Ideas for a New Millennium

Bhutto’s Gallows Revisited

2012-01-15T15:06:00.000+05:00

President Asif Ali Zardari has made a reference to the Supreme Court of Pakistan to revisit the case in which Mr. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was sentenced to death on the charge of ordering the murder of an innocent man Nawab Muhammad Ahmed Khan Kasuri. Interestingly enough the parliament has already prejudiced the case by passing a resolution in its initial session declaring the execution of Mr. Bhutto a ‘judicial murder.’

In this background, the reference really is a request to determine whether or not the national assembly resolution had any merit or whether it was a contempt of court. The reference also establishes the principle that the judgment of the Supreme Court has greater meaning and weight than a resolution of the national assembly. In order to understand the case it is important to know the background.

Here are some clippings from Nation and Express newspapers and Wikipedia:
Nawab Muhammad Ahmed Khan, Kasuri’s father, was killed in 1974. Kasuri himself was the complainant for the murder case registered against Bhutto, who was eventually hanged in 1979. In April this year, 32 years after Bhutto’s death, President Asif Zardari filed a reference under Article 186 of the Constitution to the Supreme Court to reopen the murder trial.
Bhutto was convicted in a murder case and sentenced to death by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in 1979 during the dictatorship of the then army chief General Ziaul Haq. He was executed on April 4, 1979 by then military dictatorship.

A five-member bench of the LHC, headed by Maulvi Mushtaq Ahmad, had held the Bhutto trial for five months and awarded death sentence to him on March 18, 1978. The Bhutto family had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court. A seven-member bench upheld his death sentence in its February 6, 1979, verdict with a bare 4-to-3 majority. His review petition was also dismissed on March 24, 1979. Bhutto was hanged at the Central Jail, Rawalpindi, on April 4, 1979.

Sheikh Anwarul Haq is a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan [September 23, 1977 - March 25, 1981]. He is often considered 'ill-famed' for giving legitimacy to General Muhammad Zia ul-Haq’s martial law and for upholding the decision of the Lahore High Court which sentenced Zulfikar Ali Bhutto to death for the authorization of the murder of a political opponent. Four Supreme Court judges headed by Chief Justice Anwarul Haq upheld the murder conviction of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. On 25 March 1981, S. Anwarul Haq became the first Justice and only Chief Justice to refuse taking the oath under the military imposed PCO and resigned on conscientious grounds.

Prime Minister Bhutto began facing considerable criticism and increasing unpopularity as his term progressed, the democratic socialists alliance who had previously allied with Bhutto began to diminish as time progresses. Initially targeting leader of the opposition Vali Khan and his opposition National Awami Party (NAP), also a socialist party. Despite the ideological similarity of the two parties, the clash of egos both inside and outside the National Assembly became increasingly fierce, starting with the Federal government’s decision to oust the NAP provincial government in Balochistan Province for alleged secessionist activities and culminating in the banning of the party and arrest of much of its leadership after the death of a close lieutenant of Bhutto's, Hayat Sherpao, in a bomb blast in the frontier town of Peshawar.

Dissidence also increased within the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), and the murder of a leading dissident Ahmed Raza Kasuri's father led to public outrage and intra-party hostility as Bhutto was accused of masterminding the crime. Powerful PPP leaders such as Ghulam Mustafa Khar openly condemned Bhutto and called for protests against his regime. The political crisis in the NWFP (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) and Balochistan intensified as civil liberties remained suspended, and an estimated 100,000 troops deployed there were accused of abusing human rights and killing large numbers of civilians.

On January 8, 1977 a large number of opposition political parties grouped to form the Pakistan National Alliance (PNA). Bhutto called fresh elections, and PNA participated fully in those elections. They managed to contest the elections jointly even though there were grave splits on opinions and views within the party. The PNA faced defeat but did not accept the results, alleging that the election was rigged. They proceeded to boycott the provincial elections. Despite this, there was a high voter turnout in the national elections; however, as provincial elections were held amidst low voter turnout and an opposition boycott, the PNA declared the newly-elected Bhutto government as illegitimate.

All the opposition leaders called for the overthrow of Bhutto's regime. Political and civil disorder intensified, which led to more unrest. Bhutto imposed martial law in major cities including Karachi, Lahore and Hyderabad. However, Mr. Bhutto accepted that there were major irregularities in the election in a number of constituencies and a compromise agreement between Bhutto and opposition to hold fresh election in some constituencies was ultimately reported. This compromise theory was however probably a later day addition as a major PPP armed rally was in the offing.

Zia planned a the Coup d'état carefully as he knew Bhutto had integral intelligence in the Pakistan Armed Forces, and many officers, including Chief of Air Staff General Zulfiqar Ali Khan and Major-General Tajammul Hussain Malik, GOC of 23rd Mountain Division, Major-General Naseerullah Babar, DG of Directorate-General for the Military Intelligence (DGMO) and Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan, were loyal to Bhutto.

To remove this intelligence, Zia secretly contracted with the active duty British SAS army officers to maintain a staff course for the Army personnel while Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Shariff quietly removed naval personnel loyal to Bhutto and his government from the Navy's active duty. Zia ordered Bhutto's loyal officers to attend a staff and command course and none of the officers were allowed to leave the course until the midnight. Meanwhile, Zia with his close officers, including Admiral Mohammad Shariff, then-Chaiman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, arranged the coup in the evening. On July 5, 1977, before the announcement of any agreement, Bhutto and members of his cabinet were arrested by troops of Military Police under the order of Zia by the evening.

Bhutto's last personal appearance and utterances in the supreme court were not merely a long defence of his conduct he also made some matters clear. He mentioned the words of "heir" for his son "Mir Murtaza Bhutto". He made some remark which indicated that he has views similar to a Sunni, though he was Shia albeit a non-practicing one. He also effectively cast doubt on the reliability of star witnesses against him i.e. Masood Mahmood who was a UK-trained lawyer and not merely a police officer and FSF chief. He mentioned repeatedly Lahori Ahmedi connection of Masood Mahmood in his testimony. He repeatedly brought the subject of his maltreatment in the death cell. Bhutto made it abundantly clear, even though indirectly that he wanted either freedom or death, not something in between, and appreciated Khar and his lawyer Yahya Bakhtiar.

While witnessing the dramatic fall of Bhutto, one U.S. diplomat in American Embassy in Islamabad wrote that:

During Bhutto's five years in Pakistan's helm, Bhutto had retained an emotional hold on the poor masses who had voted him overwhelmingly in 1970s general elections. At the same time, however, Bhutto had many enemies. The [socialist economics] and nationalization of major private industries during his first two years on office had badly upsets the Business circles... An ill-considered decision to take over the wheat-milling, rice-husking, sugar mills, and cotton-ginning, industries in July of 1976 had angered the small business owners and traders. Both leftists— socialists and communists, intellectuals, students, and trade unionists— felt betrayed by Bhutto's shift to centre-right wing conservative economics policies and by his growing collaboration with powerful feudal lords, Pakistan's traditional power brokers. After 1976, Bhutto's aggressive authoritarian personal style and often high-handed way of dealing with political rivals, dissidents, and opponents had also alienated many....

—U.S. Embassy, Pakistan, U.S. commenting of Bhutto's fate,

7. The Digital Universe

2012-01-05T20:46:00.002+05:00

Having made this rather lengthy opening statement and prepared our minds to pay attention to new ideas, let us revert back to the rather old and lingering question of whether the nature of light is one of a wave or a particle, or somehow both, like a wave through a series of particles. Every reader of this book must have witnessed an illumination in which the successive lighting up of a series of electric lamps gives the illusion of a moving bright object. An electrical pulse moving slowly enough to take nearly a sixteenth of a second to travel from one lamp to the next would also create exactly the same impression. So let us assume that the universe is a heap of very minute neutral particles each having a diameter of nearly 10^-18meters which is the present limit for point particles that seem to possess no internal structure such as quarks and leptons, although dimensions as small as 10^-33 centimeters have been suggested for gravitons. These "space particles", if I am allowed to call them so, must be densely arrayed in a hexagonal close pack arrangement, and have a spherical surface for symmetry. Since matter and energy are mutually interchangeable, we can assume that matter or mass is nothing but an accumulation of energy in these particles, and motion is no more than the transmission of an energy pattern through them. We thus have a quantized space through which quanta of energy are propagated to form moving mass or radiation.

The most basic form of radiation would be the transmission of energy or the propagation of a suitable quantum of energy through a perfect straight line string of space particles, which would probably have a velocity of propagation slightly faster than the velocity of light in vacuum. This particle, if not already discovered, would perhaps be smaller than a photon and an electron, and its recognition should provide the basic dimensional data for this model of the universe. For obvious reasons the occurrence of this particle or pulse or radiation would be extremely rare and in certain specific directions only, which would define the universal space coordinates. Perhaps, it is this velocity of propagation that should be used in place of the velocity of light in vacuum in the special theory of relativity. All electromagnetic radiation would, perhaps, be transmitted through bunches of space particles which can form in practically any direction. In fact, any quantum of energy of any size or magnitude can be represented by a suitably sized bunch of space particles and be transmitted with an associated wave length and velocity whose limiting value would be given by a logarithmic step function. This scheme of things obviates the need for massless particles carrying energy at the speed of light, as it provides a universal and all-pervading medium for the transmission of energy, and also saves relativity from breaking down at the speed of light. The existence of various quanta of energy in a particular location could, indeed, produce states with varying properties that would affect the interaction of quanta of energy trying to occupy the same set of space particles. Mass could be defined as the most stable state of energy and the relationship between force and energy can be used to define time.

What we call time is nothing but the perception of change measured in terms of quanta or stages of variation in a constantly or cyclically changing system with a uniform or variable rate. The measurement of time always needs a reference of change and we use many of them from the Earth's orbital motion to the frequency of electromagnetic emissions. The velocity of light in vacuum is considered to be the most reliable linear reference of change.

We have already asserted that since the integration of force over a distance produces energy, conversely force can be defined as the spatial derivative of energy:

F = dE/dx (1)

Mass can be expressed using Einstein's mass-energy relationship as E/c2 and acceleration being the second time derivative of distance d2x/dt2, the Newtonian expression of force can be rewritten as:

F = E/c2. d2x/dt2 (2)

The above two expressions of force can be used to define the equation relating energy, space and time as:

dE/dx = E/c2. d2x/dt2 (3)

The solution of equation (3) with useful boundary conditions may take time, but with the fast developing finite element analysis techniques it should be possible. What is more, since a life span is a period of time and a succession of changes, the above equation may come to be known as the equation of life.

Some precise experimentation is needed before it can be determined as to whether or how this approach can be applied to gravitation or buoyancy or both. In crude terms, the force resulting from the energy gradient would naturally tend to cause a change in the rate of displacement of a moving body, thus creating acceleration. Similarly, if a uniformly distributed amount of energy resides in a finite volume of space i.e. an exact number of space particles, there would be a theoretically infinite gradient at the boundary creating a gradually decaying force field which can possibly be approximated by the well known relationship defined by Newton.

Electrical charges and spin can, probably, be attributed to the dynamics of the energy quanta within the bunches of space particles occupied by them, the various massless particles representing unique flow patterns of energy quanta within the bunches. Magnetization and demagnetization would no longer require the strenuous rotation of atoms or molecules, but would simply be a matter of change in energy flow direction in the space particles occupied by the substance in question. In such a system, it seems that the four fundamental variables would be energy, location, orientation and age, time being the difference between ages. Perhaps, in future we would see the development of such new branches of science as energy chemistry and energy mechanics.

In our digitized, crystalline universe consisting of granular space and quantized energy, the vector atom model really flourishes. The electron occupies a globule of about twenty two thousand million space particles in which the electrical charge constantly revolves creating the impression of a spinning particle. A uniform circle or ellipse, the uniformity being defined by a limiting angle of contact, can only be formed at discrete distances from the center, defined in multiples of the diameters of the globules. Similarly, due to the regular arrangement of the space particles, the orbital paths would only form in certain planes whose orientations would be a function of the universal arrangement. No doubt these orbits and planes are not transcendental; but can be computed with a great degree of accuracy by the use of suitable computers. The scope of relativity is also tremendously enhanced, as even the smallest particle of matter would occupy a matrix of space particles numbering in thousands of millions which must have its own reference frame, and thus a system of frames within frames would emerge. In certain types of analysis one would analyze the inner most or smallest frames first and use the net values thus obtained in the analysis of the next frame level or equilibrium boundary; similar to the operation of brackets. This should do away with the difficulties of absolute motion in Newtonian mechanics and help to expand relativity to include noninterfering reference frame hierarchies or family trees. In another type of analysis, one would use equations of the type ((((((( f(e,x,t ) + a ) + earth effects ) + solar system effects ) + milky way effects ) + intervening contents effects ) + boundary effects ) = 0, since there would be nothingness beyond the boundary of the universe; in some cases the brackets would represent the null points of systems in binary equilibrium. This sort of mathematics could, perhaps, provide the logical basis for the Grand Unification that is the dream of many a modern scientist and philosopher.

A neutral particle would mean the coalescence of a certain critical number of energy quanta; an excess or deficit resulting in positive or negative electrical charge. In a tetrahedral close pack, a sphere with a slight deviation in the number of occupied space particles would be likely to distort into a spherical tetrahedron with concave or convex faces for excess or deficit respectively. The curvature of the faces may distort the boundary effects and force fields in such a way that similar particles would repel each other and dissimilar ones would attract. From the qualitative point of view it is already accepted that everything tends to move towards a more stable state. So if the combining of two bodies would increase the stability level they would be attracted towards each other and vice versa.

It seems that gravitation can be explained very well in terms of curving or warping space; but unfortunately, the empty space could not be curved or warped except in terms of mathematical symbols. By contrast, the particulate space has the physical ability to warp and flex; although this could result in the appearance of stresses and strains in the space structure, if we may use the term. However, this might require the development of a totally new science of the properties and mechanics of space, which in turn could open up totally new possibilities, about which I would refrain from speculating. In any case, quantum mechanics would not allow a space particle to hold more than a certain fixed amount of energy and, therefore, we would have to look for a mechanism for the initialization of the universe less spectacular and less violent than the Big-bang. For this purpose, we may consider the rapid injection of a very large amount of energy at a point in our universe. We could say that the injection must have come from the same source as otherwise the ultracompact seed of the Big-bang would have appeared. In perspective, the injection is as good a source of providing initial momentum to all energy (or matter, if you still prefer to use that term) as the big-bang. No doubt, the big-bang theory which assumes the initial state of the universe as being a concentrated point of matter in a boundless void (finite and infinite at the same time) was the first to materialize, because we have often seen matter transforming into energy, but we do not seem to find any obvious instances in nature where energy would directly covert into visible matter, except in the case of the mass determination of highly accelerated particles. But now that we are recognizing matter as nothing but a stable manifestation of interacting quanta of energy entrenched in a body of space particles, the question of whether the egg was born first or the chicken does not arise. Since we have already observed that in keeping with two forms of consequential energy, kinetic and potential, forces are also of two basic kinds, those resulting from time differentiation of momentum as defined in Newton's Laws of motion, and those resulting from the space differentiation of energy which have so far been ignored. Perhaps, these could provide a clue to the `missing matter or excessive gravity' problem. The only question is one of how long it takes a person committed to an existing school of thought to start thinking on this new more promising line.

In the mean time, we can review the compatibility of this new concept of particulate space with some of the very old concepts which seem to have survived and maintained their influence in spite of the matter-related sciences with all their power and convincing ability pointing otherwise. The first analogy that comes to my mind is that with the silicon chip. By manipulating quanta and states of individual and groups of space particles, it could be possible to build complex logic circuits into a gigantic processor as well as centillions of centillions of memory units and data transfer buses that would be invisible in what seems to be empty space. The quasars and pulsars could be looked upon as the multivibrators furnishing the power pulses required by the system to operate. It is not possible to speculate now on whether the whole system was preplanned, or whether in the presence of all the necessary components and requisites, a brief self multiplying and self developing seed (like a good computer virus) was accidentally formed which not only gradually expanded and perfected itself, but also shaped those parts of the universe which seem to demonstrate elements of intelligence, logic and growth.

The evolution of life on earth could have been just one of the exercises of the Great Processor. The accumulation of all life-experience in a single collective memory and the use of this data in the formation of detailed genetic and transgenetic information seems to be a viable mechanism for the evolution of life. Similarly, the human or animal sperm and egg could be regarded as containing two incomplete command codes which when overlaid become executable and initiate the reading and execution of various program modules from the huge universal library which could exist around us; and thus build up the human fetus with its own intelligence and organic memory banks. The human being then acts almost like an intelligent terminal which is its own operator. This idea is reinforced by the fact that the development of the embryo is not simply a matter of cell multiplication; it also involves perfectly repeatable and very closely controlled cell mutation for the formation of bone, tooth, hair and skin tissue, various organs, blood circulation system and the matching profiles of movable joints. Some sort of a control mechanism is required for the sequencing and timing of the activation of various genes called morphogens which are known to shape a creature from the fertilized cell, and whose mode of action also seems to be more like information transformation than chemical reaction. The kicking of the unborn baby seems to be systematic testing of the various joints and muscles in the confined space. Identical twins are further testimony to the process of development of two fetuses by a single set of instructions being received by both, as if on parallel telephones; they could not be identical if a random process was followed.

Since only an infinitesimal portion of the total bulk of the space particles is actually occupied by sensible (meaning that which can be sensed) states of energy, there must be plenty of room to monitor and create long lasting memory records of actions and interactions of all the living and nonliving beings on earth and all other planets sustaining life. This analogy also seems to provide a plausible explanation for the occasional appearance of persons with exceptional knowledge of things they do not remember having come across before and the possession of unusual mathematical ability. Certain types of extra-sensory perceptions could be attributed to the accidental "crossing of wires" or spill over in these spatial communication channels. The unique development and similarities in events in the lives of identical twins does not seem too astonishing in this scheme of things. It would certainly be remotely possible that someone with special training or understanding of the universal data-network could act as a hacker and cause stimulation, temporary disruption or damage to the local memory or control functions in the bodies of other individuals by using some strenuous exercises such as those claimed by occult practitioners. But it is very unlikely that one could hack into master memory banks or run a simulation of the universal master program to predict future events with any degree of accuracy, but it is not impossible. The idea of tampering with the past memories on a large scale to influence present or future events is simply absurd, except to the extent of the behavior of the individual himself as is already practiced by hypnotists.

THOSE WHO DO NOT BELIEVE IN RELIGION SHOULD STOP READING HERE.

However, when one looks at the rather erratic behavior of even the most celebrated living organisms on earth, one can't help wondering as to why the Perfect Processor who constantly monitors the entire operation does not sort things out a little by direct intervention. Could it be that life on earth is only an experiment? Yes. It seems possible that in the processing system we have just discussed, there might be a preset juncture in time when the Earth, or the entire solar system, or the entire galaxy, or more could be destroyed and a detailed review of all the stored memories of living and nonliving beings carried out with certain qualifying criteria. We do not know exactly what those criteria would be, but it can be conjectured that memory records of creations other than humans and those of humans containing destructive, exploitative or generally negative trends would be burnt out or erased by some extended thermal process similar to heating with ultraviolet radiation to erase the memory of ROM chips. On the other hand, the human memory records exhibiting positive traits such as belief in God, constructiveness, charity, propriety, forthrightness, punctuality, truthfulness, conformity to rules, conservation of what is good etc. will be integrated into the operating system of the Great Processor. This combined memory could then be used to design, build and operate a new world incorporating the ideas of all the good and noble minds and exhibiting absolute perfection, infallible simplicity, undeniable beauty and imperturbable peace which would, hopefully, last forever. Perhaps, the new breed of life forms that would exist in that new world configuration will have all the safeguards against malfunction that are built into man-made computers, and by then the system would have been modified so that people who turn into new angels would not experience the reprobate emotions that could turn them into new devils. In any case, if the final object of our existence happens to be the eventual creation of a perfectly peaceful, beautiful, clean and comfortable world called `Paradise', any attempt to develop similar conditions for all creatures living on the Earth must be regarded as praiseworthy action. Indeed, it wouldn't be such a bad idea if we start working on the blueprints of what we can possibly contribute in this regard; although it would be rather far-fetched to think that by such an exercise the Day of Judgment can be averted. In fact, what are referred to as `angels' today might be the cognitive remains of the good people of a previous world configuration, as according to the Qur'an they were apprehensive of the consequences of human population on earth at the time of man's creation as if they had been through that experience before. Such an assumption seems to rationalize a number of anomalies associated with revealed religious literature. The above analysis resolves two of the often repeated enigmas of the Qur'an. Aqimus Slah can be interpreted as "establish contact" and Yom ul Qiamah can be understood as "the day when all contacts will be established." Now one cannot touch an arbitrary object and say that the contact is made. Rather, the procedure given by a person who is certain to have established the contact with God must be followed.

The aforementioned scenario can be detected in most Middle Eastern, Indian and other religions with varying degrees of color and detail in such concepts as doomsday, Day of Judgment and the eventual integration with the Absolute. Even the Big-crunch theory about the future of the universe points in the same direction; though without any hope or cheer for anybody. Now, as we reach the same conclusion through so many different paths of approach, the idea can simply not be ignored, no matter how unpalatable the consequences are likely to be for some. Our efforts should be directed, not towards denying the inevitable but towards ensuring that the end would be as happy as possible for the maximum number among us. Most religions provide that their originating prophets would be able to intercede and rescue at least those who have demonstrated some degree of positivity towards them in a highly glorified courtroom drama on the Day of Judgment, at least after having to undergo a brief period of punishment. I am more inclined to believe that such promises allude to the possibility that memory records with some good portions along with some bad ones may be only partially saved. However, if we have found a logical way of thinking, and a point of convergence, there is no reason why a good world order (though not necessarily a new world order) cannot be created, that would simply eliminate the causes of people acting irrationally or negatively. Moreover, I am inclined to think that the common belief in Christianity and Islam that the Messiah (PBUH) would someday return and reform the lives of those who would exist at that time, and take actions that would win them God's pleasure, could be a personification of the hint that someday humankind would be able to develop the necessary paraphernalia that would enable those with unusual genetic gifts of a certain kind to consciously communicate with the Great Processor. Many of the secrets of nature that elude us today may become known then, and perhaps even the purpose of the creation of the human race may become apparent. However, for such a situation to arise, it would be necessary for the state of political and social affairs on earth to be extremely harmonious and equanimous. And, of course, these improvements have to be brought about with positive and nonviolent thinking.

The National Trauma

2011-12-18T20:29:00.001+05:00

For the past couple of months I have been extremely busy with the commissioning of a large project and had little time to pay attention to news and other events, although some very significant things happened during this period. In spite of my not paying attention those who visited me managed to make statements that showed how traumatized the Pakistani society is due to what is going on. Here are some examples:

1. The Nato massacre in Mahmond is an act of provocation which will be followed by skirmishes and a full scale invasion.

2. The Americans are trying to weaken Pakistan economically to such a degree that the Pakistanis will have no choice but to trade of their nuclear assets for their survival.

3. If the government and the armed forces cannot exact retribution for the Mahmond massacre, the people will.

4. Asif Zardari is conniving with the Americans to destroy Pakistan in order to save his ill-gotten wealth. If Pakistan remains, someday Peoples Party will lose power and the new government will reopen cases against him and register some more based on the current corruption.

5. The Nato investigation of the Mahmond massacre is actually an attempt to cover-up the extremist Christian elements in Nato that are actually carrying out a crusade against Islam.

6. There is a phenomenal rise in armed street crimes and the citizens if Sindh are more insecure than ever, thanks to the massive legitimization of illegal weapons held by criminal elements by Zulfiqar Mirza.

Unfortunately the national leadership is unable to do anything to ease this traumatic situation in the country which is already overburdened by fuel shortage, inflation and unemployment. You cannot fool the people for long when everyone can see that milk prices are soaring by about 3-4% per month. The resignation of Mr. Zardari and the announcement of fresh national and provincial assembly elections in a couple of months might bring some peace to the minds of the people of Pakistan.

7.4 Haj, the Annual Convention

2011-11-07T11:43:00.001+05:00

(Chapter from "Islam for the Perverted" to be published soon)

One of the root causes of much communal and international mistrust and prejudice can be traced back to historic and often religion related legendary misconceptions about people belonging to alien geographical, political or racial identities. The destruction of the Babri mosque in

India

is an example of how distortion of history can nurture mass-hysteria for centuries. This author has had opportunities of working in association with fellow professionals of various nationalities, and was amused when many of them exclaimed "I often used to wonder what a Pakistani Mechanical Engineer would be like, but you are just like one of us -- the same theories, the same practices." However, the object of this exercise is not to highlight the various regional prejudices but to point out that close contact in working on a common project helps to remove many of the fantasies or prejudices one may have about the other person, or people. Another common cause of many unrealistic and often schizophrenic attitudes is the supernatural mental pictures that people often have about various historic or holy places. By creating an obligation for every Muslim, who can afford, to visit the Masjidul Haram and assemble in the grounds of Arafat on a specified day of the year (9th Zul Haj) the Qur'an has ensured that people from all over the world would come in contact and develop mutual understanding. Many pilgrims are surprised to find that Makkah is a city like any other with streets, houses, bazaars, and mosques, except for the religious discipline and nonviolence which is a part of its life. Arabs, Aryans, Mongols, Negroes, Caucasians and people from many other races and nationalities live together and perform the Haj rites in complete unison and harmony. The prejudices resulting from differences in language, color and tradition evaporate and the experience of Haj convinces every participant that basically all human beings are the same and the apparent differences are insignificant. It thus eliminates the `clan or enemy' concept of the less developed cultures.

It is interesting that an attempt has been made to inculcate the same spirit by establishing a secular institution called the United Nations Organization. But unfortunately it consist of representatives of governments rather than people and is used for international intrigues rather than understanding. Much time is spent in maligning other nations and creating hatred and discord among people of different political inclinations. In the light of the failure and misuse of the UNO, the wisdom of limiting access to Makkah becomes quite obvious. The restriction, it transpires, is not a negative one but a positive one that requires everyone intending or aspiring to join in the great annual convention of unbiased humanity to accept the Islamic injunctions of universal freedom, equality, brotherhood, peace, honesty, truthfulness, humility and nonviolence first. This assertion becomes even clearer when one examines the rites and instructions of pilgrimage applicable to Haj.

All the rites performed during Haj are not prescribed clearly in the Qur'an. Some of the existing practices seem to be the results of improvisations by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) over ancient traditions, presumably with the help of divine guidance. In the enlightened era, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) had only one opportunity of performing the Haj in the last year of his life when, according to estimates, he was accompanied by as many as a hundred thousand devotees. The traditions and narrations are many and sometimes even conflicting. There is some divergence of opinion on the relative significance of the various activities reportedly performed by the Prophet (PBUH). However, most scholars agree that circumambulations of the Ka'bah, which must not be confused with the prohibited act of worshiping the cubic structure itself which in its present form is no more than a symbolic axis and point of convergence, walking between the hills of Safa and Marwa, and the congregation and lecture or sermon at the grounds of Arafat on 9th Zul Haj are the essential elements in addition to the state of Ahram in which one must live with utmost simplicity and nonviolence and abstain from all normal pleasures and luxuries during three days of Haj. However, some of the ancient traditions regarding housing and travel conditions have been changing slowly with environmental changes in the area, although the basic tenets remain the same. It is hard to determine whether the prophet actually kissed the black stone or merely examined it at close quarters. One thing is definite -- he did not worship it. The most important aspect of Haj, indeed, is the attitude and intention of the pilgrim which should be one of total devotion and willingness to learn. Umra, a brief pilgrimage to the Ka'bah at any time of the year is also regarded as an adequate substitute for Haj.

The sacrifice of animals during Haj is not performed at an altar, but is meant for eating and distribution among the poor as described in verses 34 to 37 of Chapter 22 (The Pilgrimage). When looked at closely, the sacrifices and the shaving of heads seems to symbolize the end of the condition of Ahram and the restart of normal life for the pilgrim. The abundance of sacrificial meat would, inevitably, create an environment of feasting and celebration which is extended to the entire Muslim world by the custom of sympathetic sacrifices of Eidul Adha in commemoration of Ibraheem's (PBUH) demonstration of unflinching discipline. Pickthall translates verse 22:37 as follows:

"Their flesh and their blood reach not Allah, but the devotion from you reacheth Him. Thus have We made them subject unto you that ye may magnify Allah that He hath guided you. And give good tidings (O Muhammad) to the good."

The above stated verse and others in the same chapter can be construed to mean that the Qur'an is instructing believers to desist from the ancient traditions of wasteful ritual killings of healthy and useful animals as offerings to God. He, with his unrestrained ability to know what is in people's hearts, does not need any symbolic rituals to inform Him of an individual's intentions or beliefs.

The common belief arising from sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) that the performance of Haj washes away all past sins applies only to matters of an individual's obligations to God such as Salat or Fasting or perhaps Zakat. There is no reprieve from repaying debts or compensating for harm or injustices done to others. It is considered appropriate that before proceeding for Haj one must repay all debts, fulfill all social and contractual obligations, and make reparations for any discomfort or loss caused to anyone intentionally or unintentionally, publicly or secretly. And it goes without saying that one returning from Haj must try not to give up the spirit of pilgrimage ever.

Capital Loses

2011-10-17T23:27:00.000+05:00

It is happening after all. The people of the West are beginning to see through the façade and they are protesting. Although the press and electronic media are playing it down, the spark has all the potential to turn into a raging fire. The current protests are perhaps not very well articulated, but the feeling behind them is quite discernible. They are trying to break loose from the capitalist claw. They want freedom from the bondage of debt. They want their due share in the affluence brought about by their sweat, blood and tears. May be the movement will shake up the handful of Christian and Jewish extremists who have a strangle-hold on their lives. Or may be some new distraction will be created to take the wind out of the movement. But one thing is decided. The feelings of the oppressed masses of the West have taken the right direction. The next wave will definitely sweep the present lousy economic system aside.

How Benazir Died

2011-09-25T23:45:00.000+05:00

Murder cases are always difficult to solve if there are more than one parties involved in them. However, if Hercule Poirot the fictional detective could solve the murder on the Orient Express, there is no reason why the case of Benazir Bhutto cannot be solved.

Video films of the murder shown on television clearly show a pistol shooter and a suicide bomber. But they were both on her left side while the wound was on the right side of the head. According to the doctors who had examined her corpse a piece of the skull above the right ear had disappeared. They thought that it could be an exit wound, but were perplexed that there was no entry wound. Pakistani police blamed the latch of the hatch of the bullet-proof car. Cryptically it would mean that what was meant to protect her became the cause of her death. The highly paid UN investigators also gave an inconclusive report and pointed in the same direction. No one seems to have been interested in the possibility of a third assassin. One thing seems obvious that the car was stopped at the particular point according to a plan and the crowd waiting outside rather than being inside park where she made the speech was gathered there for a purpose.

The scene of Benzir’s death had a number of multistoried buildings in the vicinity and there could have been one or more snipers on their roofs who could easily target her. It seems quite possible that a bullet fired from a high-powered rifle from one of the rooftops grazed Benazir’s head tangentially and drilled off a part of her skull above the right ear. Such a head injury could be fatal as it was.

The significant question is whether the three assassins were acting on their own or were sent by the same party or had been sent by three different parties. Many would immediately name three presidents, two past (from Pakistan and USA) and one present in Pakistan, but it would be very difficult to implicate any of them.

It is such a pity that in our time one of the basic requirement for being considered for the post of president or prime minister in many countries is the ability to give orders for clandestine assassinations – an honor previously reserved for mafia bosses.

Food Path

2011-08-31T12:32:00.002+05:00

Scientists seem to divide life forms into three basic categories, microbes, plants and animals. The basic difference between plants and animals is that plants are stationary while animals are mobile. However, if we look at the basic supporting element for life it turns out to be food. All living beings need food to survive. So it seems reasonable that food or its consumption should form the basis of division of life forms. Based on the food path within their bodies, life forms can be divided into four categories – microbes, plants, animals and human beings as follows:

Microbes: No definable food path

Plants: Food path vertical upwards

Animals: Food path mostly horizontal

Human Beings: Food path vertical downwards

It is interesting that during the evolution from plant to human, the food path has taken two ninety degree turns in stages. It also shows that human beings are not a sub-species of animals but a more advanced and separate species.

What this means is that man is neither social animal as western philosophers put it, nor talking animal as arab philisophers pu it. Man is just man and under all circumstances he or she must act like man or woman and not like an animal. Ther is no room for animal instincts in human behavior.

A lot of research has been carried out on animal instincts in relation to biology, psychology and other fields and the same have been applied to human beings. Instintive actions or responses are those that can be performed without the need for a learning process.

Unique human instincts are responsibility, mercy, leadership, communication, problem solving, and hygeine not necessarily in the order of importance. The primary object of education should be to develop and groom these human instincts,

End of NOTWorld

2011-08-03T21:20:00.000+05:00

The closure of the News of the World is a rare victory for decency and public opinion – an event to rejoice. The corruption that has spread in the world in the name of freedom of expression is simply appalling. The very meaning of journalism seems to have been lost. To my mind, if someone gets hurt and it is reported it is journalism; but if someone is paid to hurt someone so that it may be reported, it is not journalism: it is crime. Similarly if someone walks naked on the street and it is reported, it is journalism; but if someone is paid to walk naked so that it may be reported, it is not journalism: it is pimping. To go a bit further, if a bowler bowls badly a loses a game for his team and it is reported, it is journalism; but if a bowler is paid thru clandestine means to bowl badly to create a story it is anything but journalism. It is really disturbing that the editorial staff of NOTWorld instead of helping in the recovery of an abducted child used their skills and information to publish stories putting the innocent victim in greater danger and eventual death.

I must congratulate those entrepreneurs who had the courage and conviction to risk reduction in sales by not advertising in the bad newspaper. I believe that the civil society of the UK has found its strength and should be emulated by all everywhere. It gives me hope for the future of the worldwide human community.

New Definitions

2011-07-29T00:36:00.000+05:00

Alcohol = Organic compound present in fermented beverages that has become a sex trigger for people of many western nations due to prolonged usage over many centuries

Demoncracy = Corrupt democracy

Fate = Inability to explain

Intelligence = Information gained by stealth

UNO = Skyscraper in New York where diplomats of all countries assemble but those of a few authorize wars and impose sanctions to take away basic human rights from weak and helpless people

Audit Reports

2011-07-03T11:44:00.000+05:00

Recently I was researching the financial status of some equipment manufacturers and banks in connection with a project. Apart from their technical and operational information I also collected summaries of their annual audited accounts.

As I surfed the web, I stumbled upon the websites of two of the world’s biggest and most influential financial institutions, The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. To my utter surprise I was unable to find any annual accounts, balance sheets or auditor’s reports on these websites, although there was a wealth of other data.

I really wonder as to whether these institutions are bound by any laws at all. If not, they must be the wellsprings of worldwide financial anarchy.

There were other things too that made me wonder. The World Bank’s slogan is “Working for a World free of poverty”. Does that mean they only look after the interests of those who are free of poverty at the expense of the poor? From their performance record it seems quite likely.

The IMF proudly states “Unlike the General Assembly of the United Nations, where each country has one vote, decision making at the IMF was designed to reflect the position of each member country in the global economy. Each IMF member country is assigned a quota that determines its financial commitment to the IMF, as well as its voting power.” Same story.

Dexter

2011-06-25T00:53:00.001+05:00

In Latin the word dexter means on the right hand and sinister means the left hand. In English dexterity is skillfulness while sinister is evil. According to the Holy Qur’an on the day of Judgment those with the record of their deeds in the right hand will go to heaven while those with the record of their deeds in the left hand will go to hell. In the British parliament the ruling party sits on the right of the speaker while the opposition has to take the left seats. In political jargon a rightist is a conservative while a leftist believes in socialism or communism which is looked down upon by the rightists.

In this world majority of people are right handed, i.e. they prefer to work with their right hand and also write with it. There seems to be no biological explanation for it. But there can be a bio-mechanical one.

In most human bodies the heart is slightly to the left of the centerline of the torso and so is the stomach. Thus there is a slightly greater weight on the left side and the left foot. If the balancing system of the human body would not take care of it, most people would tend to lean to their left. Not surprisingly we have a tendency to extend our right hands when ever action is needed as it helps to balance the weight or more accurately the moment about the centre line.

The interesting question is, “why are our hearts and stomachs slightly to the left?” If we apply Darwin’s theory of evolution it would seem that initially equal numbers of people would have had their hearts and stomachs on the right or left or in the centre. May be in those days there were equal numbers of right-handed, left-handed and ambidextrous people. But those who favored the left side had a better chance of survival and outgrew the other types in population until the others became nearly extinct. It really boggles the mind as to what advantage having the heart and stomach on the left would give to a human being as opposed to having them on the right or in the centre.

Any suggestions?

OBL2?

2011-05-21T00:14:00.000+05:00

There are people in this world who can swear that they attended the funeral of Osama bin Laden many years ago. And yet on 2nd May, 2011 US commandos raided a house in Abbottabad and shot a man they claimed to be OBL and announced that his DNA matched with some of his relatives. Next day as many as his three wives and some children were captured by the Pakistani military who verified that the man was named Osama bin Laden. How is that possible?

Simple enough! Osama might have had a namesake cousin who may have volunteered to act as his double or decoy when he was on the run. After the death of the famous OBL the innocent cousin might have decided to live out the rest of his life in anonymity in Abbottabad and although there was a multimillion dollar head money, those who knew about him decided to keep quiet until the CIA found out that someone by that name was alive and living there. The US leaders obviously thought that political mileage could be gained by having the poor man assassinated and the ugly operation was staged. It is not surprising that the face of the dead man was not shown to any outsider and the body was promptly disposed off out of anybody’s reach.

What a pity that some ten billion dollars that could have been spent on alleviating the misery of suffering humanity were wasted on hunting and killing a simple unsuspecting Beduin.

Just a guess, but it sounds plausible.

HEAT IS ON

2011-05-14T09:23:00.001+05:00

Ever since I was taught Newton’s Law of Gravitation at school, “Every particle in the universe attracts every other particle…….,” I had been wondering how the particles know of each other’s existence. The first prerequisite for attracting or being attracted is awareness of the other’s presence. So there must be something being exchanged among all particles of matter in the universe. Some scientists have suggested the existence of a force field around everything that exists; others have proposed the existence of gravitons. But as usual, they all missed the obvious.

Way back in the early 1960s I learnt about thermal radiation and heat transfer and came across the Stefan-Boltzmann Law of Blackbody radiation discovered in late nineteenth century. A black body is a hypothetic body that completely absorbs all wavelengths of thermal radiation incident on it. Such bodies do not reflect light, and therefore appear black if their temperatures are low enough so as not to be self-luminous. All blackbodies heated to a given temperature emit thermal radiation given by:

q = σ T4 A (1)

where

q = heat transfer per unit time (W)

σ = 5.6703 10-8 (W/m2K4) - The Stefan-Boltzmann Constant

T = absolute temperature Kelvin (K)

A = surface area of the emitting body (m2)

It was later modified for grey and colored bodies that were not black and for temperature of the environment or other bodies interacting with it. The final simplified equation of net heat transferred from one body to another is of the form:

q = ε σ Fh,c (Th4 - Tc4) Ac

where ε is the emissivity, F the form factor and h and c denote the hotter and colder temperatures.

I had found the answer to my long unresolved conundrum. Every object in the universe makes its presence felt by emitting thermal radiation, the intensity of which is proportional to the fourth power of its absolute temperature, and every object reacts to change in temperature of every other object in its sight.

Obama Gets Osama

2011-05-04T00:20:00.000+05:00

Finally we have a story of how the purpose of the existence of US administration and military was fulfilled when in the darkness of night a squadron of US marines in 3 helicopters (symbolizing trinity?) raided an awkward looking building in Abbottabad (named after a British colonialist), shed a lot of blood and captured and shot dead an unarmed man named Osama Bin Laden and dumped his body in the sea a thousand miles away. There is no way of knowing the truth. It might even be a hoax to glorify or discredit someone in the context of USA’s internal politics

Irrespective of the noble purpose of its formation as claimed by its sympathizers, Al-Qaida, the international revolutionary brotherhood headed by OBL had in recent years turned into a demented cult that relished the sight of bloodshed, destruction and misery as much as a super power military organization. It claimed affiliation with Islam but trampled every Islamic virtue. If the assassination of OBL helps to disintegrate that cult, then it certainly is good riddance.

Yesterday a CNN reporter was able to find a lady who had lost her husband in the 9/11 tragedy and tried his best to coax her into making an anti-Islamic or anti-Pakistan statement, but the decent lady stuck to her observation that all this had not brought her husband back. Interestingly enough, on the day when Khalid Sheikh also an Al-Qaida stalwart was put to death by court order, a gentleman who had probably lost his father in that act of violence commented before CNN that it was as sad a day as when his father was killed. That shows the moral and spiritual gap between the American people and the ruling establishment in which the CIA has a lion’s share. Anyone who has lost a loved one in a violent incident shares the grief of the loved ones of another no matter how evil that individual might be.

Justice would have been done if Osama bin Laden had been kept alive and tried in a court of law and the allegations of his involvement in various terrorist acts proven in a fair manner. Assassination by presidential order is by no mean justice.

As far as I am concerned, my private war on terror is going to continue with efforts to make terrorist leaders, generals and presidents renounce their lust for death and destruction.

Some More Definitions

2011-04-27T17:17:00.000+05:00

Address = Location in space

Point = Address without content

Line = String of addresses without content

Motion = Change in address

Absolute motion = Change in address relative to a fixed address

Relative motion = Difference of absolute motions of two bodies

Straightening the Space

2011-04-24T13:30:00.000+05:00

The algebraic function y = 1/x is unique and had fascinated scientists and mathematician of the 19th century. The graph of the function is called a hyperbola which is a perfect example of an asymptote. It is shown below:

For those who are not familiar with mathematical jargon it can be explained in terms of numbers. The values of y for various values of x are as in the table below:

It is clear that as the value of x decreases the value of y increases, so much so that when the value of x becomes zero, the value of y becomes infinity. However it is interesting that if you proceed from x=1 toward x=0 the value of y increases to plus infinity, while if you approach from x=-1 towards x=0, the value of y decreases (or increases in the negative direction) until it becomes minus infinity. Thus at x=0, y exists simultaneously at plus and minus infinity. From the common concept of infinity it is mind boggling. How can something exist at both extremes of the universe at the same time? Such a thing could only happen if the space was a curved continuum. To put it simply, if two persons started walking in opposite directions an d continued to do so without deviating one day they would meet face to face on the other side of the earth. Hence came the idea of the curved space and the donut shaped universe.

But the scientists who must have been euphoric at the brilliant idea which must have been dubbed a great discovery seem to have missed out on the relationship between algebra and geometry. y=1/x can be written as x*y=1 which is the equation of a rectangle of unit area. As x decreases, y increases and the shape changes from square to oblong and gradually a thinner and longer rectangle until x approaches zero and y approaches infinity. But when x becomes equal to zero, the rectangle ceases to exist. It becomes a straight line. There is what one might call a geometrical phase change. Just like gas laws can not be applied after the gas has condensed into a liquid, the equation of a rectangle can not be applied to a straight line. X=0 is a straight line which extends from minus to plus infinity along the y axis. Is anything wrong with that?

So it seems that the notions of space being a curved continuum and the universe being donut shaped are mere illusions and any mathematical deductions based on these notions would produce more profound illusions.

If I live long enough or get an opportunity to devote full time to the subject, I would certainly like to remove as many illusions as possible.

Star Flirt

2011-04-01T23:41:00.001+05:00

It was a pleasant summer night. The full moon was constantly smiling as usual. The stars were showing off their radiation and the planets were dancing in their orbits with ecstatic abandon. It was party night for nature. The Earth was looking great in its shades of blue and green.
One of the stars winked at Earth and whispered, “Your green leafy wig looks wonderful.”
“Aha!” Chuckled Earth and splashed a big wave in the Atlantic. “Do you know what’s inside?”
“No,” said the star,” Can you tell me what resides in there?”
“Oops,” shrieked the earth and a streak of lightning flashed.
“What was that?” asked the startle star.
“Naughty lice!” the earth tried to regain its composure.
“What do you mean?” wondered the star.
“There are many of them under my beautiful green leafy wig and each more troublesome than the other, especially the two legged ones. They live to give me pain. Sometimes they bury powerful explosives under my skin and ignite them. It is really painful.”
“So why don’t you get rid of them?” asked the star with a touch of sympathy.
“How can I?” replied Earth, “They are my life and I must live with them.”
And the party continued.

6. DISTANT WORLDS

2011-03-27T16:45:00.000+05:00

So far, we have discussed the development of those parts of the science of Physics which relate to the understanding of the universe around us. Theorization from a mass of data collected from observation and experimentation, or theoretical analysis resulting in the prediction of what would be discovered later, are the two main modes by which Science grows. However, there is no dearth of anomalies in Science, some of which have been occasionally highlighted in the preceding text.

One of the topics which has not been discussed at any considerable length in spite of being significant to the aims and objects of this work is Cosmology which combines astronomy with the more recently developed techniques of radiotelescopy and spectroscopy. With these techniques, it is now established that the Sun, like other stars, is a dense mass of plasma with a core temperature of about thirteen million degrees Centigrade consisting mainly of hydrogen and small amounts of heavier elements formed by nuclear fusion which constantly releases heat energy producing the blinding illumination. It is also believed that planets have formed due to the separation of small quantities of spinning gaseous clouds containing heavier elements which gradually cooled and condensed into bodies such as the Earth.

However, it is curious that while ninety two elements and hundreds of isotopes are formed in the complex process of nuclear fusion, transmutation and, probably fission in stars, the dozen elements of the man-made trans-Uranic series are not formed naturally.

Even more curious is the fact that the steady state theory of the formation of the universe assumes that stars were formed by the gravitational collapse of very large clouds of hydrogen gas which created such high temperatures and pressures that nuclear fusion reactions took place in them without any external detonation. But regular hydrogen found abundantly in the water of our oceans and whose nucleus has only one proton does not take part in nuclear fusion no matter what you do with it. Only isotopes of hydrogen such as deuterium whose nucleus has both a proton and neutron and tritium whose nucleus has one proton and two neutrons take part in nuclear fusion. So it seems that the original gas clouds would have had predominantly deuterium and tritium and so would be the case with our Sun. And since our Earth is believed to have originated from the Sun, the waters in our oceans should have been mostly heavy water in the beginning which may have transformed into normal or light water over billions of years. But then the same would have happened in the stars including our Sun and the fuel for the fusion reactions should have ended ages ago.

The advances in the techniques of radio transmission and reception during the first half of the twentieth century, and the invention of radar and eventually radio telescopes resulted, during the 1960's, in the discovery of some unique phenomena called Quasars, Pulsars and Black Holes. The quasars are very large stars, though much smaller than galaxies, at great distances beyond the limits of our own galaxy (The Milky Way which is known to be so large that light takes a hundred thousand years to travel across it; and containing roughly a hundred thousand million stars) which are not only visible with optical telescopes but also emit radio waves and ultraviolet radiation. Scientists are unable to explain how such relatively small objects can generate such inconceivably large amounts of energy that they appear bright at such huge distances. Pulsars are celestial bodies, again at very great distances, but estimated to have planet (Earth) size dimensions characterized by the emission of regular pulses of radio waves every second or fraction thereof.

Our knowledge about the Earth, the Solar system and the Universe as a whole has been considerably augmented by the data obtained from satellites equipped with sophisticated electronic gadgetry sent into outer space, earth orbit and orbit around the Sun with the help of powerful rockets developed initially for military purposes. The paths of these satellites have, however, remained within the range of the orbital planes of the planets of our Solar system.

To explain the complex cosmological phenomena, a new science of astrophysics has come into existence which correlates the known facts of other disciplines particularly physics with astronomical observations. For instance, several mathematical models of the universe's evolution and lives of stars have been based on Einstein's general relativity. The equations represent such fundamental canons of physics as preservation of the sum total of mass and energy in the universe, the conservation of momentum, the balance of forces etc., and are solved starting with the initial condition that all matter and energy was concentrated at a point in a boundless vacuum where it suddenly exploded, expanded and eventually diluted into what we see as the universe around us, which is still believed to be expanding.

Thus although the void of the universe is assumed to be infinite, the expanded material part must always have a dynamic boundary within which all our observations are limited, enveloped by a larger expanding sphere of radiation energy which must have escaped in all directions at the speed of light; a sort of universe within universe within universe, the radius of the radiation envelop being about twenty thousand million light years if the current estimate of the age of the universe is correct.

As for what came out of the big bang initially, it is obvious that the vital fundamental particles were formed which then combined in their own ways to form subatomic particles and so on.

Oddly enough, all the estimated matter and energy in the universe fails to account for all the gravitational forces that are supposed to be acting in it; and hence the existence of large quantities of some sort of speculative dark matter beyond perception is suspected, perhaps similar to the apparitions of some religious beliefs. However, there is a spectrum of solutions to the equations of general relativity that range from a continuous and indefinite expansion at the present rate to an eventual slowing and subsequent contraction to a dense state. Identical analyses can be carried out for either the entire universe or a single star or galactic system. The pulsars, thought to be the remnants of such collapsed stars are also called neutron stars and are believed to consist largely of tightly packed neutrons with a density that is a few billion times that of earth such that a cubic centimeter of their matter would weigh a few million tons on earth.

Many astrophysicists believe on theoretical grounds that the gravitational collapse of a star could create a high density object whose gravitational field would be too strong to allow anything -- including light waves -- ever to leave the body. Such hypothetical objects are called "black holes", because light and other signals being unable to emerge from them, their matter has literally disappeared from view, although they continue to influence the motion of other stars in their vicinity. Based on irregularities in star movements and the emission of very short wavelength radiation, a number of black-hole locations have been conjectured by astrophysicists. What is more interesting is that scientists believe that the normal laws of physics would not be applicable in the vicinity of black holes which are said to be capable of "devouring" any matter that approaches them and loses its physical structure.

We thus find that an extension of our knowledge of Physics and Astronomy brings us to a point where we must start looking for a new set of physical laws which could naturally bifurcate into two sets of physical laws, one governing the events in our galaxy, and the other in the vicinity of the black holes. For those who believe that the laws of physics are universal and everlasting, this must be a minor shock. On the lighter side, blackholism seems to have existed among people for some considerable time in the form of persons who are always ready to grab but never willing to give away anything, and somehow they seem impervious to all norms and laws.

Democracy

2011-03-23T23:15:00.000+05:00

After years of correlation of information I have come to the conclusion that democracy can and should be defined as follows:

Democracy is that form of government in which all lands of the country along with its assets, state treasures and right to make laws other than religious tenets belong to the people; no individual including the heads of state and government has the right to spend state or public funds at his or her discretion; and all citizens including holderes of high office, public representatives, civil servants and military are bound by the rules and instructions collectively issued by a body of elected representatives of the people on an equal basis while having the right to exercise basic human rights and a universal obligation to accept and obey the judgment of courts of law.

Conversation in Heaven – 2

2011-03-06T23:43:00.001+05:00

Is the Earth maintaining its course and orientation?

Yes. All the volcanoes fired at the right time and course and attitude corrections have been taking place automatically.

How do volcanic eruptions affect life on Earth?

In the old days animals used to panic and some would be killed or injured by the lava, debris and smoke. Now human beings too suffer losses of life and property. Sometimes entire town are flattened.

Can they find a way to protect themselves?

Human beings have been trying to unveil the secret causes of natural disasters by scientific investigation. They have set up warning stations so that areas likely to suffer may be evacuated.

Has it affected the evolution process?

Yes, we upgraded the genetic code to ensure that human beings sympathize with and help each other in the case of natural disasters overriding their tribal differences.

5. THE QUANTUM LEAP IN SCIENCE

2011-02-27T17:19:00.000+05:00

The dawn of the twentieth century heralded a new era in intellectual and experimental pursuits of understanding the nature of the universe around us. Not only did man achieve a long cherished dream of flying in the air, but nature was seen from viewpoints previously unimagined. In 1901, Max Plank in connection with "black body" radiation, proposed the quantum theory of radiation, which was definitely formulated by Einstein in 1905. According to the Quantum theory radiation occurs, not continuously permitting all possible values as assumed by the wave theory, but in a discrete quantified form, as integral multiples of an elementary quantum of energy. This means that energy should be considered atomic in nature like matter. The concept was verified by Compton in connection with the scattering of X-rays and Plank's hypothesis was extended to the extent that radiation is considered corpuscular in nature, made up of discrete quanta, which are shot out in space with the velocity of light. This, however, did not nullify the previous proofs that light and other radiations are waves. The quantum is now known as photon, and its energy is given by hf or more accurately (1/2+n)hf, where n is an integer, h the Plank's constant having an accurately determined value of 6.624x10-34 joule-second, and f the frequency of radiation. (Looking at the construction of the energy expression and the unit of the Plank's constant this author is tempted to suggest that it could be an integral of energy with respect to time. It is dimensional problems like this that have resulted in the introduction of dimensionless expressions in thermodynamics and fluid mechanics.) The photon is said to have no mass of its own for reasons to be discussed later. The quantum theory has been instrumental in explaining the photoelectric effect, commonly observed in solar cells which would have worked just as well even without the quantum theory, though their development may not have been as rapid.

It may be stated here that zeros are basically of two kinds -- the subtractional zero which can be obtained by repeated subtractions and represents nothingness, and the divisional zero which is obtained by repeated divisions and represents a negligible fraction. The quantum theory, in a way, defined the ultimate fraction or arithmetical atom that could be treated as a basic unity; thus doing away with the divisional zero that could have diverse negligible values. Mathematical propriety dictates that if a=0 and also b=0 then you cannot write a=b since it would lead to a/b=1 or 0/0=1 which amounts to making something out of nothing. Indeed, many such situations arise due to taking x^0, whose value is unity, as a function or part of a function of x. In fact, a constant numerical term in a function definition indicates origin relocation.

In 1905, Einstein theorized the constancy of the speed of light irrespective of the motion of the source or the observer by putting forward his famous theory of Special Relativity. The two fundamental postulates used in the theory are:

a) Measurement of absolute motion is impossible to an observer stationed on a moving system.

Comment: The measurement of absolute motion requires reference to a permanently fixed or unmoving point within the field of observation or perhaps the universe which we do not seem to have discovered yet because we have not looked for it. Equally it is impossible to conceive relative motion without assigning absolute motion to the observer or the observed or both.

b) The velocity of light is constant, independent of the relative motion of the source and observer.

Comment: It would apply perfectly to waves generated in a vast medium such as water (the ether is undone) in which two persons may be rowing their boats, but when you consider a travelling source throwing corpuscular projectiles being observed by another moving observer it becomes complicated to say the least. Waves possess velocity of propagation which can not be compared with the velocity of transportation possessed by particles.

He then went on to set up the constitutive equations of motion for two sets of reference frames having a uniform relative translatory motion with respect to an event visible from both reference frames, using independent time and space variables for each system with the speed of light as a constant. He used a unique technique of implied division by masked zeros developing equations of the form ax0=bx0 which, depending on progressive manipulations, can give various solutions of the type a=bxc where the sign and value of the constant c would depend on other constants and intermediate mathematical operations. By dexterous manipulation of these equations he deduced the interrelationships of the time and space variables in the two systems, which turned out to be identical to the Lorentz's transformation equations. Later scientists have used different mathematical tools to arrive at the same conclusions. In a nutshell, these equations mean that simultaneous time and distance measurements made from two vantage points moving relative to each other will have different values, and events that appear simultaneous to one observer may not seem so to the other. The two should agree to disagree. However, they do not contradict the fact that a particular event should instantaneously appear exactly the same to any observer irrespective of his speed and direction if occupying a particular location in space at a particular time, e.g. pictures taken with a high speed camera.

Since the variables are related to each other by a numerical quantity given by (1-v^2/c^2)^1/2 where v is the relative speed of the systems and c the speed of light, and since it is inconceivable for the term to be an imaginary quantity, v cannot be faster than c; or in other words, nothing can move faster than light. A corollary of the theory also gives an equation for the addition of velocities which ensures that the resultant will not exceed the velocity of light, so that two photons linearly approaching one another, each travelling with the speed of light have a relative velocity equal to the velocity of light, not twice. Such a postulate can only be satisfied by adjusting or redefining the unit of time as a half of the normal second with reference to the specific situation. This compression of the second would, of course, be only a mathematical manipulation and not affect any natural phenomena. The basic flaw in the time dilation concept seems to be that time lag or observation delay due to the time taken by light to reach an observer, which is an aberration and changes with distance irrespective of speed of travel, has been confused with real time.

Another expression derived from the principles of relativity is of the form m = m0/(1-v2/c2)1/2; where m0 is the rest mass i.e the mass of a body measured when at rest relative to the observer, m the "effective mass" i.e. mass of the body measured when it is moving with a velocity v relative to the same observer, and c is the velocity of light. Since v is always less than c, m will always be greater than m0 except when v itself has an imaginary value which is regarded as impossible. It can be shown that the increase in mass is approximately equal to the kinetic energy divided by c squared.

This brings us to the most famous of Einstein's deductions -- the mass-energy relationship given by E = mc2, where E is the energy equivalent of mass m. In other words, one kilogram of any substance is equal to 9x10^16 joules or 2.51x10^10 kilowatt-hours of energy and vice versa. This means that even if all the earth's known resources of energy production were utilized, no more than a few tons of matter would be produced in a year. However, it is this conversion of matter into energy that produces all the heat in the nuclear fission reactors. But of course, the reactors would have worked the same even if the equation was not known. The mass-energy relationship was verified by Kaufman and Bucherer using the electrons of Beta rays from radium with widely different velocities, ranging up to as high as 0.99c. The mass-energy relationship carries interesting implications for the elastician. If the velocity of electromagnetic waves or light c is taken as the equivalent of distortional waves in a solid elastic medium, and the energy equivalent of mass as strain energy, then mass becomes a function of strain in the medium.

The confirmation of special relativity and its corollaries ushered in a new era of natural philosophy. The classical theory of mechanics in which the sums of forces and moments at a point had to be separately zero and matter and energy had to be conserved individually was superseded. It was obvious that accurate results could only be obtained by balancing the accounts of the energy equivalent of mass as well as the other forms of energy such as kinetic, potential, inertial, deformational etc., or the mass equivalent of the energies as the case might be.

Rutherford carried out experiments on the scattering of alpha particles, which are the positively charged bare helium nuclei, by thin foils of matter and found that although most of the alpha particles suffered only small deflection due to multiple scattering, yet there were a certain number that were scattered through much larger angles. To accommodate this phenomenon he proposed, in 1911, the nuclear atom model in which most of the mass and positive charge was concentrated at the center forming the nucleus, and the electrons revolved in circles around the nucleus in a manner similar to the planets revolving around the Sun. Although this model solved Rutherford's immediate problem, it was found to be in conflict with the electromagnetic theory, as revolving electrons must emit radiation at all times, and constantly consume energy which would compromise the stability of the atomic structure. Twelve years later in 1923, Niels Bohr applied the quantum theory to the Rutherford atom model and developed his theory of atomic structure which is now widely accepted in a further modified form as it resolves many of the dilemmas faced by earlier physicists. The theory is based on two postulates reproduced below as stated by Rajam:

i) The first postulate referring to the electronic structure, states the electrons cannot revolve in all possible orbits as suggested by the classical theory, but only in certain definite orbits satisfying quantum conditions. These orbits may, therefore, be considered as privileged orbits, non radiating paths of the electron.

ii) The second postulate referring to the origin of spectral lines states that radiation of energy takes place only when an electron (instantaneously) jumps from one permitted orbit to another (without existing in any intermediate location - hence the phrase quantum leap). The energy thus radiated which is equal to the difference in the energies of the two orbits involved must be a quantum of energy hv.

The mathematical deduction based on the above postulates produced quantitative results which agreed with available experimental data, and thus the assumptions were accepted as physical laws.

Bohr's simple theory of circular orbits, in spite of its many successes, was unable to explain certain fine details of the hydrogen spectrum such as the Balmer series, suggesting that for each quantum number there might be several orbits of slightly different energies. Somerfeld, in 1915, modified Bohr's theory by introducing the ideas of motion of electrons in elliptical orbits and of the consequent relativistic variation of the mass of the electron. By the application of the relativistic mass energy relationship, he found the path of the electron to be a complicated curve, known as a rosette -- a precessing ellipse, doubly periodic. In interpreting the observed fine structure of spectral lines, he was forced to introduce a selection rule to preclude some of the orbits permitted by his mathematics. The Rutherford-Bohr-Somerfeld atom model was only a partial success as it could only predict three out of five components of the H-alpha line. Nevertheless, Somerfeld was able to underscore the concept of "Spatial Quantization" i.e not only distances and forms, but also directions must have discrete values with permissible conditions. Nature's limitations were getting more and more exposed. The void was beginning to develop holes. In 1923, Uhlenbeck and Gouldsmit in order to explain satisfactorily the intricate spectral phenomena such as the fine structure and the Zeeman effect i.e the splitting of spectral lines under the influence of an applied magnetic field, put forward the hypothesis of the spinning electron, with a spin quantum number which is always 1/2 for an electron although most other quantum numbers are integral. Plank's joule-seconds had to be multiplied with something having time in the denominator to give straight forward energy.

Thus came into being the Quantized vector atom model which was further developed by Pauli, Stern and Gerlach with the help of a host of others. Although this is not the last word in atom models, we will stop here and take a look at some of the parallel developments.

Minkowsky, using the principles of special relativity and the four dimensional geometry of Rieman was able, in 1908, to present to the world a new and unique concept of four dimensional space time continuum which is represented mathematically by the second order differential equation ds2 = dx2 + dy2 + dz2 + c2dt2. The square of time has no practical significance by itself, but multiplied by the square of velocity it represents an area like the other terms of the equation. Similarly, in the Cartesian coordinate system x*y, y*z and z*x represent area but x*x means nothing. In terms of 20th century physical science this means that the minute displacement represented by ds is not completely described by the three coordinate dimensions dx, dy and dz, as in classical Euclidean geometry; but in addition by the time dimension dt also, forming the fourth coordinate of relativistic geometry. The quantity ds is renamed as a "point event" and is not exactly a distance in space, but an element in the four dimensional Minkowsky space-time continuum which is `simultaneously finite and boundless.' However, in this continuum, matter is able to assert itself as "the pressure of matter distorts the curvature of the four dimensional space-time continuum which is the physical universe." Einstein was able to correlate the idea with the balancing of centripetal and centrifugal forces in a string and stone respectively, which are attached and whirled giving the stone a curvilinear motion. In 1915, he extended his special theory of relativity that was limited to systems with uniform linear motion, to encompass systems moving in any way, even with accelerated velocity, and in particular to a special case of accelerated motion that is involved in the most common phenomenon of gravitation. Using, in turn, Minkowski's model, Einstein in his General Theory of Relativity worked out the law governing the motion of a body in a distorted and curved space-time continuum using the advanced mathematical tool of tensor calculus. He was able to show that Newton's inverse square law of gravitation is a first approximation of his relativistic law which is claimed to have been successfully tested in several astrophysical phenomena, such as the advance of perihelion of the planet mercury, the shift of spectral lines in the light received from the companions of Sirius etc. Now, if space can be pulverized (quantized) and curved under pressure, it can hardly be a void; it seems more like a personality.

With the advent of the quantum theory, physicists were obliged to admit a dual nature, wave and particle, for radiant energy for the simple reason that the Plank energy equation contains a frequency term for the photon that is assumed to be a massless particle. In 1924, Louis de Brogli took a bold step forward and suggested that matter, like radiation, has dual nature i.e particles believed to possess discrete rest mass such as molecules, atoms, protons, electrons and the like might exhibit wave-like properties under appropriate circumstances. There was a certain amount of initial pessimism about the theory of matter waves which later came to be known as de Brogli waves because of their difference from electromagnetic waves as their velocity of propagation is given by u = c2/v, where v is the velocity of the moving matter and c the velocity of light. The de Brogli waves have a wavelength L=h/mv, where h is Plank's constant and m the mass of the matter particle. However, the discovery of the diffraction of electrons in 1927 by Davisson and Gremer provided experimental confirmation of the theory. Dempster (1927) and Esterman (1930) obtained diffraction effects with hydrogen and helium atoms, thus lending support to the matter wave theory. The only snag is that u can be greater than c since v is less than c which, oddly enough, Einstein did not mind. So, in view of the rule that wave velocity is the product of wave-length and frequency, it may be said that every particle of matter has a characteristic frequency given by f = mc2/h, for notations defined earlier or a characteristic time period of 1/f.

4. ELEMENTARY PARTICLES

2011-02-20T20:04:00.000+05:00

Only a few months after the discovery of X-Rays by Roentgen in 1896, Henri Bacquerel accidentally discovered the phenomenon of radioactivity in uranium sulphate. The invisible Bacquerel rays which possessed the ability to affect wrapped photographic paper were soon found to be emitted by a number of other heavy elements such as thorium, actinium etc. But the most famous was the discovery of radioactive elements Radium and Polonium by the Curies in 1998. The radiation emitted by radioactive substances was soon identified to consist of three different kinds of emissions named alpha, beta and gamma rays after the Greek letters. The alpha radiation was found to consist of positively charged particles having a positive electric charge of magnitude twice that of the electron and a mass four times that of the hydrogen atom. It was immediately concluded and is still believed that the alpha particle is the same as the bare nucleus of a Helium atom which has lost both its electrons. It is emitted at a velocity one fifteenth that of light and is stopped by a 0.1 millimeter thick foil of aluminum.

Beta rays were found to consist of negatively charged particles of very light mass emitted with a velocity that varied between one third to 99.8 percent of the velocity of light and penetrative power nearly one hundred times that of the alpha particles. The variations in their masses were later accounted for by the special theory of relativity and these were identified as electrons. Gamma rays have been found to be electromagnetic radiations similar to X-rays, but of extremely short wavelength of the order of one angstrom or 10^-10 meters and an ability to penetrate several centimeters of lead.

In 1911, Rutherford came forth with his own physical model for subatomic structure, as an interpretation for some unexpected experimental results. In it, the atom is made up of a central charge now called nucleus surrounded by a cloud of orbiting electrons. In subsequent years, rules were established for the numbers of atoms in various orbits and it was explained that electromagnetic radiation was released by electrons shifting between orbits and releasing energy when they moved from an orbit of higher energy to one of lower energy.

The discovery of the neutron by Chadwick in 1932 completed the well known picture of the nuclear structure consisting of protons and neutrons, the number of protons, carrying a positive charge equal and opposite that of electrons, being the same as electrons in the atom, and various isotopes being the result of differing numbers of electrically neutral or chargeless neutrons whose mass is very nearly the same as protons which is about 1836 times that of the electron.

The good thing about the electron is that anybody can see it in the electrical arc formed between two separated ends of a conductor if an electrical circuit is broken. It is this seeing and believing that lies at the heart of willing acceptance of later discoveries of subatomic particles none of which can be actually seen but whose existence is proven by inference. The good thing about atomic models is that they work in predicting properties of materials and have resulted in the development of science and technology of electronics which has revolutionized our lives.

Democritus's atoms were no longer the fundamental particles, but instead were composed of varying numbers of fundamental particles which were then established as being the electron, the proton and the neutron. The measurement of the rate of decay in radioactive materials, commonly denoted by half-life, made it possible to estimate the age of the earth which is now believed to be about 4.6x10^9 (four thousand six hundred million) years

In the year 1900, Wilson, Elster and Geital discovered that charged electroscopes exhibited a small residual leak in spite of the best insulation. The surrounding air was eliminated as a possible cause since its conductivity was found to be constant. In 1903, Rutherford and Cooke demonstrated by the use of absorbing screens of iron and lead that the radiation responsible for the discharge of the electroscope came from outside the instrument. Initially, it was thought that the radiation was the result of the contamination of Earth's surface and the surrounding air by radioactive materials which had also been recently discovered. However, when Gokel, Hess and Kolhorster during 1909-1914 sent sealed ionization chambers up in balloons up to 9,000 meters high, it was found that the intensity of radiation increased with height continuously, as much as five to ten times the value at ground level. Hence it was concluded that an extremely penetrative type of radiation, whose origin was entirely beyond our atmosphere, was falling upon the earth from above the atmosphere and it was called cosmic radiation. The methods developed and used in the study of cosmic radiation include ionization chambers, photographic emulsions and bubble chambers developed in 1952 by D.A. Glaser.

One of the greatest achievements of the cosmic rays studies was the discovery in 1932 by C.D. Anderson of the "Positron" or the antiparticle of the electron which is identical to the electron except that it carries a positive charge of the same magnitude. The positron had, however been predicted theoretically by P.A.M. Dirac in 1928. Similarly, two years after Yukawa's theoretical prediction, mesotrons or mesons were discovered in 1937 by Neddermeyer, Anderson, Street and Stevenson by a study of cloud chamber tracks of cosmic radiation.

The development of the cyclotron by Prof. E.O. Lawrence in 1932 provided a controllable means of producing beams of high energy accelerated particles that could be used to bombard other particles and nuclei and break them into pieces to render different elements and new fundamental particles. The technique is called transmutation, and has resulted in a proliferation of newly identified fundamental particles of diverse sizes and qualities. The second half of the twentieth century has seen the construction of a number of particle accelerators in various parts of the world; and could well be called the era of the elementary particles, as far as physics is concerned.

The first `atomic pile' -- the forerunner of nuclear reactors -- was activated by Enrico Fermi in December 1942 in a Squash court in Chicago University which among other things produced a significant quantity of the radioactive element Plutonium that had not existed naturally on earth before then and was hailed as the first synthesized or artificial element beyond the natural ninety-two. This great achievement, unfortunately, created the delusion among many that man had after all succeeded in overtaking nature and was now more powerful than God, if One existed. The conceit showed itself in the pathetic development and tragic use of atomic bombs much before the nuclear reactor could be used to produce useful energy and medicinal radioisotopes, apart from research in nuclear physics.

These studies have resulted in the identification of five basic types of forces that exist in nature as 1) gravity, 2) electric force, 3) strong nuclear forces which hold neutrons and protons together in the nucleus, 4) weak nuclear forces which control the change in charge states of nucleons, and 5) color forces which are postulated to operate on quark particles only about which we shall learn later. Of course, all other forces that we experience in our daily lives are supposed to be the complex consequences of these five. The method by which atomic, nuclear and subatomic particles interact is believed to be via the exchange of energy which can alternatively be considered as particle exchange. The interaction between electric charges is known to proceed by the exchange of photons which are massless particles which can carry force or energy for an infinite distance at the speed of light. Any particle that travels at the speed of light has to be massless (i.e have zero rest mass) in order for the theory of relativity to be held true, as a particle with any initial mass would assume infinite mass at the velocity of light. The hypothetical particle graviton carries the gravitational force effect between particles of matter. Neutrino and antinutrino are also chargeless and massless particles which can only be distinguished from photons by having different spin. Then, of course, there are muons, pions, kaons, lambda particles, sigma particles, omega particles, psi particles and a whole host of antiparticles, some stable and some unstable. The unstable only last between 10^-17 and 10^-21 seconds, some of which are called resonances. "Strange" particles have life times of the order of 10^-9 seconds. There are quark particles which were initially regarded as the fundamental building blocks of all particles and which possess the property of charm. Two varieties of the quarks have been named truth and beauty. Then of course, there are monopoles which as the very name suggests should be a sort of half-magnet that would be attracted by the north pole of a magnet and repelled by the south pole in any orientation or vice versa. In fact, it is curious that so far radions (particles of radio frequency radiation) and thermion (particles of heat radiation) do not seem to have made their mark. However, the growing diversity of fundamental particles is by no means a cause for discord. Some physicists are optimistic that it may be possible to identify a group or family of particles which could form the basis of the synthesis of all other particles; and it may even be possible to integrate these particles with the quantum theory and, in turn, with the theory of relativity, thus producing the grand unification and the final answers to all physical questions.

Conversation in Heaven - 1

2011-02-15T00:20:00.002+05:00

How are things on earth?

Quite good! Our indoor animal project has succeeded beyond our expectations. The human beings as they are called now are getting ready for the next phase of evolution.

What genetic parameters were changed in the previous upgrades?

Five major steps were accomplished:

1. The neck was shortened and both eyes were placed in front making them vulnerable from behind and creating a need for building shelters. The apes, of course did not build homes. They just started living on trees.

2. The ability to stand erect and move on two legs in a balanced manner. It freed the arms to hold, carry and manipulate things. Experiments with Lemurs helped in establishing the balancing algorithms.

3. A set of pilot teeth to sample available food and second permanent set to suit the available food e.g. plant, vegetable, meat etc. The designing of the inception of a new set of bones in flesh a few years old took quite some time.

4. Delinking of cognitive process from ancestral info-base and cell allocation for new data from experience. This allows dumb parents to have brilliant offspring who innovate and develop new ideas. A partial linkage has been maintained to allow the development of tribal instincts useful for the safety of the young ones. The system needs review to reduce excessive divergence in personalities.

5. Association and correlation of sounds and images, allocation of memory for audio perception and control of vocal chords to develop ability of meaningful speech and literacy.

What have human beings achieved with these new faculties?

(To be continued.)

Rambo in Lahore

2011-02-10T00:20:00.000+05:00

The triple murder in Lahore on 27th January, 2011 is unique because it is being owned by the US Embassy in Pakistan. Video clip released by Dunya TV clearly shows that the accused of two murders Raymond Davis did not claim diplomatic immunity before the police on arrest. It seems very likely that he is some sort of a secret agent and was on a mission to eliminate two local agents Faizan Haider and Faheem Ahmed who may have lost cover or got out of line. If that is true, perhaps it would be safer for Raymond Davis who has now lost his own cover to live out the rest of his life in a Pakistani jail.
The interesting thing is that there are at least a dozen assasinations involving Americans in my memeory from Dallas in 1963 to Lahore in 2011 which carry the same signature, "In broad daylight on a busy street". For quite some time I have been wondering if there is a heinous murder squad of influential Americans still living in the cowboy era that orchestrates these murders.
The high level US delegations that have visited Pakistan in the last few days to secure the release of RD may also have committed indiscretion and exposed their membership of the murder squad. Time will tell.

Points of Conflict between Islam and other Belief Systems

2011-01-21T01:03:00.001+05:00

The prohibition of alcohol and pork in Islam creates a major conflict with other civilizations in which these items are part of daily food and nourishment. The orthodox Muslims regard alcoholic drinks, pork and lard as absolute filth and if they come in contact with any of these, they must wash and cleanse themselves. The reason is simple. There is no reason given in the Qur’an for the prohibition of pork and wine. The mullahs not finding a plausible reason declared these as filthy. At the same time, people who are engaged in a business related to pork and wine such as pig-farming or breweries feel threatened by the growth of Islam as it would make them jobless. The pros and cons of alcoholic drinks are not a matter of personal preferences. A careful examination of the Biblical text indicates that on the night of the Last Supper, Jesus Christ was forced to renounce his opposition to drinking wine and eating bread made with lard (the consumption of which he likened to the consumption of his blood and flesh respectively), and then he was crucified.

Trinity and calling Jesus the son of God is totally unacceptable in Islam. The Qur’an is quite specific in verse 4.171:

O people of the Book! Commit no excesses in your religion: nor say of Allah aught but truth. Christ Jesus the son of Mary was (no more than) an Apostle of Allah and His Word which He bestowed on Mary and a Spirit proceeding from Him: so believe in Allah and His Apostles. Say not "Trinity": desist: it will be better for you: for Allah is One Allah: glory be to him: (for Exalted is He) above having a son. To Him belong all things in the heavens and on earth. And enough is Allah as a Disposer of affairs.

There is an interesting historical conflict between Muslims and Jews. Verses 37:101-107 of the Qur’an read as follows:

101. So We gave him (Abraham) the good news of a boy ready to suffer and forbear.

102. Then when (the son) reached (the age of) (serious) work with him he said: "O my son! I see in vision that I offer thee in sacrifice: now see what is thy view!" (The son) said: "O my father! do as thou art commanded: thou will find me if Allah so wills one practicing Patience and Constancy!"

103. So when they had both submitted their wills (to Allah) and He had laid Him prostrate on his forehead (for sacrifice)

104. We called out to him "O Abraham!

105. "Thou hast already fulfilled the vision!" thus indeed do We reward those who do right.

106. For this was obviously a trial

107. And We ransomed him with a momentous sacrifice:

The Muslims believe that the blessed son was Ismail, the elder of the two sons of Abraham and the event took place near Makkah. On the other hand Jewish and Christian traditions identify the son as Isaac who they believe was the elder and also believe that the event took place near Jerusalem.

The conflict between Islam and Hinduism is also two-fold. Muslims, like people of most other civilizations relish beef, but Hindus worship the cow as a sacred animal and killing or eating the cow is a sacrilege and cardinal sin for them. The fanatic Hindus would not hesitate to kill a man whom they find killing a cow. This happens very often in India and was perhaps one of the considerations of dividing the Subcontinent into two countries. Secondly, idolatry is the very basis of the Hindu religion. Hindu temples are full of deities of all descriptions. Islam strictly prohibits the worship of anything but the Idea of God; there can be no model of God. To a Muslim, a deity is an insult to God and according to the Qur’an and hadith all biblical prophets from Abraham to Muhammad have condemned it.

There are also other conceptual differences between Islamic and secular ideologies. The Muslim temperament regards the selling of rights a breach of honor. Unfortunately, it is a basic tool of western commerce as developed by Jews and Christians. In the Islamic civilization, any law or agreement or decision that leaves any party helpless or without recourse is anathema. Prophet Muhammad strongly resented debt and constant indebtedness is just not acceptable in Islam.

The cosmologists, the evolutionists and the geneticists also seem to be at loggerheads with Islam. Whereas Islam teaches that God alone conceived, designed, engineered and created everything that exists, these scientists insist otherwise. The big-bangers would have us believe that at the beginning of time all matter and energy that now forms the universe was confined into an extremely dense sphere only a few miles across, which exploded with such an intensity that all its mass turned into billions of gigantic balls of fiery gases flung billions of miles across in the limitless universe. They don’t give a damn about where that awesome sphere came from or how the electrons and protons were formed and got arranged into such fascinating orbits, or how the value of the Universal Gravitational Constant got established. On the other hand, there are others who insist that from the beginning there were a lot of clouds of chilly hydrogen gas floating around in the universe which condensed and collapsed by gravitational pull with such intensity that they exploded into very hot stars in which other elements were formed by nuclear fusion. Both groups believe that the energy being generated in stars comes from the nuclear fusion of hydrogen, but they forget that deuterium and not hydrogen participates in fusion reactions. If the stars are formed of deuterium then most of the water in the seas on earth should have been heavy water and hydrogen should have been rare. In reality, the opposite is true.

Darwin’s theory of evolution might have found great intellectual appeal a century ago, but in the computer age the earth seems to have slipped from underneath it. If random mutations can work to create such complex living organisms, there is no reason why they would not work on minerals such as quartz and produce elementary logic circuits in grains of sand that exist in literally infinite numbers on earth. Nobody has yet found a grain of sand with a logic circuit in it formed by random mutations.

Geneticists have tried to replace God with the Genome, which they claim contains the complete code for the development and growth of each living being, without being able to explain the mechanism and dynamics of gene replication.

A broad and open conflict between Islam and Christianity will definitely go in favor of Islam. The better-educated Christians would start studying Islam initially to know the enemy. But as they discover that Islam is actually reformed Christianity, the new Crusaders will find very few followers or supporters. As large numbers of Christians embrace Islam in the more affluent western countries, the leadership of the Muslim world will also shift from the oriental mullahs to the new leaders who would emerge there.

However, the worst enemies of Islam at present are Al-Qaida and Taliban. They are the biggest killers of Muslims and destroyres of their property. They have made every effort to defame and discredit Islam. They have tried to present Islam as a crude and dreadful religion. In fact, they appear ton be a reincarnation of the pre-Islamic Arab clans who tried to destroy it in its infancy.

My Audience

2011-01-08T23:19:00.002+05:00

The following the distribution of my audience as recorded by the statistics service of Blogger:
United States 184
Russia 24
Brazil 16
Ukraine 15
Germany 14
China 10
Pakistan 10
Canada 9
Denmark 7
Slovenia 6
It is interesting no one in India or UK is interested in my Blog. Or could it be that it is being blocked in some countries?

3. THE SCIENTIFIC ERA

2010-12-18T02:20:00.000+05:00

Unfortunately, the great debate started by Democritus and Aristotle was halted by political upheavals in the region for nearly a millennium until the scholars of the great Islamic civilization of the Middle East and Central Asia, including Arabia and Persia, revived and translated the great Greek philosophical works. Even today, in the Muslim countries there are schools of thought devoted to the teachings and techniques of Pythagoras and Aristotle, with inevitable adaptations and variations. Nawab Mohammad Yamin Khan in his relatively recent book "God, Soul and Universe in Science and Islam" describes God as a Universal Intelligence that controls all phenomena. Averros (Ibn Rushd, 1126-96 C.E) is said to have believed in the eternity of the world (not as a single act of creation but as a continuous process) and in the eternity of a universal intelligence, indivisible but shared in by all. Similar ideas are attributed to Ibnul Arabi. The pioneering work in physics, chemistry, astronomy, mathematics, optics, medicine etc. by such scientist of those days as Ali Ibn Sina (Avicenna, 980-1037 C.E), Al-Khwarizmi (780-880 C.E), Al-Kindi (800-873 C.E), Jaber bin Hayyan (Geber, 721-815 C.E), Omar Khayyam (1050-1123 C.E), Ibnul Haytham (965-1039 C.E) and Al-Beiruni (973-1048 C.E) etc. paved the way for the European scientists and mathematicians who developed the current scientific vocabulary and techniques. The separation and identification of generic chemicals, the discovery of the principles of optics, the development of algebra, geometry, exponents, polynomials, logarithms and the concepts of calculus, the cataloging of botanical species, indexing of astronomical observations etc. provided a useful information base for scientists in areas where metals and other resources were easily available and working close to fire was relatively comfortable. The initiation of the use of mechanical implements, the exploitation of wind power and techniques of evaporative cooling were, indeed, pointers to things that were to come in future. Alchemy or the attempt to produce gold by combining or altering other substances was, perhaps, the embryonic form of the industrial movement whose object is to add value to insignificant materials. Today, apparently worthless materials are processed to the extent that the final products may exceed the worth of their weight in gold. Many Muslim philosophers of the era, commonly known as Sufis, put forward the notion that the universe consists of an interplay of light and darkness in a continuum of geometric space and time. They chose mostly poetry rather than mathematics as their medium for expression and it takes a complex analytical approach to decode their ideas in contemporary parlance.

From the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, Europe saw some very interesting philosophical discussions cutting across the borders of science and religion, on questions such as: whether or not God exists, and if so how he interacts with the material universe; whether or not the soul exists, and if so how it interacts with the body; and whether or not man is free to shape his own destiny. Some of the well-known participants in the debate were Bacon, Hobbes, Descartes, Spinoza, Pascal, Calvin, Luther, Locke, Hume, Leibnitz, Voltaire, Rousseau, Kant, Fichte, Schopenhauer, Schelling and Hegel who, together with such others as Nietzsche, Dante and Goethe etc. produced the bulk of what could be called modern European philosophical heritage. By the end of the nineteenth century, Marx and Engels developed their concept of dialectical materialism that contradicted everything that made sense until then in social, religious, political and economic fields. Science was the only undisputed branch of knowledge. The Marxist reaction does not seem altogether incongruous when one considers the fact that many serious intellectuals of those days were convinced that mankind had finally evolved into two distinct species discernible as the ruling and working classes. Some other examples of dichotomacious illusion are Christian-nonchristian, Muslim-nonmuslim, Jewish-nonjewish and Aryan-nonaryan -- both Indian and German varieties.

During the 16th and early 17th centuries, the works of Copernicus, Brahe, Kepler and Galileo established that the earth and other planets rotate and revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits and telescopes revealed the distances and motions of the stars. The principle of gravitational acceleration was deduced and the invention of the telescope paved the way for the calculation of the distances of various stars from the earth. Simply by measuring the change of the angular bearings of a star over a six month interval and dividing the diameter of the earth's orbit around the Sun by this quantity, it became possible to calculate its distance from the earth or the sun. Apparently fixed stars were used for reference. Today we believe that the universe consists of thousands of galaxies, millions of light years apart, which in turn comprise of thousands of star systems and that Aristotle's crystal spheres do not exist.

In the period spanning the 17th and early 18th centuries, a group of brilliant scientists and mathematicians, notably Newton, Leibnitz, Huygens, Hooke, and Boyle produced calculus and the laws of mechanics, optics, thermodynamics and observations on magnetism and gravitation with experimental verification that transformed the face of the earth. Things would no longer happen by the will of the gods or kings, but by the laws of physics and other sciences to be developed in subsequent years; in spite of the fact that Newton himself is stated to have "considered that God had made the universe from `small indivisible grains of matter'." Newton perceived the formula for gravitational forces between objects also known as `Newton's Law of Gravitation' F=G.m1.m2/d^2 where F is force between two bodies of masses m1 & m2, a distance d apart and G the universal gravitational constant and measured it from experiments with brass balls and torsional pendulum now believed to be 6.673x10^-11 Nm2/Kg2. From this and the value of the acceleration due to gravity on earth's surface as 9.81 meters per second per second (9.81 m/s2) it is possible to calculate earth's mass as 5.97x10^24 Kg. By equating the gravitational force between Earth and the Sun with the centripetal force (F=mrω2 where m is mass of Earth, r is distance between Earth and Sun and ω the angular velocity of Earth around Sun) it was possible to determine the mass of the Sun and similarly all other heavenly bodies.

It is common observation that cohesive forces among the molecules of a body weaken as its temperature rises and become neutralized when it turns into liquid. The force further weakens with increase in temperature until it becomes repulsive when the substance turns into a gas, and the repulsion continues to grow with temperature. It is not clear whether gravitation is modified by temperature or thermal repulsion is a different phenomenon.

Although not commonly highlighted, perhaps, the greatest contribution of Newton and his contemporaries was the development of the consciousness that momentum and energy - kinetic and potential - are essential components in the existence of matter. Momentum is given by the product of mass and its velocity or the integration of force over time; whereas energy is produced by the integration of force over distance. Conversely, the differentiation of momentum with respect to time produces force and so should the differentiation of energy with respect to length or distance: an idea not yet fully developed although it is quite apparent in pulling and pushing and the effects of receiving or emitting radiation at one surface. In simple terms, it is this author's assertion that applying force at a point is nothing but creating an energy differential across it and motion from a higher energy state or location towards a lower energy state or location in a dynamic or kinematic sense is similar to the thermodynamic process of convection. Heat itself does not have a physical existence, but is a measure of energy level with a specific transfer mechanism. The same could be said of electricity, except for its sign i.e positive and negative. Both momentum and energy are considered indestructible. While momentum can only be transferred from one body to another, energy can manifest itself in many forms i.e kinetic, potential, thermal, light, sound, electrical charge, magnetism etc. Although momentum and energy are both derived from velocity, they do not reconcile if all the energy and momentum of one body is transferred to another of differebt mass ( v2/v1=m1/m2 from momentum and (m1/m2)^0.5 from energy).

Integration over time is like collecting water flowing from a hose into a bucket. The water flow rate is the differential and the bucketful the integral. Now it is not possible to reverse the conditions in the hose and bucket, except on paper by differentiation or in reality by applying a new set of appliances; although a new differential can be created by tilting the bucket. However, in elastic systems a certain amount of reversal in distance is possible by virtue of the stored elastic energy which is often dissipated by oscillation; but reversal in time is not possible. It should be noted that if the flow-rate in the aforementioned hose is not constant, and differs with the time of the day then the amount of water collected in the bucket in say five minutes will be different depending on whether it was collected in the morning, noon or evening of a particular day. It is, therefore, important that the symbol representing the result of integration must indicate the relevant limits of integration. It is interesting that scientists have been so preoccupied with Pythagoras' theorem that they are convinced that velocities can be added vectorially because they can be represented by straight lines and not as the consequence of the summation of kinetic energies related to the velocity components in two perpendicular directions (0.5mV^2 = 0.5mVx^2 + 0.5mVy^2). Similarly, the resultant of numerous forces acting on a body is not a game of arrows but the identification of the sum of components in a unique direction in whose normal plane the projections of all the forces add up to nothing.

Newton's laws of motion are regarded as a breakthrough in science, and paved the way to the eventual landing of man on the moon. However, some very interesting situations arise if one analyses the motion of things as one observes on earth, and as they would appear from outside the earth. Let us take a seemingly stationary brick of one kilogram mass and apply a force of one newton to it so that it is accelerated by one meter per second per second for a period of two seconds, at about noon on a clear sunny day close to the equator. During these two seconds, the brick will attain a linear velocity of two meters per second and a kinetic energy of two joules. The work done by one newton over a distance of two meters would also be two joules. So everything works out fine. But the earth, due to its daily rotation around an axis and annual revolutionary motion around the sun, has a surface linear velocity of nearly 29,336 meters per second, which also applies to any person or object on the earth. Hence, to an observer outside the earth, the brick had an initial velocity of 29,336 meters per second which was increased to 29,338 meters per second. This should result in a kinetic energy increase of 1/2x293382-1/2x293362 = 58,674 joules. Similarly, the extraterrestrial observer would also notice that the brick moved a total of 58,674 meters during the two seconds, 58,672 meters with the earth and 2 meters on it under the force of one newton; so that the work done should be force times distance i.e 58,674 joules. By the same token, an observer beyond the solar system would get even larger figures for the same phenomenon as he would also add the drift of the solar system. The question, therefore, is: Who is right? Obviously, the earth-based observer can support his calculation with the muscular or mechanical energy spent in the exercise which compares with the two joules figure. Similarly, the extraterrestrial observer might notice a slowing down of the earth or a change in the entropy of the overall solar system comparable with his own observation of changes in velocity and kinetic energy of the brick. One could satisfy himself by saying that whereas the earth-based observer is accounting for events relative to the time when the brick started accelerating, the observer out in space is doing the same with reference to the time when the parent system, the earth started moving. But such a statement would be neither mathematically nor philosophically convincing. Only it can be said with certainty that in a moving reference frame if the primary and secondary motions are parallel, then the apparent work done equals the apparent change in kinetic energy whether one considers the relative or the absolute motions. The primary motion defines the positive direction. If the secondary motion is at an angle to the primary motion then its components parallel to the primary motion and at right angles to it should be treated separately for the application of the conservation principle. Now, could it be that for a very modest expenditure of energy by us, nature sometimes has to pay significantly more in overheads? The problem can be looked at in two different perspectives by analogies. The first analogy is that of delivering a parcel to someone in another city. One can do it himself by taking a taxi to the airport, then a plane to the other city, then again a taxi to the address where the parcel is to be delivered. This would involve a considerable expenditure, not counting the return journey. The same result can be achieved much cheaply by walking to the nearest courier service or post office and making a relatively small payment. The difference in cost seems intriguing until one finds out that the courier who travels to deliver the parcel carries many other parcels also with him, or there is a complex but well organized postal system which makes the job so cheap.

The second analogy is that of driving a car. To a nontechnical person it involves the filling of fuel tank with petrol, turning the ignition key, moving the steering wheel, manipulating the pedals, changing gears by moving a lever and giving signals by operating the indicators. It all involves such an insignificant amount of effort and energy. Most of us have observed the child who jumps on the driving seat and enthusiastically swings the steering wheel hoping that it would move the car because that is what his observation has been limited to. Similarly, a naive researcher may spend a lifetime studying the behavior of cars and succeed in drawing only a few conclusions about when the blinking lights occur and so on; but ever thing may seem quite simple if he talks to drivers and mechanics or reads the highwaycode and the car manual. However, the automobile engineer sees the motion of the car in terms of the flow of currents, the flow of fuel and air into the engine, the movement of the butterfly in the carburetor and other valves, the ignition of the mixture in the cylinders, the thrust on the pistons, the torque on the crank shaft, the transmission of forces through the gearbox, connecting rod, and differential, the multiplication of forces and movements in the steering mechanism and so on. The designer has his own considerations in terms of thermodynamics, mass flow, kinematics, aerodynamics and strength of materials, to name a few topics. Could it be that our perception of the universe, in spite of all our scientific knowledge, is of the order of the comfortable driver rather than the automobile engineer who sees many a horsepower at work in the engine? In any case, the above observations are enough to caution us that an immodest manipulation of forces or energies on earth could create a considerably magnified effect somewhere to cause instability in one of the systems essential for our survival.

Another divergence that one comes across in the same era of scientific investigation is in the theories of light as put forward by Newton and Huygens. Newton, on the basis of the observations of reflection and refraction of light by Kepler, Descartes, Snell etc. suggested that light consists of minute corpuscles given out by a luminous body. Different colors of light were assigned to different sizes of the corpuscles. Huygens, on the other hand, studied the diffraction of light and was convinced that light is a sort of wave generated by a luminous body in ether, an all pervading elastic substance which filled the entire universe including the intermolecular spaces of solids. A number of optical phenomena that could not be explained by the corpuscular theory were found to yield to analysis based on the wave theory. Maxwell's development of the theory of electromagnetic radiation in the nineteenth century confirmed the wave theory of light and brought the concept of ether to the forefront of scientific investigation.

The eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw prolific developments in physics and chemistry combined with a very rapid rate of innovation and invention. The progress in basic sciences led to the development of better and more precise equipment and machines which in turn enhanced the capabilities of scientists to conduct experiments and make new discoveries. Some of the notable scientists of the era include Pascal, Benjamin Franklin, Galvani, D'alembert, Volta, Faraday, Joule, Charles, Gauss, Carnot, Ampere, Kelvin, Hertz, Mendelyev, Coulumb, Rankine, Roentgen, and the Curies. Although their work did not directly influence the theories about the universe, the increase in knowledge and understanding of the properties of matter and the scope of their application indirectly contributed to the developments that took place in the twentieth century. John Dalton of this period is credited with the formulation of the modern chemical atomic theory. J.J. Thomson, in 1897, discovered the electron and postulated that atoms consisted of two parts; the spherical shell that contained most of the mass and uniformly distributed positive charges with negatively charged electrons embedded in it. Experiments with Thomson's cathode ray discharge tube and Millikan's oil drop apparatus helped to determine the vital statistics of the electron as being a mass of 9.1x10^-31 kilogram, a radius of 2.8178x10^-15 meter and a charge of 31.85x10^-16 coulombs equal to 1.6x10^-19 joule also known as one electron volt. The electron, thus, has a mass density of 9.721x10^12 kilogram per cubic meter i.e. a liter of electrons would weigh about one hundred million tons if packed closely. This, of course, would never happen as even in the common electrical wire the charge only flows in a thin outer skin because of the repulsion of like charges.

Romer in 1673 determined the velocity of light as approximately 3x10^8 meters per second from observations on the eclipses of the satellites of Jupiter. Bradlay was able to calculate the velocity of light in 1726 from the apparent displacement or aberration of the fixed stars, which he discovered, due to the earth's orbital velocity of about 18.5 miles per second which yielded the value of 185,000 miles per second. Fizeau, using a toothed wheel to interrupt at very fast intervals a light beam which was reflected along the same path, measured the velocity of light as 3.13x10^8 meters per second in air. Foucault using a rotating mirror to produce an image shift measured the velocity of light to be 298,000 kilometers per second. Using laboratory sized equipment and a tube filled with water he found that "light traveled more slowly in water than in air." Later, Michelson with similar apparatus showed that the ratio of the velocities of light in air and water was equal to 1.33 - in good agreement with the value of the refractive index. The velocity of light in water is thus 2.26x10^8 meters per second. However, Michelson found that the velocity of yellow light was 1.76 times greater in air than in carbon bisulphite; the corresponding refractive index of carbon bisulphite is 1.64. This resulted in the discovery of dispersion and the concept of wave velocity and group velocity in dispersive media. As a result of these experiments the wave nature of light was established.

However, neither the corpuscular nor the wave theory explained all the phenomena related to light; although each explained some. Similarly, the assumption of the presence of ether created it's own problems. Michelson and Morley (1881-1887) carried out an ingenious experiment to verify the existence or otherwise of ether by splitting a beam of light into two beams at right angles and then making the two component beams converge at one point to produce interference patterns. But the rotation of the system to align one or the other beam with the orbital movement of the earth (30,000 meters per second) in concurrent and opposite directions did not cause any change in the interference fringe pattern. It was thus concluded that the ether did not really exist and that the velocity of light is invariant in a given medium or empty space where it is maximum and remains constant in all directions. It was also argued that Maxwell's equation did not necessarily require the existence of a hypothetical medium, but could be interpreted in terms of geometrical space. The void was back in place. Until then, time was regarded as a universally invariant phenomenon and distances were considered absolute. However, Lorentz starting with Maxwell's line of reasoning and introducing a moving observer came up with a set of equations that could only be true if time and space were to dilate or become nonabsolute, having different values for different observers.

The realization of the finite velocity of light resulted in the recognition of an obvious element of uncertainty in observed phenomena. A physical change would not be regarded as existing until light from it reached an observer, and even then he would only know the state of affairs that existed when the light reaching him had started from the subject of observation. There is, thus, a time lag between the occurrence and observation of any phenomenon, no matter how small this time lag is.

2. THE EARLY SCIENTISTS

2010-12-10T22:27:00.000+05:00

Our conception of what is possible, and what should be discarded as impossible depends largely on our perception of the universe as well as the range of our observations. It is equally true whether we indulge in a statistical analysis of limited scope, or natural philosophy encompassing the entire cosmos. Even in a scientific analysis, the direction and scope of investigation is defined by the chosen or stipulated constitutive equations and the observed boundary conditions. In fact, perception and conception are considerably more interrelated than we usually realize. Imagine the consternation of a robotic visitor from outer space on earth whose range of perceptions is limited to solid inorganic materials such as rocks and metals. Not being able to see the human beings, animals and trees and plants he would be wondering about the important role wrist watches, rings, buttons, buckles, shoe-nails, ear-rings and lockets play in the running of the mechanical systems on the earth. He is bound to be surprised at the observation that the arrival of keys and other trinkets brings automobiles to life, and the accumulation of a number of vehicles in the vicinity of a building and the movement of trinkets, especially nibs close to large machines causes great mechanical movements and production. Eventually, even if our visitor develops the means to detect the existence of fruit and vegetable, not being able to perceive those who consume them, he might wonder if there are holes in space into which things disappear. And, of course he would be convinced of the existence of dark invisible matter. If he persists in his investigations rather than making an escape from this baffling place, after some time he would come to believe that there exist on earth, life forms that he is unable to see, although in some ways he can feel their presence. Similarly, over the centuries mankind has come to believe in the existence of invisible forces that influence its existence.

The fact that modern physicists have accepted the existence of massless particles that transport energy and momentum or electrons making quantum leaps in privileged orbits definitely has roots in thousands of years of belief in spirits and genie, if not exactly a case of substituting superstitions. So let us, briefly, go through the history of the development of the concept of the physical universe, and see if the divergent views can be unified to achieve a globally acceptable model that obviates the need to turn a blind eye to certain undeniable facts. The most significant and trying question in such an analysis is: Where to start? There are many ancient mythologies which present some sort of a model of the universe that can be interpreted variously by the substitution of terms to indicate the probable intention of the author in contemporary vocabulary. The Greek, Chinese and Indian ancient religious traditions, to name the best known, have their own romance and socio-spiritual utility for those who choose to adopt them. They might even be distorted expressions of Divine revelations. However, none of those has produced an offshoot that could be recognized as a movement towards sustained intellectual or scientific development leading to the present day state of affairs; although their occasional or indirect contributions can not be denied. Let us, therefore, start with Democritus, the fifth century BC Greek philosopher who is generally credited with the discovery of the Atom.

The work of Democritus is summarized by Giorgio de Santillana in the following words:

"In order to rescue phenomena and have them reveal a rational reality, Democritus projects it, on two levels. Space is one, and matter is one, too, and events are due to the changing dispositions of matter in space. Empedocles had apparently disregarded (if it had ever reached him, for there is a question of dates, too) the sharp reasoning of Zeno, which led from total divisibility to the irrelevance of physical matter. Democritus was mathematician enough to acknowledge its full impact. This led him to dispose once and for all of the equivocation about particles going into the smaller and smaller, by posting firmly a threshold of divisibility. Hence we must conceive of matter as composed of mobile elements, all of the same substance but of different forms and sizes; small enough to bring forth the many things of this world only by aggregating and coming apart, and also small enough to remain themselves unbroken or "undivided" in the turmoil, as are the grains of sand on a wave laden beach. "Undivided" is the Greek `atomon', and it is thus that the key image of modern physics makes its appearance.

Since atoms are the only reality, they move in what must be emptiness, and so that other key idea, the "void" has been brought in. The universe, until then, had always been thought of as being full, were it only, as in Parmenides, "Being full of Being", the abstract density of the true continuum which was also in some way the body-of-the-world. Here the dichotomy is completed; we have the continuum become what it truly was from the start, geometrical empty space, and in it the one matter, conceived on its part as "wholly full" and compact; but that matter has nothing but geometrical properties itself, derived from space. It has "size, shape, position and velocity". Nothing else is needed to describe the atom".

He goes on:

"The extant scientific fragments of Democritus, as we have said, are miserably few. But each one of them goes straight to the heart of the matter:

"Nothing comes about perchance, but all through reason and by necessity. [This is already attributed to his master Leucippus.]

Nothing can be created out of nothing, nor can it be destroyed and returned to nothing.

There is no end to the universe, since it was not created by any outside power.

By convention color, by convention sweet, by convention bitter; in reality nothing but the atom and the void.""

The atomic theory has already been developed and expanded to very useful limits as we shall see in subsequent discussion. The question as to whether the universe is limitless or finite will be answered in time. If the universe is finite then light must be reflected from its boundaries and it should be possible to observe and identify reflected images of stars and galaxies through the advanced techniques of sky mapping already developed and being used by astronomers. In fact, the identification of reflected images should help to determine the exact dimensions of the universe. If the Universe is finite then the actual number of galaxies that can be seen through telescope may not be as high as it seems. We might just be seeing multiply reflected images of the same galaxy or galaxies at different times in antiquity. The more powerful a telescope the fainter and older image it would show and it would appear to be farther away. One day we may develop a telescope strong enough to show the picture of the universe as it was “in the beginning.”

Could our hollow universe be nothing more than an air pocket in a very large casting? The ultra-simplistic binary concept of the atom and the void also had to be modified when Democritus realized that there would have to be an innumerable variety of atoms in order to account for the diversity in the properties of the materials that exist. The atheism propounded by Democritus seems to be a logical extension of the intellectual movement proceeding from the mythological polytheism to Anaximander's monotheism, which was interpreted by his scientific mind more or less in the same way as some of the twentieth century scientists. The rejection chain syndrome! It is also a typical example of the fact that whenever the possibility of a change in the status quo arises, everyone tries to mold the situation according to his or her own thinking or whim.

In the very next century, an even more formidable intellectual juggernaut, Aristotle came forward with a far more eloquent rebuttal of the ideas put forth by Democritus. His package included a summarization of all existing philosophy regarding cosmology, physics, mathematics, biology, sociology, religion, and literature; augmented by his direct observations on biology and the four element (earth, water, air and fire) theory of the composition of matter. If we interpret earth, water, air and fire as the primitive concepts of the states of matter -- solid, liquid, gas and radiant energy -- then the void would contain a certain amount of rarefied gases and radiant energy; whereas on earth there would be various varieties and combinations of each of the four basic forms. It is such a pity that none of his contemporaries nor followers tried to reconcile the two and suggest that the three states of matter could have atomic structures. Giorgio de Santillana sums up the universe model of Aristotle as follows:

Quote:

"Plato had made it very clear that true knowledge is divorced, "cut off" as he insists, from sensible reality, whose symbol is the dark wall of the Cave. Between the two worlds there is only geometry to join them, myth, and the wings of Socratic Eros, of which we are told in the Symposium. For Aristotle, the Ideas are inherent in the individual substances; they are nowhere else to be found and known, except in the Active Intellect of God who thinks them forever and thus causes the world to function. But if there is nothing but physical substance, it must extend all the way to the upper limit of heaven, and be such as to account for the geometrical behavior of the stars. There will be rigid spheres, hard, transparent, crystalline, to carry the celestial bodies. The abstract mathematical models of the astronomers (of which hereafter) are transformed by Aristotle into an absurd machinery of crystal spheres turning and counterturning so as to cancel out all except the one driving 24-hour motion, that of the outer heaven or Primium Mobile, which in turn is moved by the Unmoved Mover "as a thing beloved."

"That outer sphere encloses and concludes the universe. Beyond it there is only God, who is totally actualized thought, immaterial, enfolding the whole. There is no space out there, for space is "place" and place has ceased. There is no void, because the void does not exist. The universe is an achieved Form, which excludes any reality beyond it. Inside, all is Form again, in a hierarchy of causes which goes down to the individual beings. Plato's concept of Design has been demathematized, Ionian fashion.

"We can see how Aristotle has solved the original problem of the One and the Many. The Ionians had imagined a primeval matter, a single physis, underlying everything. Aristotle shows that it was merely a symbol to be worked out. Matter itself can have only amorphous oneness; it is the raw material, the Possible. Above it there are the efficient causes which ultimately become one cause, the rotation of the Outer Sphere. This is supposed to bring about the motion of the Sun in its yearly cycle, which in turn controls the motions of the four elements. The cause of the change lies in the obliquity of the ecliptic. The formal cause of nature is again, at the summit, one; it is the total Design; and above it is the final cause, which is also the First Cause, God himself. "It is good that there should be only one ruler." Unity is throughout. It works articulated into four levels."

Unquote.

Ali Hijveri's paradox "I am in search of nonexistence" could be a sarcasm in support of the Aristotelian point of view, meaning that the void would cease to exist the moment one reaches it.

Archimedes of 3rd century B.C. commonly recognized as the discoverer of buoyancy stands out as a great forerunner of the later scientists in all fields of mathematical analysis, experimentation and innovation. He not only found a way of testing the purity of gold, but also set in motion the development of hydraulics. It is interesting to note that even in ancient societies, once the process of thinking and exchanging ideas was set in motion, people would appear from nowhere to contribute and develop a more or less comprehensive scenario, even if they themselves did not fully appreciate it.

Wiki Wakey

2010-12-07T22:36:00.000+05:00

Apart from his moral weaknesses, if there are any, one has to commend the bold and committed efforts of Julian Assange to bring hidden records of contemporary history into public view. There is no reason why there should not be transparecy in international diplomatic dealings. The days of the court historians distorting facts and making the rulers and their servants look like saint are gone. The people have a right to know what their so called leaders are doing and saying.

Costant monitoring of the goings on in the corridors of power by honest and sensible intellectuals is a must as we know from the experience of twentieth century wars that any industrialized democratic contry has the potential of turning into Nazi Germany given bad rulers and controlled media.

The sudden appearance of a whole set of criminanal offences by Julian Assange and the swift action of international legal authorities is obviously suspicious. It does not cost much to avail the services of a Desire Washington.

The concerted action of governments to deny the basic huamn right of information is a criminal conspiracy to say the least. It is a pity that the most professed champions of freedom of speech buckle so easily under pressure from a super power.

The reaction to WikiLeaks is far more revealing than the leaks themselves. There is an Urdu saying "iss hammam mein sub nangay" which means that everyone in this bath is naked. It seems to apply quite adroitly to the world's political and diplomatic community. They are all enraged rather than ashamed by the leaks. Perhaps the ill actions will continue until the next elections.

I hope that this controversy will unite the more resolute intellectuals of the world and help to create new traditions of honest information sharing.

1. FROM PHILOSOPHY TO SCIENCE

2010-12-01T22:49:00.000+05:00

In the introduction to his book "A Study of History" Arnold Toynbee grieves about the transformation in the organization of knowledge that took place during his lifetime -- from integrated comprehensive discourses to fragmentary periodical articles on limited and specialized topics. He has ventured to unify the history of mankind into an integrated analysis, but he also had to split the early civilizations into a dozen societies which he tried to synthesize in terms of gradual interactions among their kings and soldiers. Toynbee's complaint highlights the change in scholastic attitude that has taken place over the past nearly one century, the merits and demerits of which are, indeed, debatable. An orientalist, Idries Shah, in his book "The Sufis" lets out steam against the latest way of thinking in the following words:

"Modern science, however, instead of accepting the idea that experience was necessary in all branches of human thought, took the word in its sense of "experiment", in which the experimenter remains as far as possible outside the experiment."

The above splitting of the Urdu/Persian word `Tajurba' is also a classic example of the difference between a historian and a Sufi who is primarily concerned about how individuals feel. Obviously, Idries Shah, not being familiar with the esoteric morality or ethics of scientific research, has mistaken the "coolness" of scientific attitude as "coldness". Briefly, it can be stated that in scientific parlance truth becomes accuracy, honesty is called exactness, love is known as dedication and life is identified as growth or movement. The need to produce unbiased observations necessitates an attitude of temporary detachment, just as a judge can not afford to be emotional. Similarly, many opinions are not expressed simply for the fear of appearing partisan. The various postulates that one comes across in the study of modern science are not prophecies but compulsive assumptions that are necessary to accommodate a line of reasoning with observed facts. Only a qualified scientific mind would comprehend the burden this author is carrying due to the many approximations being presented in this book which, of course, are necessary for the purpose of this publication which seeks to expose the subtlety rather than the rigidity of existence. Yet, an attempt has been made to remain as unequivocal as possible. It may be worth mentioning here that during my stay in the United Kingdom I discovered that whereas in the better educated communities the words professionalism and glamour were understood to mean objectivity and attractiveness respectively, among the less educated they denoted deceptive antics and pornography in that order. In the language used in this book an attempt has been made to ensure that the same impressions are created on all readers by a given set of facts or words.

Idries Shah's objections do seem sustainable in the case of social sciences. In social research, one needs to feel the way the subjects of one's study feel without getting carried away by those feelings. An attempt to develop social theories by remote observation of people's actions and reactions usually results in the formation of oppressive regimes of thought which may eventually develop into rather messy situations such as the misuse of the developing knowledge of psychology in Communist and Nazi dictatorships and the frequent exploitation of religion in some parts of the world. Perhaps a lot of mutual contempt among cultures and religions is the result of barriers which disallow the sharing of experiences. Similarly, the current democratic norm of allowing `popular' representatives to frame national policies constitutes a means of bridging the gap between suspecting socio-political groups who think that they do not feel alike because their levels of affluence, lifestyles or ethnic attributes differ.

Even in basically identifiable cultures, one finds diverse sub-cultures based on the misunderstanding of its fundamental literature. Roomi's parables were intended to give hope to the desperate. The various anecdotes illustrate how one can recover from a seemingly hopeless situation by responding positively to an accidental turn in events and achieve astonishing success and glory. But unfortunately the noble message has been grossly misinterpreted resulting in the development of cults among his followers based on such common traits as procrastination, lust and opportunism. Similarly, the following verse of Iqbal has been exploited as the perverse justification for antisocial connivance in his homeland.

"Too he nadan chand kalion per qina'at kar gaia

Warna gulshan men elaj e tangi e daman bhi tha."

Translation:

How foolish of thee to be content with just a few buds,

While the blossoming garden had means of carrying much more.

The misinterpretation of wisdom is a glamorous vice that spreads like an invisible virus and causes social disasters of epidemic proportions. Hence it is imperative that while putting forward ideas with popular appeal a spade must be called a spade and nothing else; no matter what the risks in doing so.

Modern science owes much of its respectability to its adroitness in expressing the observation and understanding of natural phenomena or the rules of their occurrence in terms of precise mathematical expressions or formulas which can not be interpreted in more than one ways and whose validity can be tested or demonstrated by visible experiments that produce measurable and recordable results that, in turn, can be repeated in any part of the world by individuals who may or may not have any special training in the particular branch of science. Indeed, in some scholarly circles, a scientific achievement is not recognized as a `contribution' until it has been independently verified by others and unless a laboratory experiment based on it can be used for the instruction of students.

However, Science is not entirely averse to conceptual compromises if they can contribute to the achievement of positive results. One case in common knowledge is the square root of minus one known as the imaginary quantity which, in spite of having no physical significance in a perceptory sense, plays a key role in the solution of equations, the results of which can be verified by perceptory means. The negative quantities so often encountered in contemporary mathematics are, in a sense, a manifestation of the phenomenon of egocentricity or assuming the origin of the coordinate axes to be located at the central point of the event under investigation. If on the other hand, the origin of the coordinate axes is taken a convenient distance away, then it would be possible to operate in a totally positive environment or field or space or universe or whatever one elects to call it. Commendably enough, modern Computer Scientists and Engineers have managed to rise above the negativistic datum by taking five volts as the zero state and twelve volts as the unity state. The absolute zero of the temperature scale, which could be called thermal potential, has already been found: Could there be a limiting value of voltage i.e. electrical potential or charge also? In the case of all-positive charge system there would have to be a critical value which would have to be subtracted from both interacting charges. Thus a negative or positive product would be obtained indicating mutual attraction or repulsion.

It is also possible to develop a set of spatial coordinates which would always have positive values by joining the center of gravity of a regular tetrahedron with its four corners and extending the resultant lines. Space would thus be divided into four tetrahedral quadrants, each identified by a unique set of three coordinates. The negative sign would, indeed, continue to be used to denote reversal or subtraction.

Another example of compromise is the acceptance of multiple solutions to higher degree equations as the final answer rather than looking for the additional condition that would identify the unique solution, although the more discreet scientist is apt to make some sort of a symbolic or literal notation to reflect its provisionality. The physical universe is invariably three dimensional, and the solution of any problem in a two dimensional frame is tantamount to projection and dealing with shadows. Similarly, time as we usually visualize it is the measure of the angular movement of the earth on its axis; although Mathematics so far does not recognize angle as a dimension. The argument can be related to the Sufic concept of `La Makan' or a vacuous location at an infinite distance which can never be physically observed as anything but a point, and the angle subtended by any geometrical interval at that distance would constitute an infinitesimally small angle leading to the disappearance of time. Obviously, we need some tangible definitions of space and time before we could exercise any meaningful control over them.

The beneficial application of the great formulas of pure sciences falls, chiefly, within the purview of technology or engineering, which has produced so many amenities in modern life, and which is rightly or wrongly blamed for most of the latter's ills. However, the application of scientific formulas for achieving practical results requires five essential elements in addition to construction, namely computation, measurement, actuation, monitoring and control (or feed-back). A virtually fixed point of reference, and often a means of anchorage to a virtually fixed location are also necessary. The engineer, sometimes, simply utilizes the laws of nature by building necessary constraints. One must salute the great scientists and technologists who have explored and exploited the intricate formulas of nature for the benefit of mankind. The only remaining question is: How do the formulas get applied in nature at large without human intervention? How does the velocity get squared when the wind bends the bough?

It seems that even the prehistoric philosophers were convinced that in order to function stably within life sustaining limits, the Universe requires a supervisory system. Consequently, numerous models of the probable supervisory system were put forward in different parts of the world and came to be known as religions. The Greeks had a god for everything. Indian religious literature speaks of a million great souls (Mahan atman) who reside in the Himalayas and control every thing that happens in the world. Islamic traditions even give names of angels who are assigned the management of various worldly functions such as communication, arranging rains and crops, and taking lives etc. The mathematical concept of God is one of a universal origin. One simple example is the origin of a graph where the coordinate axes intersect. All the processes and equations exist at this point, but the values of all the variables and functions are zero. At the same time, no point in the system can be defined without reference to the origin. Hence the frequent references to God (Insha Allah) by those with a strong sense of religion. However, in most communities, closed institutions were formed which claimed to have access to the supervisory system and began to make demands on their respective communities that would place the former in an unreasonably comfortable and dominant position in relation to other fellow beings in return for solving their problems by communicating with the supervisory system. As time passed, it became obvious that many, or perhaps most, of these institutions were nothing more than facades to extort undue benefits, and their `miracles' were merely tricks and sleight of hand. On the other hand, the seemingly genuine ones were so tyrannically choosy in allowing new aspirants to join their circles of study, or the initiation rites and initial courses were so atrociously discouraging that very few would have the patience to pursue the discipline for long. So, failing to break the closely guarded circles, the more intelligent and resourceful group decided to find its own access to the universal supervisory system by identifying and tapping into its components or subsystems through the conduit of scientific investigation. Soon the scientific institution, by virtue of its ability to heal and comfort, itself became a power axis and conflict between the two became inevitable. Before long, the antagonism grew to such a large extent that the two contenders began to needlessly deny the virtual basis of existence of each other. The result was that the development of both was hindered and, perhaps, even disoriented. An interesting account of confrontations between the seekers of knowledge and policy makers of faith can be found in Hoodbhoy's "Muslims and Science". The modern educated man's ability to believe only selected parts of his own knowledge is indeed an achievement in the area of self-control which far exceeds the ancient mystic's ability to believe in the unknown.

Once we accept the existence of a supervisory system for the Universe and that things happen in this world according to a basic plan, it is possible to develop a coherent scenario spanning the past and future of life on Earth. Almost all religions agree that before the emergence of plant-animal life, the earth was dominated by some sort of spiritual life forms who possessed very little physical strength and ability in spite of great knowledge and cognitive powers. They designed and developed plant and then animal species through a process of organic evolution that culminated in the domination of the Earth by civilized mankind who possess much greater physical strength and ability than their originators. Whether or not that spiritual race exists today, we do not know as they are beyond our perception. Human civilizations have been working over the past four millennia or so and developed a new life-form in the shape of stationary and mobile machinery that possess even greater physical strength and ability. When the wheel was first invented, man used to push or pull a cart; now a man sits unnoticed in gigantic mobile mechanical devices that perform extraordinary feats. With the rapid development of computerized robots, a time may come when the world may appear to be entirely dominated by mechanical life with human beings invisible in the background controlling their destiny.

Could it be that space probes being launched towards other planets and solar systems are and would be used by spiritual beings to transport themselves? Until we find scientific proof of their existence, this would only be a thought.

In modern times there exists a third, secular school of thought. The secular thinker may be totally ignorant of science, and may even practice some religion whether or not he has studied it, but he is opposed to any role of religion except as one of many tolerable personal vices. Secularism seems to have arisen out of protest against the exploitation of the sentiments of honest faithfuls and the occasional show of intolerance and violence by the more faithful, and portrays a fundamental difference in attitudes. Whereas religion insists that human social conduct should be based on a sense of moral duty, secularism believes in the supremacy of law and assertion of rights. However, the universal charter of human rights is hardly a match for the eternal charter of human duties embodied in the Qur'an -- the culmination of human and Divine religious thought. In the secular system rights imply duties, but in the religious system duties generate rights which is a more positive way of ensuring equity and harmony. In a religious system one tries to acquire implements that would help to discharge one's duties and please others; in a secular system one tries to amass possessions that reinforce one's confidence and help in asserting one's rights by intimidating others. In some communities a compromise has been reached so that most of the strong and affluent citizens are only concerned with asserting their rights and making large profits, but they do not interfere with the activities of a religious group that considers its duty to help the weak and poor to survive. There are also those who assist others in asserting their rights for a price or share in their fortunes. There seems no reason why modern state management techniques can not be reconciled with religious doctrine and vice versa.

Before we move on to the study of the development of science and technology, the reader should be reminded of their humanitarian aspects. It is true that the invention and availability of firearms, originally intended for defense against aggressors, has made it possible for the physically and mentally weak to kill healthy, normal and even noble human beings. Similarly, making and printing pictures has become so easy that even imbeciles can produce glossy prints of artless pornography. Yet, inventions should not be looked upon as mere individual achievements of people which also made them famous and rich. There is a very significant social and communal aspect of inventions which have drastically changed the way people live and think. Moreover, the instantaneous and pervasive optimism and elation that must have engulfed communities is bound to have spurred them on to noble ideals. The thought can best be illustrated by examples.

Think of the time when eye-glasses were not invented and people with weak eye-sights lived a life of deprivation. The invention of spectacles must have reactivated tens of thousands of people as useful members of the community producing a completely new approach to life. This author has experienced cataract in both eyes and knows how ugly and distorted this world must appear to people in old age suffering from cataract. The relief one feels on regaining normal sight can hardly be described in words. The invention of the printing press was another landmark in the process of civilization. It made the arduous task of dissemination and acquisition of knowledge very easy and resulted in a phenomenal increase in literacy and education aided by such other innovations as paper and fountain pen. Similarly the invention of street lamps was a turning point in the lives of people at large. It not only made emergency traveling at night easier but also lit up the paths for night work and night entertainment. Combined with the invention of power-producing engines and work-facilitating machines, the concepts of productivity and leisure were completely revolutionized. The invention of photography and cinematography made it possible to preserve and propagate pictures with great precision and detail with immense educational value. Combined with radio and television broadcasting it also led to the development of the soft technology of impression synthesis which opened up new channels of consumption acceleration and money circulation. We can only understand how fortunate we are if we look at the world which did not, or does not, have what most of us in the relatively developed world regard as basic amenities.

This is not Cricket

2010-08-31T04:52:00.000+05:00

The whole cricketing world is ceased with a new match-fixing scandal which took place in London during the 4th test match between England and Pakistan apparently machinated by the English betting and match-fixing mafia. The scandal was reported by the sensational tabloid News of the World that specializes in such things. The news paper should disclose the identities and backgrounds of the reporters and other members of the team who produced a well choreographed movie and sensational report. If the NOTW team had any Indian or extremist Christian connections then that is a different story.

The sequence of events is that on the first day within an hour the English team slumped to 40 odd runs for 5 wickets. The betting odds went heavily against the English team.(Could it be that the English batsmen intentionally threw away their wickets to create the betting pattern? A patriotic English newspaper would obviously not raise that issue.) Even as the slump was going on two Pakistani bowlers overstepped and no-balled once each allegedly on instructions of a match fixer and all the Pakistani bowlers lost their rhythm. This resulted in two English tail enders making a world record partnership. The Pakistani batting collapsed in the subsequent two innings and lost pitiably. Those who had made bets on England at the high odds when the English team was slumping made a fortune. It should not be difficult to trace out the beneficiaries. It is obvious that NOTW held back on the rest of the deal between them and the crook Mazhar Majeed. Did anybody from NOTW make a fortune from the match?

If the match was fixed for betting purposes then it seems that at least 22 players were involved and the ICC enquiry should treat all of them equally and investigate all of them.

No cricket match ever played in Pakistan has been suspected of match-fixing. This abomination only takes place in countries like Australia, England, India and South Africa where social and economic conditions encourage it. It is a pity that the UK Border agency and the ICC failed to warn the inexperienced Pakistani players of the dangers of coming in contact with match-fixers who abound in that country.

If this is how cricket is played these days then I am glad that I have not touched a cricket bat in years.

More Definitions - 4

2010-08-14T17:00:00.000+05:00

Bagram Airbase = Afghan equivalent of Iraq's Abu Ghoraib prison.

Blair’s dossier = A baseless deception used to justify criminal or sadistic action which becomes exposed in due course.

Dr. Afia Siddiqui = MIT and Brandeis scholar and first renowned Muslim woman who became a victim of the new breed of American military brutality and Christian extremism, her case demonstrating the fragility of the American justice system.

IRA = Irish Republican Army, the pioneer terrorist organization of Catholic Christians formed to liberate Ireland from British occupation.

Knee-capping = Technique of torturing people by drilling a hole in their knees with an electric drill developed in UK by Irish extremist Christians.

Northern Ireland = Province carved out of Irish Republic and made part of the United Kingdom because its population is predominantly Anglican and would prefer to be within the British kingdom, the home of Church of England.

Suicide-bombing = Technique of murder developed in India to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi and exported to the rest of the world.

Dr. Aafia Siddiqui

2010-07-25T21:56:00.000+05:00

The case of Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, ex-Professor of Neurology at MIT reminds me of an article by George Bernard Shaw or his comments contained in the prologue of one of his books such as Man and Superman or Pygmalion or some other that I read in the early seventies. In it Shaw had lambasted the British Army over the trial of an Egyptian peasant woman who was charged with attempting to kill British soldiers. The woman had wounds in her private parts which were certified by the army surgeon as bullet injuries suffered during gun battle with the Royal Army. All the evidence presented by the army was discussed and exposed to be as ridiculous as it really was by Shaw. Unfortunately, there is no G.B. Shaw in USA of today and the moral standards of the US army can hardly be considered superior to their ancestors. The fact is that the standards of soldiery have been constantly on the decline and the motivation has shifted to terror, sadism and greed from the old concepts or honor and chivalry. It seem to be one of the many cases where the army men connived to avoid court martial and put their victim on trial in a questionable court whose jury were locked in a room for days and not allowed to come out until they gave a unanimous verdict of guilty on all concocted and unsustainable charges.

The US government, perhaps acting on Indian advice has made a serious mistake. The young people in the Muslim world are wondering that if someone as learned as Dr. Aafia supports Al-Qaida, it couldn't be so bad after all. There are others who are wondering that if the Americans can so badly brutalize a lady who for years worked and contributed to a humanitarian science in their country and ruin the life of her young children, what humanity can anyone expect from them?

India's Cyber War

2010-07-25T21:53:00.000+05:00

During my recent travel I had to depend heavily on internet news. The remarkable thing about internet news is that on most reputable forums such as CNN, Times, Yahoo etc, the news item is followed by a discussion forum in which thousands of readers state their views on the news. I was amazed to note that in almost every discussion there were quite a few comments by people with Hindu names or Christian names with obvious Indian links in the text which may or may not have been related to the topic of the news but essentially contained acrimonious propaganda against Islam and Pakistan. It appears that the Indian government and private extremist Hindus have been waging a vicious cyber war against Islam and Pakistan ever since the internet has come into being. Or maybe the campaign is orchestrated by the Indian military which does not want to give up the comforts and benefits of Kashmiri occupation. In any case it seems very likely that the current wave of anti-Islamic and andi-Pakistani sentiments in the Western world are the result of incessant Indian propaganda. Now if they can go to such an extent, the possibility of Indian facilitation of international terrorist acts by Muslim extremists can not be ignored.

More Definitions - 3

2010-07-25T21:49:00.000+05:00

Aramco = American equivalent of East India Company

Google = Internet search engine which became so common that it started being used as a verb to denote that activity.

India = Asian country originally populated by little black men and women, colonized and ruled by Aryan invaders for two thousand years, by Muslim invaders for eight hundred years, by British invaders for two hundred years and under Mountbaten's army since 15th August, 1947.

Israelism = A transient aberration common in Western world which makes crimes against humanity look good.

Microsoft = Original soul of the personal computer.

NATO = Arrangement for American control of armed forces of North Atlantic countries recued, liberated or conquered by American troops.

USSR = Defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics consisting of Eastern European countries and distant allies such as Cuba, India and Iraq under the leadership of Russia. It broke up after the Soviets were defeated in a war with Afghanistan and Pakistan which was materially supported by USA.

Afghan War

2010-07-06T00:27:00.000+05:00

The war in Afghanistan is turning into a war between Christianity and Islam. Let us see what would happen if all the terrorist activities ceased and Christians and Muslims became the best of friends.

First of all the Palestinian problem will be solved in favor of the Palestinians. Secondly the Kashmir problem will be solved in favor of Pakistan. Thirdly the Chehcen problem will be solved in favor of the Muslims.

Obviously the terrorist activities of the Alqaeda and Taliban are against the interest of the Muslims. Also their cessation would be against the interests of some other parties who are easy to recognize

The Greatest Achievement of Science

2010-06-12T07:10:00.000+05:00

Somebody once asked me what the greatest achievement of science was. I think I replied “moonwalk”, and that was the end of the conversation. But my thoughts did not stop there. The question had a meaning that I had missed. Moonwalk was an achievement of human beings, scientists to be exact. But what had science as an entity done to be adored as we do? After a long time the answer dawned on me and it surprised me. The greatest achievement of science was ‘democracy’.

Until the end of the sixteenth century or perhaps the beginning of the seventeenth century Europeans had no choice but to believe that what the king said was laws. Worldly laws were made only by kings. Laws of a divine nature were made by the top man in the church. Ordinary men could not make laws. But starting with Galileo’s rejection of Aristotelian ideas and the advent of modern science, things changed. There came a procession of laws made by ordinary mortals with no relation to royalty or the church. Newton’s Laws of motion and gravitation, Boyle’s law, Chales’s law, Dalton’s law, Ohm’s law etc. etc. And neither royalty nor the church could challenge or alter these laws.

Once the people of Europe realized that it was possible for them to make laws, the paradigm of politics and sovereignty changed. The people had to create a situation in which they could make the laws of the land as they suited them.

The reason why democracy eludes many nations outside Europe and North America is that people there still believe that lawmaking is the purview of the privileged and not common people. Once they acquire the taste for making laws they will achieve democracy.

1984

2010-06-08T07:27:00.000+05:00

Way back in the early 1970s I read George Orwell's novel Nineteen Eighty-four and nearly forgot about it when things in Britain didn't change much. Now that I am visiting the United States I am suddenly reminded of the book. There seem to be clear and subtle similarities between the land of 1984 and present day USA, Perhaps I shall read the book again when I return home and write about my observations of this journey.

Islam for the Perverted

2010-06-06T11:33:00.001+05:00

By Naseem Mahnavi
naseem.mahnavi@gmail.com

As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man.
Matthew 24: 37-39

Say ye: "We believe in Allah and the revelation given to us and to Ibraheem, Isma`il, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes and that given to Moosa and Issa and that given to (all) Prophets from their Lord we make no difference between one and another of them and we bow to Allah (in Islam)." (The Qur’an verse 2:136

If Allah so willed He could make you all one people: but He leaves straying whom He pleases and He guides whom He pleases: but ye shall certainly be called to account for all your actions. (The Qur’an verse 16:93)

And the Jews say: The Christians do not follow anything (good) and the Christians say: The Jews do not follow anything (good) while they recite the (same) Book. Even thus say those who have no knowledge, like to what they say; so Allah shall judge between them on the day of resurrection in what they differ. (The Qur’an verse 2:113)

And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor the Christians until you follow their religion. Say: Surely Allah's guidance: that is the (true) guidance. And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have no guardian from Allah, nor any helper. (The Qur’an verse 2:120)

O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah with the care which is due to Him, and do not die unless you are Muslims. (The Qur’an verse 3:102)

1. INTRODUCTION

All religions started with the common purpose of uniting and guiding people to a healthy and desirable way of life that would ensure social harmony in this world and peace even after death. They also provided a platform for coordinated thought and regulation of life. Unfortunately, ambitious religious leaders found it convenient to raise points of difference and divide the believers into churches, sects, schisms and temples. In modern times, religious organizations resemble tourist bus services to heaven. Buy a ticket, hop into one and the driver will deliver you to the gates of paradise. The sad part is that there is no insurance or money-back guarantee. Even more disturbing is the thought that if they deliver you to the wrong gates, there is no return or detour.

1.1 Bismillah

Islam literally means accepting a reality, and not surrender in the sense of laying down arms as is commonly mistaken. The meaning of the most frequently used Arabic sentence “Bismillah irrahman irraheem” can be best understood by translating the article “Al” as “the real”. The meaning then becomes “In the name of the real Master, the real beneficent and the really merciful.” That is the beginning of the search for truth.

The Holy Qur’an is the only religious book that states plainly that men and women were created from a single soul (verse 4:1), implying that spiritually they are equal and gives clear-cut instructions about moral and ethical principles. Prophet Muhammad in his last sermon categorically stated that the red man is not superior to the black man and vice versa. Much of mankind ignored these instructions for 1300 odd years after the revelation of the Holy Qur’an until Dr. Christian Barnard of apartheid South Africa unwittingly demonstrated the Qur’anic truth in 1969 by transplanting a woman’s heart in a man’s body that lived for months and trans-racial heart transplants followed. The world has changed considerably since then. Apartheid evaporated from South Africa and women and black people are no longer considered inferior in the Western world. The advancements of science have many indicators to divine truths that seem to be ignored by most educated people.

The Qur’an contains all the essential parts of the old and new Testaments in addition to the unique revelations to Prophet Muhammad. Neither the exact Ten Commandments nor the socio-economic principles that have come to be known as Jewish morality and Christian values, can be found stated directly in either the Old or the New Testaments. They can only be found stated clearly and unambiguously in the Third Testament called the Holy Qur’an. Almost any book of prose or poetry can be interpreted to portray high ideals and moral principles, and the moral values of all religions except Islam are derived from legends and anecdotes. In a most unusual show of magnanimity for a religion, Islam endorses both Christianity and Jewish faith as religions of Divine inspiration and acknowledges both Issa (Jesus) and Moosa (Moses) as Prophets of God and divine predecessors of Prophet Muhammad. The Muslims are awaiting the return of Issa more anxiously than the Christians. The Qur’an goes to the extent of saying in verse 2:62,

“Those who believe (in the Qur'an) and those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures) and the Christians and the Sabians and who believe in Allah and the last day and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord; on them shall be no fear nor shall they grieve.”

It is not surprising that the drivers of the Jewish and Christian buses to paradise do not stop at the Qur’an shop on the way.

If one looks back in history, one finds that whereas the words of the Qur'an are constant and unchanging, its understanding has an evolutionary character. In the first phase during the lives of the Prophet and early Caliphs, the mere repetition of the text was enough as the listener knew the language well enough and the intonation would make the meaning quite clear. The cultural or environmental symbolism was also well understood and the references to specific events were only parts of their lives. In the second phase when Islam had spread in most of Arabia and around it where dialects of Arabic were spoken, it had to be presented in writing, with detailed punctuation and a few explanatory notes. In the third phase when Islam had spread far and wide in the world, it was understood by majority of its readers with the help of translations and a few marginal comments. In the fourth phase when it was no longer taught in primary curriculum and its basic concepts had become alien to most of its readers, it was understood with the aid of lengthy explanations and references to Hadith and other books. In the fifth phase, which is still in progress, there has been an attempt to reconcile Qur'anic and scientific knowledge rather than treat them as opposites. It would be such a pity if, while reading the Qur'an, one were to ignore the wealth of knowledge mankind has acquired as a consequence of being inspired by it. Those who think in terms of scientific references can only be convinced about the validity of an idea in scientific terms.

The importance of independent thought and action in Islam was underscored by the Prophet when he insisted that those who went to his mosque must meditate on their own before and after he led them in prayers. Prophet Muhammad was a true democrat. He did not treat his simple followers like a herd of sheep. He treated them as intelligent human beings and trained them so that they could manage their relationship with God by themselves, without dependence on any sort of clergy. Before Islam, religion was something that was administered by a priest and the common man was a captive of the religious establishment. Unfortunately, today many Muslim believers have also become captives of their misguided leaders.

This author’s thinking is based on the assumption that the Universe has been objectively engineered and that there could be a margin of error in God's work. True that God is perfect, but nowhere has He claimed that any of His creations is absolutely as intended. The imperfection of His creations by no means diminishes His own greatness. It is possible that God intended the Earth to be inclined at a quarter of a right angle to its orbital plane, but actually it turned out to be 23.5 degrees i.e. one degree more, or that the year was intended to be exactly 360 days and not 365 and a quarter as it actually is. Similarly, evil exists not because it was intended by God but as a consequence of the imperfections of the creations; and God has set in motion a process of evolution and guidance for the rectification of these defects and for improvement in the quality of His creations. All the tangible knowledge of physics, Chemistry, Biology, Electronics, Mechanics and much of Mathematics that is or will ever be written in books is already at work in the human body. Man is not discovering Science, but only learning to express what is already inherent in him. The rest is speculation.

This book has been written neither to gain accolades from Islamic scholars nor to tease them. The intended readership of this book consists of Muslims who are well versed in secular studies, but fail to find interest in Islamic literature. If a man does fear or believe in God and does not admire Muhammad (PBUH), his interest can only be aroused by showing him that the Qur’an also deals in the subject that constitutes his passion for knowledge. A scientist would read the Qur’an only if convinced that it contains science, which it certainly does. The same is true of other secular professions such as medicine, economics, law, psychology, sociology etc. It is also meant for Non-Muslims who would like to know the essence of Islam without giving up their prejudices in the first place. As for the perverted, they may get interested in Islam after reading this book, but can not go any further astray than they already are.

In the following pages, there are a number of essays that were inspired by religious study, but also include related secular knowledge that supplements the religious ideas. The technological bias in the thinking is the inevitable result of this author’s own professional passion. Even my belief in God is partly owed to the fact that no one has reported finding a piece of naturally occurring quartz or grain of sand with a functional digital logic circuit formed by random mutations.

1.2. The Need for Religion

There are two basic types of religion. The first is the divine type that concerns itself with all aspects of life including every thing from the creation of the universe to what happens after one dies. Islam, Christianity, Jewish faith and Vedantic Hinduism are the most common examples of divine religion. The second is the social type that concerns mainly with how one conducts one self in the world and with respect to other living beings. Examples of the social type are Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Sikhism etc.

All divine religious thought starts from one basic thesis that can be stated as follows:

For any new action to take place anywhere in the universe, a command must be generated somewhere by someone. Therefore, all efforts to achieve physical results should also be complemented with prayers to a Command-generator for the issuance of necessary commands to ensure that the efforts produce the desired results.

Not only a modern day computer programmer would quickly endorse the idea of the necessity of command for action, but it seems that even the prehistoric philosophers were convinced that in order to function stably within life sustaining limits, the world requires a supervisory system. Consequently, numerous models of the probable supervisory system were put forward in different parts of the world and came to be known as religions. The Greeks had a god for everything. Indian religious literature speaks of a million great souls (Mahan atman) who reside in the Himalayas and control every thing that happens in the world. Biblical and Islamic traditions even give names of angels who are assigned the management of various worldly functions such as communication, arranging rains and crops, and taking lives etc. The mathematical concept of God is one of a universal origin. One simple example is the origin of a graph where the coordinate axes intersect. All the processes and equations exist at this point, but the values of all the variables and functions are zero. At the same time, no point in the system can be defined without reference to the origin. Hence the frequent references to God (Insha Allah) by those with a strong sense of religion.

However, in most communities, closed institutions were formed which claimed to have access to the supervisory system and began to make demands on their respective communities that would place the former in an unreasonably comfortable and dominant position in relation to other fellow beings in return for solving their problems by communicating with the supervisory system. As time passed, it became obvious that many, or perhaps most, of these institutions were nothing more than facades to extort undue benefits, and their `miracles' were merely tricks and sleight of hand. On the other hand, the seemingly genuine ones were so tyrannically choosy in allowing new aspirants to join their circles of study, or the initiation rites and initial courses were so atrociously discouraging that very few would have the patience to pursue the discipline for long. So, failing to break the closely guarded circles, the more intelligent and resourceful group (mainly in Europe) decided to find its own access to the universal supervisory system by identifying and tapping into its components or subsystems through the conduit of scientific investigation. Soon the scientific institution, by virtue of its superior ability to heal and comfort, itself became a power axis and conflict between the two became inevitable. Before long, the antagonism grew to such a large extent that the two contenders began to needlessly deny the basis of existence of each other. The result was that the development of both was hindered and, perhaps, even disoriented. An interesting account of confrontations between the seekers of knowledge and policy makers of faith can be found in Hoodbhoy's "Muslims and Science". The modern educated man's ability to believe only selected parts of his own knowledge is indeed an achievement in the area of self-control which far exceeds the ancient mystic's ability to believe in the unknown.

Once we accept the existence of a supervisory system for the Universe and that things happen in this world according to a basic plan, it is possible to develop a coherent scenario spanning the past and future of life on Earth. Almost all religions agree that before the emergence of plant-animal life, the earth was dominated by some sort of spiritual life forms that did not possess physical form in spite of great knowledge, cognitive powers and ability to maneuver matter and energy. Their creator, leader and master is called God. They designed and developed plant and then animal species through a process of controlled organic evolution that culminated in the domination of the Earth by civilized mankind who think that they possess even greater physical strength and ability than their originators. Whether or not that spiritual race continues to pursue the creative process, we do not know as they are beyond our perception. However, the latest developments in genetics indicating that the unique and extremely complex configuration of millions of atoms in the genes in each cell of an animals body multiplies billions of times with exact precision, points to the possibility that there must be some sort of a code prevalent all over the world that motivates and controls the process. Taking into account the fact that all living organisms need exposure to cosmic radiation for growth one wonders if the vital code is contained in some frequency band of the cosmic radiation which is intentionally transmitted from a remote source in the universe. The idea is further reinforced by the fact that there are maria only on that side of the moon that faces the earth, but the other side is quite plain; and the maria so closely resemble reflective dishes that could concentrate many thousand times a signal coming from deep space and focus it onto the earth as a small area scanning spotlight. Anyone hit by the focused beam would acquire the latest operating system for the genome or new utilities that would give him or her apparently supernatural abilities.

God is said to have breathed His Spirit into man, and created a potential creator like Himself, albeit of much lower stature than Himself. True to the task, man has created an entire world of inorganic life consisting of ingenious machinery and industrial plants for which human beings are equivalent to soul. Human civilizations have been working over the past five millennia or so and developed a new life-form in the shape of stationary and mobile machinery that possess even greater physical strength and ability. When the wheel was first invented, man used to push or pull a cart; now a man sits unnoticed in gigantic mobile mechanical devices that perform extraordinary feats. Man has produced mechanical creatures that work in conjunction with man to produce forces, speeds and displacements far in excess of anything that any animal can achieve. With the rapid development of computerized robots, a time may come when the world may appear to be entirely dominated by mechanical life with human beings invisible in the background controlling their destiny. Perhaps Avicena’s prediction that man could reach angelic reason has come true.

It seems that there has been a progression whereby spiritual life created organic life which, in its turn, fashioned inorganic life. The inorganic life system consists of all electric or engine powered machines, equipment and vehicles that move and communicate, and whose numbers and types are constantly growing although they do not produce babies, fruit or seeds. They would die out if we humans stopped caring for and supporting them. Today, it is so easy to compare a human being and his or her soul with an automobile and its driver, but it is interesting that the idea originated thousands of years ago when the analogy did not exist.

Scientific thought relies on the premise that actions are the effects of direct causes that can be manipulated independently by human beings without any spiritual assistance. Whether the human desire to achieve a result could invoke the spiritual command for the desired effect is not a measurable phenomenon and therefore ignored by Science. The mechanism of the cognitive process and inspiration are separated from physical sciences and identified as psychology. However, over the past few centuries scientists have compiled a great amount of knowledge and built a working model of the universe by observing causes and effects and analyzing them. Modern life is so dependent on the exploits of science that it seems absurd to question the validity of the scientific approach. A thousand years ago it would have been sufficient to explain an abnormal occurrence or legend as God’s will. But today we know so much about the ways in which God’s will is exercised that unless one can suggest a feasible mechanism by which the event might take place, the validity of the statement would be unacceptable to the educated mind. Yet, it is impossible to ignore an idea in whose favor more than half the world’s population has cast its vote. There is no doubt that for its own functioning, Science has to depend on mathematical relationships that exist since time unknown and universal constants whose values were fixed by the eternal Cause that can not be observed or measured.

In modern times there exists a secular school of thought. The secular thinker may be totally ignorant of science, and may even practice some religion whether or not he has studied it, but he is opposed to any role of religion except as one of many tolerable personal vices. Secularism seems to have arisen out of protest against the exploitation of the sentiments of honest believers and the occasional show of intolerance and violence by the more faithful, and portrays a fundamental difference in attitudes. Whereas religion insists that human social conduct should be based on a sense of moral duty, secularism believes in the supremacy of self-made law and assertion of rights. However, the universal charter of human rights prepared by the UNO is hardly a match for the eternal charter of human duties embodied in the Qur'an -- the culmination of human and divine religious thought. In the secular system rights imply duties, but in the religious system duties generate rights, which is a more positive way of ensuring equity and harmony. In a religious system one tries to acquire implements that would help to discharge one's duties and please others; in a secular system one tries to amass possessions that reinforce one's confidence and help in asserting one's rights by intimidating others. In some communities a compromise has been reached so that most of the strong and affluent citizens are only concerned with asserting their rights and making large profits, but they do not interfere with the activities of a religious group that considers its duty to help the weak and poor to survive. There are also those who assist others in asserting their rights for a price or share in their fortunes. There seems no reason why modern state management techniques can not be reconciled with religious doctrine and vice versa.

The Swiss Cases

2010-05-23T00:50:00.000+05:00

Sometime during the prime-ministerial reign of Benazir Bhutto, bank accounts were opened in her and her husband’s name in Switzerland and it is suspected that laundered money was transferred in them. It seems very unlikely that the prime minister herself would have performed any illegal acts. However, the possibility that her personal business/financial managers might have been involved in unlawful activities without her knowledge can not be ignored. If so, those faceless men have brought disgrace to both Benazir and the Pakistani nation and they must not be spared. The Swiss cases must be reopened and the men and women who conspired to use the name of respectable Pakistanis to achieve their own foul ends must be given exemplary punishment and the name of Benazir Bhutto must be cleared.

I fully endorse the wisdom of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to reopen the Swiss cases and appeal to the government of Pakistan to act on the verdict without wasting time-- in greater national interest.

More Definitions-2

2010-03-12T23:59:00.000+05:00

Cinema = Illusion of motion of objects by sequential display of images

Divorce = Dissolution of marriage frequently as a result of both spouses trying to exploit the other's weaknesses

Drone attack = Cowardly part of war of terror

Hell = Nightmares in eternal sleep

Horrorism = American policy of subduing military and political opponents by creating horror. Examples are Germany and Japan where they succeeded and Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan where they failed.

Natural Selection = Diminution of vulnerability beyond extinction threshold

Paradise = Sweet dreams in eternal sleep

TV = Substitution of mind and soul with sound and picture

Vikingism = Growing intellectual distortion in Northern Europe

Who is Supreme?

2010-02-14T17:35:00.000+05:00

Once again there is a confrontation between the presidency and the judiciary in Pakistan. The president has refused to accept the recommendations of the chief justice and notified judicial appointments at his discretion.

No matter what legal and constitutional experts say, the basic issue is:

Should individuals who are facing trial for criminal offences decide or even participate in the appointment of superior court judges?

The obvious answer is ‘NO’. So, the incumbent president, law minister and a host of other ministers should be barred from the exercise.

But the constitution requires that the appointments be issued by the president, and this can only happen if there is a new president.

The wise solution is that the president and all governors, ministers, advisors and ambassadors who are ‘subjudice’ should resign and should be replaced, after which the judiciary should respect the decisions of the government.

Mr. Zardari has already brought enough disrepute to the presidency of Pakistan and he should not add to his sins. Let us hope that he will not create a situation in which the civil servants will refuse to obey ministerial orders and friendly countries would declare our ambassadors persona non grata. If the impasse continues, there will have to be midterm elections which the opposition parties would sweep and then impeach him. The procedure has already been perfected by his own party.

Row after NRO

2010-01-06T00:24:00.001+05:00

Last night I watched Dr. Pirzada’s interview of Advocate Asma Jahangir regarding her article in the Dawn of 19th December, 2009 on the Supreme Court’s short judgment on NRO.

It was gratifying to note that most of her views were similar to my own opinions as already recorded in my blogs (Ideas for a New Millennium, URL: www. naseemmahnavi.blogspot.com). However on some points she demonstrated the same naiveté as is characteristic of our intellectuals and I feel compelled to put the record straight.

Somehow Ms Jahangir failed to realize that the present judicial setup in Pakistan is the only one in the world put in place by “people power” which places some unique burdens on it. Their judgments have to reflect popular sentiment whether or not the relevant definitive legislation which is supposed to reflect popular sentiment does so due to incompleteness or inadequacy or mischief.

Ms Jahangir is still talking of the three pillars of state which is a concept far left behind. In the modern day reality state and sovereign do not exist. Countries are governed by a collective national leadership composed of political, economic, military, educational, creative, productive etc segments comprising of legitimate achievers in their own fields. The political segment is formed by conforming noncontroversial leaders who migrate from other segments to form a body that directs public opinion and national affairs.

These various segments of national leadership are supposed to carryout internal ethical audits through closed door accountability and mutual criticism. As a distinguished member of the judicial segment of the national leadership Ms Jahangir has a right and duty to review the actions of her peers. But it would have been better if she had chosen a less populist or less vulgar forum such as the Bar council to air her view and chastised the erring judges out of public view. The way she has acted to wash judicial dirty linen in the public some television joker might call her a lousy “dhoban.” Not that it would diminish her achievements.

The process of national catharsis that seems to have started by default on the erasure of the NRO should continue and every sensible person who does not have skeletons in his or her closets should support it. It is a pity that Dr. Pirzada failed to ask the lady whom she would support if there was another confrontation between the judiciary and the presidency. My choice is obvious.

NRO

2009-12-07T01:57:00.000+05:00

The full bench of the Supreme Court of Pakistan is to start hearing the cases against the infamous NRO from 7th December, 2009. So this is the last chance of commenting on it.

As a result of the recent disclosures about NRO the PPP has emerged as a party of pretty women and ugly men, while the MQM has become “mera qasoor maaf”.

One of the obvious shortcomings of the non-law NRO is that it does not define the terms used in it. It speaks of the withdrawal of “political cases”, on the basis of which criminal and corruption cases have been withdrawn. If political is interpreted as criminal or corrupt then politics becomes tantamount to crime and corruption, a notion that must be universally condemned.

The most significant action under the NRO was the withdrawal of the Cotecna kick-back case from the Swiss courts. The fact is that Cotecna had bribed the government functionaries heavily to win a contract for assessing customs duty on imports at Pakistani ports. They used this position to make a list of the cosigners of those sensitive and defense related shipments which were exempted by government order from being examined by Cotecna; and sold it to the foreign agencies that had helped it in obtaining the contract. From these lists they were able to establish the identity of the Kahuta supply network which provided precision equipment and instrumentation for the uranium gas centrifuges being built there. Extremist Christian elements dubbed the Kahuta supply network, a legitimate business proposition, as the Khan nuclear proliferation network.

It is a pity that the brilliant Pakistani scientists who had made a technological breakthrough in which most western countries had failed, instead of being internationally acclaimed and rewarded were treated as wanted criminals.

In any case, the withdrawal of the case against Cotecna was abetment of international crime and treason against Pakistan. The NRO must be declared null and void ab initio and at least the Cotecna case must be reopened and the government of Pakistan should claim damages of at least ten billion dollars against Cotecna.

More Taxes?

2009-11-02T18:02:00.000+05:00

Mr. Shaukat Treen the financial advisor to GOP keeps saying that the tax to GDP ratio in Pakistan is only 9-10% which is too low and should be increased. He seems to forget that agriculture contributes 25% of Pakistan's GDP and agricultural income is not taxed. So the actual Tax/GDP ratio of taxed GDP is more like 12-14% which is higher than China, India, Bangladesh, Russia and perhaps even USA. Any further increase in the taxation of the industrial and services sectors would be simply criminal and counterproductive. After all Mr. Tareen is a highly respectd Banker but hardly an economist (which I am not either, but I try to get my sums right). Tax the agricultural income and all of Pakistan's economic woes will disappear. We might even become able to say "get lost" to Kerry-Lugar circus.

It is worth mentioning here that the actual government expenditure in Pakistan is over 20% of GDP including income from the giant state owned enterprizes; but offers none of the benefits enjoyed by the citizens of European countries with similar state expenditure ratio.

The reason why agricultural income is not taxed in Pakistan is that most of it goes into the pockets of a few dozen landlord families easily identified as Chaudhrys, Makhdooms, Sardars, Maliks and Pirs. Add to them the decendants of the knights and title holders of the British empire such as Bhuttos. Unfortunately for the peolple of Pakistan, these families also dominate the political scene and abort any initiative to tax agricultural income by conniving together and with military rulers.

Everywhere in the world the agricultural sector feeds the nation, but in Pakistan it fleeces and starves the nation with impunity.

Kerry-Lugar - 2

2009-10-18T15:13:00.000+06:00

On looking carefully at at the Kerry-Lugar Bill it is obvious that although the intentions of its initiators may have been noble, it has been used to renege on the three agreements reached with the government of Pakistan on Sept 30, 2006 and to create possible excuses for not honoring in future the commitments being made now.
It is true that the Americans are desperate to break the Indians away from the Russian who are still communists and have the Indians as their only allies, but they should not do so at the expense of the Kashmiris or the pride and honor of the Pakistanis.
It is now Pakistan's internal necessity to fight the Taliban insurgency, but the problem is far too complex to be solved by sheer military force. A lot needs to be done in the West if the growing trends the Islamic world are to be set in the right direction.
Christian extremism has existed for so long that it has become the norm in the West. The recent rise of Islamic extremism is a reaction to the awareness of realities gained in the past two decades mainly through the internet.

Obama's Peace prize

2009-10-18T14:52:00.000+06:00

President Obama should be congratulated on winning the Nobel Peace Prize. After all it is a prestigeous award. The interesting thing is that the Nobel Awards committe found none of the nomonations entered before the due date worthy of the award, which means that the world has run out of people with a record of working for peace. Another interesting news is that the UN is now prepared to try some Israelis for war crimes in Palestine. Does it have anything to do with President Obama, or have the influential American Jews finally and rightly realized that the Israelis do not belong to them? In the past the US had won notoriety for unjustifibly vetoing resolutions against Israel. Let us hope that the world is moving in the right direction and will continue to do so in future.

Kerry-Lugar

2009-10-09T00:14:00.001+06:00

The Kerry Lugar Bill is perhaps the greates exercise in corruption ever made in the world. It aims to set aside 1.5 billion dollars every year half of which would be paid out to the US politicians' favorite consultants and the other half would be doled out to the relatives of Pakistani rulers. At the end of 5 years the Pakistani public would be saddled with a debt of 7.5 billion dollars and a hefty amount of interest which it will have to pay through the nose. It doesn't make any difference to the American public because money borrowed from the Chinese at a lower interest rate would be lent to the Pakistanis at a higher rate, so if anything they stand to gain from it.

If the Americans are really interested in helping Pakistanis and establishing a long-term relationship, they should double the money and direct it to providing loans at discounted rates for US-Pak private sector joint venture projects in power generation, mining, oil and gas exploration, coal gasification, basic chemical industries, industrial plant and machinery production and offer scholarships to Pakistani students for technical training and higher education in USA on merit. They could also spend some money on reducing the time taken for visa issuance to Pakistanis.

The absurdity of the Bill is that it makes "aid" for social and educational purposes conditional upon the actions of the military and intelligence organizations. It also intends to take away from the Pakistani people their right and duty of defending their national institutions. The worst part is that instead of being based on any laws or principles its dispensation is based entirely on the discretion of the Secretary of State. Will Hillary be remembered in history as the lady with the whip?

It seems that the Indian origin advisors of the US lawmakers have ensured that the bill would worsen rather than improve their relationship with Pakistan. The school home-work of most rich american kids is being done in India via internet, perhaps the same is true of the politicians. Or did the few extremist Christians of USA have a hand in it?

More Definitions - 1

2009-09-12T02:12:00.001+06:00

1. Conservative = One having contempt for human weaknesses.

2. Constitution = A deliberated sacrosanct document used in countries with multi-religious populations as ultimate guidance for government and legislation without discrimination and acceptable to all segments of society for the regulation of their worldly affairs. In countries where more than 85% people adhere to a single religion, a secular constitution often becomes controversial.

3. Liberal = One having respect for human weaknesses.

4. Nineleven = Big farce, derived from 11th November, 2001 when simulation videos of the aerial impact of aircrafts on the World Trade Centre towers in New York were telecast while the buildings which had become unsafe due to a basement truck bomb attack in 1993 were demolished by sequentially controlled explosives planted at strategic points the night before. The operation was carried out after months of rumors that an aerial terrorist attack on New York was imminent. The planners had expected that that the buildings would be evacuated in an orderly manner after the initial explosions of petroleum drums on a few floors; they certainly had not anticipated that hundreds of firemen would rush in and die for nothing. The destruction was blamed by the US government on Osama Bin Laden a dissident Saudi who was blamed for explosive laden truck attack on US embassy in Sudan and was related by the extremist Christians to certain quatrains of Nostradamus.

5. Pakistan = South-Indian Muslim majority country formed in 1947 whose progress has been constantly impaired due to military conflict with neighboring India over Kashmir and internal conflict of interests and priorities between the armed forces and the rest of the population.

6. Statesman = One who can control others without annoying them.

7. Jinnahpur = Failed attempt by some British businessmen and their local friends to make Karachi an autonomous region that could be developed as a business hub to replace Hong Kong after its return to China in 1997. The idea was abandoned after competing cities of Dubai and Mumbai (Bombay) sponsored incessant violence and terrorism in Karachi which continued for years.

9/11 and Religions

2009-08-27T01:02:00.000+06:00

In order to check if there was any religious implication of the New York 9/11 terror event of 2001, I decided to compare the share of major world religions before and after that event. Data compiled from the 2008 edition of Encyclopedia Britannica gives the following picture:

Adherents of                % of World Population by Year

Religion                        1996             2001          2006

Christians                    33.7              32.9            33.2

Muslims                       19.4              19.7            20.4

Hindus                         13.7              13.4            13.3

Buddhists                      5.6                5.9              5.85

Jews                             0.239            0.236          0.231

From the above table the following trends can be interpreted:

• The share of Christianity which was declining between 1996 and 2001 turned into a discernible increase between 2001 and 2006. Christianity gained.

• The share of Islam continued to grow at an accelerating rate as before. Islam was not affected.

• The decline in the share of Hinduism was slowed down, probably due to reduction in conversion rate to Islam.

• The advance of Buddhism turned into decline.

• The Jewish share continued to decline as before.

The future historian, who might also compile similar statistics and corroborate it with the military activity of the Christian nations during the period, might be tempted to conclude that during the early 21st century Christianity was spread on earth with the help of bombs and rockets.

Limits of Authority

2009-08-20T12:40:00.001+06:00

In a democratic set up the parliament is sovereign with he limitation that it can only make laws or take decisions and actions in the interest of the people it represents. If any of its actions results in national loss, the rulers lose their right to govern. The European definition of sovereign meaning autocratic king does not apply to an Islamic democracy based on the Caliphate tradition of public accountability for the head of state or government.

The members of the assemblies, senate and president take an oath to act in public interest and not for personal gain. So any law (act of parliament or presidential ordinance) made for personal gain of current or ex-legislators or which tends to eliminate or diminish expectation of public gain is not a law but a conspiracy.

The Supreme Court has the right to interpret laws, and it should do so not only in the light of constitutional and legal provisions but also uphold the fundamental objective of public good.

The Supreme Court’s decision to allow a new span of 120 days for parliament to endorse lapsed ordinances is tantamount to assuming that they were promulgated yesterday. It could have made sense if the parliament had done so in the first 120 days of its formation. It can always introduce a new bill incorporating the contents of a lapsed one.

Since all the sitting judges were persecuted by ex-general Pervez Musharraf, they should not participate in his personal trial. A tribunal of unbiased judges could be formed if investigations show that he deserves to be tried.

The constitution contains an oath for military officers. If they have not taken it so far, they should be made to do so now to give them constitutional legitimacy. There should also be a similar oath for civil servants.

A UN team is investigating the death of Benazir Bhutto. But independent analysis has begun to point to the mind-boggling possibility that the IMF may have done a deal with Asif Zardari and arranged her brutal elimination.

The chairman of Pakistan Steel Mills has been sacked for corruption and PM Gilani has ordered an enquiry into misdealing starting from his own office. Why not from the president's?

Every year every citizen has to declare all his or her assets to the FBR and elected representatives submit a similar declaration to the EC. Have the president and all ministers and advisers of the present government done that? I f not why not ask them to do it post haste and make it public?

During his tenure as PM Nawaz Sharif had started a fund for national development to which everyone had contributed in local and foreign currencies. Why not start a new similar fund into which all patriotic Pakistanis should contribute at least half of their foreign assets? It could go a long way in resolving the financial crisis.

Nowadays the government is buying everything from Dubai. It should disclose the detailed identity of the suppliers in Dubai.

The Real Issues

2009-07-27T22:36:00.003+06:00

There are some interesting arguments going on in the supreme court of Pakistan. But the most important issues to my mind are?
1. Did a general (Musharraf) and a judge (Dogar) conspire to subvert and deface the constitution of Pakistan and usurp the basic human rights of the Pakistani citizens?
2. Every time the constitution is abrogated, the judges who had taken oath of allegiance to it lose their jobs. So when the PCO was lifted, didn't the judges who had taken oath of allegiance to it lose their jobs automatically?
3. The orders issued by the self appointed chief of army staff on 3rd. November, 2007 are a disgrace to the Pakistani nation. Shouldn't they and all references to them be expunged from all official records?
4. Shouldn't there be referendum to confirm every president appointed by the parliament?

Theory of Mutuality

2009-06-12T01:40:00.002+06:00

Since the Universe is expanding, it could be because the stars having a very high temperature repel each other. Gas molecules also repel each other at temperatures above the boiling or liquifaction temperature. With apology to Newton, it seems that the mutual force existing between two bodies is related to their masses, temperatures and mutual distance, and can be either attractive or repulsive (positive or negative) depending on these three (or more?) factors. The problem is that we have calculated the mass of the Sun based on the gravitational constant derived from forces between brass balls at earth temperature. It is possible that the actual mass of the Sun is many times greater and the specific force of mutuality between the Earth and Sun as may times smaller. Now don't ask me to fit the Big Bang into my Theory of Mutuality.

Putting The Record Straight

2009-05-25T12:04:00.002+06:00

During the time of G20 meeting in London in April 2009, I made it a point to follow the proceedings and the statements of the participating leaders. Barack Obama was obviously the star of the show. He was focused and well informed. Yet as usual, his advisers had kept some of the facts from him.

He didn’t seem to be aware that the terrorist sanctuaries in FATA in Pakistan are located in places that have been the sites of Afghan refugee camps for the last 30 years. Terrorists breed in refugee camps be it in FATA, Palestine, Israel, Kashmir, North or South America, Africa, Australia, Europe or any part of Asia. People who have to live in squalor as second class citizens without identity or any hope for future become desperate and succumb to destructive ideas.

The Afghan refugee problem started in 1969 with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. In those days India was a close friend of both the Soviet Union and Afghanistan and it is obvious that the Soviets must have consulted the Indian leaders before invading Afghanistan. Had the Indians not encouraged them, the world would have been a different place today. And the Indians encouraged the Soviets to invade Afghanistan because they knew that such action would result in a huge influx of refugees into Pakistan and strain the economy and destabilize the country. Ever since 1947 it has been the policy of the Indian government to create problems for Pakistan so that it would not have time or resource to push for a plebiscite in Kashmir as per UNSC resolutions 38, 39, 47, 51, 80 etc.

The 62 year unrest in Balochistan has also been fomented by India and Iran because the Iranians have been afraid that oil drilling in Balochistan will cause their oil wells to run dry. Although on surface the Iranians have been friendly to Pakistan, the funds for the Baloch rebels have been persistently routed through that country.

The British and the Americans do not need to reinvent the wheel about terrorism. I had personally witnessed the numbing terrorism of IRA in early 70s which was financed from New York and Tripoli. When the funds dried up, things changed. Similarly Barack and Hillary only need to ask their elders what thing were like in Chicago and its Black ghettos or New York and its Bronx district during the sixties.

The American think-tanks, some of which are dominated by extremist Christians and Jews and most which rely on Indian advice have serious misconceptions about Islam and Asia. Muslim intellectuals are by their religious training averse to speculative thinking and fail to impress them. The Hindus, on the other hand make excellent underdog manipulators of opinion.
The West’s common reference to Hinduism is Gandhi who was a believer in the peace oriented Vedas, whereas majority of Indians follow the Aryan Brahmanism based on the war lyrics of Mahabharata which tend to promote a ferociously aggressive, sadistic and deceptive culture.

Religious extremists can be found everywhere and in every walk of life. Examples of politicians are Uk’s Straw and India’s chief minister Modi. Examples of military men are India’s Col. Prohit and USA’s Gen. McKiernan.

Recently a new full fledged war has started in Northern Pakistan resulting in the displacement of nearly one and half million people, who are being put in new refugee camps. I had said even before the operation started that it would not be long term solution. The Taliban will just hide their weapons and move into the refugee camps along with the civilian population and keep in hiding there until they find another opportunity. The terrorists that would breed in the Swat refugee camps may be far more dangerous and resourceful than anything we have seen before.

Recent History

2009-03-14T01:26:00.001+05:00

Selected items from the URL given below should enlighten you about the background of what is happening today in Pakistan.

http://pakistanspace.tripod.com

February 28, 1987 Indian journalist Kuldip Nayyar's interview with Dr. Qadeer Khan is published in London Observer, in which the latter is quoted as saying that Pakistan has developed a nuclear bomb. An international controversy erupts over what is labeled as the "Islamic Bomb."

June 4, 1987 Finance Minister Yasin Wattoo announces in budget speech that 20 billion rupees will be generated through a defence tax and across the board increases in the prices of all essential commodities. June 4 -12 Mass agitation against budget; two dead, several injured. June 12 PM Junejo withdraws all controversial taxes; part of the fiscal gap to be filled by small car ("generals in Suzukis") austerity drive.

December 18, 1987 Benazir Bhutto, "Daughter of the East," ties knot with the relatively unknown Asif Ali Zardari at Karachi's Kakri Ground. One of the most colourful weddings in national history, it is attended by thousands of well-wishers from all walks of life.

Oct 15, 1988 Shariah Ordinance fizzles out as there is no NA to approve it and its creator, General Zia, is dead

Dec 1, 1988 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan nominates Benazir Bhutto PM.

August 6, 1990 President Ghulam Ishaq Khan (right) dismissed Benazir Bhutto (left)'s government today on corruption charges. He has promised fresh elections on October 24 (NA) and 27 (PA).

Oct 10, 1990 - Aif Zardari arrested in Unnar case. Care taker prime minister Jatoi.

Nov 6, 1990, Nawaz Sharif elected Prime Minister.

Jul 18, 1991 NA passes 12th Amendment Bill for setting up Speedy Courts to decide criminal cases within 30 days.

February 7, 1991 The Nawaz Sharif administration announces a ground breaking 25-point economic package which, among other measures, eases the country's stringent foreign exchange control rules. At the same time, foreigners are allowed to repatriate profits as well as principal and to invest in the local stock market.

Jan 7, 1992 Government signs agreement with South Korean firm Daewoo for construction of 339 km motorway, to be completed in 3 years
Jan 11, 1992 PM inaugurates construction of Lahore-Islamabad Motorway
Mar 23, 1992 State Bank launches "no questions asked" Foreign Currency Bearer Certificates in US dollars; international uproar ensues.

June 19, 1992 Daybreak As the army and Rangers stand by like indifferent spectators, Haqiqi dissidents set upon Altaf Hussain's MQM, first in Landhi and then elsewhere in the city.The unthinkable has happened. Within the space of ten tumultuous days, Sindh's political landscape has changed beyond recognition as the army's operation in the province turns its guns on the MQM. Overnight, establishment eulogies to Altaf Hussain have been replaced by army supervised tours of captured torture camps, as a party that once held Karachi in vice-like grip suddenly finds itself on the authorities' most wanted list. (Contributed by Irfan Malik)

Sep 5, 1992 Yellow cab scheme is extended; locally assembled vehicles included, loans raised to 90 per cent of total price and foreign banks allowed to issue loans.

November 26, 1992 PM inaugurates PTV-2, a satellite educational channel
Jan 8, 1993 COAS General Asif Nawaz Janjua dies suddenly.

Apr, 1993 Hamid Nasir Chatta and 3 other ministers resign from federal cabinet in protest against Nawaz Sharif's nomination as PML president.

Apr 17, 1993 PM Nawaz Sharif addresses the nation, accusing President Ghulam Ishaq Khan of conspiring against the govt; "I will not take dictation," he says defiantly.

Apr 18, 1993 Sharif dismissed by President; caretaker PM Balkh Sher Mazari and his cabinet including Hamid Nasir Chattha, Asif Zardari and Farooq Leghari to supervise new elections.

May 26, 1993 Supreme Court bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Nasim Hasan Shah (right) has declared the President's action unconstitutional, restoring the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the National Assembly. This is the first time in the history of the nation that a court has placed a deposed prime minister and parliament back into the saddles.

July 18, 1993 COAS Kakar intervenes, forcing both PM and President to resign; fresh elections to be held on Oct 6 (NA) and Oct 9 (PA).

Jul 18 Moeen Qureshi takes oath as caretaker PM and Senate Chairman Wasim Sajjad becomes acting president. Caretaker Prime Minister Moeen Qureshi seems intent upon thrusting his World Bank expertise and ethics on the country. Economic transparency is the cry of the day: Yellow cab scheme is scrapped and Sharif's grand motorway is also shelved. Qureshi government issues a list of loan defaulters, who may be barred from contesting the new elections, as well as a sensational roster of the amounts paid in income tax by some of the richest people in the country, including the Sharif family.

October 19, 1993 Benazir Bhutto takes oath as PM after NA elects her with 121 votes against Nawaz's 72; Wattoo of the PML (J) becomes Punjab CM despite only a handful of seats, in effect keeping a PPP nominee out of Punjab once again; Abdullah Shah Sindh CM, Aftab Sherpao in Frontier and Zulfikar Magsi in Balochistan.

Nov 4, 1993 Murtaza Bhutto arrested at Karachi airport on his return from Syria on pending charges of terrorism and 1981 hijacking.

Nov 13 PPP nominee Farooq Leghari, ex-foreign minister, elected president in run-off against Wasim Sajjad.

Jun 24,1996 Jamaat-e-Islami stages dharna (sit-in) in Islamabad: three party workers killed in clashes with police.

September 20, 1996 Mir Murtaza Bhutto, along with Ashiq Jatoi, is killed near his Clifton residence in what authorities claim was a police shootout with his body guards, but the feeling persists that this was a well-planned murder. The public, depending on who one talked to, is pointing accusingly at Murtaza's sister and Prime Minister Benazir, her husband Asif Zardari and even the President. (Contributed by Irfan Malik).

November 4-5, 1996 Something serious was certainly afoot. On the night of November 4, troops were on the move in Islamabad as well as in all the provincial capitals, and it seemed the nation was witnessing yet another military coup. But this time the midnight knock came at the behest of President Farooq Leghari, who then told the nation that he had dismissed the Bhutto government on charges of extra-judicial killings, corruption, mismanagement of the economy and complete breakdown of law and order. (Contributed by Irfan Malik).

Dec 12, 1996 President announces adult franchise for Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) in February elections, discarding the system of one malik (tribal chief), one vote.

February 3, 1997 In the wake of a landslide victory in Election '97, Nawaz Sharif's PML and its allies sweep to power. The PML (N) wins an astounding 134 seats and the PPP crashes to an all-time low with just 18. The MQM gets 13, while Imran Khan and Mussarat Shaheen fail to make an impression, as does Ghinwa Bhutto.

Apr 9, 1997 PAF Squadron Leader Farooq Ahmad arrested in New York while trying to sell 2 kg of heroine

Apr 24, 1997 Admiral Mansurul Haq dismissed on charges of corruption and misappropriation of funds.

TOTALLY BIZARRE-16th May, 1997In one of the most bizarre cases filed in pakistans history the leader of the opposition in the Sindh province and other leaders of the previous govt have been charged with murdering G.H. Unnar a onetime ally of theirs. According to available information G.H Unnar died of cardiac problems. Unnar was previously indicted in a case with Asif Zardari in looting an expatriate (US citizen of Pakistani origin) under bizarre circumstances in which the expatriate was led to a bank supposedly with a bomb tied to his legs to withdraw millions which were to be used for a charity hospital. Both Zardari and Unnar were not convicted in the case.

Dec 2, 1997 President Farooq Leghari resigns in the wake of a complicated battle between the judiciary and the Prime Minister.

Dec 23, 1997 A Supreme Court bench of 10 judges holds invalid the appointment of Justice Sajjad Ali Shah as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court in 1994. On the directive of the same bench, the federal government has appointed Mr Justice Ajmal Mian as the Chief Justice. This blunt move has brought to an end the complicated tussle between the judiciary and the Prime Minister that had been going on since the last month.

Dec 31, 1997 PML nominee Rafiq Ahmed Tarar is voted President amid sarcasm from liberal newspapers, who have openly accused that his major qualification for the office seems to be his personal friendship with Nawaz Sharif’s autocratic father.

The Forbidden City

2009-03-10T20:19:00.002+05:00

There is news that the PPP government intends to seal off all entrances into Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan to prevent the entry of protesters for an indefinite period and convert it into a sort of Forbidden City of ancient China. That would take the country back a few centuries.

The feared intruders (soon to be declared terrorists?) are the lawyers of Pakistan, a part of the cream of the society, who have been agitating for the last two years for the restoration of the uninterrupted status of the supreme and high court judges who had refused to take an oath of allegiance to the then unpopular military dictator Pervez Musharraf who had suspended the country’s constitution. For the last two years the high and supreme courts have been boycotted by most conscientious lawyers and very little genuine judicial activity has taken place.

The displaced judges were freed from captivity after the February, 2008 elections by the coalition government of PPP, PML(N) and others. But the coalition broke down when the PPP which led the coalition failed to restore the judiciary and PPP gained further concessions from its allies on the same pretext after the forced resignation of the ex-general president, without honoring any of its commitments. It is now being suspected that having reached a seemingly unassailable position the PPP is trying to eradicate all other political parties and national institutions in a systematic process of convictions by puppet judges, horse trading and even use of force.

Almost all of Pakistan’s lawyers, retired judges, intellectuals, civil rights activists, retired generals (except Pervez Musharraf) and politicians (except Peoples Party leaders) believe that the only practical way to snub the anti-constitutional actions of 3rd November, 2007 without acknowledging its existence is to restore Iftikhar Chaudhri as chief justice without a fresh oath, honoring his original oath of office. Any other gimmick will legitimize the much hated 11/3 treachery.

Once the legitimate chief justice is restored, all other matters can, hopefully, be resolved through due process of law.

The Lawng March

2009-02-24T23:37:00.002+05:00

Ex-general Pervez Musharraf did to the 11/3 judges what every general does to his officers -- maneuver them into a situation where they have to fight for their survival and save the general's skin. However, there is a difference between judges and army officers. Whereas army officers are trained in a vacuum in such a way that they become totally devoid of morality and conscience and care only about career advancement until they retire and come in contact with the real world, the judges are constantly involved in human disputes and ethical arguments which keeps their conscience alive. Infact, the law is the conscience of the society.

The legal/judicial fraternity of Pakistan has refused to digest the indignity of 11/3 and has demonstrated exemplary fortitude and unanimity in the struggle to restore the sanctity of the oath which is the foundation of the legal ethics. The betrayal of an oath is moral death, especially if it is from a judge. However, one good thing about the campaign is that the black sheep in the ranks of the legal/judicial fraternity have become marked. One wonders why Qasuri has not yet received the same treatment as Niazi.

The NRO-sanitized rulers of Pakistan obviously can not be bothered about such non-vulgarities as justice and fairplay. The people who do not feel ashamed about breaking written and signed pledges can hardly be expected to understand the significance of an oath.

The way things are moving in Pakistan, a civil war seems inevitable. If it will result in the purging out of undesirable elements as in the French revolution or the stronger unification of the nation as in USA, let it happen now rather than later. But in so doing we shoud be prepared to simultaneously fight an external aggression as in the case of the Bolshevic revolution in Russia.

Coming back to the judicial crisis in Pakistan, the 11/3 judges were judges before they committed the cardinal sin and need not be told the basics of judicial propriety. They have had a year to recuperate from the trauma of 11/3 and should be able to recall their courage and conscience to take the right decisions.

2009-02-17T00:37:00.001+05:00

According to Islamic traditions, legislation and justice are the functions of scholars and not illiterate parliamentarians or beaurocratic judges.

2009-02-17T00:33:00.002+05:00

After studying the history of the last three score and ten yeas I have come to the conclusion that Uncle Sam has a very simple foreign policy: The more you kill, the more you save.

The Israeli Problem

2009-02-14T00:19:00.001+05:00

The Dec, 2008-Jan, 2009 Israeli onslaught on the Palestinian population in Gaza was perhaps the most brutal and inhuman military action in recent history which attracted disgust even from conscientious Jews in many parts of the world. Over a thousand unarmed and innocent civilians including elderly citizens, women and children were mercilessly slain by incessant tank, artillery and aerial bombardment. The flimsy excuse put forward to justify such ferocious blood-letting reminds one of Aesop’s fable of the wolf and the lamb. And this was not the first time.

From time to time, the Israelis who are otherwise considered to be a civilized people explode into a frenzy of insane destruction and blood-thirst. Is it a genetic defect of the Zionist race as the Nazis believed, or are there external factors that bring about the hysteric, barbaric and insane behavior?

The Israelis are so overwhelmingly outnumbered by the Arabs around them that even if all the Arabs just honestly spit on them, the entire Israeli population would drown and perish. The handful of Zionists in whose hands a couple of million pious moderate Jews have become hostage in a practically resourceless piece of land snatched from the Palestinians depend heavily on assistance from the diabolical elements in the American and European ruling elite. During the confrontation with Hezbollah of Lebanon, the Israelis would have got overrun if the Americans had not airlifted munitions to them in gross violation of their own laws. Recently also the carnage was stopped only after the Americans were persuaded by saner people not to send military supplies to Israel.

The fact is that Israel can not survive for long without active American support. The Americans themselves believe (or pretend to believe) in peace and equality of man, yet they blindly support Israeli brutality. Could it be that the Israelis occasionally act in such inexplicable manner because they are ordered to do so to test new weapons, munitions and poisons developed in USA and Europe, or to refresh terror and intimidation in the minds of the Palestinian sympathizers, or last but not the least to divert the world’s attention from some other sinister deeds which go unnoticed? After all they are a universally despised three and a half million people who have nowhere else to go.

Personally, I would not care about what happens to the megalomaniac Zionists of Israel or elsewhere; but I do care about the two million or so pious moderate Jews who are trapped in a living hell. Their sweat and blood is being exploited by the Zionist elite of Israel and other western diabolical elements.

The Christian world, apart from USA, has disowned its Jewish populations and will never agree to accept them back. The only chance of their deliverance lies in Muslim compassion and magnanimity. It is about time Muslim countries realize the fact that moderate Jews are as close to Muslims as followers of any other religion can be. Whether they know it or not, the only people with whom moderate Jews can coexist with peace of mind are Muslims. It is true that those who go by the events of early Islamic era would think otherwise, but an enlightened Muslim and an enlightened moderate Jew have so much in common that they can be the best of friends.

I would strongly recommend that Muslim countries should adopt a policy of sympathy towards moderate Jews and allow them to migrate and settle and build Synagogues. The moderate Jews have produced many great minds of modern history; they are a resourceful and hard working people and will bring prosperity wherever they go.

Mumbai Massacre

2008-12-06T15:43:00.002+05:00

The Nov. 26 terror activity in Mumbai resulted in the gruesome deaths of nearly 200 innocent and unsuspecting people which is lamentable and reprehensible by any account.

For those who live in relative peace and calm, it was a great shock and outrage. However, for most Pakistanis it was just another of those things that happens frequently in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Quetta and almost daily in the tribal areas. In fact, it was a relief that this time it was outside the borders. The Mumbai carnage is different from the Islamabad Marriott terrorism which was the act of a lone truck driver meant to cause wanton death and destruction on the Hotel whose two floors were occupied by an American intelligence agency. In Mumbai there were nearly two dozen John Rambos who struck at 10 different places and majority of them who had return tickets for the ferry by which they came disappeared leaving caches of ammunition and explosives to be discovered later, which can give clues to the investigators.

Ten terrorists took hostages in three buildings, but it is very strange that they also started major fires in the buildings in which they were holding the hostages. They also posed smiling to photographers and did not have any expression of tension or hatred on their faces. It seems that they were just having a bloody picnic. It is even more surprising that they had enough ammunition to hold off the entire Indian security machinery for up to 60 hours. If the terrorists had been surrounded, why wasn’t an attempt made to negotiate the release of the hostages? Much useful information could have been gained in the process and the hostages could have lived a bit longer if nothing else. Equally surprising is the fact that many cameras but no guns were aimed at Ajmal Kassab and he was such a friendly terrorist that he told his whole story to the Mumbai police while the Americans have failed to get any confessions in Guantanamo Bay in years. It is a pity that the Indian media failed to interview the owners and staff of those buildings.

Most intelligence agencies seem to have known in advance that the attack was coming. The reaction of the Indian intelligence in immediately blaming the Pakistani ISI creates the impression that they were expecting a reprisal for some mischief they had made in Pakistan. It is very easy for the Indians to instigate sectarian and ethnic violence in Pakistan as the headquarters of both Barelvi and Deobandi sects are located in India and there is no reason why Indian intelligence agencies would not have infiltrated them and sent misleading messages through American satellites. If a hoax call can be made from the office of the Indian foreign minister to the president of Pakistan, the anything can happen. There is also a strong opinion base in Pakistan that believes that some of the religious fanatics involved in suicide attacks may also be externally motivated. However, there are a number of other possibilities that also need to be eliminated.

The Indo-Pakistan subcontinent, like many other parts of the world is a land of vendettas. In 1971 when Indian troops comprehensively defeated the Pakistan army in what is now Bangladesh, the Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi declared that the battle of Panipat had been avenged. Panipat was the venue of a battle in 1526 when the Moghul emperor Babar from Afghanistan laid the foundation of the Moghul empire in India. The lady was gunned down by her own Sikh bodyguards to avenge the desecration of the Golden Temple by Indian troops. Her son Rajiv Gandhi who had succeeded her as prime minister and avenged the death of mother by allowing thousands of Sikhs to be lynched, was killed in the first suicide attack of its kind by Tamil dissidents who were taking revenge of the Aryan invasion and subjugation in which the Tamils, the original inhabitants of the subcontinent were made untouchables. In 1996 when the Bangladeshi cricket team defeated the Pakistani team in a world-cup match, the Bangladeshi prime minister declared that the age old domination of Bengalis by the Pakistanis had been avenged. There must be hundreds of other scores that remain to be settled. Let us not create new avengeable incidents and hope that some day in future all old scores will be settled and lasting peace will prevail. More than a division of Pakistani army backed by artillery and air force is engaged in fierce fighting to eliminate terrorist movement in the Northern Areas which has 10 legislators in the National Assembly. Many people have a misconception that the Northern Areas are a disputed area between India and Pakistan as the map in Encyclopedia Britannica wrongly shows. According to the UN Security Council’s resolutions no. 38, 39, 47, 51, 80 etc., Jammu and the Vale of Kashmir wrongly shown as a part of India in the encyclopedias are the disputed territories where a referendum is to be held under UN supervision to decide whether it should be a part of India or Pakistan. The world community has already rejected India’s claim and given the choice to the Kashmiris. Sanctions were not imposed on India for noncompliance because on each occasion the Soviet Union vetoed the resolutions against India. It is note-worth that almost every coalition government in India includes the Communist Party. However, conspiring to change maps does not change the reality. One can only hope that the US president-elect Barack Obama has taken the trouble to find the facts and has come to the right conclusions before taking an initiative on Kashmir.

The NATO forces in Afghanistan are somehow not satisfied with what the Pakistan military is doing as they are more interested in eliminating people of certain beliefs on a selective basis. The Europeans are still trying to shake off their genocidal streak which raises its head from time to time. The NATO army wants to enter the Northen Areas and carry out aggressive activity. The Mumbai attack did create a situation in which the Indians could attack the eastern borders of Pakistan forcing Pak army to withdraw from the western borders leaving the field open to the NATO forces. NATO leadership has acted swiftly to dispel any suspicions on that account.

The Russian president was about to visit India a few days later to sign deals for building nuclear reactors and supply of military hardware which the Americans were trying their level best to stop at the eleventh hour as they have already invested heavily in their nuclear cooperation agreement with India. The Mumbai attack forced the Americans to support Pakistan against the wild Indian allegations and wash their hands from the nuclear and military equipment deals. State elections are proceeding and general elections are scheduled in India in a few months’ time and in a national emergency with the threat of war, the ruling party usually benefits as people do not want to change the status quo. A party that can not find an elected legislator good enough to be prime minister would inevitably need to play some tricks. However, if the Indian leaders would admit that they make the noises about a foreign hand in their homegrown terrorist activities in order to avert widespread communal violence, one could have pity on them. Most intelligence agencies have their representatives in most terrorist and criminal organizations. Sometimes even intelligence agents who have broken away from the national organizations join the underworld for their own protection and vice versa and occasionally commonly known terrorist in the offing are hijacked by intelligence agencies and exploited. The criminal gangs based in the Arabian Gulf have often ruined the peace of both Karachi and Mumbai, at times due to their own mutual or internal differences. Why don’t the Indians ask the ruler of Emirates to do something about it? However, the quality and credibility of intelligence agencies is not to be trusted in the light of the WMD hoax created by them prior to the Iraq invasion. The problem is that many political leaderships have no intelligence other than that of the agencies.

No one has so far suggested that Mumbai should be placed under the control of UN troops and a thorough investigation should be held under the auspices of the UN Security Council.

Welcome President Obama

2008-11-07T00:56:00.000+05:00

The election of Barack Hussein Obama to USA presidency is indeed a historic event. It shows that the extremists and the racists of USA have taken a back seat at least for now. Let us hope that they stay that way. It is interesting to note that the Republican candidate failed in spite of the incumbent president maintaining a discreet distance from his campaign. Mr. Obama's charisma worked because he remained totally focused and objective during his entire campaign and did not leave himself at the mercy of media advisers.
Well done and welcome president Obama. I hope that you will not be afraid of stopping an ongoing war and would be able to transmit your courage and convictions to your generals who seem to need both. I am sure that your success will inspire many potential leaders among common men all over the world and the examples set by you will be followed by many for a long time to come. Just be yourself and stay focused.

Light Talk

2008-11-07T00:48:00.001+05:00

Sir,
Please go to page 31 of New Scientist 1 Nov, 2008, Cover story on Relativity. In the illustration if Frank is moving due east at 50 mph and Kate is moving northeast at 70 mph, it will appear to Frank that Kate's train is pointing northeast but drifting northward at 50 mph. Frank will never see the back of Kate's train. I have tried to read and understand Relativity with commonsense but if I were not averse to hurting many people's feelings I would have called it the theory of illusions. A good scientist must not confuse apparent drift with resultant velocity. We see the same face of the moon throughout the year and in its motion relative to us it does not rotate on its axis, but in so doing it does rotate on its axis in exactly one month in its absolute motion. Einstein's postulates are more compromises than prophecies, far from universal truths. Believe me, there are absolute motions and universal truths.
Regards,
Naseem Mahnavi.

The Endgame

2008-08-14T02:17:00.000+06:00

When you are at the top there is no room for error. Once you slip and start going down, there is no stopping. The mistakes of Pakistan's perishing president Musharraf are too obvious. He did not resign from the army at the retirement age, instead he gave the supreme court the authority to change army service rules in his favor by creating an exception. He failed to tell his american friends that he was bound by certain ethics and national idiosyncrasies which he could not violate. He failed to let go of the prime minister when it had become obvious that a brilliant finance minister may not necessarily prove a capable prime minister. He allowed himself to be manipulated by opportunists and men like the Chaudhry brothers, Niazi and the Pirzadas and constantly fiddled with the Constitution. He was dazzled by the knowledge and wisdom of the west, not knowing that I still receive invoices from USA and Europe in Indian rupees and letters addressed "......., Pakistan, India." He failed to realize that in fighting Islamic extremism which was necessary, he was unnecessarily aligning himself with Christian and Jewish extremists. When it became obvious that Benazir was not hurt by either the gun-man or the suicide bomber on her left, he failed to infer that there must have been a third assailant on her right. Above all, he did not keep his words and betrayed his oaths which caused immense pain and grief to the mostly faithful people of his country. He deserves not only a failing grade but also some stick.

However, there is a silver lining to every cloud. MQM, the working class leadership of elite Karachi still believes that Mr. Musharraf's mistakes can be forgiven in consideration of his services to the nation. Although Mr. Musharraf may succeed in mellowing many who have hard feelings against him when he passionately answers the charges against himself, the voting in the parliament would definitely be on partisan lines and he has little chance unless he can find the money to buy nearly a fifth of the delegates. However an impassioned plea might avert any future cruelty against him. On the other hand he can negotiate a favorable secret deal and resign avoiding embarrassment to fellow soldiers.

The prime concern now is how the impossible coalition now ruling Pakistan will work in the months to come. Peoples Party is basically a socialist party now headed by a multi-billionaire habitual gaolbird, while PML(N) is dominated by industrialists and business tycoons. Previous governments of both were dismissed in the past on charges of corruption which were partly true. ANP and MQM have only localized following. All parties suffer from autocratic or elitist top leadership and a tendency to be violent at times. The leaders of all political and religious parties in Pakistan must reform and democratize their organizations and carry out a purge of elements having criminal or fraudulent tendencies. The formation of a new nab and grab team and persecution of opponents would be simply tragic.

Keep Going

2008-08-04T21:38:00.000+06:00

Go to the desert and pick up a handful of sand,
And ask it if it can think.
To your surprise and a pleasant one,
It will answer, “Yes, I can.”

I tell you so, because my Son,
I did it once in a desert you know,
And got the answer to my delight,
But I was not the first around.

Some one else had got there first,
And made friends with the grains of sand,
And made transistors, chips, and all,
And put them together in a computer.

There are still places you can go,
And ask questions no one has asked,
And get the answers no one has heard,
And make the things that no one has made.

Do not think of the dormant as dead.
Anything that exists has atomic metabolism.
Even a seashell lying on the beach,
Has memories and a mind of its own.

Renegades in Power

2008-07-06T20:36:00.000+06:00

The Pakistani lawyers’ movement for the restoration of the superior court judges who were dismissed on the 3rd of November, 2007 with the imposition of “emergency” by president and general Pervez Musharraf has the support of the majority of people in Pakistan. But unfortunately the case has not been presented by the lawyers in a manner that could be understood by a man of average intelligence. Here is an attempt to do so:

As a member of the Pakistani armed forces General Pervez Musharraf is supposed to have taken the following oath as prescribed in the Constitution of Pakistan:
“I,__________________________, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan and uphold the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan which embodies the will of the people, that I will not engage myself in any political activities whatsoever and that I will honestly and faithfully serve Pakistan in the Pakistan Army (or Navy or Air Force) as required by and under the law.”
As the president of Pakistan he is supposed to have taken the following oath:
“I,__________________________, do solemnly swear that I am a Muslim and believe in the Unity and Oneness of Almighty Allah, the Books of Allah, the Holy Quran being the last of them, the Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) as the last of the Prophets and that there can be no Prophet after him, the Day of Judgment, and all the requirements and teachings of the Holy Quran and Sunnah:
That I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan:
That, as President of Pakistan, I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of Pakistan:
That I will strive to preserve the Islamic Ideology which is the basis for the creation of Pakistan:
That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions:
That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
That, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will:
And that I will not directly or indirectly communicate or reveal to any person any matter which shall be brought under my consideration or shall become known to me as President of Pakistan, except as may be required for the due discharge of my duties as President.”
On the 3rd Nov, 2007 he signed a proclamation containing the following the folloeing words:
“And whereas the situation has been reviewed in meetings with the Prime Minister, Governors of all four Provinces, and with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Chiefs of the Armed Forces, Vice Chief of Army Staff and Corps Commanders of the Pakistan Army;
Now, therefore, in pursuance of the deliberations and decisions of the said meetings, I, General Pervez Musharraf, Chief of the Army Staff, proclaim emergency throughout Pakistan.
I hereby order and proclaim that the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall remain in abeyance.
This Proclamation shall come into force at once.”

Clause 6 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan states:
“6. High treason.-(1) Any person who abrogates or attempts or conspires to abrogate, subverts or attempts or conspires to subvert the Constitution by use of force or show of force or by other unconstitutional means shall be guilty of high treason.
(2) Any person aiding or abetting the acts mentioned in clause (1) shall likewise be guilty of high treason.
(3) 1[Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament)] shall by law provide for the punishment of persons found guilty of high treason.
It is obvious that on signing of the proclamation of "emergency" Mr. Musharraf and his associates mentioned in it had reneged on their oaths of office to uphold the Contitution and had committed acts which disqualified them from holding any public or military office in Pakistan and they all stood stripped of their ranks and offices.
It follows that the pursuant actions of Mr. Musharraf as either President or Chief of Army Staff were farcical and of no legal consequence. The mutilation of the Constitution carried out in the PCO is too vulgar to be elaborated here. Even if they escape punishment for their actions by guile or threat of violence or the support of aliens, history will not forgive them.

Judges of Supreme and High courts of Pakistan had taken the following oath of office as per the Constitution:
“I,__________________________, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan:
That, as Chief Justice of Pakistan (or a Judge of the Supreme Court of Pakistan or Chief Justice or a Judge of the High Court for the Province or Provinces of .......................), I will discharge my duties, and perform my functions, honestly, to the best of my ability, and faithfully in accordance with the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the law:
That I will abide by the code of conduct issued by the Supreme Judicial Council:
That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decisions:That I will preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan:
And that, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will:”
On 3rd November, 2007 and the following days a number of judges of Supreme and high courts took the following oath:
"I_________________, do solemnly swear that I will bear true faith and allegiance to Pakistan :
That, as Chief Justice of Pakistan or a Judge of Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Chief Justice of the Federal Shariat Court or a Judge of the Federal Shariat Court, or the Chief Justice or a Judge of the High Court for the Province of-----), I will discharge my duties and perform my functions honestly and to the best of my ability and faithfully in accordance with the Proclamation of Emergency of the 3rd day of November, 2007, the Provisional Constitution Order No. 1 of 2007 and the law.
That I will abide by the provisions of the Proclamation of Emergency of the 3rd day of November, 2007, the Provisional Constitution Order No. 1 of 2007, and the Code of Conduct issued by the Supreme Judicial Council :
That I will not allow my personal interest to influence my official conduct or my official decision :
And that, in all circumstances, I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour, affection or ill-will".
Quite obviously, these judges had reneged on their oath of allegiance to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and become ineligible for judicial duties as they fell under the purview of Article 6 of the Constitution.
The judges who refused to take the new oath obviously are still bound by their original constitutional oaths of office.
If the PCO judges had taken the treacherous oath intentionally, knowing the contents of the documents mentioned in the oath then there is nothing to be said in their favor. But if they were tricked or coerced into taking that oath, they should come clean and find a way to renounce or revoke that oath. I would not venture to guess whether the legal community of Pakistan will accept their apology, but at least they can put their conscience to rest.

The Urdu Revolution

2008-05-29T13:50:00.000+05:00

1. It seems that the ruthless onslaught of the army chief as part of his war on justice has damaged Pakistan's Judiciary beyond redemption. It has also exposed the weaknesses of the legal/judicial system which was an extension of the alien monarchical system in which the judge instructs the jury not to give judgment on the accused but to find a culprit from amongst the others who were present on the scene. The demand for the implementation of Islamic jurisprudence in Pakistan is going to gain momentum and the West's dreaded Talibanism may benefit from any delay in restoring a judiciary not subservient to the army.

2. The superior judiciary used to be a beacon of hope for the mostly oppressed and downtrodden people of Pakistan. The desperation resulting from the disappearance of the last ray of hope may have serious repercussions upon the national psyche and more and more people may decide to take the law in their own hands.

3. It seems that the incumbent army chief is being threatened with dismissal if he does not speak up in favor of the extremely unpopular president. In December 2001 when a similar situation had existed, the US diplomats had arranged a terrorist attack on Delhi parliament and the US ambassador to India (who had also been an ambassador to Pakistan) had made public speeches inciting the Indian people to demand military action against Pakistan, finally resulting in the massing of Indian troops on Pak borders and the capitulation of politicians and acceptance of 17th constitutional amendment. This time round, the tactics are different. Will Kiyani's nerves hold?

4. At the moment Pakistan is being run exclusively and single handedly by deceased Benazir's “will power” and the parliament has become less than a rubber stamp. It is true that a confrontation between the real parliament and the artificial judiciary can provide the provisional president an opportunity to exercise the yo-yo of 58-2-B and do the ultimate disservice to the nation, but then what are people for? After all Ayub resigned when he found that everyone in the streets was calling him a dog. Does the “will power” have the charisma to bring the people out into streets? Some pessimists have already started wondering if Pakistan's future depends on the number of signed blank papers Benazir may have left behind.

5. Those who witnessed the spontaneous outburst of violence following the murder of Benazir can well imagine what might happen if the people of Pakistan lose their patience. They have learnt that they can only survive by uniting as a single nation and asserting their democratic rights. With the army, the judiciary and the presidency being recognized as national culprits and a leaderless parliament, the people have to find new leaders and create a new system of their own. If a hand gets in their way it must be broken. It will be an unprecedented carnage which will make the French revolution look like a picnic. The Urdu revolution will be remembered in history for a very long time.

Hail H2O

2008-05-18T00:07:00.000+05:00

John 2:1-11
1) On the third day there was a marriage at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2) Jesus also was invited to the marriage, with his disciples. 3) When the wine failed, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." 4) And Jesus said to her, "What does that have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." 5) His mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you." 6) Now six stone jars were standing there, for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7) Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them up to the brim. 8) He said to them, "Now draw some out, and take it to the steward of the feast." So they took it. 9) When the steward of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward of the feast called the bridegroom 10) and said to him, "Every man serves the good wine first; and when men have drunk freely, then the poor wine; but you have kept the good wine until now." 11) This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

Moral: Those who always drink wine and have never tasted pure water will appreciate it as an excellent drink when they consume it for the first time.

The Poor Fig Tree

2008-05-18T00:04:00.000+05:00

Matthew 21:14-22
14) And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. 15) But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying out in the temple, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" they were indignant; 16) and they said to him, "Do you hear what these are saying?" And Jesus said to them, "Yes; have you never read, `Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise'?" 17) And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and lodged there. 18) In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. 19) And seeing a fig tree by the wayside he went to it, and found nothing on it but leaves only. And he said to it, "May no fruit ever come from you again!" And the fig tree withered at once. 20) When the disciples saw it they marveled, saying, "How did the fig tree wither at once?" 21) And Jesus answered them, "Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and never doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, `Be taken up and cast into the sea,' it will be done. 22) And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith."

Moral: Hunger takes away a man’s reason. Even Jesus, the epitome of mercy cursed the fig tree that was unable to satisfy his hunger; rather than commanding it to bear fruit at once.

To Judge or not to Judge

2008-04-24T21:43:00.000+05:00

Someone sent me an email from a nonexistent email address inviting me to read the documents that could be downloaded from the url http://const.countpakistan.com

I did download the 111 page document which contained the proclamation of emergency of 3rd November, 2007, the Provisional constitutional order issued by the chief of army staff and the Supreme Court judgment on a number of petitions related to it.

I have the following comments to make:

1. As soon as the constitution was put in abeyance by the chief of army staff and PCO was issued, the presidency also became nonfunctional and he (who also held the office of president) ceased to be the president and will remain a non-president until restored to Office by the Parliament. His recognition by alien governments has no meaning. Similarly the use of a non-president to administer oaths of office to elected representatives does not reinstate him as President.

2. If the non-president became president again on withdrawal of the PCO, then by default all the judges deposed as a consequence of the PCO and other orders issued under it also stood restored to office.

3. The old notion of "the will or word of the sovereign is law" is no longer valid. The present day democratic doctrine is that "a proclaimed law is not a law until accepted by the people through their elected representatives or by a referendum." Any court that bases its judgment on unaccepted law acts against the spirit of justice and the judgment is not even worth the paper on which it is written. It is interesting that the judgment in question quotes in length from judgments and writings of Indian, British and American jurists and authors but does not make any reference to Islamic traditions, nor does it contain a single phrase of original wisdom.

4. The best way to resolve the present constitutional and judicial crisis in Pakistan is to hold a referendum by which the people can endorse or reject the presidential, legal and judicial actions of the intervening period.

The Way Ahead

2008-03-30T11:18:00.000+05:00

For the first time in the history of Pakistan non-controversial elections have been held and a central government has been formed which has the unanimous support of all political parties. The lawmakers have taken the oath of allegiance to constitution and law and it has been repeatedly said that from now on Pakistan will be ruled by its 160 million people.

It would be a good idea if the people of Pakistan, its government, institutions and media work together to celebrate a day when every Pakistani man, woman and child living in the country or abroad would take an oath:

"to defend the Constitution of Pakistan, oppose its total or partial suspension, live by the laws of Pakistan and not participate in any unlawful activity, work for the glory of the Nation and Country, care for each other and voluntarily return anything acquired unlawfully."

Let us make it happen as soon as possible.

To New Scientist

2008-03-29T23:26:00.000+05:00

Refering to page 24 of the March 1 issue, I fail to grasp the humor of Mr. Prothero when he says "......higher organisms such as birds and mammals to humans (and ultimately to God)". Mr. Darwin certainly did not have the benefit of observing the process of evolution we have done in our lives. Think about the evolution from hand-carts to intelligent, talking cars and auto-pilot aeroplanes or from the abacus to the super-computer. I call it the evolution of inorganic life on earth and am proud of having participatd in it. Unfortunately, I know very little about biology or geology, but I am inclined to think that organic evolution would also have taken place in a similar manner.
In the next issue there is going to be an article on "dark matter" that comprises 96 percent of what exists in the universe. May be then I would be able to conjecture whether a life form could have evolved there or that is just another third world.

Pakistan Today

2008-03-21T21:20:00.000+05:00

1. General Musharraf used to be a brave and patriotic soldier, but the careless use of chocolate colored American rice condiment has affected him badly. His courage index is so low that he can not admit his mistakes and his patriotism has become so diluted that he is unable to make a sacrifice for the country and nation he must still be loving passionately. Maybe, the use of desi halva can help him, but it should be left to his wife.
2. The pitiable state of Pakistn's deposed judiciary is the result of their own doings. Had they not transgressed their limits by endorsing political demands and follies of ambitious generals they would not be sorry today. An Urdu saying means that if you feed milk to a snake, you are bound to be bitten.
3. The judges who have taken oath of allegiance to the Chief of Army Staff are no longer part of the judicial system. They should be sent to army barrcks and should be paid from army funds.

To Jasmeen

2008-03-21T21:15:00.000+05:00

Dear Jasmeen,

I watched the concluding part of your program last night. I shall be brief as I have other things to do.
There is certainly a link between terrorism in Pakistan and brothels. It is my observation that the feeling of erosion of cherished values drives one to utter desperation, suicidal streak and sadism -- the mixture being called terrorism. Examples can be found in Europe and America of the 60's and Far East.
According to latest surveys there are upto 15000 male and female prostitutes in Karachi alone, many of them HIV infected.
Your contention that the high office of president should not be denigrated is absolutely agreeable. So is the case with the high offices of prime minister and chief justice.
Unfortunately, president Musharraf rose to power by disgracing the high office of prime minister and has continued his position by disrupting and bringing to disrepute the entire judiciary of Pakistan.
President Musharraf had completely aligned himself with a certain political party and severely attacked the others.
Now that the political parties that he denigrated have obtained a popular mandate, he should show loyalty to his chosen party and make a personal sacrifice for the sake of the nation by stepping down gracefully. If he agrees to work with the new political forces, it would be called political prostitution by some. Politics and soldiery, like love and religion, are all about undivided loyalty.
The reason why many sensible people like myself supported him in the past is that he seemed to be the only choice to maintain stability in the country. Recent events have shown that the fear does not exist anymore. Hence president Musharraf has become dispensable.
You are welcome to continue the argument.

The Spirit of Islam – A personal perspective

2008-02-28T19:55:00.000+05:00

On a number of occasions I have been asked by nonmuslim friends and associates to explain my religion and beliefs that make me the unique individual that I am, in a language that they can understand. From a thorough study of the Holy Qur'an, Hadith (Prophet Muhammad’s traditions) and lives of good Muslims spanning over many years, I have derived the following basic principles of Islam. This work is not a replacement of Fiqh, but a brief summary of the teachings of the Holy Qur'an and Prophet Muhammad (sallaho alaihe wasallam) which may help the uninitiated to understand Islam. Selected references to chapter and verse have been given in brackets but there is a lot more in the Holy Qur’an and books of Hadith. The text in italics is my own interpretation of the words of the Holy Qur’an and Hadith; the ideas may seem new to those Muslims who have relied on classical interpretations but may become clear after a little reflection. Any comment, criticism, query or suggestion for improvement will be welcomed.

1. The Singularity of existence: Allah is the only God – an eternal being having all power and knowledge, born of none and having no progeny, who has no needs or weaknesses. He created the world and He protects, controls and nurtures it with utmost compassion and mercy. All changes in the world are by His command. One must not worship or call anyone but Allah for help. (2:255, 4:48, 21:30, 87:1-3, 112:1-4)

The entire Universe is a single living organism which appears to be growing and everything that exists is a part of this whole. The Kingdom of Allah gives equality and moral sovereignty to every human individual. Some philosophers define Allah or God as the mind and memory or intelligence or central nervous system of the Universe from Whom all living and nonliving objects derive their behavior patterns.

2. The authentic messenger: Allah revealed His commands for correct human conduct afresh to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who was a perfect human being and a model to be followed. The collection of these revelations is called the Holy Qur'an which is a book of guidance for all times to come. The code of conduct given in the Holy Qur'an is called Islam, and a Muslim must follow the entire code without exception. (2:2, 3:144, 33-40, Chapter 47, 48-29 )

Islam, like any other religion, gives a code of duties as well as defining rights, only it is more comprehensive and understandable. In a perfect society everyone must voluntarily perform his or her duties without waiting for others to claim their rights and indulging in conflict.

3. Islam is the religion of pure reason: Nearly half of the Holy Qur'an consists of reasoning to convince its readers. Islam has no place for activities leading to psychological intimidation, induced change of mood, impairment of judgment or irrational attachment. Hence it does not allow the use of statues, pictures, music, dancing or intoxicants in religious rites and discourages them in social or personal life. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) strictly forbade the making of his picture or statue. (2:3, 17:54,89)

The Holy Qur’an contains guidance for the muttaqeen who are conscientious about their mistakes and seek the right path. Arrogant persons who are not prepared to accept their mistakes can hardly benefit from the Holy Qur’an. Taqwa is not the physical fear of Allah, as commonly translated, because one does not try to get close to what one fears while Taqwa is an act that brings one close to Allah.

4. The glory of Man: Humankind is superior to all other creatures and Allah's viceroy on earth. Human beings must complement His functions of protecting, nurturing and improving His creations. This should be the only purpose of all pursuits of knowledge and scientific research. (2:30,195, 51:49)

Acquiring knowledge and reflecting on the manifestations of nature is an essential part of human intellectual activity and the Holy Qur’an repeatedly recommends it.

5. The Day of Judgment: Everyone will have to account for all his or her actions in life and be rewarded or punished on an appointed day. On that day, the world will cease to exist as we know it and all who would have lived and died will come alive again and become immortal to experience the pleasures or pains they deserve for ever. (3:185, 18:47-49, 84:1-25)

The concept of Day of Judgment can be found in many religions and quite often the street preacher presents it as the ultimate festival with elaborate scenarios of theatrics by God and His Prophets. In reality, it is something to be viewed with a spiritual angle and taken very seriously.

6. All human beings are equal in the eyes of Allah: Men and women have equal rights, though men are a step higher on the ladder; and a red man is not superior to a black man or vice versa. Allah has made people different to promote healthy competition and accelerated development. Cleanliness and piety bring one closer to Allah. Cleanliness is half of faith. (2:228, 30:22)

A man is responsible for the protection, feeding, education and discipline of his family. He must earn himself and not use the women and children for financial gain. Yet if a woman has knowledge or skills that can be employed gainfully in the service of the community without violating the Islamic code of life, she should not be discouraged.

7. Sanctity of Human Life: One who murders a human being murders all humankind and one who saves a human life saves all humankind. (5:32)

Matters relating to murder and saving of lives are universal and transcend all religious and ethnic classifications. All members of a community should work together to condemn and punish a murderer irrespective of their or the murderer’s or the victim’s religious or racial identity. One must not hesitate in taking action to save a life in danger because the person in question belongs to a different religion or race and the person who saves a life or lives as a profession should receive universal respect without religious or other prejudice.

8. Prayer: The viceroy must always act in consultation with the Creator. Five times a day, at appointed times one must perform ablutions and stand in meditation, recite from the Holy Qur’an, go through the motions of prayer or Salat as done by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), communicate one's observations, thoughts, feelings and needs to Allah and take all decisions in attendance before Allah. (2:3, 5:6, 24:56, 35:22)

Prayer is direct communication between an individual or group and Allah and a basic requirement for obtaining guidance from the Holy Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had instructed that apart from attending the congregations one should also say prayers by oneself. Placing an intermediary Vaseela in the process of prayer makes it ineffective. Spiritual links can be established between individual human beings that can work to their mutual benefit or detriment, but it has nothing to do with the relationship between people and Allah. Charms and amulets have psychological effect to boost one’s confidence but have no Divine significance.

9. Fasting: The fortunate must share the feelings of the less fortunate and be prepared for all eventualities. One must exercise complete self control and not eat or drink anything or indulge in carnal pleasures from sunrise to sunset during the lunar month of Ramadan every year. This practice is called fasting or Som in Arabic. (2:185)

Fasting is practiced in some form or other not only in all Biblical religions but also in religions that originated in other parts of the world such as Hinduism related to specific events or as a means of attaining mental peace. In Islam it is the charity of the body.

10. Poor Due: Charity is the highest virtue. Every year one must share at least a fortieth part of one's fortune with the needy without putting any obligation on them. This practice is called Zakat. The Qur’an lists the preferred causes and people on whom charity should be spent, one of which is the freeing of people from bondage. (2:43,177, 9:60)

Charity is appreciated in all civilized societies without exception as a voluntary virtue, however Islam makes it obligatory for every well to do believer.

11. Pilgrimage to the source of the truth: Those who can afford must, during their lifetime, make a pilgrimage to Makkah and Madinah to pray and familiarize themselves with the environment in which the Holy Qur'an was revealed and go through the rites and motions Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) performed during the Hajj. The blood and meat of the sacrificial beast do not reach Allah but the sentiments of the pilgrim do. (2:196-203, Chapter 22)

In this way one can verify if his or her attitudes and practices are in accordance with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) as they were conveyed from generation to generation and are being practiced in the places where he lived. Repentance during Hajj brings absolution from missed prayers and fasting, unpaid Zakat and other personal lapses, but the liabilities of crime and debt remain.

12. Privacy is everyone's privilege and prerogative: One must cover one's private parts and ensure that others' privacy is not compromised. Privacy can only be shared between a man and a woman through a mutually agreed and solemnized relationship. A man can be shared between women, but a woman can not be shared between men. A man can marry up to four orphan women at a time if they need to be sheltered, but since he can not give equal love to each, he should be content with one wife. Children are the gifts of Allah and must be protected. Adultery and incest are prohibited and the rules of marriage and divorce are laid down in the Holy Qur'an. (4:3, 22-25, 6-151, 17-32, 24:2)

In the Islamic culture, public displays that can cause sex related stress in normal and healthy individuals are considered environmental pollution. The Prophet’s many wives were actually volunteers who had contracted to live with him to learn a woman’s ways in Islam and teach the same to other Muslim women.

13. Honesty is the essence of Islam: One must give full measure while selling and protect and return what is given in trust. All agreements must be written down and witnessed by men or women or both. The terms of a loan agreement must be dictated by the borrower, and since consumable items can not be rented, interest can not be charged on money lent. A loan must be returned. (2:275, 282, 3:30, 4:29, 6:58,152, 11:85, 17:35, 83:1-6)

In Islamic culture honesty and faith are synonymous. Any amount or object that one receives from anyone as loan or graft or in any manner such as fraud or embezzlement that is not his or her by right becomes a debt that must be repaid before that person’s last rites, Namaze Janaza. If not, then it stands to reason that the liability would be transferred to the successors of that person and would remain so until the Day of Judgment. The only way a debt can be retired is by paying to the creditor or his or her successors. No amount of charity or good deeds can substitute debt retirement. Islam clearly defines a role for women in the economic and legal aspects of the society and allows them to consult each other when appearing as witnesses in a court of law. It also implies that all Muslim women should be educated to be able to read and sign legal documents.

14. and Punishment: No one carries the burden of another's guilt. Punishment can only be physical and the freedom of movement of an individual can not be restrained except for a short period during the investigation of a witnessed crime. One has the right of equal retribution, but forgiveness is preferable. The right of forgiveness rests with the aggrieved party. Crime must be eradicated from society by exemplary punishment to those whose crimes are proven beyond a shadow of doubt. Limits of punishment for certain specific crimes are prescribed in the Holy Qur'an. (5:38-40)

Law and morality are so closely intertwined in Islam that any attempt to separate the two strains the social fabric and produces violent reactions. Islamic logic also differs from Greek logic as it places ethical restraints on the length to which an argument can be extended.

15. Sanctity of the spoken word: One must not hide the truth and must endeavor to dispense justice without prejudice or favor. One must protect the rights of the weak and the orphans and ensure that whatever is due to them reaches them. Every word uttered by a Muslim is a word of honor that can make or break relationships and must be kept at all costs. (4:135, 5:8, 11:90)

A half truth is also a partial concealment of truth and unacceptable in Islam.

16. Purity of food: One must not consume intoxicants, CNS depressants, blood, carrion and meat of pigs or animals killed by shock or torture or dedicated to a deity. Except these, all items of food that are good to human beings and rightfully owned may be consumed. (2:173, 5-3, 90-91)

The prohibited items are not necessarily filth and those who consume them are not necessarily filthy.

17. Rewards of work: One only gets what one strives for, there being no limit to what one can achieve. One must not indulge in pursuits that promise gain without effort or with token investment. Workers and laborers should be paid their fair wages before their sweat dries. (53:39)

Some verses of the holy Qur’an are often misinterpreted to construe that everything in this world is predetermined and fait rather than people decide matters. If that were so then what would be the sense in the day of Judgment?

18. Good manners: One must bow with those who bow and must not act in a supercilious manner. One must respect one's parents and care for them in their old age. One must ensure that no one is hurt by one's hands or tongue. (3:134, 4:36, 31:18)

“Bow with those who bow” is often construed as congregational prayer but it can equally be interpreted as humility in response to respect and adoration.

19. Legacy: One's legacy must be distributed among one's survivors proportionately as instructed in the Holy Qur'an which includes all sons and daughters, spouse, parents and siblings. The will of a deceased person must be executed. (4:7-13)

The Holy Qur’an has provided a divine solution to the greatest source of social discord.

20. Tolerance: One must respect the religious beliefs of others and not use force in matters of faith. Yet one must gently persuade others to embrace Islam, to do good deeds and renounce evil. Islam confirms Jesus (Issa, pbuh) and Moses (Moosa, pbuh) as true prophets of Allah and the Holy Qur'an recounts the stories of Biblical characters from Adam (pbuh) to Issa (pbuh) with rationalizations and proclaims belief in them as part of faith. (2-256, 7:199-200, 22:67, 109:all)

In the early Muslim converted settlements on the fringes of Europe violence and coercion was used to convert people to Islam and as a result the spread of Islam in those directions stopped.

21. Self defense: If there is no other recourse, one must wage war against injustice, repression and the domination of evil. The spirit of combat should be to eliminate injustice and evil, not to take revenge for personal offences. Aggression should be confronted with force, and preparations should be made if aggression is imminent. Those who die in the path of righteousness become immortal and blessed by Allah. (2:190-194)

A good Muslim never commits an act of aggression, as he or she can persuade others by sound reasoning based on Qur’anic injunctions.

22. Democracy: For any collective activity, a leader should be elected by consensus and should be obeyed unless he or she violates accepted norms of Islam. Everyone has the right to express disagreement with superiors and receive a convincing explanation. (2:59)

Many examples of this practice can be found in the lives of the Holy Prophet and his succeeding Caliphs.

23. Gifts of God: The Sun and the Moon follow calculated paths, the trees and plants are in a state of submission and the world is at the disposal of humankind. One must not disturb the balances created by Allah. Allah has evolved the human race by genetic encoding of the essence of the Holy Qur’an and He looks after everything in both the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth represented by the two Easts and the two Wests. The human race is superior to all other creatures due to its ability to give names to objects, events, feelings and ideas thus developing languages, literature and sciences. (55:1-10)

24. Laws of Nature: The laws of nature were formulated by Allah on the ‘Day of Deen’. They are inescapable and one must try to understand them. One must strive to acquire knowledge of industry and invention. Iron is a gift of Allah and must be utilized for the benefit and protection of people. (1:3, 30:30, 57:25)

The same should apply to other metals and minerals.

25. Genesis: Allah worked for six ages of a thousand years to set up the mechanism of creation and established His headquarters in heaven, then said "happen" and the world took shape. He monitors the state of affairs in the world and sends new ideas in a cycle of a thousand years. All life emerged from water. Humankind has been created in the best era of the world's existence. (10:3, 21:30, 32:4-5, 95:4,)

26. Soul: The human soul is immortal and there is a population of invisible spiritual beings in heaven and earth called angels and jinnat. The devil belongs to the genus of the jinn. (2-85, Ch 72,)

27. The devil: The devil is out to undo the goodness of human beings and they must resist evil temptations. Allah forgives those who repent their lapses or failings due to ignorance and seek His forgiveness. (16:63)

28. Perseverance: Adversity is never beyond the tolerance limit of the sufferer, and one must never lose hope. Allah goes with those who have patience. If an innocent person who is faced with deep trouble calls Allah for help, He responds favorably. (2-45,153, 156-7, 286, 3-200)

The Holy Qur’an relates many accounts of extreme adversity faced by prophets and saints to prove the point.

© Mohammad Nasim, D-1 Doulat Square, Gulshan-e-Iqbal 13/B, Karachi-75300, Pakistan.
Tel: 4992612, 03008272567. (2947 words) email: mnasim_99@yahoo.com

100 Contemporary Definitions – 2008

2008-02-17T13:58:00.000+05:00

(The evolution of concepts to fashion a realistic world)

By Naseem Mahnavi

1. Afghan = A member of a brave Asian nation that defeated the military power of Communism, caused the dismemberment of the Soviet Union and helped to stop the Cold War whose heroes were not accepted as the heroes of the free world.

2. Alqaeda = International forum of dissidents originated by veterans of Afghan freedom struggle against USSR to free other countries of the region from covert foreign occupation, involved or implicated by North Atlantic powers in terrorist acts and turned into the most outlawed entity.

3. Angel = Massless and invisible but intelligent creatures that communicate by exchanging images, found in the Bible and the Koran.

4. Anti-Semitism = Western Christian hatred of Jews and Muslims of Arabian origin caused by the supercilious behavior of European Jews and exposure for centuries to paintings of religious wars depicting bearded turbaned men with curved swords slaying European men, women and children and carrying away naked white women commonly displayed in European Art galleries..

5. Atom = Scientific belief in the unseen.

6. Beauty = Ability to cause favorable reaction beyond vocabulary.

7. Buenocracy = Domination by good people. (It doesn't exist anywhere.)

8. Capitalism = Rights based social system that degenerated into the domination by money and riches.

9. Cell Phone = The conquest of distance.

10. Christianity = Worship of the anointed one and belief in morality based on the parables in the pre-Muhammadan Divine Books which originated in the Middle East.

11. Civilization = A society in which ethical restraints prevent people from going as low as they can.

12. Clergy = Religious performers who exploit the sense of guilt of believers.

13. Communism = Domination by the least educated and skilled members of community.

14. Computer = An inorganic appendage to human beings for sharing large amounts of knowledge, information or data and analytical power not possible by sensory or organic means.

15. Corruption = Abuse of law, ethical principles or social norms and exploitation of the less privileged.

16. Crime = Violation or abuse of law, an act whose committer deserves punishment.

17. Democracy = Universal equality of opinion and domination of majority opinion with negation of individual discretion of those in authority and legal preemption.

18. Democratic Attitude = The absence of intransigence.

19. Democratic government = Domination by a group of people who have demonstrated their ability to manipulate public opinion better than others.

20. Democratic Leader = A representative of a community loyal to his or her voters.

21. Democratic Process = Deliberations in which everyone concerned gets an opportunity to express opinion and amend a draft resolution before a decision is taken by majority vote.

22. Democratic Society = A society in which leadership emerges from the common people through the natural processes of social organization, self government and unrestricted intellectual activity.

23. Diplomat = One who can negotiate from a position of weakness.

24. Discipline = Ability to restrain oneself before being restrained by others.

25. Divorce = The failure of a man and a woman to accommodate each other and live together as per their marital commitments.

26. Duties = Basic building blocks of civilization – universal or circumstantial human obligations whose neglect is crime. (The UNO has not prepared a charter of human Duties.)

27. Engineering = Art and science of creating inorganic life.

28. Evil = Ability to harm or destroy.

29. Failure = One who ruins every thing when feeling confident.

30. Fertilization = The combining of a male and a female cell into a single unique cell with a new universal time mark.

31. Freedom = Ability to take one’s own decisions and define one’s own limits.

32. Galaxy = A cell of the gigantic living organism called the universe.

33. General = One authorized to get soldiers killed.

34. God = The Singularity discovered thousands of years ago, but never defined scientifically.

35. Gravity = Inherent interconnection among bodies of matter, measure of the potential energy of a body relative to the rest of the matter in the universe.

36. Guantanamo = Infamous and illicit outfit of US armed forces where people abducted from all over the world are subjected to unconventional psychological experiments without being compensated.

37. Half-life = Collective property of radioactive elements not applicable to each atom.

38. Happiness = Disciplined pursuit of pleasure that does not result in regret.

39. Hindu = Black-skinned pre-Aryan people of ancient India. The Vedas were their religious books.

40. History = Impartial account of past events, often reconstructed from fragments of information.

41. Human being = The most advanced organic biological (animal) species capable of conversing, calculating, planning, communicating, building and developing and enforcing ethics.

42. Infinity = The illusion of division by an extreme fraction. In reality there is no such thing as division by a fraction.

43. Irrational Behavior = Human mind’s attempt to use data as program.

44. Islam = Surrender to reason and worship of a conceptual ideal being called Allah as taught by Muhammad.

45. Israelis = A minority ethnic group of ancient Egypt originating from the mixing of the family of an Arab named Abraham and black Africans. The half breeds recognized as a unique race were treated badly by the natives and fled from Egypt under their leader Moses who was accused of wanton murder.

46. Jew = Believer in the earliest moral and religious traditions of the Middle East.

47. Judaism = Culture based on ancient Middle Eastern traditions, constituted by European money lenders to acquire the status of God’s chosen people referred in the Bible and intimidate Christians.

48. Justice = Process to ensure that offenders get proportionate punishment, grievances are redressed and an innocent person is not punished.

49. Kashmir = Historically independent mountain country and natural component of Pakistan turned into a disputed territory by North Atlantic powers to create military competition among bordering nations and prevent them from attaining their full economic potential threatening North Atlantic domination.

50. Language = Unique human ability to communicate resulting from a natural compulsion to give names to objects, events, actions and feelings.

51. Law = Collectively adopted limits of individual freedom to ensure that good people remain good and the bad ones also behave in a tolerable manner.

52. Leader = One who knows the way better than others and stays in front.

53. Life = Ability to change others' perceptions.

54. Love = Urge to protect, nourish and share pleasures with, and willingness to make sacrifices for.

55. Marriage = License to share privacy.

56. Mind = The causation of behavior patterns, the fifth dimension of existence.

57. Moon = Spherical mineral satellite of Earth orbiting and rotating with perfect synchronization to present the same face to earth at all times and having large shallow depressions that focus signals coming from distant astronomical sources on to the surface of the Earth.

58. Mullah = One who knows nothing but religious rumor and is not prepared to learn more.

59. NATO = Enigmatic North Atlantic military outfit that prevents ethnic cleansing where it chooses (e.g. Serbia) and carries out ethnic cleansing where it chooses (e.g. Afghanistan).

60. Nation = A group of people who identify themselves with each other.

61. Nazism = Reaction of German Christians to Judaic claim of being the chosen race, asserting superiority over other people on account of undiluted Aryan descent.

62. Patriot = One willing to make sacrifices to defend the freedom of his or her homeland.

63. Peace = Absence of irritation.

64. Politics = Exploitation of the community's weaknesses.

65. Poverty = Absence of affluence.

66. Power = Ability to cause beneficial action.

67. Prayer = The expression of true desires with passion.

68. Quality = Comparison with an established standard. There can not be quality without an example or reference.

69. Race = A group of people or nations situated within natural geographical boundaries and having similar physical features, pigmentation, temperament, language, script, eating habits, immunities and some carriers of unique diseases or some combination of these. With the development of world-wide travel, trade, communication and vaccines, the racial differences have become insignificant.

70. Racialism = The exploitation of the hazards of interracial mixing.

71. Realist = One who can differentiate between a virtual reality and the actual reality.

72. Red-shift = Aging and dilation of electromagnetic radiation during propagation through space, a measure of the time it has been traveling.

73. Relative Space = Location based on three linear coordinates with reference to an arbitrary point and a fourth age coordinate relative to an arbitrary event (date and time) in a universe where everything is constantly moving.

74. Religion = Duty based social systems that degenerated into fixed belief in the imperceptible and the unknown based on fears of what happens after death.

75. Rights = Rewards of fulfilling duties or obligations whose denial or violation is crime.

76. Science = Study of the nature and working of things and events; and belief in proven and verified facts.

77. Secularism = Absence of religious prejudice and inequality.

78. Self-immolation = Act of public suicide resulting from Dying Values Syndrome.

79. Shia = Descendants of Hussain ibn Ali and his own and step brothers, who did not accompany him to the battle of Karbala and regretted it – and many others who joined the sect for their own reasons.

80. Sin = Violation of divine stipulation.

81. Soldier = One trained to obey orders without questioning and to live constantly in peril.

82. Soul = Genetic software, also called spirit or psyche.

83. Space = Occupied part of the void.

84. Spiritualism = Interaction of central nervous and autonomic systems.

85. Successful Person = One who learns his or her lessons early.

86. Sun = Nucleus of the solar system containing the Earth, wherein primordial matter is still decomposing and generating extreme heat and radiation.

87. Taliban = Extremely bigoted ethnic minority of Afghanistan who fancy the lifestyle of 7th century Arabs and aspire to establish the Kingdom of God.

88. Terror = Exaggerated state of fear in a person lacking moral courage, sometimes resulting in a sadistic response to the apparent or assumed cause of fear.

89. Terrorism = Tendency to achieve by violent intimidation rather than by asking, bargaining, creating, developing or earning.

90. Theory of Relativity = Mathematical expression of the illusory nature of observation.

91. Time = Differential element of age.

92. Total Eclipse = Situation when a portion of the earth is completely shielded from either direct or indirect exposure to radiation from the Sun.

93. Trade Union = Organization of industrial, agricultural, intellectual, governmental or professional workers to standardize their practices, protect their rights and ensure fair remuneration and dignity of its members. It is the basic first step towards democracy. Countries where trade unions have not developed still have tyrannical governments and widespread poverty.

94. Truth = Accurate statement, exact description and effective cause or reason.

95. Traitor = A citizen who acts against the interests of his or her country or sacrifices national interest for personal gain, and a soldier who points a weapon at an innocent, peaceful, unarmed citizen of his or her own country.

96. War = Legitimized crime or violent response to it, often a contest of terror.

97. War on Terror = A sadistic vendetta between Christian and Muslim extremists resulting from the incompetence of intellectuals, politicians and generals.

98. Weapon = A potentially lethal implement used for persuasion by the mentally weak, for protection by the physically weak, and for committing crimes by the ethically or morally weak.

99. World War II = Occasion of choice for Western Europe between German and American domination, Americans coming out on top.

100. Zero = Difference between equals.

©Mohammad Nasim

Vox Populi

2007-11-25T16:21:00.000+05:00

During the past few days I have overheard the following conversation between people at public places in Karachi:

How can an order issued by the Chief of Army Staff be applicable to anyone other than army personnel? Why do the Civil Administration and Judiciary take notice of such orders?
How can a civil servant of grade 17 issue a document titled “Statutory Regulatory Order” on Government of Pakistan letter head in defiance of the acts of parliament, budgetary allocations and constitutional provisions?
How can the army that holds the people and institutions of Pakistan in such contempt be expected to give its blood to defend them?
All of Pakistan’s problems can be solved by getting rid of about 600 top civil servants, an equal number of politicians and about 200 top military officers.
Pervez Musharraf has not been able to find a general in the Pak army suitable to be appointed as COAS in the last five years, will he import one now?
Pervez Musharraf is needed to maintain political stability in Pakistan.
Benazir Bhutto in spite of being a democratic icon has no political program or economic policy; she will only fuel further corruption if brought to power.
Nawaz Shrif initiated the economic policies in his first term which are still being followed, but he has a dictatorial streak and may again annoy his colleagues who may again conspire with the army to overthrow him.
Is Nawaz Sharif the Saudi candidate for premiership or USA’s possible alternative to Benazir?
What is the formula to empower the poor who are getting poorer while the rich are getting richer?

God help us.

The Black Night of 10/18

2007-10-22T01:25:00.000+05:00

The Black Night of 10/18
By Naseem Mahnavi (mnasim_99@yahoo.com)

The ghastly carnage in Karachi on the night of 18th October, 2007 was perhaps the worst thing that ever happened in Pakistan after independence. No amount of condemnation and consolation can give solace to the bereaved families in particular and the nation in general. It was a heinous crime whose facilitators must be demobilized and punished in an exemplary manner. For now one can only pray for the peace of the deceased and the safety of those who live in this country.

However, it would be extremely imprudent if one does not look back and ponder impartially the events and circumstances that made such a thing possible. The following points come to my mind that should make those who deserve to blame themselves do so.

Pakistani generals who need clearance from the Pentagon for their promotions would do anything to please their mentors.
Perhaps this arrangement was agreed when the USA supplied sophisticated hardware to Pakistani military including Star fighters which were clumsily bugged and crashed at regular intervals. How reliable is the rest of American military hardware?

Generals promoted recently to key posts seem to have emotional personalities that can be manipulated easily.

The US administration would like to have Benazir at the head of government in Pakistan when they attack Iran so that she may control the violent reaction of Pakistani Shias. Insecure as she has proven to be, she would literally be on American strings.

The responsibility of the 10/18 carnage lies heavily on the shoulders of those who had persuaded her to return to Pakistan and played a part in facilitating it.

Pakistani politicians are wishful thinkers and get over-excited at the slightest hint of glory. Nawaz Shrif got swollen headed when the Supreme Court gave verdict that he could not be prevented from returning to his home country and Benazir thought that she was returning as the joint viceroy of the US president and British queen.

Benazir was to be accompanied by a number of British MPs and US Senators and security arrangements were being made accordingly to befit the foreign dignitaries. When she boarded the plane with mere Pakistanis the security arrangements were scaled down to those demanded by other not so popular ex-prime ministers such as Jamali and Shujaat. Why Benazir's foreign friends ditched her at the last moment can only be explained by them.

Benazir was aware of an impending attack and yet she chose the insane option of traveling in an open truck at one mile per hour in the darkness of night through terrorist infested roads. Martyrdom is not for a family woman.

Only days before the Swiss investigating magistrate completed his enquiries and sent the case to the prosecutor general, Benazir gave up all her objections to the military dictatorship and tacitly supported Musharraf in his re-election in uniform in exchange for the withdrawal of criminal cases against her. Was Benazir really afraid or did she give in to blackmail?

Hundreds of thousands of destitute and desperate people were brought to Karachi from interior Sindh and other provinces to the welcome rally on 18/10, but tens of thousands did not return. In the coming months there is going to be a proliferation of street beggars, thefts and robberies in this city.

Pakistanis are fighting a war against extremism, but in doing so one should be careful not to introduce a new kinds of extremism, such as democratic extremism or judicial extremism.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan is examining the eligibility of Pervez Musharraf for the third part-time presidential term and the jurisdiction of the existing Electoral College to elect a new president. He has already submitted an undertaking that if he is declared elected, he would give up his part-time job as army chief. He is already past the maximum age for army service, so perhaps he can get around some of the difficulties by submitting a backdated resignation.

This is with due apologies to anyone who feels hurt or embarrassed by the stark, undiluted truth which is necessary to ensure sanity and purpose in a confused nation.

A Tale of Two Deals

2007-09-06T15:12:00.000+05:00

Back in 1970 the pathetic general did a deal with Daddy to get him elected prime minister if he would let him remain president for as long as he liked. Free, fair and transparent elections were held in which Daddy’s brand new political party which had never contested elections before won 60% of the seats in this wing. Daddy was expecting better. In the other wing, the old party threw a spanner in the works by hijacking the rigging plan and winning 99% of seats in that wing and claiming the right to form government. Daddy insisted that he should be made prime minister as per the deal. The motherland was thrown into complete chaos. The jealous neighbor took advantage of this opportunity and moved its forces into that wing. The pathetic general surrendered that wing and left the office of president in disgrace.

Back in 2002 the smart general who had staged a military coup while flying in the air was having difficulty getting himself recognized as president by anybody but the super power. So, on behalf of the super power, the neighbor massed its troops on the borders of the motherland to pressurize the politicians and the courts into cooperating with the smart general. The smart general got a five year term in the presidency.

By the end of the 5 years, like all bad politicians, the smart general had lost his popularity and there seemed no way he could remain president and also general as before. So he decided to make a deal with Baby, whereby he would make her prime minister while she would help her remain president and also general. Nothing wrong with that; but the deal must include the following two points:

1. If the rigging plan fails, Baby would not insist on her pound of flesh at the expense of motherland.

2. Reforms will be carried out in the military recruitment policy and training content to make it more focused on its professional obligations.