Where do you urinate if there is no lavatory?
“Yahaan pishaab karna mana hai“ (Do not urinate here) “Yahaan ghadda pishaab kar raha hai“ (The person urinating here is a donkey) These warnings are painted on many walls in our cities. Here is a picture: But these warnings are widely ignored by most people. One week ago, I decided to go out and talk to some pedestrians near my office about this practice; I asked them if they have ever urinated in a public place and why, and if they were willing to pay Rs5 per visit to a public toilet facility. The responses were varied, but one that stayed with me is that relieving ...
Read Full Post
Dear PEMRA, what is indecent, anti-state, anti-national?
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) is really stepping up its efforts to, at least superficially, hold the media accountable. First they made their public complaints archive publicly accessible online – good job, although a glance at the complaints does highlight the issue of their complaint centre being hijacked by propaganda-laden trolling. Secondly, and more critically, they have uploaded a draft of the upcoming PEMRA Content Regulations 2012 – the code of conduct that local broadcasters will be bound to. The regulatory body has also called on the public to email their feedback before May 07, 2012, after which ...
Read Full PostWhat is the worst thing about Pakistan’s media?
The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) deserves a pat on the back for its bold move towards greater transparency in their online complaints section – they’ve given the public access to the complaint log. To be frank, a pat on the back for Pemra and a cold shiver down one’s spine is unfortunately the order of the day. Let us delve into this treasure trove of the Pakistani complainant’s mindset. First of all, the top 10 list of offenders: No Name Complaints 1 Samaa TV 450 2 Geo News 147 3 Geo Ent 95 4 Express News 32 5 AAG / Geo Aur 26 6 ARY Digital 21 7 HUM TV 13 8 Dawn News 11 9 Dunya TV News 11 10 AAJ News 8 That is a total of over 800 complaints; again, an ...
Read Full Post
Down with Valentine’s Day!
It’s that dreaded day of the year again, unknown to none, prohibited by many and celebrated by most; Valentine’s Day. Pagan rituals and worshipping “Christianized” idols are probably at their peak right now. A commercial excuse for public displays of affection and then the hateful price hike in the market on ultimate necessities like flowers and chocolates? I’m so glad there are groups on Facebook that addressed this rising concern like: Sorry, Valentines Day I am Muslim Let’s boycott Valentine’s Day and Jihad against Biddah. A post on Jihad against Biddah asks pertinent questions like: Will u b my valentine on d DAY OF JUDGEMENT ...
Read Full Post
Privacy issues and the media
The role of the media regarding the matrimonial issues of politicians has received a mixed response in bureaucratic circles. To witness such debate among bureaucrats on the role of the media, and how it covers the personal issues of politicians, is quite interesting. Some appear to discuss such rumours, including those on the secret marriages of some politicians, just to dilute the heat created by Memogate. Some bureaucrats vehemently criticise the role of the media in bringing to light such things and say that this is done with an ulterior motive: to tarnish certain politicians who may be out of favour ...
Read Full Post
A lesson overlooked in the Aamir Liaquat fiasco
After hours of cat and mouse between copyrights owner and uploader, the Dr Aamir Liaquat video is now firmly rooted on YouTube servers. Even with Mr Liaquat denying the authenticity of the recording, his claims are not swaying the public at large. He has undeniably been caught, exposed and will perpetually be grilled over his less-than-holy behavior. Preceding this fiasco by several months, I had come across a YoutTube personality who similarly exposed people doing things deemed unacceptable. His special interest wasn’t TV personalities and their unbecoming demeanor off-camera – his subjects seemed ordinary people like you and me, who want ...
Read Full Post
I am Pakistan
The first time I got into a public brawl was on my way back from work, on the roadside. A crowd had gathered, to watch a man beat up a little boy because he had taken a wrong turn on his bicycle to avoid being hit by the man’s car. Ten minutes later, I managed to stop the beating by utilizing my strength as a woman in Pakistan. The second time I got into a public disagreement was while at gender conference in Lalamusa, with a government official who recently returned from training in Japan. He was boasting of a 400 ...
Read Full Post
Helping Punjab’s medical students
One needs to score at least 82 per cent marks in Intermediate exams and then pass an entry test to gain admission into any public medical college in Punjab. This ensures that those who do eventually study medicine are among the best and brightest in the province. However, the fate of some 950 such intelligent students is hanging in the balance as the Punjab government didn’t take approval from the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) before admitting these students to medical schools. Last year, four new public medical colleges – in Sialkot, Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal and Gujranwala – were ...
Read Full Post
Edhi, we expected better from you
We all suffer from occasional bouts of madness. It is a hazard of being a human, a side effect of possessing a mind. We all have thoughts, wishes that cannot and should not be taken seriously. Mostly, we keep these thoughts to ourselves but sometimes, we blurt them out. If we are lucky, not many witness our moment of insanity. However, if you are someone with a fan following, if you are someone who motivates and inspires, someone who has a standing in society, you are expected to refrain from having public bouts of mental diarrhea. What to say then of Abdul Sattar ...
Read Full Post
The djinns at Pakistan’s public schools
As part of my work, researching the academic standards of public schools in Lahore, I sometimes visit the Government Primary School in the Township area of Lahore. Township is a working class neighbourhood – most of the people who live here work in factories in the Kot Lakhpat Industrial area. It’s relatively clean and less congested than other neighbourhoods. The Government Primary School has an area of nearly 5,000 square yards – the covered area is less than 1,300 square yards. The rest of the area is occupied by thorny bushes and burning dumps of garbage, enclosed by a low-rising boundary ...
Read Full Post
