Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Independence Day

ہچکیوں نے کسی دیوار میں در رکھا تھا
میرے آباء نے جب اِس خاک پہ سر رکھا تھا

گھر سے نکلے تھے تو اِک دشتِ فنا کی صورت
راہ میں صرف سفر،صرف سفر رکھا تھا

دل تھے متروکہ مکانات کی صورت خالی
اور اسباب میں بچھڑا ہوا گھر رکھا تھا

جسم اجداد کی قبروں سے نکلتے ہی نہ تھے
نسل در نسل اِسی خاک میں سر رکھا تھا

روح پر نقش تھے وہ نقش ابھی تک جن میں
رنگ بچپن کی کسی یاد نے بھر رکھا تھا

دل میں سر سبز تھے اُس پیڑ کے پتّے جس پر
دستِ قدرت نے ابھی پہلا ثمر رکھا تھا

کٹتے دیکھے تھے وہ برگد بھی ،جنہوں نے خود کو
مدتوں دھوپ کی بستی میں شجر رکھا تھا

جلتے دیکھے تھے وہ خود سوز محلّے جن میں
جانے کب سے کوئی خوابیدہ شرر رکھا تھا

چوڑیاں ٹوٹ کے بکھری تھیں ہر اک آنگن میں
اک کنواں تھا کہ تمنّاؤں سے بھر رکھا تھا

راہ تھی سُرخ گلابوں کے لہو سے روشن
پاؤں رکھا نہیں جاتا تھا، مگر رکھا تھا

قافلے ایک ہی سرحد کی طرف جاتے تھے
خواب کے پار کوئی خواب ِدگر رکھا تھا

تیرگی چیر کے آتے ہوئے رستوں کے لئے
ایک مہتاب سرِ راہ گزر رکھا تھا

اک حسیں چاند تھا اک سبز زمیں پر روشن
اک ستارے کو بھی آغوش میں بھر رکھا تھا

حرفِ اظہار میں حائل تھیں فصیلیں لیکن
رکھنے والے نے خموشی میں اثر رکھا تھا

لب تک آتے ہی نہ تھے حرف مناجاتوں کے
ہچکیوں نے کسی دیوار میں در رکھا تھا

چشمِ بینا میں وہ منظر ابھی تازہ ہے سعودؔ
میرے آباء نے جب اس خاک پہ سر رکھا تھا

Monday, May 20, 2013

PACKAGED MILK IN PAKISTAN

PACKAGED MILK IN PAKISTAN.... ....

Justice Mian Saqib Nisar of the Lahore High Court expressed grave
concern on Wednesday when the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control
Authority (PSQCA) chairman confirmed the mixing of melamine, besides
detergents, in packed milk. The judge asked amicus curiae Barrister
Sidra to collect milk samples for tests in a laboratory in London.
Barrister Zafar would contribute Rs10,000 to meet expenses of sample
collection.

The Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) chairman
on Wednesday told a bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) that
various harmful substances, such as melamine and detergents, were
indeed being mixed in packaged milk

The percentage of impurities includes urea, or melamine as protein
booster (30 percent), substandard cooking oil (70 percent), powdered
water chestnut (40 percent), unhygienic water (50 percent), formalin,
a chemical used by doctors to preserve human body (35 percent),
penicillin for enhancing the thickness and fragrance of milk (47
percent), hair removing powder (29 percent), zoonotic pathogens (27
percent) and other adulterants including soda bicarbonate, to improve
the taste.

PSQCA had allowed the indirect mixing of 5mg melamine in each
kilogramme of milk for adults and 1mg in milk for children, which
could be fatal. The petitioner, Barrister Zafarullah Khan, informed
the court that amazingly the Pakistan Standard Specifications for
Milk, 2009, had allowed mixing of 5 mg melamine in one kg milk for
adults’ consumption and 1mg in one
kg milk for children. He said the PSQCA had not given a single reason
why the dangerous substance like melamine, which was a kind of
plastic, was allowed to be added in milk since it was proved to have
been a major cause of renal failure and other deadly diseases. He said
the main reason melamine was allowed to be mixed in milk was because
the major chunk of natural protein was extracted from the milk before
packaging and melamine was added to artificially compensate the loss
of protein and thinness of milk. He cited example of China where three
persons found guilty of adding melamine in milk were hanged to death.

Melamine Tolerable Daily Intake across the world are as follows

EU : 0.5 milligrams per kg of body mass per day
Canada : 0.35 mg per kg of body mass per day
US : Originally 0.63 mg but now 0.063 mg per kg of body mass per day

WHO : 0.2 mg per kg of body mass per day
China : 2.5 mg per kg in products with more than 15%
milk content

As the Daily Times report says, besides melamine for increasing
protein content, PQSCA provided evidence that there was formalin and
certain pathogens in the milk content as well. People are paying a
premium price for these products. Corporate giants are even worse than
the gawala at adulteration of milk. When did our morality go the dogs?

I feel that even if conclusively proven before the court and the
judgment obviously public data then, mainstream media will not create
the necessary hype as they would certainly fear losing advertising
money from giants such as Nestle, Haleeb Foods and Engro Foods.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah observed: “The media is directed not to
report on the contents of the report submitted by Eurofins Global
Cenral, Hamburg, Germany, dated February 22, 2010, till further
orders. The office is directed to intimate the media accordingly.”
 

Friday, April 19, 2013

American vs Japanese Management ...

A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race 
in the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach 
their peak performance before the race. On the big day the Japanese won by a mile.

Afterward, the American team became discouraged and depressed. American
management decided the reason for the crushing defeat had to be found.
A management team made up of senior managers was formed to investigate 
and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 
eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team 
had eight people steering and one person rowing. So American management 
hired a consulting company and paid them an incredible sum. After six 
months, they advised that too many people were steering the boat, while 
not enough people were rowing. To prevent losing to the Japanese again 
next year, the rowing team's management structure was totally 
reorganized to four steering supervisors, three area-steering 
superintendents and one assistant-superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the 
person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called 
the "Rowing Team Quality First Program," with meetings, dinners and 
free pens for the rower. Even new paddles and medical-benefit 
incentives were promised for a winner. "We must give the rower the 
empowerment and enrichments through this quality program."

The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rowers for poor 
performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles and 
canceled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the senior executives as bonuses for 
a job well done.