Pakistani Universities reluctant to name departments after Abdus Salam

"Abdus Salam- the long ignored and forgotten Nobel Prize Winner"

Salam, the only Pakistani scientist to be awarded with Nobel Prize, selflessly dedicated all of his Nobel Prize money towards the betterment of underdeveloped countries. One scientist below the age of 35 gets selected every year from Pakistan since 1981 as the Abdus Salam scholar to carry out research at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Trestie. Interestingly, Pervez Hoodbhoy is the first scholar to win the Salam award. This past week Hoodbhoy was seen expressing his grief over the indifference of the Pakistani Nation to honor the pioneer in a DAWN news program. Our compatriots, like every year, thought it best to remain silent on Abdus Salam's 20th death anniversary. Where the world is still in awe of him, the Pakistanis are in a dilemma regarding how to celebrate their only Nobel Prize awardee.

UET, BZU, FJMC prohibit faculty applications from 'Ahmadi Muslims'

The anti-Ahmadi sentiment is something most of us have grown up with. While our families and friends may not promote violence, there is a significant sense of internal dislike towards the Ahmadi community. Not only do we rubbish the community’s belief system quite regularly, distasteful jokes about Mirza Ghulam Ahmad are just as common.

The discriminatory anti-Ahmadiyya clauses in some of Pakistani universities application for a faculty position makes it utterly impossible for some of the highly qualified members of Ahmaddiya community to get jobs at the dignified institutions.

The Cast of Teesri Dhun- The Third Tune

Teesri Dhun - The Third Tune
Naghma Gogi, Neeli Rana, Jannat Ali, Lucky Roy, Sunny Khan & Anaya Malik

16th & 17th December, 2016 | 7:30 pm

Alhamra Arts Council - Hall 2, Mall RoadDirected by: Claire Pamment & Iram Sana

Presented by: Olomopolo Media
Powered by: Danish Centre for Culture and Development (CKU)
Venue Partner: Lahore Arts Council-Alhamra, Mall Road, Lahore

First Documentary Theatre play on trans-lives "Teesri Dhun" arrives Lahore

After successful theatrical runs at the National College of Arts (Rawalpindi), WOW Festival (Karachi), University of Texas (Austin), Yale University and Alhamra Arts Council, "TEESRI DHUN" comes back to Lahore. Teesri Dhun or "The Third Tune" is a dramatic enactment of transgender lives, as six khawaja saras would be sharing their experiences of being neither man nor woman in Pakistan.

"Stills from the Teesri Dhun's cast's previous performances"

 The play would comprise of powerful performances, integrating music, dance and storytelling, unfold narratives of separation, love, desire, celebration and loss, as the characters would be shown struggling to find a third space in a polarized gendered society. The theatrical play would be showcased on 16th and 17th of December at the Lahore Arts Council, Alhamra. The organizers have gone with an open invitation this time, everyone would be equally welcomed to join.

Fajar Ajmal voices concerns of intersex community

The founder and president of Voice Up, Fajar Ajmal shared her thoughts while addressing the audience at the launch even

t,

‘’Being a girl I know how it is like to be neglected, rejected and humiliated. I know it all, so I decided to stand up and voice my opinions and made myself strong enough that nobody could ever bring me down. I wasn’t alone and my Rabb guided me. And so, I wanted to stand up for the MOST underprivileged ones who are facing it the same but little did I know that some are facing it worse than I or anyone else can ever imagine."

Intersex Community Demands Census from Government

A member of the intersex community at the "Voice Up" campaign event highlighted a very important issue; census. She said,

"There are around 2000,000 khuwajasara in Pakistan, but they are excluded from it, because there is no category for them specifically – only men and women. She said if the government would include them in census, they will have to give them a seat in parliament, and make education compulsory, make hospital but this isn’t what our government wants."

Members of the heejrah community say that though discrimination and stigma affect them at every level, it is even more painful when they are denied education and health facilities that limit their chances to live a better life.

The Supreme Court’s orders for their welfare and recognition last year was a ray of hope, they recall. The misconceptions about the transgender community continue to linger on, as Mirza Aleem Baig, heading the Gender and Reproductive health form says,

"Only people with intersex condition deserve employment opportunities by the government. In fact they should be given the status of a special person and offered privileges as in the case of special persons. A majority of those in the transgender community are of those who want to have a free life and enjoy drugs and sex."

Not only do the Transgenders and other communities go through life with an identity crisis, they are continuously segregated by mainstream society and find themselves out of jobs and devoid of any advancement opportunities.

If the government thinks that allowing transgenders the right to define themselves as “trans” is the final redemption for their human rights, it cannot be more wrong. Yes, identity is important but it is only useful if it has a cultural subtext to be allowed expression.

"All We Ask of You is Respect", plea of an intersex person

“Just respect us. When you see a khuwajasara – respect them. We have been thrown out of our own homes and all we ask of you is respect." This was a message a member of intersex community left for us as she departed from the launch event on 10th of November. Her narration of certain events drove the most people present at the event to tears. Her battle with abuse; her own brother inflicted upon her; while she was experiencing changes in her body, the flat refusal to attend funeral of her own mother because she would bring nothing but 'dishonor' to the family, and another incident that gives an insight into how badly these people are treated by the society,

"What do I tell you about hospitals? 5-6 days ago I was walking past a hospital and a man called out to me: “A khuwajasara is lying dead inside.” I went inside to find the

khuwajasara’s dead body lying there for 8 days. No one came to receive the dead body. Someone had left her there to die. And that’s where she died. I found an ID card inside. And I asked the hospital to hand over the body to me. They said I should bring forth a relative to which I replied: “Do you think she has family? She’s been lying in the hospital with no one to pick her up for 8 days."

The mainstream society, more than anything, needs to question the rules it has set for these people; who didn't choose to be who they are. All they want is their rights and respect as a citizen of the social structure. Is that too much they are asking for?