Tuesday, June 15, 2021
From Russia with Love: #bidenputin #BidenPutinSummit - Biden vs. Vlad the Impaler
By Finian Cunningham
It should be obvious that the Russian side is the only party that is acting responsibly and with a generous spirit of trying to improve bilateral relations.
President Vladimir Putin says he hopes to open personal communications with American counterpart Joe Biden when they meet for their summit in Geneva on Wednesday. The Russian leader has played down expectations of a breakthrough, but nevertheless, his stated aspiration is for a productive detente.
There is little to no reciprocation of benign spirit from the American side. Biden and his aides may say the US does not want a conflict with Russia. But apart from that rhetorical concession, the Americans are pushing aggression and making the Geneva meeting sound like a showdown.
The unwillingness of the US president to hold a joint press conference with Putin following their private discussions is a telling sign of the obnoxious American attitude.
There are two reasons why Biden doesn’t want to appear side by side with Putin in front of the world.
The first is he would not be able to handle Putin’s intelligent arguments and criticism of American policy. Joe Biden’s mental faculties are in serious doubt following well-publicized gaffes and missteps of forgetting names and incoherent speech. Not meaning to sound cruel, but Putin would demolish Biden in a public discussion.
Biden and the entire American political establishment constantly accuse Putin and Russia of malign conduct, everything from being a “killer” to interfering in elections, cyberattacks and threatening the national security of the US and its allies.
The depiction is a fantasy based on Russophobia and bigoted prejudice. As Putin pointed out in a recent US media interview: there is no evidence ever presented to back up these wild pejorative claims. It is all unsubstantiated, rabid nonsense.
If Putin was on the same public platform as Biden, we can be sure that the veil of lies would be torn from the American facade of acting tough and sanctimonious. Biden would be left quivering and mumbling like an impotent idiot. Indeed, any American politician would be since they are all brainwashed idiots bloated from their own propaganda.
Thus, the world would see in a wonderful moment just how ridiculously naked the American emperor is and all his NATO minions are.
The second reason for why Biden could not abide standing alongside Putin is that that image confounds the American propaganda of demonizing “Vlad the Impaler”. Any appearance of a smiling Putin in a normal friendly setting with Biden would undermine the narrative of Putin-the-bogeyman.
That’s why the meeting has to be held in private and afterward the Americans can spin some account of the talks to make themselves sound morally superior by claiming to have brought up concerns about “human rights” and “malign behavior”. We can be sure if Biden dares to act self-righteous, Putin will deftly slam the absurd hypocrisy.
But it’s also vital for the American side to portray the encounter as a showdown between a good guy and a bad guy. The charade only works if kept in private.
At least in the past, Ronald Reagan was photographed having convivial fireside talks with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev when they met in Geneva in 1985 and produced a landmark arms control treaty. To his credit, too, Donald Trump held a joint press conference with Putin when the pair met in Helsinki in 2018 and there was no acrimony.
But Biden, like most American politicians and media, is full of stupid antipathy towards Putin and the Kremlin. He warned menacingly last week he’s going to tell Putin “what he knows”. Biden says the Russian leader “needs to change his behavior” if there is to be any improvement in relations.
It’s going to be very difficult to engage in productive dialogue when the American mindset is so indoctrinated with false propaganda.
Some observers may wonder is there any point in Putin meeting Biden under those circumstances? After all, it was Biden who invited Putin to meet him.
The willingness of the Russian side to engage – in spite of the American animosity – is a clear sign of political maturity and generosity to try to create a more peaceful world. The onus is on the Americans to change their behavior and stop malign conduct. That’s the real challenge.
Biden-Putin summit agenda revealed: Presidents to discuss Covid-19, Ukraine, hacking, climate change & situation in Middle East
https://www.rt.com/russia/526586-biden-putin-summit-agenda-plan/
Opinion: Censorship is suffocating Pakistan
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/06/15/hamid-mir-assails-censorship-in-pakistan/
Monday, June 14, 2021
Cash-strapped Pakistan requests another year to pay back Chinese loans
PPP will not allow economic murder of people: Bilawal Bhutto
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto has said Saturday that how the budget could be public when the inflation, unemployment and poverty are historic.
In his statement, Bilawal Bhutto said that the year has changed but the condition of people is still same. He said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has failed in providing relief to the common man.
“Imran Khan has unveiled his anti-public agenda. Pakistan Peoples Party will not allow economic murder of the people,” he added.
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/605745-PPP-will-not-allow-economic-murder-of-people:-Bilawal-Bhutto
An increase of Rs 20 per liter on petrol and Rs 7 per kg on sugar is occurring due to indirect taxes – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated, “It is evident IMF employees prepared the budget and then gave it to Imran Khan. Yet, the puppet PM went ahead and presented it without any consideration, nor did he pay heed to the plight of the poor.”
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also asked the nation to note the indirect taxes imposed by the PM. “Instead of applying direct taxes, Imran Khan is robbing the nation by levying indirect taxes worth billions of rupees.”
Highlighting the atrocious amount of indirect taxes imposed, Chairman PPP said, “An increase of Rs 20 per liter on petrol and Rs 7 per kg on sugar is occurring. Gas and petrol prices will also go up when companies give 17% sales tax on crude oil and LNG.”
Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned the nation that indirect taxes worth billions of rupees imposed on every commodity used by common people would soon expose the country to a new tsunami of inflation.
“People started shopping online to avoid coronavirus, but Imran Khan imposed sales tax on online shopping as well. So where will the common man go now?” questioned Chairman PPP.
Declaring the correct government inefficient and an enemy to Pakistan’s progress, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said it was a tragedy that overseas Pakistanis were sending more in remittances than the exports of the country.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25106/
Today, the Opposition leader was not allowed to tell the nation the realities of the economic situation – says Chairman PPP during a media talk at the Parliament
Sunday, June 13, 2021
Mehdi Hasan - The king of ghazal
Mehdi Hasan was trained by his father and uncle, but the most definitive influence was that of his elder brother, Pandit Ghulam Qadir.
Ghazal gaiki (singing) attained true musical credentials in Pakistan and the artiste who best represented that was Mehdi Hasan.
Though he became popular and was recognised by connoisseurs of music as the “sahib-i-tarz gawaiya”, the journey was very difficult for him. It is easier for a musician born in a family of musicians to be a gawaiya or a bajwayia because music is imbibed in the same manner as the mother tongue in the process of growing up. So, being aware of the sur is an inescapability, but in one sense it is more difficult because the evolution of an individual style then becomes the true test and benchmark for the artiste.
Like his elders, Mehdi Hasan, too, was meant to be a dhrupadia or a kheyalia. However, as he grew up, it became apparent that the melodious intent in the intonation and the range of his voice was more suited for, what was then called, the semi-classical forms. Thumri and dadra had gained acceptance in the late 19th Century in the avenues of music. Many were switching to these due to a greater patronage extended by the princely states.
The kheyal was considered to be the most prestigious form of music. It took other forms a long time to establish themselves among the connoisseurs of music. The ghazal, initially the vocal accompaniment of dancing women in the salons, rose gradually, gaining popularity during the course of the century and gained prominence and then some prestige among the musicians with a lineage with Akhtari Bai Faizabadi and Barkat Ali Khan. KL Saigal, who became famous and popular because of the film geets, was actually the first male super start of film vocalisation. He gave a shot in the arm to ghazal gaiki. Prestige followed popularity. This was not really the case in feudal patronage where prestige hinged upon the taste of the patron and not necessarily the larger populace.
Mehdi Hasan’s forefathers were well-known musicians and had been associated with numerous courts in what is now Rajasthan. His father, Azeem Khan, and uncle, Ismail Khan, too, were court singers. He was trained by his father and uncle, but the most definitive influence on him was that of his elder brother, Pandit Ghulam Qadir. Nevertheless, he had a tough beginning. He worked as a tyre fixer, then a motor mechanic and worked the land for a living.
In music forms where the lyrics play an important part, the greatest challenge for the vocalist is to break through the limitation of meaning that the grid of words impose. The significance of the sur has to dominate and take over. In the classical forms in the Indian sub-continent, the lyrics were kept to the minimum and totally subordinated to the tonal pattern of the melodic formations, usually expressed through the combinations and permutations of a particular raga or even a subtle mixing of two or more ragas in various tempos.
This has to be distinguished from recitation or cantillation, which in various cultures, including our own, have had an equally old and venerated tradition. The recitation, or cantillation or what is generally known as tarannum, is only a musical illustration of the lyrics. Its virtue, too, is supposed to rest there. The moment it liberates itself from the limitation of the word to assume a definitive tonal form, it is supposed to be assessed from a musical point of view rather than finding a relationship between the note and the word.
In the last seventy odd years, one has seen a steady decline of these forms that dwell on the purity of the note and move away from the meaning-driven comprehension of the word. Many vocalists have tried to reach some kind of a compromise and have taken bits from both to survive and create an expression that stays relevant to the changing environment of the times or era.
Many in this Land of the Pure are content with appreciating art as a handmaiden to either religion or some political ideology with the autonomy of the arts not given due consideration. This tepid understanding was further reinforced by the introduction of the film song which generally is understood as furthering the narrative or fulfilling the requirements of the scene. However, one has seen that with the passage of time, the song has had a longer shelf life than the film itself and it can be surmised that the song had the potential of outgrowing the immediate reason(s) for its coming into being.
The tacit promotion of the ghazal and subsequent gaiki were also the cultural imperative of the new state of Pakistan and the connections with a Persianate culture that ensured continuity with the older cultural expressions. They were being poached upon to establish a cultural identity for the new political identity. It may be interesting to note that the painters trying to establish themselves and find a place in the cultural matrix, too, were treading the same course by painting verses from famous poets. Abdur Rahman Chughtai is a good example; he switched from painting mythological figures to the imaginative representation of the verses of Ghalib and later of Iqbal. Sadeqain, too, tried to do that though not to the extent of Chughtai, who wanted to connect to the art of the book – a miniature was supposed to be an illustration on the margins of a book with the text or the story in the middle.
The greatness of Mehdi Hasan was that he did no let himself be buried under the huge veneration attached to poetry, but emerged as one using the lyrics or the poetry for greater musical relevance. This would have been difficult to achieve for a lesser vocalist as the words would have dominated to claim the credit. However, he was able to transcend the poetic content and is celebrated by the gawaiyas for this very reason. Mehdi Hasan’s barsi is on June 13.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/tns/detail/848096-the-king-of-ghazal
Pakistan student who survived 2014 army school attack elected Oxford Union treasurer
Nawaz is studying Philosophy and Theology at Lady Margaret Hall, alma mater of former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and compatriot Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen in 2012, when she was 15, for her advocacy in favour of girls’ education.
A survivor
Nawaz and his family shifted to the UK for the treatment of his bullet injury and to rebuild their lives.
In his Twitter bio, Nawaz describes himself as a “survivor” and human rights activist working for youth empowerment, sustainability and ensuring access to education for deprived children.
In 2020, he told Gulf News that he started working as a teen activist soon after his family came to the UK. He has participated in the World Leaders Conference in Portugal, the One Young World at the Nobel Peace Laureate Summit, and many other forums that advocate for the rights of young people.
The report also quoted him as saying that, as part of his campaign, he had provided scholarships to many young people in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of Pakistan, and built a school in Lebanon for refugee children.
https://theprint.in/world/pakistan-student-who-survived-2014-army-school-attack-elected-oxford-union-treasurer/676964/
Pakistan - Censorship in science raises many questions - Missing gender
RECENTLY, I came across some disturbing information regarding the self-censorship that is being applied to the biology curriculum in some parts of the country. I was told by reliable sources that in some provinces under the heading “the human reproductive system” only the male reproductive system is being taught, while the female reproductive system has been conveniently removed. This brings to the forefront several questions. For instance, are the informed bodies that determine curriculum content of the opinion that exposing students to the female anatomy will lead to immoral behaviour or are they of the opinion that understanding female physiology is of no consequence to the study of science and biology? This would imply that we will produce medical students who are permitted to study the male anatomy and therefore be able to treat male ailments, but will not be equipped to treat female patients. It would seem that as a society we have deliberately gouged out one of our eyes and like Amartya Sen said, we will continue to have “missing women” as the sex ratio in the country will decline further due to health, nutritional and economic constraints that women face. Apparently, in a country which suffers from a high maternal mortality rate, where anaemia amongst women is endemic, where the ratio of men to women in the population is regressive, where the fertility rate is growing at an untrammelled pace, we certainly don’t need to include the female reproductive system in the biology curriculum at the high school level. To add insult to injury, some members of the Muttahida Ulema Board have also directed textbook boards to omit diagrams of the human body “without clothes”. It is important to unravel this particular mindset, as it appears on initial assessment that the attitude of conservative Muslim ulema is not only hostile but schizophrenic towards science; they are happy to reap its benefits but not willing to subscribe to the worldview it generates. Censorship in science raises many questions. The end result of this thinking would be that medical education should be provided without practical training. In a country where the quality of healthcare and the incidence of quackery is high, we are setting ourselves up for another disaster. Not only that, there is a disconnect between the golden age of Islam where science and religion were compatible and the current reactionary attitude we see today amongst many religious groups towards all things scientific. In the past, the appeal of science was mystical and was seen as a way of experiencing the beauty and expanse of creation. As Ibn Rushd the famous 13th-century anatomist is believed to have said, “Anyone who studies anatomy will increase his faith in the omnipotence and oneness of God the Almighty”.’ Many scholars have wondered when this particular connection broke down between the religion and empirical science — was it the destruction of libraries in Baghdad by Hulagu Khan, or was it the subjective patronage of arts and sciences under the Ottomans which limited the domain of scientific inquiry, or was it the onslaught of colonialism and the resulting visceral reaction to all things Western and modern across the Muslim world? Undoubtedly, science is a way of pursuing truth in order to unmask and unravel the mysteries of nature and to address existential imperatives that confront the human civilisation. The basis of any scientific discovery is the conduct of experiments and the recording of observations. The determinant factor to prove any theory hinges on empirical evidence and hardcore facts. Marie Curie would have never discovered radium or its source, if she had not conducted painstaking laboratory work over a period of time to separate radium and polonium. The irony about Madame Curie is that she was not allowed to study science in her home country Poland since she was a woman. If by twist of fate, she had not ended up at the Sorbonne in Paris, perhaps the story of radium and the structure of the atom would have been written differently. Not only that, the harnessing of nuclear energy to treat cancer patients may have taken a different trajectory. There can be no confusion when it comes to teaching students about the human anatomy and using educational tools and content that will enable them to understand these basic concepts and prepare them for future learning. In fact, we need to be thinking of much bigger issues when it comes to determining the science curriculum in terms of aligning it with scientific and technological advances, such as the discovery of DNA and the development of biotechnology and the problems of climate change, overpopulation and habitat destruction. We need to balance the curriculum to be inclusive of both the science of life and the science of living, something that has become extremely important in the wake of Covid 19. In other words, it’s best if the determination of science curriculum is left to the subject experts. https://www.dawn.com/news/1628922/missing-gender
#Pakistan #PPP - Govt afraid of public's reaction to storm of heavy taxes, says Bilawal
Bilawal added that the PTI-led government's decision to impose taxes on phone calls and then immediately retracting the decision shows that it is in a state of confusion. He said that the decision to impose nearly Rs375 billion worth of taxes on the masses is an "injustice." "The government did not spare a single item of the common man's use from taxes," Bilawal said, adding that the government is "robbing people" in the name of the ‘PTIMF’ budget, implying a budget proposed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). "I reject the government's PTIMF budget," he said. Two days ago, Bilawal had condemned the budget proposed by the federal government, calling it an "economic attack on Pakistanis". The PPP chairman, in a statement issued from Media Cell Bilawal House, had said PTI would not be permitted to "play with the nation’s future", vowing his party would not allow Prime Minister Imran Khan "to conduct an economic massacre of the people."
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/848988-imran-khans-govt-afraid-of-publics-reaction-to-storm-of-heavy-taxes-says-bilawal
Saturday, June 12, 2021
بجٹ 2021 کو پیش کرکے عمران خان نے اپنا غریب دشمن اور عوام دشمن ایجنڈا واضح کردیا ہے، چیئرمین پی پی پی بلاول بھٹو زرداری
پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی کے چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے بجٹ 2021 کو عوام پر معاشی حملہ قرار دیتے ہوئے سوال اٹھایا کہ اگر مہنگائی تاریخی ہے، بیروزگاری تاریخی ہے، غربت تاریخی ہے تو بجٹ کیسے عوامی ہوسکتا ہے،
میڈیا سیل بلاول ہاؤس سے جاری اپنے ایک بیان میں چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے کہا کہ جب پی ٹی آئی اپنا عوام دشمن بجٹ پیش کررہی تھی تو پارلیمان کے باہر سرکاری ملازمین مہنگائی کی دہائیاں دے رہے تھے، سال بدل گیا مگر عوام کے حالات نہ بدلے، بجٹ آگیا مگر غریب کے گھر کا چولہا آج تک بجھا ہوا ہے،
انہوں نے کہا کہ عوام جان چکے ہیں کہ بڑی بڑی باتیں کرنا عمران خان کی عادت ہے، وزیراعظم عام آدمی کو ریلیف فراہم کرنے میں مکمل ناکام ہوچکے،
اس موقع پر چیئرمین بلاول بھٹو زرداری نے یہ بھی واضح کیا کہ بجٹ 2021 کو پیش کرکے عمران خان نے اپنا غریب دشمن اور عوام دشمن ایجنڈا واضح کردیا ہے اور پاکستان پیپلزپارٹی عمران خان کو عوام کے معاشی قتل عام کی اجازت نہیں دے گی-
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25091/
The Budget 2021 is an economic attack on the people – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari declared that PTI would not be permitted to play with the nation’s future. “Pakistan Peoples Party will not allow Imran Khan to conduct an economic massacre of the people.”
Reiterating that the selected Prime Minister is deaf, dumb, and blind to the plight of the average Pakistani, Chairman PPP stated, “The year might have changed, but the conditions of the people remain the same. The poor man’s house is still being deprived of the basic necessities,” he lamented, “The hearth of the poor man’s house is still quenched.”
Condemning Prime Minister Imran Khan for his oblivion and lack of empathy towards the underprivileged, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said, “By presenting the Budget 2021, Imran Khan clarified his enmity towards the poor. He has exposed his anti-people agenda with the new budget.”
Chairman PPP also revealed that while the government was busy presenting false facts with the Economic Survey 2020-21 and claiming that the nation is flourishing, government employees protested against inflation outside the Parliament. “People are now retaliating because they are aware of the puppet Prime Minister’s empty promises,” said Chairman PPP, “They know it is Imran Khan’s habit to talk big and do nothing. He is incompetent and has completely failed to provide relief to a common man.”
Highlighting how the facts tell another story, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that an anti-people budget was expected from the PTI government. “If the inflation rate, unemployment, and poverty figures have been historic during Imran Khan’s tenure, how can the budget be public?” He questioned.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25093/
Chairman #PPP #Bilawal Bhutto Zardari says next Prime Minister will be a Jiyala
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25095/
Friday, June 11, 2021
Funds for health, education: Bilawal expresses serious reservations on NEC decisions
“Allocating only Rs30 billion for the health sector in the upcoming budget is preposterous. With this allotment, the PTI government is handing the people over to the epidemic,” he said in a statement on Wednesday while expressing his reservations on the decisions of the NEC.
Rejecting the budget, Bilawal declared, “The selected prime minister made a selected budget which will not be accepted in any way.” He said by dedicating only 3.3% of the budget to the health sector, it is clear the incompetent PTI government does not consider health as a top priority.
“Rs68 billion from the budget was allotted to please PTI’s assembly members, while only Rs5 billion have been set aside for epidemic prevention,” lamented PPP chairman. He said the unjust and anti-people budget has also allocated only 5.5% of the funding for the education sector. “Imran Khan has made the future of the nation a joke,” proclaimed Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. He said instead, the mafia working under Imran Khan claims to focus on development projects that were inaugurated but never completed. “Mr. Prime Minister! If the country does not develop by building roads, then why did you increase the development budget by 38%?” PPP chairman asked. Bilawal also criticised Imran Khan’s government for allotting more development budgets for provinces where the PTI government reigns. “With this move, Imran Khan proved he does not consider himself the prime minister of the entire country,” stated PPP chairman.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/847450-funds-for-health-education-bilawal-expresses-serious-reservations-on-nec-decisions
#Pakistan #PPP refuses to accept selected budget of selected govt: Bilawal Bhutto
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has said Thursday that PTI s budget is not public rather political hence the PPP refuses to accept the selected budget of the selected government.
In his statement, Bilawal Bhutto said that Imran Khan s government has caused a loss of up to Rs 1000 billion to the national exchequer just by altering the interest rates.
He said that Imran Khan facilitated the remittance of $2 billion of certain investors from outside the country and then returned the money by fixing the interest rate at 13.25 % hence causing Rs 300 billion loss to the national exchequer.
Bilawal Bhutto said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had asked to fix the interest rate at 12% while Imran Khan’s government fixed it at 13.25% to facilitate certain investors.
PPP chief further said that Imran Khan s government has facilitated certain investors up to Rs 700 billion by abruptly changing the interest rates of Pakistan Investment Bonds.
https://dunyanews.tv/en/Pakistan/605440-PPP-refuses-accept-selected-budget-selected-govt-Bilawal-Bhutto
If the economic survey does not accurately identify the problems of the people, how will these issues be solved? – says Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari rejected the Economic Survey 2021, stating it did not depict the country’s actual conditions. He criticized the government for omitting the statistics regarding poverty and unemployment from the economic survey – especially since there has been a historic rise in both.
In a statement issued from the Media Cell Bilawal House, the Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said. “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has seen a historic rise in poverty. Since the incompetent government wants to hide these numbers from the public, they have removed the statistics regarding poverty from the economic survey.”
Condemning this move, Chairman PPP stated that hiding poverty and unemployment stats and making excuses for inflation is not the solution. “A record rise in the unemployment rate in Pakistan’s history is the real face of Imran Khan’s change,” he declared.
The Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari warned the selected PM to take note of the plight of the underprivileged who are suffering due to PTI’s negligence. “If the economic survey does not accurately identify the problems of the people, how will these issues be solved?” Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said. “Pretending something does not exist will not free the nation of the predicament.”
Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari continued, “The Prime Minister is not bearing the burden of the PTIMF budget. It is the people who are paying a high price for Imran Khan’s ineptitude by being exposed to a devastating rate of inflation, unemployment, and poverty.
https://www.ppp.org.pk/pr/25084/
Thursday, June 10, 2021
Pakistan: Female athletes defy odds in a patriarchal society
Pakistani female athletes are gaining recognition despite the many challenges they face when it comes to overcoming rigid gender norms and a lack of access to training facilities. Mahoor Shahzad, a 24-year-old badminton player set to represent Pakistan at the Tokyo Olympics, is determined to make it big. She is the nation's first badminton player to qualify for the Olympics and is ranked among the top 133 women players in the world. Shahzad was invited to numerous international sporting events last year but was unable to attend due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She told DW that getting selected for the Olympics has been "a dream come true" and that she is thrilled to represent Pakistan on such a coveted international platform. Accessing sporting facilities Shahzad discovered her passion and gift for badminton at the age of 11, thanks to her father's strong support and insistence, she said. Shahzad's father, Muhammad Shahzad, is a former badminton player and encouraged all his daughters to play sports. At the age of 13, Shahzad went on to win the national junior title, beating her older sister in the game. She then became the senior national champion of Pakistan for the first time at the age of 19.Despite having her family's full support, Shahzad said she still faced many challenges that prevented her from fully realizing her potential."The major challenge that I faced [in badminton] was not being able to access many facilities as there are limited public courts and coaches in Karachi," she told DW. So, her father is her primary coach. Shahzad said cities and rural areas beyond Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, lack sporting facilities even more. She also noted that women in conservative parts of Pakistani society are more often encouraged to take on domestic roles than to pursue careers in competitive sports, thereby depriving the country's sports industry of talented athletes. "I was lucky to have my family's support, unlike most women," said Shahzad. A 'man's world' Noreena Shams, 23, is a prominent squash player and sports activist from Pakistan's Northwest. The area saw clashes between Pakistani security forces and the Taliban in 2009. Her house was struck twice.Shams' father died at a young age and so she was raised singlehandedly by her mother. At the age of 15, Shams disguised herself as a boy so she could play cricket. She played an entire year in the national junior team until her identity was revealed. "It's a very different situation for a woman without male backing as sports is so male-dominated, people don't take you seriously and try to take advantage," Shams told DW, adding that it took her eight years to convince her mother that she was committed to a career in sports. Abuse of power Over time, Shams climbed her way up and is now a member of a number of sports bodies and federations. She said many of her female peers have flagged abuses of power to her."It disgusts me that I have to sit in meetings with men who I know have asked for sexual favors from other sportswomen, young girls really. I'm often the only woman in meetings and I'm trying to help my peers by raising my voice but I'm not always heard. The government needs to protect us," she said. Leena Aziz, a sports commentator and analyst, has been in the industry for 25 years. She told DW the Pakistani government has made little progress in promoting or safeguarding women in sports. "There is a lot of harassment that women in sports and sports broadcasting go through. There's been suicides because women suffer silently or if they complain, their careers end. Outspoken women are punished and quiet ones become the favorite," said Aziz. Aziz referred to the case of 17-year-old female cricketer Haleema Rafiq, who in 2014 committed suicide by drinking acid after making sexual harassment allegations against top officials of the Sultan Cricket Club. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) formed a two-member inquiry committee that cleared the officials of any wrongdoing and banned all complainants from playing for six months. Aziz said the government should set up a protection cell as well as provide psychological counseling exclusively for women in sports in Pakistan. She reiterated that the inequality and discrimination women face in Pakistan's patriarchal society have led to fewer opportunities than for their male counterparts. Politics and corruption Sana Mahmud, former captain of the women's national football and basketball team, told DW that problems of corruption and the politicization of sports are also holding women back from playing. Mahmud said many sports federations are built through political contacts — already dominated by men — which by default means women are not well represented in sports. "Sports leadership is very weak, especially for women, because funds are misused and not fairly allotted to women's teams, federations and events. Even if women are given a seat at the table, it is just a token seat without any real say or power," Mahmud pointed out. Mahmud, who also works for the NGO Right to Play, stressed it is important to encourage girls to play sports from a young age to see more gender inclusion in sports. "If our culture stops girls from using their bodies to jump, run and throw, play — how will they even know what wonderful things their bodies are capable of? To have the next generations of sportswomen, we need to give young girls the freedom and tools to be strong and competitive just like boys." https://www.dw.com/en/pakistan-female-athletes-defy-odds-in-a-patriarchal-society/a-57846399