Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan

Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan (1914-1999) was a development activist and social scientist credited for pioneering microcredit and microfinance initiatives, farmers' cooperatives, and rural training programmes in the developing world. He also promoted rural development activities in Pakistan, Bangladesh and in other developing countries, and advocated community participation in development.
He is particularly known for his leading role in the establishment of a comprehensive project for rural development, Comilla Model (1959) that earned him Magsaysay Award from Philippines and honorary Doctorate of Law by Michigan State University. In 1980s he founded a bottom up community development initiative of Orangi Pilot Project in Karachi slums. He received wide international recognition and highest honours in Pakistan for these projects and a number of programs that were part of these projects, from microcredit to self-financed and from housing provision to family planning.
Khan was fluent in five international languages, and apart from many scholarly books and articles, published his collection of poems and travelogues in Urdu language.

Personal life
Khan was born on 15 July 1914 in Agra and died on 9 October 1999. He graduated from Agra University in 1934 to join the Indian Civil Service (ICS). On his ICS probation, he studied literature and history at Magdalene College, Cambridge, England. A larger part of his ICS career was served in East Bengal. The Bengal famine of 1943 and subsequent inadequate handling of the situation by the colonial rulers led him to resign from the Indian Civil Service. For two years he worked in a village near Aligarh as a labourer and locksmith. In 1947, he took up a teaching position at the Jamia Millia, Delhi, and worked for three years.
He spent a significant part of his life in Comilla. His residence was located in the Ranir Dighir Par area of the town, adjacent to Victoria College where he taught for a long time. As a gesture of respect for his contributions to the community, the Comilla-Kotbari road in Bangladesh has been named after him.
Following migration to the West Pakistan after 1971, he stayed briefly stayed in Peshawar before proceeding on to East Lansing, Michigan, USA for a 2nd time. He returned to Pakistan in 1979-80 (via Bangladesh) and founded the Orangi Pilot Project. Once in Pakistan, he also helped develop the Aga Khan Rural Support which was headed by his long time student colleague, Shoaib Sultan Khan. When Shoaib Sultan Khan founded the National Rural Support Program, Akhter Hameed Khan continued to support the NRSP. In the meantime under Khan's leadership the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) thrived, grew and diversified.
Akhter Hameed Khan died on October 9th, 1999 in Indianapolis, USA while visiting his daughter. He is survived by his wife, Shafiq Khan, 4 daughters and a son - who live in the US, Canada and Pakistan.

Career
After Partition of Bengal (Partition of British India) in 1947, Khan migrated to Karachi and from there he went to East Pakistan to become the Principal of the Comilla Victoria College till 1958. During this time, he developed special interest in the initiatives and participation of grassroots level people. In 1958, he went to the Michigan State University for a special orientation in rural development. Returning in 1959, he established Pakistan Academy for Rural Development at Comilla, later renamed as Bangladesh Academy for Rural Development (BARD). He worked there until 1971 as the Director. His Comilla project for rural development became famous as a successful model for cooperatives at the local levels.In 1963, he received Magsaysay Award by the Government of the Philippines for his services in rural development. In 1964, he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Law by Michigan State University.
After Partition of Pakistan, when East Pakistan became Bangladesh, Khan moved to Pakistan and served as a Research Fellow, first at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, and then in 1972–1973 at Karachi University. In 1973, he went back to the Michigan State University as a visiting professor to remain there until 1979. In 1979 he also began serving as an adviser at the Rural Development Academy at Bogra in northern Bangladesh.
Khan also worked as a visiting professor at the Lund University, Sweden, at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University, at Harvard University, and Oxford University. In 1980, he founded the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) in Karachi.
Khan was fluent in English, Bengali, Arabic, Persian, and Urdu languages.[5] He wrote a number of articles, reports and monographs, mostly relating to rural development in general and his various successful and model initiatives in particular.

Comilla Cooperative Pilot Project
Main article: Comilla Model
The Comilla Model (1959) was Khan's initiative in response to the failure of Village Agricultural and Industrial Development (V-AID) programme that was launched in 1953 in East and West Pakistan with technical assistance from the US government. The V-AID was a governmental level attempt to promote citizens participation in the sphere of rural development.
Comilla Model provided a methodology of implementation in the areas of agricultural and rural development on the principle of grassroots level cooperative participation by the people. [2] The initial concept was to provide a development model of programmes and institutions that could be replicated across the country. The leadership skills of Khan proved a source of inspiration for Grameen Bank by one of the Comilla Academy students Muhammad Yunus.
While most of the cooperatives failed, frustrating Khan's goals, the Model provided valuable lessons for later Bangladeshi leaders in microfinance like Dr. Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and Dr. Fazle Hasan Abed of BRAC. These leaders abandoned the cooperative approach in favour of centralized control and service delivery structures, and adopted a strategy of targeting the poorest villagers while excluding those who were less poor. This strategy successfully prevented the types of 'elite capture' of local cooperatives, leading to widespread delinquencies, that plagued the Comilla Model.

Orangi Pilot Project
Main article: Orangi Pilot Project
Orangi poverty alleviation project (Orangi Pilot Project, OPP) was initiated by Dr Khan in 1980. Orangi at that time was the largest squatter community (katchi abadi) in Karachi. The project was aimed at socio-economic development of the population of the vast Orangi area of Karachi. As the project director Dr Khan and proved to be its dynamic and innovative leader. The project comprised a number of programs, including a people's financed and managed Low-Cost Sanitation Program; a Housing Program; a Basic Health and Family Planning Program; a Program of Supervised Credit for Small Family Enterprise Units; an education Program; and a Rural development Program in the nearby villages.
Comparing the OPP with Comilla project, Akhtar Hameed Khan once commented:
“
The Orangi Pilot Project was very different from the Comilla Academy. OPP was a private body, dependent for its small fixed budget on another NGO. The vast resources and support of the government, Harvard advisors, MSU, and Ford Foundation was missing. OPP possessed no authority, no sanctions. It may observe and investigate but it could only advise, not enforce.
”
However, both the projects followed the same research and extension methods.

Recognition
Khan died on 9 October 1999 at the age of 85. On 10 April 2000, the Government of Pakistan renamed the National Centre for Rural Development as Akhtar Hameed Khan National Centre for Rural Development and Municipal Administration.
Khan received the following civil awards during his life:
Nishan-e-Imtiaz
Hilal-e-Imtiaz,
Ramon Magsaysay Award, 31 August 1963, Manila, Philippines
Sitara-e-Pakistan, 1961

Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan Memorial Award
Council of Social Sciences, Pakistan (COSS) in collaboration with National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) and other institutions, have established an annual cash award in the memory of Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan. The Award is given every year on October 9, the birthday of Dr. Akhtar Hameed Khan, to the best book by a Pakistani author published during a financial year (July to June) written in any of the issues related to (i) rural/urban development (ii) Peace (iii) Poverty alleviation and (iv) Gender discrimination.

Publications
1998, Community-Based Schools and the Orangi Project. In Hoodbhoy, P (ed.), Education and the State: Fifty Years of Pakistan, Chapter 7, Karachi: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195778250
1997, The sanitation gap: Development's deadly menace. The Progress of Nations. UNICEF
1996, Orangi Pilot Project: Reminiscences and Reflections. The Oxford University Press: Karachi. (editions: 1996, 1999, 2005). ISBN 978-0195979862
1988, Chiragh aur Kanwal (Collection of poems in Urdu). Saad Publishers: Karachi
1974, Institutions for rural development in Indonesia, Pakistan Academy for Rural Development, ASIN B0007AK9M2
1972, Safar-e-Amrika ki Diary (A Diary of Travels in America). The City Press: Karachi (in Urdu)

Imran under detention..

Imran Khan Niazi (Urdu/Pashto: عمران احمد خان نیازی) (born November 25, 1952) is a Pakistani cricketer and politician. Khan played for the Pakistani cricket team from 1971 to 1992, and led them as captain to his country's first and only World Cup victory in 1992. With a record of 3807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, Khan is renowned as one of the finest all-rounders in the modern history of the game. In April 1996, he founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) political party, of which he is chairman as well as sole ever-elected member of Parliament. He became a member of the National Assembly from Mianwali in October 2002, but resigned from office on October 2, 2007, in protest of General Pervez Musharraf's presidential re-election as the Chief of Army Staff. Khan was arrested in Lahore on November 14, 2007, while attending a student protest against the imposition of state of emergency in the country. He is currently incarcerated and faces charges under Pakistani anti-terrorist laws.

Desperate malladies demand desperate remedies

Literature reveals that some special contingency measures needs to be executed in the wake of a post emergency situation, regarding the child protection of that particular vicinity. Their fragility and vulneribility due to their unique dependent social status makes them more prone to child abuse or exploitation.

For that matter, the promptest measure should be mobilizing the supply division to form Child Friendly Centres in the communitites/ camps where registration of every kid is brought into practice. What most children need is not therapy but community-based activities that help to restore their sense fo safety, connection to caring adults, and hope for the future. Child Centred Spaces tend to involve kids interaction and make them learn age appropriate competencies that help deal with risks they face

Why I took my life – Diary of youth that was tired of struggles anymore...

In the chase of destiny, I left myself to the currents of fate. It headed me to places beyond illusions and that was where it became a pleasant ride, an escape from the past lost in the ocean of ambitions and pursuit. The more my efforts became desperate, the less the fate revealed. I was stuck in dilemma of bending either way, or neither way.

Dramatic changes came to my life in a very low profile. I couldn’t grasp its transition, yet I felt I am not the man I was yesterday. In no way was the world the same for me but I felt it was always the way it was now. There was indeed a puzzle, it was different too but exhibited no change. It was a very drastic change but I couldn’t feel the intensity.

If I had let myself loose to the currents of fate, I would not have been a contented man then. I wanted to fight but what stopped me to proceed were my capacity, authority and right over myself. I was not alone. I was but the last hope of my family, the last resort to the despair of my siblings, and likewise, support of a straw to the drowning lot. I didn’t see myself capable to bring out my titanic out of the quagmire, as the conditions were so distressing.

The story starts with the introduction of a character named Bismal Dilraj living in a rural suburb. His father had long ago settled his family here in search of their bread. Abysmal despairs couldn’t move his father from imparting to their children the gift of education. It took years to his father to educate the eldest to a level that could enable him to earn with a respectable profession and support his ailing old age.

What he discovered at the day end was that it was not credibility that earned, it was dishonesty that prevailed. Disregard for skill, exploitation was the order of the day. Earning money were the apprehensions and worries altogether of this fraternity. Only those were the saving lot who could snatch bread from others mouth. Their food was the poison for the rest of the community. After all days struggle the earning was not even sufficient to cater for his belly twice.

The only luxury he used to do after days’ struggle was to go for a drama to the theatre. He would count the insufficient change to the cashier, a kind widow Mrs. Brookes and she would pass him with a smiling face by paying the rest herself. That was the only encouragement he was used to see for his hard work. He would analogize the characters with that of his real life and imagine his future, whether he will be able to draw the family out of this quagmire. To his disappointment every dream would collapse with a loud bang at the site of lust and luxury.

He had been in love with a girl from the time he was 12. She knew he loves her and since she was herself in love with him, accosted him but he was the one who never gave in. Sometimes he would feel it was his own lack of courage which was the hurdle in the way but soul searching would reveal upon him his limiatations. He was well aware of his parameters and was in the habit of not letting anybody discover his vulnerabilities. He would excuse for something when friends used to plan for some excursion or chill out. He could not afford to bear the expenses. Sometimes, out of his sheer frustration, he would start ridiculing his sense of responsibility for spoiling his joy.
Mr. Dilraj Bancey, Bismal’s father was a pensioner now and left six siblings at the disposal of his responsible and dependable son, as the only hope now. He had his fill but was contented with what he was. But he had to cater for the needs of his siblings. Whether it was his mother’s love that made him so responsible or the call of the situation but he made sure he was there for it. Amongst his siblings only he had fair share of company of his mother, since she didn’t live longer but she also had assigned her liabilities to the beloved son. His siblings were too much dependent on him. Their eyes sparkled when their brother would come home. Even in his tight fisted conditions he had not let his siblings not believe in him. They believed in him and he was much more than hope for them. He meant so much to them and upon his arrival, he was apprised of every development in his absence. Sometimes he had to listen to stories more than one times but he had no choice. He didn’t want to snatch the excitement from their faces. His father only used to watch from distance the chill around him. Annie would always complain about her kits being mistreated and he would have to kiss the kittens just to console her heart.

Drop scene of the constitutional edifice

On the July 20, 2007 a historic petition was concluded. The president of Pakistan through a presidential reference to the Supreme Judicial Council made the Chief Justice of Pakistan non-functional later named the treatment a forced leave. The supreme court of Pakistan through its verdict not only reinstated the aforesaid position of Chief Justice of Pakistan to Mr. Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudry but also recognized the oath of acting Chief Justice in the presence of the CJP as contrary to the constitution. The court also maintained that the reference was unlawful and not authorized.

Earlier March 9th the President after abortive attempts to force the CJP to resign, the reference was filed to the supreme Judicial Council. The Chief Justice at the premise of being suspended was relinquished of all the packages of his post. He was also mistreated by a police on the account of wishing to go to the court on foot.

During all these moments of the deadlock the legal fraternity unanimously and vehemently opposed the injustice and desecration of the constitution by the military boots. The CJP was welcomed wholeheartedly and with open arms everywhere he went. The crowd waited for extra long hours in the scorching heat and showered the car of the CJP with flowers. The magnitude of crowd participating was one of its kind. Never was such enthusiastic and determined peaceful revolt seen by the establishment in the history of Pakistan.
On the eve of celebrations on account of supremacy of law, the legal fraternity decided to continue and carry the struggle to new avenues, as the first phase for the supremacy was over. The civil society made evident by this revolution their concern for the supremacy of law and displayed extraordinary character. Likewise is the courage and steadfastness in the face of such enormous pressure from all line departments to quit, is not the one innate to this politically dead region. Let us hope this good omen doesn’t only serve a mirage sight but be the end to the national quagmire brought to us by the despotic rule and opaque vision.