Thursday, June 24, 2021
مدرسہ، منبر، مولوی، مرد پرائیوٹ لمیٹڈ
عفت حسن رضوی
کیا دینی تعلیم کے لیے مدارس ہی آخری سٹاپ ہیں؟ کیا جدید علوم کے ساتھ دین کی تعلیم نہیں لی جاسکتی؟ کیا اعلیٰ دینی تعلیم کا بوجھ عورتیں نہیں اٹھا سکتیں؟
مذہب اسلام سے تحقیق، مکالمہ اور جمعیت نکال دیں تو پیچھے کیا رہ جاتا ہے؟ میرے خیال میں تو صرف مولوی، منبر، مدرسہ اور مرد پرائیوٹ لمیٹڈ۔ پھر دینی تعلیم کے اداروں میں جنسی درندگی کے ایسے ایسے واقعات جن کا ذکر بھی کرنا محال ہے۔
بات شروع ہوئی تھی ایک لطیف الہامی معاملے یعنی آسمانی مذہب دین اسلام اور اس کی تعلیم و تحقیق سے۔ اور بات آ کر کہاں پھنسی؟ ایک مخصوص طبقے کی جارہ داری، اسلام کی ٹھیکیداری پہ۔
چند ایک سوالوں کے ساتھ آپ کو دعوت فکر دیے جاتی ہوں۔
کیا قرآن کو جُزدان، اسلام کو مدرسے، شرعی فرائض و واجبات کو رمضان، اور اسلام کو صرف عبادات تک محدود کرنے والے ہم نہیں؟
کیا ایک مخصوص گروپ کو مذہب کا ٹھیکہ دینے والے آپ اور ہم نہیں، کیا مذہب کے موضوع کو ہم نے اپنے کندھوں کا بوجھ سمجھ کر اتارا اور مولوی پہ نہیں ڈالا؟ یہ شاید اس لیے تو نہیں کہ گناہ ثواب کا سارا جھنجھٹ مولوی جانے۔
کیا اسلام، قرآن پاک، احادیث، شریعت، طریقت، تاریخ، فقہہ پڑھنے کی کوئی آفاقی ذمہ داری صرف مولوی پر ہی عائد ہوتی ہے؟ کیا دینی تعلیم کے لیے مدارس ہی آخری سٹاپ ہیں؟ کیا جدید علوم کے ساتھ دین کی تعلیم نہیں لی جاسکتی؟ کیا اعلیٰ دینی تعلیم کا بوجھ عورتیں نہیں اٹھا سکتیں؟
بعض مولوی حضرات کی تو جتنی بساط ہے وہ مذہب کے ساتھ وہی کر رہے ہیں مگر ہماری حقیقت یہ ہے کہ ہم نے دینی تعلیم کو ترجیحات کے آخری خانے میں رکھا ہوا ہے، اپنی تن آسانی کی خاطر ہم نے یہ ٹھیکہ خود مولوی، مدرسے، منبر اور مرد کو دے رکھا ہے۔ مذہب کو ایک ٹولے کا پرائیوٹ لمیٹڈ پراجیکٹ ہم نے بنایا ہے۔
https://www.independenturdu.com/node/71176/madrassah-men-and-private-limited
Pakistan in troubled waters Stuck in Chinese debt, its problems are only growing
G Parthasarathy
Five decades after its surrender in Dhaka, Pakistan is finding that Bangladesh, which remained poverty-stricken because of its exploitation by West Pakistan, is today a dynamic and growingly prosperous country. Bangladesh, with a population of 160 million, is now competing with the booming economies of its Southeast Asian neighbours. Its economy has grown at 6% annually over the past two decades. Even during the Covid challenge, it is expected to register a growth of 6.8% in 2021 and 7.2% in 2022, by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Pakistan, on the other hand, is a massive recipient of foreign doles. It averaged a growth rate of around 3.5% in the years preceding the pandemic.
Bangladesh has also been far ahead of Pakistan in human development indicators, like women’s education and literacy. With foreign exchange reserves of $45 billion, Bangladesh has provided $200 million under a currency swap agreement to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh is ahead of Pakistan economically, even as it spared no effort to look after hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
Pakistan, in contrast, has uneasy relations with virtually all its neighbours, notably India and Afghanistan. Pakistan has also incurred Iranian displeasure over its trans-border support for disgruntled elements from Iran. Pakistan has become a virtual international “basket case”, feverishly looking around for financial “aid” from international institutions like the IMF, World Bank, ADB and its “all-weather friend” China. Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which have contributed generously to address Pakistan’s economic woes, recently had second thoughts on aiding Pakistan.
Pakistan’s economic woes have grown rapidly in recent years. Its total external debt had risen from $44.35 billion in 2013 to $90.12 billion in April 2021. Interestingly, Pakistan’s debt repayments to China rose from 9.3% in the recent past to 27.4% in 2021. These are official figures, which do not necessarily reflect the real position on Pakistan’s growing debts to China. The real costs will be substantially more when the $65 billion CPEC, linking Gilgit-Baltistan in PoK to the port of Gwadar in Balochistan, fully takes shape. This ‘corridor’ may be of great use to China. Its utility to Pakistan is, however, questionable, especially given the huge costs of the debts that Pakistan will have to repay to China.Gwadar is now virtually a Chinese port. It is just a question of time before the Chinese take over total control of the port. They even now have a dominant say on who enters and who leaves the port. Gwadar is set to become a major strategic naval base for China. This becomes inevitable as China proceeds to complete its wide range of projects under CPEC, which will ultimately link Gilgit-Baltistan to the Arabian Sea at Gwadar. It is very likely that with Pakistan borrowing more than it can repay, Gwadar will become a replica of the Hambantota port in Sri Lanka that was built with Chinese ‘aid’. Hambantota is now virtually owned by China.
The foundations of the CPEC were laid in 2013, when Chinese premier Li Keqiang visited Pakistan. The project has become more controversial after Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa was appointed its chairman. He and his family reportedly have a colourful record of their assets abroad. Saudi Arabia, which was planning to invest $10 billion in the Gwadar port, has now withdrawn and indicated that the money will be invested in Karachi. Saudi Arabia knows that China is set to invest $25 billion in Riyadh’s main rival/adversary, Iran, located close to Gwadar.
While one would have expected a sense of circumspection in Pakistan’s dealings with the Americans, Imran Khan and his loyalists have gone ballistic in criticising and embarrassing the Biden administration. The Pakistan media has also gone ballistic, declaring that the US had been told ‘firmly’ that Pakistan would not provide any bases on its territory for US drones to be deployed for action in Afghanistan. There have been separate meetings between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA director William Burns, with their Pakistani counterparts, and the army chief, General Bajwa. Moreover, wide publicity was given to Imran’s decision to refuse a request for a meeting by the visiting CIA director.
The Pakistan army, which has sought to maintain good relations with the US, would be wondering what is going on, as virtually every visiting American invariably pays homage to General Bajwa, who understandably has concerns about instability and turmoil in Afghanistan. Pakistan is going to be fully focused on developments in Afghanistan in the wake of the US withdrawal. The Taliban are determined to rule Afghanistan again. They are not ready to share power. The Taliban will, however, meet growing resistance as they approach Kabul. They will also meet strong resistance in non-Pashtun regions. While Pakistan is backing its protégés, it will have to watch out for trouble in its Pashtun areas bordering Afghanistan. Iran would reluctantly be drawn into the conflict.
India would be well advised to stay at an arm’s length from any direct involvement in the raging civil war, while remaining in touch with its friends in Afghanistan. There can be no meaningful relations with an Imran Khan-led government. We, however, need to keep our “back channel” lines of communication with Pakistan open. India should also ensure that Pakistan is not let off the hook in the Financial Action Task Force, especially given its continuing support for leaders of terrorist groups. Moreover, the architects of the terrorist attacks on our Parliament and Mumbai — Maulana Masood Azhar and Hafiz Mohammed Saeed — have mysteriously disappeared, just before the FATF meeting.
https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/comment/pakistan-in-troubled-waters-273157
PPP will not support the government’s legislation to facilitate Kulbhushan Jadhav – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari talking to media at the Parliament House Islamabad on Thursday, has said that PPP will not support the government’s legislation that is being brought to facilitate Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Responding to a question about the shortage of gas in Sindh, Chairman Bilawal said that the crisis of energy sector which is looming on Pakistan will have to be borne by the common people of Pakistan. It is a very unfortunate situation as it was avoidable but because of the failure of the government, the common people will have to suffer. The PPP always fights for its rights and we think that production orders of every member should be issued for the budget session. No one can be stopped from representing their constituency. Due to the continued incarceration of Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, the people of Sukkur are deprived of their representation. If the speaker does not fulfil his responsibility, then you are sending a message that the members will not be able to exercise their right, be it stopping the budget or casting teir cote for the no confidence motion.
This is a very disputed and anti-people budget, if the House is not complete and there is no representation of Waziristan and Sukkur, then as we say, the entire budget process is illegal. The speaker should take note of the decision of Islamabad High Court into account for issuing production orders of Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah. The opposition leader has sent in writing to the speaker for the production order of Khursheed Shah. I have also sent a letter to the speaker today.
Regarding the unfortunate death of Usman Kakar, Chairman Bilawal said that we have great respect for Usman Kakar and he was an honourable colleague, we will miss him in the Parliament. We tried our best but unfortunately, we lost him. We will do according to the demands of his family and his party. The government should also address those demands.
Regarding the unfortunate death of Usman Kakar, Chairman Bilawal said that we have great respect for Usman Kakar and he was an honourable colleague, we will miss him in the Parliament. We tried our best but unfortunately, we lost him. We will do according to the demands of his family and his party. The government should also address those demands.
Regarding Afghanistan, he said that he had a point in his budget speech about it, because Pakistan has been dealing with this situation since1980. Whatever happens in Afghanistan will impact the entire region and the world. We would have to face the consequences for decades for the decisions we make about Afghanistan now. This is why we demanded that the ministries and institutions which are involved in negotiations should bring the negotiation on record. PPP has a viewpoint and it should be heard. We will hear them out but the way our government and international powers are handling the situation, is not making things easy for Pakistan and Afghanistan and our coming generations. We have to address this issue.
As far as giving airbases to the United States, it is up to the government, and we hope that the decisions taken will be in the interest of Pakistan. We do not trust the prime minister because he takes u-turns and we are concerned that he might take a u-turn on this as well.
Addressing the Kashmir elections, Chairman Bilawal said that he is starting the campaign from tomorrow. About the political activities in the Punjab, he said that not only Punjab, but in th e entire Pakstan the situation for PPP is going to improve and President Zardari’s role is very important in all this. He is the only politician in the country who can unite all politicians. President Zardari had gone to Lahore to consult his doctors and we are thankful to Pervez Ilahi who visited him to enquire about his health, and whoever has ever worked with the PPP, we want to work with them. These meetings with President Zardari are only the beginning and a lot will happen in the coming days. We will keep trying to form government in the centre and every province of Pakistan. We think that we can solve the problems through a progressive manifesto of the PPP.
About the forced conversions in Sindh, Chairman Bilawal said that crimes take place everywhere, but we have to see what the response of political parties on such issues. The Pakistani community is very patriotic, and most of them live in Sindh and forced conversions are an issue for us but PPP is always at the forefront of minority, women and the rights of the downtrodden masses. It is unfortunate that the legislation on the issue is not up to the mark. Sindh is the only province which banned underage marriages. Unfortunately, some judicial decisions violate this law but we are trying to protect every citizen.
Regarding the bill on Kulbhushan Jadhav, he said that the government brought the bill in the darkness of the night for this individual, but he did not take advantage of this bill. Now, they are bringing this bill to the assembly. We will oppose this bill because we were not taken into confidence. PPP will not become a party in facilitating Kulbhushan Jadhav. If Imran Khan wants to facilitate him, he can do so. However, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and PPP will not support it.
Answering a question about Manzoor Watto, Chairman Bilawal said that Watto says that he never left PPP so we think that we should work with everyone. The people who have always been sincere to the PPP, they will be dealt differently and we will also work with the old comrades who are coming back. PPP’s doors are open for everyone who raised the slogan of Jeay Bhutto. We want to form a progressive government in this country and for this, we will take along whoever is ready to work with us.
Regarding Shahbaz Sharif’s proposed APC, he said that we are ready to cooperate with the opposition leader on every effort to unite the opposition. The people in the government from my province were more passionate in their speeches because the PPP had defeated them badly in their cities. They are not able to tolerate their defeat. PTI used to say that Karachi is their city, we brought them down from the first to the sixth position. The PPP jiyalas badly defeated them in Matli, Badin. They will remember it for their whole life. They should take out their frustration on their own prime minister Imran Khan who did not care for them. Hence, they lost from Badin to Karachi to Kashmir. I will ask the PPP jiyalas to not adopt their language and attitude and work coolly and solve peoples’ problems .
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25164/