Blame it on Oxford by Arslan Khan

I am a man who believes in learning from the past. In other words, I am a strong advocate of learning from history so as to not make the same mistakes, or repeat a certain failed pattern again. I know the following analogy I make may sound conspiracy theorist or farfetched, but the fact is, it exists.

Pakistan has had a torrid history of political change, full of turmoil and chaos. That hasn’t been helped much by the fact that most of our leaders end up being assassinated or in some case(s) prosecuted and hanged. However, I came across a very interesting trend in the Pakistani leaders who were laid to a premature rest. Let us first of all, list all of them.

Liaquat Ali Khan, the first prime minister of Pakistan. Loved and endeared by most of the population, he was always seen as the right hand man of the father of the nation Muhammad Ali Jinnah. He has an esteemed place in the history and hearts of the Pakistani people but even he wasn’t a completely pure character. His character towards the end of his life was shrouded in mystery and even his companionship with the Quaid was brought under question by some leaders. His reign was however brought to a premature end when he was assassinated in Rawalpindi in a place which was then named the Liaquat Bagh.

Secondly, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto who was the first democratically elected prime minster of Pakistan. One of the most outspoken and brilliant orators the country has ever seen, Bhutto sought to eliminate the gap between the rich and the poor in the country through an aggressive scheme of nationalization in his reign as premier of the country. Sometimes his political acts were seen as too aggressive and that was one of the ‘reasons’ why he was prosecuted and later sentenced to death by General Zia.

After that, we had the daughter of ZAB, Benazir Bhutto, who was the first woman prime minister of Pakistan. Again, like her father, she garnered large crowds for her demonstrations and had a widespread following throughout the country as she spoke against the dictatorship for Zia ul Haq and ended up winning the second democratic elections of Pakistan and becoming the prime minister. But as we know, her government was accused of corruption and her government was abolished and came back a second time and was abolished once again. So clearly, her two reigns were not as successful as she had intended them to be. And while campaigning for her third term in 2008, was assassinated in the same park where Liaquat Ali Khan was, and the park was renamed after that event as Benazir Bhutto Park.

Now what common trends do we see in all of these people’s reigns as prime ministers of the country? First of all, as we all know, they were all assassinated. Secondly, they came into power with widespread support and love of the people but that slowly faded away and they ended up either being prosecuted and blamed for the country’s problems and were killed. So they played politics well, up to the time of their elections after which they certainly did something wrong to irk some people so much as to eliminate them from the face of the planet itself. Another common thing was that they were first in some major respects of being prime ministers of the country, and that clearly spoke loads about their leadership skills and charisma. But wait, there’s another commonality here that we have failed to notice: they all went to Oxford. Yes, as stupid as it sounds, a very common fact between all three of these ‘great’ leaders was that they went to Oxford.

Now we move to our present political scene. Imran Khan’s PTI held a rally in Lahore which was one of the biggest ever in the country, clearly showing how many people have come to support Imran and his proposed policies for the country. They were enthusiastic and enthralling, and now when someone speaks against their leader, Imran’s supporters are sure to lash out against them in a very vicious defence. All these things are almost reminiscent of the rallies and supporters of the PPP and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto. The fervor, the enthusiasm and the aggressive defence of their leaders, are all traits that also existed with these PPP workers who supported the Bhuttos. Just like Bhutto did in the 70’s, Imran is proposing a plan to break free entirely from the USA and make Pakistan self sufficient. We all know how well that worked out, with the disaster of nationalization and the fiasco of the FSF to control the internal security of the country. Along the lines of Bhutto’s optimistic slogan of ‘roti, kapra aur makaan’ we have the utopian optimism of Imran Khan who is assuring the population that all problems of Pakistan can be solved if we sever ties with the USA entirely…well that never works out. Oh and did I mention one more similarity? Imran Khan also went to Oxford.

If that is any indication of how things are going to turn out for Imran Khan and Pakistan, things do not seem too bright. With such fervor and support, Imran has taken the expectations of the depraved nation sky high and anything less than his promises will gain him only widespread opposition. If his personal qualifications (read: Oxford degree) is any indication, Rawalpindi may be in for another change in Park names, and I including many others would really not want that to happen (because lets face it, good leader or not, he’s the only world cup winning captain in the history of Pakistan). So it would be for the betterment of both Pakistan and Imran, if he revises his policies and gives people hope, and not the utopian optimism that he currently is, because then in my books, he really will be a better leader than those who have given us empty promises and then failed us for the past 60 or so years. History has taught us, Oxford and optimism in Pakistan do not make a very amazing combination. Lets try and learn from our past now.

FOR THE LOVE OF CHAIR By: Fatima Waheed 10U0466

In most civilised countries, heads of state take on a dignified role once they leave office. They start humanitarian work, help in policy formulation and act as ambassadors of their country. In time, the citizenry starts to look upon them as father figures. One sees a president with as chequered a record as George W. Bush cheering at baseball games and the once-reviled Tony Blair employed as an ambassador of peace. This statesman-like behaviour by former heads of state serves to embellish their legacies and also helps erase their faults from the collective memory of the nation. It’s a win-win situation for everybody.
Needless to say, no such tradition exists in Pakistan. Not surprising, since a crucial prerequisite, the tradition of leaving office voluntarily, is also missing. The troubling reality is that in recent history, our heads of state have been invariably forced out of office. In fact, over the last 40 years, we don’t find a single instance of the de-facto head of state leaving of his own accord. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged, Zia died in a plane crash, Benazir and Nawaz Sharif twice each had their terms cut short and Musharraf was forced to resign under the threat of impeachment. Undeterred, the lucky ones who leave with their lives intact, immediately begin weaving webs to plot their return.
To the unsuspecting eye, the sure-footedness that ties Pakistani rulers to their seats of power is an open-and-shut case of self-serving greed and lust for power. After all, such behaviour pervades the society at large and if it exhibits itself in the corridors of power, it should not raise eye brows. But there’s more to that than meets the eye.
It seems that our rulers have seen the end that met their predecessors and internalised it. They have resigned themselves to the fact that exile, incarceration or death is the fait accompli inextricably tied to their jobs. To avoid that fate, in their estimation, they must keep their jobs. It’s as if the hanging of Bhutto hangs like a noose over their heads. Given the bloody history of power politics in Pakistan, who would blame them.
Such a conclusion may also explain the lack of restraint our leaders have shown in committing what we refer to as “high crimes” in common parlance, such as subverting the constitution or breaking the oath of office. The punishment for these crimes should be enough to deter a prospective offender, but for some one who sees his own survival at stake and is already resigned to an unceremonious exit, no deterrent is enough. Survival is the most basic of human instincts, and if one sees it threatened, respect for law is the first thing that goes out the window.
Another feature of our heads of state’s behaviour has been the “messiah complex” they seem to carry. While it is hard to pin down the root cause of this complex, it seems a by-product of sycophantic advisers and the desire to attach a higher purpose to their actions. This reinforces their power-lust and primal fears, and we have a full-blown case of “powerophilia” on our hands. It suffices to say that taking power from them is a tad tougher than taking a candy from a kid.
While our rulers may have deluded themselves into believing that their fate is sealed if they are ousted from power, the reality is that their actions have made this a self-fulfilling prophesy. If for once, they listened to the call of their conscience and abided by the constitution they vowed to uphold in letter and spirit, they will find that the people and history itself is very forgiving.
The winds of change are blowing once more and the rulers, secure in their house of cards, seem oblivious to it. Their exit, in due course, is written all over the walls. Only they can not see it. It would be foolish to assume that they will voluntarily cede power and listen to the voice of the people. The NRO, which ushered them into power is there no more. If ever there was a regime that needed to be in the corridors of power to be safe, it is this one.
One can only hope that when it is time for them to leave the seat of power, they quietly pack up their bags and head to the seemingly safe shores of exile. While it is true that justice is the best deterrent and one would love to see it in action, any one who has studied our recent power-transitions knows that is a dream too far.
The dream of seeing a smooth, seamless succession of power is even farther.

Unprovoked NATO Attack By: Saima Haroon 10U0439

Nato Attack

Unprovoked NATO helicopters attacked on our two check posts on the Afghanistan border in Mohmand Agency killing 24 Pakistani troops, while they were asleep. The attack was strongly condemned by Pakistan’s military and political leadership. DCC meeting swiftly decided to suspend the NATO supplies going to Afghanistan through Pakistan and asked the Americans to vacate the Shamsi air base within 15 days.

This was a purposeful and deliberate attack to undermine the image and capability of the Pakistan Armed Force.

The US is currently caught in a dilemma. It wants to bring its costly adventure in Afghanistan to a close because of its internal political and economic constraints.

 However, USA wants to do that on its own terms. Unfortunately US wants to leave behind Pakistan and Afghanistan with destroyed infrastructure, failed economy and heavy human losses. USA’s flawed strategy is to have safe exit from Afghanistan by 2014. The US Generals believe that the Taliban/Afghan resistance is because of Pakistan’s military’s alleged support

 .

Our situation bears close resemblance to that of Cambodia during the Vietnam war, which was bombed by the American forces. As a consequence, Cambodia was destabilized and the government was overthrown.

However, this did not save the US from the consequences of their flawed policy in Vietnam leading ultimately to ignominious withdrawal. The US Generals, instead of recognizing the flaws in their strategy and taking necessary corrective measures, are engaged in an attempt to make Pakistan and its military a scapegoat of their policy failures. The Americans are thus bringing enormous pressure on Islamabad and the Pakistan Army by employing various dubious means. The latest being the unprovoked NATO helicopters attack.

 It appears that his blatant purposeful aggression was done with purposeful objectives;

to see the reaction of the corrupt Pakistan government and strong Pakistan Army.

This attack has taken place at a time when a memo allegedly written by a US citizen named Hussain Haqqani (removed Ambassador to US) is under investigation by the authorities. The memo was aimed at destroying Pakistan military strength and clipping the wings of the military leadership including ISI so that Pakistan Army does no resist American designs.

On the contrary, political government and the army both swiftly reacted against US expectation to the NATO attack and declared it a blatant aggression against a sovereign state. The DCC immediately met and off-set the nefarious design of US by deciding to revisit their foreign policy and intelligence sharing.

It appears that divergence of interest of both US and Pakistan has led to Americans extreme frustration. Hence, the series of planned incidents starting from raid in Abbottabad, memogate and NATO attack. This safely leads to the following:

·        The US is creating rift between the weak government and the strong Pakistan Army with a view to destablise Pakistan and force upon the army to succumb to the terms and objectives of US in Afghanistan

·        Deliberately tarnishing the public image of Pakistan army

·        Economically cripple Pakistan so that nuclear state becomes a mere subservient state

·        Increase distrust between the people and the state and create unrest

·        The intent and purpose of memogate, raid in Abbotttabad and NATO attack is to seek big concessions to USA and India

·        Force Pakistan army and the government to conduct sweeping operations in North Waziristan and dismantle Haqqani network, to enable USA to negotiate with the Taliban from a strengthened position

·        Create conducive conditions to gain legitimate access to Pakistan’s nuclear assets

·        Force Pakistan to accept Indian hegemony in the region with a view to counter China

·        Compel Pakistan to grant MFN status to India. Thus, making Pakistan a consumer state

To achieve its aims the US can go to any length to harm Pakistan, its ‘strategic ally’ by resorting to the following:

·        Force European countries to mount pressure on Pakistan by imposing various sanctions

·        Compel IMF and WB not to extend any financial aid to the war torn and economically weak Pakistan

·        Impose trade embargoes

·        Cease visas to Pakistanis and force Pakistanis employed in the US to leave US soil

·        Develop Indian army pressure on the borders, so that Pakistan is forced to deploy major chunk of armed forces on the Eastern border

·        Isolate Pakistan from the rest of the world by declaring Pakistan a terrorist state

In the light of above mentioned points, Pakistan also has various options which if used effectively will bring enormous pressure on USA

·        Distance itself from the war on terror. It must be remembered that without Pakistan’s help US cannot have safe exit from Afghanistan

·        Stop supplies permanently going to Afghanistan. Americans, even if they have the stockpile for the next six months, will not be able to maintain its troops deployed in Afghanistan

·        Decrease military and American aid so that Americans black mail comes to a halt

·        Increase reliance on China and Russia for economic assistance and military hard wear

·        Find emerging markets for its textile and other exports

·        Develop and integrate food production so that Pakistan becomes self-sufficient

·        Pakistan’s disengagement in war on terror will embolden Taliban who will increase attack on the US troops in Afghanistan, thus increasing casualty rate. This will also stop suicide attacks in Pakistan. 

A tragedy with JF-17

On 14^th of November, the Pakistan Air Force was struck with a major blow after one of its leading fighter planes the JF-17 crashed near Attock. The plane was on a routine operational training mission when it took off but just after a few minutes it crashed. The pilot Squadron leader Muhammad Hussain was killed during the incident and reports say that the main reason for his death was failure of ejection when the lever on his seat was pulled. The reason for the jet to crash was that it encountered a technical fault in one of its engines which immediately caught fire and exploded. JF-17 is Pakistan`s premier fighter plane which was built in collaboration with Pakistan`s good friends China. This is a major setback for the Pakistan Air Force as the new breeding pilots have lost all sorts of faith in this fighter jet.

Just a day before the crash, JF-17 won all praise from several engineers during its display in the Dubai Air Show. 

Hassaan Nadeem

10U0146

Section E

Googly Facts about Google

Google! The search engine we all know and love! Outmatched by none in terms of speed and efficiency! But how about these little snippets?

1- That "Google" is actually a spelling error? The founders originally wanted it to be"Googol." Supreme math nerds would know that Googol is the mathematical term for 1 followed by 100 zeros. The original name was meant toreflect the company's mission to organize the immense amount of information available on the web.

2- Google's main search page isn't bare to make it "professional," it's like that because the founder didn't know HTML and just wanted a quick interface.

3- Google started out in a garage. No really, the company's first office was in a garage, in Menlo Park, California.

4- That G-mail was a "company exclusive" mailing system for 2 whole years before being made public? Only Google used this mailing service internally.

5- It would take 5,707 years for a person to search Google's 3 billion pages? The Google software does it in 0.5 seconds!

6- Dennis Hwang, a Korean computer artist in the United States, is the guy behind these witty Doodles? Hwang has been drawing the face of Google for over two years. The doodles are preserved in an online museum.

7- Ever heard of Google Moon? Google Moon is an extension of Google Maps and Google Earth that, courtesy of NASA imagery, enables you to surf the Moon's surface and check out the exact spots that the Apollo astronauts made their landings.

8-Keyhole, the satellite imaging company that Google acquired in October 2004 was funded by CIA? As if Facebook wasn't enough....

Just a few fun facts I thought people would like to know =)
Sound off in the comments section!

Syed Sameer Rahman (10U0063)

Patriotism- A Dying Phenomenon

Patriotism- You may Google and come across a number of different definitions and interpretations of this single word. You could ask around your social circle and have different versions of the same phenomenon. But to me patriotism is not just limited to the very definition of the word. Patriotism may be taken as a feeling that every person should have for his or her country. Or an expression, which one needs to express time and time again to maintain the love for his/her country. Similarly It even might be a myth or a dying phenomenon as we move towards globalization.

Almost every Pakistani would claim to be a patriot but are we really patriots in its true definition? I fear the ratio of true patriots to the number of Pakistanis is getting pretty low. My analysis might be wrong and masses might disagree as they have every right to do so, it’s a democratic country after all (supposedly).

So what makes me have this rash overview of the Pakistanis of today, you might ask. Truth is, even I can’t answer that question as I don’t feel like a true patriot myself. But do I love my country? Yes I do have a strong affiliation with the country I was born in. Would I die for my country? Not really, but if the same question is asked while our national songs are on the speaker or our national team wins a match, my opinion might change. It's like finding solace for 2 minutes in the isolation of an enclosure where you have come to escape the reality of life. I love national holidays though, who doesn’t like a day off from the normal course of life.

I might be wrong in assuming the general youth having similar perception as mine, but I haven’t yet come across any event which might make me think otherwise. We all love to love Pakistan, as an expression. But I doubt if we really feel it most of the time. It’s like an unhealthy relationship, in which the three golden words have lost its meaning.

What’s the cause of this negativity? I’m uncertain about the answer, yet again . But do we really get a chance to be positive, is optimism still applicable in Pakistan or being so would be considered as a fool’s paradise. We have been on the news for quite some time now, and rarely for any good reason. But I don’t blame any of those events to be a major factor in this negativity, not even the government as I’m not willing to blame myself. The whole root of negativity is derived from the hypocrisy which lies within me. I don’t recall being thankful for being a national to an Islamic republic , I don’t even remember being gratified for any single blessing I have (without any personal effort from my end) . Am I taking everything for granted ? not sure , but still I have every right to complaint for all the things I could have had , since we are in a democratic country .

I might not be speaking for the masses but there would surely be a number of people out there who might be able to relate my curious state of mind . But sincerely I wish to be blessed with the true feeling of patriotism somehow , until then I’ll keep finding solace in the bliss of ignorance.

An average Pakistani

Usama Nasir

10U0775- Section E

Pakistan---And Cricket By: Ansab Khalil

Pakistan---And Cricket

Pakistan is regarded as one of the most unpredictable side in all the three formats of the game. Be it on the loosing side by giving away the easiest of matches or be it on the winning side by thrashing the opposing side in one of the most unexpected ways you can think of. Pakistan can never be taken lightly especially in the field of cricket no matter what the reason is, Pakistan will always be in the limelight of almost everything. From the players being involved in spot fixing, to the keeper running away from the hotel, to the team reaching to the World Cup semi final, to the unexpected change in captaincy and to whatever extent you can imagine but still you just cannot exclude Pakistan from any PART of cricket.

                         

Now moving on towards that what were the major reasons for the removal of one of the most successful captain’s i.e Shahid Khan Afridi who commonly is known as BOOM BOOM even though he performed great as a captain to take the Pakistanis to the World cup semifinal. Afridi not only took the team to the semi finals in the world cup but also took Pakistan to very close finishes to the ODI series against England and South Africa even though that was the moment when Pakistan was in 1) a restructuring mode, 2) Had the new spot fixing scandal on them, and lastly Pakistan wicket keeper Haider had run away from the hotel. He was the man who brought the team together and now when you see the same team performing under another captain, we give the credit to Misbah-ul-Haq. Why?

Shahid Afridi may be unpredictable but is a brave leader, who has not only performed as a captain but also as a player, not forgetting that he was the highest wicket taker in the world cup.

Records by Afridi:

1)      The World’s fastest ODI century

2)      He has hit sixes more than any player in ODI cricket

3)      Most amount of sixes combined in all the three formats

4)      He has the highest strike rate than any other batsmen

5)      The Youngest ODI batsmen to score a century

6)      The 10th highest wicket taker of all time in ODI cricket                                        

7)      The highest wicket taker in T20

These are some of the records he holds worldwide where as there are even more of them for just Pakistan. So all this proves him to be one of the biggest asset to the Pakistani team.

BOOM BOOM PAKISTAN….!!!!