Bus stop ad, Tirana. [All day, all night zero Leke.]

Passenger drop-off, Tirana.

Tirana

Downtown living, Tirana.

Downtown mosque, Tirana.

Quranic inscription at the entrance of the downtown mosque, Tirana.

Government buildings in Tirana.

Evening rush time in downtown Tirana.

Downtown Tirana

Equestrian statue of Skanderbeg in downtown Tirana

Downtown Tirana

Downtown Tirana

Mural on a government building in Tirana

Traditional musical instruments in Kruja bazaar

Traditional contraptions: Kruja bazaar

DIL's program concluded with a musical performance by Pakistan's prominent vocalist Tahira Syed.

DIL Fundraiser's special guest of honor, Greg Mortenson, got sick and could not make it to the program. Dr. Abdul Jabbar associated with the City College of San Francisco and on the board of the Central Asia Institute (a non-profit established by Mortenson, building schools in Pakistan) spoke in place of Greg Mortenson.

ناسازئی طبیعت کی وجہ سے گریگ مورٹینسن دل کے پروگرام میں شرکت نہ کر پائے۔ ان کی جگہ سینٹرل ایشیا انسٹی ٹیوٹ کے بورڈ ممبر ڈاکٹر عبدالجبار نے حاضرین سے خطاب کیا۔

The duo of Paru Yusuf (R) and Ambreen Jamal emceed the program.

Over 200 people attended the fundraiser arranged at the Crowne Plaza Cabana Hotel in Palo Alto.

Dr. Adil Najam, Frederick S. Pardee Professor of Global Public Policy at Boston University and a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore, was the keynote speaker at Developments in Literacy’s annual fundraiser on November 7.

Souvenirs in Kruja bazaar

Kruja Fort

Sikanderbeg (Iskander Beg) selling in Kruja.

Polka dots do add zest to these otherwise middling residential buildings۔

Tirana residential buildings--concrete structure with red brick walls.

An on-the-go lawyer's office in Tirana

Leaving our laundry at the reception, we left for the historical city of Kruja. This is the van that took us from Tirana to Kruja.

At the Monte Negro- Albania border.

This picture was taken on entering Albania. The sign was on the other side of the road so it kind of says Goodbye from Albania.

The bus that took us from Ulcinj to Shkoder (Albania).

Residential and commercial buildings, in the area we stayed in Ulcinj.

Ulcinj beach.

Though initially planned that way, we did not spend the night in Podgorica. Why have an overnight stay in a large city when you can stay by the beach? So we took a bus from Podgorica to Ulcinj. Here you see Ulcinj's bus station.

Podgorica

Our stop after entering Monte Negro۔

Going from Sarajevo to Podgorica you see some stunning scenery۔

Our bus at the Bosnia-Monte Negro border

It rained the morning we left Sarajevo. The bus took us from Sarajevo to Podgorica in Monte Negro. It stopped in small towns along the way where people would see off their friends and relatives, and would start talking among themselves when the bus would start moving.

Graves in a Sarajevo cemetery, very close to where we stayed.

A neighborhood park and playground in Sarajevo.

Heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire was killed near this river. That one murder led to the murder of millions of people (during the First World War).

Hanif Kureishi selling in Sarajevo.

Another bullet pelted Sarajevo building.

Pervez Musharraf in the San Francisco Bay Area

As a part of his 15 venue lecture tour in the US, Pervez Musharraf appeared at the Marin Veterans Memorial Auditorium in San Rafael on October 8. Speaking to an audience of over 1700 (that paid $200 to $500 and more per person to hear the former president of Pakistan), Musharraf spoke for almost an hour and shared his thoughts on the War on Terror, the nature of Al-Qaeda and the Taliban, India-Pakistan relations, and effective leadership and management skills.

Defending his former employer Musharraf said both the Pakistan Army and the ISI were fully committed to fight the Taliban and the “trust deficit” that is presently seen between the US and the Pakistani forces was dangerous—it was not the right way to fight a war that needed a very focused approach.

Explaining the nature of the threat the West faces Musharraf said the Taliban were part of the obscurantist elements in the Muslim world that provided a nurturing environment for the extremists that had a more global agenda. He added that certain long simmering conflicts around the world were providing a sort of justification for the extremist elements to act violently. Musharraf said Muslims themselves were responsible for lacking in science and technology.

Musharraf said that the Taliban in Pakistan were not a monolith. He named the various factions in northern Pakistan, all calling themselves to be the Taliban, but headed by different leaders rivals to each other. He said those divisions between various Taliban groups was good news for the coalition fighting them.

On the possible outcome of the “War on Terror” in Afghanistan Musharraf said that even if Al-Qaeda were thoroughly defeated, a future come-back of the Taliban would provide a supportive environment for other extremist elements having an agenda similar to Al-Qaeda’s. He said military expeditions only buy time; the political process provides more long-term results and in order for the political process to succeed there should be a socio-economic development plan in place.

Trying to allay a prevalent fear present in the West Musharraf said there were only two ways Pakistan’s nuclear arms could go in the hands of the extremists: either if the militants become stronger than the Pakistan Army and overwhelm the army, or if the militants come to power through the political process and form the government. He said both those scenarios were highly unlikely. He said his government put a modern command and control system in place to avoid any accidental use of the nuclear weapons.

Touting his achievements in office Musharraf claimed that when he came to power the economy was in bad shape and the country was on the verge of defaulting on its loan payments, but by the time he left, the World Bank—in fact it was the Goldman Sachs--placed Pakistan in its list of the Next Eleven emerging economies (after the BRIC countries).

Musharraf said when he took office he had no clue about the economy, but he was ready to learn and he had no inhibitions about learning. He said the economists love to speak in high-flown jargon and say the obvious in complex words. Musharraf said he ultimately learned about the economy in the most basic terms, that the challenge is to balance the income and expenditure of the country. He said the Chinese Premier told him about the two dilemmas developing countries face. First, the dilemma of coping with the debt to GDP ratio—you need to borrow to develop, but the country’s development can be hampered by too much borrowing; and second, the dilemma of having a good foreign exchange reserve in order to attract the foreign investors—you want to increase your foreign exchange reserves to attract the foreign investors, but you need foreign investment to increase your foreign exchange reserves. He said he heed the advice that foreign investors are like pigeons, they come one by one, but take off en masse when things go wrong in a country. He said the foreign investors left Pakistan when the foreign currency accounts were frozen in the regime before his. He claimed he improved the environment to attract foreign investors and was able to get the Pakistani foreign exchange reserves to record heights. He said that Pakistan’s debt to GDP ratio was more than 100% when he took office, but he managed to bring this ratio down to just a bit over 50% during his rule.

Speaking of lessons he learned while being in the highest office in Pakistan, he said successful resolution of conflicts requires that the opponents enter the negotiations with an open mind without any preconditions, that they be ready to give, and that they be bold because when they would give to the other party there would always be a segment back home that would agitate. He said that in any negotiations a moment comes when the deal needs to be closed. If that fleeting moment passes without fruition, the opportunity is lost. Musharraf said he and Vajpayee had come very close to settle many India-Pakistan conflicts, but the opportunity was missed and “now we are back to square one.”

Sharing his thoughts on leadership Musharraf said that effective leadership is two-third analysis and one-third taking a leap in the dark. If you increase the analysis part beyond two-third then you won’t take timely decisions—he called it the condition of paralysis through analysis. Conversely, if you reduce the analysis part and are too eager to take a leap in the dark then you can create trouble for your followers.

Answering a question about what the Bush administration told him that made him decide to side with the US in the War on terror, Musharraf said that contrary to the popular belief that after receiving a phone call from the US State Department Pakistan right away joined the coalition, it took seven days for him and his associates to make up their minds and there was a lot of deliberation on at what terms Pakistan should become a partner in the war.

Over forty people attended the program.

The program was held in a meeting room at the Glen Park Library in San Francisco.

Roshni Rustomji-Kerns

Maheen Adamson read 'Niyaz-o-Nazar'

Saqib Mausoof reading humorous Urdu essay 'Kukar Culture'

Aamina Ahmad reading 'Crossings'

Farooq Taraz

Friends of South Asia celebrated the independence of India and Pakistan by holding its 6th annual literary evening. The theme of the program was "The Language of Food." Here you see Disha Zaidi, the emcee of the event.

Announcing an Iran-Bosnia soccer match

Obituary notes outside Gazi Husrev Bey Mosque, Sarajevo

Chess players in Sarajevo

Corn, everywhere
You wonder why they are growing so much corn in Austria, Slovenia, Serbia, and Croatia when they don't consume it as a food product. One possible answer is the use of corn in bio-fuel and in making plastic.

A poster in Vinkovci

Ehat Zuberi from Macedonia

Belgrade

Eating jumbo pizza in Zagreb

Lake Bled

Ljubjana fruit market.

Ljubjana river front, at dusk.

Looking out of Graz train station. Graz used to be very proud of its son who went to the US and finally became the governor of California.

Vienna

Munich

Munich

Can't you see them? Rows after rows of hollow-eyed inmates, in this Dachau sleeping quarter.

Toilet in Dachau. Outside of slavery, concentration camps were/are the most lethal instrument of subjugation.

The joy of eating ChoNsa, in Frankfurt. Cost= 4.5 Euros

Adding to the NED nostalgia: Alumni Convention 2009

Ali Hasan Cemendtaur

Reunions are emotional occasions: they are about plunging in nostalgia, about cherishing a shared past, about looking at the faces of your old friends and wondering how fast the time passes, and about a chance to prioritize your goals in life.

NED Alumni Convention 2009, held in Southern California on July 18, provided opportunities for all of the above and made the daylong program a memorable event through Alamgir’s thrilling comeback performance. The convention comprised of a day session with emphasis on education and knowledge exchange, and an evening session of entertainment, fine food, and good company.

The morning at the convention started with a breakfast and opportunities for social networking. The knowledge exchange part of the program began with a panel discussion on “Secrets of Success in Entrepreneurship”, moderated by Dr. Farhat Siddiqi, one of the distinguished students of NED University’s late Vice Chancellor AT Khan. Dr. Siddiqui is the president and CEO of Geo-Environmental, Inc. Farhat Siddiqui said the NED alumni are good at anything they do. “If they would open a burger shop they would make the best burgers in town.”

The discussants of the first panel included NEDians who started their businesses and excelled. Raghib Hussain, CTO of Cavium Networks, advised would-be entrepreneurs to start business “in the area of your core excellence.” He said that his alma mater gave him the attitude that “you can do it”, and he learned the importance of networking while studying at NED.

Arif Zafar Mansuri, the president of the Pakistan Link, and CEO of “Metals and More” said that in any venture the secret of success is to pay attention to the seven C’s: Clarity, Competence, Constraints, Creativity, Concentration, Courage, and Continuity of action. He said there are always a few who are genius and are bound to succeed because of their gifted faculties, and then there are those are just plain lucky. But in comparison to these two smaller groups most people have to work very hard to achieve whatever they want to achieve in life.

Abul Islam, President and CEO of AI Engineers, said he started his business when he got bored with his erstwhile well-paying 8 am to 5 pm job. He said it took his firm eighteen months to get its first business—a period long enough for him to almost deplete his financial resources.

Naim Siddiqui, President and CEO of Crown Technical Systems, called himself an accidental entrepreneur. He advised audience to “build a personal relationship with anybody you meet.” He said that in any business “there will always be setbacks. Be tenacious. Never give up. Eventually things will start to turn around.”

Faheem Ahmed, CEO of Pakistan-based JCR-VIS, a credit-rating firm wished brain drain could be stopped and bright people could be brought back to Pakistan. Ahmed said rating credit worthiness of businesses in Pakistan is a dangerous job, because many of those companies are owned by powerful politicians and people of influence.

The next discussion, on “Transportation, A prerequisite for Economic Prosperity and Social Bonding” benefited from the expertise of Syed Shariq Reza, Mujib Ahmed, Shirjeel Muhammad, and Sohaib Siddiqui, and was steered by Shahnawaz Ahmed. Mujib Ahmed showed audience a detailed presentation of Pakistan’s transportation network and left people with the question, Why a Karachi to Quetta highway cannot be as modern as a US highway? Syed Shariq Raza’s presentation was on the history, funding, features, and economic benefits of the US interstate highway system. This correspondent was unfortunate to miss the later part of that colloquium. In fact he missed the other two post-lunch discussions and the morning keynote speech that was to be given by Dr. Jami Shah of Arizona State University, as well.

One panel discussion this scribe totally missed was on “How Alumni can Enhance Quality of Education?” According to the program brochure that session was to be moderated by Moqueem Ansari and the panelists included NED University’s Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Shamsul Haque; Dean of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Professor Dr. Sahibzada Farooq Ahmad Rafeeqi; Dr. Arshad Mahmood; Mansoor Khan; and Zaid Ahmed. The other missed opportunity was to benefit from the expertise of Iqbal Molvi, Irfan Ahmed, Mazher Zaidi, Asif Ansari, Humayun Rashid, and Mazhar Zubairi speaking on “Pakistan and Technology”, a discussion that was to be lead by Nadeem Moghal.

By the time this correspondent came back to the convention a very animated speech of the evening keynote speaker Ashraf Habibullah was coming to its conclusion. The speech was followed by dinner. The post dinner entertainment program featured Saima Khan and Ryan Khan, two artists from Canada, who excelled in the art of gaining audience participation; Sakhi Kamal, an acclaimed comedian who originally performed in PTV’s show ‘Fifty-fifty’; and of course Alamgir. After losing the functionality of his kidneys, and apparently in a long line for kidney transplant, Alamgir is alive on blood cleaning machines. Alamgir told the audience he goes for dialysis three times a week and that he was fortunate to live in this age when people with failed kidneys could still survive. The organizers of the NED Alumni Convention 2009 had originally planned to get Mohammad Ali Shehki, an NED alumnus, as the main performing artist of the evening, but when bureaucratic hurdles in flying Shehki from Pakistan to the US proved insurmountable, the organizers made arrangements with Alamgir. Apparently being cognizant of this history, and in the way of sharing insights into a bygone era’s entertainment business, Alamgir told the audience he and Shehki had always remained rivals, and that while performing at Sind Medical College or Dow Medical College (both in Karachi) Alamgir felt he was on neutral grounds, singing at the NED University he could feel he was trespassing on Shehki’s territory. Alamgir said he and Shehki never sang each other’s songs, but he would break the record by starting his performance of the night with one of Shehki’s famous number. And that is how Alamgir’s act started and it got more electric when Alamgir decided to make the session his tribute to prominent Pakistani singers: besides singing his own songs, Alamgir sang Ahmed Rushdi, Mehdi Hassan, and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. He sang and he danced, and he performed as if he were a 20-year old, filled with energy, as if failed kidneys are not worth paying any attention to. Alamgir’s spectacular performance at the NED Alumni Convention 2009 ended a bit after one in the morning.

NED Alumni Convention 2009 was an all day program. Here you see Ahmed Ali, President NED Alumni Association of Southern California, opening up the morning session. Ahmed Ali had an accident the night before and was not able to sit through the whole program.

Listening to Tom Campbell's speech one could sense Campbell understands California's financial situation better than his opponents in the gubernatorial race.


See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#


Campbell's keynote speech at the OPEN Forum is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TomCampbellsEveningKeynoteSpeechAtOpenForum200

Professor Tom Campbell surrounded by the audience.

Campbell's keynote speech at the OPEN Forum is here:
http://www.archive.org/details/TomCampbellsEveningKeynoteSpeechAtOpenForum2009

Ex-Congressman Tom Campbell gave the OPEN Forum 2009 keynote speech.

Workshop on "Crafting your personal brand to transition into the Cleantech sector."

Workshop on "Crafting your personal brand to transition into the Cleantech sector."

Session on "Making Sense of this Downturn: What to do next for your Personal Finances?" was conducted by Salman Khan.

"The Business of Gaming" panelists.

Session on "The Business of Gaming."

Pakistan's Consul General in Los Angeles, Syed Ibne Abbas attended the OPEN Forum 2009. Here you see Dilawar Syed introducing Pakistan Consul General Syed Ibne Abbas to people in the audience. Informally speaking to the Pakistani Americans Ibne Abbas said the Los Angeles Consulate of Pakistan was available to serve Pakistanis around the clock.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Session on "The Stimulus Act: The Impact of Government Policy on Cleantech Start-ups and Investors."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Session on "The Stimulus Act: The Impact of Government Policy on Cleantech Start-ups and Investors."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Session on "Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Health Care ."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Session on "Entrepreneurial Opportunities in Health Care ."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Entrepreneurial Idol: Season III.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Judges of "Entrepreneurial Idol: Season III."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

In the conference keynote speech, Ex Sun Microsystems executive Masood Jabbar spoke about the lessons he learned working in the high tech industry.

Listen to Jabbar's speech here:
http://www.archive.org/details/MasoodJabbarsSpeechAtOpenSiliconValleyForum2009

In a by-invitation lunch meeting dubbed "Fundraising for a Cleantech Startup? Cleantech Pitch Lunch with a Room Full of Investors", businesses seeking capital gave presentations about their products.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel discussion on "A Fistful of Dollars: The good, the bad and the Ugly of Fundraising in a Hostile Environment."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel discussion on "A Fistful of Dollars: The good, the bad and the Ugly of Fundraising in a Hostile Environment."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel discussion on "Entrepreneurship: Stabilizing Force in the World."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel discussion on "Entrepreneurship: Stabilizing Force in the World."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel discussion on "Innovations in Energy: Viable business propositions after Market Corrections."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel discussion on "Innovations in Energy: Viable business propositions after Market Corrections."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel Discussion on "How Social Media is Shaping Our World."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Panel Discussion on "How Social Media is Shaping Our World."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

"Where's the Green in Clean? Investment Opportunities, Valuations and the Funding Gap in Cleantech."

Panel discussion on "Where's the Green in Clean? Investment Opportunities, Valuations and the Funding Gap in Cleantech."

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

'Cloud Computing' panelists at the OPEN Forum 2009.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

No matter how distant you are from the computer world, OPEN Forum would decipher modern technical jargon for you and would tell you the real deal behind high-flown buzz phrases. Here you see a panel discussing Cloud Computing.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

It would be surprising if anyone among the Warren Packard audience did not mark their calendar for December 13, 2010. Packard thought the manner in which the technology was getting cheaper by the day, in eighteen months attendees of technical conferences would find themselves receiving free mp3 players as marketing material. "See me if this does not happen," Packard assured the audience.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

OPEN Silicon Valley Forum 2009

Trying to learn new things in an OPEN (Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America) Forum is like trying to drink water from a fire-hydrant. With three parallel tracks of panel discussions going on, scores of knowledgeable speakers to listen to, and hundreds of people to reconnect with the whole day affair is an exhilarating exercise. This years OPEN Forum took place on Saturday, June 13, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View.

In the picture above you see Warren Packard of Draper Fisher Jurvetson, a venture capitalist firm, giving the morning keynote speech at the OPEN Forum 2009. In his speech Packard put great confidence in the entrepreneurial spirit of mankind; he seemed assured "we" will come out fine from recession, environmental problems, and political instabilities around the world.

See other OPEN Forum 2009 pictures at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/cemendtaur/OPENForum2009#

Abid Hasan Minto

On April 28, a small progressive crowd gathered in Fremont to listen to the renowned Pakistani lawyer and communist leader Abid Hasan Minto.

On April 23, 2009, South Bay Mobilization And South Asians for Peace, De Anza arranged a talk on the War on Terror being carried out in Pakistan. The event held at De Anza College attracted around 60 people.

Dr. Nosheen Ali (facing the audience) and Yasmin Qureshi presented a slide show delineating US's involvement in that region.

A short documentary film 'Da Bajaur Guloona' (literally 'The flowers of Bajaur', but in English titled 'Homeless at Home') was screened in the middle of the presentation. Da Bajaur Guloona produced by Samar Minallah is a video record of the civilian displacement of the residents of Bajaur forced by indiscriminate bombing of the region by the US.

Why attend flower and garden shows?
Because you get to see how artists bring living and lifeless things together to create stunningly beautiful objects.
[Picture taken at the San Francisco Flower and Garden Show.]

Mortenson's talk at the Logan High School, Union City was arranged by the Fremont branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Noted education warrior Greg Mortenson spoke this afternoon to children and adults at Guy Emanuele Pavilion of Logan High School in Union City. More than 2000 people attended the program.

Eyewitness Gaza with Donna and Darlene Wallach

Donna (left) and Darlene Wallach were part of the pioneering group that broke the Israeli siege of Gaza and reached the beleaguered Gazans by ship in 2008.

Eyewitness Gaza with Donna and Darlene Wallach

Today at DeAnza College, San Jose activist sisters Donna and Darlene Wallach spoke to a crowd of over fifty narrating their first-hand experiences in Gaza.

Musharraf spoke at Stanford

General Pervez Musharraf who ruled Pakistan for almost nine years was
a 'Big Speaker' at Stanford University today.

Musharraf spoke for over 50 minutes mainly describing Pakistan's role
in helping the West defeat the Soviet Union, and now in the ongoing
War on Terror. He said the war against the Taliban was Pakistan's
war, and the West should not doubt Pakistan's intentions. He said
there were powerful lobbies trying to malign the Pakistan Army and the
ISI; he said that Pakistani soldiers were being killed while fighting
the militants, and asked how can anyone believe there was
'double-dealing' going on. Musharraf's holistic approach to fight
terrorism involved keeping a strong military "because that's the language these elements understand", but also alleviate poverty and educate people, and solve long simmering political conflicts.

Musharraf's speech was followed by a short one-to-one question-answer
session with Professor Scott Sagan. Besides other questions Sagan
asked why Pervez Musharraf pardoned AQ Khan. Musharraf said that AQ
Khan was a very popular person in Pakistan and the 'sensibilities' of
his country demanded that AQ Khan not be put through any interrogation
involving non-Pakistanis.

The QA session was then opened to the larger audience. In most of the
questions asked by the Desi students Musharraf was criticized for
removing Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, for selling his countrymen
to the US, and for suppressing media. Musharraf said whatever he did
against the Chief Justice, he did according to the rights provided to
him in the constitution. He blamed 'certain elements' for taking
political advantage of the situation; he said that ultimately the
situation got so bad that he was forced to declare emergency.
Musharraf said that the 600 people he wrote about in his book whom he
handed over to the US were all foreign members of Al-Qaeda. He
claimed no Pakistani was given to the US, and said that he even sent a
team to Guantanamo Bay to get a few Pakistanis who were arrested in
Afghanistan released from the US custody.

Talking about the Mumbai attacks Musharraf said Pakistan must punish
those who were involved in planning the attacks, but should not
extradite anyone. He claimed that whereas 61 Pakistanis were killed
in Samjhota Express explosions which were later proved to be the work
of Hindu extremists and ex-Indian Army personnel, Pakistan never
demanded extradition of the people responsible for that act of terror.

Shun Racism in Travel; Visit Beautiful Haiti
[Defy US Department of State's bogus travel warning.]

Amazing how media can insidiously influence you! Though for a long time I doubted the veracity of news reports about an "overpopulated, deforested, crime-ridden" Haiti, before leaving for Hispaniola I called up an insurance broker in Texas to inquire about a kidnapping and ransom insurance policy. He was not available and I ended up leaving a message. Looking back I am glad he never returned my call. I certainly did not need a kidnapping and ransom insurance for traveling in Haiti.

Before traveling to Haiti I spent a lot of time on the Internet reviewing information, advice regarding travel in that country. I found out that most of the people advising travelers not to go to Haiti were the ones who themselves never visited Haiti.

I trusted Haiti with my family and I found the people of Haiti to be as trustworthy as people of any other country. Yes, Haiti has seen a lot of political upheaval, but no, those storms have not transformed Haitians into blood-sucking monsters ready to rob, kidnap, or kill all visitors.

It is known that with shrinking writ of a government, petty criminals gain strength and start claiming larger and larger turf, and that very well may be the case in some parts of Haiti. But I did not see it. And I did not see it because I avoided going to slums and shady neighborhoods—just as I avoid bad neighborhoods in California. While traveling in Haiti I took some other precautions too--the same precautions I take when visiting a developing country: of keeping a low profile, restricting movement after dark, and walking with a local in unfamiliar surroundings.

So, there it is for you, the intrepid traveler. Shun racism in travel, go to Haiti, especially if you are already there in the Dominican Republic. I won't advise you to go to Haiti, or to any other 'poor' state, if this is the first time you are leaving your home country. But people who have been around, who have honed their traveling skills, should not shy away from visiting Haiti. It is a beautiful country full of very nice people. Go visit Haiti and have fun.

I have uploaded a few videos on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9r7fgG290UE&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfs93LXTnYc&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XaaHV2yUfY&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=my5B6fkAaQQ&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaxa0j4qcPg&feature=channel

Amazing energy was seen in today's protest in front of the Israeli Consulate in San Francisco.

Can someone come up with a coherent story about Mumbai attacks, please?


While the US celebrated Thanksgiving Mumbai was under attack. Terrorists’ assault on India’s financial hub brought the country of over billion people to almost a halt. But two weeks after the carnage we are still waiting for a coherent story from the Indian establishment. Who were those attackers? The official story tells you these men were of Pakistani origin who were trained in a militant camp in Pakistan ran by a banned group. But you should not be in any hurry to accept this version because it has changed many times. While the terrorists were still on their rampage, Indian police claimed they were Pakistanis. And then we were told they were British passport holders of Pakistani descent. And then the identity documents changed to Mauritius ID cards and then to Malaysian passports. And a couple of days ago we were told Pakistani identity cards have been confiscated from the dead terrorists. The last claim would make the terrorists very smart and very dumb at the same time. They were smart enough to carry out a sophisticated, highly coordinated operation, but dumb enough to carry their Pakistani identity cards with them.

How did the assailants reach India? The loudest version of the story tells you these men reached the shores of India in a boat and went straight to execute their terror plot. But then another version tells you at least one terrorist checked in Taj Mahal Hotel as a guest and used his room to store ammunition—and it makes sense because the amount of ammunition used (hand grenades and rounds after rounds of AK47) would be very hard to carry in a rubber boat and then to carry along on person, while trying to locate the targets in a teeming metropolis. But then which one is it: quick and dirty rubber boat trip, or a long operation that required hammering out logistics for days before embarking on the plan?

The official story is still being refined as I write these lines. Now we are told the terrorists carried fake identity cards of an Indian college. Should the rubber boat part of the story be forgotten now?

And then there is this phone call to a TV channel from a person claiming to be one of the terrorists killing people in Nariman House. You got to listen to it on YouTube to understand how enigmatic the clues given in that phone call are. Can someone from the Indian establishment please give this segment of the gory episode a credible spin?

In short, while the world is patiently waiting for the Indian government to get its story together, our sole link to the truth behind Mumbai attacks is Ajmal Kasab (if that indeed is his real name), the only terrorist purportedly captured alive. Pakistan and the international community must demand talking directly to this man. A conversation with this man might be the only way to find out what actually transpired in Mumbai.

And we must also fear what would ultimately happen in India, in the aftermath of Mumbai attacks. One particular part of the Indian establishment would use this opportunity to not only suppress its largest religious minority, it would come hard on all separatist movements raging in various parts of that country.


Photo, courtesy of Reuters.

In the aftermath of Mumbai attacks Peace Activists try to dampen the sound of war drums

As the world watches India mulling its response to the most egregious terrorist attack on its soil, San Francisco Bay Area peace activists are urging India to act with restraint. This sane advice to India was aired in a vigil arranged by Friends of South Asia (FOSA), a group of Bay Area based South Asian and other activists, on Saturday, December 6. Over sixty people gathered on the stairs of San Francisco City Hall to participate in the program co-sponsored by a number of South Asian groups. Of the dozen or so speakers addressing the rally many had family and friends living in both India and Pakistan. The speakers noted that thus far India had acted with maturity--unlike Pakistan where last year after the murder of Benazir Bhutto lawlessness prevailed and angry mobs set private property on fire, Indians have neither violently unleashed their anger on their government nor on the Muslim community. But certain quarters of the Indian Diaspora are urging India for a military response to Pakistan, the purported source of ten terrorists who ran havoc in Mumbai for two days. FOSA’s vigil was to counteract the hawks among Indian-Americans and to advise Indian and Pakistani governments to work together in bringing the masterminds of Mumbai terror plot to justice.

Saqib Mausoof, producer and director of Kala Pul, after the premier of his film at Brava Theater in San Francisco.

It has been noted that every year more than 365 film festivals are held in the San Francisco Bay Area--it is more than one film festival to attend everyday. And then you have a number of movies to watch in every film festival--you can do the rough math.

This year's 3rd I film festival [http://www.thirdi.org/festival/] featured a number of Indian and Pakistani movies. Kala Pul (http://kalapul.com/) produced and directed by local producer Saqib Mausoof was screened at Brava Theater in San Francisco on Thursday, November 13.

Tariq Ali spoke on “Pakistan on the Flight Path of American Power” to a largely Pakistani audience. Around 100 people attended the talk.

Tariq Ali was hosted by of PADF (Pakistan American Democratic Forum) today at Chandni Restaurant in Newark. Here you see Tariq Ali with Agha Saeed, the main force behind PADF.

Robert Fisk’s repetitive usage of “we westerners” albeit mostly used in a self-critical tone, was a bit shocking to this scribe who was hoping Fisk had seen enough to lose any sense of belonging to any group.

On Wednesday, September 24, Robert Fisk, celebrated foreign correspondent of The Independent, UK, spoke to an over 200 strong audience at San Jose State University.

Amaresh Misra, author of “In War of Civilisations: India AD 1857” published on the sesquicentennial anniversary of the 1857 war is currently visiting the US. A dinner meeting with him at Ijaz Syed’s place—where we also screened Lahore-based filmmaker Huma Safdar’s Punjabi documentary ‘Taropa’—and later a telephone interview with Misra has given me enough material to write a full-length report for the newspapers.

San Francisco-based writer Moazzam Sheikh’s newest book “The Idol Lover and other stories of Pakistan”, a collection of ten short stories, has been published by Ithuriel’s Spear, a division of Intersection for the Arts, San Francisco. On September 3 a book-reading featuring Moazzam Sheikh was held at the Mountain View branch of Books, Inc. Sheikh amused the small audience reading excerpts from “Idol Lover.”

Prominent writer, speaker Harsh Mander gave a talk at Binayak Sen Film Festival (South Asian Human Rights Film Festival) arranged by Friends of South Asia (FOSA).

Safdar Sarki spoke of his harrowing experiences of being kept in dungeons in military compounds in Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi. Sarki's talk was preceded by a screening of "Missing in Pakistan", a 29-minute documentary capturing Pakistan's gross human rights violations encouraged by the US Government. Friday's screening and talk was a part of South Asian Human Rights Film Festival, FOSA's 61st independence year celebrations of Pakistan and India. More information on the ongoing film festival and the upcoming screenings can be found here:
http://friendsofsouthasia.org/

On Friday, August 15, over 25 people gathered at San Jose Peace and Justice Center to listen to Safdar Sarki, a Sindhi nationalist who was abducted by Pakistan's intelligence agencies and was kept in illegal custody.

Islam and large corporations

Ahmed Rashid
Journalism is a tough field to be in. You can spend a big portion of your life placed in an obscured corner. Only a small portion of journalists makes very good money--most just wait for their time in the sun. Ahmed Rashid too has spent a very long time—20 years to be precise—waiting to be recognized. The recognition came violently, with 911. As the sky-kissing floors of the World Trade Center came crashing down, Ahmed Rashid's writing career shot up towards the heavens. The West was eager to learn about the Taliban, the benefactors of Osama Bin Laden. Ahmed Rashid had just published a book on the Taliban. The west embraced Ahmed Rashid and Rashid embraced stardom. It is not surprising that these days Ahmed Rashid is making the most of the limelight shining bright on him. He is churning out books as if there is no tomorrow. Earlier this month Ahmed Rashid made an appearance in the Bay Area. This correspondent went to listen to him. It was shocking to hear Rashid speak the language of the State Department: how the world cannot be a peaceful place till the Taliban are completely wiped off, etc. Obviously Ahmed Rashid is saying things that a lot of people in the Bush administration want to hear. How would his books sell if he would tell the world that the Taliban are as human as anybody else and that though it is getting tougher with the passing of every violent day, it is still possible to politically deal with the Taliban?

Video showing highlights of OPEN Forum 2008

Evening keynote speaker Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee, spoke on ‘Leadership and Empowerment.'

OPEN Silicon Valley President Dilawar Syed gave the closing remarks

They come in threes

OPEN Forum 2008 participants

Panel discussion on ‘Participating in Global Social Change’ was moderated by Lucy Bernholz, President, Blueprint Research. Panelists included Troy Stremler, Founder and CEO, Newdea; Mari Kuraishi, President, Global Giving; Charles Slaughter, CEO, Living Goods; Mark Ward, Sr. Administrator, USAID Asia Bureau.

‘Bootstraping your Business from Zero to Millions' panelists.

Arif Janjua, Partner, Boston Consulting Group moderated a panel discussion on ‘Bootstraping your Business from Zero to Millions.’ Panelists included Amir Wain, CEO, I2C Inc.; Kerim Baran, CEO, Yonja Media; Zulki Khan, Founder & CEO, NexLogic; Zain Jeewanjee, Founder, Insure1234.com; and Faraz Syed, CEO, DeviceAnywhere.

Husain Haqqani

Husain Haqqani

Pakistan's new ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani spoke on ‘Investment Climate in Pakistan.’

'New Opportunities & Rules for the Global Entrepreneur' panelists.

A panel discussion on ‘New Opportunities & Rules for the Global Entrepreneur’ was moderated by Saad Khan. Panelists included Maurice Gunderson, Partner, CMEA Ventures; Tariq Samad, Chief Scientist, Honeywell; Dr Atul Kumar, VP SaaS Ops, Serena Software; and Rehan Jalil, President & CEO, WiChorus.

Munawar Hidayatallah, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, Allis-Chalmers Energy, spoke on ‘Global Opportunities in the Energy Sector’.

'The Next Billion-dollar Opportunity: where are the VC's Investing?' panelists.

Waheed Qureshi, founder, Zenprise, was the moderator of a panel discussion on ‘The Next Billion-dollar Opportunity: where are the VC's Investing?’ Panelists included Ayaz Ul Haque, General Partner and Managing Director, ePlanet Ventures; Ryan Floyd, General Partner, Storm Ventures; Sujit Banerjee, Partner, BlueRun Ventures; and Saeed Amidi, Founder, Amidzad Ventures.

Steve Westly, ex-Controller and Chief Fiscal Officer of the state of California, spoke on ‘CleanTech and Emerging markets'.

Mahmood Panjwani introduced Steve Westly

Left to right, Mike Kaskowitz; Jauher Zaidi, CEO, Palmchip; unidentified; Faizan Buzdar, CEO, Scrybe; and Faraz Hoodbhoy, Founder and CTO, Pixsense

A panel discussion on ‘Opportunities in the Growing Pakistani Economy’ was moderated by Michael Kaskowitz, founder and president of Sunaira.

'Entrepreneurial Idol' judges

In a contest dubbed ‘Entrepreneurial Idol’ contestants described their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of three judges.

Describing the secrets of their success, from left to right, Raghib Hussain, CTO, Cavium Networks; Imran Shah, Managing Partner, IBB Consulting; Dr. Naveed Sherwani, CEO, Open-Silicon; and Omar Hamoui, CEO, AdMob.

Dr. Safwan Shah, CEO of Infonox and co-founder of Chowk dot com, moderated a panel discussion on “The Secrets of My Success.”

In response to a question about what should Pakistanis do to make it conducive for the venture capitalists to invest in Pakistan Moritz said the journey could be similar to India's wherein initially Silicon Valley’s Indian-Americans started opening backend offices in India and the wider venture capitalist community learned from their experiences and gradually felt itself comfortable in investing in India.

If number of attendees and their active participation in a program is the litmus test of an event’s success then OPEN Forum 2008, Silicon Valley Chapter of Organization of Pakistani Entrepreneurs of North America’s annual event, held today, was hugely successful.

Here you see Mike Moritz of Sequoia Capital, a venture capital firm, being interviewed on video by Adam Lashinsky of Fortune magazine.

The North American Islamic Shelter for Abused (NISA) held its annual fund-raiser on Saturday, June 7, at Santa Clara Marriott.

California Professionals Helping Kashmiris build their homes

Heavenly valleys of Kashmir seem to be cursed. If ongoing violence in that region was not enough to dampen the spirit of the locals, the area was hit by a powerful earthquake in 2005. Although Kashmir sits on the edge of a tectonic plate being constantly pushed by another, no noticeable seismic activity was recorded for decades and no one was ready for a strong shake of houses and other buildings. The October 2005 earthquake killed more than 79,000 people, many were crushed under crumbling buildings. Global-villagers from all over the world rushed to help. Martin Hammer and Shannon Whitnack of California who last Saturday gave a talk on ‘Straw-bale homes’ also reached the devastated areas and helped locals in building homes. Since things were starting anew the two Californians saw an opportunity to introduce their favorite technology, of straw-bale construction.

It makes perfect sense to make houses using material readily available in the area. Why make a marble house in the woods? In agricultural societies building material should be looked for in crops, and hence the choice of a straw-bale home. Strictly speaking straw-bale house is a misnomer because straw-bales are only used in constructing walls: foundation, floor, and roof have to be made with other material.

It is hard to make walls of straw if you don’t have means to keep the straws together. And that is the reason straw-bale houses truly came into existence after technologies to compact straw in the form of bales were developed.

Speaking to a small audience Martin Hammer described his experiences in helping Kashmiris build straw-bale homes. Hammer and Whitnack had brought with them a straw-bale, a 1 ft by 1 ft by 2 ft “building block” of compacted straw weighing around 6 lbs. The straw used in that bale was that of rice. Though straw obtained from other crops can also be used Hammer and Whitnack appear to be most satisfied with the performance of rice straw. The reason could be that rice straw is of the right thickness and height. For, if stems of a crop are too thick they would not intertwine together for a good bond. And if the stems are too small in height it would be hard to hold them together in shape of a bale. A simple back of the envelope calculation—with the assumptions of 95% compaction, 3 ft high 1/8” dia stalks, plants grown 3 inches apart--indicates that an acre of paddy field can yield enough straw to make seven bales of the above dimensions.

One can imagine the shortcomings of straw-bale construction. That you can only make a single-story building, that you cannot build very high walls, that you must use plaster to protect straw–bales from excessive moisture. Contrary to intuition, straw-bales are reasonably fire-resistant. Once compacted the inside of straw-bale does not have sufficient oxygen to keep the oxidation process going.

Shannon Whitnack described to the audience the shock-absorbing capacity of straw-bale walls, the second strong reason for making straw-bale homes in regions of high seismic activity—the first being the low construction cost. Whitnack also emphasized the point that moisture easily passes through straw-bale walls without being absorbed by the straws.

Along with their Pakistani counterparts Martin Hammer, Shannon Whitnack and other building professionals from California have formed a group they call Pakistan Straw Bale and Appropriate Building. Readers interested in helping this group build low cost houses in Pakistan can make contact through group’s web site at http://paksbab.org/

Tales of pre-globalization superheroes

In these times when the war on terror is raging high and western analysts are looking for bright spots in the Muslim world, to pin their hopes onto, Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s recently published English translation of Dastane-e-Amir Hamza (translated as Adventures of Amir Hamza) has been received with gusto. This translation has given western scholars a thick body of work to analyze and answer many questions.
“Are these people really evil? Were they always savages like they presently are? Are their folklores full of jihad lessons, misogynic themes, triumphant beheadings of infidels, and of older men getting married to underage girls?
Commentators such as William Dalrymple are exuberant that that is not the case. Reviewing Musharraf Farooqi’s translation, Dalrymple writes:
“At this perilous moment in history, the Hamza epic, with its mixed Hindu and Muslim idiom, its tales of love and seduction, its anti-clericalism (mullahs are a running joke throughout the book), its stories of powerful and resourceful women, and its mocking of male misogyny, is a reminder of an Islamic world the West seems to have forgotten: one that is imaginative and heterodox — and as far as can be from the puritanical Wahhabi Islam that the Saudis have succeeded in spreading throughout much of the modern Middle East.”
Dalrymple’s sigh of relief aside, Dastan-e-Amir Hamza has (or had at one time) the ultimate merit of entertaining early readers. Ten volumes of Amir Hamza were what children of my age read as their first collection of books. Amir Hamza was our first hero; to be like Amir Hamza was our dream –we wanted to go to distant places and conquer new lands, pretty much like how Amir Hamza did. Dastan-e-Amir Hamza gave us a chance to imagine a different, mesmerizing world, and it cemented in our value system the virtues of bravery, loyalty to friends, truthfulness, and steadfastness.
Toronto based Musharraf Ali Farooqi has been touring cities of North America, promoting ‘Adventures of Amir Hamza’. His recent talk at the Stanford University was arranged by the Center for South Asia and other sponsors.

Musicians performed before Musharraf Ali Farooqi's talk at the Bechtel International Center of Stanford University.

Living in San Francisco Bay Area and wanting to liven up your upcoming event with help from a sharp local Desi stand-up comedian? Get Samson Koletkar. He can do the job, and do it well. This Bumbai born and raised Desi Jew’s act at the HDF fund raiser was very well-received. Of the two comedy performances of the program, Koletkar’s Kamasutra joke was certainly the funniest.

A cursory Google on Koletkar reveals that this talented man is possibly working as a technical consultant during the day—probably waiting for his stand-up comedy career to start financially supporting him. This creative man should not be wasting his time anywhere. The Desi community must support him by giving him chances to perform. He is ours.

The long list of people—including George W. Bush and Pervez Musharraf--who were intelligent enough to reap benefits from the 911 tragedy prominently features Azhar Usman. Post 911 Usman ditched a career in law and took up the job of making people laugh. If laughter is indeed the best medicine then Azhar Usman’s Desi parents must certainly be proud that their son finally became a Daktar.

آپ کہاں کے لاٹ صاحب ہیں؟
Ever heard the above Urdu expression? Well, this Lat Sahib (Lord Nazir Ahmed) was born in Kashmir, but is now a member of the UK House of Lords.

Tariq Aziz at HDF fund raiser in San Jose, California.

Human Development Foundation, a charity working on education related projects in Pakistan, held its annual fund raiser in San Jose on Saturday, May 17. Over 300 people attended the event that crammed a lot of action to fit in one evening: several speeches, a panel of experts to answer audience’s questions on Pakistan, two stand-up comedy performances, and a ghazal program.

100 years of Khilafat


On the death of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in 1908, the Ahmadi (Qadyani) community sought guidance from Hakeem Noor-ud-Din and thus started the institution of Khilafat in Ahmaddiya Community. Present Khalifa, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, is the fifth in the series. On Monday, May 12, Ahmaddiya Muslim Community of Bay Area arranged an excellent program to celebrate the centennial of Khilafat. The program was well-organized and unlike most programs by other Muslim sects, this one started and finished on time. All those who are hell-bent on proving Qadyani kafirs must take a moment to learn a thing or two from them.

Tayyab Mahmud (seen talking in this picture) said that the Pakistani coup d’etat of 2007 was unique in the world history, because unlike other coups that one was staged to oust judges. Mahmud also said that the Pakistani events of last year should be seen in the bigger context of developing world’s response to the western hegemony.
In the panel discussion Javed Ellahie said that the lawyers’ movement in which roughly five thousand lawyers achieved a lot for the whole nation was unprecedented in the history of Pakistan. Dabbir Tirmizi said his party, Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf, did not have any hope in either Nawaz Sharif or Asif Zardari in instating impartial judiciary in Pakistan. Ijaz Syed apprised audience of the latest political situation and said that if the coalition of PPP and PML(N) breaks apart on the issue of deposed judges, then things would move towards the original “deal” that US wanted to broker between PPP and Pervez Musharraf.
With the crisis around the deposed judges dragging on, Friends of South Asia (FOSA) plans on arranging similar programs to raise political awareness on Pakistan among the local population.

FOSA's commemorative program featured eminent Pakistani-American law professor Tayyab Mahmud as the main speaker (on far left), and Javed Ellahie (trying to hear a question), Dabbir Tirmizi, and Ijaz Syed (on far right) as panelists who discussed various facets of the Pakistani judicial crisis. The program was titled “Pakistan’s Judicial Crisis and Remembering Karachi May 12 carnage.”

May 12 Karachi Carnage remembered in San Francisco Bay Area

For Pakistan, May 12, 2007 was a momentous--and a depressing--day. If violence has always been a part of the Pakistani politics then the Karachi carnage of May 12 was the ugliest manifestation of that fact. It was the day when Pakistan’s military ruler decided to break the momentum of a growing opposition by charging his political proponents to tackle the lawyers’ movement. Over forty people died on May 12 but the strategy of scaring people with violence backfired. Opposition to Pervez Musharraf grew even stronger and Musharraf was forced to make several concessions.
Friends of South Asia, a group of Bay Area watchers of South Asian politics, observed May 12 by holding a talk and a discussion on Sunday, May 11.

Cordoba souvenir shop

Khawar Medhi Rizvi's talk was preceded by a screening of "The Silent Revolt", a dated documentary on the plight of Afghan women under the Taliban rule. The film was directed by Rizvi and Stéphanie Carron, a French filmmaker.

Pakistani journalist Khawar Mehdi Rizvi who specialized in reporting from the Afghan-Pakistan border area and facilitated visits of foreign correspondents through his local contacts and by acting as a guide and interpreter gave a talk on "Turmoil in the tribal belt." Here is FOSA's announcement of the program.

----------------------------------
TURMOIL IN THE TRIBAL BELT
Insurgency, Counter-insurgency and Women's Rights in Pakistan's Tribal Areas
A talk and documentary screening by
Khawar Mehdi Rizvi
Freelance Journalist and Documentary Maker from Pakistan

Khawar Mehdi Rizvi has reported extensively on the rise of radical militancy in Pakistan's tribal areas as an aftermath of the Afghan Mujahdeen's armed struggle to expel Soviet Union from Afghanistan--a struggle that was funded and organized by US and its allies including Pakistan.



Khawar will talk about the rise of radical Islamist ideology in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan & Pakistan, on the transformation of Pashtun society and comeback of Al Qaeda in the tribal belt.



"Silent Revolt" is a 26 minutes documentary produced by Khawar Mehdi which attempts to highlight the struggle of Pashtun women against the socio-economic discrimination and oppression of women in Pashtun society both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

For more information, visit
http://www.friendsofsouthasia.org/rizvi

Sunday, April 13, 4:00 pm
PAKISTAN AMERICAN CULTURAL CENTER
372 Turquoise Street
Milpitas, CA 95035

The event is free and open to all.

Cordoba. Outside Mezquita courtyard

An Olive Garden en route to Cordoba

Audio of Father Cedric Prakash's speech is here:
http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=C6AE9434F3E011DCA0A5000423CF385C

Renowned Indian Human Rights activist Father Cedric Prakash spoke at a program arranged by Indian Muslim Council.

Audio of Shabnam Hashmi's talk at Stanford, is here:
http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=3A727B18F12211DC9775000423CEF5B0

Human Rights activist Shabnam Hashmi spoke at Stanford today.
Here is FOSA's announcement of Hashmi's talks in the Bay Area.

--------------------------------------------------
SHABNAM HASHMI, Indian Human Rights Activist

Wednesday Mar 12, STANFORD
Thursday Mar 13, BERKELEY
Friday Mar 14, SAN FRANCISCO

Noted Indian Human Rights Activist, Shabnam Hashmi will be visiting the San Francisco Bay Area in March 2008. She is the Managing Trustee and Executive Secretary of Act Now for Harmony and Democracy (ANHAD), and amongst the foremost figures in the political battles around secularism and religious fundamentalis in India today. Founded in 2003 in the wake of the Gujarat carnage, ANHAD aims to intervene in the defense of democracy, secularism and justice.

Hashmi first became involved in activism in 1981 while working on projects for adult literacy. For over 15 years she served as the Secretary of SAHMAT (Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust), which was formed in 1989 as a platform for creative action by artists and scholars in defence of democratic and secular traditions in India .

She is currently also a member of the National Integration Council of the Ministry of Home Affairs in India and is also a Council Member of the National Literacy Mission.

Video excerpts of rally observing first anniversary of March 9, illegal removal of Chief Justice of Pakistan Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

An independent judiciary, along with independent media, would ensure continuous accountability of the Pakistani government.
The crowd that gathered today to observe March 9 noted with gratitude that PPP and PML-N had agreed to reinstate judges deposed on November 3, 2007.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/world/asia/09cnd-pakistan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — The leaders of the two major political parties, in an unexpectedly strong show of unity against President Pervez Musharraf, agreed Sunday that they would reinstate judges fired by the president and would seek to strip him of crucial powers.

The power sharing deal, announced by.......

Remembering March 9

Today a small crowd gathered outside Santa Clara County Superior Court in downtown San Jose to remember General Pervez Musharraf's assault on judiciary on March 9, 2007.

Eminent economist Dr. Ahmad Faruqui, author of Rethinking the National Security of Pakistan.

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha, author of Military, Inc.

Bay Area activist Ijaz Syed

The discussion was moderated by well-known Berkeley activist Snehal Shingavi (left).

Over 50 people attended today’s panel discussion on “Pakistan: What Now?” arranged by the Friends of South Asia (www.friendsofsouthasia.org). The main attraction of the program was Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha. Dr. Ahmad Faruqui and Ijaz Syed were the other two panelists.

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha's talk at Stanford University was attended by over 50 people.

Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa Agha, author of Military, Inc., spoke at Stanford last night. Her talk was titled 'America's Pakistan vs Pakistan's Pakistan.'

A short video of Sharat Lin's talk at the San Jose Peace and Justice Center on Feb 15, 2008.

Attended a talk yesterday. Here is the flyer that advertised the program.

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The Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories: Quest for security or for land?

Sharat G. Lin, writer and activist who recently returned from Palestine and Israel, examines the infrastructure of Israeli control in the West Bank and Gaza.

Friday, February 15
6:30 p.m. socializing and refreshments, 7:00 p.m. multimedia presentation and talk
San Jose Peace and Justice Center, 48 S. 7th St., San Jose

The Israeli government and its U.S. supporters cite security as the paramount reason for the West Bank barrier restricting Palestinian access to Israeli population centers. Yet more barriers are being built dividing Palestinian from Palestinian. Why? Israeli settlements continue to be built and expanded on the Palestinian side of the barrier. The number of military checkpoints and closures has risen to some 550 in the West Bank. What are the real reasons for these measures?

Dr. Sharat G. Lin argues that justice is the key to peace for both sides. He writes on global political economy, the Middle East, India, labor migration, public health, and the environment. He has lived for many years in the Middle East.

Why is the Bush Administration responsible for the illegal detention of Dr. Safdar Sarki

September 11, 2001 was a horrible day. Thousands were killed in terrorist attacks in the US. But that day was terrible in a much more ominous way: the events of that day paved way for further killings around the globe and for suppressio