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+--- Thread: Proud to be a Pakistani ! (/showthread.php?tid=2131)
- Pracs - 12-27-2005
<b>Pakistan's performance in green revolution best in South Asia US Professor
</b>
ISLAMABAD, Dec 21 (APP) Robert E. Evenson, Professor, Department of Economics, Yale University, USA said Wednesday Pakistan's overall performance in adopting Green Revolution was best in South Asia.
"Pakistan has been successful in achieving Green Revolution in wheat and rice. This has improved food situation in Pakistan despite its rapid population increase," he maintained.
Professor Robert E. Evenson stated this while delivering his lecture on "The Green Revolution and the Gene Revolution in Pakistan Policy Implications" in the evening session of a three-day 21st Annual General Meeting and Conference of Pakistan Society of Development Economists (PSDE) concluded here.
The session was chaired by Prof. T.N. Srinivason, Chairman, Department of Economics, Yale University, USA, according to a press release issued here.
Robert E. Evenson, however, added that Pakistan could not achieve Gene Revolution, which is based on genetic engineering techniques. These techniques have been used to produce high yielding crops at low cost.
He was of the view that it is in Pakistan's best interest to adopt Gene Revolution techniques.
While concluding the discussion Professor T.N. Srinivasan said that in today's world every country need not to produce every crop by itself. Rather the countries can specialize in specific sectors where they have comparative advantages, he added.
On the last day of PSDE Conference on Wednesday, four distinguished lectures including Iqbal Memorial Lecture and the Quaid-i-Azam Memorial Lecture were delivered and discussed. Eleven papers were presented and discussed in the regular sessions.
The Iqbal Memorial Lecture was delivered by Rashid Amjad, Director, Policy Planning, Employment Sector, ILO, Geneva on "Skill and Competitiveness Can Pakistan Break Out of the Low-level Skill Trap?"
The Quaid-i-Azam Memorial lecture was delivered by Professor Robert E. Evenson, Department of Economics, Yale University, USA on "The Green Revolution and the Gene Revolution in Pakistan Policy Implications".
The three-day conference was hosted by Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) and co-hosted by the Department for International Development (DFID), Friedreich Ebert Stiftung (FES), National Reconstruction Bureau (NRB), United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA), National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and Zarai Traqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL).
http//www.app.com.pk/n55.htm
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- fnahmed - 01-01-2006
Assalam u Alikum my fellow Pakistani brothers.
"PAKISTAN", What a lovely word, I have taken all the gentlemen comments above, just yesterday i had a chance to see Pakistani channels on a cable in Australia and my head was lower down of shame, what i saw was girls are dancing and getting hugged openely in PTV dramas, what is going on in my country, where are our social and cultural morals, we are putting more friendship with Hindus and the countries which are quite enemies to us, dont we know that Quran has stated that "yahood and nisar cannot be our friends", are we forgetting every thing, we are trying to bring friendship with the people who are clear enemies to us, shouldnt we think of these matters, Please do.
With best regards to all
Farhan Nazir Ahmed
- Motorolo - 01-02-2006
From where you guyz copy so lengthy posts ?
<b>ACCA Students Website</b> ==> www.accaforums.com
<b>CPA Students Website</b> ==> www.cpaforums.com
<b>Helping Websites</b> ==> www.accountancy.com.pk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3134
- Goodman - 01-02-2006
Dear Nazir (fnahmad)
Whilst I broadly agree with your concerns relating to the cultural shift in PTV. I believe the précis of Quranâs âAiyatâ has been taken out of its true context.
On a practical ground only, the question is that if PTV is to compete in the international arena, it has to keep up with its competitors. Unless religious scholars or the Govt. or me and you in our individual capacity (ijtahad) come up with an answer, it might not in the interest of umma to discourage the development of PTV or GEO or DM or whatever channels. I agree that hugging is not allowed but after Afghanistan (only Afghanistan the so called most Shariâat compliant state) the threat we had on our hands needed a powerful print and film media. PTV in its current form is one of the solutions.
The quoted précis of The Noble Quranâs 551 related to friendship with Jews and Christians and its possible implications with the print and film media needs elaborating as well. I invite you to also read The Noble Quranâs 328. This has an important exception clause and it is by virtue of this exception clause that I think interaction with Jews and Christians is good.
I would also like to remind you of the first written constitution of the history of mankind termed as Hudaybiaha, which guarantees basic rights to non muslims and peaceful co-existence of muslims and jews. The pact was made by Holy prophet (PBUH)
Finally, I wish all of my friends in UK best of luck in dealing with the fast approaching deadline of self-assessment.
- Pracs - 01-02-2006
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial" id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Motorolo</i>
<br />From where you guyz copy so lengthy posts ?
<b>ACCA Students Website</b> ==> www.accaforums.com
<b>CPA Students Website</b> ==> www.cpaforums.com
<b>Helping Websites</b> ==> www.accountancy.com.pk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3134
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Dear Motorolo,
This articles as you say are turly copied from other sites for the benefit of members !! I do try to put in the source of the original article site along that. Please do speak up if you have any concerns to the content of the articles.
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 01-02-2006
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial" id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Goodman</i>
Finally, I wish all of my friends in UK best of luck in dealing with the fast approaching deadline of self-assessment.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Goodman are you refering to the CPD requirements ?? in which case some of us oldies (under ACCA) are only to comply from 1/1/2006 onwards. This would not be a problem for accountants working for an 'accredited employer'.
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 01-02-2006
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial" id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by fnahmed</i>
<br />Assalam u Alikum my fellow Pakistani brothers.
"PAKISTAN", What a lovely word, I have taken all the gentlemen comments above, just yesterday i had a chance to see Pakistani channels on a cable in Australia and my head was lower down of shame, what i saw was girls are dancing and getting hugged openely in PTV dramas, what is going on in my country, where are our social and cultural morals, we are putting more friendship with Hindus and the countries which are quite enemies to us, dont we know that Quran has stated that "yahood and nisar cannot be our friends", are we forgetting every thing, we are trying to bring friendship with the people who are clear enemies to us, shouldnt we think of these matters, Please do.
With best regards to all
Farhan Nazir Ahmed
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Dear Farhan,
Out TV channels will be all but a reflection of the society itself. But yourself being in Australia I am sure you would realise and agree that PTV and other channels are still very well 'family channels' as compared to any other entertainment channel the world over.. am I wrong here ??
You may have point when you are critical of the moral down turn of the society in Pakistan. But is that all you see, have you ever raised your voice on the increasing amount of filth and garbage on our streets, lack of universal education for all Pakistani children, equal rights for women especailly in the rural areas, tax evasion, bribery etc. have you ever tried to think of all these things under Islamic teachings !
Why is the way PTV airs programmes always of concern, why not talk about all kind of other stuff readily available in Pakistan including channels on local cable and CDs. Why not be concerned about that. Why not be concerned about the fact that we continue to elect and sustain corrupt leaders, that has a couple of Quranic verses that can be directly attributable.
There are other important things in our society that we must all be concerned about before we are concerned about PTV !!!
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Goodman - 01-03-2006
Hey pracs
I have already done CPD return alongwith the annual return for the firm. In addition to the CPD return we also have clients Self assessment tax return deadline by end of january. No wonder I dont see ASK around?
- Pracs - 01-04-2006
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Tahoma, Arial" id="quote">quote<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Goodman</i>
<br />Hey pracs
I have already done CPD return alongwith the annual return for the firm. In addition to the CPD return we also have clients Self assessment tax return deadline by end of january. No wonder I dont see ASK around?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></font id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Oh ok,.. pardon my ignorance, just slipped my mind about the damn returns,, You do understand that I am almost tax illiterate, need I say more
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 01-30-2006
<i><b>Pakistanâs latest Rhodes scholars âAhmad Faruqui</b></i>
http//www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_14-1-2005_pg3_3
Asma Aleem Hussain and Ali Farid have been selected for the Rhodes scholarship. Both are graduates of the Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). I had an opportunity to interview them about their award, what they plan to study at Oxford and their career plans. I also asked them to comment on the state of Pakistanâs educational institutions and on whether military rule was good for the country.
I honestly did not expect to hear much from them, since the interviews were conducted by e-mail. Both surprised me with the promptness and depth of their responses.
Every year, the Rhodes programme selects two applicants from Pakistan for advanced study at Oxford University in a programme of their choosing. The Rhodes philosophy is to invest in individuals rather than in projects.
The selection process begins more than a year in advance. There is an open call for applications from which 10 are short-listed. Applicants must have an undergraduate degree and be Pakistani citizens under 25 years of age. The two winners are selected after being interviewed by the Rhodes Selection Committee headed by Wasim Sajjad.
The selection criteria are designed to key in on individuals who are capable of effectively utilising the Rhodes experience in their home country. Intellectual distinction is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for selection.
In any given year, about 250 scholars are in residence at Oxford from a wide range of countries. The largest contingent is from the U.S, which sends 32 scholars, followed by Australia and Canada with 11 each. India sends six. Since 1977, both men and women are selected for the programme.
Asma cited the strong Rhodes tradition at LUMS for sparking her interest in the programme. She intends to pursue a masterâs degree in management research and then go on to get a doctorate. Ultimately, she sees herself working on development projects with a technology focus. Ali wants to spend a year at St Johnâs College and then work as an economist in the financial sector.
Both are very proud of their LUMS education. Ali credits the âLUMS culture based on integrity, honesty and hard workâ for making his time there a truly rewarding experience.
I asked Ali and Asma why Pakistan had failed to develop engineering schools that compare with the Indian Institutes of Technology, which were initially modelled after the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and have become world-class centres of excellence in their own right.
Asmaâs primary comment was that while Pakistani universities may boast of good teaching standards, they lack in research. In addition, âtop schools tend to lag in programme diversity because of the lack of popularity of non-lucrative degrees.â People are still focused on engineering, medicine, and IT. But as these fields become saturated, a shift will begin toward the social sciences, arts and humanities. Anticipating such a shift, some universities are expanding into these fields. LUMS, for example, recently expanded its undergraduate programme to include accounting, finance and law. But, while private institutions like LUMS meet world standards, they remain beyond the reach of the majority. Most public institutions are plagued by lack of funding and dwindling standards. Asma faults government policies that donât allocate sufficient funding to the higher education sector and the manner in which these funds are spent. Ali says that the returns from education are low in Pakistan and this prevents the universities from being able to attract good students.
When asked why Pakistan did not become an economic tiger, Asma said that social and economic development was a long-term process and âunfortunately in a country where no government is certain of its own short-term future, let alone its future in the medium to long term, no one has taken the time to think and invest in the long-term future of the country.â Aliâs position was that Pakistan needed major reforms in its economic, judicial and financial systems in order to become a tiger.
Asma added, âIn a time of economic consolidation across the globe, our region is ravaged with war in Kashmir and Afghanistan. It is imperative that we resolve the Kashmir issue peacefully and channel the millions spent on that conflict for the betterment of our country.â She also expressed hope that freer trade would develop between Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Iran and Pakistan.
Then came the question of why India had advanced so much further in its information technology (IT) industry than Pakistan. Aliâs take was that Pakistani universities donât equip students with strong mathematical skills. Asma cited Indiaâs political stability as the main reason why its IT industry has been able to attract the global outsourcing business. She added that Pakistan too has a talented and highly educated IT workforce but lacks the infrastructure that encourages the development of IT hubs. She said the reason Bangalore had become Indiaâs Silicon Valley was that it successfully absorbed the IT workforce and met the high quality standards that are imperative for competing in the international IT market.
Both felt that Pakistan needed to offer foreign companies the guarantee that their investment would be safe and prove to the world that the country was politically stable and economically sound.
It was difficult not to ask the two young people whether they thought military rule was good for Pakistan. Ali responded, âAbsolutely not. There is no rule of law in Pakistan because of military rule.â
Asmaâs response was more guarded âIn an ideal world, you would want democratic rule. However, for a young country like Pakistan that has been damaged by generations of corrupt politicians, a ruler who provides political stability and strengthens the countryâs economy has to be regarded a good thing.â She was quick to add, âmilitary rule is beneficial only as long as it works towards creating the conditions necessary for democracy to survive and thrive.â The risk, as history has shown us, is that the military would assume a long-term role in politics, thereby corrupting the nationâs most vital institution.
Both had some advice for others who aspire to the Rhodes scholarship. Asma said, âfocus on your goals with passion and believe in your abilities and talents.â Ali said, âtry to be an all-rounder.â
Pervez Hoodbhoy recently critiqued the state of higher education in Pakistan. Rote learning, he said, was widespread and the spirit of critical inquiry missing. A research culture, so evident on Indian and Iranian campuses, was singularly absent. As this conversation with Ali and Asma bears out, there is room for hope.
<i>Dr Ahmad Faruqui is an economist and author of Rethinking the National Security of Pakistan. He can be reached at faruqui@pacbell.net</i>
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 01-30-2006
<b>Baloch woman joins Pak Navy</b>
<i>By Mariana Baabar</i>
http//www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2005-daily/11-01-2005/main/main17.htm
ISLAMABAD Sanhia Karim has become the first Baloch woman to join the Pakistan Navy that now comprises a squad of around 53 women officers and 72 sailors.
"I was impressed by the medical camp at Omara and I observed that many of the technicians could not speak Balochi. It was then that I decided to join the Pakistan Navy as a female medical technician," Sanhia told The News.
At present, Sanhia is learning English at PNS Bahadur-a training institution in Karachi. With the passage of time, Pak Navy is attracting more women, after the countryâs two other forces-Army and Air Force. Areas preferred by women in the Pak Navy include medical, sports, musicians, special branch, education and information technology.
Pakistani women sailors could now be seen playing bagpipes with their male colleagues, besides working in operation theatre, dentistry, radiology, laboratory, and as midwives. Many are participating in athletics and shooting.
According to information provided by the Public Relations director of the Pakistan Navy, the largest number of women joined Pak Navy in 1996-97 and by 2004 their number swelled. Similarly in 1996, there were 34 women sailors inducted as compared to 20 in 2004. "Right now I am very happy and highly motivated to get more of my friends from Balochistan to join Pak Navy," a radiant Sanhia said.
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 01-30-2006
<b>Pakistan's Machine Readable Passport being appreciated world over</b>
http//pakistantimes.net/2005/01/10/top9.htm
<i>Pakistan Times Staff Report</i>
ISLAMABAD Owing to distinctive high-tech features of Finger Identification and Facial Recognition in Machine Readable Passport (MRP) Pakistan has become the first country in the world to issue a passport using both the technologies thus MRP is rapidly drawing attention of the citizens as well as the world community.
The public is also showing much interest in getting their new passports from Machine Readable System and approaching the concerned quarter to avail the opportunity and replace their old passports with the new one.
The First Country
With issuance of MRP Pakistan has become the first country in the world to issue a passport using both the Automated Finger Identification and Facial Recognition system.
Thus becoming one among a few, if not the only, countries to use the existing name, photograph, signature etc. of the applicant directly from the Computerized National Identity Card Database for making the passport. This will completely eliminate issuance of passports by fraudulent means.
The popularity of the MRP can be judged from praising comments of the overseas Pakistanis where a large number of people commended the project and termed it unique to raise image of the country in the world.
In their comments appearing in the national dailies people had appreciated the concept and its practical demonstration with regard to facilitate masses in furnishing the required information in an easy way.
Passport Commuters
One of the passport commuter said "I would like to share my experience in India when I visited that country recently with my new machine-readable passport (MRP). On the immigration counter, I saw the officer holding on to the passport as if he had seen nothing like this in his life".
He said he was fearful that the officer may refuse entry since this had happened a few days earlier when some MRP holder was reportedly sent back from Dubai on the grounds that the immigration authorities there had not been informed by the Pakistan government of the new travel document.
Instead, he said, "what I saw was that a number of immigration staff came over to see the passport and then they asked me how I had received it. When I told them that there were no application forms involved and that the passport office had issued this on the basis of an old passport and my CNIC, they were really impressed".
Symbol of Pride
In the words of one officer, this technology was not seen even in many western countries passports, adding, "I must say that these are one of the few occasions when I felt proud to present my passport at an immigration counter outside Pakistan".
The other report said, "It is rare for Pakistan to come up with something of international standard, and one can see that the new machine-readable passport is in fact above the usual international standards set for many countries".
Perspective
While giving some serious thoughts after detection of some heinous nature cases recently, government has decided to utilize the authentic database of National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA), mandating it to come up with such a project, which minimizes, if not eliminates, fraudulent cases in the issuance of passports.
Checking identification and authenticity of holders' specifications was the central point in the project.
NADRA having studied such projects already in implementation in different countries has developed a system, which is unique in features as compared to projects of this category the world over and provides complete identification and recognition solutions.
Sources who were privy to the whole process said the Authority has conducted all tests and exercises to ensure that the system fully complies with the features it has programmed on and hundred percent results were achieved.
The Benefits
MRP project may benefit Pakistan manifolds. First, country could check the flourishing menace of human smuggling once the automatic border control is integrated with the Machine Readable Passport.
Second, it will help country procure contracts for skilled and semi-skilled workforce from different countries, which otherwise are denied because of sending of Pakistani immigrants illegally.
And third, it will save people from monetary losses and humiliation while being exploited at hands of illegal manpower agents.
MRP project as apparent from its features will not only help the country to curb such illegal practices but also help it procure contracts for export of skilled and semi-skilled labour force to different countries. Ultimately it will facilitate genuine persons to get visas conveniently.ÂÅ
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 03-03-2006
<b>Student manufactured robot car in Peshawar </b>
Thursday March 02, 2006 (0324 PST)
<u><b>A student of Peshawar has manufactured a robot car, which can be drive without driver.</b></u>
PESHAWAR, March 02 (Online) A student of Peshawar has manufactured a robot car, which can be drive without driver.
Inayatur Rehman had installed a computer in the car that control the functions of the car. A mobile camera has also been installed in the car to keep driver aware about the surroundings.
Inayatur Rehman said that his car would be drive upto one kilometer without driver and it could be control from any part of the world if connected with the satellite system.
http//paktribune.com/news/index.php?id=135950
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"Failure is a word unknown to me" - M A Jinnah
- Pracs - 03-03-2006
<b>Newsweek hails Pak economy</b>
<i>
Daily Times Monitor</i>
LAHORE Pakistan is the worldâs âmost surprising economic success storyâ which has turned around from practically a failed state to one buzzing with economic activity. Ron Moreau writes in the March 20-27 issue of Newsweek magazine that with consistently high economic growth, the country is experiencing the development of a real middle class. It has become a target for foreign investors after years of instability, he writes. Pakistan was in deep trouble when General Pervez Musharraf took over in 1999. He appointed Shaukat Aziz as finance minister and gave him a free hand to revive the economy, a step that Newsweek calls one of the presidentâs âsmartest movesâ. However, real international economic support for Pakistan came after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the US. âThe 9/11 attack was the best thing that ever happened to Pakistan,â Newsweek quotes a Lahore-based businessman as saying. The US and western countries worked with the government to reschedule debts and provide economic and military assistance. Azizâs policy of privatisation has also won the admiration of foreign investors, Newsweek reports. However, Pakistan needs to develop its infrastructure, improve tax collection and normalise relations with India for sustained development, Moreau writes.
http//www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...21-3-2006_pg1_8
- Pracs - 03-03-2006
<b>Hindu Dharma and Pakistan</b>
<i><b>From Pakhistory.com</b></i>
Almost all the religious books of the Hindus, particularly the Dharma Shastras regarded Sakas and Yavanas, the inhabitants of Pakistan in those days, as M'leechas (impure). The Atharva-veda regarded Pakistan as outlandish. Similarly they were unanimous in considering Vangals i.e., Bengalees, as barbarous, outside the pale of Aryans--outscastes, outsiders. Further, they were all termed dasyus (slaves) and rakashas (devils). According to a passage in the Mahabharata, Yavanas and Gandharas (people of Pakistan), and Vangals (Bangladeshis) are sinful creatures in earth. They did not respect the Brahmins and their religion; did not follow their laws, spoke different language and were therefore detested and despised by the Aryan high castes. Inter-mixture with them was prohibited. Patanjali speaks of Yavanas and Sakas as sudras and relegates them outside Aryavarta (A History of Indian Culture, by Radhakumad Mukherjee).
The strange fact is that the basin of the Indus and the Punjab West of Sutlej came to be regarded as impure land by the Brahmins of interior India at quite an early date. Orthodox Hindus are still unwilling to cross the Indus, and the whole of West Punjab between that river and the Sutlej is condemned as unholy ground, unfit for the residence of strict votaries of Dharma (Oxford History of India, by VA Smith, 3rd edition, edited by Percival Spear).
The Jat's spirit of freedom and equality refused to submit to Brahminical Hinduism and in its turn drew the censure of the privileged Brahmins of the Gangetic plain who pronounced that 'No Aryan should stay in the Punjab for even two days because the Punjabis refused to obey the priests (A History of Sikhs, by Kushwant Singh).
The inroads of those foreigners blotted out the memory of the memory of the Aryan immigration from the North-West (i.e. Pakistan) which is not traceable either in the popular puranic literature or in the oral traditions of the people. To the east of Sutlej (i.e. India) the Aryans were usually safe from foreign invasions and free to work out their own way of life undisturbed. They proceeded to do so and thus to create Hinduism with its inseparable institution of caste (Oxford History of India, by VA Smith, 3rd edition, edited by Percival Spear).
It is noteworthy that according to the Bandayana Dharma Shastra the Indus Valley was considered impure and outside the limits of Aryandom proper. Any one who went there had to perform sacrifices of purification on return. (Tribes in Ancient India, by BC Law)
The Brhat-Samhita mentions Vokkana country as situated in the western region of Indian subcontinent (Pakistan). In chapter XVI, V.35, Varaha Mihira includes the Vokkana among those belonging to Rahu, together with barbarians, evil-doers and the like (Roruka was it Moenjodaro? by Pranavitana, Studies in asian History Proceedings of the Asian History Congress held at New Delhi in 1961).
In later vedic literature there are references to confederation of un-Aryan tribes living in the north-east and north-west of the sub-continent in the first half of the 1st millennium B.C. Pundra and Vanga in Bengal, Madra in the Ravi-Chenab Doab (The Peoples of Pakistan, by Yu Gankovsky).
While the Aryans by now expanded far into India their old home in the Punjab and the north-west was practically forgotten. Later Vedic literature mentions it rarely and then usually with disparagement and contempt, as an impure land where the Vedic sacrifices are not performed (The Wonder that was India, by AL Basham).
Both Buddhism and Jainism flourished in Sind and it had revolted against the superiority of Brahmins. They ignored their Gods and denied the Vedas (Sindhi Culture, by UT Thakur).
It might have been noticed that by the beginning of the Christian era, the racial and ethnic character of Pakistan had undergone complete transformation. Whatever Aryan elements were left had almost disappeared in the avalanche of Central Asian Saka and Kushan tribes whose disregard of strict Hindu principles antagonised the high caste Hindus, ultimately leading to mass conversion of Pakistan to Buddhism during Kanishka's time. With this development, the differences in ethnic and racial composition between Pakistanis and Indians also assumed religious colour. It was because of the hatred for the people of Pakistan that, as already stated, the Hindus never built any holy city or temple or regarded any river in Pakistan sacred. The Punjab Gaztteer Vol. XX says that "the Punjab can show but few Hindu antiquities." It may be noted that the remains of pre-Vedic (Indus Valley Civilization) and Buddhist periods are found in Pakistan but not of the Hindu period which came between the two and again appeared to a limited extent after the fall of Buddhism.
The Aryans who settled down in the Gangetic Valley had come to their journey's end after a very long and arduous march. The rich fertile doab of the Ganges was the baikuntha, according to their heart's desire. To entrench themselves in this paradise they took two measures
(i) they adopted the policy of apartheid (the caste system); and (ii) they made earnest efforts to turn the marginal lands into a buffer zone and to seal their nearer borders (i.e., the eastern border of the western wing and vice versa) against foreign intrusions.
For their further expansion and colonisation they took north-south bearings. This vertical lay-out of this Hindu (Neo-Aryan) map of the subcontinent is the key to the understanding of geo-history of this part of the world. Vishnu Purana (II, 3.1) thus delineates the land of Bharata
The country that lies north of the ocean and south of the snowy mountains is called Bharata; there dwell the descendants of Bharata;
Kautilya, the Hindu Machiavelli, spoke of the "thousand Yojanas (leagues) of land that stretch from the Himalayas to the sea" as "the proper domain of chakravartia patha (a single universal emperor)". This north-south (vertical) lay-out of the land of Bharata has been well summed up in the famous aphorism Himalachala stu paryantum, i.e. from Himalayas to the end of land (Rameswaram). Vishnu Purana (11. 127-9) gives the geo-political reason for the vertical lay-out of Bharat; it states
On the east of Bharata dwell the Kiratas (the barbarians); on the west, the Yavanas (the outlandish Greeks/ Bactrians); in the centre reside Brahmans, Kshatriyas, Vaishayas and Sudras.
To protect the blue-blooded Aryans from the contamination of the 'demonaic' (Ashuras), 'wild' and 'carrion-eating' (Paisachas) and outlandish (Yavana)--people of the western wing and the 'barbaric' and 'boorish' Kirates, Pundras and Vangas of the eastern marginal land, the Hindu shastras laid down strict rules. The Dharma Sutra (II, 1.2.2) of Baudhayana states
Who visits the country of the Arattas (the Punjab), or of the Pundras and Vangas (Northern and Eastern Bengal) must perform a purificatory sacrifice.
The Sutras and the Puranas are relatively late compositions. We find that the Aryan aversion for the people of the rimland had developed quite early during their migration from the land of the seven rivers. The Satapatha Brahmanas of the "White" Yajur-Veda (OX.31 18) show that the emigrant Aryans regarded those Aryan tribes, that were still in the basin of the Indus, with mistrust. The Aitareya Brahmana of the Rigveda states that beyond Magadha lived the Pundras of North Bengal and the Vangas of Central and Eastern Bengal who were outside the pale of Aryandom. The Mahabharata speaks of the Bahikas of the Punjab "who are outcasts from righteousness, who are shut out from the Himavat, the Ganga, the Saravati, the Yamuna, and Kurukshetra, and who dwell between the Five Rivers" (VIII 202, 9) It further lays down
In the region where the Five Rivers flow let no Aryan dwell there even for two days. There they have no Vedic ceremony nor any sacrifice (V, 20, 63).
The imperialistic Hindu chakravartins did not always follow these rules of their Shatras. Whenever they found themselves powerful enough they invaded, pillaged and annexed as much of the portions of the marginal lands as they could. This expansionist hunger of the Hindus has not been satiated to this day. However, though they protested vehemently against "the vivisection of Bharat Mata" yet they never ceased to regard the marginal lands as impure. A remarkable evidence of their constancy in this respect is the fact that while the length and breadth of Bharat is studded with their tirathas, --- holy towns, e.g. Kurkshetra in Hariana, Kashi (Benaras), Mathura, Haridwar (Hardwar), Prayaga (Allahabad) and Ayodha (Faizabad) in UP; Gaya in Bihar; Navadvipa (Nadiya) in W. Bengal; Cuttack Puri in Orissa; Avantika (Ujjain) in central India; Dvaraka in Gujrat; Kanchi and Ramesvram in the south; holy rivers all over Bharat and their holier confluences,--- not a single notable tiratha ever existed in what is now Pakistan (Islam in the Geo-historical Perspective of Pakistan, by Qudratullah Fatimi).
The cleavage, as such, is not new as Indians try to make out; and what is more, the cleavage is not due to Islam only as they further try to stress. It is age-old, has its roots deep in history and is not only temperamental and spiritual but racial as well as geo-political.
It is indeed strange for the Hindus to claim Pakistan as part of Akhand Bharat on the basis of history when the entire history not only thoroughly disproves this claim but, on the contrary, amply bears out that Hindus themselves have regarded it as outside Aryavarta, as an impure land, not fit for their holy places; a land inhabited by sinners outside their fold.
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