Among the Pakistani community itself, there was not quite the sort of euphoria that was reported in Pakistan; one reason can be that as time goes on, first generation Pakistanis who are the ones really interested in politics back home, are steadily decreasing in number with the result that now almost two out of every three 'British Pakistanis' are a second or subsequent generation immigrants, with some Pakistani families even into their fifth generation in the UK. The newer generations relate to Pakistan mainly through cricket.
The news of the resignation of President Pervez Musharraf created as much of a stir here in the UK as it did perhaps anywhere outside Pakistan. There are, after all, close on a million Pakistanis in the UK and given the long historical association between the two countries as well the key role being played by Pakistan in the war against terror, the local media too highlighted it as the main lead story on most TV channels and newspapers. Yet, among the Pakistani community itself, there was not quite the sort of euphoria that was reported in Pakistan; one reason can be that as time goes on, first generation Pakistanis who are the ones really interested in politics back home, are steadily decreasing in number with the result that now almost two out of every three 'British Pakistanis' are a second or subsequent generation immigrants, with some Pakistani families even into their fifth generation in the UK. The newer generations relate to Pakistan mainly through cricket, but with nearly ten Test playing nations and tours few and far between, that flame of Pakistani identity is not very frequently rekindled.
But perhaps there is another reason too. Musharraf was liked and respected by the British government and media and some of that, in a very indirect way, rubbed off on the Pakistani expat population as well. The day following Musharraf's announcement of his decision to resign, I was with a couple of friends in central London. Both of them made no bones about the fact that they were staunch Musharraf supporters, admitting that while he had made mistakes, he was the best option available and confident that the rest of Pakistan would come to the same conclusion in a year’s time. Neither of them have anything to do with politics and I asked them why they supported Musharraf. The friend who was driving said, “Okay, I will show you in a minute.” Within the next ten minutes he drove me around some of the choicest areas in central London in Knightsbridge and down Park Lane pointing out the flats owned by the great and the good in Pakistan. In ten minutes he showed me some dozen flats that belonged to various political leaders including former prime ministers. He then said: “And there is nothing here, or anywhere that I know of, that belongs to Pervez Musharraf. That's why I supported him.” That may not be everyone's point of view. But it is the view expressed by most of the so-called liberal Pakistanis, or which description there are probably more here than in Pakistan.
Britain's future is being seen as grey with a study showing that for the first time ever, pensioners outnumber children in the population. The fastest growing group of pensioners, believe it or not, is in the over 80s with many benefiting from improved diet and health care - proving that all the wailing and moaning notwithstanding, Britain's National Health Service is still one of the best public health care systems in the world. Within two years, the number of pensioners will rise to 12 million or twenty percent of the population. In the past 27 years, the number of people over 80 has doubled and now stands at 2.7 million.
The tremendous implications of this at state policy level are already being examined down to the minutest level. The private sector is being encouraged to allow people to work, full or part time, beyond the usual retirement age; builders and developers are being told to design houses with fewer steps, doors wide enough to take wheelchairs, and install electricity sockets at waist level. More public transport will be required along with more benches and seats on pavements and in market squares to allow older people to rest. Also, there will have to be an increase in the number of public toilets and post offices, through which most people receive their state pensions. But it is on the state pensions system that the greatest pressure will fall, with a smaller work force having to cater to a larger number of pensioners.
The study also showed that for the first time ever, the population of Britain had gone above 60 million, which meant a rise of almost two million since 2001. Most of that is due to immigration; last year, 23 per cent of all births were to mothers who themselves were born outside the UK while two boroughs in London, Newham and Brent, recorded 75 per cent and 72 per cent respectively for births to mothers who themselves were born outside the UK.
This is the time of year when GCSE exam results are published and this year's results did British Muslims proud. For among those who negotiated the exams with outstanding success was an 8-year-old, who is being hailed as a boy wonder. Zohaib Ahmed gained an 'A' in GCSE Maths having scored 233 out of a possible 248 marks in his two papers and coursework. Most children take the GCSE exams at 16, double Zohaib's age. Zohaib, who is from the village of Chandler's Ford in Hampshire, plans to take an A level in Maths in January and proceed to University by the time he is 14. The Daily Telegraph quoted the whiz kid as saying: “I was a little bit nervous before I got my result but I thought that I had done very well in the exams. I was hoping for an ‘A’. I learnt all the stuff I needed for this exam after school and during the holidays. It was hard work but it is worth it now.”
His father Usman, who is a civil servant, said he was worried about the examiners not being able to read Zohaib's handwriting, pointing out that his son is only eight and his handwriting is not always very clear. I can think of parents with more serious worries than that!n
