Loud Thinking

Archive for the ‘My Views’ Category

Recognize Your Moment of Obligation

People who successfully tackle big problems are often driven by a specific event or time in their lives when they felt compelled to act. These “moments of obligation” can drive you to start working on a problem, and keep at it when you might feel like giving up. They help us shape meaningful careers and lives. Here’s how to recognize your own mission-defining moment:
It’s strong. The experience will invoke intense feelings. The moment itself doesn’t necessarily need to be dramatic, but what it brings up in you is.
It’s personal. Moments of obligation are often connected to your own experiences, or the experiences of people you care most about.
It takes hold. These moments often scream for your attention, creeping into your mind when you are minding your own business — sitting on the couch, watching TV, or trying to sleep.

Adapted by HBR from “Find Your Moment of Obligation,” by Lara Galinsky.

A 2009 email to Ex. Deputy Assistant of Defense for Counter Narcotics USA suggesting a Marshall Plan for Pakistan.

(President Asif Ali Zardari met Mr. John Kerry US Secretary of State on 1 Aug, 2013 and asked for a Marshall Plan for Pakistan).

Richard J Douglas,
Ex. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Counter Narcotics,
U.S.A.

ASSALAM-O-ALIKUM.

I am immensely touched by your article titled ‘ The Pakistani Soldier ‘ published in the daily ” THE NEWS ” dated June 20, 2009. The reason being that, it is a genuine tribute to the many hundreds of thousands of Pakistani armed forces personnel, who are sacrificing their today for a better tomorrow, not only of Pakistan, but of the entire peace loving humanity of the world.

In fact, right from day one of the inception of Pakistan, its soldiers have relentlessly served the cause of peace in & outside Pakistan. One example must be still fresh in the minds of the freedom loving Americans. I am referring to the daring act of rescue of US soldiers in Somalia, by the brave Pakistani troops, who defied dangers to their own lives, to serve the cause of the humanity.

Now, what about the beautiful & capable Pakistan, of THE PAKISTANI SOLDIER. If you really want to serve the cause of peace & make this world a tranquil place, don’t treat Pakistani people as pariah of this world. If you have any doubts just go to the US airports and see how (legal Pakistani entrants ) are treated at your entry points ( my email, attached below, addressed to David Axelrod, Senior Advisor to the President of the USA, on the subject remains non replied till date). If no other nation of the free world, at least America owes we Pakistani people, a debt it can never repay (which I need not mention here, because we didn’t take on the USSR as a favour to USA. We stood for the cause of liberty & freedom only).

Today, Pakistan is paying a very heavy price for taking on the cause of liberty & freedom. In fact, the country is profusely bleeding from its wounds of terrorism.

As many Americans admit the mistake of leaving Pakistan in the lurch, after the Afghanistan war. Now it is high time to rebuild Pakistan. The world must come forward to make another Japan of Pakistan. And this objective can’t be achieved through loans & aid. No nation can be build with loans & aid. Rebuilding of Pakistan needs a 10 year Marshall plan (it may not cost more than one or two years defense expenditure of war in Afghanistan), which must broadly include the following strategy.

Ø Writing off the entire Debt of country.
Ø Allowing 100% duty free imports of Pakistani goods in all the countries.
Ø Revamping of entire Pakistani educational system on modern lines.
Ø Providing of world class health care system.
Ø Development of world class transportation infrastructure.
Ø Focus for development on small & medium size industry.
Ø Development of agriculture, livestock & dairy sectors on world standards.
Ø Settlement of Kashmir, water, Siachin & all other issues between Pakistan & India.
Ø Building of Maximum possible dams on the river system.
Ø Development & exploration (as per world standards) of natural resources.
Ø Development of wind energy to the maximum potential of the country.

I am very optimistic that under the visionary leadership of Mr. Obama & his dynamic team, the above proposals for helping Pakistani nation to stand on its feet, for the larger cause of the peace & freedom of this world, may not be a farfetched idea.

With best wishes and kind regards,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad.

The biggest achievement of Mian Nawaz Sharif…!

The statement of Mr. John Kerry that ‘He hopes US drone strikes in Pakistan will end ‘very soon’ is the biggest achievement of Mian Nawaz Sharif in his new tenure as PM Pakistan.

The above statement of US Secretary of State is too good to be true and are even more dramatic than President Obama’s stunning words in Mumbai,during his last trip to India, when he said “Pakistan was an enormous country” and let us hope that it will not be retracted.

I am sure the Indians must have been stunned and they must be exerting pressure on America to withdraw these words of Senator John Kerry.

Good luck Mian Nawaz Sharif Sahab.

“Always continue the climb. It is possible for you to do whatever you choose, if you first get to know who you are and are willing to work with a power that is greater than ourselves to do it.”

— Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Purpose is the quality of being determined to do or achieve something.

“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?”

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862);
naturalist, author, philosopher

An old but still relevant letter to Mr. Ban Ki-moon Secretary General of the UNO

H’able Mr. Ban Ki-moon,

Secretary General,

United Nations Organisation,

New York,

U.S.A.

Dear Sir,

Your statement ( at the Major Economies Forum. L’ Aquila, Italy, on 9 July 2009. ) that we stand at a historical crossroads. Business as usual is no longer viable, has motivated me for this writing. I am convinced that the secret of future world peace, lies to a very large extent, in the total re-building of Pakistan, on the same model on which Japan was re-built after WW II.

However, this help of Pakistan will require a very well planned & concerted long term commitment of the entire world, including all the neighboring countries.

One thing is for sure; Pakistan will never improve, develop & change with the current world policy of helping it through loans & aid plans. Mainly, because this model of help is riddled with corruption, inefficiency & the vested interests of the donor countries/agencies, wherein, up to 90% of the loan amount is wasted & the poor people are forced to pay back the loans with added interest, without getting any benefit. This breeds abject poverty to the extent that increasingly people here are committing suicides on daily basis, (although suicide is strictly prohibited in ISLAM) to get relief from their economic woes. This poverty phenomenon is being easily & increasingly exploited by the terrorist organizations.

We can easily understand how gradually & steadily this area is being pushed towards extremism by the poverty, which to a large extent, is the result of the current economic model of aid/development through loans.

Under the circumstances UNO under your dynamic leadership, is the most competent & relevant organization to develop a ten year re-building model for Pakistan, which must broadly include the following strategy.

Immediate writing off of the entire foreign & domestic loan of Pakistan.

Allowing 100% duty free imports of Pakistani goods in all the countries.

Revamping of entire Pakistani educational system on modern lines.

Providing of world class health care system.

Development of world class transportation infrastructure.

Focus for development on small & medium size industry.

Development of agriculture, livestock & dairy sectors on world standards.

Settlement of Kashmir, water, Siachin & all other issues between Pakistan & India.

Building of Maximum possible dams on the river system.

Development & exploration (as per world standards) of natural resources.

Development of wind energy to the maximum potential of the country.

Development of a modern Social Welfare set up.

It is hoped that the UNO will truly live up to the message of your above quoted statement & lead the world in attacking the menace of terrorism, directly at its roots i.e. abject poverty. Moreover, the above plan may not even cost more than two years war expenditure of NATO in Afghanistan.

Best Regards,

Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad
Lahore – Pakistan

Strength is the ability to withstand.

“When something bad happens you have three choices. You can let it define you, let it destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you.”

Unknown –

Mr. Imran Khan leaders never shy away from accepting the responsibility in their failures…!

People are getting greatly disillusioned with the leadership failure(s) of the PTI, with particular reference to the very disappointing performance of Mr. Pervaiz Khattak, CM KPK.

His blatant lie, about the DIKhan jail break incident that it was a “failure of intelligence” has proved to be the last nail in the coffin. Today, all the news papers of the country has exposed the incompetence of the CM KPK and his team, by revealing that the entire KPK government machinery was informed three days in advance, about the imminent attack on the DIKhan jail. Not only that, but the CM KPK’s shameless and blatant lie that this jail break was an “intelligence failure” was also thoroughly exposed.

Now the question is, who in the entire PTI is going to apologise firstly, with the intelligence agencies and secondly with the nation, for this demeaning statement of the KPK CM? Not accepting responsibility and not apologising gracefully is timidity. A timid person can be a ruler but he can never be a leader.

If I was Imran Khan, by now the CM KPK would have been dismissed, irrespective of the consequences of the fall of the KPK government.

Now a stage has come where even the credibility, image and reputation of Mr. Imran Khan is on stake, just because of this nincompoop KPK CM. If he fails to act today, it will be the end of his own credentials, as a leader, worth his salt.

Moreover, if Mr. Imran Khan fails to rise to the occasion now and immediately, PTI may well see the consequences of the leadership failure, in the results of the coming by-elections.

The proof of pudding lies in its eating.