“Gems
of Pakistan”
This
article will cover and reveal important personalities, their achievements,
assets and treasure Pakistan has with itself that make the country so much
loveable, remarkable and prominent.
1.Poet
of East
Sir
Mohammad Allama Iqbal is known as ‘poet of East’ and his work has inspired
people of all ages. A visionary, a literally and a true patriot are the words
that reflect the essence of the spirit breathing inside Iqbal. After studying in
Cambridge, Munich and Heidelberg, Iqbal established a law practice, but
concentrated primarily on writing scholarly works on politics, economics,
Islamic history, philosophy and religion
He
won a gold medal for topping his
examination in philosophy.
He
obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity College at Cambridge in 1907,
while simultaneously studying law at Lincoln's Inn, from where he qualified as a
barrister in 1908.
He
was also the first patron of the historical, political, religious, cultural
journal of Muslims of British India and Pakistan. This journal played an
important part in the Pakistan movement. The name of this journal is The Journal
Tolu-e-Islam. In 1935, according to his instructions, Syed Nazeer Niazi
initiated and edited, a journal Tolu-e-Islam named after the famous poem of Sir
Muhammad Iqbal, Tulu'i Islam.
Allama
Iqbal's poetry has also been translated into several European languages where
his works were famous during the early part of the 20th century. In Germany
there is a street named after Sir Allama Iqbal.
2.Abdus
Salam
A
Pakistani theoretical physicist, astrophysicist and Nobel laureate in Physics
famous for his work in Electro-Weak Theory discovery. Salam holds the
distinction of being the first Pakistani and the first Muslim Nobel Laureate to
receive the prize in the Sciences. Even today, Salam is considered one of the
most influential scientists and physicists in his country. At age fourteen,
Salam scored the highest marks ever
recorded for the Matriculation Examination at the Punjab University. He won a scholarship
to the Government College, Punjab University, in Lahore. As a fourth-year
student there, he published his work on Srinivasa Ramanujan.
He
obtained a PhD degree in Theoretical Physics at Cambridge. His doctoral thesis
contained fundamental work in Quantum Electrodynamics. By the time it was
published in 1951, it had already gained him an international reputation and the Adams Prize.
Salam
was a central figure in Pakistan's nuclear program. Abdus Salam was
responsible for establishing the nuclear research institutes in Pakistan.
Institutes
named after Abdus Salam
Abdus
Salam National Center for Mathematics (ASNCM), Government College University,
Lahore, Pakistan.
Abdus
Salam Chair in Physics(ASCP), Government College University, Lahore, Pakistan.
Abdus
Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics , Trieste, Italy.
Abdus
Salam School for Mathematical Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan
The
Edward Bouchet Abdus Salam Institute.
3.
Paraceratherium/Baluchitherium
Paraceratherium, also commonly known as Indricotherium or Baluchitherium is an extinct genus of gigantic hornless rhinoceros-like mammals of the family Hyracodontidae. Baluchitherium means "beast of Baluchistan", as it was first discovered in Chitarwata Formation of the Bugti Hills, Balochistan, after which it was originally named.
It is the largest mammal ever known. Nearly 6 meters tall and weighing 20,000 kilos, the creature roamed a lush jungle over 30 million years ago It had an estimated shoulder height of nearly 18 ft (5.5 m), a length of upto 28 feet (from nose to rump) and a weight of about 10 to 15 tons. The head was four feet long, sitting on top of a six feet long neck.
Even though Balochistan is now mostly a desert but since Baluchitherium would have needed as much as two tonnes of fodder every day, the French team believes this area of Pakistan must have been heavily forested.
The fossil pictured above is made from a collection of over 200 bones.
4.
Nazia Hassan:
One
of the very pioneer female pop singers in Sub-continent. She is also known as Lady Diana of Southeast Asia, as she was graceful, intelligent and
beautiful person. Nazia Hassan has sold
over 55 million copies worldwide.She was best known with the titles of The
Queen of Pop Singing and Sweetheart of Pakistan.
Her
album “Disco Deewane” broke record sales in Pakistan and India and
even topped the charts in the West
Indies, Latin America and Russia.
She
completed her education in the UK, got a law
degree and then worked in the United
Nations in the Security Council. Nazia continued her social work even in New
York and worked for children from the UN platform.
The
composer of her albums, Biddu had composed a song “Made in India” and wanted
Nazia to sing in it but the retired Nazia
refused to sing a song that may offend Pakistan.
After
the huge success of their music, Nazia and Zoheb were signed
by EMI Group and were the first South
Asian singers to be signed by an international music company.
Besides
music, Nazia has the honour of starting a noble trend of working for the under
privileged and poor. All their money earned from music was spent for charity.
Nazia supported the “Inner Wheel Club” of India to help with funds for them.
In Pakistan, an organization “BAN” for fighting against the curse of
narcotics was established
Nazia
Hassan is still the symbol of grace, sacred beauty and innocence and is
frequently compared to Princess Diana as she was known to possess a heart of
gold.
The
Government of Pakistan has conferred upon Nazia Hassan the highest
civilian award Pride of Performance.
5.
Minerals and natural resources:
Important
minerals found in Pakistan are gypsum, limestone, chromites, iron ore, rock
salt, silver, gold, precious stones, gems, marble, copper, coal, graphite,
sulphur, fire clay, silica.
The
salt range in Punjab Province has the largest deposit of pure salt found
anywhere in the world. Balochistan province is a mineral rich area having
substantial mineral, oil and gas reserves which have not been exploited to their
full capacity or fully explored , the province has significant quantities of
copper, chromite and iron, and pockets of antimony and zinc in the south and
gold in the far west. Natural gas was discovered near Sui in 1952.
The
Reko Diq (Balouchistan) mining area has proven estimated reserves of 2 billion
tons of copper and 20 million ounces of gold. According to the current market
price, the value of the deposits has been estimated at about $65 billion, which
would generate thousands of jobs. The discovery has ranked Rekodiq among the
world's top seven copper reserves.
Pakistan
is home to some of the most finest and purest grades of marble, granite and
slate found in the world. Much of the grades A Marble that is exported out of
European countries like Italy actually have their origins in Pakistan which
previously lacked fine polishing and processing machinery.
Pakistan
has extensive energy resources, including fairly sizable natural gas reserves,
some proven oil reserves, coal (Pakistan has the fourth-largest coal reserves in
the world[6]), and a large hydropower potential. However, the exploitation of
energy resources has been slow due to a shortage of capital and domestic
political constraints.
Thar
coal reserves have 175 billion tonnes of coal, which is equivalent to 618
billion barrels of crude oil recently informed by VC of The university of the
Punjab. Following is the list of top 5 oil reserve countries of the world:
Country
Reserves (bbl) Production/day (mbl)
Reserve life (yr)
Saudi
Arabia 260
8.8
81
Canada
179
2.7
182
Iran
136
3.9 96
Iraq
115
3.7
85
Kuwait
99
2.5
108
175
billion tons of Thar according to Professor Dr Mujahid Kamran equal 618 billion
barrels of crude oil.This is more than twice if we compare it with oil reserves
of KSA and equal to total oil reseves of top 4 countries. If like KSA, we
utilize about 10 million of it per day, it would suffice for more than 200
years.
6.Mohendo-daro
and first dentistry evidence:
Built
around 2600 BCE, the city was one of the early urban settlements in the world,
existing at the same time as the civilizations of ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia,
and Crete.
In
the 1930s, massive excavations were conducted under the leadership of John
Marshall, K. N. Dikshit, Ernest Mackay, and others. John Marshall's car, which
was used by the site directors, is still in the Mohenjo-daro museum, showing
their struggle and dedication to Mohenjo-daro.
It
was the most developed and advanced city in South Asia, and perhaps the world,
during its peak.
To
date, over a thousand cities and settlements have been found, mainly in the
Indus River valley in Pakistan and northwestern India. Mohenjo-daro was
successively destroyed and rebuilt at least seven times. Each time, the new
cities were built directly on top of the old ones. Flooding by the Indus is
thought to have been the cause of destruction.The city was divided into two
parts, the so-called Citadel and the Lower City. Most of the Lower City is yet
to be uncovered.
In
2001, archaeologists studying the remains of two men from Mehrgarh, Pakistan,
made the discovery that the people of the Indus Valley Civilisation, from the
early Harappan periods, had knowledge of proto-dentistry. Later, in April 2006,
it was announced in the scientific journal Nature that the oldest (and first
early Neolithic) evidence for the drilling of human teeth in vivo (i.e., in a
living person) was found in Mehrgarh. Eleven drilled molar crowns from nine
adults were discovered in a Neolithic graveyard in Mehrgarh that dates, from
7,500-9,000 years ago. According to the authors, their discoveries point to a
tradition of proto-dentistry in the early farming cultures of that region.
7.Hadiqa
Kiyani
During
her childhood she represented Pakistan in International children festivals in Turkey, Jordan, Bulgaria, and Greece, winning various medals along
the way.
She
holds a Masters Degree in Psychology.
Her
increasing popularity was further highlighted in 1997 when Kiani became the
first Asian singer ever to perform on the British National Lottery Live BBC1
(estimated viewership 16.6 million).By the end of the year she became the first
Asian female singer ever to be signed by Pepsi Cola International. She is
also the second female in the world to achieve this, with the first being Gloria
Estefan
She
performed for President George W.Bush on 4 March 2006. Commenting on her
performance, Bush said he liked her accent and wanted her to perform in USA.[9]
She performed for the Crown Prince of Brunei Al-Muhtadee Billah Bolkiah on 29
May 2006. Kiani performed for Mrs.Laura Bush on September 21, 2006 at The
Kennedy Convention Centre, Washington, D.C.. She closed the year by performing
for HRH Prince Charles on October 30,
2006, and the Chinese President on
November 23, 2006.
March
2007 Kiani was one of the many artists featured in a widely popular track called
"Yeh Hum Naheen". The song has been picked up by
international stations like Fox News and BBC and has amassed over
70,000 downloads.
Her
latest album “Aasmaan” had the highest sales and internet downloads of any
Pakistani album in 2009.
8.
Imran Khan:
He
has a record of 3807 runs and 362 wickets in Test cricket, making him
one of eight world cricketers to have achieved an 'All-rounder's Triple' in
Test matches.
Khan
established Pakistan's first and only cancer hospital, constructed using
donations and funds exceeding $25 million,
raised by Khan from all over the world. Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital
& Research Centre, a charitable cancer hospital with 75
percent free care, opened in Lahore on 29 December 1994.
Khan
is featured in the University of Oxford's
Hall of Fame and has been an honorary
fellow of Oxford's Keble College. In December 2005, Khan was appointed the fifth
Chancellor of the University of Bradford, where he is also a patron
of the Born in Bradford research project.
On
8 July 2004, Khan was awarded the Lifetime
Achievement Award at the 2004 Asian Jewel Awards in London, for "acting
as a figurehead for many international charities and working passionately and
extensively in fund-raising activities.
9.
Salt mines Pakistan:
Khewra
Salt Mines attracts up to 40,000 visitors
per year and is the second largest
salt mine in the world.
Salt
has been mined at Khewra since 320 BC following discovery
by Alexander's troops .The discovery of the mines, however, was not made by
Alexander nor his "allies", but by his horse. It is stated that when
Alexander's army stopped here for rest, the horses
started licking the stones. One of his soldiers took notice of it and when
he tasted the rock stone, it was salty thus leading to the discovery of the
mines.
Khewra
salt mine has estimated total of 220
million tonnes of rock salt deposits.
The
mine-head buildings have 19 stories, with 11 below ground. Only
50% salt is extracted and 50% is left as pillars to support the mountain.
The
original design and layout of the tunnels inside the mines was
prepared by Chaudhry Niaz Ali Khan.
In
March 1849, the British captured the salt
mines and a resistance movement began against the poor conditions and prices
imposed upon the miners. Mines were locked
so miners couldn't leave without fulfilling their quotas. Men, women and
children all worked in the mines and some children were even born in the mines
due to the conditions imposed.
Twelve
of the workers representatives were shot at the front of the mines. Their names
were:
Abdullah
Mohammad
Sardar
Mohammad
Hassan
Nawab
Allah
Baksh
Khuda
Baksh
Mohammad
Abdulla
Jawaia
Paira
Mohammad
Wahid
Their
graves are outside the middle gates of the mines.
10.Mangrove
and irrigation system:
Pakistan's
mangrove ecosystem is one of the largest found in an arid climate and the
irrigation system in Punjab established by the British is the largest in the
world.
11.
Noor Jehan:
Allah
Wasai known as “Noor Jehan” is credited “Malka-e-Taranum” in
Sub-continent. Her career spanned seven decades.
She
holds a remarkable record of 10,000 songs to her singing credits in
various languages of Pakistan including Urdu, Punjabi and Sindhi languages.
She
is also considered to be the first female
Pakistani film director.
Wasai
began to sing at the age of five or six years old and showed a keen interest
in a range of styles, including traditional folk and popular theatre. She is
accredited to have sung the most
patriotic songs in 1965 war with India, the songs helped to act as
motivation for country’s soldiers increasing their morale. The singer was
called by Radio Pakistan during the war even when her own daughter had a fever of 104 O F.
12.
Ommaya reservoir:
An
Ommaya reservoir is an intraventricular catheter system that can be used for the
aspiration of cerebrospinal fluid or for the delivery of drugs (e.g.
chemotherapy) into the cerebrospinal fluid. In the palliative care of terminal
cancer, an Ommaya reservoir can be inserted for intracerebroventricular (ICV)
injection of morphine.
It
was originally invented in 1963 by Dr.Ayub
K. Ommaya, a Pakistani neurosurgeon.
13.
The Nuclear program:
Pakistan
started working on nuclear program in 1974.In 1974, in response to India's
Smiling Buddha nuclear tests, the then Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto
announced:
“
If India builds the bomb, we will eat grass and leaves for a thousand years,
even go hungry, but we will get one of our own. The Christians have the bomb,
the Jews have the bomb and now the Hindus have the bomb. Why not the Muslims too
have the bomb?
In
1976, Dr.Abdul Qadeer joined the program.
On
May 28, 1998 Pakistan successfully tested 5 nuclear bombs after few weeks of
India’s testing of nuclear weapons.
In
May 2009, during the anniversary of Pakistan's first nuclear weapons test,
former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif claimed that Pakistan’s nuclear
security is the strongest in the world. According to Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan,
Pakistan's nuclear safety program and nuclear security program is the strongest
program in the world and there is no such capability in any other country for
radical elements to steal or possess nuclear weapons.
14.
Ismail Gulgee
Initially,
he went to Aligarh University to study
civil engineering before heading off to USA for continuing his higher
education. Gulgee started to paint while
acquiring his training as an engineer in the United States at Columbia University and then Harvard.
His first exhibition was in 1950.
Nevertheless,
he was perhaps best known worldwide for his abstract
work, which was inspired by Islamic
calligraphy and was also influenced by the "action painting" movement of the 1950s and 1960s.
Guljee,
as he was famously known, received many requests for his paintings
internationally, from the Saudi royal
family to the Islamabad presidency. Many of his works
are placed in the "Faisal
Mosque" in Islamabad. Guljee received many awards,
including in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia,
Japan and France.
15.Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan
Nusrat
Fateh Ali Khan was not only famous in Pakistan but also well known
internationally. He teamed with Peter Gabriel on the soundtrack to The
Last Temptation of Christ in 1985, with Canadian musician Michael Brook on the albums Mustt Mustt (1990) and Night Song (1996)
and with Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie
Vedder in 1995 on two songs for the soundtrack
to Dead Man Walking. He also contributed to the soundtrack of Natural Born Killers.
Nusrat
also collabrated with Michael Brook to create music for the song 'Sweet Pain'
used in the movie Any Given Sunday.
His
album Intoxicated Spirit was nominated for a Grammy award in 1997 for best
traditional folk album.
According
to the Guinness Book of World Records, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan holds the
world record for the largest recorded
output by a Qawwali artist—a total of 125
albums as of 2001.
TIME
magazine's issue of November 6, 2006, "60
Years of Asian Heroes", lists Nusrat as one of the
top 12 Artists and Thinkers in the last 60 years.
Jeff
Buckley cited Nusrat as a major influence, saying of him "He's
my Elvis", and performing the first few minutes of Nusrat's hit "Yeh
Jo Halka Halka Suroor Hai" (including vocals) at a live concert.
16.
Mobile Industry Pakistan:
Pakistan
has the highest mobile penetration rate in the South Asian region. According to
the P.T.A. (Pakistan Telecommunication Authourity) Mobilink continues to lead
the market with 29.55 million subscribers, followed by Telenor (21.29 million),
Ufone (20.05 million), Warid Telecom (18.14 million) and Zong (6.48 million).
Contributed
by Ahad Shafique*, Ahmed Tariq*, Mujtaba Anwar* Dr. Syed Mohsin** and
Dr.Muhammad Wasif Haq**
*
Final year B.D.S. students.
** House officers.
(Liaquat College of Medicine & Dentistry, Karachi, Pakistan)
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