I’ve always strongly believed in the statement, “one person can make a difference.” I’ve had people tell me on numerous occasions that I was wrong and in this day and age, it is difficult to stand up to people in positions of authority. I would say quite the opposite though, in this day and age it should be the most doable; we have the resources, the media, and the power of the people.

All of this was proven, yet again, when the youth protesters in Egypt really did, ‘make a difference.’ In the fight for democracy, the protesters and their demands led the Egyptian president of thirty years to resign. The fight that started from the idea of a few individuals was supported by hundreds of thousands of individuals in and outside of Egypt.

The media caught onto the sensation, because that is what it is meant to do. This worked to the advantage of the protesters and the determination, media attention and passion were a recipe for success. Less than 30 days ended more than 30 years of oppression. If this isn't a revolution, I'm not sure what is. The success in Egypt has encouraged the youth of other nations to raise their voice against injustice and has come to show that one person can create change.

A year ago, January 18, 2010 to be precise, marked a day when two Toronto 18 accused got sentenced. One to life, and another to 12 years. Prior to this, other accused were sentenced. A year later, the crown’s appeal led to the courts boosting the sentences of two of the accused, Saad Gaya and Saad Khalid. Appeals put through from the side of the defence for  Zakariya Amara was refused as his sentence remained untouched: life sentence. Gaya and Khalid both got their sentences boosted by six years; from 12 to 18 for Gaya and from 14 to 20 for Khalid. Without the presentation of any new evidence or any changes to the case, the crown appealed on the basis that the courts needed to be ‘tougher on terror’. Taking into consideration all of the ‘added perks’ in this case, with the informants and the sting operation, it is quite surreal that this step has been taken. Many unheard of laws were put into place in this case, and right when we thought it was all over, there is yet again another turn. When the accused were sentenced a year ago, they took the sentences and saw the solid numbers as an indication of where their life was headed. This helped them mentally prepare themselves for the years to come, and plan the rest of their future accordingly. A year later, the crown’s appeal is approved without any solid basis or presentation of new evidence, and lives are once again put on hold ‘just because’ the authorities feel like it.

Having thoroughly studied this case, it is not as simple as it seems on the outset. The internal working of those in power has the ability to ruin the lives of many. Guilt or innocence is no longer even the question; a matter of rights and responsibilities of government bodies and citizens is what seems to now be in question.

Shortly after the disastrous floods hit Pakistan this summer, a youth-initiative in the GTA arose. The Pakistani community of Oakville and Mississauga and the Zafar Sultan Memorial Trust foundation collaborated and put together an aid drive for the needy and suffering brothers and sisters in Pakistan. Through advertisements on the local radio, local newspapers and through social networking sites like Facebook, the aid drive managed to run eight consecutive weekends.

With the help of donors, volunteers and organizers, over 7000 boxes of food, medicine, essential supplies and infant care items were sent to the flood ravaged areas of Pakistan. This was an excellent initiative which provided a trustworthy place where donations were accepted, and with the help of PIA (Pakistan International Airlines) the items were shipped free of charge to Pakistan.

Over a period of eight weeks, well over a million items were donated. Items donated included water, rice, lentils, juices, powdered milk, cookies, granola bars, soap, candles and medicine. All items were collected and sorted as donations were flowing in. Following the categorization of donated items, family packs were made and boxes were filled accordingly.

Volunteering at this worthy cause made me realize how much difference a few people could make. Through advertisements and word of mouth, over 500 volunteers showed up over a period of eight weeks at a warehouse which was used to store, sort and package the goods that needed to be shipped over. Volunteer duties ranged from collecting donations, sorting, packaging, making boxes, labeling and organizing. Everyone played their part and in the end over 7000 boxes were shipped. This aid drive helped solve the problem of those hesitant to donate cash as they feared their donations would be eaten up by the government and not reach those who are deserving. The Brampton/Mississauga drop off location was open on weekends while volunteers worked to make packages. When there was an overflow of items, volunteers would get together during the week to pack items so they could be shipped out as soon as possible.

All in all, an excellent joint effort of volunteers, organizers and donors led to 7000 family packs being sent to Pakistan. This means approximately 20,000 needy individuals were fed and provided supplies. This shows that the work of a few can go a long way and should motivate us to take part in such activities in the future.

As I sat through an Indian-Pakistani dialogue for peace session this week at U of T, I really started to think…think about a lot. I’m a recent U of T grad who majored in criminology but everyone around me seems to think I’m a polisci major…no people it is NOT the same thing! The point of sharing that was that I don’t know the first thing about politics, especially not Indo-Pak politics. I thought attending this discussion would help me gain some knowledge about the issues that exist, and fortunately, it did that and much more.


The tensions that exist in the Asian subcontinent are not just political ones as many may expect, but rather they cover many grounds such as politics, religion, culture and media. No single article can do justice to the decades of tension that has existed, and like I said I am no politics pro so I will avoid getting into that. While attending this session, I learned a lot not only about the current situation, but a lot about the historical situation. The numerous wars that have taken place, the ongoing tensions of Kashmir, the hostility between nationalists and the now more frequently appearing attempt at friendship between the two nations.
I would like to tackle many angles of interpretation of the problem that were brought forth. The room was filled with Canadians of Pakistani and Indian descent as well as some who were neither. Many fresh perspectives were put on the table and I was thankful that we reside in such a tolerant and accepting community.

The obvious and the most frequently mentioned issue discussed was that of Kashmir. Kashmir was described as the unfinished business of Pakistani independence from India. The dispute has been an ongoing one which seems to have no end in the near future. The people of Kashmir are being oppressed and are having to fight for the right to the land they wish to call their own. The Kashmir issue is a complex one which does not have a simple solution. Throughout the discussion it was debated whether solving the Kashmir issue would solve all problems between Indian and Pakistan. The question was consequently posed the other way around as well, if all other problems between India and Pakistan were solved, would the Kashmir issue be solved. The complexity of the issue is great, but the simplification of the logistics of the problem opened up my eyes to a lot. The issue with Kashmir is one of ownership, independence and the military. I personally believe that the greater and more fundamental issues between the nations need to be addressed and by doing this, there will be a natural resolve for Kashmir.

The next point I wanted to touch on was the horrible history of attempts at peace building between the nations. Over the last 6 decades or so, there have been numerous attempts at building the bridges between the two countries. Pakistan separated from India decades ago, but this left a deep wound in the relation between the two nations. Many wars have taken place since Pakistan’s independence from India and none of them fully resolved the issues at hand; Kashmir is the greatest proof of that. The point I wanted to bring up here was that peace building attempts need to be firmer than they have been in the past. Peace needs to be more than a temporary project; it needs to be a long term goal. There have been many periods in Indian-Pakistani history where for a couple of months or years there have been great attempts at rebuilding the friendship between the two nations, and then one incident occurs which brings everyone back to ground zero. An excellent example of this the Mumbai attacks in 2008. The two nations were trying to resolve issues, projects were made namely for the purposes of bridging cultural gaps and showing people that those on the other side of the border are more or less just like them. There were friendly matches and intermixing of players from the Pakistani and Indian cricket teams. Bollywood (Indian) and Lollywood (Pakistani) were using one another’s singers and actors, and some of the greatest stars on Indian T.V. reality shows were Pakistani. All of these attempts were being made, and all it took was one “Mumbai” to take place. The attacks were assumed to be the work of Pakistani extremists, and this misconception tore the relationship between the two nations apart, yet again. It is very unfortunate that the work of a few bad apples could crumble such peace building attempts between two nations.

The tension between India and Pakistan is one that is so strong that the fundamental issues need to be resolved from the roots before we can expect any apparent change. If we continue to put emphasis on superficial change, all it would take is another ‘Mumbai’ to blow the house of cards over. The effort to build peace must be great, but more importantly, the foundation must be strong.

The last point I want to touch upon is that of the importance of human contact in eliminating the tension, especially the tension between the masses. One attendee at the dialogue session who was neither Indian nor Pakistani put the question on the table whether people in India or Pakistan were more intolerant of the other, or were Indians and Pakistanis outside of their respective nations residing in places such as Canada more tolerant of one another. To answer this, I believe it is obviously not right to generalize about any group, but I would say with many reasons that intolerance is greater within the borders of India and Pakistan. The main reason I state this is that there is much greater human contact between Indians and Pakistanis residing outside of the subcontinent than there is within it.

Growing up, my parents have told me that they were always fed the idea of Indians being ‘the bad guys’ and vice versa. My parents have lived in Canada for more than thirty years, so they do not hold the views that many in Pakistan might still hold. An excellent example of this evident in my own life is my sister and brother in law. My brother in law is from India and he came to Canada in his teenage years. Today, eight years later he is married to my sister who belongs to a Pakistani family. He admits that while in India, he would have never even dreamt of ever marrying a Pakistani girl, but the more interaction we have with one another, the more we realize that we are no different from one another. The fact that my parents grew up here made them more accepting of an Indian son in law, as opposed to someone who may still live in Pakistan. After her engagement, my sister went to Pakistan for her wedding shopping and a cousin of my father’s asked my sister about her fiancé. When my sister told my uncle that he was from India, he was enraged and asked if all the Pakistani boys had died and questioned why she had to marry an Indian. This was humorous for us on the outset, but so sad to realize that people still think that way.

Another story which is close to me is that of a dear friend who grew up in Pakistan. He told me that although his parents never taught him Indians were bad, but he grew up with that image as it was the general conception in the media and in the public sphere. Holding onto this thought that he grew up with, he happened to come across Indians while studying in London. When he initially met them, he was hesitant as he expected what he had grown up hearing. After befriending them, he realized they were great individuals and that it was not safe to generalize or judge. Shortly after his newly built friendships were formed, ‘Mumbai’ happened. He feared the backlash from his friends and thought they would turn around and hate him because he was Pakistani. He thought the hidden hatred might surface, but to his surprise his friends were more supportive than even other Pakistanis. They made it clear that it was the work of a few and that the stereotypes and generalizations need to be fought. His friend arranged for him to take a trip to India amidst all of the tension, and to his surprise, the people of India were very welcoming and hospitable. He realized then more than ever before that Indians and Pakistanis alike had a great misconception about one another, and only exposure and contact could break the barriers that stood so strong.

To bring to a close, the issues of Indian and Pakistani relations are still more complex than I have made them seem, but they are still issues that are manmade. They are not innate, nor are they unsolvable. It will take time, but there needs to be a real start. The governments as well as the people of both nations need to realize the importance of building peace between the two nations. The Asian subcontinent has been plagued with the tension of India and Pakistan and that has left no other definitions, at least for the purposes of international politics. We need to work together, in and outside of Indian and Pakistan to build a better future where all religious traditions, political views and ethno cultural backgrounds can thrive and live peacefully with one another.

Attending the Indian-Pakistani dialogue for peace definitely was well worth the time as I got a rough background on the issues and saw many new roads to be discovered. I will study the historic tensions, the present state and with both of them work with others who share the same goals to build a better future.

The brutal killing of two brothers in Sialkot, Pakistan took place the day following Pakistan’s Independence Day in 2010. On August 15, two brothers from the Butt family were beaten to death. Many bystanders merely stood in a crowd and watched the brutal killing of the brothers. Those who beat them were locals and those who supported the killers were the police of that locality.

When I first stumbled upon a video on this case, I could not believe that this was taking place in this day and age. It was shocking, disappointing, and very disheartening. I had truly started to lose hope in humanity. Pakistan was in shambles as it had just faced the most devastating flood in its history, and while the world was already hesitant to give any sort of financial support to Pakistan due to its poor international reputation, this case had arisen more anger and disbelief.

There are many details around the case of the Butt brothers which were fabricated to place false accusations on the deceased in order to defend the DPO of Sialkot. Some stories went along the lines of the brothers being robbers who were approached by a mob who wanted to punish them; others were of the brothers being killers who murdered the milk man. A further claim was that the boys had an argument over a cricket game and that the other party falsely accused the brothers of being thieves that the locals were searching for. In any event, after their death a court procedure had proven them innocent of all accusations, and this shows that the ever-so-hyped mob mentality led to the death of these innocent young boys.

The police in Sialkot were accomplices to the crime as they encouraged the killers to continue beating the boys till they gave up on the battle with their lives. After they were beaten and killed, they were hung at a central point in town and then their bodies were paraded around the city on an open trailer. Following the events of the shocking deaths, a federal minister of Pakistan accused the boys of being thieves in an attempt to justify the actions of the police. The killing of the two teenage boys was purely a humanitarian issue, and with the help of Pakistan’s dirty politics, it turned into a political one.

After recognizing this fact, protest took place around the globe as well as in Pakistan against the Pakistani government. These protests were namely organized by youth who were displeased and disgusted by the actions of the killers, the bystanders, and the government who dealt with the issue very poorly. The goal of these protests was to put national and international pressure on the Pakistani government to take a firm stand and guarantee that justice be served. This case temporarily caused uproar as the events that took place were recorded on camera and the media picked up on it. Videos on youtube spread like wildfire and this was an avenue of showing the world what had happened. This brutal act was publicized only because there was video recording, but it is true that there are many such events that take place, if not worse ones that everyone fails to notice due to the fact that they are hidden.

Pakistan was a country that was founded on the name of Islam, and today it is everything but an Islamic nation. Although I pointed out that the death of the boys was a purely humanitarian issue, the involvement of the police and the federal ministers have politicized the case, and it is the job of the justice system to work with the Pakistani government to find the boys and their families justice. Pakistan is a nation that has crumbled ever so quickly due to various socio-political issues. If those that make up the nation do not stand up against injustice, in and outside of Pakistan, then the day that Pakistan is wiped off of the map is not too far.