It is rather sad that a bunch of suddenly awakened evangelists are choking the airwaves and slandering someone without a single one of them having any clue of the facts...please forward to all these concerned folks top meet your basic religious and moral obligations. It is something I wrote to one apparently mature individual.<br />
Thanks<br />
<b> <br />
Wasif M. Khan<br />
Professor of Management<br />
Forman Christian College<br />
Lahore<br />
</b><br />
----- Text of original mail starts ------<br />
Yours is not the only mail to have swept across the country and more in the wake of this colossal tragedy. However, your title at a reputable organization suggests that you may be more mature than the average joe (including many of my ex-students at LUMS) who seem to have nothing better than do than indulge in wanton character assassination totally oblivious of even the most basic requirements of our faith and of basic decency.<br />
<br />
I can vouch that not a single one of the reckless mailers have ever botherd to visit the scene of the accident to at least give themselves some chance to visualise that it is well nigh impossible for anyone, even half-mad to race a car there. The particular crossing where this terrible tragedy occured is just designed for accidents to occur, which they do with alarming frequency. Each morning as I drive past that crossing I am appalled at the drivers sneaking into the two lanes of fast oncoming traffic. I do think that everyone driving past that point is breaking some driving law or another, but the fact remains that the right of way belongs to the main road traffic.<br />
<br />
Its a sad country though, where laws have absolutely no value. Those who exceed speed limits (where posted) cetainly break the law but those who insist on carrying babies and toddlers in their arms, sometimes even in the driver's seats commit something much worse; pure contempt for the joy Allah has blessed them with. No one can claim to be unaffected by the little one's demise whether we have our own kids or do not, but the basic fact remains that it was an accident. The only real problem of course is that<br />
the driver of one of the cars happened to drive a Porsche. Please note my use of the word 'drive' as opposed to what the immoral and irresponsible press of this land of the pure chooses to call 'race'. The press which sadly for all of us includes some inveterate and shameless blackmailers obviously cannot imagine or tolerate anyone driving a Porsche. Neither can the many yuppies safely ensconced in their cocoons of greed lining<br />
Karachi and Lahore's corporate boulevards.<br />
<br />
Many of the heartless sources who went on an email and sms rampage are my ex-students. I can safely say that not a single one of them has everdone anything that would remotely suggest that they had a heart or any compassion for the less endowed. The do all however want Porsches and even Sadequains, illiterate about art as they may be!<br />
<br />
The facts will be clear if anyone bothers to use a shred of intelligence but the one big mistake that young man driving the Porsche made was to go to the hospital along with his ailing father, who is one of the most compassionate souls I know. Their decency to atone for an unimaginable tragedy landed them with false accusations and there appear to be<br />
enough mudrakers for now to make sure the family of the kid cannot even grieve in<br />
privacy and peace. As a nation all these 'trial by key punch' cheetahs are having their fun almost like the thousands of Lahoris who throng the Ravi Bridge to watch dead bodies and homes go murkily by when that river does come into high flood!<br />
<br />
I'm saddened by the loss of one so young but I am also deeply saddened by what so-called educated people are doing. It is no better than what happened to blacks when they were lynched by whites in the deep South of the USA simply because they were black. Faisal Farooq is being lynched by a thoughtless and mostly immoral media; the fact that many young people are joining the fray without the slightest thought for the facts surely<br />
augurs terribly for our country.<br />
<br />
May I suggest that much as it wasn't his fault, all of us, including the happy lynchers pause, think, and ask Faisal to donate a TCF (THe Citizens Foundation) school in the deceased baby's memory. For Rs 5 million he will earn both 'deen' and 'duniya'. Though nothing will bring the baby back, the parents may also feel a sense of peace at knowing that their kid's memory is giving so many other kids a chance in this sad, brutal land.<br />
One basic fact I did not stress: the gent DOES NOT DRINK AT ALL. There<br />
were also at least FOUR eye witnesses who can vouch that there WAS NO RACE<br />
WHATSOEVER and I can vouch that the gent has an 18 year safe driving<br />
record. Thanks<br />
<br />
I trust you will at least find it fair and responsible to circulate this mail to as many of your friends who so eagerly wrote to you and others destroying the reputation of a young man who has much to offer this society.<br />
<br />
Wasif M. Khan<br />
Professor of Management<br />
Forman Christian College<br />
Lahore<br />
<br />
<br />
------------ --------- -<br />
<br />
I have seen that porsche (LWJ700) four times, twice by the signal of cavalry bridge (first signal i stop by when I leave my home), once on MM Alam Road and once on Walton Road, during the period of last one month. The reason I remember it is because I overtook this car twice, not that I was driving fast but cuz the car was going a bit slow as compared to the rest of traffic. My brother in law visiting from Abu Dhabi complimented<br />
that car (second encounter at cavalry signal), so I remember it crystal clearly. I don't know how fast was he driving or whose fault was it at the time of accident, however I did have an impression of him as a safe driver during my encounters.<br />
<br />
Hammad 30-A<br />
------------ --------- -----
Thanks<br />
<b> <br />
Wasif M. Khan<br />
Professor of Management<br />
Forman Christian College<br />
Lahore<br />
</b><br />
----- Text of original mail starts ------<br />
Yours is not the only mail to have swept across the country and more in the wake of this colossal tragedy. However, your title at a reputable organization suggests that you may be more mature than the average joe (including many of my ex-students at LUMS) who seem to have nothing better than do than indulge in wanton character assassination totally oblivious of even the most basic requirements of our faith and of basic decency.<br />
<br />
I can vouch that not a single one of the reckless mailers have ever botherd to visit the scene of the accident to at least give themselves some chance to visualise that it is well nigh impossible for anyone, even half-mad to race a car there. The particular crossing where this terrible tragedy occured is just designed for accidents to occur, which they do with alarming frequency. Each morning as I drive past that crossing I am appalled at the drivers sneaking into the two lanes of fast oncoming traffic. I do think that everyone driving past that point is breaking some driving law or another, but the fact remains that the right of way belongs to the main road traffic.<br />
<br />
Its a sad country though, where laws have absolutely no value. Those who exceed speed limits (where posted) cetainly break the law but those who insist on carrying babies and toddlers in their arms, sometimes even in the driver's seats commit something much worse; pure contempt for the joy Allah has blessed them with. No one can claim to be unaffected by the little one's demise whether we have our own kids or do not, but the basic fact remains that it was an accident. The only real problem of course is that<br />
the driver of one of the cars happened to drive a Porsche. Please note my use of the word 'drive' as opposed to what the immoral and irresponsible press of this land of the pure chooses to call 'race'. The press which sadly for all of us includes some inveterate and shameless blackmailers obviously cannot imagine or tolerate anyone driving a Porsche. Neither can the many yuppies safely ensconced in their cocoons of greed lining<br />
Karachi and Lahore's corporate boulevards.<br />
<br />
Many of the heartless sources who went on an email and sms rampage are my ex-students. I can safely say that not a single one of them has everdone anything that would remotely suggest that they had a heart or any compassion for the less endowed. The do all however want Porsches and even Sadequains, illiterate about art as they may be!<br />
<br />
The facts will be clear if anyone bothers to use a shred of intelligence but the one big mistake that young man driving the Porsche made was to go to the hospital along with his ailing father, who is one of the most compassionate souls I know. Their decency to atone for an unimaginable tragedy landed them with false accusations and there appear to be<br />
enough mudrakers for now to make sure the family of the kid cannot even grieve in<br />
privacy and peace. As a nation all these 'trial by key punch' cheetahs are having their fun almost like the thousands of Lahoris who throng the Ravi Bridge to watch dead bodies and homes go murkily by when that river does come into high flood!<br />
<br />
I'm saddened by the loss of one so young but I am also deeply saddened by what so-called educated people are doing. It is no better than what happened to blacks when they were lynched by whites in the deep South of the USA simply because they were black. Faisal Farooq is being lynched by a thoughtless and mostly immoral media; the fact that many young people are joining the fray without the slightest thought for the facts surely<br />
augurs terribly for our country.<br />
<br />
May I suggest that much as it wasn't his fault, all of us, including the happy lynchers pause, think, and ask Faisal to donate a TCF (THe Citizens Foundation) school in the deceased baby's memory. For Rs 5 million he will earn both 'deen' and 'duniya'. Though nothing will bring the baby back, the parents may also feel a sense of peace at knowing that their kid's memory is giving so many other kids a chance in this sad, brutal land.<br />
One basic fact I did not stress: the gent DOES NOT DRINK AT ALL. There<br />
were also at least FOUR eye witnesses who can vouch that there WAS NO RACE<br />
WHATSOEVER and I can vouch that the gent has an 18 year safe driving<br />
record. Thanks<br />
<br />
I trust you will at least find it fair and responsible to circulate this mail to as many of your friends who so eagerly wrote to you and others destroying the reputation of a young man who has much to offer this society.<br />
<br />
Wasif M. Khan<br />
Professor of Management<br />
Forman Christian College<br />
Lahore<br />
<br />
<br />
------------ --------- -<br />
<br />
I have seen that porsche (LWJ700) four times, twice by the signal of cavalry bridge (first signal i stop by when I leave my home), once on MM Alam Road and once on Walton Road, during the period of last one month. The reason I remember it is because I overtook this car twice, not that I was driving fast but cuz the car was going a bit slow as compared to the rest of traffic. My brother in law visiting from Abu Dhabi complimented<br />
that car (second encounter at cavalry signal), so I remember it crystal clearly. I don't know how fast was he driving or whose fault was it at the time of accident, however I did have an impression of him as a safe driver during my encounters.<br />
<br />
Hammad 30-A<br />
------------ --------- -----