Articles of the year 2005

The Brussels incident has now been debated threadbare, and the Honorable Senators fumed and fretted, hurling threats and abuses at the entire Eu only to be told that the Immigration officials had also put the Maulana through the wringer at London Airport.Perhaps the good Maulana should put his treatment at the hands of the infidels as a learning experience, or to a tally of points for penance to be counted in his favour on Judgement day. However on this Earth, before attempting to bring down the Government he should endeavour to find the officers responsible for his predicament, and have them dealt with, preferably sent to his Madressah for a refresher course.

He should also assess the effect his Madressah's teachings have had on Pakistanis worldwide. Every Pakistani between the age of 16 and 60 is considered a threat in the eyes of the West. The persecution that goes with the label is something that we Pakistanis can well do without. Life abroad is tough as it is, but now Pakistani students are avoiding the US as the threat to the student is itself a new factor, and the many advantages of an American education on Pakistani children will be gone for a long time, if not forever. The available seats in academic institutions are woefully inadequate for the numbers of students that are ready for College, and the levels of very few colleges are of international standard( Yet again thanks to ZAB's policy of enlightened Nationalization, and Zia's enlightened Islamization.). Post Grad studies are of course out of the question, as facilities just do not exist. Effectively a generation of Pakistani students will have been deprived of the best educational facilities on offer, for no fault of their own, and certainly for beliefs not of their own. It is truly sad that so many are suffering for the actions of so few. These aspiring students do not include those Doctors and Engineers who having established themselves abroad are keeping this country afloat with their hard earned Foreign Exchange. The New crop is preferring to stay at home, and is being replaced by Indians…..who else?

It is time the President and the Prime Minister the two enlightened moderates at the top of the power chain exercise the power vested in their offices, to drive out the rabid bigots in our midst. Having access to TV channels the Public is also exposed to their convoluted message. By allowing them to spout their venom, now aimed at the outright removal of the President,--- not just the uniform, gives them the illusion of greater numbers than they actually possess. It goes without saying that the communication skills of the Maulanas are far greater than what is available on the floor of the National Assembly. Sh Rashid not withstanding. It would need a ZAB in full cry to weave his magic, or of the legendary Kausar Niazi, but let us not forget he was a Maulana too. So far regardless of their having only 2% of the total votes in the country, on achievement they are way ahead on points. The other parties should have a close look at how the MMA have managed with bluff and bluster, the phantom million man march aside, to get their way on passports, and on marathons. Who knows what's next?

The Senate would also be well advised to have a look at how we, the normal Pakistanis are treated, when attempting to obtain visas in the first place. If the Senate does indeed, being a representative body of the Pakistan, want to bring some relief to the citizens of this country, then it should form a committee comprising of some of their members, and some of the normal citizens to try and work out a better system for our visa applicants.