tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35934740738846964982011-11-27T17:08:13.474-08:00Manzoor Chandio's blog: A voice of dissentWelcome to my blogsphere. This is an interactive blog containing write-ups focusing on democracy, human rights, politics, economy and environment.About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.comBlogger391100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-12391441369676649282011-10-02T10:37:00.000-07:002011-10-02T10:37:50.772-07:00The rise of people's mediaBy Manzoor Chandio Oct 2, 2011
A piece of news or information is no more the property of the so-called ministries of information or media barons. New technologies have set free the information from official controls and ‘mainstream media’ newsrooms.
Often called liberating technologies, the cell phone, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. have assumed the role of new modes of disseminating About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-41639456723709528212010-11-06T13:01:00.000-07:002010-11-06T13:04:09.582-07:00Reviving livelihood of flood-hit peopleBy Manzoor ChandioNov 1, 2010AS floodwaters slowly recede, people are returning to their native areas. With no disaster recovery plan in sight, it’s sure they will not be able to earn their livelihood because the entire place has been turned into debris.Destroyed farms, cattle pens, shops and small cottage industries are a common scene in flood-hit areas. One such area is Khairpur Nathan Shah in About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-21159904967391350652010-02-22T13:11:00.000-08:002010-02-22T13:17:08.201-08:00Thar coal: development for whom?By Manzoor ChandioFeb 22, 2010Shankar Menghwar, a farmer from Nagarparkar taluka of Tharparkar district, may not be much aware of what happens when mega development takes place in any area. Being a simple villager, he is just concerned over occupation of lands by some influential people near his village in the lap of Karoonjhar mountain.When he was informed about mega projects of coal and graniteAbout the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-23128582592147490662010-01-04T12:36:00.000-08:002010-01-04T12:40:57.191-08:00Fighting rural povertyBy Manzoor Chandio Jan 4, 2010Sindh’s Union Council-Based Poverty Reduction Programme (UCBPRP) has now entered its second year. Initially, the project was started in the adjoining districts of Kashmore-Kandhkot and Shikarpur with a huge allocation of Rs3.368 billion.Implemented through the Sindh Rural Support Organisation (SRSO), the programme is designed to uplift 40 per cent rural poor of the About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-48374082760185091042009-06-28T12:25:00.000-07:002009-06-28T12:31:31.566-07:00A case for Seraiki provinceBy Manzoor ChandioJune 27, 2009The movement for a Seraiki province is gaining momentum. Seraiki, one of the representative languages of the Indus Valley civilization, besides Sindhi and Punjabi, is the country’s largest spoken language.Seraikis are concentrated in South Punjab and Dera Ismail Khan division of the NWFP — their historical abode from time immemorial.The area has been a separate About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-42773749881572810692009-04-27T06:37:00.000-07:002009-04-27T06:42:39.206-07:00NFC: issues in equitable revenue distributionBy Manzoor ChandioApril 27, 2009The PPP government, which had rejected the Musharraf interim award as unconstitutional, is sticking to an old unworkable formula instead of evolving a multiple criterion for a more equitable distribution of resources among the provinces and the federation.The constitution of the National Finance Commission and the formulation of the NFC award has been put on the About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-1697392934207753072009-03-09T10:52:00.000-07:002009-03-09T10:57:13.987-07:00Cost of illegal aliensBy Manzoor ChandioMarch 9, 2009 Legislators are expected to defend the rights of people from whom they get votes. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Sindh.Lawmakers' utter ignorance on everything aside, but defending three million illegal immigrants at the cost of tax payers shows how insensitive are they about the rights of their own people.Recently MPA Syeda Marvi Rashdi went on saying “About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-40455081370827505732009-03-09T10:39:00.000-07:002009-04-06T11:38:19.384-07:00Unjust distribution of energy resourcesBy Manzoor Chandio March 9, 2009ACCORDING to the latest figures, Sindh contributes 71 per cent of the gas and 56 per cent of oil produced in the country.Its 15 districts producing oil and gas are: Qambar-Shahdadkot, Hyderabad, Khairpur, Dadu, Badin, Thatta, Tando Allahyar, Tando Mohammed Khan, Jamshoro, Ghotki, Matiari, Sanghar, Kashmore, Jacobabad and Shikarpur.The 2008 energy year book says About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-29558047199291479062009-02-13T13:14:00.000-08:002009-04-06T11:47:36.168-07:00Future of Sindh in PakistanBy Manzoor ChandioFeb 13, 2009Pakistan faces a multitude of problems because of the monolithic structure of the state. Adventurism and adhocism of the past define the country we live in today.Unconstitutional acts like military takeovers, hangings and assassinations of political leaders, rigging of elections and militants brought from across the world bore all the hallmarks of an irresponsible About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-20372134868888747482008-11-11T10:50:00.000-08:002008-11-11T12:14:47.394-08:00Renegotiate the Indus TreatyBy Manzoor ChandioNov 11, 2008 THAT India has not refrained from drawing waters from the rivers allocated to Pakistan for its exclusive use under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) has caused much concern in Pakistan.Moreover, India’s denial of compensation for the loss of 0.2 million acre feet of water that Pakistan claims it suffered while the Baglihar dam was being filled has disturbed Pakistani About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-26813988639688470612008-09-18T10:00:00.000-07:002008-09-18T10:06:36.665-07:00Seeking Truth withinBy Manzoor ChandioSept 17, 2008 WHILE reading biographies of Sufi saints, we find a majority of them kept moving from one place to another, from one region to another in quest of spiritual fulfilment.Maulana Rumi was born in Balakh, now in Afghanistan and then part of Persia, but he moved from his ancestral place to Konya, Turkey. He is buried there.Shah Latif kept moving his entire life from About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-70333648698319400422008-08-23T07:21:00.000-07:002008-09-02T12:43:19.985-07:00Towards Sindhi renaissanceBy Manzoor ChandioAug 22, 2008 There is the need to revive Sindh’s lost glory like the Europeans did in 14th to 17th century renaissance.It is time Sindhis must learn more about Sindh’s unique heritage and civilization—the Sindhu-Sarasvati civilization.Like the renaissance, meaning rebirth, began from Italy and spread throughout Europe, the civilization’s revival must begin from Sindh—the cradle About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-12143498897319568422008-07-28T06:45:00.000-07:002008-07-28T12:15:51.737-07:00Nations’ right to self-determinationBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on July 28, 20081. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. 2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-51853532942111075642008-07-15T11:41:00.000-07:002008-07-15T11:47:57.939-07:00War on terror and the Pakhtun integrityBy Manzoor ChandioUpdated on July 15, 2008THERE are suggestions from Pakistan that Nato and Americans should increase surveillance, both electronically and physically, of the Durand line from the Afghanistan side, and also seal it to stop Taliban and Al Qaeda infiltration from Fata region.The border sealing would not be workable in this age of globalisation and free flow of information.Keeping inAbout the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-32579267475795178022008-07-01T11:24:00.000-07:002008-07-08T06:10:20.112-07:00War on Terror: Raising the curtainBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on July 01, 2008 MANY people may not have taken Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s threat to send Afghan troops into Pakistan in hot pursuit of Al Qaeda and Taliban seriously if it had not been backed by President Bush.The US president, while commenting on his statement said: “It is in no one’s interests that extremists have a safe haven from which to operate. Obviously, itAbout the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-76066713057690875642008-06-29T11:08:00.000-07:002008-06-29T11:13:44.802-07:00Spotlight on Sindhu-Sarasvati civilizationBy Manzoor ChandioUpdated on June 29, 2008IN ancient times a mighty river broadly parallel to that of Sindhu used to flow from the Himalayas to the Arabian Sea. It was called Sarasvati.In recent times Indian archaeologists traced the desiccated locus of the erstwhile river and came to the conclusion that Sarasvati was mightier river than Sindhu-the biggest in South Asia.During the exploration, About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-22544625075472454852008-06-29T05:12:00.000-07:002008-06-29T05:50:46.629-07:00Sci-tech: Internet and Media IndustryBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Dec 23, 2006 EVER since Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1455, the publication of newspapers and magazines has undergone many changes.From 1666 onwards, when the first daily newspaper, London Gazette, was published, newspapers and magazines continued to be published through linotype and letterpress machines and offset press.Throughout centuries, the modes of About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-80911862660185780532008-06-28T12:03:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:35:13.633-07:00Hunger: Making ends meetBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on June 09, 2008HUNGER has become one of the enduring features of the global landscape, sparking food riots in several Asian and African countries.The current high food prices have hit the poor people hardest, particularly urban net food buyers and rural non-food producers.Long lines of people outside utility stores show how the PPP government has failed to provide roti,About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-17228027671419298792008-06-28T11:55:00.000-07:002008-06-29T12:51:54.549-07:00Hunger: Seeking food in an ailing worldBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Jan 20, 2005SOME centuries back most of the mankind lived in thatched houses.The lives of the overwhelming majority, in the words of philospher Thomas Hobbes were, “nasty, brutish and short”.Today, most of the people in the world according to the World Bank are, “powerless, voiceless and helpless”.If we browse the archives of the UN and its accredited programmes About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-17324663758091469522008-06-28T11:46:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:37:13.771-07:00Time to step downBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on March 31, 2008PRESIDENT Musharraf and Chancellor Metternich of the Austrian Habsburg empire have much in common. One of the most remarkable features the 19th-century European statesman and the 21st-century Pakistani leader share is that both saw themselves as unrivalled.Therefore they believed they must rule for as long as they wished.Metternich said of himself: “About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-15750984697844664632008-06-28T11:39:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:38:07.841-07:00Give democracy a chanceBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Feb 13, 2008“TIN-POT dictators have ravaged Asia, Latin America and Africa. They are the worst tyrants of the post-colonial period. They have destroyed time-honoured institutions and treated their people like animals. They have caused internal divisions and external confusion. The dictator is the one animal who needs to be caged. He betrays his profession and his About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-15325727191552814412008-06-28T11:29:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:40:47.080-07:00Genesis of Pakistan and the question of autonomyBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on August 14, 2007SIXTY years on from the birth of a new country and a new nation, how do the people of smaller provinces view Independence Day? Do they really believe they are free? Are they proud to call themselves Pakistani? Do they think theirs is a respectable federation among the comity of nations?Since Partition in 1947, Pakistan has had a chequered history.The About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-21604797393569829292008-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:43:47.013-07:00National language tangleBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Sept 14, 2007THE theory of Pakistani nationhood being promoted by the establishment has had far-reaching consequences for the country’s political, social and cultural milieus.It is argued that we are the followers of one religion (Islam), live in one country (Pakistan) and belong to one nation (Pakistani); therefore, we should have one national language (Urdu).The About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-12306359843369029102008-06-28T11:07:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:46:38.214-07:00Mega projects: gainers and losersManchhar and Hamal lakes on last legsBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on July 23, 2007MANY countries are currently assessing benefits of mega projects so that the advantages and disadvantages of such ventures are made clearly visible.For Pakistan, such a review becomes all the more necessary because billions of dollars have been spent or misspent by successive governments for mega development projects, About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-84445731995685795172008-06-28T10:54:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:45:43.915-07:00Six facts to reject damsBy Manzoor ChandioWritten in 20061- Dams can provoke famines2- Dams cause unnatural disasters3- Dams cause waste of water4- Dams are drain on economy5- Dams destroy nature6- Dams generate costliest hydropower1. Dams can provoke faminesDam protagonists in the country are propagating that the country would face famines if the dams are not constructs.First, the question of any famine due to About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-42024329869046402322008-06-28T10:40:00.000-07:002008-06-29T05:57:44.046-07:00Middle East: Shattering the myth of Israeli mightBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on August 17, 2006WHEN there is an indivisible unity of people and a profound oneness of purpose, you can overcome an adversary thousand times mightier.There might be several elements that led Israel to declare ceasefire but the solidarity shown by the people of Lebanon to withstand its aggression can be the foremost reason for its first defeat in history.There is no About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-81164033021499008842008-06-28T10:34:00.000-07:002008-06-29T05:56:37.695-07:00Middle East: Trauma of the Lebanon warBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on July 30, 2006WHEN the leading planner of Hitler’s ‘Final Solution’ (extermination of Jews), Reinhard Heydrich, was assassinated by Free Czech agents in 1942, Hitler had ordered liquidation of Lidice, a Czechoslovakia village where the incident had taken place.All 172 men in the village were shot dead and women were sent to a Nazi concentration camp where they died About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-86913406110882560832008-06-28T09:45:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:51:38.974-07:00Sachal is the whole truthBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Oct 10, 2006When the Arabs were conquering the best lands in the East and the West, Mohammed Bin Qasim brought Islam to South Asia in 711.Today Islam is the faith of millions of people in the region.Spain had been conquered at about the same time, but Muslims were exterminated from there.But Islam has not only survived in South Asia but spread far and wide. Respect About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-7403321667384895172008-06-27T06:59:00.000-07:002008-07-08T06:00:50.298-07:00Dismal health indicatorsOverview by Manzoor Chandio Pakistan’s health parameters are unsatisfactory as there are fewer healthcare facilities and doctors for people, especially in rural areas.The country tops in the list where malnutrition and morbidity are higher in children.There is need for reducing maternal mortality rate (MMR) and infant mortality rate (IMR).The country lacks high quality, modern and easily About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-91189441342329952112008-06-21T04:53:00.000-07:002008-06-29T05:35:14.216-07:00The march of civilizationBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Aug 13, 2006WHEN the Europeans had derived word India from the Indus River, no one at that time knew that one day the 2,900 km-long river, which rises in China and empties into the Arabian Sea, would be flowing out of that country.Likewise, when Sir John Marshall renamed the Harappan culture as the Indus valley civilization which flourished from c.2600 to 1760 BC, he About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-37335823236443667122008-06-21T02:30:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:52:52.973-07:00Shah Latif and Khawaja FaridIn search of Malir and RohiBy Manzoor Chandio Written on March 16, 2006 WHILE reading Shah Latif’s magnum opus — the Risalo — one repeatedly finds mention of a place called Malir.It is not just a poetical or imaginary land but a geographical reality situated in the Thar desert.The inimitable poet describes the place as a land of ineffable beauty, peace and freedom.Why has Shah Latif given About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-73901204025878100352008-06-17T11:45:00.001-07:002008-06-29T05:54:59.853-07:00South Asia: UN resolutions and KashmirBy Manzoor ChandioWrittin on Sept 3, 2003WHAT we are noticing, specially after the Kargil fiasco, is a renewed infatuation of the Pakistan government for the UN’s Kashmir proposals.From head of the state to cabinet members, statements are being issued that the conflict should be resolved in line with the UN resolutions.The rhetoric of some political parties say the world body’s proposals offer About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-56589222627475676272008-06-15T08:56:00.000-07:002008-06-28T03:36:09.040-07:00Education Needing a new approachBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Sept 17, 2006WHETHER or not the Sindh government will be able to quell the teachers’ protest with regard to the ban on teachers’ unions remains to be seen but one can certainly foresee that the future of education in this country is rather bleak.It is egregious that teachers have taken to the streets to protest against the government’s arbitrary decision of banning About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-53742512477713097752008-06-12T13:08:00.000-07:002008-06-28T11:07:54.310-07:00Kashmir Earthquake: Lessons for architectsBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Oct 20, 2005MAN has never been able to predict earthquakes but making and enforcing masonry laws is not beyond his capability.Construction of quake-proof buildings, especially for schools and hospitals, is important for safety of people who are more vulnerable, like children and patients. Hundreds of students of the Azad Kashmir University, 300 of them girls, were About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-34674335153536170092008-06-12T13:03:00.000-07:002008-06-29T05:52:08.531-07:00Sci-tech: Smarter smallBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on May 27, 2007Talking about protecting the rights of the different species that exist on our planet may be an absurd idea, because we live in a country where even basic human rights are not protected.Ours is a country where the rulers regularly invite ‘foreign dignitaries’ to hunt wild animals and birds which in many countries are considered national heritage.The About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-19011966679500115252008-06-12T11:12:00.000-07:002008-06-29T05:48:29.780-07:00The energy crisisBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Feb 11, 2007 THE world is fast consuming the existing sources of energy, and there seem to be no viable alternatives to the depleting stocks of oil, gas, fossil fuels and uranium.According to the International Energy Agency, which acts as energy policy adviser to 26 developed countries, the world can only meet its energy needs till 2030 through traditional sources. About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-88876337198856903662008-06-12T06:58:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:44:36.622-07:00What do the Baloch want?By Manzoor ChandioWritten in 2006“I WILL muster all I can – tanks, artillery and machine-guns – to kill all the traitors and, if necessary, raze Dhaka to the ground. There will be no one to rule; there will be nothing to rule”, said GOC Maj-Gen Khadim Hussain Raja during the East Pakistan crisis.No one was surprised at the statement of another military man, Gen Musharraf, while talking about the About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-81509619367588399612008-06-12T06:19:00.000-07:002008-06-28T12:39:12.177-07:00Behind the election rhetoricBy Manzoor ChandioWritten on Dec 17, 2007“WE will build a society in which the old values of greed and advancement will be replaced by a common concern for the welfare of the whole community.”The election manifesto of the Pakistan People’s Party for the Jan 8 polls begins with these words from Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.Besides repeating old party slogans (‘Islam is our faith’, ‘democracy is our About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3593474073884696498.post-85703767353155542572008-06-10T12:56:00.000-07:002008-06-29T12:49:24.745-07:00Beggary: Givers can be choosersBy Manzoor ChandioSept 10, 2007THERE were times when left-leaning students used to hang posters in their hostel rooms inscribed with a famous saying of Latin American liberation theologian Dom Hélder Pessoa Câmara.He said: “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist.”Unfortunately, the city of Karachi has very few saints About the bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16904277168849573274noreply@blogger.com6