Case on Review of Lease Policy of Mines and Harmonization of Customary Laws on Natural Resources in GB

Customary Laws
Dated 24 Dec 2008

To:
Mir Ghazanfar Ali Khan

From:
Hisamullah Beg SI(M)

Dear Sir,

 Further to my discussions I have the pleasure to enclose two documents as supporting material for the topic now being referred to you for a just policy decision. These documents are:

• United Nations (Universal Declaration) Agenda 21: Chapter 26 titled "RECOGNIZING AND STRENGTHENING THE ROLE OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES"
• Government of Pakistan "National Mineral Policy (NMP) 1995.

It is a well known historical fact that residents of Northern Areas were not much concerned about the prospects for natural resource development in achieving better quality of life for themselves. In recent decades the government and many NGO's working in the area has helped change that situation. The indigenous populations are aware of their natural resources and desire to use these for economical uplift. The Social organizations such as LSOs facilitated by AKRSP are suited to undertake their own development agenda. In the past there has been a common practice of awarding leases for mineral development to non-resident entrepreneurs and thus a number of leases are being held in detriment to development of local economy. I am appealing through these lines to:

1.     Review the Northern Area Policy on awarding these leases to non residents in Future.

2.     Review the existing leases, cancel them and re-award these to local collective entities.

Chief Secretary Northern Areas Only:    Please recall our discussion in the presence of Mohammed Mian Soomro Chairman Senate (and Now Interim PM) and evolve a policy in the light of UN declaration referred above.
Related: REMINDER , DRAFT LAW , PROPOSED RESOLUTION , DEFINITIONS , ENERGY , FACEBOOK ARTICLE. AFGHANISTAN  

 

Sincerely,
 

Brig (Retd) Hisamullah Beg SI(M)

Copy for Information/action: Mr. Qamruzzaman, Chief Secretary NA's
                                            Malik Miskeen, Speaker NALA.
NOTE: Resubmitted to GOVERNOR, CM, SPEAKER, DEPUTY SPEAKER and Secy GBLA (for circulation to all members)

TO GET A COMPLETE IDEA ON AGENDA_21 VISIT:

DSD :: Resources - Publications - Core Publications

Core Publications Agenda 21. Links to Agenda 21 Chapters ... Local authorities' initiatives in support of Agenda 21, 28.1 - 28.7 ...
www.un.org/esa/sustdev/agenda21.htm 

The Poetics of Religious Experience

The Poetics of Religious Experience
The Islamic Context

AZIZ ESMAIL

I.B. Tauris
LONDON• NEW YORK
in assocation With
The Institute of Ismaili Studies
LONDON

The Poetics of Religious Experience

do I say that classical Islam is historically conditioned while the Qur’an is not. The fact that the Qur’an has spoken and continues to speak, poignantly and powerfully, to innumerable followers through the course of centuries shows that something in it is timeless. But this ‘something’ needs to be distinguished from such phenomena as ordinances of war and truce, reactions to local ‘others’, whether Jews. Christians, or the Meccan Quraysh, codes of punishment, etc., all of which were clearly conditioned by local and regional circumstances. Rather than distinguishing between fundamental beliefs and not-so-fundamental applications—a procedure which is as mechanical as it is methodologically dubious—it is ultimately more fruitful to inquire into what this problem might reveal about the nature of faith. And one good answer to this question is in terms of a distinction between symbolic conceptions and doctrinal concepts.

The distinguishing feature of symbolic conceptions is that they are what we might call leading notions: open, elastic, and indeterminate. A good illustration of a symbolic conception is the notion of a final judgment, which is so germane to the Judaic, Christian, and Islamic traditions. As a symbol, it represents an ideal of justice and an ideal resolution of life, where virtuous action and well-being coincide. Such an outcome is seldom realised in actual experience. But as what we might call a ‘horizon idea’, it provides a foundation for moral life. Similarly, the notion of the Last Day declares that change, decay, and death are not the last word on the question of the meaning of life. The more general and embryonic this notion remains, the more fertile it will prove in suggesting diverse interpretations. The more theologically definite it becomes, the narrower will be the range of ideas it is capable of suggesting. Narratives of what is supposed to happen beyond death are purely speculative, having little impact in the here and now. But there is an alternative way of looking at them, i.e., as symbolisations of a dimension of existence in the here and now. On this, Wittgenstein’s remarks are thought-provoking:

Death is not an event in life: we do not live to experience death. If we take eternity to mean not infinite temporal duration but timelessness, then eternal life belongs to those who live in the present.’

The quest for the meaning of life, given its finiteness, can lead to many different attempts, not necessarily exclusive, to transcend its brevity: in pious hope for life after death, however conceived; in mystical realisation of a spiritual dimension, transcending the mundane, in the here and now; and not least, through the commitment of one’s life to a better and more equitable future for all. The symbols of ‘another’ life are open-ended symbols, with a plethora of associations, with the potential to grow and develop in new directions, and assimilate new nuances of meaning.

We are now in a position to sum up some of the propositions contained in the title of this essay. We saw that ‘religious experience is meant here in the widest rather than the narrowest sense. It refers to a vision of being, present in core-symbols, which provide an orientation to life and guides ethical conduct in the world.

We saw that this vision is both more and less than the entirety of a religion: less because religion is always an embodiment (which is to say, an interpretation, in the sense indicated above). It is also more, because the core-symbols are not exhausted by the forms which may prevail in a given time or place. On the contrary they are capable of supporting new and unforeseen nuances of meaning in ongoing history. Lastly, the symbolic character of these conceptions is what gives rise to poetics. This concept also needs preliminary exploration before the introductory section can be brought to a close.

By ‘poetics’ what is meant here is something more than poetry though poetry is part of it. It refers to creativity of a particular kind, namely exploration in language. The kind of language which lends itself to exploration is the language of symbol and metaphor The nature of this language will become clearer if we contrast it to a kind of language which gives information.

Unlike the language of information, poetic language does not state facts. The statement, on a given occasion, that it is dark outside (say, owing to a power failure, or to a lack of street lighting) is a plain, literal assertion of fact. Its truth or falseness can be checked by observation by anyone who has normal eyesight and knows the meaning of the word ‘dark’. However, when in Macbeth,Shakespeare makes Banquo say to his son as they grope their way in the thick of the night, shortly after we have been let into Macbeth and his wife’s wicked scheme to murder the King of Scotland, so that (in line with the witches’ prophecy) Macbeth may gain the throne—when, against this background, Shakespeare makes Banquo exclaim: ‘There’s husbandry in heaven, their candles are all out ...,‘ we know at once, in our deepest being, that something considerably more is said in these lines than that the night is dark. The difference is not simply between plain and ornamental speech. It is a question of the scope of meaning. What Banquo sees in the darkened sky is not solely a reflection of his own fears and concerns. It is a suspicion, a foreboding vision, of something looming there, encompassing the universe, in the shape of an objective menace, Of this, the personal careers of various protagonists are a partial reflection. Thus, the text unfolds on several levels at once. It depicts the lives and characters of its protagonists. But in doing so, it also makes statements about the kind of world in which such men and women live; in which mysterious forces, beyond their intellectual control, play on them.

Thus, while being all too concrete, the words quoted here have the force of an impersonal, universal statement. They do not only remind us that a heinous murder is about to occur. They tell us something much more, something which is true on a cosmic scale. This cosmic statement may be put simply as follows: there is Evil abroad. Since what is evoked here is the scheme of things entire, and not merely a single incident in space or time, it is not just an evil episode with which we are brought face to face, but Evil as a cosmic principle. Here another very important point deserves to be noted. On this level, which we may call the metaphysical level, there is no statement which is not at the same time a question. This is shown, above all, in what such language does to a listener or reader. Statements inform us; questions challenge us. When we hear ‘Evil is abroad,’ we are moved, perplexed, and stirred into an interrogation of being. Out of the bewilderment which comes no sooner than the terror of this recognition dawns on us, we think of our own lives, our own experience. We wonder whether we have not ourselves encountered, or observed in others, the power of an incomprehensible destiny in human life. We ask our-selves what this could mean. We search for ways in which to fathom this experience, to see it in some kind of perspective, and if possible, to go beyond it. We are reminded of the opposite principle of Evil, the principle of Good, celebrated both in classical philosophy and in religious scripture. Jews and Christians may be reminded of the Book of Job. Christians may remember the Passion of Christ. And Muslims may well recall the all-too-vivid evocation of an evil which shuts out all light, blots out all vision, in the following passage of the Qur’an:

Like the darkness in a fathomless sea darkened

By wave above wave,

and above it all, clouds.

Layers over layers of dark.

If one stretches forth his hand he can scarcely see it.

For he for whom God has not setup a light, has no light.

What we find in poetry like Shakespeare’s are echoes of symbols which were first given in the Judaeo—Christian, Islamic, and Classical traditions. Poetic traditions in the cultures derived from these sources have been continually nourished and replenished by these original symbols. It was in the Biblical, Qur’anic, and in a few other sites in the world, that long-enduring fundamental intimations about the human experience of being were revealed. To be sure, religious vision cannot be reduced to poetry; it is much more than that. Religious meaning binds a whole community, an entire society, through a narrative of beginnings and ends, i.e., of human existence interpreted in the frame of cosmic time and space. The point of such narrative is to give meaning to human life, but also, in so doing, to induce meaningful action, i.e., action oriented to ethical ends. Poetry is only a specialised pursuit within this civihisational totality. But the language of poetry, especially poetry which seeks to speak of being as a whole, is a good example of a kind of language which differs from straightforward propositions of fact. It shows a way of thinking and speaking in which metaphor, symbol, and analogy are of the essence; which challenges the imagination, feeling, and reason, and thus engenders creativity.

In short, such language is semantically pregnant. It has a way of radiating outwards—laterally, above, and into the depths. This element of continual inquiry is also what we find, in a different form, in science. Observation stimulates further inquiry in science, and knowledge builds on knowledge. For, the scientist is a poet of nature; just as the poet is a scientist of the heart. Nothing is further from the argument of this essay than the false opposition, encountered so often in modern times, of the poetic or humanistic to the scientific mind; of intuition to intellect; or of science to religion. These dichotomies, to which I shall return, arc products of modern European history. The contrast with which I am concerned here lies elsewhere. It is a contrast between two models of knowledge, one of which sees acquisition of facts as its essence, while the other is an exploratory model. Statements of fact tend to fill and satiate; whereas poetic, philosophical, or scientific thought, while no doubt dealing with facts, whets renewed hunger. Furthermore, it is critical in spirit. And there is something of this spirit we may call it, in a sense to be explained later, the prophetic spirit—at the heart of religious experience.

The language of faith enunciates the bond between man and what he perceives or experiences as sacred. The sacred cannot be captured in propositions of fact. There is something about it which makes symbolic expression especially suited to it. Several points need to he noted in this connection. First, the sacred is always perceived in the context of a relationship. It is never grasped as an object in itself. While God is depicted in the Qur’an, for instance, as the Absolute, having attributes radically free of the limitations of creatureliness, significantly the revelation of God occurs there primarily in a dialogical context. God speaks, and this speech is the most consequential act as far as human affairs are concerned. For the divine is not contemplated as if by a spectator. Hence the limitations of theology, which is an intellectual contemplation of God. The divine is primordially revealed in a dialogical act. In the Qur’an, humanity is addressed either directly or indirectly through the figure of a messenger or prophet. Reciprocally, the prophet, or the humanity which he represents, enters into a verbal exchange (through prayer, etc.) with the divine.

The second principle follows from the first. The importance of the relational aspect means that the sacred becomes known to man in forms which reflect human psychology and culture. In one form or another, the human relation with the divine involves intermediation. I shall return to this point later. Thirdly, the relationship of man to his own being, and to the being of all things, is by its very nature manifold rather than singular. This implies, as its logical corollary, the legitimacy of spiritual pluralism. Lastly, the indeterminacy of language about the sacred, which was noted above as a characteristic of symbolic language, argues not only against literalism, but in favour of a continuing rather than completed symbolisation.

The rest of the essay is devoted to elaborating the themes broached throughout this introductory section. As these themes are addressed in the Islamic context, I shall illustrate them mostly with Islamic examples; though they are, in fact, of more general importance, applicable to the study of other religious traditions, and indeed, to wider issues of culture

The epic poem of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the Iranian mystic, opens with these famous lines:

Listen to the reed,

how it tells a tale

complaining of separation:

Ever since I was parted

from the reed-bed,

my lament has made

men and women weep.

I search for a heart

Smitten by separation

that I may tell the pain

of love-desire

Everyone who has got far from his source

harks back for the time

when he was one with it 

Mysticism and the Plurality of Meaning

The Case of the Ismailis of Rural Iran

RAFIQUE KESHAVJEE

I.B.Tauris
LONDON • NFW YORK

In association with

The Institute of Ismaili Studies

LONDON

Mysticism and the Plurality of Meaning

Context as a Sanctuary for the Plurality of Meaning

This essay illustrates how the diversity of interpretation of the Qur’an and of devotional poetry reposes, or finds sanctuary, in the oral context. This raises a much larger issue, namely the role of oral context in contemporary life.

We live in a paradoxical age. In the realm of scholarship, the text is supreme, while in the public realm, television is ubiquitous. Both features of the intellectual landscape conspire to reduce the importance of context. In this connection, Joshua Meyerovitz has broken new ground in his study of the implications of television for society. Instead of focusing only on the content, he examines television as a medium, and takes his analysis well beyond that of Marshall McLulian. His basic point is that, unlike television, a book which has to be obtained by individual purchase or borrowing is not accessible to everyone at any one time. Moreover, the privacy offered by the closed door protects parents from exposing their conflicts and concerns to their children. There are rules for access to the book (literacy, technical proficiency, age), and until recently in Western society at least, there have been rules that determined discourse in various contexts.

Television, on the other hand, has broken all the bounds of context. This is because, through investigative reporting and situation comedies, television shows the ‘off-stage’ behaviour of politicians and public figures, as well as that of parents, whose errors, concerns and private discussions are presented not only to any member of the family who can switch the machine on, but also to the entire family cluing together in one room. This phenomenon, suggests Meyerovitz, has exercised profound social and psychological effects. In American Political life, one notes a greater concern with visual criteria such as appearance and ease of manner rather than with intellectual criteria in the judgment of politicians. In family life, the breaking of the bounds of context has resulted in a decrease in the authority of parents over children. In ordinary discourse, this trend has blurred distinctions between formal and informal speech. Finally, a blurring has taken plate in the way males and females dress or cross-dress. ‘What is of particular interest here is the suggestion that the appreciation of context is disappearing in modern society. More and more, things are expected to be the same to everybody. Plurality is primarily in the choice offered by numerous TV channels.

Over the last few decades there also appears to have been a resurgence of religious movements that insist upon single and literal truth of the religious text as the unchanging core of the faith. Debates about the creation of the world as described in the Bible hinge on the scientific validity of the age of the earth or of the universe; debates about the creation of man hinge on whether Darwin or the Bible is right. The spread of printed media, on the other hand, has increased the perception that what is written is more important and more permanent than what is oral. What has retreated from the general arena of religious belief are the notions that a religious text can have layers of meaning that coexist with their respective standards of validity, that religious narrative can be understood through literary analysis and can be appreciated for the power of the image without losing its link with the divine.

The extraordinary power of the text lies in the simple fact that it can survive context, that is, it can outlast the time and place of the verbal utterance. Moreover, it turns the act of reading into a special, personal event, which allows for a unique and flexible encounter between the author who creates a world and the reader who enters it — as anyone who has sat in an armchair with a good book can confirm. Finally, a text can fix and enforce reality. All three features of the text are particularly important for the preservation and development of culture.

The fact that the text can survive the verbal utterance means that it can widen intellectual discourse and, more generally, it can perpetuate civilisation long after its living bearers have disappeared. Perhaps the single greatest defining moment of a civilisation is the appearance of writing. For instance, it is difficult o exaggerate the importance to Islamic civilisation of the moment when al-Farabi chanced upon an Arabic translation of Aristotle in a bookshop. That started such an opening of the mind, such a centuries-long conversation, such a quickening of culture! This episode makes one ponder how fragile is the text: it is on paper so thin, so tearable, so burnable, so susceptible to the corrosion of time and the elements. The medieval city of Baghdad was renowned for its cultural splendours under the Abbasids; yet so little remains of it that scholars today are unsure of its configuration. But the ideas, the poetry, the philosophy that its citizens produced in its days of glory, have survived the centuries of the rise and fall of cities and empires to come down to us on mere sheets of paper.

The text inscribes reality in several ways. A novel creates a world that you, as a reader, can enter. Moreover, this fictional world, upon entry, becomes your world; and if the novel is a great one, like all great works of art it will push open the boundaries of your world and force you, for example, to see life differently, or to understand human motivation better. For evidence of the immense potential of the text one need only look at the lengths to which authoritarian regimes will go to punish independent-minded writers. A Russian once said that if a hundred years from now the question is asked, ‘Who was Brezhnev?’ the answer will be, ‘He was someone who lived in the time of Solzhenitsyn.’

In the realm of daily action, the text can also enforce reality, especially where the rule of law prevails. No lawyer or businessman needs reminding of the value of the phrase, ‘Get it in writing!’

Context is more difficult to define. To put it most simply, context is what is said to whom within a particular boundary. This boundary is usually physical space, such as a room in which people can talk in privacy. Context can also be invisible, such as a language shared only by some of the people present or. more subtly, words, hints or gestures understood by only a few. The most crucial feature of context is that it is created by a boundary of some sort. A text is an object, whereas a context is a situation. A text is fixed once it is inscribed, while context is fluid. Control over a text is ultimately limited because it can be disseminated and distributed almost indefinitely. Control over a context is by definition much more effective. Text works by dissemination, while context works by closure. Context tends to form boundaries of groups, whereas text tends toward informing everybody.

An essential complement to the poetic and historical texts of a community is lived understanding, for it is the latter which awakens meaning. Mystical thought and discourse can only be understood properly in the orality that surrounds and protects the layers of meaning that a great poetic text renders possible. It is essential to preserve such a plurality of meaning because it befits the diversity of human beings and offers the gradations of insight that are vital steps in the journey towards God.

Towards a Pluralistic Notion of Muslim Civilisation

The argument for a plurality of meaning goes much further than its role in the vitality of mystical thought. It speaks to the very idea of Islam that we entertain. To speak of there being one single set of ideas or system of thought called ‘Islamic’, or ‘Ismaili’ for that matter, is a monolithic fantasy that pervades much of current thinking on Islam as a phenomenon.

To encompass a plurality of meaning within Islam means we must reconsider the concept of diversity in Muslim societies. Diversity in Islam is not some essence that has been contaminated by local differences or foreign influences. Muslims from the very beginning have been in constant and creative interaction with local traditions and regional cultures. Diversity is therefore a measure of breadth and tolerance rather than a problem that calls for explanation or a return to the centre. But respect for diversity, however important as a starting point, cannot serve as the sole objective of religious thought.

The Muslims of today have barely begun the major task of grappling with the vast social, technical and intellectual transformation that has gripped the world in the last three centuries. The mystical, the legal and the rational-intellectual each have a role to play in this task, each with its strengths, each reliant on the others to compensate for its weaknesses. The legal minded dimension in Islam is required to the extent that the law helps provide some parameters for the religious community and a foundation for norms of justice and fairness within the various Muslim communities. However, the rational and legal domains cannot satisfy the soul searching for the truth behind the promise of the Qur’an, that having come from God, so we shall return.

Neither of these two domains can attend to the need for freedom in individual interpretation, or offer the succour of divine love that the great poets have spoken of with such inspired longing. But the mystic, in his suspicion of everyday rationality, if unrestrained, can have a corrosive effect on human advancement in knowledge and technology which rests on a commitment to rational and empirical tools of inquiry. The rush for mystical certainty can short-circuit the task of individuals, as much as of a civilisation, to cope with a changing world. On the other hand, when the mystic points to the divine as the source of knowledge, we should be in awe of the intuition that is the fountainhead of creative thought, be it in the mathematical equations of Albert Einstein or in the fertile imagery of Jalal al-Din Rumi. The example of the mystic can inspire us to bow our heads in humility Whenever we approach such boundaries of human reason.

THE YEAR 1901 - JUDGEMENTS ON BORDER DISPUTES BETWEEN HUNZA AND NAGAR AND THE GRAZING RIGHTS BEYOND THE BORDERS

These judgments were accepted and implemented both by the rulers [Mir Nazim Khan, Mir Ghazan Khan and Mir Jamal Khan (HI) of Hunza and Mir Sikandar Khan and Mir Shaukat Ali Khan of Nagar and population equally, till some modern day devilish minds have misguided the affected populations and started litigation after almost a century of well defined and equitable implementation of the judgment. Through this post I appeal to all reasonable minds in Hunza (Ganish villages) and Nagar (villages Nagar & Sumayar) as well as the administration and legal echelons to go through this correspondence and the judgment (available in Persian) and revert back to the status defined in these judgments. [ Note: I am willing to provide the hard copies of under mentioned correspondence and judgment to all  well meaning individuals interested in resolving this unnecessary dispute.]

The appeal for ending the on-going litigation has following noble objectives:

a.     It will end friction between the parties involved and save them the unnecessary financial burden.

b.     It will facilitate the newly formed district administration in Hunza to locate its Head Quarter in a place suitable for both Hunza & Nagar populations – without getting entangled in litigation and difficult situation.

c.      It will help in resettlement of affected populations from Gharayat (upper Ataabad), Ayeenabad and Nazimabad; recently affected by the natural disaster.

d.     It will forestall future litigation of this nature in Shinaki area, which appears to be brewing up.

The historical copies available with me consist of following documents:

1.     Letter dated 12^th May, 1901 in which judgment dated 17^th April 1901 on the dispute regarding water and grazing rights in ‘BAYES’- HARUMAN HAR BORDER BETWEEN HUNZA & NAGAR - have been defined  and decided.

2.     Copy of letter dated 14 June 1901 dealing with border dispute between Hunza and Nagar and grazing rights in ‘ Gunzuper’  in reply to the requests from the Mir of Hunza and Nagar.

3.     The letter dated 14 June 1901 dealing with grazing rights between people of village Nagar and villages Ganish and Garelth in Hunza.

4.     The judgment dated 14 June 1901 on the border demarcation between Hunza and Nagar and the grazing rights (beyond the defined border) in ‘GANZUPER’.

PRIVATE REPORT ON MITIGATION EFFORTS FOR THE AFFECTED POPULATIONS IN UPPER HUNZA

Status Report

 

Summary

Preamble: This is a report compiled after a detailed visit to the site of disaster both from air as well as ground. It is intended to augment the reports being rendered by the council in Hunza as well as FOCUS channels. This report covers only the aspects connected with day to day movement of goods and people in the affected areas and status of the lake - its potential and risks. The progress on rehabilitation aspects for those already suffered due to the massive land slide, the property that has so far submerged in Ainabad/Siskat(Nazimabad) and also other properties that will submerge in the near future has not been fully investigated. More important aspect is my personal recommendations on improvement in the mitigation aspects. The basis of information is: Feed back from travelers in the affected areas Discussions and feed back from the military operators involved in rendering service to local populations Detailed briefing by FWO task group (Major Irshadullah Beg and his team of officers and men) engaged on digging a spillway on the DAM caused by the disaster Personal observation The feed back from volunteers manning embarkation point on the Gulmit side and discussions with the president local council.

Last Period NO REPORT HAS BEEN RENDERED BY ME PRIOR TO THIS ONE

  

This Period AGENCIES CURRENTLY ENGAGED IN RELIEF OPERATIONS: Local Administration, PWD and government of GB FWO (Pakistan Army Intervention) Local Councils and FOCUS FCNA (Force Commander Northern Areas - Pakistan Army Intervention) NDMA (National Disaster Management Agency) Self help groups Private Entrepreneurs

  

Issues The Tehsildar in Gulmit is supposed to coordinate at embarkation point in Gulmit side. However this is being done by volunteers from Gulmit local council who experience frequent ugly and quarrelsome behavior from needy travelers. On the dam site, traffic at one embarkation point is regulated by the contingent of Army Engineers under the supervision of a Junior Commissioned Officer, a Major is overall in charge, he has his camp in Karimabad and as per feedback, seldom visits the contingent at disaster site. The approach to this embarkation site is difficult especially for women and sick as well as transportation of goods - which can be done only as a backpack. The other embarkation point - relatively easier in approach, is free for private operators - there are two boats, one was brought by a dealer from Nagar who has imported a large consignment (60 truck loads) of fruit from China which he needs to ferry across the 11 Km Lake. He offers free available space to travelers as a goodwill service. The other boat is mostly used by the contractor to ferry the relief wheat consignment that government has allocated. He also provides some space for priority passengers such as sick and women. The Amy Engineers have supplied five 12-seater Fiber glass boats along with 9 operators. Four of these are used for free of cost ferry service to Ainabad, Nazimabad, Gulmit (including the residents in upper Hunza) while the fifth is allocated for rescue. They operate between 0830 AM to 05.00PM. The fuel for the outboard engines is being provided by the government of GB through the control of a PWD overseer mostly available on site, who also monitors the dam for water seepage from the dam. On the average each boat takes about one hour each side thus a boat can do only four round trips during a working day. Wind conditions force the operators to change the number of passengers they can safely ferry giving rise to mistrust and, unruly behavior and suspicions from the users on the intentions of these operators - written SOPs have neither been provided on Embarkation points nor on the boats. On the other hand operators show obvious signs of fatigue and overwork. Another nine wooden army engineer boats give a picture of wasted effort as all of them (Nine) are not usable - being from the condemned stock of owning Engineers unit. FUTURE PROSPECTS: The water level in the lake is increasing at 0.8 meters in 24 Hours, so far 9 houses (and landed property as well as animal sheds) out of 35 in Ainabad have got submerged. The FWO engineers have planned to excavate up to 30 meters from top of the debris to provide the overflow for the dam. They claim that they are within 95% of their work schedule which extends to first May 2010. By then the water level would have reached another 25 meters above the level on 17th March. This implies most of the remaining Houses in Ainabad and some eight to ten houses in Nazimabad will also get submerged before the water flows over the excavated spillway. There is no danger to any house in Gulmit or beyond. The seepage from dam has increased recently. The engineers are optimistic that the over flow will not create a disastrous situation and in fact they have modified their original opinion and feel confident that the dam can be used for generation of electricity (this opinion has not yet been communicated to the government). The government of GB had not agreed to this proposal when I made it to them on 6th Jan - two days after the disaster. RECOMMENDATIONS: I have following recommendations for immediate consideration of FCNA, council for Pakistan/Hunza/FOCUS: The base operating camp by the army be shifted to Gulmit side as it will facilitate the travelers from upper Hunza Some of the volunteers (from Karimabad and Gulmit LC jurisdiction) be trained to operate the boats  and army should give these boats on Loan to civil society (in fact this is on my agenda for my talks with commander FCNA when I meet him on Monday , (I have already discussed this point with president local Council Karimabad) FOCUS should immediately procure at least ten 10-20 men inflatable boats along with safety vests and put them in to operation between now and the time when government can make suitable arrangements for water or over land movement. These boats will also be of immense value to populations if the dam bursts uncontrollably and roads and or bridges between HUNZA/Nagar and Gilgit get damaged.

  17 Mar 2010
Karimabad, Hunza

 
 
 

Communication with the Government as Head of Ismaili Delegation

The gist of communication with the Minister and his team consisting of Chief Secy, Deputy Chief Executive, Police Head, all secretaries and deputy commissioner, is as follows:

' Honarable Minister had the occasion to meet our Imam on a number of occasions and is aware of his thoughts on the matters affecting Ummah throughout the world and particularly in Pakistan. As Mualim-e-Quran we Ismailis believe that the Imam-eWaqt teaches us the spirit of the Quranic teaching of "La Tufsidu" and "La Ikraha Fid deen". as such we neither believe in Fasad nor in imposing our will on others in the matters of faith We do not oppose any Tariqa and believe in tolerance. As such you see disciplined attitude within the violent people of the past and desire to cooperate and follow legal procedures. Like other Tariqas we do not have a clergy to represent Ismailis as such I would not call this delegation akin to the other delegations that you have met today. The presence of elected representatives is because they represent the feelings of populations in their respective jurisdictions. We believe in following a totally merit based approach. Over the past few decades we have noticed an imbalance in the society in dispensation of government jobs and resources based on sectarian feelings by the government functionaries in Northern Areas which has created frustrations amongst the youth in the area as such we hope that the present 'restoration phase' will be followed by a 'reformation phase. We will contribute in both phases. With particular reference to Hunza its economy and peace has been affected through interference from non locals. The trade with China is dominated by violent smugglers creating a sense of deprivation and frustration. This needs to be corrected. You are aware of the long term measure that has been initiated by me which in due course will hopefully result in reduction of acrimony within North'.

The minister reciprocated his appreciation of the attitude of Ismaili populations and indicated his intention to form a commission to investigate all aspects during which the specific suggestions would be included.

INTRODUCTION TO HDF

I hope many of the visitors of this blog have gone through the material covering the "CIVIL SOCIETY" concept. I am reproducing the concept of "HUNZA DEVELOPMENT FORUM" on this post with the hope that the readers will evaluate the concept in the light of what they have studied so that this becomes the civil society forum of the future not only for Hunza but entire GB. It must be clarified that the elected representatives from Hunza becomes the chairman of the Forum as standard procedure, as such we would expect the present incumbent (Mr Wazir Beg - the Speaker GBLA) to assume the role as soon as possible for him.

“Development is sustainable only if the beneficiaries become, in a gradual manner, the masters of the process.
This means that initiatives cannot be contemplated exclusively in terms of economics, but rather as an integrated programme that encompasses social and cultural dimensions as well. Education and skills training, health and public services, conservation of cultural heritage, infrastructure development, urban planning and rehabilitation, rural development, water and energy management, environmental control, and even policy and legislative development are among the various aspects that must be taken into account.”

HIS HIGHNESS THE AGA KHAN,
SPEAKING AT THE PRINCE CLAUS FUND’S
CONFERENCE ON CULTURE
AND DEVELOPMENT, AMSTERDAM,
7 SEPTEMBER 2002.

One of the problems of working with civil society organisations (CSOs) is that people attach different meanings to the term. Some mean the large, international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like World Vision, CARE, OXFAM, Save the Children and so forth. Others have in mind the small village-level groupings which may be worthy, but probably do not make a big impact on development problems. Late in 2006, the Aga Khan Development Network Civil Society Programme (AKDN CSP) conceived the idea of a series of short case studies to illustrate (a) the range of CSOs that are not NGOs and (b) the important work that many of them are doing. In response to His Highness the Aga Khan’s call to “go beyond NGOs”, the Programme was set up to work primarily with these non-NGO civil society organisations

At the outset, it was unclear what CSOs could actually do. In order to encourage understanding of their diversity and the range of citizens’ initiatives, the AKDN CSP asked the International NGO Training and Resource Centre (INTRAC) to develop a number of one-page case histories of CSOs which, from very different backgrounds, have proved helpful in development. Click AKDN to access the Learning materials.

HUNZA DEVELOPMENT FORUM (HDF)

Brig (R) Hisamullah Beg SI(M)

The AKDN Introduction to the civil society program reads: “In an era of rising expectations and unmet needs in the developing world, the civil society sector plays an essential role in the provision of social services, the protection of the marginalised, the delivery of development programmes and the promotion of good governance. Its work is especially critical where governments are weak or non-performing, as in situations of failed democracies or post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction.

For over 30 years, the Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) has led the civil society strengthening initiatives of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) across all thematic areas (health, education and rural development) and regions in which it works. To broaden the impact of these activities, the civil society programme has now been formally extended to encompass all the AKDN agencies. The scope of the programme has also been widened in order to increase the positive impact of a wide array of organisations that have a presence in public life, including faith-based and charitable organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), labour unions, professional associations and foundations, village and women’s groups, neighbourhood self-help groups, social movements, business associations, microcredit organisations, coalitions and advocacy groups.”

With this background it was felt that as a futuristic course, Hunza needs a fresh approach towards achieving a balanced society. Accordingly AKRSP in collaboration with KADO hosted the first multi-stakeholder forum in Hunza during 23-24 August 2004. The purpose was to initiate a public deliberation on the major development issues involving diverse groups and stakeholders in Hunza so that a common approach and a framework for collective action could be developed to address long-term development challenges in the valley.

CONCEPT AND WORKING METHODOLOGY

The diversity and divergence of views on development requires a neutral platform for key stakeholders. Designed as a flexible and neutral platform for all stakeholders, HDF provides an opportunity to representatives drawn from Government and broad spectrum of civil society organizations, including AKDN agencies, voluntary community institutions, public sector agencies, business associations, Political parties, and faith based entities etc. to discuss and plan future development. In its scheduled meetings the Forum encourages open discussion on issues and opportunities leading to a shared commitment of the stakeholders towards common goals and ideas on how to move forward, while on the internet it seeks feed-back from all concerned “Hunzukutz” anywhere else and integrating these views towards developing a common vision through an open, transparent, inclusive and accountable mechanism. It fully recognizes that people and local institutions are the ultimate drivers of the development process in Hunza. See SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS , GROUPS.

It also aims to help evolve a society which believes in moving forward on the principles of Meritocracy for which it is essential to have a working democracy, good governance and Pluralism which means people of diverse backgrounds and interests, organizations of varying types and goals coming together for different forms of creative expression, which are valuable and deserving of support by government and society as a whole.

TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR HDF

The current TOR for HDF is as follows:

1. Organize Grand HDF meeting once in a year;

2. Facilitate to form thematic forums (Business, youth , women , peace);

3. Form working committees for specific tasks;

4. Promote collaboration and interacting between Government, Civil Society and private sector;

5. Share and discuss issues and best practices;

6. Provide professional and Organizational Support for different forums;

7. Raise resources for organizing Grand Forum;

8. Follow up on decisions of grand Development Forum;

9. Prioritize development sector and prepare action plan;

10. It should meet every quarter;

LONG TERM GOALS

To achieve what has been stated in the above paragraphs a set of long term Collective Targets have been proposed for which it is expected that everyone sharing this vision will endeavour to work with his heart and soul. These in the order of priority are listed as under:

A. ENERGY (Hydropower and Water Management, by building Dams on river Hunza / Nager) More than 100 MW by 2020 ATABAD POTENTIAL 

B. Human Resources Development

• Alternative Energy:                             - 200 specialists by 2015
• Earth Sciences:                                    - 500 specialists by 2015
• Skills: ICT & English etc through a proposed “Hunza Human capacity” Development Centre (HHCDC), Gems stone Cutting and polishing Centres; stone carving/engraving centres; scientific mining techniques etc (MINE TO MARKET)”: - 5000 specialists by 2015
• Chinese language:                                - 100 specialists by 2015
• Social sciences:    SOME CHOICES   - 5000 specialists by 2015

C. Creation of an Endowment to Support HR Development in above This is visualised to be achieved through donations, from profit making endeavours and also through diversion of annual development budget allocated by the government through the elected representatives.   - Rs 200 m by 2015

D. ADVOCACY: HDF will undertake advocacy with National & International setups for:

• Supporting of development targets
• Institutional development
• Harmonization of traditional laws with statutory laws of the Country/NA’s with NALA and Ministry of Kashmir Affairs.CUSTOMARY LAWS
• Tourism Advancement.
• Appropriate construction with local populations in collaboration with BACIP and other agencies.
• Invigorating the attractive regional traditions reflecting the Ethos of “Suchi” & preservation of language (Click HCF,  ALPHABETS).
• upholding meritocracy, transparency & freedom of Information.
• Declaration of “Weapon-Free” status for Hunza, this will contribute to a softer image of Pakistan in the world and help tourism.

E. SPORTS: Facilitation of adventure sports & adoption of some of these as regional specialties.

F. Facilitation:

• Association for Minerals Exploration/ Extraction.
• Business Association Development and
• Exhibitions for culture and home industry.

Aim and Plan for Attainment of Targets

The collective targets for all stakeholders are aimed at gradually evolving a productive population rather than a consumer one. It goes without saying that in this increasingly materialistic world only productive entity - whether individuals or whole society - can hope to progress and prosper at the cost of consumers.

HDF does not claim to be a service delivery entity, rather it endeavours to coordinate collective efforts towards this end. With this approach you - as a concerned and talented “Hunzukutz” - are requested to personally participate (or motivate those known to the readers) in the effort by joining any one (or more than one) of the committees assigned to workout strategies and action plans in actualising these targets.

Brief visualisation for the committees and outline for their working are enumerated below:

1. Energy and Water Management: Will mobilize government and/or investors to make this possible. Knowledgeable members of the committee will search and approach International Agencies such as “Kuwait Fund” and like (with aim of either investment or philanthropy) by processing technical proposals.Click: ADVOCACY

2. Committee on HR Development: The main committee will form further committees on each of the topics specified under this heading (may also identify additional topics). The committee members will be assigned to initiate a global search (on the internet or personal knowledge) for university/institutional programs, their costs, prerequisites for participation and any enabling provisions by the institution/governments and actions to avail the opportunities.Cyber members: MEMBER , MEMBER2 , MEMBER3 , MEMBER4 ,   MEMBER5 , IRFAN    

3. Committee on Creation of Endowment: This is visualised to be achieved through individual donations, by establishing profit making entities and also diversion of annual development budget allocated by the government through the elected representatives. It will also coordinate with other agencies maintaining endowments for this purpose. The committee will work out the mechanism and methodology for maintaining and awarding resources to the deserving trainees for incountry and facilities abroad towards actualisation of HR Development targets.

4. Committee/s on Advocacy: Main committee will form subcommittees for each of the headings (and any other suggested by the participants).

5. Committee on Adventure Sports: We request following men of prominence to head and form these committees and select volunteers as members:

• Mr Nazir Sabir (SI)
• Col Sher Khan (SI)
• Mr Ashraf Aman (President’s Pride of Performance)

6. Committees on Facilitation: KADO Chairman and professional staff to be assisted by other volunteers.

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR HUNZA DEVELOPMENT FORUM

(Every organization should have a Code of Practice for Board members which is available to all stakeholders 

AKDN Guideline Booklet No. 4)
(BOARDS) 

All such organisations involve people who have committed themselves to improving the society in which they live by what they do and how they behave. Commitment and voluntarism may, however, not be enough for an effective organization – specific organizational skills are needed as well. And these skills can be learnt.

This document will ultimately contain following Sections:

1. A Code of Conduct for the Governance (now)

2. Terms of Reference for all Members (now)

3. Terms of Reference for all Committees and sub-committees (on required basis)

1. MEMBERSHIP: Basic to each member is the understanding that Governance (Boards or similar structures) are a part of the management function of any non-profit and non-government organization (also known as civil society organisations or CSOs). At its most basic, management can be defined as: “ensuring that an organization has clear objectives, and makes the most effective and efficient use of resources in order to achieve those objectives”. Each or all the members have at least some or all of five separate roots:

• Philanthropy and the desire to help people who are considered less fortunate
• The desire to improve local communities through mutual aid and self-help
• The desire to improve conditions through political and economic action (SEE POLITICAL ACTION )
• The desire to take on services provided by the public or private sectors, and
• The simple reality of shared interests.

The term “governance” is increasingly used for the big picture, long term and legal aspects of ensuring that an organization is properly run, and “management” for ensuring that the work gets done within this framework. Governing body which is legally and financially responsible for the organization and responsible for setting and monitoring long and medium term objectives, and developing policies.

HDF members (Governance) are drawn from wide array of organizations that have a presence in public life (specifically elected representatives), including faith-based and charitable organisations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), labour unions, professional associations and foundations, village and women’s groups, neighbourhood self-help groups, social movements, business associations, microcredit organizations, coalitions, advocacy groups and above all the government. Presently this body consists of 22 members as listed in the attachment. But at the same time it is flexible and welcomes any additions with a background listed in the foregoing lines. The members are appointed or elected for a term coinciding with that of the Elections to Gildit and Baltistan Legislative Assembly (GBLA and DISTRICT COUNCIL).

2. EXECUTIVE STRUCTURE Should have the Understanding and regularly review the ethos and values that underpin the organization’s work, and ensuring that Board members, volunteers and others involved with the organization understand these values and how they apply to their work. They are also expected to:

• Maintain a long term overview of the organization and all its work
• Making strategic and major decisions about the organization’s objectives, policies and procedures
• Ensuring decision-making procedures are transparent people know who makes decisions and how they are made, and accountable (decisions are reported to the people who have a right to know about them)
• Ensuring that the needs and interests of relevant people and bodies are considered when making decisions
• Ensuring that adequate resources (especially people and money) are available to carry out activities, and making decisions about how to proceed when resources turn out not to be available
• Monitoring the work of the organization, especially progress towards objectives
• Ensuring appropriate action is taken when work is not being done, or is not being done properly
• Taking legal responsibility for the organisations and all its actions

The body (All honorary workers) will consist of:

• A chairman:
• A Vice-Chair
• A Board Secretary
• A Treasurer

The Chairperson’s/Vice Chairperson’s role has two parts, one practical, and the other institutional:

• Planning and running meetings of the body, ensuring that everything is covered and decisions are made when required, keeping order, helping the group deal with differences of opinion and conflicts, being sure that everyone who wants has a chance to speak.

• Ensuring that the organization as a whole sets and sticks to its policies and priorities, then serving as a spokesperson for the organization, making essential or emergency decisions between committee meetings, working closely with the manager to ensure work is being done properly and to help staff with difficulties.

3. MEETINGS It should meet every quarter. The venue/timing and Agenda will be disseminated by the Secretary at least 15-Days in advance. Preferably a yearly schedule for regular meetings (Every three months) of the members for the entire year should be announced by Mid November each year along with the schedule for “Once a year grand Meeting”, which is to be held for all concerned “Hunzukutz” anywhere and also the committees constituted from time to time. Emergent meetings may be held on required basis with the consent of chairman.

4. MINUTES AND ACTION PLANS the format for Agenda as well as recording of ‘Minutes’ /’Action plan’ is attached. Any concerned “Hunzukutz” may initiate a proposed item for inclusion in the Agenda any time through all available means, such as E-Mail, telephone, written paper etc. on this or similar format The decisions on each item of agenda will be on the basis of ‘majority vote’ if a clear ‘consensus’ does not emerge in the meeting.

5. TENURE AND ELECTIONS The tenure of ‘Executive Body’ will commence and end in consonance with the Government schedule for election to District Councils and Northern Area Legislative council. The candidates proposed by members/General public will be chosen on the basis of at least 50% secret votes of the “Governance” to coincide with the “Once a Year Grand Meeting”.

NOTES:

1. Names of volunteers whether willing to head the committees or participate as members received will be shared with all and placed on the web site. We expect the names of volunteers to be communicated to addresses on the website.

2. All these committees are expected to participate physically in the ‘Once a year grand meeting’, while rest of the time they will use modern means of communication for their contributions from their existing work stations.

3. Readers are requested to visit HDF website hosted by KADO (www.kadohunza.org/hdf and http://hisamullahbeg.blogspot.com and help HDF through ideas and participation in the collective effort.

4. Sometimes HDF will set up Sub-Committees and Working Groups. All such Committees and Groups need clear Terms of Reference. Ideally every entity should have a Code of Practice for members which are available to all stakeholders. Through this the members should police themselves, but others involved in the effort can also monitor the performance of HDF.


RELATED:  POLITICAL ACTION , EXAMPLE page 34 ,