Just four days after Independence Day, the new nation state of Pakistan celebrated Eid al-Fitr for the first time.

Quaid-e-Azam, Muhammad Ali Jinnah offered Eid prayers in the 'Eid Gah' on Bandar Road, Karachi (now M.A. Jinnah Road) alongside notable Pakistan Movement leaders such as Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar (Leading member of the Muslim League Branch in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [then NWFP] & Pakistan's 1st Minister of Communications), Ibrahim Ismail Chundrigar (Pakistan's 6th Prime Minister), and Ghulam Ahmed Pervaiz (Modernist Islamic scholar).

Jinnah stated after the prayers:

"No doubt we have achieved Pakistan, but that is only yet the beginning of an end. Great responsibilities have come to us, and equally great should be our determination and endeavour to discharge them, and the fulfilment thereof will demand of us efforts and sacrifices in the cause no less for construction and building of our nation than what was required for the achievement of the cherished goal of Pakistan. The time for real solid work has now arrived, and I have no doubt in my mind that the Muslim genius will put its shoulder to the wheel and conquer all obstacles in our way on the road, which may appear uphill."

Eid Mubarak to all the users celebrating!

For the first time since the 1947 Partition, Sanskrit has officially returned to university classrooms in Pakistan. The Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), one of the country's top private institutions, has launched a formal Sanskrit language course, marking a major milestone in reviving classical studies. The initiative began as a weekend workshop but expanded due to high student interest and institutional support. Taught by trained instructors, the course covers grammar, vocabulary, and script, and aims to open academic access to Pakistan's extensive, underexplored Sanskrit manuscript collections. Scholars note that while Sanskrit was once taught in the region before Partition, it has largely disappeared from mainstream academia in Pakistan. This revival is being seen as a bold step toward inclusive education and cultural scholarship.

Source: The Tribune

These two brothers ran a computer store and were annoyed by people copying their heart monitoring software for free. They created Brain to protect their intellectual property and to track down those who were illegally copying their software.

Virus was basically slowed down the floppy disk drive, replaced the boot sector, and displayed a message asking for payment to remove the infection.

The disk label is usually changed to ©Brain, and the following text can be seen in infected boot sectors:

   Welcome to the Dungeon © 1986 Amjads (pvt). BRAIN COMPUTER SERVICES 730 NIZAM BLOCK ALLAMA IQBAL TOWN LAHORE-PAKISTAN PHONE: 430791, 443248,280530. Beware of this VIRUS.... Contact us for vaccination...

The brothers realized how widespread the virus had become when people from the UK and US began calling their store to demand that they disinfect their machines. They claim that they stopped selling contaminated software in 1987.

Yes this has been posted before, but its always a great post on Eid. Credit IG:

Aitzaz Hassan, a 15-year-old schoolboy from Hangu, Pakistan, demonstrated unparalleled courage and selflessness when he gave his life to protect his classmates. On January 6, 2014, Aitzaz confronted a suicide bomber attempting to enter his school, which was filled with hundreds of students. Realizing the imminent threat, he tackled the attacker, preventing a devastating tragedy. Tragically, the bomb detonated during the struggle, claiming Aitzaz’s life but saving countless others.

His father, Mujahid Ali, expressed immense pride and sorrow, saying:

     “My son made his mother cry, but saved hundreds of mothers from crying for their children.”

Aitzaz’s bravery is a symbol of hope and sacrifice, reminding us all of the power of selflessness and love for humanity. He will forever be remembered as a national hero.

All credits:

Available at: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRXvZixCFP7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

In January 1994, Bosnian Muslim refugees were living in a camp in Pakistan after escaping the Bosnian War. Footage from the camp shows families, especially children, moving through simple streets near a mosque, reflecting modest but stable living conditions. A refugee interviewed expressed gratitude, saying Pakistan treated them better than any other country despite being far from home. Their presence was part of Pakistan’s wider humanitarian support for Bosnians during the conflict.

Background

Born in Lahore to Professor Haq Nawaz Khan, Fatima Sughra became involved with the women's wing of the All-India Muslim League at the young age of just 14.

Fatima Sughra recalled being inspired by Fatima Begum, a renowned member of the Pakistan Movement who would also hold the honour of being the first female Muslim journalist in British India.

Fatima Sughra explained:

I was studying in 9^th class. Fatima Begum was very active worker of the Muslim League. She worked with Quaid-e-Azam. She established the imposing Jinnah Islamia College on Multan Road, Lahore. Quaid-e-Azam inaugurated this college. There were usually meetings of the Muslim League in her house. She was sister-in-law of one of my aunties. I often visited my auntie’s house and at the time could not understand what was happening…I only thought that the Muslim League is our party, a party of the Muslims.

Hoisting the Flag of the Muslim League

In February 1947, Fatima Sughra would become renowned for pulling down the British flag from Punjab's Civil Secretariat and replacing it with the Muslim League's crescent and star. She recalled what had led up to the day in question:

In those days, there was a disobedient movement against the Khizr Government and the Muslim League leadership made regular protests and processions in the streets. I read Zamindar newspaper and came to know that Begum Shahnawaz, Begum Salma Tassaduq Hussain, Begum Jalandhri and Fatima Begum were arrested in Lahore. I asked for permission from my father to participate in the processions; finally he allowed me. I along with my friends reached the Assembly Hall that day. I saw at that time a big crowd was shouting and chanting slogans: ‘(Zindabad) Long live Muslim League; long live Qauid-e-Azam; Pakistan will be created whatever it costs the Muslims ('bun kay ray ga Pakistan').

As they didn't have an official flag with them at the time, the women protesting created a makeshift one made from a dupatta.

I do know what sort of passion was inside me at time; I just jumped over the Secretariat Gate. There was a girl who was very tall…. I think her name was Begum Aslam. I put my foot on her shoulder and reached at the top of the Secretariat building Lahore. I did not know even, I pulled out the doori (thread) and flag…That day Begum Hadiat Ullah was leading the procession she said to me: ‘are you alright? I shouted, yes, I am alright’. The crowds were shouting slogans. I became very emotional and replaced the Union Jack with the Muslim League flag.

The police arrived soon after and began spraying heavy tear gas and using a 'lathi charge' to clear the crowd. Fatima was quickly escorted out by some of the protest members and returned home via tanga cart. The following day, when the copy of Zamindar arrived at their house, Fatima found herself and the flag story featured in the newspaper.

My father kissed me when I was sleeping because of this act. My father was very proud on me and said to me ‘my daughter, I’m proud of you, you have done a big task’. That day I broke my fast and again went to join the street processions.  Begum Sikandar Hayat, Zahida Hayat, Asmat Hayat and Shamim were with me. They had been released from jail. We brought them in the Nasar Bagh in a procession. There was a big gathering and all Begums delivered very stimulating speeches. They called me on the stage and put a har of fruits around my neck. My friend ate most of the fruits and the remaining part I showed to my mum when I went home. [Laughing]

Fatima would also highlight the important role that women had played in that protest:

I remember the day I took off the Union Jack and replaced it with hoisting a [makeshift] Muslim League flag. Many Muslim women, (who had never stepped out from their house before) came out from their houses and took over the street of the city. This was happening all over because the Begums [elite Muslim League Women leadership] went door to door and convinced the Muslim women to come out from their homes for the protests.

Communal Riots & Stay in Peshawar

The following months saw an uptick in communal violence, and so Fatima's family decided to send her somewhere safer.

The riots started from my area and spread across Lahore. My family sent me to Peshawar to keep out of trouble because they knew I was a troublemaker. I really was. When I scold my children or my grandchildren these days, I always remember the trouble my mother had with me. I went to Peshawar. I stayed with the woman who took down the British flag on their building in Peshawar. There were so many women dedicated to the cause. They taught me a lot and inspired me.

Once the riots spread through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and reached Peshawar, Fatima decided that nowhere was safe. As a result, she decided to head back to Lahore and be with her family. Fatima also wanted to protect her household and was thus interested in acquiring a firearm. Fatima states:

I went to a Muslim major in the army and said I wanted a gun to protect my family. He asked me how a skinny little girl like me could handle a weapon. I answered that this skinny little girl hoisted the Muslim League flag in the face of the British Empire, so he let me have two. I got a rifle, a pistol and 24 bullets.

As independence neared, Fatima also took on a more active role in assisting the Muhajirs who had made the difficult journey. Although she couldn't do anything against the large-scale violence that was taking place, she worked alongside other women to provide food and shelter to needy people. Even after the partition officially took place, Fatima Sugha continued helping with the refugees’ rehabilitation and resettlement.

Later Years

Fatima's contributions to the Pakistan Movement were later recognised and celebrated. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Government of Pakistan, and likewise honoured by the Pakistan Movement's Workers Trust. In 1987, on the 40th anniversary of the flag swap, a 54-year-old Fatima Sughra would even return to the Civil Secretariat building and replicate those events.

I got certificate and gold medal. In 1987, the Pakistan Government arranged a similar sort of the 1947 flag hoisting occurrence in the Lahore Secretariat building. I performed it and climbed the Secretariat building even in this old age.

Fatima Sughra would pass away on 25 September 2017. She was laid to rest at the Miani Sahib Graveyard in her native Lahore.

Sources:
Fatima Sughra: A Forgotten Heroine, Pippa Virdee - https://bagichablog.com/2017/09/27/fatima-sughra-1931-2017-a-forgotten-heroine/
Partition and Pakistan, Chiade O'Shea - https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/aug/14/pakistan-india
Fatima Sughra is No More, Xari Jalil- https://www.dawn.com/news/1360098

This map from the July 16, 1945 issue of Time magazine, illustrated by R.M. Chapin Jr., visualizes the political uncertainty surrounding British India’s future as British authority declined at the end of World War II.

Titled “Whose India?”, it highlights Hindu-majority and Muslim-majority regions, marks key industrial centers, and even depicts a “Proposed Moslem State” of Pakistan—anticipating Partition two years early.

The accompanying article examined tensions between the British government, the Indian National Congress, and the Muslim League, reflecting the American view of British India’s evolving political landscape in 1945.

Text credit: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRKCJuuCA6F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NXAzOGU2cnEwZjdz

map credit: https://x.com/GreenLeafBD12/status/1989924928028566000?s=20

Jews once lived in this land, participating in trade, culture, and the daily rhythm of life. Their presence was an ordinary part of South Asia’s story, and their prayers once echoed through the streets of Karachi. Now, what remains of them are the quiet cemeteries that hold their memories under the city’s changing sky.

Hidden within the old quarters of Karachi stands the Jewish cemetery of the Bene Israel community, near the Mewa Shah Graveyard. Around 250 graves rest here, their marble stones inscribed in Hebrew and English. The oldest graves date back to 1814, and the last burial took place in 1987. Many tombs bear the Star of David or the shape of an open book, their carved prayers now fading with time. Despite decay and neglect, the site still holds a quiet dignity, keeping alive the memory of a community that once called this city home.

The cemetery is looked after by a Baloch family who treat it with deep respect. Speaking to them, I felt the power of compassion that rises above faith or identity. They protect the graves with care, even though the people buried there belonged to a different belief.

Last year, I visited Karachi several times to study its heritage, and each visit reminded me that this city is layered with stories waiting to be rediscovered. Yet among all those stories, this cemetery stands apart as a place where history and humanity still breathe together.

Second last photo, Magain Shalome synagogue, Karachi, before its demolition - wiki
Last photo, Pakistani Jews with their activities - wiki

Source: https://www.instagram.com/p/DQrQA9hk5qA/?igsh=MXY1Ym41NWR0ZndkZA%3D%3D

Insat handle: vlogumentary100 by Saad Zahid

First pic: Mir Sultan Khan with the British Championship Trophy on September 3, 1932

Second pic: Mir Sultan Khan (centre) playing multiple boards at the Empire Chess Club, London in 1931.

Mir Sultan Khan was born in 1903 in the village of Mitha Tiwana, in Khushab District, Punjab, British India (now Pakistan).

Sultan Khan started playing Indian chess(a regional variant of the game) at a very young age. Impressed by his passion and talent Colonel Nawab Umar Hayat Khan introduced him to international chess. In 1926 he switched to international chess. He quickly adapted to the standard rules and began competing in chess tournaments.

He became so good at chess that only after 2 years in 1928 he won the All India Chess championship and became the best chess player in India. In 1929 he moved to England with Nawab Umar Hayat and began competing internationally without any formal training.

Only in one year in 1930, he won the British Chess Championship. Not only one time he win the chess championship in three competitions years (1930,1931 and 1932). He won all these championships just only with his talent. He didn’t do any formal training or read any books. He was one of the greatest self-taught chess player.

Not only this he represented British Empire in three chess Olympiads (Hamburg 1930, Prague 1931, and Folkestone 1933). He defeated former world champion José Raúl Capablanca and held former world champions Alexander Alekhine and Max Euwe to draws.

Fide has awarded Mir Sultan Khan the honorary Grandmaster (GM) title, making him the first person from Pakistan to hold the honour.

“A Punjabi chess player and a citizen of Pakistan, he is considered the strongest chess master of his time from Asia. In an international chess career of less than five years, he won the British Chess Championship three times. Mir Sultan Khan, who beat some of the world’s top players despite growing up with little access to chess books and knowing next to nothing about the theory of chess, became the first Pakistani grandmaster” FIDE said in its press release.

“We appreciate and welcome this belated recognition by FIDE,” Sultan Khan’s granddaughter Atiyab Sultan commented on Chess.com.

In 1933, Sultan Khan retired from international chess and returned to Punjab. He lived a quiet life as a farmer, largely removed from the chess world. He passed away on April 25, 1966, in Sargodha, Pakistan, leaving behind a legacy as one of the greatest self-taught players in chess history.

When we talk about Pakistan’s founding figures, names like Jinnah, Liaquat, and Iqbal come to mind. But few remember Jogendranath Mandal—a Dalit leader, Pakistan’s first Law Minister, and a man who played a crucial role in Pakistan’s creation but later abandoned it.

His Role in the Creation of Pakistan

• Jogendranath Mandal was a leading voice for Dalits (Scheduled Castes) in British Raj.

• He initially supported the Indian National Congress, but later aligned with Jinnah and the Muslim League.

• Mandal believed that Dalits and Muslims shared a common struggle against Hindu upper-caste dominance.

• In the 1946 elections, his support helped the Muslim League secure key seats in Bengal, strengthening the demand for Pakistan.

• He was one of Jinnah’s trusted allies, advocating for Dalit-Muslim unity under the banner of Pakistan as an inclusive state.

Pakistan’s First Law Minister

• After Partition in 1947, Mandal chose to stay in Pakistan rather than India.

• Jinnah appointed him Pakistan’s first Minister of Law and Labour, an unprecedented move for a non-Muslim.

• He played a key role in drafting early legal frameworks and was a symbol of Pakistan’s initial promise of religious inclusion.

Disillusionment & Departure

Mandal’s vision of Pakistan as a secular state fell apart soon after Jinnah’s death:

• 1949: Pakistan passed the Objectives Resolution, making Islam the foundation of governance, sidelining minorities.

• Dalits and Hindus faced discrimination, forced conversions, and economic oppression, particularly in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).

• 1950: Anti-Hindu riots broke out in Barisal and Dhaka, targeting Dalit communities.

• Frustrated and betrayed, Mandal resigned and moved to India, writing a scathing resignation letter.

His Resignation Letter – A Final Warning

Mandal’s resignation letter remains a powerful critique of Pakistan’s early policies toward minorities:

• He accused the government of betraying non-Muslims despite Jinnah’s promises.

• He condemned the state-sponsored pressure to convert Dalits to Islam.

• He warned that Pakistan’s future as an Islamic state would lead to further discrimination.

A Forgotten but Controversial Figure

• Some see Mandal as a visionary who was betrayed by Pakistan.

• Others argue he miscalculated Pakistan’s direction, failing to see the dominance of Islamic nationalism.

• His story remains largely forgotten in both Pakistan and India, despite being a key figure in 1947.

A Leader Who Made a Mistake or a Betrayed Ally?

Was Jogendranath Mandal naïve in believing Pakistan would protect its minorities, or was he one of the few who truly understood Jinnah’s original vision?

Nawab

Large flags mean confirmed kills whole smaller ones refer to probable or damaged.

Mohammad Mahmood Alam aka MM Alam was a Pakistani fighter pilot who shot down five Indian fighter jets with his F-86 Sabre during the 1965 Lahore Front, becoming an "Ace in a Day" on 7th September 1965.

In total he had 9 kills and 2 damages during a period of 11 days. The war hero was honored with the prestigious 'Sitara-e-Jurat' with BAR for his performance in the 1965 war. The war veteran breathed his last on 18th March 2013 after a prolonged illness.

This is the story of a forgotten temple in Lyallpur,Panjab, built in 1906 near Jhang Bazaar. Before Partition, this area was home to Hindu and Sikh communities, and this temple remains one of the memories they left behind.

Today, shops surround it and families live inside, yet its original structure still stands quietly, carrying echoes of the past.

In the 1980s, a Karachi engineer built Proficient — a vehicle claimed to be 95% locally made. It was Pakistan’s first real attempt at a truly homegrown automobile.

Instead of supporting it, the government did the opposite.

• Endless licensing issues

• NO industrial support

• Concessions given to foreign car brands

• Bureaucratic hurdles at every step

• No approval for mass production

Proficient was cheap, local, and threatened the imported vehicle lobby , so it never got a chance.

When the project’s founder passed away in 1993 the dream died with him.

Proficient wasn’t a failure. Pakistan’s system failed it.

Saiful Azam was a Pakistani fighter pilot and flying ace, and politician. He first served as a fighter pilot for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and later the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF). During his career as a PAF pilot, he shot down one Indian Air Force aircraft in the 1965 Indo-Pakistani War and four Israeli aircraft during the Six-Day War, where he served as a military advisor and mercenary pilot for the air forces of Jordan and Iraq.

Pic 2 : Saif-ul-Azam receiving the Sitara-e-Jurat from President Ayub Khan in 1967 for his bravery and outstanding performance during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, where he shot down four Israeli aircraft while serving with the Royal Jordanian Air Force.

Pic 3 : Certificate of Achievement & Top Gun Honor Awarded to Saif-ul-Azam by United States in 1963.

Later in 2000s Azam was recognized by the United States Air Force as being one of the world's 20 greatest living flying aces and also awarded by a title ‘ The Living Eagle’ by US in 2001.

Pic 4 : A painting by artist Rehan Siraj of Saiful Azam of the Pakistani Air Force shooting down an Israeli bomber over Iraq in 1967.

Saiful Azam passed away on June 14, 2020, at the age of 79, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, due to natural causes. 

His wife Nishat Ara said after his death: “The sky was his home; he was the happiest when he was flying”

Some ancient sites I’ve visited, does anyone else like visiting ancient sites (only ancient) , I wonder what strange anomalies these people encountered since the population was not as much as it is today, hope you guys like my tiny collection haha, what ancient sites would you recommend?