Child labour - Why do we fund it

Child labour has been a cause which most of the world turns a blind eye to, although it is well documented, the fact of the matter that there are still over 250 million child workers currently working in the world today shows the problem is at its peaks and no significant solution is being negotiated between the G8 world leaders. China being the top offender of child labour has openly publicised the positives of child workers to Chinese companies in order to gross a higher turn over, a move which was not publicly criticised by any world leader to date in the worry of upsetting their relations, a move which was heavily protested around the world. Asia has an estimated 153 million child workers currently in manual labour trades in conditions which have been described as "uninhabitable and life threatening", contributing to 61%, child workers are forced to work from an age as early as 3, and are paid in a year what the inequivalent job in a MEDC country could pay an adult for an hour at minimum wage.

Although most child workers are forced into trades by the greed and debt of their parents, some however is a case of life or death, Africa for example, with over 80 million child workers, 88% of those work to stay alive with the bare minimum essentials being priced out to the poor by the rich , which brings the argument back to the global poverty issue and its domino effect. Although the worlds child labour offence is looked down upon, we as people do nothing to counter act and stop the demand, as in most more economical developed countries, products which are being sold for a fraction of the price are products which are made in such countries as China where there is no fair trade policy, yet consumers continue to fund the cause of child labour indirectly, as when the argument comes to cost over morals, there is usually only one out come in this ever increasing selfish world.

Therefore i ask, when will this world realise the solution not only for the child labour crimes but most world causes is not to donate money and forget about the situation but to change morale views of society, as in the end, there would be no child labour if we did not purchase what they were manufacturing.

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Terrorism! Time to Get Rid of It

By: Maha khizar

At present, our country and security forces are facing suicide attacks, bomb blasts, sectarian violence and targeted-killings coupled with intermittent battles with the militants.

Besides civilian casualties, more than three thousand military soldiers and police men have become martyrs in war against terrorism, while maintaining the integrity of the federation.

It is on record that Pakistan is the only country which has sacrificed more than NATO and USA including other countries in war against terrorism. At this critical juncture, when our country has continuously been facing political instability, economic crisis and social strife, the question, how to fight terrorism in Pakistan needs special attention.

Terrorism in Pakistan took origin owing to various inter-related problems such as poverty, political and economic injustices which created regional disparities. In wake of these problems, after 9/11 tragedy, Islamabad joined American war on terror as the country had no other option as Pakistan was also facing hostile factor of India.

As regards Pakistan, terrorism can be fought on two fronts? By eliminating poverty and by using force where necessity arises.

Regarding poverty, political experts agree that poverty is the root cause of terrorism. And it is said that “a hunger man is an angry man.” Notably, majority of people in Pakistan are living below poverty line, and have no clean drinking water. While especially for the youngsters, unemployment has made the matter worse. In these adverse circumstances, some people go to the level of extremism and even commit suicide. These are the people whose services are hired by the terrorist groups and foreign secret agencies such as Indian RAW, American CIA and Israeli Mossad as they become vulnerable to terrorism.

It is of particular attention that Pakistan’s tribal areas have become focus of terrorism as their people are more vulnerable to extremism. Hence, joint efforts of the government as well as the moderates are needed so as to fight terrorism. But billions of dollars are required to develop these under-developed regions. In this context, although America has pledged to spend money for the development of Pakistan’s tribal areas, yet the same is not enough. So the US and other western countries must give maximum aid which could be used in the tribal regions for providing infrastructure, education and employment.

It is mentionable that there are two types of terrorists, extremists and moderates. In order to cope with terrorism, our government should neuteralise the moderate terrorists through reconciliation by offering them general pardon and asking them to renounce terrorism. Even extremist insurgents can be offered mediation. Nevertheless, those militants who reject the offer could be fought through military operations.

Military paradigm is another element to fight terrorism. In this respect, Pakistan’s armed forces have already broken the backbone of the Taliban militants through successful military operations which have been conducted in Buner, Dir, Swat and South Waziristan. These operations still keep ongoing in some tribal areas. In this context, it is worth-mentioning that public support to military operations is very essential, and without people’s backing no army can win this ‘different war’ against terrorism.

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Another notable point is that most of the Taliban militants have been destabilizing Pakistan with the help of external elements. In this connection, secret agencies like CIA, RAW and Mossad are well-established in Afghanistan from where; their secret agents have been regularly supplying arms and money to the militants including their other Pakistani agents with a view to weakening Pakistan which is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World. They have been using various covert tactics in conducting suicide attacks, targeted killings and inciting sectarian violence in Pakistan in general and Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa in particular. They also support separatism in Balochistan where similar sort of violence continues unabated. In this connection, first of all US must itself abandon the double game which it has been playing with Islamabad. Then Washington must pressurize India including Israel to wind up their anti-Pakistan terror-network from Afghanistan.

In order to fight terrorism, Pakistan’s media should play a key role. It must point out the criminal activities of the militants like hostage-taking, killing of the innocent people? torching the government buildings including girl schools and car-snatching. It should also indicate that Islam is a religion of peace and does not allow suicide attacks.

As Pakistan is already facing various crises of grave nature in wake of terrorism, so our politicians must stop manipulating the same for their own self-interests. By setting aside their differences and by showing power of tolerance, both our rulers and opposition parties need to act upon a policy of national reconciliation to cope with the problem of terrorism and to stand before external pressure. In this respect, all the opposition parties must participate in the round table conference, called by the president of Pakistan.

Finally, our politicians, general masses and security forces must show a strong sense of unity to fight terrorism.

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Our frustrated Pakistani youth

The future of Pakistan and the people who would take Pakistan further ahead in the development and progress in all field is none other than our “Youth”.

The challenges our Youth is facing is higher cost of studies, joblessness, no career counselling, no guidance from elders to how to survive as their elders are busy in making money to ensure bright future of their kids. The prevailing situation of un-certainity and disrespect for the people who are not considered as the members of Semi rich or elite class has pushed alot of youngsters to flee from country in search of jobs and further education with long term plans to get settled abroad where they get more respect despite their status of a third rate citizen. And above all, the justice system is far better than what we have got here.

Being a young energetic man or a women, every one has certain goals in life which he or she pursues in life. The hopelessness and frustration builds up when equal opportunities in education and then in the job hunt are not being offered to them. This results in loosing able men and women who could have been the key to our success as a nation in the long run.

We have made education a profitable business, those who could afford to study from IBA, LUMS, GIK, AGHA KHAN UNIVERSITY, QAU etc are more likely to end up having good jobs always up their sleeves. On the other hand more talented and promising people which have studied from slightly lower rating institute struggle to get a good start.

Our government has lost focus on the development and prosperity of our youth and thus giving the Nation a major set back by creating a major short fall of talented people. Now the irony of the situation is that even we have quite a few talented people in the field, a new tend has started which is to hire foreign consultants to come and do our job at a much higher cost and equally good local talent is ignored. There are very few job consultation agencies in Pakistan who could keep a track of the best people in the field and get them organised and offer them the best available possibilities. The ones already working charge very high services fees which can go up to one complete salary and or at times even more than that. Good jobs are always given at references and through by passing the normal hiring procedure which again deprives of the real talent on laying their hands on a a reasonable job. If we carefully analyze the situation, we would find a lot of mis-fits and non professional people sitting at key positions in various governmental organizations and NGOs and thus giving a slower growth rate to such organizations.

Its a dilemma and point of concern for all of us that our youth not all of them but majority of it is looking for short cuts in life as they have seen people making their life style turning in to a high class living in the matter of months through earning by un fair means. Have a look at the government expenditure on Education sector and their own spending on visits abroad and maintaining hifi protocol. A person’s worth is no more in his Character, education and family back ground, its all about having enough money in the bank whether earned with honesty or by hook or crook.Media has to play its vital role our core issues these days are education, health, joblessness, poverty and National security, we are least concerned whether actress Meera is married or not, whether Musharaf is hanged or left alone, whether President stays in power or not, what are the new trends in high street fashion market, what are the new innovations in technology and so on. We as a Pakistani Nation want our basic rights and right of having equal opportunities is one of the important issues.

- Tazeen Hamid

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We're all doing the best We can!!

I'm sometimes amazed and embarrassed by how critical I can be - both of other people and of myself. Even though I both teach and practice the power of appreciation (as well as acceptance, compassion, and more) when I find myself feeling scared, threatened, or insecure (which happens more often than I'd like it to), I notice that I can be quite judgmental. Sadly, as I've learned throughout my life, being critical and judgmental never works, feels good, or leads me to what I truly want in my relationships and in my life. Can you relate to this?

I've recently been challenged by a few situations and relationships that have triggered an intense critical response - both towards myself and some of the people around me. As I've been noticing this, working through it, and looking for alternative ways to respond, I'm reminded of something I heard a friend of mine say on a number of years ago. She said, "It's important to remember that people are always doing the best they can, including you."

The power of this statement resonated with me deeply when I heard it and continues to have an impact on me to this day. And, although I sometimes forget this, when I do remember that we're all doing the best we can given whatever tools and resources we have, and the circumstances and situations we're experiencing, it usually calms me down and creates a sense of empathy and compassion for the people I'm dealing with and for myself.

Unfortunately, too often we take things personally that aren't, look for what's wrong, and critically judge the people around us and ourselves, instead of bringing a sense of love, understanding, acceptance, forgiveness, and appreciation to the most important (and often most challenging) situations and relationships in our lives.

When we take a step back and remember that most of the time people aren't "out to get us," purposefully doing things to upset or annoy us, or consciously trying to make mistakes, disappoint us, or create difficulty (they're simply doing the best they can and what they think makes the most sense) - we can save ourselves from unnecessary overreactions and stress. And, when we're able to have this same awareness and compassion in how we relate to ourselves, we can dramatically alter our lives and relationships in a positive way.

Zainab Mansoor

Section I

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Imran Khan- The change we need?

At the height of his cricket glory days, Imran Khan would visualise winning – standing on the podium, cup held aloft – and propelling Pakistan to victory. That Sunday, on the 30th of October,, standing before a sea of supporters in Lahore, he had a similar epiphany about his political career.

As I stood there, watching all those people around me, I knew the moment had come.

Whether the former cricket captain can translate his promises into reality is hotly debated. Yet we all know that that rally sent shockwaves across Pakistan's political system.

Over 100,000 people were crammed there. Many were middle-class Pakistanis – young, urban, educated – drawn by Khan's rhetoric and their anger at conventional politics.

That was the emergence of a new force. The cry for change was resonating across Pakistan. Young, old, professionals, women – I've never seen such people at a public meeting in Pakistan before. But many people are still sceptical that Khan represents real change. They say they have heard this rhetoric many times before. They are cautious about it. They don't know what agenda he is really promoting.

For years, Imran Khan has campaigned on a platform of what some call "anti-politics" Now, he says, he has been proved right.

His plan for the economy is to "inspire" Pakistanis to pay tax – currently only 2% do so. In power, Khan said, he would cut off American aid. "I want to be a friend of the Americans, not their lackey. Aid is a curse for a poor country; it stops you making the required reforms and props up crooks."

But perhaps most alarmingly for Pakistan's western allies – and some Pakistanis – Khan says he would negotiate with instead of fighting the Taliban militants who have been bombing Pakistani cities.

His political views are firmly rooted in a particular view of Islam. He does not favour changes to the notorious blasphemy law – a virulent debate that led to the assassination of his friend Salman Taseer. He thinks that the time is not right, and that there would be bloodshed. He feels that we need to worry about other things.

And he is careful to direct his barbs away from the powerful military, which controls relations with India, the US and the fight against the Taliban. Although Khan enthusiastically criticises [former president Pervez] Musharraf, who is now in exile, he has little criticism of the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani.

Khan enjoys a reputation for probity, having set up a cancer hospital in honour of his mother, who died of the disease. He also has a flash of glamour. A famous Pakistani pop band, Strings, opened his rally rally; supporters include his former wife, Jemima Khan, who attended a recent press conference in Islamabad to protest at CIA-led drone strikes in the tribal belt.

For some Pakistanis, Khan simply represents a protest against a moribund political system. "He's a bit of an idiot," said an architect from Lahore. "But he's better than the rest. I would vote for him."

To achieve his dream of becoming prime minister, Khan needs to convert his newfound popularity into seats in parliament (he has none, having boycotted the 2008 poll). To do so, he may have to recruit the same "corrupt" politicians to achieve a majority.

And time is short. Pakistan's next election is set for February 2013 at the latest, although a snap election is a possibility.

His party remains weak, he has few candidates and, crucially, many of his supporters have never voted before. Whether they will now is perhaps the biggest unknown in Pakistani politics today.

 Danish Azeem

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LOVE HIM OR HATE HIM, BUT YOU NO LONGER CAN IGNORE HIM!

Some call him a “superstar” and some call him “Inqelab Khan” but who is he really? How did he get so far? Imran Khan, the cricketer who turned into one of the most revolutionary politicians in the history of Pakistan is nowadays the cause of a huge political uproar in the country.

Being the citizens of this country we all are craving for a change towards a better society and honest living. But that’s not it. The biggest supporter of Imran Khan and Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (PTI) is the young blood of Pakistan, who is now worried that their future generations might completely be deprived of the concept of true ethics and morals. Will they ever know what living with honesty means? Or, how bribery, tax evasion, fraud and money laundering are not the only means to earn a good living? To answer their question, Imran Khan has shown a ray of hope to everyone in the society. And he has made us all believe that there is always HOPE.

One might think why support Imran Khan? Maybe he is like the other politicians too, who came in making big promises but ended up acting like parasites and sucking out as much money as possible especially from the middle class and lower class people to serve their purpose. But unlike many others, Imran Khan agrees to the “bad” in our society and knows that it has lingered on for too long now. He also believes that bringing a positive change in the society is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either. It will take its own sweet time but eventually it can happen if the right kind of strategy is used.

The people in his party consist of literates with a sound judgment of right and wrong. This is why PTI has publicly announced that no tickets would be awarded to opportunists as well as people with a corrupt profile. Recently in an interview with Tribune Newspaper, Imran khan said “If someone is a known crook then they can’t join the party, but there are a lot of shades of grey. This is a society where it is difficult to be honest, and even if you try to be honest, society forces you to be dishonest. For example, I was trying to transfer land from my ex-wife’s name to mine and it took me one year just to have a simple transfer done. I kept asking my lawyer why it’s taking so long and, without telling me, he eventually bribed the patwari because otherwise it would have gone on forever! So to say that we will find angels here is not possible. But we will try and sift through relatively better politicians. For instance, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mian Azhar are clear-cut choices.” This shows how much effort he, along with other members of PTI, is making to bring those people in his Political Party that are striving for a change too.

Not only that, Imran Khan is also striving to make Pakistan a much better and safer place to live in. Life, as we all know, is very cheap here in Pakistan, especially in the Karachi area. We are all aware of the prevailing situation in Pakistan where the rule of law seems not to exist. Terrorist attacks, target killings, drone attacks, kidnappings and of course how can we forget the murder of Salman Taseer by his own bodyguard in the name of blasphemy, shows people that absolutely NO ONE is safe even in his/her house. Condemning these mishaps, Imran Khan assures the people of Pakistan that if his Government comes into power, they will not take any orders from the U.S and sit like zombies while they kill our soldiers on our very own soil. Also, he promises that no Pakistani would have to leave the country in search of a better life as they will be able to find peace at home and there would be employment for those too who are living abroad. He also promises to eradicate corruption from its very root.

His recent rallies have shown the immense amount of support that he has from the people of Pakistan and that too at all levels. Everyone’s crying out for a positive change and his rallies showed the promise he has made to the people of Pakistan. He has stressed that this is our Pakistan and we no longer will have to live like aliens in our country. There will be an end to all the wrong that has plagued the very meaning of “PAKISTAN” and bring the best out of everyone and every possible situation for a bright and prosperous future.

Written by:
Subooh Chaudhry
Section I
BBA III

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Shattered

A photo essay done by me and my group regarding how love destroys us and how a friend can save


 - Bilal Mahmood

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Six Degrees of Separation

The story of my six degrees of separation started when I opened my eyes in this world. Survival being the biggest challenge I face every day.

The first degree of my sufferings was separation from my childhood. Being born in a rag hut meant a life of destitute and disability.

Second degree of separation is my deprivation and hunger. Every day the first and foremost challenge I wake up to is my starvation. I leave home in search of food to fill up my ever starved stomach and of my family’s. Sometimes I have to beg you just for food to satiate my starvation.

This leads on to the third degree of my sufferings, separation from my ego.

Though sometimes I wish, hiding my face away would make my reality disappear or transform.

Fourth degree of my sufferings, leads on to my separation from the society. I will never be termed as an honorable member of the society. So I feel liberated, and take pleasure in only pleasing my own self as and how I desire.

Fifth degree of my sufferings is my separation from a life of leisure and luxury. Hard work is the keyword in my survival challenge.

Sixth degree is my separation from a life of fulfillment and individuality. But this never stops me from sharing a laughter around with my friends and family.

All worn out and bare feet, I stand on the ground with my eyes full of dreams and my soul full of yearning. I’m yearning for a glimpse of compassion, a comforting pat of unselfishness, to bring me the hope of living another day, to SURVIVE this insane separation.

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Let The Child In Us Live Forever

I miss everything of my childhood times....

How I used to wake up late, How my mother used to feed me by her hands;

How I used to float paper boats in water, How I used to get drenched in rain;

How I used to get dirty playing in mud, How I used to eat soil when no one was around;

How my grandma used to tell me stories,

How I used to tease everyone with my naughtiness;

How I used to get angry on every small things, How i Used to recite a poem in my stammered language;

How I used to walk holding dad's finger,

How I used to win hearts by my smile;

How I used to cry even for a minor scratch, How I used to shed tears on being scolded;

How I used to climb grandpa's back, How I used to sleep keeping my head on garand mother's lap

I used to think, is what they call life is..??

Its the same every day and night..!!

Its the elders who live the actual life, Where there is something new at every instant!!!

Today I laugh on my thought.. I think how wrong I was..

Today life just shows beautiful dreams, It makes me do things unwillingly;

I don't wanna live such a life.....

Where there is money and every comfort I can buy, But I struggle hard to live few moments of peace;

I have the power to raise a building, But I lack emotions to make that building a home...

All these things drag me back in past, This is why at this point of time I miss everything of my childhood times....

 - Saba Mushtaq

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Heer Veer Punjabi Totey

by
Irtaza Sajid,
Mariyam Shahid,
Maha Khizar,
Subooh Chaudhry,
Yasir Hakim Chaudhry

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How to Motivate Yourself

Staying motivated is a struggle —The first motivation killer is a lack of confidence. When this happens to me, it’s usually because I’m focusing entirely on what I want and neglecting what I already have. When you only think about what you want, your mind creates explanations for why you aren’t getting it. This creates negative thoughts. Past failures, bad breaks, and personal weaknesses dominate your mind. You become jealous of your competitors and start making excuses for why you can’t succeed. In this state, you tend to make a bad impression, assume the worst about others, and lose self confidence.

The way to get out of this thought pattern is to focus on gratitude. Set aside time to focus on everything positive in your life. Make a mental list of your strengths, past successes, and current advantages. We tend to take our strengths for granted and dwell on our failures. By making an effort to feel grateful, you’ll realize how competent and successful you already are. This will rejuvenate your confidence and get you motivated to build on your current success.

It might sound strange that repeating things you already know can improve your mindset, but it’s amazingly effective. The mind distorts reality to confirm what it wants to believe. The more negatively you think, the more examples your mind will discover to confirm that belief. When you truly believe that you deserve success, your mind will generate ways to achieve it. The best way to bring success to yourself is to genuinely desire to create value for the rest of the world.

It’s inevitable that you’ll encounter periods of low energy, bad luck, and even the occasional failure. If you don’t discipline your mind, these minor speed bumps can turn into mental monsters. By being on guard against the top 3 motivation killers you can preserve your motivation and propel yourself to success.

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AZAN

Everyone here knows what adhan is, it is a call for prayer and it is advised to listen to adhan very carefully. Unfortunately most of us do not pay attention towards it.

Most of the girls in Pakistan just cover their head when they listen adhan but do not stop talking. They do not know that covering their head is not mandatory but listening to adhan is more important. By listening to adhan, we can earn a lot of sawab.

Now I would like to mention some important things regarding adhan.

1. Repeat what the mua’zzan says except when he says

Hayya al’al salah and hayya al’al falah rather just reply by saying La hou’la wa la qouwata illa billah.

i would like to share Hadith regarding this.

Bukhari :: Book 1 :: Volume 11 :: Hadith 587

Narrated Mu’awiya r.a. as above (586) and added:

“When the Mu’adhdhin said, “Haiya alas-sala(t) (come for the prayer).” Muawiya said, “La hawla wala quwata illa billah (There is neither might nor any power except with Allah)” and added, “We heard your Prophet (s.a.w.) saying the same.”

2. Do not speak while listening to adhan to give some respect to adhan even sop reciting Qu’ran.

3. Invoke the blessings to the Prophet.

Always recite darood pak when you hear the name of prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.W.)

4. When the adhan is finished, recite dua wasilah.

5. Pray to Allah in between adhan and iqamah because dua is not rejected in that time period.

Kitab As salat

Dawud :: Book 2 : Hadith 521

Narrated Anas ibn Malik:

The supplication made between the adhan and the iqamah is not rejected.

I hope all of us to practice this. Through this we can get countless blessings of Allah. InshAllah.

May Allah guide us with knowledge that will always benefit us. Amin!

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Making the Right Mistake

Did you ever make a mistake? Of course you did. We all do, but have you ever noticed the difference between the mistakes you make and those that others make? You see, when we make mistakes, we usually consider it as an ‘unavoidable’ or ‘honest’ mistake, but when someone else does the same thing, we tend to think it as an ‘inexcusable’ or ‘stupid’ mistake. Isn’t that odd?
Just yesterday, I had a football match with FAST University Islamabad which turned out to be an excruciating battle for both FAST and the LSE football team.

Like every other match, my team members and I just had one thing on our minds- to relax and play with zest and zeal so that the journey to gain victory becomes an enjoyable one. The referee's whistle came and we had the ball. The opponent team pushed us back and was desperately trying to defend our fierce attack. One of our strikers had almost made the ball through and was about to make the final hit when one of the FAST girls fouled by elbowing our player and causing her to her fall and miss the shoot. To our dismay, we weren’t given a free kick.

We carried on with the match without making a fuss but in the course of it, realized that the opponent team was taking advantage of our easygoing nature. Whenever we were in our attack mode, they started to pull us back, curse and made us fall to the ground. Good for them, the whistle blew and it was half time so we hurried to renew our strategy.

As the second half started, we had our first threatening attack which again was followed by more horrendous fouls and this time around, the other team members actually got their way with the ball and were racing to attack us. I being the defender had to be like a shadow and mark my player at all times. I tackled the player of the opponent team and had the possession of the ball. Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my ankle- a FAST striker fouled me bad which was carried by verbal abuses and ended up in a physical fight and me being showed a yellow card.

This outburst increased the rage in my team members against those in the opposite team and then we also decided to play dirty for the remaining match and show them our real potential. It didn’t take us long to score our first goal of the day and we ended the match with a 2-0 victory.

I thought I was mistaken, but I was mistaken in being mistaken because I knew this is what those girls deserved. In my heart, I know that being physically abusive is wrong but the point is to make the other person realize that karma needs no invitation and can step in the scene whenever it feels that the wrongdoer needs to be corrected. Yesterday, maybe karma taught them a lesson through me as I got the honour to hear an apology from the opponent team after the match.

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It's good to be a woman

Women make the world go round; at times in gentle circles like a Ferris wheel, where everybody gets to be on top of the world at least for some time, and at times like a wheel in a theme park in London, which is not meant for the fair-hearted and where everybody gets to be terrified a number of times.

With so much power tied up like a bag of herbs in the left pocket of her apron, and a magic wand of spoon in her hand, who wouldn’t want to be her; who wouldn’t want to be a WOMAN? No matter what color, shape or size, in today’s world, it is good to be a woman, and it is so because no son of the soil or daughter of the West can make an entry into this world without a woman. What good would the theory of relativity be if there was no Einstein, but then again, where did he come from? Even Adolph Hitler was once an egg, and the only person who had the gall of smacking him on his bottom, telling him to behave himself was a woman. And it only gets better. It is good to be a woman because she is a sister, a sister who almost always has a brother. Whether it’s a teaser, a harasser, a follower, or even an annoying husband, all a sister has to do is tap on her brother’s shoulder, look hapless and he will go all the way to the other side of the world to beat the man up till he sounds like a seven-year-old Chinese girl. All a woman has to do is call for help in squeaky voice.

And it only gets better. It is good to be a woman because she is a daughter, a daughter who always has a set of give-it-all-away parents. They raise you, nurture and pamper you, paint your room pink, protect you, and pay for all the million clothes that you wear. Things only get groovier as you grow up, for all you have to do is point, and they will get it for you. You study in your own time, there are no taking-care-of-family or earning pressures, you don’t have to learn how to drive, no responsibility, no blaming. It is like living in a doll house, only for real. And it only gets better, for after your parents are done looking after you, you get a brand new caretaker, who goes from emperor to pamperer for you in one day. All you have to do is say, ‘I do’, and you get to move to another doll house in a fancy decorated car with, what you call a husband.

Now let’s not get started on the blessings of not having to shave every morning, not having to change a tyre in the middle of the road, not having to pump the sewerage pipe at home every time the line gets choked, not having to wake up one morning with the bald patch in the middle of your head, and not having to earn enough to buy a Ferrari to get the love of your life. There is nothing like being able to cry, nothing like getting a whole new lease on life just by changing the color of your lipstick.

So, yes, it is incredible being a woman and more than half of us would agree. Because let’s face it, men may be the stronger sex, but not when there’s a beautiful woman in the room. It is us, women who add beauty to the world, and if we had not been here, the story of the world would have ended with Adam’s final breath.

Schazeen Bokhari

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