Can victim mentality lead to Introspection?

In the last few days my homeland has seen unprecedented events and imagery we have not seen before. Before I comment on the events themselves I would start by commending Imran Khan for creating political interest in a historically electoral aloof nation and specially generation that gew up in ugly 90s politics. To his credit, whatever other good or bad he has done, in my view this will remain his prime achievement.

I didn’t grow up at time of Z. A. Bhutto so I don’t know if current level of popularity Khan enjoys is same as the level of ZAB but it is safe to say among his contemporaries, there is no one closer to him. The way families have showed up including children and elders organically is a sight in itself. Of all the amazing pictures however this picture to me defines existentially both the strength and weakness (with much touch of hypocrisy) fundamentally within PTI.

Strength of course is that IK’s fans are dedicated and have shown they have courage to support their leader. Another perspective however is that this reeks of their own hypocrisy. It shows they always knew who the real power brokers in this country were who had been abducting civil society activists, journalists, politicians and tribal men without any trials, at times tortured, threatened or forced exile. But PTI supporters were OK with this because it did not impact them personally. In fact it used same power brokers to come into power in the 1st place quite happily. Not just these, but despite going after corrupt elites being his single talking point of 20 years of struggle, PTI got the majority in parliament through dacoits of sugar mafia, land grabber mafia and ayyash nutjobs of British diaspora.

When that was the case in the first place, why does PTI and Khan fans pretend that what happened to them was something unexpected?

So will there be any introspection by PTI and it’s fans over things critics have been saying all along about it? The actions so far suggest otherwise.

Khan likes to give examples of UK a lot. In UK parliamentary system it’s pretty normal for PMs to get booted out when they no longer hold the majority. Pakistan is modeled on same system. It’s not a presidential system. Despite what he may claim what happened to him, whatever the motivations of the actors, it is part of Democratic process. Reason I’m skeptical of any introspection is because he tried to stop that through unconstitutional measures despite coming on live TV and committing in front of nation that he will let vote happen and accept the results. Instead he went on the route of victim mentality and when ur channeling ur whole politics with victim mentality, it hardly leaves any room for introspection.

Sure, we all would love for him to spill the beans on the real power brokers of this country, something which sections of civil society kept warning Khan about since years and he only got the taste of it from the other end of the stick. But more than that, PTI as an institution itself needs this introspection.

JJ! The icon of 90’s Pakistan

I haven’t written anything in a while. I have been thinking of writing about few things for quite some time now, but somehow did not feel motivated enough to do so. But something happened today. Something that has affected me on a personal level and I feel like it will consume me if I don’t put it into words.

In all honesty I feel surprised at how much of a personal loss I felt when I first read the news of Junaid Jamshed aboard the ill fated PK-661. But I understand. Being a Pakistani millennial (or 90’s kid as we prefer calling it here), it was almost impossible not to have any effect of Junaid on your personal life. I am not using ‘personal‘ here in loose terms. This is true for many of us.

My first memory of him, like thousands of other kids back in the day is, of course, ‘Dil Dil Pakistan‘ and the nostalgia connected with it. It is more than just a patriotic song of my homeland. It was the song for which I would especially ask my mother to wake me up during late night PTV  programs. It was the song for which I would turn my focus away from my books and towards the TV while my mother was trying to put some Math in me (and ultimately pay a hefty price for it). It reminds me of happy times. And simpler times. It reminds me of 14th August every year. It reminds of the small Pakistan flags I would put up all over the walls of my childhood home. It reminds me of a time when I could proudly and whole heartedly embrace my love for my country without looking into its many flawed dynamics.

For many, his voice is reminiscent of their first love. Junaid belonged to first true ‘pop‘ boyband of Pakistan. For 90’s youth, melodies produced by Vital Signs provided a hefty dose of the carefree elation of young love as well as an antidote for broken hearts. Then of course there was a time when he started his solo career and many people weren’t sure if it would make the same impact. However when the first album came out it was an even bigger success with the most memorable romantic melodies and music videos that are timeless and still resonate with the common man, kind of like Ghalib’s poetry. The very first mix tape I made had the most songs from that very album. I still remember the countless times I would switch on my PC sitting in my hostel room only to listen to ‘Aietbar‘ on Winamp. It might not be true to call Junaid the best vocalist or musician ever produced by Pakistan, but his voice certainly resonated with the common man’s heart in the rawest, most honest manner no one else’s could. Sometime after he had decided to call it quits on his music career, he once happened to be on board the same flight of which my Uncle was captain. He recalls a frank chat with Junaid where he asked him the reason for quitting music, especially when his voice meant so much for so many people in Pakistan and around the world. “Why would Allah want to take that help away from people?”, he argued. My uncle, an avid fan, felt compelled to ask this question because he like many others saw it as no less than a tragedy to never be able to take the positive energy from his voice again.

But as time showed he never actually quit music. Not truly anyway. Apart from voicing ‘nasheeds‘ and ‘Naats‘, he would occasionally sing something, without musical instruments (if he could stop Salman from playing the guitar). While it was not the same thing, many of us who loved his voice still cherished these rare occurances.

But he was not just a singer. It would be unfair to his legacy to look at only one aspect of his life. If we are talking about the 90’s generation and the effect JJ had on their lives on a personal level, it would be dishonest not to mention that he was also an inspiration to a large segment of population for his religious and spiritual transformation. While all may not necessarily understand or agree with the choices he made, it is true that he found peace in something which eludes a lot of people and who spend their lifetimes without having a moment of acceptance. He had found it in religion. In this aspect as well, he very much represented the 90’s Pakistan and his transition to post-90’s evangelism that mirrored what was happening with a large segment of Pakistani youth which meant that he continued to be a hero to many people, even if not the same ones. His brand of religiosity like all other brands had its positive and negative elements. People, even fans like me, had a field day joking about some of his lets-just-say ‘inconsistencies’ for the lack of a better word. I would argue that even that was on many levels purely out of love for him because we all felt personally connected to him and felt ownership over his personal life like only true fans would. But by all accounts he was content with the life choices he made and continued to touch people’s hearts one way or the other. Like most people he was a man of many colours. But he was definitely THE icon of 90’s Pakistan and his life journey had stark similarities with Pakistani society itself. He may no longer be among us but he left an indelible mark and us 90s kids will forever be indebted to him.

 

P.S Time to listen to ‘Aitebar‘ one more time.

 

Building the National Narrative

 

“He is Maalik Ashtar of today. Imam has sent him in his place to fight for him”, said my taxi driver in Tehran couple of years back while pointing towards a billboard that we passed by. That time Iranian revolutionary guard commander General Qassem Suleimani was not that much camera comfortable as he is today so I did not recognize the face. The billboard depicted him in deep though while in the background Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei was waving a salute cum salutation towards him.

“Even Rehbar sends him salam. He calls him a living martyr. He is alive but still a martyr”, he continued. His references were towards the historic Maalik Ashtar who was sent by Hazrat Ali a.s to be the governor of Egypt where constant threat of war was looming over.

And the references did not end there. As we our journey continued towards the city of Qom, more billboards came with more heroes and their pictures with Ayatullah Khomeini and Khamenei with Persian couplets praising the martyrs or Iraq war or the ones fighting in different parts of the world through IRGC or even some key diplomats.

“Here what you see is Muslim Bin Aqeel. Imam has sent him as an ambassador on a very critical mission”, “He is Ammar Yasir. He died in the battle in Iraq”, “He is Ghazi Abbas. He got martyred in command in attempt to save others”, he went on and on till the point where I stopped trying to figure who was who. All the references were mostly from the time of Hazrat Ali a.scaliphate or Karbala. Throughout all his talk what stroke most was how casual he seemed while telling this. It was like he was stating a matter of fact like adding two and two equals four. The decade long Iran Iraq war, the international sanctions and the continuous engagement in Syria has taken its toll on the Iranian people and perhaps this is the reason why everything from a normal cab driver to an organized state machinery makes sure they remember what they are fighting for and that they never forget their heroes, like they would not forget a family member.

The current continuous turmoil that has hit Pakistan is nothing less, if not more than the experiences of Iranian people. At least for Iran’s case they are clear that they have external enemies. In our case the enemy is internal. It is within our society, growing continuously like unsupervised weed. It can be your colleague or your next door neighbor and you would never know. And yet, after losing more than sixty thousand lives we still lack a common national narrative. We still move on from one tragedy to the next, thinking it as part of our routine lives, like taking the car out for tuning once in a while. Unless of course, the tragedy hits us personally.

Do we remember our martyrs? Have we celebrated our heroes enough? We cannot even seem to decide whether people being affected in this war can be called our heroes or not. We are still debating whether this is our war or not. If in any other country Aitzaz Hassan who stopped a suicide bomber in Hangu to enter his school and got martyred in the process, there would have had a statue carved in his honor or at least a memorial in his name. We cannot even seem to honor people like him and Malala by naming schools after them in fear of provoking our ‘misguided brothers’ for another attack. If not for his heroics, Hangu would have witnessed the same tragedy which Peshawar has.

How many precious soldiers have we lost? How many children may never grow old to be doctors, engineers, soldiers or to just be a regular brother who had plans to stand by his father’s shoulders on his sister’s weddings? Sometimes they were in a ‘supposed’ wrong place i.e a wrong mosque, a wrong Imam Bargah, a wrong jaloos, a wrong church and were just part of big collateral damage. Other times they just happened to be in schools, buses, markets. The enemy is clear that they want to do a hard blow wherever they can, while we are still in a fix of trying to talk to them to figure out ‘what actually is their problem’? If their problem is desire for revenge, what do we plan for the revenge desires of all their victims if we plan to pardon them? Consider the curious case of Asmatullah Muawiya who recently attended a funeral of his father in a big village and even stayed during his illness for many days. There was not even an attempt made for arrest. It seems like all his crimes have been vanished in a puff!

How many scholars and intellects have we lost? Do we even remember their names? Everyone in Pakistan knows the name of Hakimullah Mahsud, how many know who was Shakil Auj? Why did we lose a national poet like Mohsin Naqvi? Did we ever catch the killers of Sibt e Jaffar? Why don’t we have the answers of these questions?

Wars cannot be fought with soldiers alone. We need to build a national narrative that reaches every house in the country till the point each one of us remembers it as important as drinking water. We may move from one tragedy to another, but we will only remember those that deeply affect us on personal level. So the faces of martyrs need to be paraded in all corners of the country. People need to own each and every hero. Our soldiers, our generals, our brave politicians who refused to bow down to blackmail, our men who spoke and wrote bravely and paid the price. Our women whose liberty they fear.

But above all we need to remember our children. Remember our children who died without even proper concept of crime. Remember them because they were the future we could have had and instead we are heading towards a future where there is a dark abyss unless something is done quickly.

And most importantly do not forget the enemy, because they never forget they are in a war. We do. National narrative cannot be set without the proper media campaign reminding us that we are in a constant state of war. It may take years or a decade, but sooner we own it the better. We need to do long marches to declare we are not afraid. If this is the war on terror, only way to defeat is to come out and say “Yes this is my war and my country and I will not allow you to burn it”.

Shrine of Lady Zainab a.s! As I remember it

Piece originally written for Express Tribune Blogs: http://blogs.tribune.com.pk/story/18275/my-visit-to-bibi-zainabs-as-shrine-memories-cannot-be-destroyed/

Following is the complete unedited version:

I was twenty three. My last year of Bachelor Honours’ degree was in progress and perhaps like every young soul, I just had too many questions, just about everything; Religion, nationalism, God, everything. My mind used to wonder in abyss of confusion at times even though I always flaunted by beliefs with utmost certainty. But I had not been certain for some time.

That was the time in 2008, when I visited Syria and fell in love with it. I loved its people, the cultural diversity and above all, the sacred shrines that invoked spiritual awareness of God inside one’s soul.

Of course, my view of Syria was limited to the areas I lived in and visited i.e mainly Damascus and the small city near outskirts of Damascus where shrine of Lady Zainab a.s is located. I visited the currently much troubled area of Aleppo, only to visit a mosque with the sacred legendary stone upon which it was believed that head of Imam Hussain a.s was presented in court. Most part of my journey of that day passed in sleep but whatever small part I remember, it was a beautiful area which has currently been torn apart by war.

The city where the shrine of Lady Zainab a.s was located was even named after her. My main stay was in that same city. The shrine consisted of a beautiful dome, a mosque, surrounded by a big courtyard and a main hall where the mausoleum was located.

The dome of Shrine of Lady Zainab a.s

The surrounding area consisted of humble markets with shops of different variety, some of which were operated by students from Pakistan as well. Syrian shopkeepers used to greet the pilgrims warmly. Many seemed to know much about Pakistan and each seemed to have his own favorite politician of Pakistan including Shaheed Mohtarma, Mian Nawaz Sharif and Musharraf.

I had grown listening to the tales of bravery of Lady Zainab a.s in times of Karbala and after it. She was a symbol of resistance to the oppression as well as women empowerment. When I first entered the main hall of the mausoleum, I was overwhelmed, so much so that I could not even lift my head up to look at it and had a total breakdown near it. All I remember is the agonized cry coming out of me, the tears and a distant uncle holding me. I do not know how long I went on crying loudly. All I know is that for that moment and for the coming days I felt such a strong presence of God that has not left me ever since, even in times of most confusion and distress.

In old Damascus, I visited the historic route of passage from the old souk or market, to the Omayyad Mosque, close to which originally court of Yazid was located. Half a kilometer away was the shrine of Ruqayya Bint al Hussain a.s, commonly known as Lady Sakina a.s, the four year old daughter who had died in imprisonment and buried within.

Ruins of Yazid palace and gates of Omayyad Mosque

Omayyad Mosque

Grave of Prophet Yahya a.s, also known as John the Baptist inside Omayyad Mosque

Mausoleum of Lady Saikna a.s

If anyone had told me then that in three years, the violent struggle against the regime would start and the sacred places attacked, I would have told him that he must be hallucinating.

But it happened nonetheless. Before the recent attack on shrine of Lady Zainab a.s, the shrine of companion of Prophet SAW, Hujr Bin Adi was also attacked by rebels. Not only was it attacked, but the rebels took complete control of it, totally destroying the mausoleum including the grave within and allegedly taking the body as well.

Mausoleum of Hujr Bin Adi (RA), 2008

Hujr’s desecrated grave after the destruction,2013. Courtesy aimislam.com

Before these, tomb of one of the most revered companions of Prophet SAW, Ammar Bin Yasir r.a was also destroyed and the mosque associated to one of graves of one the greatest Prophets of Islam i.e Abraham a.s was also bulldozed by the rebels. In an instance of rebel-government crossfire, tomb of Khalid Bin Waleed has also been destroyed.

While thankfully the shrine of Lady Zainab a.s has not come to such a state and may it never will, the attack left the respected caretaker of the shrine, Mr. Anas Roumani killed. It appears that a democratic struggle has been hijacked by the splintered groups, many of whom have their own agenda. The most dangerous of it is to rid Islam of all of its diversity and sources of inspiration. In this ‘Spring’, flowers of treasured heritage are being plucked to leave a hollow desert.

However it’s a futile goal that will always remain unsuccessful because inspiration is connected to the souls and not just places. Lady Zainab a.s will always remain an inspiration to everyone fighting against tyranny and oppression. As for the place itself, it will always remain in the hearts of those who cherish it and remember it. If only those who attacked it, had a heart of their own.

آخر اس بس ہوسٹس کا نام مریم نواز کیوں نہ تھا؟ – زین گردیزی

Originally posted for LUBP: http://criticalppp.com/archives/270103

Some in Pakistan are not able to access however so re posting on my personnel blog:

آخر اس بس ہوسٹس کا نام مریم نواز کیوں نہ تھا؟ – زین گردیزی

ہاۓ افسوس!

اس کے والدین سے یہ خطا کیوں ہوئی
ان کو دیکھ بھال کر لینا چاہئیے تھا. ادھر ادھر سے پتا کراتے. آج کل کے تخت نشینوں نے اپنے بچوں کے نام کیا رکھے ہیں. تب شاید کوئی افاقہ ہو جاتا. ذرا سی چوک ہی تو تھی. ‘نواز’ تک تو کام پورا تھا. اب اقرا کی جگہ مریم ہی رکھ لیتے.تب شاید جان بخشی ہو جاتی. تب شاید نگہت صاحبہ اپنی سیٹ بھی خالی کر کے اس کے قدموں میں ڈال دیتیں

یقینن ماں باپ کا قصور ہے
.
انہی کا ہی ظاہر ہے قصور ہے. آخر اس کا باپ کبھی کوئی بڑا افسر کیوں نہ بن سکا؟ اگر سی ایس ایس کر لیتا تو پھر اس کی بیٹی کو ایک ہوسٹسس بننے کی ضرورت ہی کیوں پیش آتی؟ دوسروں کو پانی اور ڈبے پیش کرنے کے بجاۓ یار لوگ اس کے والد کی کرم نوازی پہ اسے اور اس کے بھایوں کو تحائف دے رہے ہوتے. آخر اس کا باپ کسی کالے کوٹ مافیا کا حصّہ کیوں نہ بن سکا؟ تب جا کر شاید کسی عدل کی گھنٹی بجتی، کوئی انصاف کا ترازو اپنے میزان پہ سمبھلتا، کوئی نوٹس بھیجے جاتے، کوئی سرزنش کی جاتی. اس کا اپنا بھی قصور ہے. تھپڑ کھانے کے لیے نوں لیگ جیسی عظیم جماعت کی رکن ہی ملی تھی؟ کسی اور سے ہی کھا لیتی. لے دے کے بات ووہی آ جاتی ہے. اس کا باپ آخر ایک طاقت کے نشے میں چور پارٹے کا سربراہ کیوں نہیں تھا؟ اور اس نی اس کا نام مریم کیوں نہ رکھا؟

یقیناً ماں باپ کا قصور ہے
.
آخر اس دو کوڑی کے مڈل کلاس کمی کو یہ جرات ہی کیوں ہوئی کہ وہ اپنی بیٹی کو ایک حق حلال روزی روٹی کے کام کی اجازت دیتا؟ اسے اس کے لیے کوئی اچھے رشتے کی تلاش کر لینی چاہئیے تھی ور جب تک نہ ملتا گھر می بڈھا رکھنا چاہئیے تھے کونکہ وہی اس کا مقام ہے. اب نتیجہ خود بھگتے. کیا اس نی اپنی اس سر پھری لڑکی کو اتنا بھی نہ سمجھایا کہ ایک مریض کو فورا پانی دینے کے بجاۓ جو اس ملک کے مائی باپ ہیں ان کے حکم کی تعمیل زیادہ ضروری ہے؟ یہی مسلہ ہے ان سر پھری لڑکیوں کو پڑھانے کا. خود سے سوچنا شروع کر دیتی ہیں. محنت کی کمائی کے بجاۓ اگر چاپلوسی کے گر سکھاۓ ہوتے تو شاید کوئی مرہم انہیں بھی ریزرو سیٹ پہ ‘نواز’ دیتیں.

یقیناً ماں باپ کا قصور ہے

Flowers of treasured heritage, plucked in ‘Spring’

Spring usually is a long awaited and pleasant affair. After the brisk autumn and a long winter which dampens the moods, spring promises to bring blossoms, not only to the gardens but for the faces as well.

That is why, when a wave of ‘change’ seemed to sweep over deserts of Arabian lands, it was almost like poetry when it was termed ‘Arab Spring’. Lead by Tunisia and Egypt, the ‘Spring’ fever caught up with many youth of Middle East and soon calls to topple tyrants and dictators were started to be heard from Libya to Yemen. Egypt was the first to produce a result in successful ouster of Husni Mubarak and Tunisia soon followed.

Than of course things did not happen as people envisioned. Egyptians even after electing their own president are still not satisfied by the amount of power/influence given up by the establishment to the elected president. Tunisia seems to be still engaged in unrest with the elected government not meeting demands of hardliners who themselves have lot of street power. Libyan ‘revolution’ was brought up with the help of NATO aircrafts carrying the heavier weight. Of course it did not stop the hard-line elements to kill the US Ambassador in Benghazi who had aided in weapons supply to the very rebels in the first place.

And than there are cases of Syria and Bahrain. Condition of ‘revolution’ and the world response regarding them is only a reflection of inherent hypocrisy that plagues International Relations of different countries. Arab And Turkish leaders who fervently are backing the rebels inside Syria are silent in case of Bahrain, some of them even helping regime to crush them. Iranian Ayatullahs had come out to prophecies end to kingdoms of Middle East and yet in case of Syria, Iran and Lebanon continue to put their weight behind Assad making the problem much more difficult to handle. Any ‘direct’ western show of power may result in total unbalance of the demographic of Middle East.

And than in the midst of all the chaos are the opportunist groups which are taking advantage of the whole situation to fulfill their petty short term goals. Syrian rebel forces which now consist of lot of non Syrian millitants of other countries as well do not just desire to ‘liberate’ Syrians of the tyranny but to see their hard work result in their personal desires. That is why in Tunisia even after the elections, tensions and clashes run high.

While the rival forces of such countries with ‘Spring’ murder each other, another collateral damage cum murder of its own kind is being taken place with their national heritage as well. Besides the destruction of the country’s infrastructure due to natural outcome of internal conflicts, targeted attacks are being carried out splintered groups against historic landmarks and places of reverence. In Tunisia, till January this year, [40 different *Sufi* shrines had been destroyed][1]. Similar attacks are being carried out in Syria as well.

The most recent example is of the destruction of shrine of companion of Prophet Muhammad SAW i.e Hujr Bin Adi a.s who ironically was martyred during the Omayyad Rule by than Syrian regime under Muawiyyah. Apparently the Syrians have yet not forgiven his sacred corpse of his boldness of truth. I had the fortune of visiting the mausoleum in 2007 when Syria was somewhat peaceful. Its current picture after the destruction feels like a stab to my wonderful memory.

The desecrated grave after the destruction. Courtesy aimislam.com

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[The desecrated grave after the destruction. Courtesy aimislam.com][2]

The tomb was not destroyed but the grave dug up as an insult the remains as well. Also, the sacred and legendary stone on which head of Imam Hussain a.s was placed and kept was preserved in pre-spring Syria. However since the fighting started in Aleppo which is the main source of unrest in Syria, the whereabouts of it have been unknown.

Sacred Stone preserved in a mosque in Alleppo – 2007

And now the Hujr’s a.s body’s whereabouts are also ‘unknown’. Even the Arab channels reporting the news are mentioning conflicting reports. Many however reported that despite the blasts there was a flowery scent in the air. A fitting situation for the flower that was present in the desert which now has regrettably has been plucked. Is this the last heritage of this sort the receive this fate before the war is over? Unfortunately that is not the safe bet. Syria is filled with historic landmarks and revered graves and the splintered groups with their own agenda may think of such roses as unsuitable with the stink of their hatred in their very own desert.

How my own defensive argument came back to haunt me

Ever since the attack on Joseph Colony, my mind has been going back to September 2002. It was one of the early weeks of my first semester in the university. Our batch was huddled in the lecture hall for an open cum moderated discussion over the topic ‘Pakistan is a failed state and has a bleak future’. Lot of high pitched voices were arguing with each other and our Professor cum moderator would sometimes interrupt to add his own bit or to point someone to deliver a five minute speech and than again the discussion cum brawl would resume. I had been silent for most part of the discussion that day. Ok well I had silent for ‘all part of that day’. As it is usually the case with me normally I used to avoid making a point if I did not have one or did not strongly believe in it. So yes I was quite. Right up to the point when one of my batch mates started talking about how Pakistan has treated its minorities and gave an example of a bomb blast that had occurred near Islamabad in which mostly Christian community was killed.

And than I spoke up. I countered that while the attack condemmable, the example does not justify the overall generalization that Pakistan had been ‘that bad’ to minorities. Comparing the incident to Indian Gujrat massacre, I said that while this was a random terrorist attack that could happen anywhere, Gujrat was the case of systematic communal violence to eliminate an entire community. Something which has never happened in Pakistan. Our professor who up until that point was favoring the ‘other side’ of the argument suddenly switched side and said that this argument was the first intellectual argument made during the whole session and the hall went into applause.

Yes I felt kind of proud. How very naive I was.

Of course at that time I did truly believed in it. I did not know that in 1953, Ahmadiyya massacre had also occurred. I also did not know that if an Ahmadi would write write even ‘Alhumdulillah‘ on his daughter’s wedding invitation, a case can be filed against him on the pretext of blasphemy.

My first hand of sectarian/communal hatred was just limited to the anti shia taunts that I received as I grew up. While those weren’t exactly ‘fun’ but I never imagined any of those people doing them would be filled with real hatred in their hearts to actually resort to violence against a powerless group. Sure there acts of terror against shia professionals in Karachi and Southern Punjab, but it were limited to the very groups who were indulged in it. At least that is what I thought at that time anyway.

But the real test of a person comes when he is in state of power and as our society grew more intolerant by every hour, and the state gave in slowly to extremist’s blackmail, I started noticing more evidence to communal violence, which I earlier used to shoo away as a ‘random terrorist attacks’. If one only looks at last five years only, evidence is far from overwhelming.

Mobs gathering for protest against Ahmadiyya mosques for using Quranic verses, terrorists killing shias in provisional capital Quetta and finding time to roam around free after that without a care in the world, burning of churches in the excuse of protest against youtube video (YES A STUPID YOUTUBE VIDEO SERIOUSLY), showering killer of governor who supported a poor Christian woman with garlands, Gojra, Badaami Bagh are all the examples of cases where hatred with in the general public against a different set of thought has emerged out in the open. If Modi was a criminal in Gujrat than same is true for Punjab government in case of Gojra who silently withdrew all the prosecution against a mob attack which resulted in eight people being burned alive just because of a false blasphemy alarm. In fact some of the pictures of Gojra and Badami Baagh are so similar that I cant help but keep on getting haunted from the defensive argument that I had used.

Does by any chance he looks outraged?

The very fact that I felt the need to ‘compare’ a sad incident with the other country example itself was a wrong thing to do. A nation (not a dead nation) would always acknowledge its fault and work to overcome it. many of problems of Pakistan has been prolonged unnecessarily as we as a whole have collectively failed to look at our own-selves and have created the bubble of a superiority complex that all the world is somehow doing conspiracies against us and we are all little angels. The refusal to acknowledge the inner problems is the reason that we are quick to jump in to any apologist conclusion any one provides us. Just like my professor did

There was a time I could walk through Quetta

All of us have some special kind of emotional attachment to things that we cherished during  childhood and teenage. The home where we have the earliest memories, our childhood best friends, that special watch that one of your elders gave  you after getting good results in school, that special spicy chaats which your mother used to forbid you to eat, the places where you used to spend your vacations and many other things which one never gets too old for or too tired or too used to.

I have been to Iran 8 times. 7 out of those 8 times happened in either my childhood or teenage years. In all of those times, I traveled through Quetta back and forth. So with every Iran’s trip, I visited Quetta twice. Apart from those times, I sometimes used to go to Quetta to receive my family members when they went to Iran leaving me behind. Being from a reasonably well off Shia family meant that almost every year, many from my family would go for different pilgrimages e.g Umrah, Iraq, Syria, Iran etc. The places hold deep spiritual attachment to shias, with shrines of the holy infallible, which can only be understood by someone who shares the same feeling. Iran always used to be the first choice visit due to multiple factors. Since it was controlled by Shia government the pilgrims did not face the same kind of problems as in Iraq under Saddam or in the kingdom of Saudi regime. The second factor of course was that it was a cheaper route through Quetta on trains and buses. And hence the reason for my frequent visits.

I love the journey of the train. Yes, even on a Pakistani train. The journeys from Multan to Quetta on ‘Quetta Express’ are one of the cherished memories of my life.

Usually we traveled with around 25-30 people of the Gardezi family, young and old. We used to book big train compartments. I, along with my cousins, would spend the journey running around different cabins, standing by open doors and exploring different railway stations. At Sibi, the train tracks would change directions in a way that first timers would think they are being headed back to Multan. At Mach, one engine would not be enough for a steep track ahead and another would be attached. The passage between mountains had many tunnels. Forty, if I recall correctly. And usually because the  train’s lights were out it gave chills in case of particularly long tunnels.

At some places between the passage towards Quetta and then to Iran’s border, there used to be some small mountains which hosted phrases with well placed stone patterns that showed the messages “Shia Kafir hai”. I do not recall my blood boiling at that time after seeing such phrases. Indeed they could be seen in some places even back home. But people in general in Quetta never seemed hostile. Just like back in home, my school mates would often take a sectarian jibe but overall would be friendly enough.

We could walk freely in bazaars of Quetta  sometimes even without adult supervision. Families would shop for hours in its markets. The ‘aunties’ among my family would usually prefer shopping from Quetta on the way back instead of Iran. Shop keepers would ask us to pray for them on the pilgrimage. Whether the friendliness of the people was because of rules of business and customer or because they considered us a guest, I do not know. But I do know that no one showed any signs of hatred because of my ethnicity or sect. If some people did think on those lines they perhaps kept it quiet. Same way many people I know even here in Punjab.

My favorite part was the journey from Quetta to Taftaan, the border town that linked with Iran’s Mir Jawah. Although the elders among the family loathed the journey due to its tiresome nature I thoroughly used to look forward to it especially if we were travelling through Hilux double cabins. The 800 km long road from Quetta was almost all barren with very little population. Even places which were humbly termed ‘cities’ like Noshki, held very little population and the dhabas where we used to eat never had proper drinking water. I guess the only ways the locals were earning anything was through travelers and trade between the two countries or any construction work that may have been happening. Other than that neither were  there any crops grown or any industrial area.

I was seventeen the last time I visited Quetta ten years back. I remember as slowly I was growing older I started to take those signs more seriously. Ground realities of Pakistan’s society and life in general were also hitting on me; slowly cynism was creeping. Although I would not say it was uncalled for.

For some years I did not get the chance to visit Iran or Quetta. After that everything went downhill. The railways, the security situation in Quetta and Baluchistan in general. It started getting more and more dangerous to follow the route. Reports started coming about attacks on Imam Bargahs, Hazaras and on Punjabis settled there. One of my distant cousins was working in Baluchistan in one of the companies of oil and gas sector. The guy was very pro army and patriotic. All his team it seemed belonged to shias and as he told me, they were one day attacked by unidentified men while the FC guards providing them security were suddenly nowhere to be found. He survived but not all were lucky. Slowly number of people going to Iran through Quetta decreased by a very large number. But what to do about Hazara Shias that are still living there? The ones who call that place their home? As I write this piece I cannot think of any suitable time when I will ever be going to Quetta again as the situation has gone from bad to worse. It seems that it is becoming routine now that shias are being targeted there again and again. Hazaras are the biggest suffering group.

I cannot see any reason why nationalists would attack a group of people based on ethnicity or sect. But this wave of attacks can help those corridors of power who would gain if the lawlessness in Baluchistan is shown as a result of sectarian and ethnic clashes rather than a nationalist cause triggered by lack of rights given to the people of the region. When East Pakistan’s rebellion was being crushed same group of people were used in violent crimes there and now same people being used here. My sunni friends often question my judgment if I ever talk of army’s support of jihadis and the ‘good’ Talibaan. Some think I am biased. I might as well be but fact is that all these organization on micro level have the same mindset. Names that are often associated with different terrorist and sectarian organization have a history of changing their organizations. From one Lashkar to another. While our people support one Lashkar and keep mum on the other one, because they are not being directly affected by it. Whereas our state institutions openly support people who have a big clout in both type of lashkars. After all, there is a reason Mr. Ludhianvi was brought on a state helicopter from prison to negotiate with the terrorists of the GHQ attack.

The reason is very obvious, but our people would keep mum perhaps. Or may be being mum is just an excuse and covertly they have sympathies with the killers. Salman Taseer’s assassination showed that there does not exist a silent moderate majority, but a rather vocal and violent minded majority.

I hate the fact that my mind has become too cynic to think in these lines. I hate that common people tolerated those signs and hate speeches to an extent that now the extremists have gone all open and into the mainstream. I hate the fact that our institutions can make Baluch nationalists ‘missing’ very easily while the killers of Hazara shias are having the time of their life. I hate that people in Baluchistan and especially its small cities have lost one good portion of its revenue by the loss of tourists and trade. I hate that the place Hazaras call home has become their slaughter house. I hate that I am unable to walk freely through Quetta again. And above all, I hate people who do not see any issue in it.

Factors to help get hits on social media

If yo are a struggling blogger and want people to visit your blog often, following is a list of pointers that help (in no particular order):

Zaid Hamid/Camels/Arabs

At some pint in time during the era of ‘enlightened moderation’ (yuh right!), someone decided it would be pretty cool to ignite the enlightened feeling of patriotism in the youth of Pakistan by starting a cult of laal topi, self proclaimed mujahid-cum-faqeer-cum-sufi-cum-muazzan NOBODY, who would inform bunch of sorry excuses for slackers, what their ears would love to hear i.e they are the superior nation above all others, chosen to do God’s bidding. After all who would mind the idea of holding such importance, specially when in actual they hold no serious significance in real life.

I do not look constipated. Its my being-important look (Photo: laaltain.com)

While on one hand this phenomena helped fuel dangerous type of superiority complex in already naive minds, on the other hand it opened up gates to series of one liner puns/satire articles/social and cultural criticism blogs for many times to come, mainly due to retarded persona of the main man behind the whole ISPR project campaign and the frequent blunders he made. While some used the issue to highlight growing concern about the urban middle class’s psyche or the occasional jibes and satires, some people made him a permanent subject of their every article that followed to date. Its a strategy that never fails. And if you can add somethings about how primitive Arabs are and something about the camels its an extra bonus. Basically this category writers originally were just writing about camels and Arabs only. After Zaid Hamid’s emergence, they have added him to their main puns while Arabs and camels are just a side jokes. Even after the cult of Ziad Hamid ultimately fell to its inevitable doom, this category writers kept beating his name because their pay checks depended on it. Plus there was one major factor i.e online Indian readers would always love a Zaid Hamid joke, no matter how stale it might be. And considering the population of India, is a pretty good chunk of favorable hits on your blog/article.

Why no body write about me

If you are thinking of using this factor and still keep the originality than use it as a passing jokes in your blogs and occasionally write one of the fictional satirical stories involving him. I have also used this strategy and most of the hits  (as expected) on my blog were from India. If you do not wish to be original about it, than who cares? Indians will still tweet about it anyway.

See the trend/Pick a side

More often than not, something happens that creates a shitstorm in the social media circles. There was that Amir liaqat video leak, Maya Khan’s date raids, facebook ban, Sialkot lynch mob and countless other incidents which have over different periods of time created a series of articles, facebook statuses and tweet/re-tweets. The trick to write something about them is the timing. If you are even one week slow to pick on the trend, than forget about it and move on. Because there is a thing about current state of Pakistan’s media. Its probably too much for its target audience. One thing comes and another makes it fade away. After all, human mind can only contain limited information that it can focus on.

I didn’t even feel the need to scratch my shoulders, punk!

Sometimes there is not a need for any event to happen to make social circles talk about it. Every once in a while someone would share an opinion in any of the articles/blogs that will grab every one’s attention. Most likely its title would sound like an attack on certain circles of media or society in general. And for some days people will just talk about it, either in support of that opinion or against it. You need to pick one side at this point, find every thing you can against it and use it in a rebuttal of your own.

Do not waste your energies on trivial articles. Make sure you have chosen a worthy one that has a considerable amount of social media audience which is interested in the topic. Most recent example of such case Dr Hoodboy’s proud testimony of bayghairati (no pun intended), which generated fair pieces of rebuttals varying from average bloggers to seasoned authors, which of course also indicates that the names involved should be of worthy note as well.

Give sense of purpose

Here’s a fun fact about humans: No one likes to hear that they are useless.

So it is always an added bonus if you manage to convince people that supporting your opinion may bring some change. There are no better examples for this than the cases of Maya Khan and Meher Bukhari. A section of social activists felt proud that at least they managed to produce something tangible in the world besides tweeting their frustrations. This gave them sense of achievement and the higher number of re-tweets and every body lived happily ever after.

Including both the anchors of course, when they moved to a bigger channel with more money. Remember what I said about memory in the last section?

In case you are wondering, yes she is indeed laughing AT YOU!

Keep the hate mail coming

Some people suffer from what the psychological experts describe as getting-boners-from-hate-mail-syndrome. If you are one of them than you are in luck because this will help you generate lot of hits. And since you rather enjoy virtual insults, threats in the comments section anger should not bother you much. After all its better to piss people off virtually than on their face, so its a win-win situation.

One example of how hate mail can be used as an advantage is his piece with a title and a picture intended to sere the purpose i.e more hits and hate comments. In the author’s own words:

I have been asked to comment on this picture by the blog editor of The Express Tribune, probably because the last time I blogged about the niqab, I took a controversial stance that earned me hundreds of comments, at least a thousand “likes” and retweets on Facebook and Twitter, and the ire of several dozen internet trolls who branded me as the blogger who “supports nudity”.

Yes, we all know why the editor asked you to. It was not about making a point I imagine because I didn’t get any after reading the whole piece.

Religion

Basically this section is also associated to the earlier section of hate mail. Except that in this case, the word ‘hate’ is most likely I-will-fu**ing-kill-you equivalent.

Apparently, religion is one of the most sensitive aspects of human life. Or should I say, the ways of the forefathers are. Of course people find to hear that, what they have been following over the years might have some problem. So basically you can use the emotion to your added advantage if you can basically pin the blame of everything wrong with this world to religion. Even if it has nothing to do with it. I have even read articles that suggest that just because someone tends to recite Ayatul Kursi for protection, he/she is more prone to being careless about real safety measures. Or the education problem in Pakistan is due to the fact people prefer Hakeems rather than doctors. Notice that Hakeem itself has nothing to do with religion. But reading it, people get the idea of bearded mulla. It is your own artistic skill that will make this problem look like its a religious one.

Veena Malik

I know I said this list is without any particular order  but evidence suggests that probably this factor is No.1 in the list. The famous mufti sahab episode of her interview with Kamran Shahid is anchor’s highest rated show till date and at that time it was the highest rated show on prime time so far. When ET published 2011’s year’s most popular topics of its website, the blogs about about that episode were at the top. When Nadia Khan wanted to do a show on her return, Veena was the topic she picked up. For over a good period of the month 2 out of 4 recommended pages on ET have been related to Veena, whether they hold any meaning or not.

Imran Khan

If you combine all that is written above in one package, except for Veena who does not fit in the package (pun intended) and use all that for only one subject over and over again, that subject would be called Imran Khan. You can add him to your daily one liner jokes about Zaid Hamid / Hamid Gul types. You can pick a side i.e for or against him and start a heated discussion in the comments section. You can be sure to receive floods of hate mail whenever you write anything against him. You can also the technique of attacking religion by showing off Imran Khan as a fundamentalist. Because he IS popular in youth, has a strong fan following plus circle of harsh critics, you can be assured anything you write about him will definitely score some valuable points.

I wouldn’t suggest what this author here has concluded. He is not the target of any ‘Goebbels’ vendetta’. But his definitely is used because it sells. Indeed their seem to be authors who have made a career out of him. I am not saying they do not write about anything else. I am just saying no body notices whatever other things they may write about. Plus they have the tendency of writing his name just for the sake of it in things that do not even relate him. And the trend is not just limited to wannabe intellectuals, but even holyshit-why-this-nuclear-physicist-does-not-focus-n-his-own-job types also use it often. Why Dr. sahab why? Why are you content that Dr Abdul Salam should be the only noble prize winner in Pakistan? Is the hate mail really worth it or are you expecting a noble peace prize? (Yuh right!)

The e$$ence of $hirk and continous decline of media

Disclaimer: I have tried to write this article in a way that it may not smell in anyway of sectarianism. But  still, if any of the content disturbs any man of faith, than let it be known, it is only because of you.

وَإِذْ قَالَ لُقْمَانُ لِابْنِهِ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ يَا بُنَيَّ لَا تُشْرِكْ بِاللَّهِ ۖ إِنَّ الشِّرْكَ لَظُلْمٌ عَظِيمٌ {13}

[Shakir 31:13] And when Luqman said to his son while he admonished him: O my son! do not associate aught with Allah; most surely polytheism is a grievous iniquity–

The arabic word لَظُلْمٌ literal meaning is to place something out of its proper place. When a human being puts his own life in the hands of some idol which can bestow no favor upon him, he has not only done لَظُلْمٌ with the Creator and Sustainer, but with his own soul as well. At the end of the day he is conned into something which has no profitable effect on him. People often talk of shirk as injustice to God, but if you look more closely it should not bother a bey-niaz God. Why than it is the biggest sin? Because by indulging in it, man has actually lowered his own worth. It is by knowing one’s self that a man can truly understand God.

Quran in many of its verses has asked mankind to ponder upon its own creation. Humans are the best of the creations and human mind is capable of performing wonders which a man himself can not fathom at start. And yet even today, man is compelled to indulge in such hocus-pocus that one wonders how a human mind at one time can elevate itself to seven heavens and while at other times sink to the depths of existence.

Contrary to what people may think, shirk has more to do with human’s personal life rather than just a set of beliefs. It appears that demi gods need to be satisfied over time with expensive gifts and luxurious offerings. A God does not need gold offerings or ridiculous clock towers around His house.

They ask thee what they should spend (In charity). Say: Whatever ye spend that is good, is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever ye do that is good, -Allah knoweth it well.
( سورة البقرة , Al-Baqara, Chapter #2, Verse #215)

But since demi gods are created by humans, they require high maintenance. Men whose bread and butter depends upon people $erving the demi gods would never want humans to interact with God directly cutting the middle man or idol in between. That is why in Islam in its original form it is forbidden to charge for teaching Quran, religious guidance or any other form of preaching.

But man would not let that happen. Sometimes the rulers themselves act like demi gods. No wonder a major  part of human history involves kings and caliphs who either claimed to be manifestations of God themselves or His chosen ones.  Thinking of Pakistan we are still living in malukiat where either someone just takes the  throne himself by an iron fist or we keep giving our own fates in hands of  incompetent and callous people . Sometimes these demi gods appear in form of humans wearing religious cloaks and titles. They would want a qari to help you recite (not understand) Quran, an orator to mint money by making people wail over religious tragedy, a pandit to recite rituals of scattering ashes of dead father in the sacred water, a priest to listen to the sins you have committed, something which is between you and your God, and to ensure that you funds are properly being used for the welfare of the ‘people of God’. Or if you are of a less skeptic nature, perhaps a pir to keep you safe from all the ailments that may or may not befall you.

The middle man does not wish to leave you, because the middle man has to earn his bread after all.

But of course some have bigger appetites than others. For instance there lives a pir sahab in one of the very posh residential areas of Lahore, whose porch is always filled with cars such as Mercedes, BMWs, Prados, Pajeros and God-knows-what-else-luxury vehicles. This Pir sahab charges tens of thousands of rupees per sitting to ‘cure’ ailments varying from cancer to black magic. There is no money back guarantee of course, because if you are not cured, it is because you have not put up enough faith or you failed to do things according to his directives. I am not aware if he has actually cured anyone or not (however I know someone whom he has not), but he has very powerful friends or should I say mureed. One would think that healers would have time for the unfortunate ones who can not afford heavy prices as well, but of course it is too much to ask. After all how can one find time for the poor when there are worthy people available. Perhaps I should not be too cynic.

Sad part involving all this is that 1. It is not limited to uneducated people only 2. The trend does not seem to go down. That is the reason perhaps our morning shows have dedicated special weeks and programs for pir sahibs to ‘heal’ our nation. I happened to see one of such instances:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPWiR0KMVag

Here is Baba Jhanday Wala (so much for the creativity in choosing then name) curing people through live calls to save them from djinies, break black magic curses, or cure fertility problems of dejected couples . And if you are not convinced from his name that he is for real, you just need to watch his ‘miracles’ and be enlightened. . Behold! Following are the ultimate steps done by the Baba G to prove that he is for real:

Step A: Listen to the problem of  the aggrieved.

Step B: Hold a tasbeeh between his fingers.

Step C: If it moves to and fro, announce that the problem will be solved. If it doesn’t, then  Baba jee will do something about it.

Only if all the world’s problems could end with the motion of a tasbeeh. Baba ji informs us that he does not charge for his services. Although people on mazaars sometimes give him 2 thousand or 5 thousand for a  single taweez. Open ended business helps in no tax returns you know. Baba ji informs us that we should not have faith in him ( duh!), but to have faith in the Quran he is holding. Incidentally,  which chapter of Quran  prescribes this method for curing the ailments?  Prophet SAW was advised to recite Surah Naas and Falaq, while we need to sit and watch a man making funny faces to calm our nerves?

This kind of thing has implications far worse than what may seem. Over reliance and faith in what healers or fortune tellers may say can break houses. In one of ARY DIGITAL’s fortune telling show ‘Sitaron say agay ‘, once a caller wanted to inquire about the reason for her not having son when the fertility tests the couple had done had come out fine.  According to host’s claim however, his hisab suggested that the problem lay with the husband. I do not know what happened in the house after that call had been completed.

Instead of media being used to project knowledge, we are projecting kala jadu or us kay tor . On more than one occasion, weeks have been dedicated for different morning shows for airing specifically this type of garbage. God wants humans to widen their horizon while we are hell bent on descending down the depths of ignorance.