Islamic Republic of Pakistan vs State of Kuwait

I am myself being a Pakistani but living in Kuwait since 1978 would like to compare moral values of both the countries and at the end of the day it will be proved that Kuwait is a better Muslim country than my beloved Pakistan but for certain cogent reasons and not otherwise.

Uncountable men, women and children lost their lives to get a separate and independent land primarily for Muslims who were ill treated in undivided India and as a result a new country called Pakistan was born on 14^th August 1947. However, later on 23^rd March 1956 the word Islamic was officially added to its name and therefore from then till now our country’s full official name is Islamic Republic of Pakistan and there is absolutely nothing wrong to name us as Islamic to be honest. Comparing it to the country where I am living since 1978 it is proved that the word Islamic is not a prefix so far as Kuwait is concerned and there is nothing wrong either. Very much interestingly our flag has a white crescent which is symbolic of being Islamic and the same can be found with many other Islamic countries as well so from that point of view there is nothing special if we have crescent in our flag whereas Kuwait is devoid of any crescent. I will therefore with full conviction, confidence and authority say that my beloved Pakistan has excelled over Kuwait on both two counts and on the face of it Pakistan looks to be more Islamic country than Kuwait but regretfully it is no so or more correctly it is other way round to be honest which pricked me to the extent that I had to pick up pen to pen on the same.

In Kuwait I have neither seen nor even heard about ‘Red Light Areas’ which were very much there in almost each town and cities from day one despite the fact that we named our country as Islamic Republic of Pakistan way back in 1956 which as such demanded of us that prostitution must had been banned before we officially added the word Islamic to our name but none thought if it even later what to talk about before. I have been to most of the towns and cities of Pakistan till I flew out to Saudi Arabia in 1976 and it is penned with utter shame that sign boards reading ‘Out of Bound’ erected all around the grey area could very conspicuously be seen in all the head quarters of a division and district where uniformed people irrespective of the service they belonged to were forbidden to enter which in other words mean that the rest could go and there were girls and women of all ages available for the customers. Why did we have them in 1^st instance particularly when we named ourselves as Islamic or why Kuwait never had any read light areas? On the face of it if Pakistani males had an inborn urge to satisfy themselves I very much doubt if the same urge was missing so far as Kuwaiti male persons are concerned. Who can enlighten me?

Internet is yet another example where Pakistan is not reacting like Kuwait reacts and I do realize that Pakistan being a fully sovereign independent country cannot be dictated to copy Kuwait but nevertheless as a prudent person we must know as to who is who. In Pakistan all sex sites are unblocked so each and everyone irrespective of age and gender can log in to sexual sites but it is not the same in Kuwait. I think when Kuwait realized that sex sites are not constructive and conducive to public so the government issued instructions to all ISPs check all the sites and block all those which had pornographic stuff and after a few months time all those sites were blocked by ISPs themselves and it at all someone tries to log one then automatically a notice is displayed on the screen saying that site has been blocked as per the instructions of Ministry of Communication.  What deters and stops Pakistan to do alike? What pride, if any, we get by seeing sexual sites in Islamic Republic of Pakistan?  Is there anyone in my beloved Pakistan to educate me on this point?

Truthfully speaking I am aged 70 (15 Dec 1943) and it was just  a few days back I only it was read by me through a letter written by Khurshid Bai, Matron, Lahore published in Pakistan Observer that our females are going to male barber shops. She has written the letter in response to some desk news published by PO which I did not read in any case but it proves that it is something very casual, regular and ordinary that our females have no reluctance to go to male barber rather the matron in her letter has tried to justify that male barbers are more clean and cheap. In Kuwait never ever it happened alike even though female barber shops are three times expensive than male barbershops but it does not mean that the opposite gender be allowed to cut hair. In Kuwait an ordinary male barber shop where I go charge KD 1/ for hair cut whereas a lady pays KD 3/ for her hair cut at ladies barber shop which is in plenty in any case where ladies from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines and African countries are employed. Of course she pays more if she wants styling, shampooing, coloring, waxing etc. What could be the rationale, if any allowing Pakistani females to go to male barbers? Why does Kuwait ban the same practice which Pakistan is too proud to offer?

It was 18^th October, 1969 when I was employed by Fluor, US giant company as accountant at Dawood Hercules Fertilizer Complex, Chichokimallian, about 30 miles away from Lahore and about two months later I had a chance to attend a dinner hosted by my boss M. J. Asplin, Chief Accountant at Hotel Intercontinental, Lahore now known as PC. Asplin had invited some of his American colleagues and I was the only Muslim with him at that point of time. All were enjoying real hot drinks except me who asked for Coca Cola and on that Asplin pointing me out questioned as to how so many Pakistani Muslims on other tables are drinking wine and whisky which I refused? I told him that it is something personal. I remember there was small notice on each table saying that one is to show liquor consumption permission card if asked for. Long 22 years have passed since we got independence and or more correctly 13 years have passed since word Islamic was added to our name but still ww (wine & whisky) was officially allowed. I am not sure what the present status is or since when the practice has been stopped in my beloved Pakistan. Kuwait became independent in 1960 and I do not know which year it banned it but nevertheless it can very safely be said that it did not take so long as Pakistan did. Who wins or who loses?  

What a shame that we prefix Islamic to our Pakistan which is not that case so far as Kuwait in concerned but yet Kuwait has proved to be practically more Islamic country than Pakistan. What was wrong if we continued to be called just Pakistan what it was initially or even name it as Pakistan Republic or Republic of Pakistan? What advantage Who differs with me, why and how?

Iqbal Hadi Zaidi / Kuwait /