by Owais Ehsan on August 26, 2009
Due to lack of knowledge people have been indulged in very wrong practices. Some people have adopted a very wrong practice in Fasting and I, myself, have seen and heard this thing from many people. That is “During Sahri one can keep eating till Azaan is going on” This is totally a wrong practice and whoever does this his/her Fast will be nullified.
We need to understand the ending time of Sahri. When Azaan is being called it means that the time of Fajr has been started and as time of Fajr has been started it means that day(i.e Dawn) has been started. So, Now anyone who eats during Azaan it means that he is eating during the Dawn whereas we have to stop eating before the start of Dawn.
Now look what Quran says about it.
… and eat and drink until the white thread (light) of dawn appears to you distinct from the black thread (darkness of night), …} [Al-Quran, 2: 187].
Now where does it say that one can keep on eating till Azaan is going on. Question is if time of Fajr starts at 4.45am and in my local mosque Azaan is being called at 5.00am then can I keep on eating till 5.00am? Absolutely not! If anyone does so his/her Fast will be nullified because now he is eating after the ending time of Sahri.
Some people while proving their false statement give reference of this Hadith:
Abu Hurayrah(Radhi’Allah An’ho) narrated : “If the Azaan is called and one of you has a receptacle in his hand, he should not leave it until satisfying his needs”.
People have drawn a wrong conclusion from this Hadith and they think that we can keep eating till Azaan is going on. Al-Bayhaqi said this narration is according to the majority of Muslim scholars, linked in its meaning with the fact that the Rasool’Allah (SAW) knew that Azaan is called before the Fajr. [click to continue...]
by Mansoor Ehsan on August 26, 2009
The same old auto rickshaw is back again with a new message and this time addressing Khadem e Punjab. Last time this very same rickshaw bore an appeal from load shedding affected common man.
This time “Always Speak the Truth” Rickshaw has targeted Shehbaz Sharif questioning about his solid claims of subsidized roti and gas for poor people. This interesting picture comes in a right time when Federal govt rejected Punjab’s idea for free roti for masses during the holy month.
I liked this series of communication from this rickshaw owner who seems to have good political and current affair understanding. This creative rickshaw owner not only comes up with catchy lines but also selects his topics wisely like electricity crisis and now questioning on Sasti Roti . I am wondering what would be his next topic… Cheeni ab meethi nhi rhi? Lolz I am not as creative as he is to come up with a sassy kind of lines on Sugar Crisis but surely this should be his next topic.
by MJK on August 25, 2009
In Pakistan, inter province politics is a hot topic among people from different walks of life and belonging to different provinces. For the overall good of our fellow citizens, we will try to present a detail article about the National Finance Commission (NFC) award in Pakistan and how it is functioning. The purpose here is not to take sides with any province but to present the facts and our analysis and let the readers make the decision themselves. You are more then welcome to share your own judgment and proposal with us. Before going ahead, i must tell you that i have been certified by World Bank Institute in the field of Fiscal De-centralization and hence i am well versed on this topic. However, i will still try my best not to voice my personal opinion as that will allow people to hurl accusations on me for being biased towards small provinces of Pakistan.
National Finance Commission (NFC):
Background and History of NFC:
In 1971, Pakistan was cut into two by our enemies with the indirect support of our fellow Pakistani’s and hence we lost East Pakistan to Bangladesh. There are many reasons that can be attributed to the 1971 incident but one of the major one is the “Distribution of Resources” among the provinces i.e East Pakistan and West Pakistan. Since East Pakistan was responsible for majority of our output, it was its right to get the major portion of it as well, however, it was not allowed to take when it actually owned and most of it was used in West Pakistan. This infuriated the Bangladeshi people and contributed towards their final revolt against the Government owned by West Pakistan. [click to continue...]
by Sana Saleem on August 24, 2009
- Photo Courtesy- Chowrangi.com- Original Photo By Jang Cartoonist
The ritual price hike before Ramadan starts, is quite normal and expected. Every year a massive price hike is seen in Food items and various goods just before the start of Ramadan. Quite interestingly, this is justified as a ‘business tactic’ to get maximum profit at the time people are bound to store in food items. Ironic but true. However, the recent price hike in ’sugar’ prices has been termed as a ‘Sugar Crisis’ by Pakistani Authorities and media outlets. If inquired regarding the sudden increase in prices the local stores point fingers at the lack of supply and an increase wholesale rate, which is then directly affecting the retail market. So how does one figure out the sugar imbroglio? A significant raise in prices -up to Rs.20- just before the peak consumption time seems adsurdly convenient. While we are busy, speculating lets also look at the economic side and try to deduce some logic.
- Photo Courtesy: Aaj TV
[click to continue...]
by Owais Ehsan on August 23, 2009
While in Pakistan, this is one of the places you MUST visit. Its called National Monument or Pakistan Monument. It is built on the West View Point of Shakar Parrian Hills. The monument can be viewd from all vantage points of the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi. It is designed by an eminent architect Mr. Arif Masoud, and was completed in March 2007. The Monument has been designed to reflect the culture and civilization of the country and also depicts the story of Pakistan Movement and it is dedicated to the people of Pakistan who sacrificed their today for a better tomorrow. It gives a beautiful view of the city at night.
A must go place for locals and foreign tourists.
[click to continue...]
by Sana Saleem on August 23, 2009
On the 18th of August’2008, a beleaguered Pervez Musharraf announced his resignation as the President of Pakistan. Now after a year the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) wants to try him for treason. The embattled leader continues to deny all charges pressed against him, putting up a staunch defence of his eight-and-a-half years in office, a period that began when he seized power in a coup in 1999, dismantling the Government of Nawaz Sharif of the PML-N.Mr. Musharraf, notorious for being a long-time ally of the US, witness a sink in his popularity since May 2007, after he sacked the country’s Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. The declaration of emergency also involved a complete ban on all media channels, which led to a widespread demonstrations and an all out media campaign against his regime.
- Photo Courtesy- Reuters
[click to continue...]
by Mansoor Ehsan on August 23, 2009
Pakistan T20 cricket team captain Shahid Afridi and ODI & test team captain Younis Khan have recently concluded a charity tour to England in collaboration with the renowned welfare organization, The Islamic Relief.
Islamic Relief (IR) had arranged a series of dinner events with mega stars to raise funds for war struck displaced people of Malakand and Sawat. These fundraiser events were held at Birmingham, London, Manchester, Cardiff and Leicester to mark IRM’s 25 years of service to humanity and to help raise much needed funds to provide assistance to the displaced people of Swat.
After conclusion of the fundraiser events, IR’s website states good number of donations coming in for IDPs of Sawat.
A Fundraiser at Birmingham’s National Indoor Arena on Monday 17th August prompted generous Birmingham citizens to donate more than £140,000 for the appeal. Inspired by stories from Pakistani cricketers Younus Khan and Shahid Afridi, the public did not hesitate to reach deep into their pockets to help the disadvantaged and suffering people of that region.
For London it says:
A Fundraiser in London on Tuesday 18th August prompted generous Londoners to donate more than £120,000 for the appeal.
Manchester took the lead in donating generously for this noble cause:
A Fundraiser in Manchester on Wednesday 19th August prompted generous Manchester residents to donate an incredible £200,000 for the appeal.
Cricket stars in Pakistan have done rare work of charity in the past and the only notable work we see is from Imran Khan who built Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital for free cancer treatment in Pakistan. Now this charitable step from both Younis and Afridi is very warmly welcomed.
Speaking at the event Younis said “No government can resolve the problems of a country all alone, so the people should play their role”.
At the press conference, Shahid Afridi said that health and education are two major problems in Swat and Malakand region, and called the civil society to play its role in seeking solution of these problems. He further said the liked the mission of Islamic Relief and would continue doing charitable events with IR for all his life.
BBC Urdu has also compiled a report on the event: [click to continue...]
by MJK on August 22, 2009
I regularly visit the online news websites and they have different layouts and styles. Some of the websites concentrate on filling the front page with loads of stories and updates while others concentrate on style and flashy designs. Few are quick to open while others are bulky and takes alot of time to completely open. However, one website is truly distinguished from others and their lust for ads is very much evident on the front page of their website. I am sure you can guess it if you follow the webpages of Pakistani newspapers. Yes…i am talking about Jang Group.
I am sure every web master and site owner loves to get as much ads as possible but at the same time, they have to keep a balance between the actual content and the number of ads displayed on the site. I have just taken a screen shot of Jang Group front page to share my agony with our readers and to hear their opinion as well. The front page of Jang Group has now started frustrating me and i am sure it is the case with majority of its readers. I wonder if anyone from Jang Group will ever come forward to show our blog post to their concerned people and decrease the number of ads on their front page. This will make it more attractive for its readers as well as increase the attractiveness of the few ads on display.
by Owais Ehsan on August 21, 2009
The 4,500-megawatt Diamer-Bhasha dam project was approved on Thursday. The Rs894.25 billion dam project in the Northern Areas, approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), will have a foreign funding component of Rs312.94 billion. Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin chaired the meeting. The construction of the dam on the Indus, some 400kms from Islamabad, would begin by October next year and be completed in eight to 10 years.
Its payback period will be 30 years. They termed it a lifeline project for the country.
‘This is the biggest project ever approved in the history of Pakistan. We spent 33 years in discussions while the country’s biggest dam’s capacity was declining because of sedimentation. We have begun installing major hydropower projects to overcome the energy crisis.’Mr Ashraf said.
The 272-metre high concrete dam would have a storage capacity of 6.4 million acre-feet and it would irrigate more than 33 million acres. It would also help reduce sedimentation in Tarbela Dam, the minister said. In reply to a question, he said the bidding process would be transparent. He said the National Highway Authority would start widening roads for transporting equipment and installation work.
[click to continue...]
