The conference was headed by Dr. Fouzia saeed from Mehergarh and Aqsa Khan from Actionaid. The chief guests were Madam Mehnaz Rafi and Doniya Aziz, member PML (Q), Saeeda Arfa Zahra from NCSW and Saima Khar from PPP and renowned Poetess Kishwar Naheed were present.

The conference started with a stage play in which the problems and how a young nurse being harassed by the male doctors and nurses. It also depicted the mental trauma through which women suffers as she has no one on her back who would listen to her and help her instead she will be the one to be blamed and fired from her job.

The debate was that why working women of Pakistan are being harassed and what consequences they have to face. On the AASHA platform the NGOs representatives presented a code of conduct for gender justice and demanded for the protection of working women in Pakistan. At this point Saeeda Arfa Zahra said and I cote “Men kill women for their own honor, if it is about their honor why do not they kill themselves. If it would be about our honor we will kill ourselves by ourselves”, on this women in the hall clapped with all their hearts. She also added that women have to make their own identity and stand strong. They are neither helpless nor weak only if they know what their strengths are.

The code of conduct for gender justice had 15 points; some of them are as follows:
1. It demanded that women should not only be referred as mothers, wives and daughters but they should be taken as a human being first, as they are much more than their relations with the men in their lives.
2. It demands that women should be provided with social and legal protection at work places.
3. Asked from political parties to clearly state what they will do for the working women in their mandate.
4. To have legislation that gives women protection against sexual harassment at work place.
5. Government should institutionalize the code of conduct for gender justice (anti sexual harassment policy) for all the government hospitals and health services.
6. the government of Pakistan honors the international commitment i.e. CFDAW, ILO Convention 100 and 111 that covers fundamental rights of men and women at work
Later that evening after lunch break the visiting working women were divided into three groups
1. general problems
2. factory workers
3. nurses
Within these groups, women shared their experiences of harassment at their work place and tell how society and locality members treat them if they know about their harassment. One of the factory members said that it does not matter who’s fault is it, woman is the only entity being blamed for every action and situation. People point fingers on her character no matter how poise she is. Women also complained that managers and owners prefer young beautiful women for their organization and give them better salaries as compared to the older women who are degraded and appointed at less salary.(we in the cities relate to it by knowing the fact that young beautiful girls are prefered for reception jobs)

While talking to Dr. Fouzia Saeed few students of different universities complained that their male teachers use degrading and abusive words for women while teaching women. And prefer giving good marks to those who have good looks. In answer to that I, as was also present there, said that being a student I think ones most important concern would be to get good grades and if that person knows that teacher will give her that, if she smile to him, she would do that because she has to survive in her college or university and in her practical life as well. So blaming a woman for being beautiful isn’t right. another problem is that in women universities such as Fatimah Jinnah Women university, Rawalpindi smoking is prohibited to keep the environmnet clean but the outsiders, male, and faculity memebers are allowed to smoke. the point is if they are then why not university students? in our society smoking is related to one’s character specially if its a woman who smokes but for men there is always an excuse or explanation.

There were many core problems being discussed which I think it would be better if we talk on those on this platform with my readers through discussion.

Is there any solution to stop women discrimination and harassment? Can we give a better life to the women of Pakistan? Will men ever stop taking woman as an ornament? And treat her as a fellow human being but not as someone’s daughter, mother or wife?

Is there any change in the behavior of young men and women of today’s Pakistan or they are as well following the foot steps of deep routed behaviors of men, from centuries, towards women?

At the end I salute those women who came to this conference and shared their experiences without any hesitation or shyness. I think you and I can never have this much courage to tell more than 100 audience that you have been abused or harassed. Hats off to them.
Give it a deep thought and then write what you think of it.

Azhar started the show with the famous Qalam by Baba Bhulleh Shah, “Vehrhe aa varh mere,” which gave a boost to his extraordinary performance till the end. The songs were bringing the mysticism into the arena as everyone was swinging on the melodious flute and on guitar tunes.

Each and every song was one of its kinds which were adorned by the deep voice of Arieb that took the audience in to another world of spiritualism. The list of songs sung by Azhar was from Sufi poets like Baba Bhulleh Shah, Khwaja Ghulam Farid, Shah Hussain, Hazrat Amir Khusrau and list goes on and on.

Azhar expressed his deep liking for Sufi Qalam. He also informed that his next album will be coming in next spring and will be recorded in Croatia as he lived a part of his life there and is quiet inspired by the creation musicians. .”My next album will be based on Sufi Qalam as was the previous Album,” he added.

There were handful of audience to watch his performance and the rest really missed the opportunity. Azhar said that very few people are aware of the real essence of Sufi Qalam that is why it is not so popular among people. “My first album was not much of a success and that could be a reason of disliking of Sufi Qalam in the market,” he said.

He told Daily Times that concept of new video is all set but he is looking for a financial aid. “I am not a commercial artist and that what makes it harder for me to get a financial aid,” he said. He assured that as soon he gets a green signal from anyone interested, he will make a video.

His performance also included songs from Bosnia known as Sevdah meaning pain of love. He sung two sevdahs which were liked by the audience. I did not know the Bosnian language but the delivery of verses and the music was well knitted.

The songs which make everyone sing along were Nach Dila Hunn by Sarmad Sehbai, Mun Kunto Muala by Hazrat Amir Khusrau and Husn-e-haqiqi by Ghulam Farid. The last song which is all times favorite was “Damma Dum Must Qalandar” that got a round of applause and whistles as a gratitude to his performance.

Director of Lok Virsa said that this concert was just arranged to entertain audience before Ramadan after the holy month a full-fledged Mella will be held which is know as Artisan at Work Festival, an annual cultural folk festival held by the administration of Lok Virsa.

Due to the new mobile models after every second week people seemed to be changing mobile phones after every new launch. Even the adolescence is seen with new models and they brag about it within their friends and in school. This force the children as well as adults, who cannot afford such luxury, to buy the stolen mobiles at cheaper rates.

I myself saw a guy selling Nokia’s N series mobile which cost more than Rs40,000 but was sold out at Rs19,000 such mobiles are either stolen or brought from abroad such as England, the visitors get mobile sets from the African British who sell such stuff on roads at night. so what our country natives do is they buy that from them and sell here, in Pakistan, at a much profitable rate in the market.

There are many mobile shops which sell stolen mobile phones at cheaper rates, mostly in Blue Area and few in Jinnah Super market Islamabad. And every shop has its own selling price which always high or low from the other shop. Those who do not know anything about the mobile prices could become an easy victim of mobile dealers.

The trick used by the mobile sellers is that they buy used mobiles at a very low price and sell it at high rates, still cheaper as compared to the original price. This benefits the shopkeeper and the buyer but the one who sell his mobile in the hands of the shopkeeper face Rs5,000 to Rs7,000 lose.

now a days there are chine made mobiles available in the market, the ones which will cost you not less than Rs60,000 are available at a cheaper rate such as Rs9,000, but remeber that there is no warranty for these mobiles. if you are buying it you will be resposible for the brakage.

As such there is no control over the prices of second hand mobiles in the market. Shopkeepers sell them on what ever price please them, which in some cases benefits the buyer but most of the times disguise them.

Today at 8:00 am I received a text message from one of my friends to go back home, I was heading towards Rawalpindi, as there was a bomb blast somewhere in Sadar.

At that time I was on Rawal road, a link road between Murree road and Airport road. The traffic was flowing towards Pindi in a normal way and somebody, like me who was on road long before the news came up on television, would not believe to something like that.

Somebody would have had doubts if there were any ambulance’s sirens and police tropes on the roads, while later that day the movement was noticed by the travelers using Murree road. Even then it did not reduce the traffic and people were going to their destinies in a normal routine, as if nothing has happened.

Traffic jam was noticed near Murrer chowk on Murree road and on different intersections on Murree road, but it was not due to the bomb blast but a routine jam at noon.

The area near General Headquarters (GHQ) and “Arrah Bazaar”, Arrah market where the blast took place was quiet devastating, traffic stuck for hours and local people were seen bewildered on the situation.

All shops were open in Rawalpindi, no disturbance has been noticed in flow of customers in the shopping areas, as if it is a part of their life to see such blasts every once in a while.

Now as the time pass by and if the situation remains the same, people soon will get use to the environment and stop bothering about their security. As every person is out there to earn a piece of bread for him or herself and such situations can not keep them in their homes for long.

What is the solution comes to your mind?
Is it that people are no more bothered about the situation or is it that they are getting use to it?

I again told him the whole tale from the start and he said I did not file the report on which I tell him that yes I did and Mr. Saqib, whose name I mentioned in my previous post as Mr. Sadiq, wrote the information.

ASP asked me if I wrote any application and gave it to Saqib. I said No! I did not and I did not know that I was supposed to write one. I told him that it was Mr. Saqib’s responsibility to guide me about the process.

After he heard my side of the story he told me that Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Akhter Abbas Shah gave a written application in which he said that he haven’t met any lady and no kid had been hand over to him.

Meanwhile he called his peon to present the kid and his uncle for recognition. When the kid came in he was not the one I handed over to the police though he was the one who was taken to Edhi Homes by the police. At that moment ASP Nasir came to know that the kid asked for is missing and no one knows where he is.

Later ASI Ishtiaq Shah, who was coordinating with me on phone, was presented and he said he is not the one who was handling the case. Where as, the Naib Muharor Saqib (the one who deals with the public complaints when the upper subordinator is not on his seat), who wrote my complaint on 13th of this month, told ASP that ASI Ishtiaq was the one whom he handed over the kid.

When Saqib was called in, again, in ASP office he did not change his statement but got scared to see ASI Ishtiaq and said he should be given time to check the details in the register.

I sat there for two hours but Mr. Saqib did not appear. Meanwhile I had a cup of tea, which I usually do not drink but had to, as ASP insisted and I could not say no to him.

After sitting for two hours my bums were seriously aching, ASP also calculated my condition as I was changing sides on my seat so he asked me to leave and he will call me again if any further help required.

Later that evening he called and said that Naib Muharor Saqib is the culprit as he did not assisted you properly and did not hand over the kid to ASI Akhter.

Now he is suspended for a time being and later Authorities will lodge a “show cause notice” against him in which he has to prove himself innocent otherwise either he will be terminated from his service or would not be promoted from his designation, as a Naib Muharor, in future.

I am happy that the case was well ended and there are people within the police department who are present for public service and help them out in the real sense.

Now what I am worried about is that where did they send the kid, who stole my purse? As there is no record regarding his release or arrest.

The students in different colleges and universities, in Islamabad, are fighting for the acceptance of their perceptions on the contemporary matters.

Female students who prefer wearing ‘Hijjab’ and religious students with flowing beards are often offended by students who are under no such compulsion and come from modern families.

Such students also do not like to be friends with the so-called fundamentalists and keep themselves away from them most of the time.

After the Lal Masjid siege, students who thought it was a plot hatched by the government against the innocent people became a target of hatred.

In certain colleges and universities, where co-education is offered, it has been seen that there are different groups of students that comprise liberalists and fundamentalists. (Sometimes I wonder why a person’s perception about life has been given such names).

The way we say that all Muslims are not terrorists, in the same manner people who consider Hijjab and Beard as a part of their sanctity should not be considered aliens. It is their prerogative and no one has the right to offend them for this unless it is harming someone.

The students who are victims of this controversy have been abused by fellow students who called them “Ninjas and dirty Mullahs,” (I used to pass such comments but within my circle of friends).
This makes me wonder that then why such students call them Liberalists when they act like fundamentalists.

This fire of hatred within the young generation for each other is not a healthy sign for the development of a young mind. This is bringing a communication gap between students because of different point of views about Islam and society. The reason I understood is the lack of tolerance and inability to listen to others’ point of view.

Now to deal with this problem, which has always been an issue but is on the rise for the last few months, proper counseling to the students in colleges and universities is needed. (Which I think has not been provided in any, or is it?)

The interaction between students and teachers on different issues could bring them close to each other which should help them understand the point of view of their fellow students. Media could be another platform for educating the young generation and help them get out of it in this time of turmoil.

When I got there, the officer who arrested the boy from my home was present there. He gave me the number of acting SHO Shareef Abbasi, who was not present at the moment, and Mr. Istiaaq Shah assistant sub inspector (ASI), who misleads me in regard to boy’s legal proceedings.

Then Mr. Istiaaq (ASI) called me and I asked him why and on what basis they release the kid and on false information, as in an application to Edhi Homes it was written that the boy was caught from MBA chowk, roaming around at 2 am however, he was arrested from my home, He again gave me an excuse like the boy was very poor and bla bla, as if now police has started working as an NGO activists whose work is not to eliminate crime.
Anyways later when I called the other ASI Mr. Akhter Abass with a fake name and identity, so that I know what is cooking in his mind, he said that the victim had not lodged any complaint against the boy so the police had to release him. This was again a pile of lies.

From here we can well imagine the credibility of our police department which is on stake at the moment.

Now what I did is that I went to the office of Daily Times newspaper and tell the reporter my story and it is published in today’s issue by the name of “Purse-snatchers and robbers let loose on city”. And I am also planning on lodging a complaint against the Margallah Police Station Officers who are responsible.

Daily Times

Part 1 & Part 2

I was amazed, because the police officer confirmed me that he will be taken to the session judge. I asked the receptionist that what Mr. Akhter told you about the boy, he showed me an application written by Mr. Akhter in which he wrote that the boy was found from M.B.A Chok, I do not know where it is in Islamabad, at 2 am on Sunday.

Whereas, he was arrested from my home, red handed. There and then I called the police station and talked to the officer. I asked him what it is and he hung up saying he will call later as he is busy. Later when I get back home he called and said in a very polite and frank manner as if he knows me from somewhere but I knew that “CHOR KE DARRI MAI TINKA HAI” I asked him why he lied to me and on what charges he let that boy go? And he was unable to convince me by saying madam we worked on him all night long and we could not find any think so…. And you know his mother is in hospital.
So what… is it my problem that his mother is sick and you were unable to perform your duty?

I was so disappointed that I hung up the phone. Later that night I was thinking that how that boy will brag about his heroic escape from me and from the police station and will tell his fellows that it is not a big deal to steal things as the police is very polite and duffer. This will encourage the other boys to steal and run away.

Police did not perform its duty properly and now I am glad that I slapped that boy as I have a little hope that he might not do such sin again when he remember those slaps.

The moment I was taking my car outside, a garbage picker was standing near by my house, suddenly my sixth sense shook my head and I realized that it must be him as no one else was in the street. I had already been deprived of my cell phone and wallet once before and this time I did not want it to happen it again. So relying on my guts I tried to trace the kid by driving my car through the streets. I searched two streets but no sign of him I did not loose hope and drive through another street, alongside a park I saw him walking normally with his garbage bag on his shoulder. I raced the accelerator and followed him as I was about to get close to him a motorcyclist came ahead of me from a street and I had to honk the horn. Meanwhile the kid heard the noise and look back, soon as he noticed me he started running in different streets.

I was following him in my car and it seemed to be impossible for me to catch him as he was heading towards a narrow street where my car could not enter. He was running a meter away from me when he turned right and ran towards a small bridge over a nallah. I stopped my car and chased him on foot. Thanks to God that two guys were coming from the opposite direction and I screamed to them to stop that kid he is a thief. One of the guys stopped him and crabbed him from his arm.

The moment I came close to him I slapped him as hard as I could with all the strength I had in me and after two three slaps I searched his garbage back and find my bag in there. He knew it’s a bad day for him so he started begging me for forgiveness and doing awkward things like kissing my feet. I pushed him away from me and called police helpline 15. He got more scared and stat pleading for his release. (At that moment I had a de ja vu that once I did something bad for the first time and my Mother did not forgive me because she thought that if she forgive me for the first time I will start making excuses to get her forgiveness next time so its better to stop the evil right there). The police officer tells me that the men are on their way.

The kid was quite trained as I was grabbing him from his shirt he tried to take off his shirt and tried to run away. Thanks to the guy, who helped me caught him, grabbed his fist and pushed him down. That man and I took him to our car and drive back to my home, where I called the police. After waiting for 15 minutes in burning heat police finally arrived and take him to Margalah Police Station F-8. They asked me to come to the station to file a case. My brother and I went to the police station and filed the case gave my car’s number, from which the kid stole my bag, my name and contact number.

I came back home changed and went to where I was suppose to be. While driving I felt a great pain in my right hand and realized it’s the result of beating that kid. It shows that when one is in anger he/she could take shit out of someone no matter how weak he/she is. Anger gives you the power but I regret beating him I should not have done that. What was the use but I got furious. Now hopefully police catch the real culprits who taught him such tactics.

Now the case investigator will call me if he needed further assistance in this case as it is not just about that kid but there is a whole gang behind him who trained them how to steel and run away but they did not know that people who have already been a victim know how get their things back. I am relived now but my job does not end here as I have to keep an eye on the investigation as you never know if he belongs to a big gang and they might bribe the police to get their kid out.