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Salaam Friends,
Anis Zuberi should be
commended for his insightful comments
regarding the sad, indeed tragic, state of
education in Pakistan. This is a country whose
"reason" for existence was supposed to be
Islam, the religion whose sacred book, the
Qur'an means Readings and in which the first
revealed word is "Iqra' or Read, and yet has
failed not only to provide basic education to
well over 50% of it's population (the literacy
rate among females in the North-Western
Territories is less than 3%), but also failed
to build a strong, well-managed and
well-funded public education system
which is vital for its national unity and
cohesion. The growth of the so-called
Madrassas is a living testament to the
shameful failure of the successive governments
of Pakistan to serve the educational, as well
as human, interests of the people of Pakistan.
The ridiculous attempts to blame the
"victims," namely the poor villages and the
Pakistani poor in general, for sending their
children to these Madrassas to be "Talibanized"
are just that, ridiculous. Tragically, the
unholy combination of tribalism, feudalism,
and corrupt political and military elites
whose affinity to their colonial masters (be
they in London or Washington) is much stronger
than their affinity to the people of Pakistan
(and even to Pakistan itself), has reduced the
country to "a state for sale." Nothing less
than a visionary, clean, and enlightened
leadership will save Pakistan from falling
into the abyss. The likes of Mr. Ten Percent
who was elevated to the dis-honourable status
of Mr. One Hundred Percent, will NOT save
Pakistan. Indeed, it has become increasingly
obvious that the likes of the former Mr. Ten
Percent are an integral part of the problem.
They are incapable of being a part of the
solution.
Regards,
Ibrahim
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