Hazrat Omar when once asked as to why a particular person was abusing him replied that he was surprised because he had not done him any favours. Muslims cherish this example because it acts as an example and encouragement to those who help their fellow beings without expecting or accepting reward, indeed expecting approbation. Unfortunately…
Ikram Sehgal’s memoir reads more like a racy suspense novel instead of a gritty, soldierly chronicle and in his fore-ward to the book, Air Marshal (retd) Asghar Khan is right to comment that this fascinating account would make an excellent film. Sentences such as “I have gone through an odyssey and yet I am no…
Despite the symbolic references to the fall of Dhaka and secession of East Pakistan in our everyday politics, the tragedy appears to mean little, at least for the generation that grew up in the post-1971 days. There is a general apathy and lack of understanding towards this dark episode of history in the younger generation-thanks…
Recently, the birth centenary of Brigadier Muhammad Usman was celebrated in India. Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari and Chief of Army Staff General Bikram Singh attended the ceremony. Usman was born in Azmagarh and commissioned in Indian army in 1934 and was among the last batch of Indians to be trained at Royal Military Academy…
Democracy is a social state in which everyone must have equal rights without hereditary or arbitrary differences of rank or privilege. In a truly democratic State, the entire population shares the same goals and objectives to realize its genuine aspirations of living in an environment of freedom and participation in government at all levels. Even…
The 8th Worldwide Security Conference in Brussels organized by the EastWest Institute (EWI), one of the world’s leading think tanks, in cooperation with the World Customs Organization (WCO) and the Financial Times, in Oct 2011 focussed on (1) sharpening appreciation of the existing security dynamics in Southwest Asia with particular emphasis on Afghanistan (2) analysing…
IntroductionQur’an is the word of God, directly revealed in Arabic, to the last Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) during 23 years of his Apostolic mission about fourteen centuries ago. It was instantly preserved by putting in to writing and memorization by his companions. God says: “Surely this is a Glorious Qur’an, inscribed on an…
Corruption is alive and well in Pakistan, like inflation it has force-multiplied itself into an inescapable part of our daily lives. That we have not reached economic apocalypse because of this evil in our society is only a miracle. One of the fundamental premise of democracy being that all transactions must be open for detailed…
Recent upsurge in violence against Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar has highlighted the regime’s complete disregard for basic human rights. While the international conscience awakens slowly, the Muslim minority has already suffered a colossal spell of ethnic cleansing. Accounting for over one-third of the total population of Myanmar, 800,000 Rohingyas are neither recognised as citizens, nor…
In the contemporary world, the relations between people of the world are becoming more cordial as territorial borders are becoming less important in a globalizing world. Also, the people around the world increasingly share some common universal values such as the importance of genuine democracy, economic justice, human rights, rule of law and freedom in…
