By Dr Tariq Rahman
Courtesy: daily dawn, Thursday, 09 Jul, 2009
Since the debate about the Seraiki province began it is being assumed that anybody who is writing in support of creating it is jumping on the political bandwagon and making a new demand which is the product of some sort of an agenda and not an issue that has been seriously thought about.
SANA: Suffering of Sindhis continue under PPP regime
by Aziz Narejo, TX, USA
Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) has said that the people of Sindh who had lived under discriminatory governments for many years had elected PPP with expectations that it would end their sufferings when it came to power. But it is very unfortunate that the plight of the people has continued unabated under the PPP government.
In continuation with our sole aim and focus on promoting our beloved mother tongue, we are proposing to upload Sindhi telefilms, comedy Sindhi tele episodes and Sindh music videos produced by Sindhisangat on internet. As a test run, we have uploaded our first telefilm, titled Zahar Pyar Jo. Click on http://videos.sindhisangat.tv/ This has been released on DVD and telecast on Sindhi Surhaan, our weekly TV programme on DD Gujarati and DD India.
by: NIZAMUDDIN LAGHARI, Islamabad
Courtesy: Daily Dawn, Saturday, 04 Jul, 2009
THIS is apropos of two reports (June 22) on the water crisis, followed by an editorial. Two groups of tail-end users had agitated for water shortage in Hyderabad and at Wagah border. One group demanded of the rulers to release water. The other group, under the banner of Pakistan Muttahida Kissan Mahaz, protested against cut in river water by India. Unfortunately, Sindh demands water from Punjab and Punjab is crying against India that the neighbouring country is responsible for the damage of its agriculture system.
WASHINGTON DIARY: The film factor
by: Dr Manzur Ejaz, USA
Courtesy: Wichaar.com, July 7th, 2009
A reinvigorated film industry will not only provide jobs to hundreds of thousands of people, it will also be a major source of foreign exchange earnings because of the large expatriate community living in Europe and North America. Most of the time the entertainment industry, particularly films, are early indicators of future economic and political scenarios. From Hollywood and Bollywood to poor Lollywood, all film industries give very good indications of things to come. Lollywood’s annihilation and Bollywood’s expansion tell the story of two competing countries.
Water scarcity and disputes
By Zulfiqar Halepoto
Courtesy: daily dawn, Monday, 06 Jul, 2009
WITH unprecedented challenges of water scarcity facing the world, some new approaches have surfaced to tackle this problem. The terms like ‘river diplomacy’ and ‘environmental peacekeeping’ are commonly used in non-traditional human security studies as tension between riparian states mount on water sharing, environmental degradation, irrigation and drinking water shortage and decline in food security.
By: Khalid Hashmani, USA
St. Louis – July 6, 2009 – The 25th convention of Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) was successfully ended in St. Louis , Missouri today. It was a historic event with more than 500 registered attendees. The programs included Adabi (Literary) session, SANA Vision Brainstorming session, several medical seminars, women programs, speaker’s forums, and General Body meeting of SANA members. One of the most important aspect of the convention was extra-ordinary musical, fashion, and plays organized and acted by Sindhi youth depicting conflicts and convergence of the cultures of their new country and their parents’ Sindhi heritage. Indeed it was like witnessing passing of baton from the grey hair generation to the young adult generation of North American Sindhis.
By Munawar Laghari, Washington, DC, USA
…As I suggested at the SANA ‘Vision’ Session, in St. Louis, USA, I will be happy to assist in many areas. I will do what ever I can do for the ‘Sindh Cause’ from any platform. I have a firm belief that there are all means and tools available to work for the future generation of Sindhis, provided we lay a solid ground of cooperation and create a conducive environment for them. For a long time, we are passing through very difficult times. Presently, when the most alarming challenge is the false impression that “Sindhis are now ruling Sindh”. We need to create a new momentum for Sindh. I understand and cannot underemphasize the fact that any major change will have to come from within Sindh itself. However, we the Diaspora can contribute very effectively to gear up the efforts of our sisters and brothers in Sindh, by offering our best from outside of Sindh all over the world. In June 2009, I attended the United Nations Human Rights Council Conference, held in Geneva, Switzerland. This was a great opportunity for me to meet our very dear and respectable friend and representative of World Sindhi Congress, Madam Suriya Makhdoom. Through our extremely useful exchange of ideas, we came to a clear understanding of some strategies for future plans and projects. Hence, I am willing to coordinate with all other Sindhi Forums and organizations, in order to build a better concerted and result oriented initiatives of all Sindhi overseas Organizations in whichever capacity I may be able to contribute in.
Dear friends, the challenge we all are confronted with is exponential. We need to be ready to face it by getting serious, sincere, honest and positive.
By Mohammad Ali Mahar, Austin, TX, USA
Captain Leopold Von Orlich, a Prussian Army officer visited India in 1842 (that is, about 164 years ago, and about a century before immigrants flocked from East to teach Sindhis ‘tehzeeb’ and convert beautiful Sindhi cities to slums and ruins — mahar). See what the European had to say about Sukkur:
“Sukkur and its environs have an exceedingly pleasing appearance and is, by far, the most beautiful of all the places of Sindh visited thus far, from Thatta to the border with the Punjab.”
After a few days stay in Sindh, Von Orlich, who might have visited other countries in the world too, concluded:
“In no country are the mornings and evenings so pleasant, or the sunsets so beautiful and sublime, as here (in Sindh)”
Viva Scinde!
Have you even seen floaters in front of your eyes? Floaters may just a sign of aging or may they be a signal to a serious eye problem. Especially, when you see a lot and larger floaters. Floaters are the common early signs of eye inflammation, cataracts, eye hemorrhages or any other serious problem. Treatment: Visit optometrist (eye doctor), take vitamin C or multi-vitamins, eat washed leafy green and colourful vegetables and 8 glasses crystal clear clean fresh water.
Married life is full of excitement and frustration:
* In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens.
* In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens.
* In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.
Once upon a time in a village in India, a man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10.
The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them.
The man bought thousands at $10, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts. The man further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.
Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate increased to $25 and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was an effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it!
The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, since he had to go to the city on some business, his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf.
In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: ‘Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man has collected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50.’
The villagers squeezed together their savings and bought all the monkeys.
Then they never saw the man or his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!
Welcome to WALL STREET.
Bad breath, also known as halitosis, is a very common temporary condition caused by such things as oral dryness, stress, hunger (ketosis), eating certain foods such as garlic and onions, smoking, or poor oral hygiene. Bad breath is caused by odor-producing bacteria that grow in the mouth. When people don’t brush and floss regularly, bacteria accumulate on the bits of food left in the mouth and between the teeth. The sulfur compounds released by these bacteria make the breath smell. Home Remedies For Bad Breath How to Cure Bad Breath with Natural Treatments Chew peppermint or carnation for better breath smell. Swallow one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar before each meal. To lose the bad breath eat pumpkin daily Brush your teeth with baking soda. Blanch parsley and drink several times a day to help bad breath. Drink chamomile tea Lose the bad breath: blanch Thyme-Leaved Savory and gurgle. Gurgle salty water.
The familiar B vitamin Niacin may also help reduce triglycerides. It is virtually a heart helping medication. In clinical trials people taking nician, a B vitamin cut their total cholesterol levels by up to 10 percent. Side effects of Niacin; May make diabetes medications less effective, May interfere with the drugs of arthritis, reduce the effectiveness of painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and others, may cause liver disease when taken in high doses.
Khalid Hashmani
Early Years of SANA – A Tale of Achievements and some Disappointments
This article was written on the occasion of 25th anniversary of Sindhi Association of North America (SANA)
By: Khalid Hashmani, USA
About the author: Khalid Hashmani is a Washington DC-based veteran human rights activist. He is the founding President of Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) and Chief coordinator of Sindhi Excellence Team (SET) that participates in advocacy activities on behalf of rural Sindhis.
Desperation and Urge to Organize
It was early 1984, when the clouds of cruelty and discrimination in the form of General Zia’s regime overpowered Sindh and its people. The news of killing of scores innocent villagers demanding restoration of democracy and political rights had become unbearable for few Sindhis, who then lived in the vast continent of North America. Often they shared their pain and sorrows and mourned the inability of Sindhis back home to secure their rights.
Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) Lahore held a demonstration to demand a separate Saraiki province today on 30 June at Shimla Pehari Lahore. It demanded an end of exploitation of Saraiki Waseeb by the ruling class of Pakistan mainly led by Punjabi and Urdu speaking capitalists. LPP activists chanted slogans against the injustice carried out in Saraiki areas. It demanded an equal distribution of national resources among all the nationalities. LPP had already taken a decision to organize an independent Saraiki Waseeb LPP province chapter.
The following is the latest’s article by Naseer Memon on the water shortage in Sindh. Here is a summary of article in English.
Written by: Naseer Memon, Hyderabad, Sindh
Translation by: Khalid Hashmani, McLean, Virginia, USA
Courtesy: Sindhi Daily Kawish, July 01, 2009
Article Summary
Sindh is receiving only 40% of its due share from the Indus river. On one hand Sindh is suffering immense loss in the agriculture sector and yet the act of filling Tarbela dam proceeds at the full speed. WAPDA, as the custodian of river waters is playing and arbitrarily decides which province gets how much share.
The Greenland example
Courtesy: Boston.com, June 26, 2009
…A saner way to escape history’s nightmare could be glimpsed in Greenland’s peaceable accession to independence from Denmark, an event celebrated Sunday on the world’s largest island in a ceremony attended by the Danish queen. Greenlanders, 90 percent of whom are indigenous Inuits, voted overwhelmingly in a referendum last November to exercise self-rule and eventually to be independent. Denmark, which has ruled that Arctic land since 1721, accepted the will of the people graciously.
Forwarded by: KHalid Hashmani (McLean, Virginia, USA)
Selig Harrison’s “Pakistan – The State of the Union” report
is worth reading by the ruling elite and the military boys in Punjab. It show how many of the problems that the country faces can be linked to the usurping of funds from Baluchistan and Sindh for development of the military and Punjab in general.
There has been enormous waste and amazing diversion of development and military funds to areas that was definitely not intended.
Harrison for example states that since 1954 $17.5 Billion in military aid has been given to Pakistan, making it into a behemoth uncontrollable by civilian governments. Where has the money gone? Some of this is known of course. $ 40-80 M spent on each of the F-16 fighter planes that young men fly to burn jet fuel knowing pretty well that they cannot be used in combat against India. Meanwhile 3M Swatis suffer due to lack of timely action by the military against the insurgents.
Will the new military and development aid coming to Pk as promised by Obama and his men be properly accounted for? This will not happen unless the Americans set up an accounting office here and make sure that it can verify each item, for in the past there has been much swindling and diversion. Then again, maybe not, as the last website below shows.
But the demand for aid, loan write-off and handouts is spurious because, as the Harrison report again points out, the military own nearly $ 38 B in assets such as Fauji Foundation, Askari Bank, etc. These assets need to be privatized and money received should be used to payoff loans or help real development rather than pump that money into the army’s coffers or spent on Punjab’s development.
Meanwhile, in the “ever-efficient” USA…
The financial news media focuses on the “green shoots” of the economy. Well, when you pump a few trillion into the economy, you should get something for it. But one thing we’re not getting is accountability. Already, over 1/3 of a trillion of the bailout money is being declared “missing in action.” And the official responsible considers it a joke.
http://www.brasschecktv.com/page/639.html
The Pakistani media remains quiet about this. This is partly because the media owners gain from the exploitation of the minority provinces and also because they do not wish to annoy the establishment. On top of this, top journalists have been bought by the government agencies – some of you will have read about the free plots being given away to them to keep them toeing the government line.
There is a need for an alternative media in Pakistan, largely available via the Net. But here one cannot just rely on volunteers. Checking and editing of reports is essential (and expensive) or else one will almost certain end up with disinformation, as often served by Taliban-lovers like Ansar Abbasi, Hamid Mir and Kamran Khan, and a whole lot of other easily corruptible journos who seem to have taken over the electronic and print media.
Funding for a reliable alternative media outlets should be the top priority for those who wish Pakistan well.
Finally Sister and Brothers please read in detail the recommendation of Harrison, but for your convenience here are the 12 points:
1. Support Civilian Governance
2. Promote Demilitarization
3. Encourage respect for the Constitution
4. Pushtunize the war against Al Qaeda
5. Earmark US aid for Sind and Balochistan
6. Make Defense Spending transparent
7. Set the stage for negotiations with the Baluch
8. Implement the 1973 Constitution
9. End economic exploitation of the minority provinces
10. Empower local government
11. Recognize ethnic identitites
12. Strengthen the power of the Senate
Courtesy: http://www.ciponline.org/asia/reports/pakistan _the_state_ of_the_union.pdf
New Water Paradigm: required seriousness and Support
by: Jamil Junejo-Hyderabad, Sindh
Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum held seminar on topic of “New Water Paradigm and Restoration of Indus River on 29th June on Almanzar,Jamshoro .It is one of the steps of the struggle announced by PFF in a program held in down stream to mark international River day in March 2009 .PFF, unlike the old demand of no new dam on Indus ,made by nationalist political parties , demands new water Paradigm: Decommissioning of existing dams in Pakistan.
Celebrating 25 Years of SANA: Extraordinary Success Story of Overseas Sindhis
by: Aziz Narejo, TX, USA
The members of the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA), feel extremely proud today as they gather in St. Louis, MO to participate in the Silver Jubilee Convention marking an important milestone in the distinguished history of the organization. It is an occasion to celebrate 25 years of the organization’s continued service to the community and also an opportune moment to take stock of things, learn from experience and continue march into the future.
The World Peace Council denounces firmly the recent Coup d’Etat organized by a group of military officers and reactionary politicians in Honduras. This brutal act, including the kidnapping of the legitimate President Manuel Zualaya and his violent transfer to Costa Rica, is bringing back the worst memories from military dictatorships in Latin America from the 20th century. The executors (and brains behind them) of this bloody plan have no support amongst the peace loving people of Honduras, Latin America and the world.
WASHINGTON DIARY: The irrational state
by: Dr Manzur Ejaz, USA
Courtesy: Wichaar.com, June 30th, 2009
Besides eliminating the Taliban and other jihadis, the basic irrationalities of the system have to be addressed. Otherwise Pakistan will continue to languish in poverty and chaos.
