Many of our traders and merchants ignore this.And the Government policy in regard to the wheat purchases can be described as Government by the feudal for the benefits of the feudal. Aftab Ahmed, Karachi.

0900 Telephone Numbers
Like USA companies, PTCl should obtain permission of the subscriber before activating service of under Telephone number series 09100 whereby the caller is billed for such excessive amount as @ RS. 26 per minute and Telephone Dept and the businessman share in the loot. In USA etc. In many countries State Laws do not permit extension of such service by Telephone companies without express permission of the subscribers. . Najam Qadri, Karachi

Transparenacy International
It is a fact that after formation of Anti Corruption Department in India and Pakistan the rates of bribes and graft increased substrantially.But real champion are American Big Business who buy politician to sell their arms and ammunition for billions of dollars and Oil Companies who manipulate war hysteria. But they are not caught like the Asian tyrants. Mohammed Waqar, Lahore
(Please confine your letters to 200 words or less) Address your letters to
editor_ezine@yahoo.com

Notable Quotes

Marriage Allah (SWT) described marriage very differently in the Holy Quran: '. . . He created for you mates from among yourselves, that ye may dwell in tranquility with them, and He has put love and mercy between your (hearts) . ." (Holy Quran 30:21, Yusuf Ali's Translation).

Good marriages require patience, kindness, humility, sacrifice, empathy, love, understanding, forgiveness, and hard work. Following these principles should help any marriage to improve. The essence of them all can be summed up in one sentence: Always treat your spouse  the way you would like to be treated.  www.soundvision.com Love is an ideal thing,  marriage a real thing; a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes  unpunished._Goethe Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family—a domestic church. _Pope John Paul II [Karol Wojtyla] (b. 1920),  Marriage is for women the commonest mode of livelihood, and the total amount of undesired sex endured by women is probably greater in marriage than in prostitution. _Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), British philosopher, -- Marriage is socialism among two people. _Barbara Ehrenreich (b. 1941), U.S. author,

In taking out an insurance policy one pays for it in dollars and cents, always at liberty to discontinue payments. If, however, woman’s premium is a husband, she pays for it with her name, her privacy, her self-respect, her very life, “until death doth part.” _Emma Goldman (1869–1940), U.S. anarchist.

A happy marriage perhaps represents the ideal of human relationship—a setting in which each partner, while acknowledging the need of the other, feels free to be what he or she by nature is: a relationship in which instinct as well as intellect can find expression; in which giving and taking are equal; in which each accepts the other, and I confronts Thou. Anthony Storr (b. 1920), British psychiatrist.

Zakir Naik On Polygamy 
http://www.themodernreligion.com/women/w_poly-znaik.html

Here are extracts from a fine article by Dr. Zakir Naik

The Qur’an is the only religious scripture in the world that says, "marry only one". 

The Qur’an is the only religious book, on the face of this earth, that contains the phrase ‘marry only one’. There is no other religious book that instructs men to have only one wife. In none of the other religious scriptures, whether it be the Vedas, the Ramayan, the Mahabharat, the Geeta, the Talmud or the Bible does one find a restriction on the number of wives. According to these scriptures one can marry as many as one wishes. It was only later, that the Hindu priests and the Christian Church restricted the number of wives to one. 

Many Hindu religious personalities, according to their scriptures, had multiple wives. King Dashrat, the father of Rama, had more than one wife. Krishna had several wives. 

In earlier times, Christian men were permitted as many wives as they wished, since the Bible puts no restriction on the number of wives. It was only a few centuries ago that the Church restricted the number of wives to one. 

Polygyny is permitted in Judaism. According to Talmudic law, Abraham had three wives, and Solomon had hundreds of wives. The practice of polygyny continued till Rabbi Gershom ben Yehudah (960 C.E to 1030 C.E) issued an edict against it. The Jewish Sephardic communities living in Muslim countries continued the practice till as late as 1950, until an Act of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel extended the ban on marrying more than one wife. 

Hindus are more polygynous than Muslims 

The report of the ‘Committee of The Status of Woman in Islam’, published in 1975 mentions on page numbers 66 and 67 that the percentage of polygamous marriages between the years 1951 and 1961 was 5.06% among the Hindus and only 4.31% among the Muslims. According to Indian law only Muslim men are permitted to have more than one wife. It is illegal for any non-Muslim in India to have more than one wife. Despite it being illegal, Hindus have more multiple wives as compared to Muslims. Earlier, there was no restriction even on Hindu men with respect to the number of wives allowed. It was only in 1954, when the Hindu Marriage Act was passed that it became illegal for a Hindu to have more than one wife. At present it is the Indian Law that restricts a Hindu man from having more than one wife and not the Hindu scriptures. 

Qur’an permits limited polygyny 
Qur’an is the only religious book on the face of the earth that says ‘marry only one’. The context of this phrase is the following verse from Surah Nisa of the Glorious Qur’an: "Marry women of your choice, two, or three, or four; but if ye fear that ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one." [Al-Qur’an 4:3] 

Before the Qur’an was revealed, there was no upper limit for polygyny and many men had scores of wives, some even hundreds. Islam put an upper limit of four wives. Islam gives a man permission to marry two, three or four women, only on 
the condition that he deals justly with them. 

In the same chapter i.e. Surah Nisa verse 129 says: "Ye are never able to be fair and just as between women...." [Al-Qur’an 4:129] 

Therefore polygyny is not a rule but an exception. ...

In Western society, it is common for a man to have mistresses and/or multiple extra-marital affairs, in which case, the woman leads a disgraceful, unprotected life. The same society, however, cannot accept a man having more than one wife, in which women retain their honourable, dignified position in society and lead a protected life. 

Thus the only two options before a woman who cannot find a husband is to marry a married man or to become public property. Islam prefers giving women the honourable position by permitting the first option and disallowing the second.

Deuteronomy 21:15-16 
If a man has two wives, and he loves one but not the other, and both bear him sons but the firstborn is the son of the wife he does not love, when he wills his property to his sons, he must not give the rights of the firstborn to the son of the wife he loves in preference to his actual firstborn, the son of the wife he does not love. 

2 Samuel 5:13 (also 1 Ki 11:3) 
After he left Hebron, David took more concubines and wives in Jerusalem, and more sons and daughters were born to him. 

1 Timothy 3:12 (also 1 Tim 3:2, Titus 1:6) 
A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 

The recording of historical acts, including instances of polygamy, is not necessarily an endorsement of it by God. The Bible records both good and bad actions of people, even people considered to be righteous. The fact that David and Solomon had several wives and that it's in the Bible doesn't automatically imply that God was pleased by it, any more than the records of David's adultery and the arguments in 
the early church implies God's approval of either. 
http://www.rationalchristianity.net/polygamy.html

In most cultural shows and exhibitions in India and Pakistan we see glamorous models wearing expensive embroidered dresses of yester years and jewelry and in background we see ancient artifacts, earth wares etc. in beautiful surroundings.  Such skits and shows to depict how rich our culture has been are usually in sharp contrast with the quality of life experienced by the masses in our country.

The poverty and ignorance prevailing in our country makes such cultural shows an exercise in self-deception.  The lack of sanitation and civil amenities, lawlessness, corruption, black marketing, exploitation of the poor and lack of honesty and fair dealings and scores of other problems makes one believe that we have deviated from the right path and failed to keep abreast of times.

All those talk about preserving culture and presenting it in International gatherings seems strange departure from reality. I was amused when a mullah was objecting to a young man wearing pant and shirt and was preaching to adopt Islamic ideals for dress etc. Pointing out towards his Shalwar and turban the young man asked him why does he not wear the same Islamic dress as they wear in Saudi Arabia. 

The futile attempts to preserve cultural heritage in this age of multi-culturism and ethnic politicking depicts confused outlook towards culture itself. Culture of Dhoti 
and Pugree is gone. In Middle East educated Pakistanis wear Western Dress lest they are mistaken as belonging to uneducated labor class whom our Arab brothers call "miskeen." 

Culture is dynamic and changes with the times. Culture is the name for what people are interested in, their thoughts, their models, the books they read, the music they like, and the speeches they hear, their table-talk, gossip, controversies, historical sense and scientific training, the values they appreciate, the quality of life they admire. 

In India and Pakistan most educated men have adopted Western dresses but women still cling to their traditional style of dresses which has itself changed a lot and reveals more than orthodox people can tolerate. In Pakistan zealots of tradition advocate the national dress but few people wear Shirwani and Jinnah cap. Many of our politicians wear waistcoat on Shalwar-Kamiz even on National days or State functions whereas some wear Western suits instead of the National dress. 

We must appreciate culture as a historically transmitted pattern of meanings embodied in the artifacts which people use to communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge about life. Cultural evolution depends on people's  beliefs, behavior, language, and entire way of life of a particular time or group of people. Culture includes customs, ceremonies, works of art, inventions, technology, and traditions. In its more specific aesthetic definition, the culture can describe the intellectual and artistic achievements of a society including Anthropology; Archaeology; Art; Civilization; Education, History of; Human Evolution; Sociology and Other sciences and disciplines.

All communities have a culture. It is the climate of their civilization and common values and goals that unite them as a nation.  When we see Urdu literature we find how rich our literature is in its beauty and inspirational value. So is the case with Sindhi and other regional languages but alas the works of our great writers are rarely given place among the cultural shows and exhibition. 

The ceremonies on the occasions of marriages, engagement etc. that we see appear to be a departure from true Islamic traditions because Islam emphasizes on simplicity and shuns pomp, foppishness and extravagance.

The significance of language for the evolution of culture appears to be more pronounced in India and Pakistan.  And issues of languages have often been politicized by the bigots and selfish politicians in India, Pakistan and Bangla Desh. 
And it was on account of such bigotry that forced All India Muslim League to demand a separate homeland for Muslims otherwise leaders like Quiade Azam had first joined All India Congress. 

Both Urdu and Hindi have proven to be the living languages absorbing the great number of new words introduced but even more in the new ideas they express and influence of English is more pronounced than Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit and other local languages. Thatswhy even after six decades of independence, English continues to be the official language of not only the Government but also the modern business community and industry. Education in English medium continues to gain popularity. People are so eager to get employment or student visa for UK, USA or Canada. 

Internet has popularized in this country events likes Valentine's Day, Mothers Day etc. It has changed and continues to bring multitudes in the fold of change for the way the people correspond or exchange greetings.

There is growing trend for anglicizing Urdu. Poorly educated Pakistani actresses and models sound so funny when they try to speak English just to show off. The popularity of pop-singers shows changes in the taste of people and the number of people who like the Western music is growing rapidly.

Pakistan's Constitution protects the rights of Non-Muslims and thus permits multi-culturism and pluralism by creating an Islamic state on the one hand, and by protecting the personal laws of the minorities for marriage, inheritance, 
educational and their Cultural practices on the other. Though there are some despots who want to make Pakistan a conservative religious regime, the moderate Muslim realize that Islam does not permit forced conversion. Similarly there are extremist Hindus who want to make India a great Hindu empire. But the majority in India as well as Pakistan consists of moderate people who do not hate multi-culturism.That is why we see a diversity of clothes, caps, turbans, cuts of beard etc. that one sees on the streets. Every community is free to preserve its identity openly and nobody is threatened but one is expected to respect the norms of other people or laws of the land about alcohal, nudity etc. Similary in the month of Ramzan eating and drinking at public places during day time is not permitted in Islamic countries. For tourists and visitors it always a good policy to follow the old saying: "While in Rome, do as Raomans do". 

USFAN — In 50 years, he says, he has married 58 women and has forgotten the names of most of them. He knows he has had 10 sons, but ask about daughters and he counts on his fingers: 22. No, no, 28. No, that's too many. He settles on 25. 

Saleh Al Sayeri, a 64-year-old shepherd-turned-businessman, says his marital adventures have cost him more than $1.6 million in wedding expenses and settlements for divorced wives. But the man who remembers being forced into his first marriage at age 14 says he'd do it a million times over.

"Marriage doesn't bore me," he said, relaxing on cushions at a carpeted, open-air reception area in his 22-horse stable in Usfan, in the desert 800 kilometres west of Riyadh. 

"I'm the happiest man in the world." Sayeri's story might seem a bizarre curiosity, but it touches a nerve in Saudi Arabia, the status of whose women is a matter of international controversy.

When it surfaced in Saudi media in March, some readers reacted angrily.

A woman who identified herself as Maryam, a convert to Islam, wrote to the Arab News, an English-language daily, that Sayeri's story "really sent me over the edge." "What kind of a family structure is this? What is divorce doing to the psychologies of the ex-wives and children? How can this man devote any quality time to his children — teaching them about Islam and being a constant role model?" She wrote.

Sayyidaty magazine, which interviewed Sayeri, also spoke to psychiatrist Mona Al Sawwaf who said Sayeri does not treat a wife as a human being "but as a piece of clothing he can change whenever he pleases or an object." "The biggest blame lies with the parents" who let their daughters enter such marriages, she said.

Sayeri dismisses such critics as "crazy," insisting he is not breaching Islamic laws, which permit a man to have four wives at a time.

"I have a clear conscience," he said.

None of Sayeri's ex-wives could be reached. He said many have remarried, but to reveal their identity would be a gross violation of Saudi custom. One of his sons said his mother has remarried, but refused to give details.

Divorce has become quite common in the kingdom, with press reports saying half of all marriages break up. But the fate of a divorced woman depends on her parents' frame of mind.

If they oppose the divorce, they likely will confine her to the house and monitor her movements. She will be barred from dating or working without family permission.

The notion of a single career woman barely exists here.

Women cannot even drive. They cannot get an education, travel or check into a hotel without a male guardian's permission.

Some parents, on the other hand, are modern-minded enough to let their daughters finish their schooling or go out to work. And although Islamic laws permit a man to have four wives at a time, most Muslim men today take one wife, because it has become the cultural norm and polygamy is 
costly.

Money is not an issue for Sayeri, who says he has made a fortune trading in cars and property. He is a dark, medium-built man with black mustache and goatee who heads the Sayer, a southern Bedouin tribe. He also raises camels and horses.

He has had 10 sons, one of whom died. Two sons who were at the stable while their father was being interviewed rolled their eyes whenever the subject of marriages came up. They said they had come to accept that their dad is "mizwaj," a man who likes to marry often.

Fahd Al Sayeri, who inherited his father's passion for horses, recalled a desert hunting trip some 15 years ago in the remote Empty Quarter. He and his friends had gone in search of gasoline when they heard celebratory gunshots coming from a tent. They had come across a wedding.

"Out of politeness, we asked who's wedding it was," Fahd said.

"The guests responded with my father's name. I was shocked," he added.

It's not that the elder Sayeri hides his marriages. He just doesn't always bother to spread the word. He said two of his daughters learned they were sisters and two sons they were brothers at school.

Some wives even attend his weddings and bring the bride gifts. But he said he keeps each wife in a separate villa and sometimes even in a different town to keep the peace, and assures each that she's his favourite.

Son Fahd, a 32-year-old bachelor, is adamant he won't follow in his father's footsteps. "No, no, no," he said.

"One will be enough for me." Sayeri said he has married first cousins and women from about 30 tribes all over the kingdom. "As a leader of a tribe, I can't marry just anybody," he said.

He said three of his four current wives have been with him 18 to 40 years. The fourth seems to be the one who usually gets replaced.

"It's the one for renewal," said Sayeri, sipping cardamom-flavoured coffee after a dinner of spicy lamb and rice. "I like to change my fourth wife every year." His latest marriage — and at 10,000 guests his most sumptuous — was to a 14-year-old girl nine months ago. She was the perfect age, he said.

When he heard about her, he sent his niece to check her out. She came back with a favourable report.

Then he visited her family. When the girl came into the living room to offer him refreshments — an excuse for him to see her face — he asked her if she would marry him.

"She was shy at first and didn't answer but then she said yes," Sayeri recalled. "Now, we're such good friends it feels we've known each other 40 years." A Saudi woman will usually marry whomever her family chooses, and marriage is considered acceptable from the onset of puberty.

Sayeri claims he has never forced a woman to marry him, and has never been turned down. His ex-wives get a divorce settlement set out in a prenuptial agreement and he supports the children, he said. He said all his divorces are documented with court-issued papers that usually follow this declaration to his wife: "You are divorced."

He said today's women are "more pleasant to have around." "They take better care of themselves, use makeup and do not run away every time I want to touch them," he said.

Sayeri said he will keep on marrying until the number of wives he has acquired equals the number of years he has lived.
 

People of Pakistan confuse what they view and hear in the Khabarnama of Pakistan TV with news.
----
If all the claims of different regimes in Pakistan for great economic progress are accumulated Pakistan would be the richest Islamic country in the world.
----

A man was brought in the emergency ward of Civil Hospital and he said to the doctor, "I've broken my leg in several places" 

The doctor comments, "Well why do you go to such places"
(Her jaga tang aranay ki kiya zaroorut hai)
------

The minister for science and technology has urged upon the need for research in universities and announced that the students who come up with the following inventions would be given handsome rewards.

1. Water-proof towel
2. Solar powered flashlight
3. Submarine screen door
4. Glasses through which illiterate can read 
5. Inflatable dart board
6. Television for the blind
7. Telephone through which deaf and dumb can communicate
8. Ejector seat for passengers of ricshaws
9. Powdered water
10. Water-proof tea bag

He also announced literary awards to be given on the best book written on the following topics.
A book on how to read
A dictionary index

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