Owais Mughal

Three weeks ago I was going through my favourite past time. That is to frequent thelas (Carts) of old book sellers in Karachi and looking for deals on books. I couldn’t belive my luck when I found a book called ‘sifaarti moaarke’ (Diplomatic Battles) by Pakistan’s ex Diplomat to UK, Mr. Qutbuddin Aziz. People say never judge a book by its cover, but it was indeed the cover of this book which made me buy it. It showed a rehabilitated Steam Locomotive of Pakistan with a caption “Pakistan’s gift of a steam engine to UK in 1981 and the interesting story of this loco’s arrival in Manchester”.

The photo above is courtesy of Mr. Julian and it shows the locomotive preserved in its glory in Manchester Museum in 2009.

Adil Najam

A friend recently sent me a two year old obituary of Jennifer Musa (today is her second death anniversary). I must confess, I had never heard of her. But the tag line of the article from London’s Daily Telegraph was enough to send me on a search for more information on her. The line read:

Irish nurse who became head of a tribe in Baluchistan and dedicated her life to its interests

As if that was not enough, the second paragraph of the same article had me running to find out more. It read:

“Mummy Jennifer”, as she was known, married the scion of a noble Pathan family that played a key role in bringing the oil-rich province of Baluchistan into Pakistan after its creation in 1947. She founded an ice factory, became the first woman member of the national assembly from her province, and later acted as an intermediary for rebels who staged an armed uprising against the federal government.

What I found was a remarkable story that deserves to be shared with others.

Adil Najam

Civil society activists in Karachi had welcomed the new year in style: with rallies for peace. This was not an act of naivety. It was an act of hope. More than that it was an act of defiance. Defiance against the reality of violence that has become our daily fate. As Karachi spirals, again, into violence. That defiance is being tested, again. Today, more than ever before, those who stand against violence, must continue to stand against violence.