Away from the Crowd

Shah lived in a joint family. His father, a hardworking farmer was known for his hospitality. Shah lived with his uncles, aunts, siblings, cousins, nephews and nieces. Growing up, Shah knew that with time he would have to take more responsibility of his family members. 

Like his father, Shah worked very hard. But his father kept him away from the fields and pastures. His father wanted him to do pursue higher education and be the first university graduate from his family.

Shah's father had limited land and animals, but whatever he had, he made sure his youngest son got the best of it. Sometimes Shah's school fee was covered by selling fruits, cattle, butter and firewood. Shah was very punctual and would never miss school.

Passing grade 12 with good grades, Shah got admitted to a medical school with scholarship in Punjab. His father continued supporting him. He kept sending money to his son studying in the Bahawalpur, knowing that one day he would become a doctor.

After five years of hard work Shah became a doctor and started serving as a doctor in his village. His father was very happy as people congratulated him on the success of his son becoming the first doctor of the village.

One early winter morning Shah's father passed away. This left Shah devastated. Shah had just started enjoying his life, as he had secured a job, got married and had kids. His father's demise shattered him!

Shah's elder brother took control of the farms. Shah left his job in the village and moved to the city with his three children and wife. He started saving money and made sure that his children get good education. Shah's children did not perform well in school but he managed emigrate them to Canada.

When Shah turned 60, he was asked to retire. He did! Shah wanted to shift to his village. As per the local custom, being the youngest male in the family he requested his elder brother to hand over the ancestral house to him. His brother refused. He said: " People say you have made a lot of money! When do you plan to spend it?" Shah did not reply.

Shah wanted to build a house, but he did not have land. He purchased a piece of overpriced land as his urgency was someone's opportunity. His wife also put a lot of pressure on him. Shah wanted to avoid any type of conflict with his elder brother.

After nearly two slow years of construction, when the house was completed, Shah's relatives started objecting! His neighbors also shunned him. They said that he was a show-off, as they thought that a lot had been spent on a house which was barely occupied during the summer, for three months.

Today Shah continues to stay away from the crowd! He avoids going to his village. He finds peace in drinking, in his house in the city. 

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My Batchmate

 

Yesterday, I met one of my undergraduate batch fellows (BN) in the capital. Back in the university, he studied economics. I remember him saying how he would teach children in a small rural school, after graduation. Usually after making this particular point he would often smile. Seeing him smile strengthened my belief that he had other plans in his mind.

Yesterday while having green tea, he was busy with his phone sending voice notes. Upon asking him about the urgency, he told me that some one's official work has been stuck in the government department and he (BN) is being asked to fast track the process.

During our conversation, he told me that his elder brother earns between 0.2-0.3 million per day. Both of them serve the same government department, but at different duty stations. He told me how corruption had become rampant in the department and no one can avoid it. He smiled after saying this! He said people from humble background who join the department cause havoc and do a lot of corruption.

BN said that he wants to go for a PhD, after taking an official leave. When I asked him why, he said that if he completes a PhD he can have better chances of applying directly for senior government positions. Currently, he is happy with his junior position, as he wants to construct his own house and earn money. After completing these two tasks, he would would join a BS-19 position and live comfortably.

This batchmate of mine also told me a story of one of his super seniors in the department. Without naming him, he said that in addition to making a lot of money, his super senior owns lands, houses and even a diary farm (of nearly a hundred cows). One cows cost him 0.8 million rupees and he bought all the cows from Australia.

Before saying goodbye to each other, he asked me about the price of my shoes. I told him!

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Book Review: Among the Mountains: Travels Through Asia by Wilfred Thesiger

In this book, Wilfred Thesiger a well known British explorer of the twentieth century writes about his travel experience in the mountains of Middle East and Asia. The author makes some interesting revelations about the people, terrain, flora and fauna, that he observes during his travels. He also shows his bias in his writings.

He states that at Brep in Chitral all the inhabitants had goitre (p. 20). He mentions about the presence of Kirghiz, Wakhis, Kazakhs and Sariqolis in Chitral (p. 22-23). The author also mentions about the Muslim converts he encountered in Kalash valley, who were previously Kafirs. In Chitral the author meets Major Mir Badshah who was the commanding officer of the Mahsud battalion on the Lawari pass. He had served in France and East Africa during the 1914-18 war and his father was one of the important Mahsud Maliks (p. 34). The author reveals that there were 2800 Khassadars in South Waziristan and in North Waziristan. They were recruited on hereditary basis and paid fifty rupees per month (p.35).

The author mentions meeting the powindah people (nomads) in Afghanistan. According to the author, these people are migratory camel-owning tribes from Afghanistan who come down into Pakistan for the winter months, and then on to the Punjab (p.36). He also mentioned Waziris with strings of camels carrying planks of wood from Khajuri to Bannu, where they sold it in exchange for food.

In 1953 when the author was on his way to Hunza, he mentions coming across Gujar people near Besal, after crossing Btakondie (p. 53). He says that until partition of 1947 these nomads had always wintered in Jammu (p. 53). At Gilgit, Thesiger had a letter of introduction from John Dent to Khan Muhammad Jan Khan, the political agent stationed at Gilgit. The author also mentions Kirghiz going to Spanj (Chipursan) to buy flour (p. 61).

Regarding the Hazara people of Afghanistan the author states that near Herat possibly the Hazaras speak the Mongol language (p. 92). The author further states that theft was very rare among the Hazaras, and Hazara people were very much in demand as servants in Kabul (p. 93).

Further in the book, Thesiger mentions about the conflicts during the journey, presence of Brown Bears in Nuristan, Lapis lazuli of Sar-i-Sang and meeting different nomadic communities. He also travels through Jurm, Baharak and Munjan. The book presents a fascinating account of the how the author considers some of people as hospitable and others as inhospitable. He also comments on the way of life, cleanliness, physical features, religiosity, and the personal likes and dislikes of the author. The book presents some amazing photographs which makes the reader more interested in reading Thesiger's account.

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Book Review: A Princely Affair: The Accession and Integration of the Princely States of Pakistan, 1947-1955 by Yaqoob Khan Bangash

Bangash's book covers a very important but often neglected phase of Pakistan's history. The complicated process of integration, the postcolonial transition and the ways in which it affected the nature of the state is also covered.

There are certain details which are new to me, so I mention them in the review. General Muhammad Ayub Khan married his daughter to the son of Wali-e-Swat. Kalat and Bahawalpur states gave money to Chief's (later Aitchison) College of Lahore (p. 23). In 1897, Muhammad Sharif Khan of Dir was granted the title of Nawab by the British (p. 34). Quoting Biddulph, Bangash says that the rulers of Hunza and Nagar were locally called Soori (p. 40). Although today, locally there is no evidence for this claim.

Even before the partition India, Mountbatten was already acting pro-Congress (p. 54). Bangash quotes Jinnah who said 'Neither the British government nor the British Parliament nor any other power or body can compel them to do anything contrary to their free will and accord' (p. 58). Bangash says that Jinnah had personally taken on the responsibility of the princely states but barely had time to respond to the states which were interested in joining Pakistan (p. 61). Jinnah was preoccupied with 'more important matters' (p. 61). The Mehtar of Chitral died in a plane crash in 1954.

Sir Shah Nawaz was Dewan of the Junagadh state. Junagadh had already acceded to Pakistan. Menon wanted the Nawab to give full authority to the Dewan to decide the future of the state, which he did by calling upon the government of India to take over the administration of the state (p. 69).

The politics of the Khairpur state, Bahawalpur state, Kalat state and many other states are discussed in great detail. Sir Richard Crofton was the Prime Minister of Bahawalpur since 1942, Gurmani became the Prime Minister of Bahawalpur in April 1947. For some time the Prime Minister of Kalat was Edward Wakefield. Nawabzada Muhammad Aslam Khan was the Prime Minister of Kalat and a relative of the Nawab of Amb. He was a member of the Pakistan Civil Service.

The government of Pakistan had officially sanctioned that no popular representatives of the princely states were to take part in the all-important constitution-making process in Pakistan (p. 139).In 1950, there was not a single princely state in India where people did not have full democratic rights (p. 190). In Pakistan, because the government had no clear policy on accession, and Jinnah was too preoccupied with other state matters (and after February 1948 too annoyed to deal with Kalat), policy formulation became the responsibility of the bureaucrats (p. 222).

While reading the book I was wondering when would such perspectives be taught in schools and colleges? History is not something fixed. In fact, history writing should give rise to new questions and debates.

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Book Review: After the Neocons: America at the Crossroads by Francis Fukuyama

The central theme of this book is the post September 11, 2001 foreign policy of the United States of America. Francis Fukuyama has come to the conclusion that he can no longer support neoconservatism (both as a political symbol and body of thought) as it has developed into something which has become irreversibly identified with the policies of the first term of George W. Bush's administration. Fukuyama stresses on the need to redefine American foreign policy in a way that it moves beyond the Bush administration's legacy and that of its neoconservative supporters.

Certain interpretations of neoconservatism helped America during the Cold War, but during the 1990s the principles were used to justify a foreign policy that led to the war in Iraq. Fukuyama says that the neoconservative legacy is complex and diverse, tracing its back to the early 1940s. One feature of neoconservative writing during the 1990s was its general lack of interest in international economics or development (p. 43).  They were by and large concerned with politics, security, and ideology; they generated relatively few distinctive opinions about globalization, competitiveness, development, and other issues (p. 44).

Four basic thought that logically explain the policy positions are based on the following principles:

1). A belief that the internal character of regimes matter ad that foreign policy must reflect the deepest values of liberal democratic societies.

2). A belief that American power has been and could be used for moral purposes, and that the United States needs to remain engaged in international affairs.

3). A distrust of social engineering projects.

4). And finally, skepticism about the legitimacy and effectiveness of international law and institutions to achieve either security or justice.

Fukuyama believes that jihadism is a by-product of modernization and globalization, not traditionalism (p. 74). the author says that all foreign policies, including doing nothing and maintaining the status quo, involve risks (p. 92). The Bush administration and its neoconservative supporters failed to anticipate the hostility of the global reaction to the war before undertaking it, particularly in Europe. 

American policy approaches to development were heavily driven by the needs of American foreign policy, since the United States at that time saw itself locked in a deadly competition with the communist world for influence over developing countries. Institutions are one of the many dimensions of development; resources in the form of investment capital, good economic policies, geography, disease burdens, and the like all contribute to development outcomes (p. 123). 

The author says that establishing or reforming institutions is almost always more of a political than a technocratic problem (p. 124). The United States and the international community together have developed an impressive range of political tools for supporting democratic regime change since the early 1980s (p. 131). Fukuyama stresses on the need of multiplicity of international organizations that could provide both power and legitimacy for different types of challenges to world order (p. 162).

Fukuyama believes that what is required is 'realistic Wilsonianism that recognizes the importance to world order of what goes on inside states and that better matches the available tools to the achievement of democratic ends' (p. 184). Furthermore, Fukuyama is of the view that the United States should promote both political and economic development and it should care about what happens inside states around the world. The primary focus should be on 'good governance, political accountability, democracy and strong institutions.'

The author of the book emphasizes on the importance of tacking development and creating overlapping international institutions, and would also avoid 'preventive war'. He presents this as a new approach.

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Doing the Right Thing

Yesterday I saw my neighbor busy with supervision of cementing the front yard of his house. He had directed the laborers to create a a gentle slope using cement. Now, the cement slope exceeds the boundary of the plot and very clearly violates the parameters of the main road.

This makes me think about "doing the right thing." In this country, creating problems for others has become a fashion now. In PK, I see people parking on footpaths which creates hurdles for the pedestrians. Moreover, motorbikes use footpaths for shortcuts and their own convenience. If you want to risk your life, just try using a zebra crossing (pedestrian crossing). Any type of car or bike would not make an effort to stop for the pedestrian to pass. In fact, the person driving would resort to honking. Nowadays in ICT, driving on the wrong side of the road is another issue which has increased the risks of accidents.

In PK, a trend of fancy number plates was on the rise when I was studying in high school. Back then, I saw plates put on cars, with 'Barrister', 'Lawyer' and 'Press' inscribed on them. Later, after passing my undergraduate studies I met a person in Lahore named S. Other than the original number plate, S used a specially designed plate which had 'Attorney at Law' printed on it. These days in ICT, I see people using stickers on the top left side of the windscreens of their cars. These stickers have logos of law enforcement agencies including police and the military.

While growing up, although not common, but I did see teenagers kicking volleyball, playing football with basketball, playing cricket in a football ground and playing football in a hockey ground. I also saw people cleaning their front yard and putting the garbage in front of other people's house. I often think, when would people stop doing these foolish acts?

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Seeing is not Believing

I grew up hearing that seeing is believing. I think this idea was as meaningless back then, as it is right now. the use of pictures, videos and print, plays a very important role in propaganda.

The last Prime Minister was a prime example of excessive propaganda. He was portrayed as a messiah who would rescue the country from all challenges. Hero worship reached its height when anyone criticizing the Prime Minister or his policies was ruthlessly trolled online.

Derogatory remarks on social media and use of foul language was used to counter any critique of the PM. The public was made to believe that its now or never.

The young generation of the country was made to believe that a seventy year old man represents the youth of the country. The youth and anyone reading any form of text or literature, should keep two questions in mind while reading. One, who is producing the content? Second, for whom is the content being produced?

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Generation PUBG

Today (30 June 2023) while exercising in a nearby park I saw two small girls copying me. This made me smile. They were trying to copy every move. Trying very hard to do push ups they repeatedly asked me if they were doing it correctly. These little girls were aged between 8-10 years, wearing their Eid clothes. They really wanted to learn different exercises. As I was leaving, I saw the girls running and trying to do difficult exercises inside the exercise area, built inside the park. They were really willing to learn!

About a week ago there were a few small boys from a religious seminary nearby who were also willing to learn exercises, as they were trying to copy me. They just understood pashto and found it very hard to follow my instructions in Urdu. Majority of these kids loved playing and watching cricket.

In the same park I also saw some young boys playing PUBG on their mobile phones. It was a pity to see them immersed in the virtual world. Instead of enjoying the open space and facilities of the park, they were busy with their mobile phones. These phones have literally created a disconnect in human societies. 

A few months back in May 2023, I attended a wedding in ICT, where a day before the final wedding day, I saw teenage boys busy with their phones playing PUBG. Instead of enjoying the wedding function and socially interacting with the people, they preferred their best friends- their beloved phones. I do not know when this craze for online games will end?

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The Ideal Job

Sitting on a velvet sofa, he gazes at his little grandson. He smiles at him, who is busy building a tower with his lego pieces. The tower crumbles!  Removing his spectacles, the proud grandfather loudly says: "My grandson will become an engineer."

Replying to this the boy's grandma enters the sitting area and says: "A government engineer." To which her husband replies: "Obviously."

In a mild tone the grandpa says: " A government job is like a spring, it keeps flowing." Grandpa's dislike for private sector job is well known among his relatives. Once his nephew told him about how much he enjoyed his job. To which he replied: "Okay, but still it is not a government job."

Everyday at dinner, grandpa delivers lectures on the importance of government job.  He gives his own example of a retired government servant who now enjoys life, after retiring at sixty. Grandpa completed his Masters in religious studies, passed the government examination and got appointed in the audit and accounts department.

During his dinner sermons, his children would never ask him about his education and his mismatch of profession. They would simply nod their heads, avoid asking him questions knowing that he would be infuriated.

One day at dinner, one of his sons made an effort to break the silence. He asked his father if he would allow him to start a business. This made the retired bureaucrat really angry. Looking at his son over his golden spectacles, he did not utter a word signaling his son to shut up!

It was only when tea was served after dinner that their father broke the silence. He said: "What do you guys want. Look at me, I passes the exam and achieved what I had planned. Today, I have pension, two houses, cars, land and respect. What will you do with a business? Lose all the money?"

Grandpa got breathless and went to his room slamming the door. In a few seconds he returned with a red face and said: "Look at your mother and your uncles. They get paid for doing nothing. Who does not want such a life? Such an ideal job? If you work hard you get the reward."

He shut the door again! In disappointment, he asked himself: " When will my children learn?" 

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