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January 2011

The Civil Discourse

By Qaisar Sultan

The brittleness of our thought process, especially in the matters of faith, makes us to suffer from an impenetrable barrier to reason. Instead of being tolerant to other faiths, there is a common desire to prove them wrong. We have witnessed the clashes of faith, resulting in deaths of millions. The history is full of heroes on all sides fighting to destroy other faiths, if they could. The pride in the killings with a sense of nobility and piety is beyond the ethical and moral norms of all faiths.  The display of arrogance, brawling and affront, anger and malice reduce us as people. What has happened to “O believers of the Book, be not unduly immoderate in your religion”-5.77.  It is the humility and understanding of other point views, no matter how outlandish it may sound, that gives room for reconciliation and appreciation of ideas opposed to ours. There is no Read More »The Civil Discourse

NEW BORN INDIAN SOLDIERS

ALI SUKHANVER

Every year on 15 January, the Indian Army celebrates Army Day to commemorate the appointment of Lt Gen (later Field Marshal) KM Kariappa as Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army in place of Sir Francis Butcher, the last British Commander in 1949.  Since then it has been a tradition to present the gallantry and distinguished service awards to the deserving soldiers on this day.  The awards are presented by the Army Commanders in each of the Commands of the Indian Army. Even this year the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command, Lt Gen K.T Parnaik, presented 57 Sena Medals and five Vishisht Seva Medals to the awardees for their out standing performance in the Indian Occupied Kashmir. General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command’s Appreciation Cards were also presented to twenty two units from different arms and services which excelled in their respective operational duties in last one year. President, Family Welfare Organization of Northern Command, Mrs. Anagha Parnaik also interacted with the families of brave soldiers and encouraged them to continue their unstinted support to their spouses in performance of their duty.Read More »NEW BORN INDIAN SOLDIERS

SAMJHAUTA EXPRESS-2007

ALI SUKHANVER

“It’s not Muslims, but Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activists who planned and executed the bomb blasts at Malegaon in 2006, on the Samjhauta Express in 2007, in Ajmer Sharif in 2007 and Mecca Masjid in 2007,” confessed Swami Aseemanand, the main accused of 2007 Samjhauta Express blast in front of a magistrate at a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. Aseemanand said it was his interaction with one of the ‘innocent’ Muslim youths in jail that has led to his confession. The weekly Tehelka magazine has recently published a 42-page signed statement of Swami Aseemanand, written in Hindi. The Swami admitted in the statement that it was his conscience which compelled him to make this confession.Read More »SAMJHAUTA EXPRESS-2007

Tolerance

By Qaisar Sultan

The religious fervor finds solace in murdering and maiming the voice of reason; and that was the cause of murder of the governor of Punjab, Salman Taseer, a true liberal and secular leader- Is there any place safe in Pakistan for an enlightened man like him? Why a man of his intelligence would stay in politics and made enlightened views known to those, deprived of reason and civility? The murder of Salman Taseer was the murder of the voice of reason and courage. May be we, as a nation, should begin soul searching for what kind of future state we wish to live in; something closer to Afghanistan? The other bold and courageous voice of Shari Rehman may be curbed if she stayed too long in the land of murder and mayhem. Read More »Tolerance