There's something about rains that make us look at the brighter side. Whenever it rains, whether in summers or winters, everyone yearns to get all wet in that rain. But Monsoon Rains are special. They bring hope and life in our lives.
When I enter through the gate of Karachi University throughout the year, though it has a wonderful botanical garden now right after you enter from Silver Jubilee gate, it is not that mesmerising. But in the monsoon season, the garden seems to have a new life. The places in University which seems like a part of the Thar Desert, after the rains, turn into a green jungle. The growth of the plants though is wild, uneven but it brings freshness, green-ness and healthy-ness in everyone around! I'm talking about Karachi University in particular because around Karachi, there's not much change visible except in the less populated areas like Gulshan-e-Maymar. Because you see empty plots of land with grass and other plantations sprouting up right after the rains, and not all round the year. I guess that is why the poet said,
"zara num ho tu yeh mitti bohot zarkhez hai saaqi"
And all at once you see around you and you think, "HOW TRUE!!!"
The Imam of Kaa'ba was in Lahore and was leading the maghrib prayer. It was showing LIVE on t.v. And you could see thousands gathered behind him to pray to their Lord Almighty. It seemed as if it was a crowd of Hajj or on smaller scale, of Eid Prayers.
And this reminded me what one of my teachers regularly say that the Muslims just need a proper direction or someone who could tell them the right path. Muslims, in todays world, though are scattered and divided, yet they all would lead the prayer behind the Imam of Kaa'ba. They still hold him in high esteem. The Imam of Kaa'ba, who is not a political figure and yet has soo much influence upon the Muslims of the world, who doesn't give long boring speeches and yet people would love to stand behind him for prayers.
All I could conclude from this is that the Muslims, in Pakistan specially, are fed up with the division of sects, races and on the basis of language. They just need one person who could tell them THE RIGHT PATH and they will follow. The hollowness and the religiosity of the soo many has led them into trivial things which are making them more divided, unfulfilled and yet more weak while the enemy grows stronger on the other side.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Mangoes and Milkshakes
Mangoes and Milkshakes are one of the best things, we, Pakistanis look for in the summer. Mangoes, being the favourite fruit of almost everyone here, is a whole affair. When you have guests at your place you can simply serve them with mangoes, or milkshake or just cream,condensed milk with mangoes. And trust me, everyone loves them. The mango parties, the mango mela (fair) or just having mangoes after every meal is what everyone looks forward to in the summer here in Pakistan besides the monsoon rains. But...
Inspite of all the sweetness in the fruit, the bitterness of life can not just whither away. It remains there gnawing at you, biting you and injecting more pain and miseries upon your soul. Whether it's the politics of your own country or the sufferrings of the innocent Muslims out there.
"It's easier to look the other way" - Prisonbreak
And perhaps it is... but how can you just ignore that the country, which was built on the very basis of Islam, is just losing it's grip on the very ideology it was built upon? The politicians and the leaders have given into lust of power, corruption and greed for money. It's easier to ignore what they are doing, and moving on with your life. But what would life be without your own country, ideology or religion? It's easier to ignore that Muslims are brutally killed and their lands and plantation taken away from them but they are a part of me and how can I not flinch, or feel the pain? A part of me is burning, the other fighting between themselves, How can I just go on eating mangoes and look the other way?!
The natioanlists are raising their voices, the sects are fighting amoungst themselves and the rest are watching as silent spectators. Looking everywhere and seeing the blood, the selfishness of Muslims is destroying them. They are in huge number, they bow towards the same Ka'aba, and yet so much hatred inside?! OR is there someone else creating and fuelling the whole affair?!
A just question. Because I don't want to fight with my brothers, nor they do. Who comes in to bring those gaps, hatred and absurd theories of dividing us between, sects, languages or the races? This reminds me of the time when I was reading about how in Salahuddin Ayyubi's (the famous Saladin that the West loves) time, the jewish and the christian agents used to come to manipulate the Muslims and used to create the walls and the barriers and corruption into the religion. And this let me thinking;" why is today any different?" Just look around... and see... and pray,
" Oh Lord! Show me things as they are in themselves". Ameen.
Inspite of all the sweetness in the fruit, the bitterness of life can not just whither away. It remains there gnawing at you, biting you and injecting more pain and miseries upon your soul. Whether it's the politics of your own country or the sufferrings of the innocent Muslims out there.
"It's easier to look the other way" - Prisonbreak
And perhaps it is... but how can you just ignore that the country, which was built on the very basis of Islam, is just losing it's grip on the very ideology it was built upon? The politicians and the leaders have given into lust of power, corruption and greed for money. It's easier to ignore what they are doing, and moving on with your life. But what would life be without your own country, ideology or religion? It's easier to ignore that Muslims are brutally killed and their lands and plantation taken away from them but they are a part of me and how can I not flinch, or feel the pain? A part of me is burning, the other fighting between themselves, How can I just go on eating mangoes and look the other way?!
The natioanlists are raising their voices, the sects are fighting amoungst themselves and the rest are watching as silent spectators. Looking everywhere and seeing the blood, the selfishness of Muslims is destroying them. They are in huge number, they bow towards the same Ka'aba, and yet so much hatred inside?! OR is there someone else creating and fuelling the whole affair?!
A just question. Because I don't want to fight with my brothers, nor they do. Who comes in to bring those gaps, hatred and absurd theories of dividing us between, sects, languages or the races? This reminds me of the time when I was reading about how in Salahuddin Ayyubi's (the famous Saladin that the West loves) time, the jewish and the christian agents used to come to manipulate the Muslims and used to create the walls and the barriers and corruption into the religion. And this let me thinking;" why is today any different?" Just look around... and see... and pray,
" Oh Lord! Show me things as they are in themselves". Ameen.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
THE SCAR
Living in Karachi, and surviving the May 12 mayhem, I believe I owe my blog one comprehensive post relating to the event plus the after effects. But as this blog belongs to me, and I cannot write in a vacuum so I believe this would be filled with deep anguish and bitterness intertwined with the anger that has been baffling inside me ever since.
I guess everyone watched the whole affair on Television that day. The independent media, for the first time ever, seemed to have gone against the government with such drastic measures. The idea that the civilians were killed, the representatives of the secular parties were carrying guns and killing people just to make sure that the Chief Justice of Pakistan could not enter the city, so that he will not be able to address the Bar council?!
It was quite heart-wrenching to see that the people were dying in the streets of Karachi yet the ruling party's leader, Altaf Hussein, was addressing the people of his rally from London. Not a single gun fire, not a single drop of blood was shed from anyone who was attending that rally but the people who were going to show their solidarity with the Chief justice were welcomed with open fire from the activist of the same ruling party of MQM.
The amazing thing to notice is that not a single policeman or the Rangers were visible on the streets, yet there was a helicopter hovering above the MQM's rally. Quite a show they put up there. We could see how much they cared about the people of Karachi. If the MQM's leader was so in love with the people of Karachi as he claim to be, then why is his party activists have to collect bhatta from shopkeepers around their area. Living in a lavish London lifestyle and holding a British passport, one asks if he's so in love with Karachi or Pakistan, why cannot he just give up his passport and come back. Be a Machiavellian and come and live here. What is he afraid of? that people might kill him (he will die eventually, he is not immortal).or the popularity is not that great as they claim it to be?!
Coming back to the ground realities, people of Karachi were left alone to their demise on May 12, where there was no one to provide them with security, while everyone of us saw how amazing security measures were taken to ensure the perfect, harmonious and celebratory rally of the ruling party of PML-Q in Islamabad. Just in front of the Parliament, everyone could see on Television how the party members were celebrating. For us, Karachiites, it seemed as they were dancing to celebrate the shattered Karachi. For me it was crucial to see what everyone has to say to that rally as I was looking for answers. I was looking for comfort. But to my surprise, each politician be it Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein, Sheikh Rasheed, or Shaukat Aziz (the Prime minister) or the respected leader of this country General Parvez Musharraf, just talked about the upcoming elections, the upcoming budget and the power of people! I was shocked and flabbergasted that the leaders of this country, had to say one phrase to the Dead Karachi and all they cared about was their votes. The election campaign was more important to them then the state security, lives of innocent civilians?! Quite a show they put up there! Bullet proof glasses set up on the dais for the President to address the nation while the financial hub was burning. The general, the army chief who claims that he's been in the two battles, is actually hiding behind the bulletproof glass. WOW! All he could say was that everyone has seen that the power of people is with whom and not just here but even in Karachi( referring to the MQM's rally).
It's quite amazing to see how the West loves Musharraf Sahib just because he's an ally of US on War on Terrorism. It seems as if the patron of the war on terrorism is terrorist himself, killing people, burning their properties just to make sure he Rules. Just to make sure that a Chief Justice cannot reach his destination in Karachi.
It's amazing how the General Sahib is saying that the Chief Justice is making the whole issue politicized but what about him.. giving licence to kill the innocent civilians in Karachi so that they cannot support the Chief Justice?! So that the issue doesn't get politicized? General Musharraf has already made the whole issue politicized and here in Karachi, lost his dignity, integrity, honour and respect. It's so easy for him to address a rally hiding behind the bullet proof wall, with the police and army providing him with the maximum security. I bet he doesn't have the guts to address the nation on the naked streets of Karachi without any bulletproof wall and half the police force of this country.
At least we now know that the General, who's been harping about the Islamic, fundamentalist parties to be the jihadis and the militants who want to shed blood of innocent people, was just a huge LIE. The secular parties and the enlightened-moderate factions are actually the one's who are terrorists. They are the ones carrying guns and killing innocent civilians. They are the ones who do not want independence of Judiciary. They are the ones who are afraid of getting rid of the power. They believe in the motto of "Might is Right" and they use the might to curb the opposition.
One question that will always remain unanswered by the authorities is : Why Is General Sahab So Afraid Of The Chief Justice?!
The other thing that was quite surprising was that on other occasions we see the Police and the Rangers roaming around the city, checking cars and removing the coloured sheets off the widows of the cars, WHERE WERE THEY?! On 13th of may the Ranger's spokesman said on TV that they love this city and will make things better, as they were. But they can never bring back those who were gone. The people who died were fathers, brothers, sons and husbands of someone. Can these Rangers and Policemen ever heal the wounds of those who lost their loved ones? Will the people of Karachi, including me, Ever Trust these Law Enforcement Agencies?! I guess you have to be a Karachiite to know the real answer.
I guess everyone watched the whole affair on Television that day. The independent media, for the first time ever, seemed to have gone against the government with such drastic measures. The idea that the civilians were killed, the representatives of the secular parties were carrying guns and killing people just to make sure that the Chief Justice of Pakistan could not enter the city, so that he will not be able to address the Bar council?!
It was quite heart-wrenching to see that the people were dying in the streets of Karachi yet the ruling party's leader, Altaf Hussein, was addressing the people of his rally from London. Not a single gun fire, not a single drop of blood was shed from anyone who was attending that rally but the people who were going to show their solidarity with the Chief justice were welcomed with open fire from the activist of the same ruling party of MQM.
The amazing thing to notice is that not a single policeman or the Rangers were visible on the streets, yet there was a helicopter hovering above the MQM's rally. Quite a show they put up there. We could see how much they cared about the people of Karachi. If the MQM's leader was so in love with the people of Karachi as he claim to be, then why is his party activists have to collect bhatta from shopkeepers around their area. Living in a lavish London lifestyle and holding a British passport, one asks if he's so in love with Karachi or Pakistan, why cannot he just give up his passport and come back. Be a Machiavellian and come and live here. What is he afraid of? that people might kill him (he will die eventually, he is not immortal).or the popularity is not that great as they claim it to be?!
Coming back to the ground realities, people of Karachi were left alone to their demise on May 12, where there was no one to provide them with security, while everyone of us saw how amazing security measures were taken to ensure the perfect, harmonious and celebratory rally of the ruling party of PML-Q in Islamabad. Just in front of the Parliament, everyone could see on Television how the party members were celebrating. For us, Karachiites, it seemed as they were dancing to celebrate the shattered Karachi. For me it was crucial to see what everyone has to say to that rally as I was looking for answers. I was looking for comfort. But to my surprise, each politician be it Chaudhry Shujaat Hussein, Sheikh Rasheed, or Shaukat Aziz (the Prime minister) or the respected leader of this country General Parvez Musharraf, just talked about the upcoming elections, the upcoming budget and the power of people! I was shocked and flabbergasted that the leaders of this country, had to say one phrase to the Dead Karachi and all they cared about was their votes. The election campaign was more important to them then the state security, lives of innocent civilians?! Quite a show they put up there! Bullet proof glasses set up on the dais for the President to address the nation while the financial hub was burning. The general, the army chief who claims that he's been in the two battles, is actually hiding behind the bulletproof glass. WOW! All he could say was that everyone has seen that the power of people is with whom and not just here but even in Karachi( referring to the MQM's rally).
It's quite amazing to see how the West loves Musharraf Sahib just because he's an ally of US on War on Terrorism. It seems as if the patron of the war on terrorism is terrorist himself, killing people, burning their properties just to make sure he Rules. Just to make sure that a Chief Justice cannot reach his destination in Karachi.
It's amazing how the General Sahib is saying that the Chief Justice is making the whole issue politicized but what about him.. giving licence to kill the innocent civilians in Karachi so that they cannot support the Chief Justice?! So that the issue doesn't get politicized? General Musharraf has already made the whole issue politicized and here in Karachi, lost his dignity, integrity, honour and respect. It's so easy for him to address a rally hiding behind the bullet proof wall, with the police and army providing him with the maximum security. I bet he doesn't have the guts to address the nation on the naked streets of Karachi without any bulletproof wall and half the police force of this country.
At least we now know that the General, who's been harping about the Islamic, fundamentalist parties to be the jihadis and the militants who want to shed blood of innocent people, was just a huge LIE. The secular parties and the enlightened-moderate factions are actually the one's who are terrorists. They are the ones carrying guns and killing innocent civilians. They are the ones who do not want independence of Judiciary. They are the ones who are afraid of getting rid of the power. They believe in the motto of "Might is Right" and they use the might to curb the opposition.
One question that will always remain unanswered by the authorities is : Why Is General Sahab So Afraid Of The Chief Justice?!
The other thing that was quite surprising was that on other occasions we see the Police and the Rangers roaming around the city, checking cars and removing the coloured sheets off the widows of the cars, WHERE WERE THEY?! On 13th of may the Ranger's spokesman said on TV that they love this city and will make things better, as they were. But they can never bring back those who were gone. The people who died were fathers, brothers, sons and husbands of someone. Can these Rangers and Policemen ever heal the wounds of those who lost their loved ones? Will the people of Karachi, including me, Ever Trust these Law Enforcement Agencies?! I guess you have to be a Karachiite to know the real answer.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
My city's on Fire!
12th may '07.
Gun fires, bloodshed, fire, dead bodies and clashes. The city of Karachi. It seems as if it necessary to associate all these words with this city of lights. It has been so since the '80s. I still remember in 1995, there used to be a strike every Friday and torching of buses was everyday routine. The gunfires stopped scaring the children, they knew it was time to hide, lay low and no school, no exams and no homeworks for many days to come!
Today, we saw how responsible our city and our country's government is. Where were Rangers or the Police forces when the clashes were taking place?! Where were the saviours when the city was being torn into pieces?!
So, no security for the common people of Karachi and bullet proof, well secured places for President Musharraf for holding his address! Hypocrisy!
Gun fires, bloodshed, fire, dead bodies and clashes. The city of Karachi. It seems as if it necessary to associate all these words with this city of lights. It has been so since the '80s. I still remember in 1995, there used to be a strike every Friday and torching of buses was everyday routine. The gunfires stopped scaring the children, they knew it was time to hide, lay low and no school, no exams and no homeworks for many days to come!
Today, we saw how responsible our city and our country's government is. Where were Rangers or the Police forces when the clashes were taking place?! Where were the saviours when the city was being torn into pieces?!
So, no security for the common people of Karachi and bullet proof, well secured places for President Musharraf for holding his address! Hypocrisy!
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