Ammar-3Sixty!
Islam & Pakistan! Technology & Me!
Research projects for the progress of our nation
31 year ago
For the past eight or nine years, Pakistan has been producing a large number of engineers and technologists, the numbers literally run in several thousands. This is all thanks to strong initiatives taken by the previous government through the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Engineering Council.
For engineering and technology graduates, their final year project is one of the most important aspects of not only their study but also is an asset to the nation. Unfortunately, only a handful of projects stand out every year that truly contribute to the nation’s well being and prosperity in terms of technology and its localized applications.
Most graduates treat their Final year projects as a formality. In many cases I have found students paying outsiders to have their projects developed and just present them to their professors and come out with a qualified degree. With regret, I have to say such students are not only doing injustice to themselves, this is injustice to the nation as well. A nation who has invested in you and expects a lot from you. (more…)
Blogs playing to the tune of PR agencies
2It has been almost five years now since I began blogging and I can say that it wasn’t until about 2 years back that people came to some sort of realization as to really how important were blogs becoming in spreading information and news in Pakistan.
Naturally, the sniff reached marketeers and PR people and blogs were given their due share of importance. Blogging, which was a part time hobby for us, started getting professional. Some of us really did become professional with me myself going on to launch an IT and Telecom blog called Telecomistan.com.
Unfortunately now, due to the lack of professionalism and exposure to these PR agencies and marketeers, many bloggers and blogs got influenced by fancy ‘Blogger meetups’ with free ‘give-aways’ conducted by Multi-nationals, PR agencies and the new ‘Social Media Marketing’ agencies that suddenly popped up onto the scene.
Today, many blogs stand influenced by PR agencies and marketeers, playing to the tune of them without realizing that they become biased in their approach and lose their credibility. These PR agencies keep in constant touch with you, their officers and executives call you often, you feel privileged to be invited to these fancy ‘meet-ups’, so and so-forth. And then, one fine evening, you gets calls from them asking you for favors on a personal note, asking you to blog something or the other. This is where the strength of your personality needs to play in. This is where you need to show professionalism as a blogger. You must resist the temptation to fall into unnecessary traps.
While sometimes, these PR agencies also provide you with insight that you can investigate and publish, this information may also sometimes get malicious. One recent story was broken by Mr. Jamil Arif who exposed an anti-Telenor post sent to him via email from a ‘reader’ which had been generated on a Microsoft Word document licensed to “SHAMROCK communication”, a Mobilink PR agency.
Because of the immaturity of a few new entrants and some tabloid blogs who earn on the very basis of brewing controversies, people start accusing the entire blogosphere of being ‘Sold-out’ to PR agencies and other elements. To blame everyone just like that is not only unfair, it is also unethical.
It all comes down to maintaining the right Balance between your own thought, the industry and the information you are receiving from the various sources you have. People will sometimes praise you, some quarters will ridicule you, but it is important to keeps your own facts straight and emphasis must be given to investigating stories on your own before you go on to publish them.
In the long run, even for the Blogosphere, it is unhealthy to be playing to the tune of PR agencies and marketeers. For their own benefit and customers, they will bring your blog down.
Veinna Convention and Ayatollah Khomeini in 1964
21 year ago
I have been studying and paying close attention to the life of Ayatollah Khomeini, the man who led Iran’s modern Islamic revolution and installed a new system of government in place.
During my study, I stumbled across this saying of his dated 27th October 1964 regarding the Vienna Convention and the immunity US diplomats and US embassy officials would enjoy.
This is what Ayatollah Khomeini had to say regarding the Vienna convention:
“I cannot express the sorrow I feel in may heart…Iran no longer has any festival to celebrate; they have turned our festival into mourning…They have sold us, they have sold our independence; but still they light up the city and dance…The dignity of the Iranian Army has been trampled underfoot! A law has been put before the Majlis according to which we are to accede to the Vienna Convention, and a provision has been added to it that all American military advisers, together with their families, technical, and administrative officials, and servants – in short, anyone in any way connected to them – are to enjoy legal immunity with respect to any crime they may commit in Iran.
If some American’s servant, some American cook, assassinates your marja in the middle of the bazaar, or run over him, the Iranian police do not have the right to apprehend him! Iranian courts do not have the right to judge him! The dossier must be sent to America, so that our master there can decide what is to be done… They have reduced the Iranian people to a level lower than that of the American dog. If someone runs over a dog belonging to an American, he will be persecuted. But if an American cook runs over the Shah, the head of the state, no one will have the right to interfere with him. Why? Because they wanted a loan and American demanded this in return”.
This saying was also highlighted by Mubasher Lucman on his show on Dunya News where he connected this speech to the Raymond Davis situation faced by Pakistan today.
Imam Khomeini on Shia Sunni Unity
1
“Those who attempt to cause discord among our Sunni and Shi’ite brothers are people who conspire for the enemies of Islam.
Shi’ites and Sunni’s should avoid every kind of dispute.
Today, discord among us will only benefit those who follow NEITHER Shia nor Sunni”
Ayatollah Khomeini (R.A)
Khamoshi Ka Boycott – Rebranding or Cashing in?
6
Telenor launched its youth package, DJuice, a few years back with a catchy tag-line “Its fun to be young!”. On Saturday, I happened to have had the opportunity of attending the launch ceremony of the DJuice “Khamoshi Ka Boycott” campaign, aimed at refreshing the brand image. The event had an awe-inspiring set up and entrance decoration held at the Pearl Continental hotel in Karachi.
As a keen observer of how Telecom companies handle their brand images, I must say I am impressed with this re-launch. Telenor aims at working on and educating the masses through its campaign on small issues that usually are every day hurdles in the progress of our society in general. Unlike the name and what one would immediately think of, Telenor here is proposing individual improvement and self-discipline rather than an Inqilaab or revolution. (more…)
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