Islamabad to lahore!!!!!!!

I had a long trip from islamabad to lahore from the GRAND TRUNK ROAD (GT ROad)

so here the coups d'oeil of my journey.

Bill Against Women Harassment

I couldn’t help but laugh at the first story I read in the newspaper at my breakfast table. The headline, which read ‘Higher penalty for women’s harassment approved,’ indicated that the government had increased the fine and years of imprisonment for all those lecherous men out there. And, in fact, according to the Criminal Law (Amendment Bill), the punishment for sexual harassment has been increased to three years’ imprisonment (up from one year) and an ‘unspecified fine’ for a ‘vague insult’ to a woman.
 

As I read on, I realised that the bill was aiming to do more than just dole out stricter punishments.


The story reminded me of my college days– a journey I began on the public bus system. As I commuted from home to college, I had to be wary of a number of things, primarily the rampant harassment at the bus stop and inside buses.


I remember out of seats – all eight of them – allocated for women, who constitute 52 per cent of Pakistan’s population, I chose to sit only on the seat adjacent to the driver or on the single seat above the engine. The remaining four seats connected to the male compartment, and I would deliberately avoid those, even if they lay empty. Better to stand than fall victim to the touching (from any angle!).


Where a moral building is needed there no bill can cast any diffrence in morality of men. That bill does not define how offenders who engage in sexual harassment on the street and in public places will be tried for this crime (since the police are hardly around when we need them the most). Also, what about those men who pinch you in public places and run away?

Can the members from the treasury and opposition benches explain how we’re going to hold such people accountable to the law in their ‘statement of objects and reasonings’ as well?




If not, they might as well make another amendment before it becomes an act: exclude ‘public’ and limit the amendment to ‘private and workplaces’ only. At least that way women have the hope of pursuing sexual harassers by utilising the mechanisms available to them in their offices. Without any regard for the practical implementation of such an amendment, it will remain ineffective.

Children's day special

The United Nations' (UN) Universal Children's Day, which was established in 1954, is celebrated on November 20 each year to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide. The day is simply set to honour children and minors.


Children’s Day is celebrated with great pomp and show across Pakistan. Different schools and organizations are seen initiating various competitions and awarding outstanding students. There are special offers for kids in Shopping malls, theatres and amusement parks. Parents are seen pampering their kids by fulfilling their wishes for the Day.



If we look around, we find another lot of children engaged in various occupations to earn a little bit of money for themselves as well as to maintain their respective families in a hand to mouth existence. Some little children have to bear the entire responsibility of providing meals and other necessities to their parents and families. In garages, tea stalls and various industrial and business houses, children workers below the age of 14 can be seen in large numbers. Some of them, both boys and girls are serving as domestic servants in many of the city homes, working themselves to the bone, just for bare survival. The employers are rarely kind to them and they make these little deprived children work much harder than their emaciated bodies can bear. These kids take over all the household chores from cooking to washing to any other back-breaking job – and after doing all that they get nothing but ill-treatment as reward.

They cannot raise their voices in fear and the employers often take full advantage of their poverty and helplessness. In fact, most of the employers prefer little children for petty and hard menial work, since their wages are minimum, and they cannot protest and raise their voices – though they do run away from tyranny sometimes – only to fall into a worse situation – which is like jumping from the frying pan into fire. These children have to bear all sorts of physical and mental torture – and for the girls the situation is much worse – they fall prey to lecherous advances of many lascivious employers. These small children go through a kind of living death, while the society and authority concerned stand by and watch indifferently.

For a nation to be progressive the children must be educated in the proper way, since they are our future. The hope of the country rests on them, some of whom may be one day called to lead the nation. Books are the windows through which they can see the light of this vast world of ours. But the windows are closed to them and they are condemned to live in a dark world, into which not a gleam of light can penetrate.

                                                                                          
So much has been said and so much has been written about compulsory education and child labour – though nothing worthwhile has been done to solve the problem of illiteracy. Child labour cannot be wished away and compulsory education cannot be whistled in by waving a magic wand. Sincere efforts and dedicated work are necessary to make the illiterate people realize the value of education for the good of their children.




Unless economic uplift of society at large is ensured, talking about “education for all” is merely a jumble of hollow words without any meaning. It is easy to talk about the value of education – but to translate it into practice is something entirely different.
 
 
 
 
 

A collective effort is need of the time. 

one step for progressive nation.......is within us.

We very often keep blaming, our relatives, our neighbours, our District, Provincial and Federal governments for our woes, to some extent may be rightly, but at times, willfully or ignorantly disregard the fact that it may be because of our own modes and behaviour, tradition and culture and callous way of life. Is it not a fact that when it comes to demanding, we are not willing to accept anything less than what the citizens in civilized societies are enjoying, but would pay no heed to the duties and responsibilities that a civilized society citizens voluntarily discharge?


It is rightly said that first deserve and then demand. Let us not forget that good governance that we all keep yearning would only come through, if the different tiers of the government as well as the people at large discharge their duties and responsibilities to the society honestly.

Aerial firing in celebrations, may it be on the eve of wedding, the birth of a son, New Year festivity and hailing the Independence Day etc. is one of such trival tradition that we have not been able to give up. one wheeling, bike and car stunts, voilation of traffic signals, parking on non parking areas, and etc. Miscreants  openly violated the ban on pillion riding while carrying flags of various political parties, and blocked many arteries of the city. Their “celebration” caused traffic jams at various points, causing immense miseries to other citizens.

Sadly, it was not only the illiterates, but even the educated persons also were seen indulging in all these unruly activities, making this precept of the wise men wrong that education is the panacea for all social evils, as for us even this seems to be an utter failure because it has thus far made no difference here.

we have to be socially literate, ethically literate, moraly literate, and moreover we have to be civilized and true figure. otherwise we can't match with pace of progressing world.

its said that everything is possible. and there is nothing impossible. As the word impossible utter that i-m-possible. so let teach our selves first and make our conscience bound to obeyt he law and order of our country.

Judy harper gave me friendship award.

i am going to pass this award to all those who read and like my blog.

The pride of all humanity.

Abdul Sattar Edhi of Pakistan and a Belgian human rights defender were Tuesday awarded a prestigious United Nations prize for their work in promoting tolerance and non-violence.




Edhi, the philanthropist, and Franois Houtart of Belgium were awarded the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)-Madanjeet Singh Prize on the unanimous recommendation of an international jury to UNESCO Director-General Koochiro Matsuura, according to an announcement in Paris.



They will share the $100,000 prize money and receive the award on November 16, the International Day for Tolerance.



Dedicated to advancing tolerance in the arts, education, culture, science and communications, the prize was created in 1995 on the 125th anniversary of the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, with the help of Indian writer and diplomat Madanjeet Singh, who is also a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador. It is awarded every two years to individuals or institutions for outstanding contributions towards its goals.



Edhi, one of the most active philanthropists in Pakistan through his Edhi Foundation, a non-profit social welfare programme with over 300 centres, received the accolade for life-long efforts to improve the conditions of the most disadvantaged groups in Pakistan and South Asia, and promote human dignity, human rights, mutual respect and tolerance, according to UNESCO press release.



His foundation provides the needy with medical aid, family planning, emergency assistance and education, and sets up maternity homes, mental asylums, homes for the physically handicapped, blood banks and orphanages, among other services.



Houtart, an promoter of North-South cooperation and founder of the Tri-Continental Centre (CETRI), a non-governmental organization (NGO) renowned for its work on development issues, was honoured for his life-long devotion to world peace, intercultural dialogue, human rights and promotion of tolerance.

Autumn dead leaf

Autumn is a season when nature changes her attitude. Sky looks so delicate and faint blue as breathless. Environment became silent and quiet. Everywhere we can see a transformation. Our moods became so dull likewise. Most important phenomena of autumn are the fall of leaves. We most called them dead leaves.

As a common viewer when we pass through the colorless leaves we mostly think that they are not more alive they are now garbage and should be disposed. But I wonder stuck when I saw a picture, which was made by the dead leaves in an exhibition. And that picture looked so beautiful as real. I stop near that masterpiece and keep gazing for quite a long time. Really I found a mysterious message inside me from that picture. The picture, which was totally made up with dead material, how alive that was.

The momentary thought that knock my mind and heart was that how disappoint we were when we were deceived, cheated, disappointed, or loss something. We normally closed all the gates of our mind and keep mourning for days and nights. But those dead leaves show us a sign of life. While wilting they contribute the colors and richness in nature. The autumn trees give a vibrant fashion to the environment. 

As I always try to drag positive facets from everyday situation, so as yesterday. Really I felt so relax and comfortable from my trip. I would love to show you that picture but the owner didn’t allow me to take a snap, and I can’t violate the rules.


But what I want to share is, there isn’t anything in this world, which is useless. As our national poet Allam Iqbal said



Nikami nahi koi cheez zanany mai


Koi bura nahi qudrat k karkhany mai


(urdu)
(translation)
" there is not anything useless in this world.
and nothing is bad in this nature.
*( i think i didn't translated it well. but i hope you all will get the bottom line)*



the same philosophical thought I also find in an example of a fruit. Life is like a  fruit. There isn’t anything useless in it. Seeds can give us new generation. Fruit itself energize us and the peel of the fruit can easily be used as fertilizer. Everything that exists has its own purposes, sun, star, moon, seasons, weather, body organs, instruments even a log of tree. All we need is a magical touch, which led all of us on the way where everything is constructive.

we as a human can contribute our efforts to make and give life a true meaning. we can be a mentor and guide for the other so all utilize their productive sense to build up nations on stream line.  we can raise the moral of all those people who left their hope.  

(A picture from google which is only paste as an example.)