شانزے

#FreeJunaidHafeez || sgd & lhe 📍 philly

[Ayesha Noor @khigirlinlhr]

@arhamshaikhh No

[Mirwais @Mirwaiskk]

I know this will make some people uncomfortable, but Punjabi privilege is as real and as structural in Pakistan as white privilege is in Western societies. To deny its existence is to deny the material conditions under which we all live.
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[Hassan Aftab @hassanaftabs]

In my latest article for East Asia Forum, I explore why Pakistan continues to struggle with air pollution, despite growing public concern and clear policy options

https://t.co/zBiPxAIlGD

[شانزے @humaurtein]

beauty is in abundance

[SenatorSherryRehman @sherryrehman]

Key takeaways from today's keynote: What are the strategic actions for the climate polycrisis Pakistan faces today as we alarmingly shoot up to number 1 on the global climate vulnerability index :
1. Ending the Cognitive Disconnect between extreme weather emergencies & climate trends. This is crucial because it means linking symptom to #responsibility. Without real commitment to understanding the crisis no sustained action will follow any climate whiplash. Yet I see no alarm bells ringing anywhere in power corridors. No budgets are being recalibrated for coping better with crisis. #Climate will continue to be called "Mausam" or Weather, which is a symptom of climate change. Climate events are not isolated natural disasters, they are interlinked #systemsfailures. The sooner we accept that the sooner sound bite jargon will translate into lived experience and action. Move beyond the obligatory token nod to innovative action roadmaps.
2. #Scale is the enemy as well as the friend. Climate stress is high in scale and impact for Pakistan. It has already shown its muscle flex in 2022. Lessons learnt are being lost in transmission. Its destructive power is being felt across the board in a cascading polycrisis, making it hard for communities and actors to respond in time. This means all #riskreduction measures will be needed, including early warning systems, which the UN calls a #human right with good reason, as well as resilience investments. See the inability of Texas, USA to respond in scale to flash floods caused by escalating rain in accelerated time. They had many posts unfilled in the Weather dept. Sounds familiar? The River Swat tragedy? 2022 when one third of the country went under? Basically, to meet the climate crisis head on, everything will have to be scaled up. #Finance is just one part of it. It's not coming in anywhere close to the quantum needed by frontline ecosystems such as ours. Mobilising sustained commitment, and not token statements is the level of need. Remember our external commitment to climate justice as much as our local responsibility.
3. Fragmented responses will no longer work. A whole of society approach is both urgent and necessary. This involves all tiers of government as well as businesses, schools, communities and of course the media. Either we break #silos and act as #responsemultipliers, or we prepare for systemic collapse across the country. Public private partnerships will be critical spokes in any larger response wheel. They need enabling;
4. Strategic climate communications are pivotal to any sustained country response. These include national, provincial and local signalling which all of us need to generate. The private sector is the missing link here in building a viable communications value chain. They need to collaborate with governments in an integrated institutional roadmap per and across sectors. At the micro level all sustainability goals have to be restated at every intersection . What is not smart is closing any meeting with a Business as Usual path forward on sustainability, climate and pollution goals. So communicate goals for outcome integrity.
5. If there is ONE priority for collective climate action in Pakistan it has to be Water conservation. The era of cost runover big dams is behind us. What is needed is low cost rain harvesting in every Union council. Even households and big businesses. We are already water scarce according to the @UN. Look around you, Balochistan and Sindh are brown. #Water is life, and we need to stop using it per capita at the rate we are, but also save our Indus lifeline from encroachment, pollution and upper riparian predations. @WeatherWalay @BaKhabarKissan @ndrmfpk @ndmapk @UNDP_Pakistan @UNEP_AsiaPac

[Asmer Asrar Safi @asmerasafi]

If anyone is inclined to rid themselves of jingoistic, state-centric narratives regarding on Balochistan, I would highly recommend watching this podcast featuring @rafiullahkakar, @Shehzad89 :

https://t.co/WeEeHl9WOD

[Asad Rahim Khan @AsadRahim]

Bapsi Sidhwa passes away. She was proof of concept that amazing English-language novels could be set in Lahore (The Crow Eaters is some of the finest fiction to come out of 🇵🇰 ever), and her books sparkled with affection for her characters and country. A true trailblazer.

[꩜ @adorewordss]

i don't want my whole life to be an act of letting go, for once i want to hold on to something, to belong, to arrive somewhere and never have to leave

[Madiha @mysteryatheist1]

Story of Junaid Hafeez

This unfortunate man, Junaid Hafeez, was a lecturer at Bahauddin Zakariya University in Multan. Exceptionally intelligent and academically accomplished, his life took a tragic turn nearly 12 years ago when he organized a seminar at the university. Following the event, a few students accused him of blasphemy, leading to his arrest.

Junaid, originally from Rajanpur, secured an outstanding position in his FSc exams and gained admission to King Edward Medical College, Lahore. However, his passion lay in English literature. After completing his first professional year in medical school, he left King Edward Medical College and enrolled in the English Literature program at Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan. He broke a 38-year record in his BA Honors program by scoring a 3.99 GPA. Junaid was among the five exceptional students from Pakistan selected for the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to pursue a Master’s degree in the United State

He earned a Master’s degree with distinction in American Literature, Photography, and Theatre from Jackson State University in the United States. After completing his studies, he returned to Pakistan to pursue his MPhil—a decision that unknowingly marked the beginning of his misfortune. Upon his return, Junaid was appointed as a lecturer at Bahauddin Zakariya University.

The university, on the whole, had a conservative environment. However, the English Department, led by Dr. Shirin Zubair, provided a relatively relaxed and peaceful atmosphere. Junaid often invited women’s rights activists to give lectures and seminars to encourage interaction with student

Then came the fateful day when tragedy knocked on Junaid Hafeez’s door. With the Vice Chancellor’s permission, Junaid organized a seminar featuring the renowned women’s rights activist Qaisra Shahraz, an award-winning playwright for PTV’s drama series “Dil Hi To Hai.”

After the lecture, a few students accused Qaisra and Junaid of uttering blasphemous remarks. As a result, Junaid was immediately arrested. Meanwhile, Dr. Shirin Zubair and Qaisra Shahraz were fortunate enough to leave the country. During the initial hearings, the prosecution produced a witness who did not reference the seminar but instead alleged that some of Junaid’s writings contained blasphemous material. These writings were doctored, according to Junaid, who vehemently denied authorship of the incriminating content. Interestingly, when the witness was asked to read the writings and point out the blasphemous content, he admitted that he could not read or understand English

Junaid was arrested in Lahore, transferred to Multan, and eventually moved to Sahiwal Jail. His computer was confiscated, and his password was forcibly obtained without a court order. Based on these manipulated documents, a blasphemy case was filed against him under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code in March 2013. According to the International Commission of Jurists and prominent lawyers, the evidence presented against Junaid did not substantiate a blasphemy case.

The real tragedy began after his arrest

For nearly twelve years, Junaid has been held in solitary confinement 6x8 cell in Sahiwal Jail. He sleeps on a hard floor with no bedding, enduring extreme heat in the summers and bitter cold in the winters. His case continues to face endless delays, with no substantive hearings. His family, especially his mother, has been unable to step out of their house for social gatherings due to fear and stigma. His elderly father travels 200 miles every week to visit him, often facing rude behavior from jail staff, who sometimes deny him access to his son. His father laments, “I’m growing old and tired, but how can I abandon my son to suffer alone?”
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#FreejunaidHafeez

[Lex Apro @hannaehwrites]

How am I supposed to decolonize my mind if I’m thinking in English?

[شانزے @humaurtein]

@slowinternetman Punjab public library + Punjab archives are both worth a try

[ArafatMazhar 🤖 @ArafatMazhar]

7 pm Kitabghar Lahore - come for screening and discussions

[شانزے @humaurtein]

@goodgodkimchi @humayun_maha

[drumm colin @drumm_colin]

is there a standard poetry studies answer to why contemporary english poetry mostly lost its concern with meter? i dont get it. poetry without meter is just pretentious prose with random line breaks

[Anthony J Permal @_galactictony]

Imagine a world without #Pakistan.

Set aside the jokes, cynicism, unfortunate moments of our history, and you realise the miracle of Pakistan.

So this #IndependenceDay2024 I'll try to answer, what would this world be without Pakistan?
A 🧵:

[Arsalan Khan @akkhan81]

Rich countries spend hundreds of thousands if not millions of dollars in creating an Olympic level athlete.

Pakistan gets a gold out of the sheer determination of one man and the support of his family and community.

The whole world should be in awe.

[Ali @AliiiR94]

We should replace Pak Studies books with this video because it epitomises the country better than anything else.

A man fighting on raw talent to achieve the impossible.

Another man in power, who has done nothing, being told: “Sir, ye aapka vision hai.”

[Algeria FC @Algeria_FC]

🇩🇿🥇 IMANE KHELIF GOLD MEDAL !

Algerian women continue to make us proud #Olympics #Paris2024

[Mustafa T. Wynne @musswynne]

Your Abu Imran khan had Sedition FIRs registered on these students in Lahore for demanding restoration of student unions in 2019

Never forgot!

https://t.co/LL0n18M1Yz

[m @realthvgf]

‼️‼️ REACHING OUT TO ALL MY INDIANS ON THIS APP 🇮🇳‼️‼️ I URGE YOU TO READ THIS THREAD, PLEASE.

Many indian tv channels are promoting that Jamaat Shibi bnp is torturing Hindus before Sheikh Hasina goes. as an advantage, terrorists of Awami League are asking for India's help
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