Sadiq Gill: The cosmic magic of Ismail’s imagination

By The News on Sunday

Zohaib Kazi merges his love and curiosity about the planet, space, science, history and technology and creates a glorious world.

Ismail Ka Urdu Sheher is so much more than an ordinary book. Merging Kazi’s curiosity across various disciplines (such as science, philosophy, history and technology), the book, loaded with beautiful illustrations and gorgeous design elements, begins on planet earth and takes us across various dimensions, like a cosmic journey that is as adventurous as it is inspiring.

At the center of the story lies the individual known as Ismail Alset, an Urdu speaking scientist of immense intellect and resolve,  and a resident of Elaan, a planet carved by advancements in several fields upon who lays the responsibility to save the world from an experiment gone terribly wrong.

If you think it’s just a scientific exploration, think again. Ismail’s love and relationship with wife Mehr-un-Nisa is at the heart of this book and is perhaps one of the book’s strongest points. Jauhar, the artificial intelligent machine poses questions and conversations between the machine and Ismail are simply fascinating.
It’s a thoughtful book that takes in mind the struggles of mankind, and the need for discovery, the fear of death and the unknown, universal laws that seem unapproachable and ties them together neatly.

From Earth to Elaan

Our introduction to the story, however, begins with  an unnerved planet earth as an inevitable energy crisis lurks on the horizon due to mankind’s persistent recklessness, ignorance and lack of respect for scientific and natural laws.

Amidst the shadows lies the discovery that private consortiums run the world as they have ceased control of world resources. This “global control movement” has a leader organization known as Mandala, a front-runner initiated by the Caster family, as their manipulation “initiated wars and fueled conflicts around the world since recorded history”.

Several characters emerge in this book that are human and hence, flawed, complex as fiery and unpreditcable as man himself. You can’t pick a side.

Jalut Caster is the young and dynamic heir to the throne, and understand earth’s importance as Mandala acquires NASA among other feats. This opens the story of other unique individuals who gain importance in the story as the narrative picks up pace.

Two diametrically opposite friends, Colon and Daud enter the terrain. This subplot is one of the most curious themes in the story as the two young genius scientists who manage the impossible showcase not just scientific ideas but also ties that bind, the ties of friendships and the fragility of relationships and how easy it is to lose one’s way.

Balancing each other’s weaknesses isn’t enough though as their personal relationship deteriorates and perspective change and intertwine. Daud, for instance, loses himself to reclusion as he questions the world around him and is disgusted by things like interest rates of the banks of the world and the commercialization of the race of discovery in the name of science. His disconnection from the world past and growing rage leads him to rebellion and in the arms of underground anarchy movements. Colon, the other-half of this genius combo, meanwhile, scales heights of excellence.

As Ismail’s embarks on this journey with Mehr, you root for them and wonder at the same time about what they will or won’t find.

The story so far

Ismail Ka Urdu Sheher isn’t written in a traditional narrative. The prose, engaging and observant, feels closer because of the design value of the book which includes skies full of stars. In between the chapters, the book also has dedicated pages to some of the scientific ideas that are explored in it. You don’t necessarily have to be a science buff to understand this world.

The longing and loss of family is also explored beautifully and is one of the many layers and emotions explored in the story.

What’s impeccable in Kazi’s narrative is that the characters blend seamlessly – they are perfectly imperfect and not viewed with a binary lens. Even as Kazi’s marvelous imagination and the knock-out design elements persistently make you marvel, it is easy to note the humanity and humility that lies within the book. The stories of Jalut, Ismail, Mehr, Daud and the others interconnect as it reaches a conclusion.

Kazi conjures a world that is often a reflection of some of the most prevailing questions of our times. A world that is made worse by wars and divided by religious animosity and intolerance evokes a real-time image.
Futuristic and engaging, Ismail Ka Urdu Sheher is  thing of mystery, a fantastic achievement for its chief architect Zohaib Kazi and the many collaborators across fields who have helped in realizing a dream.

Sadiq Gill: Civil-military relations

A historical perspective of how the power struggle in Egypt, Turkey and Pakistan transformed the social fabric in these majority-Muslim societies.

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Turkey, Egypt, and Pakistan are not only large Muslim countries located in different continents, they also share striking similarities in their political developments during the past seven decades. An understanding of these developments might help us in drawing a broader picture of civil-military relationships and how they have transformed the social fabric in these majority-Muslim societies. One is fascinated by the almost similar ebb and flow of political struggle the three countries appear to have travelled through.

Turkey has been a bit ahead and if the lonely death and funeral of the 98-year old former general, coup-maker and self-appointed president, Kenan Evren, is any guide, Egypt and Pakistan might also sooner or later head in the same direction. In 2012, General Evren was tried for his role in the 1980 coup and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014 by a court in Ankara. He was also demoted to the lowest rank of a private. When he died in May 2015, only his close relatives and some military personnel attended his funeral because he was treated as a criminal usurper and not as former commander of the army and the head of state. Political parties sent no representatives to the funeral and a number of people protested during the religious service in the mosque’s courtyard.

The chroniclers of fin-de-siècle politics have called Turkey the “sick man of Europe”. At the turn of the century, the Ottoman Empire was breathing its last and then the First World War hammered the proverbial last nail in its coffin. At the end of the war, despite some valiant military feats by Mustafa Kemal (later Atatürk) and his soldiers, the Allied forces had almost forced Turkey to its knees and were bent upon punishing it for its support to Germany during the Great War.

Gradually Kemal Atatürk emerged as the redeemer of his people and with the help of his fighters not only managed to regain some of the lost territories but also ultimately dissolved the Ottoman Empire and put the country on the road to a secular and progressive future. He knew very well that to take his society forward the country had to be extracted from the morass of backwardness.

He became the first president of modern Turkey in October 1923 and gave his country a new constitution in 1924. For the next 15 years he tried to remove the last vestiges of a medieval mindset from his people; struggled against religious dominance in society and promulgated a civil code modeled on the one used in Switzerland. He shut down all religious courts and to eliminate crimes he enforced laws borrowed from Italy. In 1934, he granted full political rights to women and replaced old Turkish script with the Latin one.

 In Turkey, the army used Greece as a permanent threat and in Egypt and Pakistan, Israel and India served the same purpose. In each country, the generals became self-appointed custodians of national interest. 

When Atatürk died in 1938, his old comrade İsmet İnönü became president who intelligently steered clear of WWII, kept his country neutral and only in the last stage joined the Allies. In 1946, he abolished the one-party rule and introduced a multi-party system in which his party won the first elections and he remained president till 1950. In the next elections the opposition party won and showed him the door. He was magnanimous in his defeat and, establishing democratic traditions, stepped down to hand over power to the Democratic Party of Adnan Mederes and Cêlal Bayar who became prime minister and president respectively.

That’s how Turkey became probably the first country in the Muslim world that witnessed a democratic transfer of power from one political party to another. The credit for this goes entirely to İsmet İnönü and not to the army that immediately started efforts to unseat the newly-elected civilian government. Similar attempts were later witnessed in both Egypt and Pakistan.

After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, for almost quarter of a century the Turkish army held sway over almost all aspects of Turkish society and, as a true reflection of the military psyche, barely tolerated any dissent. After 1950s, when the Democratic Party tried to deviate from some of the secular principles enshrined in the constitution the army resisted and finally in 1960, General Cemal Gürsel overthrew the elected civilian government and arrested both the president and the prime minister.

In Egypt, the army had already taken over in 1952 under the leadership of General Naguib who was removed by Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1954. He continued with one-party rule till his death in 1970. One common feature between the Turkish and the Egyptian armies during that period was their claim to be secular and opposed to religious extremism but if we look closely we find that it is the unquestioned army supremacy that engenders religious extremism.

In Egypt, Gamal Abdel Nasser tried to establish a modern state on more or less a similar pattern and had also emerged as a well-respected leader of the Non-Aligned Movement. While the armies in Turkey and Pakistan were ready to side with the United States in 1950s and 60s, Egypt initially kept a distance from the USA but eventually followed in the footsteps of the Turkish and Pakistani armies.

In Turkey, the army used Greece as a permanent threat and in Egypt and Pakistan, Israel and India served the same purpose. In each country, the generals became self-appointed custodians of national interest crushing the democratic aspirations of people and propagating the perception that only they were the true guarantors of security.

Just as in Turkey, 1950s in Pakistan marked an experimental period for democracy and multi-party system. In Turkey the first civilian president, Cêlal Bayar, and Prime Minister Adnan Mederes, angered the army by taking some bold steps without their consent.

In Pakistan, the army took over directly for the first time in 1958. Prior to that there were leaders such as AK Fazlul Haq, HS Suhrawardy, Abdul Ghaffar Khan, Ghaus Bhukhsh Bizinjo, GM Sayed, and Mian Iftikharuddin who could have steered the country on a democratic route, had they not been targeted and humiliated by the representatives of civil and military bureaucracy e.g. Ghulam Mohammad, Iskandar Mirza and Ayub Khan. But just as in Turkey and Egypt, in Pakistan the democratic path was abandoned altogether or realigned to suit the security establishment.

Nasser, Ayub, and Gürsel consolidated the military control in their respective countries and used the same mantra against democracy i.e. it promotes anarchy, threatens national integrity, and hampers development. In addition, it was claimed that the army brings everyone on the ‘same page’ to safeguard the country against unscrupulous elements.

In 1960, General Gürsel not only toppled a democratically elected government but also paved the way for the death sentences to both the president and the prime minister i.e. Cêlal Bayar and Adnan Mederes. Bayar was later on spared thanks to his old age and his sentence was commuted to life-imprisonment but Menderes was hanged. Nearly 20 years after this hanging, when in Pakistan the military government of General Zia was about to hang former prime minister ZA Bhutto, the then prime minister of Turkey, Bülent Ecevit, had reportedly remarked that Turkey was still paying the price for hanging its leader and he did not want Pakistan to repeat the mistake.

The Turkish army ostensibly restored democracy in 1961 but General Gürsel got himself elected as president. In a similar fashion, the military government in Pakistan established a civilian government in 1962 but General Ayub Khan followed in the footsteps of General Gürsel and became an ‘elected’ president.

Almost the entire decade of 1960s saw Nasser, Ayub, and Gürsel entrenched in their yearning for an ordered polity. Only Nasser among them enjoyed popular support till his death in 1970; while Generals Ayub and Gürsel could not present even a semblance of popular support or harmony that they claimed to have ushered in after the supposed failure of the elected civilian rulers. In Turkey Süleyman Demirel and Bülent Ecevit, and in Pakistan Mujibur Rahman and ZA Bhutto emerged as leaders espousing popular aspirations.

In 1970-71, the three countries saw events that had far-reaching implications. Nasser died in 1970 leaving behind a legacy different from those of his contemporaries in Pakistan and Turkey. Nasser had uprooted the kingdom in Egypt with his comrade General Naguib in 1952; then removed Naguib in 1954, first becoming prime minister and then giving a one-party constitution to assume the charge of president in 1956. Though General Naguib lived till 1984, his political role had finished 30 years earlier. When Ayub and Gürsel had offered their services to the US, Nasser had adopted an anti-imperialist posture and nationalised the Suez Canal inviting the wrath of Britain, France and Israel.

Gürsel had died in 1966 leaving Turkey in a mess again. This is no more a secret that from 1966 to 1970 the CIA was behind the unrest in Turkey and masterminding terrorist attacks to blame the leftist parties. Demirel was a centre-right politician but was not an extremist, still the army was not happy with him. In March 1971, when General Yahya Khan was about to launch his military operation against the majority party in East Pakistan, the Turkish army was writing a threatening letter to Demirel accusing him of incompetence and inability to control the law and order situation. The Turkish army had openly hinted at another coup repeating the same accusations against the civilian government that “it was destroying the country” and that politician were unable to come to the ‘same page’.

Almost the same situation was in Pakistan where the army did not want to hand over power to the elected representatives of the people because the politicians were ‘traitors’ and trying to disintegrate the country, hence they could not be entrusted power to rule on their own.

Anwar Sadat took over in Egypt after the death of Nasser in 1970 and continued with one-party rule under military supremacy. He ruled for over 10 years, fought a war against Israel and ultimately signed a peace deal brokered by the US President Carter at Camp David. Religious parties were enraged, especially Ikhwanul Muslimeen that attacked and killed him during an army parade in 1981.

Sadiq Gill - BJP accuses AAP of spreading anarchy

A day after ruling Aam Aadmi Party MLA Manoj Kumar was arrested in a land grabbing case, the Delhi unit of Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday accused the AAP Government of spreading anarchy and posed five questions to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the conduct of his colleagues.

Seeking action against AAP legislators allegedly involved in corruption and other cases, Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay asked Mr. Kejriwal how former Law Minister Jitender Singh Tomar’s bogus degree and Mr. Manoj Kumar’s cheating case had escaped the dragnet if the party’s internal Lokpal had inquired into the credentials of all MLAs.

Mr. Upadhyay said at a press conference here that the appointment of 21 Parliamentary Secretaries by the Delhi Government was illegal, while the General Administration Department had expressed ignorance in an RTI reply about the rules under which they had been appointed. He said the BJP was exploring legal options to challenge the decision.

“The ABC of Mr. Kejriwal’s party stands clear now. It is anarchy, bogusness and cheating,” said Mr. Upadhyay.

The Delhi BJP chief said several AAP MLAs, including Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel, were involved in various cases, but no action had been taken against them. “Have you asked Mr. Tomar and Mr. Kumar to quit the Assembly, as you had said that AAP would withdraw any MLA candidate against whom such charges were revealed,” Mr. Upadhyay asked the Chief Minister.

He also asked if the internal Lokpal had been told to inquire into Mr. Kumar’s matter, which was well in the party's knowledge, as admitted by AAP leader and lawyer H.S. Phoolka who has reportedly claimed that the MLA was cooperating in the police inquiry.

Referring to some other controversies, Mr. Upadhyay sought to know if Mr. Kejriwal would ask the Delhi Police to arrest MLAs Akhilesh Tripathi and Sanjeev Jha who had “started an anarchy phase” and Promila Tokas who was accused of assaulting a Scheduled Caste woman.

Sadiq Gill - The Balance of Power

By Dr. Tim G Williams

Today, the world is saturated with ignorance and hatred where the Mid-East is center stage of the escalating violence and terror that has spread around the globe. It is as though mankind has forgotten the lessons that history is supposed to teach us. We now find ourselves trying to find a recognizable peaceful resolution to the ongoing splintering of nations, religions, and cultures. But, in order to do so we first have to embark on a journey back in time to 2000 B.C. The story of Abraham is vital to understand what is necessary to gain a peaceful resolution to the ongoing escalating terror that has cost so many lives, splintered nations, and destroyed priceless artifacts of history. What is important to remember today is that Muslims, Christians, and Jews all regard themselves as the spiritual offspring of their patriarch, Abraham. Abraham, is revered as a symbol of loving kindness, and peace.

History though has seen more blood spilled and lives lost because of the many divisions and battles between religious elements. Need we remind us that the fuel to keep these fires of violent aggression against one another burning comes from an unquenchable thirst for power, control, and wealth. Whether today it is the onslaught brought on by ISIS and the many other fanatics that are hell bent on asserting their evil intentions on mankind we would be mindful to recount the lessons that Abraham brought into the world over 4000 years ago.

In ancient Mesopotamia as in the Middle East today armed conflict continues to ravage people and nations. But, is was around 2000 B.C. an event occurred that profoundly influenced the course of history. It was Abraham's first son who foreshadowed the emergence of a new religion, Islam. Some 2700 years latter Muhammad and the Koran called Abraham's first son an apostle of Islam. Today, Muhammad is recognized as the last of the prophets dating back to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

The history of religions began with Abraham. But, it was his first son that brought forth the Islamic religion Centuries later Muhammad in the year 610, who embraced Abraham's ideology of the one god, Allah the Islamic religion began it's major influence in the Middle East. For the next hundred years the Muslim religion expanded it's influence until it covered the entire Arabian Peninsula. By the late 17th century the Muslims expanded their influence to cover not only the Middle East but reached into southern Europe. And, in doing so acquired the world's greatest military force. Islam by that time achieved acclaimed advances in architecture, art, law, mathematics and science. Successfully converting millions to Islam.

When we take a close look at all the terrorists attacks that have set the world on fire because of a faith where a leader is seeking more control, power, and wealth from others we should trace back in history to find the root cause. And, from that hopefully find an applicable end to all the carnage that has only continued to escalate today between the Islamic religion, Christianity. and Judaism

What we are seeing today is an extension and a continuation of what was started over nine hundred years ago. The ideologies of two distinctly different faiths and cultures in a world that has only gotten much closer has made that hotbed of hate and indignation flare up into a firestorm of flames of destruction and death. The intolerance by individuals for other cultures and beliefs have manifested into the horrific carnage we are witness to practically everyday.

Today, what we are seeing is the Islamic religion and culture is almost the complete opposite of the American society and way of life. The evolution, if you want to call it that, into a society that has relinquished many moral values that the Islamic faith still hold dear has only exasperated the continuing conflicts between nations and existing cultures.

The world is getting to small to handle all the violent will full carnage against one another. When intolerance of different religious beliefs continues to escalate into bloodshed, where nations cannot realize that humanity has the abilities capable of doing extraordinary things for the betterment of mankind, when we don't realize that each human being is a unique individual, and when religious beliefs of individuals don't conform to the rest of a society beliefs all contribute to the on going struggle to find answers to stop individuals from using violent means to impose their will on others.

What we know today there is an unequal balance of power where certain nations have more military powers especially nuclear capabilities while others don't, specifying the mistrust nations have against each other. Compounding this is the Jihad against Western cultures and their influence. It is this Jihad against the West that has aroused the many irresponsible reactions from the United States that has only accelerated counter responses to the point now more military action is the only recourse. The United States is mostly to blame by our intervention combative foreign policy decisions and actions. Achieving a balance in power through-out the Middle East is essential in quelling much of the terrorism that has arisen out of so much inequality.

To help ease the tensions and bring about a kind of resolution that would have the result of peaceful coexistence centers on the availability of every nation be equally equipped with nuclear capabilities. In exchange for a peaceful non aggressive pact Israel would oversee Saudi Arabia and Turkey acquisition of equal nuclear capabilities to other nations. Iran, Pakistan, and India would now be on the same footing as with the other nations in the Mid-East. This follows and analogy that proved quite successful in the Old West of American heritage where the balance of power prove quite equal with the advent of the Colt 45.

The lessons we should have learned from history are too often ignored or deemed not relevant to the times of today but sadly the after effects of what we should have learned have had deadly repercussions that have reverberated across the globe. What Abraham taught us is that there can be peaceful coexistence between clamorous communities of diverse ideologies, ethnic origins, faiths and cultures. Society can be as different as night and day while co-exiting quite peacefully. Achieving that in the Mid-East today requires a balance of equality not only militarily but of society as well. Using the history of the Middle East from the time of Abraham through the Crusades, up to today and understand the impact of what each period had is essential to securing the future for all.