Light Within

The Caliph Haroon ur Rashid was addicted to eating gravel which started destroying his health. He wanted to quit the habit but could not, despite sincere efforts by every one – subordinates, aids, practitioners, mystics. Nothing worked.

A non resident came to capital and wanted to see the Caliph. He was having a unique prescription to help give up the habit and wanted to tell the Caliph. The meeting was arranged promptly. After introduction and preliminaries, the Caliph asked for the treatment.

“I would like to announce the remedy tomorrow in the court so that every one else can also benefit,” he wished. The Caliph agreed.

Next day the man stood up and loudly announced, “O Caliph of the Muslims, Allah showers his blessing upon you, where is your determination which makes you steadfast in the battle fields, which helps you decide important issues. Listening this, the Caliph smiled and the man went back to his seat.

The Caliph saw the point and left the harmful dependency.

My earlier memories of Afghan people are that of hardworking and rugged people who used to come down from Afghan hills to make a living in width and breadth of Pakistan. I used to see them making mud walls, cutting timber and or working in the transport industry; as drivers mostly. I used to see them as a practicing Muslim and very very peaceful. I even remember having “Kurut Curry” with them in the camp they had built near Pashin in Baluchistan.

What I see (and hear) now is so very different from the impression I had. What has happened to those peaceful and hardworking people?

An armed group is holed up in a police academy in Lahore (Manawan Police Training School) after attacking it with grenades and rifles.

Yesterday, President Obama unveiled his new Afghanistan strategy to the world, a plan to bolster the 17,000 US troops scheduled to join the fight with an additional 4,000 noncombat advisers. But how did he come to his decision? According to The New York Times, Obama's thinking process was as advertised during the campaign—he first consulted with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who passed on commanders' requests for a long-term increase of combat troops and billions in new spending to bolster Afghanistan's own security forces. But Vice President Joe Biden cautioned against sinking into a possible quagmire and questioned whether more far reaching plans could make it past Congress. He also influenced Obama with his on-the-ground reporting from a recent visit, where he warned that "if you asked 10 people on the ground what American objectives were, he would get 10 different answers." Obama responded by narrowing American goals from broad nation building to defeating Al Qaeda first and foremost.

U.S. working with Afghanistan and Pakistan to disrupt, defeat al-Qaida

Today, I'm announcing a comprehensive, new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. And this marks the conclusion of a careful policy review, led by Bruce, that I ordered as soon as I took office. My administration has heard from our military commanders, as well as our diplomats. We've consulted with the Afghan and Pakistani governments, with our partners and our NATO allies, and with other donors and international organizations. We've also worked closely with members of Congress here at home. And now I’d like to speak clearly and candidly to the American people.

The situation is increasingly perilous. It's been more than seven years since the Taliban was removed from power, yet war rages on, and insurgents control parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Attacks against our troops, our NATO allies, and the Afghan government have risen steadily. And most painfully, 2008 was the deadliest year of the war for American forces.

Many people in the United States -- and many in partner countries that have sacrificed so much -- have a simple question: What is our purpose in Afghanistan? After so many years, they ask, why do our men and women still fight and die there? And they deserve a straightforward answer.

So let me be clear: Al Qaeda and its allies -- the terrorists who planned and supported the 9/11 attacks -- are in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the United States homeland from its safe haven in Pakistan. And if the Afghan government falls to the Taliban -- or allows al Qaeda to go unchallenged -- that country will again be a base for terrorists who want to kill as many of our people as they possibly can.

The future of Afghanistan is inextricably linked to the future of its neighbor, Pakistan. In the nearly eight years since 9/11, al Qaeda and its extremist allies have moved across the border to the remote areas of the Pakistani frontier. This almost certainly includes al Qaeda's leadership: Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri. They have used this mountainous terrain as a safe haven to hide, to train terrorists, to communicate with followers, to plot attacks, and to send fighters to support the insurgency in Afghanistan. For the American people, this border region has become the most dangerous place in the world.

But this is not simply an American problem -- far from it. It is, instead, an international security challenge of the highest order. Terrorist attacks in London and Bali were tied to al Qaeda and its allies in Pakistan, as were attacks in North Africa and the Middle East, in Islamabad and in Kabul. If there is a major attack on an Asian, European, or African city, it, too, is likely to have ties to al Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan. The safety of people around the world is at stake.

For the Afghan people, a return to Taliban rule would condemn their country to brutal governance, international isolation, a paralyzed economy, and the denial of basic human rights to the Afghan people -- especially women and girls. The return in force of al Qaeda terrorists who would accompany the core Taliban leadership would cast Afghanistan under the shadow of perpetual violence.

As President, my greatest responsibility is to protect the American people. We are not in Afghanistan to control that country or to dictate its future. We are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and our allies, and the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan who have suffered the most at the hands of violent extremists.

So I want the American people to understand that we have a clear and focused goal: to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan, and to prevent their return to either country in the future. That's the goal that must be achieved. That is a cause that could not be more just. And to the terrorists who oppose us, my message is the same: We will defeat you.

To achieve our goals, we need a stronger, smarter and comprehensive strategy. To focus on the greatest threat to our people, America must no longer deny resources to Afghanistan because of the war in Iraq. To enhance the military, governance and economic capacity of Afghanistan and Pakistan, we have to marshal international support. And to defeat an enemy that heeds no borders or laws of war, we must recognize the fundamental connection between the future of Afghanistan and Pakistan -- which is why I've appointed Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who is here, to serve as Special Representative for both countries, and to work closely with General Petraeus to integrate our civilian and military efforts.

Let me start by addressing the way forward in Pakistan.

The United States has great respect for the Pakistani people. They have a rich history and have struggled against long odds to sustain their democracy. The people of Pakistan want the same things that we want: an end to terror, access to basic services, the opportunity to live their dreams, and the security that can only come with the rule of law. The single greatest threat to that future comes from al Qaeda and their extremist allies, and that is why we must stand together.

The terrorists within Pakistan's borders are not simply enemies of America or Afghanistan -- they are a grave and urgent danger to the people of Pakistan. Al Qaeda and other violent extremists have killed several thousand Pakistanis since 9/11. They've killed many Pakistani soldiers and police. They assassinated Benazir Bhutto. They've blown up buildings, derailed foreign investment, and threatened the stability of the state. So make no mistake: al Qaeda and its extremist allies are a cancer that risks killing Pakistan from within.

It's important for the American people to understand that Pakistan needs our help in going after al Qaeda. This is no simple task. The tribal regions are vast, they are rugged, and they are often ungoverned. And that's why we must focus our military assistance on the tools, training and support that Pakistan needs to root out the terrorists. And after years of mixed results, we will not, and cannot, provide a blank check.

Pakistan must demonstrate its commitment to rooting out al Qaeda and the violent extremists within its borders. And we will insist that action be taken -- one way or another -- when we have intelligence about high-level terrorist targets.

The government's ability to destroy these safe havens is tied to its own strength and security. To help Pakistan weather the economic crisis, we must continue to work with the IMF, the World Bank and other international partners. To lessen tensions between two nuclear-armed nations that too often teeter on the edge of escalation and confrontation, we must pursue constructive diplomacy with both India and Pakistan. To avoid the mistakes of the past, we must make clear that our relationship with Pakistan is grounded in support for Pakistan's democratic institutions and the Pakistani people. And to demonstrate through deeds as well as words a commitment that is enduring, we must stand for lasting opportunity.

A campaign against extremism will not succeed with bullets or bombs alone. Al Qaeda's offers the people of Pakistan nothing but destruction. We stand for something different. So today, I am calling upon Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by John Kerry and Richard Lugar that authorizes $1.5 billion in direct support to the Pakistani people every year over the next five years -- resources that will build schools and roads and hospitals, and strengthen Pakistan's democracy. I'm also calling on Congress to pass a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by Maria Cantwell, Chris Van Hollen and Peter Hoekstra that creates opportunity zones in the border regions to develop the economy and bring hope to places plagued with violence. And we will ask our friends and allies to do their part -- including at the donors conference in Tokyo next month.

I don't ask for this support lightly. These are challenging times. Resources are stretched. But the American people must understand that this is a down payment on our own future -- because the security of America and Pakistan is shared. Pakistan's government must be a stronger partner in destroying these safe havens, and we must isolate al Qaeda from the Pakistani people. And these steps in Pakistan are also indispensable to our efforts in Afghanistan, which will see no end to violence if insurgents move freely back and forth across the border.

Security demands a new sense of shared responsibility. And that's why we will launch a standing, trilateral dialogue among the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Our nations will meet regularly, with Secretaries Clinton and Secretary Gates leading our effort. Together, we must enhance intelligence sharing and military cooperation along the border, while addressing issues of common concern like trade, energy, and economic development.

This is just one part of a comprehensive strategy to prevent Afghanistan from becoming the al Qaeda safe haven that it was before 9/11. To succeed, we and our friends and allies must reverse the Taliban's gains, and promote a more capable and accountable Afghan government.

Our troops have fought bravely against a ruthless enemy. Our civilians have made great sacrifices. Our allies have borne a heavy burden. Afghans have suffered and sacrificed for their future. But for six years, Afghanistan has been denied the resources that it demands because of the war in Iraq. Now, we must make a commitment that can accomplish our goals.

I've already ordered the deployment of 17,000 troops that had been requested by General McKiernan for many months. These soldiers and Marines will take the fight to the Taliban in the south and the east, and give us a greater capacity to partner with Afghan security forces and to go after insurgents along the border. This push will also help provide security in advance of the important presidential elections in Afghanistan in August.

At the same time, we will shift the emphasis of our mission to training and increasing the size of Afghan security forces, so that they can eventually take the lead in securing their country. That's how we will prepare Afghans to take responsibility for their security, and how we will ultimately be able to bring our own troops home.

For three years, our commanders have been clear about the resources they need for training. And those resources have been denied because of the war in Iraq. Now, that will change. The additional troops that we deployed have already increased our training capacity. And later this spring we will deploy approximately 4,000 U.S. troops to train Afghan security forces. For the first time, this will truly resource our effort to train and support the Afghan army and police. Every American unit in Afghanistan will be partnered with an Afghan unit, and we will seek additional trainers from our NATO allies to ensure that every Afghan unit has a coalition partner. We will accelerate our efforts to build an Afghan army of 134,000 and a police force of 82,000 so that we can meet these goals by 2011 -- and increases in Afghan forces may very well be needed as our plans to turn over security responsibility to the Afghans go forward.

This push must be joined by a dramatic increase in our civilian effort. Afghanistan has an elected government, but it is undermined by corruption and has difficulty delivering basic services to its people. The economy is undercut by a booming narcotics trade that encourages criminality and funds the insurgency. The people of Afghanistan seek the promise of a better future. Yet once again, we've seen the hope of a new day darkened by violence and uncertainty.

So to advance security, opportunity and justice -- not just in Kabul, but from the bottom up in the provinces -- we need agricultural specialists and educators, engineers and lawyers. That's how we can help the Afghan government serve its people and develop an economy that isn't dominated by illicit drugs. And that's why I'm ordering a substantial increase in our civilians on the ground. That's also why we must seek civilian support from our partners and allies, from the United Nations and international aid organizations -- an effort that Secretary Clinton will carry forward next week in The Hague.

At a time of economic crisis, it's tempting to believe that we can shortchange this civilian effort. But make no mistake: Our efforts will fail in Afghanistan and Pakistan if we don't invest in their future. And that's why my budget includes indispensable investments in our State Department and foreign assistance programs. These investments relieve the burden on our troops. They contribute directly to security. They make the American people safer. And they save us an enormous amount of money in the long run -- because it's far cheaper to train a policeman to secure his or her own village than to help a farmer seed a crop -- or to help a farmer seed a crop than it is to send our troops to fight tour after tour of duty with no transition to Afghan responsibility.

As we provide these resources, the days of unaccountable spending, no-bid contracts, and wasteful reconstruction must end. So my budget will increase funding for a strong Inspector General at both the State Department and USAID, and include robust funding for the special inspector generals for Afghan Reconstruction.

And I want to be clear: We cannot turn a blind eye to the corruption that causes Afghans to lose faith in their own leaders. Instead, we will seek a new compact with the Afghan government that cracks down on corrupt behavior, and sets clear benchmarks, clear metrics for international assistance so that it is used to provide for the needs of the Afghan people.

In a country with extreme poverty that's been at war for decades, there will also be no peace without reconciliation among former enemies. Now, I have no illusion that this will be easy. In Iraq, we had success in reaching out to former adversaries to isolate and target al Qaeda in Iraq. We must pursue a similar process in Afghanistan, while understanding that it is a very different country.

There is an uncompromising core of the Taliban. They must be met with force, and they must be defeated. But there are also those who've taken up arms because of coercion, or simply for a price. These Afghans must have the option to choose a different course. And that's why we will work with local leaders, the Afghan government, and international partners to have a reconciliation process in every province. As their ranks dwindle, an enemy that has nothing to offer the Afghan people but terror and repression must be further isolated. And we will continue to support the basic human rights of all Afghans -- including women and girls.

Going forward, we will not blindly stay the course. Instead, we will set clear metrics to measure progress and hold ourselves accountable. We’ll consistently assess our efforts to train Afghan security forces and our progress in combating insurgents. We will measure the growth of Afghanistan’s economy, and its illicit narcotics production. And we will review whether we are using the right tools and tactics to make progress towards accomplishing our goals.

None of the steps that I've outlined will be easy; none should be taken by America alone. The world cannot afford the price that will come due if Afghanistan slides back into chaos or al Qaeda operates unchecked. We have a shared responsibility to act -- not because we seek to project power for its own sake, but because our own peace and security depends on it. And what’s at stake at this time is not just our own security -- it's the very idea that free nations can come together on behalf of our common security. That was the founding cause of NATO six decades ago, and that must be our common purpose today.

My administration is committed to strengthening international organizations and collective action, and that will be my message next week in Europe. As America does more, we will ask others to join us in doing their part. From our partners and NATO allies, we will seek not simply troops, but rather clearly defined capabilities: supporting the Afghan elections, training Afghan security forces, a greater civilian commitment to the Afghan people. For the United Nations, we seek greater progress for its mandate to coordinate international action and assistance, and to strengthen Afghan institutions.

And finally, together with the United Nations, we will forge a new Contact Group for Afghanistan and Pakistan that brings together all who should have a stake in the security of the region -- our NATO allies and other partners, but also the Central Asian states, the Gulf nations and Iran; Russia, India and China. None of these nations benefit from a base for al Qaeda terrorists, and a region that descends into chaos. All have a stake in the promise of lasting peace and security and development.

That is true, above all, for the coalition that has fought together in Afghanistan, side by side with Afghans. The sacrifices have been enormous. Nearly 700 Americans have lost their lives. Troops from over 20 countries have also paid the ultimate price. All Americans honor the service and cherish the friendship of those who have fought, and worked, and bled by our side. And all Americans are awed by the service of our own men and women in uniform, who've borne a burden as great as any other generation’s. They and their families embody the example of selfless sacrifice.

I remind everybody, the United States of America did not choose to fight a war in Afghanistan. Nearly 3,000 of our people were killed on September 11, 2001, for doing nothing more than going about their daily lives. Al Qaeda and its allies have since killed thousands of people in many countries. Most of the blood on their hands is the blood of Muslims, who al Qaeda has killed and maimed in far greater number than any other people. That is the future that al Qaeda is offering to the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan -- a future without hope or opportunity; a future without justice or peace.

So understand, the road ahead will be long and there will be difficult days ahead. But we will seek lasting partnerships with Afghanistan and Pakistan that promise a new day for their people. And we will use all elements of our national power to defeat al Qaeda, and to defend America, our allies, and all who seek a better future. Because the United States of America stands for peace and security, justice and opportunity. That is who we are, and that is what history calls on us to do once more.
From America.Gov

Two main environmental issues in the world today are global climate changes and local or regional air pollution. Both are results of energy consumption all over the world.

Responses to the energy usages are important to the entire planet and its inhabitants. Current and future policies and regulations designed to limit the emissions of airborne pollutants, where ever they are in place, are likely to affect the composition and growth of global energy use.

Mobile (transport) and stationary energy (industry) consumption have resulted in increasingly stringent regulation of air pollutants such as lead, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and volatile organic compounds deteriorating the environmental and air quality in the process.

What is more, given the expectations of economic growth every where in the world and growing dependence on fossil energy, global carbon dioxide emissions are also expected to grow more rapidly in future than they did any time during the past. A projected increase in fossil fuel consumption, particularly in developing countries like ours, is largely responsible for the expectation of fast-paced increase in carbon dioxide emissions.

Harmful emissions to the air come from factories, vehicle exhausts and from multiple industrial activities. These emissions can impact locally, or can affect the environment at large distances from their source. Which is why emissions any where have a significant impact on the global environment?

It is for the first time that economic growth rates and population growth in the developing world are likely to be higher than in the industrialized world.

This accompanied with the rising standards of living and increase in energy intensive industries, the developing nations are going to account for the largest share of the projected increase in world energy use.

As per the Environmental Agency report, “Carbon dioxide emissions are expected to rise after 2005 despite the use of more advanced technology and abatement equipment. Consumption of fossil fuels is likely to increase with increasing energy demands and decreased use of nuclear power for electricity production.”

Some of the developing countries around the world are alive to the situation and have already enacted policies aimed at protecting the environment. Many others are still thinking to take the necessary steps in this direction. Our is an energy deficient country and relies for its energy needs on a variety of traditional and commercial sources whereas the laws are either not there or have not been implemented properly.

Pakistan is a developing country only entering in its industrialization stage. With economic development, population growth and higher living standards, the amount of primary energy consumed will almost undoubtedly increase in the future, as will the resultant carbon emissions. These absolute increases and shifts in energy mix will occur despite continued technological improvements and reductions in energy intensity.

Environmental analysts and watchers suggest that one of Pakistan’s main priorities must be developing and utilizing technologies to solve the major environmental challenges the country is currently facing and will face in the future. These efforts should be focused on technologies that treat wastewater, prevent air pollution and improve environmental monitoring systems. It may seem costly but that is the only sustainable solution in the long run.

Good news is that this has started happening, though one would like to see more concern in this regards.

Owais Mughal



This is the fourth part of our series on best planned neighborhoods of Pakistan. We have so far covered Eight bazaars of Faisalabad, North Nazimabad, Karachi and Model Town, Lahore in this series. Today we are going back to Karachi and will give you an introduction of Federal-B-Area which is definitely among the best planned localities of Pakistan.

Brief History

The town planning of Federal-B-Area dates back to 1950s when Karachi was still the capital of Pakistan and many new neighborhoods were getting built up to house the employees of the Federal Governemnt. The present day neighborhoods of North Nazimabad, Federal Capital (FC) Area and Federal-B-Area were all part of this vision to give Karachi a well planned capital city infrastructure. While North Nazimabad was laid out by Italian town planners, I am unable to research who did the planning for Federal-B-Area. Reader’s help is sought here.

Federal-B-Area, Mansoora and Gulberg Town

Over the years Federal-B-Area has changed a few names depending on which local government is in power but the original name of Federal-B-Area still thrives. In 1983 after a religious party’s victory in local body elections, Federal-B-Area was renamed as ‘Mansoora’ and North Nazimabad was renamed as ‘Taimuria’. These names however, didn’t become very popular. Today the name ‘Mansoora’ has become relegated to a cricket ground only in Federal-B-Area’s block 10 where as ‘Taimuria’ has been relegated to the name of North Nazimabad’s police station only.

During Pervaiz Musharraf’s tenure, Federal-B-Area neighborhood was renamed again and it became Gulberg Town, but the orginial name still remains popular and is still written as the de-facto address on postal mail.

Following is Federal-B-Area’s map taken from Karachi City Government’s website where it is shown as Gulberg Town and divided into 8 Union Councils.

I recently came across an article by Osman Samiuddin at cricinfo.com where he has written about Federal-B-Area in following words:

Federal B Area - was originally designed for those entrusted with the running of Pakistan, in the days when Karachi was the capital. The country is not run from here anymore, but the roads are wide, the houses old, and here a neighbourhood is still a neighbourhood, not a random collection of houses. It is one of Karachi’s many beating hearts.

If you drive through Federal-B-Area today, you may not be very impressed at first sight. It is a locality which has seen its glory days. The locality is now on its way to what is called ‘Urban Decay’ in the town planning terms. Houses and apartments built 30 years ago are crumbling. Many apartment buildings are in dire needs of repairs. During monsoon months of strong sea-breeze the situation is like this sher:

itna na tez chal ke hil jaayen bam-o-dar
ae sar-phiri hawa mein ‘kiraaye’ ke ghar mein hooN

Federal-B-Area is not a posh locality either and street crime is no less than other areas of the city “BUT” all these signs of ‘Urban Decay’ are our collective failure of civics and the society as a whole.

The reason we have chosen Federal-B-Area to be featured here is because of its well-planned infrastructure and town planning for which one has to see beyond the immediate first impression of an old locality to appreciate it.


Boundaries of Federal-B-Area:

North of Federal-B-Area is the locality of North Nazimabad with ‘Gujjar Nullah’ separating the two. Western boundary of Federal-B-Area is formed by the Railway Track of Karachi Circular Railway . East of Federal-B-Area is Gadap Town and South of Federal-B-Area is the locality of Gulshan-i-Iqbal with Lyari Expressway and Lyari river separating the two.

Before we go further I want to point out the ratio of free space to residential areas in the above image. There are more than 40 free spaces or grounds within 10 square kilometer area of Federal-B-Area. This feature makes Federal-B-Area the candidate of best planned localities.

Sub-Divisions in Federal-B-Area:

Federal-B-Area is divided into 21 blocks (sub-zones). These are numbered 1 through 21, unlike North Nazimabad where blocks are numbered alphabetically from A through T. The 21 blocks of Federal-B-Area are divided into plots of various sizes wihch have following categories:

R - 120 sq yards,
A - 240 sq yards
B - 400 sq yards,
C - 600 sq yards,
D - 1000 sq yards

North Nazimabad, Karachi also follows the above plot categories with an additional category of F - 2000 sq yds plots.

Twenty of federal-B-Area blocks are residential and one is Industrial. However, with the passage of time, just as it has happened to many other once grand localities of the city, people have started turning residential plots into more and more commercial enterprises. I’ve noticed that as cities grow older, people tend to move to outer suburbs and older localities start turning into commercial zones, godowns or high rises.

Shahrah-i-Pakistan through Federal-B-Area:

Another aspect of Federal-B-Area’s geography is that Shahrah-i-Pakistan runs through it. This main artery of the city roughly bisects Federal-B-Area into two zones. The importance of Shahrah-i-Pakistan cannot be over looked. It is the same road which runs from Karachi Port to all the way to Landi Kotal in NWFP.

North of Federal-B-Area (at Sohrab Goth chowrangi), Shahrah-e-Pakistan becomes the super highway which is scheduled to be upgraded as a 6 -lane Motorway (M9). At Hyderabad bypass, Super Highway meets the trans-Pakistan highway N5. Before Karachi Northern bypass (M10) was built, Shahrah-i-Pakistan through Federal-B-Area used to carry more than 75% of Pakistan’s road cargo from Karachi port to upcountry.

Personal Note:

By the way guys, I’ve spent 70% of my life in Federal-B-Area, therefore there is a natural bias in telling all the good stories about it. For me federal-B-area is like:


teray koochay is bahaane mujhe din se raat karna
kabhi is se baat karna kabhi os se baat karna

However, I want to keep this post authentic therefore I’ll separate my personal views from facts and figures and wirte them under separate headings below.

Federal-B-Area Block by Block:

Lets visit all the individual blocks of Federal-B-Area

Blocks 1 and 2:

Both blocks are located on the south side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. These blocks border the Liaquatabad area and are separated from it by the Karachi Circular Railway Track.

Bazaar-e-Faisal is the main commercial center of Block 2. Karachi’s famous Government Delhi Boys Science College is also located in block 2.

Block 3:

It is also located on the South side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. This is a very diverse area. Several languages are spoken here. Aga Khan community has a big presence in Block 3 besides Bantwa Memons, Okhai Memons, Katchi Memons, people with roots from Junagarh state etc. Meena bazaar is the main commercial center of Block 3.

Personal: I have played lots of cricket on the grounds of Block 3. The famous Miandad Sports shop is also located here. One can find Pakistan’s ex-first class Cricketer Anwar Miandad selling cricket gear here. In early days of this shop Javed Miandad also used to come here once in a while and used to cause traffic jam in the area.

Besides Miandad Sports, another place to frequent in Block 3 is ‘United Bakery’ which makes the best gulab-jaman in Pakistan (note: this sentence appears under my personal views section)

Block 4:

Block 4 is located on north side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. A lot of residential plots in Block 4 are fast changing into commercial businesses like schools and hospitals. Look at the satellite image of Block 4 below and one can appreciate the symmetry as well as the ratio of free space to residential space.

Personal: A good part of my life has been spent playing cricket in the ground and the streets shown in the satellite image above. This famous event of my life also happened on this very same ground located in Block 4. I have also written about several other events on these pages which happened in Block 4. (See here, here and here)

Blocks 5 and 6:

Both of these blocks are located North of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Block 5 borders North Nazimabad with ‘Gujjar nullah’ in between.

Block 6 used to have a famous cricket ground by the name of ‘Gulfishan’. It is under the occupation of Pakistan Rangers for the past 17 years now. Just like Block 4, it is also fast changing into a commercial zone. The photo below shows the satellite image of Block 6.

Blocks 4, 5 and 6 combined make up one union council of Gulberg town called Aisha Manzil Union Council.

Block 7:

It is located on South side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Block 7 is famous for Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan school and college as well as the tableeghi jamaat’s Madani Masjid.

Personal: The photo below shows the image of Sultan Mohammad Shah Aga Khan school located in Block 7. Spread across 21 acres, it is also the largest school of karachi. It houses a Cricket ground, a soccer ground and a hockey ground besides several shaded areas. This is also the school where I spent 10 years of my life. As with all other blocks of Federal-B-Area, a good part of my school days and hot summer afternoons from Grade V to Grade X were spent in the sports grounds of my school shown in the photo below. A cement cricket pitch is visible in the image below. It was built when I was in Grade X - 1987. It was a historic moment for our school otherwise we used to play on a turf wicket which we had to roll daily using a hand-roller pulled and pushed by atleast 5 guys together.

Block 8:

It is located on South side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. It is famous for Jinnah ground. Karachi City government has plans to build a 140 ft tall fountain in Jinnah ground which is also close to the HQ of ruling part in Karachi in Block 8 of Federal-B-Area.

Block 9:

Block 9 is famous for Dastagir Housing Society. It is located on south side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Some of us may remember the famous PTV ad of 80s calling for “gas ka ilaaj—Farzana Dawakhana Dastagir # 9″. Yes, Farzana Dawakhan is located here.

Sangam Sports Cricket ground is located in Block 9. The ground is named after a cricket club called Sangam Sports which used to play here years ago.

Federal-B-Area’s main post office (Postal Code 75950) is located in Block 9.

Block 10, 11, 12 and 13:

All these blocks are located on north side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Famous landmark in Block 10 is Mansoora Cricket Ground.

And Shadab Soccer Ground in Block 11. Shadab used to be a cricket ground but lately it has been turned into a soccer ground.

Block 13 has Federal-B-Area’s police station called ‘Gulberg Police Station’.

Blocks 11, 12 and 13 combined are also called Gulberg.

Before moving to Lahore, Javed Miandad had a residence in Block 12. Following image shows the views of Blocks 10, 11, 12 and 13.

Blocks 14 and 15

All these blocks are located on East side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Main landmarks in Block 15 are the famous T-Ground as well as the UBL Sports Complex. The cricket ground of UBL Sports complex is a first class Cricket venue. The comples and also includes an astro-turf hockey Ground and a track-and-Field arena as seen in the image below.

Personal: Block 14 is famous for a business called ‘Javed nihari’ - makes the best nihari in town, in my opinion. During school days I’ve spent several study nights eating nihari and drinking coke at Javed’s nihari joint. Block 14 also has several ’sheermaal’ and ‘taftaan’ stores along the main road. I love eating ’sheermaal’ instead of ‘paraatha’. After I got my motorcycle license, I used to frequent these places whenever hungry and used to eat 1 or 2 ’sheermaal’ while riding the motorcylce.

Block 16:

Block 16 is famous for Karachi Medical and Dental College. Block 16 has several aparmtent blocks especially along the main roads. One of them called Yousuf Plaza located in Block 16, is one of the largest apartment complexes in Pakistan.

Personal: My parents first home in Karachi was in Block 16. We moved out when I was 5 (1976). I have faint memories of Block 16 from that early age. I do remember the vast expanse of the ground shown in the image below. It appeared even larger in my childhood memories. I also have a memory of seeing a 4-story building crash in 1975-76. It was later rebuilt. It is the first structure at bottom right, just above the red polygon corner of image below.

Blocks 17 and 18:

All these blocks are located on north side of Shahrah-i-Pakistan. Block 17 is also called ‘Samanabad’. It is famous for Pak-Flag Hockey Ground located here. Block 18 area is also called ‘Ancholi’.

Personal: For couple of years in my teenage I got attracted to playing hockey and played at club level. Pak Flag hockey Ground in block 17 used to be one of best Hockey Grounds in the area. I got to play in one game at Pak Flag and I remember being very proud to be able to play at this ground.

teray koochay mein yooN khaRa hooN
jaisay hockey ka goal-keeper hooN
by Zameer jafri

Blocks 19 and 20:

Block 19 and portions of Block 20 are called ‘Al Noor’ society and both blocks are located north of Shahrah-i-Pakistan.

Personal: Once again I played lots of cricket on Alnoor Gymkhana ground. In block 20, there used to be a ‘Zafar Library’ next to the cricket ground. Every now and then a sixer used to land on Zafar Library’s roof and it was hard to retrieve ball from there. Whenever a batsman used to miss hitting a short-pitch ball, we used to say ‘he missed a ‘Zafar library waali ball’ which means he missed a golden opportunity to hit a six. - just a random thought that came to my mind from block 20. Sometimes batsmen used to try to hit balls in certain homes. Why? A hint should come from this sher of Nazeer Akbarabadi

muddat se ho raha hai jin ka makaaN puraana
uth ke hai un ko meenay mein har aan chat par jaana

Federal-B-Area’s Postal Code: 75950

Population: According to 1998 census, the population of Federal-B-Area was 453490.

Karachi Mass Transit Plan and Federal-B-Area

Karachi’s Mass transit Plan (KMTP) had an elevated light train planned for Federal-B-Area which was to run from Sohrab Goth to Merewether Tower with Sohrab Goth-Karimabad portion falling in Federal-B-Area.

My personal sense is that KMTP is now practically dead as current City Government has come up with their own Karachi 2020 Vision and they are concentrating on several Signal Free Corridors (2 East-West Corridors are built and 1 North-South corridor is under construction).

Federal-B-Area has also gained on all this infrastructure development and is within reach of atleast 2 Signal Free corridors and Lyari Expressway.

Telephone Exchange: Federal-B-Area has a dedicated land line Digital Telephone Exchange under PTCL. The telephone area code for Federal-B-Area exchange (called Azizabad Exchange) is 636.

Closing Remarks:

I’ll put Federal-B-Area as second to only North Nazimabad in town planning features in Karachi. On Pakistan level, I’ll place it several localities down the line behind Islamabad sectors, Lahore’s Model Town and a few cantonments. In a big picture, it is definitely in one of the top town planning examples of Pakistan.

Men at their best (55 PMA Long Course Lahore Chapter) will get together on the evening of Mar 27, 2009, may be to welcome Spring in Lahore and update with each other. Thanks ZK.

Jean Jacques Rousseau was a French philosopher. His father married Rousseau’s mother only to desert her after his birth. From here started his sufferings.

He was considered a dangerous character. It is why he was hunted out form one city to another. He died un wept un mourned and unsung.

Contemporaries criticized his book The Contract Social when it was published. To them he retorted by saying that he could see the time when his book would be bounded by the skins of their coming generations.

There have been two seismic revolutions in the world: French and Russian revolutions. French revolutionaries during their struggle wrote three words on their flag – equality, liberty, love — taken form The Contract Social.

Lot many people including French King Louis IV and the Queen were guillotined during the Revolution. Their skins could have been used for binding Rousseau’s book if it were the custom.

All researchers agree that his was the mind behind the French revolution.

The growth of Fasilabad has far exceeded the pace at which the city can support its inhabitants. The result is that city is facing problems in providing basic amenities to its citizens. Largely, the burden of solving them falls on municipal authorities. These problems are exacerbated once the civic authorities (and other city development agencies) do not have funds, will and expertise to do that. Inhabitants of only 100 years old city are suffering mainly due to quantifiable deficiencies.

In 1896, a new settlement was founded by Lieutenant Government Punjab, Sir James Lyall, in the area known as Sandal Bar. The plan of this habitat was prepared on the pattern of British flag by Sir Ganga Ram, a civil engineer, town planner and renowned philanthropist. The construction of eight bazaars and adjoining colonies was completed in 1902. There used to be sweet water well and an old `bargad’ tree in the centre where ghanta ghar was erected in 1918.

People of the city played an important role in Pakistan Movement. Quaid-i-Azam visited the `heart of Pakistan,’ as he called it, when annual session of Muslim league was held in the city. Over 100,000 Muslims of area welcomed the Quaid on November 17, 1942 and presented him rupees 500.00 in a reception held at Dhobi Ghat

Lyallpur, named after Sir James Lyall was initially called Pakki Mari. The name was changed to Fasilabad by General Zia ul Haq on the recommendation of a local photographer Aziz. Era of industrialization started in 1930 and Fasilabad was declared as an industrial zone in 1955. Earlier, complexion of Sandal Bar area changed with the excavation of Lower Canal originating from khanki in 1892. Presently, this `Manchester of Pakistan’ has one of the biggest and best Yarn Markets in the world. Fasilabad has grown the second biggest industrial city in the country after Karachi.

The world is becoming more urban as people are moving to cities in search of employment, educational opportunities and high standard of living. Population growth in Fasilabad has been very rapid. In 1947, the biggest of all the Kachi abadies in the country came up in the city that was later converted into Sir Syed Town and other residential colonies. Jinnah colony, Ghulam Muhammad Abad, People Colony, Afghanabad, Nazimabad and Ayub Colony came into existence in first 10-15 years after the independence. This human settlement of only 9191 people in 1901 (first census) is now home to three millions. The municipal area of the city has expanded up to 45 square Kilometres.

One of the main problems facing the city is congestion: in open spaces, public transport, housing, roads and streets. Presence of Goods Forwarding Agencies and oil tankers’ `addas’, Iron Market, Sabzi Mandi and numerous industrial units inside the city has adversely affected the cityscape. The administration has not been able to shift them out despite recommendations in Fasilabad Master Plan and complaints by the concerned citizens. Presence of these agencies in the city, particularly in the areas from Chowk Ghumti to old municipality office on Circular Road, Kachary Bazaar and Railway godown have made the lives of the citizens difficult. Though there is a ban on the entry of trucks and heavy vehicles between 7 AM to 8 PM under police act 23 but still much of heavy traffic can be seen in the city where a fleet of more than 52000 donkey carts is also playing. By the way, donkey carts have been banned to go downtown recently. An owner of a cart told that he earns between rupees 500 to 1300 daily. “The poor perform most of the manual labour in this rich city — which would be paralysed without its rehri walas. Their children work in life and health threatening situations: on power looms, kilns and in carpet centres. They live without any civic facilities,” he says.

Eight bazaars are the centres of trade and always bustling with activities. They are over crowded and full of encroachments. The shopkeepers and cloth merchants throw all the packing material — plastic and paper wrappers and other crap that cannot be sold — in front of their shops that are promptly lifted by children with large sacks on their shoulders roaming about in the markets for `raddi’ collection. A shopkeeper in Bhawana Bazaar told, “any thing that is not cleared by them stays there because sanitary workers of Fasilabad (FMC), responsible for keeping the city clean, do not perform their duties.” The city is divided in two sanitary zones each headed by separate health officer having an army of sanitary workers and inspectors on their roll. Thanks to FMC, even public parks are not being cleaned. “In an industrial city like ours, they (the planners) should look at every thing including waste as a resource and provide incentives for recycle business,” he says.

Punjab Government has banned the manufacturing and uses of polythene shopper bags but how seriously this ban has been taken can be seen in Fasilabad. One finds them every where. “The polythene bags along with other industrial effluents are causing soil pollution when they reach the fields being irrigated by Rakh Branch Canal” informed an official from Irrigation Department.

Green spaces and vegetation covers — so important for ecological balance — in the city are decreasing. The `green belts’ in front of the houses, particularly in Madina Town and People Colony have been turned into filth depots because people deposit their domestic waste out side their houses and no body comes to lift it or are being used for parking. Gulistan colony, Shamsabad, Ghulam Muhammad Abad and Fateh Abad are other neglected and adversely effected areas. One can see, smell, hear and even taste the pollution in the city.

Municipal bodies, city development agencies and the traffic police seem to be at war with each other instead of jointly serving the tax payers. Muazam Ali, a resident of People Colony complains, “what is our fault if FMC or traffic police fail to pay the electric bills? WAPDA disconnects the supply to the street lights and newly installed traffic signal system. We suffer in the process.” And, “WASA alone needs rupees 3392 millions to provide full fledged sewerage facilities for the people of Fasilabad by the end of year 2000,” informed an official of WASA during a briefing to a foreign delegation.

There is no single authority to coordinate and oversee the growth and development in the city that was laid out under the concept of radical planning with clear zoning of different land uses. People now have converted their houses into industrial units. The Fasilabad development authority (FDA) has been lying useless since 1982 for the want of funds'. The Director General has pointed out, in case it had escaped the public notice, that the FDA with many officers and no assignment should be downsized. On the other hand, FDA has decided to sell its 470 residential and commercial plots and other assets to over come its financial crises. Naturally, thefinancial crises’ are for the salaries of the FDA staff. What else!

The Agricultural University (established as college in 1906), Punjab Research Institute of Agriculture and Biology, National institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, National Institute of Fertilizer, Forest Research Institute, Textile Engineering College, Punjab Medical College, Government Degree college –where I participated in declamation contest in 1972 — and other educational institutions have played very important role in spreading awareness and education in the country. The government has promised to open an other university as well. But, sadly, “thousands of children in the city do not get the see the school, though. They are engaged in various forms of labour to earn for their living,” claims a socialite Muhammad Ijaz who is working to end this servitude in collaboration with ILO and other agencies.

The problems of Fasilabad are specific and need specific solutions. FMC with its small annual budget needs to improve the services, which profoundly affect the daily lives and well being of the people. Requirement: promoting democratic rule, exercising public authority and using public resources in all public institution at the levels in a manner that is conducive to good governance.

Muhammad Shahab ud Din came to judiciary from Indian Civil Services. He rose to the coveted post of Governor East Pakistan in 1954 but history always recognises him as Justice Muhammad Shahab ud Din.

Prime Minister Pakistan Muhammad Ali Bogra once gave a statement about East Pakistan without consulting him. Justice Muhammad Shahab ud Din resigned in protest. Bogra apologised and requested the Justice to continue but he did not agree.

He took out his pen and dried its ink in the pot in his office before leaving the Governor house. His ADC Major S. G. Gillani was with him who asked, “Sir, why have you returned the ink to the pot here.” Reply of the Justice was, “It belonged to state for official work. How I can use the official ink when I no more hold the office.”

PM Pakistan, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani's speech to the nation:

My dear countrymen Assalam-o-Alaikum,

! am speaking to you at a time when our country is standing at a critical moment. No country can make progress without political tolerance and the PPP and lawyers have been together in struggle for upholding democracy in Pakistan. Shaheed Mohtrama Benazir Bhutto actively participated in the struggle of restoration of judiciary was launched by lawyers. Benazir Bhutto wanted free judiciary and supremacy of the constitution.

The lawyers’ movement for restoring of judges was their democratic right. The PPP was shoulder to shoulder with the lawyers in the cause for the independent judiciary.

The slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto also wanted to reinstate the deposed chief justice.

I have taken all his coalition partners and the President into confidence about the reinstatement of the deposed chief justice once the current chief justice retires on March 21.

The deposed chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry will assume charges on March 21.

Benazir Bhutto wanted free judiciary and supremacy of the constitution.

I order all the provincial government to abolish Section 144 at once.

After consultations with all political forces of the country and President Asif Ali Zardari, we have decided to restore all deposed judges including Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry as Chief Justice of Pakistan who will assume charge on March 21. The current Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar retires on March 21. I urge all the political forces and lawyers to work for the solidarity and welfare of the country.

Pakistan Paindabad

I don’t know when Urdu became my identity. It is ascribed one and I love it; really. Born and raised speaking Punjabi, I also had to learn foreign languages (like English and Russian) to move about in faster lanes of life but I always express my deeper emotions and inner feelings in Urdu. Two of my books Izhar (Expressions), Ret Pe Tehreer (Written on the Sand)} are in Urdu. This (Urdu) sophisticated language facilitates you to do that. Anyone speaking Urdu in a crowd of people speaking alien languages is automatically a company.

I realized my love for the language when I was learning Russian at National University of Modern Languages, Islamabad. When my Russian teacher Alica used to say, “I have learnt more Urdu than I have taught you Russian.” When Sakina Mirkhajevna used to ask us to sing her songs in Urdu; she could not understand the meanings but, “I enjoy the sweetness with which words flow,” she used to tell.

I learnt English the hard way. I was at a professional academy and order of the day was, “no vernaculars,” even in out private quarters. Knowing that we will be asked to leave food and have a round of the mess running if we spoke in Urdu made us speak English fast. The problem is that I think in Urdu, dream in Urdu and my expressions, oral as well as written in English, still are jerky .

Home to both nuclear weapons and major numbers of Al Qaeda and Taliban militants, Pakistan is not the kind of place America wants to see fall into chaos. Now American diplomats are working furiously to broker an end to a standoff between unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif.

Tensions between the leaders' coalitions have led to widespread protests and Zardari has upped the ante with mass arrests of opponents and crackdowns on dissent and some observers are concerned that Pakistan's army will retake control of the government should the two leaders fail to reach an agreement soon.

Could this be the end for Pakistan's new president, Asif Ali Zardari? The government is banning protests and arresting hundreds for fear that a planned national protest march might eventually topple Zardari's regime. Protests led by some of the same leaders helped bring down General Pervez Musharraf in 2007. Zardari's six month-old government has been under fire over a worsening economy and growing Islamist insurgency.

American intelligence officials have long warned that a destabilized Pakistan could pose a major threat to the U.S., as the country possesses nuclear weapons and houses a large number of Taliban militants and Al Qaeda terrorists.

Travelling on Grand Trunk Road all my life, it captured my imagination as a cultural curiosity when I read Rudyard Kipling’s Kim. At the beginning of the last century Kipling called it “a wonderful spectacle…. without crowding…. green-arched, shade-flecked … a rivear of life.” But Pakistan’s National Highway Number 5 (N-5), alias the Grand Trunk Road, or simply the GT Road, presents a different impression now. Commuting up and down the GT Road are caravans of trucks, buses, cars, animals and animal transport also auto-rickshaws, all having equal right of the way. On the GT Road every bus, truck, and a car must pass the vehicle ahead. “The GT Road,” a veteran traveller John Otto wrote says, “really belongs to the trucker.” And he is right in a way.

Have you Travelled there lately? Seen any changes?

In faster lane of life these days, what growing human needs and wants promises is this: Every one must work. Lesser work opportunities are available therefore, labouring at something that may not be personally engaging and rewarding, is common. Too much stress and compromises in life. Many of us are willing to accept the situation because there are not very many choices to be had. It is even crucial when it comes to women in our society. They have yet another societal constrains to work and pursue a career or stay home and give time to family.

"Much of the progress in Iraq over the last two years came from deals with insurgent groups who had previously targeted American troops. Now President Obama is suggesting that the military might try to replicate its success there by trying to split the Taliban in Afghanistan. In an interview with The New York Times, Obama says: "There may be some comparable opportunities in Afghanistan and in the Pakistani region," where his generals believe negotiation could yield benefits. As for the economy, Obama declined to predict when it would finally pull out of its current slump but said he would "get all the pillars in place for recovery this year" so that the next economic expansion would run smoothly. Striking a balance between acknowledging the seriousness of the economic crisis and offering hope for the future, Obama called the downturn a "wrenching process" but encouraged Americans not to become too spendthrift out of fear. "I don't think that people should suddenly mistrust all of our financial institutions," Obama said, adding that people shouldn't "stuff money in their mattresses."

Enemies of Pakistan are at it again. After blowing up girls schools in North West Pakistan, forcing traffic to drive on right hand side instead of left in Malakand, digging up the grave of a minority sect leader and hanging the already dead person in the public square in Swat, militants have now started blowing the resting place of those who are already dead. Is there any limit to this insanity?

Pashto’s language’s famous poet Rehman Baba’s mausoleum was severely damaged by militants in the early hours of March 5, 2009.

Believe it or not; probably like some of our readers, I am now reluctant to open newspaper to avoid reading any bad news about Pakistan. It hurts. It simply hurts. This is such a bitter pill ‘jo na ugli jaaye hai na nigli jaaye hai’ (which I can neither swallow nor throw out). I have now become numb to bad news and I try to avoid it but then every few days a bigger and worse bad news like the one above comes by which I have to write about. This is despite the pain I feel in writing these sentences.

According to Dawn newspaper: "The shrine’s watchman had received a threat from suspected militants on his cell phone three days ago. He told police that the attack took place to crack down on the tradition of women making pilgrimages to the site of the grave of Rehman baba; a 17th century poet, revered for his message of love and peace."

The high intensity device almost destroyed the grave of the Rehman Baba and the gates of a mosque, canteen and conference hall situated in the spacious Rehman Baba Complex. Police said the bombers had tied explosives around the pillars of the tombs, to pull down the mausoleum.

The entire area was covered with thick smoke and dust soon after the blast,’ said the president of the volunteers of the shrine association of the complex, Sardar Khan, who was busy in removing rubble of the damaged portions. He told Dawn that he was the first one to reach the shrine after the blast. ‘I saw major portion of the grave was blown up and the building was badly damaged but no one was present there,’ he said and added that he informed the local police and some media persons about the incident.

The Dawn newspaper gives more information on the mausoleum complex in following words: "The tomb was a part of the spacious complex housing a conference hall, library, mosque, canteen, guest house, small shrines of some other saints, Tawoos Baba, Syed Sattar Bacha and Syed Sultan Bacha."

The work on construction of the complex was initiated on November 17, 1991 and completed in 1994 with an estimated cost of about 15 million rupees.

Rehman Baba’s full name was Abd-ur-Rehman and he lived 1632 to 1707 AD. He enjoys the same fame in Pushto as Shirazi does in Persian.

I, along with our editorial board as well as our readers sincerely hope and pray for peace in Pakistan and hope to get our lovely country back from the clutches of these ‘zaalim’ people who could do acts like the ones shown in photos here.

God bless Pakistan and here is our prayer to peace !

I want to end this post with a couplet from Rehman Baba’s poem ‘Agony of Love’.

“I help my neighbours and my neighbours help me”, is the philosophy of life in our village. Faith, sharing, contentment, grit, hard work and humour are few others. There are no marriage halls or other renting places. Daras (community centres where cultural diffusion takes place) are very useful ‘institutions’ for functions or for elders to sit and teach irreplaceable heritage of ideas to the younger generation. The learning that passed on to me in Dara turned out to be very precious: it was the legacy of the fable. Tandoor (Oven for backing bread) is still a meeting and talking place for women.

One of the first places I came to know after settling down is a village Thatta Ghulamka Dheroka near Okara. The unique claim of the village to international fame is the dolls and toys made by village women that are collectors delight all over the world.

Dolls made in the village have travelled to International Dolls Museum in Amsterdam and also have been put on display in the “Themepark” at EXPO 2000 in Hannover (Germany) as one of the 767 worldwide projects - an example of thinking for 21st century. Earlier, the dolls participated in International Toy Fair in Nuremberg. These dolls show how culture goes beyond simple work of art and becomes collaboration among applied and natural sciences as well as other forces that affect our lives. The murals are painted on the parameter mud walls in the village where doll collectors and people interested in sustainable development and rural heritage from different initiative groups come and stay as paying guests.

The village folks still consider cooing crows as symbol of the arrival of the guests. Architectural competitions are held annually when best mud house is selected. The Chief Harappan Explorer Dr. Mark Kenoyer had the place on the jury in competition held last July. Two full time German volunteers, Dr Norbert Pintsch and Dr Senta Siller, and village people are working together to change the life and out look in this peaceful hamlet. Whenever I visited the village, I saw something new, something different, which the villagers do to make difference in a place where they belong.

The great strength of the World Wide Web search is that it can locate out vast amounts of documents matching to what any user may be asking for. The great weakness is that the documents may not be like any thing close to what user had asked for.

Search engine is a coordinated set of programs that allows searching specific information on the vast expanse of the Web. The first search engine known as Archie was created in 1990 by Alan Emtage, a student at McGill University in Montreal. Now as per available information there are some 370 search engines available for Internet users out of which ten are considered major ones. Then there are directories and indexes. Here in this article both directories and indices, for the sake of clarity, are considered as search engines though there are some fundamental differences in their anatomies such as directories are human powered and search engines have crawlers or robots to do the job. A number of Web portal sites also offer both the search engine and directory approaches to finding information.


The purpose of search engines is to locate selected range of Web pages that contain words matching search keyword(s) or phrase(s). Search engines automatically try to sort the results so that only handful of the most relevant matches is presented. Every search engine searches own pre indexed data base and works using own set of rules called algorithm – a closely guarded trade secret. Some sites search not only using one search engine but also give the results from simultaneous searches of other engines.


One common thing is that all search engines follow while ranking the result listing is location (where in the document are keywords located – in the beginning, in the body or at the end) and frequency (number of time keywords are repeated on a page) method for returning results. But their data bases, relevancy criteria and other strategies differ from each other. Which is one reason why the same search on different search engines produces different results? Also, some search engines index more web pages than others. Search engines may exclude some pages from their data as well.


Any major search engines may be a good choice to start with when searching for information: Google is all time favourite of users all over the world. It reigns “with its empire stretching into millions of computers” as IT analyst Bill Thompson puts it. According to OneStat Google's global usage share has increased to 56.1 percent whereas Ask Jeeves stands at 1.6 percent. Another search engine, AllTheWeb also provides both good coverage of the Web and close relevancy. If Google could not deliver, chances are that AllTheWeb probably will. (All those users who have been trying Google since it was launched five years ago may recall that presently the result page of AllTheWeb is as ad free as Google’s result page used to be). In addition to Web page results, AllTheWeb provides the ability to search for news stories, pictures, video clips, MP3s and FTP files. Alta Vista, Ask Jeeves, Excite, Hot Bot, Infoseek, Inktomi, Lycos, Overture (former Go To) and Teoma are some other popular search engines. Some others are specific for countries or regions. Many search engines get their results by turning to third party search providers to power their listings.


Several major search engines provide search toolbars for the browsers as a shortcut to searching the Web from within the browser without going to a search engine first. Alexa, Google, Groowe, Ultra, and Teoma search bars are most common toolbars that put search results, some from multiple search engines, right in the browser. They are useful utilities though Walton Computer Lady Patty Furgosen thinks, “some toolbars contain spyware and adware which are harmful to users’ machines and invades their privacy. I have had several such cases (in her computer repair facility) in the past that really messed up the users’ computers.”


Searching for what? The amount of information on the Web has exploded for the past few years, and is growing exponentially. Number of information seekers rummaging around the Web “for enlightenment and answers” is also growing. The problem of locating information is also growing with the Web. Users want to find exactly what they want on the Internet promptly, correctly, and with little effort. Tools which support the finding of relevant material within a few mouse clicks and key strokes are becoming increasingly critical. Search engines and how they index web pages have changed drastically in the recent past, getting more scientific and meticulous by the day. But the situation is far from adequate. A survey conducted by Bright Planet estimated that the web is some 500 times larger than indicated by the results provided by popular search engines. Greater part of the body of knowledge created in the world is still not on the Web; some of the knowledge is never ever likely to be included in the cyberspace. Dr. Norbert Pintsch, a computer dependent and computer literate German architect says, “The problem is that we consider a smaller part of knowledge available on the Web as a whole forgetting the larger part.” Some of the knowledge is off limits to search engines being behind the subscriptions or security firewalls.


In today’s increasingly commercial information society, one more thing that any innocent user mining the Internet for information should understand is what goes on before search results appear on the result page of any search engine. The fact that, more than ever, companies, businesses, website owners and Webmasters alike continue to optimize their sites as much as they can. The ones that do continue to harvest the yields of their efforts and are rewarded in the search results. Marketers think that search results listings are much more effective than any other form of online advertisements, and businesses are more than willing to pay for better placement. Hence the paid inclusions -- marketing in which companies pay price to the search engines to get their Web site crawled more often and more thoroughly so that they figure out prominently in search results. Google and Overture have hundreds of thousands of advertisers paying them huge amounts for getting prominent places in result listings. Trend watchers estimate that about 30 percent of search on the Internet is already purely commercial. These attempts to attract people's attention by taking measures mislead automated search engines and they churn out skewed and biased results.


Mergers, acquisitions, partnerships and “estimated growth of 10 to 30 percent” in the search industry also point out to the dynamism of the search phenomenon and points to major changes in near future. Search companies are spending huge sums to improve their service and to look different than other. They are also earning big revenues.


That said; just because some particular information was not fond does not necessarily mean that it does not exist on the Web. Sometimes it takes a few searches in different search engines using inclusive key words to find required information. The best way to learn searching successfully is by reading the help files on the search engine sites and practice. Most Internet savvy users I talked to had never opened help files of the search engine and majority was found using Google only. “Why bother with the help files? Searching the Web is self explanatory and one can easily learn by trial” is the general attitude.


Go for specialized search engine if there is one covering a particular topic of interest. Consider using a tool (like dogpile) that will use a number of search engines simultaneously. Use of Boolean operators (such as AND, OR and NOT) between wisely chosen search keywords and phrases can locate required results more efficiently. I wanted to remove remains of some spyware program from my computer and I typed "websavings" AND "removal". The name of the little spyware was Websavings and I wanted the removal instructions. The answer came up in the first item. Dr. Norbert says, “If search engines cannot make out the difference between academic and intellectual searches and searches for finding required product or service, searchers should.”Scouting of local users’ fraternity reveals that Web searching has not matured in Pakistan as some other Internet functions like emailing or Web surfing. Exception apart, a usual Web search starts with Google and ends up there. Besides all time Web wise top search themes, users here try to look for local contents and end up with such unfamiliar information that frustrate them. They forget that the scope of the Internet is international. “Internet naïve (but PC literate) users some time do not know the search basics and are intimidated by quantum of results their searches generate. Who really can read through dozens of pages of results produced? And if the huge quantum of documents is to be read then what is the search for,” says a University of the Punjab student Naeem Alvi?


On the other hand, there are some inspiring examples of local users taking advantage of searching information on the Web: People have gone for higher studies after searching information about the desired institutions and managing admission online, have contacted specialist doctors for treatment of uncommon diseases. Many writers are conducting searches for their work on the subjects which have not made to the books and encyclopaedias – traditional sources of knowledge. Students are found searching relevant material for deeper understanding of the subjects and assignments. Users are turning to Web search for information that they can apply to problem solving on ground. Some search information to enrich their lives; soul searching.


Brilliant as Web search engines are, the search technology is still evolving. It has not reached the point where humans and machines understand each other well enough to communicate clearly. People are already more perceptive and are demanding better results, and they are demanding a more powerful search experience. Given the developments taking place, importance being attached to the Web searches, one thing is certain: search technology has to go much beyond what it is today. We are likely to see some seismic changes in the field. My recommendation: try different search engines to locate the information on the Web and have enriching experience.