Friday 5 April 2013

Contesting Elections as a Common Man!




My name is Mohammad Jibran Nasir. I am 26 years old and a lawyer by Profession having completed my LLB followed by a LLM. I finished my studies in 2010 and upon my return to Pakistan after my two year stay in the UK, I started my first philanthropic venture, "Pehla Qadam".

Pehla Qadam was a flood relief camp I set up in Karachi with another friend to generate Rs. 100,000 in a month so that the same may be donated towards relief efforts. At the end of that month we had collected funds and donations in kind worth over Rs. 1 Crore. We had reached out to 4,500 flood affected families in 10 different cities of Pakistan with one week food supplies. That two member camp turned into an organization of 200 willing and dedicated volunteers. Out of the Rs. 1 Crore donations we collected 99% was donated by individuals as opposed to corporate entities.

That month was my first introduction to the will of the common man, the ordinary citizen of Pakistan.
That experience not only gave me the confidence in the youth of this Nation but also burdened my shoulders with the responsibility of continuing my efforts in whatever capacity for the social welfare of my countrymen.
I felt that burden because I realised that this country had given me everything. My birth in a decent hospital, my polio drops, my school education, my college education, my friends, my job, experience, exposure, my love for food, my love for cricket, roads to drive on, parks to walk in, malls to shop at, a language to speak, an anthem to sing and an identity to own. All these amenities and facilities were made possible because of the will, hard work and investment of my fellow countrymen in this country.

But what had I given it in return? And why hadn't I given anything in return? If I was telling myself that the reason I mind my own business is because I cannot bring any positive change in society, then my experience with the flood camp had proved me wrong.

Since then I have been involved with various charities as a volunteer or have as as individual contributed towards relief work. I with my very limited means but the support of my generous friends and fellow citizens of Karachi have managed to sponsor surgeries, child care, school books and bags for the underprivileged. I have volunteered at protests against ethnic and sectarian violence. I was recently actively involved in the relief work for the Abbas Town Blast victims through “Abbas Town Humanitarian Response”. The reason I am sharing these experiences is not to blow my own trumpet but to inform the reader that I by the Grace of God was exposed  to these various environments to develop the perspective I have today.

The perspective that all I have been doing so far has been damage control. It has been remedial relief and that is all that one can possibly do as an individual or a private organization.

We need to change our mindset, our laws, our policies and our education curriculum to develop a new positive thinking for the Pakistan of tomorrow. I want the generation after me to grow up in a relatively mature, civilized, tolerant and peaceful Pakistan. And this change will come from the top.

If our lawmakers and legislators can pass a law which increases their benefits as MPAs/MNAs and makes those benefits available to them life long then I am pretty sure that they with a five year term can also develop, amend and reform laws which would benefit the Pakistani Nation at large.

Our politics is only as dirty as our politicians. Our parliament is only as ineffective and corrupt as our parliamentarians. The resources, powers and tools the office of a parliamentarian has are immense and sacred. Unfortunately our parliamentarians do not realise its true worth.
If the hunger, poverty, injustice, illiteracy and the tyranny in my country cannot change the mind of the Parliamentarian for the better than it is better that we change the Parliamentarians.

My degrees are original, my taxes are paid, my assets have been declared, I have paid all government dues, I have no unpaid loans from any bank, I don't have any criminal conviction, I am also not roaming around on bail and I do not have dual nationality.


I have filed my Nomination Papers from NA-250 and PS-113 as an independent candidate. I am middle class man who has lived all his life till date in a rented accommodation. My father is currently out of employment with limited savings. I know exactly the fear of not knowing how I will be paying my bills a few months from now. My personal total savings were Rs. 25,000 which I have put in my Election Fund. In the quest to see how far can a common man go to take ownership of the problems of his country I have already risked my job and given the intolerance in our politics I, in the words of my parents and friends, am risking my life. I with the support and criticism of my friends and the readers have decided to overcome my fears. 

My question to you is that if I as a common man can risk it all to contest elections and endevour to bring change through the electoral and democratic process why cannot you risk a day and come out on Election Day and vote, regardless whoever you may wish to vote for. To the youth, this is your country. It is about time you start taking interest and you start being a stakeholder.

Your ignorance is worse than any drone, any terrorist attack and any corruption. Pakistan Zindabad!

13 comments:

  1. Im impressed Jibran. Wish you all the best!
    May Allah give you success in the path that you have chosen for the betterment of Pakistan.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I will support you Jibran. Can you adopt this in your group. Learn or train. if you wish. My school has been register as IB. I was thinking why not use this for a party or group of your and your growth as i know you done good why not learn more in your grow for you to be a better person. We are all not perfect and till we die we are constantly learning to be better human beings. http://www.ibo.org/ http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/ i know this lady Fareeda i can get you her skype contacts as she does not live in pakistan but in Uk. SHE Is the head of YOUTH OF HUMAN RIGHTS. I want to develop this in your new group that we ARE PAKISTANIS FIRST and Call ourselves Pakistani. No more i am only sindi punjabi pathan baluchi hindi parsi christain ahmadi shia sunnia brohi etc I am from Karachi, Islamabad Lahore etc. Bring in the pride of speaking and writing our national language and bring in other language if they have script like Urdu has. Sindhi Punjabi pashto baluchi. Can become our national languages apart from Urdu. Mishall Mirza

    ReplyDelete
  3. I will support you Jibran. Can you adopt this in your group. Learn or train. if you wish. My school has been register as IB. I was thinking why not use this for a party or group of your and your growth as i know you done good why not learn more in your grow for you to be a better person. We are all not perfect and till we die we are constantly learning to be better human beings. http://www.ibo.org/ http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/ i know this lady Fareeda i can get you her skype contacts as she does not live in pakistan but in Uk. SHE Is the head of YOUTH OF HUMAN RIGHTS. I want to develop this in your new group that we ARE PAKISTANIS FIRST and Call ourselves Pakistani. No more i am only sindi punjabi pathan baluchi hindi parsi christain ahmadi shia sunnia brohi etc I am from Karachi, Islamabad Lahore etc. Bring in the pride of speaking and writing our national language and bring in other language if they have script like Urdu has. Sindhi Punjabi pashto baluchi. Can become our national languages apart from Urdu. Mishall Mirza

    ReplyDelete
  4. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. If we want to make a change in our country and have unity amongst our people and us. In punjab is punjabi, Nwfp is pashto, baluchistan is baluchi and sind there is sindi. We many other beautiful languages for people to speak with their own people and family which is good. Now I remember english been given importance and an universial language as the world speaks it. We need to know it for sure. This is very little importance is given to Urdu which is our national language to speak with everyone in Pakistan to make unity strong in order to communicate with each other and understand. In our schools when kids are little when teachers speak in english and urdu both languages to help children communicate, understand and to interact with they class fellows and to teachers. Now I face it as a child schools telling parents to speak to kids in english more in which it ruin my urdu as english was given more importance than urdu. They are also parents encourage their kids to speak in english even in school where they are even taught urdu. Instead of being of their kids learning urdu there is a sense of embrassesment that how and why kids are speaking in urdu. URDU AND ENGLISH BOTH need to be given importance equally. We need to be proud of our own Language for starters and encourage our youth to learn it while they really young while learn their own personal languages at home. I see it on our billboards even urdu written in english form. We have just notion that we are not cool when we talk in urdu. When our cricketer speak in urdu instead of english most of us laugh at him. Like all sport occasion their should be a translater and there is no harm. At least the person would feel more comfortable and proud speaking it as it is OUR NATIONAL LANGUAGE. Like english is encouraged to speak and learning in school same importance should be given to urdu. And we can add other languages whatever province we live to introduce a language not only in government schools but in private schools too. We need to start to being proud of urdu as our national language just like we our with english which is a universal language. When i traveled to turkey people were all talking in turkish, italians would only speak their own languages amongs their own etc billboards etc were all written in their languages. People will respect us more if we speak in our own languages as well as english. Urdu is a beauitful language like many others. So please introduce urdu as a language of unity of Pakistan and be proud.

      Delete
    2. After speaking to my dad to hear his side of the story. My father fought in a war and his family had to leave their home in order to make a new life like they were promised. I asked him who decided on urdu being a national language and why? Now he is in his 70’s now. Told me that after deciding Allama Iqbal suggested urdu should be a national language to Jinnah. Only then Jinnah decided on urdu as it had a script to write and only language had a script was Bengali. There should have been two but that was one mistake on Jinnah’s part on not doing that. He only wanted urdu to be national language and I can understand why now. As is had a script to write. Now Urdu was develop in a Mughal’s time mind you. Sindhi and others have but in an Arabic form like urdu. This only reason maybe Urdu was decide. Now even India has million more languages than us but they have hindi (because some people think it is an India language). There are countries that has 3 national languages in country like Sweden has it. I am open for change if it a positive and good for the people and country. Now I may be A lot of languages for kids to learn though and a lot more studying. I do not know how this can be possible as Urdu is only national language to bring people close and communicate with each other. Now others think that other language like Sindhi baluchi pashto punjabi should be given the same importance and be made national too. Now do they have a script other than arabic form like urdu i do not know. English is an univerisal language and urdu already our national pride for me at least.

      Delete
  5. fareeda@peals.net skype
    Fareeda Abbasi Bulbrook

    ReplyDelete
  6. Such an honest article! Thank you for writing. You are an inspiration.
    "I felt that burden because I realised that this country had given me everything. My birth in a decent hospital, my polio drops, my school education, my college education, my friends, my job, experience, exposure, my love for food, my love for cricket, roads to drive on, parks to walk in, malls to shop at, a language to speak, an anthem to sing and an identity to own. All these amenities and facilities were made possible because of the will, hard work and investment of my fellow countrymen in this country."

    ReplyDelete
  7. "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot,
    nothing is going to get better. It's not." - Dr. Seuss, The Lorax

    I salute you Mr. Jibran for taking this step. You have proved your immense leadership qualities at a number of occasions - be it the peaceful protests or the Abbas town humanitarian response.

    You have what it takes. Qadam barhao, hum tumharay saath hain!

    My sincere prayers are with you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I wish you the best and stay safe. I read the Q &A. Most of my question has been answered. I have wrote of few comments just in order to give you growth in bettering yourself.You as a young lawyer already know enough but we can all keep learning new things. You already seem okay by me. Anyhow i a few questions. What you going to protects the people such as women children, poor ,old those who do not dare to speak out? What are going to protect them people who are not muslims and other who are muslims but again have different ways of living such the moderate, liberal and conversative etc Shia, Sunni etc. I know your answer towards Ahmedi. Please find the way for everyone to vote even Ahmedis. How will you make education and medical free for those who cannot afford it? Are you into enviromental issues? How do you plan to protect to poor animals who have no voice?

    ReplyDelete
  9. And how are going to make Pakistan a Secular Country? Meaning country that is not run by religion and should not be mixed with politics.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I am impressed with your views but you should join PTI instead of doing independently. Please note i am note a PTI worker.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wish you all the success Mr. Jibran.Pakistan needs badly people like you.Good luck!.

    ReplyDelete

Your Feedback is requested! Be Critical, its encouraging and educating!