Violence ravages Shia group in Pakistan

Disclaimer: This post was originally posted in TechNews on Jan 25, 2014

I was on Skype with my four-year-old nephew when he asked, “Is 200 a large amount?” I smiled and said, “Yes, why are you asking?” He looked at me with his innocent eyes and said, “Lilen, Mama was just telling her friend that until now more than 200 people have died in the last three massive blasts. We will also die if we say 'Ya Ali’.”

This kid’s question left me speechless; all I could remember was my childhood where we had no idea of what dying meant. What does being Sunni or Shia mean? All we knew was that we have to live, play, eat and sleep. The biggest fear we had was our parents scolding us and the most unsafe place for us was standing on the edge of a roof. But now we have to tell our kids that this country is not a safe place to live.

My heart goes out to all those families who lost their loved ones in these inhumane acts; it changed everything in an instant forever. Nothing would be the same for them anymore. On January 21, once again the Heaven gained 22 souls and the reason for their death was just that either they were Shia or they were living in a Shia dominated area.

Whenever I hear about someone’s death, all which revive in my mind is the moment when I lost my eldest brother forever. He was suffering from cancer and we all knew somewhere in our mind that he would leave us one day but we were still not prepared for his death. I wonder about those people who were sitting and having a good family time and all of a sudden just in one blow all was gone. A bomb doesn’t know who it kills. It doesn’t discriminate on basis of religion or anything; it just kills. Then why do we have to discriminate?

I’m tired of this violence; I'm tired of the pain and still can’t help it. I'm tired of being on the road, lonely as a robin in the rain. I want to run away from all this but will it bring a change in my society? I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. It aches like pieces of glass in my body; it feels like scars on the soul of humanity. I'm tired of all the times I've wanted to help and couldn't. I want to do something at least that would bring a little hope to people who lost their families, their friends, their whole lives and have torn apart in just a second. I'm tired of being in the dark of this ruthless war of ethnicity. Mostly it's all about the pain. There's too much that words can’t explain. If I could end it, I would have but there is no hope for humanity. I wonder what can relieve these people, what can change their fate. How would a Sunni feel if they are asked to change their sect just because Shia doesn’t like it? If they never question us about our beliefs then why do we have to question them? In fact, we don’t even ask them, we just kill them.

I believe a society that accepts mass killing as norm, indeed is a "Dead Society." It pinches me to accept this bitter truth about my society. Every day, dozens are butchered amongst us but it has no effect on our social lives. We still manage to party around and forget to give a thought to such people who have lost their loved one. Spare a thought for victims of Mastung tragedy blast as you start your life peacefully tomorrow.

If that thought provokes you a bit then help people. Not much but at least volunteer at Edhi Centers by donating blood or volunteer your time. It’s not much; it’s actually nothing, it won’t cure their pain nor it will help them sleep but it is the least we can do until it’s us or until the next time the whole world shakes up and crumbles. My country bleeds again and I mourn, I mourn for its fate, its destiny and its people.

Link to original post: Violence ravages Shia group in Pakistan

3 mass graves discovered in Pakistan

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on Feb 2, 2014

I come from a very educated Baluch family, where I have always been thought to support the right thing and fight for your rights. I have always been taught by my parents, how to be human and to feel the pain of everyone, regardless of this fact that who they are and what they do, but you are a human and you should act like one.

But I wonder what’s wrong with my country fellows, what happened to them all of a sudden that they have even forgotten the value of one’s life? While scrolling down my news feed, all updates that I get from my country are about human been killed by human over ethnicity or religion. When everything becomes too much, you’ll either explode with anger or start crying because you have finally decided that it’s all too true.

On January 25, three mass graves were found after one of them was discovered by a shepherd who saw pieces of human bodies and bones. He informed the Levies, a private armed force organized by tribal leaders, and according to Assistant Commissioner, district Khuzdar, Mr. Afzal Supra, Baluchistan, the grave was excavated and 15 bodies were found. As the news of the mass grave spread throughout the district people gathered there and started digging in the nearby area where they found two more mass graves. I don’t know what the exact figure is but all I could read with my blurry vision was something around 103 bodies which were recovered from the graves.

After reading this line I couldn’t read further. I was just too scared to do that, because I know the pain of losing a sibling. All I could think of was the family of the missing persons, those who had some hope in their heart that one day their sibling might return. I know for them this world might have come to an end. My heart goes out to all those families who lost their loved ones in these inhumane acts; it changed everything in an instant forever

At that moment, all I could think of was a famous quote by Louis Pasteur, “One does not ask of one who suffers: What is your country and what is your religion? One merely says: You suffer, that is enough for me.” I buried my face in my shirt. I was all alone in my room but I felt as if everything in the room sat together and wept. There was no one who could speak to fill the silence. Even if there was anyone I believe that, that moment wasn’t about saying something, it was about understanding. It was about being human and sharing in the communion of pain that we so often try to isolate.

Since 2001, Pakistan state security forces have abducted and enforcedly disappeared more than 180 thousand Baloch political activists including teachers, Journalists, doctors and students. Out of these they have received more than 1500 mutilated dead bodies tortured inhumanly and beyond recognition found dumped in desolate areas across Baluchistan. The corpses, most of which were decomposed and beyond recognition, were discovered after a local shepherd reported to security personnel the discovery of bones, body parts and the possibility of a suspected grave in the area.

Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Gilani summoned the Inspector General of Police in Baluchistan and Deputy Commissioner Khuzdar on Saturday February 1, and has ordered them to submit a detailed report on the incident. Baluchistan High Court judge Justice Noor Mohammad Muzkanzai was appointed the head of the commission. According to a statement issued by the Baluchistan’s Interior Ministry, the commission would submit its report in a month’s time after conducting the investigation. But this is not the first time when a summon was order they did that before too but no result yet.

On behalf of my people, I would like to appeal United Nations human rights commission to appoint a U.N. special rapporteur on Baluch human rights crisis to investigate the human rights abuses Pakistan has committed in Baluchistan on daily basis.

I believe a society that accepts mass killing as norm, indeed is a dead society. It pinches me to accept this bitter truth about my society, everyday dozens are butchered amongst us but it has no effect on our social lives. But today I pledge you all to spare a thought for these unidentified bodies of God knows whose, as you start your life peacefully tomorrow. If that thought provoke you a bit then help people. Sometimes you have to be strong when you feel like giving up, have to fight when you just want to run away. Sometimes it’s all you can do just to keep going and in hope of a better future we will keep doing. Help me raise my voice against the violence and help us to bring peace in Pakistan.

Link to original post: 3 mass graves discovered in Pakistan

Mama Qadeer Baloch breaks Gandhi’s civil disobedience marching record after 84 years

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on Feb 28, 2014

We all know life's not fair.  We all deal with loss and death of a loved one and it’s probably the hardest thing anyone in this world can go through.  But what makes the situation worse is when your loved ones are missing.  You live every day in dual feeling of hope-fear, hope that they will return and fear that they might not.  This is the feeling which many Baluch families are living with since 2007.

Writing history as Abdul Qadeer Baloch (also referred to as “Mama Qadeer”) aged 72, under the aegis of the Voice of Missing Baloch Persons (VMBP), set on foot to Islamabad from Quetta three months ago, hoping to raise awareness about human rights violations in Baluchistan and demand the recovery of their missing relatives.  The families and supporters of the people reportedly whisked away by intelligence agencies from various parts of the restive Baluchistan province, reached Rawalpindi on Thursday, travelling more than 1,245 miles in adverse weather conditions and intimidation by government agencies.

Many people joined them for the long march.  One name which is really worth mentioning is, Ali Haider Baloch, a 11-year-old boy, who stopped going to school and joined the long march with his elder sister, Saba. Why did he do this?  He did this because his father, Ramzan Baloch was abducted in front of his eyes.  Farzana Majid Baloch, secretary general of VBMP and the moving spirit behind this historical long march, is not a layman. In fact, she is a well-educated woman who is well aware of what she is doing.  She did her master’s in biochemistry from Baluchistan University and has been raising voice for the protection of her younger brother Zakir Majid Baloch since 2009.  But when there was no light at the end of the tunnel, she chose the beacon of hope and initiated this long march with her fellow beings.

Recently, Pakistani media has been emphasizing about the thing that Mama Qadeer and Ali Haider Baloch have made history and are unaware of this fact.  They reported: “They broke the 84-year-old record of Mahatma Gandhi, who travelled 390 kilometres on foot from Ahmadabad to Dandi as part of his famous salt march.  When Mahatma Gandhi started his march to protest against the salt laws of British Government in the colonial India he was 61 years old in 1930, the youngest among the first 80 marchers with Gandhi was 18 years old.” (The News, Pakistan)

I urge all Pakistanis to get out of their stereotype obsession and preoccupation with making stupid world records.  This man (Mama Qadeer) did not initiate a long march to make a world record or to be flattered with such prominence.  His young son Jalil Reki, a political activist, was kidnapped and was killed in the custody of secret agencies.  He does not want recognition for his so-called "greater-than-Gandhi-record."  He needs, and indeed deserves, justice.  His sons' (he says all of Baluchistan’s thousands of missing persons are his sons) murderers should be brought to justice.

I do not deny the fact that they didn’t make history.  It’s a reality that they did make history but unfortunately our real rulers are deaf and dumb.  They are wall-faced and stone-hearted.  Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who visited their camp in December 2013 in Karachi, assured Mama Qadeer Baloch that their dear ones will be produced in courts soon.  The Defense Minister of Pakistan himself is defenseless.  He can't defend either Baluch pedestrian marchers or human rights.  He won't plead the case of Baluch hushed voices in the torture cells.  He made a false promise to them.  All I can say to my people is: “don’t give up because we still have something to give.”  Nothing is really over until the moment we stop trying and soon this dark dawn will turn into a bright day where falsehood is bound to perish and truth to triumph.

Link to original post: Mama Qadeer Baloch breaks Gandhi’s civil disobedience marching record after 84 years

Tricia Downing: an inspirational woman

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on March 8, 2014

It was a regular Thursday evening and I was working on my assignments when I suddenly realized that Tricia Downing would be here for Women’s History Month, but I didn’t want to go alone. I asked my few friends if they were willing to come along with me but they refused to accompany me as they were tired. I really wanted to go there, so I dressed up and went with the intention that I would return in 10 minutes, but who knew this event would have been so inspirational?

I got some free food (which is always awesome) and entered the auditorium. The moment I entered the room, I saw this beautiful lady sitting on her throne (calling it a wheelchair would be an insult) with her head high and smiling, spreading her positive vibes around every corner.

The moment I saw her all I could think of was how blessed I was. I realized how easy it was to be thankful when we are being blessed, but it is a challenge to be thankful when times are tough. I was complaining about the food at the Commons, but she made me realize that it could have been worse.

Downing, a passionate cyclist, was living a perfect life 14 years ago. That time she was only 31 years old and she already had everything she could have asked for. It was in the summer of 2000, when she drove across the country in 23 days and completed 18 races. She returned from her adventure and was all ready for a new beginning: her dream job which awaited her, and, was steadfast to make the next summer the time when she would make another world record in cycling. But who knew what the future would hold for her.

It was September 17, 2000, one sunny Colorado afternoon she started her day with what she loves the most, training on her bicycle with her friend Matt, when not only she, but her complete life collided with a car. It was that dark day in this athlete’s life when everything changed in a minute, and in a blink she was paralyzed from the chest down.

As mentioned on her website, “as a competitive road and track cyclist and lifelong athlete, losing the use of her legs was devastating on all accounts. As she re-learns to do everything from sitting straight up to navigating through her house in a wheelchair to returning to work and operating a hand cycle, her grueling recovery takes her to the very core of her athletic mettle.”

Sitting in that room and listening to how she struggled with her life each day made me feel so small in front of her. I just kept on thinking about all those times when I would complain about every useless thing, which can be changed and even if it didn’t, it would have not made a difference. I kept looking at her shining face and thought, “what if I could not walk or was bed ridden for a while? Would I be able to have the same positive energy within me or I would have died from depression?” I just looked down and said, “I am a healthy person who can walk,” so I have no rights to complain about my life.

Trust me, it’s not that easy to face this society with a wheelchair, no matter how hard you try but somewhere in your heart you know that people are looking at you with pity. They feel bad for you. Downing was once walking, not only walking but was an athlete and she knew exactly how it felt to walk. It’s not easy to overcome this feeling but this lady did it.

When she was sharing her experience of the first triathlon, I was amused to see her passion for sports. As a communication student I could see that she was doing everything as a normal person would do while giving a presentation. She was moving back and forth, moving her hands, having eye-contact with her audience, cracking jokes to give some comic relief and smiling after every few minutes, just to make sure that we are not sad but happy to see her. I can still hear her voice when she said these golden words about her experience, “when I entered the field, all people could see was my disability but when I finished the race all they could see was my ability.”

Yes, these words made me think about my abilities and gave me inspiration to be better every day. When she was telling us about the time she moved from rehab to her own house and all her family left her all alone, that was the moment when my heart broke into thousand pieces. I wished that I knew her at that time so I could have helped her. But before me this feeling could not go further and she looked at me and smiled and said that this was the time which made her stronger, because she ignored the little demon on her shoulder and promised herself that she will do something remarkable in her life.

Yet, she did and until now she has completed over 100 races, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons. She was the first female paraplegic to complete an Ironman triathlon and qualified for the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in 2006 and 2010. And another great achievement for her was when she competed as part of the U.S. Rowing team at the World Championships in Bled, Slovenia in 2011.

What a true inspiration you are Tricia Downing. I am so glad I listened to your inspirational speech and learnt how to be thankful. I thought I was strong but I was wrong, I am not an inch as strong as you are. You are a living role model for all those women who think they can't do anything. I am blessed to meet you. Thanks to IIT Office of Spiritual Life and Service Learning and IIT Campus Life for bringing her here. Trust me we all should really start being thankful for things we have in life, and what happens, because tomorrow - what we have, could be gone.

If anyone is willing to be inspired then you must order her book Cycle of Hope, which chronicles Downing’s journey from the first terrifying moments of impact with the car through rehab and her emergence as a world-class athlete. Please visit her website for more information trishdowning.com and you can also email her at trish@trishdowning.com

Link to original post: Tricia Downing: an inspirational woman

'I Am Malala’ proves inspiring, relatable, terrific

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on March 29, 2014

IIT Office of Spiritual Life and Services Learning, hosted a book club for “I Am Malala” during The Women’s History month. In Malala's honor, they also launched their book drive to benefit Open Books, a Chicago-based award-winning nonprofit that operates an extraordinary bookstore, provides community programs, and mobilizes passionate volunteers to promote literacy in Chicago and beyond.

Malala Yousafazi, 16, was shot by the Pakistani Taliban, 2012, for lapsing their restrictions in Swat valley on girls' education. She openly campaigned for the reconstruction and reopening of more than 400 schools destroyed and closed down by the Taliban.

The Taliban ruled Afghanistan until ousted by a U.S. military invasion ordered by President George W. Bush following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. But its roots are in the remote tribal areas of northwestern Pakistan, where Malala's family is from. Where it can, the Taliban has imposed rules forbidding girls from going to school, listening to music or taking most jobs.

“I Am Malala” is not only the autobiography of a dauntless girl who was shot by the coward Taliban but it also uncover the deep-rooted connections of Pakistani state with fundamentalist Islamists and our so-called social and cultural norms which unfortunately leads us to discrimination against women. The book tells us the story of any other normal Pashtun girl who is intensely agitated by increasing radicalization of the Pakistani society which consequently restrains women's freedoms and access to education. She explains how a young generation of Pakistanis is deeply disconnected from the rest of the world because their biased text books distort history and glorify wars in the name of Islam.

Malala offers her unusual sincere opinion and condemnation on several issues which are still considered as forbidden for public debate in Pakistan. The way she has discussed Pakistan’s internal policy failures and the army's acceptance, reinforcement and fortification for the Jihadist elements, she has really distressed the node between the military and the mullah (clergy) in Pakistan.

Unfortunately most Pakistanis have failed to support Malala in her this journey. Where we all should be proud of her, we are finding out ways to disown her. Why is that? That is just because of the way the conservative commentators has presented her image in front of us. Many people in Pakistan were unable to read the book because the Pakistani Taliban have warned bookshops not to sell copies of the book and just in case if they did then they will have to face the consequences. And I believe until and unless you don’t read this book you won’t know the joy of survival and the pain of being away from you own home. It just feels like a body without his soul.

She was also nominated for 2013 Nobel Peace prize, and if she would have won that, she could have been the youngest-ever Nobel Laureate at age 16. For me Malala is a real life super hero, who is ready to give up everything for the sake of education, not only for herself but for every individual in our country. Being a Pakistani girl and coming from a remote area of Pakistan just like Malala, she has a very especial place in my heart. Not for what she is doing but for how she is doing it. I can easily related myself with Malala because the relation she shares with her father is the same relation I share with my dad.

I personally believe that every human has a duty, a role and a certain function to perform for humanity, for his country and for his people and I always feel that I am lagging behind to play my due role. This I learnt from my father, who taught me the values of fellowship, humanity and hard work. Because of his teachings, I still believe that if we all play our parts in our own communities, towns, villages and cities, one day we will succeed to make this world a better place to live.

Despite the fact that, to be able to read and write is considered  a sign of success and prestige in Pakistan but I was not satisfied as I always wished to do something which could have a beneficial and a positive impact on human lives and which could make me internally content.

Though, I belong to one of the remotest part of Pakistan (Baluchistan) but I am still blessed to avail the opportunity to get education. My father actually went against his whole family to educate his daughters, because to him education is the basic necessity. Dreams have no bounds, my parents taught me that, and, that’s what made me dream. I am not an intellectual, but, the famous quote by Martin Luther King Jr. “I have a dream…!” really changed my life.

Just like Malala I have a dream for my village and people that one day they will also get a chance to taste the sweet fruit of education. I have a dream that one day my country literacy rate will be 100 percent. But my question is that will my fellow being help me to pursue my dream? Will they stand next to me and support me or will I be criticize like Malala too?

I was asked during the book club session that after Malala’s sacrifice will the parents leave their children to fight for this cause. My answer was maybe not because they fear this thing that their daughters are not Malala and no one will come to rescue to them. And I am giving this statement on this behalf that last June 2013, there was a terrible bomb blast in Sardar Bahdur Khan Women University, Quetta and at least 25 people, including the deputy commissioner of Quetta, 14 students of a women’s university and four nurses were killed when a bomb tore through a bus, followed by a suicide attack and a gun-battle in the Bolan Medical College hospital, where the injured students were taken for treatment. The sad part is that the one who survived were not taken care like Malala, because they were not known by many. They were not fighting for the cause of education nor were they writing about their struggle to get educated, they were just any other person who got injured in a blast. But it’s not that that I don’t respect Malala for whatever she is doing for us. I still hope and wish that one day we all will stand united for one cause and that would be education. I will continue my struggle just like Malala because as she said “I raise my voice not so that I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard.”

Link to original post: 'I Am Malala’ proves inspiring, relatable, terrific

Turkey bans YouTube and Twitter

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on April 6, 2014

“The Turkish government banned YouTube on March 27, less than a week after Ankara made a similar blackout of the social networking site Twitter, which is estimated to have more than 10 million Turkish users” reported CNN.

The shutdown came into being just a few days before the municipal elections were taking place nationwide. According to the Turkish government, they have blocked YouTube as a response to the leak of a confidential conversation which was taking place between top government officials discussing the probability of attacking their neighboring country Syria. The leak is "a despicable attack, an act of espionage," the Foreign Ministry says.

However, Turkey's Twitter ban is still going on, and it has affected the social life of many people as they were connected through Twitter. Although, the good part is that the block has actually attracted many people in the country to use Twitter than ever before. NBC reported that “while Turkish residents were originally getting around the Twitter ban by changing their Domain Name System (DNS) settings, recently the Erdogan government has been cracking down, forcing Twitter users to download mobile Virtual Private Network (VPN) apps or tweet via text message.”

The Christian Science Monitor explains this ban thusly: “Turkey is a complicated country, largely split between a secular, liberal youth, and older, more religious conservatives.” Overall, Turkey is a very digitally-connected country: Pew Research found that 80 percent of Turkey’s 34 million Internet users are on social networks. It remains to be seen whether banning social media weakens opposition or fuels the flame.

On March 20, after Twitter was banned in the country, it offered a work-around for Turkish users which uses SMS messaging. Within less than 24 hours, Twitter use in Turkey rose 138 percent, according to social media firms Brandwatch and WeAreSocial. According to Turkish research group Gonzo Insight, there were almost 2.5 million tweets from Turkey from when the ban was put in effect to the next morning, setting records for Twitter use in the country. #TwitterisblockedinTurkey also became a global Twitter trend. Google also offered its own Twitter access backdoor: DNS addresses that went viral online and on the streets. Immediately after the ban, searches for “DNS” in Turkey boomed. But soon, the telecommunication department executed a tougher IP-level block, and searches for DNS fell off. This social media ban can be called “the Streisand effect,” which means that when we try to control access to something, there are high chances that we end up bringing more attention to it.

The move triggered additional public outrage toward the government and it made them move towards international condemnation. It is said that this scandal has grown into the biggest challenge of Erdogan’s 11-year rule. It has affected the behavior of the public in the way that they have become aggressive towards their government’s continuous ban on their social life. Earlier, they had banned the use of alcohol, then threats were given to ban Facebook, and YouTube was once banned which caused educational and entertainment blockage to many people. People have started to feel helpless and have come out to the streets to protest against this imposed law. The issue has become a tug-of-war between Erdogan's administration and Twitter.

Some 2.5 million tweets were posted within three hours of Twitter getting blocked in Turkey. Just before midnight on Thursday, March 27, 2013, over 10 million users started wondering why they could not access the site. Twitter users were able to continue posting by changing their DNS on their computers or downloading certain VPN applications on their smart phones.

Most people think that the Prime Minister did this on purpose because in the recent weeks, almost daily anonymous internet tapes of telephone conversations were released which clearly highlighted that Erdogan was involved in corruption.

The controversy over the ban has added to an already febrile atmosphere ahead of elections, with some rival candidates even warning of armed provocateurs and possible assassination attempts during the polls.

Within less than 24 hours, Twitter use in Turkey rose steeply to 138 percent which is a beneficial effect for the Twitter Company but not for Erdogan because he wants to disconnect the public from the world, which is, of course, not possible in today’s situation where everyone is well-aware of their rights.

Erdogan has decreased his chances of coming back into power, and by making this move, he has increased his chances of being caught by the forces for corruption. The people, especially the youth, are highly affected by this ban because in this age, when they are told not to use something, they tend to use that more. People have left their houses and are on the streets protesting against the government. They are being abused by the forces as well as mentally by themselves thinking what might happen next. Their daily and personal lives are affected by this move; they don’t get to eat, sleep, or socialize the way they did before. This may cause depression to many people and it may also hit the economy of the country because when people come out to the streets to protest, they won’t work.

Link to original post: Turkey bans YouTube and Twitter

Reputation of Pakistan precedes realities, accomplishments

Disclaimer: This post was originally published in TechNews on April 13, 2014

I come from the land of pure, where we are told on every step to live your life for others. But unfortunately recently my homeland Pakistan, is known as a place where people are not safe and they are being killed for no reason. And trust me it hurts me to see my country name like this because my country is "my country" after all, I belong there and I can’t hear anything against it. We all hear and read about how people criticize and insult Pakistan, and unfortunately there are times when we cannot blame most of the reasons due to the increasing violence. But if there’s one thing I’ve been taught, it’s never to generalize. The good points of Pakistan have been hidden in this layer of violence.

But what we can do is that at least change our perception and try to look for positivity in it. Let me point out some good and interesting facts about Pakistan; in the last five years, Pakistan’s literacy rate has grown by 250 percent, the trend of early and arrange marriages has almost vanish and women have started to come out of their boxes and grow.

Abdul Sattar Edhi is running the world’s largest ambulance network, we produce about 50 percent of the world’s footballs, we are known as world’s seventh largest pool of scientists and engineers and we are ranked as the second largest gas infrastructure in the world.

In medicine, not only have we produced world class doctors that now practice all over the world, we also have state-of-the-art medical facilities that offer services at a fraction of the cost that is charged for similar facilities elsewhere. To name a few, these facilities include Aga Khan, South City Hospital, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT), Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, Burns Center, Kidney Center, Services Hospital Lahore and Indus Hospital among others.

On the other hand, we also have some of the South Asia's master musicians in every genre. Whether it is the world famous qawwali of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the ghazals of Iqbal Bano, Farida Khanum or Mehdi Hassan. The pioneers of pop music in the subcontinent such as Nazia and Zoheb Hassan or bands such as Junoon, Fuzon, and Atif Aslam all come from Pakistan.

Apart from this, Pakistan has produced master artists such as Sadeqain, Abdur Rahman Chughtai, Ustad Allah Baksh, Shakir Ali and others' whose work is not only recognized in this part of the world but is the predominant feature of many art auctions all over the world at Sotheby's and Christie's.

Our artists are the product of a rich cultural heritage that dates back thousands of years. We are the one who value our families and relations more than ourselves. For us our parents always come first and no matter where we are we never forget our culture and tradition. Because that is our identity and that is what makes us a Pakistani.

Despite all the mishaps, destruction and loss, we’ve shown a lot of progress. One of the most amazing facts which we are seeing is that a majority is protesting against the violence. We still have time to improve more, and I know we can if we try to look for motivation and positivity within ourselves not others. We should get united, and stand up for one cause, and that is that we want to change. And guess what since we’re still living let’s bring out the best of us and our country. Long live Pakistan.

Link to original post: Reputation of Pakistan precedes realities, accomplishments