Essays by Shamsher Seelro

i
Preface
This book is a little effort to discuss different aspects of essay in detail and with
relevant examples from sample essays. But the key purpose to write this book is to
address the issues faced by students while writing an essay. For example “what
makes an introduction poor” or “what to avoid in paragraph” and many other issues
discussed in this book are actually the most common mistakes made by students
while writing essay. This book can also be helpful to students for self-evaluation of
their written essays.
ii
Acknowledgment
I would like to express my thanks of gratitude to my students:
Mahrukh Sheikh
Arun Khatwani
Fahad Rasheed
Mohsin Mahesar
Adil Chandio
Sharjeel Mangi
Imran Channa
Hassan Adeel
Abdullah Shaikh
and all of my students
Very special thanks to

Tanveer Ahmed Khattak (47th CTP PAS)
Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

iii
Dedicated to
My dearest friend
Abdul Nabi Soomro
Deputy Commissioner (IRS)
Who has supported me in my rainy days; stood with me through thick and thin.

iv
Table of Contents
Part –I
Fundamentals of Essay Writing
What is essay writing?
What is essay? 1
What is writing? 1
Structure of essay 1
Methods of discourse 3
Types of essays 4
How to Plan and organize essay

Free essay and planned essay 6
How to understand topic 6
Methods of brainstorming 8
Methods of organizing essay 11
Types of outlines 13
Problems of Introduction
What is introduction? 15
What is thesis statement? 15
Features of thesis statement 15
Strong thesis statement and weak thesis statement 16
Position of thesis statement 18
Functions of introduction 20
What makes an introduction “poor?” 21
Qualities of good introduction 23
What to avoid in an introduction 23
v
How to start a strong introduction? 23

Methods to develop introduction 26
Problems of main body

What is paragraph? 30
Structure of paragraph 30
What is topic sentence? 30
Purpose of a topic sentence 31
Strong topic sentence and weak topic sentence 31
Position of topic sentence 34
What is supporting evidence? 36
How to use supporting evidence? 37
Types of supporting evidence 37
Concluding sentence 40
Functions of concluding sentence 40
Paragraph Connectivity and Coherence 41
Methods of Connectivity 41
Weak paragraph and strong paragraph 48

What to avoid in paragraph 53
How to write strong conclusion

What is conclusion? 55
Methods of writing final thought 56
What to avoid in Conclusion 57

vi
Effective Writing 58
Basic word order
Active and passive sentences
Statement in positive form
How to use appositives?
How to avoid double negatives?
Usage of definite and concrete words
How to use parallel structure?
How to avoid dangling and misplaced modifiers?
How to use spelling correctly?
Difference between formal and informal words
What to use? Fancy words or plan words?
How to use figures of speech?
How to use foreign words?
Run-on sentences
How to avoid being monotonous?
Six principles of concision
How to avoid wordy phrases
How to avoid redundant phrases

vii
Part – II
Sample Essays
Status of women in Pakistan 68

Are modern wars not holy wars 74
Modernity is an unending project 79
Is colonial mentality impeding Pakistan’s progress? 86
Punctuality is virtue of bored 93
Democracy and illiteracy do not move together 98
Urdu literature and Progressive movement 104
Informal economy of Pakistan: way forward 111
Is Pakistan ready for digital revolution? 120
Do we really need literature in our lives? 129

Part –I
Fundamentals of Essay Writing
1
What is Essay Writing?
What is essay?
Essay has many definitions which we will discuss further in the course. It is a formal
piece of writing that presents writer's own ideas on a topic. Essay has a beginning,
middle and an end. Essay writing is based on developed academic skills. For that
purpose, you are required to:
1. Prepare a particular topic in great detail
2. Consider the academic debates on the subject;
3. While reading any topic develop your own views about that topic.
What is writing?
“Writing is thinking” Nigel Warburton
Robert Frost famous English poet, said “to learn to write is to learn to have ideas”.
For good writing, you should devote a good time on thinking and reading about
various issues before examination.
When we write, our thoughts are being recorded on the paper that’s why writing is
also known as “documentation of thoughts”. By documenting our thoughts on the
paper we can read them later. On other hand if we don’t write those thoughts we will
be unable to say that what we were thinking at that particular time.
Writing is also considered as a tool to organise our thoughts clearly.
Structure of Essay:
There are three main parts of an essay:
1. Introduction
2. Main Body
3. Conclusion
2
1. Introduction:
The first paragraph of an essay is introduction. Introduction explores the essay
question or topic. Introduction has two parts; a thesis statement and a general
statement (Will be discussed in chapter on introduction)
2. Main Body:
In main body you break your main ideas into different paragraphs and develop your
arguments. These paragraphs have a logical sequence. Every paragraph of main body
has three parts:
1) Topic Sentence
2) Supporting Evidences
3) Concluding sentences*
(*Concluding sentences for body paragraphs in an essay are not always necessary,
especially when the ideas in consecutive paragraphs are closely related)
3. Conclusion:
The conclusion is a summary or review of the main points discussed in the body.
Conclusion does not provide any new information.

3
Methods of Discourse:
In competitive examinations the examiner usually asks to use different methods of
discourse in your essay. Here is brief introduction about these methods of discourse.
1. Exposition
In exposition, the writer provides information about topic and explains a particular
subject. Patterns of development within exposition include analyzing causes and
effects, comparing or contrasting, defining a term or concept. Main purpose of
exposition is to clarify. Here are few types of exposition commonly used:
• Cause effect remedy
• Comparison or contrast
• Definition
2. Argumentation
Another method of discourse is argument. The purpose of argument is to convince
through logic. An argument is based on a belief or opinion that the writer holds as
true. The statement of this opinion is called a "thesis." It is usually presented
explicitly near the beginning of the argument.
3. Description
Description tells what things are like according to the five senses. A descriptive
essay, or a descriptive passage in a story, tells how things look, sound, feel, taste, and
smell. Nouns and adjectives can show what a person, place, or thing are like in their
material aspects. But description often tries to do more than to enable readers to
visualize characters, settings, and actions. It may also try to evoke a mood or
atmosphere, and this is aided by the use of simile and metaphor.
4. Narration
Narration is story telling. It involves relating a series of events, usually in a
chronological order. Examples of narration include:
• Anecdote
• Autobiography
• Biography
• Novel
• Oral history
• Short story
• Travel literature
4
Comparison of different methods of discourse
Method of Discourse Appeal Questions Addressed

Exposition Understanding What is it, What does it mean, How
does it work, What is its importance,
What issue is involved
Argumentation Reason, Rationality Why should I believe, What prove do
you have
Description Senses How does it look like, what are its
types/kind
Narration Emotions, What happened,
Imagination How did it happen
Types of Essays
Here are the main types of essays. From these types of essays only expository and
argumentative essays appear in competitive exams. Narrative and descriptive essays
do not appear competitive exams but narration and description as methods of
discourse can be used in paragraphs
1. Expository Essay
1.1. Definition Essays
A definition essay gives the meaning of a word, term or concept and further
elaborates it to clarify the subject.
Examples:
Existentialism, Global Warming, Humanism, Progressive movement in Urdu
literature
1.2. Problem-Solution or Cause-Effect-Remedy Essay
Cause and effect essays are concerned with why things happen (causes), what
happens as a result (effects) and how to solve the issue. Cause and effect is a
common method of organizing and discussing ideas.
Examples:
Energy Crisis in Pakistan, Informal Economy of Pakistan: The way forward,
Growing Islamophobia, Terrorism and ways to counter it

5
1.3. Compare and Contrast Essay

A compare-and-contrast essay analyzes two subjects by either comparing
them, contrasting them, or both. The purpose of writing a comparison or
contrast essay is not to state the obvious but rather to illuminate subtle
differences or unexpected similarities between two subjects.
Examples:
Aren’t modern wars holy wars?, Country life is better than city life?,
Democracy and Dictatorship
2. Argumentative Essay
An argumentative paragraph is used when you are arguing for or against a
claim or when you are trying to persuade someone to agree with you.
Examples:
Do we really need literature in our lives?, Punctuality is virtue of bored, When
life throws lemons make lemonades, Frailty thy name is woman
3. Narrative Essay
1. A narrative essay tells a story
2. It can be either fictional or real-life.
3. The more “real” it is for you, the better you will tell it. (Sometimes our
imagination is more real to us than our daily lives.)
4. Descriptive Essay
1. A descriptive essay paints a picture with words…
2. It appeals to the senses: sight, hearing, taste, touch and smell.

6
How to Plan and Organize Essay

Observations of Examiners on Performance of Candidates in CE-2016 published by
FPSC on essay writing states: “Ideas presented (by candidates in essay paper)
were random”.
This statement shows how badly the randomness of thoughts can affect an essay. The
only way to overcome this randomness is to plan and organize an essay properly. A
candidate’s ideas are random when his thoughts are not clear and he is in haste to fill
pages with information. To overcome haste and to make ideas clear take time to plan,
organize and understand the question.
Free Essay and Planned Essay

There are two methods to write any essay: Free essay and planned essay.
1. Free Essay:
Free essay writing is a method used mostly by professional writers. By this method
writer directly writes whatever comes to his mind. Normally this method is used to
write informal writings. But for essay writing it is good to follow the planned method
of essay writing
2. Planned Essay:
Planned method of essay writing helps a writer to organize and make a clear
structure of his essay before writing on the topic. Planning and organizing an essay is
skill which could be mastered easily and it is most supporting method to write essay
for competitive examination.
How to understand the Topic?

Process of planning and organization of an essay starts from understanding the topic
of the essay. In order to understand the topic, we have different methods which are
discussed below
1. Ask Questions:
Asking questions allows you to get idea: what is being asked in the topic. Questions
generate ideas which give the direction to your essay. These questions also give idea
that what to write in introduction and body paragraphs because your essay is answer
to these questions implied in the topic.

7
Topic: Illiteracy is a curse

Question: How/Why Illiteracy is a curse?
Topic: Colonial Mentality is impeding Pakistan’s progress
Questions:
What is colonialism?
What is Colonial Mentality?
How it has affected Pakistan’s Progress?
Topic: Islamophobia in the West: Cause & Consequences

Questions:
What is Islamophobia?
How I know that there is Islamophobia in Western countries?
How did it develop?
What are its causes?
How badly it has affected Muslim world?
2. Interpreting connotative words & statements:

Interpretations allow you to answer: what does it mean? Most of the essay topics
based on quotations contain words having connotative meaning. Connotative words
signify an associative or secondary meaning in addition to the primary meaning.
Connotative words are prone to interpretations rather than plain dictionary meaning.
In this way interpretations broaden the key concepts of an essay topic.
2.1 Interpreting key words
Topic: punctuality is virtue of bored
Connotative word: Bored
Interpretation:
Bored person means one who spends routine life
Bored person means one who lives calculated life
Bored person means one who lacks creativity
8
Bored person means one who follows orders and is unable to lead
2.1 Interpreting complete statement
Topic: When life gives you lemons, make lemonade
Interpretation: Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life; making lemonade is
turning them into something positive or desirable.
Topic: Action speaks louder than words
Interpretation: People’s/ Nation’s behavior is judged by what they do, not by what
they say
Methods of Brain Storming:

“First rule to write an essay is: don’t write” Cleanth Brooks (Modern Rhetoric)
Process of essay writing starts from thinking. Brainstorming is the process of free
thinking and generating ideas. Allow yourself to write down everything that comes
into your mind. It may seem nonsense, but you may see the relevance later. Once
you have a sheet full of ideas, begin to put them in some sort of order for your essay.
This is the beginning of work on your essay plan. Work out which things can go in
the body of the text and how the different ideas relate to one another.
1. Break key words/ideas into parts and parts into further parts
The ‘key words’ in an essay question allow you to identify what you are supposed to
write about
Topic: Emerging power of Social Media: Prospects and Problems
Dividing key words into parts:
Key Word: Social Media
Parts: YouTube, Facebook, Whatsapp, Google, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok, Snapchat,
Skype, Quora etc.
1.1 Dividing parts into further parts
Part: YouTube
Parts of part: Movies, Songs, Video lectures, Vlogs, Pranks, Dramas, News,
Documentaries, Vines etc.
Whole Parts
Parts Parts of Parts

9
2. Use the 5 Ws and the H:

Take notes about your topic, focusing on: who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Composing these notes will allow you to give hints which will help write on your
topic.
Who
• Who is involved?
• Who is affected?
• Who will benefit?
• Who will be harmed?
What
• What is your topic narrowed down in a simple phrase/sentence?
• What does your topic involve? (i.e. What are the different parts to it?)
• What is it similar to / different from?
• What might be affected/changed by your topic?
When
• When does this take place? When did this take place? When will it take place?
When should this take place?
• Does when this takes place affect the topic?
Where
• Where does this take place? (Where did it …. Where will it … Where should
it ….?)
• Does it matter where it takes place? Is it affected by location?
Why
• Why is this topic important? Why does it matter?
• Why do certain things happen? (What are some causes and effects within the
topic?

10
3. Listing
Listing is a brainstorming technique it means listing possible topics and subtopics on
which you could write. Listing can help overcome psychological barriers (writer’s
block) which restrict a writer to write. Listing can lead to initial development of a
topic.
Example
Topic: Many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears (2018)
Question: what dreams people have?
Listing:
Dreams of becoming philosopher
Dream of becoming scientist
Dream of becoming musician
Dream of becoming painter
Dream of becoming sportsman
Question: What fears they have?

Listing:
Fear of failure
Fear of rejection
Fear of time
Fear of criticism
Fear of bad consequences
Fear of insult etc.
4. Mind Mapping:
Drawing a mind map involves gathering in all your ideas about a particular concept
and organising them into a pattern that shows the relationships between the ideas.
Mind maps let you see the big picture of a topic as well as the details that make up
the picture.

11
• Write the key words of essay and write information you have about the key term.
Create web of information
• Draw smaller arms out from the main arms and write the sub-points that relate to
each main point.
• Continue with smaller arms if you have other points or examples for the sub-points.
Methods of Organizing Essay

Planning on a method of organizing your essay will help you determine how to write
it. A clear thesis will give your essay purpose and direction, but choosing a pattern of
organization before you write essay will ensure that every part of your essay works
to support and develop that thesis. Ideas generated through brain storming may be
random in fashion, but a reader (who as a different perspective, background, and
ideas) needs the formality of organization to help him/her put all of your ideas
together into a coherent pattern. So organizing before you write gives your ideas a
structure that you can follow as you develop your draft; it allows you to articulate,
analyze, and clarify your thoughts. It will also allow your readers to follow the same
line of thinking too. What's more, if you plan the structure for your essay before you
begin to search for supporting evidence, you will be able to conduct a more effective
and directed search. Thus, deciding on a tentative plan of organization before you
write can actually help you write the whole essay.

12
1. Time (Chronological) Order:

Chronological order divides the parts of essay into major stages of time. In this way
you can organize your thoughts in order of past to present or present to past. Most of
the history books are organized in chronological order. (For details see essay:
Modernity is an unending project in which paragraphs are organized and essay
develops in chronological order.)
2. Classification
Classification divides the thoughts into major categories such as social, economic,
political, cultural, legal, etc. Analogy can be drawn from books in libraries which are
arranged on the basis classification such as books on history, books on politics,
books on economics etc. ( For further detail see essay: Status of Women in Pakistan
in which paragraphs are organized in order of categories.
3. Cause-Effect-Remedy/ Problem-Solution Order
Cause-Effect-Remedy method is used in problematic essays in which you have to
diagnose the causes of an issue and finally resolve the issue by suggesting way
forward. Energy crisis in Pakistan, Pakistan’s Informal Economy, these are some
examples of problematic essays. (For details see essay: Informal Economy of
Pakistan)
4. Compare-Contrast Order
This method involves lining up related ideas for a detailed account of similarities and
differences. In this kind of essay it is important to decide whether you will be
concentrating on similarities or differences. In general, the more similar things are,
the more you concentrate on the differences, and vice versa. ( For details see essay:
Are modern wars not holy wars ?)
5. Emphatic order
Order of Increasing or Decreasing Importance/ Impact
In this method paragraphs are arranged so that the most important supporting
paragraphs come first and least important paragraphs come last. Writers sometimes
choose to present the evidence in increasing order of importance, placing the least
important paragraph first and finishing with the most important paragraph. (For
details see essay: Do we really need literature in our lives. In this essay paragraphs
are arranged in most important to least important issues)

13
6. Mixed Pattern of Organization

Although one of the methods above will most likely serve as your major
organizational method, you may also choose a combination of these methods for
your essay. For example, while the essay as a whole might have its evidence
arranged in decreasing order of importance, you might still use comparisons, causes,
classification, or chronology too within individual paragraphs of the essay's body.
These methods of organization apply both to the essay as a whole and to individual
paragraph as well.
Types of outlines
There are two main types of outlines: Topic and Sentence outlines. A topic outline
lists words or phrases. A sentence outline lists complete sentences.
1. Sentence outline:
Topic: Do we really need literature in our lives?
Outlines:
Introduction
Thesis statement: In today’s turbulent age we need literature more than ever before.
1. Literature educates us in the age of entertainment
2. Literature helps us know the in-depth reality of life in today’s superficial
society
3. Literature tells us the actual purpose of life in the age of greed
4. Literature is a source of spiritual satisfaction in today’s material world
5. Literature keeps our feelings alive in today’s artificial world
6. Literature is source of understanding the true nature of a society
7. Literature is source of creative self-expression amidst non-aesthetic
information
8. Literature presents real picture of past against biased history
Conclusion

14
2. Topic outline:
Outlines:
Introduction:
Causes:
a) Corruption
b) Trust deficit
c) High tax rates
d) Loopholes in tax laws
e) Amnesty schemes
f) Illiteracy and complex system of taxation
g) Mafias in informal sector
h) Religious bent of mind
Impacts:
a) Revenue Loss
b) Dependency on foreign loans
c) Tax burden on formal sector
d) Burden of indirect taxes
e) Money laundering
Way forward:
a) Corruption eradication measures
b) Regular audit of bureaucrats and politicians
c) Training of tax officers d) Broadening of tax net
e) Ban on Amnesty schemes f) Documentation of economy
g) Promotion of e-commerce h) Digital identity cards
i) Tax awareness measures
Conclusion

15
Problems of Introduction
“Most important part of every task is the beginning of it”
Plato: Republic, Book II
What is Introduction?
The first paragraph of an essay is introduction. Introduction explores the essay
question or topic. The main purpose of introduction is that it tells: why I am writing
this essay. Introduction also gives brief account of the main claims against which you
have to give supporting evidences in main body. In other words it tells: what to
expect in main body of the essay. Introduction, of all parts of essay, needs the most
careful consideration. Main feature of an introduction is thesis statement.
What is thesis statement?

Thesis statement is the sentence that tells the main idea of the whole essay. It allows
the reader to make predictions about the essay.
Topic + opinion = thesis
Features of Thesis Statement

1. Thesis statement states essay’s main idea
Topic: Status of Women in Pakistan
Thesis Statement: Status of women in Pakistan is poor
(Now all the paragraphs will address the question that how status of women in
Pakistan is poor. See complete essay)
2. Thesis statement gives direction to your essay:
Topic: Science and religion
Thesis statement 1: Science and religion support each other
Thesis statement 2: Science and religion are opposite to each other
Thesis statement 3: Science fulfils material needs and religion provides spiritual
satisfaction

16
(These three thesis statements show three different perspectives on same topic. It is
thesis statement which decides your direction.)
3. Thesis statement is the direct answer to the question implied in the topic
(topic question) for example:
Topic: Future of democracy in Pakistan
Topic Question: What is the future democracy in Pakistan?
Thesis statement: Future of democracy in Pakistan is bright
Strong Thesis Statement and Weak Thesis Statement

1. A good thesis statement should be short and simple:
Example:
Thesis statement: One cannot be enlightened and illiterate at the same time. Illiteracy
and education are opposite to each other. There is no denying the fact that illiteracy
is a curse. (Complicated and vague thesis)
Thesis statement: Illiteracy is a curse because it impedes progress of a nation ( Short
and simple thesis)
Topic: Kashmir cause and Pakistan
Thesis Statement: The Indian occupied Kashmir has been blazing with Indian
atrocities for more than one year, which has blatantly impacted the lives of innocent
people of the occupied valley. Although Pakistan has been leaving no stone unturned
to end the sufferings of Kashmiris, yet it can do for them by taking pragmatic foreign
policy measures. (Too long thesis)
Thesis statement: Indian atrocities in Kashmir have disturbed global peace which
needs to be addressed. (Short and simple)

17
2. A good thesis is neither too broad nor too narrow

Example:
Topic: City life is better than country life
Thesis: City life is better than country life in every way. (Too broad)
Thesis: City life is better than country life due to better infrastructure. (Too narrow)
Thesis: City life is better than country life because of many facilities in large cities.
(Balanced Thesis)
3. A good thesis is critical in nature
A non-critical writer sees things in black and white, for him either things are bad or
good. He is unable to see the issues hidden in the topic
Topic: Is Pakistan ready for Digital Revolution
Thesis: Yes, Pakistan is ready for digital revolution (non-critical)
Thesis: No, Pakistan is not ready for digital revolution (non-critical)
Thesis: Pakistan has to overcome number of issues in order to become a digital
society.(Critical thesis statement)
Topic: Gender equality is a myth

Thesis statement: Yes, gender equality is a myth (Plain agreement)
Thesis statement: No, gender equality is not a myth (Plain disagreement)
Thesis statement: Gender equality will remain a myth in Pakistan until women is not
empowered. (Conditional agreement)
4. A good thesis statement should not contain qualifiers such as “might be”
“could be”, “seems like” etc.
Topic: Is Pakistan ready for digital revolution?
Thesis statement: Digital revolution might be achieved in Pakistan
5. A good thesis should not be question, fact or quotation

18
Position of Thesis Statement

1. Thesis statement can be at the beginning of introduction
Example:
Essay: Status of women in Pakistan
Thesis statement: Condition of women in Pakistan is poor
Condition of a nation is directly proportional to the condition of its women.
Condition of women in Pakistan is poor as is the condition of the country. Woman is
considered inferior to man in every walk of the society. She is not only victim of
poor health but also of harassment and honour killing. Her economic conditions are
also alarming. A common woman works in his house from dawn to the dusk, but all
this physical activity contributes nothing to the economy. Furthermore, she is
economically dependent on man. If she is forced to work to meet her both ends, she
is paid peanuts. A large majority of women in Pakistan are unaware of their political
rights. For women of backward areas politics is a forbidden fruit. Even she has low
representation in provincial and national assemblies. A large majority of woman are
unable to get even primary education. Those who get higher education are
microscopic minority. There are no institutes for woman where they can get
technical education so as to earn by their own. Her condition in family is also
discouraging. In male-dominant society she has no part to play in decision making of
family matters. Furthermore, she bears the brunt of all miseries in family as the poor
creature is most insecure in a family. Owing to the age-old feudal culture of Pakistan
she becomes the scapegoat for all atrocities. She remains within the walls of house
for whole life and is not allowed to be part of public domain. Practice of early
marriages is common in far flung areas. Due to narrow cultural practices she
becomes victim of superstitions and psychological disorders. In order to become a
progressive nation Pakistan needs to improve the status woman.

19
2. Thesis statement can be in the middle

Example:
Essay: Punctuality is virtue of bored
Thesis statement: Punctuality is the virtue of people who live routine life
Animals are most punctual creature on the earth. They rise earlier, sleep earlier
and “work right from the morning to the evening”. Their life is mere routine life.
They live for survival. On other hand humans are not bound to live routine life. They
are not slave of system but they have capability to change the system. Those who
want to become part of the system prefer to live a routine life, a life for mere
survival. Punctuality is the virtue of people who live routine life. They add nothing
new to the life. A punctual worker spends his life to fulfill certain tasks assigned to
him by a system. System requires him to obediently follow the rules and regulations.
A punctual worker is nothing but a follower of certain norms. On other hand a person
with leadership qualities has ability to challenge the rotten norms and give new
meaning to the life. A punctual worker lives for himself but a leader lives for others.
That’s why people do not find any attraction towards person who walks on beaten
paths. Only leaders have a charismatic personality. A punctual man follows the time,
time follows the leaders.
3. Thesis statement can be at the end
Example:
Essay: Is Pakistan ready for Digital Revolution
Thesis statement: Pakistan has to overcome number hurdles in order to become a
digital society
Developing world is moving rapidly towards digital revolution in almost every
field of life. With the advancement in computing power, mobile technologies and
internet facilities more and more people have become the members of a digital
worlds. From buying goods online to e-payments digital marketing has facilitated
humans in various ways. Digitalization has also created number of job opportunities
for the jobless youngsters in the form of earning on social sites. In the field of
education world is moving from textual literacy to digital literacy helping education
by providing digital technologies. Digital libraries and digital information are
becoming a great support for students of higher education. Digital revolution is also
empowering women, providing online job opportunities and online education.
Digital space of social media has become a great source of highlighting issues of
marginalized class. Digitalization of health is improving health sector all over the
20
world with the help of e-health technologies. Digitization has not only helped
individuals but also governments in terms of e-governance or digital governance all
around the world. Digitization has also been pivotal in terms of security, crime
control, revenue collection, formalization of data and various other functions.
Pakistan also has great potential to solve number of issues by using digital
technologies but it still has to overcome number of hurdles to become a digital
society.
Functions of Introduction
1. Introduction attracts reader’s attention
Introduction encourages the reader/examiner to continue the reading. If
examiner/reader loses his attention while reading introduction it would be difficult
for him to read remaining parts of the essay.
2. Introduction states the case
The usual function of an introduction in essay writing is to tell the reader what issue
is being raised and what justifies the writer in writing it.
3. It provides context
In some cases introduction provides background information that can be necessary to
explain the context of the issue.
4. Introduction serves as a 'roadmap' of the essay
Introduction presents brief summary of the main points which you develop in your
main body of the essay. In other words, in introduction you implicitly say “I am
going to discuss these aspects of the essay”
5. Introduction clarifies the ambiguity
There are number of essay topics which contain ambiguous words. For example, we
have a topic: “Literature is Lonely Planet for Idealist”. We are not sure what does the
examiner mean by “lonely planet” or what is perfect meaning of word “idealist”.
Here the examiner does not have a pre-established fixed meaning of these ambiguous
words but he wants you to interpret and clarify the ambiguity. You do not have to
find a perfect meaning of these ambiguous terms but it is your interpretation which
completes the meaning.

21
What makes an introduction “poor?”

Few things which make an introduction clumsy and reader can lose his attention are
these:
1. Bad Introduction contains Waffling:
Waffling is generalized, sweeping statements that could apply to a whole range of
topics, but say nothing specific and relevant in answer to the question. Consider the
following introduction about “Gender Equality is a Myth”
This topic addresses a very serious issue. There are several approaches that shed light
on this problem. Many scholars have tried to address the problem but no one has
come up with final solution. Pakistan is among those third world countries where this
problem is at its peak.
(We can see that above lines are too general and irrelevant to the topic. These lines
do not say anything that how gender equality is a myth? Main purpose seems to be to
fill up space and get that ‘awkward’ opening paragraph out of the way. This
introduction leads the reader to nowhere).
2. Bad Introduction contains bombastic words:
A bad introduction contains very heavy words which are difficult for reader to
swallow. Bombastic words do not impress reader but irritate. Here is an example of
bombastic words in an introduction about “Modernity is an unending project:
Modernity is such modus that appeals from Philip drunk to Philip sober. Ja wohl its a
perpetual iter that exponere how the land lies. "Of course! Islamic History is full of
modernity. From Zabur to Quran, every inch describes the modernity" (Dr. Zakir
Naaik, America, 2011) Novity involucrates to take the gander at the author of our
being, unit's grey matter, du jour, shackle with hoi polloi. If sole tell tales out of
school relating to esoteric then horse of a different color coins the judicata about its
intrinsic novity. There are dichotomy cows that give the low-downs about the horde
and their praxis with other proles.
(This introduction on essay Modernity is an unending project contains heavy words.
The purpose of the writer is to impress the reader. But these bombastic words irritate
an examiner instead of impressing him.)

22
3. Poor introduction starts with unnecessary definition of the key terms

If you are writing essay on “Colonial mentality is impeding Pakistan’s progress”
than you have to answer the question: “HOW colonial mentality has been impeding
Pakistan’s progress?” or “What is colonial mentality and how does it impede
Pakistan’s progress” By defining colonialism, your introduction can become poor
because your response would be delayed by defining the term “Colonialism”.
Colonialism is defined as one country’s domination of another country or people—
usually achieved through aggressive, often military, actions—and the territory
acquired in this manner. The terms colonialism and imperialism are sometimes used
interchangeably, but scholars usually distinguish between the two, reserving
colonialism for instances where one country assumes political control over another
and using imperialism more broadly to refer to political or economic control
exercised either formally or informally.
(One who introduces essay by defining familiar terms is actually providing extra
information and discussing “What is colonialism? You have to directly answer the
topic question/questions.)
4. Poor introduction contains unnecessary details, irrelevant to topic
Topic: brains, like hearts go where they are appreciated
Brain and heart are two major and vital body organs. Brain can be considered to be
the chief executive of the body whereas heart; although it pumps blood to all the
body, is thought to be the generator of emotions and desires. They are often thought
to be working in opposition to each other but this perception is not supported
generally. Rather, there is a unique combination between the two which regulates the
bodily functions and the behavior. Both organs are responsible for developing
perception about everything in life. If it is accepted that heart works in opposition to
brain, then a person should jump from an aeroplane on the sight of a beautiful
waterfall or any place of his choice. But it never happens because of the threat
involved. So the brain and heart work coherently and only those actions are carried
out which have appreciation. Appreciation can be in any form and its meanings vary
from person to person. Appreciation determines the pathway followed by us. Men of
brain and scholars migrate to more developed countries in pursuit of appreciation in
the form of sky-scrapping salaries. Great military geniuses of history were found to
carry their military expeditions for land, wealth and authority. Brain gives a key
importance to appreciation in the interpersonal relations as well. Despite strong
desires to advance to a very beautiful, charming and graceful person, appreciation by

23
that person on this advancement will be given due consideration. Thus appreciation
attracts the brain and brains, like hearts go where they are appreciated.
(Writer here describes the various functions of heart and brain instead of
interpreting the statement. This irrelevant information makes your introduction
boring and reader loses his attention)
Qualities of a good introduction

A good introduction has three main qualities
1) It clearly introduces the issue
2) It clearly states the thesis statement
3) It tells the reader what to expect in the essay
What to avoid in an introduction:

• Avoid broad, general, or sweeping statements (“Since the beginning of time,” “In
today’s world,” “There are many positive and negative sides to the argument”).
• Avoid the mechanical or making an announcement (“In this essay I’m going to
discuss,” “My essay will be about”).
• Avoid overused lead-ins like dictionary definitions (“According to American
Heritage,” “Webster’s dictionary defines ‘oppression’ as…”).
• Avoid being too specific. Save the specific details and examples for your body
paragraphs.
How to start a strong introduction

1. Begin with a Thought-Provoking Quotation
Quotations are used when someone has clearly and succinctly stated an opinion you
agree with and that will give the reader a clear idea of your point. For this, the
quotation needs to be relevant to the topic. A well-chosen quotation adds credibility
to an essay because its truth has been recognized for many years.

24
Example
Topic: Is colonial mentality impeding Pakistan’s progress?
Pakistan got its freedom from British Empire in 1947, but according to
Jinnah it was a “mutilated and moth-eaten Pakistan”. Imperialism had done
much damage to the economy, culture and politics of sub-continent that it was a
Herculean task for Pakistan to become a developed modern state. In this entire
scenario, legacy of colonialism has always been haunting the different strata of
Pakistani society. On one hand Neo-colonialist mentality of west has been
plundering the wealth of Pakistan even after its independence, on other hand political
leadership of Pakistan, who accepted the colonial doctrine of superior west and
sought refuge in western dependency, also have added to the injuries of under-
developed nation. Macaulay’s education system has damaged the cultural and
intellectual identity resulting in feeling of inferiority towards local wisdom. Roots of
feudalism, another colonial legacy, have become stronger with passage of time.
Privileged feudals have shaped the society in such way that feudal norms have
resultantly damaged the culture, politics and economy of Pakistan. Colonialism in
one or other way hindered the growth of Pakistan.
2. Begin with a striking observation
Striking observation can work as attention grabber. With this reader’s interest would
develop to read more about the essay. Keep in mind that your attention grabber
should be relevant to topic otherwise write sentences to bring your observation close
to your topic
Example:
Topic: Punctuality is virtue of bored
Animals are most punctual creature on the earth. They rise earlier, sleep
earlier and “work right from the morning to the evening”. Their life is mere routine
life. They live for survival. On other hand humans are not bound to live routine life.
They are not slave of system but they have capability to change the system. Those
who want to become part of the system prefer to live a routine life, a life for mere
survival. Punctuality is the virtue of people who live routine life. They add nothing
new to the life. A punctual worker spends his life to fulfill certain tasks assigned to
him by a system. System requires him to obediently follow the rules and regulations.
A punctual worker is nothing but a follower of certain norms. On other hand a person
with leadership qualities has ability to challenge the rotten norms and give new
meaning to the life. A punctual worker lives for himself but a leader lives for others.
That’s why people do not find any attraction towards person who walks on beaten
25
paths. Only leaders have a charismatic personality. A punctual man follows the time,
time follows the leaders.
3. Begin directly with your thesis
Thesis statement can serve as direct answer to topic question as discussed above
which can keep you more relevant to the topic. But avoid making your thesis an
announcement, "This essay will discuss …….”
Example:
Topic: Power of Social Media
Foremost power of social media is that it connects people in different

ways. It connects them against atrocities and exploitation of ruling class; as
happened in Arab Spring in year 2010 in Middle East. Mass protest, took place due
to Facebook campaign, and toppled age-old authoritarian governments. Social media
connects people against injustice and barbarism in a society; as happened in Zainab
murder case in Sialkot. Anguish and fury of people on Facebook and Twitter forced
law enforcing agencies to chase real murderer of six-year-old innocent girl.
Furthermore, social media has given new voice to masses. Twitter, Facebook and
other social sites have become a huge plate for criticism on policies of government.
Another feature of social media is that it connects an ignorant with sources of
knowledge. Wikipedia, Google and YouTube provide a gigantic amount of
information; such flood of knowledge was never seen before in the history of
mankind. Social media not only gives knowledge but also provides economic
opportunities. Market is place which connects buyers and sellers and social sites
have become largest market of the world. Social sites like OLX and Amazon provide
opportunities of marketing and money making to people from every walk of the life.
Moreover, social media has taken socialization to its peak. Skype connects members
of family and friends with each other through video chat. Whatsapp connects lost
class mates with each other: as they make their own groups. Facebook provides
opportunity to like-minded people who join to create pages of poetry, philosophy and
politics. Social media has influenced almost every aspect of life today.
4. Pose a question related to the topic
Pose the question which you can follow with an answer. Question can clarify the
ambiguity implied in the topic. Answer of the question can provide a clear thesis
statement.

26
Example:
Topic: Art for Peace
Why today’s world needs peace more than ever before? Because humanity
was not at the verge of collapse as it is in the 21st century. This globe has seen
horrendous disasters of World War I and World War II but eruption of nuclear war
can turn the entire planet into the ashes. Secondly, global warming is adversely
affecting humans, animals and entire nature. “People are suffering, People are dying,
entire ecosystems are collapsing”, these words of Greta Thunberg, the teenage
climate activist, show that global warming has become a reality. Unchecked
exploitation of capitalist system has added fuel to the fire. Poverty, inflation and
unemployment have snatched dreams of millions of people. Increasing absurdly and
superficiality by electronic and social media has increased frustration of younger
generation. Growing inequality at socio-economic level has added to the intolerance.
Cut-throat competition for survival has snatched inner peace of modern man.
Machines have made life artificial. Can art play any role in this age of chaos? Art, in
the form of drama, poetry, painting, and music has always promoted the most human
values of life: Love, Truth and Peace. It is only art which portrays the beauty of
nature. Art and literature not only unmask the brutal face of war but also expose the
heinous crimes of exploitative system. Art has raised voice against the inequalities of
all kinds. Art not only on social level but also at individual level brings a peace in a
person’s life. Music, painting, poetry these are all creative ways of self-expression, a
creative person cannot think of leading life towards disaster. Music and painting not
only portray true feelings of an individual but they are also a great source of
catharses. Man through art expresses himself aesthetically; intolerant person, devoid
of creativity, seeks refuge in violence. Problems of modern man are global, art has
universal language. It is only art which can lead world towards peace.
Methods to develop Introduction

1. Explain the importance of the topic/ key word in a topic
Topic: Is Pakistan ready for Digital Revolution
Developing world is moving rapidly toward digital revolution in almost every
field of life. With the advancement in computing power, mobile technologies and
internet facilities more and more people have become the members of a digital
world. From buying goods online to e-payments digital marketing has facilitated
humans in various ways. Digitalization has created number of job opportunities for

27
the jobless youngsters in the form of earning on social sites to driving cabs in major
cities. In the field of education world is moving from textual literacy to digital
literacy helping education by providing digital technologies. Digital libraries and
digital information are becoming a great support for students of higher education.
Digital revolution is also empowering women, providing online job opportunities
and online education. Digital space of social media has become a great source of
highlighting issues of marginalized class. Digitalization of health is improving health
sector all over the world with the help of e-health technologies. Digitization has not
only helped individuals but also governments in terms of e-governance or digital
governance all around the world. Digitization has also been pivotal in terms of
security, crime control, revenue collection, formalization of data and various other
functions
(Introduction develops by explaining the importance of digital revolution in various
fields of life such as education, economy, governance, health etc.)
2. Answer the question/questions implied in thesis statement:
In case you start your essay with thesis statement, you can develop your introduction
by answering the question implied in thesis.
Topic: Status of Woman in Pakistan
Thesis: Status of Woman in Pakistan is poor
Question implied in thesis: How status of woman in Pakistan is poor?
Woman is considered inferior to man in every walk of the society. She is not
only victim of poor health but also of harassment and honour killing. Her economic
conditions are also alarming. A common woman works in his house from dawn to
the dusk, but all this physical activity contributes nothing to the economy.
Furthermore, she is economically dependent on man. If she is forced to work to meet
her both ends, she is paid peanuts. A large majority of women in Pakistan are
unaware of their political rights. For women of backward areas politics is a forbidden
fruit. Even she has low representation in provincial and national assemblies. A large
majority of woman are unable to get even primary education. Those who get higher
education are microscopic minority. There are no institutes for woman where they
can get technical education so as to earn by their own. Her condition in family is also
discouraging. In male-dominant society she has no part to play in decision making of
family matters. Furthermore, she bears the brunt of all miseries in family as the poor
creature is most insecure in a family. Owing to the age-old feudal culture of Pakistan
she becomes the scapegoat for all atrocities. She remains within the walls of house
for whole life and is not allowed to be part of public domain. Practice of early
28
marriages is common in far flung areas. Due to narrow cultural practices she
becomes victim of superstitions and psychological disorders.
(Introduction develops by highlighting issues due to which status of woman is said to
be poor. Main body would provide supporting details to these issues.)
3. Give the brief account of perspectives opposite to your point of view
Topic: Do we really need literature in our lives
Most of the people think that twenty first century is not the age of literature.
They are of the view that once literature was a source of entertainment but in modern
world, movies, songs and games have become more attractive sources of
entertainment. Some of them think that reading long novels and fiction is just
wastage of time; it takes several days to complete a novel and at the end the reader
earns nothing. Few people think that poetry, short stories and fiction are for mere
pleasure and people don’t get any “knowledge” from literature. Some people would
say that people who read literature are not practical people as the saying goes
“literature is lonely planet of idealists”. Few brains debate that literature appeals
emotions whereas challenges of life can only be faced through rationality. There are
others who assume that literature adds nothing to the social, political and scientific
understanding of a society. Few more from the field of mass communication say that
literature is indirect way of expression where today’s mass media has allowed people
to express their feelings directly. Others from the field of history think that fiction,
drama and poetry do not portray the true history of an era and one cannot know true
history of an age through literature.
(Here introduction states opposite point of view and main body would counter these
opposite point of views)
4. Give brief account of problem and its impacts/intensity
Informal economy encompasses economic activities which evade taxes. A
large number of informal sectors in Pakistan is comprised of unregistered
manufacturers and service providers which do not get registered in order to evade tax
authorities. According to a report 62 percent of Pakistan’s trade is associated with
informal sector. A large portion of informal economy operates through cash
transactions in order to go undocumented. Informal sector is also comprised of
illegal economic activities such as smuggling, black marketing. Due to very nature of
this black economy, people involved in this economy keep their illegal activities
hidden. Pakistan’s large portion of black economy consists of money from
corruption. This black money is a large source of investment in real estate business
and real estate sector is a neglected sector regarding revenue generation. Informal
29
economy has not only damaged the economic growth of Pakistan but it also a great
source of exploitation of working class. According to a report 70 percent of
employees in Pakistan work under informal sector facing poor working environment,
uncertainty of job any many other issues. This informal economy adds insult to the
injury regarding Pakistan’s economic woes. On one hand burden of foreign loans
increases, secondly Pakistan has to face budget deficit every year. Ultimately the
poor strata of the society bears the brunt of these budget deficits and huge loans in
the form of under-development and inflation. Moreover growth rate of Pakistan also
remains poor. In order to overcome the economic challenges Pakistan needs to
overcome the menace of informal economy.
(Introduction develops by stating the problem by highlighting the elements
which form informal economy such as corruption, evaded tax, smuggling un-
registered businesses; and after that second part states the impact of the problem.
Main body would find the causes of the problem and finally resolve the issue by
providing remedies.)

30
Problems of Paragraph
What is paragraph?
A paragraph is a group of related sentences that develops one main idea, which is the
topic of the paragraph. The main function of the paragraph is that it undertakes to
discuss one topic or one aspect of a topic. If an essay is not divided into different
paragraphs the examiner/reader will have to search through a jumble of words for the
significant points. One should always divide his ideas into the paragraphs to facilitate
the reader. The paragraphing makes visible to the reader the divisions of writer’s
thoughts. The paragraph is the means by which ideas are organized according to their
importance.
Structure of paragraph
A paragraph normally has three parts:
1) Topic Sentence
2) Supporting Details
3) Concluding Sentence (Optional)
Paragraph
Topic Sentence
Supporting Details
Concluding
Sentence
What is topic sentence?

A sentence that introduces the topic (and possibly links it to the previous paragraph).
Topic sentence indicates the main point (claim) of a paragraph. A topic sentence is
like a thesis which gives direction to your paragraph. Topic sentence is in the form of
claim that needs to be proven. While it is true that in published writing you’ll
sometimes find topic sentences in the middle or even at the end of a paragraph,
placing your topic sentences at the beginning of each of your paragraphs is useful

31
Purpose of a topic sentence

➢ A strong topic sentence can help you, to focus each paragraph on one main
point.
➢ A strong topic sentence can help your reader to see where you are headed with
your ideas in a particular paragraph; topic sentences help your reader form a
mental map of your essay.
➢ A strong topic sentence connects back to your overall thesis and connects
forward to the specific supporting point you are making in the paragraph to
prove and illustrate your thesis and this makes the paragraph focused and
unified.
Thesis
Topic
Sentence
Supporting
Details
Strong topic Sentence and weak topic sentence

1. A good topic sentence contains both a topic and a controlling idea or
opinion.
A topic sentence which does not contain topic and controlling idea has risk of
deviating from main issue.
Example:
Thesis: Illiteracy is curse as it impedes progress of a nation
Weak Topic Sentence: Another problem which impedes Pakistan’s progress is
unemployment

32
This thesis contains controlling idea but does not reflect topic as it does not have any
relation with illiteracy neither it answers how illiteracy is impeding Pakistan’s
progress
Strong Topic Sentence: Illiteracy gives birth to unemployment which results in

degeneration of youth
This thesis reflects topic and has a controlling idea. It answers the topic question by
telling that illiteracy is responsible for unemployment. Further in paragraph you can
provide supporting details about how unemployment hinders country’s progress
2. A good topic sentence is neither too narrow nor too broad
Too narrow topic sentence would be difficult to support due to lack of specific
details and for a too broad topic sentence supporting details will remain insufficient.
Example:
Topic: Social Media blessing or curse
Thesis statement: Social media is a blessing for new generation.
Narrow topic sentence: People can watch songs on YouTube.
By writing narrow topic sentence you missed several important benefits of
YouTube/Social Media.
Balanced Topic sentence: Social media is a great source of entertainment.
With a broad and balanced topic sentence you get more space and able to give
multiple examples to support your point.
Topic: Social Media blessing or curse

Thesis statement: Social media is a blessing for new generation
Too Broad Topic Sentence: People all over the country are enjoying economic
benefits of social media
Due to this too broad topic sentence it would be difficult to provide details about
“people all over the country”, secondly there are a large number of people who
don’t use social media so it would make your claim weak.
Balanced Topic Sentence: A large number of people are enjoying economic benefits
of social media.

33
3. A good topic sentence should not contain specific details or examples.

When a topic sentence contains supporting detail then nothing or very liitle is left for
further support in your paragraph
Example:
Topic sentence with specific details:
Pakistan’s literacy rate is around 59 percent which is very poor.
Topic sentence without specific details: Pakistan’s literacy rate is poor
4. A good topic sentence does not announce the topic

Making announcements is a pre-mature way of writing essay. Your words should
speak for themselves
Example:
Topic: Life without technology
Thesis statement: Life without technology would be miserable
Topic sentence with announcement: This paragraph will discuss that how would be
life in absence of communication technology.
Topic sentence without announcing: Pace of life in absence of communication
technology would be slow.
5. A good topic sentence should not be a question or a fact
Topic sentence in the form of question cannot be an opinion. In order to support a
claim sentence should be in the form of opinion
Example:
Topic: Decline of sports in Pakistan
Topic sentence: Pakistan won Cricket World Cup 1992 (Fact)
Topic sentence: Once Pakistan was at the top in many sports (Opinion)
(A fact does not need further justification but an opinion begs questions such as how
can you say that? What evidence do you have? In order to develop paragraph your
thesis statement should be an opinion)

34
Position of Topic Sentence

1. Topic Sentence at the Beginning
Often, but not always, a paragraph begins with its topic sentence and ends with a
concluding sentence. Between the two are usually supporting details.
Topic: Democracy and illiteracy cannot move together

Topic Sentence: Illiteracy gives birth to circumstances which are fatal for democracy
Illiteracy is such a curse which gives birth to certain circumstances which

are dangerous for democracy. Poverty is one of those threats which are fatal for
democracy. Illiteracy is the major cause of poverty in third world countries where
democracies are fragile. Counties like Pakistan where millions of youngsters are
illiterate do not get opportunities for better living conditions. Unemployment forces
them to live under starvation. In these conditions their immediate need becomes food
and shelter. They are least concerned with any political system. Even when there is a
democratic government poor people think that these political leaders are responsible
for their miseries. In all these exploitative conditions people lose their faith in
democracy. In these circumstances when a dictator comes into power, poor masses
welcome him with open arms. They wrongly assume that men in uniform will rescue
them from poverty.
Topic sentence in this paragraph is at the beginning which is further developed by
supporting details
2. Topic Sentence at the End

Some paragraphs proceed from the particular to the general, from supporting details
to the main idea. Here is a paragraph with this organization:

Topic Sentence: literature which overcomes our greedy nature
Furthermore, we live in age in which money has occupied central position in

every field of our life. We are told time and again that “time is money” so by reading
literature we earn nothing. . They think that by spending several hours reading fiction
we earn nothing. They don’t know that it is literature which tells them the purpose of
life. The whole existentialist movement from Sartre to Beckett was about the
meaning of life. Literature asks questions: is life all about earning money? Is all this
35
worth living? Money fulfills our basic needs but does greed for more wealth brings
happiness in our life? In search of material luxuries modern man has become so
selfish that he cares only about fulfilment of his material desires. On other hand
through literature we see the picture of other people’s lives. Literature makes us feel
their pain. Fiction and novels of realist school of thought portray miseries working
class. Can a person caring for other people’s sufferings remain selfish? It is
literature which overcomes our greedy nature.
(Topic sentence in this paragraph is at the end. First opposite point of view is
discussed and after answering these misconception and giving specific examples this
paragraph ends with topic sentence)
3. Topic Sentence in the Middle

It is wrong to assume that topic sentence should essentially be the first sentence of a
paragraph. Some paragraph can have topic sentence is somewhere in the middle.
Here is one such example:

Topic Sentence: Literature not only entertains but also educates us
First of all those people who reduce literature to a mere source of

entertainment are misguided. It’s true that our younger generation is more inclined
towards entertainment provided by electronic and social media. These sources of
entertainment have reduced the number of readers as compared to that of past. But it
does not means that literature has lost its value. Yes, literature entertains us: books of
Mushtaq Ahmed Yousafi and Ibn-e-Insha make us laugh; Novels of Tolstoy and
Dostoyevsky make us cry; Romantic poetry of Keats and Shelly make us fall in
ecstasy and love; Tragedies of Sophocles and Shakespeare offer us suspense and
drama. But these books of literature not only entertain us but also educate. These
books contain deep philosophy of life which make us learn about the hidden aspects
of society. Literature tells us about truth and encourage us to stand for truth in the
age hypocrisy. Poems of Rumi, Hafiz Shirazi, Bhagat Kabir, teach us the message of
love in the age of intolerance. Works of revolutionary writers from Mayakovski to
Faiz Ahmed Faiz encourage us to stand against injustices in the age autocracy. These
books of literature are written by highly learned people. On other hand songs,
television dramas and movies entertain us but they merely educate. Resultantly,
personality shaped through superficial sources of entertainment is shallow and
schematic whereas literature shapes a deep and critical individual.

36
In such paragraphs thesis statement is often found buried somewhere in the middle.
At the beginning is transition sentence a little discussion, and the topic sentence of
the paragraph is forced to take a seat somewhere in the middle row. What is
important, however, is not where the topic sentence is actually placed but how
adequately it has been developed and proved.
Topic Sentence Implied

Finally, not all paragraphs are written with definite topic sentences. Indeed, many
paragraphs have topic sentences that are not stated but are merely implied. Here is an
example:
Topic: Modernity is an unending project
It was the age of Enlightenment in which the project of modernity flourished and
found roots in masses. German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s motto “Dare to know”
was a desire to re-examine and question all received ideas and values, to explore new
ideas in many different directions. Rousseau’s observation “Man is born free, but
everywhere he is in chains” paved way for new forms of liberty from autocrats.
Voltaire’s slogan “Let us crush the infamous one” was an attack on religious
authoritarianism. Many proponents of the Enlightenment liked to refer to themselves
as the “party of humanity”. Man occupied central position in project of modernity.
Here is would be difficult to find a topic sentence because the paragraphs follow the
general stream of argument. The implied topic sentence is common in the essays of
professional writers, is seldom encouraged in student paragraphs. For the beginner,
the safest course is to pen paragraphs whose topic sentences make the writer’s aim
and meaning immediately clear.
Supporting Evidence
For a paragraph to be effective, the topic sentence and controlling idea must be
supported by supporting evidence and details. In a paragraph evidence proves your
claim. Main thing to be kept in mind is that your evidence should be clear and
relevant both to your paragraph’s argument and to your overall thesis statement.
Secondly, topic sentence is in the form of claim, so this claim begs questions: How
can you say that? What evidence do you have? Why should one believe this? Your
supporting evidence is not only answer to these questions but it also makes your
claim strong. A paragraph without proper supporting evidence would be weak.

37
How to use Supporting Evidence

1. Make a Claim: Your paragraph’s topic sentence should be in the form of a claim
(opinion). It can be at the beginning, middle or end (topic sentence at the beginning
is preferred). Keep in mind what claim do you have against which you have to use
your supporting evidence
2. Introduce the Evidence: You can support your claim by providing supporting
evidence directly but it is good to include a sentence or phrase that prepares the
reader for the evidence.
3. Incorporate your evidence: After preparing ground for your supporting evidence
its right place to incorporate your evidence/evidences.
4. Explain the evidence: After you state the evidence, it’s good to explain the
underlying message or main idea. Explanation of supporting evidence gives your
reflection on the objective evidence.
5. Connect your evidence with your thesis statement: To make your essay
coherent, each new idea should relate to the overall idea of the essay. After you
explain evidence, you should also show how it relates to your essay’s thesis
statement.
Types of Supporting Evidence:

1) Examples: Examples are specific people, things, places, or events that illustrate
an idea or provide supporting detail
Topic: City life is better than country life
Topic sentence: City life in Pakistan is better than country life because big cities
have more education facilities as compared to rural areas
Supporting Evidence 1: There are private schools with proper infrastructure in cities.
Supporting Evidence 2: In major cities there are also public libraries for students.
Supporting Evidence 3: In cities students also have opportunities of coaching centers
and academies

38
2) Facts and opinions

A topic sentence can also be supported by facts. Opinions should not be confused
with facts. Facts are details that can be verified through observation and documents. .
Opinions are personal impressions or point of views. Here are few examples in
which facts and opinions both are used to support same topic sentence as supporting
evidence.
Topic: Promoting tourism in Pakistan
Topic sentence: Pakistan is blessed with hill stations with pleasant weather which
can attract a large number of tourists
Supporting Evidence: Weather of Muree remains cold even in hot month of July
(Opinion)
Supporting Evidence: Temperature of Muree remains 14 to 20 degree centigrade
whereas it is 40 to 45 degrees in major cities of Pakistan in July (Fact)
Topic: Decline of sports in Pakistan

Topic Sentence: Once Pakistan produced world class players in sports
Supporting Evidence: Jahangir Khan regarded as greatest squash players of all times,
represented Pakistan (Opinion)
Supporting Evidence: Jahangir Khan winner of the World Open ten times and the
British Open six times in squash, represented Pakistan (Fact)
3. Statistics
Statistics are another form of supporting details. Numbers, percentages, ratios, index
numbers, rates of change etc. are statistics.
Statistics are subject to tests of accuracy. Here are few examples in which statistics
are used as supporting evidence.
Topic: Is Colonial mentality impeding Pakistan’s Progress?
Topic sentence: Colonial mentality of dependency on west has mired Pakistan since
1947.
Supporting evidence: Pakistan has received about $78.3 billion between 1948 and
2016 from USA, £665 million (from 2009–2013) from U.K.

39
Topic: Is Pakistan ready for digital revolution

Topic sentence: One of the major hurdles which Pakistan is facing in order to
become a digital country is illiteracy
Supporting Evidence: only 10 percent of people can search or type on an English
keyboard
4. Quotations
One effective way to support your claim is to use quotations. However, because
quotations involve someone else’s words, you need to take special care to integrate
this kind of evidence into your essay. Here are few examples in which quotation is
used as supporting evidence.
Topic Sentence: Literature tells us about those aspects of past which biased history
conceals.
Supporting Evidence: Hegel, famous German philosopher rightly said “In history
characters are real but events are fake, in literature characters are fictitious but events
are real”.
Tips
Avoid inserting quotes without relating them back to the topic
Avoid anonymous authority such as someone has rightly said: “……….”
Avoid dubious authority such as perhaps Shakespeare said somewhere “……..”
Try to avoid quotations from secondary sources.
5. Testimony
You can also use testimonial evidence (opinions of experts)to support topic
sentences in your paragraphs. Testimony is an assertion made by an expert who has
knowledge or experience, research in a particular matter. Here are some examples in
which testimony is used as supporting evidence.
Topic: Urdu Literature and Progressive Movement
Topic Sentence: Key purpose of progressive movement was to bring change in
society
“With the dream of change “the fiery young men returned home determined to right
all the wrongs” writes Rakshanda Jalil, the writer of Liking Progress, Loving
Change: A Literary History of the Progressive Writers’ Movement in Urdu.
40
Concluding Sentence (Optional)

A concluding sentence is used to signal that your paragraph is coming to an end.
Writing a concluding sentence can be more difficult than you realize. Failing to
realize that it is used to close the final thoughts on a subject is a common mistake
many writers make. For any piece of writing to be effective, there has to be definitive
and conclusive concluding sentences. A concluding sentence should be a summary of
the previous discussion and not include any new information. The reader should be
able to identify the key points in a text by reading the concluding sentence.
Functions of a Concluding Sentence

Students need to know how important it is to write a concluding sentence that is
effective in summarizing their point and give their final point an impact. A
successful constructed concluding sentence:
1. It gives an overview of the points discussed in the paragraph
2. It reiterates the main topic of the paragraph.
3. It discusses topics that have been addressed previously
Concluding sentences do vary depending on the style and genre of the text. Different
types of style are narratives, arguments, compare and contrast and descriptions.
When writing a narrative paragraph, the concluding sentence should be used to
convey and emphasize the moral lesson to the reader.
The concluding sentences in descriptive paragraphs are used to tie all the information
provided together by using summarizing the support in different words.
In compare and contrast paragraphs, the concluding sentence is best used to
juxtapose the two topics to highlight the similarities or differences discussed.
In argumentative paragraph a concluding sentence summarizes the argument and
reiterates shows that why your argument is correct.
In problem-solution paragraphs you can need to include the repercussions as your
concluding sentence while discussing the problem.

41
Paragraph Connectivity and Coherence
Effective paragraph transitions signal to readers how two consecutive paragraphs

relate to each other. The transition signals the relationship between the “new
information” and the “old information.”
They occur at or near the beginning of the new paragraph because it represents a
turn of thought, needing to be linked to what has gone before.
Transitions act like railroad switches, smoothing and easing the turn from one track
to another.
Methods of Connectivity
Just as an essay must begin and end well, so it must be clearly organized in between.
An important part of a writer's job is assisting readers in following the organization.
1. Transitional Words and phrases:
Here is a list of common transitional words and phrases
1. To support, add or continue:
Besides First Further Furthermore
Also Second Another Likewise
In a like
Too Third Moreover manner
In the same
In addition Next Again way
Equally
Last Finally Similarly important

42
2. To compare and contrast:
In the same
Also Just as manner Unlike In spite of
Compared
And Likewise Have in common to In contrast
All are Although In a like manner Contrasting However
Like Similar(ly) Whether or not Conversely Even though
Both As well as On the other hand Yet Rather than
On the
Besides The same as As opposed to Instead contrary
But While Nevertheless Whereas Despite
3. To introduce details or exemplify:
In any
For example As evidence In this case case
As stated in /
In fact In support of by
For instance Such as According to
In any event To illustrate As a result

43
4. To show cause and effect:
Since Thus This results in Brought about

Because of To this end Consequently Made possible
As a result (of As might be
Due to ) Accordingly expected
Was responsible
Therefore Hence In effect for
Caused by For this reason Leads to If … then
5. To counter: countering transitions:

Obviously many people believe… But
Evidently others feel… Yet
Clearly, opponents maintain… However
Surely most want… In contrast
Even though some people support… It’s unlikely that
Although citizens argue… I question
Society favors … On the contrary
The (This) idea deserves some
merit… Nevertheless

44
6. To indicate order, sequence or importance:
At the same
First Moreover time Finally Lastly
Of greater
Second (etc.) Meanwhile Most important Last of all (est)
Meanwhil Importan
Sooner or later Later For one reason e ce
In the first
place Next To begin with Presently
7. To show chronological order:
After Earlier Later While In the meantime

Finally Next As soon as Then Moments later
Since At first Soon Before At the same time
In the beginning
At last Until Formerly Afterward (end)
When During Meanwhile First
8. To conclude:
Unquestionabl
As noted above Undoubtedly y
Without
In other words Obviously question
Without a
To be sure In any event doubt
In short In any case On the whole

45
2. Transitional sentences:
In paragraphs, transitions and other connective devices are used to help link
sentences. Similarly, in an essay, transitional sentences are used to help tie the
supporting paragraphs together. Such transitional sentences usually occur near the
end of one paragraph or the beginning of the next.
Example:
Essay: Informal Economy of Pakistan
All these factors, discussed above, have badly affected Pakistan. Firstly,
the huge volume of informal economy hinders Pakistan’s progress in terms budget
deficit. …..
(Moving from causes to impacts, transitional sentence is used to maintain

connectivity.)
In order to overcome the issue of informal economy government needs to take

bold steps. First of all government needs to take harsh measures to eradicate
corruption.
(Transitional sentence here is used to maintain connection between impacts and

remedies)
3. Repeated words
Repetition of key words helps tie together the flow of thought in an essay.
Example:
Essay Punctuality is virtue of bored
By constantly following schedules and strict timings a punctual man’s life
becomes monotonous. He follows the office-to-home and home-to-office routine. All
work and routine life makes him dull. Punctuality makes him slave of the habit. His
monotonous and dull life snatches from him the passion with which he can fill colors
in his monotonous life. He is unable to see outside the shell of this routine life which
he has created around his personality.
Punctual man is duty bound. He has to complete his work on time, sometimes
as a duty and sometimes a compulsion. He does not know what passion is. His work
and routine life actually does not allow him to do an exceptional work. He works to
earn as much as to fulfil basic necessities of life. A punctual worker in a hierarchy
46
performs his duties just to satisfy the bosses at higher hierarchy. On other hand a
passionate man works for a larger purpose. His passion drives him to discover laws
of science. Just imagine if Albert Einstein would have worked in patent office as a
punctual clerk all the life, his life would have ended as “unknown citizen”. A genius
does not know what punctuality is.
Punctuality is a process which ends in meaninglessness. When a punctual
man starts his work, initially his energy level is high. When he enters a system, he
performs all his tasks on time with great zeal. With the passage of time he finds that
his work is mere repetition and there is no innovation no creativity in his job. His
work becomes routine for him. Now he continues his routine work without passion
without any interest in it. Finally, when a punctual worker retires from his job, life
without routine work becomes meaningless for him. On other hand a creative person
who is driven by burning passion never retires. His creative work multiplies his
passion. All the great writers like Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Balzac, Franz Kafka
and many more wrote till end of life. World remember these creative artists for their
creativity not for punctuality.
Routine life is safe haven of a punctual worker. Habit of being on time is last
refuge of a punctual man. A punctual cannot get out of his comfort zone. George
Bernard Shaw, famous English writer, has rightly said “If things get too easy, life
become boring.”
(Here the deliberate repetition of key word “Punctuality” keeps paragraphs
connected to the main idea of the essay)
4. Pronouns
Pronouns are another way to connect ideas. Using pronouns you can avoid repetition
of same words in an essay
Example:
Essay: Status of women in Pakistan
Similarly, political conditions of women in Pakistan are also very poor. They
are told that politics is not their cup of tea. They have no right to participate in active
politics, right to raise their voice. A rural woman is deprived of her rights assigned
by constitution. In tribal areas she is not allowed to vote. Resultantly over all turn
over in elections in these areas is very low. Even if few women in rural areas are
allowed to vote, they vote blindly without knowing to whom they are voting and
what is the importance of vote.

47
5. Synonyms:
Using synonyms helps you avoid unnecessary repetition of the same word in a
paragraph
Example:
Essay: Democracy and illiteracy cannot move together
Illiteracy, along with poverty, gives birth to crimes and terrorism. An illiterate
person, when rejected by society, is compelled to choose unfair means for his
survival. That’s why crime rate in third world countries is higher because of illiteracy
and poverty. Moreover an ignorant is not only prone to choose path of crime but also
of terrorism. He can easily be trapped and brain washed by militant organizations for
their heinous designs. In absence of proper education, an ignorant whatever is taught
believes it as truth. All these criminal and terrorist activities lead a society towards
anarchy. Ultimately people feel themselves unsafe and democracy suffers due to
crimes and terror.
Non education also leads towards dogmatism which strengthens anti-
democratic systems. Autocrats use religion as a tool of exploitation so that people
may not demand their rights. Forces of exploitation make people believe that there
miseries are god-gifted. They teach them that path of suffering would lead them
towards heaven. Due to this illiterates believe that worldly life is an illusion and they
should not have any concern with worldly progress. Unlike ignorant people an
educated society demands rights and poses a great challenge to plunderers.
Ignorance and dogmatic thinking not only deprives people of their rights but
also lead towards intolerance. First target of an intolerant society is women. A
narrow-minded society considers empowerment of women a threat for very existence
of that society. Second target of an ill-educated society is creativity and innovation.
There is no place of art and music for an intolerant nation. Art and literature, the
sources which lead towards peace, are despised in a blind society. All this
intolerance leads towards hatred against women, minorities and other sects.
Democracy develops on peace not on intolerance.
(Here different synonyms for key word illiteracy not maintain connectivity but also
add variety in the paragraphs)

48
Weak Paragraph and Strong Paragraph

1. Weak Paragraph lacks a clear connection to the point that it’s meant to
support
Topic: Informal Economy of Pakistan
One of the main causes of informal economy in Pakistan is corruption. A
large number of politicians in Pakistan are corrupt. Last year Supreme Court of
Pakistan dismissed Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif due to charges of corruption.
Pakistan’s bureaucracy is also corrupt. Numbers of bureaucrats are facing charges
in National Accountability Bureau (NAB) due to corruption. Corruption in
Pakistan is increasing day by day which is causing serious damage to economy of
Pakistan.
(Supporting details in this paragraph does not have any connection with topic
sentence. Instead of telling how corruption is responsible for informal economy,
this paragraph tells who is corrupt. This is a major problem in students’ essays
that their argument lacks connection to the main point)
Revised Paragraph:
One of the main causes of informal economy in Pakistan is corruption. Corruption
by certain tax authorities in collusion with businessmen increases the volume of
informal economy. Corrupt taxation officers take bribe from certain taxpayers and
do not conduct their audit properly. They give benefit to these taxpayers on under-
invoicing, cash payments, inadmissible expenses. As the saying goes it takes two
to tango so both the corrupt taxpayers and corrupt tax authorities are beneficiaries
of corruption. With this corruption a large amount of informal revenue goes
untaxed which forms a large part of informal economy.
(This paragraph clearly tells how corruption gives rise to tax evasion which
increases informal economy)

49
2. A weak paragraph contains unnecessary details/quotations irrelevant to the

main point:
Illiteracy gives birth to poverty. According to M.K Gandhi “Poverty is worst
form of violence.” Pakistan is a country where overall illiteracy rate is 38 %.
Illiteracy rate of women is 49% as compared to that of male which is 28%. It
shows that illiteracy is a great problem in Pakistan
(This paragraph contains unnecessary quotation which has no relevance with the
topic sentence. Secondly space is being filled with undesired statistics instead of
telling how illiteracy is responsible for poverty. At the end the paragraph deviates
from main point)
Revised Paragraph:
Illiteracy gives birth to poverty. An uneducated person usually lacks
qualification which is necessary for a certain job. He also lacks skills which formal
education inculcates. In absence of qualification and skills a person is forced to do
cheap labor in order to survive. This low-paid wage is insufficient for a person
resultantly an uneducated person has to live hand to mouth.
(This paragraph clearly develops main point without providing unnecessary
details.)
3. A weak Paragraph lacks development
A paragraph is inadequately developed when it fails to describes, explains and

supports the topic sentence. If the "promise" of the topic sentence is not fulfilled,
or if the reader is left with questions after reading the paragraph, the paragraph has
not been adequately developed.
Topic: Democracy and Illiteracy don’t move together
Illiteracy increases poverty which affects democracy. Due to illiteracy

youngsters are unable to get job opportunities for better living conditions.

50
Unemployment forces them to live under starvation. When a large number of

people live under poverty line democracy is at risk.
(This paragraph lacks development. It only tells that how illiteracy begets poverty
but it doesn’t tell that how poverty affects democracy.)
Revised Paragraph:
Illiteracy increases poverty which affects democracy. Uneducated youngsters do

not get job opportunities for better living conditions. Due to unemployment their
basic needs are not fulfilled. In these conditions their immediate need becomes
food and shelter. They are least concerned with any political system. Even when
there is a democratic government poor people think that these political leaders are
responsible for their miseries. Due these exploitative conditions people lose their
faith in democracy.
4. A weak paragraph is vague

Literature teaches lessons. It is full of experiments. When a reader reads literature
he realizes the importance of life. Literature also guides man by portraying
realities.
(This is a vague paragraph which raises questions that what kind of lessons
literature teaches? To whom does it teach lesson? In absence of proper topic
sentence writer just fills space by providing random details. Reading this kind of
paragraph the reader gets confused and asks that what is the paragraph about and
where does it lead to?)

51
Revised Paragraph:
Literature teaches moral lessons to the children. Story of Ali Baba and 40 thieves
depicts the adverse results of greed. Aesop’s fables teach the virtues of truth. Story
of Cinderella encourages the virtues of honesty. Literature is one of the best
sources which shape a child’s strong personality
(This paragraph clearly states the subject. It develops by giving specific examples
without any ambiguity.)
5. Supporting details in a weak paragraph are random

Topic: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right
to say it.
Difference of opinion is essential for freedom of expression. People generally
believe that variety is spice of life. It makes life colorful. Nothing is constant but
change. Agreement and disagreement vary from person to person. Even two
brothers do not share same opinion. Change and difference of opinion are inherent.
It is good for humans to respect each other. If they have difference of opinion there
is no need to fight but to be pragmatic to save freedom of thought and expression.
(Supporting details in paragraph are random. Sentences moves from one point
another without introducing and further developing the support. Secondly
sentences have no connection with each other.
Revised Paragraph
Difference of opinion is essential for freedom of expression. Difference of opinion
can be observed in daily life. Even in a family two brothers have different likings
and disliking. Not only in family but also in society overall, people are from
different cultural backgrounds. It portrays variety in a society which is beauty of
life. Moreover, political parties in a democratic country with different manifesto
represent different ideologies of a society. Multiplicity of ideas strengthens
democracy. Only those societies prosper where freedom of expression guarantees
difference of opinion.

52
(Ideas in this paragraph move in an organized way from family to society and
politics and finally conclude with the main theme of the essay: freedom of
expression)
6. A Weak Paragraph contains tautology:

Tautology refers to a phrase or sentence in a paragraph that either reiterates the
same idea but in different words without developing support. It repeats the
meaning while appearing to provide new information.
Topic: Classroom decides future of a nation

Education is important for development of a society. It is education which has
changed fate of nations. Without knowledge a country cannot progress. Education
is need of the hour. If Pakistan wants to become a progressive nation it needs to
uplift its education.
(This paragraph contains tautology. Almost all the sentences repeat same point
without telling how education develops a nation)
Revised Paragraph:
Education is important for development of a society. It plays a vital role in social
development. Education empowers women and reduces gender gap. Learning
opens several job opportunities for youngsters. Education promises economic
development. It gives scientists and researchers which overcome the problems of
underdevelopment.

53
What to avoid in Paragraph
Avoid biased argument

Bias is prejudice against one person or group, especially in a way considered to be
unfair. Biases are acquired through uncritical social learning they are common in a
lay person. Academic writing should be based on critical thinking. Here are some
examples of biased views:
• Poor people are greedy (bias against common people)
• One should not share food with minorities (bias against minorities)
• Women are irrational in nature ( gender bias)
Avoid Stereotype views
Stereotype is attribution of qualities (often derogatory) to whole group of people
and assuming that they all share certain qualities. Stereotypes are very common in
daily life; they also represent uncritical thinking. Here are some examples:
• All politicians are corrupt
• Chinese people eat bats and dogs
• There is no family system in Europe
• All women are dishonest and are never to be trusted.
Avoid Universal statements
A universal statement is an over-generalized statement that have claim about entire
category. Problem with these statements is that these cannot be supported properly
as it is impossible for a writer to have knowledge about each and every person.
Here’s an example of a universal statement:
• All scientists agree that……..
• All people think that …..
• Everybody knows that ……..
• History is evident from the fact that ……

54
Avoid Clichés
A cliché is a repeated, stale phrase, idiom or quotation that, because of overuse,
has lost its impact.
• Democracy is of the people for the people and by the people
• Knowledge is power
• Every action has a reaction
• Time is money
• God helps those who help themselves
• Might is right
Avoid irrational/dogmatic views
• Earth is not round
• Earthquakes are result of people’s sins
• Disaster of society is due to amoral activities of people
Avoid emotional tone
• No power on earth can damage our country
• Women are raising their voice against religious teachings. What nonsense!
• Poor are groaning under the heel of poverty and rich are sucking their blood.
Avoid personal attack on politician/celebrity/country etc.
• The leader ABC, the devil on earth, has caused irreparable damage to our
country
• The politician XYZ, famously known as donkey king, has been proved
incompetent.
• The witch-face actress has joined politics
Avoid conspiracy theories
• Our country suffers due to hidden Jewish agenda
• Malala is a CIA agent, she got noble prize to defame Pakistan
• Certain sect/minority is working to destabilize Islam.
• America is Pakistan’s arch enemy.
• Feminism is western agenda to promote nudity in Pakistan

55
How to write strong conclusion
What is Conclusion?
Last paragraph of your essay is the concluding paragraph. Conclusion has two
parts
1) Brief summary
2) Final thought
Example
Essay: Is colonial mentality impeding Pakistan’s progress?
1) Brief summary
To conclude, Pakistan, since independence, has been struggling to become a
modern social welfare state .But Pakistan’s past legacy and its ills have
unfortunately been dragging Pakistan towards disaster and destruction. Pakistan
got rid of Colonialism but trapped into post-colonial policies of powerful
imperialists. Post colonialism exploitation led the country towards economic,
military and political dependency in turn country faced several challenges of
circular debts, weak industrial base, terrorism and sectarianism. Education policy
of British era could not help produce a scientific and rational class who could
contribute towards progress. Rather English education brought cultural and
intellectual decline along with Inferiority complex. Feudalism, legacy of British
Raj, added fuel to the fire by championing status quo. Uneven power set up, gift of
colonialism, damaged the democratic process of the country. Architectures of the
future have to get rid of ill mentality of past.
2) Final thought
For those who cannot change their mind cannot change anything.

56
Methods of writing final thought
1. End with thought provoking sentence

Topic: Punctuality is virtue of bored
Conclusion:
In the end it can be said that morality of punctuality is for a mediocre. He is asked
to follow the system for which he is praised. But those who have determined to
write their name in history do no respect this morality. Great people work from day
to night without any regard for time. Punctual man lives a life of few decades but
a leader lives a life of thousand years.
2. End with sentence showing that situation is alarming

Topic: Status of Women in Pakistan
Conclusion:
All this discussion shows that the women in Pakistan are facing difficulties in all
areas of life. From public sphere to private domain women are facing immense
problems. They are harassed and abused in patriarchal society of Pakistan. They
are victims of archaic customs. Women are deprived of their social, political and
educational rights. In short women in Pakistan are exploited not only by men but
also by whole society. Exploitation of a woman is not only dangerous for her
but also for whole nation.
3. End with a recommendation or positive note:

Topic: Is Pakistan ready for digital revolution
Conclusion:
To conclude, digitalization is the need of the hour for Pakistan. It can solve number
of problems which the country is facing. Digital technologies can bring revolution
in the fields from education to health and economics to governance. It is necessary

57
to overcome the hurdles which hinder the digital progress of Pakistan. Positive use
of digital technology will pave the way for development of Pakistan.
4. Rephrase your thesis statement

All this discussion shows that illiteracy adversely affects democracy. On one hand
illiteracy, itself a condition of exploitation, perpetuates other forms of exploitation
such as poverty, crime, intolerance, blind faith and injustices. On other hand
illiteracy impedes all of forms of progress and true democracy cannot be achieved
without progress. If representatives of people want to establish strong democracy
they need to educate people because it strengthens democracy through people’s
representation, fair electoral process, empowerment of women, accountability and
difference of opinion. Illiteracy strengthens forces of exploitation democracy
promises to end all forms of exploitation both cannot move together.
Importance of strong conclusion

Conclusion brings the paper to a natural and graceful end, sometimes leaving the
reader with a final thought on the subject.
It reminds the reader of the strengths of the argument: that is, it reiterates the most
important evidence supporting the argument
What to avoid in conclusion

1. Don’t reproduce your thesis, restate or rephrase it
2. Avoid pessimistic conclusion
3. Avoid lengthy conclusions
4. Don’t insert any new information in your conclusion

58
Effective Writing
1. Use Basic word order in English
The most basic sentence structure in English is a subject plus a verb. A subject
performs the action in the sentence, and the verb identifies the action. Every
sentence in English must have a subject and a verb to express a complete thought.
2. Use the active voice

Using active voice for the majority of your sentences makes your meaning clear for
readers, and keeps the sentences from becoming too complicated or wordy.
The treaty was signed by USA and France. (Avoid)
USA and France signed the treaty
Communication gap has been reduced through the technology. (Avoid)

The technology has reduced communication gap.
3. Put statements in positive form.

He was not very often on time. (Avoid)
He usually came late
4. Use Appositives:
Appositives are a kind of modifier. They are noun phrases that follow and describe
other nouns. Although they can appear after any noun:
Mao Zedong once said….. (Avoid)
Mao Zedong, the leader of Chinese Revolution, once said…..
Abraham Lincoln abolished slavery (Avoid)
Abraham Lincoln, former American President, abolished slavery in USA
5. Avoid double negatives

Double negatives are two negative words used in the same sentence. Using
two negatives usually turns the thought or sentence into a positive one. Double

59
negatives are generally discouraged in English because they are considered to be

poor grammar and they can be confusing.
I cannot go nowhere tonight (Avoid)
I cannot go anywhere tonight
Nobody has written nothing. (Avoid)
He has written nothing
6. Use definite, specific, concrete words

Abstract words refer to intangible qualities, ideas, and concepts. Concrete
words refer to tangible, qualities or characteristics, things we know through our
senses.
A period of unfavorable weather set in. (Avoid)
It rained every day for a week.
7. Use parallel structure of sentences

Parallelism, also known as parallel structure, is when phrases in a sentence have
similar or the same grammatical structure. In its most basic
usage, parallelism provides a phrase with balance and clarity. Parallelism also
serves to give phrases a pattern and rhythm.
He likes to swim, sail, and dancing (Avoid)
He likes to swim, sail, and dance
Just as Darwin revolutionized biology with his theory of evolution, Einstein’s
theory of relativity revolutionized physics (Avoid)
Just as Darwin revolutionized biology with his theory of evolution, Einstein
revolutionized physics with his theory of relativity.
8. Avoid misplaced and dangling modifiers

Misplaced Modifier:
A misplaced modifier is a word, phrase or clause that is awkwardly placed in the
sentence so that it does not describe what the writer wanted it to describe. In other

60
words, a misplaced modifier is placed so that it does not modify what it is intended
to modify.
To avoid this problem, place a modifier as close as possible to the word it
modifies.
The cat should be treated by a veterinarian that has worms (Misplaced modifier)
The cat, that has worms, should be treated by a veterinarian
Dangling Modifier:
A modifying phrase or clause is said to dangle when it has no stated word to
describe. A dangling modifier is sometimes difficult to identify because our brains
supply the missing word. To correct a dangling modifier, you must rewrite the
sentence and supply the word that is to be modified.
While smoking a pipe, my cat curled up next to me. (Incorrect)
Did the cat smoke the pipe? Obviously not, but the sentence does not identify who
smoked the pipe. You must supply a subject and, sometimes, supply additional
words to create verbs, clauses or phrases. In the following sentences the new
subject and additional words are in bold letters.
While I was smoking a pipe, my cat curled up next to me (Correct)
Thinking of something else, the instructor's voice surprised me. (Dangling
modifier)
While I was thinking of something else, the instructor's voice surprised me.
9. Use orthodox spelling

In ordinary composition, use orthodox spelling.
Do not write nite for night, thru for through, pleez for please.
10. Avoid informal/ chat/slang words

Bcz Because
chillin’ Relax/relaxing
Gonna - Going to

61
Sick - Great; amazing

Lame - Not good; worthless
Kickback - Move slowly; rest; relax
Fam - Family
Hold on - Wait
Gotta - Have to/need to
Guy/guys - You all; all of you; you
Besties - Best friends
Sucks - Terrible or awful
Yea/Yeah Yes
Nah/Naw No
11. Avoid fancy words, use plain and simple words.
Fancy words Plain words

Cognizant Aware
Edifice Building
Obviate Prevent
infuriate Anger
Hoi polloi Common man
Ameliorate Improve
12. Use figures of speech sparingly

A little bird told me that your father has kicked the bucket (Avoid)
Readers need time to catch their breath; they can't be expected to compare
everything with something else, and no relief in sight.

62
13. Avoid foreign words or translate them

Aufklarung (German) Enlightenment
Ex nihilo out of nothing
Cogito ergo sum. I think, therefore, I am
in toto in total
14. Avoid Run-on Sentences

Run-on sentences, also known as fused sentences, occur when two complete
sentences are squashed together without using a coordinating conjunction or proper
punctuation, such as a period or a semicolon.
Run-on sentences can be short or long. A long sentence isn’t necessarily a run-on
sentence.
Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night however she
prefers roses. (Run-on sentence)
Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night; however, she
prefers roses.
Lila enjoyed the bouquet of tulips John gave her on prom night. She prefers roses.
15. Avoid Monotony in Paragraphs

Education gives scientists. Knowledge provides thinkers. Learning empowers
women. Schooling uplifts children.
(Sentences in this paragraph are monotonous because all sentences have same
grammatical structure (Subject Verb Object) and all sentences are simple
sentences to avoid monotony use different sentence structures to have sentence
variety).
Education gives scientists. Education also enriches a society with thinkers.
Education not only empowers women but it is education which also uplifts
children of a society.
(Sentences in this paragraph start with same word education this makes your
paragraph monotonous. To avoid monotony use synonyms or pronouns)

63
16. Be concise
1. Delete words that mean little or nothing.
i) Mr. Stevens, who was my former neighbor, won his lawsuit.
Mr. Stevens, my former neighbor, won his lawsuit.
ii) This is a book which is about history
This is history book
2. Delete words that repeat the meaning of other words.
i) Their accident was a terrible state of affairs.
ii) Their accident was a terrible
3. Delete words implied by other words.

i) He carries a briefcase made out of leather
ii) He carries a leather briefcase
4. Replace a phrase with a word.
i) The company is taking applications at this point in time
ii) The company is taking applications now
5. Change negatives to affirmatives.
i) He was not very often on time.
ii) He usually came late
6. Delete useless adjectives and adverbs.
They devised very elegant hypothesis to explain the data
Few more examples of useless adjectives:
Very beautiful
Really dangerous

64
Truly substantial
Positively rejected
17. Wordy Phrases

One of the most prevalent errors in word choice is using a wordy phrase when a
single word would suffice. Too often, insecure writers mistakenly believe that
extraneous words give their writing an air of authority; in fact, readers are far more
likely to be annoyed than impressed by wordiness, particularly in business
documents.
Note the difference in the readability of the two sentences below.

At the present time, I am of the opinion that we have the ability to meet our quota
in the near future. [22 words]
I now think we can meet our quota soon. [9 words]
At less than half the length of the first sentence, the second is far easier to read and
understand.
The list below includes some of the most commonly used wordy phrases.
Whenever possible, substitute the words in the parentheses for these phrases in
your own writing.
after the conclusion of (after)
any and all (any)
as a result of (because of)
as long as (if, since)
at the present time (now)
at this time (now)
by means of (by)
by the name of (named)
by the time (when)
come in contact with (meet)
draw attention to (show)
due to the fact that (because)
during the time that (while)

65
first and foremost (first)

for the amount of (for)
for the purpose of (to)
has occasion to be (is)
has the ability to (can)
if and when (if)
in a serious manner (seriously)
in a timely fashion (quickly)
in advance of (before, in front of)
in connection with (with, concerning)
in lieu of (instead of)
in order to (to)
in receipt of (have)
in regard to (about)
in spite of the fact that (although)
in the event that (if)
in the near future (soon)
in the vicinity of (near)
in this day and age (today)
insofar as (as)
is of the opinion (thinks)
large in size (large)
large number of (many)
of great importance (important)
on account of (because)
on the part of (by)
one of the reasons (one reason)
prior to the time that (before)
provided that (if)
put in an appearance (attend)
small in size (small)
small number of (few)
still and all (still)
take action on (act)
take into consideration (consider)

66
the fact that (that)

with the exception of (except, except for)
18. Redundant Phrases

Redundant phrases use more than one word to communicate a single idea. Because
of their wordiness, they tend to lessen the impact and clarity of the sentences in
which they appear.
Below is a list of some commonly used redundant phrases. In formal writing, they
should be replaced with the words enclosed in parentheses.
as to whether (whether) biography of one’s life (biography) but nevertheless

(nevertheless) circle around (circle) come to an end (end) connect together
(connect) consensus of opinion (consensus) eliminate altogether (eliminate)
entirely complete (complete) join together (join) just exactly (exactly) last of all
(last) may possibly (may) never at any time (never) reason why (reason) shuttle
back and forth (shuttle) skirt around (skirt) strangled to death (strangled)
19. Adjective-Noun Phrases
Many redundant phrases consist of an adjective and a noun.

For instance, past history is redundant because history by definition refers to
events that occurred in the past.
In this example and those listed below, the adjective can be eliminated without
changing the phrase’s meaning.
advance planning
close proximity
definite decision
end result
excess verbiage
final outcome
first priority (this is acceptable if you are writing about a series of priorities)
free gift
general consensus
invited guest

67
joint cooperation
main protagonist
major breakthrough
mutual cooperation
new innovation
old adage
passing phase
past history
personal friendship
prototype model representative
cross section
root cause
separate entities
serious danger
true facts
20. Phrases with Acronyms
To avoid redundancy, use acronyms as adjectives with care. Do not follow an

acronym with a noun that is included in the term the acronym represents, as in the
following examples:
Incorrect: AMA association
Correct: AMA
Or: American Medical Association
Incorrect: LCD display
Correct: LCD

Part –II
Sample Essays

68
Status of Women in Pakistan

Outline
Introduction:
Thesis Statement: Status of women in Pakistan is poor
1) Social Status
A) Inferior to man in every walk of society
B) Poor health
C) Harassment
2) Economic status
A) Household work is not economic activity
B) Low income as compared to man
C) Economic Dependence on man
3) Political Status
A) Deprived from political activities
B) Unaware of her rights
C) Low representation in assembly
4) Status in Education
A) No permission to get education
B) Small number of girls in educational institutes
C) No institution for skill building
5) Status in family
A) No say in decision making
B) Insecurity
C) No respect
6) Cultural Status
A) Early marriages
B) Karo Kari, Watta Satta, Vanni
C) Superstitions
Conclusion

69
Essay
Condition of a nation is directly proportional to the condition of its women.
Condition of women in Pakistan is poor as is the condition of the country. Woman
is considered inferior to man in every walk of the society. She is not only victim of
poor health but also of harassment and honour killing. Her economic conditions are
also alarming. A common woman works in his house from dawn to the dusk, but
all this physical activity contributes nothing to the economy. Furthermore, she is
economically dependent on man. If she is forced to work to meet her both ends,
she is paid low. A large majority of women in Pakistan are unaware of their
political rights. For women of backward areas politics is a forbidden fruit. Even
she has low representation in provincial and national assemblies. A large majority
of woman are unable to get even primary education. Those who get higher
education are microscopic minority. There are no institutes for woman where they
can get technical education so as to earn by their own. Her condition in family is
also discouraging. In male-dominant society she has no part to play in decision
making of family matters. Furthermore, she bears the brunt of all miseries in
family as the poor creature is most insecure in a family. Owing to the age-old
feudal culture of Pakistan she becomes the scapegoat for all atrocities. She remains
within the walls of house for whole life and is not allowed to be part of public
domain. Practice of early marriages is common in far flung areas. Due to narrow
cultural practices she becomes victim of superstitions and psychological disorders.
In order to become a progressive nation Pakistan needs to improve the status
woman.
Society of Pakistan is a male-dominant society. Woman is considered
inferior to man in every phase of society. In this patriarchal set up there are
families in which when a girl is born, her birth is lamented. Where birth of a boy is
enjoyed as he is considered as the asset for the family. They think that girls are
unable to feed the family so they are a burden on them. A large number of girls in
Pakistan continue to live as a burden, which is utter shame for the society.
This inferior creature also suffers in terms of her health. Her duty is to feed
the children but she hardly gets enough food for herself. She is not only affected by
malnutrition but also by ill treatment. She hardly gets proper medicine during her

70
illness. A large number of women in poor areas die while giving birth to child. She
is the victim of double exploitation.
Unlike rural women, urban women have freedom to be part of public sphere.
In this public domain she is victim of harassment. In offices she is sexually or
verbally harassed by her colleagues and seniors. Likewise, college going girls are
molested by young boys. Even in universities, girls are black mailed by teachers
otherwise they get poor marks. Media girls also have been constant target of their
co-workers. According to popular social media trend “Me Too”, a large number of
women at one or other stage of life has been harassed by a man.
Woman is also marginalized when it comes to her economic status. A
common woman is the pillar of a family. She is responsible for all house hold
works. She does chores, washes clothes, cleans house and cooks food. She works
all day long but all her physical activity is not considered economic activity. At the
end of the day she taunted of being sitting idle in home. A house wife is not
considered as a bread earner.
Even if a middle class woman determines to earn bread for her family she
faces immense difficulties. She prefers to get a teaching job so that she can spare
time for house hold works. As teaching is not considered a full time job, she is paid
very low in private schools. A large number of poverty ridden families from rural
areas settle in large cities. Women of these families choose to work in middle class
families where they do cleaning and washing. These poor women are not only paid
very low but also treated as slaves. Trotsky, famous Russian revolutionary leader,
truly said “Woman is the slave of the slaves”.
Similarly, political conditions of women in Pakistan are also very poor. They
are told that politics is not their cup of tea. They have no right to participate in
active politics, right to raise her voice. A rural woman is deprived of her rights
assigned by constitution. In tribal areas she is not allowed to vote. Resultantly over
all turn over in elections in these areas is very low. Even if few women in rural
areas are allowed to vote, they vote blindly without knowing to whom they are
voting and what is the importance of vote.
Women in Pakistan are only ignorant of importance of vote but also of her
rights. Ill-educated women never know what their legal rights are. They suffer

71
physical assaults, abuses and harassment but never consult any court. They are not
in position to take any legal measures. Freedom of speech, freedom of choice, etc
are all their political rights but a large number of women in Pakistan are unaware
of their rights.
Even if a small number of women are allowed to participate in politics they
too belong to feudal families. Unfortunately women from feudal background do
not represent women but their class interests. A common woman has no access to
assemblies. That’s why problems of a common woman remain unresolved.
Separate quota is reserved for women but that too is drop in the ocean.
Government needs to increase number of women seats in national and provincial
assemblies.
When it comes to the education of women the conditions are more alarming.
An educated woman means an educated family. Unfortunately in rural areas of
Pakistan people think that the purpose of education is to get job. They think that a
woman is born to do house hold work and not to work out side. Due to this reason
a large number of women are unable get even primary education. Secondly parents
of a girl think that sooner or later she has to get married and she is property of
other family. Confined within this narrow purpose of life she is completely
deprived of her right to get education.
Even if few families in rural areas allow their girls to get education, that
education is restricted to primary or secondary education only. Higher education
has always been a dream for these poor girls. Those who luckily are allowed to get
higher education in universities face immense problems. Universities are far away
from their areas. Their pick and drop is a big problem. Unlike boys, girls hardly get
permission to live in hostels. Most of the conservative families are against co-
education system. It is always a tough decision for them to allow their girls to be
part of co-education in universities. Due to all these difficulties parents prefer their
girls to keep them at home instead of allowing them to enlighten their minds.
Furthermore, there are no institutions for girls to build their technical skills.
Lots of women support their families by doing skilled work at their home such as
sewing and embroidery work. Skills of these women can be enhanced by giving
them proper training. There are no institutes to help them. Due to this women
remains dependent on men.

72
Woman is also victim of exploitation in her own family. In a common

middle class family, a man, being a bread earner, decides all family matters. From
major steps regarding education and marriage of children to minor issues of daily
life, all decisions are taken by males. Woman is just to obey these commands
whether she likes or not. In case she denies obeying any decision she faces the
music in the form of physical assault or abuses.
In addition woman is also insecure regarding her position in home. She has
no home of her own. She lives with father during childhood, with husband after
marriage and with son after husband’s death. She depends on male regarding
economic and social security. Banu Qudsia, famous Urdu Novelist, wrote in her
celebrated novel Raja Gidh that a woman of middle class seeks security rather than
love in her husband.
In poor families a female does not have respect as compared to a male. She
is beaten and abused on petty issues. Man needs full care and respect. He needs
prepared meal at time, his clothes ironed, and his room neat and clean. But when it
comes to care of a woman she is discriminated. Even if she is ill nobody pays
attention towards her. Her disrespect and discrimination starts from family.
Moreover, culture of Pakistan is pre dominantly feudal in nature. It is
woman which bears the brunt of feudal norms. A great number of poor girls in
villages are married before their adulthood. Parents think that it is better for a girl
to get her married as early as possible. The poor people are not concerned with a
girl’s education or her career. Her only career is to become a house hold wife.
Unfortunately people under feudal set up do not find any fault with these practices.
In a feudal and tribal set up, feudal lords decide the fate of a woman. Due to
their rotten culture dehumanization of women is order of the day. In rural areas of
Sindh girls are married with Quran. They are also victim of Karo Kari, the honour
killing. In Punjab Watta Satta, the practice of exchange marriage, is common. In
tribal areas of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KPK) girls are victim of Vanni, a practice in
which girls are forcibly married as part of punishment for a crime committed by
her male relatives. Pakistan really needs to get rid of all these feudal and tribal
norms so that women can be liberated.

73
This rotten culture of ill practices affects an ignorant woman bitterly. Due to
her social insecurity she finds relief in opium of superstitions. Instead of finding
real cause of issues, many adverse events are attributed to the supernatural forces.
For example exploited women think that psychological and physical illness is due
to demons and devils. So in order to heal these problems, women of backward
areas consult pseudo doctors and fake Pirs. There is dire need to emancipate
exploited women from all the evils of superstitions.
All this discussion shows that the women in Pakistan are facing difficulties
in all areas of life. From public sphere to private domain women are facing
immense problems. They are harassed and abused in patriarchal society of
Pakistan. They are victims of archaic customs. Women are deprived of their social,
political and educational rights. In short women in Pakistan are exploited not only
by men but also by whole society. Exploitation of a woman is not only dangerous
for her but also for whole nation.

74
Are modern wars not holy wars?

Outlines:
Introduction
Thesis Statement: Modern wars like holy wars were ideological wars fought for
holy purpose.
Basis of holy wars: Religion
Basis of modern wars: Nationalism
A) Purpose for which holy wars and modern wars were fought
1. Promotion of universal “Truth”
2. for the victory of “truth”
3. for emancipation of followers of “truth”
4. for eradication of enemies of “truth”
B) What encouraged holy wars and modern wars?

1. Sense of brotherhood
2. Sense of superiority
3. Sense of pride
C) Ideological similarities between holy wars and modern wars

1. Glorification of militarism
2. Rational justification for killing
3. Moral justification for sacrificing life
Conclusion

75
Essay
Modern wars like holy wars were ideological wars, fought for a holy
purpose. For holy wars, masses derived their motivation from religion, whereas
modern wars have been fought on the basis of nationalism. Both of the ideologies
believed that they are fighting for a universal truth. Being saviors of the universal
truth, both nationalism and religion justified killing of other humans as enemies of
“truth”. Both of the creeds got passion from blind faith in superior “holy purpose”.
In both of the cases huge number of masses sacrificed their lives for service of a
purpose larger than life. Both preferred politics of bloodshed instead of politics of
peace. As the ideological basis of the ancient holy wars was religion, by same
token, nationalism, considered as modern religion, has been the cause of many
modern wars. Some of those modern wars were fought for the creation of a new
nation state and others for the defense of “mother land”. As in ancient times
religion was considered supreme in all matters of life, in modern times nation state
has been considered superior in all things. To talk against state ideology is
considered as blasphemy. Allama Iqbal once said: “In Taaza Khudaon Main Bada
Sab Se Watan Hai”. (Nationalism is the Supreme God of modern world). From
Napoleonic Wars to Great World Wars and wars of independence, almost all wars
fought in 19th and 20thcentury Europe and other parts of the world have been
caused by the modern religion of nationalism.
For people of the antiquity, faith in God was the ultimate truth. Obedience of
commands of God filled their life with meaning because religion provided them
reward and punishment for their good and bad deeds after ones death. However,
the project of enlightenment, based on reason, suspended the project of faith. It
promised to solve problems of all humans by promoting fraternity, equality and
justice here on earth. This ideology of enlightenment culminated in French
Revolution and modern nation state .As in religion all believers were equal before
laws of god; in modern nation state all citizen were equal before laws of state.
Nation state replaced the central position of God and became supreme truth of
modern world. Holy wars were fought for the supremacy of God. Modern wars
were fought for the glory of the mother land, the supreme God
Moreover, religion gave the ancient man a new identity, a new perspective
of life. Before religious identity, a man of antiquity was identified as a slave,

76
accountable before his master. But after he got religious identity and once he
became follower of a religion he was responsible before commands of God. Same
was the case with nationalism. After French Revolution and creation of modern
nation state, modern man got a new identity. He was proud to be called as a
“citizen”. Now he was accountable before laws of nation state. This new identity
filled him with sense of emancipation. Like fighters of holy wars, Napoleon
Bonaparte was destined to “emancipate” those who believed in “truth”. Napoleon
had a “holy” purpose to wage wars in 19th century.
Emancipation project of religion claimed to be universal project.
Monotheistic religions asserted that there is only one God who has created all
humans. In this way the salvation of all humans can only be achieved by obeying
the commands of one God. Likewise, modernist project of enlightenment was also
a universal project. The universal notion of “all men are equal before law” was
against the privileged monarchy all over the world. That was the only reason that
monarchs opposed the project of equality and liberty and set to get rid of this
radical ideology. It was universalism of religion and nationalism that caused wars.
Both were set to spread their ideology all over the world.
Furthermore, religious identity provided medieval people with sense of
brotherhood among those who shared common faith. Similarly, nationalist identity
provided modern man with sense of unity and belongingness with those who
shared common culture, language and common history. This sense of unity was set
to destroy all forces who created divisions. Modern wars such as Greek War of
Independence (1820 and 1830), Latin American Wars of Independence, Wars for
unification of Germany and Italy (1871) were not only wars of liberation from
oppressors but these wars were fought to achieve great unity and brotherhood
among people who shared cultural, psychological and historical values.
When the followers of the medieval age got new identity of religion they
were filled by sense of superiority. Being followers of “truth” believers considered
themselves superior to non-believers. This sense of superiority gave them license
to invade, conquer and convert those who were children of lesser gods. To same
extent sense of superiority prevailed among nations who succeeded to create nation
state. In this way nationalism provided ideological foundations to Europeans for
imperialism and colonialism. Britain propagated that it was the “white man's

77
burden” to civilize “backward” peoples. Colonial wars were the wars between
“cultured” nations and “savage” people. National Chauvinism provided
justification for killing and exploitation of orientalists.
Nationalism, like religion provided modern man with sense of pride. Before
these ideologies neither a slave was proud to be servant of a master nor was a
king’s subject happy for being part of monarch’s kingdom. Faith in religion and
love and obedience of god and his laws became a noble virtue for a follower. By
same fashion, for a nationalist, patriotism was a great thing of pride. So much was
the charisma of ideology that the followers of these ideologies felt proud to kill the
enemies of ideology and to sacrifice the life for its glory. In past this passion for
fight could be seen in crusades so was the case in World War I and World War II.
Wars of modern era as well as holy wars of ancient times provided common
man with glorification of militarism. Actions which involved fighting and killing
enemies of ideology were extolled. One who fought holy war was praised as
warrior and he had special place in heaven. One who died in religious wars was
superior to one who survived. By the same manner, modern patriotism also
glorifies the role of fighters. One who killed enemies of ideology and died for
“motherland” was posthumously rewarded with honour. He was presented as hero
and role model for future generations in text books because he had sacrificed his
life for a holy purpose.
During the holy wars passion and faith in religion encouraged a great deal of
masses to volunteer for the participation in war and sacrifice their lives. Same was
the enthusiasm for fighting during great World Wars. When the First World War
started, people from all over the Europe poured into streets and were eager to
participate in war. Millions of people volunteered themselves to be part of war. For
them it was the time to fight and to sacrifice life for the holy land. Modern
nationalism is the unquestioning willingness with which all manner of its devotees
has laid down their lives on battlefields.
Moreover, war fought for “holy” purpose provided moral justification for
killing. In times of peace killing of a person is considered as crime. As a just war
or a jihad was fought for a “holy” cause. During great wars, modern man thought
that he was fighting for a supreme ideology. A fighter in modern wars was told that
in war he was not killing an innocent man but enemy of the motherland.

78
One can oppose and say that holy wars were fought on spiritual basis and
modern wars have been fought for material interests. All wars in the history have
been fought for material interests, the interests of ruling class. War has only
benefited rulers. The force which drives a common man to play the game of blood
is ideology. Due to this ideology a common man volunteers himself and feels
proud to participate in act of killing.
In the end it is now clear that both holy wars of antiquity and modern wars
of past 200 years have many things in common. It is ideology which fills a man to
fight with other man. Every ideology wants its superiority. This hegemonic
thinking leads nations towards war. This game of blood through war cannot be
ended unless the notion of equality is not promoted in true spirit all over the world.

79
Modernity is an unending project (Essay 2017)

Outlines:
Introduction
1. Birth of modernity
a) Bacon and reason
b) Galileo and scientific advancement
c) Lock’s empiricism
d) Newtonian revolution
e) Enlightenment and humanity
2. Manifestation of modernity
a) French Revolution and defeat of old order
b) Declaration of rights of men
c) Expanding boundaries of modernity
3. Decline of modernist project

a) Congress of Vienna and restoration of old order
4. Modernity re-emerges
a) Age of progress and scientific advancements
b) Industrial revolution and new challenges to modernity
c) Marx’s solution to cure ills of modernity
5. War and disillusionment towards modernity
6. Modernity and East

a) Sir Syed’s education project
b) Jinnah’s Constitutional struggle
c) Challenges to modernity in Pakistan
7. Modernity in present era
Conclusion

80
Essay
Modernity is a journey from medieval ignorance to scientific inquiry, from
dogma to reason, from orthodoxy to liberalism, from feudalism to capitalism, from
autocracy to democracy and from slavery to freedom. It is considered as one of the
greatest projects of the history. Philosophically it started from Bacon, Locke and
other empiricists’ notion of experience based knowledge and it developed in
theories of Rousseau, Voltaire, Montesquieu and French Philosophes, the critics
of authority and dogma and preachers of rationality. Modernity was actualized
through French Revolution and rolled back after Napoleon’s defeat. But this great
project was unstoppable and re-emerged with industrial urbanization and
technology. Marx’s philosophy based on scientific socialism was destined to
liberate humans from age old slavery based on class exploitation. Modernity faced
crisis during two world wars, confidence in man’s rational future was shattered by
war frenzy. War torn humanity realized that blessings lie only in peace and
democracy. Eastern societies have their own quest for modernity. Freedom from
colonials was the first step towards modernity. Countries like Pakistan are still
battling with autocracy, feudalism, dogma but process of history will pave more
opportunities for modernization in order to survive.
Early thinker of modernity were the proponents of reason and rationality. It
include many philosopher but the first great spokesman for the modernity was the
English philosopher and statesman Francis Bacon(1561-1626), who denounced
reliance on authority and criticized Aristotelian logic as useless for the discovery
of new laws. In the new philosophical climate, experience and reason became the
sole standards of truth. Bacon called for a new scientific method based on reasoned
generalization from careful observation and experiment. He was the first to
formulate rules for this new method of drawing conclusions, now known as
inductive inference.
Italian scientist Galileo (1564-1642) was of even greater importance in the
development of a new worldview. Galileo’s physics entirely replaced the
Aristotelian methods. His works on astronomy and scientific discovery of
heliocentric model of universe created great unrest among the followers of
orthodoxy. For that purpose he was sent to jail for life for promoting scientific and

81
modernist ideology. Modernity was behind bars but destined to pave its way
towards progress.
In 1690 Locke gave empiricism a systematic framework with the publication

of his Essay Concerning Human Understanding. Of particular importance was
Locke’s redirection of philosophy away from the study of the physical world and
toward the study of the human mind. In so doing he made epistemology, the study
of the nature of knowledge, the principal concern of philosophy in the 17th and
18th centuries. In his own theory of the mind Locke attempted to reduce all ideas
to simple elements of experience, but he distinguished sensation and reflection as
sources of experience, sensation providing the material for knowledge of the
external world, and reflection the material for knowledge of the mind.
Modernity was an abiding faith in the power of human reason. The age was
enormously impressed by the discovery by Isaac Newton of universal gravitation.
If humanity could so unlock the laws of the universe, God’s own laws, why could
it not also discover the laws underlying all of nature and society? This belief was
summed up by Alexander Pope:
“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in night
God said, ‘Let Newton be,’ and all was light.”
People came to assume that through a judicious use of reason, an unending
progress would be possible—progress in knowledge, in technical achievement, in
political sphere and even in moral values.
It was the age of Enlightenment in which the project of modernity flourished

and found roots in masses. German philosopher Immanuel Kant’s motto “Dare to
know” was a desire to re-examine and question all received ideas and values, to
explore new ideas in many different directions. Rousseau’s observation “Man is
born free, but everywhere he is in chains” paved way for new forms of liberty from
autocrats. Voltaire’s slogan “Let us crush the infamous one” was an attack on
religious authoritarianism. Many proponents of the Enlightenment liked to refer to
themselves as the “party of humanity”. Man occupied central position in project of
modernity.

82
Modernity advanced from theory to practice. French Revolution was the

practical manifestation of theories of enlightenment. Completely new, a modern
social order replaced the old order by this single event of the history. Political
institutions like democracy and nation state were built on the basis of human will
instead of aristocratic authority. Feudalism was destroyed, monarch was dethroned,
and church was demolished. Victory of equality, fraternity and liberty was
considered as victory of reason.
Declaration of rights of the man and citizen was the most important
document of modernist ideology. It provided equality to the people; all people
were subject to equal laws, equal taxations, and equal rights to vote. All people
were to enjoy freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of education. This
document became the model for nations struggling to achieve a social order, based
on reason and humanity.
With the advent of French Revolution, there emerged new movements.

Feminists, like Olympe de Gouges were demanding the equal rights for woman.
Slave leaders, like Francois Louverture were struggling for abolition of slavery.
Socialists, like Gracchus Babeuf were asking for classless society. Modernity was
expanding its boundaries.
After the decline of French Revolution, Napoleon half-heartedly tried to
spread modernist ideas of French Revolution to different nations of Europe. He
tried to impose new order to his newly captured satellite states but faced resistance.
Modernity was a natural demand; freedom being the very basic notion of
modernity cannot be imposed. Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo took the history
towards the crisis of modernity. Congress of Vienna restored the old monarchy,
orthodoxy and authority. It suppressed all the hopes for leading the world towards
a progress and freedom. With the victory of conservatism, modernity faced new
dilemma.
The journey of modernity does not end here. Forces who were opposed to
the forces of modernity and wanted to reverse the history, did not know that the
modernity will re-emerge even with great zeal. Growth of industrial prosperity
after first quarter of the 19th Century created new situations for modernity. This
scenario is known as “Age of Progress”. With the age of progress there emerged

83
man’s unquestioned faith in growing knowledge of science. Telephone, camera,

bulb, diesel engine, x-ray, steel and hundreds of other scientific technologies were
the inventions of age of progress. Science was obtaining additional information
about nature and society. Emergence of atomic physics, bacteriology, genetics,
psychology, anthropology, sociology fostered a faith that through the discovery
and application of new forms of knowledge, man could bring the world and
himself under his own control and achieve an earthly paradise.
Along with this, the industrial revolution brought men new freedom, new
opportunities and new comforts and conveniences. Age of progress also brought
them a new problem: a huge working class without any of the traditional safeguard
to economic security. Poverty was nothing new, but poverty in a society capable of
producing enormous wealth was difficult to ignore. It was a great riddle of age of
progress. The inadequate living standards of great masses mocked the marvelous
advances of science and industry. This was a new challenge to the project of
modernity.
To cope up with poverty and inequality, and to bring prosperity Karl Marx
appeared with his modernist ideas of scientific socialism. Socialism promised a
new classless future for humanity based on reason. Marx believed that important
thing was not to conceive of ideal system, but to work for dissolution of existing
one, which was bad and ought to be destroyed. Out of these ashes would arise a
new society, whose contours determined by rational people who had made it. He
wrote “Philosopher have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways, the
real point is to change it”
Again the belief in inevitable progress and modernity was shaken by First
and Second World Wars. This disillusionment, caused by horrors of Verdun and
Stalingrad, Hiroshima and Nagasaki completely shattered the dreams of humanity.
Approximately 10 million people lost their lives and about 21 million people
wounded in two wars. Technology was misused for annihilation of humanity. Due
to the barbarism of war, people began to feel in pessimist ways that progress did
not exist, reason and science did not lead to wisdom and prosperity. Freud’s theory
that man is driven by instinct rather than rationally, and unconscious mind plays
the pivotal l role instead of conscious mind became popular in the West.

84
After two World Wars and Cold War, world realized that future of humanity
lies in peace and democracy, reason and rationality and in knowledge and
education. With the advances in communication, transportation, and information
technologies a new global society emerged and the project of modernity reached to
new heights. Digital technologies, internet, social media and a flood of information
changed the shape of nation states all over the world. New theories in social
sciences, natural sciences opened new horizon of knowledge. Third world
countries are lagging far behind first world nations but with the passage of time
they will also enjoy the fruits of modernization.
East took its own path for the project of modernity. European captured
subcontinent and made it their colony, but colonialism, based on racism and
exploitation, could not bring the fruits of progress. British imperialism initiated
measures to provide technological infrastructure but the human condition
demanded a complete freedom from colonizers in order to bring modernity in true
spirit.
Sir Syed Ahmed Khan was the earliest modernist of British India, he truly
believed in scientific education. He concluded after war of 1857 that the main
cause of defeat in the war was ignorance and orthodoxy of Muslims. Sir Syed
found Gulshan School at Moradabad, Victoria School at Ghazipur in 1863, and
a scientific society for Muslims in 1864. In 1875, he founded the Muhammadan
Anglo-Oriental College, the first Muslim university in South Asia. His struggle for
Islam's rational understanding was to make it compatible with science and
modernity. His teachings influenced later Muslim leaders like Allama Iqbal and
Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
It was due to efforts of Sir Syed’s modernist education, that a new educated
class emerged and demanded complete constitutional and democratic rights from
oppressors. Progress under British exploitation was never possible, in that scenario
Jinnah, a staunch democrat and constitutionalist, came up with demand of
autonomy and creation of new nation state for progress of Muslims of India.
Pakistan came into being in 1947 with the promise to become modern nation state
with the dream of social welfare democracy having peace and prosperity.
Project of modernity was initiated in Europe, but after mid of the 20th
century it had been spread all over the world with independence from

85
colonizers and advancement in modern education and scientific knowledge. In

third world the project could not prosper in its full spirit. Pakistan could not get rid
of feudalism and tribalism. Dictators frequently derailed the process of democracy.
Science and technology could not develop like European nations. Terrorism hit the
country worst. Poverty, inequality, discrimination could not be eradicated
completely. Among all these challenges countries like Pakistan are struggling to
fulfill the dream of becoming a modern nation.
It has now established that reason cannot be replaced by dogma. Knowledge
cannot be subtracted. Scientific advancement can never come to stand still. Future
lies with institutions which support humanity. Ills of democracy can only be cured
by more democracy. Modernity has survived throughout the history; it will also
thrive in future. Modernity is a process which cannot be stopped.

86
Is Colonial mentality impeding Pakistan’s Progress?

(CSS Essay 2017)
Outlines:
Introduction
Background
1. Colonial legacy of dependency and its drawbacks
A. Economic dependency
B. Military dependency
C. Industrial dependency
D. Political dependency
2. Macaulay’s colonial system of education and its impacts
A. Educational legacy of colonialism

B. Cultural legacy
C. Psychological legacy
3. Feudal inheritance from imperialism and its effects
A. Feudal psyche and narrow traditions

B. Feudals as privileged class
C. Feudal class and its impacts on politics
4. Colonial legacy of imbalanced power structure and its disasters
A. Colonial legacy of military fiscalism

B. Shaping of political and bureaucratic power relations
Conclusion

87
Essay
Pakistan got its freedom from British Empire in 1947, but according to
Jinnah it was a “mutilated and moth-eaten Pakistan”. Imperialism had done much
damage to the economy, culture and politics of sub-continent. In this background it
was a Herculean task for Pakistan to become a developed modern state. In this
entire scenario, legacy of colonialism has always been haunting the different strata
of Pakistani society. British colonialists during their reign in sub-continent
propagated the idea that natives were un-cultured and uncivilized people.
According to them the main cause of the under-development of India was that they
were devoid of scientist and rational thinking and Indian people were more
inclined to dogma and blind faith. According to colonialists, it was they who
brought the light of modernity and progress to these isolated and static regions.
Post-colonialist research has completely denied the colonialist thinking and
researchers believe that when Britishers came to India for trade at that time Mughal
Empire was one of the richest empires of the world, dominating the 50% of the
world trade with a huge network of textile industry. It has also been established
now that the immense wealth, which had been exploited form Indian was the main
reason behind the development of Europe. This narrative of colonizers haunted the
country even after independence. On one hand Neo-colonialist mentality of west
has been plundering the wealth of Pakistan even after her independence. On other
hand political leadership of Pakistan, who accepted the colonial doctrine of
superior west and sought refuge in western dependency,has added to the injuries of
under-developed nation. Macaulay’s education system has damaged the cultural
and intellectual identity resulting in feeling of inferiority towards local wisdom.
Roots of feudalism, another colonial legacy, have become stronger with the
passage of time. Privileged feudals have shaped the society in such way that feudal
norms have resultantly damaged the culture, politics and economy of Pakistan.
Colonialism in one or other way hindered the growth of Pakistan.
Colonists, in order to exploit, developed their own narrative. Colonials
developed a myth that economically week natives cannot survive without western
support. Famous colonialist James Harrington said for Indians “they are yet babes
that cannot live without sucking the breasts of their mother”. They assumed that
rich Europe is the only savior for eastern people. In this way they justified their
imperialist designs. This colonial narrative of dependency on west has mired

88
Pakistan since 1947.Pakistan has been heavily dependent on western aid to get rid
of her own economic miseries. Pakistan has received about $78.3 billion between
1948 and 2016 from USA, £665 million (from 2009–2013) from U.K. All this
foreign aid has a heavy cost which Pakistan has to pay in the shape of circular
debts. It is necessary for Pakistan to get rid of dependency for restructuring
Pakistan’s economy to make it self-sufficient over time.
This colonial policy of dependency has been expanding from economic
assistance to military assistance. United States has provided nearly $67 to Pakistan
between 1951 and 2011. A large amount of military aid has been provided during
authoritarian rules in Pakistan. U.S has been encouraging these dictators through
military aid to achieve her own national interests. Foreign military aid has badly
affected not only the balance of power in Pakistan but also the foreign policy. It is
pressing need for Pakistan to cut foreign military assistance for future
development.
Following the colonial psychology of imperialism, ruling class of Pakistan
began to peruse the western policy since inception. From the early years till now
Pakistan has been following the policy of import substitution. Pakistan still lags
behind in technological advancement, but no such policy is being adopted to
develop own industrial and technological base in Pakistan. China, Japan and India
have developed only due to their local industry. Pakistan has huge potential for the
technology in energy sector, in IT sector and in Textile sector. But heavy
investments are made by multinational companies in different sectors. There are
about 40,000 multi-national companies (MNCs) in Pakistan. Local industry of
Pakistan cannot compete with monopoly of these multinational giants. Due to this
exploitation of multinational companies Pakistan gets very little share from her
own natural resources and contribution to revenue is very little. Pakistan needs to
support local industry for growth and development.
During the colonial era the native Indians were not free to formulate their
own political policies. Same is case with neo-colonial relation between Pakistan
and United States of America. During First and Second World War, British
imperialists forced natives to fight their war against Fascism. Following the
colonial mentality General Zia was forced to support the American war against
Russia in Afghanistan. By supporting this war Zia sowed the seeds of
fundamentalism and intolerance into peaceful society of Pakistan. After the

89
devastating event of 9/11, Musharraf government was dragged into war against
terror. With support of war against terrorism and following the neo-liberal agenda,
an unending wave of terrorism spread all over the country. These wounds of
intolerance and terrorism, gifts of neo-colonial policy, have completely devastated
the very fabric of the society of Pakistan. Pakistan needs an independent foreign
policy to achieve goals of progress and prosperity.
One of the important legacies of colonialism is Western education
introduced by Lord Macaulay to produce an educated Indian class which would
serve the imperial interests of colonials. Western knowledge contained scientific,
philosophical, technological information along with a great variety of other fields
of information but it was not Macaulay’s purpose to produce scientists and
philosophers among native people which can work for their own development.
Same colonial legacies have been followed in education system of Pakistan.
Knowledge is acquired to seek career and serve interests of a particular class.
Pakistan’s education system is unable to produce scholars, philosophers and
scientists and poor country heavily depends on borrowed knowledge.
Similarly, Macaulay’s education project rejected the earlier project of Sir
Earnest Jones. Sir Earnest Jones worked tirelessly to translate eastern literature and
native wisdom. Macaulay gave the impression that wisdom only belonged to
English speaking people. A person who did not know English was treated as
philistine and incompetent. Same mentality of Macaulay is still haunting Pakistani
society. One is required to learn English to prove his mettle. All this has added to
the inferiority complex of people who possess folk wisdom and great potential for
advancement. Native history is rich with creative literature, produced through folk
wisdom, but race for learning foreign language has only added to cultural and
literary decline.
It is also due to the colonial psychology that a great deal of skilled Pakistanis
prefers to work abroad in Western countries. Brain drain has a huge impact not
only on economy of Pakistan’s culture is also affected by this psyche. Primary
purpose to settle in west might be to get better living facilities but underling
motives are to become part of “superior” western culture. This rejection of
indigenous culture has resulted in inferiority complex among citizens of Pakistan.
Only because of this mentality our local talent gets appreciation only after getting
reward from West.

90
Moreover, Mughal system of mansabdari was based on non-hereditary

transferable land. Land belonged to king and mansabdar was a mere revenue
collector for state. It was during the colonial era that petty chiefs of post Mughal
era were given permanent lands. In this way a new privileged class of landlords
emerged whose purpose was to serve the interests of colonizers by collecting
revenue and offering loyalty to British masters. It was irony of the history that
Europe made industrial advancement by abolishing feudal system but in sub-
continent they strengthened the feudal system to serve colonial interests. With
emergence of new state in 1947 this privileged class had become so strong that it
was almost impossible to abolish feudalism in Pakistan.. According to writer
M.Masud, “The hari and the zamindar represent two extremes of mankind; one
lives in the height of depravity and misery, the other in the height of luxury and
extravagance”
Furthermore, it was in the interest of this feudal class to maintain and
perpetuate status-quo and resultantly Pakistan could not become an industrial state.
Feudals have become so powerful that they are considered as “state within state”.
These feudals have their own system of law and justice based on narrow minded
traditions. Often these laws are in conflict with state laws. The evil practices of
Karo Kari(honour killing), Watta Satta( exchange marriage) Vanni, Swara and Haq
bakshi(marriage with Quran) are rampant among this feudal setup. Education
system is completely under control of these feudals. It is in their class interest to
maintain illiteracy and ignorance among poor villagers. Infrastructure, health
conditions, living standard and all other indicators of social prosperity are in
dilapidated condition.
Also, a large part of political parties of Pakistan consists of these feudal
lords. With a large vote bank of their peasants and poor villagers only these feudals
get elected in elections. Various famous feudal families have such a strong hold in
their areas that they have been unbeatable for decades. In this whole setup it
becomes so difficult for a lower class or middle class contender to win elections.
Democracy can survive only through new people with new ideas. With same
feudals and same faces in assemblies year after year, country gets same policies
and agendas which serve the interest of this feudal class.
Feudal have become such a strong privileged class that when they are
elected to assemblies they make laws of their own class interests. Laws like

91
exemption of income tax on agriculture income reminds the old privileged system
of 18th century France. Accountability laws like plea bargain and voluntary return
after making corruption also provide them escape door. In short colonial legacy of
feudal system has shaped the society in such way that only rich can enjoy the fruits
and poor has to suffer.
Another colonial practice is military fiscalism inherited by Pakistani
leadership after partition. In order to subjugate the local people British colonizers
spent a huge amount of collected revenue on military. British masters only spent
3% of total revenue on education and health. Famous educational and social
institutes in British era were developed by local Muslim, Hindu and Parsi
reformers like Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Eduljee Dinshaw and Sir Gangaram.
Following the same path of colonialists, Pakistani leadership, instead spending
budget on education and health, has been spending heavily on military expenditure.
According to statistics Pakistan’s education budget is lowest in South Asia, where
as military budget in year 2017 is approximately Rs 920 billion. Annual public
expenditure on education is only 1.8% of the GDP and expenditure on health is
1.1% of GDP. In contrast annual defense expenditure is about 23.9% of the annual
budget of Pakistan. This shows that like colonialists, eradication of poverty and
provision of better health condition has never been the priority of ruling class of
Pakistan.
In absence of democratic set up, during the colonial era there emerged a
powerful military and civil bureaucratic class which devised the political and
economic policies accordingly. After independence Pakistan also faced this
imbalanced power structure. Democracy could not thrive for almost three decades
as the powerful civil-military bureaucracy derailed the political process of
democracy. Long civil-military bureaucratic set up, led Pakistan to civil war and
division of the country in 1971 and its continuation poses a serious threat to the
security of remaining parts of Pakistan. It is necessary for democracy and
development that Pakistan should to reshape and do away with colonial power
structure.
To conclude, Pakistan, since independence, has been struggling to become a
modern social welfare state .But Pakistan’s past legacy and its ills have
unfortunately been dragging Pakistan towards disaster and destruction. Pakistan
got rid of colonialism but trapped into post-colonial policies of powerful

92
imperialists. Post colonialism exploitation led the country towards economic,

military and political dependency in turn country faced several challenges of
circular debts, weak industrial base, terrorism and sectarianism. Education policy
of British era could not help produce a scientific and rational class who could
contribute towards progress. Rather English education brought cultural and
intellectual decline along with Inferiority complex. Feudalism, legacy of British
Raj, added fuel to the fire by championing status quo. Uneven power set up, gift of
colonialism, damaged the democratic process of the country. Architectures of the
future have to get rid of ill mentality of past. For those who cannot change their
mind cannot change anything.

93
Punctuality is virtue of bored
Outlines:
Introduction
Thesis Statement: Punctuality is the virtue of people who live routine life
Punctuality is virtue of mediocre
Punctual man’s life is monotonous
Punctuality and passion are poles apart
Life of a punctual person ends in meaninglessness
A punctual man cannot accept challenges
A punctual person walks on beaten paths
Purpose of a punctual worker is to fulfil assigned tasks
Great personalities have no regard for punctuality
Punctual people are followers and they lack leadership qualities
Conclusion

94
Essay
Animals are most punctual creature on the earth. They rise earlier, sleep
earlier and “work right from the morning to the evening”. Their life is mere routine
life. They live for survival. On other hand humans are not bound to live routine
life. They are not slave of system but they have capability to change the system.
Those who want to become part of the system prefer to live a routine life, a life for
mere survival. Punctuality is the virtue of people who live routine life. They add
nothing new to the life. A punctual worker spends his life to fulfill certain tasks
assigned to him by a system. System requires him to obediently follow the rules
and regulations. A punctual worker is nothing but a follower of certain norms. On
other hand a person with leadership qualities has ability to challenge the rotten
norms and give new meaning to the life. A punctual worker lives for himself but a
leader lives for others. That’s why people do not find any attraction towards
punctual person who walks on beaten paths. Only leaders have a charismatic
personality. A punctual man follows the time, time follows the leaders.
Punctuality is virtue of a mediocre. W.H Auden’s poem “The Unknown
Citizen” brilliantly depicts the condition of this mediocre. According to Auden, the
unknown citizen was so punctual in his duties that throughout his career there was
no complain against him. He writes, “Everything he did, served the Greater
Community”. Auden further writes: “When there was peace, he was for peace:
when there was war, he went. He was married and added five children to the
population” In the last line Auden asks the question “Was he happy?” This poem
is a great satire on a punctual and mediocre citizen. Poem’s title suggests that the
unknown citizen lived a punctual life by following certain commands. But after his
death no body was interested in his life; he became unknown to the new
generation.
Punctual man is duty bound. He has to complete his work on time,
sometimes as a duty and sometimes a compulsion. He does not know what passion
is. His work and routine life actually does not allow him to do an exceptional work.
He works to earn as much as to fulfil basic necessities of life. A punctual worker in
a hierarchy performs his duties just to satisfy the bosses at higher hierarchy. On
other hand a passionate man works for a larger purpose. His passion drives him to
discover laws of science. Just imagine if Albert Einstein would have worked in

95
patent office as a punctual clerk all the life, his life would have ended as “unknown
citizen”. A genius does not know what punctuality is.
By constantly following schedules and strict timings a punctual man’s life
becomes monotonous. He follows the office-to-home and home-to-office routine.
All work and routine life makes him dull. Punctuality makes him slave of the habit.
His monotonous and dull life snatches from him the passion with which he can fill
colors in his monotonous life. He is unable to see outside the shell of this routine
life which he has created around his personality.
Punctuality is a process which ends in meaninglessness. When a punctual
man starts his work, initially his energy level is high. When he enters a system, he
performs all his tasks on time with great zeal. With the passage of time he finds
that his work is mere repetition and there is no innovation no creativity in his job.
His work becomes routine for him. Now he continues his routine work without
passion without any interest in it. Finally, when a punctual worker retires from his
job, life without routine work becomes meaningless for him. On other hand a
creative person who is driven by burning passion never retires. His creative work
multiplies his passion. All the great writers like Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Balzac,
Franz Kafka and many more wrote till end of life. World remember these creative
artists for their creativity not for punctuality.
Routine life is safe haven of a punctual worker. Habit of being on time is last
refuge of a punctual man. A punctual cannot get out of his comfort zone. George
Bernard Shaw, famous English writer, has rightly said “If things get too easy, life
become boring.”
A punctual man is not able to accept challenges. For him the foremost
challenge in life is to reach at work on time. He is satisfied when he does so.He
does not have courage to search truth and stand for it. He is unable to challenge
social evils. Challenges make life meaningful but a punctual worker lives a life
without challenges and life without challenges is meaningless.
A punctual man does not have his own plans. He follows the paths created
by others. He is dictated to be on time and he is on time. He is ordered to reach
early and he reaches early. He does not have ability to create his own ways. Life

96
needs originality but punctual person living on other people’s agenda lives a boring
life. Allama Iqbal’s advice to this type of dull workers is:
‫تراش از تيشه ي خود جاده ي خويش‬
‫براه ديگران رفتن عذاب است‬
‫گر از دست تو کار نادر آيد‬
‫گناهي هم اگر باشد ثواب است‬
“Cut your path with an axe of your own

It is sin to tread the beaten path of others.
If you achieve something unique and original
Even sin becomes virtue”
Moreover, key purpose of a punctual worker is to fulfill the assigned tasks.
He is driven by punish and reward instinct. When he fulfils assigned tasks
regularly, he is rewarded and gets promoted. When he is unable to do so he knows
that he will be punished and can lose promotion and other benefits offered by
system. Lust for reward and fear of punishment completely tarnish his personality.
How a person divided between fear and reward can performs a monumental task?
Most of the great people in history, who had virtually no regard for rules of
punctuality set by authorities, have proved themselves exceptional. Vladimir
Lenin, the leader of Bolshevik Revolution, after completing his degree of law,
could have preferred to become a good lawyer and to earn money for himself by
punctually attending the court. But his passion for emancipation of humanity made
him a revolutionary leader and he devoted his life for the liberation of working
class. It is no secret that Albert Einstein known as 'father of Relativity theory' was
called a lazy dog by his Professor Hermann because he never succeeded in
fulfilling his commitments and deadlines put up by his supervisor. But Einstein of
had resolved to become greatest scientist of human history. His career would have
ended as a mediocre if he had lived a life of punctual and obedient worker.
Furthermore, there are two types of people in the world, first followers and
second leaders. Punctuality is for followers not for great leaders. Most of the
followers possess crowd mentality. They don’t know what path they are following.

97
Like a herd, they go where ever the herd goes. Leader is one who knows the way,
goes the way and shows the way. Followers are unable to figure out the problems
of a rotten system. It is the leader who challenges the accepted norms. Socrates
challenged the Athenian democracy, Prophet Muhammad challenged the idol
worshipers, and Karl Marx challenged the capitalist system. None of these leaders
was punctual workers, they were history makers. People are not interested in the
names of those who preferred to live obediently without challenging the system.
In the end it can be said that morality of punctuality is for a mediocre. He is
asked to follow the system for which he is praised. But those who have determine
to write their name in history do no respect this morality. Great people work from
day to night without any regard for time. Punctual man lives a life of few decades
but a leader lives a life of thousand years.

98
Democracy and Illiteracy don’t move together

Outline:
Introduction
Thesis Statement: democracy, the project of emancipation, and illiteracy, the
worst from of exploitation, cannot move together.
1. Illiteracy gives birth to conditions which are fatal for democracy
a) Illiteracy results in poverty
b) Illiteracy gives birth to crimes and terrorism
c) Illiteracy and dogmatism go hand in hand
d) Illiteracy fosters intolerance
e) Illiteracy weakens justice system
f) Illiteracy perpetuates conditions of exploitation
2. Democracy flourishes with progress, Illiteracy impedes prosperity
a) Human development can only be achieved through knowledge
b) Economic prosperity can only be achieved through education
c) Social Progress can only be achieved through learning
3. How education strengthens democracy?
a) Education gives representation
b) Education empowers women
c) Education strengthens the public opinion
d) Education strengthens electoral process
e) Education strengthens process of accountability
f) Educated masses respect difference of opinion
Conclusion

99
Essay
Democracy is a system which cannot prosper without progress. Likewise,
progress without education is a fool’s dream. Leaders in a democratic country are
elected to lead nation towards progress. They are made representatives not to enjoy
power but to serve the nation. The best service which a democratic leadership can
offer to their masses is education. In return, education not only guarantees progress
but also strengthens democracy itself. There is a symbiotic relation between
education and democracy. Illiteracy gives birth to conditions which are disastrous
for democracy. It brings poverty and inequality. Cancer of crime is the result of
ignorance and poverty. Illiterate person is an easy prey to dogmas and
superstitions. Illiteracy also increases injustices and intolerance. Forces of
exploitation, in order to enjoy unchecked authority, keep their subjects illiterate.
On other hand, an educated class not only leads country towards prosperity but
also creates environment which safeguards democracy. Education produces
scientists, philosophers and scholars who lead the nation towards progress.
Knowledge guarantees social and economic prosperity-vital for democracy.
Learning ends all conditions of exploitation that thwart democratic progress.
Education gives representation to masses and empowers women. Knowledge
widens public sphere which in turn strengthens electoral process. Healthy electoral
process gives strong accountability. Learning leads towards peace and intolerance.
Illiteracy leads towards autocracy and anarchy whereas education leads towards
democracy. Democracy promises to break all shackles whereas illiteracy is the
worst chain. It can be said that democracy, the project of emancipation, and
illiteracy, the worst from of exploitation, cannot move together.
Illiteracy is such a curse which gives birth to certain circumstances which
are dangerous for democracy. Poverty is one of those threats which are fatal for
democracy. Illiteracy is the major cause of poverty in third world countries where
democracies are fragile. Counties like Pakistan where millions of youngsters are
illiterate do not get opportunities for better living conditions. Unemployment
forces them to live under starvation. In these conditions their immediate need
becomes food and shelter. They are least concerned with any political system.
Even when there is a democratic government poor people think that these political
leaders are responsible for their miseries. In all these exploitative conditions people
lose their faith in democracy. In these circumstances when a dictator comes into

100
power, poor masses welcome him with open arms. They wrongly assume that men
in uniform will rescue them from poverty.
Illiteracy, along with poverty, gives birth to crimes and terrorism. An
illiterate person, when rejected by society, is compelled to choose unfair means for
his survival. That’s why crime rate in third world countries is higher because of
illiteracy and poverty. Moreover an ignorant is not only prone to choose path of
crime but also of terrorism. He can easily be trapped and brain washed by militant
organizations for their heinous designs. In absence of proper education, an ignorant
whatever is taught believes it as truth. All these criminal and terrorist activities
lead a society towards anarchy. Ultimately people feel themselves unsafe and
democracy suffers due to crimes and terror.
Non education also leads towards dogmatism which strengthens anti-
democratic systems. Autocrats use religion as a tool of exploitation so that people
may not demand their rights. Forces of exploitation make people believe that there
miseries are god-gifted. They teach them that path of suffering would lead them
towards heaven. Due to this illiterates believe that worldly life is an illusion and
they should not have any concern with worldly progress. Unlike ignorant people an
educated society demands rights and poses a great challenge to plunderers.
Ignorance not only deprives people of their rights but also lead towards
intolerance. First target of an intolerant society is women. A narrow-minded
society considers empowerment of women a threat for very existence of that
society. Second target of an ill-educated society is creativity and innovation. There
is no place of art and music for an intolerant nation. Art and literature, the sources
which lead towards peace, are despised in a blind society. All this intolerance leads
towards hatred against women, minorities and other sects. Democracy develops on
peace not on intolerance.
Moreover, where there is illiteracy there is injustice. Uneducated women in
rural areas face injustices like honour killing, physical assault, and child marriages
without knowing that their basic rights are being violated. In this feudal and tribal
set up violation of basic rights is not a crime but violation of rotten norms is.
Secondly feudal class in these areas is so strong that they have their own justice
system. Matters of poor and uneducated masses are decided in large drawing

101
rooms of local sovereigns by their whims and wishes. Parallel justice system is the
result of mass illiteracy. True democracy without uniform justice is a joke.
Likewise, feudalism, the systems of exploitation of poor peasants, flourishes
on illiteracy. Feudal lords, who are averse to industrial progress, keep people
illiterate in order to enjoy unchecked authority. Firstly in absence of education,
people are unable to find alternate career and ultimately they remain dependent on
feudals. Secondly education gives people voice. Why would these feudals allow
their subject to get educated and raise voice against their atrocities? So for feudal
class, in order to maintain hegemony, the best thing is to keep masses illiterate. In
this way, through illiteracy, feudal class perpetuates conditions of exploitation.
Whereas a true democracy promises to end all forms of exploitation.
Democracy, on other hand, cannot move with backwardness and progress
without education is impossible. Development of a nation works as oxygen for its
democracy. More advanced is a country more strong is its democracy. Education
gives scientists and scholars who explore new fields of knowledge. All this
knowledge is used for betterment of humanity. This knowledge ends diseases and
disasters. Murder of education is murder of humanity and democracy. When rulers
snatch education from their people that means they have snatched their future.
Future of democracy lies with the nations who are economically self-
sufficient. Education leads towards economic progress. Technical knowledge is
necessary to run industries- the major source of revenue. An educated country with
large number of economists and chartered accountants would easily solve its
economic problems. Economic dependency has always lead nations towards
authoritarianism.
Furthermore, social prosperity can only be achieved through education.
Education enriches a nation with teachers, doctors, engineers, lawyers,
anthropologists, psychologists and number of professionals. These professionals
are back bone of the social and economic progress of a nation. Absence of these
professionals gives birth to crimes which destabilize democracy. Victor Hugo,
famous French novelist, rightly said “when a school door is opened, a jail is
closed”. Illiteracy compels people to live under chains of exploitation.

102
The first shackle of exploitation which true education breaks is it liberates

minds from all kinds imposed ideologies. A well-educated society represents its
own thinking- developed through several years of leaning. In this way educated
masses elect leaders who represent people’s interests. In absence of true education
people are fooled to believe that the representative of feudal class are their true
representatives. Feudals in assemblies make laws which serve interests of feudal
class not of masses. Poverty, poor health, inflation, illiteracy and unemployment
are not problems of rich parliamentarians so they are least concerned with these
issues. Foremost task of true representatives is to end all forms of exploitation. It is
only educated nation which elects their true representatives and leads country
towards strong democracy.
Moreover, democracy, a system based on equality, cannot prosper by
treating men and women unequally. Women are the main pillar of a democratic
system. The main culprit which weakens this pillar is illiteracy. Education, on
other hand, empowers a woman and brings her shoulder to shoulder with man. An
educated woman has more opportunities as compared to illiterate one. She can earn
by herself which reduces her dependency on man. Education allows a woman to
nurture her children rationally. Secondly it would be difficult for a male-dominant
society to exploit educated women. An illiterate women is easy prey to ill practices
like harassment and domestic violence. Education empowers women and free
women guarantee strong democracy.
Education widens public sphere. In absence of education people have limited
choice to express their displeasure against forces of exploitation. Education allows
them to express their opinion through newspapers, social media, electronic media
and books. People through their opinion demand rights and force elected leaders to
fulfill their promises. Education gives people voice, autocrats hate freedom of
expression. A true democracy can only be accomplished by widening the public
sphere.
In absence of education the electoral process is also weak. People in rural
areas cast vote on the basis of Biradri-the kinship system. Being unaware of
importance of vote and true leaders they elect people who pretend to be their well-
wishers. Educated masses cannot be trapped easily by demagogues. They elect

103
people who can be held accountable. Education strengthens voters as well as

electoral process.
Responsibly of a voter does not end by mere casting a vote. He knows that
politicians are not elected to enjoy unchecked authority but to address real
problems of society. Voters, who know the importance of vote, hold their
representatives accountable for their performance. Politicians also know that due to
their ill performance, people will not elect them in next election. Through this
process, educated nations heal the ills of democracy. In absence of proper
education, when vote has nothing to do with accountability, there is little
difference between democracy and oligarchy.
Educated nations respect difference of opinion and solve matters through
dialogue. Intolerance and anarchy go hand in hand. Incompetent leaders, such as
Taliban in Afghanistan, resolve matters through violence. Democracy in
Scandinavian countries is strongest because of high education and less aggression.
Education promotes tolerance. Final goal of a true democracy is to achieve peace
not only at national but at world level.
All this discussion shows that illiteracy adversely affects democracy. On one
hand illiteracy, itself a condition of exploitation, perpetuates other forms of
exploitation such as poverty, crime, intolerance, blind faith and injustices. On other
hand illiteracy impedes all of forms of progress and true democracy cannot be
achieved without progress. If representatives of people want to establish strong
democracy they need to educate people because it strengthens democracy through
people’s representation, fair electoral process, empowerment of women,
accountability and difference of opinion. Illiteracy strengthens forces of
exploitation democracy promises to end all forms of exploitation both cannot move
together.

104
Urdu Literature and Progressive Movement

Outline:
Introduction
1. Background in which progressive movement emerged
a) Influence of upheavals in international politics
b) Emergence of literary movements in Europe
c) Growing barbarity of British Raj in colonial India
2. Birth of Progressive Movement
a) Initiatives taken in London and Movement’s manifesto
b) 1936 Conference at Lucknow and response from literary figures of India
3. Ideology of Progressive Movement
a) Art as a voice of oppressed people
b) Literature for change
c) Art for life
4. Achievements of Progressive Movement
a) Impacts on international literature
b) Impacts on theatre, film and music
6. Challenges to progressive movement
7. Criticism against progressive movement
8. Decline of Progressive Movement
Conclusion

105
Essay
Foremost role of Progressive movement in Urdu literature was that it gave
the idea that every art has a purpose and art can lead life towards betterment.
Before the emergence of the Progressive Movement, Urdu literature was meant to
be written for elite class. Poetry and fiction were considered to fulfill certain
aesthetic needs. Novels were didactic in nature. In this entire scenario art had
nothing to do with life of a common man. Progressive movement in Urdu was
revolt against this escapism. Based on the slogan “Art for Life”, progressive
movement not only advocated the representation of masses in Urdu literature but
also advocated that art can be used against forces of oppression and status-quo.
Pioneers of Progressive movement, studying abroad, were influenced by
revolutionary ideas of 20th century. They were influenced by writings of Karl Marx
who said “Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways;
the point is to change it”. They were admirers of Bolshevik Revolution of 1917
which changed the lives of millions of proletariat and peasants. They were
voracious readers of Gorky, Maupassant, Flaubert, Tolstoy and many other writers.
With all these rebellious ideas, pioneers of Progressive Movement came to India
where the ground for such a movement was already well prepared. Initially
Progressive movement got huge response from stalwarts like Rabindranath Tagore,
and Munshi Prem Chand. It produced writers of high caliber like Faiz Ahmed Faiz,
Krishen Chander and Sahir Ludhyanvi. Later, the movement faced thought time
from British Raj in the shape of censure and imprisonment of its members.
Although progressive movement declined after the Partition of India but it left
immense impact on Urdu literature which has no match in entire history of Urdu
literature.
First congress of Progressive Writers’ Movement, held in Lucknow in 1936,
left deep impact not only on Urdu literature of subcontinent but also on politics of
British India. What led this event to take place? There are several reasons. First
three decades of 20th century were years of rapid upheavals all over the world.
World War I had been ended with millions of deaths across the globe. Bolshevik
Revolution in Russia had given a new hope to workers of the world. These events
were the culmination of conflicts of modernist ideologies which eventually moved
the minds of subcontinent. Emerging progressive thinkers from subcontinent
concluded that wars are the consequence of colonialism and revolutions are for the

106
emancipation from capitalism. These thinking brains of Indian, studying abroad,

were determined to alter the course of Indian history not with bullets but with
books not with war but with wisdom. For them literature was the best source for
this revolutionary change.
At the same time several literary movements in Europe were leaving deep
impact on thoughts of modern man. These movements not only offered ways of
expression but literature had also become a great mode of criticizing the miseries
of life. Romanticism emphasized on self-expression of an individual, before that an
individual had to keep himself away from his writings. Secondly, literary
movement of realism left great impact on fiction. Novelists like Balzac, Victor
Hugo portrayed miseries of common people in their novels. Short story writers like
Guy de Maupassant and Anton Chekhov wrote extensively on sufferings of lay
men. In this context Matthew Arnold, the English critic, rightly said, “Literature
is the best criticism of life”. Impacts of these movements were to take roots in
writings of Krishen Chander, Sahir Ludhyanvi and other progressive writers of
British India.
Indigenous factors which playedvital role in emergence of the Progressive
Movement were increasing atrocities of British Raj in colonial India and growing
political awareness among masses. End of World War I and socialist revolution in
Russia gave way to several liberation movements all over the world. These events
added to the paranoia of British rulers in India. They decided to crush any mass
uprising with iron hand. In this context the incident of Jhalianwala Bagh, Amritsar
India in 1919, took place. Thousands of innocent people, including children and
women, were massacred who were gathered to celebrate traditional festival of
Besakhi. This event added to the anger of indigenous people and political activism
took pace. Second event which shook the souls of Indian masses was hanging of
Bhagat Singh, the leader of socialist movement in India, in Lahore in 1931. Bhagat
Singh’s slogan: Inqilab Zindabad (Long Live Revolution) was becoming a popular
slogan and British Raj left no stone unturned to crush this movement. In this
context progressive writers from colonial India decided to throw away all
traditional methods of literature and birth of Progressive Writers’ Movement took
place.

107
First initiative for the creation of Progressive Movement was taken in

London in 1935 by young intellectuals from India. Among them Sajjad Zaheer,
Mulk Raj Anand, Dr. Jiyoti Ghosh, Mehmmod-ul-Zafar were prominent. They
prepared manifesto of Progressive Movement. Key purpose of progressive
movement was to bring change in society. The manifesto highlighted the miseries
of common men and demanded art to portray problems of lower strata of society.
Progressive writers emphasized on realism in art rather than mysticism. They
asked to promote rational values through literature. With the dream of change “the
fiery young men returned home determined to right all the wrongs” writes
Rakshanda Jalil, the writer of Liking Progress, Loving Change: A Literary History
of the Progressive Writers’ Movement in Urdu. With this dream of change young
progressive writers and thinkers determined to unite the like minded people.
On 10 April 1936, with the Conference at Lucknow, All India Progressive
Writers’ Movement (AIPWM), regarded as “the most powerful and decisive
Urdu literary movement of 20th” century”, came into being. The response from
literary figures of India was remarkable. First conference was presided by Munshi
Prem Chand, the father of realism in Urdu literature. Prominent among others who
supported AIPWM were Rabindra Nath Tagore, first Noble laureate from India,
Allama Iqbal, Sarojini Naidu (Bulbul-e-Hind), Josh Maleeh Abadi (the Poet of
Revolution) and Movli Abdul Haq (the Father of Urdu). Not only intellectuals but
also common men supported organization whit open arms and movement spread to
the nook and cranny of British India.
Main reason, due to which large number of masses supported AIWPW, was:
the movement was for the people, of the people and by the people. Movement’s
key ideology was: art must represent common men and their sufferings.
Progressive writers wrote hundreds of short stories, novels, dramas and poetry on
social issues. Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s satirical poem “Kuttay”, Ali Sardar Jafri’s
“Niwala” and Israr –ul-Haq Mijaz’s “Mazdooron ka Geet” are to name a few
poems which represented miserable condition of poor masses. On other hand, short
stories like Saadat Hassan Manto’s “Kali Shalwar”, Krishen Chander’s “ Kalu
Bhangi” and “Kachra Baba”, Ismat Chugtai’s “Lihaf” and Munshi Prem Chand’s “
Thakur Ka Kunwan” were among thousands of short stories which mirrored the
miseries of society. All this representation of miserable conditions of people
exposed the very nature of brutal system.

108
The purpose of Progressive Writers’ Movement was not just to expose the
inhuman barbarity of the system but to change it. First thing to change the system
was to change people’s thinking. Progressive writings developed a great deal of
critical thinking among common masses. Other purpose was to lead life towards
betterment. Most of the progressive writers were convinced that change is
inevitable. That’s the reason that poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Israr-ul-Haq Mijaz,
and Sahir Ludhyanvi are full of optimism and revolutionary zeal. Progressive
Writer’s Movement emerged as a new ray of hope for suffering masses of colonial
India.
This does not mean that progressive literature was only restricted to
portrayal of sufferings lower strata of the society. The most profound slogan of the
movement was: art for life. That meant that art should encompass all values of
human life. Art should give way to human feelings. Traditional themes of love and
beauty, passion and desire all were written with a new perspective. The purpose
was to express feelings not just entertain. The motto was to lead life towards
betterment not to detach literature from life.
Progressive Writers’ Movement not only left deep impact on Urdu literature
but also it influenced world literature. Faiz Ahmed Faiz, who later won Lenin
Prize, became voice of oppressed all over the world. Writers like Krishen Chander,
Saadat Hassan Manto and Rajider Singh Bedi were translated into several local as
well as international languages. No movement in history of Urdu literature had that
much impact.
Progressive Movement also influenced film, theatre and radio. Indian
People's Theatre Association (IPTA), formed in 1943 for cultural awakening, was
the effort of Progressive writers. Progressive poets such as Kaife Azmi, Majrooh
Sultanpuri and Sahir became lyricist and gave wonderful songs to film industry.
Number of progressive writers wrote stories for films. Musician such as Salil
Chaudhri and Director such as Bimal Roy were influenced by the Movement.
This does mean that growth of Progressive Movement was smooth but it
also faced several challenges. British Government, afraid of movement’s growing
influence in masses, left no stone unturned to oppose the movement. Colonial
masters charged progressive writers as “communist agents”. There allegation was
that in the name of literature, progressive writers were preaching communist

109
ideology. British government banned government servants to participate in in

activity of the movement. Second hurdle for progressive writers was the feudal and
conservative mind set. They accused progressive writer of spreading immoral
values like sex and atheism. In this way Saadat Hassan Manto and Ismat Chugtai
faced trial. Due to these hardship progressive literature suffered a lot.
Moreover, progressive writers also faced criticism from literary figures of
other school of thoughts. Writers from other literary movement Halqa Arbab e
Zauq gave slogan of “Art for the sake of Art” which meant art should only promote
aesthetic values. Prominent among the writers of Halqa Arbab e Zauq were Noon
Meem Rashid and Meera Ji. They accused progressive writers of promoting
sloganism and preaching a particular ideology. According to them themes like
poverty, revolution, changes are mere slogans and aesthetic requirements of art are
broader than these slogans.
It was not the criticism and hardship from outside which lead this movement
towards decline but partition of India in 1947 and afterwards internal conflicts
within movement reduced movement’s strength. Writers of British India were now
divided into two countries: India and Pakistan. In Pakistan hardliners judged every
piece of writing with the lens of progressive or non-progressive. Stalwart writer
Manto was expelled from Progressive movement in 1949 because his writing were
not considered up to the requirement of “progressive” ideology. Faiz Ahmed Faiz
was also sidelined as he also was accused of writing too ambiguous poems. Due to
this discouraging environment number of writers from Pakistan migrated to India.
Finally the Progressive Writer’s Movement was declared illegal in Pakistan in
1954.
To conclude, Progressive Movement in Urdu, considered as the strongest
movement in entire history of Urdu literature, left deep impact on lives of millions
of people. It gave awareness against brutalities of the colonials. It exposed the very
nature of the system. The movement produced finest poets of Urdu literature, it
gave highly regarded fiction writers of Urdu language. It was the only movement
in Urdu whose echo could be heard all the world. It was the only movement which
had deep impacts on film, theatre, music and other forms of art. Although it
declined after partition of India but its ideology continues to live even in 21 st
century. Art produced by Progressive Movement would be alive for centuries as it

110
would continue to inspire wretched of the earth, for whom this movement took
place.

111
Informal economy of Pakistan: the way forward
Outlines:
Introduction:
Causes:
a) Corruption
b) Trust deficit
c) High tax rates
d) Loopholes in tax laws
e) Amnesty schemes
f) Illiteracy and complex system of taxation
g) Mafias in informal sector
h) Religious bent of mind
Impacts:
a) Revenue Loss
b) Dependency on foreign loans
c) Tax burden on formal sector
d) Burden of indirect taxes
e) Money laundering
Way forward:
a) Corruption eradication measures
b) Regular audit of bureaucrats and politicians
c) Training of tax officers
d) Broadening of tax net

112
e) Ban on Amnesty schemes

f) Documentation of economy
g) Promotion of e-commerce
h) Digital identity cards
i) Tax awareness measures
Conclusion

113
Essay
Economic progress of a country largely depends on revenue generation
through taxation. These taxes, in return, benefit the citizens in the form of
infrastructure, security and human development. Economic systems all over the
world contain informal economy. Volume of this informal economy is smaller in
developed countries as compared to that of third world nations. Pakistan is among
those poor nations where large volume of informal economy is of great concern.
Problem with Pakistan is that its 50% of economy is informal. Informal economy
contains both legal and illegal economic activities. Pakistan’s markets are full of
these informal activities. Vendors selling plastic goods, small book stalls with daily
newspapers and pirated books, cabins of cigarettes, people selling second-hand
clothes on encroached roads, milk shops, vehicle mechanics, tailors, plumbers,
rickshaw drivers and many more self-employed people are part of informal
economy. According to a report 62 percent of Pakistan’s trade is associated with
informal sector. Along with these un-registered trades, a large number registered
and documented sector is also involved in informal economy. In order to avoid tax
they conceal their production and assets from regulatory and tax authorities. This
tax-concealed money is a large source of black money in Pakistan. Along with
legal businesses, informal sector is also comprised of illegal economic activities
such as gambling, smuggling, drugs, prostitution, black marketing. Due to very
nature of this black economy, people involved in this economy keep their illegal
activities hidden. Furthermore, Pakistan’s large portion of black economy consists
of money from corruption. A large number of civil and military bureaucrats and
politicians are involved in corruption. Informal economy has not only damaged the
economic growth of Pakistan but it is also a great source of exploitation of working
class. According to a report 70 percent of employees in Pakistan work under
informal sector facing poor working environment, uncertainty of job and many
other issues. This informal economy adds insult to the injury regarding Pakistan’s
economic woes. On one hand burden of foreign loans increases, secondly Pakistan
has to face budget deficits every year. Ultimately the poor strata of the society
bears the brunt of these budget deficits and huge loans in the form of under-
development and inflation. Moreover growth rate of Pakistan also remains poor. In
order to overcome the economic challenges, Pakistan needs to overcome the
menace of informal economy.

114
One of the main cause of informal economy in Pakistan is corruption.

Corruption by certain tax authorities, in collusion with businessmen, increases the
volume of informal economy. Corrupt taxation officers take bribe from certain
taxpayers and do not conduct their audit properly. They give benefit to these
taxpayers on under-invoicing, cash payments, inadmissible expenses. As the
saying goes “it takes two to tango” so both the corrupt taxpayers and corrupt tax
authorities are beneficiaries of corruption. A study conducted by Lahore University
of Management Sciences in 2018 showed that out of Rs 100, the government
receives only Rs 38 and Rs 62 is pocketed by taxpayer, tax collector and tax
practitioner. With this corruption a large amount of informal revenue goes
untaxed.
Besides corruption, most of the regular tax payers hide their production
because of high tax rates. They think that they are the only taxpayers who bear the
brunt of non-tax payments of informal sector. These registered taxpayers think that
government, in order to meet budget targets, taxes them heavily. Due to burden of
heavy taxes along with advance tax, minimum tax and non-payment of refunds
their margin of profit decreases. In order to get more and more profit they hide
their real income. Their hidden income contributes to informal economy
Mistrust on government is another main factor due to which majority of
entrepreneurs neither get themselves registered nor pay taxes. They think that their
taxed money would be spent on luxuries of ruling elite. Lack of infrastructure,
under development by government and rising inflation substantiate their thinking.
Secondly they even do not trust bureaucracy. They think that by getting registered
they will be selected for audit and become prey to tax authorities’ corruption. To
avoid any kind of audit and inspection a large number of traders in Pakistan remain
undocumented and unregistered. These undocumented activities form a large part
of inform economy.
Furthermore, many loopholes in tax laws encourage informal economy.
Income Tax Ordinance 2001 provides exemption from tax on foreign remittances.
Due to this provision a large amount of black money is sent to foreign countries
through illegal means of Hundi and Hawala. Finally this black money is sent back
from foreign country to entrepreneur’s account as foreign remittance and illegal
money becomes legal. Secondly, Income Tax Ordinance also provides exemption

115
on agricultural income. Due to this provision a large number of politicians and

bureaucrats hide their corruption. They declare that their source of income is
agricultural income which is exempted from income tax. These loopholes in tax
laws have been a great source of increase in informal economy.
Along with lacunae in tax laws, amnesty schemes are also a great source of
whitening the black money. In order to meet budget deficits several governments
have been announcing amnesty schemes at eleventh hour. These amnesty schemes
allow people who possess huge black money to pay a certain amount of tax and get
that money whitened. This practice of amnesty gives safe way to people who
manage to accumulate black money through illegal practices. Secondly this
encourages them to further keep involved in illegal practices of making money as
they know that government would sooner or later announce amnesty schemes for
their rescue. This ill practice of amnesty schemes causes huge loss to revenue of
the country.
Furthermore, due to high illiteracy rate in Pakistan people are unable to
know the complexities of tax system. This keeps them away from getting
registered. First of all tax returns are in English language whereas a large number
of people do not know English. Secondly complex categories of registration keep
an uneducated shopkeeper away from getting registered. Thirdly due to illiteracy
people are unaware of benefits of formalization. Due to this, number of registered
persons is very low in Pakistan
Another key reason due to which government is unable to control informal
economy is presence of strong mafias in informal sector. Number of informal
businesses in large cities of Karachi and Lahore have become very strong mafias.
Whenever government formulates any policy to register these undocumented
businesses, these strong mafias come into action. They threaten the government
that they would close all business activities in the country. Secondly, being voters
and financial supporters of local political parties these mafias have strong political
support. They prefer to give extortion to political parties instead of government
taxes. Due to these reasons government finally bows before these mafias and is
unable to move with any policy of formalization of informal economy.
One more reason due to which people do not pay taxes is religious fabric of
Pakistani society. Due to religious mind set a large number of people are

116
concerned with life after death and less concerned with worldly issues. Due to this,
these people prefer to give charity, which they think it would benefit them in the
form of reward from almighty. For them taxes are wastage of money as
government does not give any benefit to masses from these taxes. Due to this
conservative thinking a large number of entrepreneurs do not bother to get
themselves registered.
This huge volume of informal economy hinders Pakistan’s progress in terms
budget deficit. According to a report by newspaper Dawn “In year 2019 Pakistan’s
budget deficit widened to 8.9% of gross domestic product.” Another report by
Economist, London based magazine, “Pakistan’s budget deficit was recorded at
Rs286 billion during July to September period of the year 2019-20.” These budget
deficits add insult to the injury when it comes to the expenditures. According to a
report, “The country’s expenditures have stood at Rs1.775 trillion as against the
revenues of Rs1.489 trillion during July-September period of FY2020.” Due to
budget deficit government has less spending on public welfare programs. In order
to overcome the issue of budget deficit, government needs to control informal
economy.
Due to less budget and high expenditures, the government is left with
Hobson’s choice of foreign loans. According to a report, in July 2020, PTI
government sealed a $6 billion loan agreement with the International Monetary
Fund (IMF). Due to these loans government has to pay heavy price as IMF forces
the country to follow the neo-liberal agenda. By following this agenda government
is forced to increase inflation, devaluation of currency, privatization of institutes
and downsizing of workers. If Pakistan wants to get out of quagmire of foreign
loans it needs to generate more and more revenue.
In order to overcome the issue of budget deficits, the formal sector, which
already pays taxes, becomes the scapegoat. This formal sector comprised of private
limited companies registered with Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan
(SECP) and other regulatory authorities. Unfortunately, the tax which this sector
pays is 35% of net income, which is highest in Asia. These high taxes and
corruption of other regulatory authorities discourage foreign investors to invest in
Pakistan. It is unfair to tax those sectors who pay regular taxes whereas a large
number of unregistered activities go untaxed.

117
Not only regular tax payers but also lower strata of society suffers due to
less revenue generation. Government in order to get more revenue heavily relies on
indirect taxes. People from middle class pay hidden taxes on mobile phones,
purchase of goods, services, payment of electricity bills and various other things.
When a poor faces the burden of indirect taxes amidst rising inflation the society
moves towards collapse. Only rescue for that society is to empower the people by
reducing tax burden.
Evasion of tax and corruption results in money laundering. As the people
having illegal money are afraid of being caught by accountability departments. To
avoid any risk these people send money abroad through illegal means. From this
money they buy luxury houses and invest in foreign countries. Children of these
corrupt people enjoy the facilities of foreign countries whereas the children of
poor, the future of Pakistan, suffer. Pakistan needs to tackle the issue of money
laundering in order to make its future bright.
In order to overcome the issue of informal economy government needs to
take bold steps. First of all government needs to take harsh measures to eradicate
corruption. In this regard filing of annual return and asset declaration form should
be made mandatory for all politicians and bureaucrats. Along with that government
should also conduct regular audit of officers. Secondly, government should also
increase salaries of tax officers so that they can work honestly without being
involved in corruption. End of corruption can pave the way for end of informal
economy
Second, matters of taxation and tax laws are always technical in nature. Most of
the tax officials and officers are incompetent as compared to chartered accountants
of private firms. These chartered accountants know the tricks to evade tax. In this
matter government needs to conduct regular trainings of tax officers. Government
can send officers to get training from foreign countries to learn the tax mechanism
of advanced countries. A competent tax officer will surely generate more revenue
for the country.
Furthermore, government needs to improve the tax base. Pakistan has a
notoriously narrow tax base, with less than 1% of its 208 million people filing
income tax returns. Most of the businesses which earn billions of rupees annually,
such as transportation, real state, brokerage and commission, are still unregistered.

118
Moreover, a large number of youngsters are earning on social sites and internet,
which is a completely neglected sector in term of tax collection. Government needs
to take immediate measures to bring these sectors into tax net. Secondly, a
common man with small business but less educated, cannot file tax return easily. In
this regard government needs to introduce simple methods of return filing. Along
with that mobile applications should be introduced in local and English languages
so that a lay person can easily file tax return. Broadening of tax base will surely
generate revenue and reduce the burden of indirect taxes.
Along with that, amnesty schemes should be banned for good. Amnesty
schemes are against the very essence of democracy. Provision of amnesty to tax
evaders means there is no rule of law in country. One who steals few rupees is sent
to jail and one who steals billions of rupees is given safe passage. It proves the
adage: “Law catches flies but let hornets go free”. In order to follow the true spirit
of equality and democracy government needs to end the tradition of amnesty
schemes.
One of the main source of informality in Pakistan is cash transactions.
Promotion of e-commerce can overcome this issue. Online sell and purchase of
goods requires payment through credit card or through banking channel. These
online transactions can easily be documented. Government can trace out those
people who make large transactions and bring them into tax net. In this regard
government needs to introduce PayPal like online payment system through mobile
phone. Promotion of e-commerce would not only enhance business activities but
also reduce the informal activities.
Moreover, in order to overcome the issue of informal economy government
needs to introduce digital identity cards. Digital identity cards help gather
information about various business activities. Pakistan can learn from India. India
has introduced Aadhaar identity number, interlinked the identity system with bank
accounts and mobile numbers.Today, 99% of Indian adults have an Aadhaar
identity number. With digitalized identity cards and e-payments Pakistan can also
solve the problem of informal economy.
Last, Pakistan needs to promote awareness about importance of tax and
demerits of tax evasion. Pakistan is one of those countries where evasion of tax is
not perceived as an illegal or immoral activity. In this regard media can play a vital

119
role to make people aware about importance of tax. Secondly, government can also
provide awareness to students by including lessons on benefits of tax.
To conclude, the presence of large volume of the informal economy is a
matter of serious concern for the government. The existence of such a large
underground economy has disastrous effects on Pakistan. This not only causes
large fiscal losses to the economy but also affects poor strata of the society. Tax
evasion has a negative impact on Pakistan’s fiscal and monetary sectors. In order
to compensate for this loss, the government imposes more taxes and this practice
further raises the problem of tax evasion. Reducing the size of the underground
economy can enhance the economic growth of Pakistan.

120
Is Pakistan Ready for Digital Revolution
Outline:
Introduction
Thesis: Pakistan has to overcome number of hurdles to become a digital society
1. Scope of digital revolution in Pakistan:
a) Digitalization of Industrial sector
b) Formalization of taxation through digitization
c) Enhancement of e-commerce
d) Up gradation of agriculture through e-agriculture
e) Better governance through e-governance
f) Better education through digital literacy
g) Women empowerment through digital participation
h) Better health through e-health
2. Hurdles:
a) Illiteracy
b) Lack of awareness
c) Dearth of local content
c) Insufficient technical skills
e) Cybercrimes and insecurity
g) Inconsistency of electric power
d) Poor digital infrastructure
e) Financial deficits
f) Lack of investment

121
Way forward:
a) Creation of local content
b) Awareness of youth
c) Development of technical skills
d) Promotion of cyber security
e) Provision of easy online payment facilities
f) Digital identity cards
g) Foreign investment to improve digital infrastructure
Conclusion

122
Essay
Developing world is moving rapidly towards digital revolution in almost
every field of life. With the advancement in computing power, mobile technologies
and internet facilities more and more people have become the members of a digital
worlds. From buying goods online to e-payments, digital marketing has facilitated
humans in various ways. Digitalization has also created number of job
opportunities for the jobless youngsters in the form of earning on social sites. In
the field of education world is moving from textual literacy to digital literacy
helping education by providing digital technologies. Digital libraries and digital
information are becoming a great support for students of higher education. Digital
revolution is also empowering women, providing online job opportunities and
online education. Digital space of social media has become a great source of
highlighting issues of marginalized class. Digitalization of health is improving
health sector all over the world with the help of e-health technologies. Digitization
has not only helped individuals but also governments in terms of e-governance or
digital governance all around the world. Digitization has also been pivotal in terms
of security, crime control, revenue collection, formalization of data and various
other functions. Pakistan also has great potential to solve number of issues by
using digital technologies but it still has to overcome number hurdles to become a
digital society.
First of all, digitalization can overcome the economic woes of Pakistan. One
of the main cause of Pakistan’s weak economic growth is that its industries are not
well-equipped with modern technology. Digitalization of industrial sector can
work as oxygen for Pakistan’s moribund economy. Use of digital technologies can
reduce the several expenditures of an industrial sector. Use of accounting software,
maintenance of computerized record, internet, automation, cloud computing,
artificial intelligence can increase productivity and efficiency of industrial sector.
Another main set back to Pakistan’s poor economy is informal economy.
Around 50% of Pakistan’s economy is undocumented which causes heavy loss to
revenue. Most of the taxpayers prefer using traditional method of cash payment
which goes undocumented. Transactions through e-banking and digital payment or
e-payment can easily be documented. It can bring a large number of tax payers into
tax net. Digitalized identity cards would allow government sector to gather

123
information about potential taxpayers. In absence of strong taxation system

Pakistan cannot get out of quagmire of foreign loans.
Pakistan’s economy can also be strengthened by creating more and more e-
commerce opportunities. Digital technologies and digital space have become
sources of buying and selling all around the world. By providing easy mobile
payment system government can increase the number of online buyers and sellers
to enhance business activities. With increasing online business activities
government can also generate large revenue.
Digital technologies can also promote Pakistan’s agriculture sector. Mobile
Agriculture Information Portal can help agriculturists to get informed about price,
horticultural diseases with remedial actions, water quality, weather updates and
supply/demand data from agricultural commodity markets. Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) can help monitor the environment to plan sustainable
agriculture products. E- Agriculture scheme can be effective regarding
empowerment of poor farmers and agriculturists.
Pakistan’s administrative system is still chained in age-old colonial legacy.

Country’s bureaucracy is pro-power instead of pro-people. People have to travel
long distances and wait for hours in long queues just to get documents such as
domicile, driving license. E- Governance system can overcome this issue. By
digital documentation people can get their documents online. Secondly, Pakistan’s
bureaucracy is notorious for corruption. Implementation of e-procurement can be
helpful for transparency and accountability. Establishment of G-Cloud can
integrate government database and can get rid of paper and files which cause
billions of rupees expenditure.
Pakistan is unfortunately among countries having less investment in

education. Government schools are in poor condition without proper furniture and
buildings. Digitalization of government education can allow poor students to learn
at home. Digital education would also have less cost for government as compared
traditional education. Digitalization of higher education can offer opportunities to
students living in remote areas. Internet facilities give access to high quality
research papers. A large number of online digital libraries provide PDF books on
almost every subject. Government can also improve its number of university

124
graduates by offering online courses and certificates. Digitalization of education

can open new paths of development for Pakistan
Pakistan’s progress can also be achieved by empowering women. Women
make around 60% of Pakistan’s population. Unfortunately women have less
participation in economic activities and making her dependent on men. Provision
of access to digital technologies will help reduce inequalities and support gender
equality. With access to internet women from rural areas can sell their handicraft
and embroidery online. Pakistan’s conservative mind set does not allow girls to
have higher education. Young girls can have education facilities through online
learning.
With the help of E-health technology Pakistan can improve its health sector.
Promotion of telemedicine can facilitate people living in far flung areas, especially
in case of emergency. Building of online network of doctors and qualified
specialists can benefit people in terms of easy appointments. Digitization and
automation of patient’s record can facilitate patient and doctor both.
One of the major hurdles which Pakistan is facing in order to become a
digital country is illiteracy. According to a report Pakistan has 160 million mobile
phone subscribers 70 million active internet users and 60 million Smartphone
users. Unfortunately only 10 percent of people can search or type on an English
keyboard. Most of the people cannot even read message on mobile phone. For
them mobile phone is to receive or make a call. People in rural areas can read or
type in local language but there is dearth of content in local languages. In this
scenario usage of internet is a luxury for limited number of people who can enjoy
the fruits of digital world of internet.
Majority of those who enjoy this benefits of internet do not know the real
worth of it. With the increasing number of android cell phone buyers, usage of
internet has rapidly increased among younger generation of Pakistan. Due to lack
of awareness in youth, this facility of internet is being misused. A large number of
people use internet just to get entertained. Majority of people buy android mobile
for the sake of using Facebook and Whatsapp. Teenagers on other hand have been
getting addicted to games such as PUBG and Tiktok. This new generation of clip-
culture is largely aloof from positive aspects of internet.

125
For those who want to get benefit from internet such as online education, e-
payment, e-commerce cannot make most of it due to cybercrimes and insecurity.
Most of the people feel that those who offer online degrees might be fraud and
these degrees could be fake. Number of women avoid online shopping because of
mistrust on online-traders as number of people have been cheated by online service
providers. Most of the people also avoid having credit card or making e-payment
due to the fear of hackers and frauds. With the poor cyber-crime laws number of
online frauds have been increasing which is baring Pakistan to become a digital
society.
Apart from Smart phones, a large number of people in Pakistan use internet
on personal computers and laptops. Most of the offices and shops are connected to
the world through desktop computers. But the main issue which users of desktop
computers face is that of inconsistent power supply. With the long hours of load
shedding most of the businesses work in isolation. Due to non-connectivity with
world development of e-service, e-business, and other internet related activities
will remain a pipe dream.
Another issue due to which Pakistan lags behind in digital participation is
lack of technical skills. Due to poor education system and lack of computer
education in government schools, a large number of students do not get
opportunity to use computer properly. This deficiency could be tackled by
technical institutes which offer computer training. Unfortunately due to dearth of
technical institutes a large number of population remains unskilled. Resultantly
people with lack of technical computer skills get disconnected from world and rely
on tradition methods of business.
Furthermore, the key reason behind failure of digitalization in Pakistan is its
poor digital infrastructure. Digital infrastructure includes high internet speed, fixed
broad band, internet cables, mobile telecommunication and data centers. Pakistan
has 8 under sea internet cables which is very low in number as compared to that of
17 in India and 23 in Singapore. Pakistan’s fixed broad band service provider
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has slow internet speed
which results in constant disconnections. By year 2020 Pakistan had to introduce
high speed 5G mobile internet service which is still underway. In absence

126
ofdeveloped digital infrastructure Pakistan cannot achieve the dream of becoming

a digital country.
This poor condition of digital infrastructure is mainly due to financial
deficits of the country. Poor revenue generation, mismanagement of funds, misuse
of budgets are main reasons due to which Pakistan faces financial deficit. Due to
these reasons the earlier established Digital Visions and Information Technology
(IT) policies remained incomplete. Little increase in budget and investment in IT
industry can give fruitful results. Unfortunately digitalization of the system is not
on top priority of government.
Development of digital infrastructure demands investment in Information
and Technology. Failure of digital vision of Pakistan is also due to the reason that
the country has failed to attract significant foreign investment. This is due to
terrorism, poor law and order condition, devaluation of currency and many other
reasons. Secondly Pakistan can encourage private sector to invest in IT. The issue
with the private sector is that it hesitates to invest due to high tax rates. Without
investment development of digital infrastructure would be almost impossible.
All these problems which hinder the digital progress of Pakistan, can be
addressed by taking short term and long term measures. First of all improvement of
literacy rate cannot be achieved immediately. It will take time for people to learn
English language and use digital technologies in English. In that case government
can develop local content. A large number of people in rural areas, having primary
education, can read in local languages. In this regard Iran’s example can be taken
where majority of population is unfamiliar with English. Iran’s application Bazar
in Persian language gave access to large number of people for online shopping.
Creation of local content in Pakistan will give access digital world to a large
number of people. They would be able to search on internet, use mobile
applications, send e-payments and many more benefits.
Secondly, internet sensation is increasing in Pakistan’s youth but it is mainly
used for entertainment purpose rather than for some creative work. Media can play
a vital role by creating awareness among youth and children. In this regard it is
also responsibility of parents to have check on children. Parents can provide them
educational videos from You Tube along with interactive learning applications on
mobile phone. Government can also play important role to divert youth towards

127
positive use of internet. It can provide creative applications to students which can
help them in their studies. Misuse of digital technologies will never lead Pakistan
towards digital revolution.
Moreover, Pakistan lacks technical skills, mandatory for digital progress.
First of all, in order to solve IT related issues, Pakistan needs a large number of
Information Technology experts, for which Pakistan needs a large number of IT
colleges. In this regard only few private colleges and universities are offering IT
courses with expensive fee structure. Secondly, Pakistan also needs skill building
at gross root level. For this purpose, computer education in schools should be made
compulsory. In this regard, creation of technical institutes for computer literacy
would provide technical skills to youth. These skills can help them in digital
participation. Creation of new IT colleges with low fees would increase the
number of IT students. Without technical skills it would take decades for Pakistan
to become a digital country.
Furthermore, Pakistan also needs to increase cyber security to promote
digital participation. Criminal acts of hacking of information, online frauds
discourage the process of digital participation. In order to provide security to
people who make online transactions government not only needs to strengthen the
cybercrime wing but also provide easy access to cybercrime wing to the victims of
cybercrimes. By bringing cyber criminals to the books, government can restore the
confidence of people and it will increase the number of digital participants.
In order to promote e-commerce in Pakistan government needs to develop
easy e-payment facilities for people across the country. At the moment local
payments methods such as Easy Paisa & Jazz Cash services are available. Despite
that, most of the online buyers prefer cash on delivery. Government needs to
introduce PayPal, worldwide online payment system, which would enhance the e-
commerce activities.
Promotion of e-commerce would not only enhance the business activities but
also be beneficial for revenue collection. Most of the online buyers prefer cash o
delivery method. This cash payment method affects revenue collection, as cash
transaction go undocumented. Pakistan can learn from India. India has introduced
Aadhaar identity number, interlinked the identity system with bank accounts and
mobile numbers. Today, 99% of Indian adults have an Aadhaar identity number.

128
Digitalized identity cards and e-payments would solve the problem of informal
economy. Digitalization of commerce, of course, means the attainment of higher
tax revenues.
Finally, government needs to overcome the problem of poor digital
infrastructure. In this regard government needs foreign investment. To attract large
foreign investment government needs to overcome the issues of law and order and
terrorism. Secondly, government can also have partnership with private sector.
High tax rates, which discourage private sector to invest, should be reduced.
Progress in digital infrastructure would lead towards digital revolution.
To conclude, digitalization is the need of the hour for Pakistan. It can solve
number of problems which the country is facing. Digital technologies can bring
revolution in the fields from education to health and economics to governance. It is
necessary to overcome the hurdles which hinder the digital progress of Pakistan.
Positive use of digital technology will pave the way for development of Pakistan.

129
Do we really need literature in our lives?

Outline:
Introduction
Thesis statement: In today’s turbulent age we need literature more than ever
before.
Literature educates us in the age of entertainment
Literature helps us know the in-depth reality of life in today’s superficial society
Literature tells us the actual purpose of life in the age of greed
Literature is a source of spiritual satisfaction in today’s material world
Literature keeps our feelings alive in today’s artificial world
Literature is source of understanding the true nature of a society
Literature is source of creative self-expression amidst non-aesthetic information
Literature presents real picture of past against biased history
Conclusion

130
Essay
Most of the people think that twenty first century is not the age of literature.
They are of the view that once literature was a source of entertainment but in
modern world, movies, songs, television dramas and games have become more
attractive sources of entertainment. Few people think that poetry, short stories and
fiction are for mere pleasure and people don’t get any “knowledge” from literature.
Some of them think that reading long novels and fiction is just wastage of time; it
takes several days to complete a novel and at the end the reader earns nothing. Few
brains debate that literature appeals emotions whereas challenges of life can only
be faced through rationality. Some social scientists assume that literature adds
nothing to the social, political and scientific understanding of a society. Few more
from the field of mass communication say that literature is indirect way of
expression whereas today’s mass media has allowed people to express their
feelings directly. Others from the field of history think that fiction, drama and
poetry do not portray the true history of an era and one cannot know true history of
an age through literature. All these attacks on literature have been unable to reduce
the importance of literature. In today’s turbulent age we need literature more than
ever before. Let’s see how?
First of all those people who reduce literature to a mere source of
entertainment are misguided. It’s true that our younger generation is more inclined
towards entertainment provided by electronic and social media. These sources of
entertainment have reduced the number of readers as compared to that of past. But
it does not means that literature has lost its value. Yes, literature entertains us:
books of Mushtaq Ahmed Yousafi and Ibn-e-Insha make us laugh; Novels of
Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky make us cry; Romantic poetry of Keats and Shelly make
us fall in ecstasy and love; Tragedies of Sophocles and Shakespeare offer us
suspense and drama. But these books of literature not only entertain us but also
educate. These books contain deep philosophy of life which make us learn about
the hidden aspects of society. Literature tells us about truth and encourage us to
stand for truth in the age of hypocrisy. Poems of Rumi, Hafiz Shirazi, Bhagat
Kabir, teach us the message of love in the age of intolerance. Works of
revolutionary writers from Mayakovski to Faiz Ahmed Faiz encourage us to stand
against injustices in the age of autocracy. These books of literature are written by
highly learned people. On other hand songs, television dramas and movies

131
entertain us but they merely educate. Resultantly, personality shaped through

superficial sources of entertainment is shallow and schematic whereas literature
shapes a deep and critical individual.
Secondly, there are people who complain that literature does not provide any
“knowledge”. One of the lady on social media teaching to the students of
competitive examination, advised them to stay away from literature because in
these examinations students need knowledge; and according to her “literature is
mere pleasure”. These words seem to be thoughts of an individual but it is a whole
narrative reinforced into the brains of our younger generation. For these people
knowledge means memorization of certain events and data which can be
reproduced in examination paper. They fail to see what knowledge literature offers
us. It is literature which represents the true reality of life. Writings of Munshi
Premchand and Manto tell us about the miseries of oppressed strata of the society.
It is literature which represents culture of a nation. Realist short stories of Krishan
Chander and Ahmed Nadeem Qamsmi tell about problems of common man.
Poems of Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai and Baba Bulleh Shah teach us love and
tolerance. Poems of Faiz Ahmed Faiz and Ahmed Faraz expose the brutal nature of
anti-democratic forces. Yes, literature cannot help us getting marks in a specific
examination but it helps us know the real value of life.
Furthermore, we live in age in which money has occupied central position in
every field of our life. We are told time and again that “time is money” so by
reading literature we earn nothing. . They think that by spending several hours
reading fiction we earns nothing. They don’t know that it is literature which tells
them the purpose of life. The whole existentialist movement from Sartre to Beckett
was about the meaning of life. Literature asks questions: is life all about earning
money? Is all this worth living? Money fulfills our basic needs but does greed for
more wealth brings happiness in our life? In search of material luxuries modern
man has become so selfish that he cares only about fulfilment of his material
desires. On other hand through literature we see the picture of other people’s lives.
Literature makes us feel their pain. Fiction and novels of realist school of thought
portray miseries of working class. Can a person caring for other people’s sufferings
remain selfish? It is literature which overcomes our greedy nature.

132
Some people now a days think that reading long novels is just wastage of
time. By spending time reading long novels and fiction we are actually spending
time with ourselves. Literature takes us back to our childhood. It refreshes our
nostalgic past memories. Literature makes us remember our loved ones. When we
read literature we explore ourselves. This self-exploration gives us inner peace in
the age of cut-throat competition.
Moreover, followers of pure rationality in our times believe that scientific
development has been achieved though rationality so literature, which appeals
emotions, has become obsolete in our age of technology. These people cannot see
that production of technology and machines do not necessarily lead civilization
towards peace. Two World Wars and theirs horrors are the repercussions of man’s
blind faith in scientific development. Global Warming is another gift of modern
industrialization. It is literature which has always spread the message of peace and
humanity. French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau said “I felt before I thought.”
Feelings and emotions make us real humans. It is true that man of today has
become slave of machines. Due to this, behavior of modern generation has
becoming robotic. With the death of emotions humanity will be doomed. Only
rescue for our age lies in literature, because literature keeps our feelings alive.
Another attack on literature is from the proponents of social sciences. They
think that social sciences are the organized study of human behavior and society.
Whereas literature, being imaginative in nature, does present real picture of
society. These so called social scientistis cannot see that literature has always
benefitted social sciences regarding the study of human society and human
behavior. Dostoyevsky’s novels played important role for psychologist Sigmund
Freud to develop his theories of psychoanalysis. Manto, Ismat Chugtai wrote about
gender discrimination in sub-continent decades before academic work on gender
studies in Indo-Pak. Realist novels in 19th century Europe presented social issue of
common people years before development of sociology as a discipline. Works of
writers from Voltaire to Maxim Gorky provided political understanding of tyranny
and autocracy in Europe; due to their works people demanded a democratic
society. These literary figures are social scientists before being an artist. Literature
is the foundation on which the edifice of social sciences has been developed. In
order to understand society one needs to read literature.

133
Few more say that great works of literature were produced during the
periods of monarchs and dictators. In these periods, freedom of expression had
limited space. Newspapers were controlled and electronic and social media were
not developed. Due to this reason people expressed their feelings through
literature. As literature has symbolic and indirect way of expression these works
survived. But now, with the advancement of democracy and in the age of mass
media, people can express themselves directly; they can write about injustices in
society, about harsh policies of government, about marginalization of women and
many other issues without any censorship. It’s true that age of information has
allowed a large number of people to express their thoughts on mass media but
literature is not mere announcement of feelings and thoughts; literature is creative
self-expression of an individual. The creative expression through literature
contains aesthetic value. This aesthetic faculty of literature allows it to transcend
the boundaries of time. A news has life of one day but a poem can remain alive for
centuries. Ezra Pound, the English poet, rightly said “Literature is a news which
always remains news”. With the passage of time information may become
irrelevant but message of literature is universal.
Along with all these allegations some students of history think that literature
does not portray the real history of an era. Historical novels are is just fiction in
which characters are fake, their dialogues are articulated, and events are fictitious.
They profess that in order to know what really happened in past one needs to read
history instead of literature. To assume that history presents real picture of past is a
deception. Will Durant, English historian, said: “history is all guessing rest is
prejudice.” Most of the history is written by invaders and conquerors, which
glorifies rulers and demonizes the local people and masses. In this scenario it is
literature which truly depicts what masses really thought and felt. Folk literature
tells about the everyday life of a common man. Secondly when a novelists writes
about past he reconstructs the history through his imaginative power in this way he
tells the untold history. Literature tells us about those aspects of past which biased
history conceals. Hegel, famous German philosopher rightly said “In history
characters are real but events are fake; in literature characters are fictitious but
events are real”. Imaginative faculty of literature takes us close to the reality.
By answering several misconception about literature we can now say that
our age needs literature more than ever before. Today we live in society where

134
intolerance has penetrated into the very roots of our behavior. Literature not only
offers counter-narrative against intolerance but it can also help people build an
inclusive culture. Mobile phones and social media have snatched books from the
hands of our younger generation resultantly anxiety and frustration in youth are
growing day by day. Literature, a great source of catharsis, leads towards creative
expression which can be panacea for all anxieties of youth. Growing use of
technology, noise of vehicles, smoke of industries, have shattered our inner peace,
literature provides us spiritual pleasure. Life in 21st century has also become
uncertain and meaningless literature teaches us how to live purposeful life. If we
want to save our society from turbulence we need literature.

135

136

Essays by Shamsher Seelro

Transféré par

Informations du document

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

Essays by Shamsher Seelro

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

i

I would like to express my thanks of gratitude to my students:

Very special thanks to

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

How to Plan and organize essay

How to start a strong introduction? 23

Problems of main body

Weak paragraph and strong paragraph 48

How to write strong conclusion

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Status of women in Pakistan 68

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

What is Essay Writing?

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Comparison of different methods of discourse

Method of Discourse Appeal Questions Addressed

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

1.3. Compare and Contrast Essay

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

How to Plan and Organize Essay

Free Essay and Planned Essay

How to understand the Topic?

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Topic: Illiteracy is a curse

Topic: Islamophobia in the West: Cause & Consequences

2. Interpreting connotative words & statements:

Methods of Brain Storming:

Parts Parts of Parts

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

2. Use the 5 Ws and the H:

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Question: What fears they have?

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Methods of Organizing Essay

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

1. Time (Chronological) Order:

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

6. Mixed Pattern of Organization

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

What is thesis statement?

Features of Thesis Statement

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Strong Thesis Statement and Weak Thesis Statement

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

2. A good thesis is neither too broad nor too narrow

Topic: Gender equality is a myth

5. A good thesis should not be question, fact or quotation

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Position of Thesis Statement

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

2. Thesis statement can be in the middle

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

What makes an introduction “poor?”

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

3. Poor introduction starts with unnecessary definition of the key terms

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

Qualities of a good introduction

What to avoid in an introduction:

How to start a strong introduction

Copyrights © 2020 Shamsher Seelro

3. Begin directly with your thesis