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We unanimously dedicate this magazine to our ancestors

who became the rudiment of our recognition, to our teachers
who grew our minds like a growing sapling, to our supporters
who have been the source of endless admiration for us, to our
critics who led us from better to best and last but not the
least to our preeminent parents without whom we might
not successful in thinking, scheming, designing and
publishing this magazine for you.

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Acknowledgments ............................ 4
Editors Note ........................................ 3
ENGLISH SECTION
Contribution Pg# Writer

Brain Washing 6 Zubair Amjad

A day in boring lecture 9 Ali Zar
Social Networking 10 Ibrahim Fiaz
Immortal Hero 11 Sara Naeem
Forgiveness and its effects 14 Rizwan Sadaquat
Our Desparate Nation 15 Kanwar Saeed
Price of Blind Trust 16 Faizan Arif
The Law of Nature 18 Rizwan Sadaquat
Are we educated Illiterate? 19 Iqra Younas
Farmville Review 21 Sara Naeem
Hope 22 Sundus Fatima
Education 24 Khalid Abbas

Poem

Pill Life 26 Rizwan Sadaquat

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 The Reverse Gear is an electronic magazine or e-zine by the
students of Mechanical engineering department of UET, Lahore to
promote techno fun and to bridge the gap between knowleddge and
its application.

We thank ALMIGHTY ALLAH; WHO blessed us to take this

initiative; an initiative to create a new pool of knowledge and to
share it with everyone to sharpen our skills

Ignition is the start up of a new effort to go back and then

change the things that ought to have been in a different condition.

I would like to thank the RG team for their help, support and
hard work in making this commendable task possible. And I would
also like to thank the writers for trusting us with their ideas and
articles and sending their entries for our e-zine.

We welcome your constructive criticism and suggestions for

improvement. You can send your feedback at rgmag08@gmail.com and
keep on enjoying and visiting the REVERSE GEAR page on facebook.

Regards

Chief Editor, The Reverse Gear

Chief Editor: Sara Naeem Chief Artist: Syeda Zahra

Publicity Executive: Faizan Arif

Graphics Designer: Tooba Aaziz Proof Reading: Iqra Younas

RG page Admins: Ali Zarnigar Zain-ul-Abedin

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Editors Note:

On no soul doth Allah Place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it
earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns. (Pray :) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we
forget or fall into error; our Lord! Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay
on those before us; Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have strength to
bear. Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. Have mercy on us. Thou art our
Protector; Help us against those who stand against faith."

Al-Qur'an, Chap2.286 (Al-Baqara)

Pakistan has suffered a lot. Terrorism, bomb blasts, critical situation of law and order in the
country, poor governance, inflation and now recently to top that all the Floods. But we must also
keep that in mind it is not a burden we can’t cope up with as a nation. Doing our best in finding
ways to help ourselves, being self dependent rather than looking for aid from foreign countries,
making plans to improve the economy of our country etc etc, is the lecture everyone tries to
deliver. But it’s not working. We need a change and we know it. But change through a revolution
doesn’t last long. It must have to evolve slowly but steadily; giving time to people to think about
it and to accept it.

Change cannot come unless you are ready to be the change yourself. No one can help you but
only you. The latest floods and all the other calamities and issues we are facing today can be
fought even if we only try to fulfill just our duties and do no extra work. If we do what we are
supposed to do in our life, there is no way we can’t survive all this and make Pakistan a country
as it was dreamed by the leaders of Pakistan Movement. They have given a lot of sacrifices to
make this dream a reality and we have to keep their momentum going.

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt
A strong Imagination is the key to being a great engineer. Pursuing your dreams, getting
inspiration from them and creating the things that you once drew on a piece of paper, and
engineering your way through all of the problems; is the actual philosophy of being an
ENGINEER. So all we need is the spark of hope, an IGNITION to burn all the fuel of our fears
and start the power stroke of change. And then keeping the momentum with the hope that
change will come and our dream will be realized. We shouldn’t lose heart when our efforts are
not constant because not all the strokes are the power strokes. Some strokes are a burden on the
flywheel as they draw energy from it but they are necessary in order to make the power stroke
happen. The efficiency can’t be 100% so we have to compromise on that too. But we have to try.

Let there be a change.. and let it began with US!

BE THE DIFFERENCE..!! BE THE DAWN...!

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 By Muhammad Zubair Amjad

Are you brainwashed? What about some of your neighbors, are they brainwashed? Before you answer that, let
me ask you a few preliminary questions: Do you believe that the United States was struck by a terrorist attack
on Sept. 11? Do you think that the people behind that attack were "Arabs" and that its "mastermind" was this
fellow Osama bin Laden, operating from a cave in

Afghanistan? Do you believe that the way to stop terrorism is to hit them hard, to hit them at their "bases" in
such places as Afghanistan, and to hit the nations who might sponsor them, like, say Iraq?

Well, the answer suggested by most of the people is “yes”. But wait for a minute and ponder over it: Just
because the majority of people might BELIEVE something to be true, doesn't make it true. All it means is that
you and most of your neighbors are suffering from a mass delusion--or,
put more bluntly: YOU ARE BRAINWASHED.

So, the question is, really, how did you get this way? How did you come to
believe things like those statements in the first questions were true?
"Well, I heard it on.... Well, I saw it on.... Well, I read it in...." You needn't
bother finishing those statements; it seems as if you and your neighbors
were told the "truth" by the mass media. But the reality is somewhat
different.

The American "news" media (which is so proud of calling itself "free," and
has been patting itself on the back for the wonderful job it has done for all
of us during and after Sept. 11) is the largest, most expensive, mass-
brainwashing machine ever assembled in human history.

Project MK-ULTRA was the first episode of deprogramming the human mind. It is the code name for a CIA mind
control research program that began in the 1950s, and continued until the late 1960s in the United States. It
involves the use of psychotic drugs like LSD and mescaline to manipulate the human neural cell. There is also an
evidence that the project involved not only the use of drugs to manipulate persons, but also the use of
electronic signals to alter brain functioning.

TERROR CAMPAIGN, which dates back to the bombing of Dresden in the World War II, is the second episode of
deprogramming the human mind. This campaign was a brand of warfare whose aim is not to disable military
targets, but to sap the overall will of a nation and its people by creating a state of psychological terror. Dresden
had no military value as a target. For centuries, it had been a center of German cultural heritage--a heritage that
had everything to do with positive developments in human civilization, and nothing to do with the Nazi disease
that had been imposed on Germany. Dresden was chosen for destruction as an act of TERRORISM, not against
the Nazi’s, but the German people. The message of Dresden bombing was the same as planned—to inflict a
psychological terror on German people that would break their will to fight, leaving them fearful, frightened, and
disorganized. This terror would have a lasting effect on Germany, removing that nation from among the great
states of Europe.

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The attack on the U.S. Sept. 11 was designed for a similar PSYWAR brainwashing effect. The targeted population
was the Americans, in particular, and the whole world, in general. In today’s global world, there are new
methods, not available at the time of the Dresden attack, for maximizing the psychological effects of a TERROR
CAMPAIGN that parallel standard brainwashing techniques. One involves the repetition of terrifying images, the
kind that would make person recoil, and then compelling that person to continue viewing them. Such terrifying
images weaken the ability of the mind to reason, making it more susceptible to suggestion and manipulation.

In the hours following the attack on the World Trade Center, every television media outlet broadcast, again and
again, the images of the airplanes, smashing into the Twin Towers, from all conceivable angles, and then, the
shots of the two towers collapsing. It was easily the most terrifying real-life image that most Americans had ever
seen. A population induced into a state of terror and shock was then bombarded with SUGGESTION: Osama bin
Laden, the "evil mastermind" behind the deed. To understand the logic behind this suggestion one needs to look
at a nearly 30-year span of news reporting, that led us to this point, where some character, a former and current
asset of U.S.-British-Israeli intelligence networks, operating from "caves" and other bases in one of the most
remote and isolated areas of the world, has become U.S. "Public Enemy Number One."

Bin Laden’s enemy image is a morphing process that begins with the television image of the Black September
terrorists of the 1972 Olympics. Then, continue to the 1973 images of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat; later,
there are the images of Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini and the fanatic mullahs.

Given these past figures and images, within minutes of the World Trade Center attack, Americans had decided
that this was done by "Arab terrorist”. They had already been conditioned to believe it by thousands of televised
hours of repeated misreporting. Therefore it was not difficult for the targeted population to imagine the enemy-
-- there is the swarthy complexion, the beard, the burnoose, the weapons in hand--it is all there, all as expected,
an ideal subject for the projected rage and hatred of an injured nation. No matter that bin Laden is not really the
"evil mastermind."

And, you still believe that you weren't brainwashed?

Ok, let’s move on to another argument--- “MOVIES” The Movies in Our Heads "God, this is just like a movie,"
Somewhere in our memory banks, were planted the picture of the WTC attack, to shape our suggestion and
opinion. In the last five years, before Sep 11, there have been at least half-dozen movies, whose plots have
centered on a terrorist attack on the United States. Hollywood statisticians have estimated that these have been
viewed, both in movie theaters and home videos, by more than 100 million people. And, many of these movies,
in the recent period, have portrayed "Arabs" or "Islamic fundamentalists" as being behind the terrorist assaults.

How often have we listened to these words since Sept. 11?

The statement of fact: `The worst terrorist bombing since Oklahoma City...'

The promise: `Make no mistake about it--we will hunt down the enemy, we will find the enemy, and we will kill
the enemy. This is a time of war; `

The fact: ‘it is inside our border means that it is a new kind of war.'

All the lines quoted come from `The Siege’, a 1998 thriller directed by Edward Zwick. The plot of this movie
involves a network of "Arab" terrorist cells, which commit acts of increasingly violent intensity, against civilian
targets in New York City. Video clips of President Clinton commenting on the attacks launched, by his
administration, against the networks of Osama bin Laden are spliced into the movie footage. As the terrorists
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wreak more havoc and kill more people, New York City is under partial martial law; anyone who looks "Arab" is
rounded up and placed in internment camps, even as the violence continues. In the end, the movie becomes a
sermon on how to moderate attacks on the Constitution, and on ethnic profiling of Americans, while the nation
goes on to fight the foreign, "Arab"-terrorist enemy.

In this way our opinions deals with indirect, unseen, and puzzling facts, controlled and manipulated by the
brainwashing machine. In fact, the process of watching television is itself a brainwashing mechanism. Regardless
of content, habituated television viewing shuts down the cognitive powers of the mind, and has a narcotic-like
effect on the central nervous system, making the habituated viewer an easy subject for suggestion and
manipulation. And in the end we are left with the notion of hopelessness and inevitability that nothing can be
done about it--- it is just “the way it is”.

"The end of the world, details at 11. Now back to your regular programming."

Remember: The first step in deprogramming yourself from mass-media brainwashing and to freeing yourself and
your neighbors, from its evil clutches, is to recognize that you and they are, indeed, BRAINWASHED. It gets a lot
easier, and things begin to get much clearer from there on.

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 A day in a bring lecture
By Ali Zarnigar 2008-Mechanical

Date: 30-12-2009
Since I am writing for reverse gear so I looked back in my dairy and a really funny page got opened. It
was a usual good day in the university until Faizan spoiled the party by shouting:

"Aj ED ki extra class hai!!!!!"

Everybody was stunned and wanted to kill the news caster but all of us had to attend that class
unwillingly. It was the first time we were in the department for so long. While sitting in the class I
started to notice the activities of my class fellows. Beleive you me!!!! It was an Activity worth noticing.
Now have a look at those activities.

Faizan, the VETO POWER was busy in texting the teacher to make the next class off. I am not sure
whether he succeeded or not but nevertheless he was trying like a warrior. Rizwan and Zubair (made
for each other) were discussing about Katrina Kaif and Soonam Kapoor. In the end I came to know that
rizwan and Katrina Kaif had won. Wahab was cutting some jokes on which only he was laughing. Faiz,
"the handsome” was scratching his head negating the possibility of any lice in his beloved hair. Ali raza
and Adnan (mama’s boys) were very happy because they were leaving for their home. Yasir (the
cricketer) was upset when he came to know about the menu of the mess which was "biryani with some
traces of chicken" and "raita containing 98% water by volume".

Umar, "the heavy weight" was busy in writing his love story on the desk. Had the lecture continued for
more than one hour, he would have written a book named “twilight, the engineer's love story” on the
desk. Rana (Rahat Fateh Ali Khan) of the class was Singing "aj din chadeya" for Zaheer (the waiter of
SSC). Habib and Umar were late as usual but everybody was surprised that they were only 25 minutes
late. Zakaria and all the foreigners were physically present for the first time in the class and were
sleeping but it was a privilege to have them in our class that day. The mullahs (the politicians) of our
class were on strike that day because Hassan (loud speaker) had called them "malwandas" (I am not
sure what does it mean). They all had a plan to beat him after the lecture.

I am not sure how my class fellows would react on that but the time which I spent with them in the
whole of Two years is surely the best time of my life. And those who are left wait for my next article...

Thanks for letting me become a part of you guys!!!!

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 SOCIAL NETWORKING: (As a job finding tool)
By Ibrahim Fiaz 2008-Mechanical

Networking is basically the interaction with different people and communities that might help you in seeking a
job opportunity. It certainly provides you better career prospects and more chances of good employment.
Networking through your social life is a good start. The interactions with familiar people, relatives, family,
friends and other employees might be very helpful in finding a new job aspect. Each time you interact with these
people make sure to be attentive because there is always such kind of possibilities of finding a job in these social
interactions. Although the job opportunities are advertised and published in newspapers and on websites, your
social networking helps a lot in securing these jobs even in the interviews.

Social networking is definitely all about your first impression count, your behavior,
patience and exchanging your interests through your conversations. It demands your
worthwhile relationships. It might be some sort of old community, your old school or
college mates, family friends and relatives, friends, doctors, lawyers, your colleagues or
any club members or simply persons you might meet in your social life. So, the key
point is to always have good records with these relations and to stay in touch with them so that any possibility
may arise and you don’t miss it.

Networking events and conferences could prove to be a very good platform. Your business cards and some
copies of your CV’s might be beneficial for you in these events. Also, being sharp in your casual meetings, phone
calls and emails will help you to develop a very good impression of yours. Sometimes networking is all about
being confident but the important thing is to keep a good balance in your personal and professional presence.

Today, the internet is serving a lot in expanding the networking relationships through official job search websites
as well as common interactive forums. Social networking places at internet are one of the most powerful
sources of networking today. Anything that is posted somewhere at internet now immediately comes into public
approach. Social websites like LINKEDIN, TWITTER etc are also a source of social networking. These sites include
forums of different interacting people and provide a great opportunity for employers to see the profiles of the
people. Employers might visit your profiles and get your professional skills info through these sites at any time.

They often regularly check your posts to have an idea about your English and communication skills and your
writing expressions and the ideas that you share on FACEBOOK and MY SPACE. In fact TWITTER has its own job
search engine where profiles are checked regularly. FACEBOOK was used by college students and youngsters for
making friends a few years ago, but now people of all ages are using FACEBOOK. By allowing everyone to visit
your personal profile info on such sites, you can have the probability of some employer visiting your profile that
might be interested in offering a job to you. A marketing research company, NEILSON ONLINE, revealed the fact
that about 2/3rd of the global population are using such networks.

Most of the Laid off professionals are using LINKEDIN or other such sites. So, if you are seeking for a good job
opportunity through networking then these social networking websites could prove to be a potential source for
you.

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 By Sara Naeem 2008-Mechanical

Today, I want to narrate the story of a hero, a Silahshore that I eye witnessed. Being the wife of the last sultan of
Granada Abu 'abd-Allah Muhammad XII-I bear witness all that happened at the very end of great Muslim era in
Andalusia. I have seen the beautiful halls of Alhambra echoing both with the call of Azan and the also the cries of
women and children being tortured. I have seen the sons of Granada dying under its flag trying to protect it, yet
my eyes also had to see the day when it’s Sultan gave away the keys of the city to the Christian invaders at
footsteps of Alhambra and flag of Granada coming down; never to be raised again.

Yet there were those who chose their own destiny and lived with freedom and respect without a shadow of
regret on their minds. People like me who survived to see these times and narrate its story will always live with
the wish and envy to have shared their end.

Year 1491, this story is of Musa bin Abil El Gazani, the Commander-in-Chief of the Granda Army and the back
bone of our defense. He was a true Muslim, a valiant soldier, a remarkable leader and a true patriot. He was
considered very popular and far sighted among his troops. No wonder people called him the lion of Granada.
Through the darkest times, Musa led the Muslim army and kept the Christians far away from the walls of the
city. Musa’s charisma inspired hope and valor among the troops making the
defense of Granada, invincible.

But secretly there were forces at work to throw the rule of Muslims from
within. Ferdinand knew that with Musa safeguarding the city, its walls could
not be breached. So they used the Muslim conspirators and tyrants to
influence the Sultan and the plans they made, worked out well. When the
board was all set, Ferdinand’s armies made a final move and surrounded the
walls of city. Messengers were sent to the sultan asking Muslims to throw
their arms and surrender peacefully to the king.

The traitor ministers of Sultan had him convinced that the terms of surrender were best there could be and
assured him that it was the only way to save the city and his people from chaotic war. Otherwise the invaders
will eventually conquer Granada and snatch away the homes of Muslims, force them to convert to Christianity
instead of Islam, disrespect them in public and other unthinkable mental and physical tortures.

I could see the husband- the Sultan getting convinced by their sweet talks. I witnessed many court meetings &
secret negotiations from behind the veil in royal court. I saw them getting convinced unanimously on one point
i.e. Surrender. In the final royal court meeting, musa was also present and heard this news for the first time.
Sultan announced that, “we are surrendering the hold of Granada, without further fight to Ferdinand and in
exchange he has promised to not to let his armies harm anyone in the city. All of the citizens will be safe and
free as they are in Muslim rule.

Musa disagreed with this outrageous and shortsighted plan. General Musa bin Abil got up and made an
Immortal final speech before the King, his Va-zir, Army officers and nobles in the royal court. Tears were

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running down on my face when he drew the picture of possible future if we accepted and surrendered the
Christian rule.

“Leave this useless weeping. Oh! Ye men of Granada, to the eyes of children and the delicate
maidens! Let us be men, and consume our hearts, not in the shedding of unmanly tears, but in
pouring forth our blood even to its latest drop. Let us go forth with the strength of desperation in
our muscles and offering the breasts of brave men to the enemies’ lance, let us die in the battle as
befits us.”

Musa kept on asking the lords and nobles to came to their senses and realize what the actual situation is and
what will be the consequences of this decision. I can sum up the thundering speech of Musa for you in these
words.

There is a call to gallows my Friends

Will anyone of you go?
Those who speak of love may know
To gallows they must speed

On that day, in the royal court nobody stirred. General Musa El- Ghazani got up, proceeded to his house, took
his arms and horse, mounted, rode to the Elvira gate, and charged the Christian beleaguers. This was last that
was seen of that Silahshore. Some say he died that day, some say he is out there, somewhere, gathering up
army to free the city of Granada from the hold of Christians. But knowing him, I can see what happened to him
in my head.

I can picture him charging towards the Christian army camps, raising “Allah-hu-Akbar” and challenging death.

Fear Death;
I was ever a fighter,
So one fight more,
The best and the last

I can see the first enemy soldier coming in front of him and lying on the ground; dead within seconds. the clang
of swords and the flash of blades and the 2nd soldier falling ….then the third and then the fourth….

I would hate that death bandaged my eyes

And forbore and bade me creep past
No, let me taste the whole of it
Fare like my peers, the hero’s of Old.
The battle rages on with Musa giving his best to fight the last battle without fear of losing; Trying to fulfill his
obligation by saying “LABAIK” to the call of duty.

Bear the brunt, in minute pay glad life’s

Arrears of pain, darkness and cold
But for a sudden, the worst
Turns best to the brave
Musa receives cuts on all over his body and with more than a dozen enemy soldiers lying dead at his feet, Musa
is tiring. His wounded horse gave in and now Musa is on foot more vulnerable to the attacks of ever increasing
no. of enemy troops. He is on his knees, sword clutched with both hands but still not giving up.

The black minutes at the end and

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 The elements’ rage, the fiend voices that rave
Shall dwindle, shall blend, shall change
Shall become first a peace out of pain,
With a final blow to the right another enemy soldier is down but so was Musa taking his last breath.

Then a light, then thy breast,

O thou soul of my soul! I shall clasp thee again,
And with God be the rest!
Thus passed Musa-the lion of Granada and with him died the last hopes of the Muslims of Spain. Soon the whole
Spain came under the rule of Ferdinand and Isabella and then started the darkest ages for the Muslims of that
area.

The rest is a story pain, tears, forced conversions, fire and blood that we all know.

Writer’s note:

The name of this story is in Urdu language as I failed to translate this beautiful word in English. 1st poem is the
English translation of Shah Bhattai’s poetry and the last poem is by an English poet, Robert Browning.

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 Forgiveness and its Effects on Mental Health

By Muhammad Rizwan Sadaquat 2008-Mech

This article concerns the importance of forgiveness and its beneficial effects on the mental health of people in
their everyday life. Generally speaking, forgiveness is an action in response to some perceived harm or
wrongdoing by another person/party. The everyday meaning of forgiveness implies not taking revenge from a
person whose behavior has resulted in some form of loss, damage or has hurt you emotionally, directly or even
indirectly.

The concept of forgiveness and its practice is given primary importance in all religions of the world. The practice
of forgiveness in Islam is characterized as serving humanity in much broader context and therefore playing a
crucial role in a meaningful life. In Islam, forgiveness is considered to be vital for the maintenance of mental and
physical health. Even the creator of this world, Allah, is known as the greatest forgiver of all. In Quran many
names are assigned to Allah and among these many relate to His mercy and forgiveness. This clearly indicates
that one of the prime traits of Allah is to forgive human beings and therefore human beings should also have
this tendency towards other human beings.

Despite the importance of forgiveness within all the religious traditions; Social sciences have
somewhat ignored the study of the effects of forgiveness for centuries. Only in the last few
decades has forgiveness been able to receive attention from social scientists as an important
human trait that contributes towards health and subjective well being as a whole. The study
of presumed benefits of forgiveness on the physical and mental health of people has been a
major area of research in positive psychology in the past 20 years. In this effort, many
instruments have been developed to assess and measure the frequency and intensity of how
much a person has forgiven another person.

On January 2, 1998, BBC News reported "studies show that letting go of anger and resentment can reduce the
severity of heart disease and, in some cases, even prolong the lives of heart and cancer patients. Friendberg &
Shelov (2007) concluded that forgiveness may impact cardiovascular health not through a myocardial or vascular
pathway, but through some unknown but definitely psychological mechanism. Witvliet & Ludwig (2002)
demonstrated that engaging in forgiving imagery (engaging in empathic perspective taking and imagining
forgiveness) produced lower psychological stress levels that are essential for restoring health. Similarly,
Worthington & Miller (2007) found forgiveness involves psycho physiological changes resulting in better
measures of health.

To sum up, today the modern world is full of anxiety, frustration, hostility and there are several examples of
severe revenge being taken in all parts of the world. So there is a dire need to highlight the importance of the
concept of forgiveness and its beneficial effects on the physical and mental health of the habitants of this world.
In short, the importance of this article lies in reminding the readers once again the importance of practicing
forgiveness in their everyday life (an essential component of Islamic teaching) and its several beneficial effects
on their physical and mental health. Always remember;

"The golden rule of having a healthy, happy and long life is to forgive everyone and
everybody before going to bed at night (Imam Saadi)".
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 Our Desperate Nation

By Kanwar Saeed

While considering the national scenario, having just a bird’s eye view on the society and the national
media, one can observe easily the depth of desperation and frustration present in our people now a
days. We were never cognizant of such bitter realities before as we are facing currently. Just after the
start of new century, we became a part of so called war against terrorism, devastating our peaceful
culture of harmonious norms, then 2005 earthquake, IDPs problems of 2009 and now the flood
calamity have just struck the nerves of the nation.

Result is utter desperation and the rising anxiety in a common man.

The economic condition is on the screen; totally relying on the series
of loans by international organizations, and successive packages of
aids from the foreign world. Due to improper policies, in a decade,
the national image of the country has arisen as a “land of
terrorism”. Decreasing means to earn a livelihood has resulted in
the ‘brain drain” of the talented class. So there are surely a lot of
reasons for this hopeless, frustrated and irresponsible behavior of
the people. But this will just aggravate the situation and the goals settled at the times of laying
foundation of this nation will just appear as a day dream.

Along with all this, Positive aspects seen in the recent years are also considerable. These are the
empowerment of the judiciary and media, rising political awareness in a common man, and the weak
yet the admirable efforts to strengthen the democracy.

But now this is the time to devise the ways for a prosperous future for
our future generations, and to meet the national demands. Eliminating
the provincial and sectarian differences and altering the feudal based
political system are the key steps needed to be taken. By exploiting the
national resources our economy can be stabilized and flourished
gradually. Education is the root problem and the literacy rate should be
burgeoned on the emergency basis. For this the way to go forward is
that, now everyone should consider his responsibility, rather than just
criticizing the system.

As someone has rightly quoted once

“Don’t curse the darkness, just light a candle”.

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 PRICE OF BLIND TRUST
By Muhammad Faizan Arif (2008-Mechanical)

Won’t you keep it, not even for the sake of our friendship?” Alice asked me humbly. It was a huge
responsibility for me to take care of a box which contained, according to her, her mother’s birthday
present. I again asked her “but why can’t you keep it in your home?”

She instantly responded “If I keep it at home, there is a high probability that either I will be tempted to give
it to her early or besides that she can also come across it, ruining my moment”.

The present was wrapped up in red wrapping paper with golden canaries all over it. Looking at the gift I
replied affirmatively. She was happy, delighted, thrilled and overjoyed at my positive reaction.

I placed it on my shelf, very next to the newly bought and still untouched, suspenseful story, “Veronica
Decides to die”.

Alice commented, “You are a novel-worm”, I smiled and she parted away.

It was very next day when I met Emma, one of my early friends that I made in America. She looked worried,
a bit anxious and a lot more concerned. I inquired about her unusual notions and she hastily replied that
her mother’s diamond necklace had been missing and it was the same one that I saw in her mom’s neck, at
her birthday party, some days ago.

She added “My parents suspect that one of my friends, who were there at the party, has stolen it”. I went
into a state of shock as I still remembered the sparkling diamonds on that collar and it was really a striking,
stunning and beautiful necklace.

I comforted and consoled her by saying “do not worry Emma, you will find it soon”, nevertheless, I was
thinking what a horrible thing it would be if one of our friends had stolen the necklace.

Days passed by and Alice did not come to collect her mother’s gift. This sparked a fire of curiosity in my
being and the flames began to touch the skies which made it very hard for me to resist the excitement of
opening it. The moment came when I lost the war of temptation and was just about to initiate the opening
of the front lid of the box when suddenly bell ranged. I went to the door and collected the parcel from the
postman on my father’s behalf. After that I was again focused on opening the present to quench my thirst
of curiosity.

As I tore the covering tape slightly and forcefully ripped the enclosed taped card into a quarter, again door
bell sounded and I stumbled towards the door. I opened the door and welcomed the Police officials who
were searching for the lost, posh necklace. The officer proceeded to ask me some basic questions and
investigated my room for any traces of the lost possession. His efforts went all in vain. But suddenly the
peaceful environment took a turn and uproar and chaos replaced it.

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Before leaving my home, the policeman saw that box and asked his subordinates to search it out and it was
revealed to me, as a bolt from the blue, that the very same precious necklace was wrapped in that box.

I was dumbfounded, flabbergasted, shocked, bewildered and at the very same time numb too. I was horror
stricken and tried to plead to assure my innocence but nobody bothered to pay heed to my shouting and
yelling.

For them, it was like catching a thief red-handed but who else besides GOD and I knew what the actual
events were.

Back in the investigation cell, I was beaten up harshly and ruthlessly in order to let me confess the crime
but I was equally denying their accusations. This kind of sincere attitude annoyed and maddened them and
their brutality increased day by day. No one came to know my point of view, if I ever told them what
actually happened; they would rebuke me and consider it a lie.

Had it been a motherland and if I had my family near to me, then this matter would have been treated
properly but the case was otherwise.

I was sentenced to jail for 2 years and this is the price of BLIND TRUST that I had to pay….

And this is when I learned the bitter reality of life …..

“Never blindly trust anyone”

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 THE LAW OF NATURE

By Muhammad Rizwan Sadaquat 2008-Mechanical

Human beings, all over the globe have the curious idea that they ought to behave in a certain way; no matter
how different their cultures and their ideas about life are. And this way can be defined by a law called “the Law
of Nature”.

Now a days when we talk about the “Laws of Nature”, we usually mean things like gravitation, or heredity, or
the laws of chemistry, or the laws of genetic engineering, etc. but when viewed from another angle, “the laws of
nature” can also mean “the laws of Right and Wrong”, “the laws of Decent Behavior”, “the laws of Human
Nature” in the real sense etc.

A falling stone is governed by the law of gravitation and a chemical change is

governed by laws of chemistry, similarly man also had his law----- with one great
difference that a stone could not choose whether it obeys the law of gravitation
or not. But a man could choose either to obey the law of nature or to disobey
it. Everyone knew this law by nature and need not to be taught. This does not
mean that you might not find an odd individual. There are exceptions, as some
people are color- blind or have no ear for music. But taking the race as a whole,
the human idea of Decent Behavior is obvious to everyone.

The question arises that how do we recognize this law of fair play or decent
behavior or of morality or whatever you like to call it? Everyone has heard
people quarrelling. They say things like: “that’s my seat, I was there first” ----
“you are breaking a traffic signal”--- “you think you are really mind-blowing??”--
-- “The remote is in my hand so choice would be mine” ---- and so on.

People quarrel over small things, no matter whether they are educated or uneducated, children or grown-ups.
Quarrelling means trying to show that the other man is wrong. And there is no sense in saying so unless you and
he had some sort of standards to measure as to what Right and Wrong are. Just as there is no sense in saying
that a hockey player had committed a foul unless there are some rules (standards) which give the definition of
foul play. So, in different ages and in different civilizations, there have been always some defined standards
distinguishing Right from the Wrong and it is through these standards we recognize the “Law of Nature”.

All human beings believe in the Law of Nature; whether they like it or not. A nation may say that treaties don’t
matter, but the next minute, they make an “excuse” and spoil their case by saying that this is because the
particular treaty they want to break was an unfair one.

These excuses, like the above, are the proof of how deeply we believe in the “law of nature”. If we did not
believe in Decent Behavior, why should we be so anxious to make excuses for not having behaved decently? The
truth is that we believe in decency so much --- we feel the Law pressing on us --- so that we are breaking it and
consequently we shift the responsibility by making excuses. In a nut shell, every man is aware of the laws of
nature and knows it when he breaks it. .

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 Are We Educated Illiterates????
By Iqra Younas 2008-Mechanical

What is “education”? Is it merely filling the brain with information???? Does that mean completing a
degree and achieve a high rank in society??? Or does that mean using that knowledge for money???

What does education mean actually?? Education in the chief sense is any act or experience that has a
decisive effect on the mind, character or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is
the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills and values from one
generation to another.

An educated person differs from an illiterate through its values, manners, behavior and attitude. Should a
person with high qualification and enormous knowledge, but no manners of living be considered illiterate?
And should a person with no degree and modern education, but has manners and etiquettes to live in the
society with dignity be called educated, although he is not?

The true nature of a man is reflected in the way in which he

behaves in different situations. The human nature of a man is
only skin thick, when you scratch it, the animal comes out.
Animal nature is inherent in all human beings. In my opinion, the
one who keeps that animal ’silent’ can be treated as ‘educated’.
So main purpose of education is to tame that animal, which is
present in every human being.

In Pakistan illiteracy is more than other places. There are many

people who are highly educated but have got narrow thinking
act like illiterate people. And we call them the educated illiterates. If any ignorant person enters in your life,
your life becomes a hell because you are not able to make them understand what you trying to say. Usually
illiterates are very short tempered and cracks. They lose their temper very easily they don't know how to
speak with others; they don't know how to survive.

Today, the so called educated people think themselves superior than others. They treat their subordinates
as fools knowing nothing. They degrade them a lot through their achievements. Their graph of earning
money increases rapidly and their hearts start shrinking…. The educated illiterates even break the law, they
hate to obey the simple rules and have no respect for others.

We should always try to look forward towards education and knowledge which makes us HUMAN .We can
have money by doing wrong things but why should we do those bad things which never give us mental
peace and makes our soul restless and displeased? That’s why our first priority in life must be education
from which you get awareness. I recommend that we should look forward towards discipline, faith, unity
and towards education.

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This is because mind building, which is the essence of education, has been watered down. The craze for
certificates has eroded the beauty in education. Creative thinking, which ought to be the focal point of our
institutions, has been sacrificed on the altar of education at all costs and the slogan became, “Go to school;
get the degrees and watch the money flow!” At present, our educational system produces two sets of
graduates: The highly intelligent few with unusual mind and astounding ability. The other category is of
those I refer to as the “confused graduates.” They reason like this: “I have gone to school; Am now a
graduate; here is my certificate. Now give me a job!”

We have to be out of race of certificates… we have to be humane…should not just be the bookish literates
…but we have to be an educated person….be accountable… be a leader.

All the youngsters should ask themselves the questions…. What all good things can the youngsters give
(back) to the society? How many people had extended their valuable service for our well being? What we
often do is to forget all these things and think only of climbing more heights with lesser number of steps. It
is our duty to take up the challenge to help the less fortunate fellow beings.

If u think you are something, then share your knowledge with others. Don’t be selfish…Youngsters should
shoulder the responsibility to impart the knowledge they have gained.

Social status, power, money, strength etc. can give temporary happiness but they can be lost at any time.
Youngsters should realize the fact that the happiness derive from selfless service will have no bounds.

For the youngsters the ABC of life should be

‘Always Be Cheerful’.

20
 By Sara Naeem 2008-Mechanical

The beautiful music echoes in the silence of the night and wakes me up. Its 2:50am means time for me to get up.
Although I want so much to press the snooze button and enjoy sleep for another 5 minutes yet I know I must not
waste time. So, I get up, wash my face and hurry towards the computer table to avoid the great loss that
otherwise I would have to suffer.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!! Why does my computer take so much time to boot?? It’s already 2:56am. Hurry up! Hurry
up! Thank God it started and lights of modem are good and stable too. Opening the internet browser, opening
facebook, typing the passwords etc takes another 2 min. Now, clicking on Farmville and it starts loading. Hoping
it gets open quickly otherwise my dear crops will all dry up and I don’t have the heart to bear the sight of my
beautiful 24X24 farm being all withered and dried up.

Oh my God, what a sight it is!! My farm blooming with reddish colored full grown strawberries; it fills my heart
with enormous delight each time I see my crops ready to be harvested. Feeling proud of it, at 3:00am, I picked
up the harvester and started harvesting my farm, planning what new decoration I should buy with the profit
money. I should move Santa’s workshop and the grain silo to the farther corner to make room for another
chicken coop. After refueling, I chose my pink tractor to plow the fields and deciding that I’ll now sow the seeds
of strawberries again to get a quick level up. And these crops I must be able to harvest my crops by 8 or 9 this
morning if WAPDA allows me to.

Plowing is all done and I decide not to use more oil refills so the seeds will be hand sowed. Now it’s turn of the
trees and I’ll start from the most unique pomegranate tree that my friend sent me as a gift yesterday. Oh my
God!! I earned a blue ribbon for harvesting different trees. Hurray!!! So now moving on to the chicken coop and
I hope I to find a mystery box. And wowwwwww!!!! I got a black mystery egg. Let’s share the news with my
friends. Look!!! I found a poor lost reindeer in my farm now let’s share it quickly so that someone else can adopt
it and give this poor reindeer a home it deserves.

After getting chocolate milk from the brown cows, strawberry milk from pink cows and Milktonium from my
green Martian cows, I move on to the horse stables and the duck’s ponds.

And I still need 60 points more to get my level up. Now it’s time to visit the farms of my friends to help them and
fertilize their crops, hoping someone returns the favor soon, and earning more points. Visiting other farms is so
much satisfactory when u know that your farm is BEST among the rest. But AAAAAaaaaAAAA!!!!!! From where
did she get that??? Is it a mystery box gift?? I want that beautiful merry-go-round too. Ahhhhhh!! I soooo want
it.

Looking at my home page in another tab, I saw there were some other Farmville updates too. I adopted a poor
black kitty, a horse and a lamb to provide them a home at my farm. 2 of my friends have got a level up. Congrats
to them. 

It’s now 3:30am and I must get some sleep now. I’ll get a level up at 8:00am when I harvest my newly sowed
crops. So my work is done now. Farm is saved, signing out of FB, shutting down the PC, setting the alarm to
7:50am, I am going back to sleep. :D

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 HOPE
By Sundus Fatima 2009-Mechanical

She sits there, forlorn and tired. Her chin rests on her knees as she hugs herself to block the chill off. The moon
throws its eerie, silvery glow over the world below. A distant hoot of a barn owl or a howl from some stray dog
breaks the icy silence. She gazes somewhere far, not knowing herself the destination unknown.
She thinks about him and an affectionate sigh escapes her lips as she shifts her position. There he stands…that
captivating smile playing on his handsome face, reaching his eyes and making them dance.
He moves towards her with gait like a feather floating in air and reaches her softly.
“What’s bothering you today?” he whispers as he floats down beside her. She looks away, her hair making a veil
of black silk over her face.
“The dream…” not looking at him, she says in a small voice.
He laces her fingers with hers and softly presses her hand. Surprised he is at the coldness of the small hand in
his. He rubs it, glowing warmth spreads through her. That even melted the ice of her eyes causing the water to
trace her cheeks.
“The dream again……” Says he.
“He never comments on the dream, never unfolds its mystery to me? Why it haunts me so?! Why am I so alone
in it when he is always within thoughts reaching…?”
She thinks as her eyes searches the answers on his radiant face. His lips brushes against the back of her hand, his
touch like a cool breeze flowing through the leaves, making them dance ever so lightly.
She smiles then; his presence always has such effect on her. He notices the calmness spread over her so steers
her towards her room. The graceful fingers tuck her in and he sits there, holding her hand until she lulls to sleep,
looking in those dreamy eyes.

---------------------------------------------

She stands there all alone, scared and panting as is she has run miles and miles. A heart-stopping growl makes
her realize that she is being surrounded by wolves…blood-thirsty, cold-blooded and lusty wolves, which look at
her with drooling mouths. She backs away, tries to save herself but stumbles and falls down. Closing around her
are wolves and stranded she is alone…

---------------------------------------------

She wakes up all sweaty and out of breath. Her heart thumping wildly as if was trying to break the cage of ribs.
She looks around but couldn’t find him.
“Why this dream haunts me so much?!” she sobs.
“Why are these wolves always clambering around me? Looking at me so lustfully… why am I so alone in it? Why
isn’t there somebody to help me out? Is it how the death would be like? Would I be taken by the wolves…tear
me apart, would they?”
“So many questions, Lord! So many! And I search for answers, I crave…” she sobs in her hands.
His touch spreads ripples through her, just as a stone thrown in still water, those ripples which spread further

22
and further until disappearing. He says nothing, just holds her tight. Her answers still blowing in the wind, the
questions echoing in her ears…she buries her face in his chest and feels safe there, in the protection of his arms.

---------------------------------------------

This world is clustering and overflowing with wolves un-leashed, which are all lusty and barbaric. Woman’s
respect has shrunk to merely desires and lust. This is the dream that irks her so much, she being all alone in this
world with “wolves” around her.
She takes refuge in her imagination where she is loved; truly and respectfully. Where he holds her and is there
for her, when she is scared, suffocated and torn. He listens to her passionately and calmly when she is all
down…where she is not looked at with lustful eyes, drooling mouths.

These imaginations, visions and illusions sometimes form shape of reality. And this reality is what that keeps the
world struggling on, gives many a people a reason to live, breath, smile and to look forward to a new day, to the
crisp sun, to glimpse over the horizon and…to feel the warmth. This is what that gives us hope. Our dreams!

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 EDUCATION
By Khalid Abbas 2008-Mechanical
Before starting my topic I want to ask some questions from all of the respected readers.
Is education only for money? Is it for secured future?
Some of you may say “YES”
But mostly will say “NO”
People having views in favor of “yes” are true in their thinking’s according to our present system but how they
can say that they will earn better having more education….is any one assured about it?

Obviously “NO”!

Then why we are in favor of such type of things about which we have no guarantee. There have been many
people in the history past who earned a lot having no education and history is full of their examples. But we are
not here in this world to grow, earn, enjoy and die. Now, talking about the people who said “NO”… Have they
ever done something in favor of their views?? Or is it just words without actions? Obviously, there are be much

So, let’s see what EDUCATION is according to wise and what should be its purpose…?

 Education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.

 It is quite possible to store the mind with a million facts and still be entirely uneducated.
 An education isn't how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It's being able to
differentiate between what you do know and what you don't.
 Education means inspiring someone’s mind, not just filling their head.
 There are millions of children today who don’t attend school. However, education is the only way to get ahead
in this country.
 Education is one of the few things a person is willing to pay for and not get.
 Education … has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading.
 The principal goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not simply of repeating
what other generations have done.
 The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates and The great
teacher inspires.
 I believe that it is better to learn from the diverse people around us than to try in vain to emulate them, better
to be a teacher than a role model.
 As strong as my legs are, it is my mind that has made me a champion.
 Learning acquired in youth is an inscription on stone.
 No one is as poor as an ignorant person.
 Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world's work, and the power to appreciate
life.

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Start thinking what type of education we are getting here in university…? Mostly students don’t even want to
attend classes and there those who attend class only for 10% attendance marks and some go only for recreation
in the department. The remaining attends classes for taking notes and we call them “THEETAS”. They only care
to know how to get good marks in the subjects and then good “GPA”.

Is the GPA only enough for us? Certainly “NOT” we should learn something and then do something new for our
society and for the people in our surroundings who are expecting a lot from all of us. They don’t need good GPA
or good marks. They require good and well mannered professionals. Don’t take the things as such as they have
been provided to you. Make your presence known by doing something better each time. I hope we all try to
know the great person in our self, who is able to do everything. As nothing is impossible for the person who tries
his best to do anything that might seem difficult at first. .

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 Pill Life

One pill to numb the pain,

One pill to make you forget,
One pill to feel happiness,
This one pill to never reject

One pill to solve the problems,

One for all your fears,
One to feel the life in you,
And one pill to dry your tears.

One pill to make you cry,

One pill to make you feel,
One pill to make you sick, but
With this one pill you cannot deal.

And there are no pills to erase your memories,

No pills to share the blame,
None to conceal your worries,
And not one damned pill to hide the shame.

By Muhammad Rizwan Sadaqat 2008-Mechanical

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