When will the insanity stop?

I wasn’t close to him. Hardly shared couple of sentences in last 2 decades, but his mother and mine shared a womb. I did however met him every weekend till I was 16 at my nani’ house but there were 20 other cousins so I cant say he was my best friend. So my perspective is not tainted with lopsided partisanship, which might be the case with his wife, children, brothers and sisters and nephews and nieces, people that he adored and they adored him back. He was not the smartest, most good-looking or most successful in our family; but there was something about him, which is usually not screaming at you, seeking attention in a self-glorifying manner but you know its there. Its sophisticated and its polite and organic more than anything its natural. It’s the ability of seemingly unassuming people to leave a mark when they are gone. What is it? I still don’t know how to spell it out but I think it’s the their humility, its their comfortableness in their own skins and its their mannerism which makes the rest of us comfortable around them.

We all have had cousins who were stars and those of us who were mediocre dreaded being around them because of the comparisons and unending stories of greatness from their parents which made the lives of us mediocre quite uneasy. I am sure my parents did this with abandon whenever there was an opportunity, although after 10^th grade those were extremely few and far in between, thanks to my dedication towards mediocrity BUT subconsciously when we were kids, we liked hanging out with cousins who were not pretentious and too precious. I think this is my most vivid memory of Nabeel that he was humble and made you feel comfortable.

I remember meeting him about a year ago, we hugged and I can recall him smiling, and now I remember, I always saw him smiling. I hear he was extremely polite and loving towards his nephew’ and nieces and that make sense, most of us do. Most of us however don’t accommodate others when they are 12 and immersed in an extremely cut-throat cricket contest on the rooftop of my nani’ 120 yard house. Nabeel did that to the chagrin of his younger brother and I think these are the things that are stuck in my subconscious.

He was killed in cold blood last Friday. Someone walked up to him in broad daylight in dastagir Karachi, put a gun to the back of his head and shot him dead before he nabeel could turn around and melt this monster’ heart with his unassuming smile. Like I have said above, I am not privy to the details of his life. I am not sure what he was up to. I hear he was benign and I am convinced that he didn’t do anything to deserve this but in an extremely selfish manner, I wish he wasn’t. I wish to make some sense of this travesty.

I know he was a devout muslim but never did I hear a condescending lecture from him directed towards those of us with less discipline. I hear he was killed because he looked too ‘sunni’, I am not sure what to make of that! It angers me because he never was the kind who wore his identity on the sleeve unnecessarily nor was he in your face type of revolutionary for things he believed in.  Yes but he did have a beard, so we will shoot people for that alone now? Apparently because we keep killing hazaras for looking the way they do. We keep killing biharis from orangi town for looking the way they do and we keep on killing pakhtoons for their looks.

At what point would we start shedding tears for those who don’t look like us. I was heartened to see a great number of sunnis, many of them leaders from corporate sector in Karachi participate in sit ins for the martyrs of hazara some months back and its this sort of camaraderie which would eradicate the seeds of hatred implanted by the likes of Zia Ul Huq.

At what point will this insanity stop? As a society we have a habit to dumb down the debate and stick to talking points given to us by groups that we support and I am no different. My liking for MQM is not a secret and I understand politics unfortunately is ruthless, but at what point, what more needs to happen to Pakistan, what else would we have to go thru as a society before we can say enough!

How hard is it for those who make decisions in this unfortunate motherland of ours to do things which bring about a tangible, positive change of sorts in our society? How hard is it to put the same type of taboo on guns, which we have reserved for alcohol or porn in our society? Why cant we get away from this hogwash of ‘mard ka zayvar’ and at least agree on a basic principle that there is no reason for this sort of abundance of weapons in a civilized society?

I know I am all over the place in this blog and its disconnected and i am probably rambling on and on BUT for the sake of whatever is sacred to you, imagine the life of 35 year old wife, 3 children, oldest is probably around 8 years old; devastated for good within matters of seconds. Its not the finances, its not the supervision, it’s the void of someone that you love. I lost my father when he was 73, in pain and to a certain extent we were relieved that he was no longer in pain when passed away. I am here to tell you that its been almost 2 years and not a day goes by when at most irrelevant of junctures I don’t wish, ‘kash aboo hottay tau kitna khush hottay’. Can you imagine what this young wife and his children will go thru?

All of this is avoidable folks. At some point we just would have to go beyond talking points and agree on some common sense, across the board principles and we wont have to reinvent the wheel either. We have examples around us in many societies, which were far more barbaric and broken and turned around within matter of years. The key however is that we get a reality check. We can not keep investing, cultivating in hate and expect that roses will emerge.

Prophet PBUH was on his way out from the mosque and heard a man praying for sabr (patience); he PBUH corrected him and said don’t ask for sabr, ask for good things in this world and the hereafter.

We would have to make dua that good things happen to us in this world but again to borrow from the life of prophet pbuh, we also have to tie our camels as well*. (Prophet PBUH saw some camels wandering about outside the mosque, he came inside the mosque and asked folks if those were their camels and inquired how come they haven’t taken the precaution of tying them so they wont get away. The men replied we believe in destiny from Allah. Prophet PBUH, keep your faith in Allah but do the obvious and tie your camels). Our priorities need realigning! We need to care less about hoisting ‘parcham of islam’ on red fort in delhi and focus on providing clean water to 40% citizenry who doesn’t have it. Less strategic depth in Afghanistan and more jobs, better schools in KPK so we can produce more scientists and less suicide bombers.

Nabeel, mayray dost, may your stay in grave is pleasant and may Allah swt reward you with paradise without any reckoning and may your family have patience and may they get ALL the good things in this world and hereafter.

Ussay janay ki jaldi thi, 

so mein aankhoon hi aankhon mein

jahan tuk choR sakta tha,

vahaan tuk choR aaya hoon

AAP & Not PTI;The power of democracy!

I am not fascinated or infatuated with India, like some of our Indian readers (and mostly for the wrong reasons I might add). I do however acknowledge that it is the land of my forefathers and at a macro level, I am impressed with their dedication to and insistence on democracy. I am under no illusion that indian society is without ills or that democracy has solved all of their issues But compared to Pakistan, they look like rock stars.

Compared to Pakistan however, young men and women -some who were wronged and mostly those who are uneducated, impressionable and indoctrinated - aren’t blowing themselves up in cinemas, bazars and places of worship, killing their fellow innocent citizens in cold blood, and to me that alone is a winner every day of the week, twice on Sundays.

What has transpired in shape of AAP in India is a beautiful thing in my estimation. Yesterday I read a news story in dawn, it spelled out the 20 AAP candidates for high profile contests. They have pitted credible, educated and clean men and women against the stalwarts of indian politics. Most of these individuals who will run against Modi, Rahul and kalmadi are probably running in elections for the first time and if the recent elections in Delhi can be borrowed as a reference, it will be one hell of a contest. Whether they win or lose (and I hope they win), AAP has shaken the conscience of the political mafia in India. Everyone including intellectuals, journalist and politicos initially brushed AAP aside as an outlier, however this is a force to be reckoned with, no ifs or buts about it anymore.

Many in Pakistan wrongly equate the effectiveness of AAP and PTI. As far as populous is concerned, the need for a fresh start maybe an identical need both in Pakistan and India. However, where PTI fails is that Imran has surrounded himself with usual suspects. Even as a cynic, I can hope for a deviation from status quo from Arvind Kerjiwal because he nominates fresh faces with no baggage whatsoever. You cannot expect Ayla Malik and Shah Mehmood Qureshi to bring about land-reform revolution. Jehnagir Tareen and Saif Ullah Niazi are not going work towards bridging the gap between rich and poor.

Imran’ sincerity (and a truckload of naïveté) notwithstanding, the leadership of PTI is the direct beneficiary of status quo and they can very well highjack the cause, but they have no stake whatsoever to bring about a meaningful change in Pakistan.

I am labeled as a MQM apologist by friends, family and foes and to be quite honest, fair enough. I am a fan of their meritocracy, energy and clarity on issues but I also acknowledge that they probably have resorted to non-kosher means on occasions to remain relevant. I don’t blame them in a disproportionate manner because I know that in order to get even the due share in the reality called Karachi, you have to have a certain nuisance value. And this mindset is the direct reason of armed establishments’ prominence in corridors of power.

I have written this in the past and Its worth mentioning again, when you have no other validity as a ruler other than the fact that you command the most armed men as COA in the country, then the trickle down message to the masses is that if you want prominence and relevance, you must grow muscle.

I am convinced that Pakistan will get out of this rut once we our democracy matures and that will happen with time and continuity. This is not an argument in favor of current political lot ruling in pakistan, (I am not a complete buffoon I swear) but rather an argument in support of the process. But in the meantime as a democrat, you can’t help but smile when you see political elite in India at the mercy of a bhokay nangay voters. Pay back is a female of canine specie! Long Live democracy!

DeJa Vu all over again!

Deja Vu all over again!

There are few sane people in Pakistan who today would support the operation in East Pakistan. At that time however, there were even fewer voices that opposed it. Sad reality is that those who matter in Pakistan are a day late and a dollar short when it comes to common sense. Let’s assume for a moment that all ills in Pakistan are due to MQM. It’s MQM which has brazenly looted and plundered Pakistan. It is MQM which embezzled banks. It is MQM which got Pakistan involved in Afghan Jihad because Altaf Hussein was being showered with dollars. It is MQM which championed the cause of Jihadist indoctrination, the fruit of which are exploding in our streets and bazars and places of worship. Even if MQM has done all of that, those who are champions of democracy, civility and human rights, shouldn’t they raise their voice to accord MQM a day in court?

Shouldn’t media anchors, the epitome of intellect and everything which is holy and pure be a little perturbed that 10 human beings have been killed in cold blood while they were in custody ever since this operation in Karachi has started? 42 individuals apprehended by low enforcement agencies are missing persons for almost 6 months, never been produced in court, no agency fessing up about their whereabouts. Even if every single one of these MQM worker is a ruthless murderer, even then, shouldn’t the state follow the course of law? Why is that state and its functionaries insist on opening front after front and making the already volatile situation in the country worse?

On one hand, we are tripping over each other to embrace the killers from Taleban, who brazenly accept responsibility to slaughter our soldiers, play soccer with their human heads, and kill women, children and old with utmost disdain. And on the other hand, the same ruling elite are hell bent to repeat the colossal failure of 1992 operation.

Balochistan is on the fringe of a complete breakdown, majority of the province is rife with sectarianism and loud demands of cessation and instead of addressing the real concerns of Baloch and bringing them back to the fold, Islamabad, pindi and LaRkana have decided to alienate the urdu speaking majority of urban Sind!

600 MQM workers have been arrested so far and to the credit of MQM leadership, they have taken the hit with grace but they also live amongst people and there is a tipping point where things will get out of their hand as well if sense doesn’t prevail.

We ask honorable chief justice Tassaduq Hussein Jeelani to pay heed to the cries of mothers, sisters and wives who have suffered unconstitutionally at the hands of Law enforcement agencies. The manner, tone and tenor with which Sind Police chief has conducted so far is shameful. We the citizens of Karachi demand that he sheds this cloak of unabashed prejudice and by all means arrest people, but please produce them in courts and follow the course of law.

It is unfortunate that after 65 years of inception, individuals still are targeted and even killed on the basis of their ethnicity, their patriotism questioned and they are persecuted for no other reason except that they are not sons of soil. Establishment must understand that citizens of Urban Sind are reasonable people, but we are not rollovers. We will stand up against injustice and raise our voices when Law enforcement agencies resort to extra judicial genocide.

Mitti ki mohabat mein, hum ashufta siroon nay

Voh qarz utaray hein, k vajib bhi nahi thay

Begin by Wailing!

The perpetrators should at least apologize to this unfortunate nation!

TTP for killing our 60,000 human beings!

Security Establishment for creating the Frankenstein so they can prosper financially,

Rishtay karanay wali Khala who got  unkil ejaz ul haq’ dada and dadi hooked up

Musharaf for slaughtering the constitution (and for ahmed raza qusoori)

Taher shah for eye to eye

Nawaz sharif for absconding and looting.

Shaheed bibi for asif!

Asif ali zardari for Asim Hussein!

Iftikhar chaudhry for Arsalan dada

PTI for shireen mazari’ hairdo

MQM for bhai’ singing.

Jamat-e-islami for being themselves

Religious fundoos like fazloo and hafiz saeed for egging us on for jihad while they are not able to do istinja (translation kurkay sawab-a-darayn hasil karein) properly (due to girth)! But I digress.

Joking aside, the least this nation deserves is a sincere apology. Call it truth and reconciliation or Bieber’ intervention, doesn’t matter. Bottom line is; those who have wronged us need to come sobbing, distraught and I mean I would like to see fluids emanating, whaling, and looking for pardon!  

And let’s not kidd ourselves, we know exactly who our villains are, thanks primarily to the flow of information. There are many in Pakistani diaspora who tag media as the problem as well, and quite frankly when you have the type of implosion of channels like Pakistan does its tough to maintain a certain level of quality. But I am convinced; we are better off as citizens because of the access to information.

We as people are extremely resilient, that’s stating the obvious! Pakistanis as a nation are also not petty. We show by voting in the same shady characters time and again, that we are forgiving (or dense, take your pick). But for the sake of whatever is sacred to you the perps, have some decency and come clean!

The political elite of Pakistan, the security establishment, the civil bureaucracy, business tycoons, big landlords, anyone and everyone whose life doesn’t suck like seem-0-thor, needs to be a little ashamed because rest assured that your cushy life is being subsidized at the expense of the vast majority of the citizenry.

It’s only fair that all of these jokers appear in person, with real remorse. We will keep bickering about one another, whether its Army which is the root-cause of all evil or is it the ineptness of our civilians?

But lets be clear that there is enough blame to go around and we can not start a fresh unless, there is a wholesale remorse and sincere apology from those who matter in Pakistan directed towards the 90% masses.

It is extremely dishonest and almost criminal from intellectuals like Hassan nisar, whom I admire to pieces, but it is absurd to draw a parallel between an individuals like Nawaz shareef or moonis ilahi or musharaf raping the country, literally and figuratively both and bhola nagori who adds a bit of water in my milk. I say its criminal because it dramatizes the debate and unnecessarily magnifies the problem. We have real problems in Pakistan but these are not problems that are bigger than what japan went thru after World War 2 or Sri Lanka more recently.  We can triumph provided good people stand up and be counted!

We can get out of the rut provided that first and foremost, those who have wronged us, who unfortunately will continue to call the shots, realize that they have messed up big time!

2^nd thing we have to do is make 2 separate strategies.  1) Long term 2) short-term. I am not trying to infantilize a complex problem by breaking it down in this simplistic manner. But surely we need to put out fires like TTP and downward spiral of economy but we also have to make structural, REAL changes in the way we approach managing a country of our size. By all means start the dialogue, but state must realize its strength! 5000 thugs should not overwhelm the state and the majority! How can we not realize that TTP is literally toying with us and what they have done to Imran khan by naming him, its no short of poetic justice.

Its been said a gazillionth time that we can only change for better if we spend more on education and public healthcare and implement a robust, independent & empowered local bodies system. Something which none of the champions of democracy are ready to do. Civil society should expose them.

The civil society should take strength from the events that transpired during CJ restoration. I am not a fan of chaudhry but the fact of the matter is that civil society, media and lawyers decided on something and ALL movers and shakers either made a beeline or got steamrolled in to submission.

We can fix our country, we really can! People like Jibran nasir and absar alam and hamid meer and faisal sabzwari and bilawal zardari and murad saeed and babar sattar and wussat ullah khan and dr. rizvi and folks from citizens foundation and millions of others who are honest, talented and dedicated, want to and can contribute. The trick is to figure out how to bring these folks at helm of affairs. How?

In simplest of terms, 5 elections on time and I am certain that we will be much better off in 25 years.

Nigah Buland, Sukhan Dil Nawaz, Jaan Pursouz

Yehi Hai Rakht-e-Safar Mir-e- Karwan Ke Liye