Barricaded!
Will the residents of Islamabad see a day with no barricades and police pickets?
By Shaiq Hussain
With hundreds of police pickets and barricades all around, once a calm, serene and peaceful city Islamabad the beautiful is no more the same. Instead it gives the look of a 'fortress'.

security
Travelling to US
Are you ready for a skinny dip?
Strict measures put in place by American authorities to screen air travellers have emerged as an irritant in the Pak-US relations
By Alefia T. Hussain
Travelling to US becomes tougher for Pakistanis as America tightens security checks for travellers, provoking skepticism from experts that the new measures would be discriminatory and invasive.

Track to death
No plan is in sight to man over 2486 unmanned railway crossings across the country
By Abdul Manan
Though Pakistan Railways (PR) claim to have improved its infrastructure to facilitate passengers, over 2486 unmanned railway crossings across the country keep claiming the lives of commuters with no plan in sight to plug these 'death traps'. No authority is ready to take responsibility for tragedies like that of Mian Channu in which 12 schoolchildren lost their lives on an unmanned crossing.

A progressive by choice 
Prof Khwaja Masud, who died on January 16, 2010, was among the last Punjabi progressive thinkers of his era 
By Aamir Riaz
Educationalist, ideologue, columnist, intellectual and teacher Prof Khwaja Masud died on January 16, 2010. He was among the last Punjabi progressive thinkers of his era. Rawalpindi division consists of those districts of Punjab that produced a variety of progressive and left-leaning people. Dada Amir Haider headed this galaxy of progressives. Mirza Ibrahim, Mirza Abdul Aziz, BD Chopra, Ali Imam, Ram Nath, Khalid Manto (elder brother of Abid Hassan Manto), late Sufi Sharief, Baldev Raj Iudhar, Gurbaksh Singh, Balraj Sahni, Aslam Sheikh, Jamil Malik, Ahmad Zafar, Afzal Pervaiz, Hassan Tahir, Bashir Javed, Iqbal Bali Dhillon, Khurshid Hasan Mir and Khwaja Masud were among the many who represented progressive ideas in this region.

Bushra Anwar, 22, of Abottabad passed her FSc (pre-medical) examination with 81 percent marks in 2006, but was unable to get admission in the local medical college. It was frustrating but she made up her mind to improve her marks. Meanwhile, she learnt the Cuban government had offered 1,000 medical scholarships to Pakistani students through Higher Education Commission (HEC). She applied for the scholarship and 'luckily' won it too.

A bond signed by hundreds of students like her mentioned six years as the total duration of the course and an assurance to get education in World Health Organisation (WHO) certified medical colleges of Cuba.

The first badge of 384 students left for Cuba in 2007 and were sent to Maximo Santiago Haza School. "The first thing we came to know after reaching Cuba was that the duration of the course was not six but seven years," she tells TNS on telephone from her hometown.

According to Bushra, the school they were sent to could not be called a medical college by any definition of the term. "Two years back, our campus was a Spanish language learning school which had then been changed into a medical school. It lacks basic facilities like laboratory, library and specimens for dissection," she says, adding the school is also not included in Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM).

"ELAM is a system of medical education in Cuba, which provides its students with better facilities and is certified by WHO. We will get only a certificate from ELAM instead of a proper medical degree at the end of the course which the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) does not accept," she says, claiming the matter was brought to the notice of Pakistan's Ambassador to Cuba, HEC and PMDC by the affected students in early 2008.

"The authorities assured us they would talk to the Cuban authorities and resolve the problem. A delegation of HEC and PMDC also visited our college in March 2008, but it could not resolve any of our issues. During the first year of our medical studies, HEC assured us that by next year we would be shifted to leading colleges – a promise never fulfilled. Our third year studies have started from January 17, but we are on strike until our problem is solved," a determined Bushra says. "Our student representatives met the Cuban officials to discuss the matter, but they informed us that these matters had been discussed with the Pakistani government and they knew everything before the start of program." she discloses. "HEC had promised us a stipend of $100 at the start of the programme, but we are getting only $50."

The Pakistani authorities, it seems, are well-aware of the situation for the last two years. According to a letter written by Pakistan's Ambassador to Havana to Pakistani authorities on Dec 21, 2009, the students have serious reservations about the quality of clinic/hospital training. "The students strongly feel that in the absence of proper training with proper equipment, they would not become 'qualified doctors'. The Mission strongly feels the urgent need of a visit from Islamabad to Havana of a delegation comprising one high official each from the Foreign Office and HEC to hold substantive talks with Cuban side and the students," the letter reads.

According to HEC data, 932 Pakistani students are studying in Cuba at present under the island's 1000 Scholarship Programme offered to Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake. The basic concept behind the programme was to produce doctors hailing from the earthquake-hit areas. But HEC sent students from all the four provinces for the programme. The commission never sent a delegation to analyse the medical education system of Cuba before sending the students. It totally relied on the information provided by the Cuban government and also managed to get a no-objection-certificate (NoC) from PMDC.

In March 2008, HEC sent a three-member delegation to Cuba. The findings of the delegation were disappointing and it proposed HEC not to send further students for medical education in Cuba. Dr Abdul Malik Achakzai, ex-principal Bolan Medical College Quetta, and a member of that delegation, tells TNS the situation was pathetic at the Maximo Santiago Haza School.

"It was in a jungle and consisted of only pre-fabricated rooms. The campus did not have very basic medical departments like anatomy, biochemistry and physiology. The facility also lacked staff. The main means of education was computer demonstration. There were only 50 computers for 384 students i.e. one computer for 13 students. The laboratory had only five microscopes, one centrifuge and one blood analyser. There were no books in the library. There was no attached hospital and students were not allowed to get out of the facility. There was another room in which there was an ultrasound machine, while another room had some instruments related to cardiac problems. That is the complete picture of that college. It does not have enough facilities even to train paramedics, leave alone doctors," he tells TNS.

According to him, HEC officials and Cuban authorities did not allow them to talk to students properly. "The Cuban government had introduced a new medical education system called Morph physiology in which all medical subjects are taught in one lecture. We strongly feel that the new system of medical education is being tested on Pakistani students. We proposed that after completion of their studies for seven years in Cuba, these students will have to get one year training in Pakistan," he tells TNS, alleging HEC did not listen to the suggestions. "The future of these students is very bleak. They cannot practice as doctors in Pakistan."

At present, no department is ready to claim responsibility including the PMDC. "The NoC was never granted by the PMDC, but by the then secretary of the council in his personal capacity. The matter was never brought to the knowledge of the executive committee. HEC sent 1000 students without taking into account the syllabus, curriculum and facilities. We have clearly told students and HEC that they will have to pass National Examination Board test, otherwise they cannot practice as a doctor in Pakistan. The course and curriculum these students are being taught is not up to the mark," registrar PMDC, Ahmed Nadeem Akbar, tells TNS.

According to him, at present, around 20,000 Pakistani doctors have been unable to pass the test, despite having degrees from Eastern Europe and Russian States. "We had warned HEC during mid 2008 that they shouldn't send more students to Cuba. It did not pay heed to our instructions, so they are responsible for the mess," Akbar says.

Parents of these 1000 students have also formed a committee to fight the case of their children.

"We are concerned about the future of our children," Raza Ahmed Raza, ex-senator and father of a student studying medicine in Cuba, tells TNS. He visited the school one year back and found "the students are being made paramedics instead of doctors".

"I have also raised the issue in the Senate. We also met the HEC authorities two months back. HEC promised to send a delegation before the start of the new academic year, but now they say we do not have money to send the delegation. The students are now on strike in Cuba. There are only two solutions to this problem one is to force the Cuban government to shift the students to leading medical institutions or arrange their admissions to Pakistani medical colleges," he says.

HEC officials are not ready to claim responsibility either. "Yes, the students went to Cuba through the HEC, but it is a Cuban government initiative and we cannot dictate them our terms. The Cuban doctors came to Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake and convinced their government to offer scholarships to students from earthquake-hit areas. It was a goodwill gesture, but if our students do not want to carry on their education, they can come back. This is the only solution," Sohail Naqvi, Executive Director HEC, tells TNS.

"I know students are on strike there, but the Cuban government will deal with them according to their rules and regulations. Next week, we are going to have a meeting with the Cuban ambassador and we will convey our concern and discuss a strategy to tackle the issue," he says.

The year has begun on a bloody note for Pakistan. The almost daily cycle of violence didn't stop long enough for Pakistanis to wish each other a peaceful 2010. Terrorists struck on New Year's Day during a volleyball tournament, killing over 90 people. And the spiral of death and terror continues into the new decade, leaving the ordinary Pakistani beleaguered by violence, just two years after an election that promised them relief from dictatorship, and a return to the ideals of democracy, justice and human rights.

Today, as Pakistan readies to mark the second anniversary of that election, perhaps the big plus is that the government hasn't fallen under the pressure of its own political intrigue, a once again assertive military and Taliban sponsored chaos. But in the current climate their survival alone means little. As Pakistani soldiers die fighting their own countrymen in the lawless frontier province, the army and the government in Islamabad can't shake off the growing criticism of being seen as errand boys fighting America's war.

A record number of Pakistani civilians have died in last year's fighting. A total of 12,600 people have died violent deaths in Pakistan last year according to Pakistan's Institute for Peace Studies. Over 3000 of them in terrorist attacks. These numbers will only rise. As casualties grow, and a massive internal refugee crisis confronts Islamabad, it's increasingly clear that the military establishment in Rawalpindi is looking for ways to divert attention to age-old, more uniting ideas in this climate of conflict within its own borders. What better way than raising the rhetoric, and the violence against India? As radicalisation takes root in the backdrop of the war in the frontier, they have a large audience.

President Zardari, kicked off the new year by abandoning his own stated policy of focusing on improving trade ties with India rather than being bogged down by Kashmir, and returned to a sharper pitch. Pakistani media has begun reporting the ongoing stalemate between India and Pakistan as a sign of "increased hostility" from Delhi, using comments made in a closed session by Army chief General Deepak Kapoor of India's need for military preparedness on the western and eastern fronts as a sign of this. Even though technically, for a military man General Kapoor was stating a given. If anything, it was the idea of preparing the eastern front (the India-China border) that should have been more attention worthy.

As advocates of bilateral peace gathered in Delhi this week the challenge for them was to navigate through this heightened pitch and the year long deadlock. 2009 has seen a concerted effort to bring diplomatic pressure upon Islamabad to deliver justice against the perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks. The result so far -- Hafiz Saeed may still be roaming free, making incendiary sermons against India, but seven men are facing are trial in an anti terror court in Rawalpindi for their role in masterminding the attacks. Delhi is watching the trial keenly, and waiting for a guilty verdict that's delivered swiftly. Such an outcome will not only be seen as a positive development in Delhi, but should also be a trigger to restart some kind of talks.

Quite apart from the slow movement on the Mumbai investigations and trials, the other major dilemma confronting Delhi is simply the question of who to talk to in Islamabad. The democratic government is weak, and the tussle for authority between President Zardari -- still unwilling to give up sweeping presidential powers in spite of pledging to do so when he took office -- and the parliament, is wide open for all to see. In this atmosphere within Pakistan, international pressure has clearly achieved just about all it can vis-a-vis the Mumbai investigations, and the law of diminishing returns seems to have already set in.

But in all this, there could be reason to hope. The latest campaign by the Times of India and the Jang Group, Pakistan's largest newspaper and TV outfit (the News, Jang, Geo TV) is perhaps a sign of the times. While some feel Aman ki Asha, or Desire for Peace was a great marketing gimmick on New Year's Day, it is as much a reflection of the fact that there are constituencies for peace on both sides, waiting to break the ice that has stayed frozen in spite of Ekaterinburg and Sharm al Sheikh. After all, India had committed then to keeping lines of communication open at the Foreign Secretary level, at least. The challenge is to build on and expand this constituency across the border so that attempts to deflect attention from the war against the Taliban by raising the pitch against India are mitigated.

With memories of Mumbai still raw, many may flinch at this idea, arguing that the year-long stalemate hasn't affected India negatively in any way, even asking what is to gain by seeking peace. Many even point to Pakistan's track record so far -- all breakthroughs towards peace have been followed by increased hostility (Kargil in 1999, the parliament attack in 2001, Mumbai train attacks in 2006). But even so, given the state of Pakistan internally, with Afghanistan on the boil after America's latest troop surge, and the very real threat of the Taliban linking up with anti India terror groups, like the Lashkar, the dangers of conflict come with a heavy price tag.

Within Pakistan, it's the very real possibility of democracy being subverted again that's at stake. As Pakistan's civil society looks to India's progress and stability in spite of the pulls and pressures, and feels increasingly weighed under by their own political and economic chaos, they are reaching out. India must realise it is their hand that needs to be strengthened. Doing this will yield its own returns, there-in will lie the gains.

And so, even if better ties with Pakistan make no significant difference to Delhi, and the violence may continue, as a senior, now retired, diplomat told me, for the sake of the region's wider well-being, improving relations with Pakistan is going to be a test of India's humanity. So, sooner rather than later, talk we must.

With hundreds of police pickets and barricades all around, once a calm, serene and peaceful city Islamabad the beautiful is no more the same. Instead it gives the look of a 'fortress'.

It was not in a distant past that Islamabad was considered to be among the safest towns on the face of earth. It's no more the case; nowadays the very safety of the capital city is at risk. Terrorists have time and again reminded the residents of Islamabad of how vulnerable they are.

The attack on the city's famous five-star hotel in September 2008 led to the partial closure of the road on its front. The road remained closed for a year before it was reopened a couple of months ago following strong public protest. However, it's not only the Marriot Hotel road that was closed as various others like the Constitution Avenue, nearby Parade Avenue and their different arteries were also declared as out-of-bound for common people.

Diplomatic enclave was also designated as no-go area and its roads are being used only by foreign diplomats or the staffers of Competition Commission of Pakistan located in this vicinity. Another important road that was partially closed months back is in front of Serena Hotel that joins the Constitution Avenue. Its one side is still blocked and manned by many policemen and hotel security personnel to avert any possible terrorist attack.

The government ordered erection of barricades and pickets on all the roads of capital city two years ago in the wake of renewed surge in terrorist attacks. Now, over a hundred such security pickets can be seen on different roads of the city with over a thousand police personnel to check the passing vehicles. These police personnel, four to five deployed at each picket, work in two shifts of 12-hour each and are equipped with AK-47 rifles and body scanners. However, in some areas like Constitution Avenue and its surrounding buildings like Presidency, Prime Minister's House, Prime Minister Secretariat, Supreme Court and Foreign Office etc, the number of policemen at pickets is higher.

Bright and colourful flowers still decorate the city's gardens and lawns, but its citizens are perturbed over the recent acts of terrorism and the following security net. The citizens of Islamabad, who would roam about freely in markets and bazaars until late in the evening, are now reluctant even to visit shopping centres in daylight. Those who dare to go out putting fears off their minds are quickly overcome by security concerns when they encounter checkpoints and barricades on every road and residential streets.

It's only a matter of few years that many among those who came to live in the capital city with a profound sense of joy and happiness are now pondering over their earliest possible relocation to other parts of the country. "Islamabad is no more the same tranquil and restful place as it was in yesteryear. It has completely changed and unfortunately for worse," said Abid Ali, a retired civil servant in his 70's. "Gone are the days when we would walk on roads and in the markets without any fear. And now if we venture out, mushrooming police pickets and barricades send chill down our spine," Abid said. "Why don't the law enforcement agencies enhance their capacity on intelligence gathering instead of transforming our beautiful Islamabad into a citadel?" he questioned.

Gulzar Ahmed, a former banker, who has been living in Islamabad for the last 25 years, said he had never ever thought that a time would come when he would see security checkpoints and barricades all around. "I live in a street where a foreign diplomatic mission is located and my life and that of my family is deeply perturbed because of the security arrangements made for our neighbours," he lamented. "I don't mean that they shouldn't be provided security, but it is better to shift them to the diplomatic enclave instead of erecting barricades in front of our houses," Gulzar said.

Islamabad police, however, believe barricades and pickets are necessary to avert any possible acts of terrorism. "Islamabad has dozens of entry and exit points and keeping in view the recent acts of terror across the country, we need to keep a check on them round the clock," DIG Operations Islamabad Bin Yameen told TNS.

He said the capital city had been divided into three zones, including the red zone where Presidency and other important government buildings were situated. "We have 104 security checkpoints on different roads in these areas. No doubt it is a matter of inconvenience for public, but we have no other option," he said.

Travelling to US becomes tougher for Pakistanis as America tightens security checks for travellers, provoking skepticism from experts that the new measures would be discriminatory and invasive.

The US Transport Security Administration (TSA) announced heightened airport security amid nervousness after a failed attempt by a Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab to blow up a jet bound from Amsterdam to Detroit using an explosive device hidden in his underpants on Dec 25. In a statement it said, "TSA is mandating that every individual flying into the US from anywhere in the world travelling from or through nations that are state-sponsors of terrorism or other countries of interest will be required to go through enhanced screening."

Reportedly, US airports have increased 'threat-based' screening of passengers from countries US considers has links with terrorism. These include 'countries of interest', such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Algeria, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Nigeria and Somalia. Four other countries US regards as state sponsors of terrorism – Cuba, Syria, Sudan and Iran – are on the list too. The screening includes full body pat-downs, bag searches, full body scanning and scans for explosives. It has been in effect since January 4, 2010.

Here at home, these strict measures put in place by American authorities to screen air travellers have emerged as an irritant in the US-Pakistan relations. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani described the screening of Pakistanis as "humiliating and against our self-respect". He admitted the new security measures have caused "consternation and anxiety" among Pakistanis and could "negatively impact bilateral ties".

During a meeting in Lahore, President Asif Ali Zardari told US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Richard Holbrooke, "The new screening regime for Pakistani nationals needed to be reviewed". Holbrooke, however, expressed helplessness in this regard: "I am sorry for this. I am sorry that this is causing concerns, but these (enhanced security screening) are not discriminated against Pakistanis. Pakistan is not being singled out. Even I am subjected to screening when I travel in my personal capacity," said Holbrooke at a press conference in Islamabad last week.

The US envoy's statement failed to satisfy Pakistani officials. While submitting an adjournment motion on the subject for debate in the National Assembly, MNA and former federal minister for information, Sherry Rehman, said the regulations not only violate fundamental human entitlements and right to privacy – "These will cause discomfort to the US-bound passengers".

She said, "The new set of security regulations also violate Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that prevents distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status."

So, is it then fair to discriminate against hundreds of Pakistani travelling to US at the cost of a few terrorists? "No, it is not fair to target all Pakistanis," says Director Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, I. A. Rehman, adding, "But then Pakistan should suggest a better, non-invasive way of checking and a method of fixing responsibility if terrorists sneak through posing as innocent passengers."

Whether the new security measures at airports breach human rights laws has incited debate not just at home but also internationally. Travellers and privacy rights groups in particular are concerned about the body scanners that can look right through a person's clothes. They worry about the graphic images created by the scanners; about them being too invasive. They are alarmed by the rising inconvenience of air travel.

Others on the contrary think these heightened security measures are necessary. They prefer to be safe and secure. However, I. A. Rehman says, "Scanners do interfere with a person's privacy, but they have to be allowed as part of a contract between two parties."

He adds: "My need to fly to a destination in Pakistan obliges me to be frisked by hand by quite indiscreet officials at airports. I submit to this crude invasion of secrecy because I want to travel. Perhaps the Americans are enforcing a contract."

Though a traveller from one of the 14 'threat-based countries' may feel personally disgraced, one understands why these procedures are necessary. But there are alternatives to these invasive methods. As security analyst Gen (Retd) Talat Masood points out, "Perhaps the behaviour pattern of travellers can be studied by trained personnel at airports."

He says at the moment US security officials are working with a presumption that all passengers travelling from these Muslim countries are terrorists. "Though there is a need to ensure security, and hence to scan people, this cannot be applied to all passengers travelling on US-bound flights. There are no two ways about it. The American security system must devise a more broad-based method; and not be selective." According to him, by having all nationals of the 14 selected countries go through stringent security checks, the Americans are marginalising the moderate forces of the Muslim world. "US must ensure that the moderate forces in the Muslim world are strengthened."

Certainly, as IA Rehman says, Pakistan can ask for a negotiated, reciprocal method of screening. So what are the officials waiting for?

Though Pakistan Railways (PR) claim to have improved its infrastructure to facilitate passengers, over 2486 unmanned railway crossings across the country keep claiming the lives of commuters with no plan in sight to plug these 'death traps'. No authority is ready to take responsibility for tragedies like that of Mian Channu in which 12 schoolchildren lost their lives on an unmanned crossing.

Pakistan Railways' General Manager Saeed Akhtar told TNS section 12 of The Railway Act 1890 states, "It is clarified that responsibility for the provision of level crossings, underpasses or flyover bridges or their upgradation rests with the provincial or local governments". He said about five years ago the Railways presented a proposal to the Ministry of Railways for the conversion of all unmanned crossing into manned level crossings or underpasses across the country.

He said the most frequented level crossings out of 2486 unmanned level crossings and about 1100 manned level crossings were identified for conversion into underpasses. He said expenditure on each underpass was Rs80 million, and it was planned in the proposal that 30 underpasses would be constructed in a year with a cost of Rs2400 million. He said it was also proposed that all unmanned and manned level crossing would be gradually converted into underpasses or flyovers.

He maintained around 7200 employees would be posted on these 2486 unmanned level crossings and their salary would be Rs350 million per annum. He regretted the ministry sent these proposals to the Finance Division which refused to grant funds. "The PR then submitted these proposals to the Federal Planning Division which asked the provinces to sanction funds for the project, but all the provinces refused to give funds for this project," he added. Akhtar said recently the Planning Division had again asked all the provinces to share 50 percent funds with PR on this project instead of providing total funds, but the response of the provinces was disappointing.

Some officials in PR, seeking anonymity, told TNS that on average one person dies a day in collision with vehicles at unmanned level crossings all over the country. They say no authority is ready to take responsibility for tragedies in which innocent lives are lost.

PR's Additional General Manager Engineering Anjum Pervaiz told TNS that section 99/1 of Motor Vehicle Ordinance and The Railway Act of 1890 categorically state that "accommodation work on the main line and branch line would be done by road users, road authority and provincial and national highways". He said Pakistan Railways is not responsible for any accident on any level crossings of the country.

Educationalist, ideologue, columnist, intellectual and teacher Prof Khwaja Masud died on January 16, 2010. He was among the last Punjabi progressive thinkers of his era. Rawalpindi division consists of those districts of Punjab that produced a variety of progressive and left-leaning people. Dada Amir Haider headed this galaxy of progressives. Mirza Ibrahim, Mirza Abdul Aziz, BD Chopra, Ali Imam, Ram Nath, Khalid Manto (elder brother of Abid Hassan Manto), late Sufi Sharief, Baldev Raj Iudhar, Gurbaksh Singh, Balraj Sahni, Aslam Sheikh, Jamil Malik, Ahmad Zafar, Afzal Pervaiz, Hassan Tahir, Bashir Javed, Iqbal Bali Dhillon, Khurshid Hasan Mir and Khwaja Masud were among the many who represented progressive ideas in this region.

Khwaja Masud was born in Campbellpur -- now known as Attock -- on August 11, 1923 to the family of Alif Din, a respected name of the area. He got his early education in Sialkot, Murree and Quetta.

From 1938 to 1942, he studied in Gordon College Rawalpindi and got first position every year. He spent two years (1942-44) in Government College Lahore where Baldev Raj Iudhar baptised Khwaja and he became a serious reader of Marxism. He not only admired Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Pandit Jawahar Lal Nehru, but also loved Allama Iqbal and Faiz Ahmad Faiz in his own unique style. In mid 1947, he was among those who stood against communal violence and saved the lives of Sikhs and Hindus.

Khwaja Masud and his companions established the first Pakistani progressive student organisation, Democratic Student Federation (DSF), at Rawalpindi in 1948, which later spread to Lahore and Karachi. Among his comrades, he had a great regard for Eric Cyprian who was a pioneer in establishing College Teachers Association at Lahore in the 1950s. Like late Ahmad Bashir, he acknowledged high scholarship of Eric Cyprian and Safdar Mir regarding Marxism. He had a big heart to accept extremist, orthodox views and follies of early day Pakistani communists. Unlike his comrades, he believed that Marxism is a science and like a science it is an evolutionary process. "Theories have to be changed every ten to fifteen years, but orthodox communists, like mullahs, stick to theories of the 19th and 20th centuries which is unfortunate," he said.

His commitment to professionalism indeed raised his stature up to the extent that even his ideological opponents respected him as a teacher par excellence. His famous quotation "if I was not a good teacher and administrator then I could not be a good communist" reflected his vision.

In South Asia, people usually fail to establish a creative relationship between their profession and political thoughts. One is either a progressive or an Islamist; but one often indulges in a contradiction between profession and ideology. Pakistan's last 40 years are witness to such behaviour among nationalists, Islamists, rightists and communists. Khwaja Sahib, like Socrates, always believed in dialogue. In his last interview, he advised young progressives to identify past mistakes first and then find new lines. "From 1947 till today, we could not make a progressive party in Pakistan. Without revisiting our common progressive past, uniting the left will remain a dream," Khwaja once said.

Khwaja Sahib told me, "If you are an artist, you should be the best and if you are a journalist, then you should be professionally sound. If you have progressive thoughts, these ideas will automatically spread with your talent. There is no room for non-professional people, at least, in the leadership of a progressive party."

He always admired the role of his wife, Salma Masud, in supporting his activities. His sons, Sarmad and Khwaja Yaldaram, did their PhDs in economics and physics. Khwaja Sahib's people-centric approach was alarming when he said "If a communist leader is not popular among masses, it's his fault, not of the masses."