Edhi, One of Pakistan's greatest Humanitarians passes away

Once there was a legend, who consumed his life for humanity. He set new standards of selflessness and charity. His services for humanity has surpassed all the bounds. This man was a Pakistani who was admired and revered by all and sundry. But alas, as of 8th July 2016 at the ripe, old age of 88; this soul is no more among us but he will live in our hearts forever. He is a true role model for humanity.

Even leading up to his untimely demise, he wanted to help and thus, donated his organs. Though, only his cornea could be used as the rest of his organs weren't healthy. I hope whoever receives his cornea not only gets his sight but also his vision for the world. His now, famous quote, 'No religion is higher than humanity" can not be any more relevant in these times with rampant extremist attacks, ultra-nationalistic xenophobia on the rise among other things. 

PTA at it Again (Banning Progressive Facebook Pages)

Ahh PTA, when will you ever learn? First Youtube, then Twitter and even SMS packages because its 'immoral'. And now banning progressive and Liberal pages preaching for a more tolerant and hate-free Pakistan such as Roshni, Taliban are Zaliman (oppressors), Bhangvi and Laal. Ironically pages and websites linked with extremists groups are free and accessible for everybody calling for open-hatred and persecution of minority groups and anti-state action.

I would have written more but since I have my exams I think this excerpt below will describe my thoughts just fine.

In 5th June, 2014 Pakistan Telecommunication Authority connived with Facebook to ban nearly all Pakistani progressive, secular and liberal pages campaigning for a Pakistan with human rights, social justice, equality and no terrorism. 

The irony is that anti state, Taliban pages operate with impunity while the voices of moderation and sanity are silenced by the state organ responsible for regulating telecommunication.  

Pakistan is a country haunted by a troubled past and its involvement in Afghan Soviet war tattered the social fabric, society was deeply radicalized religiously and space for progressive discourse shrank over the years until broadband internet penetration began to see a stellar rise in Pakistan under General Pervaiz Musharraf's reign. The introduction of broadband internet provided some space for the progressive and moderate forces

This development also blessed the embattled progressive Pakistanis with an unparalleled opportunity to channel their narrative to a much larger audience and that too without the fear of persecution in a society where being aligned with liberal thought alone merits ones life to be taken away. This was because the web offered a certain degree of anonymity. 

The social media, particularly Facebook effectively started giving a new picture of things earlier obscured because a variety of factors including state censorship. This increasing spread of awareness potentially has the ability to contribute to a change in the Status Quo with a better aware policy.

Wanna-be's but never Will-be's: The Pakistani Diaspora

Credits: Mirsub Ali Fazlani. Yes, I know I wrote Diaspora wrong. Silly me.

This is a Guest Post by Feriha Jazeb.

Life is full of endless twists & twirls but how you whether through them defines who you really are.

Enough has already been penned and reported on the issue, but we just don’t seem to come out of this eloquence.It seems baffling at first, the substance that GENERALLY, we trend to think that dwelling in another domicile, being international, is appealing all the time, but yes, ethics cannot be confined to an entire race, culture or civilization (States are not Planets Of Hats). Those who are sweating to adhere with Brits (This is the good idea), you will feasibly fail instead of whatever preparations you try, but you can do a fairly good job if you are entirely focused.

Let's turn on steam at Pakistani people living abroad,who had implanted themselves as British citizens, would never dump their British nationalities. Although by their tone, language, convention and customs, they are Pakistanis but by passport they are British nationals. They are modernized and adapting to western society. They have compensated their cultural tradition, heritage and identity for a western custom (Black on the outside, white on the inside i.e; coconut). They remain un-uttered about their national pedigree, just to avoid useless trouble. After every effort they made to hook up with Brits they are still not accepted and are sabotaged by western society. They in fact are marginalized. For British society they are “too black” or “too Asian and back home (i.e.,Pakistan) they are anticipated as “too white” or “too western\"(chocolate coated westerners). As we look further into this behavior, we realize that they do have genuine reasons. Pakistani Diaspora being slurred in their workplaces; our students being slammed and contra-distinguished against in the developed world, Pakistani passport raises eyebrows at airports. I can personally uphold for the straight stuff that anyone who is not a local or a gora, is subject to serious injustice, and Pakistanis too are pierced in a meticulous manner.

Edward Snowden: Whistleblower

An example of a decent human being.

This is a guest post by Tristan Ryan.

Before I begin, I’d like to apologize for my sub-par writing 
skills. Although I’m not the worst out there, I don’t do this often, and what you get might be more of a rant or something very rough (perhaps both!) than anything. On top of that, I have my nephew in the same room as me playing with my dogs. I love him to death, but god, he can be distracting.

Anyways, if you’ve been keeping up with current events recently, you might know about all sorts of things happening in America and across the globe, from that verdict in the Trayvon Martin case that let another child murderer get away to Edward Snowden and his noble work to put information and power into the hands of the people. Today, instead of racial tensions emerging from the Trayvon Martin case, I’ll be focusing on our good ol’ pal, Edward.

I’ll give a quick summary for those who haven’t been keeping up with current events recently or just haven’t learned about this yet. Edward Snowden was an intelligence contractor and system admin for the NSA (National Security Agency) who exposed the USA and UK’s spy programs, called PRISM (US) and Tempora (UK) that were (and still are) violating the privacy of not only their citizens, but citizens of other people from other countries. When he leaked this data, a cocktail of people got pissed for a cocktail of reasons. The people and other governments got pissed for being spied on and having their privacy violated, and the governments that were spying got pissed for having their privacy violated (because they honestly seem to care about privacy).

The Sarabjit Conundrum: India-Pak tensions rise again

This Amateur artwork is presented by yours truly, Mirsub. Microsoft Paint, you have saved me once again.

Note: As admin, I've seen this whole drama unfold on Twitter and in the media and it's simply ludicrous. Strayed from the Punjab? Yeah, O.K.
-Mirsub

Guest blog by Fatima Sajjad. She writes for the Tribune.

I am not a blogger or writer and never have I tried my hand at it but the Pakistan India topics are always an interesting choice to begin with! Moreover the Sarabjit Case and the false potrayal of him as 'just a farmer' has forced me to let it out.

I am not an anti-Indian but the way they have reacted to this situation and similar ones has changed my view of them. Lets start with what their very well know and learned people had to say about Pakistan, Javed Akhtar called Pakistan a 'petty establishment' after the death of Sarabjit and others termed Pakistan as an insensitive nation. I ask them,if Pakistan is a petty establishment why did they release several other prisoners convicted of terrorist activites,examples can include Gopaal Daas and Surjeet Singh who were recently pardoned and sent back home safe and sound! If Pakistan is a petty estabilishment why did our soldiers send the little Indian girl,that too with new clothes,candies etc,back to India with full safety! Also,is not India a petty estabilishment too as after the Sarabjit Incident one Pakistani prisoner was attacked by his inmates in Jammu and just by the way he has been struggling for a living as well why is this not telecasted?

Cause and Effect: Social Marketing and its Impact on Society

Facebook is the world's most commonly used social networking site, boasting over one billion regular users. Twitter is becoming increasingly popular as well. These networking sites are by far different than the primitive MySpace and Friendster that used to be popular among teenagers and young adults in the early 2000s. Today we'll discuss how these new and improved social networking sites can actually have drastic impact on our society.

The Arab Spring

In the spring of 2011, many countries in the Middle East had dramatic revolutions and government changes. The citizens in these countries came together in mass numbers and demanded changes. Facebook and other social networking sites played a role in the organization of these gatherings by spreading the word to as many people as possible. Unfortunately, when the governments discovered what they were doing, they took away access to Facebook or to the Internet altogether.

Burn Your Own City, Pakistan Film Protests

 The crudely made "Innocence of Muslims", produced by US-based extremist Christians has triggered protests in at least 20 countries since excerpts were posted online, and more than 30 people have been killed in violence linked to the film.

 I find it amusing to see how the "followers" of the Prophet (p.b.u.h); the man who preached peace, have set out to honor him by destroying their own country and fighting their own countrymen. Don't they realize, that they're playing right into the hands of the makers of the video in the first place? 

How does smashing the windows of innocent motorists have ANYTHING to do with this?  How does burning down our own cities, wrecking our own private property and injuring our OWN people going to solve this? And we're doing this all for what? A  low-budget film made by a nobody.

Pakistan Coming to It's Senses: Rimsha Bailed!

Rimsha Masih,  the Pakistani Christian girl accused of blasphemy for allegedly defacing the Qu' ran has been released on bail.

Even the most veracious supporters of the blasphemy law have come out in support of the 11-year-old girl allegedly suffering from Down’s Syndrome.

Khalid Jadoon Chishti, the Muslim Cleric who fabricated evidence against Rimsha in order to get the christian community in his area to leave (a claim which he denies) to leave has been arrested and himself accused of blasphemy.

Pakistan’s blasphemy laws are based on British colonial laws dating from 1860 and were amended in the 1980s to add life imprisonment and the death penalty by then dictator General Ziaul Haq. 

Prominent figures like Salman Taseer (the former governor of Punjab) and Shahbaz Bhatti (the Federal Minister for Minorities) have been assassinated for their opposition to the blasphemy laws.

Good thing to see Pakistan coming back to it's senses, I can finally sleep at night knowing that there's still a glimmer of hope of this Country.

U.S. Army Introduces A Miniature Reconnaissance Helicopter

Tiny spy in the Sky Indeed.

Note. this is a guest post by Croatian blogger Ivan Vovk. Author Bio at end of post. 

*first, a little commentary by Mirsub*

"Daayuum. That's some high-tech shit!?".

The U.S. Army introduced a miniature reconnaissance helicopter that will help them fight against the Taliban. Seeing SQ-4 Recon in the picture, we thought that it was a new helicopter toy which will be held for a small and somewhat larger children but it is the without a pilot aircraft that costs $ 35,000 and was produced for U.S. troops in Afghanistan.

This little helicopter weight and size of bag of candy, save the

lives of American soldiers in combat against the Taliban, scouting dangerous areas with a height of 400 meters, with autonomy of 30 minutes and reach up to 2.4 km. 

Mitt Romney is Retarded

Microsoft Paint maybe basic but it sure does the trick.

I've seen many stupid presidential candidates in my time (Herman Cain can be a good example) but so far, Mitt Romney take take's the cake for being the most retarded one. 
 
Now, I'm not an expert in US Politics but Mitt Romneys's economic plan isn't exactly reassuring; benefiting the rich rather than the poor.

Though, today I'll be talking more about his foreign policy. During his trip to Israel he makes the following statement:

*Clears throat*

"As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality. And as I come here and I look out over this city and consider the accomplishments of the people of this nation, I recognize the power of at least culture and a few other things.”

Or in other words. Jewish culture is superior than Palestinian culture that's why the occupied territories have a lesser GPD than Israel and NOT because of Israel’s restrictions on trade and strict border blockade (which is responsible for crippling the Palestinian economy). 

Norway killer says he was a subject to Racism

Note. this post is taken from my previous blog (which has now been deleted) just thought this needed sharing.

And that no-one would call him insane if he were a 'bearded jihadist'.

Now, I'm not a fan with agreeing with what Mass-Murderer's say but he has a point. 

Killer Anders Behring Breivik told a court Monday that questions about his mental health are part of a racist plot to discredit his extreme anti-Muslim ideology.Mr. Breivik, who has admitted to killing 77 people in a bombing and youth camp massacre, said that no one would have asked for a psychiatric examination had he been a “bearded jihadist.”

Sure, so if a white, nationalist Skin-head kills 77 people for a racially motivated reason, HE'S INSANE, CONFUSED CRAZY! I wonder if a Brown, bearded mullah would get the same treatment.

He goes on to say: 

“But because I am a militant nationalist, I am being subjected to grave racism,” he said. “They are trying to delegitimize everything I stand for.”

Mr. Breivik rejects criminal guilt for the rampage on July 22, 2012 saying the victims had betrayed their country by embracing immigration.

Even the defence admits there is virtually no chance of an acquittal, so only thing left to determine is if he's  'crazy' or not.