Tour De Europe - 1st stop , Geneva !

On my first visit to Geneva on an official trip I took a Turkish Airlines flight from Islamabad to Istanbul on Monday, January 23, 2023. On the seat next to me was a young Afghan guy who was going to the US. He had recently married his cousin who lived there in the US. People who can, have started leaving Afghanistan after the August 2021 fall of Kabul. This young good-looking guy was also one of them, I guess. I think he made a smart decision. With all the uncertain situation in Afghanistan, girls colleges being closed and Taliban having no experience and exposure to run a country in the modern day world it is the best decision a guy like him should make.

While landing at the Istanbul airport, I had a glance over the city through the plane window. It looked a bit green and not as busy as I expected. I had a connecting flight to catch to Geneva so after getting out of the plane started looking for my next boarding gate, A7. Interestingly, the Turkish Airlines didn’t serve wine in the plane that took off from Pakistan but as soon as we left for Geneva wine was served to those who liked. Understandable right? Red wine is quite famous in my district too. We call it Drocho Oogh in our local language. The literal meaning of Drocho Oogh is grape juice. In Chitral, the red wine of the Kalash valley is very famous. However, in villages where people have grape vineyards, some of them also make it at home but quite secretively. In the Ghizer side of GB, Sher Qilla, Punial, Gahkuch etc. folks also like red wine (read make and drink secretively). Of course the love of wine is lesser than the fear of being socially and religiously humiliated in Pakistan. But Turkish Airlines served only on Geneva flight. May be the flight that took off from Pakistan was a halal flight.

When the plane was over Switzerland and later Geneva, you could only see snow. It looked beautiful; snow all over. However, the green Switzerland that we had watched videos of, was all white in January. Skiing season, right? While landing it was good to see that the city center had no snow. Went to money exchange. Received Euros and Swiss francs for USD. In Pakistan, the exchange rate for dollar was Rs.256 per dollar. You could even not find dollars in the market. Thanks to my lovely friend for arranging that. Anyways, Euros were also no different. Costlier than USD. After ticking off one task, bought a local sim for data. Shockingly, the Telenor roaming package that I had bought in Pakistan, called the Telenor Global 4G package, didn’t work in Geneva. It worked a bit in the Istanbul airport. But alas! All I needed that for was Europe. So I bought a local sim for one week data at Rs. 40 Euros. The lady at the booth was nice. She told me to use data roaming once I leave Geneva to any other European country. I told her that I will be going on a Europe tour right after 3 days of my official business in Geneva. Took a taxi to Ibis Centre Nations; my home for next 3 days. Three of my colleagues were also staying in the same hotel. I had chosen this hotel because of its closeness to my headquarters. The first shock after check in was not finding slippers in the washroom. LOL. In Pakistan, in any hotel of this budget range, there will be such facilities. There was also no room service. Probably, it was due to the restaurant on the ground floor next to the reception. It also seemed a good strategy because ordering food in rooms might cause stains here and there. For cleanliness, I would rate this hotel 10/10. However, this stands true for all of Geneva. A clean, peaceful, and quiet city.

Geneva is one of the most expensive cities of the world. Imagine buying a 300 ml water bottle at 3 euros. In euros it might seems few bucks but when your Pakistani mind does the conversion calculation it would be about Rs.1,000. A nestle water bottle of the same size in Pakistan would cost you Rs. 60. Confusing right? But Geneva is expensive. However, wine is cheaper. In 3 euros you can also buy a glass of Gamay wine. Now it is up to you. W is for water. W for wine. Cost is also same. You decide.

Geneva is the most walkable city I have ever come across. I wasted no time to go out and start walking to the lake and the fountain. The fountain is huge, set up in the middle of the lake. The lake is so clear that you can see deep down from the surface. On both sides of the lake are hotels and shopping malls including apartments. You can find all the world class brands of clothing, perfumes, drinks, watches etc. But don’t buy. Just do a window shopping. If you are very rich, sure.

There is a Pakistani restaurant, Tasty Chicken, in the red-light district. You will have a Pakistani vibe inside along with Pakistani food. A simple plate of daal chawal (plain rice + lentils/Daal-e-channa) would cost you CHF 16 (around PKR 4,000). However, the owner was kind enough to give me a juice free when I jokingly expressed my surprise on the price of daal chawal that I used to eat in Gulberg main market Lahore in Rs.180 in 2020. 

I stayed at Hotel Ibis Centre Nations. I booked here because of its proximity to our GVA office. But I also found out later that it is also close to the train station, Cornivan. My official days ended on the evening of January 26. My personal tour started onwards. I happily booked my Geneva to Paris train ticket online (TGV) and reached the train station some forty minutes before departure. Twenty meeting prior arrival is recommended but for people like me who have Pakistani passports it is good to arrive early to make sure that the immigration or custom officers have enough time to ask you a few questions. They only question I was asked was when your return ticket is. I said 4^th of Feb. Of course yaar wapis tou jana hy. Ap ne kahan rakna hy hamain itne saaf mulk main haha.

With my Chicken Ceaser salad packet in my hands, a laptop bag and a hand carry I boarded the train, TGV LYRIA 9787. Coach number 17 upper deck and seat no 067 took me to Paris in 3 hours 12 minutes. The train left on the exact time mentioned in the ticket and reached on the exact time the company committed. Mtlb yar kya ho jata agr thora late hotay. Koi baat nehi. But nehi. Time pa ponchna tha inhain Paris Gare De Lyon lol.

Paris… Here I come. But before that here are some pictures from Geneva !

A foodie always finds food :p 

Lake Geneva at night ! Loved this view

The Fountain, Lake Geneva !

 

Walking to office through the park !

A mandatory one may be.

Whom I miss more than anything else in my life ?

Today marks the 17^th death anniversary of my dear father, Ali Aman, who left us on September 16, 2005. It was Friday. I was with him when he was taking his last breaths at BMC Booni. He was suffering from Leukemia. He was under treatment at AKUH for 2 months or so but then was returned home. We were told he was ok, but I am sure the doctors knew that he has a few days left. He might be aware himself too and that thought makes me sadder.

Today is also Friday and 16^th of September. Today he came in my dream when I was about to get up in the morning. He was driving a green double cabin (Red Hilux double cabin was one of his favorite vehicles when he was at AKHSP). I was sitting in the front with him. My 5 years old son was sitting in the back seat with his little sister on his lap whom I take from him after few moments to join us in the front seat. We were in our village driving through mirzalandeh and my eyes opened when we reached near home. I wish it continued and I had more time with him in the dream. But that is the thing I had missed a lot in my life; more time with him.

My father left us when I was in Class 10 (matric). Since middle school (class 8) I was in boarding school. Most of my memories with Dad that I recall, go back to my kindergarten to matric period. All of the memories of him are full of love. He loved me very much and so did I. Whenever he used to bring office car home and then go on duty early morning, he would give me a ride to school which used to fall in the same direction. The first thing in his car radio he used to play was ’program hayya-alal-falah’ if it was an early departure. This was a lovely radio program which used to start after morning prayer and kept going till dawn (5:45-7am). I think it was one of the best radio programs on deen. Not sure if it is still being broadcasted.

He used to be very happy on my results announcement days. Some of the times he used to accompany me to the school function on result declaration days. He himself didn’t go to school but made sure that we go to schools. I remember one day we were coming back from my school, Allama Iqbal Model School Muzhgole after results announcement. I had my transcript in my hand with A+ grades. When we reached the village, he was showing my transcript to his friends and neighbors and I could see his face glowing with pride. My bad luck that I am missing that smile since 2005. He must have been similarly proud of me during all these days except on my FSc. second year result where I did not do very well. In my FSc-second year, I had A grades but not A+ and did not clear the medical school exam. But I am not sure if he wanted me to be a doctor. He never said that. I think he wanted me to be happy and remain happy. His respect and love for education was very high. Whenever he had an opportunity, he made me meet and visit people who were educated. He introduced me to some of his very good friends and brothers who have been a source of guidance and care since he left.

He was liked by many people in the village and beyond. One day there was a football match in our shotaar ground. I was watching it too. He was coming back home from office. His friends saw him and called him to join them. He jumped to join them and was made a goalkeeper for the rest of the match. I remember Mustansir lal among the players who called him to join them. He used to go to local music programs (ishtok) and would dance his heart out. In one of such ishtok held in Nigah house Kamatiandeh, he also asked me to join him in the dance. I was 9 or 10 years old that time.

He never let me do any physically laborious job which was very common in the village. He himself did a lot of such things. He used to plough fields, plant trees, cut stones for guest rooms, water the fields etc. The only thing I remember doing was going with him to plant some trees in Goluk or Gerajghair. One day I was removing some stones from a small debris in our lawn where due to rain the boundary wall had fallen. Father was not home. He came and saw me. He looked at me with anger (that why am I doing that) and went inside home to scold mother for letting me do that. May be that’s the reason that till today I am very bad in household chores and physically laborious work. I cannot harvest wheat with sickles, cut wood for fire, slice a chicken throat for dinner etc. The only thing that I can do in a village life is water the fields. That too very roughly by flooding the field with water.

I wanted to share his pictures, but we did not use to have digital camera that time. Father loved photographs and he had a few albums printed containing his pictures from Boroghil to GB to Peshawar. When he passed away, my maternal uncles most probably, hid them from us in order reduce our pain of separation. However, we have found a few albums back and they are safe at home. Today I have only his two-three pictures with me here at my duty station. Pictures do not matter that much. He never died for me. He is still very much alive in my heart. I am amazed thinking that a person who didn’t go to school for formal education knew so much about education, life, relationships, music, savings, bravery and confidence. I think most of the fathers are their kids’ ideal. He was my ideal and will remain so. He left us very early in his forties but his memories are going to remain alive.

The Beautiful Ormara !

Despite working in Balochistan for more than two years I had not been able to visit the Gwadar city. Since it was far away from my duty station and also not in our project jurisdiction, I kept delaying that. In February 2022, I had a dental appointment in Karachi. 

At Quetta International Airport boarding for Karachi

On the day of appointment Dr. Robia told me that I have to visit after 4 days again. This gave me the opportunity to pack for Gwadar as Gwadar was just 8 hours drive from Karachi (as compared to 15 hours from Quetta). I had not planned this tour. So I contacted Jan of Ormara. My friend Zaitoon from Gwadar was kind enough to connect me with him. He runs a tour company Jahangard which takes weekend tours to Ormara beach for camping. Jan said they will leave early morning on Saturday. Next day I was there at Johar Mor Bridge where Jahangard buses were waiting for tourists to mount. We had a hi-roof minibus, and we were seven people; mostly couples except this lone wanderer. 

My ride to Ormara ! 

The conveyance was very comfortable and thanks to the coastal highway too. This road trip from Karachi to Ormara (and further to Gwadar) is so beautiful that you will keep your head (and nose if have a bigger one like mine) stuck to the windowpane to cherish the beauty of the coast. The highway is not wide enough as it should have been given the prospects of development. A wide 4 lanes high way would be in demand in near future if the development and tourism sector prospers. Given the  beauty and rich resources the southern Balochistan embodies, the future is there. If and only if the Government is serious enough. 

Arriving at Ormara beach on a sunny day. The picture can't do justice to the beauty. Taken from a phone from far away ! 

Arriving at Ormara was another aha moment for me. We set camps on the beach. I went for the waters. It was blue and pure. Peaceful and beautiful. For an hour or so I kept walking in the waters. I made so videos. Now when I look at the videos, I see that mostly I was murmuring the poems of Faiz and some other poems that I had long ago memorized. However, no one can beat Faiz when he says, ‘’Chashm-e-Nam Jan-e-Shorida Kafi nehi… Tuhmat-e-Ishq Poshida Kafi nehi’’ (The tearful eyes, the distressed soul are not enough. The accusation of hidden love is not enough). Who knows whose tears have filled the ormara beach because only tears can be this pure as the waters of Ormara. The dusk fell and peace of the beach was turning golden. But when the night fell the sound of the gushing waters was sounding scary and painful. The sound of the sea felt like some people were crying; together. The moon light was not exposing them that much but the powerful ambient noise of the sea waves sounded like the whole of Balochistan is crying. Not sure why. May be for all the things this province deserves but not yet been conferred upon by the state? May be for all the praise the beauty of this land deserves but not having people with the vision to see that? May be for all the sufferings the mankind is causing to each other instead of living together happily as fellow human beings? I do not know. Oh, there is a call for dinner and I must go because Jahangard team has fixed a time for dinner, and all have to join.

A tent and a book is all I need for the rest of my life !

All pictures are taken on phone camera. No edits no filters. Happy me :)

 

A tented village for the night at Ormara Beach. Photo Credits: Atta

Meat is very much enjoyed in Balcohistan as part of lunch or dinner menu. Rosh is the favorite dish of most of the people here. So, our dinner also had mutton. After dinner, a screen was set up for movie. Tomorrow this group was going back to Karachi. I had some other plans (as always). At mid night (12AM to be exact) I left the camp to the nearby bus station looking for ride to Gwadar. Luckily, I found a seat in one of the buses going to Gwadar from Karachi. Happily, I plugged in my earphones and left for Gwadar.

(Next about the soulful Gwadar - comment below if you want to read about Gwadar)

Dancing on A Razor’s Edge by Mandy Whyte

I happened to read ‘Dancing on A Razor’s Edge’, a book written by a New Zealander mother and a development expert. I intentionally mentioned her profession because that’s how we met and I came to know about Mandy’s book. Mandy Whyte came to Pakistan as the close out manager for the same project I was part of since 2018. When I came to know that Mandy is not only a development practitioner but also a writer, I became more interested to know about her work because I have this huge respect for books and authors. So in short, I had her book in my hands in a few days and I was engrossed in it. It was one of the few books that I finished before starting any other book (most of the times we leave a book in the middle to get our hands on another). I thought I should put down my thoughts on the book. 

Dancing on A Razor’s Edge is a story of how drug addicts suffer due to lack of support from the institutions, policies and society. Unfortunately, the medical, social and psychological problems associated with drug addiction are not looked upon holistically rather treated under criminal laws separately and circumstantially. This adds to the problems instead of helping resolve them. Mandy has highlighted this very succinctly and narrated real time experiences to open the eyes of policy makers, governments, NGOs and other stakeholders.

Mandy is a mother who sacrifices her everything to help her son get out of the hell created by meth use. The love of mother is proverbial and universal for her children. Mandy has once again proved this. She has gone much beyond her maternal role to save her son from the perils of death. She fights like a tigress against very hard obstacles, unsupportive system, judgmental society and an addict son.

The book narrates a story of a young man who used to be super active in sports and liked by most of the people around him but then is abandoned by many. The reader realizes how costly addiction can turn out to be for people. Addiction can ruin relationships, damage brain and make someone as athletic as Hemi, lethargic. The social, physical, mental and spiritual cost of addiction is too high to be borne. It is very important that the young people who are into drugs should know the ‘limit’ to it. It is a slippery slope and there’s a very thin line between regular use and addiction.

Dancing on A Razor’s Edge is a wonderful self-help book and success story too. It talks about patience, love, planning, strategies and achievements. It emphasizes on not giving up and standing up to challenges. The story of Mandy shows that one can alter the course of life (of another fellow being) through consistent support, unconditional love and unwavering patience. Besides all other reasons mentioned above this is why I think everyone should read this book whether they are dealing with an addict friend, family member or not. This is a book that restores your faith in humanity, family relationships and the love of mother being higher than the skies, taller than the mountains and deeper than the oceans. 

I would highly recommend this book to everyone. I have requested Mandy to look for ways to make this available in the bookstores in Pakistan (and at comparatively lower price) as currently it is available from The Cuba Press on request at New Zealand bookstores only. 

Finally, thanks to Mandy for writing such a great book and giving me the opportunity to read it.

NBP, Main Branch Chitral Town: A case of sheer negligence!

A couple of days ago I read an article on Chitral Times by one of my teachers and famous scholar Dr. Inayat Ullah Faizi on the problems pertaining to the NBP Chitral main branch and that made me think. (The article can be accessed here https://chitraltimes.com/2019/09/19/26254/ ). That takes me back to the time when I was a student in Qutaiba Public School Chitral and later on Govt. Degree College Chitral (2005-2008). The national bank Pakistan, Chitral building used to be near the Atalaik Bridge, prominently standing facing the main road. It used to have a parking area outside and quite spacious inside. Although it was also not the best in terms of its space and facilities but was very fine. Later on by-pass road Chitral was built and this building was demolished and shifted to a nearby roof. I call it a roof because it is literally a roof of some shops which was turned into a barrack for NBP. During the time when by-pass road was being constructed competitors to the NBP started building their offices on more accessible and better locations such as Bank Alfalah on DC House Road, BoK on Ataliq bridge road, Habib Metro on by-pass road, Bank Islami near BoK, HBL on Commerce College road. But NBP main branch remained there in the barrack since then. Customers including the aged pensioners, women and men enter a dark stair to go to the roof. Upon conquering the dark stairs there’s another small door. The verandah is too small and people have to clung to the windows and each other to reach to the officers. This bank also caters the government salaried individuals of both district upper and lower Chitral besides pensioners and general account holders. Inside the bank there’s no organization due to lack of space, work load and number of customers to deal with. The manager has a small room where sometimes generously the manager makes space available for women customers who can’t bear the traffic of men in the verandah. These issues of space, organization, accessibility and working environment should also be affecting the employees mental and physical health. I don’t know why the staff don’t protest. May be they think that a Govt sector is too stagnant to bring a change.

NBP is the oldest and biggest bank in the country. NBP Chitral main branch can easily be shifted to a better place or new building and NBP can cover the expenses of shifting or new building in two years easily. Being the oldest and biggest branch in Chitral and having an anchor position for the branches around it, this branch won’t be facing any investment issue. However, I don’t know why the Govt. is not taking interest providing quality environment to the people and its staff members. Any official visiting Chitral can go to the private banks I mentioned above and see the difference. In this era of technology and advancement, NBP main branch represents grain store (Godam) where some chairs and tables are put together with computers on it and call it a bank. There is no ATM at the bank. The stairs are dark and not human friendly. There’s no parking area. Below the building there is ‘ada’ for kalash valleys, down country and hardware stores. One of the reasons young generation like us work for private companies is the working environment which makes you feel better the morning you step into the office. One of the reasons customers find other banks efficient is the reason that due to the environment (building, facilities, organization) customers get quality service. 

The main branch building has become a laughing stock for the people who go there. We are proud of the name, 'national' and we want to see it as a representation of our nation. It actually represents our nation being the biggest nationalized bank and also representing the State Bank of Pakistan. So may it represent better, please. 

NBP Chitral : Photo by GHF . You can see the roof above the shops with NBP sign board. That's the building and these are the customers.

”مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ“

دیکھو یہ میرے شہر میں مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ
دفنا کے آ رہے ہیں مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

ہو سندھ کی نمرتا ، پنجاب کی ہو زینب
چُھپا کے آ رہے ہیں مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

شراب کی بوتل میں شھد کا یہ ثبوت
”خود کھا کےآ رہے ہیں “مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

صدیاں گزر جاتی ہیں انصاف نہیں ہوتا
پیشی پہ آ رہے ہیں مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

کل رات جو سویا تو خواب میں یہ میرے

مجھ کو بتا رہے تھے مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

کہ زندہ ہیں چند لوگ خاموش قبرستان میں
اور مہر بہ لب صِرف مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

عطا جو کہہ رہا ہے اور دِل سے کہہ رہا ہے

کبھی نہیں مانیں گے مرے ہوۓ کچھ لوگ

عطإالرحمان ، گلبرگ لاہور
٢٠ ستمبر ٢٠١٩

How building a high-end hotel will help promote tourism, create employment and economic development in District Chitral of Pakistan?

As a student of tourism and economic development I would try my best to explain the topic in layman terms in the context of district Chitral. District Chitral needs no introduction with its unique culture, picturesque valleys, famous treks, lakes, festivals, glaciers, forts, and peace. Nature has a lot to offer to the people who travel to this district on tours and vacations. However, a tourist doesn’t only look for what provides the reasons to travel (demand side) but also for services (the supply side) that are required to make his travel and stay comfortable in the area. For example, besides its natural beauty, forts and peace, one of the reasons tourists throng to Hunza is the KKH. Similarly, the quality hotels available there make the tourists stay comfortable, safe and secure. For the last 3 years tourists inflow in Chitral has increased by many times. However, a particular tourist segment is still not able to travel to Chitral due to lack of facilities and quality services. This segment includes the upper class and upper-upper class, and foreigners. The reason being the non-availability of regular flights, poor road conditions and lack of quality accommodation services. The flights usually happen to be two days a week and could be managed thus avoiding the long travel on the road but the lack of quality hotels can’t be worked out overnight. The few quality hotels are booked in long advance and have very limited capacity. On a conservative estimate the top 4 hotels in Chitral town can accommodate about 350 people at maximum. According to sources, Mehtar-e-Chitral and family were once requested by a ‘Culture Trust’ to let them renovate the Chitral Fort on the footings of Altit Fort and Shigar Fort and develop into a liveable place of highest standards which was declined by the family. The gap still exists for such a high standard hotel that can provide quality services for the tourists. But the question arises; How is a four-five star hotel important for Chitral? Below are few of the reasons that I can think of now;

Branding of Chitral: The foreign tourists in particular and the elite domestic tourist in particular ask, “Is there PC in Chitral? Marriott or Serena ?”. Saying yes adds value to the product you are offering, the services you are mentioning and the region you are luring tourists to. This helps in positive branding of the region and is one of the indicators of stability, peace, and development of the region. If a multinational company invests in a region that shows that there is something worth visiting in the region. Many foreigners don’t get NOC only on the basis that there are not enough secure places to stay in far-flung regions.

Employment Creation for locals: When you go to a hotel in Quetta, Swat, Multan, Gilgit, etc you will see that most of the people working in those hotels are the local people. It makes economic sense for the companies to hire local people because of cost-effectiveness, low turn over rates and sense of ownership. It is a win-win both for the company as well as the local people. A five-star hotel on an average hires more than 100 permanent staff. According to the standards of five-star hotels by World Tourist Organization (WTO), a 5-star hotel has to hire at least 20 staff for 10 rooms, which means if the hotel builds 50 rooms then that must hire 100 people for maintaining the quality of services.

Associated small businesses: When hotels are built local services and products are needed including vegetables from local farms, fresh meat from the local market, vehicles for transports of goods, cars for dropping and picking guests, laundry services, tour guides, local arts & crafts, and you name it. Some might argue that a five-star hotel has its own laundry or pick and drop. Yes, but not all guests avail those services inside the same hotel. Secondly, a hotel doesn’t have the expertise or time to grow its own vegetables, fruits, honey, and dairy farms. These are some of the local businesses that flourish alongside the hotel industry.

Transferable and Marketable Skills Development for locals: If you are trained in a hotel and gain skills in front office management, sales, cooking, public relations, food & beverages management, housekeeping, etc you are skilled enough to work in thousands of hotels in the industry. Your skills are required by many in the industry and you are always open to other opportunities in other hotels. There are fewer chances of you remaining jobless.

Thriving social life, events, and entertainment: Hotels also provide space, services and the right environment for social activities such as family gatherings, meetings, conferences, workshops, and local exhibitions. Imagine such things happening in Chitral in much-organized manner and attracting researchers, academicians, companies, and locals to interact with a diverse group of people.

The list is long and you can add more to it but those are the few key areas that are positively affected by such kinds of investments in a region. There are few negative impacts of development of tourism in a region too but four-five star hotels are bound to follow international rules and regulation which protect the local environment. For example, the sewerage and drainage system of the hotel needs not to affect the local environment. The waste is properly managed etc. However, due to increasing pressure from local communities on such matters and local media, international brands such as Marriott, Serena, Park Hyatt, Avari, etc are well aware of the consequences and most of the time comply. And if they don’t they are too vulnerable in terms of their reputation.

I personally think that this is high time that a hotel of such standards should start seriously considering the worthwhile investment. A particular segment of the tourists is reluctant to visit Chitral based on the lack of quality services and hotels. This will benefit the company as well as play a key role in the economic development of the region. For a multinational chain to build hotel in a far-flung region such as Chitral is not very lucrative business most of the times given the seasonality of tourists and lack of supportive infrastructure, however companies with greater vision usually see the multiple benefits that they can provide both to its shareholders and the local communities. 

Marriott Islamabad

Serena Gilgit

Not a Five Star but a lovely Shangrilla Hotel Skardu

University of Chitral; How to set an example?

The University of Chitral was one of the top-priority demands of the inhabitants of this landlocked district. Better late than never, we have it now. A building, although smaller for the time being, has opened its gates to the student community of Chitral. What's more important now is a vibrant full-fledged campus along with competent human resource and adequate funds. Here it is important to ask why?

Full-fledged vibrant campus:

For any university to be functional and start its operations a regular campus is the first thing to be there. A campus is not just a building. It has to be lively and vibrant. The students, teachers and all other staff should seem to have an air of pride and excellence. For this purpose the VC or PD has to induce the vision of the university into the minds of every student, lecturer and staff (from peon to VC himself) very clearly. Where the University wants to stand 10-20 years ahead? The answer to this questions should be the same and communicated across the board. To make it vibrant, the campus should have regular classes, occasional events, national level contents, conferences and research publications. Students should be encouraged to speak up their mind and come up with innovative curricular and co-curricular ideas. Along with all this, any action which damages the vision of the university should be strictly discouraged. The campus air should not be filled with political slogans and political activities on campus.  Vibrant doesn't means students should start throwing stones on the window panes of the classes. And this will not happen, if from the very first day the leader starts communicating the vision and proving it with his own integrity and adherence to the vision. From Day One, the team should start branding the campus in accordance with the vision.

Competent Human Resource:

To achieve any goal and materialize any vision or dream, the importance of a competent team is utmost. However, we should not measure competence by high marks or good grades only. By competent here I mean that the team members (academia, administrative, support staff) should be skilful as well as characterful. As the integrity equation equals competence + character. The team should know the importance of their role as thousands of youth is there to learn and lead the nation. If the vision is to be the best university of Pakistan, you have to hire the best teachers, the best office assistant, the best accountant and even the best driver. If your vision is to be the best research university in Pakistan, you have to hire the best statistician, the best epistemologist, develop the best R&D section etc. In short, your actions should translate to your vision. Your small actions should represent the bigger vision. The way you walk on the campus, as a student, lecturer or PD, should tell the people looking at you that you are walking the talk. You are adding your each step to the vision you look up to. With competent human resource you can make a far greater progress towards your vision than a lousy one. A group of competent academicians produce competent youth. A group of professional administrative staff produce quick and desired results. A group of competent students add to a prosperous nation.   

At times, as a visionary team, you might have to stand up for your vision and only a competent team can do that. Saying no to nepotism, political pressure, and students' politics would be important if that threatens your vision.

Adequate Funds:

For a vibrant campus and recruit competent HR, the university should have enough funds. Funds should be readily made available by the Govt and HEC. The leader and the team should know the amount of funds required at a particular time. A budget flow timeline should be on the figure tips of the accounts and finance section. In case of inadequate funds from the Govt, the team should know about the availability of other avenues of funding including international. The vision and competent team can be a good reason to seek funds from donor agencies. Funds can also be generated through the campus resources such as events, publications, students' start-ups etc. With adequate funds, necessary infrastructure can be built, advanced technology purchased and scholarship schemes introduced. To keep the funds available, the university should not be engaged in extravagant activities which have less impact or no value addition to the vision of the university.

There are many other factors which should be taken care of if University of Chitral has to be made an example of greatness. However, the above three are the very fundamentals the university team should stick to. Every Chitrali has attached high hopes with UoC and we hope to see it among the top universities of Pakistan very soon.

PK 661 Plane Crash – In the Memory of 47 Souls And Questions that remain Unanswered !

December 7, 2016

Scene 1:

It is a cold day in Chitral. Calm and cloudy.

A Daughter: "Mom, I can hear the plane. I guess it has landed at Chitral airport.

Mother (who is already on the roof of her house): "Yes darling. Your father will soon be leaving for Islamabad. He insisted that I should go with him too. But I thought you would be alone at home."

Daughter: "Thank you, Mama!" (Both hug each other and wait for the plane to take off).

At the airport:

PK 661 Chitral – ISB 

Flight Status:  Boarding

(After 20 minutes the foker is on the runaway, gathers speed and takes off).

Passenger 22A: "Our rooms have been booked at the hotel, right?"

Passenger 22B:  "Yes. A car will also pick us from Islamabad airport".

Passenger 21B: "This time we should stay longer in Islamabad. It's very cold here, sir''.

(The three companions laugh and the air hostess brings snacks for refreshment).

Suddenly something happens to the plane. The passengers could feel the turbulence. The plane shakes badly. Some hold on to the seats some to each other. It was like the earthquake of 2015 that shook Chitral from Drosh to Laspur. But the earthquake was for a shorter period. The plane took longer. It lingered over Havellian for a while. Then the passengers could see a sharp fall.

(A long pause ……….)

PK 661 Plane Crash site

Scene 2:  

Mother: "Your father would have landed by now, darling. Let's go downstairs and cook something for supper."

(In the kitchen, the daughter turns on the TV while her mother plans what to cook). Phone rings.

Daughter (receives a call from her cousin): "Hello bro. How are u?"

Cousin: "I’m good. Is uncle at home?"

Daughter: "Father has gone to Islamabad. Today."

Pause…….. .. "OK Jan. Talk to you later." Phone disconnects.

(Headlines on TV Screen… PK 661 carshed over Havellian)

Daughter turns pale, numb and dumb. TV remote control falls from her. She can't speak to her mom. Her throat dries up to her tongue.

(After 1 and half months)

Scene 3:

During the past 53 days Chairman PIA resigns. The families who lost their loved ones go through a very tragic state of life where they had to wait for more than a week to receive the dead bodies. Burials takes places at various villages in Chitral. The only survivor in a family who lost 6 family members goes through a trauma and can be seen in a hospital in Karachi. The rest of families still tearing their hearts apart in the love of their beloved who left them so early. The tears in the eyes of the mothers, sisters, brothers and fathers of the 47 souls don’t' seem to stop. Nothing seems to pacify them.

Now that they have accepted this unfortunate incident, the only thing that they want to understand is, 'how this happened?''. The only thing they now want to know is the reason behind the plane crash. Black box report has been complied. Nothing came out of it. According to the report the plane was in 'perfect' condition. Both engines were working very fine. So this tragic event would not be deeply investigated again. The value of human life is not-so-important topic in this part of the world. The Govt. is not very 'interested' in such cases.

Relatives of deceased and civil society demand transparent inquiry of the incident

( The sons and daughters of the deceased lament over the post plane crash investigation whenever they see each other. )

"Oh how naïve we are! Did we forget that while the dead bodies were lying in the cold storage of PIMS, neither our Prime Minister nor our well known politicians came over to show a shred of solidarity with the bereaved families? How come we expect that the case will be transparently investigated, reported and shared with the public so that in future such mishaps don't happen? Human life is not so valuable in Pakistan. So let the people of this country die. Let the tourists who planned to go to Chitral in 2017 change their plans. Let the people of Chitral accept that flying with PIA is a suicide attempt and there is no solution for suicides in Pakistan."

But this was not a suicide. It was a murder. Who cares? At least, not our Government.

            ( To be continued..... )

Lawari Tunnel, Chitrali Passengers and Solution

On Friday January 20th, we reached Upper Dir Aljareeza Hotel at 12:30 pm. Our plan was to arrive at tunnel by 2 pm and get through. But our vehicles were lined up at Dir and at 8:30 pm the convoy coming from Chitral ended and we reached tunnel (Dir side) at 9:30 pm. It was commendable that AC Dir and his staff were present at Dir dealing issues and dozens of police jawans were also on the roads at various points to troubleshoot problems which were mostly created by trucks carrying tons of goods. However at tunnel we had to wait for 3 more hours and at 1:00 AM we crossed lawari tunnel and reached Ziarat. Again jawans of Chitral scouts, police or army were seen directing the vehicles. Trucks kept creating problems for local passengers by not moving ahead and being stuck at several places. From Ziarat to Baradam it took 2.5 hours creeping. In almost 24 hours we reached Ziarat Chitral from Islamabad.

District Administrations on both sides are doing a good job but I think given the huge traffic through tunnel it's simply not possible to manage the transportation in a 2 days per week schedule by Chitral and Dir administration. It simply is not possible. We have hundreds of passenger vehicles and trucks with goods on these two days. The roads are frozen with snow. Two vehicles cannot overtake or give way. So how can all vehicles moving at 15km/hr reach their destination at right times ? If only one truck is stuck on the road all the 330 vehicles have to wait till it is moved. 

Therefore we would request Govt to :
- Stop work in tunnel at least in winters so that on average 50 vehicles per day travel from each side.
- Saturday and Sunday be allotted to goods transporters ( trucks, mazda etc) only. Rest of the days they should not be allowed to travel.
- A medical camp should be available at tunnel project site for local passengers esp older ppl, children & women.

Right now, it's 3:00 AM and we are stuck near Baradam Ziarat. As I said, even if Hercules comes to rescue us this 2days/week schedule won't work.

Studying in Tents: The students of Booni and Muzhgole

Studying in air conditioned study rooms is a luxury. Studying in average setting such as a good room is one to be thankful for. However, studying while living in tents in the scorching heat of August is definitely a tough job.                                                                                                                                

This weekend I had the opportunity to meet some students of Booni who left their houses due to land sliding after the earthquake and settled in Qaqlasht, a dry plateau on Mastuj road.I also went to see some students of Muzhgole who are living in tents on the other side of Qaqlasht and going to far flung schools from these tents as the last year floods had washed away their houses.Meeting the students I realized how hard it is to live in a tent in this hot summer and study.The purpose of this visit was to share the message of Sofia and her fellow Pakistani students, who study in Berea College.                                                                                                

Sofia Naz, a Chitrali student from Berea College, Kentucky USA led the campaign with her fellow Pakistani students at her college to share the worries of the affected students of Chitral. According to Sofia Naz,” Our team wanted to tell the kids that no matter what education is a must and never ever to give up to hardship that will come in life". They organized a bake sale on campus and sold the baked goods to raise the money. They also had help from many of their friends. Some were American friends and some are international students.  Sofia then sent some little fund to her friends in Chitral who last week reached out to the flood and earth quake affected students of Booni and Muzgole who are now living in tents in Qaqlasht plateau. The gifts that were given to the students included School bags, Math Box, Color pencil sets, pen, pencils, erasers and rulers of very good quality. 

Students after receiving school gifts 

The friends also reached out to Allama Iqbal Model School Muzhgole and the principal of that school shared an official list of 15 homeless students who are also given some support using this fund. Few students who faced paying tuition fees also benefited from this help.  A total of 30 students benefitted from this little fund shared by Sofia and her team.

With the brave students in Qaqlasht

With teachers and students of AIMS Muzhgole. School in the background

Last year a series of devastating calamities hit the Northern District, Chitral of Pakistan where thousands of houses were damaged, tens of bridges collapsed and schools washed away. These calamities included flash floods and earthquake. Although it has been a year, yet a lot needs    to be done to rehabilitate the calamity hit people of the area.                                                                                                                                                                       

Shimshal.... A scenic valley of brave people !

Going to different places and meeting new faces always fascinates me. This time I had the opportunity to go to Shimshal village which is the highest place of Hunza valley (3100 meters above sea level). I was very excited to hit the KKH. I left Gilgit at 8 am in the morning. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday (Jan 16). I had been to Hunza in 2014 so I kept moving forward to Passu. Before reaching Passu I stopped at Attabad Lake. The white snow around the crystal blue lake gave a mesmerizing view.  

AttaAbad Lake, In winters

The Pakistan China Friendship Tunnels have been very beautifully built. However there are two police check posts within a 7 KM distance which I didn’t like. I think one is enough for security purposes. Throughout my travels I have seen these people asking only two three very simple questions which don’t seem to be so ‘revealing’. Anyways, the ships that used to carry people and luggage during the Attabad lake formation when the roads were destroyed by the flood are now lying frozen in the lake. They are waiting for the summers where hundreds of tourists will come to Hunza and they will be alive again their beautiful blue universe. After 3 hours drive, we reached Passu. The driver Uncle (Mir Baaz) dropped me at Passu. Today some notable had died at Passu. So many people were going to offer their condolences. I asked a villager who told me that “Ali Aman’ a social activist has passed away. At Attabad lake I was thinking how names are so familiar Atta and Attabad lake. At Passu there was another coincidence. The man who had passed away had the same name as my late father. Ali Aman. The whole day I kept missing my lovely father and thinking about ‘names’. Names become your identity. When someone takes the name of a person or a place all of a sudden the whole images, stories and experiences flash in your mind. 

The most exciting journey begins now. My friend, Amjad, from Shimshal had told me that from Passu you can hire a jeep. The driver Nazir was not willing to charge below Rs.6,000. “We usually charge up to 8,000 but since you took my name I’m  will charge you in 6,000. Not a penny less than that.” Says Nazir. I did take his name. Amjad had told me that a there are two jeeps in Passu. One red jeep is of Nazir. We struck the deal at 6,000. But Nazir had not enough fuel and there was no fuel station. Actually there was one fuel station which had no fuel :D So, Nazir called his friend and we went to his house and pumped out some diesel from his jeep and hit the bumpy road to Shimshal. It was cold. But there was no snow on the road. A friend of mine had told me that there’s snow on the road and you change vehicles at Passu. Nazir plays Indian songs. “Sorry Nazir, Can you please play some local songs. Songs in local dialects?” I insist. The music of Giglit region so much resonates with the music of our part, Chitral. A Chitrali can also dance without much difficulty to the music of this region. 

It’s approximately 47-55 KMs from Passu to Shimshal valley. On the way to shimshal you have to travel along a deep ravine in a narrow road. The road is fine but prone to land sliding and rocks falling. At a time only one vehicle can move safely. If there’s another one coming from the other side then the driver has to take long back in reverse gear to let the other pass. There are 10 bridges you have to cross on the way to Shimshal. The total bridges are 13 but one is used only in summers and the other two are now no more in use due to road diversion. This road to Shimshal was constructed (2 times) by AKRSP  with the help of local people and government also had invested in the road (once).  The local people say that they used to cross the river or nala 12 times when there was no road and no bridges. And it took a one day trekking to reach Passu from Shimshal. Things have changed and now it takes 2.5 - 3 hours to reach Shimshal from Passu. 

On the way to Shimshal

Near Shimshal, the gigantic Malangudi glacier (Malangutti ) is very close to the road. It takes a 15-30 minutes trekking to reach the glacier base from the road. From the village it takes 1 hour.  Trekking over a glacier could be very dangerous particularly when you don’t have proper shoes and prior training. If you slip and fall into the crevices you are in a huge trouble than. Anyways, Malangutti glacier is so beautiful. 

  

At Malangutti Glacier

I met Mirza Ali Baig, the famous mountain climber of Pakistan who belongs to Shimshal. His sister Samina Baig is the first ever Pakistani woman (girl) to summit the Everest. Mirza was with Samina during the expedition till camp 3 or 4 I guess and then samina went ahead and waved Pakistan’s flag at the summit. At Shimshal I stayed with Mirza and another guest Florin from Romania was also there. Florin runs an adventure school in Romania and is one of the best ice climbers. Link to his adventure school http://www.extremromania.ro

Talking of Mirza family, the whole family is so adventurous. From Yousuf Uncle to Samina to little Zarar all are born adventurers. The story of Samina Baig is the most inspiring one. A young girl of 22 who for the first time in Pakistan’s history summits the Everest as a woman is a big achievement. If you listen to her story of hard work and courage I’m sure you will involuntarily stand up and salute her courage and dedication. (Alas! Pakistan has never much respected national heroes). The Mirza Family is doing wonderful job for tourism development in particular and socio-economic development of Shimshal in general. 

Mirza Ali Baig's Uncles 

Next day we did some skiing together. There was enough snow in Shimshal village for that purpose.  It is a lovely village. And I think you should know few things about the village.

·        

      *First and Foremost, it’s the last village of Gilgit region after road diversion from Passu.

·        * Altitude 3100 meters

·         **The First Ever woman from Pakistan to reach the Everest Summit hails from Shimshal.Samina Baig

·         *There are village guest houses for tourists so if you go there you will easily find a place to stay.

·        * There are 13 suspension bridges across the valley.

·        * You can easily find skillful porters and tour guides in this village with fluent English.

Shimshal village 

There are also few things missing in the area. According to the locals, they don’t have a well-established drinking water supply system. The drinking water supply scheme initiated by an NGO has failed due to some reasons. I think the major reason is the precipitation of calcium (carbonate) as the locals say that the water in the glass gathers a kind of white powder. Although they treat it at household level and make it OK for drinking but that’s not a long term solution. The source needs to be changed or a big filtration plant will be needed. Government or some NGO needs to do it soon. Secondly, there is no electricity. The inhabitants have solar panels and some have generators but there’s no power station. A new power station of some 2 MW is expected to be built by Govt soon.  There’s one other thing missing in the valley but I don’t think that’s a BIG issue. For people who live in the cities and need some peace of mind, the missing thing is a blessing J Yes, there are no telephone networks or cellular networks. Once you enter Shimshal you are open to the nature and fresh air. Put your cell phones off and save your battery. Recharge your mind with peace and tranquility. J

One thing I noticed in Shimshal is that I didn’t see anybody smoking. I kept observing but I didn’t see a single human being smoking cigarette. Was it a smoke free zone? I don’t know. I didn’t ask but that was such a wonderful thing to observe.

I left Shimshal with beautiful memories.  Looking out over Hunza, from the window of Hill Top View Hotel, I think of the next travel.  I think I should travel through Kohistan instead of taking a plane to the capital. That way I would be able to visit more new places and know the landscape. I think I should read “Atlas Shrugged” during the travel.