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By AHMED QURAISHI

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — For the past few months, Samad Khurram and another Pakistani student, Aqil Sajid, were responsible for creating many fake email IDs and then using them to send offensive emails, using an unusually grotesque and filthy language, to any Pakistani citizen who happened to disagree with their views on the lawyers and on the President.

Samad has gained the respect of many Pakistanis, and mine too, because he snubbed the U.S. ambassador at a ceremony where he was to receive some award from her for being a student at an American university on scholarship.

We at www.ahmedquraishi.com had the distinction of spreading out his story, Pakistani Student Snubs U.S. Ambassador, Payback For Attack , on June 18, within the first few minutes of the incident. Knowing firsthand about Mr. Khurram’s other unflattering and childish activities, we decided to overlook them and highlight his reaction to the June 10 U.S. military attack against the Pakistan Army, killing over 30 Pakistanis, half of them our soldiers.

What we did at that time was the work of real Pakistani nationalists, overlooking frivolous issues for the sake of something that we thought was more important. During last year’s lawyers’ movement, Mr. Samad and Mr. Aqil had emailed me some of the most offensive emails containing language that I have not seen anyone use during political or intellectual discourse. I have almost the entire record of their emails. One of them made the mistake of using a mail server owned by Harvard University to send the offensive email. They didn’t repeat the mistake subsequently. They were smart. I never thought this could be the work of young students at good universities. I honestly thought this was the work of uncivilized supporters of a political party.

I can’t reproduce here the dirty language used by these two gentlemen. It’s really sick. Instead of using their Harvard education to improve Pakistani politics, they spent hours prowling the net and planting abuses on every Pakistani forum that disagreed with the lawyers’ movement. Sometimes their writings were a smear campaign against Pakistan itself, hurling abuses at every Pakistani State institution, including, of course, the Pakistani military. In a short span of time, even Indian Internet campaigners and hackers have not been able to produce so much anti-Pakistan material like these two kids did. And their only problem is that they are blind supporters of Imran Khan and Aitzaz and won’t tolerate any legitimate opposite opinion.

One of these two gentlemen even went as far as impersonating a lady lawyer from Lahore who is also a writer, Yasmeen Ali, and disagrees with Aitzaz Ahsan. These gentlemen used her name to post sexually explicit posts on various forums, including AhmedQuraishi.com.

I endorse Samad Khurram’s act of refusing to take an award from the U.S. ambassador. He registered a peaceful protest, shared by a majority of Pakistanis. But the other side of Mr. Khurram’s face is an ugly one. Let’s hope he will not repeat it.

© Copyrighted Material. AhmedQuraishi.com.

Samad Khurram snubbed the U.S. ambassador. Great. But he also stalked a respectable lady lawyer from Lahore who is also a commentator. Her crime? She disagreed with Aitzaz Ahsan. So are people like Samad a symbol of the good or the bad in Pakistani politics?

By YASMEEN ALI

LAHORE, Pakistan — It is with some amusement that I followed the story on this blog about one Samad Khurram.

The wah wah coming his way because we, as Pakistanis, are somewhat short on self respect these days. The joke our country has become owing to the likes of Aitzaz Ahsan & Co., who serve vested interests in the garb of serving the nation.

Late last year, I had come in contact with Mr. Samad Khurram. His name was listed in the ‘To’ line in emails send to me by a friend. It was a mailing list. The subject inevitably was politics and politicians. Everyone, I believe, is entitled to his or her views. And has a right to share the same in an academic discussion.

However, unfortunately, Mr. Samad Khurram did not think so. His grouse were my articles and my opinions did not agree with his. Until this point, fair enough. Unfortunately, he decided to handle this difference in political opinion in an ungentlemanly manner. First he accused me of being a non-existent person. Then he accused me of being a man by the name of Naveed Tajammal. At least three prominent individuals on the mailing list knew me personally.

When this did not work, he accused me of ‘concocting stories with Mr. Ahmed Quraishi,’ a person known to be by his blog only. Further, he accused me of working for an intelligence organization. Much harm can come to me as Kidnappings are rampant and he “hoped” I may be done away with by “someone”.

WHO is the someone who would kidnap and murder me? I was tempted to ask him, since this sounded like a threat to me, which would be criminally punishable in the United States, where he was residing.

He had passed on his address to one recipient of the mails, who was kind enough to communicate the same to me reading these underhand threats.

In January 2008, when this transpired, I got in touch with the Provost of Harvard University, whose scholarship Samad accepts despite snubbing the U.S. ambassador. I was informed by one Mr. Marshall, Project Coordinator of Office of Provost that Samad khurram is possibly registered as a student.

Next I heard from Mr. Jay Ellison, Assistant Dean of Harvard College. He confirmed that the offender was asked to furnish copies of his mails to me and the same was done. The mails fully support my complaint against the said person. In his mail dated February 20, 2008, Harvard assured me that action was taken against the student accordingly but he said he could not tell me exactly what action has been taken against the student since U.S. law prohibited the university from disclosing to outsiders what action taken was in this case.

That was the last I heard of Samad Khurram. Till now.

What can one say? A person takes one action in public and another in private. In my considered opinion, this was a cheap ploy to gain publicity. People who value the lives of others do not go around threatening others. Or maybe I’m mistaken.

I hear that some time ago, Samad Khurrum was also found hacking into private computers. I would suggest that his American visa be cancelled, and he be sent back to study in Pakistan. His scholarship should be given to another student who can represent Pakistan in a better light in America.

Yasmeen A. Ali is a known lawyer. Her political commentary is widely available on AhmedQuraishi.com and at other Pakistani blogs. She is based in Lahore. She can be reached at yasmeenali62@gmail.com.

© Copyrighted Material. AhmedQuraishi.com.

Laila Sohail attended the now infamous June 18 ceremony where her colleague Samad Khurram snubbed the ambassador. But Laila says while she condemns the U.S. strike, she does not become any less patriotic by accepting the award. “While I am in agreement that Pakistan needs to take a more aggressive stance regarding its so called ally, neither the platform, nor the way chosen by Mr. Samad Khurum was correct,” she writes.

By Laila Sohail
Monday, 23 June 2008.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A ceremony was held by Roots College International on the 18th of June to honor the high achievers. Students who had shown academic brilliance, and had been awarded scholarships and admissions by the most prestigious universities in the world, [including U.S. Ivy League universities such as Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, etc.]

Being a Roots student, I was also present in the hall. In the Principal’s own words, it was a day dedicated to the students. Who could have thought that the spotlight would be snatched from the 188 achievers, and taken by one student, who chose this platform to make a statement, by refusing to accept his award from the American Ambassador, and making a political statement on the mike?

I also collected an award that day, from the U.S. ambassador, and Samad’s response made me think about whether I had been wrong, and after this guilt trip, I came to the conclusion that in fact it was him who was wrong. The ceremony was held to celebrate educational progress, the main theme being ‘crossing boundaries, integration, and
not just national, but global success.’

This was also demonstrated by appreciating the way educational opportunities around the world have become more open to students in Pakistan. The underlying statement is, that whatever the political situation may be, and no matter how differentiated the world may become on this account, the fact that a good education still acts as an International passport, has to be appreciated. The U.S. ambassador was invited, as a guest by the administration to acknowledge and reflect this fact.

The U.S. strike was a tragedy and aroused anger and frustration amongst Pakistanis. The hatred towards USA is fueled by incidents such as these. However the audience of more than 400 present in the hall did not take Samad’s stance. Does this make them less patriotic? No. The audience in the hall mainly consisted of proud parents who had come to see their children shine in their success, and not to make any statements. The American Ambassador being the chief guest was thus overlooked by the parents. Many parents were upset after Samad’s response, as they felt that their children had not been given their fair share of time on stage, due to tightened security arrangements,
and a cut down on the time. Samad’s achievement was the award he had been given three years ago by the U.S., but he sure spoiled the day for the other 187 students who missed their moments of glory.

If a protest was indeed called for, this was not the forum to make it.

All students were aware of whom the chief guest was days before the event, why was there no protest to the administration on inviting the Ambassador in the first place then? There were other ways to decline the award, and being heard at the same time, but such a protest would have perhaps not made the headlines.

Calling the president of the country unconstitutional on an educational forum is not right, as many may disagree with this stance [including me]. If everyone starts making their own political statements, the purpose of these ceremonies will be killed. If we can’t distinguish between forums meant to make political statement, and ones to encourage educational progress, then we do not deserve these events to be held in the first place.

While I am in agreement that Pakistan needs to take a more aggressive stance regarding its so called ally, neither the platform, nor the way chosen by Mr. Samad Khurum was correct. The Ambassador was a guest and not a government representative at the ceremony, and the cost of her embarrassment was the image of Pakistani students that went across. Any grievances with the administration should have been put forward before hand.

As for the U.S., we disagree with their policies, we are angered by their response towards Pakistan, but we do realize that their education is amongst the best in the world, and that is why we still go to that country to get it. We should not forget that Mohammad Ali Jinnah himself got his education in the very Britain against which he later fought for independence. Our hostility is towards their policies, not their education, and if we want to give ourselves half a chance against them, we need to embrace this education, and not construct walls which will hinder future prospective students from going abroad.

Ms. Sohail is a Pakistani college student. She can be reached at blabbersboo@gmail.com.

© 2007-2008. AhmedQuraishi.com.