The True Spirit of Charity

An act of kindness is indeed a joy forever! If we dig deep into this saying, we realize that kindness and generosity have the power to change the world - which is how such acts can be engraved into the hearts of people, which is why such acts live forever and are also a constant source of satisfaction and pleasure for the benefactor for the times to come.

The best way to show kindness is through simple acts of generosity. People will forget what you said but they will never forget what you did to make a difference in their life. Our religion is a great advocate of charity.

Charity has multitude of benefits for a community. When you donate money for charity organizations within your county, you are helping to create a community that is strong and self-sustaining. It is not strange to have financially weak members in a community and this is not only restricted to the third world countries only, however, when people of a community help each other, they help to make their community stronger and united.

It is heartening that Pakistanis recognized as one of the most charitable nations of the world as it donates over 1% of its GDP in charity, upholding the spirit of charity in various forms like Zakat, Sadqa and Fitrana. However, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), the Household Integrated Economic Survey (HIES) 2018-19 reveal that 16% of Pakistan’s population is experiencing moderate or severe food insecurity with the incidence of being twice as high in rural areas than urban areas: 20% and 9.2% respectively.

There are many reputable government and non-profit charity organizations that have been providing services to needy for many years now and over the recent years, there has been a significant increase in this trend. World renowned and famous organizations like the Edhi Foundation, Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Chippa Welfare Association along with many other philanthropist organizations are working tirelessly for the needy. 

These altruistic organizations don’t wish to publicize and flaunt their charity work as they know that our religion always reminds us to be humble about our acts of charity, as any act of charity must not be embarrassing to the recipients. Another such organization, Yuseaid Foundation has also emerged as a community-oriented and public-spirited charity organization which works selflessly towards various objectives, as their target is not just restricted to only helping the poor. 

From eliminating hunger, eradicating child labour to raising a voice against unequal distribution of wealth and providing opportunities to the youth in Pakistan, their mission is not restricted to a specific field; rather they work in diverse fields as they believe to take the lead when they see the need! Such dynamic charity organizations indeed are a role model for the entire nation as they provide encouragement to those who want to participate in acts of kindness and generosity without the aim to gain popularity.

As we have embarked on our journey into 2021, we are looking forward to a more promising year ahead.In 2020, factors like high food prices, locust outbreaks, climate events such as rains, flooding, droughts, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic all exacerbated the number of people who face food insecurity and other social and financial challenges. 

Hence, there is a need to institutionalize individual efforts into more structured and organized efforts, under the umbrella of renowned and selfless charity organizations.

Faith in the Almighty and love for humanity – the strongholds of our religion will always be a guiding force in our endeavor to make Pakistan a place where no one sleeps hungry, where no child is denied his right to education, where every citizen gets equal opportunity in every walk of life because a generous and helpful community is indeed a socially and economically strong community.

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Sphinx of Pakistan

 

Munaza Kazmi

The Makran Coastal Highway which links Karachi with the port town of Gwadar was opened in the year 2004. The new road finally allowed tourists an easy access to the Hingol National Park, that is one of the natural wonders of Pakistan, with its rocky terrain, mountain caves, and beautiful beaches, 240 kmsaway from Karachi, and home to the huge anomalous rock formation known as the 'Baluchistan Sphinx'.

The Baluchistan Sphinx, not nearly as famous as the Great Sphinx of Giza, however probably to be even earlier version than its Egyptian counterpart, when all of its surroundings are placed in context with the sculpted form which sits proudly above it all. 

Bibhu Dev MisraIndian author and researcher believes the Baluchistan Sphinx is a huge architectural complex created by an advanced ancient civilization and in many ways resembles the Egyptian Sphinx. Describing the Sphinx itself he wrote: 

A cursory glance at the impressive sculpture shows the Sphinx to have a well-defined jawline, and clearly discernible facial features such as eyes, nose, and mouth, which are placed in seemingly perfect proportion to each other.  

Just like the Sphinx at Giza, the Pakistani formation appears to include a head-dress similar to the Nemes head-dress worn by the ancient Pharaohs, with its striped markings on a cloth which covers the crown and the back of the head of its wearer. 

The flaps hanging down near the ears are also clearly visible on the Baluchistan Sphinx, whilst the horizontal groove resembling the pharaonic headband can be seen adorning the forehead. The legs and paws of the mythical beast are also clearly defined. Dev Misra writes: 

One can easily make out the contours of the reclining forelegs of the Sphinx, which terminate in very well-defined paws. It is difficult to see how nature could have carved out a statue that resembles a well-known mythical animal to such an astonishingly accurate degree. 

Among the Egyptians, sphinxes were placed at the entrance of temples to guard their mysteries. Hence, in close proximity to the Baluchistan Sphinx is another important structure. From a distance, it looks like a Hindu Temple (like those of South India), with the Mandapa (entrance hall) and the Vimana (temple spire). The top part of the Vimana appears to be missing. The sphinx is reclining in front of the temple, appearing to act as a protector of the sacred site.

Sphinx is never only belonging to Giza, as if we look closely to the ancient world sculptures, we would find out this composite mythological being is present in many traditions, art and mythology. Let’s say, in Greece the colossal statue of the Sphinx of Naxos stood on a towering ionic column, at the sacred Oracle of Delphi, acting as a protector of the site. In Indian art and sculptures, sphinxes (Purusha Mruga) were sculpted all over the temple premises including the entrance gates, halls, near the central shrine etc.

Sphinxes also feature in the Buddhist architecture of South-east Asia. In Myanmar, they are called Manusiha. They are depicted in a cat-like crouching posture at the corners of Buddhist stupas. They wear a tapering crown and ornamental ear-flaps and have feathered wings attached to their front limbs.

So, all across the ancient world, the sphinx acted as a protector of sacred places. Therefore, The Sphinx of Baluchistan also appears to be guarding the temple-like structure near it. This suggests that the site was laid out in accordance with the principles of sacred architecture.

Also, a closer look at The Sphinx Temple shows clear evidence of pillars carved on the boundary wall. The temple entrance is visible behind a large pile-up of sediments or termite mounds. 

An elevated, sculpted, structure to the left of the entrance could be a subsidiary shrine. Overall, there can be little doubt that this a massive, man-made, rock-cut, monument of immense age, could have been built thousands of years ago during the Indus Civilization to guard the sacred site.

With more investigative work and analysis, this remote site in Pakistan may reveal itself as another example of a forgotten civilization which flourished long before ancient Egypt or even GobekliTepein Turkey. 

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Munaza Kazmi holds MPhil in Management Sciences (Bahria University Islamabad, 2020). She’s a travel writer, an author, & co-author of scientific contributions in national & international publications. Her main areas of research include tourism & quality management.

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China seeks stability in Afghanistan before economic dialogue

 

While China’s foreign affairs officials are signalling friendship and cooperation, it will take much deeper action on the ground to move anywhere near real engagement.

Shenzhen, China, AUG 19: In the coming weeks and months, if not years, China will need to walk a tightrope related to economic and security engagements in Afghanistan or risk the fate other major powers have suffered by engaging in conflicts that drained them financially and at the cost of many lives.

China’s concerns over stability in the region and the potential for a security vacuum that emboldens militants there outweigh a desire to tap into Afghanistan’s mineral wealth and further advance regional infrastructure connections through the area in the near term.

The sudden takeover of the country by Taliban forces, two weeks before United States troops were meant to fully withdraw after nearly two decades of conflict there, has placed China in an uncertain position as it attempts to determine how to deal with its new neighbours in power in Kabul.

“It is very important for China to see how the Taliban stabilise the situation,” Zhang Li, a professor at the Sichuan University’s Institute of South Asian Studies, told Al Jazeera. “I think the most important step is political reconciliation. Talk of major economic engagement is too early.”

Meetings between Taliban leadership and China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the end of July were important for laying the groundwork for further communication between the two parties, particularly for China in signalling its significant interests in a stable outcome as well as assurances on security, Zhang said.

Statements like the ones from China’s foreign ministry on Monday about maintaining “friendly and cooperative relations” with Afghanistan are likely to continue as long as the situation remains stable and the Taliban keeps its word about engaging with other political entities in the country.

“China made it quite clear that the situation on the ground needs to be stable, and that they want to see positive developments,” Zhang said. “If the Taliban can keep its promise properly and improve security, not allow militants to go against other countries, including China, I think it’s quite possible for China to consider economic engagement, in a big way.”

Future governance

For now, though, China will be watching to see what form of government emerges, in what manner the Taliban wields power, and whether or not it forms an inclusive government.

Such actions could lead to diplomatic recognition for a Taliban-led government on the part of countries like Pakistan, Russia and China – a possible significant early step to longer-term engagement, according to Andrew Small, a senior fellow with the Asia programme at the German Marshall Fund, currently based in Berlin.

“They don’t want to be stuck dealing with a kind of pariah state again in their neighbourhood,” Small told Al Jazeera. “I think they do see this as a window where if there is a government that can last, it needs to be something where there is some sharing of power with other political forces.”

While China may like seeing the US out of its backyard, it may be underestimating the extent of the challenges that it faces in Afghanistan largely due to its reliance on Pakistan for information about the situation there, Daniel Markey, director of the Global Policy Program at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, told Al Jazeera.

“There is a kind of a triumphalism about what’s happened, and an expectation that China could perhaps, in a way, swoop in and pick up the pieces,” Markey said based on commentary he’s been observing from some Chinese experts. “If they actually believe that, they’re going to be in for a rude shock, if not immediately, then over time.”

The Taliban will likely need to cooperate with a range of constituencies within Afghanistan, both because of outside pressure to do so, and because the movement lacks the manpower to pacify and run the country well, Markey said.

“If it doesn’t devolve into an outright civil war they’re going to have to grant a great deal of autonomy to different regions,” he said. “This presents China with the possibility of cultivating ties with certain segments of society, but also creates the risk of pockets of threats for China.”

Raffaello Pantucci, a senior fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies based in Singapore, told Al Jazeera that Chinese authorities are “fairly clear-eyed” about what they’re dealing with in the Taliban and that claims that Chinese investment could soon start to pour into the county are wildly overblown.

“Why do we now suddenly think that Beijing is going say, ‘Oh, now everything’s rosy let’s go rushing in and you know, mine lithium in Helmand [province]’ which is, you know, an incredibly rural place with no infrastructure to speak of?” Pantucci asked.

Pantucci pointed to two better-known major investment projects – a contract with a Chinese state-owned company to develop a copper mine in Mes Aynak in 2007, and a tender for an oil field project in Amu Darya with China National Petroleum Corp in 2011 – that essentially went nowhere close to being developed.

“Even with stability previously, it wasn’t clear to me ever that the Chinese government was pushing its companies into Afghanistan at all,” he said.

A wait-and-see approach

If there are steps towards international recognition of a Taliban-led government in Kabul and the stability to maintain that, Small told Al Jazeera, it is likely China could create a sense that “there’s a lot more on offer further down the line,” he said, with the possibility of engagement on all kinds of investment discussions and short-term aid.

“The question, though, is really going to be on any of the serious longer-term projects, whether that’s the copper mine, or any major infrastructure connections and things, I think [China’s authorities] will just sit for a while and see what emerges,” Small said.

While China’s foreign affairs officials are signalling friendship and cooperation, it will take much deeper action on the ground to move anywhere near real engagement.

“I don’t see them trying to possibly have any greater confidence about the Taliban’s capacity to be a good partner, say of exploiting Afghanistan’s mineral wealth, than the last government,” Markey said. “The last government wasn’t great, but it was backed for 20 years by US security.”

Another major issue for China is whether the Taliban ascendance will embolden other militants in the region, particularly the Taliban in Pakistan, or any groups intent on using China’s repression and anti-terrorism campaign against its Uighur minority in the Xinjiang region as a rallying cry against the country.

“Terrorism is a big challenge for China, so that’s also something China is especially concerned about,” Zhang said of assurances the government in Beijing is seeking from the Taliban.

Yun Sun, director of the China Program at the Stimson Center, a Washington-based think-tank, said that the swift takeover had surprised everyone, including China, and much depends on what the Taliban does next.

“Whether it resumes its previous draconian policies or begins to moderate, and whether it maintains ties with and support of radical Islamic groups, especially the Uighur ones,” will determine relations with China and any economic engagement afterwards, she said.

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COURTESY AL JAZEERA

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The future of Afghanistan: Corridor of peace and prosperity

Shakeel Ahmad Ramay

Afghanistan is in the need of help. It needs help to overcome the shadows of the 40-year long war and civil conflicts. The war and civil conflicts have shaken the social and economic fabric of the country. Economic opportunities are rare and social disturbance is widely spread in the country.

During the last 40 years, only the brief period of Taliban rule was considered stable and peaceful. It ended with the start of the war on terror after the 9/11 incident. Taliban government was overthrown by the US-led forces and a new era of violence started. The US army entered Afghanistan with carpet bombing and the country had to bear the worst impacts of ruthless war on terror. It has engulfed hundreds of thousands of lives. After 20 years of war and continuous claims of victory, the US and its allied forces have left Afghanistan. Now again Taliban has taken over the country and they have promised to bring back stability and peace.

However, the ground realities are scary. The continuous war and civil conflicts have introduced multifaceted problems including less economic development and more uncertainty. Poverty incidence rate is extremely high. According to the Afghan government statistics, the multidimensional poverty index for Afghanistan is 51.7 percent. There is no job security. The government indicates that 81 percent jobs are insecure. Skill levels are not refined to suit the needs of markets. It results in a higher unemployment rate, which is 11.7 percent. Food insecurity is prevalent and according to WFP 2019, 12.5 million people are severely in food insecurity.

Access to affordable and reliable energy is another area of concern. These factors negatively impacted the human development index of the country and Afghanistan falls at the bottom on human development index (170). Although every segment of society is bearing the brunt of weak economic growth, youth is the most affected segment. The young generation is struggling to cope with the situation. They are struggling to get quality education and livelihood opportunities.

The weak business environment further complicates the situation. Afghanistan has been ranked at 173rd place on ease of doing business. The ranking of individual indicators also presents a dismal picture. The worst performing indicators are dealing with construction permits (183), registering property (186), getting electricity (173) paying taxes (178), and trading across border (177).

Many international organizations and countries like World Bank, EU, DFID, USAID, IDRC, GIZ, European countries, Saudi Arabia, etc. were trying to help Afghanistan. The world also established forums like the Ministerial Conference on Afghanistan, Heart of Asia Forum, tri-lateral forum. Unfortunately, these initiatives could not deliver the promise of a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

The major reasons for the failure were political interference, self-centric games, conditionalities ranging from social to political spheres and little or no understanding of Afghanistan.

In this context, China and Pakistan can join hands to present alternative and practical options and solutions for Afghanistan. There are certain merits that make the duo a perfect combination to assist Afghanistan to realize the dream of peace and development. First, it is well-established fact that China does not come with political strings or teaching material of democracy, etc.

China keeps business simple and runs it on the economic rationales. Second, Pakistan has a deep understanding of Afghanistan. Pakistan also has all the experience of dealing with Taliban and Afghanistan. Thus, the combination of the two countries would be an excellent initiative. On top of everything, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are the best available options for assisting Afghanistan.

The good thing is that Afghanistan, irrespective of who is in power, has keen interest to join CPEC. Taliban also said it welcomed the investment. However, to make it a success Pakistan and China will have to work more closely with the future Afghan government.

They should develop a concrete plan for the extension of CPEC by working together with the Afghan government and other stakeholders. It is suggested that the expansion plan of CPEC should focus on three areas: 1) improvement of business environment, 2) infrastructure construction and 3) human capital.

There should be specialized programs that can provide urgent relief to people. For example, presently Afghanistan is looking for opportunities that can help create infrastructure and livelihood opportunities. Afghanistan is in dire need of jobs, as many young people are looking for work. Thus, Pakistan and China should devise some infrastructure programs for the reconstruction of the war-torn country.

Skill development would be another area, which must be prioritized in CPEC expansion plan. Owning to continuous war and conflicts, Afghanistan could not invest in vocational training for its people, which is a major reason for job insecurity in the country. Pakistan can perform the job easily, as there will be no language barrier because Pashto is one of the major languages of Pakistan.

On top of that, millions of Afghan people have been trained and educated in Pakistan. They spent decades in Pakistan. So, it would be easy for Pakistan to impart training and skills. For that purpose, Pakistan and China can also launch joint skill development. The implementation of programs can be started from refugees’ camps in Pakistan.

Second, China can also launch a special corridor with the name of “Corridor of Peace and Prosperity” (CPP) under the Belt and Road Initiative. The goal of the CPP should be to promote peace through development. The concept of peace through development is also very close to the Chinese philosophy of international relations and shared prosperity.

A new corridor would be a win-win proposition. China will be able to pilot the concept of shared prosperity and Afghanistan will be able to create momentum in the national economy.

The main objective of the corridor should be to turn Afghanistan into a transit trade hub. For that purpose, China will have reasons to invest in transport, communication infrastructure, and improving local business environment.

However, China will have to keep in mind that Afghanistan does not have financial resources yet. Thus, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) would be a best-suited model for Afghanistan’s reconstruction.

The CPP corridor can be linked to other initiatives like China-Central Asia-West Asia Corridor. Special initiatives can also be designed under the umbrella of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which can bring additional financial resources. China can also help mobilize resources from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to meet the urgent needs of Afghanistan.

Besides, other countries can also join the CPP. Iran can extend Khaf-Herat railway and join the CPP. Middle Corridor of Turkey can also look for avenues of cooperation. Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul railway line can also be extended to Afghanistan and create linkages with CPP.

Through these long-term development aids and investments, the world can help Afghanistan sustain peace and stand on its own feet. A peaceful Afghanistan with a stable business environment and human resources will be beneficial for everyone. Peaceful Afghanistan will help connect Central Asia with South Asia. It will open new windows of opportunities.

It is acknowledged that South Asia is energy hungry while Central Asia is rich in energy. Central Asia is looking for opportunities to create linkages with South Asian countries for export of energy. South Asia is also extremely interested in enhancing trade and economic linkages with Central Asia. South Asia looks Central Asia as a potential market.

The only bottleneck at that point of time is unstable Afghanistan and weak infrastructure of connectivity. By investing in infrastructure and rebuilding peace, this bottleneck can be removed, and a new era of regional cooperation will open.

In conclusion, a peaceful Afghanistan will also provide support for the other regional and global initiatives like CPEC, BRI, etc. China will benefit from a peaceful and stable Afghanistan, as Taliban has already assured the Chinese government that Taliban will ensure the safety of Chinese personals, who work in Afghanistan. Moreover, Taliban also assured that no terrorist group will be allowed to operate from the soil of Afghanistan.

The author is a political economist from Pakistan.

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Here come the Taliban

THE dramatic sweep of the Taliban across the Afghanistan landscape in the face of crumbling resistance from the Ashraf Ghani regime presents a unique challenge to Pakistan. The civil and military institutions are already managing policy and execution at many levels, but the time has now come to give them formal shape through an institutional process that synchronises with and strengthens the constitutional structure. In order to deal with this rapidly evolving situation, Pakistan should consider undertaking the following five initiatives without delay.

1) Convene a meeting of the National Security Committee: This committee is chaired by the prime minister and includes, among others, all the services chiefs, ministers of finance, defence, interior, foreign affairs as well as the national security adviser. The National Security Division acts as the secretariat for the committee. The committee should finalise policy on:

The time for musings is over. We need decisions that we can stand firm on.

(a) If the Taliban take Kabul by force, should Pakistan recognise them as the legitimate government? If not, which country, or a group of countries, or an international organisation should it peg its decision to? The NSC should deliberate this in detail and the arguments, merits and demerits of the decision should be recorded for history. The office of the national security adviser (NSA) should be mandated to document this formally. If a decision is made, it should also be decided what the appropriate time to announce this decision should be. (b) When the refugees from Afghanistan start pouring in, what should be our policy on allowing them in? So far we have heard various senior government officials stating that we prefer the refugees to be camped on the Afghanistan side of the border, or if that’s not possible, then they should be kept strictly in camps on our side without allowing them to blend into the population. These are musings. The time for musings is over. We need decisions that we can stand firm on. The National Security Committee needs to make these decisions and also announce this policy to the world. (c) A Taliban takeover of Afghanistan may fan extremism and militancy in Pakistan. The NSC needs to decide which counterterrorism and anti-extremism measures need to be prioritised and operationalised without delay. Except for measures that must be kept secret for operational reasons, all others should be announced so that citizens remain apprised of what their government is doing, and the world also knows how Pakistan is tackling the adverse fallout of a Taliban victory in Afghanistan.

2) Establish a strategic communication cell on the Afghanistan situation: Pakistan’s communication and messaging remain ineffective, unclear and, worse, often contradictory. Various institutions are making strategies in silos and failing to blend these into one singular stream connected in thought, logic and direction. The following may be considered:

(a) The cell should be constituted in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), under the direct supervision of the PM, and coordinated on his behalf by the NSA. (b) The relevant institutions dealing with strategic communication — information ministry, ISPR, ISI, even the Foreign Office — should synergise communication on Afghanistan through this cell in the PMO. (c) With the input from these institutions, the cell should make a daily, weekly and fortnightly communication plan and also ensure its implementation through all media and communication platforms domestically and internationally. (d) The cell should hire communication specialists from the private sector (after acknowledging that Pakistani government officials are part of the communication problem, not the solution) and if need be, acquire the services of international specialists, and use such expertise to penetrate the relevant official and public opinion in countries that matter the most. (e) The cell should divide its work into i) spoken communication, ii) written material for publication, iii) processed video — scripted, edited and ‘voiceover-ed’ — for broadcast and digital platforms (in all relevant languages), iv) exclusive video footages from refugee camps, other places that fuel the national narrative, v) specifically tailored written, audio, video and pictorial content for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even TikTok.

3) Send special envoys to important capitals: Time is upon us to pursue aggressive diplomacy in order to target the international ‘influencers’ who impact us the most. The following may be considered:

(a) Special envoys should be people who understand diplomacy, have accumulated relevant experience of diplomatic engagements, and are senior enough to get the required access. (b) They must not be random ministers/ parliamentarians who have no expertise in these matters. (c) The most effective envoys would be former foreign secretaries, retired ambassadors and retired military officials who have earlier served in diplomatic roles. Political leaders can also be considered if they have requisite skills and experience needed for such a sensitive assignment. These envoys would be assisted by the local staff at the Pakistani missions in the respective capitals. (d) The special envoys should be provided comprehensive briefings on relevant diplomatic, military and intelligence matters that would help them build a convincing case. They should also be able to handle media engagements in the countries they visit.

4) Convene a meeting of the parliamentary committee on national security again: The previous meeting, addressed by COAS Gen Javed Bajwa and DG ISI Lt-Gen Faiz Hameed, was an unwieldy affair with nearly 100 people launching into lengthy speeches. The following may now be considered:

(a) invite only the members of the committee, or better still, call a special meeting of only the heads of the political parties represented in parliament. (b) Invite the civil and military leadership to brief the political leadership on the unfolding situation and request their input which should contribute to decisions taken by the NSC. (c) Try to build a national consensus on the fundamentals of policy on Afghanistan in light of the Taliban takeover. (d) Then call a special joint session of parliament to debate and discuss the situation.

5) Prime Minister Imran Khan should put a ban on random ministers issuing statements on Afghanistan: This is causing unnecessary confusion. Only the foreign minister, information minister and NSA should be allowed to issue a statement or a tweet on Afghanistan.

The writer is Dawn’s resident editor in Islamabad.

Twitter:****@fahdhusain

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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