The Prime Minister's Youth Program!

The Election of 11th May 2013 ended up leaving PMLN as the majority winner which resulted in Nawaz Sharif as the PM of Pakistan.  There were many promises made to the youth by PMLN for youth , are they fulfilling it or were they hollow slogans? Nawaz Sharif is well reputed for fulfilling what he commits so yes the promises to youth for productive Pakistan are being fulfilled. In accordance to that the PM has launched a Youth Program which is quite extensive and certainly helpful for youth and Pakistan. Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the honorary chairperson of the PM's Youth Program and the lady has been putting some hard work in it to make it a success. What is this extensive youth program and what does it focus on , summing up in one line as Maryam Nawaz Sharif has written in her "twitter bio" :

" PM's Youth Prog enables you to brave the challenges that lie ahead as we hand over the reins of your success to you"

The Prime Minister's Program for Youth has broad canvas of schemes enabling youth and poor segments of population to get good opportunities of employment, economic empowerment, acquiring skills needed for gainful employment , spreading use of computers and imparting on-the-job training for young graduates to improve the probability of getting a productive job. 

So basically this Youth Program includes six programs further:
1- Youth Business Loan
2- Youth Skills Development Scheme
3- Qarz-e-Hasana Scheme (Micro Interest Free Loans)
4- Scheme for Provision of Laptop
5- Scheme for Reimbursement of Fee of Students from the Less Developed Areas 
6- Youth Training Scheme

These six plans cover the majority of "youth" and will be provided to all segments let it be students , professionals , skilled labour or the young innovative entrepreneurs.

The PM's Youth Business loan is the talk of the town and is ready to be launched on 7th December. So what is it? Its one great opportunity for those employed or unemployed , educated or not but with a business idea so that they can kick off their own enterprise. The basic purpose of this all program and specially this business loan scheme is sustainable and productive economy through youth by channelising their energies right way! Merit is the priority in the scheme and it will be made transparent to ensure zero corruption! The PM is himself involved in this and wants it to make a success! SMEDA has also put in a great effort and is providing the pre feasibilties reports "free of cost". The govt is ready to hand you the loan if you can make your idea grow big and a true success. This scheme is going to promote startup culture in Pakistan and young entrepreneurs and hence mark the start of success stories of them!
Few intersting tweets about the program:

U got a business idea? If yes, then why is it still jst an idea when the PM's Youth Initiative is willing to give you upto 2 Million Rupees
— A (@adnanrasool) December 3, 2013

#PMYouthProgram actually targets the world's best human resource to utilize their skills in efficient manner with the government support.
— Nadeem Khan (@nad33mkhan) December 3, 2013

#PMYouthProgram > a step to empower the youth through rational schemes that will have micro / macro effects and built spin in / out bizns's
— F (@FaizPMLN) December 3, 2013

#PMYouthProgram http://t.co/IC1HijHdA6 <- link to the form for loan. SMEDA has the Pre-Feasibilities report up > http://t.co/Yyz3qSV05p .
— MT. (@MajidTamoor) November 28, 2013

If you hv a business plan n entrepreneurial skills thn #PMYouthProgram is opening new doors for you! #RoshanPakistan http://t.co/IVcDWRgl7F
— Adeela K. Zubair (@adeelaz) November 29, 2013

Best thing about #PMYouthProgram is along wth youth empowerment they are focusing on "women empowerment".50% loans for women! @MaryamNSharif
— MT (@PmlnDigital_MT) December 3, 2013

#PMYouthProgram | Not 100,000 Youth will benefit, but 100,000 Families will benefit from this. It'll spur Economic Activity.
— Tariq Vaid طارق وید (@Tariq_Vaid) December 3, 2013

Going through the website of #PMYouthProgram, I was amazed to know abt Youth Training, & Youth Skill Dev Schemes. http://t.co/AnGEqk454H
— Tahir Akbar (@Tahir_Akbar2) December 3, 2013

These tweets are from people from all walks of life ; a student , marketing professional, political anyalsts , bussinessmen , women and overseas Pakistanis! This programs success will be success of youth and a great victory for productive economy of Pakistan!

Happy Birthday youth leader Maryam Nawaz!

Maryam Nawaz Sharif  entered the town of politics just about 18 months ago and the lady got popular within passing days due to her activity on social media and then leading the campaign for her father in NA120 and visited other constituencies too which resulted in a marvellous victory for PMLN in Lahore.  Maryam Nawaz Sharif is the daughter of  PM Mian Nawaz Sharif and seems to be greatly inspired from her father and missions to carry his vision forward. For the last 16 years, she has been managing the Sharif Trust and the family’s philanthropic initiatives, which include a hospital, schools, and colleges. She is excited about becoming a working politician.Having met her and known her for about a time , she is one of the most kind and humble woman leader  instilled with great qualities she has inherited from her mother and father. I believe in calling her "Maa jaisi Maryam".

Her many interviews with urdu and english newspapers give a deep insight about her thinking and the volume of maturity speaks for itself. She wants to work on bills for Balochistan, across-the-board accountability, transparency in the wealth declarations of elected officials, affirmative action for women in the public sector, and improvement in Parliamentary performance through emphasis on research. She had been keeping a low profile about her ground activities and was trying to avoid the limelight of political stardom before the election campaign kicked off but I believe now is the time for her to come out and take the ignored party workers with her to work for a Roshan Pakistan..She has been offering great to PMLN and the Punjab government previously and looks forward to extend her services without any seat or designation further. She was involved with the strategy team meeting of PMLN and was supervising PMLN’s digital media team for elections. And for Punjab government previously and now, the PMLN-led Punjab government wants to see more women in public service through affirmative action, daycare facilities for working mothers, low-interest loans to entrepreneurs, more schools. Maryam Nawaz worked with other PMLN officers on the package as well as on the women-only Pink Bus scheme recently launched in the Punjab.

The lady has been kind to her people and the way she interacts on social media. Rather than sticking to the rhetoric politics and bad mouthing about other parties, she believes in promoting her party. Her mature approach towards her party’s decision and wishing the bitter “rival” Imran Khan , as the media says, good health after he fell off in a jalsa shows her capability of handling  sensitive matters in a rather a good way. She started to sitting at PMLN Secretariat at Lahore and led a tremendous campaign for PMLN in election and is addressing the issues of women,youth and old workers of the party! She believes in staying close to her people and says,

“I am for better Pakistan and shall take all along with my self”
She will be most probably also addressing the issues of NA120 from where Mian Nawaz Shairf is elected.

Have met her few time and hearing her deliver her speech at jalsas and events have been an absolute delight to the ears. When asked her about being debater as a student, I was surprised to hear that she was very shy in her school days! Her transition from a shy person to an excellent speaker is mainly due to the hardships faced over time by her and her family. People, criticized her for distributing laptops to the student on behalf of Punjab government without holding any formal position, forget that in what capacity was she exiled with her little kids from her own country, was she holding any position back then?

Maryam Nawaz's entry into politics was seen as a sign of optimism and she lived upto that expectation. Her astute understanding of the present challenges faced by our country and her eagerness to work for their correction and to bring about prominent changes and developments has brought hope to many people. Her presence in politics has filled a void in the present political scenario of Pakistan. I wish the lady best of luck for the future and advise her to carry on the way she has started.

On her birthday I wish her luck and success and hope she leads the youth towards better. Happy birthday Maryam Nawaz sahiba!

Majid Tamoor  (@MajidTamoor)

Let’s take Mubasher Lucman seriously!

14 June 2012 was perhaps the most shocking day for journalism and many anchors. The day when a few off cameras videos leaked .The whole situation was an alarming one and disappointing at the same time.The same media which was considered vibrant and a source of awareness among masses came out to be a tool of manipulation and misinformation. Nothing much was expected from Mubasher Lucman, Musharaf’s tenure minister, as he had previously indulged into yellow journalism and given signs of his affiliation with the third party. There was a rage on social media after the video leakage and many comments hurled under the videos. The whole essence of those comments can be summed up into few words; “We as a nation are betrayed”. Perhaps that day events helped me understand the meaning of an idiom “Money Talks”. It was clear that Mehar Bukhari and Mubasher Lucman were few of those want to be intellectuals who seek their questions from guests with obviously a bit cash under the table.

Time never stops and it keeps on rolling and doesn’t wait for anyone..Time passed away from 2012 to 2013 and Mubasher Lucman was kicked out of Dunya and is now settling money with Ary news..We as a nation have serious problem of tagging people who are once accused or even caught red handed. We need to move forward and take Mubasher Lucman seriously! I agree that he reports ill and lies onscreen and off screen true, spread lies and promotes some other forces agenda but now it’s time to move on! Let’s be a cricketers fanboys who take Mobi Lucman seriously and spread his wise intellect. Let’s forget Mubasher Lucman was playing a vital role through his show when democracy was being threatened by Tahir ul Qadri sb and putting stake the future of many generations, so what? Let’s move on! Oh I just completely forgot how the super journalist was mudslinging the Punjab’s govt Laptop scheme and when was sued over that well he backed off and tada back on screen, let’s move on! Now I hear Mubasher Lucman is again using his screen time to spread hatred against a party and pleasing the one who send him envelopes , so what? Let’s ignore and move on and promise to take seriously!

99 days of Government of Pakistan!

The 11th May elections ended in great hope and desire to see a better Pakistan under the team of Nawaz Sharif. Nawaz Sharif’s government has completed 99 days of it tenure and it seems there is a lot to tell before the government completes its century of days. So how did the days go? Has there been any progress? Are we heading in the right direction? Will Nawaz Sharif live up to our expectations? These Questions and many more are to be answered. So what basically I am writing is to find the answers and see if we are or we are not going in the right direction. To grasp the basic idea of what Pakistan is going through and have went through , the challenges and what has been done so far, see the video of man in the power telling us all:

There is no doubt that Pakistan is going through tough times which were worsened by the PPP’s led coalition. Nawaz Sharif looks the man with a plan who is determined to achieve. 99 days is a long time many say and want results, so what has been Nawaz Sharif’s government up to?

1. For the starters what I see as big achievement of Nawaz Sharif’s government is bringing the Baloch nationalist in the folds of “one nation” and making them realize their importance in the federation. It is always good to see all the divided parts as one and always helps in national building, so I give it to Mr Nawaz Sharif for doing that.
2. One of the most important issues that Nawaz Sharif led PMLN government facing is the severe energy crisis. People were and are blowing it out of proportion and are wrongly expecting it to be resolved within days.This is not going to happen although Nawaz Sharif has got this into his top priority and has plan for its but it will take time. What we can expect is that betterment and visible progress for its eradication. The performance is visible power generation gone up to 15000 megawatts from 8000 megawatts, also the highest amount of electricity to be produced in history of Pakistan. Also first time a major crackdown against power and energy theft started all over in Pakistan. Expect the energy crisis to be dusted within Nawaz Sharif’s government given his plans and how he wishes to execute them. Not to forget Pakistan also got its first energy policy within these 99 days of Nawaz Sharif as PM.
3. Heard of the circular debt? Nawaz Sharif’s government liquidated 500 billion circular-debts without printing money. Apart from this there has been an increase of 24percent in the tax revenue collection because of the government’s new tax policy. Trade and investment in Pakistan has been encouraged and is making a foot in Nawaz’s current regime. Nawaz’s this government is the first government to establish independent transparent commission to select CEOs of state owned enterprises which will result in competent heads of these institutions and eventually lead to a better economy.
4. The PM’s visit to China was a fruitful one and gave a clear sign the Pakistan is no more begging but talking about trade and investment with dignity. Agreement with China to build 2200 megawatts nuclear power plant and MOU to build 15 billion dollar Pakistan-China economic corridor are few of the successes from the visit and enough to hint at the successful ties of Pakistan with China. Apart from China investing here in Pakistan Yamaha has also decided to invest about 150 million dollars in Pakistan. Pakistan is also going to witness its first ever laptop assembling unit during Nawaz Sharif’s third term.
5. The government is also looking serious to resolve the education issues and initiated education emergency, the picture below speaks enough:  
   
   
   Not to forget an agreement with UK for 70 billion dollar investment in education sector which aims at revamp of educational structure to meet the global standards.
6. Security and issues regarding it has been a major concern in the past and still remain. For that first time political stake holders were engaged to resolve Karachi imbroglio and targeted operation has been started. Nawaz Sharif’s government became the first to abolish all secret funds except to national security agencies for security reasons, making sure that public money is used in public interest. Sadly it took about 65 years to devise national security policy and engage stake holders in it; Nawaz Sharif was the man that made it possible. APC regarding the most important terrorism issue and taking on board all major personals of political parties and national institutions like army and devising a plan without foreign intervention is also one of the successes.

All of this has been done and more is happening on the ground.  Railways is coming out of loss and becoming a profiting institution and competent people are included in the team of ministers to take Pakistan out of crisis and make it Roshan Pakistan. We the citizens should not lose hope and keep playing our role for a better Pakistan and support the government to do better than just sit back and criticize!

Results: Effort, expectations and disappointment!

Just a week before my birthday was the big day of my life, my CIE A Levels result day! 13^th August was the day when my family had sat down to rise with pride and honor for their son’s result. I had the burden of expectations which I had well carried off till that day. I let my family down who expected much but I crushed all their hopes. More than I have disappointed them, I have disappointed and let down my own self! I find it embarrassing and feel like crying in the agony of the pain I feel today and every day until I prove what I was what I am!  What does it take to have a good result? What defines a good result? Have I failed? The questions pop in my mind every day since I have had my disappointing result in my hand. But being disappointing is not the solution to get over my failures. A lot of self-realization and effort required to wash away the stains of failure.

We often try to blame others for our failure and make them the reason behind our fall. It has been so typical of us to bring in lame excuses to counter failure. It is our effort and hard work that determines whether we succeed or fail!  Unfortunately, I had not made any great effort to get what I had expected! I had an aim but just the aim. I wanted to get what I dreamt but didn't make the required effort, I only dreamt! We need to understand the difference between confidence and over confidence. Confidence arises with hard work, determination and self-belief whereas over confidence brews from the past performance and do nothing attitude! I was living in the delusional world all the time I was in A levels. I would see my O levels results and those “A” grades in that made me over confident and I took what was to come too casually! It was not like that I was not warned but I chose to ignore and let myself down.

“Every great man suffers a fall before he rises”, this is the line that many are telling me to boost myself so I can rise again and try! I am no great man and will never be if I continue the same way I have. But do grades tell how intelligent one is? I don’t know but this is what the world believes and this is how it works. Work hard, study with dedication and achieve. There is no shortcut and there is not more you can do. The guilt of not trying will haunt me till I succeed what I aimed for. I failed because I didn’t make the effort I didn’t try but dreamt! I have a smile of disappointment on my face trying to forget and striving for what I can do better but it is not easy to fake a smile when you know you have failed even if one succeeds in the future , not easy to get over with! Please don’t waste your time like I did, don’t waste the opportunities like I did! Live yourself and make yourself and your parents proud!

“No one fails if they learn from their failure; Life is about converting these failures into mega successes” MT

Pakistan and the man in power!

It has been more than 3 weeks now and elections are done! The parties have celebrated their victory and the others have been crying and may continue to on their defeat. We have to move on and take on the issues now. In this regard we are blessed that the PM-elect has already started working and looks quite aware and informed about the issues that need to be tackled. Let me put up this way he knows how to tackle them. Nawaz Sharif seems the man who has got the plans in his bag and is not going to be like the previous guys who realized the problem but failed to solve them. Nawaz Sharif’s party has come into power with a heavy mandate which should be accepted by all and the change mongers should admit the fact people didn’t buy their change but wanted the experienced guy in the hot seat! I like many feel Nawaz Sharif is the man for Pakistan and is going to steer Pakistan out of problems which at the moment seem countless. Why do I feel this? The reason is simple; Nawaz Sharif is a changed man now and is mature to take up to the big tasks ahead.

 Many on social media don’t realize how the government works or even the elections are conducted. To them who they vote should win and what they say should be done. They think shooting a drone is as simple as shooting in the sky. Diplomacy has to be followed and Nawaz Sharif has been widely praised by the international community. The government has yet not been formed but foreign investors and countries especially China have shown interest for investing in Pakistan just because of the reason Nawaz Sharif will be the man in charge. PM’s own reputation is also very important for working of the state.

One of the most important issues that Nawaz Sharif led PMLN government is going to face is the severe energy crisis. People are blowing it out of proportion and are wrongly expecting it to be resolved within days Nawaz Sharif takes control. This is not going to happen although Nawaz Sharif has got this into his top priority and has plan for its but it will take time. What we can expect is that betterment and visible progress for its eradication.  Expect the energy crisis to be dusted within Nawaz Sharif’s government given his plans and how he wishes to execute them.

The basic purpose of my writing this piece was not that to praise Nawaz Sharif but to make realize that people have elected him and there are reasons behind. Those whining and accusing of rigging are just losing the track of reality and should have come out of social media to the real world. Pakistan is going through hard times and we all are equally important as Nawaz Sharif as the PM for better working of the system and eventually a better Pakistan. We need to stop blaming and cursing the one in power and wish him luck and be supportive so we see a Pakistan that we dream of! Let’s be patriotic and all together say “Pakistan Zindabad”.  

The security crisis of Pakistan!

Elections are approaching and the security conditions of Pakistan are deteriorating too, making it hard for elections to happen. Pakistan is at war domestically and international some confrontation with Indians at border are not the best of the situations to manage the security but that doesn't mean that it can't be maintained. The PPP and coalition governments have miserably failed to provide people the security and sense of safety within the house too. The past few months have been hard for Pakistan and its people. All the provinces have been badly affected by the terrorists attacks and the role of government has also been exposed. Starting from Quetta (Alamdar rd) Blast to Karachi's Abbas town to Peshawar then Lahore! One needs to understand that people behind these attacks are not enemies of a certain area but whole of Pakistan! Talking about the individual cities and the role of provincial government to curb the situations , now :

1- Alamdar Road blast (Quetta, Balochistan)
Balochistan has always been a sensitive part of Pakistan because of the unstable conditions and the baloch nationalists but in the last few months it has been in news for completely different reasons. The blasts on Alamdar road against the Shia brethren have badly exposed the PPP led government's failure to provide the security and step up in difficult times. The first blast happened on 11 January 2013 and there was a grand sit in by the victims who refused to carry out the burial of those deceased. The PPP govt was not even sprint in their action then too. Took them about 2 days to react and impose Governor rule after the CM of Balochistan went missing enjoying his life. The questions raised at that time were , "Did the government know about these rising conflicts and situations?" . Yes the government might not have acted to provide security but knew everything what was happening. Nawaz Sharif leader of PMLN had already pointed about the situation back in April 2012 (Reference : http://tribune.com.pk/story/367159/nawaz-condemns-govts-failure-to-curb-sectarian-killings-in-quetta/) . But it PPP had alot more important things to do then provide security to people!
Even after the first blast nothing concrete was done by the government officials and the partying at Islamabad resumed after few days until the second blast happened in February at the same place claiming another 100 lives! PPP's clown minister Rehman Malik need to understand that holding others responsible for incidents wouldn't help them but they need to discharge their duties with honesty!

2- Abbas Town Blast (Karachi, Sindh)
Target killings in Karachi are a daily routine and Sindh government commitment to solve the issue is as good as never thinking about it! Sharmila Farouqi holds an important position in the government but doesn't give a damn about the law and order situation on Karachi and also makes fun of the invisible CM of Sindh! Target killings have scared the people and forced them to stay in their houses but they are not even safe in their own houses, thank the PPP-MQM alliance! The recent Abbas Town blast is a sad one indeed but the government's role is more depressing! Where was the security? Oh they were busy in providing the security to princess of Sindh Sharmila Farooqi's engagement VIP attendees and well the civilians can go die! The worst part is that exactly the after 2 days Karachi was shut down by armed unknown men and Sharmila Farooqi with her her sadistic wit tweeted:

Well this pretty much sums up the govt's seriousness in handling the situation! Its a sorry state!

3- Peshawar, KPK 
Taliban have been mainly concentrated in the province of KPK and it is their center of activity! KPK has been badly affected by Suicide bomb attacks ,drones and terrorists attacks! Senior minister of the govt. Bilour also lost his life in the battle against terrorism but sadly not much has been done since by the federal government and Mr. Rehman Malik seems to be happy with his performance as the Interior minister.
4- Lahore , Punjab
Punjab is the least affected province due to better security arrangements and a CM who presents himself voluntarily for accountabilityIt is PMLN’s Punjab government that has always remained proactive in curbing any sort of violence in the province that they rule. Punjab gov’t has always tried to solve the matters in a way that it doesn’t hurt anyone’s sentiments and it is a proof of maturity by the ruling party of the largest province of Pakistan. This maturity was displayed when the Young Doctors Association was on protest throughout Punjab and the opposition parties were trying to use them for their politics. It tested the patience of Punjab Government but CM Shehbaz Sharif’s government stood up to the task and solved the matter with utmost civility and that is why the leaders of the YDA Punjab were all praises for the CM when ended their protest.
Yesterday again, when suddenly a few violent fanatics entered the christian community town and started to burn their houses, it was Punjab government that acted with wisdom and maturity. They got all the houses evacuated first because they had reports of what was being cooked in the area. The people who were up on some mission broke into the area in thousands and started to burn the Christian houses in the area. Police tried their best to keep the things under control but the crowd was highly charged and religiously motivated. It was again the fruit of a democratic mindset that instead of making a huge fuss out of the matter, Punjab government requested the Imam of Badshahi Mosque to personally come and request the angry mob to lay their arms. Imam honored the request and his appearance pacified the mob as well.
Immediately the government machinery came into action and the Police officials who were on duty were suspended as it is the legal requirement before conducting an inquiry. More than 130 people have already been arrested who were seen in the TV footage and the rehabilitation process has already been started. Punjab government has announced 500,000 compensation for every affected family and 170 news houses are to be built by the government and the process has already been started.
 
For elections to happen these might not be the best conditions but these elections are important for Pakistan to chose and see for themselves who has served and who has only enjoyed the perks!