Difficult times in Gilgit

"The best thing to do is publicise the government’s inattention to the area and its peoples."

"It rained very heavily all night and, at 1.40am, Wadood and I were up (trying to comfort one of the children after a nightmare) when we heard a massive ‘explosion’ and ominous rumbling for the next 10-15 seconds. I panicked, thinking that perhaps there was a landslide heading our way but thankfully nothing happened. With no sounds of alarm raised in the neighbourhood we finally went back to sleep, albeit uneasily. Early this morning a relative called to confirm that there was a massive landslide off the mountain immediately behind Jutial Mohalla – one of the largest ‘boroughs’ in Gilgit – but because there is a dense fog sitting low on the mountainside, no one is able to yet ascertain the damage.

The situation is going to get increasingly more precarious unless the government or aid agencies – in one form or another – do something to ensure regular transport of basic necessities into Gilgit-Baltistan. Because the Karakoram Highway (KKH) is submerged between Attabad and Ghulmit (Gojal), there is no way to bring in provisions from China. In Ghizer District, damage was extensive; multiple portions of the road are washed out and several bridges destroyed. Babusar Pass, we are told, is partially closed due to rain-damage. My sister-in-law, Neelum, arrived for her summer vacations from Lahore two days ago. It had taken her nearly five days to make the trip between Rawalpindi and Gilgit Town due to road-blocks, washed-out highway and bridges. I’m told there are five bridges that will have to be replaced along the KKH – two are in Besham and one in Pattan. There is supposedly an alternate route available through Naran Kaghan but its reliability isn’t yet confirmed.

In Gilgit, food and fuel provisions are fast disappearing. We have had two hours of electricity this morning, either from the Kargah Nala power station (which was partially damaged in the original floods last week) or Naltar to the north of Gilgit. Guru sub-station, the power house that supplies Gilgit Town’s power, was – depending on who relays the story – partially damaged or completely washed away. There are estimates that it will take at least another month or two to restore regular power to the city. There is a civilian diesel fuel depot in Jaglote, a small town an hour’s drive or so to the south of Gilgit, which has been taken over by the Army. It maintains one month’s worth of emergency fuel in case of emergency, but the Army – we’re told – has reserved the fuel for its own trucks “in case of an attack by India.”

Diesel supplies in Gilgit Town and the surrounding environs are finished; petrol is now running out. Because of the lack of power – on a good day we receive two to three hours, and a bad day one hour or so – many people are relying on generators. Water from the mountain channels – depending on the day and if there have been rains – is either usable for cooking and drinking (if boiled) or not at all. The water we had all last week was soupy with mud. We can no longer find milk or filtered water in the bazaars; flour and rice are running out, although there still seems to be cooking oil available. Because it may take another month for the KKH to open again – two weeks is an optimistic estimate – people are increasingly concerned they will run out of food. Ramazan may help, in a way, by reducing daily consumption rates. I’m still researching in the local hospitals and will ask them about medicine supplies; when I spoke the store master at the District Headquarter (DHQ) two days ago, they said they had sufficient supplies (although ‘sufficient’ is hardly ever enough to meet peoples’ needs).

The picture was taken last week, it shows submerged homes in Sakarkui, a small village to the north-west of Gilgit Town. I suspect the best thing to do is publicise the government’s inattention to the area and its peoples."


Emma Varley, currently in Gilgit, contributed for Dawn.com

Source: Difficult times

Stranded at Home?

and Pakistanis inherit cataclysm and Presidency..though latter being more deplorable..

The last two weeks have been deadliest in the recent month with a plane crash costing 152 lives and crew, flood killing more than 1400 people and 2.5 million homeless and rescuers are struggling to reach more than 30,000 people still cut off by the floods, which are the worst in 80 years. Worse is the fear of outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera among the homeless while food is scarce and water supplies have been contaminated by the floods. The things had not fallen down when Karachi went mad killing more than 50 people after an MPA was killed on August 02, 2010.

So a country would expect its leadership especially government to set aside all task and take up humanitarian assistance and rescue/ rehabilitation work at priority.

Correction, its Pakistan! People of Pakistan inherit catastrophe and presidency with latter being more deplorable.

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is continuing with his plan, to enjoy family's stately home in the French countryside and to visit Britain to make him understand war on terror and 'beg' despite outrageous remarks made by Prime Minister David Cameron in Bangalore, at a time when the country is struggling to cope with what is being described as its worst floods in 80 years.

Yes his presence in the country would not, in any way, be conducive to rescue and relief efforts. But in such circumstances isn't it common practise that heads of state or government, at least make symbolic gestures of solidarity by putting off pleasure trips. But oh yes, launching political career of Bilawal 'Bhutto' zardari is far more important than the lives of half of population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and millions of displaced people. Besides, we have 'rich precedent' of axing life of millions of people and billions of Rs. from national enchequer to personal accounts in name of earth quake and internally displaced people.

The outburst of anger against such reckless and mind boggling heartless behavior has been overwhelming , be it online blogs,print media and electronic media. The question remain, who is listening? The governments with quacks like dasti, fozia wahab debating non-issue through senseless talk or the Prime minister Gilani who kept addressing public rallies in connection with a coming by-election despite the havoc in country?
Sad state of Affairs of Country and hearts.
Please spread the message of ways of helping the people affected by floods

http://www.takepart.com/news/2010/08/03/pakistan-floods-how-to-help

Help wherever and however you can!

How many disaster does it take to make an efficient National Disaster Management System?

Airblue’s crash was one of the most tragic moments for Pakistanis but the uncontrolled stream of incorrect, misleading information over television channels made it worse, especially for the families of the victim. I am short of words for the utterly irresponsible and U turn taken by two minister's claiming recovery of injured bodies and black box and subsequently giving a contradictory statement. Sobbing relatives made their way to emergency rooms, catching hold of doctors, medical staff and gate keepers, desperate to find out how many had been brought in.


Pakistan has seen enough natural, terrorism-related disaster but no comprehensive disaster management system was in place. The head of NDMA claims that it is not responsibility of his authority to recover the body. So whose is it to coordinate? How many disasters does NDMA need to learn respond on time? If it is the army to rescue and respond in every disaster why waste millions of tax money on a defunct authority like NDMA?

Irresponsible reporting of various news channels Geo News, ARY, Express and Dunya, made desperate relatives rush to hospitals after learning from the channels that some passengers of the ill-fated Flight ED-202 had survived and were being brought to hospitals. Sobbing relatives made their way to emergency rooms, catching hold of doctors, medical staff and gate keepers, desperate to find out how many had been brought in.

The same had not yet ended when the news anchors in name of reporting barged in the houses of deceased, interviewing the grief stricken families trying to cash in the tears for more mingle jingle advertisements. Never have I seen such insensitivity and ruthlessness for country fellowmen. To add fury to people at home, the news channels started showing body bags which is not only morally unethical but must these channels must be taken off air for atleast 24 hours. Equally outrageous was the TV reporter on GEO boosting about being the first female reporter telling tales of her bravery to invade privacy in such sensitive moments.

It is indeed shameful state of affairs for the reigning ministers and the news channels for misleading vulnerable people already broken down by feeling of disbelief and anguish. Where there are laws for misleading financial statements/ documents, why not accountability for playing havoc with people in grief.

MANAGEMENT LESSON FROM PATHAN

One fine day, a bus driver went to the bus garage, started his bus, and drove off along the route. No problems for the first few stops – a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well.
At the next stop, however, a big hulk of a Pathan got on. Six feet four, built like a wrestler, arms hanging down to the ground. He glared at the conductor and said, "Pathan doesn't pay!" and sat down at the back.
Conductor didn't argue with Pathan, but he wasn't happy about it. The next day the same thing happened – Pathan got on again, made a show of refusing to pay, and sat down. And the next day, and the next..
This grated on the bus driver, who started losing sleep over the way Pathan was taking advantage of the poor conductor. Finally he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and all that good stuff.
By the end of the summer, he had become quite strong; what's more, he felt really good about himself. So, on the next Monday, when Pathan once again got on the bus and said, "Pathan doesn't pay!"
The driver stood up, glared back at Pathan, and screamed, "And why not?"
With a surprised look on his face, Pathan replied, "Pathan has a bus pass."

Management Lesson: Be sure there is a problem in the first place before working
hard to solve one.

Unsung Heroes - Inspiring

The Unsung Heroes of Microfinance Blog NextBillion.net Development through Enterprise
by Chris Megargee,

Global Partnerships PartnerTrip Coordinator Justiniano Osco drove his dirt bike right into the meeting room where 11 women—members of a communal lending group, or village bank, sat awaiting him. The “room” was an open field in Achocalla, Bolivia. Justiniano is the loan officer who leads the twice-monthly meetings for this village bank, providing trainings, facilitating the loan process and supporting these women who are working to better their lives with the help of microfinance.
Justiniano visits 20 village bank meetings a week, often in remote areas.
I had the opportunity to meet Justiniano—a loan officer with Global Partnerships microfinance partner CRECER—last summer. I was immediately impressed by the respect that Justiniano showed the members of this village bank and the rapport he had with them. He started the meeting off with an icebreaker that involved jumping up and down in place—which led to lots of giggles as the women bounced in their broad skirts, derby hats perched on their heads and long braids flapping at their sides. He then led a participative training on good nutrition, complete with posters of the food pyramid.
Though he has every reason to be proud of his work, Justiniano is soft spoken and humble. An agronomist by training, he has served as a loan officer with CRECER for 11years. He loves his job, in large part because he knows he is helping his own people. Like many microfinance loan officers, Justiniano has a background that is very similar to the clients that he serves. He grew up in a poor, rural community: His parents were small farmers, working a tiny plot of land with a few animals.
“My childhood was very difficult. I didn’t know what shoes were,” he explained. He described how he and his clients “share the same culture, the same traditions, the same language.” (The entire bank meeting was conducted in Aymara, the indigenous language spoken in this region.)
Justiniano’s daily attire is a padded jumpsuit he wears for protection over his clothes as he rides his motorcycle. It’s a must, given that he visits four village bank meetings per day, traveling over rough dirt roads to get to each one.

Justiniano visits 20 meetings every week, with some requiring two-and-a-half-hour ride. His dedication to visiting communities in remote regions is typical of micofinance loan officers and reflects a key difference between microfinance institutions and traditional banks. While banks have an office in the city and require you to go to them for service, microfinance organizations are proactive in their outreach, traveling to where their clients live.

Justiniano is one of hundreds of loan officers with Global Partnerships microfinance partners who make these connections happen. If there are heroes in the world of microfinance, surely Justiniano and the many loan officers like him must be counted among them. The members of the 20 village banks Justiniano visits on his dirt bike each week would surely agree.

"I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man."

Hotel ewins acclaim after handing in $50,000 cash
Mr Khan has been invited to Lahore to receive an award for his good deed
A Pakistani hotel employee has won acclaim after handing in over $50,000 (£33,000) in cash that had been left behind by a guest.
Essa Khan, 51, discovered the money in $100 notes left in the room of a Japanese worker at the Serena Hotel in Gilgit. Mr Khan, who earns about 21,000 rupees ($235; £153) a month, says he never considered keeping the money.
He has been invited to receive an award from a state governor for his honesty.
"My duty with the hotel and my family upbringing teaches me nothing else," he said.
"Times are hard for everyone, but that doesn't mean we should start stealing and taking things which do not belong to us."
The father-of-five says he hopes the incident will help portray his country in a good light.
The Pakistani government has been riddled with accusations of corruption. "I want people around the world to know that there are many good people in Pakistan - everybody is not a terrorist here."
Hotel manager Rajid Uddin told the BBC there had been similar instances where lost items had been returned, but none "on this magnitude". He said the guest had been relieved when the cash was found. "He was naturally very worried as he wasn't able to figure out where he had lost the money," he said. Mr Khan said he had already received an award from the hotel, and that Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab, had congratulated him and invited him to Lahore for a ceremony.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/10603417

I can only wish the current leadership of hunza might learn lesson of selfless honesty, good practices and dedication to responsibilites from Mr. Khan.

'Thankyou Raisani'- Sharing an article par excellence.

http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/news/pakistan/04-degree-fake-real-raisani-qs-08

Reaction to statement of Raisani in The News: Thank you, Raisani

Thank you, Raisani

It happened one bright sunny morning in the Land of the Pure that one fine gentleman, Mr Raisani of Balochistan, announced to the whole world that cared enough to listen: a degree is a degree, genuine or fake, it doesn’t matter. Armed with this information, my gardener, who is quite apt at the art of digging things, decided to go for a mid-career transition, and opened a dentist’s shop. I say shop because the word clinic is not in his lexical range. He is very happy, this gardener. He digs at people’s molars and slashes pieces of their tongues, and beams at a newly acquired piece of framed paper that adorns half of his clinic’s… errr... shop’s wall. It’s a fake degree, ladies and gentlemen, bought at the local meat shop. But what does it matter, a degree is a degree even if it is acquired from a butcher, we don’t care. Talking about this honourable Mr Butcher, he, as a side business, has opened up a fake-degree issuance bureau under the direct patronage of 144 or more members of parliament. Since he is very good at cutting guts and cleaning them inside out, he is thinking of getting a surgeon’s degree for himself. Would the respected Mr Raisani, who thinks a degree is a degree even if it is fake, allow this newly inducted member of the medical community to perform a surgery on his esteemed being? It needn’t be a gut surgery, a simple realigning of the reality-check hormones would do.I must say I am a bit resentful of Mr R who has taken so long to establish the worth of genuine degrees. I mean, why didn’t he say so when I was wasting the most precious years of my life writing assignments and reading obscure philosophies to get my genuine degrees? Why didn’t I just buy some fake ones? But it is never too late. Next time I go for a job and my employer tells me that I need a PhD in order to get a permanent job, I will simply invest in a fake degree. Can Dr Awan please guide me in this particular field? I would also request the HEC to please allocate a special fund for buying fake degrees so that the poor members of the academia, like me, could put decent food on their tables.All in all I am quite looking forward to the impact these golden words of wisdom might have on my students. As soon as the summer holidays are over and these students are back, I plan to spread this new mantra of prosperity among them. “Haven’t you heard?” I’d say, “A degree is a degree and it doesn’t have to be earned.” Imagine the relief; no designing courses, no sleepless nights reading books, no marking of papers, no keeping of records. In fact, no universities! Oh, here’s an idea: why don’t we just close these places of indulgence and turn them into gambling dens?I recommend a career change to all the people who work at universities. As far as I am concerned, I’ve already decided what I am going to do with my life. I am going to join the Defend-Zardari movement. It’s new, it’s happening, it doesn’t require an unblemished past, and above all you get great coverage on the media. The only thing I will have to do is change my name so that it begins with an F, and learn the art of bullheadedness in the face of intelligence. The perks are amazing. I will get free grooming, free face-lift, free wardrobe for Capital Talk, and yesss, a 10 per cent from the latest ‘Buy-the-lawyers fund’ every time I say the words democracy, danger, sacrifice and revenge… not to mention non-state actors, whatever the hell they are.