Comments on: Pak sar zameen?

By: asif

asif — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 04:23:07 +0000

In reference to your opinion about Jinnah’s desire for secular constitution:
“The constitution of Pakistan has yet to be framed by the Pakistan Constituent Assembly. I do not know what the ultimate shape of this constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type, embodying the essential principle of Islam. Today, they are as applicable in actual life as they were 1,300 years ago. Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy. It has taught equality of man, justice and fairplay to everybody. We are the inheritors of these glorious traditions and are fully alive to our responsibilities and obligations as framers of the future constitution of Pakistan. In any case Pakistan is not going to be a theocratic State to be ruled by priests with a divine mission. We have many non-Muslims –Hindus, Christians, and Parsis –but they are all Pakistanis. They will enjoy the same rights and privileges as any other citizens and will play their rightful part in the affairs of Pakistan.”
Broadcast talk to the people of the United States of America on Pakistan recorded February, 1948.

I hope it can answer to ur remark about treatment of minority in a muslim/Islamic state. What Pakistan was not supposed to be, was a theocracy. & what we have, is a caught-in-conflict state b/w two extremes… sectarianism / theocracy vs. secularism. However, even a theocracy or a secular state could have survived but evils of nepotism, ethnic hatred and corruption are potent enough to eat away this land in search of nation, if we dont unite and shun our habits.

By: Oscar Eugenio Bellini

Oscar Eugenio Bellini — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:30:47 +0000

Dear Sir,
I am a researcher at the Faculty of Architecture of the Politecnico di Milano, and authors with my colleague of two books by Whitestar Publishing concerning contemporary architecture in the Arabian Peninsula (‘New frontiers in architecture. Dubai from vision to reality’ and ‘Building Arabia. Expanding the limits of architecture’). I also collaborate with the international architecture and design magazine Compasses (www.compasses.ae) and I are therefore interested in publishing a review of your very nice photos about Yas Marina Hotel in Abu Dhabi. Could you please send me, as soon as possible, some photos of the Hotel in order to include it in the march issue, especially dedicated to Abu Dhabi, because I have not photos about this architecture. I Notifies you that for this article, I will not be paid and so, I can not pay to you any copyright. In the articles, I’ll can, however, mention your copyright photos.
Thank you very much for your kindness
Best Regards
Oscar Eugenio Bellini

By: arsalan

arsalan — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 08:49:28 +0000

Thanks for reading!

I believe I might not have been clear enough about the basic premise of my article. I do not think that we need a Pakistan that is an exact image of Jinnah’s Pakistan. Yes, he is gone now, and ‘Jinnah-ism’ for the sake of Jinnah is unhealthy.

We are not living in the 50s. I don’t see any sensibility in pretending that we are. I do, however, believe that we do need to bring back some of Jinnah’s ideals. In spirit, and not in word:

If you go back and follow the link to read Jinnah’s speech (excuse me if you have already), you will find that there is a basic message of tolerance, unity, fairness and justice. I hope you don’t mean to say that these are no longer relevant and can be done without.

Also, these are principles that we need to adopt as a society. They would do nothing to help with the current political mess, and the ’security situation’. But let’s look beyond Pakistan or Jinnah here. Humanity needs to relearn kindness.

“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” – Plato

By: nikamma

nikamma — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:32:06 +0000

I enjoyed reading your article. I am slightly bothered by your assumption that Pakistan today needs to be how Jinnah intended it to. Jinnah was a product of his time and culture. He did good and bad things and is gone. You could argue he was farsighted and a visionary. But that needs to be rigorously analyzed

By: M

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:04:05 +0000

It wasnt until this excuse for human habitation became an Islamic Republic that things started really going bad.

The simplest reason was that the purpose to divide india was fulfilled, the idealism that drove that movement had become obsolete, and the time had come to finally control people rather than let them run free and unrestrained, high as they were (and continue to be to this day albeit more covertly and increasingly without any reason) on their jazba and junoon and pride and honor.

Yar yeh baatein na kiya karo. Bertrand Russell said it all when he said:

“Patriotism is the chief curse of our age, and will lead to the death of civilisation if it cannot be mitigated.”

And patriotism doesnt just mean pakistan zindabad, it means nokia/ericson, honda/toyota, doctor/engineer, PML/PPP etc etc etc.

This is the bullshit that is destroying our culture, the so called fuel of the modern system i.e. competition.

Kill em all i say.