Vanishing Sindhis!

by Khalid Hashmani, McLean

I share the following appeal from Mr. Mekan Vandiyar on “Vanishing Sindhis!”. Please share your comments and suggestions to mekan39@yahoo.com

My own comment is that Sindhis in Sindh, Sindhis in India and Sindhis living elsewhere should not be disheartened as there are encouraging signs that Sindhis all over the world can even say today “here is a Sindhi girl / boy from the Globe”. I do not have much insight into the notion that Sindhis in India can win a separate province, however, I feel that the harsh barriers that have kept Sindhis in India and Sindhis in Sindh, Pakistan away from each other will soon vanish and all Sindhis will also be be able to say “”here is a Sindhi girl / boy who loves Sindh as much as their new homeland“.

A recent announcement by the Indian and Pakistani government that they are normalizing business and economic relations and giving each other the “most favorite trading partner” status is one of those signs. The Sindhis from all over the world should not only encourage but also organize and participate in events that welcome every Sindhi regardless of where they live now. For example, the Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) whose members predominantly consist of those who migrated from Sindh (Pakistan) into the USA has been in the forefront of inviting prominent educationalists, political leaders, and writers who now live in India. It is time that all other Sindhi associations also follow this practice to bridge the gaps that may exist between various Sindhi communities.

Lastly, I assure Mr. Vandiyar that Sindhis in Sindh are more than ever determined to protect and advance Sindhi language, Sindhi heritage, Sindh culture of peace, and Sindhi identity. They are and will continue provide all their support to Sindhis in India or elsewhere in the world in their efforts to protect their and advance their Sindhi language, Sindhi heritage, Sindh culture, and Sindhi identity.

Capitalism’s tough reality for many Russians

By Rupert Wingfield Hayes, BBC News, Moscow

When the Soviet Union collapsed nearly 20 years ago, Russia emerged as an independent country that embraced capitalism but what has this meant for its citizens?

More than half a century ago Winston Churchill famously described Russia as a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.

It is an old cliche but not without truth. To this day, outsiders still find Russia very confusing.

I remember the day the Soviet Union began to fall apart.

By a strange twist of fate, I was sitting in Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport waiting for a flight to London.

The terminal at Sheremetyevo said a lot about Russia then. It had been built for the 1980 Olympics but it was one of the most uninviting places I had ever been.

It was dark brown and smelled of industrial detergent. The officials wore granite expressions and ridiculous, oversized hats.

Of course I had no idea there had been a coup. It was a secret. Only when we touched down in London did I find out what was happening.

‘Forbidding’

It would be another 15 years before I would return to Moscow.

On a cold and wet November day, my wife and I drove through the streets of what was about to become our new home.

In those 15 years, Russia had changed enormously. …

Read more : BBC

Musharraf spills the beans

BIRMINGHAM: Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has said that graft cases against slain PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto and her spouse Asif Zardari in Switzerland’s courts were not proven.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Express, Musharraf revealed that a letter was also written to Swiss authorities during his regime showing displeasure at the lengthy trial.

He said the rounds of negotiations he held with Benazir Bhutto were always one-on-one.

He said people on TV talk shows make noises about NRO and talk incessantly about the deal even though they know nothing about the facts.

Replying to a question, he said his meetings with Benazir Bhutto in Abu Dhabi used to span three to four hours, and they were always one-on-one. Rehman Malik accompanied the PPP leader but did not participate in the negotiations.

He recalled that when in the first round of talks Benazir asked for abolition of 58-2 (b) “I refused point blank”. He said when talking about the cases instituted against her during Nawaz Sharif government, Benazir used to become misty-eyed.

The ex-president said that the cases against Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari were neither proved in Swiss courts nor in Pakistan’s, while both were acquitted in many cases.

He said he had written to the Swiss courts that their performance was even worse than Pakistani courts as they failed to decide the cases, “but the fact of the matter is that there was nothing in those cases”.

Read more >> The Express Tribune

Imran Farooq murder linked to rows within MQM

 

 

Pakistan: Imran Farooq murder linked to rows within MQM party

by Vikram Dodd, crime correspondent

The Scotland Yard investigation into the murder in London of the leading Pakistani politician Dr Imran Farooq has been told that rows within his own party may have led to his assassination.

Farooq, 50, was stabbed to death earlier this monthduring an attack in which he was also beaten near his home in Edgware, north London. Farooq was a senior figure in Pakistan’s MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement) party, and was in exile in London at the time of his death. The murder is being investigated by Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism branch because of the political dimension to the killing.

Sources say intelligence suggests his death was linked to rows within the MQM. ….

Read more >> GUARDIAN

Read more in urdu >> Ummat

Is he in danger of being involved in the Imran Farooq investigation? Why is he suddenly all concerned about international powers targeting him?

MQM would have cut ties with US over Aafia: Altaf

KARACHI: Had the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) been in power, it would have severed all ties with the US and its allies over the inhuman sentence of the daughter of the nation Dr Aafia Siddiqui by the US court, MQM chief Altaf Hussain said on Saturday. ….

Read more >> Daily Times

MQM’s Imran Farooq killed in London

LONDON: British media reports say a Pakistani politician has been killed outside his home in London.

For more details >>  DAWN

Joining hands

In this crucial moment of need we should stand all together and do our best is the order of the day. Sindhi Association of North America (SANA) and World Sindhi Congress (WSC) (USA & Canada Chapter) have joined hands together and doing at their maximum. Nevertheless Sindh Doctors Association UK (SDA) along with parent organization Sindh Development Alliance (SDA) deserves lot of appreciation and encouragements for donating generously for the relief efforts.

Molvi Shamim Taliban Exposed

Courtesy: ARY News

>> Link

WSC Raises issues of Sindh

WSC Raises Appropriation of Water from River Indus and Plunder of Natural Resources of Sindh in Liberation AGM

London- (PR) : World Sindhi Congress raised the appropriation of water from River Indus and plunder of natural resources of Sindh at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of Liberation held in London on 24th July 2010. World Sindhi Congress was represented by Dr Haleem Bhatti, Suraiya Makhdoom, and Dr Rubina Greenwood.

The human rights situation in Pakistan is getting worse

Baloch, Sindhi expatriates protest before UK PM’s residence

London, July 26 (ANI): Baloch and Sindhi expatriates living in London protested in front of 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister on Sunday to seek international intervention in the killing of innocent people in Balochistan.

Read more >> Thaindian

Why Pakistan keeps exporting jihad

By Fareed Zakaria

– Washington Post

Faisal Shahzad, the would-be terrorist of Times Square, seems to have followed a familiar path. Like many recruits to jihad, he was middle-class, educated, seemingly assimilated — and then something happened that radicalized him. We may never be sure what made him want to kill innocent men, women and children. But his story shares another important detail with those of many of his predecessors: a connection to Pakistan.

The 22nd International Conference on Sindh, London, UK

London: World Sindhi Congress ( WSC ) is organising their 22nd International Conference titled ‘the National Self Determination of Sindh’ in the Context of International Peace and Security on Saturday, 9th October 2010, in London, UK. The conference will be held at Kingsley Hall, Powis Road, London E3 3HJ UK. Rubina Greenwood, PhD, Program will Chair, the International Conference on Sindh.

May 31, 2010

Will the Roundtable Conference on Sindh’s Problems and Prospects in London achieve any Tangible Results?

by Khalid Hashmani (McLean, Virginia, USA)

The Washington DC-based global advocacy organization “Sindh Monitor” has organized a round table conference on Sindh’s problems and prospects in London, UK from May 5 to May 7. The conference covers various contemporary topics including Heritage Preservation, Education and Curriculum choices, Health and Civics, Political Rights, Human Rights, Economic Growth, Environment, and Networking of NGOs and IGOS (International Government Organizations) . The conference is expected to be attended by delegates from Sindh, Pakistan and other countries. This is the first time that such a conference taking place to examine the multi-dimensional issues and finding their solutions. Many Sindhis and non-Sindhis are curious about what will be said and what will not be said at the conference. They are also anxious whether there will be any positive results or will it be yet another get-together with a lot of talking but nothing much to be followed-up to achieve some tangible results. If one looks at the history of such conferences among Sindhis, some achieve success only on tactical fronts but most fail to achieve anything in strategic terms. However, if a scale of hopes is to be used to measure the expectations from the upcoming conference, there is likelihood that this first large-scale moot of homeland Sindhis and overseas Sindhis may break some historical barriers of weariness and apathy…

Don’t mess with Indians!

Source – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KsN0fM3KJI&feature=player_embedded

via – http://globeistan.com/?p=8503

SINDHI SANGAT UNITED KINGDOM, MANCHESTER

RECORDING SUBHAN ALI HISBANI

People of Sindh

A Seminar on ‘People of Sindh’ in Manchester, UK

London World Sindhi Congress is arranging a seminar hosting eminent writer, journalist, historian and scholar Ms Alice Albania, on Saturday 20th June 2009 from 13.00 – 16.00 pm at Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount Street, City Centre, Manchester, M2 5NS, UK.

Bhit Shah, Sindh, has been selected to be in the first wave of this exciting new project

Blair launches new Global Schools Programme involving Pakisatni schools

Courtesy: Pak Tribune, Tuesday June 09, 2009

On 9th June, Tony Blair will launch a radically new global education programme, Face to Faith, that engages secondary school students of different faiths across the world in learning directly with, from and about each other – The City`s School in Bhit Shah, Sindh, has been selected to be in the first wave of this exciting new project involving schools in ten countries on four continents.

For full report, please click here

Educate Sindh Forum Organized a get Together in London

The New Ray of Light : Young Sindhi Leadership is rising

– Sohail Kalhoro

Educate Sindh forum organized a get together dinner at my residence in London on the evening of 15th Sept 07 which presented an opportunity for many SINDHI PROFESSIONALS to personally come together and participate in a vibrant evening which saw friends with diverse backgrounds ranging from: Information Technology, Law, Medicine, Chartered Accounting, Satellite Communication, Business Administration, Environmental studies, Civil, Electrical, and Telecoms Engineering.

Sincere thanks to all friends who took time out of their busy weekends and joined us from London, Slough, Bristol, Birmingham,Surrey as well as Pakistan. Group members started arriving 17:00 onwards on a warm London evening. The event started with an informal introduction of the participants and their respective professional fields. Dinner was served following which an interactive suggestions/recommendations session was initiated focusing on;

1) AIMS/OBJECTIVES: Responding to a query by a member it was informed that the objective of EducateSindh is to channel the resources and capacity of the SINDHI PROFESSIONALS in the field of education, employment opportunities, and career counselling.

2) TARGET AUDIENCE: Again, in response to another question put up by a friend regarding who the target audience is which would be benefited from the services provided by this group.It was elaborated that the group’s expertise and resources is not confined to a single segment and in order to maximize the benefits of the participation of SINDHI PROFESSIONALS as many audience should be catered to.

3) EDUCATESINDH STRUCTURE: It was informed that the credibility and success of EducateSindh is due to the fact that it is an open forum, having no hierarchical boundaries which makes it an inclusive and participative platform for all.

4) ORGANIC GROWTHIt was unanimously agreed that the benefits of this group should be extended to wider community audience and thus the participants agreed to share their contacts by providing a minimum of 5 to 10 new members and thus helping this forum to grow organically. In this regard it is down to the responsibility to each individual of this group to similarly help add new members.

5) EMAIL AS AN EFFECTIVE MODE OF COMMUNICATION It was emphasized that exchanging emails should be made a habit as it provides the most efficient and productive means of communicating as well as encouraging friends and social contacts to stay in touch over this medium. QUICK, EASY & EFFECTIVE.

6) “SINDHI PROFESSIONALS” AS A BRAND The essence of this group is the participation of highly motivated, qualified & enthusiastic Sindhis and this should be made the unique selling point (USP) of our endeavours hence the association with the brand “SINDHI PROFESSIONALS”. Furthermore, it is a step forward in helping relate the common link between sindhis world over.

7) SHARING EXPERIENCESEducateSindh provides a flexible & friendly platform to SINDHI PROFESSIONALS where they could share their practical experiences not just limited to the exchange of emails but also by actually personally talking to the local community including schools, colleges, universities which would benefit the most from the sharing of these experiences.

Each one of us can contribute by sharing whatever little experience we have gained whether it is just by visiting Sindh, Khairpur, Nawabshah & other Universities and talking to a handful of students and guiding them on the spot about their path to being qualified & successful in their respective fields or even just visiting our own primary/secondary schools in villages and talking to the teachers and headmasters. This trend should be encouraged as it will maximize each of our individual capacity to help. The idea here is to not limit ourselves to large gatherings or wait for such opportunities but to utilize whatever little time we have at our hands to broaden the horizon of many.

The get together which went on until around 22:30 was concluded with an aim to further continue holding these interactive get togethers extending to different geographical and wider audience which began with the successful meeting of SINDHI PROFESSIONALS in Karachi on the 12th Sept 07 following onto 15th Sept London dinner with a view to organize a seminar in sindh after Eid.

Special thanks to our friends who attended last night’s dinner. Abdullah Abbasi, Ahmed Kamran, Amar Jalil Metlo, Asad Palijo, Ashraf Lakho, Dr Ali Gul Metlo, Dr Shoaib Qazi, Gul Laghari, Haleem Junejo, Hassan Junaid, Imran Mahar, Imran Soomro, Junaid Ahmed Narejo, Khalid Jamali, Manzoor Unar, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Mujeeb Metlo, Razzak Solangi, Roop Panjwani, Saboor Mahar, Saeed Soomro, Shabbir Mallah.

News courtesy: Sindhi e-lists/ e-groups,