Aasoo Kolhi-The real Malala

No one can deny the importance of education for progress and development of the nations. Even our Holy Prophet (PBUH) said that “Get Education from cradle to grave”. No matter what the difficulties are faced, need of getting education has been emphasized by everyone.
 
Connecting with the context, a brave girl named Aasoo Kolhi is the real example and inspiration for us, who established her own school in her village Mina Ji Dhani, Umerkot District, to educate children of her area despite all odds and challenges.

Aasoo Kolhi lost her legs in her childhood, and she is the only female of her village, who will complete her graduation in the near future. Imparting over 200 students in her school without any government support or NGO funds, Aasoo Kolhi set an example for the world that when there is a will, there is a way.

Having an aim to complete her father’s dream to see her becoming a teacher, Aasoo strived hard and it is because of her passion and determination, that she could be able to contribute towards the education section in such a wonderful and inspiring way.

After knowing the circumstances and problems faced by Aasoo, I would confidently say that she is hope for all and the real Malala of Sindh.

Now, the Government should establish a building for school after Aasoo Kolho’s father name as per her wish and she should be appointed there as government teacher, so that she can continue her mission without further difficulties.

Iran Executes Reyhaneh Jabbari, 26-Year-Old Woman Who Killed Her Rapist

Iran has executed 26-year-old Reyhaneh Jabbari, who had killed a man who tried to rape her, despite repeated calls by rights activists for her release.

An Iranian henchman hanged Jabbari at dawn, ending her seven-year jail life awaiting execution.

Jabbari was arrested in 2007 for stabbing an intelligence officer who reportedly tried to sexually assault her.

Jabbari's mother had been informed of her daughter's impending execution. She met Jabbari in the prison for nearly an hour on the day before the execution though the exact place where she was hanged was not revealed.

More than one hundred people including family members and friends gathered outside Gohardasht prison in Karaj city where she was kept, according to local reports.

"Time is running out for Reyhaneh Jabbari, the authorities must act now to stop her execution. Applying such a punishment in any circumstances is an affront to justice, but doing so after a flawed trial that leaves huge questions hanging over the case only makes it more tragic," Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa with the Amnesty International, had said in a statement.

Human Rights Watch had also urged Iranian authorities to stop the execution.

Reported by
International Business Times

Another letter to Editor on Local Bodies Elections published in Daily Times...!

 LB elections: need of the hour

Sir: It is unfortunate that an unelected dictator held Local Bodies (LB) elections, but the elected democratic government could not hold these elections in its five-year rule. Article 140-A of the 1973 Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan says, “Each Province shall, by law, establish a local government system and devolve political, administrative and financial responsibility and authority to the elected representatives of the local governments.” Being a citizen of Pakistan, I have a firm belief in the fact that elected local bodies are the foundation of democracy and an integral part of it. Democracy in any country cannot grow further if participation of its citizens in decisions which directly affect their daily lives is not ensured through an institutional system. Majority of the people support and have more faith in the local governments than the provincial and federal governments. The success of the local bodies system possibly lay in the fact that councillors were more easily accessible and ready to take on challenges than MPAs, MNAs, DCs and other bureaucrats. It is demanded of the federal government to fulfil its promise of continuity and protection of LB system and announce a date for holding three-tier LB polls in all three provinces. It is further demanded that LB elections be held under the Election Commission of Pakistan so that international standards can be ensured during the elections. These elections should be held on a party basis because the political parties have a central position in the democratic setup and unless these political parties become organized and strong at the grassroots level, democracy cannot be strengthened. It is also demanded of the government not to delegate magistracy powers to the Executive Officers such as DCOs, etc, because it will directly affect the independence of the judiciary, while the judiciary should be free from all political and government influence.
SHEERIN SOOMRO
Karachi

 Below is the link:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2013\07\26\story_26-7-2013_pg3_7

Friday, July 26, 2013

Local matters Elected local bodies are the foundation of democracy. It cannot grow if participation of citizens in the decision-making process is not ensured. People support, and have more faith in, local governments because elected members of local bodies are easily accessible in comparison with MPAs, MNAs, DCs and other bureaucrats. It is unfortunate that while unelected dictators had held LG elections in the country, elected democratic governments could not do it during their tenures. It is hoped that the PML-N government will hold LB polls in all the four provinces. Ideally, LB elections should be held under the supervision of the Election Commission of Pakistan to ensure fairness and transparency. Moreover, these elections should be held on party basis because political parties have a central role in a democratic setup. Democracy cannot strengthen unless these parties are well-organized and strong at the grass-roots level. Sheerin Soomro Karachi

Below is the link:

http://images.thenews.com.pk/26-07-2013/ethenews/e-192444.htm

My Letter to Editor on LG System published in Daily Sindh Express...!

 Below is the link:

 http://www.sindhexpress.com.pk/epaper/PoPupwindow.aspx?newsID=130056485&Issue=NP_HYD&Date=20130726

First Pakistani women paratroopers make history

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's first group of female paratroopers completed their training, the military announced, hailing it as a “landmark achievement” for the country.

Captain Kiran Ashraf was declared the best paratrooper of the batch of 24, the military said in a statement, while Captain Sadia, referred to by one name, became the first woman officer to jump from a MI-17 helicopter.

Women have limited opportunities in Pakistan's highly traditional, patriarchal society. The United Nations says only 40 per cent of adult women are literate, and they are frequently the victims of violence and abuse.

But in 2006 seven women broke into one of Pakistan's most exclusive male clubs to graduate as fighter pilots -- perhaps the most prestigious job in the powerful military and for six decades closed to the fairer sex.

After three weeks' basic airborne training, which included exit, flight and landing techniques, the new paratroopers completed their first jump on Sunday and were given their “wings” by the commander of Special Services Group, Major General Abid Rafique, the military said.

Can you believe this...:)

  Man sues Japan TV station for using too many foreign words

TOKYO: A pensioner is suing Japan's national broadcaster for emotional distress, claiming the overuse of foreign loanwords has rendered many of its programmes unintelligible, his lawyer said.
Hoji Takahashi, 71, is demanding 1.41 million yen ($14,000) in damages for the broadcaster's reliance on words borrowed from English, instead of their traditional Japanese counterparts.
"The basis of his concern is that Japan is being too Americanised," lawyer Mutsuo Miyata said. "There is a sense of crisis that this country is becoming just a province of America."
Japanese has a rich native vocabulary, but has a tradition of borrowing words from other languages, often quite inventively and sometimes changing their meaning in the process.
Most Japanese speakers do not think twice about using words including "trouble", "risk", "drive" or "parking", among many others.
Although English provides the bulk of loanwords - an inheritance of the post World War II US occupation and subsequent fascination with American culture - words borrowed from many other languages are also in use.
Thus, the word for part time work is a Japanised version of the German "arbeit", "concierge" comes from the French and the Spanish "pan" is understood as bread.However, Japan's phonic structure, in which sounds are usually made of a consonant and a vowel, renders many of these borrowed words unintelligible to speakers of the language from which they came.
The English "trouble" becomes "toraburu", for example, while the French "concierge" is pronounced "konsheruju".
Takahashi, a member of "Nihongo wo taisetsu ni suru kai" (The Treat Japanese as Important Association), brought his suit because entreaties to NHK had been ignored, his lawyer said. "He decided to file the suit because the broadcaster did not bother to reply to him," said Miyata, a former highschool classmate of the plaintiff. "This is a matter of Japanese culture, the country itself, including its politics and its economy," he said.