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Shaba Jt: The Unfortunate Reality Of All-Boys Schools

(Trigger warning for body shaming)

When you belong to an affluent Punjabi family that tends to invest everything for the wellbeing of their male child, your privilege reflects itself in nearly all aspects of your life. My parents’ decision to enroll me in arguably one the best schools in Lahore was a  culmination of tireless effort and financial investment equivalent to a  lifetime’s fortune. If one school did not fulfill their set academic benchmark, I was then made to transfer to some better institution.

But then came O-Level, when perhaps the uncertainty finally came to a halt!

I was finally admitted to Lahore Grammar School Johar Town (LGS JT or just JT for short) with the thought incorporated into my mind that this will be my abode for the next 5 years.

As a 13-year old pampered kid, I was unable to decipher the problematic and the toxic environment surrounding (almost every) all-boys school. For me (and my parents), these aspects perhaps had only a little impact on the decision. The academic excellence, prestige, and a purpose-built campus overweighed any other factor crucial for my mental wellbeing as a teenage student.

So, where did the problem lie?

Just about a few months back, an article in DAWN raised the issue of exploitation under the hands of private institutions mainly LGS, Beaconhouse and Aitchison. To study in either  of the three places (or any other private school for that matter) can cost almost as much as a kidney for the monthly fee. Include other miscellaneous expenses such as learning materials, mandatory school trips, and evening tuition services, and the cost begins to rise even further.

While the issue of financial exploitation may have gotten the necessary attention, not many people are aware of the othe problems prevalent in institutions like LGS JT that create a plethora of challenges for a student studying there.

When I now look back at my 5-year time spent at that school, probably at no point can I reminisce any fond memory I have of that place. What I will illustrate next can be relatable to a number of my fellow alumni, who will nod in agreement with me for their unpleasant times at JT.

Let me start with the deeply entrenched toxic masculine culture purposely ingrained within each JTite.

We were supposed to act in accordance with these values that were literally based upon dehumanizing women, trivializing the experiences of victims and breeding the toxic culture further within the student body.

The teacher-evaluation process provides a cohesive example in that regard.  One of the students back in my O-Level years, dared to make derogatory remarks about the body of a female instructor only out of personal grudge and dislike. In another similar unfortunate situation, a guy was reported to the administration for vandalizing the walls of the school with unspeakable words about the faculty members.

Step further ahead out of the vicinity of the school, and you will find these toxic traits exhibiting in other manifold ways. While the AC-JT rivalry is not news to most Lahoris, the enmity usually turned into a matter of “ego and pride” (long story short, let’s see who has a fragile male ego). The unnecessary rivalry came at the cost of expulsions/suspensions on both ends as well as physical injuries sustained during several out-of-school fights.

In case you haven’t guessed yet, these fights were most of the times over girls who were somehow a matter of ego between the boys. These ideas of ownership of the other gender carries forward as soon as these boys reach LUMS and equate getting a girlfriend with a trophy for social excellence.

If you were someone who even remotely doubted your sexuality, then LGS JT was never your safe space to be in. Exploration was out of the realm of possibilities because you were socially conditioned to abide by the cis-heteronormative values (boys will be boys). Your eagerness to dress nicely or even listen to Lana Del Rey was frowned upon and sought the disapproval of the JT community at large for being too “feminine.” When one student came out as a non-binary individual, they were ridiculed and otherized, forcing them to drop out of the A level program just one year prior to completion. The strong inculcation of homo/transphobic values only proved to legitimize bullying against anyone who stood in defiance against these principles. And when any relevant concern was brought up with the administration, the higher authority festered the grievances further as opposed to finding any meaningful solution(s).

To make the matters even worse, some would also refrain from filing a complaint in the first place out of sheer embarrassment and unexpected repercussions. In grade 9, when swimming constituted a mandatory slot in our weekly timetable, the idea of freeing myself from the crippling academic stress through twice-a-week dip in the pool soon came to an end as a result of body-shaming and that too under the hands of my swimming coach. The event left a tear in my heart that still hangs till this very day. For the first time in my life, I felt uncomfortable with my body forcing me to undergo a long period of starvation soon afterward. But never did that day arrive, when I would expect an apology from the swimming coach or the school administration.

 

While empirical evidence would certainly show JTites scoring more A’s than perhaps any other institution in Lahore, the physical and mental exhaustion behind the struggle never really gets the needed validation. Behind the hundreds of A’s in A level, there are stories of students who were subjected to physical and psychological abuse under the all-respected principal of the program. When an AS student tried justifying his underperformance in the Sessional Exams on the basis of his deteriorating mental health, the principal sidelined any of the legitimate concerns by saying, “Ab tum mujhe dobara dawaiyan khatay nazar na ho” (I shall not see you again having your prescription medicines). Additionally, being even a minute late to your class could earn you a literal slap from the principal in front of all your fellow peers and friends. The act embarrassing in all the many ways, often left students traumatized for the rest of their time at the school.

Lastly, let us not forget how a number of JTites, who are now part of universities like LUMS. have actively failed to give up most of the toxic traits they picked up from JT. As someone who assimilated within the “JT group” for the first part of the freshman year, the friendships continue to be defined by the nebulous “BRO-CODE.” Individuals who willingly (yet, unfortunately) manifest a connection with their high school batchmates do so based on conforming to the same problematic values I mentioned in this article. But possibly with added severe form of emotional manipulation and ghosting pitted against the group members as well as other non-JT Luminites.

As an alumnus of Lahore Grammar School Johar Town, I seek no pleasure in ever calling myself a JTITE. My dissociative relationship with that school would always be characterized in terms of my unpleasant experiences and unfond memories I have of that place. Perhaps, the urgent need of the hour is for other fellow alumni members to step up and call-out the toxicity that remains rampant in that institution. If no timely solution is sought, we will probably witness the degradation of our new generation under the hands of “one of the best schools in Pakistan.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Top 5 Songs That Made it to My Summer Playlist

While my summers might not have been as productive as I initially perceived them to be, it nonetheless provided me the opportunity to diversify my taste in music. For the very first time, I introduced myself to the likes of A$AP Rocky and other notable rappers (Drake is an obvious inclusion in that list). Additionally, I also manifested a keen interest in Indie music, which I feel, among numerous other musical genres, was missing from my life.

As I sit down to list my Top 5 favorite songs from this summer, I realize that the playlist will still come across as very generic and “basic” to some people. For that matter, I welcome any other music suggestions the readers might have, and I promise to give them a listen!

5.Sundress- A$AP Rocky

The controversial arrest of the Harlem rapper perhaps saw a surge in A$AP’s following with thousands of his fans coming out in large numbers in support of his release. Sundress, will probably not be new music to most ears but it definitely has something to offer. Rocky’s collaboration with Tame Impala was long-awaited which did reasonably well in adding a psychedelic touch to the tune. With a catchy and engaging music video relating to the insecurity and trust issues that come along (most) relationships, the song substantiates its position as arguably my favorite Indie Rap!

4.Metanoia- MGMT

If Electric Feel was made to be enjoyed on a sultry afternoon at a Californian beach, then Metanoia was your come-down song to listen to. Melancholic to describe at the very best, the unexpected shifts and turns between the seven parts will possibly transcend your inner reality to a whole new level and, that is what makes Metanoia an MGMT classic.


3.Beverly Laurel- Tame Impala

Beverly Laurel by Tame Impala will always be a palpable experience for the Impala fans who at the same time nod in agreement that the song hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. In another controversy that arose after its release, the album categorization came under attack, where critics till this very day situate Beverly Laurel under Currents (as opposed to Lonerism). But all that said, the 3 minutes mostly instrumental musical-tune will encapsulate your soul in its entirety with its perfectly composed pitch. Listening to it will make you reminiscence those old summer days when there were less obvious things to worry about!

2. Forget Her- Jeff Buckley

The sad demise of the Californian star Jeff Buckley left the world in an unspeakable amount of pain but not at the expense of Jeff’s music losing any importance among his fan base. Forget Her is a nearly perfect yet a mesmerizing rendition that encompasses the themes of loneliness, rejection, and abandonment. Every word of the song hits you right at the bottom of your heart and one wonders how Jeff Buckley is able to express something in 5 minutes what you have felt your entire life!

 

Honorable Mentions:

Crimson and Clover- Tommy James & The Shondells

Porcelain- Moby

Lost on You – LP

Sweet- Cigarettes After Sex

We Turn Red- Red Hot Chili Peppers

 

1.Los Angeles- The Midnight

In a world full of Beliebers and Ed Sheeran fans, not many people are aware of The Midnight and that continues to be an unfortunate bitter-sweet reality. Originating in 2012, the synthwave music band has augmented its position within the electronic Indie circuit courtesy its single: Los Angeles. The song is nothing short of a metaphorical mastery that can be dissected in so many different ways. If you are a fan of the movie La La Land, start off by watching the music video and what you have is an epitome of a “perfect relationship” put into perspective. Or on the contrary, you can simply listen to Los Angeles as it is and let yourself embark on a sentimental journey to all the happier times that lie ahead. The song cannot be described for anything less than an unforgettable experience!

 

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Jaabirana Rajneeti

by Taha Iqbal

“We have taken this decision as a family. A new era has begun,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi proclaimed in an address to the nation on August 8, 2019. It is not lost on me that families are extremely important to the vast majority of South Asians. But, maybe sometimes irrelevant family members should shut up and allow individual members to make decisions about matters that affect them the most.

On Monday, August 5, 2019, Minister of Home Affairs and President of the Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah informed parliament that President Ram Nath Kovind had signed a decree effectively abolishing articles 35 A and 370 of the constitution. Article 370 allowed India’s only Muslim majority state to make its own laws in all matters except for communications, defence, finance and foreign affairs. Jammu and Kashmir was legally exempt from the Indian constitution. As a result, the state was able to establish a separate constitution and flag. Crucially, it enabled the Kashmiri government to deny property rights to outsiders. Article 35 A can be understood as an extension of Article 370. It allowed the state legislature to define permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir. In doing so, the local legislature was given the authority to forbid outsiders from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs or winning education scholarships in the region. Furthermore, female residents (and their future children) were barred from property rights if they married individuals from outside the state. In short, both these constitutional provisions allowed Kashmiris to decide how they wanted to govern themselves and enabled them to prevent demographic change that would compromise their ability to actualise the former. The Lok Sabha also passed the Jammu and Kashmir (Reorganisation) Bill, 2019 with 370 votes in favour and 70 against it. The Jammu and Kashmir state will now be divided into two “union territories” directly ruled by New Delhi. The Jammu and Kashmir union territory will include the Hindu-majority Jammu region and will have a legislative assembly. The Buddhist-majority Ladakh region, which has a considerable population of Shia Muslims, will also be a union territory, but without the privilege of its own assembly.

Before Monday’s decision, prominent Kashmiri leaders were jailed or put under house arrest. Reuters reports have put the number of arrested at approximately 500. Internet and communication services along with cable networks were also shut down in anticipation of widespread unrest. An additional 38,000 troops were deployed in the region. Reports suggest that Indian law enforcement used tear gas and pellet guns to disperse a crowd of 10,000 protesters that had gathered in the state capital of Srinagar. One can write a book on how Kashmiris are caught up between the interests of different states that are unwilling to hear what they have to say. However, amidst the overblown ultra-nationalistic and at times jingoistic responses to the new status quo from either side of the border, there is an urgent need to examine the justifications given by the Indian government for the steps taken and the more obvious reasons for why this was done. The Bharatiya Janata Party led government coalition claims that articles 370 and 35A have resulted in Kashmir becoming a breeding ground for separatism, nepotism and corruption. All of this has led to Kashmir being left behind the nation in terms of development.

Our general assumptions about the state largely fall in line with this government argument. In the popular imagination, Kashmir largely resembles a less intense war zone with regular occurrences of spontaneous or planned violence. The only difference between the imaginaries of populations across the border seems to be about which actor is responsible for the violence: the Indian military or Pakistani supported terrorist militias. However, dear reader, you might be surprised about how developed Jammu and Kashmir actually is. According to census data, the state’s poverty rate stood at 10.35% in 2011-12 compared to the national average of 22%. Bihar, Assam, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat (where Mr. Modi hails from) all had poverty rates higher than Jammu and Kashmir’s. Per capita income in the region is also higher than that of Bihar, Assam and Madhya Pradesh. The state does even better in terms of social indicators. Life expectancy in Kashmir is 73.5 years while the national average is 68.7 years. Kashmir does better than all of the states mentioned earlier in this category. The infant mortality rate in Kashmir is also significantly lower than the national average and is lower than the states mentioned bar Maharashtra. 8.7% of women between the ages of 20 and 24 years were married before the age of 18 years, compared to the national average of 26.8%, according to data from the National Family Health Survey IV. In Bihar, this figure was 42.5%, and in Gujarat 24.9%, data shows. Mr. Amit Shah also alleged in his speech that Kashmiri children were being denied an education because of the state legislature’s decision to not accept the Right to Education Act. However, he failed to mention that children in the state are provided free and compulsory education until Class 8. The gross enrolment ratio in senior secondary schools is also higher than the national average. Jammu and Kashmir has 23 colleges per 100,000 residents which is much better than Bihar’s 7 and Assam’s 14.

Mr. Shah is correct about two things though. The state does have a high government debt burden and fares poorly in attracting private investment. However, both of these are a consequence of the security situation in the region. The state has to borrow capital from the central government because of its huge security expenditure. Private investors are also weary of entering a market that is plagued with violence-induced uncertainties. What is apparent at this point, however, is that Kashmir is not necessarily underdeveloped and even the areas in which it is lagging behind have nothing to do with Article 370 and Article 35A of the constitution. So, what about separatism then? There are many reasons for why separatist tendencies exist in the Kashmiri population. The first and most obvious one, is oppression at the hands of the Indian state. According to Mr. Modi himself, 42000 people have died in the last 3 decades due to violence alone. There are reports of illegal detention, torture and rape at the hands of security forces. I won’t explore this issue further because of precisely how well documented this is. What is relevant is that members of the population resort to violence against the state because of the actions of the state and the unwillingness of the state to change its behaviour and hold criminals operating within it accountable. Pakistani support for violent groups is also a reason for why members of the population become terrorists. Pakistani patronage gives violent dissidents access to resources that they otherwise would not have had. Notice however, that not only do both these broad reasons have nothing to do with both articles of the constitution, they will only be exacerbated further in response to the Indian government’s actions. With most of their political leaders in some form of state-mandated confinement and a crackdown on media, communication services and any form of peaceful organisation, the separatist sentiment in Kashmir will only get worse. This will also increase pressure on the Pakistani government to do something, given how important Kashmir is to Pakistani identity and therefore the Pakistani population and may lead to further support being given to these groups if the states current attempts at taking the issue up at international forums fails.

Why would the Modi government do this then? Jammu and Kashmir has been a focal point for Hindu nationalism ever since Partition. While Jinnah and the Muslim League considered that being a Muslim-majority state it should have been part of Pakistan and that Partition would remain unachieved so long as the whole of Kashmir remained under Indian rule, for the Hindu nationalists the state was inseparably a part of India. The transfer of one more state to Pakistan would make it stronger and India weaker. The Bharatiya Janata Party has a history of opposition to Article 370. In 1953, Syama Prasad Mukherjee, died in a jail in Srinagar where he was detained by the Sheikh Abdullah government for protesting against Kashmir being an autonomous republic within India. A year before his death, Mukherjee was the president of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh – the predecessor of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party. He saw it as a threat to national unity and famously proclaimed, “Ek desh mein do Vidhan, do Pradhan aur Do Nishan nahi challenge.” There is a strong element of territoriality within the ideology of Hindu nationalism and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Hindutva is not only based on ethno-religious categories but also on the belief that India occupies a sacred land whose frontiers matter as much as religion and language. Hence the demand for Akhand Bharat (complete, undivided India), which emerged in the 1950s and which implied that Partition should be undone to restore the natural extension of the sacred land that is Bharat. Such measures inevitably allow the BJP to secure its more hard-line electoral base. These actions will also appease party activists and politicians who lean towards the extreme right. Splitting Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories can be viewed as a unique attempt at gerrymandering to prove electoral outcomes for the BJP. We would be remiss however to exclusively focus on the Hindu right wing as has been the case with most coverage on the issue. Commentators have pointed out that this may also be an attempt by the BJP to divert criticism from India’s lack lustre economic performance. India’s economic growth cooled sharply in the first three months of this year. Gross domestic product increased 5.8 per cent from the same quarter the previous year, down from the 6.6 per cent growth rate recorded in the last quarter of the 2018 calendar year. The Indian economy also faces three huge problems: an ever-increasing population, deteriorating infrastructure and public sector corruption. Therefore, economic growth does not necessarily translate into a better quality of life for the vast majority of Indians. Triggering controversy in Kashmir takes media and public focus away from this difficult conversation and enables the BJP to dominate positive headlines. And yes, most headlines are positive. Comparing the Indian media to the work of Pewdiepie would be a disgrace to Pewdiepie (although he too has given shout outs to fascist organisations). There is also a crackdown on dissenting voices. The founders of NDTV, a channel that has been quite critical of the Modi government were prevented from leaving the country because of a “money-laundering” case. Videos published by the BBC have been called “fake news” by elected officials. As a result, most Indians are currently accessing news that portrays this as a move that was long overdue and will be in the national interest.

We must remember that Kashmiris are the primary stakeholders in this situation. They have been historically discriminated against and oppressed. They have not consented to Article 35A and Article 370 being revoked. They have been denied access to information, which is a fundamental right in any democracy. They have been stripped off their right to protest against this decision by a government that is framing its actions as necessary for the prosperity of these people. What has happened to Kashmiris historically and what is happening to them currently is unjustifiable. No actor has cared about their dignity as human beings, has respected their autonomy or stood up for their right to self-determination. We should all be outraged by what is happening in Kashmir. But we must also remain cognisant of our own shortcomings. Because there are parts in Pakistan where citizens disappear never to be seen again. There are elected representatives of vulnerable communities who have been jailed for simply trying to make things better. There are criminals amongst those responsible for protecting all of us who have not been held responsible for their actions. We must criticise the actions of oppressors, but we must also introspect, lest we have our own version of Kashmir soon.

 

 

 

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Everyone’s a mental health advocate

By Anonymous

Everyone’s a mental health advocate

… Until it’s not an abstract concept anymore.

You vomit positivity on your Facebook page, put the Artidote’s latest post on your Instagram story.

You’re a good person.

Until you’re not. Until you see that girl you heard an unsubstantiated rumour about show up. You whisper a witty comment just within earshot, and your friends erupt in sniggers.

Just a bit of harmless fun.

Until it’s not.

And hey, I’m not blaming you. God knows that I’ve done the same thing countless times. Any distraction from our insecurities is a welcome one, and exploiting someone else’s insecurities achieves that while moving us up a rung on the social ladder.

What else can you expect from a people who are taught to look at the less fortunate, not with compassion, but with relief — at least I’m better off than that guy.

F**k your performative woke-ness. Being aware is useless if action does not follow. You have to hold yourself to higher standards. Your expensive university education means nothing if you graduate without learning to think for yourself. Use that brain that-almost-got-you-into-the-Ivy-League-leken-visa-nahi-aya and engage in some good old-fashioned critical thinking. Your definition of mental illness must extend beyond “Be nice to me when I’m sad, while I continue to be a d**k to everyone around me.”

Next time, when you hear something about someone, maybe try weighing your amusement against a person’s reputation. Next time you have a witty remark up your sleeve, ask yourself: is this truly witty, or am I just using the shock value of saying something offensive to score brownie points with the people who I call my friends?

To be brave in this life does not have to mean dying on battlefields. It can also mean holding on to warmth and compassion in spite of the horrible things that have happened to you. If being kind were easy, everyone would do it. Kindness is a virtue because of how difficult it is in practice. To exist in this world and not be jaded; that is the true challenge.

Be better.

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The friends we once had

Remember your best friend in grade 8? I remember mine. We used to talk on the phone for 8 hours straight till my mom would come out of her room at 6AM and glare at me with hints of disbelief and quite prominent traces of anger in her eyes. It would take a lot of scolding and many threats of being ‘phone-grounded’ from my mom to make me stop talking to my best friend. 7 years later, I don’t even know how she’s doing.

It’s the summer of 2019 and I’m about to enter into my junior year which quite honestly I’m still having a hard time believing. But having one of those early 20s crises most of us are pretty familiar with at this point, I’m wondering where it all went wrong. We all have had friends we used to be close to in junior school or college but are not anymore. Some have fought their way into distance and some have ‘drifted apart’ from people they could hardly imagine their lives without. But somewhere in our heads, when we see photographs of our school plays or when Facebook and Snapchat memories rub it in our noses, we stop and think about what genuinely went wrong. Like an epiphany it hits me: being in my early 20’s means I’m about to graduate and it technically also means that these friends I’ve made in my entire life, they are the ones who will know about all the phases I will never want my work friends to know about, They will know about the crazy haircuts, the emo diary entries, the dramatic junior school break ups and all the shameful playlists and posters we had. They will also be the people who have seen our families struggle and make it to where they are, who have seen us fall in love for the first time, they have encouraged us to follow our dream and apply for that English degree everyone else thinks is useless. They are a part of who we are at this point in our lives and we may find many more friends and acquaintances in life but will they will really only know one half of who we are.

I’m afraid this sounds more dramatic than I intended, but it hits me like a slap in the face and I reach out to all the old friends, afraid of not being able to connect like we did in the past yet taking the risk because if not now, then when? We come out of school, looking forward to college and leave college thrilled about going to a university; amidst all these huge changes what we fail to realize is that somewhere between the transition from uniforms to casual kurtis, we forget about the priceless feeling we got when we made that first best friend in grade 6 and promised it was forever.

PS: It’s not too late to text the friend you haven’t seen in years, the friend you terribly miss when you see a packet of cocomo or a cold drink poured in a plastic bag-‘Kal ho na ho’, my friend (shameless Bollywood reference because it can truly never be irrelevant).

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A new road for Kashmir

By Salar Tarar.

(The views expressed in this article are entirely those of the author and are not necessarily reflective of PLUMS)

Prime Minister Imran Khan, on his tour to the US, marked Kashmir as having the only road to lasting peace in South Asia. Perhaps it is then no coincidence that the BJP juggernaut has hurriedly looked to align Mr. Khan’s road sense – backed by thousands of soldiers and a revoked constitutional provision. Peace will now need a whole lot of infrastructure.

The Indian Government has explicitly chosen destruction and despair over lasting peace.

Banaris Hussain, a cook working in Muzaffarabad, looks increasingly worried as tensions flare up around the Line of Control. His family lives in the small town of Jora right next to the border. The constant shelling from the Indian side has led his family, consisting of three daughters and two small sons, to spend the night outside in an open area far away from home. “There is no way to contact them at the moment,” he says. This sheer anxiety and fear is confronted on a daily basis by many families living on the Pakistani side of the conflict. The recent use of cluster bombs, in direct violation of 2008 Convention on Cluster Munitions, adds further to the lengthy list of atrocities carried out by the Indian side.

What exactly is fueling this new wave of unprecedented violence and infringement of rights against the Kashmiris? Yashwin Sinha, the former finance minister and previously a senior leader of the BJP, has a simple answer: “What the government of India has done with Article 370, and Article 35A, is nothing more than pure politics.” Mr. Sinha believes that the upcoming state elections of Haryana and Mahastra in September/October are playing heavily on Mr. Modi’s mind. There is, however, an alternative answer.
In 1953, Syama Prasad Mookerjee, president of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, died in a jail in Srinagar where he was detained by the Sheikh Abdullah government for protesting against Kashmir being an “autonomous republic within India.” The Bharatiya Jana Sangh is the predecessor of the present day Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Observers argue that Mr. Modi is simply adhering to the underlying ideology of the party that has seen a landslide win in the recent polls. Modi’s campaign speeches were full of several stern warnings hinting firmly about such a radical course of action. While Mr. Modi looks to have enshrined his legacy after completing the BJP’s prophetic mission; he may have, however, permanently stained India’s biggest one liner: The biggest democracy in the world.

Pakistan now faces the throes of a potentially huge political crisis. The demography of the LOC, little known to common outsider, makes the task even harder. As the Indians have strategically fenced the whole border and massively reduced the population levels across the areas directly facing the enemy side; Pakistan has had little space to maneuver. Confined to a single viable main route that crosses directly in-front of many Indian controlled mountains, invaluable human loss is inevitable when confronted with attack. India knows that it can cause persistent loss by carrying a series of surprise attacks every once in a while. Maybe victory can then be attained on another battlefront – one that has to do with diplomacy.

The opposition has quickly rallied behind the government, asking it to immediately take the matter to the UN Security Council. The Pakistani government has started with a robust statement clearly saying that it will “exercise all possible options to counter the illegal steps”. The government must bring its heavyweight allies up to speed with proceedings and use as much diplomatic leverage as possible to squeeze India into a corner of isolation. This might prove to be futile exercise. India’s supreme market outreach and global weight has turned this into a gross mismatch. However, Pakistan buoyed by its recent cordial dealings with the United States, Turkey and Malaysia can certainly transform into a Goliath. In order to achieve such a feat, it must be prepared to answer some tough questions in this quest. What will now happen with Azad Kashmir and Gilgit/Baltistan as India’s new decree comes into practice? Is there a real prospect of war? What really can Pakistan do? One thing is certain though. From now on, Pakistan can only look to construct its own road to peace. As a certain neighbour is determined not to give way.

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Your one stop guide to surviving O Week!

By Arooba Ghayas.

 

Welcome to LUMS!

To all those who had LUMS as their first choice of universities/colleges, congratulations. You made it! I hope you find LUMS to be everything you wished for. And for all those who are coming to LUMS as a secondary/backup option, I genuinely urge you to come with an open mind and heart. You will find the experience to be better than your expectations if you allow yourself to shape it so.

Coming to LUMS, the first and MOST happening event is your Orientation Week. In my personal experience, I had a blast at my O-Week and it was the only thing I would be talking about once I got home. Really, it drove my school friends and family insane! This article will narrate some of my experiences, give some friendly advice, and explain the know-hows at LUMS.

Hostelites, your LUMS journey starts with Day 0 aka Check-in-Day. You receive your smart cards, O-Week parcels, a whole lot of freedom, a little bit of responsibility, and your room keys. It’s going to be so much fun and it begins at this point. Some things that you should keep note of are the following:

  • Triple occupancy is being introduced for the First Years, which means that you have to get along with not one but two roommates (good luck). Hopefully your fate will be kind to you and you will find the best people as your roommates but in case you don’t, RELAX! You don’t have to be friends with your roommates, you only have to learn to be cordial and respectful towards one another. It is advisable to set down some boundaries and ground rules on the very first day to avoid awkward conversations later on. This is important for issues like privacy, how late the light can be on and having friends over. Other than that, just be accepting and accommodating!
  • The rooms DO NOT have an AC, nor can you get it installed. But don’t worry, LUMS has the best sleeping-in-common-rooms culture. So, don’t forget your foldable mattress and be sure to place it in a common room right in time to mark your spot. It might be a bit daunting sleeping in a room with a dozen other people, but you’ll get used to it. Just please, please turn off your alarm as soon as it rings so that others don’t kill you in your sleep.
  • You can install fridges and heaters in your rooms by getting them properly registered. Don’t try to sneak them in because there are unannounced checks by the warden and if you get caught, it means a heavy fine.
  • Each hostel floor has at least one pantry and two communal bathrooms on each side. They are cleaned quite regularly, so no, it’s really not that bad.

Everyone else, O-Week Day 1 is the official start. After the official ceremony is completed, the First Years are introduced to their O-Week coaches and groups. Having been a part of the host team, I assure you all that a lot of time and effort is invested by the O-Week team to make your time memorable. Therefore, I will request you all to give it a fair chance and try to participate in it.

Now I understand that you might already have some friends or relatives who have come to LUMS, but don’t shut down the idea of making new friends, interacting with different people, and slowly stepping out of your comfort zones. My O-Week coach explained the idea and importance of O-Week groups quite interestingly. According to him, each group was a cross-section of the incoming batch, combining students from various academic backgrounds. Therefore, if one was able to interact with one’s O-Week group successfully, he/she would easily adjust in the crowd at LUMS and find familiar faces with ease. That’s why I would insist that you don’t ditch you O-Week group just to hang out with friends you know from before. Spend your time wisely and give yourself the chance to explore, learn, and interact in the environment LUMS provides to you! It will help you immensely in the long run.

Another point that I would really emphasize on is staying out at the khoka. Once you’re in LUMS, you will immediately be acquainted with the space that is considered as the khoka. Your coaches will definitely help you familiarize with the khoka culture but here’s a brief explanation. Open space, round tables, chai, lots of chatter, and rounds of card games. It is THE place to socialize, especially during the first few weeks as everyone is generally more excited and keen on meeting new people. Therefore, don’t hesitate to sit at a random khoka table. Play that round of Mafia. Have that cup of chai with a bunch of people. Sit till past your bed time and watch your friendships grow.

Every O-Week comprises of a bunch of activities, events, or competitions. Yes, there are instances like the Sports Fest or Mind Quest where groups compete with one another. I honestly found such competitions to really strengthen the bond my O-Week group had as we won the Mind Quest hand-in-hand. However, we really need to understand and remember that the purpose behind such activities isn’t finding a winner. The purpose is to provide a platform or situation to the groups to become comfortable enough to come together for a task. Therefore, don’t take the competitions too seriously and focus on having a good time.

Lastly, it is super important to attend and attentively listen to the sessions being held. Very serious issues are highlighted during these sessions which need to be understood by every member of the student body. Moreover, certain guidelines and rules are expressed through these sessions. Understanding of the enrollment system, provision of IST and library services, and proceedings of the Disciplinary Committee are all matters discussed during these sessions. Therefore, it is crucial that you attend these sessions throughout the week.

I genuinely hope that each one of you is successful in making sure you have the best time at O-Week. However, in case you need any help with that you can always try to find me!

 

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Mental Health – a sad state of affairs

 

Cloaked in a black hood, I crept into the darkness searching for a spot that would allow me to drain out the valve of despair seeping the life out my soul. The orchestra of chaos bursting inside my head could no longer silenced by the semblance of normalcy my words expressed.

Until that point, my cheeks had never felt tears stream with sheer intensity. Struggling socially and academically, I had hit rock bottom 7 months into my LUMS journey.

Suddenly, I sensed movement in the corner adjacent to mine. At first, my heart pounded—have I been exposed in a state of extreme vulnerability?

However, a few moments later, a deeper concern struck me: How many other people drowned in the abyss of despair at 3am on a Tuesday?

I clearly wasn’t alone seeking refuge in the dark corners of this prestigious institution.

Adjusting to life in an alien environment can be difficult and the environment at LUMS is far from perfect. A simple visit to the page Help@LUMS will acquaint you with the quantitative severity of mental issues we as a community face.

Apart from the heightened academic competition, a simmering pressure to fit in dominates the social scene. Sitting at the Khokha or having a meal all by yourself can be intimidating. Add social anxiety to the equation and you’ll have trouble finding decent company.

When your bedroom and classroom coexist in the same vicinity, the personal gets entangled with other aspects of your life. Your academic performance might suffer, causing irrevocable damage. Substance abuse is another wormhole you might become susceptible to. This paves the way for mental instability that might linger beyond the duration of your degree.

Despite hailing to be among the most progressive institutions in Pakistan, LUMS fails to prioritize the mental health of its student body.

A mere number of two psychologists cater to the needs of thousands of students. To make matters worse, the repute of these psychologists is embroiled in controversy; several students have complained a breach of confidentiality.

The administration itself is infamous for fostering an apathetic attitude towards the students, viewing individual concerns with a glare of cynicism. This issue was particularly highlighted in the inquiry report drafted after the tragic suicide of a former student.

The report stated, “The Committee repeatedly heard from students how OSA staff, whom students approached during a crisis, treated them without the empathy that the situation called for. The Committee heard examples of students berated after the death of a parent, students being threatened with removal of financial aid, or students chastised for their physical appearances or put down for their class background. While it was beyond the Committee’s ability to triangulate each of these claims, these accounts do fit a pattern of behavior between students and OSA staff that has long been noted by both students and faculty.”

But the aspect that pierces my heart deeply is the veil of stigma shrouding mental health as a serious issue in the minds of the collective majority. During a Psychology at LUMS event, my efforts at raising mental health awareness at the Khokha were met with chuckles of ignorance and derision.

A mountain of change stands in the way of mental health becoming a priority. However, until we begin the arduous process of incorporating long-term solutions into the administrative framework, I believe an impact can be made informally.

Amid the ensuing bleakness, I believe the onus falls on us— ones who have preserved through the turbulence of the early LUMS experience—to help the young freshman and sophomores or anyone still treading in the darkness.

Our help might not be enough or a long-term solution, but I cannot remain passive knowing my fellow colleagues wrestle the same anguish as I did.

So, I urge you to proactively try to make your colleagues feel more inclusive.

I urge you to give advice to that young, shy freshman regarding their aspirations in your society.

Help them correct their technique at the gym.

Strike up a conversation when you spot them at the Khokha.

Sit with them at PDC if they don’t mind company.

Ask them why they have trouble speaking up in class (assuming you are the TA).

 

This obviously doesn’t solve the deeper problem. In the meanwhile, this should not deplete your will to look towards a better future. You would be surprised how often the little things go a long way in making someone feel home.

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You wish you weren’t born a woman

Seven years ago, when my opponent debater quoted ‘ignorance is bliss’ as an attack on our team, I thought it was foolish, because wasn’t knowledge and awareness key to living a meaningful, happy life? Seven years later, I think he was correct, and I was foolish. Ignorance, truly is bliss.

Before you scoff and roll your eyes at me for being a hopeless pessimist, I want to tell you where I come from, and why I think so. I am a woman in Pakistan. Today, as on most days since the past few years, this is the most important identity to me. It is all-encompassing, and truest to my nineteen years of living. However, it is not an easy identity to carry, and comes with a heavy baggage; lustful gazes, domestic violence, sexual harassment and patriarchal norms; to name a few tangible forms. To be a woman is to almost always feel a certain way; not valued, not loved, not human. It is to be wronged repeatedly and to not be able to speak up against it because ‘hamesha se aisay hee hota he’, ‘Allah ne mard ko haq aur ijazat di he’, ‘aurat sabar aur qurbani ka doosra naam he’ and ‘iss ke ilawa kya rasta he?’ Then, to say that I am a woman in Pakistan is to say that I am exhausted; of never being enough.

As recent incidents show, be it a woman’s experience told in the form of tweets and screenshots against a harasser, or pictures of a bruised face against a domestically violent husband, it is never enough. The country sympathetically turns to the man for ‘his side of the story’, and by shedding a few tears, attaching some ‘he never made me feel uncomfortable’ statements, and placing his hands on the Holy Quran as he builds lies, he doesn’t disappoint his fellow men. Spinelessly, he shows that he is drunk in privilege and power, and that he will do whatever it takes to shift the blame. For a day or two, scrolling social media reveals updates on the incident, but as the third day’s sun sets, the country moves on to other important missions such as saving actresses from hellfire by telling them to cover up. On the fourth day, a 6 year old girl is raped and murdered, or a wife is killed for not making a gol roti.

These incidents do not occur in isolation, and should not be treated as such. They are systemic and structural, which means that unless we don’t change the system that produces and sustains men that have been exposed in the #MeToo and #TimesUp movements, gender inequality will not cease to exist. Patriarchy and misogyny is internalized and entrenched to dangerous extents. Hence, the cyclical repetition with no head or tail. People condemn domestic violence on the grounds that hitting a woman is not ‘what real men do’ and I wonder what that term even means, and how a chance to preserve and glorify manhood is never missed. If by ‘real men’, they mean not inhumane, why not just use the word ‘human’ instead? After all, haven’t similar notions such as ‘mard ka bacha ban’ harbored enough toxic masculinity in the country?

My thoughts fall into a spiral and my brain aches. With every passing day, I see more clearly that existing power webs are built upon and thrive on the difference of gender. Man is powerful, and woman is powerless. And being powerless becomes tiring. It pulls you down. You wish you could tune out. You wish you could become ignorant. You wish you could un-see and un-hear injustices that remind you of your traumatic pasts; how your aunts were beaten up till they bled, how your sister was groped and chased after in the streets of Lahore, how your friend was raped at a party, how your mother was forced to let go off her dream job so she could be a better housewife, and how the 8 year old you was molested by a man whose relationship to you was of a close caretaker. But being a woman means you cannot be ignorant to how it feels to be a woman. And you wish it felt better, but it doesn’t. So you lock yourself in your bathroom and cry, and you wish you weren’t born a woman.

 

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Ubaidullah Inquiry Committee Report: Resistance, Reformation and Repentance

(Submitted by Rabia Najm)

I remember the exact moment the Ubaidullah Inquiry Committee Report was released because it has had a lasting impact on the way I view and experience my time at LUMS. I was walking back to my dorm from the sports complex when I got the email. I started reading it as I walked. I wasn’t fully aware of the events leading up to Ubaidullah’s passing so I skimmed down to the Timeline Section and started reading from there. Not more than a couple of paragraphs into it, I had to stop. I had to stop because in that moment I felt incredibly overwhelmed and could feel tears stinging my eyes.

While I can never claim to understand or make sense of Ubaidullah’s individual experience at LUMS, I can say that it hit closer to home than I expected it to. Our circumstances were dissimilar, but the feelings of hopelessness and being lost were a commonality, a commonality that isn’t just restricted to the two of us, but to so many students who pass through university in general.

Going to university is a very destabilizing experience. In most circumstances you have to live away from home, or learn to be independent. You have to settle into a new environment and adapt to completely different social settings. Academic stress can be crippling especially when it is accompanied by other problems such as financial or family issues. Getting used to all of this is incredibly hard, and even more so when there is no support from the institutions that should be offering it.

As a first year student, I was going through the debilitating process of learning to handle all of these problems, and in that situation to read the Inquiry Committee Report and realize that I would be getting no help or support from the institution that was supposed to be my ‘home’ for the next four years, was terribly scary. Looking at what Ubaidullah went through at LUMS made me realize that this could be me, this could be my friends, this could be anyone at LUMS and there would be no mechanism in place to prevent such a tragedy from happening again.

In desperation I scrolled through the Summary of Recommendations in the report, searching for anything that would give me some sort of hope that my peers and I weren’t alone in this anymore. And it seemed as if my hopes weren’t unfounded; there was an acceptance of institutional failings on part of the committee, a commitment to reforming how certain bodies like the Disciplinary Committee operated and a positive change in how student welfare and autonomy were perceived.

However, despite the fact that the recommendations in the report were received positively by the student body and many members of the faculty, they came to nothing because the report itself was rejected by certain higher ups in the administrative body. As it is with things like these, despite the best efforts of the people involved in the establishment of the Inquiry Committee and the report, the outrage around this tragic incident fizzled out, and Ubaidullah’s batch mates along with other concerned seniors graduated.

Towards the end of Spring 2017-18, the semester in which the report was released, a small group of students made another effort to address some of the issues highlighted in the report by writing a letter to the VC. While no official response was given to this letter, it did garner a lot of support from the LUMS student body in the form of ‘likes on LDF’ and ‘dropping down of roll numbers’, something Luminites are particularly talented at. In the following academic year, Fall 2018-2019, all attempts to reignite conversation on the ‘Letter to the VC’, and the Ubaidullah Committee Report were met with a lukewarm to non-existent response, except the usual LDF activism.

The lack of support and commitment from the student body to the implementation of the proposed reforms is rather puzzling, keeping in mind the sort of events that have unfolded on campus this year. Case in point is how the culture of surveillance and authoritarianism on campus has intensified this past academic year; from the way the M2 issue was handled to how guards with flashlights were stationed in the free parking lot. It is not to say that there hasn’t been any resistance to these policies; however the problem remains that often this resistance is sporadic, reactionary and non-constructive. It does not target the root cause of the problem which may be something like the amount of power a certain individual or office has in the administration, rather it will only target the administrative response in that particular event. While in that moment the huge backlash from the student body may payoff through a revoking of the policy, it has no impact on changing the administrative structure and mindsets behind it, and sooner or later in a similar situation, the same sort of policy is enforced again.

It is great that there was a big enough outcry against the free parking policy for it to be amended, are we going to talk about the fact that this policy is an off-shoot of the increased surveillance culture on campus? This increased surveillance has manifested itself in innocent students being harassed by guards for, smoking in certain places, being warned that they are being ‘observed’ and having their privacy breached by having their rooms broken into or entered without permission. The point here is simple, for there to be constructive long term change in administrative attitudes, our resistance needs to be well thought out and better organized. It cannot be a one- off event in which the students get angry, protest and hope for a response from the powers that be. We need to mobilize the student body to pressure the administration into accepting reforms  aimed at structural changes such as the ones proposed in the Letter to the VC and Inquiry Committee Report.

It cannot be stressed enough how important it is for positive changes like these to be adopted into the administrative structure at LUMS. The type of hostile and unsafe environment that increased campus surveillance has created is terrible for the mental and emotional wellbeing of students especially for those who live on campus, and have no choice but to see it as their home. The insensitivity and callousness with which OSA handles student concerns also has the same impact on student welfare and can lead to increased alienation and feelings of helplessness in students who are already struggling. In a university setting where things like cut throat competition, academic challenges already take a huge toll on student welfare, it is imperative that the structures that should provide support be properly reformed and equipped to carry out their duties.

Events leading up to Ubaidullah’s untimely passing are a painful reminder that LUMS failed as an institution to help a student who desperately needed some show of empathy. The Ubaidullah Inquiry Committee Report has had a defining impact on my time at LUMS because it made me realize that there are other students in LUMS who struggled like me, and some of them were not lucky enough to find the type of informal support networks that I did. No one deserves to feel so lost and directionless that everyday functioning becomes hard, and life becomes a bit less livable to the point that it leads to a spiral that is impossible to pull up from. Our failure as a community played a role in the mental anguish that Ubaidullah Lodhi went through; we owe it to him to make sure it doesn’t happen again to any other student.