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.

Read the rest of this entry »

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.

Read the rest of this entry »

Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

The law of the land is not applicable to the select few and they openly ignore even court orders. In the olden days a Qazi would hear and decide cases quickly and fairly. Our history and traditions have many golden chapters. There were not merely a dozen or so honest, efficient rulers, but literally hundreds of them.

An efficient administrative and legal system already existed during the period of Hazrat Abu Bakr (RA), but it was Hazrat Umar (RA) who established the most efficient, honest and neutral system. Everything was properly recorded and coded and it was a complete, exemplary constitution.

In one of my previous columns I had mentioned how the Qazi, a former Turkish slave, had thrashed Ali Noshtgin, commander-in-chief of Mahmud Ghaznavi’s army, for being under the influence of alcohol. Here I would like to mention Sher Shah Suri, who had the Grand Trunk Road built from Peshawar to Calcutta. What he achieved in the five years of his rule our inept rulers have not been able to achieve in even 62 years. His minister of finance was Raja Todar Mal, who was so efficient that, years later when Akbar became emperor, he sent for Raja Todar Mal and requested him to be his minister of finance. History is witness to the prosperity and progress made during Akbar’s reign.
Read the rest of this entry »

Random Thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

I have a dear Sri Lankan friend named Adam Sadiq, whom I know since 1975 when he was a diplomat in Islamabad. After a stint at the foreign ministry in Colombo, he went on to become ambassador to Saudi Arabia. Over the years Mr Sadiq has been sending me messages of varying nature, the latest one being of such interest that I would like to share it with our readers.

The cleaning lady

During their second month of college lectures, a professor gave his students a pop quiz. Most of them breezed through the questions until they read the last one: “What is the first name of the woman who cleans the school?” Surely this was some kind of joke! They had all seen the cleaning woman several times. She was tall, dark-haired and in her 50s, but how would they know her name? Most of the students left the last question blank. Just before class ended, one student asked if the last question would count towards the quiz grade. “Absolutely,” said the professor. “In your careers you will meet many people. All are significant. They deserve your attention and care, even if all you do is smile and say ‘Hello.’ Never forget that! We later found out that her name was Dorothy.
Read the rest of this entry »

Random thoughts
By Dr A Q Khan

Even before India exploded its first nuclear weapon on May 18, 1974, Mr Bhutto had warned about this happening and had vowed to respond appropriately, even if Pakistanis had to eat grass to protect their sovereignty. I started the programme at Kahuta in July 1976 after coming back from Holland. Within the short span of eight years this country was in a position to explode a nuclear weapon at short notice. The government took 14 years to actually demonstrate this capability.

Had Mr Bhutto been alive to see those tests, he would have exploited our invaluable position and achievement for the benefit of the people and the country. However, once the giant was eliminated, the pygmies, did not benefit from this achievement, and we managed to turn it into something of a curse. In addition to the many difficulties brought down on us, the worst thing we did to ourselves was the freezing of foreign currency accounts. Not only did it hurt our economy, but we also lost international trust. We are still suffering the after-affects.
Read the rest of this entry »