Iqbal Masih, Age 12: Escaped slavery and became an activist against bonded labour

Iqbal Masih. (source)

Iqbal Masih became a slave when he was four years old. Technically he became a bonded laborer but in his region, the difference between the two is only an academic one. He was born in 1983 into to a poor community of Maridke, Lahore. It started when his family needed some money for his mother's operation. They took a loan of five thousand rupees from a local factory owner but since they were too poor to pay it back one of their children, Iqbal, was to start a job at the carpet factory and pay it from his earnings. Although it looks like a fair deal on the face of it but there were two problems; Iqbal was only 4 years old at the time and his daily wage of one rupee was never going to be enough to payback the load plus the exorbitant interest which had risen to a total of thirteen thousand rupees when he reached ten years of age. 

This modern system of slavery works like this. In the poorer regions of the country people have too few opportunities to education,  health or jobs. Business owners give out loans frequently for financial emergencies like weddings or surgeries. These business men offer that the borrowing family do not have to return it directly. Instead they can nominate someone from the family, usually a child, to work for the business men to repay the loan with his salary. On the face, it appears as a very generous offer because not only does the business man gives the loan, he also arranges for it to be paid back from his own money and provides jobs as well. In reality, these businesses get cheap labor and this system of bonded labor continues which keeps the factories running. This system effectively made Iqbal Masih and many other children like him slaves; working twelve hours a day six days a week for the coming years.

A carpet weaving factory much like the one where Iqbal Masih worked. (source)

The working conditions were tough and any lax in effort was severely punished by whippings and beatings. Malnutrition and overworking resulted in stunted growth of the children. At age ten, Iqbal was only four feet tall with a weight of about 30 kg. Iqbal escaped once but unlucky for him, he went to a police station. The police officer there was more interested in getting some money from the factory owner as a reward of returning the little workers. After this Iqbal was chained to the weaving machine and got starved and beatings as a reward.
Some time later he got to know about an organisation called Bonded Labor Liberation Front (BLLF) which can help him. He went to an awareness event held by the  BLLF. Although shy he shared his story there and learned that debt slavery has been banned by the government of Pakistan some years ago and it was illegal to keep someone bonded. He also met one of the union leader, Ehsan Ullah Khan who lend a sympathetic ear to Iqbal's story. Iqbal, armed with this new knowledge and with the help of Khan confronted his master at the factory. With the help of Ehsan Ullah Khan, he managed to convince the factory owner about the illegal nature of his labor force. The factory owner let Iqbal and some other children go free.
After this Iqbal started studying in a school run by BLLF. Alongside studies, the twelve year old started actively campaigning against debt slavery. Although too small for his age, he would demonstrate and give energetic speeches at bonded labor awareness rallies. He would go to factories and talk to other children and raise awareness of labor laws among them. He took some risks talking to those children but he cared little. It was like all the pent up energy in his small body was being released and he had found a positive outlet.  Ehsan took him to Sweden and the United States to raise awareness of child and debt slavery in Pakistan. His message was straight forward:

"Childrens should have pens in their hands, not tools"

Wherever Iqbal went, he became an inspiration. He received the 1994 Reebok's Human Rights  "Youth in Action" Award in Boston. He became ABC TV's person of the week. His story was shared on many mainstream international media outlets. Through his efforts many carpet factories were facing ban on sale in the local and international markets until they rectified their labor practices.  Iqbal and Ehsan had received some threats from the carpet factories' mafia. Upon his return to Pakistan Iqbal had decided to deepen his understand of the law and study to become a lawyer so he can help others less fortunate children but his luck had run out. On 15th April 1995 he returned to his hometown for Easter. The next day he was riding home on his bicycle after mass when he got shot by a twelve gauge shot gun.  He died on spot. The weapon was wielded by a local heroin. Many believe the carpet mafia was responsible for pulling the trigger. The truth matters little.

Iqbal died for a cause he strongly believed in. For him it was very simple. He did not want others to suffer the same way he did. He lived as a symbol of courage believing he could bring a change. The US department of labor announced an Iqbal Masih Award which is given out each year to honor the young hero's memory and to inspire others. Inspired by his speeches at their school, some American children raise funds to build a school in Iqbal's home town. He became a beacon of hope to the ten million child laborers in Pakistan but was extinguished too soon.

His cheeky smile and twinkling eyes gave others confidence that there exists a light in this world worth fighting for but his sudden demise showed that the struggle has only just started.

Iqbal Masih died when he was almost 13 years old. He was a leading activist against child labor and debt slavery around the world at that time.

Iqbal's story on ABC:
http://www.mirrorimage.com/iqbal/media/abc/person.wav

Street School: The Gift of Education

Education is everyone's right. This is what our religion teaches us and this is what the world has come to realize. It is a tool of empowerment which if employed wisely enables individual freedom and development. Sadly, in Pakistan many are deprived of this basic right, mostly because of poverty but also because of other various social reasons. This has led to more poverty and has widened the economic gap between Pakistanis. Hence a very common sight is of people spending thousands on food and clothes right next to the people who do not have sufficient food for the next meal or enough to clothe themselves. Therefore, the school of Shireen and and Hasan Zafar for street children in Karachi deserves all the praise.

This makeshift school was started at the beginning of 2016. The motivation came from Shireen, the younger of the two siblings. While observing children begging on the traffic signals one day, the then 12-year old got to thinking of a way to bring education to those who cannot afford to go to school. She discussed it with her 15-year old brother who agreed with her. The idea was to educate and motivate the street children to go to school. What started as a small awareness session quickly turned into a regular class of 25. Soon the duo were running a classroom six days a week after their school hours. They setup tables and chairs near Café Clifton for this purpose where they would teach children basics like alphabets and counting from 4 pm to 6 pm. Their students were children who would otherwise be found begging or selling flowers / tissues in the street.

The humble beginnings of the street school by the siblings Shireen and Hassan (source).

It was not easy to convince the kids in the start as many of these were a source of economic support for their family. Pressure from the families would result in regular absentees. To solve this the duo started meeting the parents to make them realize the importance of allowing the children to go to school. For motivation Hassan and Shireen paid each student Rs20 after every class to help in their financial needs.

Children having an exam.

Now after more than a year the brother and sister duo are running two street schools educating about a hundred children. More teachers have joined their cause now. The school is arranged in three levels from playgroup till class one and they also have an exercise class on Friday. The curriculum being followed is the same which the siblings study in their private school. There have even been some examples of kids leaving their previous institutions and shifting to the siblings' school because of its higher quality of education. A pick and drop service has also been arranged.

Among the regular students of these schools are sons and daughters of maids and laborers, people who in normal circumstances could not afford such an education. They are now proud parents with hopes of a better future for their families because of the extraordinary initiative of Shireen and Hassan.

The founders standing proudly with their happy students.

Amir Mahdi - Tricked out of fame and glory

Everyone who have the slightest interest in mountaineering knows that K2 was first scaled by Italian mountaineers( Achille Compagnoni and Lino Lacedelli ) but no one knows how it was made possible by a man who was later to be cheated out of the glory and almost died due to selfish motives of these individuals.

Amir Mehdi was born in Hassanabad, Hunza(1933) which is a region located in the extreme north of Pakistan. He worked as a high altitude porter which means he helped mountaineers carry gear and equipment and help them set up camps at the highest altitudes possible (7000 meters and above usually) on an expedition. His only passion was climbing (he never learned to read or write).

Amir Mehdi with the medals awarded to him by the Italian government

He was a participant of the 1953 German expedition to Nanga Parbat in which Hermann Buhl made the first ascent of the deadly mountain. Mehdi reached up to camp IV but due to health issues had to come down. Later he and another local porter helped Buhl reach the base by carrying him on their backs.

In 1954 he was selected among many other porters for the Italian expedition which was responsible for the conquering of the savage mountain. He accompanied the mountaineers, carrying the heavy loads of supplies and equipment and helped them setup the high camps. A day before the summit bid Mehdi helped a young Italian climber Walter Bonatti to carry oxygen cylinders up to a height of about 8000m. According to his son, Amir did this because he was offered a chance to get to the top. As they reached the designated spot and searched for Compagnoni and Lacedelli's camp they were instructed to leave the oxygen and go back down. It was pretty dark by then and Mehdi and Bonatti were forced to open bivouac (highest at that time, 8100m) with temperatures at -50C. It was later revealed that the camp was deliberately moved by Compagnoni to an inaccessible spot to prevent Bonatti to steal the limelight.

Mehdi suffered severe frostbite on the descent and was carried on a stretcher to a hospital in Skardu. All his toes were amputated and spent eight months hospitalized.

 

The official narrative showed Bonatti as the bad guy - accused of risk taking and scheming to claim the summit himself. While his Italian colleagues went back home, wrote books and made money, Mehdi never climbed again. It was only in 2007 that the Italian Alpine club recognized the essential role of Mehdi and Bonatti in K2's conquest but it was already too late as Mehdi died in 1999 aged 85.

Amir Mehdi's tale shows the loyalty he offered to the task and price he paid for the success of the expedition. He should be hailed as a hero of the nation.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-28696985
http://altitudepakistan.blogspot.de/2012/11/amir-mehdi.html
 

Mangoes...

Although no definition of mango is necessary however here it is none the less. Mango is a tropical fruit widely known for its sweetness and juicy taste around the world. It is termed by many as the king of fruits. It is grown around the world in tropical regions but majority of its production occurs in the subcontinental region of south Asia and east Asia i.e. Philippines. A common belief is that this fruit is native to the Indian subcontinent.

The mention of mangoes here is because not only does Pakistan is the fifth largest mango producer in the world it also produces the tastiest as opinionated by many. Among the few reasons Pakistanis are jubilant on the arrival of summers is the availability of mangoes. Main source of mangoes in Pakistan are Sindh and Punjab with contribution from other two provinces as well. In sindh alone we have 125 types of mangoes. Fifty percent of mangoes come from Sindh which amounts up to more than 5 lac tons. Lower Punjab is also famous for its mango orchards which start from Multan. In Rahim Yar Khan, the fruit is cultivated on 26 thousand acres.

The reason I included mango here is because Pakistani mango is known around the world for its sweetness and taste. According to a blog this sweet and delicious fruit is being sold at $6 for a box of six pieces in America. One of my personal acquaintance who lives in UK told me that in his personal observation the most awaited mangoes in UK are from Pakistan. Still like everything else in Pakistan mango production and export is facing a lot of challenges. The factors are the same like everything else. No awareness of procedures and no maintenance of quality. Only from 2008 America started importing mangoes from Pakistan as it finally had some trust on pest control and quality maintenance procedures in Pakistan.

Reko Dik: Gold in Pakistan

Reko Diq is situated in Chagai district of Baluchistan along the border of Iran. It is home to an extreme weather: summers with 40-50 degrees while winters are around -10 degrees.

In 1978-79 geologists from the Gelogical Survey of Pakistan discovered here huge reservoirs of copper and gold. During the 80s proper consultants were hired to get an exact figure on these reservoirs. Reko Diq has 38 million ounces of gold which translates to 260 billion dollars (for both gold an copper). Kindly note that the total debt of Pakistan to IMF is 56 billion dollars. Currently a legal war is being fought between TCC (Tethyan Copper Company) and Baluchistan government.

TCC is the company which carried out exploration and feasibility study of Reko Diq. The deal with this company gave Baluchistan only 25% of the share out of Reko Diq which in simpler terms is peanuts.

Pakistan nearly lost the mine but the matter was brought public by Dr Samar Mubarakmand, a nuclear scientist and now due to his efforts the case is being handled by the supreme court of Pakistan. He revealed: “A small part of the Reko Diq gold and copper mines (EL-5) have deposits worth $273, while a similar kind of reserves have also been discovered in North Waziristan.” His constant reminders and warnings concerning the project through TV and other media are what saved us from this national theft. Someone surely tried real hard to sell our national assets like he was selling 'banyans' in a jumma bazaar. Many flaws and deceitful approaches have been noticed in the reports submitted by TCC which could have led the government into a bad deal. At latest Balochistan Chief Secretary Ahmed Baksh Lehri has said that they have placed a few demands before TCC and failure to compliance will aloow the government to say no to them. TCC's exploration license has alreayd expired. His demands include a complete and honest feasibility report, refining to be done in Pakistan so that a refinery can be setup and job opportunities arise and the agreement should consider welfare of local people.

Reko Diq has the potential to be the world's largest gold an copper mine but we Pakistanis, ever so courteous. We had to do something that plunge us deeper into the well of despair. Lets just hope for better outcome of the case.

Nanga Parbat - Deadly beauty

Nanga Parbat is a Sanskrit word meaning nude mountain (nude for its barren steep slopes) . It is the western pillar of the Himalayas and is located in Astore district of Gilgit - Baltistan, a little south of the Indus river. Physically it is one of the most dynamic mountains on earth and is still growing at 7mm per year, which is the fastest growing rate for a mountain. Upto 2010, 322 climbers have conquered it while it have claimed the lives of 68. It has never been climbed in winter.

It has three faces Rupal, Rakhiot and Diamir. Rupal also referred to as the highest mountain face and precipice in the world lies to the south. It is 4600 meters above its base with 4 kms in width.

Rupal Face

To the north the Rakhiot face rises 7000 meters from the Indus valley to the summit in just 27 kms. This is one of the 10 greatest elevations on earth in such a short distances. Its the face as seen from the famous fairy meadows.

Rakhiot Face

Diamir is its gentle face and is the most attempted one among mountaineers.

Diamir Face

This mountain also contains the world's longest ridge, the Mazeno ridge which gives this giant the appearance of a wall. It contains eight 7000m peaks.

Mazeno Ridge

The first men to die on Nanga Parbat was Alfred Mummery, Ragobir Singh and Goman Singh in 1895 while trying to be the first to climb it. In subsequent years different expeditions were sent from around the world but remained in vain as it claimed more lives and gained notoriety. Upto 1950 it claimed 31 precious lives and in 1958 an Austrian climber Hermann Buhl finally made it. Here is just a glimpse of the perilous journey in Buhl's own words: "I now left the ski-sticks behind and - I could do it in no other way - scrambled up on all fours, suddenly I realized that I could go no higher. I was on the summit. I was not, I confess, at the time fully conscious of the significance of that moment, nor did I have any feeling of elation at my victory." Many people ascended Nanga Parbat after that but none has the story like that of the Messner brothers.

Two Italian brothers, Reinhold and Gunther tried to climb it in 1970, only one i.e. Reinhold returned. He staggered into the camp while every one was thinking he is dead with toes and fingers turned black with frost bite. He kept saying that his brother has also completed the ascent but was lost in a avalanche on the way down. Very few people believed him. Then in 2005 his brothers remain were found on the other side of the mountain indicating that Reinhold was indeed telling the truth.

Reinhold Messner's second ascent of Nanga Parbat which he achieved alone in 1978

The curse of Nanga Parbat still haunts the climbers. It once took lives of 16 climbers at once. In 2009, the best female climber of Asia Go - Mi Young lost her life on Nanga Parbat as she was planning to be the first woman to do all 8000ers. After Nanga Parbat only G-1, G-2 and Anapurna were left for her.

The Nanga Parbat is beautiful yet an unforgiving natural beast. Its beauty is unmatched, an impenetrable wall of ice and rock formed when the Indian subcontinental plate collided with Asian continent 400,000 years back. It takes one back to nature, to one's primal instincts of survival and fight for life. As in Messner words: "On Nanga Parbat I understood the reality of my own death."

The Nanga Parbat from an air plane to Skardu. The sunny face on the left is Rakhiot, under the shade of the mountain on the right is Diamir. The long ridge in the right sarting from the summit is the Mazeno Wall.

First Pakistani winter olympian

Meet Muhammad Abbas, 25 years of age, serving in Pakistan Air Force, native of Naltar village, Gilgit - Baltistan and the first Pakistani to qualify and take part in World Winter Olympics. He took part in the Alpine Skiing - Men's Giant Slalom category of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Vancouver, Canada. In this event one has to ski between sets of 56-70 poles spaced at a distance from each other. Abbas finished 79 out of a 103 contestants out of which only 81 were able to finish the course. His time was 3 minutes 20 secs. Gold was taken by a Swiss skier Carlo Janka who finished in 2 minutes 37 secs. His story is one of sheer passion to play the game and not caring about winning or loosing. He was just happy to be the first Pakistani to participate in winter Olympics and knew it would take a lot to be in the league for a medal but he is ready for the hard work required none the less in days to come. You would not believe that this young man started skiing in his village by tying wooden planks to his rubber boots.

He first started skiing in 1995 in his village, Naltar which is the top ski resort of Pakistan. The local slope was only 500 meters. He skied on it over and over again as he became proficient in skiing on the skis made by his dad out of pine wood. He was extra ordinarily lucky as his talent was recognized by Mr. Zahid Farooq who was serving in PAF and worked with Pakistan ski federation. He was then picked up by the ski federation to be trained. At 17 he was sent of to Japan for a 15 day training of slalom from a specialist. Abbas only attended a handful of small events each year. He attended events like military and police giant slalom race , Switzerland and entry-league FIS competition, Iran. More funds were needed to give him proper chance to hone his skills and prove himself.

Mr. Farooq rounded up some more money which proved enough to send Abbas and seven other to Austria in 2009 for an intensive 6 week crash course in slalom. Abbas showed real promise here. He improved himself by leaps and bounds and managed to finish 8th in a race in Lebanon in March 2009 which enabled him to accumulate enough points to qualify for winter olympics, only one in the group to do so.

He now has two sets of atomic skis, one for training and one for competition. He maintains, waxes and tune his equipment himself as he cannot hire a technician to do so as most other professional skiers. All that drives him is his passion for the sport and the love for his country and in 2014, maybe he will give us all something to be proud of.