Archive for January, 2009

On-Air: Friday, January 30, 2009 {7PM, 3AM, 12PM (PST)}

I went to spend the day with the first successfully tested model of trained emergency service in Pakistan: Rescue 1122 of Punjab! Not only is Punjab the only province to have implemented an emergency service for proper management of emergencies such as fires, building collapses, road traffic accidents, explosions, hazardous material incidents and disasters,  it has effectively strengthened its limited capacity to deal with emergencies which have long been putting the lives and properties of citizens at risk in Pakistan.

One might assume that the system in place would be of random intervention in a haphazard manner, only reinforcing failures. Ah ha! The same was avoided by the Punjab Government through a pilot project launch in 2004 which proved successful beyond belief. Today Punjab Emergency Service (Rescue 1122) is established in all major cities of Punjab, including Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan, D.G Khan, Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Rahim Yar Khan, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Sargodha and Murree. The goal is to cover all districts of Punjab by the end of this year, inshAllah.

My time was spent observing and evaluating the system for its preparedness, response and prevention capacity. Given that trained emergency paramedics, ambulance, rescue and fire services were virtually non-existent in the past, I was pleasantly surprised by the efficiency, coordination and control that Rescue 1122 displayed. Their average 7 minute response time coupled with a highly skilled task force enables them to ensure their goal of developing safer communities - something which we all should aspire for. I visited their human resource training camp - which included intense mental and physical exercises, complete with theoretical and practical training to prepare the rescue workers for all possible situations.

I recommended they expand basic training to school and university students and urged all Pakistanis to consider a career in emergency relief services - think of how rewarding such a job would be.

The highlight of my day was taking a 100 Meter Fall - which left me both breathless and with a newfound respect for our rescue workers - Nai Rahain salutes these unsung heroes of our nation!

On-Air: Thursday, January 29, 2009 {7PM, 3AM, 12PM (PST)}

What to make of a law that aspires to break free from senseless spending and pretentious extravagances under societal pressures? One would think it would be extremely popular with the masses. Why then is the law of one-dish at weddings met with so many petitions filed in high courts and supreme courts against it? Agreed the “Marriage Functions (prohibition of Ostentatious and Wasteful Expenses) Ordinance implemented in 1997 was slightly rigid in restricting wedding functions to only hot/cold drinks and insensible in dictating the number of guests allowed at weddings (not to exceed 300). However, the law, re-implemented in 2008 in Punjab (with the return of the Sharif brothers) and still unobserved in other provinces, has become much more flexible. {The Marriage Functions (Prohibition of Ostentatious and Wasteful Expenses) Ordinance 2000 under which the Punjab government is allowing only one-dish at wedding parties (one dish includes “one curry/salan, with rice and bread/roti and one sweet dish”)}. Today when Pakistan is experiencing an economic meltdown coupled with increasing global food costs (150% price hike of rice in the past year, shortage of flour etc.) this law has come as a blessing in disguise for middle and lower class Pakistanis. One might argue why the need of such desperate measures in a country where Eid and weddings are the only two times of rejoicing, the latter being grand, ostentatious, and lavish cultural events. However, one must understand the societal pressures and expectations which drive the poor to bury themselves under debt just to please and appease relatives and in laws. Weddings are a matter of prestige in our part of the world, cutting across class spectrum in this largely impoverished country of 160 million people, where the World Bank estimates per capita income is $800 a year. In the wake of this law how are caterers, poultry farm owners and marriage hall owners faring? People come up with newer ways everyday to serve lavish wedding dinners, whether by calling guests at home after the functions, having friends ‘host’ dinners, labeling it ‘aqeeqa’ or ‘birthdays’ etc. Information Secretary Nayyar Mahmood said the government will rely on anyone from police to snoopy neighbors to report violators, who risk fines of 100,000 to 300,000 rupees ($1,430 to $4,285) and confiscation of the food. The implementation of this law is questionable to date, including the actions and scope of the police - whereas the police are not allowed to raid private properties they are nonetheless suspended if authorities find out the law was breached (two SHOs were suspended on 23^rd of December 2008 from service for not enforcing the ban on lavish wedding parties in Lahore).

I spoke to a representative of PML (N) - the party which introduced and re-implemented this law, a caterer, a marriage hall owner, DCO Lahore, and a religious scholar. The Islamic scholar put it beautifully, in that Islam preaches never going to the extent where one feels weighed down or compromised.

On-Air: Wednesday, January 28 {7PM, 3AM, 12PM (PST)}

Women’s representation in the political landscape of Pakistan has been a subject of much debate. Today when women are seen more than ever in Pakistan’s political arena, one strives to understand what role they play in overcoming the crisis faced by the nation - are they mere spectators in their parties and assemblies or vocal participants in designing and shaping the policies and administration of the country? Today not only are we confronted with unsettling political instability, escalating extremism and terrorism, economic meltdown but also extremely fragile foreign relations. I invited Pakistan’s leading female parliamentarians, each representing her party: Pakistan Peoples Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), Awami National Party, Pakistan Muslim League (Quaid), and Jamat-e-Islami.

The 5 ladies were asked what role they played in rising above party politics and proposing solutions to overcome national issues. Representatives from the opposition were critical in the debate for they should ideally be offering an alternate government but are they busy doing that or burning the midnight oil in destabilizing the current government? The women were asked if they were recommending developmental packages to be introduced in Swat and FATA, to overcome the psychological damage, post traumatic stress disorders, premature births, and emotional complications in the local residents of these areas. Also, whether they had looked into the contents of the Shariah Regulation proposed to the central government to check if there were any clauses which exploited women’s rights or violated basic human rights. Where men might lose focus in the power struggle amidst the quickly dissolving coalition government are women brining the desperately needed sensitivity and direction to the table?

It was disheartening to see the female parliamentarians being unable to detach themselves from their respective party mandates and politics. It seemed they were unable to speak in the capacity of being a woman with the opportunities and power to bring change in a country riddled with innumerable problems.

All this and more in a heated debate where one out of five female parliamentarians was honest and candid enough to admit that maybe she wasn’t doing all that she could be…

Mulaqatein: Intimate and candid meetings with Pakistan’s top politicians, celebrities and prominent personalities. The mercilessly witty, astute and insightful Meher Bokhari will meet one-on-one with the top notches of the country, greeting the long resting skeletons in their cupboards, coughing up facts and unveiling the real people behind the personalities. The interviews will be conducted in a lighthearted yet blunt manner where sarcasm, humor and undeniable facts will play an integral part in bringing to light the guests’ current projects and personal lives.     

Timings:

Saturday Evenings, 8:05PM

Monday Evenings, 4:05PM

Till a new folder is created for this show, feel free to leave comments/feedback here. Thank you!

On-Air: Friday, January 23, 2009 {7PM, 3AM, 12PM (PST)}

In times of great political and economic uncertainly, it is more crucial than ever to invest in personal development and growth. Pakistan seems to be going through a rough patch where security at all levels is an issue: personal security, job security, social security, etc.  Success, although relative, is an aspiration of all individuals. I invited two phenomenal individuals {Andaleeb Abbas (CEO Franklin and Covey) and Abid Khari (Team Leader Positive Pakistan)} to both guide and inspire us as to what success really is and how to achieve it. Here is something I noted down for all of us:

7 Factors of Success:

1. Be Proactive not Reactive (know what you want and how to get it, instead of wasting your energies elsewhere)

2. Begin with the End (everything must begin with a vision, a target in mind, e.g. you only book a flight once you know what destination you want to reach)

3. Put first things first (it is essential to prioritize to lead a well-balanced and successful life - whether its work or family, you must know the order of significance of everything you do)

4. Think Win-Win (a big mistake people make all the time, is believing that they can win only if another looses, whether it’s another team member or a boss etc. When one thinks Win-Lose, they end up channelizing their efforts and energy in making the other person lose, and the result is that both lose- a Lose-Lose situation. Thus it is imperative to think Win-Win)

5. Seek first to Understand and then to be Understood (take time out to understand and know your co-workers, partner etc. The better you understand and analyze them, the more successful you will be in getting your work done…Being heard out or understood should be secondary to understanding your environment) 

6. Synergize (the beauty of this world lies in the fact that its diverse, so is a workplace…with all kinds of individuals, with all kinds of work habits and perspectives. Instead of perceing differences as negative, celebrate your differences and synergize: something you and I create together will be more powerful and impactful than what you alone can achieve - realize this)

7. Sharpen the Saw (mentally, emotionally, spiritually and physically nourish and empower yourself. Only after doing so will you truly understand what you want to achieve in life and where you want to be: the clearer the goal the better chances of you achieving it…and for that you must sharpen the saw!)

Another great tip for thriving at the workplace is to always remember to be at all time Professionaly Sound/Productive (at the end of the day your work speaks for itself), Socially Ept (inter-personal skills and social bonds at work can take a person a long way), Politically Correct (ideally all office politics should be avoided but realistically one must always aspire to be politically correct and never be quoted otherwise) – this is known as the general rule of PSP, which as working-individuals we should always keep in mind!

For more, stay tuned for the online version of the episode!