A Two-Way Street
Although the hiring manager clearly has the upper hand in most interview situations, that doesn’t mean that he or she should be the only one asking questions. According to Tony Beshara, author of Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions that Will Get You the Job, the best interviews are more like lively back-and-forth discussions than one-way interrogations.

By preparing and posing a few pointed questions of your own over the course of the interview, you’ll be able to accomplish two important tasks. First, you’ll highlight your ability to think on your feet, respond to emerging situations, and analyze information quickly. Second, and perhaps most importantly, the right questions will allow you to get a better sense of what it’s like to work for the company – and help you figure out if the position is right for you.

What Should You Ask?
The questions you pose to the hiring manager should include queries you have prepared in advance of the interview, as well as follow-ups relating to topics that come up over the course of the discussion itself. Use these tips and techniques to craft questions that will help you succeed in your next interview. Avoid the obvious. Although you can definitely boost your profile by posing the right kind of questions, not every query will score points. Don’t ask questions to which you already know the answer, or that you should have been able to find out on your own with a little pre-interview research.

Involve the interviewer
Rather than focusing solely on the company as a whole, personalize your questions by targeting the interviewer’s experience with the team. Ask the hiring manager to recount favorite experiences or to discuss the company’s main strengths and challenges.

Delve deeper.
Try to formulate in-depth questions that showcase your analytical ability. Take the information the interviewer provides and use it as a jumping-off point to move towards a deeper understanding of the issues at hand. Rather than responding with surface-level questions, kick things up a notch, focusing on more complex queries that begin with words such as “how” or “why.” Even when you’re asking pointed questions, there’s no need to submit

Put a positive spin on things
your interviewer to the third degree. It’s important to come across as enthusiastic and optimistic about the
position and the company’s prospects, even when you’re digging deep for more information. If the company is facing tough market conditions or stiff competition, ask about these challenges in a way that conveys your confidence in the organization’s ability to thrive in even the grimmest of circumstances.

End with a call to action
After you’ve put a number of in-depth, intelligent questions to your interviewer, your last question should always focus on the next steps in the h iring process. Ask about the schedule for making a decision, or whether you can provide any additional information. It’s always to your advantage to leave the interview with a clear understanding of what comes next, so take this opportunity to ask a few questions about the way that the process will unfold. By posing a few questions of your own in your next interview, you can showcase your analytical skills and uncover new insights about the company and the position. If you want to land your dream job, all you have to do is ask!

Imran Khan is evading arrest for the second time in less than 18 months. He is accustomed to living in seclusion in his political innings ever since his first shot to power was damaged by personal scandal in the winter of discontent, 1997. Between March 2007 and 2009, the Cricket Casanova-turned-combative democrat has burnt his fingers like a child to claim his ultimate object–restoration of independent judiciary, and of all, unconditional reinstatement of deposed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary.

Pakistani authorities, at the best of ruling PPP government, are raiding offices and premises and residences of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers, harassing them to find out the whereabouts about the supreme leader of Pakistan Movement for Justice party. Believe it or not, Imran’s battle cry for bringing back Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary has galvanized youths of Pakistan on its street like never before, and the world is
watching the drama with naked eyes.

Imran Khan is suffering another bout of struggle and sacrifice to force rule of law in the embattled country. He is training his guns on March 16 sit-in at the Constitution Avenue to take the battle for Independence of judiciary to its logical conclusion.

Tedd Kennedy, elder brother of John Kennedy once said, America is an idea shaped in the turbulence of revolution, then given formal structure in a constitution.

Imran Khan is pulling all stops to pull off a spectacular victory of reason and hope in the final push. Imran Khan has become inspiration for youth of Pakistan and they are looking to him for echoing phrase of “CHANGE” in Pakistan.

Picture of Imran Khan from the album of Frank Huzur, Imran Khan's official biographer at Zaman Park Home, Lahore

“When Asif Zardari says that the people don’t want Chief Justice (Iftikhar Choudhary), what he means is that he doesn’t want him, “He cannot afford an independent judge who cannot be controlled,”

said Khan, who went into hiding after his house was raided by authorities to arrest him.

He is founder of the Movement for Justice Party. Referring to the opinion polls held inside Pakistan, Khan said all of them have reflected that over 70 per cent of people want the Chief Justice to be reinstated.

“This will decide where does Pakistan go and this chief justice has to be reinstated for us to become a proper democratic system with rule of law,” he said. Khan said the way the Zardari government is handling the situation, it might end up into violence.

I was in fact invited by esteemed Ajeet Cour to attend this Festival; unfortunately my prior commitment did not allow me to be on this event. I sincerely appreciate her efforts for organizing this event for only artists and writers can play role in diffusing tensions in SAARC region. In this regard i am really grateful to Mr. Frank Huzur who played a positive role in conducting this interview.

Profile: Ajeet Cour was born on November 16, 1934 in Lahore, Pakistan. Having begun her writing career as a romantic, she has matured into a realist. Her short stories portray the unequal situation of women in human relationships, suffering from under-privileged positions in relation with their husbands and lovers. Throughout her works she projects a woman’s failure to find a home instead of merely a house.

More recently Ajeet Cour has emerged as a crusader for women’s issues in perceptive columns displaying a courage of convictions. Readers eagerly look forward to her reportage of cultural events. She has many awards to her credit including Shiromani Sahitkar Award, 1979; International IATA Award, 1984; Sahitya Akademi Award, 1985; Bharatiya Bhasha Parishad Award, 1989; Punjabi Sahita Sabha Award, 1989. At present she is chairperson, Academy of Fine Arts and Literature, New Delhi. The Library of Congress has twenty-one works of her in its collection.

Lets discover what she bears in her heart and head:

How does it feel to orgainse a literature festival of writers of SAARC region in the aftermath of Mumbai terror attacks?

Ajeet Cour: The tragic incidents of unprecedented horror in Bombay have pushed all of us in the creative fraternity, particularly the sensitive fiction writers and poets, artists and academics, social philosophers and peace activists and journalists of both Pakistan and India, in deep depression. There was unbelievable outpouring of anger and hatred, first against our own government followed by contempt against our immediate neighbour. But I honesty feel that when the river is in flood, and the winds are howling, blowing in the opposite direction, that is the time for creative and sensitive people to hold hands and swim against the current. Writers have been putting their pen to paper against terrorism in Great Britain and the USA. Penning protest literature against the cancerous menace in Saarc societies has never been felt more than now.

We feel all of us the creative fraternity of the neighbouring countries, should put in more effort, be more genuinely aware of the turbulences, and should own our responsibility to have serious deliberations about the issues of fundamentalism and terrorism, and recognise the evil design of forces, which manufacture terrorism.

At a time when public sentiment is hostile towards Pakistan, how difficult and challenging it is to convince authors, poets and artists of Pakistan to participate in the 29th SAARC Festival of Liteature?

Ajeet Cour: It has been difficult and challenging task to engage authors and poets from Pakistan, as much as it has been to convince writers and poets in India to explore the ground of solidarity and engagement. At the outset itself I made it clear to participants from Pakistan that we are meeting to talk peace and hold each other in tight embrace of friendship and conviviality and that Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature will not allow debates and discussions on contentious issues like Kashmir. However, some intellectuals from Pakistan and India took strong exception to my peace pilgrimage in guise of literary debates and wrote to me in protest. I have been forthright in my conviction that contentious issues should be left for politicians to rant and rave about. Writers have unique opportunity to rise above narrow, partisan considerations. It’s high time we seize the historic moment and raise our voice against common enemy of terrorism.

Why did you choose Agra, the city of Taj Mahal (one of seven wonders of the world) as a venue for the festival?

Ajeet Cour: The city of Taj Mahal, Agra, was on my mind for quite some time. I conceived the festival of literature in Agra before mind-numbing terror attacks on Bombay. Since the Bombay attacks have acquired symbolic value for ghastly targeting of heritage hotel like Taj, the venue of Agra acquires more resonance in these times. I am confident the city of Taj will send out the larger message of peace and justice. Peace and justice is the final end of our battles in life. Those who are abandoning non-violence are not only bypassing history, they are freezing and betraying history. The history of Saarc countries has been a history of peace and justice. Writers are coming together to drive home this message hard and fast.

You are organizing writers’ meet of SAARC countries since 1987. What has been, according to you until today, the greatest achievement of your Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature?

Ajeet Cour: Since April 28-30, 1987, I have been working tirelessly with total devotion and commitment. It was the first-ever revolutionary endeavour for cultural connectivity with neighbouring Saarc countries. Until then, writers from Pakistan had found it enormously difficult to get even visa. I ran from pillar to post in the Ministry of External Affairs, convincing recalcitrant minds to allow for the first-ever Indo-Pak Writers Conference. Writers from Pakistan set foot on Indian soil for the first time since the partition of the country in 1947 for the first ever Indo-Pak Writers Conference. My endeavour gradually bore fruits and I succeeded in organizing the first-ever SAARC Writers Conference in April 2000. Now, Foundation of Saarc Writers and Literature is honoured with the unique status of SAARC Apex Body, with exclusive mandate to use the acronym SAARC and the SAARC Logo for all its activities connected with writers and literature, and culture-oriented programmes in all eight SAARC countries. In 1999, I reached out to the writers, scholars, academics, journalists and artists of Afghanistan. Last year in 2008, I have begun to invite writers and poets from Myanmar, too.

India is hosting quite a great number of literary festivals, of late. Jaipur Festival is another one, attracting writers from far and wide. How different would be SAARC Festival of Literature from Jaipur Festival?

Ajeet Cour: Frequency of hosting festival of all hues, cultural and literary, has of course reached new high in recent decade. Festival always make us more wiser. However, I would like to make it clear Jaipur Literature Festival is different from SAARC Festival in its scope and dimensions. The Jaipur Lit. Fest enjoys unprecedented corporate sponsorship, and it is more of a carnival of contemporary literature in English. SAARC Festival, over the years, has given maximum significance to literature in regional languages, literature of the marginalized and those living on the fringe of society. Besides, Foswal festival accords priority to vanishing arts form, folk tales and young writers.

How do you look up to the Government of India in organizing the festival? In these times of terror-stricken streets, how has Government of India responded to your literary initiatives?
Ajeet Cour:—————

You are an eminent fiction writer, by all standards, acclaimed in not only SAARC countries, but also far and wide through translations of your seminal works in Punjabi. Do you go by certain benchmark in promoting writers in the SAARC region?

Ajeet Cour: Like I said earlier, my focus, unflinching focus is to provide platform for writers and scholars, poets and academics, journalists and artists, peace and human rights activists, visual and performing artists, publishers and the literary minds, playwrights and translators of the SAARC region to interact freely with their contemporary neighbouring creative and intellectual fraternity, discussing issues connected with the written word, with history and historical memories, with the anguish of exiles and homelessness, with rootlessness which makes us outsiders, with understanding and respecting the otherness of the others, sharing their common concerns with poverty, illiteracy and hunger, with terror and fundamentalism, with saving the sanctity of the written word, with the marginalized in literature like dalits and ‘Adivasis’: the people with centuries-old oral literature, with the urgent need for peace and tranquility in the region.

You have been popular for your creative affinity with former Indian Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh. With his passing away in evening of 26th of November, how do you look back at his legacy and his contributions to your literary and peace initiatives?

Ajeet Cour: The passing away of V.P.Singh left me grief-stricken, tragedy struck me deep within, for it was not an ordinary loss. He was a poet and painter first to me and my painter daughter Arpana Caur. Ever since the inception of Foswal, he was passionately associated with the dream of Foswal. We fought shoulder to shoulder for the rights of displaced, marginalized and tribal. The news of his death in the evening of 26th November 2008 was a bolt from the blue. That it coincided with the deadliest terror attacks on Indian soil, Bombay, further compounded my woes. The Indian media, especially television channels, virtually ignored the news, giving precedence to TRP-boosting hysterical coverage of the terror attacks.

You are hailed as an enthusiastic promoter of young writers of all genres. Are you satisfied with themes and subjects New Age writers are taking up in their literature?

Ajeet Cour: There is a saying in youth we learn; in age we understand. An Irish proverb says praise youth and it will prosper. I am a firm believer in promotion of young writers. In each Festival of literature, I make humble efforts to discover young talents in the Saarc countries. Young writers are dealing into a wide range of themes, though, majority of them are fascinated by exotic themes. I only urge them, exhort them not to forget their roots, for in their roots and civlisational links are buried myriad sources of novel literature. I feel happy over the unprecedented success of young authors like Arvind Adiga and Basharat Peer. More importantly, both these success stories in modern literature are journalist-turned-author. They are setting a promising precedent for a vast crowd of young writers and journalists.

You are inviting writers to talk about their roles in soothing the troubled hearts in conflict zones. You yourself have written about your own experience of that terrorized decade in Punjab, speaking fearlessly about state terror, helping to bring cases of the Supreme Court even and the horrors of massacre of Sikhs in Delhi, Kanpur, and various other cities in 1984. Does conflict and turbulence bring out the best out of a writer?

Ajeet Cour: The age of turbulence has always stirred hearts and minds of sensitive souls. History is replete with scores of precedence when some of best narratives were woven in hours of monumental tragedy. Leo Tolstoy’s epic literature, War and Peace is a tribute to conflict and turbulence in Franco-Russian territory, just as Khushwant Singh’s A Train To Pakistan is a tribute to horrific events of partition. Literature itself is a war between emotion and intellect. Living in the age of terror and conflict does jolt our senses to think through the prism of death and devastation.

A question that left and i leave it for you to decide; can people from all walks of life think similar way?

Pakistan Times is thankful to all Indians and Pakistanis who took extra pain and spared time out of their schedules to make sole cause of Peace promotion within region; Team of Pakistan Times is confident that these interviews can create buzz on horizons of Internet.

Frank Huzur is a poet, playwright and a biographer. His stint in journalism has brought him to Pakistan on several times. In recent times, he has traveled to Pakistan, Lahore, Islamabad, Mianwali, in search of credible research and source about Imran Khan. He has just finished Imran Khan biography, that’s too an authorized biogrphy. For him it was quite a major breakthrough moment for an Indian writer like him writing a biography of a Pakistani politician. The news has been received with much enthusiasm and surprise. Imran Versus Imran-An Untold Story is now complete in writing. His publisher, Falcon & Falcon Books Ltd, London, is expecting to publish it in March.

He is also a creative consultant and joint editor with Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature. The Foswal, an apex body of SAARC, is the most active literary and cultural wing so far as building the bridge of peace and joy between different SAARC countries is concerned.

Editor: Who do you think is behind Mumbai Terrorist Attacks? Who were the Dakkan Mujahideen and groups like them?

Frank Huzur: Terrorism is a beast with seven heads and more than ten horns. The image is one of diversity at the front end and yet a deep satanic unity. Galileo, the much-cursed astronomer once said:

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them. For a plot hatched in hell, don’t expect angels for witnesses.

Mumbai massacre has also triggered a bouquet of its own conspiracy theory. Tragedy with me was that I was not present on the spot. I was holed up in my New Delhi home writing the Imran Khan manuscript. So, I was one more mute spectator to the sixty-hour long horrific drama beaming live into millions of drawing rooms through sky broadcasting. Investigation into the attacks so far are wheeling around the confessions of Ajmal Amir Qasab, the lone gunman captured alive, now in the custody of Mumbai police. His confessions reveal he hails from a village in Punjab Province of Pakistan. He admits he was trained for Jehad by Lashkar-e-Taiyba. Moreover, Intelligence officer from FBI have also questioned the young assassin. Only time will prove whether New Delhi claim is true or Islamabad is feigning innocence about implicit or explicit involvement of masterminds of terror now in house arrest in Pakistan.

I am a Pakistan observer and an Indian author. A poet or author or journalist away from the field of action will be the least qualified one to prove the truthfulness of claims of shadowy groups like Deccan Mujahideen or Indian Mujahideen. I am afraid some security experts, either in India or Pakistan, can give you better picture and help debunk the shards of canards scattered all over the place Mumbai to Mirpur. What New Delhi announces appears another dose of conspiracy theory to Islamabad. Walls of distrust and suspicion have returned to monstrous level, not witnessed in the past four years. In fact, one thing that I have noticed is that all of these conspiracy theories depend on the perpetrators being endlessly clever. I think you will find the facts also work if you assume everyone is endlessly stupid. Whoever is the executioner, be it LeT, Al Qaida or some Mujahideen, had its calculation sheet neatly balanced. There are pluses and minuses to be gathered from horror of such scale. The global war on terror has, at long last, reached the shores of India. Until now, Indians were not in the line of fire, for their assistance with the American war on terror in Iraq, Afghanistan and Waziristan was in non-combatant form. Now, New Delhi is hailed as the strategic ally of the USA, especially after consummation of Civil Nuclear Co-operation Agreement. The USA, too, has moved in swiftly to take India on the board, thereby, drawing much reluctant New Delhi into the morass of the Afghan war. Acts of tragedy of such horrendous scales wouldn’t be achieved unless the pyramid of terrorism and extremism is not counseled by top dog boys of sophisticated Intelligence apparatus and bankrolled by a caucus of bankers.

Editor: How these attacks effected Indian Minorities particularly Muslims?

Frank Huzur: Let me start by saying Indian Muslims are very angry and agitated. Never before did the community feel so much disdain and contempt for Pakistan as they have in store nowadays. Already, the community has been under tremendous strain in the aftermath of blast after blast in different Indian cities. Apparently after each of such acts of mass violence, Investigating agencies, which are predominantly Hindu in character, swoop on Muslim settlements across cities to present their prize-catch of culprits. A huge crowd of rational thinking media persons and Human Rights activists across the length and breadth of India, who are Hindu in name and origin, have confessed in open public discourse that to have a Muslim name in modern India invite swell of suspicion and fear.

Little wonder, Mumbai massacre has brought mountain of tragedy for Indian Muslims. Nearly quarter of those killed by the band of ten gunmen were Muslims, most of them hailing from average common economic background. Quite a few of them were eliminated while waiting to board train for their native places in province of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Nevertheless, every single Muslims is viewed with utmost suspicion and contempt. However, there are silver lining behind the dark clouds. The entire Muslim community of India condemned the attacks in one voice, millions of them in Mumbai wore black bands in collective hour of mourning on their arms. Muslim intellectuals condemned the attacks and vociferously supported tough action against those responsible for the trauma. Nearly all of them are unanimous in their belief that Pakistan government is sheltering the mastermind of terror attacks. If any community this attack was perpetrated against, it was Muslim community. Terrorists wanted to trigger massacre of Muslims in name of their dangerous designs— It is fasad, not Jihad, as terrorist like Qasab are singing about their missions.

Just as hundreds of Hindu women in Hyderabad of Sindh, Pakistan, hit the streets screaming slogans against Indian Government over pointing accusatory finger at their homeland-Pakistan for involvement in Mumbai massacre, hundreds of thousands of Muslims, not the least some super-stars and recognisable faces in Indian celebrity world of Bombay—hit the streets as band of angry protesters against the politicians and terrorists alike. Ironically, there were some motley group of militant Hindu boys in the same protest march who had banners in their hands, which said—Send all Indian Muslims to Pakistan! What a dramatic irony for a Muslim in these troubled times, and what a terrible strategy on part of those who are committing acts of terror in name of Islam and calling it Jihad. Indian Muslims have coined a new term, Fasad, to clothes such Jihadi terrorism. Though, the credit goes to India’s finest socio-political thinker M J Akbar to coin this term, Fasad.

Editor: Do the people of India want War?

Frank Huzur: Like I said, there never was a good war or bad peace. In war, fathers bury their sons and in peacetime, sons bury their fathers. People of India don’t vouch for war. However, a tiny minority of war mongers in Indian government and Opposition alike, aided and abetted by a considerable section of jingoistic media, prominently charged by visual media, is bundling all the fuge of provocation into the bag of dirty tricks. This is a very small crowd of agent provocateurs, which comes across as Islamophobic even during peacetime. Lashkar-e-Taiba repulsive acts have added huge hose of firewood in their hate-ideology. It’s the moment this belligerent section of Indian society, especially Hindu society of which upper caste Hindu constitute the vocal lot- don’t want to go waste. Only this very section invokes spirit of Israeli aggression against Palestinians, Gaza settlers, who are being pounded to scrap of dust once more. However, this very tragedy has its own set of exception and aberrations. There are quite a few Muslims ideologue and discourse maker too, who wants Indian government of Manmohan Singh to take harsh punitive measures against Islamabad.

Nevertheless, majority of Indians, 9 out of every 10 Indians, would not want Manomohan Singh-led UPA government to bomb Pakistan or carry out surgical strikes over terror camps. That Indians don’t want war was explicit in the mandate voters of Delhi delivered in favour of the Congress government. The Capital went to polls on 29th of November when entire country was in flames over Mumbai massacre. Each and every poll pundit predicted a clean sweep for the Hindu nationalist BJP, the principal rival and claimant for power at both state and Centre. To utter dismay and consternation of the BJP and to pleasant astonishment of the Congress itself, the Congress not only secured third successive term, it virtually trounced the BJP. The mood has changed across the country. Indians are angry at their political representatives more than they had been over Pakistan in recent past. They want accountability from Politicians. The BJP’s Hindu vs Muslim cards fell with deep thud on the ground. It came a cropper.

Editor: Do you think Indian media played immature role in agonizing Indian masses blaming Pakistan for these incidents; as a pressure building strategy for Indian Government to attack Pakistan?

Frank Huzur: To considerable extent, some news channels did go over the hill and indulged in silly broadcasting to jerk up their viewers’ rating. Indian television industry, especially broadcasting sector, is still in its infancy. Even Indian government has taken strong exception to the tone and tenor of broadcast. Nearly all the private channels have been rebuked for child-like exuberance. Indian print media, newspapers and magazine, however, didn’t put up any show of a spoiler, and have played out extremely responsible, mentoring role. You can’t do anything about such hate-mongering, either in India or Pakistan. Both countries have to learn to come to grip with larger issues and message of their violent outburst and highly partisan reporting. Especially for television channels, it was a great soap opera, a huge tunnel of opportunity in hours of gravest humanitarian crisis. Now, some television reporters are walking with their chest puffed up in public claiming they were screaming live from the foreground of Taj Mahal hotel. These acts of hysterical reporting has brought them a little tonic in this business of high visibility where reporters or editors don’t want to move out of swanky cushions of studio neon lights into far-flung pockets of rural India, where over 180,000 farmers have killed themselves for want of food crops and financial debt, as well as hundreds of thousands of them have been displaced by the spillover impact of ‘Shining India project’ as their farmlands were bought for throwaway prices to create ‘Special Economic Zones’.

Indian viewers, like electorate of India, are gullible, docile and comfort-loving. This class of about 400 million people have privilege of watching television on cable and dish set top boxes, and these are the people who determine the course of broadcasting. They want drama, however much of it, on small screen to titillate their basic and baser instincts. Mumbai attacks broadcasting was entertaining this very segment of Indian urban population, which has, of the past decade, started enjoying living in communal atmosphere. Although communal harmony and amity reigns supreme at the back of minds of this very highly vocal segment, it is yet easy to lit the spark of division, on caste, class and religious lines.

Editor: Few people in India believe that these attacks were planned to kill people like Hament Karkary who exposed the involvement of RAW in Samjhota incident; how do you see this?

Frank Huzur: Dreaming doesn’t cost a penny. There are, for sure, a huge segment of communal organisations, primarily some zealot, Jehadi Hindu militant groups, who were cursing this valiant and meritorious civil servant. Until his tragic killing in the shoot-out, he was an eyesore to the India’s largest Opposition party, Bhartiya Janta Party and some of its allies and affiliates, such as Shiv Sena in Maharashtra, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, radical Hindu parent organisation of the BJP, Bajrang Dal, a militant youth wing of RSS, and last but not the least, Abhinav Bharat, a surprise package among militant Hindu groups who target Muslims, Christians and vulnerable section among downtrodden Hindus who are on the brink of deserting the Hindu faith and embracing either Buddhism, which is a fad among Dalits of modern India or Islam or for that matter Christianity.

The conspiracy theory is still going around in certain segment, especially Muslims and Christians of India, the common masses on streets, do sniff sinister agenda at work. One Cabinet Minister, A R Antulay, in the Manmohan Singh government dared to question the circumstances of Hemant Karkare’s death on the floor of Parliament. He was demonised in Indian media, heckled by members of BJP in Parliament and was put to sword in his own party. He had to tender his resignation to Sonia Gandhi. No decision has been taken so far. Meanwhile, Antulay has somersaulted on his statement after assurance from the Interior Minister, P Chidambram. What is the assurance from the new Home Minister of India is known only to Antulay.

Indian media heaved a sigh of relief when the issue died down a chilling death. It would be difficult to establish whether there was a hidden force at the centre of Hemant’s and his colleagues’ death. Only posterity would enlighten us on this if there was a foul play. As of now, the UPA government, which didn’t tinker with Hemant Karkare’s investigation into terrorist cells of certain Hindu groups, has ruled out the possibility of conspiracy. Much of Indian street opinion has also turned its face away from this debate now.

Your suspicion about involvement of RAW-Indian external spy agency, into such attacks might be a little unfounded. The groups which have been apprehended have, however, succeeded in engaging a tiny minority of some officials of Indian Defence Services, they might have friends in Indian Intelligence apparatus, too. However, these groups have flourished with tacit support of certain political groups, who benefits out of their subversive, terrorist activities. Both Muslims and Hindus die in any single blast on Indian streets and bazaar.

Though Hemant Karkare was successful in busting the myth of home-borne terror outfits, his revelation into Malegaon blasts, where most of the victims were Muslims and slant reference to blasts in Samjhauta Express, with the shocking arrest of a serving colonel officer of Indian army, has, indeed, jolted the majority of Hindus out of slumber. It is a rude awakening for these vast sections of Indian Hindu electorate, who had been dulled into believing that all the terrorists are only Muslims. Which is why the BJP terror propaganda in the quick aftermath of 26 November attacks on Mumbai was given a dumb hearing by this segment.

Majority of Hindus in India, I would say 7 out of 10, are secular in their political belief and highly tolerant of other faiths, including Islam. They have been fooled in the past by hardline voices in the BJP and Shiv Sena, their awakening over the years has forced even the BJP to abandon its pet Hindutva agenda.

At end of the day, only candid investigation process can bring out the truth. Till then, Indian people will have to wait and watch how the investigation takes it logical course. The skeptics would certainly like to find out who was really behind Hemant Karkare’s assassination, terrorists who attacked Mumbai or homebound terror groups who were exposed by the Anti Terrorism Squad chief. Speculations are not suitable for such occasions until the investigation concludes. However, majority of Indians are convinced he was killed in the brushfire of terrorists, shooting indiscriminately at Victoria terminus.

Editor: Do you think India will go for War; how do you perceive two Nuclear powers fighting? How can it effect the world peace?

Frank Huzur: Henry Kissinger spoke about George W Bush after 9/11 in these words,

“I can think of no faster way to unite the American people behind George W Bush than a terrorist attack on an American target overseas. And, I believe George W Bush will quickly unite the American people through his foreign policy”.

Indian has missed the bus of waging war against Pakistan. Like Vir Sanghavi, a senior political commentator observed the other day, the round one of the present game of hide and seek between New Delhi and Islamabad has gone to Islamabad. If ever India has had a bright opportunity to bomb Pakistani targets, it was within the very first week of Mumbai massacre. Had New Delhi acted swiftly the way it ordered Commando action at the five star hotels under siege, the world would have been beholden to its aggression out of sympathy and commisseration in moment of collective grief. Not now! Indian foreign Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, only harped over his now famous one-liner, ‘all options open’, while the Indian Defence Minister A K Antony sang paen to no-war policy with Pakistan, what with Indian Prime Minister speaking about creating more pressure, diplomatic pressure over Pakistan.

Nuclear bomb has played its pivotal part in forcing deterrence over military escalations. Both sides would know the price of such escalations, which might devour the sensible approaches and fuel unintended nuclear strike like consequences. If ever, God forbid, anything like Nuclear war breaks out as Humphrey Hawkley predicts in his magnum opus fiction work, Dragon Fire, it would wipe out half the population of Indian sub-continent, blacken the white roses of historic Indus valley civilisation and blunt the ability of people of the region to challenge the easiest of challenges in daily life and time. It would trigger apocalypse, and Europe and America would be affected as much in size and scale of devastation and destruction.

In current scenario, nuclear strike look next to Impossible. However, frightening are future prospects of Islamist and Jehadi Hindus ruling over the both nations. Like some obscure American Intelligence reports speculates remanants of Al Qaeda and Taleban might achieve suitcase nuclear weapons in the next decade or so, if similar catch goes to other terror groups or ideology masquerading as democratic force in India, the future of Armageddon in Indus Valley does look gleaming bright. Such forces of doom should be resisted with full force of public opinion.

Editor: How do you see Kashmir issue should be resolve? Do you find any connection with current situation?

Frank Huzur: Kashmir has been hanging fire and it looks only President-elect Barrack Obama administration can cut the gordon knot. He has been beholden to the pestering wound of thousands of Kashmiris both across the divide. Promise in Obama’s tenure does look tantalising at the moment as he is determined to appoint a special envoy for India and Pakistan with an eye on cutting through the stalemate. However, it would be a difficult ask from anyone, whether Bill Clinton or anyone, to persuade New Delhi and Islamabad to concede grounds. Without concessions from either side, there is no solution in sight.

General Pervez Musharraf did promise with ‘out of box’ recipe. However, even he fell prey to populist posturings and ended up making the entire cause a favourite seminar obsession from Brussels to Delhi and Islamabad. Not much could be achieved also with inability of the New Delhi government, especially UPA government, to break the jinx for fear of conceding a votebank issue to rival Hindu party like the BJP. Courage and sacrifice would determine the resolution of Kashmir in future. As for any connection with current tangle, shadow of Kashmir does loom over terrorist activities like the one at Mumbai.

Lashark-e-Taiaba has proven record in fomenting secessionist violence in Jammu and Kashmir. The kind of hold-out-hostage-taking operation has been quite a Kashmir phenomenon, though on quite smaller scale. The target at Mumbai was chilling high and sophisticated in nature and scope. There were no public declaration of intent though. Nevertheless, Kashmir was not the only motivation for orchestration of such brazen acts of terror. It was aimed at the very heart of corporate India. Moreover, terrorists involved were not a single Kashmiri.

Editor: What Indian and Pakistani government should do on diplomatic levels?

Frank Huzur: Liberals become indignant when you question their patriotism, but simultaneously work overtime to give terrrorists a cushion for the next attack and laugh at dumb citizens who love their country and hate the enemy. Indian Prime Ministers is a liberal intelligentsia, an economist of much high reputation and conviction. Manmohan Singh stands to hear all such allegations from militant Hindu politicians and groups in India. Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also are liberals at hearts. They are trying to prove their liberal tendencies every other day in their national broadcast. Both governments are promising to move an inch ahead every other day. However, Indian government is deeply constrained over mounting public pressure. Elections for Parliament are only a next couple of months away. Indian government will be growing panicky by March if Islamabad doesn’t deliver on its promise of prosecuting masterminds of terror attacks or for that matter if Zardari government doesn’t hand over JeM chief Maulana Masood Azhar, New Delhi government will be more jittery facing electorate.

Cooperation should be the key word for both Capitals. So far, New Delhi government has not adopted tough stance on continuity of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Until the other day, when External Affairs ministry issued advisory for Indian public, asking them not to travel Pakistan in these times, Indian government had not upset the apple cart of people-to-people exchange. However, New Delhi is under immense pressure from hawkish elements in both media and opposition to discontinue the diplomatic relations. If New Delhi is not satisfied with the diplomatic success by March, its patience out of fear of losing Parliamentary elections might run out. March-April are very crucial for diplomacy watchers of India and Pakistan.

Editor: What do you think should be done to resolve the tensions between India and Pakistan?. What should be the role of Media in defusing tensions in South Asia?

Frank Huzur: Some veteran doves like Kuldeep Nayar are still, eternally optimistic. He is going full steam, whole hog with his people-to-people exchange programme, and will be hosting people from Lahore in Amritsar in the first week of January. People like me are also for more cultural and literary exchange. However, I would want to urge both government to increase the tempo of more and more bureaucratic, both civil and military, exchange between the two countries. Unless civil servants, who are policy makers, start meeting with each other in droves on regular intervals, much unlike foreign secretary-level or home-secretary level talk, wire of perennial tension between two nuclear powers of South Asia would be a pipe dream.

Media has to play a pivotal role in diffusion of ‘hate-thy-enemy’ propaganda. More than the government, media on both sides have to take a bow to ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude. Alas, these are only wishful proposition. Media is not an Independent entity in our part of the world. It is very much a cog in the wheel of market economy, which further influence the policy making of governments. It will find it extremely difficult to wriggle out of state-influenced propaganda. Media can only be independent in this region when each and every citizen, just like in the UK and USA (barring 9/11 paranoid American media) become a stakeholder in media broadcasting. Majority of people in India and Pakistan watch television for drama, fun and frolicking pleasure. Reading a newspaper is not a mass obsession.

In India alone, not more than 150 million out of one billion population subscribe to newspapers. Imagine, 850 million people are deprived or dispossessed enough to subscribe to newspapers. There is a collective antipathy among a huge crowd of people in claiming share in news enterprise result in unfair newscast, thus influencing the news broadcasting, results in media house dependence on government hand-outs or a tiny group of industrial houses. You can’t overlook the concern of your patron. This is a miserly picture of dependent media in Indian sub-continent.

Editor: What are you doing to promote peace?

Frank Huzur: I am a poet, playwright and a biographer. My stint in journalism has taken me to Pakistan on quite a few occasions. In recent times, I have traveled to Pakistan, Lahore, Islamabad, Mianwali, in search of credible research and source about Imran Khan. Writing Imran Khan biography, that’s too an authorized biography, bestowed upon me an added responsibility. It was quite a major breakthrough moment for an Indian writer like me writing a biography of a Pakistani politician. The news has been received with much entuhsiasm and surprise. Imran Versus Imran-An Untold Story is now complete in writing. My publisher, Falcon & Falcon Books Ltd, London, is expecting to publish it in March.

This 550 page biography is my tribute to not only Imran Khan’s politics of struggle and sacrifice, but also to Pakistani people, the society, majority of which does pray for hope, reason and peace to prevail and win between India and Pakistan. I am also a creative consultant and joint editor with Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature. The Foswal, an apex body of SAARC, is the most active literary and cultural wing so far as building the bridge of peace and joy between different SAARC countries is concerned. It also publish a current affairs and literary journal, Beyond Borders, which has maximum focus on peace and harmony.

Editor: Who is the beneficiary of war between India and Pakistan?

Frank Huzur: Nobody wins a war. War is devastating for both opponents in the field of action. Only those who deals in divisive politcs and defence deals have the last laugh at end of the day. People of any nationalities are doomed to weep under the influence of inflationary economy in times of war. War is not only an economic disaster, it is also an emotional catastrophe, regardless of level of enmity between the warring parties.

Mr. Shad Zaman is an MBA in Marketing & International Business and is currently working with an American Telecom company in UAE as Brand Specialist. He takes care of Marcom for Middle East, North Africa and South East Asian Markets. He likes to read about Brands, Business Strategies, Human Relations and Consumers Behavior.

Here is exchange of questions between Editor of Pakistan Times and Shad Zaman.

Editor: Who do you think is behind Mumbai Terrorist Attacks? Who were the Dakkan Mujahideen and groups like them?
Shad: Those who are behind the Mumbai attacks are the anti-social elements, and people who do not have any religion or belief to follow on. 90% of Indians will say that “Pakistan is behind these attacks”. Well looking at the kind of proofs and evidence being submitted by various Indian authorities including the conclusions made my FBI sleuths, every Indian’s logic makes sense. However I would like to put it differently.

As there goes an old saying “one fish can spoil the whole pond”, that’s precisely what has happened with Pakistan. The terrorists attacks have initiated from the Pakistani land, the people behind the attacks have been found to be Pakistani nationals, but that doesn’t make the civilised people or the government of Pakistan responsible for the attacks. In every society, be it India, Pakistan or any other nation, there are always few meant to spoil the game, who don’t like peace who don’t like the secularist culture.

And these are the elements who are always ready to conduct some or the other mischievous acts.

In such trying times, the Indian community expected Pakistan to be supportive, and atleast for once believe on the proofs and evidence submitted by the Indian govt and try to act in that direction. The satellite phone carrying call list of Karachi numbers, various documents collected from the “Kuber” boat and Dawn News channel’s exploration of Ajmal’s Family in Faridkot, what else is required by the Pakistan govt to start thinking in the direction to take Ajmal as a national and take those evidence as steps to take more concrete actions, rather than continuously denying about his identity. If Pakistan accepts those evidence and then act accordingly, believe me it will be giving a much more positive image as well as belief that Pakistan does acts in what it says. At the most what will happen?, the evidence will not stand strong enough? That’s it? But atleast world will see that Pakistan did take steps on the facts given by India. Currently being in such a submissive mood and repeatedly denying without even going deeper into the facts and President Zardari coming up with statements like we will give our last drop of blood to protect Pakistan” is not leading to any ends. India never said we want WAR. If war was required it cudve been done longtime back.

Deccan Mujahideen issue was close very much in the beginning, as the one email which was originated from some foreign land probably Russia did not gave any conclusions, so no point talking about them.

Editor: How these attacks effected Indian Minorities particularly Muslims?

Shad: If we talk only about Mumbai attacks, it has done a lot positive for the minorities I would say. Since Mumbai attacks happened we saw that North Indian and Maharashtrian issue has not arised, we don’t see too many anti Muslim slogans being aired by any of the non-Muslim organisations nor any individuals. It has infact brought the people of India much closer than ever before.

Editor: Do the people of India and Pakistan want War?

Shad: If the people AT war think that this is the only solution left to counter terrorism and it will result in something positive for both the countries, then let’s have a war. The politicians and administrators of both the countries have to promise to their people that, neither any innocent life will be lost nor any family is going to loose its son, this war is going to bring peace amongst both countries, it will reduce the acts of terrorism in both the countries, it will help in making people more secure and safe to live in their city. If both governments can promise all this, then nobody is against the war and hence it should happen.

I really fail to understand, from where did the “IDEA OF WAR” arised? India had submitted proofs to Pakistan government against few people who unfortunately came out to be Pakistanis, and asked the government of Pakistan to take action against them.

Now why does Mr.Zardari and others started coming up with statements like “we are going to fight till last drop of our blood to protect Pakistan”? Who wants to attack Pakistan?, who is asking you to bleed, the Indian government has asked you to co-operate and search the people who have been spreading terrorism. Pakistan government as well as every individual in Pakistan knows that there are camps and workshops being organised by many groups in the background of madrassas and Non profit organisations, who are grooming young people to execute the acts of terrorism.

The same fact holds true for India too, there are agencies, political parties and unknown groups who are training and acting against the Muslims of India. But the point is when such open and clear facts have been presented to Pakistan, why Pakistan is still in the continual denial mode? Is it going to deliver any results by denying Ajmal Kasab as not a Pakistani national?. Lets accept that he is not Pakistani national, but if his family has been discovered in Faridkot, atleast initiate some enquiry from that end. But instead of doing that, the govt cordoned off the whole village, not let anyone speak out to media or even the family?

Editor: How do you see the role played by media in both the countries? Has media also made an impact on thought process of people of both the countries? What role should media play in such circumstances?

Shad: I would say, 50% of the hype, and tension is created by media only. The Indian media brain washing the Indians and saying WAR will happen, WAR likely to happen, etc etc. On the other hand, Pakistani media continuously broadcasting Anti-India slogans and news on the Army actions.

While India media had been repeatedly talking about the evidence and proofs submitted by the government of India, Pakistani media started propaganda that Indian army is planning to attack Pakistan!

And the result is, the Indian media also took up the same clue and now , both the sides have forgotten the actual cause of concern and both broadcasting instigative messages, and telling everyone left and right that the other side is preparing itself more than their side for a WAR. In India the media went to the extent of saying that villages on Rajasthan borders have been evacuated by the Army. Whereas the chief of BSF in Rajasthan division said, nothing of that sort has happened! The army is surely on alert, but no such instructions have been given to civil population in that area.

Now at the same time, Pakistan media spreading news about built up of extra Indian force across the border.

Nobody in today’s world can ever know the truth behind all these incidences and what’s the real story going behind.

Editor: Few people in India believe that these attacks were planned to kill people like Hament Karkary who exposed the involvement of Indian high ups in Samjhota incident; how do you see this?

Shad: Everyone in democracy has right to pitch their opinion, if someone thinks 10 people attacked 3 major locations in a city like Mumbai to kill one individual, then such people need to get their brain checked.

I was again courtesy media, that such a story was evolved. And like brainless four legged animals, few people actually started giving it a thought too.

If Hemant Karkare was the only agenda, why did 10 terrorist had to put Taj on Fire, kill Israeli hostages blew off one taxi, and take so many people hostage at Oberoi?

Instead of taking positive and concretes steps to co-operate, the Pakistan administration has taken pledge not to support the cause of India and give serious co-operation but just keep diverting mind of everyone from one direction to another.

Hemant Karkare came into light mainly because of Malegaon blast case and not Samjhauta Express. Samjhauta Express case came to be more incidental in nature, as the security agencies found some kind of links in both the incidences.

There is no denying the fact that there are some people who have brought differences between Hindu and Muslim communities of India and it is quite evident from few recent incidences which have happened. But the Mumbai attack is not related to any Hindu or Muslim or targeted at any particular group or individual. It’s a case of global terrorism, something which we can see happening in other parts of the world, and not creating ground for itself in India and Pakistan too.

India and Pakistan both have suffered for more than 100 years the policy of Divide and Rule of Britishers and now the same strategy is being adopted by many non-social people of both the countries. We have to show them and act in a more responsible manner and prove that Unity is in Diversity.

Editor: Do you think India and Pakistan can go for War; how do you perceive two Nuclear powers fighting? How can it affect the world peace?

Shad: If the war happens, it will be worst think to happen in such trying times, when the world is suffering under depressing economic scenario.

Not a single country today is at peace. In these times when common man is struggling to maintain his livelihood, the incidence of WAR is only going to worsen the situation.

And what’s the logic of WAR?

We are talking about terrorist activities being evolved in 2 countries. We are looking for a solution for how to solve this menace. In this situation why to put life of soldiers of both countries who are there to save our countries. A WAR will be more of a punishment to our soldiers for wrong doings of the anti-social elements.

Editor: How do you see Kashmir issue should be resolve? Do you find any connection with current situation?

Shad: Kashmir issue is a never ending love affair, and it will continue for many more years. I don’t think we can relate Kashmir with Mumbai incident.

Editor: What Indian and Pakistani government should do on diplomatic levels?

Shad: In current, scenario, its better to break all diplomatic ties, between the 2 countries, be it trade, transport, cricket or any other such activity which can lead to common people of two countries coming in touch. Give limited access to people of both sides to interact.

First let both the governments to work together, find a solution to these terrorist acts, give some positive result, and then re start the diplomatic activities.

Editor: What do you think should be done to resolve the tensions between India and Pakistan? What should be the role of Media in defusing tensions in South Asia?

Shad: Media has become almost the 4th pillar of democracy today. It should realise its image and the power it holds. Media can make or break any individual, any city or a nation.

It’s next to impossible for media to remain neutral to any cause, because after all media is also run by human beings who do have emotions and sentiments. But still it should act more responsibly and try to put the correct facts forward. If some facts or issues are there for which journalists or reports etc are not sure off, avoid such half cooked information to be shared with common people. And in such cases where it’s a matter of nation’s integrity and security the media needs to keep its commercial benefit on the side and think what impact their reporting can leave on common people not only of own country but outside world also.

Editor: What are you doing to promote peace?

Shad:I have also been trying to interact with my friends and relatives from Pakistan as well as India sharing each other’s views and trying to understand, how, where and what points can we identify, where we can find out a solution for atleast this one problem of terrorism, with which both the nations are suffering for decades

Unlike all other Traditional Media including Newspapers, Televisions, Magazines, Books and Radio; Social Media is managed and controlled by the common people who are either Information Hunters or involve in social media for financial benefits. SM is a user-oriented approach, it’s crucial to identify and classify these users in accordance with their potential and the market segment they hold. Heaviest aspect of social media is; people are becoming comfortable with social usage of this media. According to the Consumer Internet Barometer produced by the Conference Board and TNS, “Social-interaction platforms, such as top-ranked MySpace and Facebook, have grown dramatically in recent years, with one out of every four people online now visiting social-networking sites.” Bill Martens 43 Year old Novelist and minor league football player who has lived in several countries, speaks seven languages, and currently resides in Japan says “Social Networking allows easy communication for those who might not otherwise communicate in the real world. My friend is deaf and she uses it exclusively for that purpose. It also allows people in the same area to make contact where they might not even know each other exists”, he added that as for the financial benefits, it does allow people to spread the word about web sites for which one is web master. For sites that are advertising driven, social media is a bonus to earn. Bill Marten has marked these sites too addictive and time consuming that few people tend to spend way too much time on it. According to him few people also begin to have all their relationships in the online world and completely forget about the external world, According to him it is a dilemma that social media users are becoming more social online and less social offline.

Very interestingly these extremely easy to join networks keeps the teenagers busy, who lake patience to fill up long complicated forms. They can join just by pushing a button “Add as friend” to expand their network. On these networks identity becomes more important than the person himself, social media marketers use to refer each other either by user names or avatars. This expanding circle helps them in becoming more and more popular within these networks, more the user is popular more his or her submissions are valued. A very popular user on Digg Mr.BabyMan has gained a gigantic fan bank whereas his opponents use to mark him as an exploiter and using his status.

Social media gurus have criticized social media as well and this criticism does hold justification, i.e. quantitative use destroying the quality of content. This is a serious issue and probably a hurdle on the way towards success of SM as well. No doubt these sites have become a major tool not only to interact but to accumulate the information in a single place. A Massive database is available for users and that is for free where content and context are the ruling forces of Internet Marketing. But a criticism is making it place about the weak content. Replying to this criticism, another school of thought is of the opinion that quality still finds its way because the users are people, not bots, and content if not providing what users are looking for or is in old hat, will not be able to gimmick any attention even if made very much popular artificially.

For Florin Nedelcu 23 year’s old, male from Bucharest, Romania says, ”Social Media is quickly redefining the way humans interact with each other online. Whether it is through blogs or social networks, people have easier access to the content they are interested in and can interact with individuals that share their interests. He commented on the negative aspect of social media as “the negative aspect of social media is marketing and branding but lately it becomes quite frustrating to notice social networks flooded with weak content promoted so traffic can be driven to obscure websites that pay for the attention.” While Joe Smith 28 year old male from CA, USA has entirely different opinion about the quality content and he takes the social media as source of socializing he says “Compare social media with grade A, B or even wrong movies these have audience though; similarly social media produces varied type of content; and end user defines the nature of the content”, according to him lots of people from South Asia; of course online; approach social media indifferently. He made another point about the success of these networks saying,”Social Media is very prosper therefore millions of people are joining it every years and companies are investing in the startups”. I would deem it wise to agree because big companies have their eyes on these networks and are being bought for enormous amounts of money; reason is popularity of these sites.

Recently, Bebo, A social networking site, second only to MySpace and Facebook was bought by AOL for $856 million. Several online corporate companies have already realized the huge potential of social networks and started using them in their own interests. Maki from Toronto a top digger has suggested in this regard that big businesses are trying to find a way into a specific target market and since social websites come with an engaged and built-in audience, it makes sense for them to acquire them. He added, “The problem is finding a way to monetize them without spoiling the social experience, and I think if this goes on and power is taken away from the users, social media just won’t be social any more”.

Social Media, being an emerging concept is still undiscovered for most of the individuals associated with web business and having most of the aspects unexplored, the sustainability of SM is still a question mark. Talking with reference to Pakistan social Media is still a concept unknown to millions. A very small number has acquaintance with true soul of social media. While comparing Pakistan with its neighboring countries in Asian Continent e.g. India, Japan, China and Sri Lanka; these networks are almost run by the people from these countries. Hasan Saleem 24 years old Search Engine Optimizer from Pakistan has defined social media as man managed networks that include all those websites where people post, comment, criticize, appraise news, products and services. For him social Media is source to generate huge traffic, sales, exposure, worldwide audience. While he thinks Negative criticism on content and services is unproductive aspect. He presumes a bright future for social news as a medium that will persist indefinitely rather will grow. He thinks Pakistan needs to pay attention towards this emerging industry.

Millions of people are joining these networks every year and these have become the talk of time. Every other Article in Newsweek, The Times or Fortune is about these networks. While asking people about their specific goals to be on these social media, a varied range of views were observed e.g. Babychen Methew an entrepreneur Journalist from India and top stumbler revealed why he was in social media? “I am an information addict. And I have a website which once in a while, gets great traffic from the main social news sites such as Digg, Reddit or StumbleUpon. These two things work in a complementary manner for me. I believe that it might be possible to become successful in social media even if you are not an information addict, but I have not seen many examples of that yet.” For him to be successful on these networks Active participation (submission and voting on good content) and networking are the crucial components of social media success.

A total sum of Social media and Internet Marketing has possible for web base business to market themselves socially through these networks. Ahmed Soba a 25 year-old guy from Maldives has been among top diggers comments on how social media is useful financially other than making contacts all around the world “Social media is a technology on the internet that allows people to share content and experience with each other online use. It can be used for promotion of websites through social media channels (Digg, Reddit and SutmbleUpon). Promotion on these networks can get massive amounts of traffic for web sites. You can get better searching engine ranking because there is permanent back links from trusted domains and some times online users also blogs it. One of the key advantages of these networks is of being free. No need to pay thousand of dollars to buy many links rather Per Pay Click rewards are enormous”.

People wonder how these sites earn when they provide everything for free to millions of people. Advertising! They bring in revenues by running advertising. These sites are great for advertisers as they can reach millions of people. These networking sites have come up with a targeted ad solution where the advertiser reaches people going by the user profiles and interests. This is what makes social networking sites a haven for advertisers too. If you have a product on “music” you wish to promote, all you need to do is to join one of these social networking sites and promote it to music lovers. Imagine the number of targeted visitors to your website. Another twist to the social networking sites is the “social media” sites, where people can share news, personal experiences, reviews and favorite websites with other people. Digg, which is a social news site, allows people to select interesting news or blog posts. When a news item or blog post is “dugg,” by other users, it gets prominence in terms of placement on the site. It has helped in homogenizing the planet, mixing each other. Contextualizing the phenomenon of globalization; it is reasonable to assume that the internet will be home to more than socialization and information – it will be the home of true artificial intelligence.

Capn_caveman thinks the pros are that social media often finds some more obscure (but interesting) content that is not always picked up by the major news networks…. For him one of the cons is that there is a tendency to have a herd mentality on breaking news stories where people follow each other blindly. According to him the herd mentality has been widely discussed as a possible problem with social news sites in general. Jason Lankow a 27 years old male from California says, “herd mentality isn’t always inherently bad…we do it to stay informed and belong, and sometimes this can be good if we herd around a good idea and act on it (i.e. the popularity of solar energy articles on digg).

Jason Lankow expresses as “Social media gives people the chance to grow their existing network of friends and collectively shape the content of the site and determine what news is. This can be good when quality content is discovered and promoted and bad when poor content is gamed and becomes front page news”. He added that he loves meeting people from around the world and the voting process has made reading the news of the day so much interesting, and has helped him to hold his own content to a higher standard. According to him “everyone seems to think that the future of social media is to create meaning and structure across multiple sites, but so far, most of the aggregators have furthered what people perceive as the main problem – it is one more site to use and try to maintain an active profile in most cases. But there will be a clear winner or two – maybe Google and Digg! it can be fun too (i.e. rick roll, etc.) when so many people embrace an idea that it spills beyond social media into mainstream media probably people’s biggest complaint is that top users have a herd around them that* blindly vote for the person’s content, but for a person to get to that point they typically have to gain a reputation for quality and maintain it. He added that the same negative aspects of a herd mentality that exist outside of the internet can be present in extreme cases (i.e. religious discrimination, propaganda).”

He elaborated further, “don’t think it is that big of a deal that big companies try to market through social media (i.e. youtube, facebook and myspace)…it is inevitable…businesses will always be trying to get in the mind of the consumer, and it gets harder and harder the more sensational stories must become so one other negative that we see is more blurring of reality like the fake story of the kid who used his dad’s credit cards to buy prostitutes that was posted on money.co.uk or the office worker freak-out video that was made by the director of the movie Wanted the good side to this though, is that we don’t have a top-down feeding of the news to the people where the people have no ability to speak out against a fraudulent story. When the people are misled, the phony is exposed almost immediately but some of these fakers don’t care because they still get the publicity for the fake story upfront, and then even more exposure once they are discovered.

Zaibatsu top digger comments about social media, “It’s a way for people to interact, basically sharing thoughts and ideas publicly.” While talking about cons he said, “The cons are that people just don’t understand what it is, if you remember “multimedia” in the late 80′s and 90′s everyone wanted to be a part of it, but no one got it. That’s what social media is today, I have to say facebook or Myspace to lay out a framework for the convo. And then try and explain the concept behind sites like digg. We’re a groups of people can influence the media more than a 3 minute blurb on CNN It’s the wisdom of the informed masses. The power of the masses to move a concept, stories or even a cute picture forward so a group of people can enjoy, comment or talk action for good or bad on a topic. The old media just doesn’t get it. He said, “I started with digg … a member from month 1, it was fun, and it still is. I enjoy getting stories that I care about to the masses. It’s so much hard then just a year ago due to digg and other sites changing the algo. But for every cute bunny story, I want to get 1 out about the environment, or politics. Just the stuff I care about. Don’t get me wrong I have to feed the masses, but what makes it for me is the fact that I can make a difference. A change for good”

While talking about the cons he elaborated’ “It sucks, ask Steve Jobs… you have to make something the herd likes and then they’ll follow… I think he did a forbes or fortune article where he said the same thing. He claimed that, “I’ll have the largest social media market company on the planet in 1 year” About the future of social media sites he said, “the future is twitter, plurk, friend feed and mixx.com new community feature. Where people, companies and individuals can interact in real-time online share and collaborating. http://www.mixx.com/groups

Yes, countries like the U.S. are not informed about Pakistan. They don;t understand the nightlife in Lahore, or that you’re not all part of the terrorist fringe. I get it, but the U.S. and Euro population doesn’t. Just getting the word out through blogging, media that Pakistan has loving caring people jsut like we do. It’s the sad truth, but Americans have a hard time dealing with Americans

BabayChen Mathew

( Journalist-entrepreneur. Worked in several media organizations in India) by saying “can i also ask for one favour “Somebody has to take Initiative“ can you please Stumble it and write a small review for it”

Here is the dialogue started after this favour

Babaychen: okay, i read it earlier, my opinion of it is quite different though, and for example…he could say that to the US ambassador in US, right? Now, how safe is an American speaking about India or Pakistan in our countries in a public forum? Our people throw stones instantly

me: let them but tell you they don’t they respect to opinion?

Babaychen: Who Indians and Pakistanis? We are quick to take offence, quick to arrest, beat up, we would say, how can someone come to our country and speak against us throw him out, arrest him that’s one aspect…

me: yups, but if we are not on mistake, if we attacked on some country to we must accept that offence but if we have not committed any offense why should we?

Babaychen: do we ever accept our mistakes? Your country, mine, and probably china are some of the most self deceiving about our own mistakes we are always right

me: in Pakistan our politicians do not admit but we Pakistanis are always offensive over their deeds.

Babaychen: India is not very different

me: to what our government does we are the ultimate sufferers so we are ashamed.. and adding we are apologetic also..

Babaychen: yea, but we also think our countries can do no wrong

me: see we are peace lovers right? You, I and millions like us do not want to see any problem on LOC but our armies have been fighting like dogs “aray nahee hum yeh nahee sochtay”

Babaychen: see, have you tried making any Pakistani admits that they were wrong in something very big, something to do with the country? Same goes for Indians

me: I cant claim that I tried to convinced them, these are not the people who do wrong things but governments commit mistakes and on individual level, I tell you it is a cognitive dissonance for what our and any government do to our country

Babaychen: see there is one more thing….look at the increasing dislike towards Musharraf

me: yups?

Babaychen: now, where is it all coming from? True, he is unconstitutional
but coups have happened before and may still happen again then he allied with America

me: hmmnn…

Babaychen: but at that point anyone would have allied with America. They were perfectly willing to attack Pakistan if Pakistan did not help them fight the Taliban, if Musharraf had refused there would have been hell so he tried to use the bad situation; it didn’t work..No Pakistani prime minister or president has ever stood up to America and that’s real politics. India is lucky that we did not face such a situation but if America gives an ultimatum to any Pakistani or Indian PM or president we would give up

me: you guys are better i must admit u stood up against every odd to your country, Pakistanis Particularly politicians never did this

Babaychen: not that better, we are luckier in some ways

me: hmmnn.. True see people like Shaukat Aziz are imported from US how can they be standing up against anything

Babaychen: but against America, we are all in the same boat.

me: hmmn…

Babaychen: see, I have read that every Pakistani politician is a hardcore businessman; imagine if America gives an ultimatum to Pakistan now to the new PM…… he would also give in..

me: Let me add here that if he is not hardcore business man, he becomes after getting some Federal or provincial Ministry and corruption starts. It becomes really easier for politicians to earn money from the people who have some kind of work to be done

Babaychen: India has been careful not to get into such a situation. But in that particular situation when US wanted Pakistan’s Yes or NO Musharraf did not have any choice, and nobody is left with choice when country is being threat like this. Imagine china giving an ultimatum to India. China is a country which will allow 10 % of its population to be nuked if they can destroy 40 % of India. You think India can fight? we cant when faced with a much larger force every politician gets practical the student Sammad! What is your real choice? If you were the president what would you do? Say, Richard Armitage comes and tells you side with US or we bomb your country to the Stone Age

me: i agree being practical and differentiate between idealism is machvellian politics and realistic politics, but even then no one can allow invading anyone’s country.. And recently Obama has shown his desire to bomb Pakistan.and if contextualizing in what u say, Samad’s step was breaking the silence and a drop of water or may be small stone in stream to create causation

Babaychen: Sammad could say it because in America, he could say it and still live there. And despite all America’s foreign policy evils, they believe in freedom to talk

me: yups and why do they say, self interests of few

Babaychen: and he will live there in India if he sys something like that against us; he wont be able to go to college someone will kill him, same
Is the case in Pakistan. It’s easy to be a hero in words

me: i guess we discussed the same things in circle who thinks they are really skeptical and pay attention more to the conspiracy theories more than the reality itself. We discussed that it can be his finagled act to be in mainstream politics.. and though his security .. but finally we concluded if someone is so daring to take step like this he is secured..
i know me and my friends also discuss that anti Musharraf is good idea to be popular and on International forums anti Pakistan mood is good to be popular

Babaychen: saying that India is wrong in India by a Pakistani – that is gutsy. Saying that Pakistan is wrong in Pakistan by an Indian – that’s gutsy. in America, they will listen to you politely, maybe a few people will shout… that’s it.. Yes, every politician in Pakistan knows that Musharraf did not have any option every single one of them but if they were in his position they would have obeyed America, made lots of money and left the country by now .. Msuharraf at least is still there

me: had they been in his position they could have refused sweetheart Nawaz Sharif did, BB did

Babaychen: they never got an ultimatum like mush got they were just lucky

me: but they get nothing in return one is killed other was exiled for several years

Babaychen: Nawaz Sharif went to US and begged with Clinton who scolded him like schoolteacher

me: Nawaz Sharif was phoned by Clinton himself not to test nukes

Babaychen: Benazir Bhutto ran away from the country. Yea.. What about kargil.. Every single person says it was humiliating treatment testing nukes. That was nothing. America knew Pakistan had nukes, they knew India had nukes too.. No practical difference

Babaychen: see gutless politicians are normal everywhere

me: in this region a balance of power was needed, humiliation in kargil was due to our generals.. They are bikao maal.. Yeah they are normal but some one can take some action?

Babaychen: who? Pakistan can be totally safe

me: never.. it can never be safe

Babaychen: if they decide that ISI would not help al Qaeda or Taliban but even Pakistani government says they do give America no reason to come to Pakistan. Is America going to Sweden? No.

me: Musharraf said it because he has to make himself safe and prolong his rule, Government does not say agencies and establishment are both running govt.. Very diplomatically they can say at the right time and really know when to admit it and when not or even say they are helping them..

Babaychen: Is u saying no support in Pakistan for Taliban or al Qaeda?

me: nops, I am not saying this.. That no support. Everyone knows who is helping al Qaeda and who is not, Afghanistan and India both are involved. Raw is directly involved

Babaychen: yes

Babaychen: RAW wants a foothold that’s international politics but in international politics and strategies. The trick also is to stay out of trouble
India supports Iran even in the UN

me: their r certain elements when lal masjid incidents happens, when Bajour and Waziristan and Mohammand agency is attacked directly by the US allied NATO forces..

Babaychen: yes

me: who will not stand against government?

Babaychen: standing against government, without fixing the real problem is pointless… the frontier provinces are out of control. Why? In a country no place should be out of control like that

me: tribal areas are out of control for their own problems..

Me: when it is RAW then its international political strategies, and when ISI it is involved in everything even in supporting al Qaeda

Babaychen: hahaha.. yes.. That’s called reality. You have to play the game and stay safe. Pakistan plays the game but very badly

Babaychen: aren’t the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan?

me: they had their own issues and the terrain they have in those areas do not support anyone to hide there so then it is seepage from Afghanistan

Babaychen: yes

me: if they bordered

Babaychen: it is

me: a missed and failed US policy ; Afghanistan.. Creating problems for Pakistan totally mishandled. And repercussions are in front of Pakistan..

Babaychen: America is only concerned about their own safety. If they feel safe, they will not care about anything in ur country. They don’t feel safe if u have nuclear bombs, they don’t feel safe if there are Taliban
fix the problem. Who will fix it?

me: Pakistan faces music only for having dictators, and who is not letting the democracy flourishing in Pakistan.. And who’s interest are involved in it. It is very clear. And what if some other country is unsafe due to US?

Babaychen: who has the military muscle? That’s all that matters in the end

me: should they not start taking measure like pre emptive doctrines

Babaychen: yes if they can

me: well, in political economy it is all game by the international monetary agencies who play gimmicks.. To control and through media sets moods and public opinion… if they can then y u say that Sammad was wrong

Babaychen: Sammad is not wrong

me: or even his gesture was not supportive

Babaychen: its easy heroism, If Musharraf had said NO to US, and US had attacked Pakistan. You would have been happy?

me: i do not refuse, it is easy heroism. I admitted it
even in my article, I have admitted it

Babaychen: yea

me: we are skeptical and can smell things

Babaychen: yea but see if Mush, very patriotically, had gone against US… the country would have been very happy…. or would everyone have said, his arrogance cost us our country

me: come on man.. If we admit for some time he took a prudent step to save country.. ok.. His work is done he should stepped down.. y is he sticking as an unconstitutional president

Babaychen: 2 part answer
1. He wants power, now used to it.
2. He is someone who attacked India, and is patriotic in that sense. He thinks that the politicians will sell the country as they don’t have even his guts or realism both are right people are not one sided

me: and see US needs Pakistan, they deliberately played a game, Nawaz was pre planed exiled to bring Mush to get US interests served cause he was not accountable in front of public as he was not elected president

me: Musharraf is shameless… he thinks he is only panacea to Pakistan’s problem.. Playing scams.. Yesterday said that other 9/11 is being planed in Pakistan

Babaychen: yes.. Is that a bad thing? If he thinks so, u can say he is wrong, but not evil

me: masses only need basic necessities now.. They hardly pay attention to what is going in politics.. He is wrong, these r the chaal bazi of pita hoa mohra… when he says this entire one can clearly smell that he needs to gain favors from US.

Babaychen: see u are moving from one topic to the other. Try to answer each one. i can answer such questions about India easily. For example, would you like a patriotic defeated president? or a practical president who’s crooked but saved the country from war? what’s ur answer?

me: and listen he has nothing in his pocket to show on table, You are compelling me to move right left, i am just answering.. Now for me.. What he did at that time was practical and prudent for that time.. US needed Pakistan due to its strategic location… in this region to reach warm waters..

Babaychen: agreed. so we cant blame him for what he did then. Right?

me: president with practicality is ok for that time, now even US does not want him to stay.. and Military is not supporting him

Babaychen: yes. Now let’s look at the options say mush goes

me: he must quit, see even establishment knows when to get suicide attacks in country? Pakistan could never handle its own attacks how can it promote and support A Qaeda

Babaychen: then what happens? Things will get better? hahahah its not that simple

me: yes its not that simple , for other country’s attack planning

Babaychen: but anyway, every country does all kinds of stuff simultaneously India screws up in the north east and plots in Afghanistan why? every country does that

me: I am going to give this conversation on my blog

me: see against China US helped India..

Babaychen: okay, but you think things will get better if mush leaves?

me: at least in tribal areas.. Large extent people have grudge against him. He let NATO to violate our airspace and kill our innocent people

Babaychen: I will tell u that if mush goes, tribal areas will cool down. But US will still do what it wants, as when Taliban run away from there to tribal areas, they will follow and attack inside and the new president will make some noises that’s it

me: he was involved in attackin masjid where innocent females including 5-10 years old small girls studying there.

Babaychen: haha see Indian army once attacked the golden temple

me: i know

Babaychen: lots of innocents died but there were terrorists with bombs inside too what’s the difference?

me: it was proved no terrorist was there in lal masjid

Babaychen: There were bombs and machine guns discovered
it even came on TV. Your own TV channels

me: aray bhai those arms were produced by the army people who were there for operation silence

Babaychen: it came on your own TV channels, private TV channels, which the army dislikes

me: All TV channels reveal truth? see phosphorus bombs were used there human flesh was not there, guns were found what a funny thing

Babaychen: are you saying, there was no one inside with a gun?

me: tell me something if you are dying, and know that people standing out will kill you, would you tell a lie? yes or no

Babaychen: who’s dying

me: i am asking u just for example, You are dying suppose

Babaychen: whatever i think will save my life, if it’s a lie which will save my life, i will lie, if its truth, i will say the truth

me: but if you are 100 % sure you are going die then?

Babaychen: 100 % sure? i don’t know. Have u seen someone in absolute panic? He becomes an animal, he may say anything, same for me..” the answer means nothing, as i am not human when i am in full panic”

me: even he is in panic he would never lie, and same was the case with Ghazi Rasheed who was in the mosque and he told while bomb were thrown in the masjid that they don’t have anyone there in masjid no foreigners or no guns

Babaychen: see the siege was there for 2 weeks or more

me: anyways.. Listen if it was the case the weapons were dumped it was Mush who let those go in the heart of capital..

Babaychen: military shouted for two weeks for everyone to come out and surrender

me: come on

Babaychen: i saw people firing weapons from inside on your own TV

me: Military did not shout it was Chuadry Shujaat Hussain who mishandled situation; they cut off their electricity, gas, food supply.. and detained them

Babaychen: Tell me who were the people who were shouting at the army from inside? i saw them on TV; are u saying it was a movie show by the army on tv?

me: They were the people who were against the policies of Musharraf; and IF there were weapons (according to media reports upon which you and other people think; those people were shouting on army), Here I strongly believe were not.. Why government had allowed those to be dumped in center of capital

Babaychen: ahahh

me: listen lal Masjid is total mystery we know what went there

Babaychen: first, let’s assume there were weapons… how did they get inside? They did not walk inside by themselves, someone carried them, and someone allowed them inside; who? The government is not a single focused entity, parts of the government maybe ISI were in support of that, and other parts weren’t; so some people allowed them in, and others wanted them to surrender

me: yups , i know its not single entity… mush himself let thosego and then attacked to make the US clear that “oh I am performing great job against these terrorists”..

Babaychen: maybe.. see what you are saying is possible, but not likely no politician is that stupid

me: How much stupid? see what US did, pre emptive measures.. Now they are letting the Iran get Nukes, Iran would never get.. Cause like in Iraq on pretext of WMD US attacked but got nothing only oil..

Babaychen: not even oil

me: hmmn.. now not even oil that’s what we know.. So now new strategy is to put things first there what you want to produced.. And they make noise against it and then discover and then tell world see we were right. Iraq oil ministry has allowed 4 companies to extract oil from iraq now in last four decades this is first time

Babaychen: they went to Iraq because bush wanted Saddam Hussain. And a big miscalculation that war would be easy.

me: miscalculation.. Sounds WOW.. US can monitor one single act through satellite and they can’t calculate the war would be easy

Babaychen: yes.. okay if what you are saying is true, then we cant do anything in any case, we should just give up and let America rule your country.. if America is that smart

me: We are already a neo colony of US.. Cause our economy is hijacked by IMF and World Bank

Babaychen: why? in 1980 Pakistan was financially better than India i have heard so what happened?

me: they want to get sympathies over their soldiers.. That they r being killed there for self defense.. And now we are responsible to protect them.. khud aaj main jhonk ker us ki aag seeknay wali baat hai

Babaychen: they have made mistakes again and again
You don’t read American newspapers? No body there thought the war would last that’s why they are struggling and failing

me: those newspapers are balancing factors my dear friend..
just to cool their people down … it is again political strategies.. Media hah media is in hands of those who start wars

Babaychen: see i notice one thing when I talk to u which is somewhat different in India…. we will quickly blame ourselves, not just our politicians now You are just being funny.. Too many conspiracy theories see when things go wrong in India.. We may blame everyone.. but we blame ourselves the most. We say, our own people encouraged problems. i don’t see u saying that my Hindu friends will say that we have made mistakes, Sikhs will say it………Christians will say it that We made mistakes and i don’t see u saying, we Pakistanis made mistakes

me: tell you if u will scroll back i in start admitted about the mistakes

me: they can say “WE”.. Because their representatives take actions but we are surviving under imposed dictatorship for almost 40 years.. Those dictators are not our elected representatives

Babaychen: its always military, politicians, America.. why are there dictators in Pakistan?

Babaychen: ok.. Agreed

me: see when politicians are coming from feudal families and imported from west.. They ultimately have to be like CIA agents

Babaychen: ok. so now we admit that your military has dictatorial tendencies, and politicians are CIA agents. Who is left who is truly capable and patriotic and can lead the country?

me: I have a reason to say that they suddenly start saying oh things are going out of control.. And then military beaurcracy plunges and takes the control.. and then you realize that US has to have a proxy war against Soviet Union so it needed Zia to use Afghanistan again USSR then there is along period.. then democracy then again US needs to play its games for twin towers.. Then its Musharraf.. Before they need Ayyub to break Pakistan.. to weaken it..

Babaychen: so we say, army can’t be trusted, politicians can’t be trusted. US too. So now where is the solution?

me: being prudent, we admit no one reliable.. This time we thought Benazir Bhutto will be solution as she behaved matured though she had deals with Musharraf. But she realized that it was difficult to fulfil those deals thus she started aligning herself and result was her assissnation. She talked about the people of Pakistan.. In whole South Asia no leader is there who talks about the rights of general masses. If any leader say he or she can not survive and always assassinated.. check the history.. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was assassinated only because he talked right.. Bugti and a ling list.. see in your own country..

Babaychen: ok ok

me: now this is youth.. Who has to come up to end this pseudo democracy

Babaychen: end and then what

me: youth that understand the problems but again i have problem
Our youth has been taught what US agenda is, our curriculum is changed

Babaychen: see if things are that bad, Pakistan should merge with America

me: Their cognitive development is now in powerless and hand cut things.. in this context we can admire the heroic deeds of Samad. Listen, i told you we r neo colony of US.. we need not merge.. jab US ka kaam chal rha hai aisy he to why Pakistan should merged

me: it is not a solution it is a statement coming from a man who considers Musharraf is right, he might have read kotlya chankya
Urth Shaster

Babaychen: mush is not right, but nobody seems to be right.. say there is an honest politician.. who becomes the president or PM.. what should he do to fix things?

me: we wanted Imran Khan to come, but people think he played immature.. Anyways he knew establishment would never want him to come.. So he prudently withdrawn his papers to keep himself safe from shamelessness that he himself could not win cause elections are manipulated not in Pakistan but everywhere.. it is good question, like India in Pakistan there are 101 political parties.. Unlike US where only two parties operates.. people in India and Pakistan remain divided on issue like provincialism, autonomy, constitution, ethnic issue, racial issues, human rights, justice etc etc.. Even separatists like Sikhs are there so political instability is due to these so many parties.. Like Kala Bagh Dam was made intentionally an issue political issue..

Babaychen: yes

me: all new PM needs to unite this mob to one direction and build confidence in them and keep his all machinery in the straight lines to follow his instructions..our confusion and politician’s corruption needs someone who has confidence within all Pakistan..

Babaychen: yes… there is no such person

me: there was Benazir.. now People think Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudary.. the politics in Pakistan has very interesting maslaful story in Pakistan..

Babaychen: but what if the army doesn’t trust that guy? does the army trust any politician?

me: army suppose to be in barracks , they are to follow not to order

Babaychen: but that’s not the reality

me: every organ of state machinery has its specified functions to perform.. Every institution has its norms.. And all the problems emerge when those institutions powers are intermingled and people try to snatch power.. This week institutionalism

Babaychen: yes and if one organ likes the army refuses to do so? like they have been doing

me: this has got its roots since British were here they revolt, civil war.. and yes there is a power called media.. They sets moods and Public Opinion

Babaychen: yes but what do u do now?

me: i recommend a constitutional fair government where everyone is doing their own jobs,.. and where rights are protected justice is available to everyone.. and people are provided with basic necessities of life like food, education, health, electricity, housing.. etc

Babaychen: army doesn’t give up their power. they will not become a normal army in a long time

me: yups case military and civil burucracies are the left overs and seeded evils of British rule. They can never because the norms are set in a way. They are to stick to power. However the connotation of power is changed..

Babaychen: yes but its the same army in India too.. same leftover

me: your institutions are strong and let these to be flourished in one direction.. and those have been stronger with passage of time..

Babaychen: yes but its still a leftover of the British. so what went right here? and what went wrong there? and why?

me: many think tank in Pakistan say that had India been Muslim country there problems would have been more or less like us..

Babaychen: why so?

me: You know this very well.. and if i ll start explaining it will be a new chapter so lets sleep.. Lets finish this episode here..

Babaychen: hehe.. yea.. Good night too late here too

me: Good Night

His phone was continuously engaged; I tried several times and always had a reply the number you have dialed is on another call. He called me back as we knew each other for last few months. He along with his friends has been moderating Emergency in Pakistan group, where they use to email to hundreds of people to activate against the unstable position in Pakistan. He has been playing his vital role in making people politically active through his emails and his blogs. Few days back he told me he is coming to Pakistan to attend Long March. He plans to keep lawyers movement alive till judges are restored and Pakistan gets rid of dictatorship.

Samad Khurram was so humble when told he has become a celebrity and being treated as National hero and everyone is discussing Samad Khurram. After appreciating his attempt to get his protest registered; my first question to him was, “was this deliberate attempt you made in front of US Ambassador?” He told me he was about to boycott ceremony organized to honor Roots School alumina, but “I would get nothing if I do not attend that ceremony, I thought I must attend and get my protest registered in a way that should be noticed all over the world” he added, “I had grudge over the murders of our innocent people in Mohmand agency and unprovoked American violation of Pakistani airspace, we cant be shameless anymore to bear these immoral acts against our countrymen, some one has to take initiative”

Despite the fact his career can be on stake due to this nationalistic gesture, even then he made his presence on occasion and rebuked the U.S. ambassador in the full glare of the media where he knew Ambassador’s activities would be covered by national and international media. He had courage to refuse for his great satisfaction, as an individual he proved he is the youth of Pakistan. While reading responses on blogs about Samad Khurram I concluded that everyone has adored him in Pakistan because this gesture was the voice of their hearts.

A Christian school teacher from Hafizabad Fabula Mariam has applauded his nationalistic gesture as “what Pakistani government is afraid to do so far, Samad Khurram has done and snubbed the U.S. Ambassador in the Pakistani capital for the cowardly U.S. attack against our military on the border with Afghanistan.

Whole Pakistan is surviving in an environment of conspiracy theories and can not devoid the fact that we have started interpreting heroic deeds as self interests, we evaluate events negatively, measure the integrities of our politicians, and appreciate or depreciate in accordance with the messages received through media; eventually we prove to be wrong. Because what we receive are filtered versions. Even for him several people might have been thinking that he finagled the situation for long term interests to join politics may be. A complete article is needed to address this issue however I was curious about his integrity and loyalties towards Pakistan; he showed so I asked him” did you expect this kind of response from people of Pakistan and even media over your action?” He replied, “Never, He said, “I want to first contend myself that I have protested against malicious act of US, I am first accountable to myself, but now this has been highlighted by national and international media, I can focus on more making my position clear as Pakistani youth who is hurt over the unbearable loss of innocent civilians and army men” He added, “We can not see our people dying, for the sake of an unconstitutional President”

Whole hall was shocked to witness a Harvard student Samad Khurram’s refusal to accept the award that could have added worth to his profile. Samad, a student of law at Harvard University, was in Islamabad to receive a shield of Achievement from Anne Patterson, the U.S. Ambassador.This incident happened at the National Arts Gallery by a privately owned Pakistani school Roots. The school had invited 188 of its alumina students who received scholarships to study at various American colleges and universities. Parents of the students were present. “The American ambassador, responding to the protest of the student, said America has deep regrets on the incident. She said America is proud to have him (Samad Khurram) in USA for study, adding, “The only way to remove the misunderstanding is to exchange ideas and views.”

My friend Sadaf Arshad who works for SAFMA said” we are peace lovers but still can not allow anyone to invade our country and he has shown his patriotism” though she was bit skeptical over being among so many conspiracy theories. A shopkeeper in Sialkoat commented as “I aspire a day when our corrupt

Political leaders coming from a corrupt system can have only an ounce of a moral value and strong character that Samad Khurram has shown, Pakistan can become the greatest country on the face of this earth. A housewife Mariam Shahzad from Lahore said she would want her boys to behave like Samad. A renounced columnist Irfan Siddiqui said we should take his step as nationalistic one and appreciate him. A student from Gift University said that we would want to see a ripple action what he has started we will keep it alive till a productive change.

He told me he is receiving calls around the globe and international media is also interviewing him. He added that youth should be more courageous to culminate in a prosperous Pakistan.

Could you tell us what made you decide to blog?
I always want my voice to be heard, i have been writing for the National dailies of Pakistan in this connection, thus i have tendency to write. Pakistani Newspapers are though a great tool to reach the Pakistani masses however to reach the world and convey my message to them convinced me to have a blog or two. In my blog i prefer to address such issues that can bring change to Pakistan constructively.

What do you think sets Your blog apart from other blogs?
The news paper format of my blog and its exclusive news coverage with an added factor of opinion and reviews. It is almost an online newspapers that has great readership and contribution from almost every sphere of life within Pakistan. It has potential to provide serve the appetite of readers who needs information about Pakistan. I conduct surveys to pour the opinion of a lay man to the literati..
I have a special section of success stories, where everyone is open to share their personal, professional and spiritual stories.

If you could choose one characteristic you have that brought you success, what would it be?
Hardwork is major factor that i am blessed with to reach any goal in my life i aspired to. I attribute my every success to Hard work come determination.

What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?
Life is intricate web of several relationships and our happiness and gloominess is always associated with most of our relations, While my father passed back in 1988, i probably was unable to understand at that time what his absence can bring to my and my family’s life. But i was extremely despaired. I always become the happiest person while someone appreciates my mom’s efforts to rear me up like a symbolic daughter for so many others.

Urdu Blogs have got huge potential, when do you think they will really take on the online horizon in Pakistan?
Urdu widely understandable not only in Pakistan but in other parts of Asia also. Even huge number of overseas Pakistanis also speak and understand Urdu. I have got a request from one of my journalist friend to develop an Urdu blog for him also. So i find in near future it would be possible for the Bloggers who blog in Urdu can reach to a targeted segment of Urdu speaking audience. Urdu bloggers have a great future provided an Urdu Social Bookmarking Site is established for them.

If you could pick a travel destination, anywhere in the world, with no worries about how it’s
paid for – what would your top 3 choices be?
Ahhh Lovely question! I would want to explore each and every part of the world however being particular and giving three destinations i would want to go to Egypt, Australia and Rome.

What is your favorite book and why?
I am a book worm thus like several books but for one book i always want to stop to refresh myself is Qur’an Kareen. It is a complete “How to” guide to spend life in most righteous manner.

What’s the first thing you notice about a person (whether you know them or not)?
It is the aura that i always feel and notice on meeting anyone stranger or acquaint. In most cases i find myself right and it helps me in defining my level of relationship with people. Aura covers every perspective of somebody’s personality.

Do you think Pakistani politicians could benefit from the social networks and things like twitter?
Frankly speaking, they don’t have knowledge of things like twitter however their PR machineries can surely get benefit out of these sites, Facebook is a worthy tool as more and more people are clinging to FaceBook. Politicians can certainly get help for molding opinion in their favour. I have found US candidates for Presidential Election’s 2008 coming and networking on Digg, it allows them to reach to their people. However politician first need to make Pakistanis addictive of internet to the extent that they could use it as a tool for their political compiegns.

Whose Future is more bright in Pakistan; English blogs or Urdu Blogs?
Yet English, as most of the people who surf internet are able to understand English. They come online with a perception to come accross with English stuff whatever it is blog or other sources. But with the increased ratio of literacy, more population will consutl to internet and can benefit from Urdu also.

How Pakistani bloggers can benefit from blogs financially?
Google AdSence and PPC is the major element that can help these bloggers in earning like so many other bloggers who are getting financial benefit out of Blogs in other parts of the world. Further advertisement from the multinational Companies is another good source provided a blog has good Page Rank. and Alexa and readability.

Do you think Pakistani bloggers tend to remain somewhat self-centered and really don’t go out of their shells? Is it the oriental style of blogging, or they are still unsure about it?
People usually are the products of the societies where do they live and grow, so we can not blame bloggers from Pakistan to be self-centered, it is quite natural. I have found several doctors writing blogs about medicine; health and fitness, many environmentalists who only write about environment not in Pakistan but in every part of the world. So writing depicts anyone’s interests and natural tendency and what things effect them. as far as i know There is no code of conduct yet defined for bloggers to restrict them from writing anything. I have my personal blogs along with the blogs where i write as a professional.

Blogging is still an emerging concept in Pakistan, 2007 has been the year for people all over the world who started blogging but very less number of Pakistanis have gone for Blogs. I believe this is an upcoming strong shape of media so people will start relying upon blogs and mature content will come up. It is in phase one comparing with our neighbors India, so give Pakistanis a cushion to gradually move forward.

Is it true that who has a successful blog has an awful lot of time on their hands?
To reach to some heights is easy but to maintain it is difficult, i am afraid you are partially wrong in saying that successful bloggers have awful lot of time. Success is directly proportional to hard work and hard work is another name of investing time particularly in online entrepreneurship. In many cases bloggers outsource content and social media marketing, even than they have to keep an eye on what is coming on their blogs

What are your thoughts on corporate blogs and what do you think the biggest advantages and disadvantages are?
Corporate blogs are a useful tool to reach organizational goals, a PR technique. Feed back in shape of comments and posts in helpful to determined organizations to redesign their goals in accordance with the demand. Every organization supports internal and external blogs where stakeholders can be the organization’s consultants. Several browsers support RSS technology thats without actually visiting blog one can read what is new to these blogs.
It is an easy access for the prospective public to reach the organizational structures, even CEO.
These logs are an additional source of popularity and image building. These can be use to influence Markets and competitors.
Similarly posts with negative perspectives can destroy the image of organization. For me there are more advantages though I encourage corporate blogs.

Do you think this whole emphasis on blogs and whatever online is a significant indicator to show that the web, the social web, is becoming a very important social force?
I deem it wise to agree, more and more emphasize is on being social on internet. There are so many social media marketing sites that are compelling internet users to be more social particularly bloggers, this is a techniques for search engines also to have more stuff on their engines i order to make their engines full of reliable stuff. Another thing, The information given on the social marketing site is usually shared. and producers of several products also pick targeted users for their products, ideas or content.

What do you think where the Pakistani blogosphere is right now?
It is in emerging phase and in a transitional process from personal to professional usage, i am sure after one or two years Pakistani Blogsphere, if things keep on working with same pace will capture South Asian markets.

Who are your top five favourite bloggers in Pakistan?
I am sure i can refer their blogs
www.dirjournal.com
www.pakspectator.com
www.chowrangi.com
www.pakpositive.com
www.mypakistan.com

Have you ever become stunned by the uniqueness of any blogger in Pakistani blogosphere?
Yes!
dirjournal’s How to guides excellent technique

What is the future of blogging in Pakistan?
I am certain it is bright provided shortage of electricity is not dragging Pakistan to stone age. Blogs are run on unique content and ideas, Pakistan is rich in ideas therefore the future of Pakistan is blogging.

In political respect, can we say blogging a ‘democracy of message’?
Yes it can be, till the ordinance like PEMRA by the Government of Pakistan are up to curb the free expression of opinion on Pakistan’s blogsphere. Well Blog are democratic messages in other parts of the world. Also there are examples of curbed blogs in several regions where people spoke against governments.

Can Pakistani blogosphere play any notable role in the forthcoming elections, if they happen at all?
I am afraid “No”, yet it can not play a noticeable role in the forthcoming Elections. People have strong affiliation with certain ethnic, regional or individualistic political parties thus to change their opinions are a bit difficult. Secondly Electronic Media is now a days more active and building Public Opinions in favour of the politicians who pay them more and small number of masses consult internet to get information, as ratio of literacy is not high and access to resource like computers and internet is yet not in support of this idea.
However in future with UN, West and US aided agencies new era of computers will start and elections would be fought on blogging platform.

You have also got a blogging life, how has it directly affected both your personal and professional life?
It is my life now regardless of personal and professional. I am always on my blogs writing and giving my message to the people. I have got several online friends and contributors for my blog. I am more sociable online and less off line while it was exactly opposite to what is right now.

What are your future plans?
I am interested in starting a Social Media Bookmarking Site for Pakistani Bloggers, great news is i have started with the name of PublicWar
I also intend to come into main stream journalists of Pakistan who have the strength to influence the minds of people.

Any Message you want to give to the readers of The Pakistani Spectator?
Love Pakistan Be Pakistan and visit regularly The Pakistani Spectator.

Interview with Blogger Rubab Saleem