The only winner at the 2014 World Cup

It is 2012 but plans are being prepared for the 2014 football World Cup in Brazil. The Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) wanted to extend their legacy into new parts of the world so chose Brazil as the host for the 2014 World Cup.

The stadiums are behind schedule but there is another problem which FIFA want resolving. Since they are governed by the seemingly infallible Sepp Blatter, FIFA says that alcohol must be sold at the World Cup stage in Brazil.

The problem is that Brazil has banned the selling of alcohol at football grounds since 2003 as a measure to control rival fans rioting. FIFA as usual don’t seem to be in touch with reality. The FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke said “alcoholic drinks are part of the FIFA World Cup, so we’re going to have them. Excuse me if I sound a bit arrogant but that’s something we won’t negotiate.”¹

One of the reasons for their stance is probably due to Budweiser being one of the main sponsors for the World Cup. So the much criticised FIFA want to enforce Brazil to sell Alcohol at football matches. Is this a bad thing to ask for?

Well let’s first find how dangerous alcohol is. According to a study carried out by the Independent Scientific Committee on Drugs, Alcohol is a drug which is more dangerous in the UK than heroin or cocaine. The study examined nine categories of harm that drugs can do to the individual “from death to damage to mental functioning and loss of relationships” and seven types of harm to others. The maximum possible harm score was 100 and the minimum zero. Overall the most harmful drug to others was alcohol (72), heroin (55) and cocaine (54). ²

So FIFA are in reality saying that the most harmful drug to others is part of the World Cup. So which other drugs does Sepp Blatter want for the World Cup which can’t be negotiated on?

Why does the Quran say that alcohol is “satan’s handiwork” and the Bible discourage the consumption of alcohol? We all know the negative effects of alcohol on society. We all know the drinking of large quantities of alcohol will encourage violent behavior.

If you ask anyone who drinks alcohol they say they started drinking as a social drinker and claim they can handle their drink. Yet if you ask them, they will be able to tell you at least one incident when they got so drunk that they did something they regret. They might laugh to hide the embarrassment. In truth, it is extremely sad that humans who are the best of creation are intentionally choosing to be in a state of mind where they are not control of their actions and thus a danger to society. Alcohol has destroyed countless lives and will continue to do so.

Alcohol and sports has become intertwined in recent times. Major sporting events are named after alcoholic drinks and sports events are always shown in pubs and bars. People will either drink alcohol to celebrate their teams’ victory or drink alcohol in sorrow over their teams’ loss.

The only winner at the World Cup if FIFA get their wish will be Alcohol.

 

References

^1-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-16624823

^2- http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/nov/01/alcohol-more-harmful-than-heroin-crack

2011 – The year of change

It has been an extraordinary year. The wedding of Prince William in April, the apparent killing of Osama Bin Laden in May and the London riots in August by disgruntled youths were some of the notable events of the year.

The tsunami in Japan, the earthquake in New Zealand and the devastating floods in Australia was a reminder of the unstable and brutal nature of the Earth.

In sports, New Zealand won the Rugby World Cup after 24 years and India won the Cricket World Cup after 28 years. Manchester United also won a record 19^th league title. Whilst Pakistan were deprived of their teenage bowling sensation Mohammed Amir who got a 2 year jail sentence and 4 year ban from cricket for his part in the matching fixing scandal in England.

All the above events are outdone by the Arab revolution which was the most amazing event that I have witnessed. Actions taken by a young man named Mohamed Bouazizi in Tunisia caused the biggest revolution ever seen in the Middle East since the fall of the Ottoman Empire.

This young man was a University graduate but was forced to set up a grocery stall to provide for his family after finding no other work. The authorities decided that he didn’t have a license to sell his groceries so decided to break his trolley and destroy all his supplies. In desperation the young man killed himself by setting himself on fire after seeing no future for himself. His tragic story was the catalyst for the Arab revolution and on 14^th January 2011 the 24 year rule of Zine Ben Ali was over.

The overthrow of the dictatorship in Tunisia showed that it was possible for a dictator to be disposed without the need for western interference. Suddenly the Arab world was awake after being in slumber for more than 50 years.  There were major protests in Jordan, Bahrain, Yemen, Libya, Egypt and even Saudi Arabia.

The Arabs had got rid of their fear and were prepared to put their lives on the line in order to dispose of the dictators who had a ruled for so long. The protests were successful in removing Hosni Mubarak’s who had ruled Egypt for nearly 30 years.

Colonel Gaddafi who had ruled Libya for 44 years was not content to listen to the demands of the protesters to step down. In his greed he fought to kill the protesters. It was only with help from western powers that Gaddafi was finally killed after an 8 month fight to dethrone him. The revolutions have shown that the western powers have equipped the dictators with weapons of mass destruction and the dictators are not afraid to use them. The price of freedom is death for thousands but their sacrifice might mean a brighter future for the children in the Middle East.

On a personal note I completed my graduate placement and get a new job at the Council. I have managed to pass the first year of my Masters and was also elected the sports officer for the University of Leeds Islamic Society. This year was also a sad year because my granddad died. When I last saw him in March he said to me that I will never see him again. May he rest in peace.

My top 5 highlights of 2011 were;

1. Watching the world number 1 Rafael Nadal play on court 1 at Wimbledon. Queuing up for 4 hours with my sister for tickets and sneaking on to court 1 was worth it.

2. Walking the three highest peaks in Yorkshire for charity. Although it took me over 12 hours to walk the three peaks, it was enjoyable due to the people I was with and the stunning views.

3. Meeting my brother in law and sister in Pakistan. It was amazing to meet them on their world tour and to see the Buddhist ruins of Taxila and the Mughal Wah gardens.  

4. Spending the Christmas period with my family. Last year I was alone for the Christmas period but this year my parents and both my sisters were home. It made me realise how important family is and how much they mean to me.

5. Organising and chairing the Perished Nations weekend course in Leeds. The course was set up to reflect on the stories in the Quran about the perished nations and to learn from their downfall. It was a brilliant course.

I think that 2012 will be the year of uncertainty. The battle of revolution in Syria and other Arab nations continues. What will the Arab revolution mean to the security of Israel? The closure of the Iranian Embassy in London and the increased amount of sanctions on Iran has meant the relationship between Britain and Iran is at an all time low. How will an isolated Iran react to the sanctions?

The relationship between USA and Pakistan is also tense. The apparent killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan was a major shock to the world. USA removed its $800 million military aid to the country due to suspicions that Pakistan was supporting terrorism.

The situation has not been helped by the drone attacks which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. In response Pakistan ordered that USA remove its troops and equipment from the Shamsi airbase in Balochistan. Will Pakistan continue to support USA until 2014 when the troops supposed to leave Afghanistan?

Also the Euro currency may collapse which could result in a second recession. The outlook for 2012 looks bleak. However in 2012 we have the Olympic Games in London and the football European Championships to look forward to. We also have an extra bank holiday to celebrate the Queen’s 60^th year on the throne.  

Whatever challenges you are faced with in 2012. I hope that you all have a good year.

Happy New Year!

 

 

My City – The end of an era

On 22^nd July 2011 the last remaining single gender school run by the state in Leeds closed. This marked the end of several centuries of single gender schools in the City of Leeds.

The school which closed down was Parklands Girls’ High school. The question is why did it close? According to Education Leeds, not enough parents were sending their daughters to girls only schools and the school had to become a mixed school to accommodate the growing population of young people in the area. ¹

Let’s go 53 year back in time and see how the situation was in Leeds when Parkland Girl’s High School first opened.

It was the 9^th September 1958 when the school first opened its doors to educate the girls in the Leeds area. At this time the idea of a school which taught both boys and girls in the same classroom was unheard of.  So parents only had the choice to send their daughters to girls’ only schools and their sons to boys’ only schools.

The school was opened at a time when teachers were respected by their pupils. It was time when teachers had the authority to discipline their pupils to keep order in the classroom. It was time in society when the girls dressed modestly.

Between 1960 and 1970 there were major changes to the educational system. Such as the introduction of the Middle Schools (9-13 year olds) and changing Grammar Schools to Comprehensive Schools.²  A problem within this period was that there were not enough schools for girls to attend. Therefore, schools began to introduce both boys and girls to accommodate the growing number of girls wanting an education.

In 2006, it was estimated that since the 1970’s the number of single gender schools run by the state in Britain fell from 2,500 to just 400.³ In Leeds one of the first single gender schools to become mixed was the Stainbeck Secondary School for Girls and Stainbeck Secondary School for Boys in Moortown, Leeds.³

In September 1972, Roundhay School for Boys and Roundhay School for Girls combined into one school. In the same year, Leeds Modern School (boys) and Lawnswood High School (girls) combined to form Lawnswood School.⁴

By the start of the 21^st Century Parklands Girl’s High School was one of only four single gender schools run by the state left in the City of Leeds. Leeds Boys Grammar School which traces its history to 1552 remained a single gender school until 2008 when it physically merged with Leeds Girl’s Grammar School to become The Grammer School atLeeds.⁵

Braim Wood Boys High School for Boys closed in 2004 and most of the boys transferring to the David Young Community Academy in Seacroft. Parkland Girl’s High School remained for a further 7 years until it too was sold to become an Academy run school.

Parklands Girl’s High School is now known as the The E-ACT Leeds East Academy. The new school was opened in September 2011. If the exam results for the school improve from previous year then Education Leeds will say they made the correct decision.

There is still a debate whether a single gender or a mixed school is better. In 2003 a research study conducted by the University of Cambridge showed that boys achieved higher grades if taught in single-sex classes.⁶ However, other opinion that a schools success depends on the social background and ability of the children rather than if the school is mixed or not. ³

The Education Authority in Leeds has made the choice that single gender schools do not have a future. The future is privately run Academy schools which teach both boys and girls. Parents who want their child to go to a single gender school due to cultural or religious reasons are being ignored. Will faith schools accommodate these parents? For over 40 years parents always had the choice of sending their child to a single gender school or mixed school in Leeds. However, the decision is now being made for them and is likely to reflect the trend throughout Britain. It is the end of an era.

References

^1-http://www.guardian.co.uk/leeds/2010/feb/24/parklands-girls-school-consultation

^2-http://www.educationengland.org.uk/history/chapter06.html#01 

^3-http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/jun/25/schools.gender2

^4-http://www.lawnswoodhighschool.com/lhs/HistoryOfTheSchool.html

^5-http://www.gsal.org.uk/about/history/

^6-http://www.harrowschool.org.uk/1773/overview/why-choose-harraw?/single-sex-or-co-education?/

The ninth month

The ninth month in the Islamic lunar calendar is nearly among us. In some countries the first day is tomorrow whilst in others it is the day after. Yes that is right it is nearly Ramadan!

This is the month where Muslims are obliged to abstain from all food, drink, use of tobacco, and marital relations from dawn till sunset.  However, that is merely the physical component of the fast; the spiritual aspects of the fast include refraining from gossiping, lying, slandering and all traits of bad character.

This is the month where the practicing and the non-practicing Muslim become better Muslims throughout the month.

So why do Muslims fast for an entire month?

The answer is that a person fasts in the aim to attain purity of thought and action. The act of fasting redirects the hearts away from worldly mundane activities, towards God – the Lord of the Heavens and the Earth.

The month of Ramadan is a time for spiritual reflection, prayer, recitation of the Qur’an, remembering God, endurance and self-discipline. It is a month of training – training the soul and body- to be able to exercise self-restraint. The fasting Muslim is continuously tied with rules and regulations for an entire month and then released for eleven months to see whether the training has been adequate and effective.

Unfortunately many Muslims resort to their previous lifestyle as soon as Ramadan is over. The number of people attending the mosques the days after Ramadan falls by over 99%. People who stopped watching bollywood films during Ramadan begin to watch bollywood films on Eid day and continue to do so for the next 11 months.

I am probably as guilty as anyone for not continuing the good habits I gained during Ramadan.

We need to be consistent in our religion. Whilst it is really good that people become super religious in the month of Ramadan, it is a shame that they become super unreligious for the next 11 months.

The advice by Imaan Qari Asim from Makkah Mosque in Leeds is that we should set realistic targets and goals not just for the 4 weeks during Ramadan but for 6-8 weeks. The reason for a 6 to 8 week plan is so that we continue the good deeds until after Ramadan and into the month of Shawwal.

In the workplace they say that any targets and goals set should be SMART. They should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. Similarly the targets we set for 6 to 8 weeks during Ramadan and Shawwal should follow the SMART procedure.

Another advice by Imaan Qari Asim is that we should make intention (niyat) before we do anything.

The Prophet Muhammed said:

“Actions are but by intentions and every man will have only what he intended.”

It is important that we make an intention to do something good so we can get reward for it. We should have a clear intention of why we are fasting. Once we have a clear intention to please God and to get closer to Him and the prophets, then we can get more benefit out of this month.

The final advice given by Imaan Qari Asim is that we should have self reflection. We should think to ourselves that did we read the prayer properly today? Did we do enough good deeds in the fast today than in the fast we kept yesterday? It is only by self reflection that we can continue to improve ourselves.

I hope that we can continue the good things we learnt in this month into the weeks after Ramadan and inshaAllah for the whole year. Only if we continue one extra good deed learnt in this month, it is a start.

I hope that this year we look at ways how we can make this Ramadan better than last year.

Ramadan Mubarak Everyone!

 

Retired but the work continues

On the 28^th April 2011 it was my bosses last day at work. After 36 years of work he was retiring.  In the office there were only a handful of people but at 2.30pm several people suddenly appeared. It was a surreal moment as the office was packed full of people who just came to watch the retirement ceremony.

After 36 years of work it had all come down to this. My boss was standing in front of more than 20 people and was about to embark on his last speech.

His speech was full of emotion and about the important lesson he learnt over the years. It is amazing to think that when my boss started in 1974, there were no computers or fax machines. All engineering drawings had to be drawn by hand!

After his speech everyone clapped and then everyone had gone just as fast as they came. My boss was left alone to sit in his (now empty) office one last time…

This got me thinking that I have just started my working career. I am a graduate and I wonder what was going through my bosses mind as he was delivering his final speech. I have more than 40 years until I get to such a position. In fact it could be longer if the Government decides to increase the retirement age once again!

I wonder how my career will plan out and who will come to my retirement speech? My boss used to say that it doesn’t seem a day ago that he started his first day at work. Time does go too fast and thinking back to it I can’t believe that I have already worked for nearly 2 years.

God tells us the 3 stages of life we all will go through in the Quran in chapter 30 verse 54:

“God is He who created you in (a state of) weakness, then gave you strength after weakness, then after strength gave (you) weakness and grey hair. He creates what He wills. And it is He Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Powerful.”

In short the stages are that we will start weak when we are children, then grow to become strong in our youth and then become old and frail.

It is strange that you spend most of your life working when you are in your prime. You start as a graduate and then become better at your job and get promoted. It is only that once you get ‘old and grey’ that you are allowed to retire.

As they say ‘life is short.’ Why is it that we spend most of our lives working? We work to earn money but is earning money the only meaning of our existence?

In the Quran Chapter 3 verse 185 it states what all humans will be faced with and why we are here. It says:

“Every soul will taste of death. And you will be paid on the Day of Resurrection only that which you have fairly earned. Whoso is removed from the Fire and is made to enter paradise, he indeed is triumphant. The life of this world is but comfort of illusion.”

This is a powerful and important message.

It must be remembered that whilst we spend most of our lives on Earth in the workplace, the real aim in life is to please God and to prepare for our afterlife. If we carry out good deeds and if God is willing then we will enter paradise where we will remain forever.

I hope that when it comes to my retirement one day I can say in my final speech that my time at work didn’t go to waste. I hope I can say that I used the time when I was in my prime to good effect. I hope I can say during my working life I contributed to several projects which benefited the community and that I have no regrets.

The biggest thing of all is that whilst at work I hope I continued to please God and did my best to spread the message of truth.

Let’s see what happens…

Mr Cameron ‘hits the nail on the head’

The British Prime minister went to Pakistan last week to make a ‘fresh start’ with the country. A year after making remarks in India that Pakistan was promoting terrorism.

Mr Cameron did what he thought was best to repair relations and decided to give £650 million of UK taxpayers money to Pakistan. This money is meant for education and it could fund 4 million school places, 90,000 teachers, and refurbish 8,000 schools in Pakistan.¹

At a time of brutal cutbacks in every local council in Britain, it is startling that Mr Cameron can give such a large sum of money to a country with a poor history record of spending money on education. Maybe this is the price the UK taxpayers have to endure for Mr Cameron’s disastrous speech in India last year?

I believe that education is the only way to combat terrorism. However, only about 1.5% of Pakistan’s GDP is spent on education. A one off large lump sum from the UK to try to improve education in Pakistan is a non starter. There needs to be a change in the attitude the Pakistan Government take towards education.  According to a report by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), Pakistan spends over seven times more money on the military than on education.²

Mr Cameron was right to point out that Pakistan is not “raising the resources necessary to pay for things that a modern state and people require.” The fundamental problem is that “too few people pay tax” and “too many of your richest people are getting away without paying much tax at all.”¹

It is wishful thinking to think that Pakistan will listen to the advice of Mr Cameron and start to tax the highest earners in the country. The politicians will be aware that they are amongst the highest earners in the country, so they wouldn’t want to tax themselves. It is a shame that greed often prevails in the minds of many Pakistan politicians and the upper class.

Mr Cameron’s brief trip to Pakistan will probably be most remembered for his comments during a visit to a university in Islamabad. He was asked how Britain could help end the row over Kashmir.
Mr Cameron replied: “I don’t want to try to insert Britain in some leading role where, as with so many of the world’s problems, we are responsible for the issue in the first place.”³

 
What is Mr Cameron referring to when he says Britain were responsible for the problem in Kashmir? He is referring to the role of the British Empire during partition in 1947. Sir Cyril Radcliffe and the Last British Viceroy to India, Lord Louis Mountbatten were responsible in drawing the maps of India and Pakistan during partition. Those areas with a Muslim majority, such have Kashmir should have gone to Pakistan. However, there were many areas with a Muslim majority which were given to India.

Kashmir though was not given to either side. The ruler of Kashmir was Hindu so he wanted the region to join India but the majority of people were Muslims. The ruler wanted Lord Mountbatten to help him make his region join Kashmir but in a shrewd move, the British Viceroy did nothing. There has been tension in the region ever since, with three wars have been fought.⁴

Many journalists and historians have reacted to the comments made by Mr Cameron to defend the role of the British Empire in India.  For example, Dr Nick Lloyd, a lecturer from King’s College London argues that:

“By the time the British left India in 1947 they had given the subcontinent a number of priceless assets, including the English language, but also a structure of good government, local organisation and logistical infrastructure that still holds good today. Far from damaging India, British imperial rule gave it a head start.”⁵

I believe that south Asia didn’t need a head start because in 1858 when the British invaded, they were the trend setters. William Dalrymple writes in his book ‘The Last Mughal’ that that Delhi before the British invasion was a celebrated intellectual centre. However, when the British came they ‘burned Delhi to the ground.’

One good thing the British did was to build railways in India but they stole many assets of the country, such as the Kohinoor Jewel which still remains as the centre piece of the Queen’s crown.⁶ The British Empire was only of benefit to Britain. Once India was no longer profitable to the Empire, it was disposed of in brutal fashion.

Mr Cameron is a politician and quite often he speaks nonsense but his comments about Kashmir were spot on. The British Empire is partly responsible for many of the world problems regardless of what historians and journalist think. As the English proverb goes Mr Cameron’s comments ‘hit the nail on the head.’

End of 2010

It seems like only yesterday that I was writing the New Year message for the start of 2010! The year has gone fast again.

Last year I wrote that:

“we should make a New Year resolution to help the poor and elderly. We could give charity, do voluntary work at old people homes or get involved in the community.”

I am guilty of only giving to charity and not fulfilling the other deeds. So my New Year resolution is still the same for next year.

So what have we learnt this year? Well there is now first world debt and England will never win or host the World Cup anytime soon. This year we have learnt that even Obama can’t create peace in the Middle East. He brought such hope and optimism at the start of the year but it never materialised. We also learnt that Leeds United can beat Manchester United!

Here are my top 5 highlights for 2010:

1. Running my first ever half marathon in Leeds in under 2 hours

2. Watching Leeds win promotion back to the Championship at Elland Road

3. Organising a football tournament for a charity in Pakistan

4. Climbing to the top of King Arthur’s Seat with my siblings and brother-in-law in the rain

5. Entering an Engineering Communications Competition

2011 is going to be a difficult year for everyone as the Government starts its plan for savage and brutal cuts to spending.  As a result, tens of thousands of public and private sector jobs will be lost. VAT will be at 20% and cost of everything will be higher.  Students will have think twice about going to University and strikes will become more common. Looks like all doom and gloom!

Well, we are going to have an extra Bank Holiday in 2011 because Prince William is going to get married. We also have the cricket and rugby world cup to look forward to. The US troops in Afghanistan are supposed to withdraw by July 2011.

Whatever hopes you have for the year and the challenges that await you, I hope you all have a good year.

Happy New Year!

 

 

The occupation at Leeds Uni

The occupation

The date was 24^th November 2010 and I was sitting in a lecture at Leeds University in the Michael Sadler building. The lecture started at 1pm and we were interrupted when we could hear loud noises coming from outside the theatre. The muffled sounds became clearer as they were getting closer to the door. “NO TO CUTS” was the chant. The lecturer tried to ignore the noise and continued with the lecture.

At 1.15pm the chants became so loud that the lecturer couldn’t be heard anymore.  Then the protestors, consisting of students/sixth formers and school kids stormed into the lecture theatre. They were chanting their hearts out and venting their anger about the proposed cuts in education. They held many placards said ‘Thanks a lot Clegg.’

We understood the message that they weren’t happy about the proposed rise in tuition fees and cuts in the educational allowance. We applauded them for their efforts assuming that they would soon leave. But no the protestors had other ideas. First they shouted “JOIN OUR MARCH JOIN OUR MARCH.” Once they realised that we (transport students) were not going to give in to their demands, they took over the lecture. School children ran up to sit on the last row of the theatre whilst others were walking along the desks and blowing whistles. It was like all the animals had just got out of the zoo.

The fire alarm was turned on and the lights turned off to try and disperse the protestors but it only succeeded in exciting them even more. The lecturer announced that we would move to our ‘original’ lecture theatre. She was very careful not to give the exact location in the anticipation that the protestors would follow us and try to disrupt the relocated lecture as well!

6 days later

Nearly a week since the occupation started, the students were still occupying the theatre in the Michael Sadler building. The spokesman for the occupation, Ian Pattison, a politics student said:

He said: “The whole point of occupations and strikes and walk-outs is to raise the question of who education actually belongs to – is it the staff and the students, or is it the government and management?¹

There were occupations across various universities in England. More marches and walk outs from lectures are planned in the coming weeks.² The whole saga has made me think… will these protests work?

My own experience of protests

I was present at the biggest demonstration ever held in the UK.³ It was in 2003 and an estimated 2 million people marched through the streets of London to protest against the Governments plans to bomb Iraq.

There were numerous demonstrations held worldwide. During that protest I felt such hope and had belief that the war wouldn’t go head. There was still no evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction. But only a month after the biggest march ever seen in the UK, Britain accompanied USA in starting a bloody and disastrous war in Iraq.

Would Britains’ involvement in the war have been prevented if 4 million people were present at the march? Or 8 million? Or was the decision to go war premeditated? Were the protests all a waste of time?

It seems like the politicians are out of touch with reality. Although the protests could not prevent the Iraq war. The continued anti-war protests and growing resentment of the war in Britain forced Tony Blair to resign as Prime Minister.⁴

Final thoughts

The occupation and walkouts at Leeds University and other Universities might not prevent the savage cuts to the education allowance and trebling to the cost of tuition fees. But I applaud them for trying.

Whatever the unjust policies and actions taken by our Government, we should never stop in protesting against them. There are several peaceful methods we can use to protest such as writing to politicians and going on marches. One day the protests will work and justice will prevail. I end this blog with a quote from Martin Luther King:

“History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamour of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”⁵

References

^1-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-11856853

²-http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2010/nov/29/student-protest-biggest-education-cuts

³-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/2765041.stm

^4-http://stopwar.org.uk/content/view/2152/1/

^5-http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/martinluth133707.html

The creation of Pakistan: A gift or a curse?

A year prior to the creation of a Jewish State, a country for the Muslims was created. This country was Pakistan. Actually it was West Pakistan and 100 miles east separated by India was East Pakistan. The big question is why was Pakistan Created? Was it to act as a safe haven for Muslims or was it to divide India so that it could be placed under the influence of the British?

To understand the questions above we first need to look at the key decision makers in the creation of Pakistan. There was the leader of the Muslim League, M.A.Jinnah; the Congress Leader, Nehru; Mahatma Gandhi and the Last British Viceroy to India, Lord Louis Mountbatten.

The two people normally associated as the fathers of Pakistan and India are Jinnah and Gandhi. Although Gandhi and Jinnah both wanted India to remain united, they regrettably could never agree on the best tactics to win India’s liberation. Although it must not be forgotten how Gandhi fought for the rights of Muslims to stay in India after partition and his influence in forcing India to hand over money which was rightfully that of Pakistan.

The main architect of the terrible partition of British India was Lord Mountbatten under the influence of Nehru. The assignment for Lord Mountbatten under the instructions of Prime Minister Clement Attlee and his cabinet was to try and facilitate agreement between the major competing political party leaders of India to work together under a single federation by June 1948.¹ Mountbatten viewed this challenge like a hard fought polo game, as he put it to the King George VI-“The last Chukka in India – 12 goals down.”¹

Mountbatten was a part of the Royal Navy and his training for his senior officers technical course had to be abandoned to become the last Viceroy. Was it his eagerness to continue his Navy career that he rushed in job as last Viceroy and cut the time for the British to get out of India by 10 months?

The governor of Bengal, Huseyn Suhrawardy urged Mountbatten to create an independent dominion for Bengal. To the surprise of Mountbatten, Jinnah also agreed with these proposals and said “what is the use of Bengal without Calcutta; they had much better remain united and independent…” However Nehru and his powerful Bengali Hindu Cabinet Colleague, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mookerji, refused to give up Calcutta or the Hindu-populance of West Bengal, however, insisting instead on partition.²

Gandhi was against partition and worried about its terrible consequences. He wrote to Lord Mountbatten and said “it would be a blunder of first magnitude for the British to be a party in any way whatsoever to the division of India.” The Mahatma wrote further, “I feel sure that partition of the Punjab and Bengal is wrong in every case…If you are not to leave a legacy of chaos behind, you have to make your choice and leave the government of the whole of India including the States to one party.”

Mountbatten wrote to “thank” Gandhi for that letter, but ignored it. His mind was firmly set on partition. Jinnah was also strongly against the partition of Bengal and Punjab. He said: “The Muslim League cannot agree to the partition of Bengal and the Punjab….It cannot be justified historically, economically, geographically, politically or morally.”

Mountbatten didn’t think much of both Jinnah and Gandhi and decided “I shall have to fire my last shot in the shape of our announcement of partition.” He saw no point in waiting any longer. He was India’s “best surgeon” and believed that the sooner he performed major surgery on its body politic the better it would be for all concerned.¹

If Mountbatten had been wise enough to listen to Gandhi, Jinnah or Suhrawardy rather than listening to Nehru, Bengal and Punjab might have been sparred their deadly horrors. In addition, Bengal would have been a richly united Bangladesh rather than an impoverished fragmented Bangladesh born from East Pakistan in 1971.¹

Mountbatten had made up his mind about partition. He put the responsibility of drawing up the new borders of the countries to Sir Cyril Radcliffe. A man, who had never set foot in Punjab or Bengal, but he would shape the destiny of millions in those areas. Documents found written by Christopher Beaumont who played a central role in the partition of India in 1947 shed a new light on the partition. The documents repeatedly allege that Mountbatten put pressure on Sir Cyril Radcliffe to alter the boundary in India’s favour.²

For example, Radcliffe in the initial maps had given the Muslim majority sub-district of Ferozepur to Pakistan. Radcliffe has suggested joint Indo-Pak control of the canal system and electricity which was situated in this area. Although Nehru said it was “most dangerous to let Ferozepur go to Pakistan” and that no joint control of resources would be allowed.¹ It is alleged that with the help of Nehru’s trusted friend Lord Mountbatten, the borders were altered to suit India.

Jinnah said in 1946 that the “only solution” was to create Pakistan. Jinnah said when he meant Pakistan he meant “absolute Pakistan-anything else would be artificial or unnatural.” It doesn’t make sense why a year after making this statement he accepted the “moth-eaten” Pakistan given to him by the British. Despite calls to resist partition by both Gandhi and Jinnah, Lord Mountbatten got his way. The Last Chukka was over and Mountbatten’s team had won.

Whilst India celebrated independence, their founding father, Gandhi said “Today we have lost all our senses, we have become stupid. It is not only the Sikhs have gone mad, or only the Hindus or the Muslims…India is today in the plight of the [sinking] elephant king [a Hindu fable].”¹

On independence Sir Cyril Radcliffe who made up the new borders said on Independence Day, “down comes the Union Jack on Friday morning and up goes, for the moment I rather forget what, but it has a spinning wheel or a spider’s web in the middle.” He was referring to the Indian national flag of course.

No pretty flag could hide the brutally of partition. It is estimated that 1 million people died and 13 million were left homeless in the aftermath of the partition.³ It was the largest mass migration in history and probably the deadliest. The State of Jammu and Kashmir which was majority Muslim was ruled by a Hindu Maharaja was not given to either side. In October 1947 the first of three wars started in the region.

Sri Prakasa admitted that “for the sake of peace all round,” the “best thing” India could do was to hand over Kashmir to Pakistan. However Nehru rejected this because he foolishly thought that “Kashmir is of the most vital significance to India.”¹

The reasons for the incorrect divisions of the land were due to Britain’s ‘divide and rule’ policy. Also Lord Mountbatten disliked Jinnah and had a close relationship with Nehru. In addition,

Indeed Lord Mountbatten stuck to his word and changed the borders for the detriment of Pakistan. Jinnah had gotten a “moth-eaten” Pakistan whilst Nehru had gotten more land than he could have hoped for.

Another theory why the Kashmir was never allocated to one country and why Pakistan got a worse deal than India was down to the dispute over the position of Governor General of Pakistan. Lord Mountbatten had wanted to become Governor General of both India and Pakistan after Partition. Whilst Nehru had warmly allowed Mountbatten to become the Governor General of India, Jinnah refused to allow Mountbatten to serve as Governor General of Pakistan. Mountbatten warned Jinnah that his refusal “may cost you the whole of your assets and the future of Pakistan.”

Indeed Lord Mountbatten stuck to his word and changed the borders for the detriment of Pakistan. Jinnah had gotten a “moth-eaten” Pakistan whilst Nehru had gotten more land than he could have hoped for.

In conclusion, the partition of South Asia had a terrible consequence for the civilians. So was the creation of Pakistan a gift or a curse? I think curse is too strong of a word. I think it could have been better if the land was divided correctly. Punjab and Bengal should have never been divided and the whole of Kashmir should have gone to Pakistan. However, I believe that Partition should have never occurred.

The reasons for the incorrect divisions of the land were due to Britain’s ‘divide and rule’ policy. Also Lord Mountbatten disliked Jinnah and had a close relationship with Nehru. In addition, Jinnah refused Lord Mountbatten to become the Governor General of Pakistan. Mountbatten was very hurt by this and he warned Jinnah that his refusal “may cost you the whole of your assets and the future of Pakistan.” The Lord kept his word and Jinnah received a “moth-eaten” Pakistan.

Pakistan was made because Muslims wanted to be ruled by Muslims and not Hindus. It was meant as a safe haven for Muslims but the plan has appeared to have backfired and now the main threats to Pakistan are Muslims from Afghanistan! It is estimated that since July 2007, 4,000 people have been killed in the country by Muslims from Afghanistan.⁴

It must also be noted that more Muslims live in India than in Pakistan! These Muslims are living peacefully in India. Although it was only after partition that Gandhi fought for the rights of Muslims to stay in India. It was Gandhi’s actions that united India but also lead to his assassination.

History can’t be rewritten but learning from it can improve the future. We have learnt that partition was a disaster and India and Pakistan need to repair their ties. Also Britain played a treacherous and shameful role in partition. They have blood on their hands and have a moral obligation to put out the fire they started in August 1947.

References

^1-Wolpert, S (2006) Shameful Flight

^2-http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6926464.stm

^3-http://www.sacw.net/partition/reviewofUrvashiBook.html

^4-http://www.presstv.com/detail.aspx?id=134146&sectionid=351020401

Who turned off the lights?

I was in Pakistan last week and was watching the cricket with my uncle on the TV. The pulsating IPL game was reaching its climax with only 2 overs left. It seemed probable that the Deccan Chargers were going to beat the Chennai Super Kings. They needed just 11 runs off 12 balls. It would take some inspiring bowling to prevent the inevitable. I was looking forward to seeing how the bowler would handle the situation but with just 2 overs left the electricity went off! I was plunged into darkness and was wondering “who turned off the lights?”

The electricity going off is the rule rather than the exception in Pakistan. Whilst the Army have access to electricity 24 hours a day, millions of ordinary citizens will be lucky if they get electricity for 10 hours during the entire day.

I am staggered that in the 21^st Century there is still a Government that can’t supply its Country with electricity for a day. The energy crisis in Pakistan didn’t happened overnight but over a long period due to mismanagement, a lack of vision and a lack of accountability by decision markers.

There are currently three main electricity companies operating in Pakistan. They are KESC, WAPADA and Independent Power Producers (IPPs). Out of the total energy production; 64% is produced by thermal energy, 33% by hydro- electric and 3% by nuclear. Currently the energy supply can not meet the demand and it is set to get worse. It is estimated that by the end of 2010 the deficit will be 5500 MW.⁴

Pakistan has a wealth of untapped energy resources from massive rivers to huge unexploited coal fields, but the government has no funds for investing in infrastructure projects and is currently dependant upon a 7.6 billion dollar credit line from the International Monetary Fund.³

However, the Government managed to find money to build the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad. This monument cost Rs.580 million which is around £4.5 million.² In addition, the Pakistan Monument Museum when complete will cost Rs.120 million (£900,000). Sorry to be pessimistic but Pakistan already has many museums and has such amazing natural beauty that the Monument is a waste of money. If you ask any Pakistani if they would have rather seen the Rs.580 million spent on renewable energy or on a pretty looking monument. Which one would they choose?

The shortage of energy has meant that electricity has had to be shared. The term is called “load shedding.” For example, one town lives in darkness for a few hours, whilst another town is illuminated. Then the roles are reversed and the town which was in darkness can now have electricity for few hours. Load shedding has becoming increasingly more common in Pakistan during the last 3 years. It is having a devastating impact on the economy. For example in 2007, extended electricity load shedding in Karachi’s five major industrial estates caused losses in billions of rupees as the production activity fell by about 50 per cent.¹

Pakistan may not have enough electricity but it is blessed with natural beauty and natural resources. There are two sources of renewable energy which Pakistan could benefit from immensely: wind and solar energy.

According to data published by Miriam Katz of Environmental Peace Review, Pakistan is fortunate to have high wind speeds near major centres. For example the wind speeds near Islamabad is around 13.8-16.5 mph.¹ Furthermore, Pakistan has many lakes and rivers. The advantage of this is that near water turbines can enjoy an uninterrupted flow of wind, which virtually guarantees that power will be available all the time.

Another key point is that the company Suzlon situated nearby in India manufactures wind turbines.¹ Therefore transportation costs are decreased also there are minimal maintenance costs associated with wind turbines.

The obvious energy solution in Pakistan would be to use solar energy. Pakistan enjoys hot weather for most of the year. According to the Solar Energy Research Centre (SERC), 70% of the population lives in 50,000 villages that are very far away from the national grid.¹ The cost of connecting every village to the national grid would be very costly. The cost efficient solution could be to provide each house in the village with a solar panel. This would empower people both economically and socially.

Although there is so much potential for wind and solar energy in Pakistan, only a handful of projects have been completed. One of the main reasons for the slow development is that Pakistan does not have major financial incentives available for those who want to install wind turbines or solar panels.

Pakistan only needs to look at its neighbour India to see the benefits in introducing financial incentives. In India they have set up financial incentives for anyone wanting to install solar panel or wind turbines. The result is that now India has the world’s fourth largest number of wind turbines producing approximately 7000 MW of energy. Due to the incentives, the cost of wind in India is between 2 and 2.5 cents per kilowatt hour while in Pakistan, the cost is 7 cents. ¹

The man who can make the decision to ease the countries energy crisis is the Pakistan president, Asif Zardari. Although why should he care? After all he can go to his Mansion after a hard days work and put on his AC full blast with no problem. He can turn on the TV when he pleases and can make his chef cook him the best food anytime of the day. To him there is no energy crisis. To him the only problem is that the population is ungrateful. They should be thankful for getting 10 hours of electricity a day.

Maybe if they named a solar panel or wind turbine after him, he might make the decision to invest heavily in renewable energy. The population of Pakistan awaits his decision and asks “who turned off the lights?”

Reference

¹- http://www.riazhaq.com/2008/09/tackling-pakistans-electricity-crisis.html

^2-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pakistan_Monument

^3-http://www.energy-savingnews.com/2009/03/pakistan-prepares-for-summer-energy-shortage-shut-downs/#ixzz0ksqgKnLf

^4-http://www.opfblog.com/1499/pakistans-energy-crisis-short-and-long-term-solutions/