Sorry Owais , We Messed Up

My following blog also appeared on Express Tribune Blogs : http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/15039/we-are-sorry-owais-baig/

I was viewing the Facebook profile of a young man from Karachi. Looking at the publically shared pictures, I came under the impression that he loved his nieces and a nephew. His name was Owais Baig.

He appeared to be a typical Karachiite with swarthy, intelligent facial features- looks that gave away small details of his life. You could tell that he was a young man, still studying, working alongside and looking for a better career and just trying to make it in a city of 20 million.

Then I looked at the video of him dangling from a burning building, which ironically belongs to a company that sells life insurance. I looked at the crowd below, entranced by the dance of death. I saw this same man looking down helplessly; to me it was becoming unbearable. I looked away and a few minutes after wards, I heard grown men scream. I knew the whole story, we all know it.

As much as I want to talk about why the people did not help him, why the fire brigade failed for the umpteenth time, I won’t. But I do want to talk about the role that our media played in this whole situation.

To broadcast the clips of a man dangling from a burning building until he falls to his death shows the level of empathy and social awareness that our media lacks. Now, I won’t the blame the whole media, but those involved in this game would get an idea. When we say “O kuch nahin yaar, bus aik do hee marray hain” (Oh man, its not a big deal, just one or two have died), we know that we have been desensitised by the media.

We were glued to our screens when Owais fell to his death.

His death was plastered on thousands of TV screens nationwide. A couple of apologetic TV programs, wailing and mourning and we are back to our daily routine, thinking little about the trauma that Owais’s family went through during the coverage.

They have been scarred for life.

Owais’s parents, brother, his beloved nieces; they have gone through a trauma that few of us would ever face. And unsurprisingly, our media bigwigs remain unapologetic.

In a program by Matiullah Jan called Apna Apna Gareban, the director of a local news channel unapologetically defended his newschannel’s decision to air Owais’s video clip. And the atrocity doesn’t stop here. Right up to the time of writing, not a single statement by any media house has been broadcasted, seeking apology for airing disturbing visuals.

Somehow, the image of Nero fiddling away while Rome burns flashes across my mind.

It’s not as if we lack laws and regulations, it’s just that our TV channels show blatant disrespect towards implementing them. It is specifically stated in PEMRA (Amendment) Act 2007, article 20, clause C that the person who is issued a license by PEMRA must ensure that:

“All programmes and advertisements do not contain or encourage violence, terrorism, racial, ethnic or religious discrimination, sectarianism, extremism, militancy, hatred, pornography, obscenity, vulgarity or other material offensive to commonly accepted standards of decency”

Forgive me, but I assume that our TV channels do not think that the live broadcasting of a young man’s death nationwide constitutes something ‘offensive’.

This September a Fox News presenter’s YouTube clip went viral. It showed a driver being chased by US police in Arizona when suddenly the driver stops the car, gets out, runs a few yards and then shoots himself in the head.

As soon as the presenter realises what the man is about to do he screams,

“Get off. Get off. Get off it. Get off it. Get off it. Get off it!”

And when his channel accidently shows the video he comes on air and responsibly issuing an apology on live television,

“… we really messed up. And we’re all very sorry. That didn’t belong on TV. We took every precaution we knew how to take to keep that from being on TV. I personally apologise to you that that happened. Sometimes we see a lot of things that we don’t let get to you because it is not time appropriate, it is insensitive, it is just wrong. And that was wrong and that won’t happen on my watch…”

Dear TV channels,

If Fox News - which we all know is famous for its biased and right wing stance against Muslims- is capable of such professionalism then I believe you have got a big ethical dilemma on your hands.

Let us therefore not talk about enacting new laws and regulations, as they already exist, but let us enforce them. Let us force our media houses to publicly apologise for this particular error so that they recognise their professional code of conduct and never indulge in such indecency again.

It is time to apologise to Owais Baig and his family.

I do apologise- sincerely, from the bottom of my heart – to Owais Baig and his family.

May his soul rest in peace. Ameen.

PTI Trolls

Youth have played a pivotal role in revolutions and movements that have changed the course of history and as Herbert Hoover said, “Older men declare war. But it is youth that must fight and die”.

In modern times, Obama’s 2008 campaign and the Egypt Uprising are examples of how the power of youth was utilized by older leaders to create history. However, it can also be said that the politicians and leaders in both cases struck a chord with the youth who were resentful, dissatisfied and angry at the status quo. In both the cases, the youth passionately advocated the ideals of democracy and social equality and made sure that their voice was heard so that the degeneration of a political system or the whole society could be prevented. These youth really wanted to change the world and they made sure the chance they had was not wasted. And, the wily politicians exploited that masterfully.

The case is almost similar to PTI and specially Imran Khan’s story as well. It’s popularity among the Pakistani youth is mostly due to its effective use of social media, the presence of which has changed the political landscape of Pakistan by exposing the life and lies of well known personalities both political and nonpolitical. In social media, the youths of Pakistan have certainly found a platform where they can express themselves and make their thoughts heard by a large audience. Well, with this growing number of social media users, you also get occasional ‘trolls’ who disrupt normal debates and conversations with their own brand of reasoning which is pretty much detached with reality and rational thought. But is there any method to their actions, especially of the ‘alleged’ PTI trolls? One is led to believe that the PTI trolls are just random masked idiots who’s only aim in life is to disrupt conversations and malign the people who’s allegiance lies with any party except PTI. Normally their behavior is alleged to be such that if you don’t like, revere, love or hold Imran Khan and PTI in high esteem then you are a western agent or unpatriotic. Well some of them are certifiably like that but the classification by our liberals, media personalities and rights activists that all youths supporting PTI are like that is demonstrably wrong. I am in no way an office bearer or on the payroll of PTI but I do support it because of its principles. But does that mean that I am a troll? Would I attack liberals and all personages anti-PTI just because they disagree with me? But we must ask ourselves, what compels those other youths to attack online anybody disagreeing with their political views? For one thing, one is angered by the amount of criticism hurled down by political parties and certain journalists and ‘enlightened’ individuals whose own past is tainted –rather heavily- by corruption, disreputable behavior and links to terror, all which is well documented .  How, a ‘PTI troll’ thinks, is it so that those political parties, which have led Pakistan to this catastrophic situation, have the audacity to criticize a political party, which hasn’t come into power yet. That youth /aka PTI troll is angered by this and when unable to effectively communicate his thoughts and grievances, then adopts trolling as a medium of protest, yes it is true that that ‘troll’ abandons rational judgment of differentiating right from wrong and doesn’t criticize his own party but the blame lies on the vile and loathsome mess that our elders, liberals, conservatives and political parties have created.  But the leadership of PTI must also take steps to prevent this from happening because that tarnishes its own image. Trolling is extremism in its truest form and while it cannot be stamped out, but it certainly can be reduced. The youths supportive of PTI that I know are very good communicators and open minded. The actions of a few must not reflect on the majority.

Trolling also tells us something about our society that has engendered those trolls, trolls are just not on the internet, they are in offices, mosques, institutes and gatherings. Our society has become such that it provides the right ingredients for the creation of a troll.  Strict adherence to any ideal, lack of critical analysis and open mindedness are now becoming the characteristics of our society and that is reflected in the verbal jousts taking place on the social media.  The sad part about these trolls is that they tend to be youth, the same youth that are supposed to lead the country in the future but alas, their actions warrant introspection by the society itself.

Writings on the Toilet Walls

Originally published on Facebook Notes on June 9, 2011

It is funny how and where YouTube browsing takes you. I mean, just a few minutes ago I was watching these crazy RWJ videos and just clicked away the related links and went to karaokeying ( check my status update) then to seeing Arabic songs and ended up at Outlandish’s Aisha song ( originally Cheb Khaled’s).

The song somehow reminded the good old school days and the “sexeeeh” Math teacher in class 8. Since I studied in a boys only school therefore she was the only “popular gal” in the school. If there was any stereotype about math teachers in my mind then Ms Romana was the anti Christ o all those stereotypes. Whole toilets walls were dedicated to her where frustrated 14, 15 year olds wrote down their frustration of not getting her in a heart wrenching way. Some were not good at writing so they made art as their medium of communication and drew insane hybrids of the Birth of Venus and Ms Romana (simple terms: Nude Sketches). Of course, when it came to art she drew the best out of the students, but could the same things be said about math. Well…. No. I mean how on earth could I concentrate on the stupid Pythagoras Theorem when she was in the teachers desk combing her long auburn silky hair and spraying a seductive deodorant at herself- It was hard to restrain.

I never really got to learn from her class because I took tuitions in the evening. All the brothers got them.

Never really, intended to write anything tonight, but this memory just came into my mind and I thought I would share it with you guys and girls.

Anyways the night ‘s cold and it late. Gotto wake up at 5, because it’s a full day shift tomorrow. May be I should listen to Nindiya Rey by Kaavish to make me fall asleep. Such a nice song on coke studio.

Anyways

See Ya !

Can Anybody please tell me WHO AM I?

Nations rise and fall. To every high, there is a low. That is a universal fact. However, this universal fact does not apply to Pakistan, simply because it never went high. We can say that it is because we are at a pretty low point in history and will certainly climb to the top. “God” will help us. Have faith in “God”. That is what my Mullah Party tells me and so does the Ghairat Brigade. So are you trying to tell me that the matters have now spiraled so much out of control that the fate of “Pakistan” is no longer in human hands? Is this what you are trying to tell me?

But, the fact of the matter is that we are neither high neither low. Pakistan of today is a sort of a Sufi song, full of dualism but with grim undertones. It’s a nuclear power but doesn’t have adequate anti aircraft defense systems. Its students frequently “create” world records in the international academic world, but the literacy rate still hovers around 50%. It has abundant agricultural resources but the price of flour and rice keep on attaining new heights. It was founded on principles of democracy and social equality, but the gap between rich and poor keeps on increasing and to top it, there have been three martial laws in country. It was founded to provide safety and identity to the Indian Muslims, but ------------ (fill in the gap yourself). It has been 64 years, but we still haven’t figured out who we really are.

Who are we? Where do we come from? Are we aliens from outer space? Are we a result of some sort of weird and massive social experiment?

Who Are We?

History books teach us that Pakistan was formed on the basis of the Two Nation theory. On one side there were Hindus and on the other side there were Muslims. But this theory failed on 16 December 1971 when the feet of Indian Army and Mukti Bahni marched on the streets of Dhaka.

Pakistan had the lost the very basis on which it was formed, that it was a separate homeland for the Indian Muslims. Then what? Were the Quaid, Allama Iqbal, Liaquat Ali Khan and a long line of Independence leaders wrong? Were we - which the hostile “anti-Pakistan” media never ceases to tell- formed on the basis of clash of egos and conflicts over power sharing? If I accept that, then all the things that I have been taught in the school books, have been wrong. But I love this country, I cheer for the cricket team when it wins a match, my passport says that I am a Pakistani, i have my own set of favorite Pakistani singers, i want Urdu to be written on the billboards not Hindi, which i do not understand a bit. But where ever I go across the world , people recognize me as an Indian and its only after explaining to them that I belong to a neighbouring country called Pakistan and I am a Muslim ( and by default a terror suspect- I KILL U), then do they understand that i am a Pakistani, who just happens to look like an Indian. But here’s an interesting thing, I did this experiment with some people and answered in yes whenever they asked me that whether I was an Indian or not. “ So do you worship Ganesha?” some of them asked making weird flapping hand gestures so as to describe the Hindu idols. I would say no and they would look at me with the slightest of confusion in their eyes. When I would say that I was kidding and was a Pakistani their confusion would clear up. So it seems that a Brown Indian looking Muslim is a Pakistani in their dictionary. But as you might have read in the preceding lines, the two nation theory had failed, hadn't it? So that again left me in confusion about myself. It was getting way to complicated for me to ponder on.

I doubted my nationality. This was something that was very easy to ignore but very hard to really shake off.

But then i came across Aitzaz’s Ahsan’s book called The Indus Saga in which he explained that the reason Pakistan was formed was because of the fact the people of the Indus Valley were always different from the people across the Jumna. Their customs, traditions, influences, everything was different, and I know for a fact that it is. The struggle for Pakistan might have been an attempt to create a separate homeland for the Muslims but in-fact the deep underlying psyche was that the Indus people were reclaiming their Independence which the invading armies of Ghauri, Ghaznavi, Babar, Chandragupta and Bin Qasim could not entirely subjugate.

Yes i am calling those “”Muslim Heroes” as invaders, who did nothing but pillage and torture and occupy land. To me their religion has nothing to do with the fact that they were invaders. Its just like the Iraqi people of the future calling the American Invaders as heroes and you know that something about this is just plain disgusting. That’s exactly where the confusion over our ‘Pakistaniat’ has been created. And for that we must thank Zia Ul Haq ( “” Rehmatuallah Alleh””) and the Mullah Party.

There was a brief time in the Muslim history when the religious teacher was considered to be the the Man of God and not of the Mosque. He would debate with his Dominican, Fransician and atheist counterparts, a person who would be wise and charming who would explain and make, boring and tedious religious dogma, as easy as Twinkle Little Star. A Gladiator Maximus like person who just could not be corrupted by power. But today that “Religious Teacher” has been replaced by the Pan eating, Gulab Jaman munching, fat and greedy mullah. He has even made his own political party. He is the Eddie Guerrero of the society, because he Lies and Cheats and Steals. The horrifying fact is that he even influences our national policies. So much so that he majorly influenced our 1973 constitution and re wrote our text books, so that the invaders of the past now became our heroes, Hindus and Jews were the arch enemies ( imagine how would a Pakistani Hindu feel when reading those texts in our coursebooks, and we blame other countries for racism and discrimination). On one hand we find the Quaid’s statement that you are free to go to your temples and mosques and on the other hand we are told that the hindus and christians and jews scheme against the muslims and Pakistani was made for the muslims and muslims alone. Isn't that a humongous contradiction to the Quaid’s sayings. If we accept their arguments about Hindus and Jews being our enemies, then the Great Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi, all the Mughal and Ottoman emperors would be first rate heretics because they kept as advisers those same people which the Mullas of today ‘advise’ us to be wary of. In my humble opinion, the people we be wary of should include governments like the Saudis who always manipulate and scheme and shelter the hostile Americans and yet Pakistanis make those wretched Saudi kings as demi-gods and hero worship them.

The mind of the Pakistani of today is just a confused conglomeration of nationalism, religious trans-nationalism and the so called hatred of everything “”Western””, so called because on one hand we Pakistanis condemn western thought and culture, yet would positively drool over a Green Card. That’s the state of confusion that has been wrought upon the Pakistani mind by the so-called religious establishment in collaboration with the business minded politicians.

The point is, that the uniting factor in Pakistan is not religion, but the land itself and the principles of democracy. If religion was a uniting factor then Bangladesh would still have been East Pakistan today. So it is high time that we feel proud of who we are. Stop hero worshipping the Arabs and take pride in our own cultural heritage. And as I browse through the various Facebook pages and online communities, i have a reason to be hopeful, and so should you, the reader.