Hollow promises, and commitments of the ruling party and law-enforcement authorities were clearly exposed as at least 12 precious lives were lost and more than 15 wounded in targeted killing and other incidents of violence in past 36 hours in Karachi.

These targeted killings were triggered on Friday night in Qasba Colony and Orangi Town, when two political activists were shot down by unidentified armed men.

According to reports, this violent series of killings escalated on Friday night at Qasba Colony, when activists of Awami National Party(ANP) were engaged in an opening ceremony of new party office. The situation turned violent when two rival groups exchanged intense firing claiming two lives. The deceased were Mohammed Javed of the MQM and Sharif Khan of the ANP.

Media sources confirmed that 15 bodies were bought to the hospitals, 4 out of which remained unknown and have been shifted to the morgue for identification and autopsy.

On Saturday morning armed men forced closure of shops in Orangi Town, Peerabad, Qasba Colony, Paposh Nagar, Kali Pehari and Banaras areas. According to the fire office, a mini-bus of route G-7, bearing registration number JE-3407, was torched in Sector-11L, Orangi Town.

SHO Mominabad Shabbair Ahmed identified the deceased as Tooti Khan while injured person was Raaz Mohammad, who were attacked by armed men when they came to Mominabad No-5 to purchase steel.

Meanwhile, another non-political person, Naek Zada was gunned down at Orangi Town in C-1 area.

A private TV channel employee , Sajid Ali, was also shot dead by gunmen, in Sharifabad police limits, when he was standing outside his uncle’s house in Liquatabad Furniture Market.

The killings have been condemned and blamed on an unknown political party by both Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Capital City Police Officer(CCPO) Waseem Ahmed said,“we have been pursuing the proposal to review the law about the possession of illegal weapons and to devise a mechanism to seize such arms.” He has confirmed seven killings in these incidents of violence.

MQM spokesperson alleged that “an ethnic party is harassing Urdu-speaking people, mainly in the Qasba Colony and Orangi Town areas. They killed MQM activist Friday night, and we demand that the prime minister, federal interior minister and chief minister order action against the killers.”

ANP party’s spokesman claimed that, “in Qasba Colony, Aligarh and other parts of the city the same people were targeting and killing Pakhtuns. The victims were poor people such as labourers and were on their way to work when activists of a political party gunned them down for no reason.”

Lawlessness and inability of the security institutions, yet again proved that the people of Karachi are not safe anywhere. Target killings claimed 40 lives earlier this month

Pukray Pakistan. Indeed ALLAH Does Not Change Favour upon any Nation until they change their own Condition. (AL-RAAD.13:11). ~~ Pakistan it the most Beloved and Blessed lan than any other muslim country in the world by the Graice of ALLAH Almighty!

The turn of the decade brings with it a momentous shot in the arm to the moribund Indo-Pak peace process with the unveiling of a grand cross-border collaborative peace project. The initiative, titled Aman Ki Asha, promises to be a path-breaking collaboration between Pakistan’s Jang Group and Geo and India’s Times of India Group, the largest media groups on their respective sides of the border. It will look to inject impetus into the Indo-Pak dialogue in a manner that is unparalleled, on a scale that is unprecedented.

The project aims to provide the ultimate mutual platform to debate the major sticking points in the hitherto fickle peace dialogue on both sides of the border — whether it is Kashmir, the water dispute or security. The mission statement is unequivocal, declaring that the two groups commit themselves to a movement that will bring the people and civil institutions of the two countries closer together in fostering a honourable, genuine and durable peace.

While the ultimate aspirations of Aman Ki Asha are undoubtedly lofty to resolve amicably all outstanding issues that serve as hurdles to peace and campaign for collaboration on economic, cultural issues through a media-led civil society movement great care has been taken to figure in realistic and deliverable means to ensure the sustainability of this endeavour.

This commitment is calculated and structured. It seeks to deliver tangible results to push forward the peace process and bring to the fore the benefits of harmony, cooperation and trust that have eluded the people of the subcontinent for over six decades because of restrictive visa regimes and confrontational politics. Involving everything from cultural exchanges to policy debates, the joint undertaking is the product of detailed discussions and meticulous planning by both media groups.

The Aman Ki Asha campaign boasts an exciting feature in the form of a moving peace anthem composed by famous Indian lyricist and poet, Gulzar, which is recited by none other than Bollywood’s Amitabh Bachchan — a star, who, few will deny, is larger than life on both sides of the border. The anthem is sung by Pakistan’s Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and India’s Shankar Mahadevan, two of the subcontinent’s most celebrated vocalists.

Cultural and people-to-people ties will be strengthened through an array of entertainment programmes, ranging from music concerts to fashion shows featuring the best of both India and Pakistan. Academic and literary exchanges have been arranged to inspire strong intellectual links.

The project also plans to transcend glamour and glitz by cultivating tangible material cooperation. The heavyweights of the business communities on both sides of the border have been invited to exchange ideas and promote industrial and trade initiatives on a sustained basis in a unique annual economic conference to be held alternately in India and Pakistan. This conference promises tangible and concrete cooperation in vital economic sectors.

It doesn’t end there. Aman Ki Asha has also commissioned comprehensive cross-country surveys in India and Pakistan which will be published on a regular basis. For the first time in history, independent research agencies have carried out parallel surveys on both sides of the border to determine the people’s opinions on issues that matter, and will continue to do so to gauge popular opinion. This research, which has yielded astounding results, will not only serve as a yardstick to formulate policy, but also be used to measure the effect of the peace initiative.

The media groups have promised to continue to take the campaign forward on all fronts. They have established permanent secretariats to ensure the continuity necessary for success. All major stakeholders on both sides of the border have been taken on board ñ from government to businessmen, from the literati to the glitterati.

Clear-cut goals have been identified, targets have been set and a mission statement hammered out. The campaign has been launched. As of the first day of the new decade, Aman Ki Asha is all systems go. And the destination is peace.

Karachi shopkeepers were not involved in blast
Help those who lost their loved ones & assets yesterday

After the aftermath of Yesterday 28th December 2009,Karachi ASHURA Suicide Bomb blast, some miscreant had burned down 2000 Shops causing Billion of Rupees Loss. These markets are the Oldest Whole-sale markets where from Chemical to other imported goods being whole-sales through out Pakistan.

The loss is bigger then the loss the SUCIDE BOMBER did, We ask every responsible Pakistani to come up & support our Karachi Shopkeeper who had served our Community since years of hardships and now its Our time to help our Brethren Shopkeeper to find them a way out of their Today`s Misery.

We also need to support our Trade-Community with Moral & Financial Help, the Bomber had affected 40-Families, and the angry mob had caused dogmatic losses to more than 2000 Families.

They need our Support Financially, please join us so we can support our suffering Trade-Community out of this Crises.

We request Youth & other Social Organization to step up and gather @ Bolton Market so we can access the losses they`ve countered, Bring Cameras with you if you have.

Gathering Point: KFC PIDC

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=220996567970

Contact Persons:
Abid Beli: 0321-9204942
Ali Shaikh: 0321-2025508

As a child, I was not able to play sports due to a congenital heart disease. It was way too much stress for me to take which eventually led to my exemption from sports through out my school years. As my friends played endlessly in the scorching heat, I would sit on the bench working on an assignment or scribbling away on my notebook. It was only natural for me to feel left out of all those enthusiastic chatters about upcoming tournaments, game tactics and the new sports being introduced as we moved to higher classes. Needless to say Thursday was the most favourite day for everyone else but me. With timethough I had finally become more creative with using the free time on my hand. It was then that I met Sonia, who became my best friend in primary school; she had hearing disabilities that also affected her speech greatly. Sonia’s problems struck a chord making me realize that my problem was only a petty one compared to other things people had to face. People who had disabilities worse than mine. I would not even call my illness a disability even though it pretty much felt that way. Not being able to participate in the routine stuff kids my age loved to do, seemed like a lot back then.

Nevertheless, it is true time teaches us a lot. I grew up learning how things could have been worse, finding out and learning about other people who suffered a lot more than me. I could talk, hear and see properly it did not matter to me if I could take part in sports or not anymore. I remember being deeply touched by the problems Sonia had to face; it slapped me in the face for being selfish. By that time, I had decided to do my little in helping her out in whatever way I could. I would spend my free time talking to her, helping her catch up with work and trying to help her figure out her niche. Something that she felt passionate about, a talent that would help her gain self-confidence. It was not long until we both realized she was an amazing artist, naturally talented. I would suggest her things she could sketch and then spend hours marvelling about her skills. Over the years, Sonia changed drastically. She evolved in to someone who was now more confident about her abilities; everything else seemed to take a backseat. She has now graduated from a renowned art school–following her passion and the inborn talent–not only that she is currently working as a teacher for primary school.
From being a girl who put up weak fights against the bullies Sonia has now become like any other independent working woman–only stronger. This experience has taught me a lot more than the essence of friendship and my ability to make the little difference. It taught me how self-confidence and fortitude could ward off perceptions. The unwanted sympathies that are hurled ones way much more out of pity than support. Sonia’s newfound confidence in her changed everyone’s perception. From the way they looked at her down to the way she was spoken to, she was the new girl in school all over again, the girl whose talent and confidence swayed everyone.

I was fortunate to have learnt from this experience at a rather young age. It changed the way I looked at things and made me realize that even a little could make the difference. There is always something to look at beyond the disabilities of a person. Things that we can appreciate and not glaze over. A simple practice of judging people and appreciating them for what they can do instead of what they cannot. But this should not stop us from being realistic. Motivation is important but so is practicality and putting things in action. It is often that we overlook a lot that goes around us. Ruins of living in a society where we lack a civil discussion even on the most serious issues.
Another friends experience made me rethink of how most of our issues never surface. Mansoor suffers from radial club hand, a congenital abnormal development of the forearm. Fortunately for him his arm retains its functionality, although not fully. The disease has never been a hurdle in his course of work. Despite that, he was flatly denied a driving licence even before a medical examination. Apparently, the officer was certain that Mansoor would not be able to drive with his disability, even though he had been for the past years. The attitude was devastating enough to turn anyone into opting for driving without a licence. After all, in the all-so-lawful society of ours no one had bothered him before for one. Our law-abiding traffic sergeants would not dare stop a flashy car or even if they did, nothing bothered them as long as some ‘chai-pani’ was in store. Mansoor is amongst the privileged ones, he was able to get his licence despite the ridiculous behaviour. However, the fact remains that not many would be influential enough to put up a fight. My plea is for those who are treated as an outcast for being ‘disabled’ without even being granted a decent chance at a medical check-up.
Sonia and Mansoor are amongst the more privileged ones their disease has not made the same impact it does to many others. The common sights of men with torn clothes and disabled limbs dragging themselves to nearby cars begging for alms are usually ignored. While we pace back and forth running errands not much time is spared to the iniquity around us. The absence of rights for the disabled has crippled them far worse than their illness ever did. The blind eye to their problems is what makes life worse than the disability itself. Its incidences such as that make me feel that it is really us who suffer from a far bigger disability than these people do. Our disablity to acknowledge the rights of these people, being deaf and blind to their pleas and most importantly the crippled justice of our society. Absence of laws that could aid individuals suffering from any form of handicap is the real issue. I hope we acknowledge that society’s myths and fears about disability and disease are as handicapping–or even worse– as are the physical limitations of the actual impairment. Only a permanent stance of vigilance against such attitude of social exclusion, discrimination and bullying can help make the difference.

Published in THE FRIDAY TIMES on 4/12/2009