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Personal Statement

There is a place on outskirts of civilization in the outer periphery of a developing country, where schools
are any makeshift places where children gather to learn, where access to modern healthcare system is as
elusive as pursuit of Holy Grail. A place where people walk miles to fetch water for daily use, where
women are still confined to the four walls of the house and the concept of justice is still in the purview of
local tribal elites. That place is my home; a place where I was born and spent early part of my life; a place
from where I desperately wanted to run away. Besides the wilderness of the place, the sad demise of my
father and the consequent socio-economic implications increased further my desire to flee it. Education, I
believed then, offered the only possible escape from such circumstances. This thought combined with the
persistent support of my mother motivated me to continue my high school education after completing
primary education. Finding education relatively appealing, I owned and pursued it and remained the top
scorer of my school for five consecutive years. Therefore, my early childhood experience, while exposing
me to the dark socio-economic realities of my society, inculcated in me the zest for acquiring education,
albeit as a means for escaping that society.
Though I studied science, my curiosity and aptitude led me to take interest in social sciences. This interest
was further deepened when I joined the Federal Government Degree College (FGDC), where I studied
civics and history for two years with the assistance of my bother-in-law. The study of civics and history
helped me enormously in comprehending the social, cultural and political dynamics of society.
Particularly, it helped me in breaking my pessimism with society as I came to realize for the first time that
human beings were capable of bringing about a change in society.
My growing inquisitiveness about social and political affairs, particularly their humanistic impact,
coupled with the surging political crises in my home province, Balochistan-- Pakistans most
underdeveloped, poorly governed, and marginalized province-- conscientized me a lot in the selection of
my future course of academia. I was admitted to the prestigious Government College University (GCU)
Lahore on a fully funded federal scholarship to major in Political Science as a student of BA (Hons.).
During my four years stay at GCU, I capitalized on a wide array of curricular and co-curricular
opportunities, which imparted me a strong civic sense, political consciousness and wide knowledge of the
country and the world around. It was at GCU where I really began to come to grips with my childhood
pessimism. The science of politics and other related disciplines taught me how to identify prevalent
problems and discover the possibilities of change for a better and prosperous future. In particular, it
apprised me of the ability of human beings as to how to play their role in generating the desired sociopolitical order. Consequently, I became hopeful about societal change and began contributing my part for
its realization with a special focus on the neglected field of human rights. I started writing articles in the
monthly and annual publications of the university. I also joined the Quaid-e-Azam Political Science
Society, where I played an active role in organizing lectures and seminars on burning questions of the day.
My exposure to the American education system and society on a US-State-Department-funded fellowship
fundamentally altered my conception about change and development in society. My interaction with
people from diverse backgrounds and a changed socio-cultural and academic environment in the US
equipped me with a more rational and enlightened approach to look at the world. Especially, the level of
tolerance, social justice, religious freedom and respect for women rights in the American society
strengthened my commitment and gave me a new and more dynamic vision to effect change in my society
rather than escaping it, as I used to think in childhood. More specifically, this exposure sharpened my
concern about the unabated political turmoil at home with a special focus on the increasingly deteriorating
state of human rights.
The state of human rights in Pakistan painted a bleak picture in almost all respects ranging from social
inequality and injustice to the sect- and-faith-based violence against minority communities. On the one
hand, the politically-motivated enforced disappearances and assassinations of political activists,

journalists and other scrupulous members of the civil society, and on the other hand, the targeted killings
of people along ethnic, sectarian and religious lines combined with the inability and alleged unwillingness
of the state compelled me to take a more eager stance on issues concerning civilian liberties and human
rights. Anxious to contribute my part to the cause of human liberty and freedom, I joined the Institute for
Peace and Secular Studies (IPSS), aimed at defending religious freedom, where I actively participated in a
variety of activities such as lectures, seminars and peaceful protests against the sectarian, ethnic and
religious killings in the country. Besides this, my humanist drive pressed me to voluntarily serve the
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), which tasked me, inter alia, as a committee member
with the responsibility to find out evidences of hate-literature from the contents of syllabus in Pakistan.
It is in this background that I intend to seek a Masters degree in Human Rights in theory and practice. I
staunchly believe that a training in the modern human rights discourse will enable me to work both as a
researcher and a human rights advocate in Pakistan. In this capacity, I will endeavour to mobilize people
to raise their voice for the protection of their fundamental rights. In particular, I aim to promote religious
tolerance and peaceful coexistence among people through public awareness campaigns, writings,
networking and organizational activities. An opportunity to study in the US will provide me with the
necessary skills to bring about a positive change in the sorry state of human rights in Pakistan.
Having started education as a means to escape the circumstances in which I was born, today, I seek it to
ensure that no other child ever grows up in such conditions. I seek it to play my role in creating a world
where social justice is easily accessible to the common man, where religious freedom is freely observed
and where woman is as active a citizen of the country as man. This Fulbright opportunity will provide me
with the necessary expertise and knowledge which will give me a fighting chance to initiate a positive
change in my community and society.
Aslam Khan

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