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‘Benazir Bhutto was dominant figure of Pakistani politics’

Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto had a unique personality. She was truly a public leader and the most unique thing about Benazir Bhutto was that she became a symbol of struggle and movement. Despite all the conspiracies she faced during her life she never give up and did not back down from her goal.

 

She did politics not for the sake of power but for the welfare of the people. She spent her whole life on the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. Benazir Bhutto wants to empower women and had taken many revolutionary steps in this regard.

 

There is no doubt that she wanted democracy to be flourished in the country so that people could have power and Pakistan could have a rule of law and strong democracy. The provincial minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo expressed these views while addressing a seminar on ‘the visionary leadership dynamic governance and services for the people of Pakistan: A tribute to the first lady prime minister of Islamic World, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto’ on Friday.

 

The SMBB Chair of the University of Karachi organized the seminar at the Auditorium of the Karachi University Business School. It was organized in connection to the 14th death anniversary of Benazir Bhutto.

 

The speakers observed that Benazir Bhutto was the dominant figure of Pakistani politics and had a vision about the progress and development of the country and its people.

 

The KU Vice Chancellor Professor Dr Khalid Mahmood Iraqi said that the visionary leader is one who empowers people. There are three visionary leaders in Pakistan to date, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, and Benazir Bhutto.

 

He mentioned that all these leaders believed that the future lies in adherence to the constitution, protection of minorities, and women empowerment. He said that the personalities are mortal, but their ideology and work for the betterment of society always leave behind a mark.

 

The KU VC Professor Dr Khalid Iraqi shared that there is a lot of talk about minorities in Pakistan but hardly any of you know that the ministry of minorities was started during the time of Benazir Bhutto.

 

He informed the audience that earlier there was no ministry for minorities in Pakistan. He added that similarly, there was no ministry for women’s rights and it was established during the time of Bibi Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. “Pakistan cannot develop unless true democracy is established because only through democracy the provision of rights to all sections of society can be ensured.”

 

Meanwhile, the Dean Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and the Director Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair Professor Dr Nusrat Idrees said that Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was a democratic-minded leader, the reason being that she saw the politics of her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.

 

She said that Benazir Bhutto wanted to take Pakistan forward. She is a role model for Pakistani women as well as for the whole world. Benazir Bhutto fought for the survival of democracy till her martyrdom. She wanted to give equal rights to everyone in society and talked about it on every platform.

 

Member Advisory Committee Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Chair Karachi University Professor ND Khan while recalling the memories shared that all the political training of Benazir Bhutto was done by her father Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and he trained his beloved daughter for this country.

 

He said that he was among those few people who asked Benazir Bhutto to delay her return in 2007 as he among few others feared that her life would be in danger if she returns to the country before the general elections.

 

On this occasion, the member Syndicate Karachi University Sahibzada Moazzam Qureshi said that the services of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto for Pakistan are not hidden from anyone, her services are visible in different walks of life. Benazir Bhutto is a well-known personality not only in Pakistan but also around the world. Her services for the restoration of true democracy in Pakistan are unforgettable.

 

The member Sindh Assembly and member Syndicate Karachi University Sadia Javed said that Shaheed Benazir Bhutto was the first Muslim woman prime minister who proved that women all over the world are no less than anyone.

 

The Director Shah Abdul Latif Bhattai Chair University of Karachi Professor Saleem Memon said that martyrdom is inherited by the Bhutto family, the martyrdom of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, Shahnawaz Bhutto, Mir Murtaza Bhutto, and then Benazir Bhutto is a part of this link and this is Bhuttoism. Benazir Bhutto was a seasoned politician and a brave and courageous woman.

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SU maintains fee hike for M.Phil and PhD programs

Sindh University’s spokesman Nadir Ali Mugheri has said that the decision to increase fees for M.Phil and PhD programs had been taken by the university syndicate which could not be taken back.

He said that the semester fee of M.Phil was only Rs. 34,000 after slight increase, which would be just Rs. 5666 per month, while there were many schools in Jamshoro charging fees of up to Rs 12,000 per month even from KG and primary children. No one protests against those schools, he added.

In a press statement issued here on Monday, the spokesman further said that those who wanted to pursue higher degrees at the University of Sindh had to pay only Rs 34,000 per semester which is equiavlent to just Rs. 5666 per month.

“There is no discount in M.Phil and PhD fees in any University of Pakistan but the University of Sindh is still subsidizing higher education”, he said.

The spokesperson said that the real scholars had nothing to do with the protest and such other negative activities but those who were not even enrolled were being used by some rivals of the institution.

He said that the increase in M.Phil and PhD fees was necessary in accordance with the current financial situation of the university and that the syndicate accorded its approval regarding slight increase in M.Phil and PhD fees after thorough consideration of the monetary condition of the institution.

“Everyone must respect the decisions of the syndicate, because the most respected personalities are part of this august forum”, he maintained.

Sharing a good-tide with the M.Phil and PhD scholars, the spokesperson said that the Higher Education Commission Sindh had sought details of the researchers enrolled at the University of Sindh and said that it intended to give scholarships to all of them.

He termed the decision of Sindh HEC as “a very good omen” for scholars and said that earlier, it provided as many as 10 M.Phil and PhD scholars with scholarships of Rs. 230,000.

The spokesperson advised the newly selected scholars for admissions to M.Phil and PhD in various disciplines to deposit their admission fees forthwith so that their names might be sent to Sindh HEC.

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Building Bridges Between Islamic World And West

Tamara Sonn in UMT
Emanuel Sarfraz & Intasab Sahi

Dr Tamara Sonn of Georgetown University, Washington speaks about her book ‘Is Islam an Enemy of the West?’ and the current state of affairs between the two civilizations.

“It is the headlines that create misconceptions. It was long before 9/11 that these headlines had started appearing. USA had started believing that Muslims hated them. After the revolution in Iran USA was labelled as Satan and the popular slogan was ‘Death to America’,” Dr Sonn stated this at the annual Khurram Murad Memorial Lecture held the other day at University of Management and Technology.

Professor Sonn is an American Academic;  Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor in the History of Islam and Director of the Al-Waleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at the Edmund A Walsh School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University.

Prof Sonn in her lecture at UMT explained how the situation continued to aggravate when after 9/11 there were bombings in Eastern Africa, London, Madrid and other places. “The so called ideologues who did not have anything to do with Islam started claiming such acts as a way of reaction to what they termed western attempt to dominate,” she said.

An expert in Religious Studies with a focus on Islam, Prof Sonn has authored several books about Islamic Identity and its geopolitical manifestations.

Prof. Sonn, while addressing the audience quite succinctly, explained why Islam is perceived to be the nemesis of the West. She revealed that the title of her book, “Is Islam an Enemy of the West?” was decided by her American publisher. The reason for such a selection became apparent as soon as Dr. Sonn began her lecture.

Most of what is known to the West about Islam comes from the “headlines,” according to the American Academic. More often than not, the so-called spokespersons of Islamic identity are the leaders of terrorist organizations such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram.

According to Dr. Sonn, the perpetrators of terror are never representing Islamic ideology. In fact, they are the “outliers” who manipulate the religious narrative for political gain and lure young minds who feel “marginalized” and “victimized” by Western society due to the religious affiliations based on the perception of that religion as propelled by the least representative, the affiliates of terrorist groups.

According to Prof. Sonn, the question of Islam being an Enemy of the West is simply, “ridiculous.” She continued her lecture by establishing linkage between Abrahamic Religions; Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

The champion of interfaith harmony detailed how one religion or ideology has always been at the receiving end of politically motivated propaganda. “At one point in time, the Jews were perceived to be the ‘enemies’ of the West within the West.  Then came the day of Communism and the Cold War, entire decades spent in ‘fearing’ the rise of the Left. These days, it is Islam that is perceived as a threat to the West,” she said.

However, what needs to be remembered is that radicalized groups even if they don any religious identity are never representing religion. As Dr. Sonn believes, mainstream Muslims need to be heard. The simple Mosque going individuals who are often attacked by the terrorists pretending to be the representatives of Islam condemn any act of terror in the name of Islam.

Albeit, the Muslims’ opposing misuse of Islam never make the headlines. The Professor of Religion went on to discuss how this manipulated image of a Religion prevents the World from seeing its suffering. Furthermore, Prof. Sonn shed light on the plight of the Muslims in areas of conflict such as Kashmir, Palestine, Myanmar, Southern Philippines (Mindanao), China amongst others.

However, the very West or in other words America has had long-standing ties with many Muslim countries said the Professor. It is not only the ‘oil-rich’ Gulf States that America or the West are invested in but, countries like Pakistan and Indonesia are also amongst the Muslim majority regions with whom the USA has withstanding connections.

“Vast majority of Muslims live in poor countries where they do not earn more than two dollars per day. Radicalization is bound to take place when there is so much frustration around due to poverty,” Prof Sonn was of the view.

“The vast majority of Muslims who have nothing to do anything with terrorism need to speak against it. They have not been able to make headlines but their governments should try to raise their voice. The west should also understand that intervention in other countries does not help in controlling the menace of terrorism. Forging alliances with Muslim countries is perhaps the solution.

Prof. Tamara Sonn‘s lecture essentially outlined why the West and the Muslims have an uncanny ‘fear’ of the other; in this case of each-other. The West marginalizes Muslims on the basis of reported perceptions and Muslims who live in the West or outside the Western boundaries, in countries where conflict and economic instability is rampant because of most of these regions including Pakistan were decolonized only in the mid of 20th century, feel unjustly accused and misrepresented.

Prior to the lecture rich tributes were paid to the late Islamic scholar and writer Khurram Murad. Prominent among those who spoke on the occasion were DG UMT Prof Abid Shirwani, Dr. Nomanul Haq, Dr Junaid Ahmed and  Prof Azhar. In the end President UMT Ibrahim Hasan Murad said the vote of thanks to Prof Tamara Sonn and also presented her with a souvenir.