Pakistan and Muslim ummah

Islam Nation, Islamic Ummah, Umma, Ummah

Ummah (Arabic: ) is an Arabic word meaning "nation" or "community". It is distinguished from Sha'b (Arabic: ) which means a nation with common ancestry or geography. Thus, it can be said to be a supra-national community with a common history. It is a synonym for ummat al-Islamiyah (Arabic: ( )the Islamic Nation), and it is commonly used to mean the collective community of Islamic peoples. the Quran the ummah typically refers to a single group that shares common religious beliefs, specifically those that are the objects of a In divine plan of salvation.

Responsibilities and Duties

To the Muslims we have only one very simple thing to say: Understand and fulfil the responsibilities and duties that fall upon you by virtue of your being Muslims. You cannot get away with merely affirming that you are Muslims and that you have accepted God as your only God and Islam as your religion. Rather, as soon as you acknowledge Allah as your only Lord and His guidance as your way of life, you take upon yourselves certain obligations and duties. These obligations you must always remain conscious of, these duties you must always endeavour to discharge. If you evade them, you shall not escape the evil consequences of your conduct in this world or in the Hereafter. What are these duties? They are not merely confined to the affirmation of faith in Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement. Nor are they confined to performing the Prayers, observing the Fasts, going on the Pilgrimage, and paying the Alms. Nor are these duties exhausted by observing the injunctions of Islam relating to marriage, divorce and inheritance. Over and above all these duties, there is one which is the most important: that your lives bear witness to the Truth that you have been given by God before all mankind, the Truth which you believe to be true.

Islamic usage and origin

The phrase Ummah Whidah in the Quran ( , "One Community") refers to all of the Islamic world as it existed at the time. The Quran says: You *Muslims+ are the best nation brought out for Mankind, commanding what is righteous ( Marf, lit. "recognized [as good]") and forbidding what is wrong ( Munkar, lit. "recognized *as evil+") *3:110+. The usage is further clarified by the Constitution of Medina, an early document said to have been negotiated by Muhammad in AD 622 with the leading clans of Medina, explicitly refers to Jewish and pagan citizens of Medina as members of the Ummah.[3][4][5][6]

The Emergence of the Ummah

At the time of Muhammad, before the conception of the ummah, Arab communities were typically governed by kinship.[7] In other words, the political ideology of the Arabs centered around tribal affiliations and blood-relational ties.[7] In the midst of a tribal society, the religion of Islam emerged and along with it the concept of the ummah. The ummah emerged according to the idea that a messenger or prophet has been sent to a community.[1] Just as earlier messengers had been sent to various communities in the past (as can be found among the Prophets in the Old Testament), Muhammad had been given the task to develop an ummah specifically for the Arabs.[1] Muhammads purpose as messenger to the Arabs was to transmit a divine message, and lead the Arab community to

salvation.[1] Since Muhammad is the messenger for the ummah, it indicates there is a divine message, which further implies that God is directing the life affairs of the ummah.[7]Accordingly, the purpose of the ummah was to be based on religion, following the commands of God, rather than kinship.[7]

The Usage of Ummah in the Qur'an

There are a total of sixty-two instances that the term ummah is mentioned in the Quran.*8+ The use of ummah in the Quran almost always refers to ethical, linguistic, or religious bodies of people who are subject to the divine plan of salvation.*1+*9+ The meaning of the term ummah in the Quran appears to transform throughout the chronology of the Quran.*8+ When it is first used in the Quran it is hardly distinguishable from the term qawm which can be translated to tribe.*7+ The Quran recognizes that each ummah has a messenger that has been sent to relay a divine message to the community and that all ummahs await God's ultimate judgment.[7][9] Although the meaning of the ummah begins simply with a general application of the word, it gradually develops to reference a general religious community and then evolves to specifically refer to the Muslim community.[8] Before it refers exclusively to Muslims, the ummah encompasses Jewish and Christian communities as one with the Muslims and refers to them as the People of the Book.[7][9] This is supplemented by the Constitution of Medina which declares all members of the ummah, regardless of religion, to be of one ummah.*7+ In these passages of the Quran, ummah may be referring to a unity of mankind through the shared beliefs of the monotheistic religions.
"O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person (Adam) and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women; and fear Allh through Whom you demand your mutual (rights) and (do no cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship). Surely, Allh is ever an All Watcher over us"

Wahabization-Salafization of Pakistan and Muslim Ummah

Within the last two weeks more than 200 innocent Pakistani Muslims have been killed by the suicide bombers. When I heard the news that the terrorists have attacked the military headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, I was shocked but not surprised. A week ago, forty Pakistani Muslims were killed in the Sawat Valley by the suicide bombers. Few days ago five more suicide bombings in Lahore and Peshawar killed more than 35 Pakistan Muslims. The daily killings of innocent civilians in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and else where is becoming so routine that people have stopped paying attention to these atrocities. The abnormal and inhumane behaviour of fanatics is becoming normal for many people.

Many people see these attacks a reaction towards the illegal occupation of Muslim lands and interference in the affairs of Muslim countries by the United States and its allies. I whole heartedly oppose the occupation of Muslim countries and the interference in the affairs of the Muslim countries by the US and its allies. It is in the interest of America and its allies to end the occupation and stop interfering in the affairs of the Muslim countries. However, the suicide bombings and killings of innocent civilians must be a bigger concern for all Muslims.

As a Muslim I know that killing another Muslim is a major sin and a crime in Islam. Then the question arises, why the Taliban, Al Qaeda OR any other so called Muslim groups are killing innocent Muslims? Why would a Muslim kill another Muslim knowing that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has said that the life, property and the honour of a Muslim is HARAAM (forbidden) on the other Muslim. Why a fanatic who happens to be a Muslim will not eat pig because it is Haraam but will be willing to kill a fellow Muslim, which is a bigger Haraam in Islam? According to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the honour of a believer is holier than the Kaba the holiest place for all Muslims in Makkah. Then why would a Muslim suicide bomber randomly kills Muslim children, women, elderly and ordinary citizens? Lets find out. The Muslim Ummah has been systematically segmented so that each fragment can be swallowed one after the other to prevent us from ever standing against the Kuffaar with unification.

titanic of Muslim Ummah sinking deep: Altaf

KARACHI: Analysing the grave law and order situation prevailing in Pakistan, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain has warned the Muslim world that the titanic of the Muslim Ummah has started sinking. He said that the whole ship would collapse and sink if urgent steps were not taken at rescue. He was talking to a joint meeting of the Co-ordination Committee in London and Pakistan. Hussain said he was giving this example to the people of Pakistan by way of illustration as the boastful claims made for the titanic were being made for Pakistan as well. Hussain said that there was a similarity between the current situation in Pakistan and the titanic ship. People on the upper deck were misleading the public by claiming that everything was fine. They are saying that everything would turn out to be good as Allah had created this country and Allah would save it. Hussain appealed to the people of Pakistan not to forget his statement as the country may go down in the history as a tragic story if the situation was not changed.

The Challenge for Muslim Ummah

Today, we find that there is more uncertainty, complexity, and turbulence in the world as we move into the 21st century. The condition of todays Muslim Ummah in particular and the world in general is best depicted by a Chinese saying, We are like a big fish that has been pulled from the water and is flopping wildly to find its way back in. In such a condition the fish never asks what the next flip or flop will bring it. It senses only that its present position is intolerable and that something else must be tried. Before we look at specific challenges of the Ummah, we must understand the new global context in which we live today. We are witnessing unprecedented changes in human history and progress. This period of unprecedented change and volatility at the dawn of 21st century is said to be another milestone in our history, the dawn of Knowledge and Information Revolution. As we move into this new age of our history, we can drastically reduce the pain of this transition with the knowledge and resources at our hand and better strategies. But, to do so we need a new vision, new mental blocks, and new approaches. Old solutions and recipes are no longer relevant and will not deliver now because the forces of change we are facing today are very different from the past. In the new world, wealth creation paradigms are changing very fast. Under the new Knowledge Revolution, knowledge becomes the key to wealth creation and national power. The power of brain and intellect has replaced the machine and muscle power. Creating knowledge societies, knowledge economies, knowledge companies, knowledge workers, and knowledge leaders are the new key success factors for any society. This implies that we must look at economic development and meaning of national power with new perspectives. The picture today both at global and regional level looks very challenging. Muslims are a population of 1.3 billion people, which is 22 percent of world population and greater than the combined population of the United States, Europe and Japan, with 900 million living in 56 independent countries and about 400 million spread in other countries. The Muslim countries are endowed with important economic resources like oil (50 percent of worlds oil export), agriculture, coal, iron, uranium, tin, rubber, copper etc. Unfortunately, the region with worlds 22 percent population has two percent of worlds GDP, 1.5 percent of worlds FDI, and 1.3 percent of worlds trade. No Muslim country figures in the top bracket of Human Development Index. Muslims share of world income is less than six percent. Growth rate of Muslim countries has been 4.7 percent in 2003 compared with 5.2 percent of all developing countries. Likewise, they lag in all other economic indicators like savings rate, capital formation etc. In this situation what are our options? To come up with the right response, we have to ask the right questions. In order to find answers to some of todays pressing challenges we must first ask ourselves: Why we failed collectively to take notice of our decline, why were there no effective intellectual movements to wake up the Muslims, why we failed to take notice of the Industrial Revolution? Why were we slow to embrace modern and new technologies? Why did the Muslim demand for books grow too slowly to keep the printing press an economically unviable technology until the 18th century when Jewish refugees from Spain began printing books for Ottoman Jews as early as 1493? Why did it take Muslims centuries to recognize the limitations of their prevailing social and economic structures in relation to evolving ones of Europe? In my opinion, the main barrier lay in deterioration of education system that taught people a finite set of information rather than how to use their own judgment, exercise their critical faculties and creativity, and experiment. Somewhere after 11th century creative thinking ended. In treating Islamic learning as having attained perfection and the Islamic world as self-sufficient, it gave legitimacy to values, attitudes, and practices that promoted stability and discouraged inquisitiveness. It helped support an educational system that emphasized rote learning and memorization at the expense of problem solving. This decay

in educational system was fundamentally responsible for Muslim societies failure to shape public discourse in a manner that could have saved us from decline and ensured continued growth and freedom. We must shun the status quo mindset that fails to recognize any change, negates reform, justifies poor governance, and ignores human development. Instead we need to adopt new knowledge economy mindset which seeks to prepare us for new competitive world by developing world class policies, institutions, and practices, guarantees implementation, promotes societal cohesion, ensures political stability, creates new and winning opportunities by sharing with people a vision for a better future, forging networks and alliances, harnessing positive synergies, creating winning mentality, unleashing enterprise, and building strong ethics and values. The new Knowledge Economy requires more than motorways and waterways. It requires building information ways for equitable flow of information and ideas as computer literacy replaces pen literacy as benchmark of education. It demands creating lifelong learning models and knowledge-based organizations with global perspectives, which excel in attracting, training, using, and retaining talent. Growing bellies and shrinking minds is a recipe for disaster for anyone in this age. Hence, the priorities have to change. To accomplish this goal, we need to develop leadership capital of our communities at all levels to lead transformation of their respective organizations toward becoming creative, competitive, and highquality and productivity-driven engines. This requires reforming our education and training programs to match the new challenge. If we failed to rekindle minds of our youth with continuous quest for learning and create a dynamic learning environment that harbors inquisitiveness, creativity, inquiry, and reflection we will miss the great Knowledge Revolution opportunity. We shouldnt blame the circumstances; instead we must show responsibility and shape events by rectifying our weaknesses and turning crisis into opportunities. This will transform our societies into truly progressive, knowledge-led, just, and tolerant as envisioned by the teachings of Islam.

pakistan is an important country of the Muslim Ummah, says Chief Justice of Mauritania
LAHORE, June 29 (APP): Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Islamic Republic of Mauritania Justice Sadi YahefdhouSaturday said Pakistan is an important country of the Muslim Ummah which has a capability to play an important role in the unity of the Muslims. He said this while talking to the media along with his delegation members- Justice Ba Noukhtar and Justice Sheikh Aith Sheikh Ahmed Mehmood-judges of Supreme Court of Mauritania after visiting Badshahi Mosque here. He said Pakistanis are heroic and religious people which we have observed during the visit. He lauded the government for preserving the relics of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in the historical Badshahi Mosque.Earlier, the chief justice was warmly welcomed by Badshahi Mosque Imam Maulana Abdul Khabir Azad where the delegation offered Asr prayer. They also visited the mosque and saw the relics of the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The delegation expressed its keen interest in the architectchral designs of the mosque. Later, the delegation visited the tomb of Allama Muhammad Iqbal where a guard of honour was presented and they offered fateha while the chief justice wrote his remarks in the visiters book. Meanwhile, the delegation went to the Shahi Fort where Director Archaeology Punjab Salimul Haq received the delegation and apprised them about the historical background of the fort. He also presented a crystal model of the Shahi Fort to the chief justice. Separately, the delegation reached Minar-e-Pakistan where Security Officer Muhammad Zamir welcomed the prestigious guests and presented a bouquet to them. The officer informed the delegation about historical struggle of the Muslims of the Sub-continent for Pakistan and said Minar-e-Pakistan was a symbol of the Pakistan Resolution for separate homeland. Judge of Federal Shariat Court Justice Shaikh Ahmed Farooq was also with the delegation.

Threats to Muslim Ummah

Muslims today are facing some of the most critical challenges to their well-being and to their place in the global order. Few reasons are:Tarnishing of Muslim Image The problems that bedevil the Muslim World have become widespread to the point that our image is tarnished by unfair stereo types. For example, Islam is now equated with violence, poverty and indignity. In reality, these troubles have nothing to do with Islam. These are not problems that are exclusively in the domain of Muslims.

Economic and Humanitarian Disasters

Nevertheless, what cannot be denied is that in many parts of the Muslim World, we are in deep crisis. The stark reality is that violent conflict, especially domestic conflict, abounds in the Muslim World. These conflicts have extracted human, economic and political costs that are immensely damaging and have prevented countries from achieving their full potential.

Linking with Terrorism

More damaging is the increasingly professed link between international terrorism and Islam. The terrible events of September 11, 2001 have provided a convenient excuse for those who want to promote the theory of a Clash of Civilizations. To them, it is convenient to paint matters in the starkest possible terms between black and white; good and evil; the West and Islam. To these cynics, we can offer a simple mathematical proposition: There are at most a few thousand members in the Al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organizations. In comparison, there are more than a billion Muslims living very ordinary and very peaceful lives. It is therefore tragic that this spurious association of Islam and Muslims with terrorism has gained international currency.

Lack of Unity
We must admit that many of these problems arise due to our weaknesses. And much of our weakness stems from the fact that our unity is so fragile and all too easily fragmented. All Muslim read the Quran. It is and will always be a source of divine guidance and inspiration. The teachings of the Quran are dynamic and relevant for all time. As such, it should not be blamed for our failings, but rather we should reproach ourselves for not successfully understanding its teachings and its messages.

Utilization of Resources
But violence is not our only problem. There is an abundance of resources in many Muslim countries. Indeed, some of us are rich and affluent. Yet poverty and other forms of deprivation are also an extensive and unfortunate part of the Muslim landscape. As successive United Nations development programme reports attest, poverty is a serious problem in at least half the countries of the Muslim World. In Sub-Saharan Africa, of which a sizable portion is Muslim, as much as 90 percent of the population of some countries subsist on less than US$2 per day in purchasing power parity terms.

High Illiteracy Rates

Islam emphasizes the pursuit of knowledge. Yet a majority of Muslim countries also has high adult illiteracy rates. Even many of those who are educated suffer from unemployment and indignity. Millions of Muslim children around the Globe are malnourished. Most of the refugees in the world today are Muslims.

Weak Democracies
On the political front, much more can be done by some Muslim countries to allow participation by their people in the process of governance. It is important to recognize that, without their participation, the government will not know the peoples aspirations and their full potential will also remain untapped. The limitation of civil and political liberties is particularly severe in the case of women in many Muslim countries.

Muslim Youth Vulnerable to Extremist Ideas:

It is under these political and socio-economic conditions, when peaceful and democratic means for redress are limited, that the Muslim youth are vulnerable to succumb to extremist ideas. Once they start nurturing extremist ideas, they become easy recruits for those interested in usurping religion for their narrow and violent ideals. Those who resort to terrorism often end up hurting not only the innocent but also the very cause that they try to champion. Violence and terrorism create a negative image of Islam and Muslims, which can be exploited by Islams enemies.

Little Influence in World Affairs:

The cumulative impact of all these problems is to give an extremely negative image of the Muslim World. Because of our lack of capacity, Muslim nations are often on the periphery of the Global Order. Despite our number, we have little influence in world affairs. We are accorded little respect in the community of nations.

Islam
Restoration of Muslim Image
The challenge before the Muslim World today is to confront the ugly realities of our present situation and restore the image of Muslims and Islam. We must strive for a renaissance of the Islamic civilization. We must recover the hallmarks of that civilization, namely peace, prosperity and dignity. As always, the quest for international respect and dignity must begin at home. We must create an environment where peace can prevail, economies can prosper and people find their dignity.

Lack of Peace and Stability

Our first prerequisite will have to be peace and stability. We cannot prosper or live in dignity without peace. The peace and stability we seek cannot be imposed by the barrel of a gun. And peace that is attained by denying our citizens a legitimate voice is illusory and will not last. Such a peace will eventually breed a violent reaction.

Protection of Ethnic Minorities

The peace we seek must be built on the trust and confidence of our people. This will only be forthcoming when we champion their rights and provide room for them to fulfill their legitimate aspirations. We can only have lasting peace if we care for our religious and ethnic minorities as well as we care for ourselves. Our peace must be built on tolerance and justice for all.

Poverty Eradication
For the Muslim world to truly uplift itself, we must concentrate on capcity building. The Ummah must be equipped with the tools to succeed. We should grasp every opportunity to exchange experiences amongst ourselves in areas concerning poverty eradication, development and economic growth. However, mere growth is insufficient. We must aim for growth that is sound and sustainable; growth that is shared efficiently and distributed equitably.

Lack of Human Resource Development

The assets that some of us already possess must be efficiently developed. In this regard, no asset is more valuable than our own people. No investment is more rewarding, or more productive, than investment in our own people. We need to accord the highest priority to education and the development of our human capital. This is an area where many Muslim countries are weak. We must eradicate illiteracy and build a quality education infrastructure, with external assistance where necessary. The pursuit of academic excellence is a goal we must entrench in our young.

Neglecting of Women in Nation Building

In much of the Muslim world, we are guilty of neglecting one of our most precious resources: the women in our societies. We have failed to provide them adequate access to education and employment. We have failed to accord them the dignity and the equal respect that they fully deserve. In doing so, we have only improvedished ourselves, and marginalized one full half of Muslim humanity. But fully developed, this is also an area where we have great reservoirs of untapped potential wealth. The Muslim worlds struggle begins with putting our own houses in order. But this is merely the beginning. To be accorded a dignified place in the international community, we must acquit ourselves as responsible citizens of that community. War must cease to be an option among Muslim nation, and between Muslim nation and others.

Dependency upon Outside Powers

One of the greatest constraints upon Muslim empowerment in global affairs is the fact that we are often divided among ourselves. We must close ranks. We should seek to dilute the mistrust, animosity and rivalry that sometimes undermine our cohesion. We should strive to present a strong and united front on the issues that are dear and vital to the Muslim world. We must reduce our dependency upon outside powers, and resist compromising our collective interests in favour of theirs.

Disinterest in Scientific Knowledge

The future of Muslims and Islam however, ultimately lies in working with others for mutual enrichment, and not in conflict with them. We cannot advance by building walls and retreating into our shells. We must actively seek out and engage the other, for there is much that we can learn and benefit from them. Early Islamic civilization was open and outward looking. For instance, it did not hesitate to absorb scientific knowledge from the Greeks and the Romans. In this process, Islamic civilization also contributed to this knowledge base and passed it on to the Western World.

Strengthening the Bridges of Cooperation with the West

There is even greater urgency now for the Muslim world to learn from the West, for we have been left behind by centuries of colonialism and by our own neglect and poor governance. We must strengthen the bridges of cooperation and understanding with the West and with others. We must build trust and confidence. There is much that Islamic civilization shares with the others. Let us celebrate the similarities, and respect the differences. Muslim nation deserve to be accorded respectability by the international community. The poorest countries with scarce natural resources and human capital will face the greatest challenges. National action alone will be inadequate. They will require robust and sustained external support from the international community, including from friends in the Muslim world.

Lack of Mutual Cooperation

The more fortunate among us that are politically stable and economically viable must nevertheless tend to out deficits, be they political, economic or social. We need in particular to improve governance in very sphere.

Unity of Muslim Ummah

All Muslims know the value and importance of uniting the Muslims around the world. We have read and heard many times the famous verse from Surah Al-i-Imran, " And hold fast all together by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you) and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favor on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love so that by His grace ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of fire and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make his signs clear to you: that ye may be guided". (Verse 013, Al-i-Imran). Delivering long and long speeches about the Unity of Muslim Ummah does not tire our leaders, Imams and scholars. Every Muslim talks about the unity. However, as days are passing by Muslims are getting more and more divided. The division is multidimensional. Muslims are divided based upon languages, ethnicity, regional preferences, nationalism and above all sectarian beliefs in the name of Islam. The reasons of these divisions could be many. But in this paper I would like to focus on two reasons. 1. Division among Muslims because of local nationalism. 2. Division among Muslims because of sectarian beliefs in the name of Islam. In spite of so many movements of unity why Muslims are getting further divided? This paper identifies the "source" of disunity and provides some suggestions in this regard. This paper briefly discusses the unity issues during the early period of Islam and in spite of extremely serious conflicts how Muslims remained prosperous and united till the fall of Khilafat-i-Islamiyah during early 1900s.

Basis for Unity

On what principles Muslims should be united? You may say the obvious answer. We are all Muslims, we believe in one God i.e. Almighty Allah, we believe in one Prophet i.e. Muhammad (Sallallaho Alaihe wa Aal-e-hee Wasallam) and we all have the book of Allah i.e. Qur'an. With due respect to my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters, this sentence is nothing more than a lip service. The conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Algeria, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Bangladesh, South Africa (within Muslims), UK (within Muslims), USA (within Muslims), Canada (within Muslims) and many other Muslim and non-Muslim countries were created in the name of Islam. The conflicting Muslim parties fight against each other in the name of Allah. The reason is clear. In all conflicts if we review the conditions of compromise/ unity, we will find that our leaders, Imams, scholars, governments and Islamic organizations want to unite Muslims based upon their "own" principles and beliefs. Although, there is no dispute in Qur'an but nowadays every sect / organization / government / Imam / leader has it's own interpretation of Qur'an and Hadith. Every sect / organization / government / Imam / leader is struggling for control and power in order to implement their own sectarian beliefs and policies. We talk a lot about unity but we want unity based upon our own conditions. Religious groups and sects claim that they are killing or declaring Muslims as KAFIR, MUSHRIK, BID'ATEE, etc. in order to please Allah. How could we achieve this unity?

Muslim World:
In a Country to country relationship that is Pakistans bilateral relations with individual Muslim countries. Pakistan is a part of organization of Islamic corporation (OIC). It is an organization grouping fifty six Muslim states. Pakistan has good relations and interaction with different Muslim countries.

Saudi Arabia:
The two countries Pakistan and Saudi Arabia shared views on major international and regional issues. Both countries consult each other on regional and international issues from time to time. They work together on Organization of Islamic Conference. Saudi Arabia supported Pakistan in all its wars with India and its position on Kashmir is supportive of Pakistan. Saudi Arabia being sacred country is a centre of the Muslim Ummah. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have an extensive economic relationship that expanded rapidly after 1972. Saudia had always provided economic assistance and loans to Pakistan and it had also invested money various projects. An important aspect of relationship is oil supply to Pakistan from Saudi Arabia. Since 1998 SA had been supplying crude oil to Pakistan on late payment bases. This has help to ease economic pressure on Pakistan and Pakistan has been able to obtain oil. SA is the biggest oil supplier to Pakistan at the moment. This relationship is going to expand over the years because both have been expanding the area of cooperation.

UAE, Kuwait and other Gulf States

The second important relationship is with UAE, Kuwait and other Gulf States. As a matter of fact Pakistan maintains very cordial and friendly relationship with all Gulf States and Pakistanis are based in all these states. They are working there and contributing to the economy of these countries. The new era of economic relations has set in after the Gawadar port was built. These countries have been providing economic assistance and investment in Pakistan. UAE had established hospitals and Islamic centers and Pakistani universities. QATAR relations are cordial and friendly. There is a plan under consideration that a gas pipeline from Qatar to Pakistan and if this project is implemented then the economic ties of both the countries would deepen.

Iran:
Pakistan maintains good and cordial relations with Iran. Iran is a neighboring state with long historical and cultural ties. Iran was also the first country which extended formal recognition to Pakistan. Irans King was also the first head of state who visited Pakistan after it came into existence. Pakistan and Iran had worked together in different organizations; both had joint arrangements in regard to CENTO which was earlier called as the BAGHDAD PACT, RCD, and ECO in addition to other global organizations where they are partners. Iran supported Pakistan in the wars with India. It stressed on liberty of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan welcomed the Iranian Revolution of February 1979. In the mid 80s the relations have been revived and Iran and Pakistan have gradually become close friends and partners with lot of exchanges and visits at different levels. In fact, 3 Iranian presidents have visited Pakistan since the revolution. From Pakistan side there have been similar important visits. Currently there is a project under consideration for constructing a gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and then from Pakistan it will go to India and if this project is materialized naturally the relations would further expand in the economic domain.

Egypt:
Egypt Pakistan relations are warm. currently they exchanged views on regional and international issues. However in the past in the 50s and 60s there was a problem in Pakistans relation with the Egypt. Egypt under Nasser had some reservations due to Pakistans ties with the West. Pakistan supported Egypt when it was attacked by Israel in 1956, 1967, 1973. The relations began to improve and the friendship has increased since 1967 and especially after the death of Nasser in 1970.

Libya:
Libyas head of state Col. Qazzafi has been a great well wisher and supporter of Pakistan. He and his govt extended valuable support to Pakistan in the 70s, this support was not only diplomatic support but also economic support and in the 70s Libya invested in Pakistan. When in 1986 American army launched air raids on Libya Pakistan despite its close ties with America condemned American air raids on Libya. Pakistan and Libya relations in another dimension since the 70s Pakistani military and civilian retired personnel have been doing job and employment in Libya and this has been an important bond between the two countries. Now the Libya is overcoming its problems with the United States Libya Pakistan relations are becoming friendlier.

Jordan:
Jordan is another example of amiable and friendship. King Hussein had special regard for Pakistan and throughout his rule he supported Pakistan. He worked for close relation with Pakistan. He supported us on India-Pakistan issues. Now his son King Abdullah continued with this tradition, tradition of friendship, cooperation and supportive to Pakistan on different issues. Both have an arrangement of cooperation in the military relationship and since the mid 60s Pakistani military personnel were based there in different capacities for training purposes, which strengthened the relationship between Pakistan and the state of Jordan. Both have trade and diplomatic exchanges. Pakistan supported Jordan on all international issues especially in its problems with Israel.

Bangladesh:
Bangladesh came into existence in December 1971 in a situation which created a lot of bitterness in Bangladesh against Pakistan and in Pakistan against Bangladesh. So in the initial years there was a lot of bitterness between the two countries. Bangladesh was East Pakistan but the internal instability and external conspiracies gave birth to Bangladesh. In February 1974 from that time its relation with Bangladesh has gradually improved. Despite the fact that in the initial years both the countries have complaints against each other. In the present day context countries have pleasant relations, trade has improved and the visits of senior official and political leaders have been made. Both worked together within the framework of SAARC, OIC. With the passage of time the relations of both these countries are going to expand.

Afghanistan:
Afghanistan is a neighboring state. At the moment Pakistan has good and friendly relations with Afghanistan but if we go back especially to the early years of independence we had problems in the relationship. It was mainly because of the govt of that time questioned the legitimacy of the Durand Line that is the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and laid claim Pakistani territory on the name of Pakhunistan. Pakhtunistan issue and created problems for Pakistan but with time that was forgotten. No matter what was the relationship between the govt of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the early years the relationship at the common person level or at the individual level was always fresh. Afghanis are coming into Pakistan and Pakistanis are going into Afghanistan that has always been the features. The

Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan in December 1979, Pakistan opposed the Soviet intervention and supported the resistance against the Soviet Union which gave birth to the Mujahideen groups, Taliban. Pakistan supported the Taliban govt in Afghanistan but in Sept 11, 2001when the regional and international environment changed Pakistan withdrew support to the Taliban, because incident in America concluded major changes in the world diplomacy. Pakistan got involved in global efforts to contain terrorism. After Taliban, Karzai government took responsibility of Afghanistans reconstruction. Pakistan extended all kinds of economic and technological assistance to the Karzai govt for reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan. The interest of Pakistan is that a friendly neighboring country should stabilize, overcome its problems so that the refugees that are there n Pakistan can go back to their homes in security and they might have better future there.

Palestine:
There is a consistency and continuity in Pakistans support to the Palestinian cause. Pakistan, being a Muslim state, always sided with the national rights of the Palestinian people. It strongly supported the independent Palestinian state. This support goes back to the pre-independence period when ML passed resolution after resolution in support of the Palestine issue and after independence the state of Pakistan has been an dedicated and an active supporter of the Palestinian cause. Sharing terriable concern over the atrocities inflicted on the Muslims, it condemned the Israeli policies. And Pakistan has criticized Israel what it commits against the Palestrinas. Pakistan supported their right to have sovereign and independent state.

Bahrain:
BahrainPakistan relations are extremely strong . Bahrain maintains an embassy in Islamabad and a Consulate-General in Karachi, whilst Pakistan maintains an embassy in Manama. Both countries are members of the OIC and of the G 77. Diplomatic relations between Bahrain and Pakistan were established in 1971. In 2005, Pakistan Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz visited Bahrain and met with Muhammad bin Isa Al Khalifa. Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa during his visit to Pakistan termed Pakistan as his second home and further stated that Pakistan was the country which is held in the highest esteem by the leadership and the people of Bahrain.

Oman:
It is the nearest Arab country to Pakistan and the fact that some 30% of Omani's are of Balochi origin from Pakistan's Balochistan province having settled Oman over a hundred years ago. In 1958 Gwadar was part of Oman but was transferred to Pakistan in that year. The relations between Pakistan and Oman have undergone a strong and qualitative transformation, particularly in the recent past. Both are moving fast on enhancing trade relations as political, diplomatic and cultural relations have already achieved new heights. The participation of a large number of elites of Pakistani society indicated to the fact that how much Pakistani government and the people valued their relationship with Sultanate of Oman. . The ambassador was the happy man as he has earned so much goodwill among the Pakistanis.

ENDING:
We have a great country and great nation in hands. All you need is a resilient nation and resourcful land to be the best in the world. We have both of them. The only factor which is missing in taking us to the never acheived greatness is the leadership. And we have in between us such people which can lead the nation to the glories. We have those courageous leaders among us. We just need to distinguish them from the ones ruining the land and the nation for decades just for the sake of self interests. Troubles and hard times do visit great nations. They just dont come to harm them but to make them

realize their mistakes and that their vision and goals were not to be content with the present but alot better have been kept for them ahead. Miseries and agonies are stimulations for better tomorrow. Great nations stand together to face them. They share the pain and burden. They learn a lesson and strive for what has been kept for them "THE ONLY GREATNESS". Inshallah we will emerge stronger than ever from the current crisis. We will show the world that we are born to lead. To lead them to a better world for all creations. May Allah guide us. AAMEEN..