Ross, Samantha and Hosni Mubarak

Its 3:43 pm in Melbourne and its around 38 degrees centigrade. I am sitting in the library typing these words because its currently roasting in my house. The air conditioner is down. Upon contacting the landlord and explaining to him the situation that the AC is not working and the heat is clearly unbearable,he asked, " can you fix the AC", i said that i cant, to which he told me that neither can he, so just deal with the heat, and he would try to get the AC fixed as soon as possible. ( its already been two weeks). Thankfully the Lord has listened to a poor soul's prayer ( if it was me then i would be very surprised). it so happened that few minutes ago i went to this kebab shop in my uni's center to buy some kebabs, before i entered the kebab shop its was broiling, stiffling hot, after some moments when i came out of the shop i was shocked to feel no hot wind blowing on face, no warm sun, and the formerly clear blue sky had now turned grayish with the sun showing occasionally. I checked my totem, a 10 kg book laden bag, it still weighed heavy- good i am not in a dream, but how in the hell did the weather turn so fast? I had no idea and didn't want to unravel the mystery as i had my tzatziki kebab wrap to finish.

OK now let's turn towards some somber and drab chit chat. Today at Elizabeth Street i was heading towards an underground discount mart, owned by some Chinese, to unearth some hidden cheap treasures ( nail cutter, cheap shampoos, one dollar knives, 50 cent socks etc etc etc). I was near the shop when a haggard looking white man with a scrubby beard stopped me. Waving a book at my face he told me to have a book that's written by his friend who had undergone a spiritual journey which started from Australia and ended in India ( Eat Pray Love much???). I asked him the price, to which he said that it was free although donations to his friend's cause are appreciated ( can i make spiritual journey to Vegas and then ask for donations to pay for some steamy lap dance and some fun at LUXOR ? ). I pocketed the book and told him that i only had 5 cents and since he is obviously not in the situation to accept a VISA therefore I handed 5 cents over to him which he gladly pocketed. Ross ( that man) happened to be a sincere conversationalist and soon we were chatting about the world politics, Taliban, USA and Australia. He surprised me by telling that the recent elections in Australia were rigged by Washington as Julia Gillard was the "chosen one" for the Yankees. As the leaked cables reveal that USA took a keen interest in the rise of Ms Gillard, and her migration from Labor's Socialist Left faction to the party's center. The cables note that after the ALP won government in 2007, Ms Gillard sought to alter her left-wing image, particularly in asserting her credentials as a supporter of Israel and the US alliance. So much for Aussie independence. But still only the news about Pakistani politicians and generals makes it to the TV. Very few people actually notice the almost servile attitudes of UK, Australia, Germany, Italy and South Korea. During my discussion with Ross i asked him that how much he knew about Pakistan and what did he feel about Taliban? Honestly speaking, he startled me with his knowledge of Pakistan, the corrupt government Zakat system and his hatred for THE Taliban not Islam. I advised him to seek protection from WWF as people of his type are on Washington's endangered species list, which is more in the category of Extermination Lists.

Talking to Ross made me realize a fact of human history that there are three kinds of people. First, who are driven by extreme ambition and lust for all things material, and stop at nothing to achieve the ideal of paradise on earth. Then there is a second category of people who go to extremes to oppose those ambitious people but who also are ambitious for power, fame and glory. War, resistance, freedom, struggle, anarchy thus enter our vocabulary. Thus history remembers Richard and Saladin, Tipu Sultan and Duke of Wellington, The Russian, French and American Revolutions. But then there is the third category of people who offer pacifist advise and who offer critique on the ideologies of both the warring parties. These people are then expunged from history ( somewhat unsuccessfully) so that few know their work, their beliefs and their lives. Thus William James, Patrick Henry, Kant, Ibne Rushd, Ghulam Ahmad, Ibn Taymmayah, Amadou Bamba and many others remain consigned to the dustbins of history- but for how long?

Opposing the standard and dominant ideology, idea or belief is not a bad thing, Christianity and Islam started out as heretic religions who chose to dream and differ from the oppressive and unholy atmosphere of their times, so what's wrong with those who think differently? There must be wrong with those who act against those who think differently.

Talking about thinking differently, a few days ago i had a conversation with a communist named Samantha, who had erected a shabby stand in the university center where she was handing out leaflets and stuff. After a few moments i was having a discussion with her and got to know the thought of a communist and how she perceives the capitalist world of today. She told me how the socialist/communist elements would one day rise against the capitalist monarchies and then workers would rule and every body would be equal. My question was that why did socialism fail against capitalism, and why has China opted for "market socialism" ? She began to rant about the capitalist conspiracies to undermine the rise of socialism and i was somehow reminded of my interview with the Coca Cola marketing manager, who talked about Pepsi's corruption and sabotage activities to diminish its market share in Pakistan, but failed to see the black sheep in his own farm.

Whether socialism may rise or not, whether the government owns property or not, all i know is that the basic human instinct is to be free from all shackles and the ambition to rise above others. There can be a mixed socialist and capitalist state, but a pure capitalist or communist state is neither a possibility nor is practical.

Talking about breaking the shackles, good news is finally coming from Egypt. The people have finally decided to come out on the streets and protest against the US puppet Hosni Mubarak. That of course poses a dilemma for Israel whose peace pact with Egypt is of tremendous importance to its own and subsequently USA's regional interests. But if i were an Israeli i would'nt mind the change much, as Al Baradie, the IAEA's former chief and a keen USA sympathizer, has now become the bulwark of Egyptian opposition parties. One stooge replacing another is what i expect. Although if the movement is indeed Anti USA Imperialism and Hosni Mubarak, then we might witness the rise of fundamentalist groups and this might have a similar effect in the neighboring Arab countries. Israel might feel threatened and the possibility of war can't be discounted. USA's direct physical intervention is a REAL possibility and its consequences might reach Pakistan and motivate the people to rise up against the government. But who will lead all these people? that still is a matter of mystery.

Bye

Einsjam

Am I a Pakistani first and Muslim second OR am I a Muslim first and Pakistani second

Who am I? Am I a Pakistani first and Muslim second OR am I a Muslim first and Pakistani second. This question irritates my mind more than those drunken teenagers on the 9:30 Frankston metro. I mean if ever I was supposed to choose out of the two in a critical situation, should I choose my faith-which nobody can steal since it resides in my heart- OR my freedom and my land which has every possible chance of being taken away from me.

In today's world, if I am a Muslim then automatically the Kashmir, Chechnya, Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan's issues are MY issues. Isn’t it in Sahih Muslim, Book 032, Number 6258 that

"Nu'man b. Bashir reported Allah's Messenger (May peace be upon him) as saying: The similitude of believers in regard to mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever."

Shouldn’t I be helping the cause of all those who are being oppressed? Shouldn't I be supporting them with weapons, finance, and personnel? After all, it’s my Muslim brothers that are being oppressed out there at the hands of a super power and its cronies. Is it wrong for us to demonstrate on the streets and roads to protest against all that violence? Yeah, but the only problem is that our protest normally threatens the stability of our peace and calm since in a typical anti USA protest, all the foreign restaurant chains are closed down and a few are attacked by angry mobs. Sad but true.

Another sad thing that I have noticed (and which I know you all have noticed) is that generally all those anti war, anti USA dominance rallies are led by the Mullah? Very very ---------very few "educated" and "respected people" actually come out on the streets to protest and it is this very lack of educated people on the street that's allowing the conservatives to hold sway on such issues. It’s kind of embarrassing that the role, which the student, the businessperson, the academic, the artist, the teacher, the doctor and the engineer should be playing, is being hijacked by the conservative religious parties. I am not saying that all the educated sector hasn't come out to protest against USA- Israeli polices but since their numbers are so few as compared to the number of people brought out by the religious parties, that the educated sector’s effect seems entirely negligible, that is why when being told about Pakistan, the first image in the western mind is of a bearded, turban sporting, AK 47 totting rendition of a Hollywood villain. Hardly anyone outside Pakistan (or even in Pakistan) knows about the exploits of our bright computer geniuses. Very few hardly know about Professor Abdul Salam (bless him), few know about the fantastic salt mines in Khewra or the enchanting Gilgit and Murree Valleys. Well don’t blame the Mullah. Blame yourself. Infact the Mullah has now succeeded in doing, what the literati of Pakistan completely failed in doing- bringing Pakistan to world attention. Isn't that acutely disgusting??

Let us now consider another point. Is Pakistan strong enough to support its Muslim brethren? Is Pakistan strong enough to take up the cause of Muslim plight? What should Pakistan's foreign policy be in this regard? Historically, Pakistan has always sought to be an ally of USA, no matter what. From, SEATO, CENTO, to the Afghan War to the Bush Coalition, Pakistan has proved time and again that no matter what it would always protect America's interest in the region. And here lies a disconnect between the elite of Pakistani politics and the common person. This amazing servant-hood to to America has resulted in the degeneration of Pakistani politics and foreign policy. Why not explore new and enhanced relationships with the Asia Pacific region. What about the Central Americas? What about South America? What about Africa? But No! Our Mecca has always been Washington. The example of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez can be given to show the Pakistanis that progress is possible without USA’s intervention.

But returning again to that original statement that whether I should be a Muslim first or Pakistani first. As I was discussing a few lines ago, Pakistan is really too weak to take up the Muslim cause. So what should we do? What if America attacks Iran, then what should our response be? Just shut up and do nothing? Or voice our protest against such actions? The best course of action that seems to me to be very practical is to always voice our protests on the world forums in a peaceful and dignified way, with logical arguments and passionate speeches. But at the back end, we should continue building up our nation, so that in the future we can more authoritatively protest against such acts. If the European Union can act as a cohesive unit then why can’t the Muslim world do it? Oh wait I know why? Because almost 90 % of our rulers are puppets and those who are not are either terrorists, conservatives, exiles or outlaws. The situation is bad. The solution. Revolution. Peace and Prosperity can only be achieved by Pakistan if it has buddies to watch its back if its in trouble. Unfortunately it this time we have none.

Byee

PS: on an unrelated note, how many of you like the drama serial Mera Saeen on ARY. Seriously, Noman Ejaz is BRILLIANTT!!

Plus my new favorite movie these days is Mark Wahlberg's The Fighter. Christian Bale's acting is just way out of this world.

The Great Circle of Life

When I was in class one, there was a boy in my class by the name of Mir Ali Mir. Quite an exceptional kid, had great brains and always got the first position in the class. At that time, I had recently shifted from Jennings School to DHA SKBZ School and Muma had made it clear that the only thing that she wanted to see on my report card was “1st”, otherwise, no Count Duckula, no Denver the last Dinosaur, no Thundercats or Camp Candy or Pound Puppies. So actually coming first in the class by beating Mir Ali Mir, Sadiq (gosh I still remember the names: D) and Waqar, was obviously a tough ask. But despite all my efforts I still got the third position in the finals and it was only dad’s intervention that stopped muma restricting my TV access (I guess he remembered his own childhood). So the next year I resolved to work a bit harder and finally beat Mir Ali Mir and got the first position. Man, it felt so good at that time. Got a cup at school, was chosen to speak “ Today’s Proverb” at the morning assembly and the icing on the cake was Muma’s gift, a toy jumbo jet that moved around with blinking red lights on its wings and tires which you could fold up if you wanted to hold it in the rear and fly it around the house. On the other hand, Mir Ali Mir looked a kind of forlorn and a sad figure. I have to admit; I never went to him and congratulated him on his second position. And so the reign started, class two, then three, then four and then five. Never there was a test, exam or quiz in which I didn’t come first. And then I grew complacent and over confident and in class 6 I came second. As much it was a shock to me, it was a shock to my classmates as well because everybody had now come to accept that I was the default “first position kid” so actually the only positions that they fought over for were the second and third ones. But this kid called Afaq, had other ideas. Ideas, which were fully demonstrated in the final examinations. When I looked at him, he reminded me of myself in class two, when I had beat Mir Ali Mir. Now, finally I was out of the academic lime light, and I didn’t take it well ( i would like to in the details of tantrums). Well, here I was back in the position of class one and now another struggle awaited me. And I said to myself ok, let’s get on with the life and wait for the opportunity- that opportunity finally came after six years when I was in Uni.

So the point that I want to make here is not that I am a scheming genius or that irritable know-it-all, but that everyone has their highs and lows in this life and that same thing applies to nations as well. Egyptians, Macedonians, Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, Persians, Guptas, all enjoyed domination, power and prestige and all in the end they were conquered by an adventurous band of warriors, intent upon seizing their treasures and carving out a place for themselves in the history. Look at how the Romans were sacked by Alaric; how the gigantic Byzantine and Persian forces were annihilated by the Muslim armies and how a conglomeration of Arab nations couldn’t capture a tiny strip of land, which we now call Israel. Let’s see who sacks New York. These are the times when heroes are born. Everybody loves the story David and Goliath story dont they? That is why we love it when somebody manages to attack USA in one way or another. I wonder how history will treat the Taliban and AlQaeda in the future? A hint can be taken from the treatment of Vikings by history, as now those bloodthirsty and ferocious freaks are hailed as brave warriors and glorified by the history buffs when they actually were filthy and terrifying raiders ( geez i like the concept ), their cruelty was legendary and accounts of that time tell us how they looted and destroyed chruches, villages and cities. And now…… ( chuckles)

So keeping these facts in mind let us now look at our (i.e. the Muslim) situation. Once we were a global super power and now we are struggling and humbled apologists, turncoats and religious zealots. You see, every bomb that explodes in the Green zone in Baghdad, every suicide attack on the US embassy in Kabul, every sniper shot at the Marines, every explosion in Islamabad, Madrid, Bali and London is a graphic illustration of the fact that a dethroned nation doesn’t like to be in the back seat. I mean, what USA is doing right now, is probably something similar we did when we were a superpower, Muhammad Bin Qasim conquering Sindh, Mahmud Ghaznavi attacking the Somnath temple on the pretext of destroying statues a thousand miles away when there were giant statues of Buddha (Bamiyan) in the neighborhood. Tariq Bin Ziyad conquering Spain, Ottomans capturing Byzantine Empire and the Balkans, Mughals capturing India. Yeah, we had our share of world domination, then it was United Kingdom’s turn and now its USA’s. So let it enjoy this time, after all it has gained this status after so much war and bloodshed. And on the other hand other smaller groups will always be fighting against it and finally one of them will succeed and the cycle will go on. But in each of these cases we find that how religion and national interests are exploited. This leads us to the fundamental question. Should religion, national interests, ideologies be exploited for the future progress of a nation? Are propaganda and censorship necessary evils? What do you think?

Spiritually, Morally and Politically Corrupt.

The people of Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey) were funny people. Funny in a way that when in 1453, hundreds of thousands of Ottoman Muslim soldiers were standing at its gates, they still found time to search for divine signs of their victory and debate on who was a good Christian or a bad Christian, whether the pope in Rome was going to accept their Orthodox Christianity, whether this part of the Bible was right or wrong, and when would the angels descend on Earth to wipe off the Muslim armies that were standing outside the city gates and getting impatient to decapitate every single one of them. They took furious pride in their history. They remembered how in the distant past their ancestors had repelled each and every Muslim invasion on their city and how they had made their city a jewel of the known world. And just that. The Muslims on the other hand never gave up their hope of conquering that bastion of Christianity in the east. And their hopes came to fruition when Sultan Mehmet delivered Constantinople to them (credit to Mehmet for not allowing widespread bloodshed and giving express orders to protect the city's historical artifacts-compare that to Bush's invasion of Iraq). Sultan Mehmet was a sly and ruthless monarch. He used the latest and most advanced technology of his day to capture vast territories. He was ruthless. But ingenious and cunning. To add insult to Christianity he in fact recruited thousands of Christians from the Balkans to fight for his cause promising them land, wealth and women. Few of them ever converted to Islam-and no one compelled them. According to studies, 70 percent of advisors in Saladin’s (the hero of Islamic Armies in the Crusades) court were Jewish. But the Mullah doesn’t want you to know this. Does he?

So, do you notice eerie similarities between the Constantinople of 1453 and the Pakistan and Muslim World of today? Both of them being involved in stupid religious debates. Both having a corrupt bureaucracy and religious clergy (The Emperor of Constantinople was at least good- nonetheless a bit foolish).

The Mullah curse

Both refuse to adapt to the changing world and both are victims of a superpower state. Christian Constantinople collapsed and became pre dominantly Muslim, what about Pakistan....??? I heard that the Muslims in Iraq are rapidly converting to Christianity, so much so that entire churches are being built for accommodating the increasing numbers.

Iraqis and Afghanis are openly converting Christianity.

The killing of Salman Taseer on 4 Jan was a grim reminder of the fact that the nation (including the politicians) is now spiritually, morally, and politically corrupt. Killing a man because he said something contradictory to your beliefs? And what beliefs were they? Oh yeah, he chose to defend a Christian woman, having children, who “”allegedly”” said something about the Prophet (SAWS) that the villagers found blasphemous. And now she's being sentenced to death under the 'Black' Blasphemy law. Yes, that is exactly why he was killed; he termed the blasphemy law as a Black Law (I agree with him too). For all his political faults, he chose to act exactly how a good Muslim should. And who are we to judge that who is a good Muslim or a bad Muslim... Oh, sorry I forgot, the Mullah. This black law that was created by Zia has been effectively used by ‘pious’ men to take revenge from their 'non Muslim' enemies. If you are, a landlord and you happen to want a plot of land belonging to a poor non- Muslim, then worry not, the Tauheen e Risalat qanoon is there to save the day. All you have to do is to say, Hey this man defiled the name of the Prophet. Get some cronies to support you, go to the court and file a case, knowing that the game is certainly in the bag. If you happen to be annoyed by a certain 'non-Muslim' person, worry not, the Tauheen Risalat Qanoon is there to help you out!

Asia Bibi now faces hangman's noose, thanks to the Blasphemy Law

It’s disgusting that how the name of Prophet is now being used to take revenge, spill blood and grab acres of land. I believe that instead of imposing that black law on the non-Muslims, this law should be struck on those who are much more effectively defiling the name of the Prophet. It’s equally heart wrenching to view the different comments that are being posted on major news sites and forums ( one reader said, 'Islam, religion of Peace. And Love. Haha'). And honestly, who can fault these people. Obviously, the wrong version of Islam is being presented to them and they have every right to express their disgust. It’s funny that those Muslims who choose to spread Islam through the Jihad of Pen are now branded as Heretics. Shame.

But on the positive side, the religious parties have yet to gain majority in the National Assembly, which suggests that the people don’t support them much, but here lies the conundrum. Although the religious parties don’t get much votes from the people, but still the people are so conservative. For further explanation, do read this article on Dawn website http://www.dawn.com/2011/01/05/facebook-praise-for-taseers-assassination.html.

Where are we heading? What is our future? These are questions that wannabe news analysts love to ask. Well the answer is, annihilation, or at least becoming an American Colony or being merged back into India. I mean look at the situation, the Pashtuns are hinting towards creating a separate state for themselves merging both parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Then the Balochis are even more enthusiastic about their independence. And the Sindhi nationalists do hope for their own homeland ( although they say that very very quietly, but a stupid slur by Zulfiqar Mirza was a big hint). That leaves Punjab, which is hated by all three provinces. Coupled with that we have the religious fanatics attacking in every corner of the country and the Americans are persistently saying Do More Do More. If we don’t change our attitude and our beliefs then get ready for destruction because then the world community wont remove Pakistan because it’s a Nuclear Muslim State. No. It would wipe off Pakistan for the sake of humanity and no one will ever object to that. Don’t let 1453 happen to us.

Black Cats and Siri Paye

I was delightfully munching on some chapli kebabs (another dish that I have learnt after to coming to AUS), when my mom called me to ask whether I have received money that they have sent. After confirming that, we began talking about random things, just like two close friends who haven’t talked for a while, you know, the usual, the neighbors, the price of rice and sugar, whether my fiancée liked the new dress that mom had sent her, and this and that, finally I asked her about what was happening in the politics. By the way my Mom is a N League supporter, but that support is limited only to TV, not beyond that. And since there has to be somebody in the family who has to contradict her or oppose her (dad gave that up a long time ago) therefore I am an MQM supporter, though just like her my support is limited to TV viewing as well. So normally, we are arguing with each other about their respective policies. Now, on the phone she told me that there was an extremely tense war of words going on between N league and MQM. She said that the whole family was sitting enjoying the standoff (just as usual) when things got really (and I mean really) dirty. Although she didn't tell me what was said, but all she told me was that it was all very embarrassing. Naturally, it was a cue for me to do some investigation. I didn’t have to dig deep (smiles). I opened my darling YouTube, punched in MQM vs. PMLN 29 December and came across Talat Husain’s TV program clip, which showed both party's uncensored exchange of embarrassing but funny exchange of words. I swear if ever there was a depiction of ROFLMAO, then I was precisely that. Extremely entertaining and hilarious I could exactly see why muma called that embarrassing. Talk about finding sex objects in shahbaz Sharif’s cell and altaf Husain’s hidden disease (I wonder what it could be? but given the circumstances I can only assume an STD). Wow, if ever they have had a chance of embarrassing the nation, then they just made full use of that opportunity. But it’s a good thing I believe. Good, because the nation has a chance of seeing the side of their politicians that they only knew of but they hadn’t seen in real.

But, then here I want to say a BIG F^($ U, not to Altaf Bhai, not to Mian Jee, not to the fiery Haider Bhai, not to Nisar Bhai, not to Abid Sher Ali bhai and certainly not to wasim akhter bhai, no, I want to give a BIG FU to our blessed Pakistani nation. This is what you get when you vote only because somebody belongs to your biradri and somebody who happens to speak your particular language or dialect or belongs to the same sect. You know what their reality is. But still you keep on voting and voting and voting and voting for the same old crap until the army takes over, and then you start blaming the army for all the mess. I know that the army has done wrong things in the last 60 years but our politicians haven’t given them any choice. If our political base had been strong in the beginning then all this mess wouldn’t have been created. And please don’t say that since we hardly vote that's why these same old faces keep coming again and again. Tell me, when you don’t have any shred of confidence in the voting system, when you know that the political parties would even make your dead grandpa vote, when you know that your vote will be replaced by a fraud vote, when you know that one person can in actuality vote at least three hundred times on the same election day, then tell me, would you waste your time going through the tedious polling process, standing in the burning summer heat and then having to face the smelly political activists. I certainly wouldn’t. And then these political parties. MQM. Huh. 150 % of Karachi and Hyderabad knows that how they collect "chanda" from the shops and businesses. All the eidis that you have to give (my father was asked to pay 2000 but refused point blank and since he doesn’t know of any culture or decency or sophistication when it comes to taking a stand (and a close affiliation with police ;)) therefore the SIC (MQM sector in charge) had no option but to leave him alone. The show of power they demonstrated on live TV, on the fateful day of May 12 is no secret. But still, people are still afraid to fully expose their tyranny. True, they have done a good deal of work for Karachi ( hats off to Mustufa Kamal) but their overall performance plus their love for " bori band laash", bank robberies, Bhai Log culture and Kalashnikov makes them wholly inadequate to even run for even a street election. These are the people who were created by the army. The army imported a Pakistani taxi driver by the name of Altaf Hussain to set up agitation movement against the Sindhis in Sindh, and created his own party and played on the resentment held by the innocent Mohajjirs. Then, as an Asia Times article reviewing Wilson John’s book” Karachi: A terror Capital in the making" says

” Keen on dividing Sindh on ethnic lines, General Zia ul-Haq allowed the MQM to form a network of professional militant bands with a hand in the drug trade of Karachi. In 1988, the city was rocked by unprecedented violence orchestrated by the army using the MQM in order to oust Benazir Bhutto from power.

By 1992, the army wanted to contain the growing power of Altaf Hussain and engineered a split in the MQM, thereby inaugurating a bloody turf war in Karachi. Gradually, the MQM's militant wing, the Black Cats, composed of 5,000-6,000 hitmen and notorious criminals rose in stature. Carjacking, land grabbing, illegal construction etc earned them a massive annual revenue and the selfsame techniques of violence were copied by sectarian outfits to kill Shiites. The MQM's extortion coffers overflowed and abetted the party's remarkable gains in successive elections. "

How ever, much I want to quote General Aslam Beg on army's role in creating MQM I want to turn over to Muslim League N. Created by General Zia (personally) in the same way Musharaf created Muslim League Q, The Sharif brothers were Zia's obvious, choice, loyal, entrepreneurial, and having a long feud with the PPP and especially Bhutto ( their medium sized steel foundry was nationalized by ZA Bhutto, thus making ZA Bhutto a lifelong enemy to the Sharif family). The Sharif brothers played on the religious sympathies of the people and got themselves comfy seats in the national assembly. Although they now err...regret... it, but to their credit, they don’t deny their past. Corrupt to the core, the Sharif brothers have grown from small steel foundry owners to one of the richest men in Pakistan. In corruption they are only out done by the Almighty God of Corruption President Asif Ali Zardari (whose father used to be a Cinema Owner and He used to be a bookie in the Karachi racecourse). I wonder how come these people even have the guts to show their faces to the nation. I really do believe what Haider Abbas Rizvi said about Nawaz Sharif and his family and what Choudhry Nisar said about Altaf Hussain and his family. I also believe that just like the artists and TV stars are subjected to media trials and paparazzi ( since they are public property) therefore these politicians who are even more of public property then petty TV actors, should have their daily lives critically scrutinized. Believe me if there was ever a need of a leader, then this is the moment when we really need one. We really do. It is time for revolution not elections. But for the revolution you need to look for change inside yourself, not the outside. Difficult isnt it J

Alas, I was supposed to write on what I experienced in this year and write some funny things and then about the top 10 songs and movies of 2010, but ...oh well. I'll do that tomorrow.

Byee

Religion Whammies !

The one sole year of my employment at a NPO was a real revelation for me-in a good sense. It gave me the opportunity to meet the literati and the privileged section of our society and hear their views firsthand. Of course, I am no stranger to meeting that particular lot. My dad especially would always introduce me to these people, as some of them were old and generous clients of my dad's. These were embarrassing moments for me then. Embarrassing, because the ensuing talk would focus on my studies and the reminders of my dad's hard work and how I have to live up to him ( as if muma would ever let me forget that :)) The strangest of that whole lot were the artists who looked bigger than they appeared on TV and somehow seemed to talk a bit stupidly, may be this was because I had grown up seeing them engaged in pre planned intelligent and witty dialogue on TV ( the strangest of them all was the painter Guljee- R.I.P).

yeah the people i am talking about, look like this specimen here.

However, here I want to draw attention to one observation of mine. Among all those people, may it be the literature guys, may it be the posh people of the capital or the CEO s of Karachi, or high ups in the government, the one thing that I found common in them was that these people had a view on religion, human conduct and morality that is way different to a common man's. Some of them are partial believers; some of them do not like to think about it. Some of them when asked about it say that it is their personal matter. And some were out right atheists. Atheists, with Muslim names, in an Islamic country? It didn't add for me at that time. But what did add up for me at that time was that a small group of them which I took care to observe closely, were arrogant, and took special care to openly defy religious code of conduct without any regards to the feelings of other people around them. It does not hurt much ( and doesn’t even matter), if you are educated, but for the underprivileged, these acts equate to blasphemy. This particular group of people which I am talking about mostly lives in the areas of the Capital and has an anti army, ISI and sometimes, anti Pakistan element in it. Once I had a round of heated debate with them but my position as a junior employee and the love for my first ever job dictated that I don't pursue the debate any further (still I was pleased with outcomes, which included cheap acts and finding 10 grammar mistakes in 4 worded sentences. ). They all seem to be foreign educated and little do they know what happens in the life of a man who lives in Machar Colony or Shorkot. These type of people then run NGOs which are usually a get together for the old ladies of the rich households or sometimes, in the case of Karachi, a swinger meeting of uber rich youth. Believe me, I have seen it, their attitude is no different from the attitudes of the feudals and industrialists who are attached to the country like parasites. The feudals enjoy a stranglehold over the economy and all things material. This other class of people is the beneficiary of that stranglehold and is sometimes part of that stranglehold.

But then, it would be a bit harsh to make these guys as the sole “evil” forces in the country. Well, there is always the Mullah. Yes, this Mullah has a stranglehold over religion. I remember the bush doctrine in the post 9/11 situation. It basically said that in this war on terror either you are with us or against us. So simple, yet so effective. The Mullah in this country follows the exact doctrine. Only that this doctrine has been in operation for the last 1000 years. If you are Sunni then the Shia is kaafir for you. If you are a Shia, the Sunni is the Kaafir for you, if you are an Ahmadi then you are declared a kaafir by both Shia and the Sunni, and if you happen to be a Saudi style Wahabi then all the Muslims except your Wahabi fellows are kaafir. So here, lies the ultimate dilemma. Whose Islam do you have to follow? Well the truth is that everyone seems to be in doubt. Nobody seems to be sure that whether they are following the correct version of Islam or not. The educated sector, the one about which I have been talking in the starting lines of the note, seems to have dispensed with any sort of religion. These are the kind of people most prized by the western media as they are made to stand out as enlightened Islamic modernists, all the while those poor blokes keep whispering in their ears that” hey, I am not a practicing Muslim” to which they are shushed. Well of course, they are the ideal propaganda material. Only if Hitler’s favorite guy Dr Goebbels was here. He would have been proud of the way his spiritual children have refined the art of propaganda.

Returning to those enlightened “Muslim” souls about which we were discussing earlier. Why is that these educated souls have such a “lax” attitude towards religion. What is it that they know and I do not know. What nirvana have they achieved which I have yet to achieve. See, not a care in this world about heaven or hell or sins or the judgment day, not being caught in pointless battles between zealots arguing which sect is the closest to Islam or which caliph was the best and all that stuff. I want to be there too. But my problem is that I have a logical and rational belief in God. Not blind faith, not the faith inherited from parents or preachers. Faith acquired by myself. I was an atheist for some time because I did not know which way to go and for you to acquire faith in the divine, you have to let go of every faith you are attached too, every emotion or preferences or assumptions. Just start from scratch. Be skeptic. Question. Look for answers. That’s how my faith began building. And the work is still in progress. Although I admit that, the divine deity put some hints and pointers along the way just to make sure I keep on track (smiles). You see belief in God is a very interesting thing. I think that there should a doctoral thesis on the effects of belief in a creator. Because the presence or absence of that belief fundamentally changes the way, you look at life. If you believe in a creator then the all the holy scriptures become divine and a way of life. The Prophets become reformers and divine men. If you don’t believe in the creator then the scriptures, the holy books become just like the other best sellers, the prophets become politicians and revolutionaries and agitators. Life loses meaning and you try to live life as if you would never be risen again. Interestingly it encourages ambition and motivates you to achieve something in life because you know that you are not getting it again. That’s how serious the belief in a divine being is. But doesn’t belief in a creator motivate you to achieve something in life? Does it hold you back in life, because if you fail in this life then you are sure that there’s still another chance. I don’t necessarily agree with this view. Why? Because I think that religion is just a way to live life.

About morals, about how to treat the people around you. And that’s it. If you are going beyond that then you are not following religion. You are exploiting it. Religion doesn’t stop you from achieving something. It just tells you whether this is morally right or wrong. Moreover, it doesn’t stop you from making profit and neither does it stop you from doing scientific research. Well if you trash religion by saying that it puts restrictions on doing a business and consequently profits, then you should also trash the trade policies and stock market rules and regulations too because they also impose rules and regulations. If you think that religion bars a person from scientific research then you should debunk the preachers of that religion not the religion itself.

And speaking of preachers, don’t we love our modern preachers? Like Amir Liaquat and company eh?

Wearing designer clothing and sporting that cheesy obnoxious grin on their faces. My dear Pakistanis, alas, they are really part of the corporate plan for increasing company profits and nothing else. Religion is used to make money, which again brings me back to point that I mentioned in the beginning, that these upper classes have dispensed with any form of religion and either don’t follow it or just use it for the own good. Even this recent trend in televangelism of the likes of Amir Liaquat is an Islamic version of American Christian preachers like Joel Osteen,

joel osteen, the American televangelist

Billy Graham, Benny Hinn and numerous others. Has religion really lost its meaning and context in the modern world? Why is it that religion is fervently practiced only by the poor and the under privileged and is reserved as just a showpiece for the privileged and the educated.

Here I am talking not about the west, but our own country, which is supposedly the “Fortress of Islam”. May be it is due to the amount of hardship, struggle and the pressure that you have to face if you are a Muslim, living in a predominantly Muslim country. In these situations, you either follow faith blindly or just dispense with it. For the underprivileged, you follow the faith blindly, the faith that is propagated by the Mullah who uses it for its own ends. If you belong to the privileged section of the society then you are so much exposed to the western influences that you dispense with the local values and traditions and norms. This is has been the case throughout the human history. It happened when Egyptian, Greek, and Roman cultures dominated. Then it happened when the Islamic empires began building up and the westerners were as much influenced by us just as much were are being influenced by them. But the good thing at that time was that the preachers unlike the preachers of today (unlike Ahmed Deedat), engaged in intelligent debates with opponents. Sitting in a comfortable coffee house and talking about the basic tenets of the Abrahamic religions. That was the culture. But sadly, that didn’t last long. It is important to note that that Islam at that time was spread through reason, logic, and demonstration (although the importance of sword cannot be ignored). The Islamic preachers were skeptics even of their religion, they would argue whether a particular philosophy in Islam really could be attributed to the Prophet keeping in mind His life and speeches. Would you even dare to question the tenets of Islam today? You would be declared as an outright heretic. And that attitude leads to the downfall of religion. And thanks to that attitude the Islam of today is the fastest growing religion of the world-only because of the high birth rate among its adherents, unlike the Islam of 1000 years ago when it was spread through reason and logic with a little help from the sword. Militancy and religion are never a good combination and that is why the Jihad against oneself, one’s own conscience and his or her own evils has been declared a greater Jihad then the Jihad of sword ( today, it’s the Jihad of the AK 47) and which is conveniently overlooked by Bin Laden and Company. But explain to me one thing, what does a common man get from all of this. I mean here’s the scenario, USA creates Bin Laden, Bin Laden does USA’s bidding and then USA loses interest and Bin Laden turns against the USA. It’s like two children playing hide and seek and if one loses interest in the game, the other kid turns against him and goes crying back to his parents to complain that the other kid doesn’t want to play game. I mean it’s really like this. These two parties incite the masses against each other and who pays for it in the end. Does it bring Bin Laden any harm? Does it bring Bush or Obama any harm? Despite everything, he did to the Taliban and Al-Qaida, Musharaf is still at large. The only attempts only his life came from the frustrated sections of the army and intelligence rather than Al-Qaida. Although it is very interesting to note that despite her enormous help in bringing the Taliban to power in Kabul, Benazir Bhutto was still gunned down by the Taliban themselves. ??? I thought the Pathans never forget and hurt their benefactors.

The situation today is absurd. The same people who were the freedom fighters, whose belief in an armed Jihad was hailed by the western world, are now being labeled as terrorists? Well of course, they are terrorists now and were surely terrorists back then as well. For Gods sakes, these were the same people who attacked the Kaaba in 1979 and claimed that they were reforming Islam and came up with their own Mehdi (Messiah). Seeing their zeal and their thirst for blood, the ISI and CIA used them for good against the Soviets and now they don’t answer their former masters. Religion is therefore being used by them to make their own ends meet.

The same civilized people who wear pants and ties were declared as barbarians and uncivilized by the Romans, 2000 years ago. Time changes everything.

let there be peace

Just one action. One Decision.

Its funny, isn’t it? How fate guides the destinies of different people to meet each other at a certain point of time. It just shows how, even our small actions can have a big effect on our outcomes. I was watching Susan Boyle's audition video on YouTube and the part where she says that she wants to be a professional singer, the camera turns to show a teenage girl rolling her eyes and laughing (somewhat disdainfully) at Susan Boyle.

Jennifer Byrne, who's eye rolling made her a global hate figure

Now that might have been a completely unnoticeable screen shot hadn’t it been for the fact that a few seconds later Susan belted out a fantastic version of I Dreamed a Dream song and the video later got 55 million hits on YouTube. Susan became famous and so did the girl who had laughed at her. I was reading the comments below the video and noticed how they tended to abuse the girl who had rolled her eyes. She was then named the "1:24 girl" because she appears at the 1 one minute and 24 second mark on the video. She even has an entry in the Online Urban Dictionary as I searched out and the term "1:24 girl" now means

“An evil little slag who judged a book by its cover. 1:24 girls snarl in an evil manner at less attractive looking people as they aim to start their dreams.

1:24 girls are not very nice or attractive people - they are generally just vile scum.

They also known as '0:46 girl'

Have you ever judged a book by its cover?

No, I'm not a spiteful 1:24 girl”

I dug in a bit deeper and found out that her name was Jennifer Byrne and was upset by the reaction that she was getting by the crowd -worldwide.

So the point that I am making here is that even our small actions, things we think would hardly have any effect, might just go on to change our lives, our and that of others around us as well. Isn’t it amazing to see that somehow each and every one of us is connected to each other? How our fates, destinies, luck, bad luck, fortunes, and misfortunes are so closely tied to each other. If George Washington hadn’t audaciously crossed, the Delaware River America might not have formed (just saying) and there couldn’t have been any American dominance, we would never have known movies like Titanic or Avatar, or Lion King. I could never have been employed by US Educational Foundation and couldn’t have earned money to buy my very first laptop. By just crossing an iced up river to attack the Brits on December 25, 1776, he changed the history of the world. Just one action. One Decision.

America's Founding Father crosses the Delaware River

Just imagine what would have happened if Dr Patel had told Jinnah's opponents that, he was a TB patient.

Jinnah. The Man

Would Pakistan have come in existence? Just one action. One decision. Imagine if Benazir had decided against coming out of the car and just headed home. What would our present country look right now? Just one action. One decision.

Bhutto's last moments

However, the funny thing here is that at the time of that decision you can hardly ever imagine what would be the result of your actions. How many lives would be affected how much would the world change. To me this whole thing shows one fact that all of us whether we are in the bureaucracy or in the blue-collar industry. Even a single person's most unimportant ficklest thought might have earth shattering consequences. Think on that while I go make myself a Biryani.

Bye

You thought our Nukes were safe- U ARE SO VERY WRONG

The following wiki leaks document is disturbing. I have made a hobby of reading these documents and it was by chance I came across this one. In this document, the Pak Gov is involved in literally handing over our precious nuclear fuel to the US government as anti nuclear asset proliferation effort. I am stunned. I thought that our nukes our safe. But no! our government has decided to see through this as well which of course may give rise to the speculation that if the Pak government is handing out its nuclear fuel to the US government, then what are the chances of the US government giving it back. Also another point raised here is that how come Pak Gov and consequently the Pak Army is allowing visits by US experts to remove nuclear fuel from Pakistani Nuclear Sites. Another related issue that is raised here is that if the Pak Gov is removing its nuclear fuel from the sites, then does it mean that Taliban or India has compromised the security of these sites (somehow)? What do you think?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Reference IDCreatedReleasedClassificationOrigin

09ISLAMABAD1152 2009-05-27 16:04 2010-11-30 21:09 SECRET Embassy Islamabad

VZCZCXRO3997 PP RUEHLH RUEHPW DE RUEHIL #1152 1471632 ZNY SSSSS ZZH P 271632Z MAY 09 FM AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2939 INFO RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0361 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0460 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 4966 RUEHPW/AMCONSUL PESHAWAR 6251 RUEHLH/AMCONSUL LAHORE 7312 RUEHKP/AMCONSUL KARACHI 1712 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHINGTON DC RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FLS E C R E T ISLAMABAD 001152 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PARM KNNP MNUC PK SUBJECT: U.S. REMOVAL OF PAKISTAN RESEARCH REACTOR FUEL ON HOLD Classified By: Anne W. Patterson for reasons 1.4 (b) (d) ¶1. (S)

XXXXXXXXXXXX, told Poloff on May 26 that the recent spate of media attention on Pakistan's nuclear security has led the GOP to delay an important nonproliferation effort, the removal of U.S.-origin highly-enriched uranium spent fuel from a Pakistani nuclear research reactor. The GOP agreed in principle to the fuel removal in 2007, but has been slow in scheduling a visit by U.S. technical experts to discuss logistical and other issues. In recent months, the Strategic Plans Division and Ministry of Foreign Affairs both indicated progress on the matter and a proposed visit for late May was under review. However, according to XXXXXXXXXXXX, a recent GOP interagency review of the program concluded that the "sensational" international and local media coverage of the security of Pakistan's nuclear weapons made it impossible to proceed at this time. If the local media got word of the fuel removal, "they certainly would portray it as the United States taking Pakistan's nuclear weapons," he argued. The visit will have to be delayed for 3-4 months or until the political climate makes it more conducive to hosting a U.S. visit, he stated. ¶2. (S) Comment: As noted in previous post reporting, the GOP is extremely sensitive to media focus on Pakistan's nuclear program. In a sign of their growing defensiveness, the Foreign Office Spokesman took significant time out of his May 21 press conference to address nuclear security, stating categorically, "there is simply no question of our strategic assets falling into the wrong hands." To a question about reported offers of U.S. help with nuclear security, he responded, "we do not need this assistance." With the postponement of the nuclear fuel removal, it is clear that the negative media attention has begun to hamper U.S. efforts to improve Pakistan's nuclear security and nonproliferation practices. End Comment. PATTERSON

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Freedom, Tolerance and Memories

It's all for nothing if you don't have freedom...memorable lines from a legendary movie, Brave Heart (Respect).And yes, freedom is what I have got now. This semester’s final exams have just ended and I am FREE for three months. Yes, I am free from studies, but there is still the job that I have to go to (remember that painting job?).

You see man (or woman-yes I know that there are some die hard feminists in the crowd who are reading this), is never actually free. If he gets free from one thing, then he gets trapped by another and so on and so forth. That's why-as I have figured out- life is all about struggle. You struggle to be free from studies and then you get caught in your job, then you get free your job and you get caught by this gigantic mountain of bills and expenses and then you run again after the job again so that can get enslaved again and then the process starts all over. Then there are other kinds of freedom as well, like freedom from marriage, freedom from responsibilities, freedom OF mind etc etc.

Personally, I think that freedom of mind is really very important. When your mind is free from the shackles and constraints of bias, then you begin to see the world in a different way, but then in this process your existing ideas and beliefs that have been engrained in your mind for such a long time might get shattered and that could sometimes be a bit painful, to say the least.

But how much freedom should actually be allowed, of course nobody can (and shouldn't) control your mind, but the product of that free mind should be constrained. Yes, I am talking about freedom of speech. See, I am all for freedom of speech and stuff but I really do believe that too much freedom to share your ideas might do more harm than good. Just a tiny example: if you don’t like somebody else’s religion or beliefs then its perfectly fine. It’s perfectly all right to disagree, but then to actually come out in the open openly rant about their hatred of religion. Now that's what I call...pathetic. If you really disagree with the person then say it to his or her face why go on the wire to spread your hatred. That is precisely the area where I think that there should be some checks and balances. No matter what I do, what I believe in, whatever I do for the being that I believe in, whatever I eat, drink and wear should be of no one's concern. But then, the world is full intolerant people as it was before. Not much change has occurred in this world as far as human social intellect is concerned.

Anyways, my exams went fine (I guess) and I don’t know what I have written on my papers. All I can remember is just an untidy scrawl on papers and that’s it. It’s like when I am doing the paper my oneself is sleeping and another self is doing the paper and when the paper is finished that self goes to sleep again, only to wake up on the next paper and the original self comes to life again and can’t really remember what I have written in the paper. Strange, but I think that it happens to most of you as well. :)...just saying.

Lastly, I want to thank all my classmates to have been such good friends and made the university life quite enjoyable (it’s actually the only place where I happen to enjoy myself). But now we have this three-month vacation and I hope that most of us would come back looking a bit changed. Some would look remain just the same, some of them would get a haircut or a beard and some will come back to look even more beautiful than ever. So when I look back at these 5 months many memories come flooding into my mind, some good, some bad, some sweet and some...nasty. Like the free lunches in the orientation festival, Dr Mei Tai Chu's first EIS class, that cold morning when I came to Dr Suzanne's class wearing a sandal ( brrr), buying books from Paul in the middle of night ( hehe), walking 20 minutes every day to the university, Yawning and sleeping in Dr Suzanne's lectures ( bless her :)) having fun in Belal Chowdry's class, then the first BID assignment, then the midterms, the memorable presentations (hahaha), staying up all night typing the assignments ( all those Red-Bulls and Schweppes), leaving the library late in the night, eating in the Agora and of course Muhammad Hadjevani's tutorials ( action packed stuff :D), shweeet Ms.Tharanga's Goonasekara's tutorials. And of course, nobody can ever ever forget Rajiv Khosla and SAP (you just can’t) and for those who missed the last lecture, he actually brought that robot (Nancy or whatever was her name) to the class and made it dance on the floor. Memories :)...listen to Elaine Paige’s Memory from the musical Cats. It’s enchanting.

And on that happy note I wish a good night (or good day-wherever you reside) to you and rush to bed because I have to wake up at six in the morning.

See you later

Byee