Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

The old saying “Nowadays blood is cheaper than water” tragically manifested itself at Karbala when the army of Yazid surrounded Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of our Holy Prophet (PBUH), and his family and stopped their access to water. In all 72 people were martyred there. Hazrat Abbas (RA), brother of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA) could not bear to see the suffering of the thirsty children and went out alone to fetch water from the river, ignoring the dangers involved. He was soon surrounded by the enemy and his hands were chopped off. Thereupon he held the leather water bag in his mouth. This scene has been immortalised by the legendary marsiago (composer of dirges), Mir Anis, in the following words:

Mashkiza tha key sheyr key munh mey shikar tha?

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Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

The three words unity, cooperation and disunity look so simple but their importance is realised at crucial times. In all societies and nations, great emphasis is laid on unity and cooperation

The Quaid-e-Azam was like a superhuman and the Almighty had bestowed on him the wisdom of Khizar (AS). Though he never claimed to be a religious scholar, all his actions were in accordance with the golden rules of Islam. His slogan “Unity, faith and discipline” reflected the essence of the Islamic code of conduct. The very first word of this slogan emphasises the dire need for unity, not among the countrymen but also amongst Muslims.

There is the story of a wise old man who gave each of his sons a stick and asked them to break it, which they all managed to do. Then he placed all the already broken sticks together in a bundle and again asked them to break them. None of them succeeded. He then told them that the young men were like the sticks–individually they were vulnerable, but nobody could harm them when they were united.

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Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

It was one of my childhood dreams to visit Lhasa. To most people, Potala Palace is Lhasa. It is well-known all over the world and UNESCO has declared it a site of World Cultural Heritage.

The Tibet Autonomous Region is situated in the south-western region of China and has an area of about 125,000 square kilometres. The average height of the area is about 4,000 metres and many places are even 5,000 metres. Tibet has an approximately 3,500-km-long common border with India, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar. In the north and east it is bordered by Xinjiang, Qinghai, Sichuan and Yunnan provinces. Temperatures range from 15°C to 25°C. Buddhism is the prevailing religion. Tibet has a population of about 2.5 million, with about the same number of Tibetans living in Sichuan and neighbouring provinces.

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