firstperson

Exposing media fanatics

Self-criticism is a kind of luxury in which most journalists may not indulge in

By Abdullah Khoso

Robert Ferguson has been working as a senior lecturer in Education at the School of Culture, Language and Communication, Institute of Education, University of London, since 1994. He has also been the course leader of the master's programme in Media, Culture and Communication during this period. Ferguson has been in the education sector for the last 24 years. From 1984 to 1994, he worked as the head of Media Studies, Joint Department of English and Media Studies, and the academic head of the Department of Educational Media, Institute of Education, University of London.

Of Robert Ferguson's many books, two are particularly important: Representing Race: Ideology, Identity and the Media and The Media in Question. The former is an analysis of the intellectual and historical base without which understanding the media is impossible. Ferguson tires to situate media discourse in the context of ethnocentrism, orientalism, ideology and representation, and draws on examples from newspapers, films, radio and television. His overview demonstrates a close association between representations of 'normality' and 'ethnocentrism'.

In the latter book, Robert Ferguson examines the contemporary research on media and cultural studies, and its impact in the context of rapid development in media technologies. He points at changing definitions and contexts of media studies through critical investigation. Moreover, Ferguson has been working as a broadcaster for more than two decades. His is currently researching on the representation of history on television. The News on Sunday interviewed him recently. Excerpts follow:



The News on Sunday: How does the European media portray Islam and Muslims?

Robert Ferguson: This, of course, is a difficult question, because there was a time even before 9/11 when there were plenty of people who were aware that it was problematic the way the non-Muslim world saw the Muslim world. Though it has been a problem always, it was treated in a light-hearted way before 9/11. I think that the media, especially newspapers, is much more likely to be ethnocentric or Islamophobist. If you ask most people on the street they will get confused about who is Muslim and who is not, as many people in the United States are confused if anyone asks them where is Iraq. In fact, this becomes a much more virulent kind of ethnocentrism against people seen as the Muslims.

TNS: What kind of debate was initiated in Europe after the publication of caricatures of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in a Danish newspaper?

RF: What was done in the Danish case has brought to the fore an old debate: if you have the right to speak, how much are you allowed to say, if it offends others? And if you are allowed to say what you like and you will offend others, to what extent should you mind your manners? I think that people need to be responsible; they should be able to say what they want to say, but in a responsible manner. What you should not be able to say, however, is anything that acts against the forces of democracy. For example, no one should be allowed to say all the Jews should be killed, because it is not a democratic thing to say. Democratically, you are not allowed to kill someone. So I do not approve of that; it should not be allowed and it should be illegal.

TNS: Was the publication of the caricatures a responsible and harmless thing to do?

RF: The publication of the caricatures was harmful, as well as irresponsible. In fact, religion was used as a tool to promote ethnocentrism.

TNS: Were there any hidden motives behind the publication of the caricatures?

RF: Denmark has strict immigration policies, which essentially means that it is careful about dark-skinned people. So there is a dimension to this, at least in one respect. Of course, there currently is Islamophobia in the air in Europe. The people are terrified and they have become anti-immigrant and anti-Muslim. A lot of this is based on fear and ignorance. In one sense, this fear is real too, because they have seen so many things happening in the world, such as 9/11. However, equating all the Muslims with terrorism is wrong.

TNS: Can you give us an example of a terrorist act by a Christian fundamentalist?

RF: There are people who are doing it, but they may not be doing it for the sake of Christianity. Their main motivation may not be religious; it may be social. There are fundamentalists who are shooting doctors and surgeons who carry out abortions. They think that they have a religious justification for doing this. Christian fundamentalist groups, such as the Ku Klux Klan, do exist and their ethnocentrism is awful. Fundamentalists are everywhere, in every religion.

TNS: What kind of fear is attached with black people irrespective of their beliefs?

RF: The idea of anti-Muslim is because of an image of a specific person in mind. It is a certain kind of person, by definition a dark-skinned, bearded man wearing a certain kind of gear. We have not constructed such images ourselves; very often we have learned them through the media. People in big cities have not met anybody, but have just seen images on the screen. What they are frightened of is kind of a fanatic that is being projected in newspapers.

TNS: How does the European media deal with an event?

RF: Television news channels will always say, with some justification though, their responsibility is to inform people about what is happening in the world, but details and explanation of that will be in current affair programmes or documentaries. Moreover, there is no time in the news to give details and explanation. The debate, however, is how much explanation one can give in the news and what kind of explanation. There can be many sides, but usually we have to listen to both sides of the argument. There, however, are certain issues in the world about which you necessarily do not listen to both sides or you do listen to both sides but one side seems to be much louder than the other. What we have as news, which is predominantly reporting, is what is going on in the world, but there can always be reporting from another point of view.

TNS: Is the approach of the European media to Muslims getting better or worse?

RF: This question is nearly unanswerable, but we can say it has got worse in recent years, because of a mixture of fear and the fact that this fear is entirely faceless. The European media on the whole has demonised the Muslims, though the Muslims have done fantastic things too.

TNS: How much self-criticism is being exercised in journalism in Europe?

RF: Usually self-criticism and journalism do not go together. If journalists will be self-critical, they will be out of job pretty quickly. Journalists work for different newspapers and different newspapers do things differently. However, we cannot say this about all journalists. Some of them are very reflective and do think. A tiny minority of journalists may even be self-critical but mostly they are critical of society, of how things are going on. Self-criticism is a kind of luxury in which most journalists may not indulge in; it makes them weak or not up to the job. This does not necessarily mean that journalists are responsible for all the bad things in the world or whatever wrongs are being committed against the Muslims, but I am sure that some of them do help.

TNS: How do you see the relationship between the real world and the media?

RF: I do not think that there is any difference between the two; they essentially are the same thing. You can walk into a television studio, with media people watching, recording and cooperating with you. Now representation is becoming part of the real world, part of our existence. It is a fact that the media represents the real world in such a way that it has become part of the real world itself.

TNS: How do you see the future of the media?

RF: Technology is likely to develop so much that we may not be able to conceive yet how sophisticated the media may become, but this will only be a technological development and not necessarily a conceptual development. This may also have an impact on jobs, which, in turn, will influence the way the world operates -- the realities of the world become very harsh when people start to lose their ability to live as they once lived. When the media will become more sophisticated technologically, how it will interact with the people is still very much an unchartered territory. The media will not lead the world neither the world will ever operate now without the media, so the two are stuck.

(Email: abdullahkhoso@hotmail.com)

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/aug2008-weekly/nos-24-08-2008/pol1.htm#3

Pollution through aquaculture

THIS is apropos of Sindh Fisheries Minister Zahid Ali Bhurgari’s statement (July 9) in which he stated that the Sindh government would allot 20,000 acres for the development of aquaculture in the province on modern lines.

The ministry would extend its full support to a project of the federal ministry for food, agriculture and livestock (Minfal) through which model fish and shrimps farms will be set up and the cage system will be introduced in the province. Initially the project would be commenced in Thatta and Badin districts.

In fact, aquaculture or underwater factories or fish farming is the fastest growing food production sector in the world but the notable minister, perhaps, is quite unaware of the dangers of aquaculture. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, the underwater factories have grown three times faster than the land - based animal agriculture.

In the aquafarms, in the ocean, close to shorelines, fish is packed into nets or mesh cages. Packed into cages, the fish remains subject to diseases and pollution. It becomes difficult to manage the pollution and disease issues in the factories.The FAO says that “conditions on aquafarms are so horrendous that on some farms 40 per cent of fish may die before farmers can kill and package them for food”. The aquafarms require more money than the wild-caught fish in the sea, rivers and ponds.Fish lives in the filthy areas. Besides, it pollutes the environment with the fish excrement, chemical-laden fish feed and diseased fish dead bodies.

This type of fish production not only leads to sufferings for the fish and fishers but also to ecological damage.By promoting the underwater factories, a fisherman feels threatened because by doing this the price of the fish will come down and the traditional territories where a common fisherman does his job will be occupied by the new factories. That will not merely take away the jobs from the fishermen but possibly will have huge impact on the wild stocks.

Through this letter and in the light of the issues mentioned, I would ask the minister to peep into the matter before heading for the aquaculture industry. To me, for a sustainable fishing industry, the minister should prepare a fisheries policy that must ensure the livelihood of a common fisherman and protection of ecology and wild fish stock.If a poor fisherman and his family are economically content and the environment is protected from pollution, then the country can grow and flourish. The aquaculture will, otherwise, destroy everything.

ABDULLAH KHOSO

Karachi

http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/16/letted.htm#2

Danish tragedy

The murder of a Pakistani girl in Denmark by her family has sparked a fierce debate about the role of Islam and Pakistani culture in honour killing

By Abdullah Khoso

Uzair Jaleel, like several other Pakistanis in Europe, was worried over the killing of Ghazala, 19, in full view of several on-lookers and in broad day light by her elder brother. When on September 23, 2005 the news of this so called honour killing spread like a wildfire and reached Uzair, he was shocked. The incident made him look at himself to see if he wanted the same identity for himself as the girl's brother who shared with him the country of his origin -- Pakistan. While travelling in a train on the way to downtown Copenhagen, this is how he comments on the issue: "Everyone is pointing an accusing finger at us by denouncing Ghazala's death in one of the world's most democratic countries. These fingers symbolically make us conscious of not only what's being done now but also since unknown times.

"Reports say that Ghazala, a day before she was killed, married Abbas, a 27-year-old man of Afghan origin, supposedly without the consent of her family. Before their marriage, the couple escaped from their homes in Copenhagen's Amager locality to a nearby city called Jutland where they married secretly at the city hall. Ghazala then told one of her female relatives about her secret marriage. She did not know that she will be betrayed. In the attack that followed, her husband survived by a hair's breadth.Ghazala's killer was arrested soon after the murder, and after a month police arrested six more members of his family, all allegedly part of the conspiracy to hunt down and kill the unfortunate girl.Reports say a strong network of taxi-drivers is also involved in hunting her down. This is a fact acknowledged by Anne Mau, secretary of Denmark's National Association of Women's Crisis Centres, in an online newsletter 'Modern Tribalist'. Her association has provided protection to many immigrant women on the run from their families. She says Pakistani taxi-network works systematically to find the women out who flee their families. The drivers, she says, alert these women's relatives about their whereabouts. The families usually send a picture around of the wanted woman through the mobile phone. "Then the hunt begins," Mau says. "This way many women have been discovered on the street, caught, and delivered back to their families." Only few of them manage to make good their escape though it's not sure how long can they stretch it.


Ghazala, however, suffered something much more cruel than the disgrace and humiliation of a forcible reunion with the family. Belonging to a Gujar family, she apparently forgot that death was the only option for her family to 'redeem' its 'honour' which stood 'soiled' by her act of defiance. This is what several innocent girls suffer silently in her native country. "It is a horrible thing. Her family should have come to terms with her decision instead of her trying to reconcile with them. Her family should have realised that they live in Denmark which is not a fundamentalist society," says Jonathan Staav, a Canadian studying in Denmark. "I cannot even imagine doing what her brother did to her. There is millions of miles of distance between her brother's act and my thinking.


"It's quite logical for people like to connect an individual's act with the values and customs of the whole society where Ghazala had come from. "This act shows the society in question has failed to inculcate a true picture of good social and religious values in its members," is how a German student commented on the issue. Though many moderate Muslims would like to oppose honour murders but unluckily for them ever new stories about these murders keep being splashed in the media, taking in their range societies as distant and diverse as Pakistan, Afghanistan, Britain and Jordan. "This kind of act demeans the whole humanity, turning it into something inferior -- verging on beastly," says Shanker, an Indian-born Dane. Another Dane writes to Dhimmi Watch (an online news magazine), "It's primitive fascism." Still another local resident comments: "it is, a horrible, pre-meditated, senseless murder of the worst kind of a defenceless innocent woman, more so because it is done by people from her own family." In his anger, he forgets the difference between the individual and the collective and ascribes it to the "animalistic attitude" prevalent only among the Muslims. "There is no hue and cry from the Mullahs or any Muslims demonstrating against this murder of an innocent girl. (She was not even marrying a non-Muslim)."When western watchers and readers of acts like Ghazala's murder trace their relation to values of a country or Islam, it is comprehensible as well as painful for someone coming linked to them.


These acts provide Islam-bashers mouthful stuff to spit on the values of Islam. Which Mette, a Dane, is apparently right to say that "honour killing does not save honour". It rather brings down the honour of a whole family, a culture and a country.But at the same time these westerners should be forgiven if they see crimes like honour killing in broad day light in a religious and cultural context. Someone writing to Dhimmi Watch says the (gender) inequality, sanctioned by the Quran and strictly enforced by the Muslims, can only bring sorrow to those less equal. "Societal oppression is a foregone conclusion" under these circumstances. "Systemic theofascism would be a good pathological description for Islam."Like most people writing for this magazine, the identity of this person is not revealed. His/her anger leads her to rather drastic conclusions: 'Honour' murder is the kind of thing that comes to mind when I hear peaceful, moderate Muslims speak after each and every atrocity. They ceaselessly disavow terrorism while their own holy book and culture promote the same horror on their own flesh and blood. It's hard to wrap the mind around such twisted logic.

"Mohammad Ali Baloch, 32, who has been staying in Denmark for the last three years, opines that it's not others' fault if they blame Islam or Islamic culture for the crimes like honour killing. "Not everywhere one can and should practice obsolete tribal traditions, though they are central in our cultural system." Like everyone else back home, he was also taught how to value honour because it's important in the society back home "what people will say" if a woman of the family acts defiantly. During his years in Denmark, Ali seems to have become quite aware of the human rights and the value of upholding them. No wonder, he categorically condemns innocent Ghazala's killing for she had committed no sin.Jonathan Staav, the Canadian, is one of the few foreigners willing to see Ghazala's murder as an individual as an individual act, and not as a part of the whole called Islam. "Murder is murder; we should consider it no part of Islamic culture because Islam does allow his followers of any gender to marry as per their wish.


"Ihsan Miran, a Pakistan studying in Denmark, takes this opinion further and with much more vigour. "It has nothing to do with Islam and Pakistan, though people consider it an expression of something in Pakistani culture. But our constitution and Islamic teachings want us to be moderate human beings rather than act like barbarians as Ghazala's killer has done," he says.

Seeking justice

A gory tale of domestic violence

By Abdullah Khoso

Ali Muhammad Themore, 22, was still persistent to stay longer besides her mother's grave in Ismail Themore village, about 50 kilometers to the south-west of Badin. He and four dozen other people -- including his maternal aunt, uncle and human right activists -- were waiting for the arrival of a board of doctors and police for the autopsy of Rahiman Themore, 45. But they did not turn up on the day and sent message to Ali, the son of Rahiman, that due to some personal problems they cannot make it and will now come on June 8.

Ali's hope for the justice had increased when after a month-long struggle the Badin Sessions Court judge had ordered not only the registration of Ali's first information report (FIR), but also ordered for the postmortem of his mother. Now with this gesture of medical board members, his hope has again changed into pessimism. "What if the doctors had come to examine my mother and had helped us to get justice," he says sadly.

Rahiman, mother of seven children, had died on April 22. "My father, Jumo alias Chitto, tortured my mother some months ago and did not let anybody to take her to hospital. As a result, she passed away on April 22," Ali informs. He adds that Chitto (which means 'mad' in Sindhi) had always tortured his mother in his absence: "I used to argue a lot with him and fought too, but could not save my mother. My father had placed a ban on my entry into our home."
Ali informs that when her mother died, his father did not tell anybody and buried her with the support of a few friends and relatives without any rituals. He tried persistently to get his complain lodged with the Shaheed Fazal Rahoo Police Station, but the concerned deputy superintendent of police (DSP) did not entertain him. One of the reasons for this was that the Chitto's brother, Adam Themore, is a worker of the ruling Pakistan People's Party (PPP). Besides his political affiliation, Adam is also famous for his criminal activities.

On May 30, after the Badin Sessions Court judge's order under the CRPC A&B, the DSP asked the station house officer (SHO) of Shaheed Fazal Rahoo Police Station to register Ali's FIR. Still the police have as yet not taken any action against the accused, who are free to harass those family members and human rights activists who want to bring them to the justice. Also, Rahiman's relatives have migrated from the village due to continuous threats from Chitto and other accused in the case.

In response to a complain from Ali and his maternal uncle, the Badin Sessions Court judge ordered the Hyderabad Director General Health on June 7 to form a medical board for conducting Rahiman's autopsy. On June 14, the DG formed a medical board comprising five members to examine the dead body on June 23, but this did not take place either and drove Ali to desperation.

Abida Jamali, a local human rights activist, says, "Rahiman's son Ali has been running from pillar to post to get the justice for the wounded soul of his mother." Abida adds that she has come across several physical torture and murder cases in the vicinity, but she has hardly seen anyone else pursue the case like Ali. "There is a dire need that all men join us to eliminate physical torture against women," she stresses.

Salam Memon, another social worker of the area, tells that physical torture against women is not uncommon in neighbouring villages. Women are tortured with punches, kicks and sticks. In his view, about 60 to 70 percent women in the neighboring villages are tortured. "We have been working to raise awareness about the rights of women, but it requires large-scale mobilisation. Rahiman's murder merited just a few words in the local newspapers," he laments.

About two years ago Pakistan became a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council, but sadly it has as yet not ratified its Convention against Torture (CAT). Only signing a convention does not make any difference and a lot of work needs to be done for curbing heinous acts taking place against women in our country. According to unofficial figures provided by the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), in 2007 about 2,300 cases of violence against women were reported in Pakistan. Of these, 1,739 fell under the category of physical abuse, while 72 women were brutally murdered.

Rahiman's murder can be looked from two aspects. One, her son is determined to pursue the case irrespective of the fact that his father would go to jail as a result. Two, the system of getting relief and justice is very painstaking. Initially Ali struggled to get the case registered against his father, because the DSP did not entertain him. Finally, after an unremitting hue and cry, he got the case registered but even this seems to be of no use. "Chitto is openly roaming in the area for two months, but the police have not arrested him yet," Ali laments.

(Email: abdullahkhoso@hotmail.com)

http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-06-07-2008/pol1.htm#3

Are we ready for the monsoon?

THE monsoon season is nearly here. It is the season in which clouds will start bearing the rumbling water from the Arabian Sea and will approach the coastal belts of Pakistan.

It is sure that we cannot stop heavy rainfalls, storm surges, thunderstorms and cyclones but we can reduce their effects on our lives.Maybe in the other parts of the country the monsoon brings joy but not in the coastal belts and the unplanned areas, particularly kutchi abadis. It results in floods that may cause deaths, diseases, injuries, deplacement of people and economic loss.

Particularly, in the low-level areas it can result in considerable commotion in transport and other services.In order to mitigate the risks from floods and rainwater, all the government’s line departments have to get ready.

These departments are health, education and works.The educational department must check the availability of space and toilet facilities and the health departments should look at all the available stock of medicines and human resources which will be utilised during and after the rain or emergency situation.

The works departments should stop digging holes and lines. If these are open, they should be covered on an emergency basis or should be restored to their original conditions.In addition to all of this, the line department concerned should call an emergency meeting of their staff and review cases and plan activities for the upcoming unknown situation.

These departments should meet and help each other if the situation is demanding that.The most vulnerable communities on the coastal belts are the fishing communities. The departments should meet them and create awareness in them about the strategies to be used in tackling these disastrous situations.I am sure that by these exercises we will be able to manage any possible emergency in an effective way.

ABDULLAH KHOSO

Karachi
http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/04/letted.htm#3
http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/04/letted.htm#3

Research Work

Research Work

As part of MA in Media Studies, I have written dissertation on the topic “How the media represent socio-cultural risks: a comparative discourse analysis of media texts about a religious minority (Ahmadis) and the majority in Pakistan”. It is a comparative study of different media outlets (the BBC, Dawn, Nawa-I-Waqt). It shows the media work under socio-cultural taboo systems.

At the end of first semester at the Roskilde University Centre (RUC) I as a part of group-work wrote a critical research report on the topic “Re-Imaging the Past: An analysis of how Federal Government of the United States has been able to affect what films are made and what types of images they perpetuate through Hollywood.” Available at http://dspace.ruc.dk/items-by-author?author=khoso%2C+abdullah.

During my career at Pakistan Institute of Labour Education of Pakistan (PILER), I wrote an analytical report based on fieldwork on the topic “Impact Analysis of Intervention for the Release and Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour in Pakistan.” The fieldwork was conducted in Sindh province of Pakistan. One of the results of the study was, all rehabilitation and release interventions are without long term planning and proper look after which result in the going back of ex-bonded labourer into the same vicious circle of debt bondage.

The second research activity at PILER was preparation of an investigative report based on fieldwork on the topic “Working Conditions of Fishermen in Pakistan.” I had conducted interviews, then piled up data in the report and submitted with the respective organization. Research shows majority of the fishermen work in informal setup and have no provision of social security benefits. These workers are marginalized in their industry.

During my stay with National Rural Support Programme, Pakistan, the major work I did was Market Research for the ILO-NRSP project in Hyderabad Sindh, “Prevention of Family Indebtedness with Micro-finance and other Related Service.” Formulated research design, conducted fieldwork, wrote report and submitted with the NRSP. Since, ex-bonded labourers in the camps (in the Hyderabad city of Sindh) do not have formal skills; therefore, survey was conducted to assess the more profit giving activities in the market, which do not involve much investment and skills.

In the fourth semester at the Quaid-I-Azam University (QAU), I conducted anthropological field research and in fifth semester wrote thesis as a compulsory part of M.A on the topic “Survival Strategies of a Fisherman Community of Manchhar Lake in Sindh.” It was an ethnographic study. It figured out various socio-economic strategies by the fishermen in dying ecology of the lake. The Manchhar Lake has lost its natural beauty because of continuous flow of saline-water from upper part of the country, which has resulted severe problems for the fishermen who have been living on the lake water for centuries.

My CV

Abdullah Khoso
D-4 Custom Officers’ Flat, Kiamari, Karachi
DoB: 01-02-1979, Email: abdullahkhoso@hotmail.com, Phone: 0092 3002964317

Experience

1- In the last March 2008, I started working with Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF: www.pff.org.pk) as a communication officer. Employer Contact Number 0092 21 5090543
Sachall Hall, Ibrahim Hyderi, Bin Qasim Twon, Karachi, Pakistan

As a communication officer I am responsible for publishing monthly English Fisherfolk Newsletter; preparing press releases on daily bases; updating the website; writing journalistic reports/articles in the leading newspapers, magazines on the fisherfolk issues and PFF’s struggle; preparation of annual reports and reports on the events including seminars, conferences, workshops, hunger strikes; preparing concept notes on different fisherfolk issues for financial help; conducting qualitative and quantitative research on different fisherfolk issues for supporting PFF’s advocacy campaigns; editing the write ups/reports prepared by the different programs officers at PFF; preparing fortnightly online News Bulletin and sharing it with partners, donors and civil society organizations within the country and abroad.


2- As a research associate I worked with Pakistan Institute of Labour Education and Research (PILER) Karachi from Nov-2003 to Sep-2005.

I worked mainly for two projects: “Empowering the Vulnerable Workers in Pakistan” as they can play a role in making their society just; “Impact Analysis of Intervention for the Release and Rehabilitation of Bonded Labour in Pakistan”.

My main responsibilities were to collect qualitative and quantitative data, and then to compile, analyse and present it in the form of reports, and share these reports with workers, activists, and journalists at different forums (seminars, workshops). Out of these reports, I used to produce briefings and issued press releases.

I played a major role in bridging a gap between labour organizations and other civil society groups in Pakistan. Within the programmes, I ensured constructive communication and positive working environment. I represented human and labour rights issues at all levels in association with the donor organizations and civil society organizations. I worked as a team member of the management to deliver outstanding results.

3-Researcher (intern) from April-2003 to November 2003 with National Rural Support Programme (NRSP), Islamabad, Pakistan. I was engaged in to collect qualitative and quantitative data from all Regions/Fields Units/Projects; carry out Situation Analysis; help in preparation of NRSP’s Monthly Programme Updates.

4- Interviewer with Population Association of Pakistan (PAP), Islamabad, Pakistan, from January-2003 to April-2003. I was responsible to conduct in-depth unstructured interviews, insert data into matrix sheets and after compiling it submit with the organization.

5- Research Anthropologist with the Department of Anthropology, Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad from November-2002 to January -2003. I was involved in the forming of male interview guideline, data collection in the field through in-depth unstructured interviews, analysis and report writing.

6- News Monitor’ and ‘Translator in English Language (Part Time) with SAHIL (An NGO working against Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistani Society), Islamabad, Pakistan. From November-2001 to June-2003. I was assigned to monitor and analyse the news appearing in the regional and national media relating to child sexual abuse in the Province of Sindh.

Volunteer Work

7- Volunteer (Customer Service Assistant) with Oxfam GB shop in Enfield town, UK, from
November 2007 to 20th March 2008.

My purpose was to assist the shop manager to achieve Division’s mission which is “to make as much as money as possible to overcome poverty and suffering” around the world.
Contact person: Sally Gordon +44 (0)2083677728

Education
Degree European Master of Arts in Media, Communication and Cultural Studies
Institute Roskilde University Centre (RUC) Denmark and Institute of Education (IOE)
University of London
Session September 2005 – June 2007
Majors Ideology, Identity and the Media; Film Theory and Documentary; Film theory
and Educational Practice; Communication Theories and Methods;
Globalization, Development and Communication.
Dissertation “How media represent socio-cultural risk: a discourse analysis of the media text
about a religious minority (Ahmadis) and majority (Sunni) in Pakistan”
Term papers *What is Postmodernism and Why is it Important in Cultural and Media Studies
*How Different Theories of Film Distribute Power Differently Between Text and
Spectator?
*Critical Evaluation of the Ideological Dimensions in Representing History in The
Rising: The Ballad of Mangal Pandey 2005

Degree MA in Anthropology
Institute Quaid-I-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
Session January 2000 – June 2002
Majors Research Methodology; Introduction of Anthropology; Anthropology of
Economics; Political Anthropology; Anthropology of Religion, Anthropology of
South Asia
Dissertation “Survival Strategies of Fishermen of Shah Hassan of Manchhar Lake Sindh”. An
ethnographic study from an ecological perspective.

Degree B.A. in Economics
Institute Sindh University Jamshoro, Pakistan
Session January 1997 – December 1999
Majors: Macro and Micro Economics, Political Economics, Statistics

Skills
MS office applications (MS Word, Power Point),
Data Collection
Report Writing/analysing
Managerial/Organizational (events like seminars, workshops)

Languages: English, Sindhi, Urdu

Articles Published in the newspapers

1-Pollution through aquaculture (http://www.dawn.com/2008/07/16/letted.htm)
2-A crisis in making, http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-20-07-2008/pol1.htm#5
3-Seeking Justice, 7 July 2008 (http://jang.com.pk/thenews/jul2008-weekly/nos-06-07-2008/pol1.htm#3)
4-Danish Tragedy, 29 January 2006
5-Laws in Infancy, 31 July 2005
6-Young, Eager Hands, 21 January 2004
7-Safety Nets for Fishermen, 28 November 2004
8-Too Young to Die, 18 July 04
9-Crime: A Cerebral Lust, 13-June 04
10-Informal Economy & Decent Work, 02 May 04
11-Giving Credit Where Its Not Due, 4 April 04

References
Mr. Kim Christian Schrøder, Professor, the Department of Communication, Roskilde DenmarkEmail: kimsc@ruc.dk, Phone : (+45) 46 74 38 08

Mr. Robert Ferguson,
Professor, the School of Culture, Language and Communication, Institute of Education, University of London. Email: r.ferguson@ioe.ac.uk, Phone: +44 (0)20 7612 6512

Mr. Zulfiqar Shah, Joint Director, Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER). Email zulfiqarshah@yahoo.com, Phone +92320 20 29 64 5

Clandestine’ deforestation drive putting mangroves at even greater risk

A clandestine plan to clear out mangroves has been discovered by a visiting team of environmentalists. It is alleged that, once cleared out, the land near Ibrahim Hyderi and Gizri will be put to commercial use.

The Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF) have hurled allegations at the Defence Housing Authority (DHA) officials, saying that the area comes under the jurisdiction of the DHA.

A large number of people have been hired by the agents of the influential timber mafia to cut the endangered mangroves from inside the forests and they have destroyed wide expanses of mangroves from the inside of the forest, alleged a PFF spokesman while talking to The News. However, he said, this clever eradication of flora is not obvious from the outside.

The Sindh forest department had deployed officials near Rehri, a fishermen locality, to keep strict vigil over the move, but the officials have allegedly joined hands with the mafia to wipe out the mangroves.

When contacted, the local forest department officials claimed that they were there to impose fines against those caught red-handed. However, the situation observed by the visiting team reveals that influential officials, local sea lords and certain government bodies have initiated a joint move to clean the forest area, leaving millions of the city’s inhabitants vulnerable to natural calamities.

“When we entered the mangroves forest on boat we saw the horrible sight of trees being chopped down. People who introduced themselves to us as labourers on daily wages were axing live trees openly without any fear,” said Abdullah Khoso, who is conducting a study on mangroves and keeping an eye over the destruction of thick forests.

“It needs proper attention nobody can calculate how much area these people have already cleared. Each labourer is being paid Rs200 daily wages for the work,” added Khoso.

The concerned traders take the wood cutters to the forests on boat in the morning and pick them up in the evening. Timber is being transported by boats to the seashore where trucks and tractor trolleys are loaded with the ill-gotten cargo. This is an organised move and environmentalists have been unable to take notice of this up until now.

Though the activity takes place in broad day light, civic authorities as well as environmentalists are silent over the issue. It is unfortunate that the institutions made to safeguard the people and the natural resources of the country are completely dysfunctional and are destroying everything around there, the PFF spokesman added.

Mangroves are a sanctuary for shrimps, crabs, fish and a wide array of birds. The thick mangroves forests are now under extreme pressure due to lack of fresh water in the Indus Delta, coupled with the discharge of untreated effluents from industries and sewage from city. The increased demand for timber for fuel and other uses is also threatening the mangroves.

However, the present government has been seen to be reluctant to take immediate steps to stop the mass destruction of mangroves.


http://www.thenews.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=123624