Same sequence of events

I read an interesting news article today in the GEO NEWS website. Taj Mohammad Jamali, an MNA of PPP and former CM of Balochistan, has advised Zardari to keep the presidential powers entrusted by 58-2(b).
Now this seems all too familiar. Whenever something unlikely event has to be made possible (like nominating Zardari for Presidency), someone just throws in a statement like this in the media as if to check for any backlash by the public. Since public is asleep and senseless nothing happens. Then that unlikely event is enforced by hook or by crook and then made to be accepted. Same thing happened with Zardari's presidential nomination and then he became president. Now this 58-2(b) thing. People were made to believe that Parliament will forgo with this article as a priority. But now this seems unlikely. So I won't be surprised if Mr Zardari gets to keep it.
By the way, the next unlikely event in the pipeline, in my opinion, is NATO (read-American) attacks inside Pakistani territory officially with Pakistan's (read-Zardari's) consent.
Just wait and watch.

Yet another carnage!

The bomber driving his explosive-laden truck struck last evening outside the Marriot. Many of those perished were either drivers waiting outside with their cars or security personnel. It seems some of the westeners probably Americans (associated with CIA or FBI) inside the hotel were the real targets. If that is true then these poor people died in vain. The building was also destroyed beyond repair.

My heart bleeds. Probably more so than an ordinary Pakistani because I'm also an Islamabadi. I have been to that place before. I have seen the bustling activity there. This is so unfortunate. That our country is passing through a part in history which is at best forgettable. Such attacks are now occurring with regular intervals in the motherland. A few days without a suicide attack seems rather strange. Was our nation destined to live like that in constant fear? Is this our fate to have this notion in our hearts that the car or a truck next to ours might blow up?

And it seems that it was meticulously planned and executed with precision. Quite unlike the people whom we are associating these terror-related activities with. They seem to have advanced information about these targets (especially westeners) and the attack last evening was awesome. Because they chose a time when security was most likely to be lax i.e., Iftar time. Then two vehicles were involved; the first smaller one probably as a decoy or to clear the way for the other bigger vehicle. Seems some organization or spy agency was behind these attacks. Whoever was responsible certainly hit the nail on the head. There is fear. And we might be forced to cooperate more with USA in eliminating Al-Qaeda and Taliban from tribal area which means to abandon any plans to stop incursions of US troops into our soil or rather letting them in formally to help us. Just like the way they entered Iraq and Afghanistan. President Zardari who flew to USA today will be presented with some tough choices there. Something's telling me that worse is yet to come!

To be a lion or a jackal?

"It is far better to live like a Tiger for a day than to live like a jackal for a hundred years"!
So said the 'Tiger of Mysore' Tipu Sultan in the latter part of 18th century. We have been hearing this quote since our school days from our histroy lessons. Never have these words seemed so meaningful than now considering the political circumstances our nation is passing through.
Tipu Sultan died like a tiger and as a result etched his name in history to be remembered in admiration and awe. Our present rulers are also etching their names into history pages but by living like jackals. They will also be remembered but only to be cursed. Terror or no terror, human rights or whatever pretext, the Americans want oil and power. They want to halt China's formidable and remarkable progress which is probably the only nation to challenge them economically and militarily. So, whether we go by America's will or not, we are destined to face American onslought. So by standing up to her and to dare her is the dignified approach. Recent past has shown clearly American hesitancy to engage Iran and North Korea militarily just because they stood strongly instead of chickening out like us. Are the Iranians and North Koreans any where near American military might on paper? Certainly not! We aren't either but at least we have our honour and dignity. We might lose our lives which is mortal anyway, but it is far better to die like a Tiger than to live even a few moments like a jackal!

An invasion is an invasion is an invasion

Whatever one might call it, it's going to remain the same. That George W Bush had secretly ordered military activity by US troops inside Pakistani territory whenever they might feel the need to do so is now out in the open. Slowly, gradually and slyly they are doing what couldn't have been possible otherwise. They are invading Pakistan. They had also invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. But this time it is a bit unusual. Its an invasion of a different sort but invasion it is. Whether anyone agrees or tries to ignore but it is really happening. Today it is in the tribal belt. Tomorrow it might be in Peshawar and then Islamabad. Then the Stars and Stripes would fly over the Presidency! The nuclear technology fully secured and safe under the US control. That's the ultimate aim, isn't it? Reining the militancy or eliminating Al-Qaeda targets is just an eyewash.
So when would our decision-makers understand this? How can one call oneself Pakistani and do nothing about it? Why should our troops fight someone else's war? How could our leaders managed to let that happen? But our decision-makers are hardly Pakistanis! And those who have Pakistani hearts lack foresightedness and acumen worthy of a leader. Whatever is the aim of USA - whether to get Al-Qaeda or secure our nuclear arsenal - no outsider should be allowed to do adventure inside our territory. However friendly might he claim himself to be.
Yes, we might be having weapons from USA; we might be having aid (alms) from America and we might be having dictates from USA but our LIBERTY is ours; our FREEDOM is ours and our DIGNITY is ours. There is always a line not to be crossed and that line is our SOVEREIGNTY. Cross that line and there should be an immediate violent response. A response any mother would make if her children were threatened even by their father.
Perhaps our implanted, opportunistic and immoral leaders and politicians could never understand this but the the people of this country might. Would they come out by whatever means to show their opposition to our leaders' decision to stay indifferent and allow this invasion to happen? I hope and pray they do. Do they should, as this is the only thing to be done.

Hoping for better days ahead

There are celebrations somewhere. And elsewhere, sadness and despair. The fact that Asif Zardari has been elected as the next president is the result of a democtratic process; so we have no one else to blame but ourselves, as we are the ones who elected the parliamentarians. If a larger segment of the nation believes that people of questionable background & repute have reached a position to run the affairs of this country and make decisions that might have lasting consequences, then they should also realize that those on the top reflect what we really are.

Having said that, if we let this process continue it should, nevertheless, bring us hope. This is one exercise that we as a nation are not much experienced in. With elections at regular intervals, it would open our minds to look beyond family & biradari and to keep national interest as the top priority. May be with time, people would learn to reject those who let them down, who proved to be inept and those who failed to demonstrate tolerance and far-sightedness. It might take some time, but, hey, Rome was not built in a day. Even America needed hundreds of years of experience to be what they are today.

Let not the hope die. We shall rise soon. Inshallah

Mr. 100%

So the inevitable finally happened. Asif Zardari is now His Excellency The President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
There is only one thing in this equation which is of some relief. That he has attained a position on the top, now there is only one way to go for him from here. Bottom!
And those who voted for him, whether they wanted or not to vote for him, if they think that AZ would now let the parliament curtail the powers of the President, they might be in for a rude shock. I don't think he would let them forgo 58/2-B. He wanted the cake but he also wanted to eat it. So he can now eat up everything, including the country. He is now, after all, Mr. 100%!
So, in the end, who has benefitted from the elimination of Benazir Bhutto?...

Things getting out of control a little?

This was recently published in 'Arab News'.

The cartoon speaks for itself! Its like old wild west. You want to keep your bucking stallion under control. You whip him & you kick him.

And just like it used to be at that time in the old wild west - everyone is trigger-happy. You kill people like flies and then you earn your star-badge.

Breach of Sovereignty?

It was only a matter of time. It was expected sooner or later and then yesterday, it finally happened. The US forces (does it matter whether there were also soldiers from NATO and Afghanistan?) did a swift action and butchered suspected militants including children and women and left. May be they took with them some of the suspects for further interrogation (and to force confessions).

They also reportedly killed people from neighbouring houses who had come out of their homes on hearing the shots. Now this can happen only in Pakistan. Only in this part of the planet, it seems, there is no value of human life. If the blatant invasion was not bad enough, the killing of people certainly was. As if they were lizards or insects that anyone could swat and crush.

The Pakistani government is talking about breach of sovereignty. What sovereignty? We as a nation have become so impotent, toothless and weak that anyone would molest us and all we could do would be a mute protest. And on top of that they would soothe us with words and we would be ready for another assault.

Is there any defence system in place to counter anyone trying to cross over our borders? I hardly think there would be! But even if there is, I am sure that it would be as ineffective and our border security as helpless, as our nation, to do anything about it.

At least someone should have fired token aerial shots in the vicinity of the trespassers that morning, to make us feel a little better!!

Ramadan Kareem

Ramadan Kareem to every Muslim

Allah Almighty has been Kind, Compassionate and Merciful to us for giving us yet another chance for salvation. We are alive and are into this Blessed and Holy month. So many people we knew who are no longer with us now but had been with us last year. Who knows what lies ahead in the future for us. May be this is our last chance. We might not be in this world the next Ramadan-al-Mubarak. So let us grab this opportunity and make the most of it.

May Allah the Merciful give us strength and health to do so.

May He make us prevail over our Nafs and Shaitaan

May He accept our broken and flawed acts of worship

May He lets our blackened hearts to think about Him all the time

May he lets our eyes to see good, not bad, and makes it strong enough the read the Holy Qur'an and not to be closed in idle sleep when we could be awake deep into the night praying

May He gives our ears the power to listen to and concentrate during Taraveeh and Qiyam-ul-Layl

May He guide our limbs to all that is good and stops them from anything bad

Ameen. Ameen