Compulsory Quranic education

I had written it in 2018, when this new PTI govt took over. Wondering now, what progress is made in this regard?

We have been listening to breaking news about compulsory Quran education in schools. Although, it is a positive step, but it reminded me of my own childhood.

I was in class 1, back in Gen. Zia era. My father was stationed in Gujranwala. Only 4-5 years of age, I did not know, how to read and write in Urdu or Arabic (not that I was fluent in English, I didn't know it either). I am not sure, if it was a Quran class at school or Islamiat. Cannot recall, whether it was teacher , subject or something else, what scared me so much.

 All that I remember, I used to get cramps in my tummy and was on verge of passing out, when I looked at the words written in Arabic on Green colored background. I was so afraid of that class, that once I escaped from school & reached home all alone. Ultimately caught by my parents and sent to school again.

A slow learner, but what I experienced then, my parents failed to understand. They believed it to be my fault. A reason which made them ashamed of me. I did come up with lies and stories to protect myself. Now, being a grown up, I realize, how disgusted, my parents must have felt.

Leave all this aside, my purpose of sharing this story is only to ask, have the times changed?

Are there easier and interesting ways of attracting children to Quranic education?

Is child's mental health kept in consideration during this or for any other kind education?

Or the same rotting skills and sticks will be used?

Does this govt want to implement madrassa culture everywhere or is this going to be something different?

Have this govt devised any techniques through which they can inculcate in children, the love of Quran and Islam. If not, it is only burdening children with more books.

Traffic mayhem in Multan

Traffic situation in Multan is worsening every day. It has doubled & trippled over last few years. Last road expansions took place during Yusuf Raza Gillani's time. No new underpasses, no new flyovers. Only progress made in Multan during PMLN rule is the unwanted METRO. Punjab govt is busy spending all our taxes in Lahore. Next to none for South. Where the population here is growing as rapidly as in Lahore, there seems to be no plan for any expansion here. The way traffic is thickening, keeping in mind the next 5 years, the roads need immediate expansion of twice the existing sizes than what we have today. As Khadim aala of Punjab has also unleashed speedo busses, without thinking, whether there is enough space on the roads or not. Fond of decorations that they are, they have also added these fancy, blinking & sparkling dolphin squad. Who are more interested in racing with female drivers or catching people for fireworks on weddings than playing any positive role. Roads of Multan, lack the space or capacity to hold so much traffic.

Absolutely, no attention is being paid towards Nishtar road, which draws patients, not only from South Punjab and Saraiki belt but from deep inside Balochistan and some parts of NWFP. Presence of Nishtar hospital, new burn center, college of dentistry, Nishtar medical college and hostels, alongwith plenty of private hospitals, medical store and labs cause heavy influx of people and traffic. This road remains jam packed during the day time. Remember, it leads to the emergency too. Sometimes, due to thick traffic or jam, even the rescue 1122 ambulances are trribly stuck for hours and patients lose lives, right infront of the hospital. As observed by many, the reason for this mayhem on Nishtar road are the narrow passings at the sides of the flyover. These passings underwent a lot of criticism, at the time this flyover was constructed, almost a decade ago. It was evident, even at that time, the size of this road was not enough, according the requirements of the population. Nishtar hospital Multan is bigger than services hospital Lahore, but the main road infront of it is hardly as big as the service road infront of any hospital in Lahore. Recently, the traffic to airport has also been transferred to this road, increasing the troubles of patients, doctors and all those, who have businesses on this road. It requires immediate expansion, twice its size at both the sides. 

What's more, the military check posts have added every day misery to the lives of many. Truly a headache for those, who have to get stuck in the middle every day. Military is not bothered to speed up the process of checking. Even passing a post sometimes takes hours. Children get late for schools, people reach late at work. And honestly, I find it extremely unfair, in order to provide security to Fort colony and military areas, ordinary citizens have to line up & wait for hours to get cleared, in hot or in cold. It gets humiliating for some, specially the students on motor bikes, who have to remove helmets, prove their identies and line up with hundred others, waiting for hours to get cleared. Meanwhile, missing their time to reach at tutions in time.  

Why do we raise hue and cry, when traffic is blocked to provide protocol to political VIPs. If common man has to suffer at the hands of both?

Although, people like us have got cantt passes made after paying some amount, so we don't have to suffer the ordeal every day but it does not mean that we aren't aware of these problems. Specifically the situation on Sher Shah road is in distress due to these check posts. People literally fear to visit these areas. Businesses in these areas are suffering because people are afraid of visiting. The restaurants and new places remain deprived of their customers. Price of the property has been affected badly. People are selling off and moving to areas, where there are no military check posts.

Sher Shad road was previously called the GT or LMQ (Lahore, Quetta, Multan) road. It has a lot of significance. It connects the entire country, but its status is ruined due to these check posts and traffic jams. Although, after Multan by-pass was created, the previous rush on this road was reduced, but, industrial area is on this road. Gigantic trollers have no other access to it but from this road and the only way, is a narrow passage from Nadirabad phattak. This cross is comparatively a lot smaller for the enormous trollers with gigantic containers. When a truck or troller driver tries to turn from the main road to industral area, it takes atleast few minutes. Whereas, traffic from both sides, start to build and by the time, it is in a condition to enter industrial area, it gets stuck in the traffic around it. Ultimately blocking traffic from every side. Usually, there is no traffic police on this spot and can only be seen, hours after the jam. There are no traffic signals here and when the phattak is opened, it results in utter chaos. There is a requirement of constructing an underpass to cantt and an over-head bridge at Nadir-abad phattak, inorder to rid this area traffic jams.

Where traffic gets blocked due to Nadir Abad phattak at one side. On the other, check post near Askari colony gets blocked due to heavy traffic and slow process of checkings on the post and this road comes to a total jam for hours. From Nadir-abad phattak to Askari post, imagine, this area is almost 3 kilometeres, which remains jammed every other day.

More for this road. The major source of entertainment, the lake, ''chaman zar Askari'' is there too.  Awwan-e-Shuhada is also situated on it. Services club Multan, which is now callec MGM is a little ahead of it. Multan has only one 'Cantt garden' and access to it has been granted from the same road. On eids, special holidays, not flood but sea of entertainment deprived, natives of the city of saints head towards these areas. Even the rush of pedestrians is enough to bring this road to a halt. Just think of the havoc created by the traffic. This road is blocked when some big wedding takes place at MGM. This road is blocked with pedestrians, when there is flowers exhibition in cantt garden and it comes to a standstill for hours, from Nadirabad phattak onwards, entire area of 4-5 km.

I just hope and pray that our military brethren show some care and find some better ways to enhance their security, which are less inconvenient for the general public. Civilians have won the case against these check posts.. Now we are wondering, if miliarty will remove these check posts? We do believe them to be our protectors and our saviours, but have they realized, what inconvenience they are causing for us, specially on Sher Shah road? Are they now going to remove these or should we not expect any courtesy from them, like we don't from politicians?

Bhikki power plant versus gas, water and electricity shortage in Pakistan

Ever wondered, if Pakistan is the only state in this world, where politicians use one agenda for winning votes. Completely ignore that issue, when they form the government and start spending on something totally irrelevant, unneeded? When the problem gets out of control, they find temporary alternates to curb the urgency? 

We saw it happen during General Pervaiz Musharraf's rule. When his government failed to bring down petroleum prices, LPG  was used as an alternate to diesel and petrol for fuel consumption of vehicles. For some time, it was viewed as new booming business. Palatial, custom built gas stations emerged everywhere. It was not long after that the nation witnessed long queues at those gas stations. Waiting hours and hours to be filled. Shortage of gas, resulted in gas load shedding for the domestic users, which our country never experienced before. Problem severed so much that those majestic gas stations ended up in ruins and still remain a sight to look at and lament over pathetic planning. 

Now, the current government of Mr. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif, is using the same trick. They failed to overcome electricity load shedding during their entire tenure. Now near completion of it, in the year 2017, they are reminded of their promises. Something that they vouched for - the end of electricity load shedding. Unfortunately, all that they have done is drama, in the name of projects like Quaid-e-Azam solar plant. All the tall claims of immediate provision of electricity turned out to be untrue. Load shedding continued, while the rulers, were engaged in proving themselves to be the descendants of Sher Shah Suri. Their obsession with road construction and transportation, specially the metro projects remained deplorable. The more, their opposition reminded them of problem of electricity, more forcefully they tried to divert attention to their own favourite projects like Orange train, yellow cabs, etc.

Ultimately, in the last year of their government, they were left with no option but to come up with some temporary relief, which will help them acquire votes in next elections. And apparently, it is in form of Bhikki power plant. Following the footsteps of General Musharraf, this govt has decided to use LPG, to get them out of this electricity shortage trouble. Completely negating the fact that, the nation suffered terrible gas load shedding, eight hours or more during entire winter. It was not until mid April that it stopped and by the end of same month, they have started using it for the purpose of electricity production. What will happen in winters? No gas, no electricity? It is said that the gas used for this project is imported, if it is so cheap, why domestic users have to face the shortage?

According to some reports issued in 2014, Pakistan's gas reserves will end after 20 years (2 years passed. 18 years left). With dependence on projects like Bhikki power plant for electricity, hope almost 10 more years will be reduced. So, within next 5 years, there will be no gas in our country, alongwith electricity. But who cares? 

India has full control of our water supplies. Our neighbouring enemy does not have to wage an all out war on us, it can control our destiny, through water. Unleashes its flood water, saving itself, causing havoc in our country. They are building more dams, saving more water, depriving us of more. Think tanks have been warning of soon to occur water scarcity, which may result in land degradation, if new water reservoirs are not constructed.

It is indeed Almighty Allah's kindness that our country gets some good rainfall, but lack of planning and storage facilities result in regular flooding. Pakistan has remained a spectacle for the world because of this recurring disaster, yet it could not make PMLN leaders think that water was being wasted, unused. Not only that it can be saved but also used for generating electricity. Fertility of our lands, provision of drinking water and electricity shortage, there is just one solution to everything and it is building new, bigger and better dams.

This government has wasted five years of this nation, without planing for the future. Totally denied the most crucial issue of the construction of dams. By hook or crook, they may succeed in overcoming electricity loadshedding for winning next elections but consequences of their pathetic planning may push this country to even more troubled state. A government which fails to build the dams is enemy of our future generations.

PMLN government has failed miserably in solving the problems of a common Pakistani and remained busy in self gratification. They wasted Pakistan's tax payer's money on self promotion, putting their pictures and posters around the country.  Do not forget their selfish acts. Do not trust their future promises, before you vote for next elections.