While surfing the internet for stuff related to upcoming general elections I came across to the website/web-blog of Norbalm. There I found this step by by step guide on how to find poling stations anywhere in Pakistan. Here is how to find your polling station across Pakistan.
1) Send your CNIC number (no dashes, no spaces) via SMS to 8300 and wait for a message from ECP » Read more: Step by Step Guide to Find Your Polling Station Across Pakistan To Vote On May 11
This post first published at “The Pakistani Spectator”
Pakistan is a place that always loves to keep a spot in the news and mostly not for good reasons same goes with the Pakistanis either living in it or carrying the name of the country around the globe. I can still remember when my professor at University of West of England asked me “Rai why your country and mine always love to be in the news for not so good reason and put us in a situation where we are not able to explain it”. That professor was from Iran, another troubled place. I was talking about Pakistan and its fixation of being in the news, this trend has nourished us with a mindset that everything should be done with the aim to create a good show. That is why our protests go brutal and violent even if we are raising voice for something right we end up with doing something heavily wrong.
Life is indeed unpredictable and complicated than the fiction. Repeatedly this reality bounces to us but this bouncer hits hard when you hear about the death of someone dear to you. Yesterday out of nowhere, the news of Abdul Rauf Khalid’s death came and turned my day into a sad one. My introduction with him took place with his TV drama Laag based on Kashmir. However, all those who grew up in Pakistan during 90s must know the famous TV series Guesthouse; it was also the production of Rauf Khalid’s pen. He was a man of ideas that is why he is a legend to m. In title of this post, I called him friend, and it is exactly how I felt about him after meeting him at Oxford this year for PYLC.
It is a Green morning, that is what I was thinking this morning while I was looking out of my window when the colours of spring were all over the trees across the road. They were green and dancing with the air, so I was not alone to enjoy and celebrate Pakistan Day today. Yes, its 23rd March and the biggest feature of the day, for many people, is the quarter final of ICC Cricket World Cup where Pakistan is playing against West Indies, former 2 time world champions and known as black windstorm. It is an important match and all the best wishes for the men in Green. However, there is a significance of this day in our history. 71 years ago, our elders decided what their goal is and how they will gain it, it was given the name Pakistan Resolution out of sarcasm but it was accepted with open arms by the Muslims of this region.
This weekend was dedicated to the issues of Pakistan and the debates on them, which took place in Pakistan Youth Leadership Conference at Oxford University. I was there to represent Committee For Interior Affairs. There were many other committees as well, Finance, Foreign, Education, Legal, Environment, Health, and Women Empowerment. Women Empowerment is the new addition to the committee list of PYLC. It was a three-day event and day one I have already covered in my previous blog post.
On the morning of Saturday, Allah Almighty was very kind to us as we were enjoying a very fine weather that was very different from the usual weather of Oxford. Members of all the committees were heading to the respective venues for the discussion on the issues regarding their committees. Committee of Interior Affairs reached Harris lecture hall. That was the place where almost all of us were disconnected from the world outside, as there were no mobile signals, no access to the internet. In such environment, Chair Adnan Rafique and Co-Chair Tuba Omer started the session. Our topics were The Balochistan Issue, Domestic Terrorism, and Ethnic Violence in Karachi. We covered the first two topics on that day in two sessions. During one session, Mr. Imtiaz Gull gave a talk about the Balochistan issue, and in second session, Dr. Haider Ali of ANP joined us. About Dr. Haider I must say that he is among a very few sensible and intellectual politician that I have ever met.
