Green Economy

GREEN ECONOMY

Less carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive

World is celebrating Environment Day on June 5, to mark the significance of the environment for a sustained society. The rapidly growing industrialized world is giving rise to some of the major factors that are precarious to this earth. Global Warming, Climate Changes and Depleting Ozone layer are crucial to evaded.

The carbon exhausted from our vehicles, Industries and other things is making a conflict in the atmosphere that result in above mentioned hazardous effects. Green forests and some beautiful species which once were regarded as the galvanizer of the beauty of this world are now at increasingly diminishing stage.

United Nations (UN) has taken an initiative to save this earth and its people some forty years ago, when first World Environmental Day was observed in 1972. Which now has grown to become the one of the main vehicles through which the UN stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.

This year United Nations has come up with a theme of GREEN ECONOMY to celebrate this WED. World Environment Day is also a day for people from all walks of life to come together to ensure a cleaner, greener and brighter outlook for themselves and future generations.
Everyone counts in this initiative and World Environment Day relies on you to make this happen! We call for action – organize a neighborhood clean-up, stop using plastic bags and get your community to do the same, plant a tree or better yet organize a collective tree planting effort, walk to work, start a recycling drive . . . the possibilities are endless.

Where it is going to be celebrated officially for the year 2o12?

Brazil is the host country for WED’12, last year this was held in India. This is the second time Brazil is awarded the honor of hosting this mega event. In year 1992, Brazil hosted an eleven days conference which ended up concluding United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the conference is informally known as Earth Summit.

What is Green Economy?

The global financial crisis that began in 2007, and is still resonant today, is considered by many economists as the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s. One of the key lessons we can draw from this experience is that running economies the way we’ve always done, doing business as usual, is clearly not an option. The new Green Economy is therefore a proposal for an alternative and far more sustainable way of doing business.
A green economy is described as one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In other words, we can think of a green economy as an economic environment that achieves low carbon emissions, resource efficiency and at the same time is socially inclusive.

Make this WED green?
Everyone from everywhere is invited to be the part of this program and mark their effort green. It is so simple to participate in this activity, do plant a tree in your garden or street, dispose the garbage properly, and keep your locality clean and green.

Why WED is crucial for Pakistan?
Pakistan is the home of more than 180 million people, its land enriched with minerals and other resources. Though Pakistan is bestowed with natural beauty; lavish green forests, wide sea full of oceanic lives, high peak mountains, natural capital worth trillions of dollars under the earth blanket etc.
Unfortunately, despite the enormous generosity of nature, we neglected the blue and green part (the ocean and forests), the leaves start losing their color and ocean start turning black.
Environment in Pakistan is challenging with pollution, energy, floods, earthquakes, wastes and climate change.  Global warming is a major cause of natural calamities in Pakistan. The 2010 and 2011 floods in Pakistan have engulfed more than 2400 hundreds lives and have affected around 25 million people across the homeland. The disasters are still resonant in the remote areas of Pakistan.
Environmental diseases not only brought water with it but it is followed with drought, scarcity and loot of resources. An estimated amount of damages caused by these floods has an outlay of 60 billion dollars.
Oath the WED resolution ‘12
• We’ll plant more and more trees and will save the existing, a social campaign should be started to stop the illegal cut of trees which is a major issue in diminishing natural forests
• From today we won’t use polyethylene bags (less than 30 microns) and will switch to other alternatives which are Eco friendly and recyclable. That will be environment and economic efficient too
• Our vehicles will go on Eco-friendly fuels instead of using carbon poured fuels i.e. Petrol and Diesel
• Especially for the Karachi; a movement/ social campaign should be started to save the mangroves at the Indus Delta. Mangroves are helpful in nurturing oceanic lives and they evade natural calamities to an extent

Share your Green activity with us:
What have you done at WED’12, please share with us

Let’s join hands together to revive Studentism in campus

Let’s join hands together to revive Studentism in campus

Students at Karachi University seem helpless with their ideas about creations and happenings. This basic intrinsic has died in students carving the symptom form the so called political activists of some parties who remain suppressing students to obey them or else bear the consequences. Much because of this campus has not hosted since a long time any welcome/farewell or get together parties in its premises, as one group who claims to be the sole salvation army is not in favor of such activities. The credit of violent actions and forbid decrees are also fall most in the court of the same student organization.

It was once in the same university when the grandiose was better than today. Healthy elections among student factions of various sociopolitical organizations frequently took place. Students’ leader with their creative counseling used to seek vote from the students at campus. The students’ parties are prevailing since the inception of this country. Highlighted aspect let us know that in the creation of Pakistan Students have played major roles from their respective campuses namely Muslim Students Federation faction of Muslim League (the one led by Great Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and Ali Garh Muslim Boys Association.

But the concepts and potential of political activists were so different from now. At than student used to seek a much elevated education and ethics from joining their liked organizations. A certain code of conduct and behavior they had to maintain throughout their tenure. This lead them be a better kind of person for themselves and the society. With the passage of time such organizations lose their temper and character and now the ambiance seems heavily tarnished.

Frequent clashes between students groups and several violent activities are now become the policy of student activists. However the doctrine or the concept taught by parties is very different from their actions. Every concept leads to a better future and aims to struggle for the good; the real picture is reverted somehow.

The most inspiring figure in political history of Pakistan is Altaf Hussain who pursued his career from Karachi University. He came to this university as an ordinary student like all of us but his soul was much enriched than usual with potential and creative features. Most of us face prejudice and discrimination in our everyday life but none speak against it, but he was different; he stood against the biased admission policy and started a movement against it. A movement which was started by a few young boys in their 20’s now has taken a position of third biggest political party in Pakistan.

Severely beaten to fractures and wounds, attacked with lethal objects, locked up, killed his family and accomplices but Altaf Hussain didn’t stop in his mission. His stern belief and his un-exhausted struggle led him be the very influential person of Pakistan from an ordinary student. The naked eye analysis shows us the importance and significance of students’ activism in this society.

The need of the hour prompts to wake students’ enigma from slumber. If we can’t mark our opinion at the place where we are being taught of know ourselves, what good can be expected from us in the near future.

You may have heard of Lord Broi Gham who states; Education makes people easy to lead but difficult to drive, easy to govern but impossible to enslave.  The notion call the effects of education reposed in us.

The infrastructure of student politics has not destroyed yet; it can be revived to its original spirit with the active participation of sincere and good students who keeps the mentor of love for thy society and country.

Some may have opinioned of me as making promotion of APMSO or Altaf Hussain. I hereby declare that I don’t ask you to like Altaf Hussain or join APMSO but I must say you to once open heartedly look deep into the history and inceptions of Leaders and Parties in Pakistan and then come yourself with the very own opinion.

Food for thought: Every crown is made for a head; but not every head is for a crown!  

Campus Politics: A shaded history of Karachi University’s political scenario

Flag bearing gates, tree lined entrance, chalked walls, daunting structure, raucous canteen, and playful attitudes-this is the grandiose of the campus milieu we all usually get to observe. Campus fundamentally considered as a platform to nurture and enhance one’s inherent skills and reach one’s goal in the spirit of youth.

Campus politics has diverse and mixed shades of history. Many of the veteran politicians of this country are graduates of Karachi University and started their struggle from here. Namely Altaf Hussain, Hasil Bizinjo, Syed Faisal Raza Abidi, Syed Hyder Abbas Rizvi, Faisal Sabzwari and others.

“Student politics considered to be a platform for the young to nurture their leadership skills and come forward to take the reign of politics in their hands”, Amir Khan“I started it when I was in my 20’s, got my inspiration from Altaf hussain who raise voice against the quota system in Pakistan”.

History of Student politics in Pakistan is as long as its existence; the very first student organization was Muslim Students Federation, which was created in United India. Then in 1948 existence of Islami Jamiat Talaba and Democratic students federation added a new chapter in students’ politics. Then many new student organizations based on different ideologies, religious belief, doctrine came into existence.

Hasan Nisar, a veteran journalist was of the opinion,” Before student unions were banned, student politics had a history of tumultuous but rich democratic traditions, student activities were conducted with full spirit, students had say in the administration. But Zia has demolished the finishing school for the future politicians and now I don’t foresee such potential in the youth then it was”.

Though it is an interesting and multifaceted journey to get but its roads are shaded with the blood too. In 80’s during the Zia regime, student organizations were turned out in militant groups and rivals pointed their guns barrels against each other. Campuses have witnessed bloody wars and many have lost their lives in aligning with the doctrine one follow.

 The very first clash in student politics history is ascertained but the series of clashes is reported to have been in 1980’s. When students got armed with the automatic machine guns and the lust for the blood made the hounds active.

“It was unable for us to take classes because rivalry was at its peak and nearly everyday we heard gunshots” said by a female student who was doing her B-Pharmacy form university of Karachi in 1987.

Karachi University like its host city has always been a melting pot for the students form all over the country. Its grounds have seen the splendid expression of various sociopolitical schools of thoughts. The gradual desensitization of students after the military take over of 1979 as well as the violent military crackdown on the APMSO-PSF conflict in 1993 that was followed by the indefinite deployment of rangers on campus.

Today there are many student organization based on different political and religious school of thoughts operating in Karachi University. All Pakistan mutahida students organization (APMSO) student faction and mother organization of MQM, the very old Isalmi Jamiat Talba (IJT) student faction the Jamat e Islami, peoples student federation (PSF) PPP’s student wing, Imamia Students Organization (ISO) a Shia Muslims students’ group, Mustafvi Students Federation (MSF) student organization led by Tahir ul Qadri,chief of minhaj ul quran, Insaf Students Fedreation (ISF) imran khan’s student wing, Balawaristan National Students Organization (BNSO) a separatist student faction, Northern Areas Students Allaince(NASA) ethnic organization, Baloch Students Federation (BSF) separatist students wing, Jiye Sindh Students Federation (JSSF) separatist wing, Punjabi Students Association (PSA) ethnic student body, and some others banned organizations students faction like Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistan (SMP) and Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), arch rivals of each other.

Today there is no student union or a single platform for the students to raise their voice. Each organization want its say in the administrative and educational matters and get the reign which ultimately leads to a conflict ‘whom to be listened’?

A senior teacher of University told on the condition of anonymity, “activists of different student groups mostly don’t attend classes and even don’t perform to pass the exam, but they compel us to pass them. If no then they threat to bear the consequences, and many of our colleagues had been subjected to torture due to the same reason”.

But the office bearers of the students organizations in university denied their involvement and throw filth on their rivals.

The fear of student groups’ activists who consider themselves the only Salvation Army has hastened the students’ minds and led them to conduct their co-curricular and recreational activities outside the premises of campus. Such incidents are reported frequently when students are beaten and subjected to torture only because they don’t listen to or go against the directions of them.

A flashback it’s Nov 5^th 2003. The first graduating batch of the newly formed Visual Arts department of the Karachi University is holding its grand exhibition of the students’ final thesis in the STC hall. The exhibition is in process when all hell breaks lose.  A group of a religious based student organization gathered outside to protest against the exhibition, which they termed to be out of university’s code and religious ethics. They fall into heated arguments with the administrative staff and students. Suddenly around two dozens activists stormed into the hall, mashing the items on display. Terrifying young men and women in their wake, many of them crying as they their year’s worth work shattered into pieces. No action was taken against those miscreants.

One student whose presentation was destroyed recalls bitterly,” I was beaten to bone, threatened and harassed, and saw the fruit of my labor get smashed into pieces in front of my eyes.”

Students politics is not all bad it men who do it negatively or positively. Student’s politics/ youth power has been a powerful engine for a movement to get started and achieve its goal. In the creation of Pakistan they were students who were working along the lines of Quaid e Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

Student politics in Karachi University has not only wrongdoings but also providing a healthy culture of competition to be promoted. Student organizations exhibit their strength by gathering mass students in their programs.

In Karachi university its fun when such events are held. The biggest event in history of university and now being called as the biggest tape ball cricket tournament in south-Asia i.e. Paigham e Aman cricket tournament held every year by APMSO. Around 300 teams participate in this mega event and thousands of students’ witness the thunder of players.

Second mega event for the university is book fair, which is held every year by Islami Jamiat Talaba where many book publishers and houses set up their stall and sell books at subsidized rates. Student organizations don’t let go every single opportunity to mark their triumph in creating space for the students to get refreshed and updated. They hold seminars and different workshops.

“We like student politics and want to shoe our part here but when we see clashes between different student groups we are afraid of it”, said by a student of international relations at Karachi University.

All the parent political and religious organizations should abide their student faction to strictly follow the rules and regulations set up by university administration and create and healthy, competitive and democratic environment so that the revival of student politics could be done with it full spirit and strictly take action against their fellow if found in any wrongdoing. The sprit of youth at its peak demand the revolution in every sphere but this should be kept in minds “charity begins at home”.