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Discrimination among Pokhtoons and Non-Pokhtoons
According to press reports, the honourable Chief
Minister Pokhtoonkhwa has directed that all Pokhtoon youth of
Malakand division should be given one-year relaxation in upper age
limit for Government employment. He directed that Non-Pokhtonns or
Chitrali youth of Malakand division should not and will never be
given age relaxation, because they are not Pokhtoons and they do
not deserve any favour meant for Pokhtoon population. This is first
drop of rain in the series of discrimination on the basis of
language in Khyber Pokhtoonkhwa. The Chief Minister Khyber
Pokhtoonkhwa will issue more directives of this nature in near
future. Infact this is the worst time for Non-Pakhtoons in Khyber
Pokhtoonkhwa. Myself being a Pokhtoon businessmen and settler in
Chitral for the last 95 years, I am bilingual speaking Pashto as
well as Khowar, I consider it discriminatory if my brothers from
Chitral are deprived of age relaxation just for being Chitrali
which is by no means a fault on their part. I hope the worthy Chief
Minister of Khyber Pokhtoonkhwa revises his earlier directive and
includes the district of Chitral in the age relaxation package.
Bashir Hussain Azad,
Chitral
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The Strong Weapon of Forgiveness
That certain naked and frightened girl turned 37
running unclothed through the highway. This image, that perpetrated
the horrors of the Vietnam War, has appeared thousands of times
throughout the entire Media, especially throughout all television
networks. The girl, Kin Phuc, is today’s UNESCO Ambassador and
manages a foundation that aids children who have become victims of
war and violence.
Far away are the 17 operations that treated her
Napalm acquired burns in 65 percent of her diminutive body. Nick Ut,
author of the 1973 Pulitzer Prize winning image, took her to the
policlinic and saved her life. She remained hospitalized for 14
months.
She would faint every time the nurses would
place her in the tub and would cut off her dead skin. However, she
did not die. “Inside of me – she’d say - there was a strong little
girl that wanted to live. I overcame everything thanks to the love
of my family and of God”. One of the lessons learnt from this
experience has been to ask for forgiveness. When she first read
Jesus’ words “love your enemies”, she did not know how to do it.
She thought it would be impossible. “I had to pray a lot and it was
not easy. But in the end I did it”.
In 1996 she met one of the pilots that had
participated in the bombing of her town. She forgave him because,
she assures, “forgiveness stronger than whatever weapon in the
world”. She is convinced that her life is a symbol of forgiveness
and hope.
Forgiveness ennobles the spirit.
“One forgives just as much as one loves. On the contrary, vengeance
gets rid of peace. According to “In the Solitude of Silence”,
forgiveness, the magnanimity and oblivion of offenses, is the best
way to live in peace”. (translated by Gianna A. Sanchez-Moretti)
Clemente Ferrer
Spain.
Author and journalist Clemente Ferrer has led a distinguished
career in Spain in the fields of publicity and press relations. He
is currently President of the European Institute of Marketing.
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