Going for coal?

Published in Dawn
THIS is apropos of Khurshid Anwer’s letter, ‘Coke the coal’ (Dec 23), in which he raised apprehensions on the use of coal for producing electricity.

I strongly agree with the writer’s ideas. Indeed, the menaces of global warning and pollution are getting uncontrollable and are slipping out of the hands of man.

In such fragile conditions, the thought of using coal, one of the chief contributors to the problems of pollution and global warning, would increase the vulnerability of the mighty challenge our planet is facing today.

But just because we are facing energy shortfall does not mean that we can endanger the stability of the planet as a whole. Why coal, when we have much better and safer alternatives available at home.

Fortunately, nature has bestowed us with mighty rivers capable of producing endless electricity, a vast coastline gifted with the treasure of wind power and an everlasting potential of solar energy. These, if utilised properly, can produce energy sufficient for both our present and future needs. Therefore, if we have to make this planet a happy place, we should opt for safe and environment-friendly energy resources.
DAWN Sunday, 27 Dec, 2009

When life is History

Published in Daily The Nation
Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal is one of the most written about poets of Urdu. However, an authentic and reliable biography of Iqbal took a long time to appear. ‘Hayat-e-Iqbal’ was the first ever book on Iqbal, which appeared in 1938. After that, no year went by with out new books and articles on Iqbal being published. All these books provide the scholars with good source material but the need for a detailed and authentic biography of Iqbal was badly felt. Dr Javed Iqbal’s Zinda Rood, first published in 1984, filled this gap and is regarded as the most authentic biography of the poet-philosopher.

Recently, a fourth edition was published. Dr Javed Iqbal, being his son, was in a unique position to take advantage of all the original sources necessary to carry out an authentic research on Iqbal. This is the reason that Zinda Rood is by far the best biography of Iqbal to date.

According to the famous Iqbal scholar Professor Rafiuddin Hashmi, “Dr Javed Iqbal has very capably fulfilled his responsibilities as a biographer in Zinda Rood, which is a balanced and objective biography that describes all the aspects of Iqbal’s life in detail.

It makes you feel that Iqbal’s life was that of a great man”. If we want to take our country out of its present dire challenges, we would have to understand and follow the teachings of Iqbal. Zinda Rood is the best book to understand his teachings. One hopes that Dr Javed Iqbal would bring out a fifth revised edition with some more additions to this valuable book soon.

Daily The Nation
Published: November 12, 2009

http://www.nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Opinions/Letters/12-Dec-2009/When-life-is-history

Textile Policy

Published in Dawn
The first ever national textile policy announced by the Government to fix the ailing industry and lift dwindling exports is a stitch very much in time.

The most important thing about this policy is that it has been developed after taking all stake holders into confidence, which is why it has been applauded by all.

Textiles, the major export of Pakistan which contributes a lion’s share in our gross domestic product, has been declining for internal as well as external reasons.

Therefore, there was a dire need on the part of the Government to save this industry as it is considered as oxygen for our economy.

However, this policy will be instrumental only if it is implemented in letter and spirit with the same zeal and zest with which it has been formulated.
Dawn
Thursday, 20 Aug, 2009