Live in Karachi?!

Im on my way to Bombay in a few hours, sitting here at the Karachi airport on a Wateen sponsored internet kiosk with air conditioning and 'day-round' electricity, things seem so pleasant. But not so pleasant when i got here from lahore last night.

On my way from the airport, i saw a car (metro-cab) stopped in the middle of the road. There was a motorbike infront of the car to keep him there while there were 3-4 guys standing on either side of the car as one of them got in and was calmly mugging the passenger. Now thats a scary thought, im planning to do some travelling and i was carrying quite some cash and lots of important documents. Though it was quite late at night, 2 am but it was on Shahrah-e-Faisal and in the middle of the road. After passing them i felt terrified everytime i saw somebody on the side of the road. I don't know how locals live with this kind of fear day in and day out. I just know i don't want to be living here, lahore hee set hai!

Music to my ears.

Two new albums have just been released from two distinctly different bands but both signficantly great to listen to.

The first one was Zeb and Haniya's much awaited album 'Chup'. They also released thier first video. This one is called 'Aitebar' and is hitting the headlines everywhere.

The second one is a brillianltly cool new song by Shehzad Roy who has matured beyond the lovey-dovey songs to a more activism oriented singing personality. This one is called 'Laga reh'

Media and Terrorism

An interesting point came to light when the International Cricket Council (ICC) was deciding whether it was too risky to stage a cricket tournament in Pakistan. The point was that the alternative venue for the event was Sri Lanka.

Interestingly enough, if you look at the data on terrorism, Sri Lanka has suffered roughly 3,000 deaths since 2006 due to fighting with the Tamil Tigers. In pakistan, the number stands at 3,500. Even stranger, Sri Lanka is a much smaller country and terrorism is close to just about anyone. Yet, Sri Lanka is a no problem spot for cricket whereas Pakistan according to the South African Cricket Association (SACA) and the Australian Cricketer's Association (ACA) is a no-go area. A lot, i feel has to do with media and also the nature of conflict.

Pakistan war is part of a global conflict against terrorists from muslim countries..so it get LOTS of media coverage whereas the Sri Lankan fighting is against a seperatist group with not much of an international agenda so it gets barely any or no coverage.

So although Pakistan is probably just as safe if not safer to play cricket in, it is flagged as a dangerous country and a lot of that has to do with the freedom in the media. Where else in the world do well known terrorists even from organizations like Al-Qaeda are shown openly to viewers. Media freedom is great, but media carelessness is not.

Taliban Recruitments!

There was an article in 'The News' today on Taliban recruiting female nurses. Extremely perturbing news for several reasons.

1) They find local madrassah owners pay them to find the nurses. Something they are willing to do. Even in cities like Mansehra, Abbotabad, Murree and Rawalpindi!!!

2) They pay the nurses PKR 25,000, a lot more than what they are earning and give their families a years advance, something they cant dream of getting elsewhere

3) they need female nurses because the people hurt from bombings by the coalition forces or Pakistani forces (sic!) include women and the families of the women do not allow male doctors etc to touch them as they are na-mehram. (shocking but true)

4) The people getting recruited are very happy because not only are they getting a good job, they are guaranteed complete security by the Taliban and the women are treated exceptionally well. (sister like treatment, stay with the families of the women taliban)

So if the Taliban can come to our main cities and albiet via third parties recruit from here, how can we fight them? Plus, why is the government not being able to stem thier incomes? So many questions, so few answers!

Thinking loudest!

With whats happening in our country nowadays, especially as far as violence and extremism is concerned, you cannot stop thinking of what could be possible ways out of this mess. I'm just thinking here, and it may seem significantly inappropriate to suggest something so outrageous, but with all the trouble we're having with the frontier province. including the fact, that a majority of the pashtuns have no respect for our government, our laws, and feel they have stronger social and cultural affiliations with Afghanistan and that the Durand Line is as controversial as it is, would we be not doing a favor to us and them by handing over the lawless parts of the province also called the tribal areas to the Afghanis.

Doing so would make it easier for our troops to put in more effort in regaining their stronghold on the more internal cities of the frontier rather than waste resources on the tribal areas. It would also allow the coalition forces to act freely against forces spreading violence in both countries since we have failed so miserably in curbing them.

As objectionable the idea of giving away land may seem, if we can hold forth, the then created borders and weed out the violent elements from society through media campaigns, public awareness, good governance, smart policies, better leaders…and hence I break my own argument as governance and leadership in this country are mere dreams and nothing more.

Rumi

Maulana Jalaludin Rumi:
I died as a mineral and became a plant,
I died as plant and rose to animal,
I died as animal and I was Man.
Why should I fear? When was I less by dying?
Yet once more I shall die as Man, to soar
With angels blest; but even from angelhood
I must pass on: all except God doth perish.
When I have sacrificed my angel-soul,
I shall become what no mind e'er conceived.
Oh, let me not exist! for Non-existence
Proclaims in organ tones,'
To Him we shall return


I searched for God among the Christians and on the Cross and therein I found Him not.
I went into the ancient temples of idolatry; no trace of Him was there.
I entered the mountain cave of Hira and then went as far as Qandhar but God I found not.
With set purpose I fared to the summit of Mount Caucasus and found there only 'anqa's habitation.
Then I directed my search to the Kaaba, the resort of old and young; God was not there even.
Turning to philosophy I inquired about him from ibn Sina but found Him not within his range.
I fared then to the scene of the Prophet's experience of a great divine manifestation only a 'two bow-lengths' distance from him' but God was not there even in that exalted court.
Finally, I looked into my own heart and there I saw Him; He was nowhere else.

Monsoons

It is July and the monsoons are here. They are supposed to come around August-September but changes in global weather patterns have altered all that. Nothing really cleans up the air as the monsoon do, all the soot and dust settles, the air is fresh, the sky bluer, the sun somewhat brighter, yet the mercury levels lower and everything seems hunky dory for a while. The zsituation on the ground unfortunately is another story. The drainage system or lack thereof becomes apparent. People houses in low lying areas start having water coming into their abodes; there are more chances of water borne diseases spreading. The hospitals are flooded with gastritis patients; our current hands-on Chief Minister gets a chance to get his feet wet, literally!

Pictures courtesy of Dawn Newspaper epaper.dawn.com
http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleImageEx.aspx?article=13_07_2008_001_004_005&type=2
http://epaper.dawn.com/ArticleImageEX.aspx?article=13_07_2008_176_006_006&type=2

American Deaths

why am i not surprised! talk about 'off base'

Benjamin Franklin Anti-Jewism

hmmm...wonder why he was so ticked off at ze jews.

Bet you cant do this!

Amazing, aint it! I have yet to find anyone who can. If you can, lemme know.

Iran Missile Launch

hmmm...so maybe one of the missile launch is a fake. Now why would they do that. Pictures adjusted via photoshop are quite easily caught nowadays why would the national intelligence agencies let such blunders pass through. Wonder if any of these missiles were successfully fired. It's just a ploy to raise oil prices perhaps. God knows, that all we know!

Some pictures (to add color)

Friends at Farewell Dinner for MBA 2008













Hanging out with friends














Friends @ sisters wedding

My Blog

I used to have a blog. I didn't really write much in it. But i kept it alive and colorful and you know... presentable. Then i got busy with my job, then my MBA. Now, that i had some free time, thought i'd update the info on the blog but the thing is i cant find my blog! I forgot the URL. I have no record of it in my email history. Its just gone. Its as if it never existed. Did i just imagine i had a blog. I remember writing on my blog, it was there.

Lets assume it was there and im sure thats a safe assumption. The question is where did it go. Did the blogger people take it away. I even read through the tag 'Iused to have a blog, where did it go' in the help section. But to no avail. My blog is gone. No one knows where it is. All i'm saying is, i used to have a blog