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Showing posts from 2021

Road safety and the race to being 'right-on-time'

I preferred travelling 400 miles from Islamabad to my village in DG Khan by car. The journey took around 12 hours when there were no motorways. Now it takes more like 8 hours. We used to do it in daytime for safety and better visibility. Roads were narrow, with lots of potholes and incoming traffic including carts, motorbikes and bicycles.  Sometimes, it was convenient to take a bus which usually ran in the night. Daewoo buses were thought of as a better service because, for the first time in Pakistan, they introduced a ‘hostess’ onboard who offered you a cold drinks and snacks. Some passengers saw them as a source of entertainment, starring at at them for timepass, or trying to be unduly friendly by offering their phone numbers or soliciting unwanted conversations. Others asked for many cup of coke or water just to make themselves feel pampered by a young lady. Some passenger even touched and groped them as they went past their seats in the aisle - yes that is sickening!  The...

Story of life and death: Two young men in Punjab

1. The young man being described is the video below is employed in the government emergency service Rescue 1122. He brings an infant to A&E in a hospital in small city in Punjab. The child appears to be unconscious, losing vital signs. The man is seen as trying his best to reach professional help to save this child's life. Doing his duty to the best of his abilities. 2. The other video [no longer available] is of a man who recorded himself before going on a killing spree in a small city in Punjab. He was upset about fellow Muslim giving up challenging those who are not on the right path, such as women driving cars! The clerics who preach peace and prayers (namaz) are mistaken and weak, he argued. He appeared upset with the justice system in the country, and about being laughed at for preaching Islam.  He talked about his contempt for this worldly life and his faith for a reward in heavens for what he is about to do.  After uploading the video, he went to the local bazaar w...