Don't immunize? You risk your health, others, and can be sued

[caption id="attachment_22451" align="alignleft" width="211"] child receiving polio immunization[/caption]

Carol Forsloff---If you are one of those individuals recommending people not take immunizations, or not taking them yourself, you might want to read about the growing number of people coming down with preventable illnesses, for whom you might be responsible.  In other words, experts say if you want to be one of those playing Russian roulette with your health, it is unfair to put the gun to someone else's head.

That can be the case, for example,  measles, mumps, or influenza, all of which can kill, depending upon the immune system of those exposed to infections that cause various communicable diseases.

The growing number of cases of children who have polio is another piece of evidence of the problems related to refusing immunizations, putting some countries in a serious situation.

Some of this has to do with the associations that were made at one time by a researcher, whose conclusions, it turned out, were bogus and eventually uncovered as that.  But as people often keep hold of the original information, that might be false, and therefore refuse to believe in anything that refutes preconceived beliefs, folks still maintain that immunizations cause autism.

Some of this false information is passed along by bloggers, some of whom may come from countries that offer little protection from certain diseases, like the country of Pakistan.   This month 70 health care workers in Khyber refused to give polio vaccinations.  Bloggers from that area of the world often state that polio still exists despite immunizations, or even caused by them, and that the medical authorities simply changed the names of certain diseases in order to cover up their manipulations.  But look closer at the evidence, if any is provided, and often it is another blogger or a defrocked doctor or someone whose medical credentials are often questionable.

Much of the tuberculosis that is spread occurs as a result of people coming to the United States from the part of the world where people refuse immunizations.  The newest multidrug resistant concern is of concern to public health officials because TB used to be one of the diseases that created numerous fatalities in the US.  Health officials became especially vigilant when there was an uptick in the disease during the 1970's and 80's, but it has declined as a result of that vigilance.

The fact remains that those people who don't have immunizations put other people's lives at risk.  There is both legal and moral culpability by doing that, and that is aided by those who continuously offer false information that not only can harm those who read it but many other people as well, with potential outbreaks of diseases entirely possible as a result of making bold statements without factual basis.

And finally if you are traveling to a country such as Pakistan, the US government offers a list of vaccinations to prevent becoming ill from the diseases in that country.  Given the resistance to vaccinations, it is likely those recommendations are cogent.

Experts worry about nuclear threat, Taliban, expansion of terror in Pakistan

[caption id="attachment_22445" align="alignleft" width="352"] Insurgencies in Pakistan- Afghanistan[/caption]

Ed.--As the world watches the Middle East boiling over from civil unrest, and one by one civilian protest sweeping that area of the world, in the region of Asia Pakistan is now the big worry regarding the nuclear threat as well as the rise of the Taliban.

Despite the capture of Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, recently experts, watching the recent killing of three Americans and 18 others in Afghanistan, observe the possibility that given the increased terror in Afghanistan, that is Pakistan's neighbor, will also follow suit.  Other experts worry over the potential of a nuclear threat from Pakistan as well.

Ploughshares, an organization fund that declares its support for security and peace worldwide, declares, "If a regional nuclear war were to break out anywhere, most experts think that it is most likely to happen in India and Pakistan. Such a conflict would have dire consequences in loss of life, food insecurity and direct deaths from the bombs themselves."

Where is the evidence of such a threat?Ploughshares goes on to say that the rising extremism in PATA, The Provincially Administered Tribal Areas with the implementation of Sharia Law in 2007, the potential for threats to security in the region has increased dramatically, underlined as well by the recent massacre of 21 people at a popular restaurant in Afghanistan.  Then today it was reported by CBS that a bomb that had been placed by the Taliban exploded through a truck carrying paramilitary soldiers from a Pakistan army compound in  north-western Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province bordering Afghanistan.  In this attack, 20 soldiers were reported as killed, with another 30 injured.

This recent uptick in violence comes even as the US has promised to withdraw its forces by the end of 2014.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan responded today to these terrorist attacks, and the increased violence in his country and neighboring Afghanistan, by saying that a Joint Intelligence Directorate will be organized to coordinate intelligence gathering among the 26 agencies involved in intelligence activities.  Mapping of identity databases of thousands of excerpts of chatter.  Some of this is already being secretly undertaken, according to reports.

 

Experts say EU must help stabilize Pakistan as US worries about itsnuclear arsenal

[caption id="attachment_16117" align="alignleft" width="300"] Pakistan's Independence Day[/caption]

Brooke Harrison and Carol Forsloff---Experts have recommended the EU offer support even as the United States is reported to be increasing its surveillance of its ally's nuclear arsenal, as it is said to pose risks because of some of the terrorist groups within its borders.  It has been recommended in the meantime that there should be a long-term focus by the EU on state-building and state-preserving as a consequence.

Atlantic-Community.org's website presents the information from thirty international experts who almost unanimously call for a stronger EU commitment to the stabilization of Pakistan. These perts come from the Brookings Institute, the Carnegie Endowment, the Grench Institute of International Relations, Bradford University, the Islamabad Policy Research Institute and other leading think tanks and universities participated in Atlantic-Community.org's expert survey.

The experts have identified the European Union as best able to support a sustainable engagement in promoting healthy state institutions and a robust culture that help complement both short-term and security conscious US strategies. Experts have observed the US to be less interested or prepared for long-term involvement, whereas the EU is seen as having the capabilities as well as the goodwill of the Pakistani people. Those capabilities include response to risks of terrorism and support in preventing proliferation of Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

All of this might be viewed as especially important, considering Pakistan's position as having some Western alliance, while straddling fences at times because of extremist groups that have tried, and accomplished at times, to upset the balance of power within its borders. It also has an important geographical position, bordering on Afghanistan to the Northwest and Iran to the West. The country is critical in terms of its strategic position in the event of a conflict with Iran. In addition the US is said to have ramped up its surveillance of Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.

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Brooke Harrison is a student of international relations, and retired history instructor with an interest in the present issues of the Middle East with respect to humanitarian concerns who helped provide research and some of the writing for this article.

Europe's mistreatment of gypsies continues amidst right-wing fears

Gypsies

The gypsy community is laden with mystery, with stories from its own culture and other groups.  But that community, despite his colorful ways, music and dance, and ability to maintain a sense of togetherness while enduring  great economic hardships, has been a group that is consistently persecuted in Europe, even as right-wing groups single them out to be moved from the countries they have called home for centuries.

As the rise of the right-wing political organizations present arguments against immigration of minorities to various countries, the gypsies continue to be at the bottom of the social and economic heap of humanity, scorned by governments and feared by their citizens.

History records gypsies arrival in Europe from India 1500 years ago.  They were nomadic as a consequence of their uniqueness, cultural ways and the distaste of Europeans to those differences.  They often were the slaves to landed gentry throughout much of Europe.  In the 20th century they were among the groups singled out by the Nazis as inferior people, thus imprisoned, tortured and killed along with people with disabilities and the Jews.  Now  they are the target of European efforts to rid themselves of individuals whom they consider a threat to economic security.

In 2010 President Sarkozy of France evicted hundreds of gypsies from various camps, creating considerable controversy among the people of France as well as other countries.  The gypsies became the target for major crackdowns on their encampments, as they were forced to return to Romania and other areas of Eastern Europe.  The problem became, however,  that these European countries,  once a homeland for many gypsies,  didn't want them either and thus shuttled them to garbage-filled areas of the countrywide, where many of them now live.

Jerome Taylor of The Independent writes that " Right-wing politicians and media are stoking fears that Romanian Gypsies plan to flock to Britain. But the reality is very different, the residents of the country's worst slums say.

Taylor writes of the terrible conditions in which gypsies live outside of Romania's major cities.  Yet many won't leave because it is their homeland, where their people have lived for many generations.  And they affirm that despite the prejudices and rumors, they work, educate their children and hope for a better life, just like their non-gypsy neighbors.

It isn't just the far right, however, that targets gypsies, according to civil rights activists in Europe.  In Romania the far right has been kept in check, but not for altruistic reasons. "There isn't really much need for extreme-right groups because you find racism and stereotyping in all the mainstream parties," explains Marian Mandache, head of Romani Criss, a Bucharest-based group that campaigns for Roma rights. "Roma face hardship, exclusion and discrimination in almost all fields of public life."

Music has been one of the ways gypsies have been able to make a living and showcase their culture.   A guide to their music presents a number of traditional and public domain offerings, with such prominent names in the gypsy music community as Acquaragia Drom, Fanfare Ciocãrlia and Kálmán Balogh.  Music about gypsies has also held some fascination for people with songs like "Golden Earrings" in the film starring Marlene Dietrich represented.

Despite their contributions to music and the arts, and their attempts to integrate into whatever culture is the pattern in the countries where they reside, Roma people, or the gypsies, continue to retain the image of mystery, that they are criminals and looking only for devious means to get what they need and want. Yet those who have written about the culture and taken the time to examine the history of the Roma people, maintain it has been their poverty and special cultural differences that set them apart, creating problems in securing employment and status wherever they might reside.

Much of the discrimination against the gypsies emanated from their history, as they are an Indo-European people from India and Pakistan, taken as slaves by Muslims, according to online information focusing on their history and culture, somewhere between the 6th and 11th centuries, ending up in Europe, where they became outcasts.  The fact they had been slaves were part of the pattern that kept them as outsiders and led to many of their problems of assimilation.

The gypsy people are more than a round of applause for their music, their fortune-telling skills and their nomadic lifestyle, but a people of consequence in the world's culture.  With respect for their traditions, this song's author offers a tribute to a misunderstood but unique group of people whose home always seems to be where the heart is but who are not allowed to live in it.  The song can be found on YouTube here and on Fandalism at this address.

‘Saffron Dreams’ wins prestigious literature award in Pakistan

Ernest Dempsey — Shaila Abdullah’s novel Saffron Dreams (Modern History Press, 2009) recently won the Patras Bukhari Award for English Language work of literature from Pakistan. Shaila’s interview was featured in the Journal of Humanitarian Affairs last year. She joins us again briefly for her thoughts on the fresh recognition of her work and the feedback she has received so far about the novel.

Ernest: Shaila, congratulations on the recognition in Pakistan! How do you feel about the achievement?

Shaila: Thank you. It is definitely humbling to be awarded the Patras Bukhari Award for English Language and find myself among renowned Pakistani-English writers such as Bapsi Sidhwa, Kamila Shamsie and Nadeem Aslam. In a way Pakistan Academy of Letters is performing a very significant role in promoting the books of new and emerging writers and assessing the quality of work coming from different parts of the world where many Pakistanis now reside. Lately, as we know there has been a rising interest in Pakistani literature in the West, especially Pakistani Writing in English (PWE) or Pakistani Anglophone Writing (PAW). It is a great opportunity to tell our side of the story.

Ernest: Has Saffron Dreams also won any other awards in US or abroad?

Shaila: Saffron Dreams has had quite a few wins, such as Golden Quill Award, Written Art Award, Reader Views Literary Award, as well as a grant from Hobson Foundation. Many academic institutions have adopted Saffron Dreams as a course study or recommended reading, including the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Indiana University, Boston University, and George Washington University. Saffron Dreams has had an impressive run so far and it continues to amaze me what people take away from it and how diverse their reactions are to the book at times.

Ernest: What kind of feedback did you receive from readers of Saffron Dreams, particularly Pakistani-Muslim women living in the US?

Shaila: Saffron Dreams has a wide-range of audience from readers to students. The subject matter resonates with many because of its challenging context. The book has been widely cited and used by university professors and students as study for papers, talks and presentations. A particularly interesting dissertation paper I saw recently was written by a Northern Illinois University student titled, “Like ‘hair sneaking from beneath the scarf:’ Contemporary immigrant Muslim women novelists speak of gender, immigration, and Islam.” I invite you to read that paper for its fascinating depiction of the central themes and symbolism in Saffron Dreams.

Ordinary readers embraced the book because of its deep personal narrative against the backdrop of the most significant point in American history. It was the day that jilted the entire nation and we were all affected in some ways. Saffron Dreams addresses many of the misconceptions that were birthed that day. Several Pakistani-Muslim women who read the work shared that they felt a special connection with the book because it seemed to speak for them and attempted to set the record straight.

Ernest: Would you like to get the book translated in Urdu for the large Urdu-speaking population of Pakistan?  

Shaila: Actually that is a great idea. Yes, given the opportunity, I would love to translate this book for the wider Urdu-speaking population of Pakistan.

Ernest: You are also an accomplished designer. Do these two talents – writing and designing – remain mutually insulated in your mind?

Shaila: I have never found my two creative interests––writing and design––to be in conflict with one another. If anything, they complement one another. There have been many instances where I meshed the two, for instance when I designed the cover of both of my books. I also have clients who request both writing and design services for their website or newsletters. In my design business, I have more writer/author type clients. Being an author myself, it is very intuitive for me to understand a writer’s work, personality, and style and portray it on their website or book cover.

Ernest: Is there any current writing project you are working on, or just carrying along in memory for near future?

Shaila: There are several projects that are brewing in my head at the moment from fiction, nonfiction to children’s book; none that I have pinned down at the moment. My design business keeps me pretty busy. But stay tuned and visit my website at www.ShailaAbdullah.com periodically. There may be a surprise there someday!

Ernest: Thank you Shaila! I wish you continued success in the writing journey and life.   

Visit www.ModernHistoryPress.com to see more titles from the publisher of Saffron Dreams. 

Concern raised over Christian child’s arrest for blasphemy in Pakistan

Ernest Dempsey — Cases of religious minority members accused of blasphemy are not rare in Pakistan. But the latest case happening in the country’s capital has evoked worldwide concern, especially among human rights groups. The reason seems to be the age of the accused. This time, it is an 11 years old girl, a child. What is worse, she is said to be suffering from a debilitating physical and mental condition.

CNN reported on Monday that the girl was arrested by the police after she was accused of burning pages of Islam’s holy book Koran. Though the reports of the girl, named Ramsha, having Down’s Syndrome could not be confirmed by media, the incident of accusing a child of blasphemy has again sent shockwaves across the country and beyond. The girl says she does not know anything about the pages, whether they were of Koran, or how they came to be in the papers she burnt as fuel.

Not surprisingly, an angry crowd gathered in the area and threatened to burn the child alive to avenge the desecration of Koran. This led to evacuation of the area by the Christian families who lived there.

Voices of concern are being raised from across the globe over this incident. Today, France condemned the victimization of the child through blasphemy charges. The United States and some human rights organizations have already expressed their concern over the incident, welcoming the order of President Asif Ali Zardari for investigation into the case, but saying that this does not suffice. American organization Human Rights First stated that it was time for lawmakers to act since these kinds of cases have repeatedly been happening in Pakistan.

In Pakistan, blasphemy law requires minimal evidence to convict the accused and has been used as a tool of victimizing members of religious minorities, but also other Muslims who happen to run into a row with people over property or other disputes. In one famous case, a Muslims man confessed to burning Koran which had led to terrible violence against Christians in Gujranwala (Punjab). Punishment for blasphemy ranges from fine to execution.

The latest incident has reinforced the fear that the country’s lethal blasphemy law, which led to the death sentence of Asia Bibi, is all set to engulf children of religious minorities in the country.

Pakistan floods: children auctioned by poor family

Ernest Dempsey – Natural disasters remind us how fierce nature can get to contradict the human delusion of being the most advanced species. Sadly, in some places, these kinds of emergencies also make the human attachment to their children stagger, and give way. What happened in Punjab province in Pakistan on Friday, September 9, is a living example.

Following the latest flash of Monsoon rain in the country, a poor family in Punjab had to auction their children in the hope that they will be saved by their buyers from starvation. The incident took place in Dera Ghazi Khan (Punjab) where a poor, flood-affected couple took their eight kids to the commissioner’s office to complain that the government had done nothing to provide food to flood victims in the area. Since the couple lost all to the latest flood, they could not afford to buy any food, and hence were compelled by poverty to auction away their children. And that they did.

After the commissioner’s office drove the family out, even torturing them, they put their children for auction outside the commissioner’s office for the simple reason that the provincial government, which is supposed to be responsible for reaching out to its people in times of need, did not care to help and to ensure the lives of their kids, the poor couple had to make a gut-wrenching choice. Interestingly, the leader of the province’s ruling party gave a statement in the same newspaper, saying that politicians are obligated to help flood victims. At that time, this senior leader was visiting Sindh province, apparently to provide support (but not financial).

Certainly, we can and should blame the poor public for bringing so many children into the world even half of which they cannot support easily, let alone bring them up well. Most poor people in traditional Pakistani culture believe that religion encourages producing more kids and that family-planning or use of contraceptives is sinful. But the government too has failed badly in reaching out to the dregs that are the ultimate victims of all disasters—natural, financial, and political. Even the non-governmental organizations, some of which are doing some really good helpful work, are not there for the poor in times of need. Since rain was predicted and flash floods were very much expected, the NGOs should have been ready to address the flood victims at the earliest.

Yet, in the end, these were the innocent souls that had to be sold to keep them safe from physical starvation. Will more families will be torn by the neglect of the provincial governments in flood-hit areas? Probably, yes. But hopefully, this incident of the poor couple auctioning their very children will prove a didactic episode to both the government and the public in preventing such tragedies in the coming days.

Getting rid of titular science in Pakistan

Ernest Dempsey – Yesterday was some notable time in the history of Pakistan’s communication technology when a first ‘advanced’ geostationary communication satellite was launched into the space by China on behalf of Pakistan. The satellite, called PAKSAT-1R, was launched from China’s Xichang Satellite Launch Center and it’ll provide communication services to more than 45 clients, including Pakistan’s army and some popular private TV channels as well as cell phone communication companies. Undoubtedly, the credit goes to President Asif Ali Zardari who signed the agreement for this satellite with his Chinese counterpart in 2008. There is but one note of concern the good news evokes: when it can, and does, revert to its technologically advanced neighbor, why is Pakistan spending hundreds of millions on its so-called scientific research?

The question raised in The Express Tribune post was whether the country’s space science program is on the right track. Right on the mark, however, will be the question “why waste millions on science institutes and projects that are simply insignificant and, at worst, not even scientific?” Spending on research is justified only if the research is carried out by competent, learned, well-trained, and intelligent scientists. These qualities are, sadly, lacking in Pakistan’s so-called scientists. In all provinces and institutions of the country, science has been reduced to cramming text and reproducing it in exams. Rehashed versions and imitations of research carried out abroad decades ago are printed as ‘research papers’ by degree-holders who, through back doors and other underhand methods, have occupied high academic designations. For feasting on government funds, this titular ‘research’ has enjoyed the lack of accountability through fair audits and competent, objective evaluation. And all this has been going on for decades, growing year after year.

The results are disastrous and obvious: in times of disaster, Pakistan’s geological/environmental hazards are managed by China; its missile technology and air defense system are developed by China; its mineral reserves are explored by the developed west; and its satellite communication technology is developed by… good guess, China. For all scientific and technological solutions, Pakistan pays China and other developed countries while at the same time producing science rotes under the supervision of PhD-degree holders who each gets 5 to 10 times that of an average Pakistani citizen’s monthly income. This pay is only a small part of the hundreds of millions spent annually on buying scientific equipment for whose use to learn, foreign trainers are hired or incompetent rotes are sent abroad, again spending a lot of government funds. And the outcome? Recently, a drone developed domestically crashed to the ground after it collided with a bird!

It is almost unimaginable what financial (and intellectual) horrors have been and are being planted by this waste of public funds in the land where people kill themselves on account of extreme poverty. True that arts and humanities are as dead as science here, but the country doesn’t have to pay huge amounts to China or the west to publish poetry, decorate buildings, or compose music. If there is one failed pursuit the nation has been burdened with, repeatedly, it’s that of science. Whether it’s nuclear physics, earth science, engineering, or space science, Pakistan has been sucked of funds by parasitic academia that are worth little but get all.

The current democratic government is doing a lot of good stuff in public interest. Devolving ministries to provinces and increasing cooperation with neighboring countries for collaboration are a few of its big positives. It already has assigned the education sector to provinces and substantially reduced funds for higher education—funds that would be wasted on producing more inept degree-holders. It will be a great step toward progress if President Zaradri’s government also puts an end to the ‘science fraud’ that this country has been a victim of for decades. Minimizing foreign scholarships to foreign lands, eliminating the nonsensical tenure-track scheme of payment, and cutting all titular-scientific expenses to bare minimum would help the nation a great deal in coping with the debt/financial crisis that is looming large over its shrinking economy.

Demand to ban Bible conveniently ignored by Pakistani media

[caption id="attachment_5488" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="News media sources fail to expose abuses against Christians"][/caption]

Ernest Dempsey - Pakistan - When it comes to religion, the hollow claims of straightforward journalism put forth by Pakistani media are seen nowhere, except perhaps 7 feet beneath the ground, buried under fear and/or beneficial compromises. This has again been witnessed, painfully, no doubt, in the latest demand of a fundamentalist religious party that wants the Christians’ holy book Bible to be banned in Pakistan. No major Pakistani media bothered, or should I say dared, to cover the news even briefly, let alone host any discussion on the topic. Freedom of press? If not, who’s responsible?

Before commenting on our media’s audacity, first I must share that I came to learn of the JUI’s demand to ban bible through a blog post on Digital Journal. My search for the news led me to all foreign media reports, in fact a single report shared on my different news gathering sites. The religious party seems to be claiming that some parts of the Bible are blasphemous and hence the book needs to be banned in Pakistan. In other words, since a fundamentalist Islamic party doesn’t like a book that is sacred to Christians – a minority in Pakistan – they consider it their right to demand the book should be made unavailable in the whole country. Pathetically nonsensical is all what I can call this bigotry. But the point I want to make is here that Pakistani media is responsible for irresponsibly/cowardly ignoring this demand, silently passing over an issue that should have made front-page news. It didn’t make any news at all!

For one thing, Pakistani media, both major newspapers and TV channels, have recently been regarded shockingly audacious in covering issues of contentious nature (not much outside the political conflict I must say). But it’s more the individual journalists and political/social figures who paid the price of being daring, and not the media itself. These were people like Salman Taseer and Shahbaz Bhatti and their brave female equivalent figures, like Sherry Rehman, who stood for human rights, specifically for the right of the minorities to EXIST free in a country seemingly dominated by Muslim fundamentalists, despite a secular government at rule. Pakistani media, with very minor/few exceptions, never spoke for minorities’ rights against the intimidating fundamentalist aggressors.

The case of Asia Bibi’s death sentence was precariously discussed in media (again with few exceptions) because defying the infamous blasphemy law was akin to challenging two most powerful institutions of the country: religion and judiciary. Could media dare take this challenge? The answer soon came out when, after the cold-blooded murder of Salman Taseer in Islamabad, a TV anchor excused out of the discussion by concluding that one should discuss this sensitive matter with extreme caution.

Subsequently, no one from the electronic media and very few in print media defied the blasphemy law while its abuse continued in Pakistan, mostly in the crime-ridden Punjab province where churches were attacked, Christians were beaten nearly to death, and even Muslims were targeted for personal reasons while masking the aggression as the efforts of zealots acting to protect the sanctity of Islam’s holy concepts. On the other hand, when these Islamic sacred treasures were attacked in other countries inndividual capacities, e.g. Pastor Terry Jones’ desecration of the Holy Koran in the US, Pakistani media jumped to condemn the incident with anchors and writers finding no time to tire from blasting the act.  These writers could justify an act of narrow-mindedness and bigotry against Islam but could not condemn similar bigotry against Christianity.  One must wonder how this demonstrates the openness and clarity Pakistani media claims it defines.

Not only did Pakistani media fail to cover the abuse of the blasphemy law in detail,  and neglect critical analysis (that it claims it can and usually does exhibit) the offensives against Christians, but that same media either gave no coverage at all or so limited as not to be visible to readers and viewer to the important proofs that exposed the abuse of the blasphemy law.   We can thank Christian blogs and the few Christian publications in Pakistan that did let us know about the confession of a Muslim man who is reported to have burnt copies of the Holy Koran and then accused the Christian community of doing so, leading to a blast of anger and violence against Christians in Gujranwala. This manifest abuse of blasphemy law, which should have made headlines, was again ignored by Pakistani media. One wonders whether this extreme of selectivity in covering issue of religious conflict not speak for media’s siding with the aggressor.

Media is hailed as the voice of the nation, not just in the Western world but in countries like Pakistan. But when it becomes the mouthpiece of a certain group or mindset, it loses this title as a voice automatically. In case of blasphemy law and violence against Christian minorities, Pakistani media doesn’t deserve to be proud of itself, but to be repudiated for its lack of transparency and frank news reporting.   This lack of audacity to speak for the oppressed, the apartheid, can’t be attributed solely to the intimidating power of the fundamentalist agenda that I suspect is the direct result of the long-lasting influence of that oil-rich country whose terrorists are  down in protected areas in Pakistan, but also to the media’s policy of obeying “might is right”. Since it’s never too late, I can only hope that Pakistani media stops ducking before the aggressors and stands for truth. After all, it’s people like Saleem Shehzad who make history, not the Tom, Dick, and Harry, or whatever name the reader’s knowledge best suggests!

Students raid Pakistan college, Facebook used to complain, harass

[caption id="attachment_4753" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Law college"][/caption]

Ernest Dempsey - A criminal complaint of harassment has been filed by an assistant professor at the Law College, University of Peshawar, against a group of students that raided the college and forced their way up to the complainant’s office on May 24, 201, as Facebook postings had further exacerbated tensions, revealing how social media impacts events in many ways across the world.

The complaint also charges the university’s Vice Chancellor and two other officials for instigating the students for harassment.

In an email update to officials and a few media sources, May 24, 2011, Mr. Muhamamd Zubair brought to their attention the instance of a potentially dangerous raid into the Law College by a group of more than 20 students, led by one named Tariq Afghan. According the complaint, registered the same day by Zubair against the alleged bullies, the students forced their way inside the college premises at around noon, shouting slogans and profanities against Zubair in an angry tone, and walked up to his office. Being suspended from his services, Zubair happened to be home at that time. He received a call from the college’s informing him about the incident.

Worried about his and his family’s safety, Zubair rushed to the police station and narrated what he had been told. The concerned police inspector of the campus police station accompanied Zubair to the college where students and staff confirmed the harassing raid of students. Following this, Zubair submitted a written compliant of harassment against the students led by Tariq Afghan and some university officials, including: the Vice Chancellor (VC), the Registrar, and an assistant professor named Ahmed Ali Aijaz of the Department of Pashto. The three officials have been accused of instigating the students for harassing Zubair.

The latest incident follows the wake of a growing conflict between the university’s administration and Zubair who was suspended from service on charges of misconduct and involvement in politics while he adheres to his stance that he has been suspended by the VC because he blew the whistle of his plagiarized PhD research, published as a book. Later, a Facebook page slammed a group of four or five teachers, including Zubair, as sexual predators that harass female students. In his complaint against the VC and students, Zubair also mentioned that he was being defamed by the same group with postings made on Facebook under fake IDs.

Zubair stated in his complaint that he is reporting the incident in order to let the police take necessary corrective measures. Soon after the complaint was made, the defamatory Facebook postings disappeared.

Social media has become a mainstay in the new ways of interactions, both positive and negative, reflecting how the world stage has become smaller and more intimate by these incidents.

Nova Scotia sends aid to flood ravaged Pakistan

NOVA SCOTIA - Kevin Jess--The Premier of Nova Scotia, Darrell Dexter, announced Friday the province
will contribute $100,000 to the Canadian Red Cross to assist with the
humanitarian mission and reconstruction efforts in Pakistan. 

Pakistan was plagued with heavy monsoon rains which led to massive

flooding in late July. Since that time the situation has been worsened by
health risks from water borne diseases, food shortages, collapsed bridges and
roads, and a lack of shelter. 

“I am deeply saddened by the tragedy and loss in Pakistan. Nova Scotia, a
province renowned for the generosity and kindness of its people, is part of the
international community reaching out to help those struck by such a deadly
natural disaster,” said Mr. Dexter in a press release. 

The Nova Scotia government is also encouraging residents, businesses and
unions to do their part in supporting relief organizations that are attempting
to help the stricken country. 

According to the United Nations, approximately 14 million people have
been affected by the flooding. More that six million of those affected are in
need of emergency assistance.

The Canadian government has made a commitment, through the recently
established Pakistan Floods Relief Fund, to match all individual donations for
assistance to the Pakistan relief efforts made to registered Canadian charities
between August and September 12.

For more information concerning relief efforts or to donate, contact the Canadian Red Cross or the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA).

Pakistan in the crucible of pain as the world's attention wanders

 Carol Forsloff - In these days before New Orleans
begins its anniversary recognition of the terrible flooding of the city
during Hurricane Katrina, another place far away is in an agony far
greater than  seen in living memory.



 17 million people have been affected, according to reports.


"Pakistan is facing a slow-motion tsunami. Its destructive power will accumulate and grow with time...
Make no mistake: this is a global disaster, a global challenge. It is
one of the greatest tests of global solidarity in our times."  Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon said at the meeting of the General Assembly of the
United Nations late last week.

The United Nations reports the floods moving South and with them increasing devastation.  Maurizio Giuliano, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), in an interview with UN Radio reports:
"We have hundreds of thousands of people on the move [and] if we are
not able to reach all those in need fast enough, there may be a spread
of waterborne diseases and, of course, food shortages and lack of
shelter will not contribute to improving the situation of those in
need.”

Evacuations have been reported from low-lying areas of Hyderabad as the
second wave of flooding moved southwards, according to OCHA. Large
parts of Jacobabad district were also evacuated during the weekend, Mr.
Giuliano explained.

“We’ll only be able to know in the coming days how many people have been affected [in Sindh],” Mr. Giuliano added.

According to the United Nations report of present conditions, the
floods, which began late last month in the wake of particularly heavy
monsoon rains, have so far claimed 1,200 lives and destroyed homes,
farmland and major infrastructure in large parts of the country.
According to Government estimates, 15.4 million people are affected,
with at least 6 million of them in need of food, shelter, clean water
and health care.

The diseases may take many more lives, health officials worry.

 The UN World Health Organization (WHO)
reported that the number of cases of diseases was on the rise. The
agency said that so far, more than 200,000 of acute diarrhoea, at least
260,000 cases of skin diseases and more than 200,000 cases of acute
respiratory diseases have been reported in flood-affected provinces.

In a related development, the head of the UN Telecommunications Union (ITU), Hamadoun Touré, today sent out an appeal for contributions to assist those affected by the floods in Pakistan.

New
Orleans commemorates its dead, its lost, its recovering victories now
as in another part of the world an even more devastating flood
overwhelms much of an entire country of millions.

International
relief agencies ask for citizen support donations in the aid of
Pakistan.  The United Nations states that support has been minimal in
relationship to the enormity of the tragedy.

Pakistan pleads for aid from world community

NEW YORK -UN - GHN - At
a press conference August 6, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator asked for
international assistance for his country, Pakistan,  to help 4 million
people affected by the worst flooding in 80 years.

“It’s very urgent

that this gets released,” Martin Mogwanja said, explaining how
additional funds would pay for emergency food, health care, clean water,
sanitation and shelter over 90 days, as well as community restoration,
agricultural protection and logistical support for damaged transport
infrastructure.

The situation has created desperate circumstances for the people of Pakistan, Mogwanja explained.

The UN
Secretary-General has already authorized $10 million from the Central
Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Pakistan, Mr. Mogwanja said.  But
that money, plus the $9.8 million received by the Organization’s local
emergency relief fund and the $16 million given to its agencies on the
ground, was not enough to mitigate the crisis spanning four of the
country’s largest provinces.

United Nations contingency funds are already running out, he explained.

Mogwanja told
UN officials the deadly floods, triggered by monsoon rains, had spread
throughout much of Pakistan, destroying or badly damaging 250,000 homes
and rendering 1.5 million people homeless.

More flooding is expected.

An estimated
1,400 people are dead, but that figure could rise as new bodies are
found.  The disaster is considered to be “on a par” with the 2005
Kashmir earthquake in terms of the number of people needing assistance
and damage to infrastructure.

The on-the-ground
response effort, led by the Pakistani Government’s National Disaster
Management Authority, had already evacuated by boat or helicopter more
than 50,000 people trapped on rooftops, in buildings and on small
islands, he said.  The United Nations had dispatched assessment response
teams in the affected south-west provinces.

“At this stage,
urgent relief is required for the hundreds of thousands of people who
are displaced and are taking shelter in school classrooms and any kind
of Government building which is available,” Mr. Mogwanja said.

People are running out of basic supplies.

Mogwanja
reiterated the desperate need of his country by saying, "The top
priority  to provide shelter and non-food items that include cooking
sets, buckets, blankets and hygiene kits as well as food, clean water,
sanitation and good health care in case of an outbreak of waterborne
diseases."

Asked why he
believed 4 million people had been affected when others had put the
figure at 12 million, Mr. Mogwanja said his estimates were based on data
from Pakistan’s provincial disaster management authorities.  The number
could rise if floods moving south along the Indus River caused more
embankments to break in southern Sindh province.

Mogwanja gave the
details of what Pakistan presently faces during the terrible flooding.
$150 million to $200 million for relief and recovery efforts would
likely be needed in the coming weeks and months, and possibly more if
the impact of flooding was severe in south Sindh.  The cost of repairing
damaged infrastructure, particularly vital irrigation systems for rural
farmers, could reach $1 billion.

In Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa province alone, 80 per cent of the water systems were now
polluted with silt and other runoff, Mr. Mogwanja said.

Aid from
international organizations has only reached an estimated 30 to 40 per
cent of the population; many people had yet to receive adequate food,
clean water and shelter.  154,000 villagers were isolated when 66
bridges were destroyed.

 Relief agencies have been using helicopters to distribute food.

Water-logged terrain has prevented people from burying the dead.

On the number of
missing persons, he said there was no reliable estimate, because not all
affected areas had been accessed and many families had been separated,
making it difficult to know who was alive.  Relief workers were trying
to find the parents of young children separated from their families.

Asked when
Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari would return to the country, Mr.
Mogwanja said he did not know.  He also declined to comment on the
President’s absence.