‘ZEM at MCDONALDS’ ad puts humor and water in everyone’s mouth!

Fifthly, Zong is the Pakistan venture of the biggest cellular company in the world – China Mobile. It acquired Paktel and has vowed to make things pleasant for this bad luck stricken company which had around 2 million subscribers. But with the influx of Chinese ideas, Zong has attracted another 1.6 million customers in less than a year to take their grand total to 3.6 million customers according to the table above – which is a huge achievement as they have done this in presence of four well set competitors in the market. The rings in the ZONG logo depicts fresh, zest and freedom which make its subscribers say it all for less.

 As Pay as you Go is the way of today’s generation. It’s very important here to analyze the prepaid tariffs of the major players. An important factor to mention is that that due to advent of Prepaid packages the telecommunications industry experienced a boom because it requires less documentation and is for all i.e. eliminating discrimination.

Although, these companies provide several packages but for illustrative purposes and to keep data ABC (Accurate, Brief and Clear) we have mentioned the basic three packages which all the providers are serving their customers currently.

The Simple Plan (1 minute plan) is best for those who regularly have longer conversations. In this plan, Ufone is the best provider in regards to rates as it provides rates of 1 and1.60 rupees/minute (On-Net & Off-Net respectively) with no call setup charges. Telenor becomes the best choice for Off-Net calls if one calls other networks because it has rates of 1.4 rupees/minute with a call setup charge of 0.40 rupees for the first minute. In SMS, Ufone & Warid provide similar rates of 0.50 and 1 ((On-Net & Off-Net respectively).

The One Second Plan goes perfectly well for those who communicate for a shorter period, talk less and want to spend less. Zong is the pioneer of this amazing strategy. Warid provides the cheapest On-Net rate for just 3 paisa/second while Zong & Telenor provide rates of 4 paisa for On-Net. But, ZONG wins in the race for the title of the ‘cheapest provider for Off-Net services’ with 4 paisa for calls to all other networks and landline. In SMS, WARID provides the cheapest rate for On-Net SMS of 50 paisa/sms while Off-Net sms charges for the trio is Rs. 1/sms.

THE 30 SECONDS PLAN is made for the confused lot who are unable to identify themselves as frequent callers or seldom ones. Warid, Zong & Telenor share the throne for On-Net call charges with similar rates of 75 paisa per 30 seconds. But ZONG stands 1st on the podium with its uniform charge to Off-Net numbers at 75 paisa per minute.

Surprisingly, it’s important to mention that Mobilink did not get a mentioning in the competition of rates. But, it compensates it by providing an array of Value Added Services and coverage. Moreover, the rates of MOBILINK have come down considerably from previous years and are near to the rates of their competitors which are as far as the distance between two strands of hair.

All the above factors conclude and converge to one point i.e. a revolution has evolved in the Telecommunications sector in Pakistan which has made this type of business a billion-dollar profit generating machine providing huge facilities to its consumers at the cost of peanuts. To make a billion out of a rupee and by keeping loved ones connected, one would only think that Guru Kant Desai of Guru Movie could only do it. But coming back to Pakistan, we have got not one but five of these gurus for whom not even sky is the limit!!

Special thanks to Usman Ahmad Khan and Wajid Iqbal.

CREDIT CARDS - KEY TO WOE, KEY TO OPULENCE OR JUST ANOTHER ACCESSORY!

Answer a simple question:

It is a unisexual product, kept by men and women, without which they cannot move out of the house/office so on and so forth?

Hint:  reasons for it can be disputed.

“What is it?”

“What did I hear?”

"Umm, some perfume",

"No, who carries a perfume everywhere!"

"Ah! I know a pair of Levi’s jeans, RIGHT?"

"One sec, don’t get excited!"

"Credit Cards?!"

“Don’t act smart, we will get down to that later”.

The right answer is -Wallet.

Undoubtedly not being biased, but men keep one out of requirement while the reasons why women keep are endless, in fact, at times the reasons are staggering. A wallet also acts as a first aid and/or make up kit too. The most you find in a man’s wallet is cards, cash and notes. Whilst in a woman’s wallet, you will find anything and everything, just name it and you’ve got it – lipstick, mascaras, and even pain killers!

"Hmm…so, that’s it!"

"This is what men and women keep in their wallets, did I fail to spot anything?” scratching my head which is not bald anymore.

I missed the most key fad, plastic money! The ultra slim, glossy, slim as razor blades, chicer than a size zero model and full of pulsating colors is our very own lovely credit card! The golden chip found nowadays on a credit card is for the purpose of “smart shopping”, such as using to make international calls on a jet, but it also ads a touch of elegance to the look of it, just what the cherry does on the top of the cake. How could I forget you!

The designs on credit card these days mystify my mind. Sometimes, I am in awe that these credit card firms have got psychologists instead of graphic designers because the design pattern on a credit card these days furnishes a breathtaking assortment of diverse feelings- delight, loyalty and royalty- which congregates towards the overriding feeling of all i.e. happiness. Also, it unquestionably uplifts one’s nose en route for the sky since it gives the emotion of having riches in excess as paying for shopping, meals travel and entertainment with just a swipe has made the entire experience trouble-free and simply overwhelming.

The way I see it at times, credit cards come with colossal gains, undoubtedly. First and foremost, definitely a fundamental advantage, it adds the most vital muscle, which many body builders would also resent – the muscle to purchase at will. Even if you don’t have cash, no worries, you have tripled the sums of your income in this teeny weensy little card, therefore, no need to ask for an advance from your boss anymore when you plan for a trip to Europe next time, “buy now, pay later” is the best policy! Anyways, back to the addition of this muscle in our system, interestingly, it develops ‘wings’ on to our body too (and no, I have not stolen that from Red Bull), which there on enables us to fly high and reach the world of luxury which we dream of. Voila, what an exciting innovation!

That’s not it, apart from the fundamental advantage, there are other benefits attached with this discovery of the 19^th century are the following. One, because of the cut-throat competition in the credit card industry, banks frequently offer incentives such as discounts, reward points, gift certificates, air-miles, meet – n – greet at airports, free stay at airport lounges or even CASH BACK i.e. usually around 1-2 percent of the total purchases to try to lure customers to their businesses.In other words you get rewarded for just carrying on your shopping spree.

Two, “low interest” credit cards or even 0% interest credit cards are available these days due to pull strategic business ethics. The only downside to users of low interest credit cards is that it is limited to a fixed term, between 6 and 12 months after which a higher rate is charged.

Three, most of the credit cards can also be used in an ATM to withdraw “real money" (yes, hard crispy notes) against the credit limit extended to the card which means one needs to fear about the shortage of crispy notes.

Four, credit cards have developed into a risky way for entrepreneurs to acquire capital for their enterprise when the doors to get conventional financing are shut down. It is rumored that Larry Page and Sergey Brin’s start up of Google was financed by credit cards to buy the necessary computers and office equipment, more specifically "a terabyte of hard disks". Furthermore, credit card companies offer small loans over the phone to its loyal customers at the press of few # buttons!

Five, many banks have tied up their services with companies related to telecommunications, internet, electricity, gas and water companies. Rather than standing in long ques, you can pay your bills on your favourite couch now by dialling a toll free number or through the internet, all because of the tiny invention, no hassles anymore!

Come to think of it, how did this small yet powerful thing came into existence?

Surely, must be a miracle!

I turn backed the pages of history to know more about credit cards, I was astonished to find the concept of using a card for purchases was described as early as in 1887 by Edward Bellamy in his utopian novel Looking Backward. Bellamy used the term credit card eleven times in this novel. In addition, the modern credit card was the successor of a variety of merchant credit schemes. It was first used in the 1920s, in the United States, specifically to sell fuel to a growing number of automobile owners. The old age connection of credit card with fuel is still intact today. For example, majority of the white collars and the middle class swipe their cards at fuel stations to save “cash in hand” for more important expenses and for the time of an emergency.


Well, the preceding example has made me wonder that “Credit cards bring more benefits than cash, but it needs to spend if that cash is in the pocket”.


Hmmmm…..

To come to think of it, if petrol is filled in the tank, then your car runs smoothly. But if its spilled on the car then it can even ruin your lovely car into ashes!

Hmm…

The question is – Has such a situation arise with this invention too?

The answer is a yes. Just like any invention in this century, credit cards also come with its fair share of cons. Many of the readers must be smarter than 5^th graders to know about the law of gravity i.e. you smash your bones when you fall down from a building , the “law of grace period” given by credit card firms works on the same model. If you don’t pay regularly within the grace period,  which is 20 – 30 days (depends from bank to bank), you will fall downwards in a ‘huge sticky web of debt’ where only ‘spider-man’ can come and rescue. In the West, “Spider-men” come in the form of debt reconciliation companies which help bankrupt and defaulters to pay back to the credit card companies, eventually taking them out of the mess they caused to get placed into the web in the first place. But unfortunately, in this part of the world, banks use the local mafia, because of the inefficiencies of law, to recollect bad debts, thus causing huge mental strain, at times depression and even suicide.

 

Furthermore, the menace of fraud has plagued numerous banking services and sadly it did not even spare the credit card industry. The reason is simple - the pathetic security of the credit card system presents infinite opportunities for fraudulent activities. Due to the spread of this disease it has given birth to a huge black market in stolen credit card numbers, which are generally used quickly before the cards are reported stolen. I thought it was a joke that the aim of the credit card companies is not to eliminate FRAUD these days but to reduce it to “manageable levels” so that “high-cost low-return” fraud prevention measures will not be used if their cost exceeds the potential gains from fraud reduction. That is not fair!

Let’s grab a globe and focus on Pakistan now. Due to high inflation and fluctuating petrol prices, the purchasing power of the citizens has reduced down considerably. Moreover, the constant flashing of luxuries in different mediums of media, it invokes the feeling of desiring to live in a comfortable yet materialistic world. Next, most apply for a credit card to enjoy those amenities which were banned for them as they were expensive of before. Thus, such dreams transforms into reality with the advent of plastic money in Pakistan.

Although one needs to pay high finance charges if one just pays the “minimum payment due” every month, but undoubtedly it gives the consumer the ease of making payments through monthly installments i.e. not to pay a lum sum anymore! Moreover, the health and accident insurance come along with a subscricption of a credit card makes this innovation too hard to resist. Thus, plastic money is certainly here to stay as this country is full of people with unfulfilled desires where credit card is the only hope.

Surprisingly, it’s a reality that credit cards have become a fashion accessory these days. It’s available in numerous designs, and believe it or not, you can now actually get your favorite picture printed on it thus reminding you of that precious moment everytime you go on a shopping spree. More, you can flash it infront of your peers to prove that how futuristic you are in the futuristic today.

At times negatively, it also instills the feeling of jealousy and pride simultaneously – jealous is the one who doesn’t own one and pride who owns more than one! But, that’s human nature, cannot blame credit cards for it bluntly. In the yesteryears, especially in Pakistan, young used to get married as soon as they turned young as the ones to get married the earliest were the luckiest. Fast-Forward to 2008, our generations gets hold of cell phones and supplementary credit cards, and the one to get these essentials the earliest are the luckiest. Surely, time changes everything, Is that what evolution is?

Anyways and importantly, one should remain cautious and spent wisely through credit cards otherwise these ‘devils of dooms’ will destroy the peace of our households. In simpler terms, if a credit card is used properly it changes the old saying ‘NO PAIN NO GAIN’ because if you don’t “pain” (burden) yourself with huge purchases then you just “gain again and again”! It implies that one should use this ‘product’ wisely because I find it as neutral as a hammer, it can either make you or break you, just like marriage or even facebook.


So everyone, here is my advice:


“To pay early is playing safe, so play safe to live safe”.

And, my definition of a credit card:

"CREDIT CARD - (noun) – A special card which inflates the pockets of a human being to take him/her to luxurious heights, then the human being falls down hard because late payments deflate the pockets."  

WIKIPEDIA banned in Pakistan

News from Islamabad..once again

After the LHC imposed a ban on facebook.com till 31st May 2010, it was the turn of youtube.com to get banned in Pakistan. Now, I cannot even access Wikipedia, and that too I was searching about Islam!


Something is just not right about all this!
The Government of Pakistan is being smart and is trying to censor all the articles, photos and videos which are against them. This is not a great move and I am sure people will know the true story very soon, media is quite powerful out here.


Moreover, it was a nice move from the LHC to ban facebook till 31st May 2010. I would have preferred the URL link of "Draw Muhammad Day" to be banned only but if it is the courts decision to ban the whole site for a number of days, then it is fine with me. When, these companies will lose their revenue from Pakistan, hopefully they might learn a lesson. Plus, such bans also disturbs the traffic on the websites. So, that surely will make them think to respect all religions from now on.


But, the ban should not be a permanent one as many Pakistanis would lose these vital tools. As a matter of fact, through these websites many Pakistanis and Muslims were spreading Da'awah through it. So, all such efforts would be lost. Moreover, many charities all over the world, even muslim ones, were collecting donations to ease the suffering in the Muslim World. Lack of access to these sites, will create major problems for such individuals and companies.


Instead of banning, muslim countries and muslims in USA should play a more responsible role. The lawyers should file a lawsuit against facebook especially for violating its own terms of use and privacy policy by allowing people to do hate speech and pass derogatory comments on its platform against Islam. 


We muslims, have to start thinking wisely!

Cage and Chains - Part 2

We have chained ourselves and locked ourselves in a cage, we believe we are free, but in veracity we are prisoners. The signs of a free man are profuse. A free man is a comforted man, has peace in heart, is not restricted by any unconstructive energy and knows how to tell between between wrong and right with the aid of knowledge and not information.

During this era of technology and mass information, the so called “free” generally is seeking for awareness through television, internet etc. But, in fact, we are not seeking for information; we are being fed with it. We are disillusioned with the impression that we are receiving awareness simply because we are giving a shot. In pragmatism, it’s the other way round, the one who provides you with the information are doing the real effort; and reality is certainly not a line on a boulder that every reality is a truth and should be followed blindly; everything which glitters is not gold.

Information is useless if it is not transformed into knowledge. To convert it, there should be an uncompromising route through which it should go through in order to test it. The process is plain; the information has to pass through the vigorous examination of reality. After it is derived that such information was a reality, it will be very easy to determine the disparity between right and wrong; every reality is not always good. If one can make his thoughts and information go through this route and gets superior at this, that person has kaput the chains he had tied himself with.

But, still the self is stranded in the cage and unfortunately there is no door to get out of it; getting outside the cage is hence very tough because we have worked so hard for years to make it sturdy. There is only one way to go outside of this cage, i.e. you have to shatter the bars to brittleness. One has to start converting the knowledge into words and actions. But, whenever, one tries to do that, in the beginning especially, will smack his body right into the bars. This battle will cause a lot of injury; this type of injury might throw you quite far away and make yourself feel like a loser.

But, if you start getting injured, do not worry, it is actually a sign of winning. With every blow of yourself on the bars, you will make it weaker and weaker; sooner or later it will be destroyed. The point to remember is that these bars can only be busted through the right way i.e. by hook and not crook. To know the accurate way to convert the information you gain into knowledge, first, because without breaking the chains, you are never going to break the cage.

All mentioned above is the attitude through which one can get outside the control of the unconstructive energy. Let’s consider what is said above into convenient terms. Stand in front of a mirror and look at yourself and probe yourself – “What is the purpose of my life?” – Do you know the reason why you are created and mounted in this period of time?

Were you brought into this human race to earn more and more riches? Or acquire degrees? Or to buy pricey gifts for your dear wife, so that she fulfills all your desires? Or is it about getting promoted regularly in your profession so that you carry on climbing your career ladder?

We are skilled to accomplish the above mentioned achievements; we are told that this is life; these fake achievements are the bars we have worked so hard to make it brawny. We are educated if we have been able to achieve this, we have achieved everything. In fact, this is not even an iota of everything; we are supposed to achieve all once we get ourselves on the straight path which is very easy to find; it is the only path you will find after you break the cage and come out of it.

We are very fortunate to be living in this age of information and technology since we have an easy access to information which is usually just a click away. Decades back, it used to take days, weeks and years to acquire such knowledge; men had to travel to know the truth. But, more and more people are going off target in this age because we have started to judge that our prisons are our comfort zones.

A man is not a man if he has not done his bit to fix this world; how can one be even called a human being who does not make the world a more contented place to live in for the future generations to come. But this is not enough to convince someone to break these cage and chains.

The real reason to get outside the cage and chains is to comprehend that your purpose of life has been decided by The One who has created you. He has given you five senses to witness his presence through His Creation, and He has bestowed you with the power to think. That power to think, i.e. knowledge, will direct you towards what you are predestined to achieve; this achievement will most of the time make life in hereafter serene for you. But, don’t think that if it’s written in your destiny then you will get it served on a plate, maybe He has written that you will pull off the real fruits of this planet only if you try, He gives you the power of choice, and the light which you will require to find the right choice is your knowledge based on realities.

You are specified a task by your Lord on His land and once you accept it; you will escort yourself into attaining salvation. The triumph we have to pull off is to let peace prevail in our hearts so it will cure us from the disease which stops you to differentiate right and wrong.

At times, I feel there is an imaginary parrot sitting in a cage, owned by us, which grins on us because he is witnessing that his masters are also in a cage which has no doors. He is right; this is the time we get rid of the cage and the chains or the parrot would always grin on us...