Maulana Ameer Hamza, a leader of Jamaatud Dawa, is a columnist for Dunya newspaper. In his August 10 column, he criticized fossilized religious leaders who opposed the learning of English during the British raj. He said that these leaders opposed western dressing, called the train dajjal(the anti-christ), banned the use of loudspeakers to deliver azaan etc- according to him this is why Hindu’s excelled in education. He also described the United States as the global leader in science and technology. He also praised China and India for their commitment to science and technology. Furthermore he lauded Sir Syed Ahmad Khan for lighting the torch of knowledge. The Maulana praised Imran Khan for being an Oxford graduate and said, “In Imran Khan, the nation has got a messiah.” TLP’s heavy mandate has been stolen Allama Khadim Rizvi, chief of Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), has said that their heavy mandate has been “stolen”, and it is unacceptable. According to him at the behest of external forces, organized electoral fraud was committed against the TLP. He further said that anti-Islamic forces don’t want to see (TLP) in power because they are scared of Islam and the ideology of Pakistan. For him, TLP not coming to power was an insult to the nation, and that TLP would never compromise on their principles. It may be added here that the TLP has split into two factions. The other faction is headed by Dr. Ashraf Jalali. “Pakistanis are an incompetent lot“ Says Javed Chaudhary is one of the most popular media personalities in Pakistan.bnRecently he has come up with a damaging indictment of Pakistanis. He said that Pakistanis are an incompetent lot. In his Express column of August 5, he wrote: “If fires breaks out, we cannot put it out. If there is a flood, we cannot drain its water. God forbid, if an earthquake strikes, we cannot gather the dead bodies. In the last 13 years we have not been able to rehabilitate the victims of the 2005 earthquake. Nine million drug addicts are roaming our streets. In narcotics, selling of kidneys and stealing of children we are number one in the whole world. As a nation, we are against development.” Islam allows pre-emptive jihad Hafiz Akif Saeed, Dr. Israr Ahmad’s son and the chief of Tanzeem-i-Islami, wrote in Ausaf (August 2) that a fitna (social unrest)-fomenting notion is being spread that there is no room for iqdami (preemptive) jihad in Islam. Islamic jihad is not just a defensive jihad, he declared. This thinking and philosophy dates back to the advent of the British in India. Today Maulana Waheeduddin Khan, a big personality of India, has been propagating this notion day in day out, According to Saaed “He is also distorting some other Islamic teachings.” He also described the United States as the global leader in science and technology. He also praised China and India for their commitment to science and technology. The Maulana praised Imran Khan for being an Oxford graduate and said, “In Imran Khan, the nation has got a messiah” Aga Khan, the first president of Muslim League, served Muslims with distinction Riaz Syed wrote in the August 6 issue of Nawa-i-Waqt, arguably the most patriotic newspaper in Pakistan, that Aga Khan III took great interest in Muslims’ political, social and educational progress. He played an extremely important role in the establishment of Aligarh Muslim University as he was one of its patrons. He led a 70-member Muslim delegation that called on the viceroy. Because of his efforts the All India Muslim League was founded on December 30, 1906. He was elected its first president. It is interesting to mention that most ulema don’t regard the followers of Aga Khan as Muslims. Tribesmen started a campaign of pillage and plunder in Kashmir Ahmed Faruqui wrote in Daily Times (August 6) that on August 5, 1965, the Pakistan army launched Operation Gibraltar. It was supposed to finish the mission begun in October 1947 to ‘liberate’ Jammu and Kashmir from India. That mission failed because the undisciplined tribesmen, the ‘freedom fighters’, that went into Jammu and Kashmir went berserk and started a campaign of pillage and plunder before they even reached Srinagar. Seven thousand mujahideen were given six weeks of training in guerrilla warfare and sent into Kashmir to ignite a people’s uprising. Gibraltar was based on Pakistan’s mistaken presumptions about India capabilities and an exaggerated opinion of its own capabilities. He quoted Shuja Nawaz, the author of Crossed Swords, saying that ‘in its external wars, Pakistan’s senior leaders have failed their lower level commanders and ordinary soldiers with poorly conceived military adventures time and time again’. U.S. and Indian agents torched schools in Diamer Agha Syed Hamid Moosavi, head of the Tehreek-i-Nifaz-i-Fiqh Jafaria, has said that CPEC is giving sleepless nights to the enemies of Pakistan. Express (August 7) quoted him saying: “From Khunjerab to Gwadar a network of conspiracies is being established. The torching of dozens of schools in Diamer and an attack on a judge is the work of U.S. and Indian agents. The U.S a satanic ringleader, it is the champion of ungratefulness and treachery. Moreover U.S. assistance is keeping terrorism alive in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He also said that internal and external enemies have always been obstructing Pakistan’s development. They have been expending all their energies to subdue Pakistan.” Pakistani minorities are having a ball Tanveer Qaiser Shahid, former resident editor, Express, wrote in his column of August 10, that Pakistani minorities enjoy equal rights. They have full freedom to practice their religion. In no field do they face discrimination. With its full force, our constitution fully protects their rights. “Undoubtedly, the Indian minorities cannot even dream of enjoying the rights and freedoms that are available to Pakistani minorities.” One wonders what he thinks of the fact that the constitution disqualifies all non-Muslims from the most prestigious offices of the state. Also read They are Pakistanis, not minorities The writer studied international relations in Islamabad and media in London. He has worked for several English-language newspapers. He has written a book (Handbook of Functional English)for the benefit of those who wish to improve their English skills Published in Daily Times, August 12th 2018.