Happiness

By Dr. Muhammad Hafizullah

Saadi was beaming ear to ear - he was rightly proud of his accomplishment! What other members of the family could not do in many days, he did it in one day. Uncle Hameed was unwell for a week and was admitted to CCU. The illness started with a heart attack but the now the main problem was total loss of appetite. He was not willing to eat anything at all! In the last twenty four hours he had only one quarter of a glass of water and no solid or semi solid. Saadi utilised all the tricks he had up his sleeve -  pushing and pulling, threatening and luring, begging and persisting and made him have three glasses of milk, three loaves of bread and half a plate of rice. By usual standard this would have been more of a routine meal but in the prevailing scenario this called for a celebration. The information reached on both sides of Atlantic by evening.  In broader scenario, again this could prove to be inconsequential but at that moment of time it made all very happy!

Following a cardiac arrest that occurred during her Bypass surgery, Saeeda Bibi was on ventilator for the last eight days. For the first few days, she was totally dependent on the machine for her breathing. There were no signs of life except for a beating heart. After five days, on a trial of weaning off, she offered some resistance to machine and took a couple of breaths. Though the effort was very weak and she could not sustain the effort but this was a positive attempt on her part. This ignited candles of hope that may be one day she could breathe on her own and be capable of leading an independent life. Those couple of half hearted breaths made very one extremely happy. We breathe day in and day out and never thank Him, as we take it for granted. But that day profuse gratitude was being expressed for two half hearted breaths!

Kamran Khan sustained a massive stroke three weeks ago. His right side of the body became totally paralysed and he could not swallow. Any attempt to feed him would result in violent coughing. He could not control his urine and was oblivious of bowel movement. Worse, he could not communicate. Same person who would shower his never abating kindness on everyone and whose lips were always adorned with a smile could neither recognise nor communicate. There, he lay non communicative with no limb movement and requiring help with feeding, cleaning and turning around. It may be his body but it surely not him! All his family members were overjoyed when he for the first time moved his index finger in response to vocal command. That generated the optimism of establishing a line of communication - even though the response may be just moving of the finger! All our life we have been reveling in His kindness running around, talking and writing and yet not even once it occurred to us that all this could be taken away without any premonition! And today mere flickering of finger was being taken as a major step forward!

Though the recovery was slow but Naeem Gul exhibited some signs of progress. After the devastating episode of stroke though he could utter a few irrelevant words but could not communicate as had great difficulty in finding appropriate words. He seemed to have a natural flow of thoughts and could apprehend when he was talked to, but unfortunately could not thread his words together to make a comprehensible sentence. This was most frustrating for him - knowing what to say but being unable to express himself.    Undivided attention of his immediate family and enthusiastic efforts of speech therapist resulted in some progress but it was painfully slow. After three months, he developed enough confidence not to be deterred and learned how to persist and eventually be able to get his thoughts across. The day he spoke first ordinate sentence the family and health delivery personnel were most pleased. Gleefully they kept on asking the same question and obligingly he kept repeating the same reply! 

Salman Khan was an engineer by profession and gifted with tremendous skill of writing. After his brief illness, the relatives were told in unambiguous terms that the recovery, if any, would be very slow! The chances of him talking normally were considered to be very remote. The only hope he had was to learn to write with left hand! He refused to even hold the pen in the first instance but later with persistence he started making efforts. The day he wrote his name, he made every member of the staff and his family immensely glad.   But this day everyone was extremely happy as he wrote his name in a writing worse than third grader!

"Are you sure my angiography is normal?" asked Shehnaz Rehman with utmost happiness. She had been having persistent central chest pains mostly at rest. We tried to reassure her but she had made up her mind! She was fully convinced that she had advanced heart problem.   In her own fancy she had even selected a cardiac surgeon and planned for the post operation forced vacation.  Her family believed in her and shared her anxiety. Very reluctantly she agreed to angiography which revealed totally normal vessels with no obstructions. This must be the happiest day of her life and of course the family shared this boon!

In usual circumstances, the list of items that can bestow happiness may be varied and carry high tags. There are so many things in life that we desire and are willing to work for them. But then at other time very small apparently insignificant thing can be a source of immense happiness! Happy are the people who can find happiness in small things and then enjoy them. They can fill the glass of life with happiness based on trivial episodes. Eternal optimism and unabated strong belief in the Creator provides enough strength to bear small losses and ups and downs of life. Happiness is all around us - we have to look for it, cease the opportunity and enjoy it! And more importantly offer profuse gratitude to Him for His unlimited kindness.

Creation of new districts could be considered: Iftikhar

Statesman Report

PESHAWAR: Information Minister Mian Iftikhar Hussain on Sunday said that creation of new districts on administrative basis could be considered.

Talking to a private TV, he said that following the call for a separate Hazara province, people were now making a demand to divide Abaseen, Shangla and Swat divisions into two districts each.

These proposals, he said, could be considered to improve the governance at administrative level.

Iftikhar further said that some members of Provincial Assembly have also already tabled resolutions to support these demands

Acting on public demand, several new districts were made in the past also, he said.

Online adds: The provincial government has contacted federal government with recommendation to create 25th district in the province.

The government is seriously mulling to declare Kala Dhaka as district so that development work could be carried out there at district level, sources informed this news agency.

The MNA-elected from the area had proposed to the federal government to declare the region as district.  After declaring it district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would have 25 districts.

Regarding Kala Dhaka situation it is to be mentioned that Minister for Information, Mian Iftikhar Hussein Friday ruled out launching of any military operation in Kala Dhaka, saying the Frontier Constabulary (FC) is being engaged in a search operation for purging the area of miscreants and criminals.

He said that the provincial government would shortly announce a development package to remove backwardness from the area, as education, communication and power shortage were biggest issues.

He said that the special development package would concentrate on initiating developmental activities, including power supply, education, health, communication, and other issues.

He informed during the meeting the elders and local administration of the area, the government is committed development of the area.

He said peace was imperative for development, and local administration and elders would cooperate with the government to flash criminals out of the area.

He added police jawans and security personnel are sacrificing their lives to securing the lives and property of the people.

The minister further said the criminals' hideouts and networks had been dismantled in the area.

Referring to different terrorist incidents, in provincial capital, he said that Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa had suffered in the war on terror, but the security forces and police are determined to flash militants and miscreants out of the province.

Iftikhar, who is also the official spokesmen of the provincial government categorically ruled out the launching of any military action in Kala Dhaka, only search operation is going on for purging the areas of the militants and terrorists.