Inter-Disciplinary and Multi-Disciplinary PhD Research

As I look back I am trying to connect the dots that I have been trying to follow the footsteps of Prof Dr JC Browne at UT Austin, TX, in multidisciplinary research. He was, my PhD Supervisor during 1990-95 whose pic is here:

Irfan Husain, Mazdak, Begum & Akhtar Husain Raipuri and Zafar Umar

I have been reading Mazdak/ Irfan Husain's articles in Dawn for last 20+ years. Although I often disagreed with his opinions but yet used to read them regularly. 

My Wing Sung Pen

Wing Sung Pen. Fountain pen. 

Tons of hard work and cherished memories with this friend. 

I got one in 1975, when I was in 8th class, this same color, and it remained in my use till 1987. All my exams: Matric, Inter (HSC1 and HSC2), Engineering (40 course papers), MBA (20 courses papers) and their preparatory work on reams and reams of paper was done with that one pen. I left it in my stuff when I went to USA in 1987. Remember seeing it when I returned in 1995. Then I don't know where it vanished. May be it is there somewhere in that old stuff. 

I remember the smoothness with which it would glide on the paper. It's nib due to long use had become thick. But, it flowed in my hands.

Social History Archival Project of Family Documents and Letters: Heritage Detectives

During the Covid-19 lockdown of 2020, when work from home was imposed and most outdoor activities and social commitments were heavily curtailed, I maximally utilized the available time in structuring and organizing my family letters and documents. During 2020-21 I managed to organize around 5000 handwritten letters and other documents dating back to 1870s: The organization process involved assigning a unique identifier to each physical letter document, dating each letter/doc, and labeling the writer and addressee of each letter and doc. Then the documents/letters were sorted, categorized, indexed, and inserted into plastic protector sheets for preservation, and placed in named phsyical folders. Following processes began to evolve with practice: Adding an index entry in an excel sheet for each physical item, sending a batch of letters/docs for scanning, receiving back the batch of items and their scans, and saving the scanned files in designated computer folders. Then sending a batch of scans to the typist for transcription, receiving the computer readable transcriptions from typists, entering them into dated word documents, and then editing them and also formatting them began to evolve. This project is still a work in progress and this blog post is being updated every few months to reflect the additional learnings. 

The project which had started out as a Family Documents/Letters preservation effort has now morphed into a Social History Archival Project. Eventually, this archive will become the primary data for writing a historical saga of the family travails, a window on the social history that would result in a series of videos, books, research papers or even novels or their adaptation. I am looking forward to my children or their children or other family members who opt for social sciences or can appreciate the importance of social history and may decide to continue the effort in some of these genres! My inspiration is, of course,  "Kar-e-Jehan Daraz Hai" by Qurratul Ain Hyder (my father's cousin), Shajra Project by SMKA Zaidi, and UT Austin's Social History Museum as explained in my following two posts and am looking forward to others to continue the effort: 

Family Tree Shajra of Sadat e Nehtaur: A Case Study of Compilation of Social History
Lesser known dimensions of US Universities - Archives of history and literature

The project required meticulous attention to detail and following the clues to identify when the documents came into existence and were preserved, and then peeping into the minds for motivations of social behaviors of that time. It often requires weaving a most probable story around them which reminds me of the detective work described in novels of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple.  Not surprisingly I came across the term "Heritage Detective" on google search which indicates that this is a specific genre and specialized services and there are careers that can be made out of it. 

Library Search for Articles at UT Austin in 1989: How searching of articles has changed

Think about researchers who reviewed hundreds of papers that they had to access manually! UT Austin,  Texas in 1987 had around 6 millions items distributed in several departmental libraries. Some of these were several storyed library buildings. There was also a huge 6 floor central library. For example, In Engineering building library each engineering discipline had their own encyclopedia type abstracts volumes. Computer and control abstracts had around 50 volumes (encyclopedia like thick volumes containing the abstracts of all papers published). Volume 1 and 2 contained the index of citations only. From the alphabetical index search you identified the particular volume,  say volume #34 containing abstracts of a particular area. Then you pulled out volume#34 to read the abstracts and titles. If you thought the abstract was any good or relevant and the article was worth reading, then you noted the reference in a diary. Once you have noted these 20-30 worth reading citations, the next stage was to get the article. Fortunately, library catalog was computerized and UT Austin had a huge subscription of journals. Online catalog told you whether whether the journal was available and at which library, and which floor and which shelf. Generally from 20 citations you found 5-7 not available on campus. For these you needed to go to inter University loan service that typically took from 2weeks to two months to get the photo copy from a partner University. If the journal was available on campus, you went to that physical library location to find the volume of journal. You were lucky if the journal was available on shelf. Often another student may have taken out the volume and placed it in the library somewhere. For that you had to contact the library staff to search the item and hold it for you  which may take a few days. Finally, you find the relevant volume and read the article. If it is really good and relevant you got to get the photocopy from the machines where you had to insert a prepaid cartridge to get the photocopies. 

Of Excellence in Ironing and Remembering the Learnings from Mukhtar A Siddiqui, My Khaloo

Of Excellence in Ironing and Remembering Mukhtar Siddiqui

Mukhtar Khaloo once came to Islamabad and was traveling to Mardan. This was the mid-1970s. He spent a few days at our place. There are two memorable incidents from his stay. 

One was my learning about excellence in ironing. The way he ironed his shirt and pants was a memorable observational experience. The way he sprinkled the water, and the way he used the damp gauze to dampen the areas of pants and shirts before ironing was so meticulous. The way the crease was properly laid on the ironing table, the care with which each leg of the trouser was placed on another and the crease of the two legs were aligned and then pressed was a treat to watch. I first time realized that ironing is nothing casual. It is deliberate, it requires time and patience, it requires meticulous skill, it requires attention to detail, it requires proper heat and dampening. It requires proper placement of different parts of the suit in particular positions before the iron is used for pressing. 

Mukhtar Khaloo's Famous Chand Gari that was a source of great enjoyment to the whole family

Which is the "competent authority" for investigating a crime such as abduction in Pakistan

“Which is the "competent authority" for investigating a crime such as abduction in Pakistan? 

“Competent Authorities” for Investigation & Enforcement suffer from conflicts of jurisdiction, duplication, redundancies, multiple chains of commands, and mismatch of authority with responsibility. There is lack of transparency, and accountability. There is a perennial tension between Enforcement vs Investigation induced by the ends vs means dichotomy! Enforcement requires immediate action and is dominated by the need for "results" (ends) over the need for "due process" (means). However, investigation leading to conviction by courts requires meticulous attention to "due process" (means) over the need for "results" (ends). 

70 years of Failure of Dominant Narratives

اگر آپ ملک کی ترقی چاہتے ہیں تو اس 70 سالہ ناکام بیانیہ کی اندھا دھند تقلید چھوڑ دیں، جس کے چند بڑے نکات یہ ہیں:
1. پاکستان کی زبوں حالی کی بنیاد مالی کرپشن ہے- جی نہیں، پاکستان کی زبوں حالی کی بنیاد مالی نہیں آئینی کرپشن ہے جو کہ اداروں کو تباہ و برباد کر دیتی ہے اور پنپنے نہیں دیتی-

 
2. پاکستان کو صرف ایک سخت گیر ایماندار قیادت چاہیے- جی نہیں اداروں کو چلانے کے لئے اہلیت چاہیے- ادارے مضبوط ہوں گے تو کرپشن کی تطہیر خود کریں گے آئینی تقاضوں کے ساتھ- جبھی وہ پاکستانی جو صبح شام سگنل اور قانون توڑتے ہیں وہ دوسرے ممالک میں جا کر یکایک قانون کی پاسداری کرنے لگتے ہیں-

3- اوپر والا ایماندار ہو تو نیچے والے خود بخود ایماندار ہو جاتے ہیں- جی نہیں نظام تبدیل کرنے کے لئے اہلیت و کومپیٹنس چاہیے، جو کہ KPIs کو کمپیوٹرائزڈ سسٹمز کے زریعے مانیٹر کرے اور تمام فیصلوں اور ان پر عملدرآمد کی مانئٹرنگ کو یقینی بنائے اور ان کے زریعے transparency اور accountability مہیا کرے-

4- تبدیلی کے لئے centralization چاہیے - جی نہیں تبدیلی decentralization اور delegation سے آتی ہے- ہر کام اگر فیڈرل اور صوبائی منسٹریز کو کرنا ہے تو تمام اتھارٹیز اور دیگر اداروں کو تحلیل کر دیں- اگر کوئی اتھارٹی یا ادارہ بنانا ضروری ہے تو اس کو responsibility کے مطابق اتھارٹی دیں اور اس کو اپنے KPIs کا مکلف بنا کر منسٹری کا کنٹرول ختم کر دیں- KPIs نہ پورے ہونے پر فیصلہ گورننگ بورڈ پر چھوڑیں اگر سربراہ اور بورڈ دونوں ناکام ہو جائیں تو دونوں کو سروسز عدالت میں پیش کریں-
ککلکم راع و کلکم را مسئول .....

Competent Authorities of Pakistan and the Source of their Incompetence

What is "Competent Authority" and how their incompetence breeds mafias:
"Competent Authority" is the code word used by bureaucracy itself to hide the name of decision maker. This is often the secretary of Ministry but may denote a committee also or some other decision maker, but the footprint of the secretary must be there in that decision. All notifications issued by ministries and decisions made by ministries use the word "competent authority".

Complex web of Investigative Agencies investigating the other Investigative Agencies

بادشاہ کا گھوڑا اور انوسٹیگیشن کی نگرانی کے نگران:
بادشاہ سلامت نے شاہی اصطبل کے لیے مہنگا ترین گھوڑا خریدا۔ کچھ دن بعد بادشاہ نے وزیر کے ہمراہ اپنے پسندیدہ گھوڑے کو دیکھنے کے لیے اصطبل کا دورہ کیا اور وزیر کو کہا کہ گھوڑا کمزور ہو رہا ہے ۔ وزیر نے معاملے کی تحقیقات کی اور بادشاہ کو بتایا کہ گھوڑے کا نگران اس کی خوراک میں بدعنوانی کرتا تھا مگر بادشاہ سلامت آپ فکر نہ کریں ہم نے اُس کے اوپر ایک اور نگران مقرر کر دیا ہے جو نگران کی نگرانی کرے گا۔ بادشاہ مطمئن ہو گیا کچھ عرصے کے بعد وہ دوبارہ اصطبل گیا تو دیکھا کہ گھوڑا پہلے صرف کمزور تھا اب بیمار بھی ہے اس نے پھر وزیر کو اصلاح احوال کا کہا وزیر صاحب نے بادشاہ کو رپورٹ دی کہ نگران کے اوپر جو دوسرا نگران مقرر کیا گیا تھا وہ پہلے نگران سے ملا ہوا ہے لہٰذا اب ہم نے سخت کارروائی کرتے ہوئے ایک تیسرا نگران لگا دیا گیا ہے جو دونوں نگرانوں کی کرپشن کو آہنی ہاتھ سے کچل دے گا جیسے جیسے نگرانوں کی تعداد میں اضافہ ہوتا گیا شاہی گھوڑے کی صحت مزید بگڑتی گئی اور ایک دن بادشاہ کو خبر دی گئی کہ گھوڑا مر گیا ہے-

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بڑھتا گیا درد جوں جوں دوا کی:
پہلے ہر جرم کے لئے پولیس کا ادارہ تھا- مگر وزیر با تدبیر نے کہا کہ پولیس کرپٹ ہے- چنانچہ اس کی نگرانی کیلئے FIA بنائی گئی- مگر جب احساس ہوا کہ ان میں بھی کرپشن ہے تو اس کی نگرانی کیلئے NAB بنائی گئی- پولیس چرس کی پڑیا ڈال کر جس کو چاہتی ہے پکڑ لیتی ہے اور جس کو چاہتی ہے چھوڑ دیتی ہے چنانچہ اس کی نگرانی کیلئےANF بنائی گئی-
پھر IB میدان میں اتری اور بعد میں کچھ اداروں کا دائرہ کار ملک کے باہر سے ملک کے اندر پھیلا دیا گیا جونکہ وزارت داخلہ کے تحت چلنے والی نگران ایجنسیوں کی نگرانی مقصود تھی- FIA کو سائبر کرائم کی زمہ داری دی گئی مگر ISPR کے تحت ایک اور ادارہ بنا کہ اس کو FIA کی نگرانی پر مامور کر دیا- پھر ہر ادارے نے اپنی اپنی بھی انوسٹیگیشن سیلز بنا لئے کہ وہ عوام کی نگرانی کریں- ٹیکس والے خود بھی ٹیکس چور پکڑنے کی نگرانی کرتے ہیں اور ڈھیر سارے ادارے white collar crime کی تفتیش کے لے بنائے گئے، مثلاً FIA اور ان کے نگران NAB- وزارت صحت نے دوائیوں کی قیمتوں کے ہیر پھیر کو انویسٹیگیٹ اور نگرانی کے لئے DRAP بنائی، واپڈا نے بجلی چور پکڑنے کے لے اپنا انوسٹیگیشن سیل بنایا-، انرجی منسٹری نے گیس کی چوری اور پیٹرول کی چوری کے لئے اپنے اپنے سیل بنائے اور اوگرا اور نیپرا جیسے ادارے بنائے ہیں......... پھر ہم روتے ہیں کہ مافیا بہت سارے ہیں - یاد رہے کہ CCP نام کا ادارہ ان ہی کارٹیلز کی انوسٹیگیشن کے لئے بنا ہے-

پاکستان میں وزیر داخلہ اور وزیر دفاع کو انوسٹیگیشن ایجنسیز بنانے کا ملکہ حاصل ہے ان وزارتوں کے سیکرٹریز کے نیچے بیسیوں ایجنسیز ہیں، کیا ان وزیروں سے کوئی پوچھتا ہے کہ کتنے کرائمز رپورٹ ہوئے، کتنے ملزمان گرفتار ہوئے، کتنے کے مقدمے عدالتوں میں بھیجے گئے، کتنوں کو سزا ہوئی اور کتنوں کو سزا نہیں ہوئی- جن کو سزا نہیں ہوئی اس کی تفتیش میں کیا کمزوری تھی، اور اس کمزوری کو کیسے دور کیا جارہا ہے - کیا یہی سوال ہر ادارے سے منسٹری پوچھتی ہے-

ایک بڑا مسئلہ overlapping jurisdiction کا ہے جس کی وجہ سے ایک ادارہ دوسرے کے ساتھ پنگ پانگ کھیلتا رہتا ہے- کون سے کرائمز کس ادارے کی زمہ داری ہیں- بالکل اسی طرح سے جیسے FIR درج کرنے کیلیئے آپ ایک تھانہ سے دوسرے تھانے بھاگتے رہتے ہیں، اور سرکاری کام کے لئے ایک محکمہ سے دوسرے محکمہ، اور ایک کھڑکی سے دوسری کھڑکی-

اس کے علاوہ مسئلہ Investigation vs enforcement کا بھی ہے- اس overlap سے مسائل بڑھتے جا رہے ہیں- اینفورسمنٹ کی غلطی انوسٹیگیشن پر انوسٹیگیشن کی غلطی اینفرسمنٹ پر-

پہلے بین الاقوامی جاسوسی منسٹری آف ڈیفینس کے تحت اور تمام ملکی انوسٹیگیشنز منسٹری آف انٹیرئر وزارت داخلہ کے تحت - اب یہ distinction بھی ختم ہو گئی ہے- کون سی کس کے تحت ہے، یہ کسی کو نہیں معلوم -

چسٹس ثاقب نثار نے JIT بنا کر ایک اور complexity پیدا کر دی- اب سب کی زمہ داری ایک ٹیم کے پاس ہے-
you scratch my back, I scratch yours.

کیا آپ بتا سکتے ہیں کہ اغوا کاروں کو پکڑنے والا ادارہ کون سا ہے؟

Constitutional corruption has created the Incompetence of the "competent authorities" of Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Defense in not being able to monitor, manage, delegate, differentiate, distribute the responsibilities among zillions of investigation and law enforcement agencies and also the incompetence in establishing transparency and accountability.

There is a maze of LEAs and investigation agencies: Police, IB, NAB, Ehtisab Bureau, ISI, ISPR, MI, FIA, NCD (Narcotics Control Division), ANF (Anti Narcotic Force), Elite Force (Commandos Punjab), ATF (Anti-Terrorism Force), BC (Baluchistan Constabulary), FC (Frontier Corps), CB (Crime Branch), SB (Special Branch), Rangers in Sindh, CID (Criminal Investigation Division), CIA (Criminal Investigation Agency), CLC (Car Lifting Cell, Khi)......

اس کے علاوہ کئی انویسٹیگیشن سیلز مختلف اداروں میں بھی ہیں مثلا FBR، پاکستان سروے، واپڈا، وزارت صحت، CCP, army, navy, air force، وغیرہ وغیرہ

Oil Price Hike Mafias in Pakistan

Incompetence of the competent authority: Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority, OGRA

The relationship between OGRA and Ministry of Energy, Petroleum Division. There is a conflict of responsibilities and authorities which allows these mafias to fester. 

Hoarding and Price Manipulation Mafias

Incompetence of the "competent authorities" responsible for lack of price control under several ministries. Beware of media brigade that wants to protect and cover-up the shenanigans of the "incompetent authorities" by shifting the blame to the poor people. They are trying to absolve themselves of the responsibility of ensuring that the incompetence of these so called "competent authorities" is punished!

Constitutional Corruption vs Financial Corruption

Corruption is breaking of law to gain some financial benefits. Law is under the constitution, so constitution is at a higher pedestal than law. Constitutional violations have a greater negative impact than the financial corruption because constitutional violations destroy the institutions and their relationships, thereby leaving scars that may take decades to heal. The impact of constitutional corruption last for decades and corrupts generations. 

کرپشن قانون توڑنے کو کہتے ہیں- قانون آئین کے تابع ہوتا ہے- سب سے بڑی کرپپشن آئین و قانون کو توڑنا ہے- آئین و قانون کو توڑنے والی کرپشن کو ہمیشہ نظریہ ضرورت یعنی Doctrine (DoN) of Necessity کے تحت ججز اور ڈکٹیٹرز نے تحفظ دیا ہے- پھر خود روتے ہیں کہ کرپشن بڑھ گئی

مالیاتی کرپشن قانون توڑ کر زاتی فائدہ حاصل کرنا ہے جبکہ آئینی کرپشن آئین توڑ کر اپنی جانی فائدہ کیلئے من بپسند ترمیم کرنا ہے- چونکہ قانون آئین کے ماتحت ہے، اس لئے مالیاتی کرپشن سے صرف مالی نقصان ہوتا ہے جبکہ آئینی کرپشن سے ملک کے تمام نظام تلپٹ ہو جاتے ہیں- مثلاً عدالتی نظام، بیوروکریسی نظام، وغیرہ

مالیاتی کرپشن دراصل آئینی کرپشن کی مرہونِ منت ہے- ورنہ ڈکٹیٹرز کے 35 سالہ آئینی کرپٹ حکومتوں کے ڈنڈا گھمانے سے کرپشن کبھی کی ختم ہو گئی ہوتی-رہی سہی کسر بقیہ 35 سال میں آئینی کرپشن والی ترمیمات کے زریعے سولین حکومتوں پر شب خون مار کر ختم ہو گئی ہوتی-

اگر جنرل ضیاء بندوق کے زور پر اقتدار کے مزے لینے کے لئے آئین و قانون توڑ کر آئینی کرپشن کر سکتا ہے تو ایک پولیس کانسٹیبل بندوق کے زور پر چائے پانی کے مزے لینے کے لئے قانون توڑ کر مالی کرپشن کر سکتا ہے

شکریہ ع خ: آپ نے یہ بات ثابت کر دی کہ پاکستان کا سب سے ببڑا مسئلہ کرپشن نہیں بلکہ نااہلی ہے یعنی انکومپیٹنس- Incompetence سے کرپشن ختم کرنا تو دور کی بات ایسی معاشی بدحالی پیدا ہوتی ہے جو کرپشن بتدریج ختم کرنے والے سسٹم بھی انسٹال کرنے نہیں دیتی

72 سال سب سے زیادہ اُلو بنانے والی ٹرک کی بتی: پاکستان کو ایک ایماندار، ڈنڈا بردار لیڈر چاہیے- وہ چٹکی بجا کر کرپشن ختم کر دیگا

ڈکٹیٹر ضیا: 11 سال کرپشن کا قلع قمع: "ذندہ" بھٹو، MQM، NS، جہادیوں کے گاڈفادر؛ قرضہ معاف، پلاٹ بندر بانٹ، $6Bn کی گنز، ڈرگز سیلاب

گھبرائیے مت: کرپشن کی صفائی 70 سال سے جاری ہے: 35 سال جرنیلوں کی صفائی کے، بقیہ 35 سال 16 وزرائے اعظم کا کرپشن کی پاداش میں صفایا

نیوکلونیلزم کرپشن ٹرک کی بتی: 35 سال جغادری صفائی، بقیہ 35 سال 16 وزرائے اعظم و غداروں کا صفایا، معیشت کی راکٹ پرواز، ملک مضبوط

"ایماندار" طالع آزمائوں نے انسداد کرپشن کے نام پر آئین و قانون کو پامال کر کے پچھلے 70 سال سے پے درپے حکومتیں گرا کر جس طرح ملکی وسائل پر قبضہ کیا ہے کیا وہ اب بھی آپ کی نظروں سے اوجھل ہے؟

کرپشن خاتمہ کو صرف ایک ایماندار، ڈنڈا بردار، مرد آہن چاہیے:
ایوب(10سال)، ضیاء(11سال)، مش(9سال) اور اب عمران خان(صادق امین ایک پیج)ا

It is incompetence of the competent authority, stupid!
کرپشن کا واویلا صرف اپنی نااہلی چھپانے کا ڈھکوسلہ تھا، پکی نوکری والوں کا

"کرپشن کا صفایا" پلاٹینم جوبلی: کرپٹ و غدار سیاستدانوں کی اسیری و مار دھاڑ سے بھرپور، 70 سال سے تواتر و طمطراق سے جاری، ہاؤس فُل

میرے عزیز ہموطنو:
کرپشن 1954، 1958، 1969، 1977، 1999 کی طرح بدستور ہے،...
20yr itch

جج جیسی مقدس گائے کو کرپشن کا الزام لگا کر کوئی بھی درخواست صدر کو بھیج سکتا ہے- مگر دوسری مقدس گائے پر آئینی کرپشن کے الزام کی درخواست کس کو بھیجی جائے گی

ع خ الیکشن سے پہلے: "ملک میں اوپر والا ایماندار ہو تو نیچے سب کرپشن ختم ہو جاتی ہے اور اگر اوپر والا کرپٹ ہو تو نیچے سب کرپشن پھیل جاتی ہے"

کرپشن یومیہ 13Bn (سال میں 4.7Tr) ختم کی مگر خزانہ پھر بھی خالی ہے:
نہ کھاتا ہے نہ لگاتا ہے مگر خدا جانے یہ پیسہ کہاں جاتا ہے!!!!

NRO++
عوام پھر الو بن گئے! کرپشن خاتمہ وہ ٹرک کی بتی ہے جس کے پیچھے حاضر و غائب DoN گاڈفادرز نے پچھلے 70 سال سے عوامی رائے کو فٹبال بنایا ہوا ہے

"کرپشن ختم کرنے" کا چورن بیچ کر پچھلے 70 سال میں آپ کو 17 دفعہ الو بننا پسند آیا؟ 17 میں سے ہر ایک وزیر اعظم کو اپنی مدت ختم کئے بغیر "تبدیلی" پسند آئی؟ کیا آپ کو اب بھی یہ سمجھ نہیں آیا کہ کرپشن سے زیادہ نا اہلی Incompetence سب سے بڑا مسئلہ ہے

اگر آپ کرپشن واقعی ختم کرنا چاہتے ہیں تو تمام گورنمنٹ اداروں کے لینڈ ٹرانسفرز اور دس لاکھ سے زیادہ کے پرچیز آرڈر اوپن ویب سائٹ پر ڈال دیں

کرپشن ختم کرنا بغیر ٹرانسپیرنسی کے ممکن نہیں: تمام پراپرٹیز کی اونرشپ و ٹرانسفر کا انٹرنیٹ پر ریکارڈ 80% مقدمات کو ختم کر دے گا

Edit

Why there are Crime Mafias in Pakistan- Multiple Investigation Agencies with Overlapping Functions

کرپشن اور کرائم انوسٹیگیشن: بڑھتا گیا درد جوں جوں دوا کی How many investigation agencies are there in Pakistan? Which other investigation agencies exist that are not mentioned in the attached lists? I think there are investigating units also in FBR, EOBI, SBCA, SBP etc? I read somewhere many years ago that there are 40+ agencies! How many corrupt have each of them nabbed after collecting enough evidence to convict them in courts. Incompetence of the competent authorities responsible for collecting solid evidence. How much extortion and blackmailing by them? Any research?

How Mafias Come into Existence in Pakistan: There is no single authority to be held accountable

Mafias are created when different government agencies start playing ping-pong with their responsibility. They are all the time fighting turf wars often with the connivance of the vested interests, who then cling together to form cartels that start playing one government department against the other, one ministry against the other. 

    جہاں جہاں مافیا ہے وہاں وہاں ایک بے بس، لاچار اور مجبور اتھارٹی ہے جسکی جان دراصل ایک ایسی منسٹری کی مٹھی میں ہے جو کہتی تو اپنے اپنے آپ کو "کمپیٹنٹ اتھارٹی" ہے مگر سوائے اپنی Incompetence چھپانے کے اور کچھ نہیں کرتی: کام کی نہ کاج کی دشمن اناج کی:یہ شاطرانہ انداز میں Competent authority کے پیچھے
اپنے نام کو چھپا کر اپنی نا اہلی چھپا کر تمام زمہ داری نظر آنے والے حکمرانوں پر ڈال دیتے ہیں

Government has designated a specialized ministry and an authority for tackling each type of problem. They are paid from taxpayers pocket. They need to be punished for their incompetence and aggravation of problems. Each Mafia feeds on a problem of a particular area which can not exist without the collusion of the authority and the relevant ministry. We all thought that IK's تبدیلی will change the working of these rulers who call themselves as "competent authorities". He will hold them accountable and will punish them. Instead he like many others have been ensnared by the bureaucracy and its labyrinth of notifications issued under the disguise of "competent authority". If he and his supporters would have seen a few episodes of the "Yes Prime Minister" serial of BBC, it would have informed PTIans that tabdeeli can only be brought by breaking the code of this bureaucracy. See for example https://youtu.be/GPsHfVCFLhU

Aviation Fiasco: Incompetence of CAA, PIA and Aviation Ministry

CAA has recently certified that all the licenses issued by CAA are genuine and are not fake. Please note the count of fake licenses was 262 in the report flashed by the aviation minister in the assembly which was followed by the Prime Minister speaking about  that the fake licenses while trying to implicate previous governments and indirectly holding them responsible for PK8303 crash. The report of dubious licenses mentioning 262 pilots somehow got reduced to 141 pilots by the time the report was in the hands of media signed by Maritime Secretary. Interesting to investigate why maritime affairs secretary was investigating the aviation licenses. Was he part of Aviation Secretary investigation committee then why the aviation secretary did not sign it, and if he was not part of the committee then why was he not part of the committee. It seems to be incompetence of the competent authority of Aviation Ministry's Secretary Aviation at all the levels. Total Mess. Muck was supposed to be thrown up to malign the opposition parties under whose rule the pilots were appointed. All this only to protect the uniformed air marshal from criticism related to pk8303 crash and shift the blame elsewhere. It was the incompetence of CJP who allowed uniformed air marshal to continue as Chief under the stealth Doctrine of Necessity proclaiming in Supreme Court "Who would be held responsible if something happened". Now that something has happened who should be held responsible, other then the CJP? Furthermore, the incompetent ministers of the  incompetent prime minister who wanted to take the laurels of fighting the corruption by humiliating the opposition and destroying the lives of hundreds of pilots and thousands of other license holders from CAA working as technicians and other aviation personnel. 

Bureaucracy knew about the "sadistic" inclinations of PM. They prepared a preliminary report in the typical "competent authority" code language. IK and his Minister took the bait and bamboozled it in parliament.
IK took sadistic pleasure in tormenting 262 pilots, blaming and humiliating the opposition" in the assembly. This sadistic campaign was continued on social media through their blind media brigade that gears into action without consideration of consequences.

اور پھر ایک وردی والے چیف ایگزیکٹو کو pk8303 ائیر کریش کی تنقید سے بچا کر ملبہ اپوزیشن پر انڈیلنے سے sadistic pleasure حاصل کرنے کا کام شروع کر دیا- اسی sadistic pleasure حاصل کرنے کیلئے میڈیا برگیڈ نے بھی بہتی گنگا میں ہاتھ دھونا شروع کر دیا- سوشل میڈیا میں لوگوں کے کرب اور ابتلاء پر ٹھٹے لگاتے ہوئے تمام پائلیٹس کو گراؤنڈ ہونے میں خوش ہوئے، PIA کو دیوالیہ ہونے کو اپوزیشن کے کھاتے میں ڈال کر ہنستے رہے، ایویشن انڈسٹری کے بند ہونے پہ شادیانے بجائے کیونکہ اس میں ایک ائیر لائن ان کے سیاسی مخالف کی بھی تھی، CAA کی رسوائی کو اپوزیشن کے کھاتے میں ڈالا اور پھر پاکستان کو بدنام کرنے میں کامیاب ہو گئے-

First the EU imposed a ban for 6 months, then it was UK followed by Malaysia, emirates and other destinations in the world. PIA flights were grounded along with all technical staff with CAA licenses working around the world inflicting billions of rupees of losses on all Pakistani carriers and aviation industry.

Once the damage was done the "competent authority" simply used the other coded words to extricate itself from the mess leaving the PM and his minister in the muck. As usual Brilliant Sir Humphrey in BBC serial "Yes Prime Minister" making the minister to cut a sorry figure.

sadistic /səˈdɪstɪk/, adj, deriving pleasure from inflicting pain or humiliation on others. Eg: "IK took sadistic pleasure in tormenting 262 pilots, blaming and humiliating the opposition"

ع خ صاحب سے فرمایا گیا: آپ کو اور آپ کے وزیرِ ایویشن کو "کمپیٹنٹ اتھارٹی" یعنی سیکرٹری ایویشن کی انگلی پسند آئی؟

بڑے آئے، چلے تھے بیوروکریسی کو روزانہ دھمکیاں دیتے اور ان کو 55 سال کی عمر میں رٹائر کرنے ☺

All Licenses Issued to Pilots are genuine, now claims CAA!

- سیکرٹری ایویشن خود پچھلے دو سال سے CAA کا DG ہے، PIA اور CAA اس کے ماتحت ادارے ہیں- اس طاقتور Competent authority کی سمری کے بغیر وزیر ایویشن کی مجال نہیں تھی کہ وہ لسٹ جاری کر سکے جس نے پی آئی اے اور شہری ہوابازی کا بیڑا غرق کر دیا- اس پراسرار طاقتور Competent authority کا نام حسن ناصر جامی ہے- اب اپنی جان بچانے کیلئے یہ بیان جاری کر رہا ہے-

Report of dubious licenses was signed by secretary of maritime affairs. What has maritime affairs to do with aviation licenses. Incompetence of the competent authority of Aviation Ministry's Secretary Aviation. Total Mess. Only to protect the uniformed air marshal from criticism related to pk8303 crash. Incompetence of CJP in allowing uniformed air marshal to continue as Chief under Doctrine of Necessity

Incompetent ministers of incompetent prime minister

Learning and Life is My Autobiography

Writing poetry, blogs, essay, or reflections is greatly cathartic. Things that greatly troubled me, once I got them out of my system through my writing, they stopped bothering me. Once expressed, they stop festering. This is how I forgot many of my longings. My long blog posts are my learning and my efforts in my life. The blog had been a great cathartic experience for me. I write blogs not as much to impress others but more so to organize my thoughts. My thoughts typically are running in circles. They go from one realm to another. And then keep coming back. Once I write them, they become organized and structured. During writing, I also identify the links that I have not explored earlier. I also find links that I knew but had not thought about so clearly and crisply. It is a wonderful experience.

As I connect this with Donald Murray's 1991 essay "All Writing is Autobiography" I feel that this true.

http://www.umsl.edu/~alexanderjm/AllWritingisAutobiography.pdf

[to be completed]

When Ayub Khan Accused Fatima Jinnah Of Being An Indian And American Agent

Source: Time Magazine datelined Christmas Day 1964. It sheds interesting light on how far back this game of the security establishment conjuring up images of US-India collusion go. Ayub Khan actually accused Fatima Jinnah of being pro-Indian and pro-American. Oldest trick in the security establishment’s book. -YLH

Weakness of Pakistani Judicial System and PCO Chief Justices

Since the Justice Faez Isa case in the SJC and subsequent Supreme Court's full bench hearing on Justice Isa's petition, the Pakistani media brigade has gone full throttle against maligning all the judges of the superior courts. All ills have been heaped on the judges with insinuation about their integrity. This facebook post highlights who needs to be held responsible. 

کہاں کا انصاف، کیسا منصف؟ جسٹس منیر 1954 سے لیکر کھوسہ 2019 تک کے تمام اٹھائیس CJPs نے طاقتور کے آئین و قانون توڑنے کو جائز قرار دینے والے مارشل لائی PCOs پر حلف لیا تھا- جس نے انکار کیا اس کو طاقت کے زور پر نکال دیا مثلاً جسٹس سعیدالزماں صدیقی وغیرہ - اگلے آنے والے CJPs بھی نان PCO ہیں جن میں سب سے زیادہ دبنگ جسٹس عیسی' ہیں - اسلئے یہ واویلا ہے، وارننگ ہے دیگر نان PCO ججز کے لئے کہ تمہارا حشر بھہی ایسا ہی کر دیا جائے گا- سب کی فائیلیں تیار ہیں-

• See also Political Engineering of Chief Justices of Pakistan for detailed list of all the CJPs and their PC status. 

Why judiciary has not been able to deliver quick and easy justice! It has never been allowed to independently dispense justice. From the very start, beginning with Justice Munir in 1954, CJPs decided to toe the line of the powerful, and succumbed to the dictates of the powerful. The judiciary is again being cowered in line are being threatened by the destruction of system.

Dictator Godfathers of Pakistani Politicians-Quality of Selectors-Quality of Selectees

Quality of selectors in Pakistan has reflected in the quality of the selectees. Vicious propaganda against politicians of Pakistan should make us reflect that why on ZAB, NS, AZ, AH and Chaudhrys are credited for their alleged treason and corruption. Their godfathers should also be given due credit if we accept that they have such unenviable disposition. Consider the following history:  

Dictator Ayub godfathered Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto (who used to call him daddy).

Dictator Yahya godfathered Bhutto as the first Civilian Martial Law Administrator. He can also be given the credit for being the godfather of Bangladesh and Shaikh Mujeeb. The new country would not have come into existence had Yahya handed over the power to the winner of 1970 elections (Shaikh Mujeeb) without delay, and if had not launched Military Operation Searchlight. He can also be credited for godfathering the surrendering AAK Tiger Niazi. 

Dictator Zia godfathered APMSO's transition to MQM and its ascent as a terror in Karachi with violence associated with its politics for the next 40 years. Zia should also be credited for godfathering Nawaz Sharif as a politician by introducing him as finance minister of Punjab and later as 3-times Prime Minister. Dictator Musharraf should be given credit for godfathering the Chaudhrys in Punjab. Elder brother Chaudhry Shujaat as PM and younger brother Parvez Ilahi as CM Punjab. Dictator Musharraf's greatest godson would be Asif Ali Zardari who could not have become president without the NRO given by Musharraf. 

Political Engineering of Chief Justices of Pakistan: PCO judges

This slide in one glance tells you why there is a vicious campaign against the Supreme Court Judges. There is a new breed of SC judges that are not PCO-ed by dictators. This also tells the story of how Supreme Court controlled and manipulated. Only the judges who toe the lines of the dictators are kept. All others are forcibly removed. Obviously media brigade is severely distressed. Story of Doctrine of Necessity, DoN PCO Godfathers who sanctified the breakup of constitution and law.

آپ ایک نظر میں دیکھ سکتے ہیں کہ ججز کے خلاف کمپین کیوں چلائی جا رہی ہے، آپ یہ بھی دیکھ سکتے ہیں کون سا جج کیوں قبول ہے اور کیوں نہیں قبول - جب آپ خود آئین اور قانون کو توڑ کر آئین و قانون توڑنے والے کو تحفظ دیتے ہیں تو آپ کرپشن کی اعلی ترین درجہ پہ فائز ہوتے ہیں، آپ کرپشن کیسے ختم کریں گے-

Corruption and Doctrine of Necessity

چور مچائے شور: کرپشن قانون توڑ کر اپنے نفع کے لئے فیصلے کرنے کو کہتے ہیں، جس کے لئے اپنی جان بچانے کے لئے مک مکا و مٹی پاؤ کرنا بھی شامل ہے- ہمارے ساتھ پچھلے 70 سال سے اس ڈرامے کو نظریہ ضرورت کے نام پر ڈکٹیٹرز اپنے قانون توڑنے کے بعد بچاؤ کے لئے استعمال کرتے رہے ہیں- بہت سارے سادہ لوح اس ڈرامے پر تالیاں بجاتے رہے ہیں اور پھر کرپشن کرپشن کا شور مچا کر بار بار اس کی نئی قسطوں کا مطالبہ بھی کرتے رہے ہیں- سسلین گاڈفادر مافیا کے اس سرغنہ کو کہا جاتا تھا جس کی جیب میں قانون بنانے والے لیجسلیٹرز اور قانون پر عملدرآمد کروانے والی پولیس اور تحقیقاتی ادارے اور قانون کے مطابق فیصلہ کرنے والے ججز ہوتے ہیں- اور ان میں سے جو ان کے حکم عدولی کرے اس کو Terminate یا exterminate کر دیا جاتا ہے- یہ کام ڈھٹائی سے پاکستان میں ڈنکے کی چوٹ پر نظریہ ضرورت کے نام پر اعلانیہ ہوتا رہا ہے اور اب بھی جاری ہے

Murphy's Law and Project Leadership during Change Implementations

Whenever we use technology, we should always do a pilot. Do you recall IBA's entry test fiasco of medical colleges of Punjab in late 1990s which was widely covered in the media of that time? I saw the fiasco unfolding in front of my eyes from close at IBA where the untested scanner was put on full scale deployment without pilot. This happened despite my protest, and my eventual formal letter a few months before they were going to go full scale. This led to me being removed from the implementation team (Thanks God I was spared the ignominy on media). I have a case study somewhere.

Why Dictators Have to Threaten the Ethnicity of their Opponents?

[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions]
Unfortunately in their false bravado and continually pumped up by their closed coterie of sycophant advisors , dictators threaten their opponents, and this becomes too much when they threaten the race. This may be a common happening in their academies or their cantonments when the recipients of this tirade are lowly cadets or JCOs (which is not even excusable there), but is absolutely intolerable when faced with a political uprising. Here we see the false bravado of two dictators whose threats had led to huge long term costs to the nation and its prestige over the world.

Using Rubrics to Manage Anxiety Created by LMS Based Online Assignments

Open ended assignments such as case studies, project reports, real life problems that are open book and are take-home types often lead to a mismatch of expectations of the students with that of the faculty members. This mismatch can make students work on Final Assignments for even 10-15 hours, not knowing whether they have met the expectations or not. This often creates anxiety. The tool for clearly defining your expectations is known as a "Rubric":

"Rubrics are both assessment tools for faculty and learning tools for students that can ease anxiety about the grading process for both parties. Rubrics lay out specific criteria and performance expectations for an assignment.
They help students and instructors stay focused on those expectations and to be more
confident in their work as a result." Creating and Using Rubrics )

How much time does it take to write an Exam in the LMS Based Online Exam Taken in Asynchronous Mode

How much time does it take to write a 3-hour exam in an LMS Based Online Taken in Asynchronous Mode?

My expectation from faculty members is that their question needs to be a 3-hour exam, the "estimated" writing time for the answers should be 3 hours. The exam paper is typically loaded on LMS as an assignment or some other activity. It should be visible to students on the stipulated time and date and with a clear specification of the end time-date. The duration doesn't have to be exactly 3-hours. It needs to be much more as the exam is being offered in an asynchronous mode because of connectivity issues, power breakdowns and technology issues. Depending upon the severity of such issues, the time period can be extended to half a day, full day or even few days as per the university's policy and particular geographical spacing of the students. This is what HEC is grappling with in designing a policy governing big universities whose students hail from poor demographics and far flung areas where there is only 2G or even no internet.

Connection with Arabic through Quran Reading from "mushaf" in Taraveeh

It is corona scare. There is a total lockdown. All work is now forcibly online and at home. Going to the mosques is out of the question. I am having a wonderful experience reading the Qur'an in taraveeh with my sons. Yesterday we finished Tilkur Rusul, the third para. As Ramadan approached, I was wondering what I would do during the lockdown and was loathing the impending discontinuance of the connection with Quran recitations during Taraveehs of Ramadan, which is a huge concern for many Muslims. Then this guidance https://islamqa.info/ur/answers/69670/ helped me and the encouragement of my brother who is in USA.

Quran I am using has each para divided exactly into 20 page sides. Each page side ending at the ayah. Amazing experience. It took me some time to figure out the process. Of course first para is easy. It took nearly the same time as a regular taraveeh. One hour 15 minutes. It increases for days in which i recite paras with sections that i have not very frequently read lately. Especially those with more technical language related to rules of inheritance, talaq, zakat, and other stipulations. The dawa-related sections with qasasul anbia are much easier. They are so many repetitions of the same constructs in Quran.

Long Term Costs of Presidential System in Pakistan that Need to be Computed

Our penchant and love for presidential systems, our mythical expectation of a strong leader, a saviour on horseback to come galloping and relieving us from our faltering steps has resulted in the following during our over 35 years quest: Three arbitrary selections that establishment now consider corrupt, three separatist movements, three rigged elections, three selections arbitrarily branded as traitors, insane plunge into three US’ Wars leading to long term disastrous implications, and three totally avoidable wars with India (as per Air Marshal Asghar Khan).

صدارتی نظام کے فوائد: امریکہ کی 3 جنگوں میں شرکت، انڈیا سے 3 جنگیں، 3 دھاندلی کے ریفرنڈم/انتخابات، 3 صوبائی علیحدگی تحریکیں، تین ایسے پولیٹیکل لیڈرز کی سلیکشن جن کو بعد میں خود سیلیکٹرز ہی کرپٹ اور غدار کہتے ہیں اور تین تین مشہور غدار

[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions]

Assumptions of Conventional Exam vs Assumptions of LMS Based Online Exam

What are the underlying assumptions and presuppositions of conventional examinations and how do they differ from their counterpart assumptions and presuppositions of the LMS based Online Exams especially those conducted in asynchronous mode. The differences are explained below:

Why There are so Many Assignments on the LMS

A reply sent to the student who was complaining about excessive assignments. 

An assignment in each session is typically given by a faculty member for the benefit of students. Assignments provide opportunity to students to get their attendance for a class session because students can not be "forced" to "attend" the "synchronous" class session on zoom/Meet/Teams because of the "connectivity issues" (internet, power, equipment issues).

Furthermore, teachers expect that students come to the class session prepared with assigned course material for that student as given in the outline. Evaluation of class participation in physical classrooms typically points out those students to the teacher who are coming to the class prepared. As a "synchronous" class session attendance of students can not be guaranteed, therefore the assignment provides the students with the opportunity to impress their class teacher about their preparation and that they are engaged and connected during a class.

Case Study of PKLI: How a Fine Initiative was Destroyed by Saqib Nisar, the Economic Hitman of Pakistan

With this treatment of Dr Saeed Akhtar and the treatment that they highly qualified professionals brought to Pakistan from their plush careers from abroad, no sane expatriate Pakistani will ever think of coming back to Pakistan to serve the country. This was the severest form of shock therapy from the Economic Hitman of Pakistan

[To understand the context of this post, please read At What Cost! Why Compute Economic Costs of Faulty Political Decisions]

Which Option You should Choose: Pass-Fail or Letter Grade

This post describes when to use a pass-fail option and when not to use the pass-fail option. It gives you scenarios in which to select what.

Sentiments of Families Split Apart by Partition Expressed in a Beautiful Poem by Fatimah Khatoon

اباجان [سید عبدالغنی حیدر] کے ہندوستان واپس جانے پر آپا فاطمہ خاتون نے یہ نظم کہی تھی۔ ۱۹۵۱ [میرے والد احسان حیدر کا نوٹ]

بھارت  کو  جانے  والے  ،  بھارت  کو  چاہنے  والے 

حافظ  خدا  تمہارا،  مالک  کے  تم  حوالے

ہندوستان  تمہارا، گھر  تھا  کبھی  ہمارا

ہم  اُس  کو  چھوڑ  آئے  ،لے  کے  نیا  سہارا

تم  کو  وطن  تمہارا  ، ہے  اِس  چمن  سے  پیارا

روکے  نہ  ر  رک  سکے  تم  ،جب  دیس  نے  پکارا

اِس  دیس  کی  کشش  سے

میرا  سلام  کہنا  ،میرا  سلام  کہنا

My recitation of the poem