Red, White and Black

Goodbye

2006-03-17T19:23:00.000+05:00

So after much persuasion in the aftermath of the blogspot ban, I have shifted blogging to wordpress. Initially had some reservations with the publishing process at wordpress, but now gotten used to it.

The address now is: http://ayesha.wordpress.com

Farewell, blogspot. :P

The Matter of the Male Heir

2006-03-13T20:53:00.000+05:00

Came across this story on the BBC today:

Princess Aiko's future has been keenly debated because of controversial moves by Japan's prime minister to push for new legislation to let women ascend the throne.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi made the suggestion because of the Imperial family's failure to produce male heirs.
If the rules were changed, Princess Aiko would stand to ascend the throne upon the death of her father.

But what struck me:

The strain on Aiko's mother to provide a boy is reported to be responsible for the nervous disorer she has been suffering from for the last two years.

It is a real pity that even after all the hue and cry about modern traditions and all the development societies are supposed to have gone through, some can still not discard this discriminating position. What is sadder is that the woman is blamed for her inability to produce a male heir. What they conveniently forget is that that male chromosome does not come from the woman! And in most societies - not just this one - the woman is held as the culprit. It's not her fault. For that matter it's not even the man's fault. It's just how things turn out. Yet, we cling to such beliefs.

Basant

2006-03-09T21:25:00.000+05:00

It's that time of the year again. Basant is here. Traditionally, Basant marks the advent of Spring and coincides with the yearly Jashan-e-Baharan (the festival of the spring) at Lahore. Lahore is adorned in green, with flowers sprouting around every curb, every boulevard and most magnificent sight is the lit-canal that criss-crosses the city. The air is crisp and fresh. You can feel the spring in the air. While there are many spring festivals organised by the city government, the real attraction is the kite-flying season. For a day, all Lahore takes to the rooftop and the skies ring with cries of bokaaata! The Lahoris fly, eat and have a great time. But this was a couple of years ago. Now its a different story, altogether.

Over the last 10 years, Basant has been immensely commercialised. Now you have huge Basant parties being orgainsed by the corporate world, enthusiasts fly in from all over the country and abroad. With such commercialisation, the innocent festival has taken on a ruthless edge. The prime perpetrator has been the metallic wire - which is the traditional kite flying string enhanced with glass, metal and certain chemicals. The idea is to make the string sharp enough to pull down the other kite in a pecha - i.e. when two kites entangle mid air. It would have been okay if it was just about the kites. But owing to excessive proliferation of metal string - over the last few years we have begun to see human causalities and severe losses to WAPDA - the electricity guys.

So this year, the Supreme Court decided that enough was enough and that there would be no Basant this year. But it relented when the crunch came and allowed the Basant festivities to go on for 15 days owing to certain stipulations: ban on metal wire and monitoring of the electricity losses and life loss. But all these stipulations are immaterial. There have already been 4 deaths in the city - among them that of a 4 year old boy whose throat was slit by kitestring. Is that not bad enough to enforce the ban again? What is the SC and the city government waiting for? Another 4 before it springs into action?

Not only these deaths. But Basant, these days implies that we seem to have lost all civic sense. On my way to my university everyday, I have to encounter these immense kites in every DHA chowk and awful red and yellow banners everywhere. Yes, we know that Basant is here, thank you very much! Why do we have to adorn our city with such eyesores? Even these are harmless, compared to the torture that you have to go through with power outages. Owing to the metal string used, you are guaranteed 10 power-trips an hour. That essentially ensures that you get no productive work done for around three days - when the festivities are at their height!

I am not against Basant. But I cannot tolerate such reckless behaviour and attitude. Festivals are part of any society - but they become a major pain in the butt when they are not kept within the limits of moderation. Ostentatious displays, loud banging music and giddy partying through the night have become synonymous with Basant. It's pity that the festival no longer remains a celebration of life and color. We lost that somewhere along the road. And now we just don't seem to care.

---

Dawn Review coverage on Basant: this and this.

What the hell?!

2006-03-02T23:03:00.000+05:00

Apparently, Pak Gov has blocked blogpsot in Pakistan. So for two days, I thought it was some issue with my ISP - but I suppose that was naviette! I think this is actually a first for Pakistan. A big BOO for the Musharraf government or whoeverelse had the good sense to order this. *pissed*

But come to think of it. I can still blog. I can still view other blogs through proxy servers. I can still have the last laugh.

Two Idols of the Old Days

2006-02-28T22:04:00.000+05:00

Daily Times reported today:

Born-again Muslim singer Junaid Jamshed told a gathering at a girls’ college in Lahore on Monday that the Muslims had reacted to the Danish cartoons in a most “shameful way”. He said the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) would have expected the Muslim to behave as he did in the face of insult, and “not like barbarians”. He was referring to the damage the mobs had inflicted on public property in Pakistan in the wake of the cartoons.

Ironically, the same day Pakistan’s other born-again Muslim hero Imran Khan was actually protesting — in his own words — against Denmark on the streets of Lahore. Imran Khan has supported the MMA-opposition line that Islamabad should have recalled its ambassadors from the offending countries. On the other hand, Junaid Jamshed has focused on the decline in public behaviour that the protest has caused in the country. Instead of blaming the government he has appealed directly to the people to desist from violence. Many among the shopkeepers of Lahore will heed his message.

Imran Khan!! What has become of you? :|

New Map for Kashmir

2006-02-27T16:14:00.000+05:00

The Daily Times reports that Pakistani embassies abroad are floating a new map of Kashmir - a map that deviates from the traditional position of Pakistan on the issue:

The map shows the Northern Areas of the state, which have been officially considered an integral part of the former princely state, as a separate entity, identified simply as the “Northern Areas”. The Line of Control, formerly the Ceasefire Line, has been removed on the map. The entire state, both the Indian-held part and Azad Kashmir, has been shown as one, single, undivided entity, identified as ‘Jammu and Kashmir state’ with the words “disputed territory” appearing in very small letters under this appellation.

Two things to be noted: Contrary to Pakistan's age-old stance, the Northern Areas are not being considered as part of Kashmir. But then are the Northern Areas to be treated as another autonomous region or as a federally administered area? Or what? Confusion lingers. Secondly, the whole of Kashmir has been termed as "disputed territory" - a significant deviation. I am not sure, what to make of it. Maybe, this map has been released to test the waters - to gauge how people would react to any major deviation from the hackneyed Pakistani stance. On the other hand, it can be considered as yet another signal to India: that Pakistan is willing to give ground and have some serious discussion over the issue. It may also be an attempt to score a point with the Kashmiris - Pakistan does not want to divide the Kashmiri families.

Or it may just be a simple map. But interesting nonetheless.

All in a Day's Work!

2006-02-13T21:59:00.000+05:00

Courtesy BD:

Source: BBC

poor guy.... heheh.

ps. this is from today's Indo-Pak game at Lahore. [which Pak lost! *sigh* :( ]

Geek or Hack?

2006-02-05T03:23:00.000+05:00

I have obviously nothing better to do on this Sunday morning. So here goes:

I scored as :

20% scored higher (more computer geeky),
1% scored the same, and
79% scored lower (less geeky).

and the verdict was:

Mid-Level Computer Geek. Wow, it seems you spend more time in front of a computer than with people.

But then I am just a mid-rank geek. So maybe there is still some hope. khe khe...

Woman, don't you dare run!

2006-01-28T19:14:00.000+05:00

The second International Lahore Marathon is scheduled to be held tomorrow. It is a mixed marathon and thus it is damned in the eyes of our religious and moral police.

They say it is inappropriate for a woman to run in front of male spectators. A woman ends up compromising her dignity and self respect. And if you ask them how - of course they would say that it is unislamic and against our culture. *deep sigh*

It's one thing to oppose such an event. You don't want to be part of it - fine keep your women out but why are you ruining the event for everyone else. Why the heck are you making such a fuss out of it? And by the way, since when did we appoint you as guardians of our morals? If the liberals are godless immoral people, let them be. They will burn in hell, not you.

But why disrupt public life? I have heard accounts of the cars of passerbys being damaged by the protesting moral police! And what was their crime, please?

Lock them up, I say and let the women run.

The evils of chatting

2006-01-25T22:05:00.000+05:00

Stumbled across a talk show today. The topic of the discussion was 'the internet and the youth'. It featured a showdown between a group of teenagers and a panel of parents, teachers and adults of the society. The crime of the youth was that they over-indulged in all internet-related activities - be it research, surfing, downloading or chatting. The youth of Pakistan is just spending too much time in front of the box called a computer. These activities are not only 'anti-social in nature', but implied an 'overload of information' that the youth is not yet ready to absorb.

More often than not, the discussion gravitated towards the 'evils of chatting'. The parents were irked by the fact that their children were making 'cyber' friends - they were concerned about the influence these 'cyber' friends would have on their kids. Interaction with the opposite sex, came up repeatedly. And so did the possibility of exposure to porn and the likes (but of course in minced words) . Some of the young adults asked why would you want to be friends with someone you can't feel or see?

Come to think of it, 'chatting' is looked down on in our society. Over time it had become synonymous with seeking out 'girlfriends' and 'boyfriends' - a concept largely taboo in the Pakistani society. And it is also true that it is the prime means for 'making friendship' amongst the boys and young men alike. It has become an addiction of sorts.

This raises two important questions for me.

One, why is the interaction between opposite sexes such a taboo matter? Why is it still the forbidden fruit which the youth is tempted to test? More than debating the evils of chatting, the elders of our society need to address the constrictive nature of society. There is nothing wrong with the intermingling of genders - it is but a natural part of our lives. So why do we have to make such a lot of hue and cry over it? Why do we curb the interaction between the two gender from the tender age of 10? Why is it just so taboo?

Two, what are the other modes of entertainment for the youth? There is not much for the young to do with their spare time. Either they have the option of sitting at home watching TV and cable (which is considered equally bad an addiction) or of becoming the slaves of the computer machine. Cricket is probably the only game that is played on a somewhat organised level. But that's about it. Where would you go to hang around with your friends and mingle with others, if there are no other avenues available? Can we really blame the youth over this count? Is it not the responsibility of parent ans society to ensure they are able to spend their time in a constructive yet fun way?

Having said all of this, I also think that the concerns of the elders of our society are also a little exaggerated. Their concerns about being exposed to too much information (and inappropriate matter too) at young ages is total crap. If they deem it to be so bad, then is it not their responsibility that they become part of their children's world? Forget the concept of becoming a 'friend' to the child, ought they not to do it jsut for guidance. Maybe through such efforts they will be able to find some common ground and discover that the world of the internet is not so evil after all.

Lahore, Lahore Hai!

2006-01-20T20:16:00.000+05:00

Over the last week or so, I have been reading Bapsi Sidhwa's collection of writings on Lahore : Beloved City.

Given that it was a collection by Sidhwa, I always had high expectations of it. And I have not been disappointed. The book is a delightful collection of historical accounts, personal narrations and fictional stories. The collection is arranged by the Eras that Lahore has seen and one gets to know the ancient city from the times of the Mongol pillagers to the troubled times of Partition.

The historical accounts include writings on the Lahore of Akbar, the Lahore of Ranjeet Singh and of Kipling's Lahore. The writings look at both the glamour, glitz and the fables of the Mughal Lahore and the turbulent history of the city as invaders came and left. The British came to Lahore and we live through the taming of the city. And yet the collection doesn't neglect the romanticism of the city within the thirteen gates, of Anarkali and of Hira Mandi. Every single piece has been tastefully selected and that doubles the worth of the journey.

But it is the writings on the Lahore of the Partition that have truly touched the chords of my heart. The collection from that time period is composed largely of personal accounts and thus lends a very humane touch to the cold 'Partition' of the history books. Not only do the accounts provide a real sense of life to the city, but they also highlight the attachments of many a people to a place they called 'home' as kids or young individuals. These accounts make you question the cruelty of political decisions and how they ended up altering so many lives. At the same time, they highlight the prowess of the political and communal forces that turn neighbours on each other, subordinates on their masters and even family members against one another.

This book is highly recommended to both die-hard lahoris and curious world dwellers. I am not yet through with my encounter with Lahore through this book, but I have already come to cherish my city in ways that I never have before!

P.S. You must read through the excerpt of the book provided by Books and Authors here. :P

More on the 'retreat' and Bajur

2006-01-20T19:36:00.000+05:00

The Daily Times editorial from yesterday depicted a very accurate picture of how things work between the state and the opposition.

The isolation of President Musharraf had prompted many to join the political bandwagon against Kalabagh Dam, including the PPP in Punjab. Since the PMLN has always been in favour of the Dam (“provided it is backed by national consensus”) it will stand to lose support at the home base if it cavils with what has been decided now. This will put the PPP, the largest party in the country, on the spot. It simply can’t afford to blunt its opposition to President Musharraf by appearing to agree...On the other hand, the MMA will have to rely on the trouble in FATA to retain the intensity that Qazi Hussain Ahmad seems to favour more than Maulana Fazl ur Rehman.

Incredibility will be the crutch to lean on for politicians in the opposition. Where will the money come from for the five dams to be completed by 2016? ... Indeed, the preparatory works for Basha (building high roads for heavy machinery, etc) might cause another political storm that future governments might find difficult to face. People like Imran Khan might be tempted to take this line.

President Musharraf’s promise to “twin” the NFC award with Kalabagh Dam has been partially made good with the new dispensation of the divisible pool and subventions to the provinces. This too is a measure that will be opposed by the enemies of Musharraf only at great risk to their own standing in the country.

The retreat on Kalabagh has been clever. Coupled with the “softeners” of the NFC award and the post-earthquake reconstruction, it will give President Musharraf the second wind he needs to face the 2007 election and probably once again to refuse to take off his uniform. What he has done now may be a tour de force; but what he might do in 2007 by not fading away might be folly.

--------

And then more on Bajur and the aftermath. US Senator McCain declared:

“We regret it. We understand the anger that people feel, but the United States’ priorities are to get rid of Al Qaeda, and this was an effort to do so,” the Republican lawmaker said.

“We apologize, but I can’t tell you that we wouldn’t do the same thing again,” McCain said.

He made his remarks after thousands of protesters took to Pakistan’s streets to condemn the US air strike that killed 18 villagers near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.

Honestly?! And why are we silent on this? :|

A no to Kalabagh and to the Opposition too

2006-01-19T00:01:00.000+05:00

Musharraf has decided to defer the controversial Kalabagh Dam till the country is able to the achieve a consensus on the issue. He said that he respected public opinion and thus will not push it for the time being. His speech from last night was quite concilliatroy in nature:

Gen Musharraf said there were “misperceptions and reservations” about KBD, particularly in the NWFP and Sindh, where people were not supportive of the project. “I respect this public opinion,” he said, but resolved to remove the reservations of the people of Sindh and the NWFP about KBD.

Gen Musharraf hoped that with the announcement that the government will be building Basha Dam first, normalcy would return to the country and those creating unrest on the issue of major water reservoirs would be silenced.

It also highlighted the fact that he is treading a very tight rope and has realised that he has to give in at some point. But I hope he also he realises that the way to "change the opinion of the Sindhis" is not through coercion but by helping rebuild the confidence between the estranged provinces and the also between the center and the provinces. The only way to do this is to involve the locals in any feasibility and analysis studies that are carried out on the Kalabagh dam. Transparency should be introduced to prevent this from becoming political boilpot. But still I think Musharraf has read the situation well this time around.

This gesture will help bring back some sense of normalcy to the National affairs, but only if the opposition is a willing player too. So far thiss has been judged as a 'retreat' for Musharraf. The MMA chief went to the extent of declaring:

Kalabagh dam has proved another Kargil for the General.

The opposition here will never learn. National affairs, to them are just another avenue where brownie points can be scored. They don't realise that they have a responsible role to play in building national consensus. Given this attitude it is little wonder that consensus has always remained elusive to Pakistani politics. In our little world, it's opposition for the sake of opposition. If the opposition was as wise and as knowing as they claim to be, they would have taken the opportunity to unite the nation under this decision. They would have declared the opposition's support to the two new dams and looked to normalise the state of affairs.

But no, that does not happen in our little world.

Buried in the sand

2006-01-17T13:15:00.000+05:00

Illustrative catroon by Zahoor today at the Daily Times. I wonder what's in store for Musharraf now- he has vowed to emerge victorious on every front. But the fronts are just one too many: Kholu, Dera Bugti, Kalabagh and now Bajur too. And elections are due this year. Last time we saw the emergence of the MMA and given the mess now I shudder to think what will happen this September.

Untitled

2006-01-17T00:22:00.000+05:00

As it is evident- I had made up my mind to do anything but serious work. So after trying many templates, I reluctantly settled on this - only because I wanted a change.

One of these days, I might be bothered to design and tinker up one myself. One of these days, I might be that bored.

If Jinnah were to return...

2006-01-15T16:16:00.000+05:00

Dr Ahmad Faruqui writes...

What would happen if Mohammad Ali Jinnah were to return to Pakistan, the creation of which is considered his miracle, inspiring one biographer to compare him with Salahuddin and another with Moses?

Jinnah’s death has spawned a myth that is now firmly entrenched in Pakistani culture. It asserts that, but for his early death, Pakistan would have been a brilliant success.

It is true that Jinnah died much before the necessary civilian machinery had fallen into place. After a rocky political decade, the army took over. Military rule brought a few years of stability but it did not allow for the development of an independent legislature, judiciary, bureaucracy or media.

But the converse — had Jinnah lived longer, Pakistan would have been a brilliant success — is a myth. By challenging it, one can lose friends quickly.

So here are my five doubts about the myth.

First, why did Jinnah choose to dilute the authority of the post of prime minister by not taking that position, like Nehru had done in India?

Second, would Jinnah have been able to prevent the conflict with India that would lead to half a century of armed conflict and drain Pakistan of much needed economic and financial resources?

Third, would Jinnah have been able to prevent the gradual estrangement of the eastern wing that ultimately led to its secession in 1971?

Fourth, would Jinnah have been able to resist US pressure to join the Baghdad Pact (which later became CENTO) and SEATO in the early-to-mid-1950s and keep Pakistan non-aligned during the Cold War?

Fifth, would he have been able to prevent the rise of the Pakistani Army as the country’s dominant political institution?
....

Being an honest man, Jinnah might conclude that he had opened a Pandora’s box by injecting religion into politics and that his August 11, 1947, speech had been unable to undo that. He might realise that by not leaving behind competent successors, he may have prevented the development of potent civilian institutions. And he might admit that by constantly reminding the Muslims of the threat posed by Hindu domination, he had established the primacy of the military.

Only a state that has succumbed to regimented thinking would fail to see the contradiction in calling for the people of Kashmir to be given the right of self-determination for 58 years, while continuing to deny its own people the right to elect their own government.

Jinnah would conclude that Pakistan had failed him. But will the barrister, who was once the ambassador of Hindu-Muslim unity, call for the annulment of Partition? That is the $64 million question.

Historical conjecturing does not really help but nonetheless, these are interesting questions.

A bad day for cricket

2006-01-15T15:27:00.000+05:00

Family plans had been made two weeks ago to go and watch the third day of the play of the first test between India and Pakistan.

But it was not to be - the day dawned with overcast skies and the play started late. But they only played for a while and then took bad light and off they went! Play resumed after lunch and we thought- yaaaay, we can go and watch the game!

But. As we were leaving it was called off again! Only 15 overs were bowled all day long and we were stranded at home staring at our tickets!

So much for watching an Indo-Pak encounter. :-<

Confused

2006-01-08T22:54:00.000+05:00

Pakistan and India have been indulging in some rhetorical banter (at least, I hope so) over the last the ten days. The two countries seem to have developed some liking for the phrase "internal affairs".

First, the Indian foreign ministry decided to express its concern over the spiralling violence in Baluchistan. This brought a strong rebuke from Pakistan which cautioned India against equating Baluchistan with Kashmir. The two countries had a brief exchange of words and thankfully left it at that. But I am still wondering - why did India choose this time to chide Pakistan over Baluchistan. Why was it still unable to maintain a stony silence over the issue? In any case, does India even have the right to comment on Baluchistan? I don't quite understand how even reputed Indian foreign affairs experts fall for this mis-comparison:

The spokeswoman in Islamabad, Tasneem Aslam, said she was “intrigued” by the Indian provocation “at this time when the two countries are engaged in the peace process to address all issues including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute”.

But it is precisely the Pakistani attitude on J&K that might have set off the Indian comments. In recent weeks, Pakistan appears to have been carried away by its own rhetoric on J&K. Its leaders have been demanding “demilitarisation” and “self-governance”.

Moreover, the justification that is provided is this:

In reviving its focus on Baluchistan, India was also partly compensating for its guilt in letting them down in the past. At precisely the moment that Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto launched an extended military repression in the early 1970s, India looked the other way. Believing that it had won perpetual peace with Pakistan under the 1972 Shimla Agreement, India muted its voice. In raising it voice again Tuesday, India was signaling that it had not lost all empathy with the Baluch.

Hmm - I am actually a little lost with this approach. Both with the timing of the statements and the apparent logic behind it. Is India to play the role of the guardian of democracy in Pakistan as well? In any case, that's a totally different debate and not what I had intended to blog about at this point. The timing, though... I would not have surprised if these statements had come during a period of hostility- but now the dynamics are different and one would expect the players to behave more prudently. Are these remarks possibly meant to divert attention? For some time now, Pakistan has been floating the ideas of self-rule for the Kashmiri people and yet has received no constructive response from India? It is possible that something might be going through the back channels - but there is obvious hesitancy at the formal level - there is almost a cold aloof sort of an attitude to be found there.

So that was last week, yesterday our own dear President dropped a 'bombshell':

“Let me give another bombshell, I propose, one way of moving forward. Take three towns, Srinagar, Kupwara and Baramulla. Let all the military move out of the cities to the outskirts. It will ensure there is no militancy inside.

“Pakistan will be with the Indian government and Kashmiris to ensure that there will total peace and tranquillity in these three places. Look at the comfort level it brings. It does not need any constitutional amendments or anything like that. It just needs an administrative order,” he said.

He drew yet another scathing response from India:

India's external affairs ministry spokesman, Navtej Sarna, said on Saturday: "Any demilitarisation or redeployment of security forces within the territory of India is a sovereign decision of the government of India and cannot be dictated by any foreign government."

Again I am left wondering: why such a rebuke? Opponents of Musharraf are already too keen to point out that Pakistan has yielded more than India since the thaw in relations and such comments will only fuel their claims. I don't quite agree with their assessment but still I would have expected a more circumspect response from India. All in all, I am left wondering over the prevalent Indian mindset viz-a-viz the peace process.

The Cold!

2006-01-08T13:44:00.000+05:00

Yesterday, Lahore experienced the coldest day in 39 years! So it wasn't just me... I had four layers on, was sitting in a warm enough room and yet the cold-induced numbness wouldn't just go away. Little wonder...

Lahore experienced the coldest day as mercury dropped to minus two degrees Centigrade. A similar drop in temperature previously occurred on Jan 4, 1967.

The Met office report said that dry continental air continued to prevail over the region, while cold and dry weather would persist in Lahore during next 24 hours.

A maximum temperature of 17.2 degrees Centigrade was recorded in Lahore, the report said.

PS. It's still pretty cold!

The Jamiat?

2006-01-06T22:11:00.000+05:00

Came across some rather disturbing piece of news today. Jamaat-e-Islami's youth wing - the IJT - actually caused the disruption of an internal fashion design exam. The incident took place at Lahore College for Women University, which also happens to be my alma mater. I was rather perturbed by the following:

...allowing the students to wear their work to display it to the internal examiners for practical experience and professional training. They were also allowed to advertise the show with a banner as a part of their professional training. No one was invited or allowed to see the fashion show, however.

Some IJT activists, upon seeing the banner, approached the JI headquarter in Mansoora. Later, an IJT activist calling herself an LCWU student telephoned newspaper officers in Lahore and invited them to the ‘fashion show’ for ‘coverage’. Daily Times and several other newspapers received the call, from a number of Mansoora, the JI headquarter on Multan Road.

As the article mentions - this is highly irregular for a place like LCWU. From the two years I spent at the place, it was completely devoid of any such activism. I am pretty shocked by the fact that they have been able to entrench themselves deeply enough- that they feel comfortable over rigging this disruption. Moreover these were women activists! Traditionally, all the Jamiat activity was limited to a more masculine group and women activism in this area is rather unheard of it. And this incident also comes at a time when the Jamiat is being systematically rooted out of Punjab University (a stronghold for such activities). So I am really surprised by these developments.

I just hope that the authorities at LCWU are able to limit such activism, for it does not set a good precedent.

Edit: Ummm... the link.

A Saudi Ploy?

2006-01-05T11:29:00.000+05:00

BBC reports...

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has offered to pay to repair India's largest mosque, Delhi's historic Jama Masjid (Grand Mosque).
The Times of India newspaper said the Saudi king also wanted to fund education in India.
Both offers have raised concerns with Indian security agencies who are said to fear that the money could be used to preach radical Islam, the Times reported.

I think, for once, Times of India may not be speculating. The Saudi king will want to invest in other avenues as well. In Pakistan we have seen ample demonstrations of this ploy. Under the guise of helping out, the Saudis have been able to successfully inculcate the radical and the vitriolic ideology of Wahhabism in Pakistani society. I may wish to believe that the Saudi intentions here are noble, but past experience tells me otherwise. It would thus be advisable for India to tread carefully on this offer. The Jamaa-e-Masjid should be renovated, but not at the cost of the Indian society. If this offer goes through, close monitoring of the Saudi funds will need to be carried out.

Arrggh... damn the fact, that the Saudis have the money but not the appropriate ideology to export to the world.

Pakistan now likes Uncle Sam better?

2005-12-21T21:13:00.000+05:00

According to a report carried in The Daily Times today, the popularity ratings of the US in Pakistan have increased:

“Pakistanis with a favourable opinion of the United States has doubled from 23 percent in May 2005 to more than 46 percent today. Support for Bin Laden over the same period dropped from 51 percent to just 33 percent now. The reason: 78 percent of those surveyed said that American assistance had made them feel more favourable to the United States - even an astonishing 79 percent of those with confidence in Bin Laden now have a more favourable view of the US because of American earthquake aid.”

I was really surprised by the findings. Anti-Americanism and mistrust of the Americans has grown into our national psyche - yet it seems that opinions have reversed for the first time in years. The reason being the direct role of the US and its forces in relief work after the Oct 8th earthquake:

Eighty-one percent said that earthquake relief was important for them in forming their overall opinion of the United States.

If this report indeed reflects the popular opinion here, then it should act as glaring eye-opener to the US. It shows them that the way to win hearts is not through the "war on terror" but by other more peaceful (and well also more meaningful) ways.

Follow the report here.

Six Degrees of Separation

2005-12-21T01:35:00.000+05:00

Did you know that everyone in this world is separated by a chain of just six acquaintances. True enough. I stumbled upon this link today via Gmail Clip bar:

In 1967, psychologist Stanley Milgram tried to test the theory by sending several letters to random people in the Midwest. The letter featured the name, address, and occupation of a single person on the East Coast; participants were asked to forward the letters to the people who they thought were most likely to know the person. It took an average of five intermediaries to reach the target.

The last time I had heard the term was for an advanced programming assignment (my first truly torturous CS course) - where we were required to efficiently figure out the six degrees between two actors (we were working in the movie domain) and well I had hated it back then. I never thought of it beyond that assignment. But now I am intrigued. Why does it hold true? Apparently there is still no mathematical proof - only the one carried out by Stanely Milgram. So why does it hold? I suck with Math - can any Math cheetah hazard a guess?

October 8: follow up and the media

2005-12-20T23:10:00.000+05:00

Now its almost been three months since the deadly Oct 8th earthquake. Aid effort has been continuing but the media attention has receded- both by the national and international media. Some of that is indeed natural - but we do need continued media attention if we are to make sure that the needs of the survivors are catered to.

BBC ran a story on the earthquake after quite a long time and it recounts the problems that relief workers and the survivors are facing in the harsh winter.

We forget sometimes just how much the people here are affected by the tremors and how much of a preoccupation they still remain.We are hearing a lot of coughing at night, particularly among the children. And it is not a nice cough. Night temperatures are now below -10C and more and more people are coming to us with health problems....

The helicopters are vital. We haven't managed to get the Chinook helicopters that can carry much more than the Mi8s. But we have to count ourselves lucky. Two days ago, we were told we had lost the military helicopters that had been bringing us the relief assistance. And that it would probably be another three or four days before other helicopters would be found to do the job. But yesterday, a UN Mi8 allocated to an NGO that no longer wanted it managed to do a few sorties to Kot. In the last week, they have been bringing blankets and metal sheets. We need another 12,000 metal sheets to fully meet the needs of the people in the 13 villages my husband Daniel and I are working in.

This couple has been doing good work guiding and motivating the people to continue building. I really applaud their spirit.

The point to note here is that a large number of people have been planning to stay put. Recently, volunteers from my university surveyed some of the affected areas and their findings confirmed this : people would rather remain put and receive aid there. So then that brings me to the role that media can play in this whole effort. The media has to keep the limelight on the relief and reconstruction operations for two very obvious reasons:

The general public, government and relief agencies should not forget about them. The media has to keep reminding them time and again. They need to remind people time and again that there are still human beings up in those areas who need assitance - that our collective responsibility is not yet over. A lot has to be done yet.
The accountability factor: the government will take some concrete measures if some camera hawks keep snooping in. It will have to make sure that the ones in need are actually provided for. This is the duty of the media and it must be discharged with utmost responsibility.

The problem being - that there is already a media fatigue. I have read fewer and fewer stories and analysis articles in the papers. I have noticed reduced electronic coverage too. This wont do. This lack of interest can be a deadly blow to the survivors. The need is to keep the interest alive and I feel everyone of us can contribute to that in our own little way. But contribute, we must.

BBC story here.

A Muslim Renaissance

2005-12-18T15:03:00.000+05:00

A couple of days ago, I watched a talk show. The topic of discussion was "Is a Muslim Renaissance possible?" The speaker, Javed Ahmed, looked at the reasons due to which the Muslim world has slipped into despondency. Some very interesting points were raised.

He began by saying that the Muslim world slipped into such abysmal conditions only because they stopped heeding to the real principles of religion. Javed Ahmed pointed out that soon after the Spanish period of Muslim glory, the Quran became a mere book for talaawat or recitation. This basically meant that the Quran was not a book to learn from anymore- but just a book to learn by heart. This implied that people started laying more emphasis on the practice instead of the reason behind it all. The Muslims had lost the source of inspiration and thus it remains.

Further Javed Ahmed elaborated that the Muslim world paid little attention to the development of intellectual faculties. He questioned what the acheivemets of the Muslims Tatars, the Turkish Sultnate and the Mulsim dynasties of the subcontinent? Did tib and falsafa flourish as they had done before? Did the Muslim societies really progress? Were any strong reforms implemented, did the emperors leave behind a mark that others would truly marvel at? No, the Taj Mahal wasn't good enough.

He laid great emphasis on the development of Metaphysics in the glory days of the Muslim world- which is very true. In those days, metaphysis took on two forms: falsafa and tasawuf. Falsafa means philosophy - and we had the likes of Ibn-e-Khaldun and Ghazali. These people looked at religion in different ways - but always struggling to find the fine balance between faith and reason. Importantly though, they thought and attempted to understand whatever was going on around them. The ones who indulged in tasawuf mixed philosophy with spirituality and they became the mystics. They included big names like Rumi and Hajveri. Their aim again was to understand religion and reconcile it with their beings. They made religion approachable for the common man.

But this was then. Only a notable modern Muslim philosophers and thinkers have emerged in the modern times- Afgahni, Iqbal, Abduh and Qutb.? The first three again laid a lot of emphasis on role of reason in understanding religion and its workings. Qutb endorsed a different, a rather violent version for Muslim Renaissance. But here is the catch. More people today know of Qutb and his disciple than they do of Afghani, Iqbal and Abduh. Why is that? The moderate and the rational face of Islam is suppressed, while the violent and exculsivist face is seen everywhere. Why have we not bothered to provide a fertile intellectual ground to the moderate voices? Do we have centres of learning where these views are taught and allowed to flourish? And not only this. The Muslim world has a strong history for research in medicine, math and geometry. Where has all of that disappeared? As Javed Ahmed pointed out- it's not that there is a dreath of resources to fund these institutes - but the will lacks. There will be no Muslim Renaissance, until and unless these faculties are developed and harnessed.

Towards the end he was asked by a panelist: "Is it the religious duty of a Muslim to preach Islam and work towards the Renaissance of the religion?"

His answer was amazing.

He said that it is not the religious duty of a Muslim to preach Islam. But it is a the duty of a Muslim to be a good Muslim. And what does that mean? It doesn't just mean that you say prayers 5 times a day, fast for a month and pay zakat. It's about living a life by morals and principles. Your religion does not ask anything more of you. If a member of a society abides by the basic moral principles - its directly reflects on the society too. And a such a society acts a magnet itself - it shows people the way to lead a good life. It is not about being religious at all - but just being moral.

He essentially reduced theology to moral philosophy. There is no religious zeal attached - only a wish to be a useful member of society. If you are able to bring about a Renaissance in your private sphere, then a Renaissance will automatically follow in the public sphere. That's it. No big deal.

An encouraging ruling

2005-12-14T19:36:00.000+05:00

A SC bench ruled yesterday that a man is not allowed a second marriage without the permission of the first wife. Failure to do so, would imply legal action. This is very encouraging. And if the concerned authorities do help uphold the law - then this would help assuage miseries of many a women in our patriarchal society.

Though Islam allows a man to marry up to four wives- but its lays down strict conditions that must be fulfilled. The two main ones being: the permission of all the previous wives must be obtained before marrying another woman and the man has to ensure that he will treat all his wives with equal measure - both financially and emotionally. Since it is not humanly possible to treat all the wives on the same emotional wavelength - so this condition is meant to act as deterrent to the practice.

Yet, most conveniently forget these conditions. To them Islam allows them to marry four times and no further questions should be asked. In the light of such selective application of Islamic principles- this ruling should really be welcomed. But still it will only be effective, if it is enforced properly. And that is a big precondition!

Supreme Court ruling here.

Palloo!

2005-12-11T11:20:00.000+05:00

TOI unveils Musharraf!

DB (interviewer): He calls you ammi, which means ‘mum’, but what do you call him?

ZM (Mushy's mum): I call him Pervez.

DB: Do you not have a nickname for him?

ZM: I used to call him ‘Palloo’, but then I stopped, because it spoils the name. Now I call him Pervez.

How is Palloo going to sound tough to the world now?! Poor him. :P

Spamming on Gmail

2005-12-10T19:53:00.000+05:00

Over the last few days, I have started to receive alot of weird spam on Gmail. Below are snippets from two similar emails in as many days.

I received encouraging information about you and how trust worthy you are. I am delighted with such a useful information. I am interested in the partnership investment program with your corporation...the above situation prompted my decision to solicit your co-operation to take delivery of this funds into your custody for my proposed investment as you will be adequately conpensated with $2 000,000.00. I will arrage all necessary procedures in ensuring a smooth process for the funds to get to you. I will appreciate you contact me once you receive this mail via e-mail account indication your capability and willingness to enable me to give you more details of my modus operandi of getting this money to you hitchfree.

and

I am married to Late Mohammed Hasan of blessed memory who is an oil explorer in KUWAIT and Angola for twelve years before he died in the year 2002. We were married for twenty years without a child, he died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Recently, my doctor told me that I have only three months to live due to cancer problem. Having known my condition I decided to donate the fund to either a charity/orphanage home or devoted Allah (God) fearing individual that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct thereafter. I want this organization or individual to use this money in all sincerity to fund charity homes (motherless homes), orphanages, widows. As soon as I receive your reply on Email: I shall give you further directives on what to do and how to go about actualising this project. I will also issue a letter of authorization to the said bank through my family lawyer authorizing them that the said fund have being willed to you and a copy of such authorization letter will be forwarded to you.

The orginating addresses in both cases are hotmail ones. I quit hotmail because i grew sick of the spamming at that account and now its following me here. :( :(

Throw Rocks At...

2005-12-10T18:40:00.000+05:00

...Boys!!

Came across a pesky little game today. And buoyed by my feminine ego, decided to grace my blog with it. No offense to anyone. Really! :D :P

Diplomatic Acknowledgement

2005-12-08T22:02:00.000+05:00

The Musharraf regime seems pretty intent on furthering relations with Israel. The latest venture has seen the Israeli diplomats been received at Pakistani embassies:

According to the BBC Radio, the newspaper has reported that for the first time, Pakistani embassies are dispatching official notes sent to all diplomatic missions to Israeli embassies as well. The newspaper reported that Pakistani embassies had earlier deleted Israel from their mailing list but had recently started inviting Israeli diplomats to its programmes.

This is a big thing. It is an official acknowledgment of Israel - the diplomats have been allowed to interact. Israel is looking to "end its diplomatic isolation in Muslim countries" and Pakistan is there to welcome it with open arms. It would be interesting to see how the actual relationship develops. Just last week - an article appeared in the World Policy Journal that pointed to possible Israeli involvement in Zia's deadly plane crash. Israeli involvement is probable, especially since the US has been so keen to hush it all up. So if Israel's involvement is indeed proven - then what would that imply for the budding strategic relationship between the two? Will it survive the subsequent Mullah outcry? I am hopeful that it will. I say this because Musharraf is very keen on "improving" Pakistan's image abroad and of course Israel is a potential supplier of both military and non-military technology. The Mullahs can be tamed over time but the relationships need to be build now.

Story here.

A fridge/freezer?

2005-12-06T13:53:00.000+05:00

I was reading through this - tour diary for the visiting English Women's Cricket team to India and them stumbled across a little gem:

It was turning out to be a close game after 30 overs, but some good bowling from Rosalie (Birch) and Laura (Harper) saw us win the game by 20 runs. The highlight of the day was was receiving a fridge-freezer for winning the Player-of-the-Match award after scoring 68 and taking a wicket.

Errr? Why did she get a fridge? Just because she is a woman? What is this - a reminder that she is better suited at home? What happened tot he standard $500 man of the match check? It would be nice if Inzi too got a fridge next he hits a ton! :|

Are we ready for reconciliation?

2005-12-05T23:00:00.000+05:00

The regular Dateline New Dehli in Dawn this week commented on the myopic cultural exchanges that have taken place between India and Pakistan. The author cites two incidents - one the poetess Fahmida Riaz who had attempted to read a peace poem after the Kargil episode in New Dehli. The reception she received has been described as such by the author:

To be fair to Indian audiences, even in those troubled times Ms. Riaz was able to successfully recite the same poem earlier in the week in Delhi that year, and to a wider group of more discerning listeners; but she was unlucky the second time.

“Tum bilkul hum jaise nikle abtak kahaan chhupe thay bhai? (You Indians have turned out to be as bigoted as us in Pakistan. Where have you been hiding all this while brother?) went the opening lines of her poem that mocked religious narrow-mindedness in both countries.

Almost on cue, a certain Major Sharma had whipped out his pistol. As he threatened to stall the Mushaira, the army man and two of his equally viciously hostile aides were overpowered by the largely secular audience. They were packed off to a hospital in a hapless state.

The entire Vajpayee government and the ever so fickle media came down like a ton of bricks on Ms. Riaz and JNU’s leftist students’ union, her hosts.

And then he narrates the recent incident of WIPSA play being stopped from being staged in certain Indian cities:

However, when Sheema Kirmani and her troupe of young and talented actors were stopped by their hosts in Lucknow last week from going ahead with an anti-war play they were invited to stage, some of her Indian friends were shocked.

Ms Kirmani and her Tehreek-i-Niswan group have been actively involved since 1980s in the promotion of liberal ideals to receptive Pakistani audiences who have ranged from rural schoolchildren in Sindh to urban women’s groups across the country. The play — Zikr-i-Nashunida — that was to be staged in Lucknow, Varanasi and Bhubaneshwar presents women’s perspective against war in which American misadventures in Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan are effectively highlighted as examples of contemporary violence that dog the world.

Ms. Kirmani’s hosts in India were a group called Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA). The group boasts of a formidable patronage that includes India’s ace peace activists such as Nirmala Deshpande. How could such a group take a narrow-minded stand so as to block a play simply because it was critical of American militarism?

Although the first incident took place in the background of the Kargil War, so that particular response can be excused to a particular extent. But the second incident just baffles all senses. Somehow it seems that public is not ready for peace with Pakistan. Or was it a mere political issue? If it was - what were the motivations? A power display by the Hindutva lobby? Another thing that struck me early this year was crowd response to the visiting Pakistani cricket team. I wouldn't want to attribute too much to it - but still at times it does come back to haunt you. You do get wondering about the fragility of the peace process- about the will of the masses to bury the demons? I guess we would need sometime to overcome the hard feelings of the past 60 years - but are we taking two steps backward for every forward step?

Test of Fire

2005-12-04T14:48:00.000+05:00

The Magazine today carried this this horrific story:

Certain inhuman things practised in Balochistan need to be discussed here. There was a time when the issues of karo-kari, theft, land and monetary disputes were settled through traditional laws implemented by the jirgas formed by the Nawabs and the Sardars. In order to prove himself innocent, the accused used to walk on red and hot embers (called char beli in the local language). If his feet appeared to be swollen or burnt, he would be considered guilty.

Sad as it may sound, some young people of this region have re-started to hold char beli jirgas after a lapse of many years. They have revived the dreaded custom. As per tradition, about 10ft-long, 3ft-deep, and 3ft-wide pit is dug in which about 20 clumps of wood are burnt. When the wood is burnt and turns red, the accused is asked to walk on embers. A person belonging to the Bugti tribe is called from Balochistan who is thought to be an expert in such a jirga sitting. He recites Quranic verses and the accused puts his hands over the Holy Quran. Then a goat is slaughtered, and blood is poured into a pot. While the accused walks on embers, two persons stand beside the pit. They lift the accused with their arms when he reaches the end of the pit and immediately his feet are put in the pot containing blood.

The sad part is that these practices will not die out unless the people there are educated. They need to be informed that there are more humane ways to judge the innocence/guilt of an accused. Even sadder is the fact that these practices only strengthen the tribe leaders. Of course the feet will burn either way, but the whole ritual will sanctify the verdict of the "impartial" judge. And since they end up wielding so much authority through this barbaric ritual, they will definitely not want education and awareness to come to the people. And the vicious cycle would just continue on and on.

What is more interesting is that these are areas for which are generally considered to be neglected by the government. To some extent that charge is justified- but also consider this. If the people at the helm- the ones with the political power - don't want such change to come in, there isn't much that the government can do. After all, these very people constitute the government of those areas.

The only way to break out of this cycle is for the federal government to adopt a very firm stance on it and make sure that change occurs. It needs to make sure that the funds that are allocated to the MPAs and MNAs of these areas are actually spent on establishing schools and courts of law. It would also help if some NGO's were to get involve in this. But at the end of it is still hostage to the local tribal chiefs. Change is indeed difficult to bring about in such areas.

Remember that?

2005-12-03T22:40:00.000+05:00

Close your eyes, and go back in time.... Before the Internet, VCD and DVD. Before semi-automatics machine guns, joyriders and crack .... Before X-Box, PS-2, SEGA or Super Nintendo or Video Games... Way back....

I'm talking about Hide and seek (Chhupan Chhupaee) in the park or on streets of Lahore. The corner shop, Butter Scotch Candy, Mitchells Milk Toffee, Jubilee, football with an old can, jumping in enormous puddles, Building dams. The smell of the sun and fresh cut grass. Mayfair bubble gum. A POLKA ice cream pop cone on a warm summer night,

Wait......Watching Weekday 5pm evening or Saturday Morning cartoons... short commercials, The Tom and Jerry, He-Man, Captain Caveman, Waltron, Walligator, Danger Mouse and Pink Panther. Or watching 7pm NTM transmission blasting off with Thunder Cats. Staying up late for Night Rider, Air Wolf or Power of Methew Star. Watching nice Urdu Plays like Un Kahi, Tanhaiyaan, Sunehray Din, Aangan Tera.

Remember that?

When around the corner seemed far away, and going into down town or Liberty Market seemed like going somewhere. A million mosquito bites, wasp and bee stings. Sticky fingers. Walking to school, no matter what the weather. Running till you were out of breath. Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.

Jumping on the bed. Pillow fights. Climbing trees, building igloos Ice Lolies out of tiny amounts of ice from fridge/freezer walls and corners. Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for the giggles. Being tired from playing... The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team. Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.

I'm not finished just yet...

Eating raw jelly, orange squash, ice pops, chocochums, top pops!

Remember when...

You knew everyone in your street - and so did your parents! It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends. You didn't sleep a wink on EiD Chaand Raat. Afraid of Neighbor’s dog-bite. When 100 Rs. was decent pocket money. When you'd get a coke for 4 Rs. When nearly everyone's mum was at home when the kids got there from School. It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb. When it was considered a great privilege to be taken out to dinner at real restaurant with your parents. When being sent to the head's office was nothing compared to the fate that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Basically, we were in fear for our lives, but it wasn't because of drive-by shootings, drugs, gangs, etc. Our parents and grandparents were a much bigger threat! And some of us are still afraid of them!!! Didn't that feel good? Just to go back and say, Yeah, I remember that!

Remember when....

Decisions were made by going "eeny- meeny-miney-mo"... "Race issue" meant arguing about who ran the fastest. Money issues were handled by whoever was the banker in "Monopoly". The worst thing you could catch from other person was germs, and the worst thing in your day was having to sit next to opposite sex. Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a catapult.

Nobody was prettier than your Mum. Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better. Taking drugs meant orange-flavoured chewable aspirin. Ice cream was considered a basic food group. Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dare". Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest protectors.

If you can remember most or of these, then you have LIVED!

-------------

Came across this little piece again after a long long time and relived every single bit of it!

*sigh*

:)

Don't Squint!

2005-12-03T22:06:00.000+05:00

Research says...

People who squint while staring at computer screens also blink less than normal, which dries and irritates their eyes, researchers said this week.

“Blinking rewets the eyes. So if your job requires a lot of reading or other visually intense work, you may be blinking far less than normal, which may cause eye strain and dry eye.”

People squint for good reasons — it can make objects appear more clearly defined and it can cut glare. But blinking less dries the eyes and can irritate them, although the effects are temporary.

Do I squint? No idea. :P

The two Punjabs

2005-12-01T22:07:00.000+05:00

While the governments of India and Pakistan seem to be moving down the path of peace and friendship very cautiously - the Punjabis of the region have thrown all caution to wind. The Cheif Ministers of the two Punjabs have met regualrly over the last year. We have conferences on Punjabi lok versa, on the language and general meetups between the two groups. We have have numerous Indian theatre groups performing at Lahore and across Punjab. Same for theatrical groups going across. And then of course we have the Sikh yaatris who come in every year. The Punjabis are surely bonding! This image of the two CM's and their ranks at Nankana Sahib is very illustrative of the distance covered between the two Punjabs.

Story here.

Six Day Tests?

2005-12-01T21:52:00.000+05:00

The ICC is considering 6 day Tests in Pakistan. The reason being too few light hours during the winter. This does make sense given that the light worsens very quickly after 3:00 p.m. We learnt that the hard way at Faisalabad and of course the famous Karachi win for England. But then 6 days of Test cricket? And this doesn't necessarily mean that we will start getting result-oriented games. So much for luring the crowds back to Test cricket. :P

Religion and Us?

2005-12-01T01:47:00.000+05:00

We, Pakistanis are a religious nation. Religion does matter a great deal to the common man but at times it borders at fanaticism. Sangla Hill, the early morning firing at the Ahmedi Mosque, the blasphemy laws and things of this sort make me wonder where religion really stands for us.

It's okay to be religious. But somehow through these incidents it seems that religion is all that we care about. And we care about it like fanatics. Why?

It is true that religion has been played as a pawn by the political actors since independence - but the increase in such events makes me wonder if thats what it is all about. Let me elaborate.

The state can adopt religious overtones to win votes, the state can go the Zia way too -just to stabilise his regime and the state can also attempt to introduce the Shariah Bill at the National Assembly like Nawaz Sharif once did. But can the state inculcate this fanaticism about religion? The Church burnings and firings at Ahmedi Mosques are not acts that have been perpetrated at the behest of the state. These are acts of men who believe that they are upholding the divine word - they are just acting in 'defense' of their religion. The state has nothing much to do with it. These cannot be categorised as political acts. But then, how should they be dealt with? And what makes these men behave as such? I think there are four main ways people look at religion in our society:

Religion is something that the is a duty. From the moment a child begins his schooling he is bombarded with religious symbolism. He is informed of the importance of being a good Muslim. Religion is around him- everywhere- and he told that it is his duty to maintain its integrity and glory. And so it becomes. Religion is something very very important to him. And he can not just cheat on this duty.
Religion is a spiritual thing. The person discovers religion as a refuge and it is not a compulsion for him but a very private and personal matter.
Religion is a personal thing and you don't just bother beyond that.
Religion is sought as a refuge from social and economic problems. For most people belonging to this category religion is the saviour- it guides them when they see no purpose in their lives. Religion comes to their rescue and they are indebted.

I think that people who belong to the first and the fourth categories are the ones who indulge in the aforementioned acts. Our educational system is littered with references to religion and sermons on being good Muslims. So once that sense of duty to your religion has been ingrained then you will end up answering to it's 'call'- you always will. Just as young men do when they hear that the Quran has been desecrated. They have to do their duty to catch and punish the culprit.

Now the ones that belong to the fourth category. I happened to watch this short film at the Kara Film Festival last year. It detailed the journey of a young graduate who hunts for jobs by the days and the spends his nights in cinema houses. Everyday he is accosted by some members of a religious group - they tell him about how fulfilling religion is and how satisfied he would be if he joins them. He pushes them away every time - he is not for it - he wants this big job and want to live his life. But he doesn't find the big job and as his disillusionment grows he is more and more responsive to the religious guys. The final frame captured him fighting at the Afghan border - he was fighting a war for his religion.

All cases will not be this extreme- but I think that little film captured the whole dynamic perfectly. In our society when nothing else answers your call, religion turns up in a unrecognizable form to rescue you from your misery. It is such delusioned young men who take on the roles of the guardians of Islam. Their enemy is anyone who does not believe in what they believe to be Islam. And so they burn, they destroy, they kill.

To me this brainwashing and this disillusionment seems to be the only answer to the growing wave of religious fanatics- but still its not the whole story. Moreover, the factors that lead to this mess are not going anywhere, so then where are we headed?

Hide and Seek

2005-11-29T02:41:00.000+05:00

In a statement at the end of a three-day summit here, they welcomed Pakistan’s progress in restoring democracy since its reinstatement to the Commonwealth in 2004, and gave it two years to resolve the issue of Musharraf’s dual role.
...
Commonwealth leaders “reiterated that until the two offices are separated, the process of democratisation in Pakistan will not be irreversible,” the statement said.

The statement “noted that the holding by the same person of the offices of head of state and chief of army staff is incompatible with the basic principles of democracy”,
...
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri was reported as saying on Saturday that the Commonwealth had praised Pakistan’s progress on democracy and it “fully supported” Gen Musharraf’s decision to stay chief of the army and president until 2007.

Story here.

But the Commonwealth knows very well, that Musharraf isn't going to relinquish either office. There will always be pressing concerns. So what's the point of the charade? It's just a silly game of cat and mouse.

But then what has this whole democratic set-up given us? Without even debating how 'democratic' the whole set up, I would like to question the democratic aspirations of our legislators. The National Assembly barely manages to maintain Quorum and just scraps enough meets to satisfy the constitutional requirements- and then what do our esteemed legislators do in the house? Stage walk-outs? Exchange allegations? When have we seen a constructive debate in the National Assembly? What is that one piece of legislation that our legislators have presented their voters with? So then why does the National Assembly meet? To satisfy the ones in the Commenwealth? To waste taxpayers' money?

Really, what is the purpose of this whole charade? Why do we bother?

Tagged and...

2005-11-25T20:19:00.000+05:00

Sayan tagged and asked me to continue the "silly" game. And the results are...

Your Inner European is French!

Smart and sophisticated.

You have the best of everything - at least, *you* think so.

Who's Your Inner European?

*big huge grin*

More Faiz...

2005-11-20T23:36:00.000+05:00

Following up on Faiz. Came across this by him.

Timeless.

Faiz, the Pindi Conspiracy and Patriotism.

2005-11-20T21:42:00.000+05:00

Faiz Ahmed Faiz is regarded as most illustirous Urdu poet of the sub-continent after Iqbal and Ghalib. Somehow Faiz took more of the limelight than either of the two. For one, Faiz was the marxist, the revolutionary, the social worker and the poet. Wiki says very little on him:

Faiz was a member of the Anjuman Tarraqi Pasand Mussanafin-e-Hind (Progressive Writers' Movement), and an avowed Marxist. In 1962 he was awarded the Lenin Peace Prize by the Soviet Union.

The website dedicated to Faiz shed a little more light:

Lecturer in English at M. A. O. College, Amritsar in 1935 and then at Hailey College of Commerce, Lahore. Joined the Army as Captain in 1942 and worked in the department of Public Relations in Delhi. Was promoted to the rank of Major in 1943, and Lieut. Colonel in 1944. Resigned from The Army in 1947 and returned to Lahore, where, in 1959 appointed as Secretary, Pakistan Arts Council and worked in that capacity till 1962
...
In March 9th, arrested under Safety Act and charged in the Rawalpindi Conspiracy case, and having borne the hardships of imprisonment for four years and one month in the jails of Sargodha, Montgomery (now Sahiwal) Hyderabad and Karachi, was released on April 2nd, 1955.

He passed away in 1984 and spent a lot of time in the jails. In Selected English Writings of Faiz he recounts some of his experiences. Shedding some light on the "Rawalpindi Conspiracy", he writes:

At the end of 1950, I met an old friend of mine from the army who had been appointed Chief of General Staff, General Akbar Khan. I met him by chance in Murree, where I was holidaying for 10 days and he said to me, “Look, we people in the army, particularly we who fought in Kashmir are very disgruntled because this country is going to the dogs. We have made no constitution for four years, there is so much corruption, there is so much nepotism, no elections are being held... and there is no hope and we want to do something.”

I said, “Do what?” He said, “Overthrow the government and we want to have a non-party government and have elections and a constitution...” and this that and the other. I said, “All right!” He said, “Well, we want your advice.” I said, “Well this is an army exercise, I can’t give you any advice.” He said, “Anyway, you come to our meeting and listen to my plan.”

Then in a very stupid way, I went to his meeting along with two civilian friends and we listened to this plan...This was discussed for about five or six hours and eventually — there were about 14 or 16 officers there — they decided after a good deal of discussion that it was not on, for the simple reason that there was no issue before the country on which you could mobilize the people. Secondly, suppose the plan was discovered before it went off. Besides, it was too risky. So it was decided that nothing should be done.

They got really jittery and by this time, I had forgotten all about it. Nothing had happened, you see, nothing was going to be done. Suddenly, one fine morning at about four o’clock, I found my house surrounded by soldiers. Somebody came up and said, “Come along.” I said, “What has happened?” He said, “You are under arrest.”For four months, I was in solitary confinement; I do not know what had happened until after four months. A special Act was passed by the Constituent Assembly; it was called the Rawalpindi Conspiracy Act. Then we were brought to trial, a secret trial under this Act, which was passed only for this particular case.

More interesting stuff comes later on...

So for eight years I returned to teaching and administration and then came back. In between there were two wars, the 1965 war with India and the 1971 war in Bangladesh. These two were difficult periods for me because I was under a great deal of pressure to write war songs, but I said, “Look here, I am not writing any war songs!” They said, “Well, why not? It is your patriotic duty.” I said, “Look, firstly, because I consider these wars to be a very wanton waste of precious lives and secondly, because I know that Pakistan is not going to get anything out of either this war or that war. I am not going to write any war songs.”

But I did write poems about both wars. In the first war, I wrote two poems, one was called “Black-out” and the theme was that it is autumn with the lights — physical lights — which have gone out, the light of reason has gone out, the light of love has gone out, and all the lights in the hearts of people have gone out. And the second poem was an elegy for a fallen soldier and his mother mourning for her son. This infuriated my patriotic friends even more.

Narrating both incidents, he raised interesting questions and this collection of his writings tops my reading list. I have just realised how preciously little I know about this guy! My only connection to him has always been bol ke lab azaad hain or Shoaib Hashmi! Time to change all that I guess.

You can read more of the excerpts here.

Children in Strife

2005-11-19T17:31:00.000+05:00

Two striking images I came across today:

This one captured a young boy reuniting with his family. He was amongst the 25 Pakistanis released by India yesterday. When we will quit playing with innocent lives like this? [Source]

And the other one brought some hope...life will reign even after Oct 8...

The young teaching the young in a makeshift camp in Islamabad. Rock on, girl! :) [Source]

Regulating the internet?

2005-11-17T01:13:00.000+05:00

The second phase of the World Summit on Information Society has kicked off in Tunis. The main aim of the conference is to figure out how international governance of the internet can be carried out. Currently, the US and the ICANN manage the technical and the administrative aspects of the digital sphere. Other parties have limited influence on the process. But now the UN is trying to establish an international body that can at least take over the administrative affairs of the Internet.

I dug up the Declaration of Principles from the last phase of the Summit. This document declares the following on the issue:

48. The Internet has evolved into a global facility available to the public and its governance should constitute a core issue of the Information Society agenda. The international management of the Internet should be multilateral, transparent and democratic, with the full involvement of governments, the private sector, civil society and international organizations. It should ensure an equitable distribution of resources, facilitate access for all and ensure a stable and secure functioning of the Internet, taking into account multilingualism.

49. The management of the Internet encompasses both technical and public policy issues and should involve all stakeholders and relevant intergovernmental and international organizations. In this respect it is recognized that:
a. Policy authority for Internet-related public policy issues is the sovereign right of States. They have rights and responsibilities for international Internet-related public policy issues;

But well that is just what the US doesn't want to allow:

On the one side, you had the US. Americans officials had strongly reiterated that it would not give up control over the net's technical functions, including the domain name addressing system.
They argued that the internet grew out of US military and academic research, and that the US government had both the responsibility, and the ability, to keep the internet open, stable and secure.
On the other side, you had nations making the case that the relationship between ICANN and the US Department of Commerce essentially amounted to American control of what has become a truly global communications and economic resource.
The time had come, they argued, to internationalise the discussion surrounding the net.

Well, of course we have to internationalise the discussion. But that raises an interesting related question... If we leave out the international end for the time being- how far should the governments be allowed to go with "controlling" this medium at the domestic level? We know that there isn't much they can do on the international front- but it's a different story within their own states. The freedom and the avenues that the Internet has provided the common man, does not need any mentioning... so if the government was suddenly sweep in and start regulating it all, how much difference would it make? The governments currently do regulate the net traffic, but I am wondering whether government interference at the local/domestic level would change? Given that all of a sudden when it can play a role on the international end of it - would it want to further its entrenchments domestically as well? What would that signal for net users? I think that if we can have free print and electronic media then it shouldn't be too much of an issue. But the internet is a far more powerful medium. So then what?

Another thing that struck me was that the UN Declaration talked of upholding the sovereignty of nation States and that the policy authority for Internet-related public policy issues is the sovereign right of States. Over the last decade or so, we have truly seen the concept of sovereign states being challenged. The states are no longer the traditional sovereign actors - so many other entities have no come into play- and of course that sovereignty has be threatened. Then is this another pretext that can be used to curb Internet freedom? The mere fact that this clause exists in the Declaration implies that governments are already sensitive over this issue. So then if we do have internet governance - what would be its form? How far would it penetrate? Actually how far can it penerate?

Wish there were more of him...

2005-11-12T01:34:00.000+05:00

Just read an excellent article by Mohatir Mohamad- the former Prime Minister of Malaysia. He has all of his points so right! I just wish all of the Muslim leaders had his foresight and the will to change things. Nonetheless, it gives one hope to read such stuff. All is not lost.

Some excerpts:

According to the Koran, a Muslim is anyone who bears witness that “there is no God (Allah) but Allah, and that Muhammad is his Rasul (Messenger).” If no other qualification is added, then all those who subscribe to these precepts must be regarded as Muslims. But because we Muslims like to add qualifications that often derive from sources other than the Koran, our religion’s unity has been broken

But perhaps the greatest problem is the progressive isolation of Islamic scholarship — and much of Islamic life — from the rest of the modern world. We live in an age of science in which people can see around corners, hear and see things happening in outer space and clone animals. And all of these things seem to contradict our belief in the Koran.

This is so because those who interpret the Koran are learned only in religion, in its laws and practices, and thus are usually unable to understand today’s scientific miracles. The fatwas (legal opinions concerning Islamic law) that they issue appear unreasonable and those with scientific knowledge cannot accept them.

and then he says:

Failure to understand and interpret the true and fundamental message of the Koran has brought only misfortune to Muslims. By limiting our reading to religious works and neglecting modern science, we destroyed Islamic civilisation and lost our way in the world.

Pursue the whole article here.

Ijtihad and Islam

2005-11-08T12:44:00.000+05:00

Irshad Manji wrote a rather nice piece for the LA Times. She looks at the reasons owing to which the concept of Ijithad no longer exists in the Muslim world. Why of all a sudden, it is considered blasphemous to even think contrary to the prevalent beliefs?

She dates the decline of Ijtihad to the decline of the Muslim Empires of Spain and the Middle East and the emergence of dissident groups all over the Muslim Empire. That is very true, for once these groups began emerge they had to acquire some sort of legitimacy for their rule and what better way to do it than to become guardians and custodians of the Great Religion? Anyone who dared to contradict them was contradicting the word of God and that was a big no no. Thus free-thinking and constant reinterpretation of religion, all but vanished.

Manji points three main characteristics of the Muslim intelligentsia since the 12th century:

For hundreds of years since, three equations have informed mainstream Islamic practice. First, unity equals uniformity. In order to be strong, members of the worldwide Muslim ummah, or nation, must think alike.

Second, debate equals division. Diversity of interpretation is no longer a tribute to God's majesty. It is a hammer blow to the unity that Muslims must exhibit to those intent on dividing us.

Third, division equals heresy. Soon after the gates of ijtihad closed, innovation came to be defined as a crime by dint of being fitna — that which divides.

And then she hits the crux of the problem when she says that:

The good news is that the gates of ijtihad were shut not for spiritual or theological reasons but for entirely political ones. This means there is no blasphemy in seeking to resuscitate Islam's tradition of independent thinking.

Yet, even today the Muslim world is still hesitant to open the gates of Ijtihad again. And again it is mere politics that acts as the hindering block. Also equally importantly, it has also become a question of survival for the crop of half-cooked Mullahs that litter the streets of the Muslim world. The Muslims of today have ended up placing the Mullahs on this high pedestal- to whom they take every single query related to their religious domain. They would rather take the word of the Mullah instead of investigating the issue on their own. And of course, if the common men were able to get together and work out these issues in the rational light of the principles of Islam- then where would the Mullahs and the Maulvis go? No wonder they declare, ijtihad a blasphemous act.

To break the back of this pseudo-clergy, the masses need to be informed that it is okay to rationally interpret religious edicts, that it does not amount to fitna and it is not against the principles of their religion.

Irshad Manji's article can be found here.

Just amazing

2005-11-07T11:00:00.000+05:00

Over the last few days, we have been letting the little kitties out for a while. Of course we always did so when Mano herself is around but still someone used to keep an eye on the pesky little things.

But today since no one else was around to keep an eye on them, I decided to let Mano take care of them herself and settled on the side to continue with my readings. But its was just so amazing to see the way she looked after them, the way made sure they didnt wander off.. she would run after them or meow sharply whenever they would venture into areas that she deemed were unsafe. I even caught her scowling at Mownie and dragging her back. And then Mimi decided to climb up a tree and Mano was up after her in a jiffy! I only noticed when they were both half way up the tree. But Mano had at least made sure that she didn't climb up any further.

All of this was just one of the more pronounced displays of motherhood by Mano. There are so many little things that she does- like coming back in early from her wanderings of the outside world and heading straight to check on the kitties (instead of rushing for the food bowl, as she used to) and she would let the kitties eat whatever you put down to her and just contently watch them... It's amazing! At the end of the day, she is just an animal. Yet there is enough sense, compassion and intelligence in her to take care of the little ones.

Probably this is qudrat at her finest! And it just amazes me.

Goblet of Fire!!

2005-11-06T19:47:00.000+05:00

The fourth movie in the Harry Potter series is set to be released on November 18th. Goblet of Fire marks the return of Voldermort to human form. It's bound to be an interesting journey and boy, am I looking forward to it! The other day I downloaded the trailer for the movie. The whole 34 Mb and that was no mean feat given the amazing cable connection that I use. But it was worth the effort. The trailers works as the perfect appetizer with glimpses of all the main incidents of the book. You even get a glimpse to the battle of wands that leads to cool phenomenum of Priori Incantatem. The movie promises to be way better than Prisoner of Azkaban. Although the PoA was a lot more darker than the prior two movies, yet it deviated somewhat from the original storyline. It neglected some parts of the book that I felt were integral to the book. And that was a bummer!

But from the trailer GoF promises to be a lot more satisfying. I haven't read anything that talks of cuts to the story and I hope they don't deviate from the actual plot line. GoF does seem to herald in the true 'growing up' of the kids! What not with the Yule Ball and Rita Skeeter lurking around evry corner :P Probably that's whats so amazing about this series. It's not just a fantasy story for 11-12 year olds. It's a lot more. It's just amazing how the characters and the story has attained more depth with each new book. It's not just that the books have grown darker each time, but the themes too. From the concept behind the Mirror of the Erised in the Philopsopher's Stone... to Harry letting Pettigrew go in PoA... to the ritual using which Voldermort rises again in GoF... to the battle at the Ministry in the Order of the Phoenix. It's been truly amazing stuff.

So then, I guess it's quite evident that I can hardly wait for the movie. I just hope I am able to land a copy that is not a cinema print!!

Seismic Activity in Pakistan

2005-11-02T18:18:00.000+05:00

The October 8th Earthquake has triggered off unprecedented seismic activity in Pakistan. Since the devastating earthquake, there have been over a thousand aftershocks and more than 250 of them measured 4.5+ on the Richter scale. This is freaky enough and then there are reports of increased seismic/volcanic-like activity in the Allai region in NWFP. This was the main story on the Daily Times today.

The reports from Allai, a community of some 150,000 people in the NWFP’s Battagram district, are being taken seriously. The military ordered a seismic survey of the area a few days ago, and while the team has reported that volcanic activity is ‘unlikely’, the evacuation is still going ahead as a precaution. Locals believe that the mysterious smoke and a series of unexplained, loud blasts heard frequently in the area, sometimes at intervals of only a few hours, are the result of volcanic activity deep within the mountains.

Fazl Rabbani of the National Centre of Excellence in Geology at Peshawar University is conducting a more detailed geological survey of Allai with a team of experts and told IRIN on Saturday: "I don’t see a possibility of volcanic activity, but we would like to see first-hand the fissures and cracks appearing in the mountain’s face, the water which people say has changed colour and the smoke from the mountain."

Just a couple of days ago, I had read this piece, which discusses mud volcanoes:

Mud volcanoes, according to Australian vulcanologist John Seach who runs a website on volcanoes, are not true volcanoes of the more common magmatic fiery, lava-spitting kind. They occur when mud and sand under the surface are squeezed upwards by compressive forces and expelled at the surface, particularly along zones of weakness or fractures in the Earth’s crust. The attendant phenomena of mud volcanoes include explosion, clouds of smoke, bubbling of water, outburst of mud, and the discharge and ignition of emitted gas (usually inert carbon dioxide or methane).

According to a German scientist, G. Delisle, who has researched extensively on mud volcanoes in Pakistan recently, there are two known groups of mud volcanoes. These are located onshore along the moderately seismic active Makran coast in Balochistan. They are known as the Chandragup mud volcanoes, which spewed gas that self-ignited following the 1945 quake, and the Jebel-u-Ghurab mud volcanoes nearby.

The good news is that mud volcanoes are generally not considered to be dangerous, and in some countries like Azerbaijan where the gas eruptions from mud volcanoes are more frequent and violent than those in Pakistan, they are actually a tourist attraction. Since the local experts have ruled out the chance of any volcanic activity in Alai, could the phenomenon reported by villagers in Alai be akin to that of a mud volcano, although there does not seem to be any reported existence of mud volcanoes in northern Pakistan?

There are, however, thermal or hot springs in northern Pakistan, another surface manifestation of tectonic movements beneath the Earth. (Like mud volcanoes, hot springs have also become well known tourist attractions in many countries.)

These might just turn out to be mud-volcanoes and hopefully they would. But given this sudden rise in underground activity in Pakistan - will we awaken to the possible threat and take some precautionary measures at least? There is a lot of talk these days about building guidelines and contingency plans and all that relief management stuff. But I wonder if all of this interest would last? Or would it all die off in a few months time and we will be back to normal? Maybe we ought to look at means by which we can sustain interest in all of these activities- so that the government, the builders et al. don't forget it all. Precaution is the only way to prepare against any similar recurrence.

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On a tangential note. The official death toll from the earthquake has jumped to 73,000! I had to pinch myself, when I heard that. This means that the causality count is higher than the injured count, which stands at 69,000. And this is even before the winter has properly set it. God forbid any further deaths. These have been crippling enough.

But I have been wondering about one thing. We have been hearing that if further deaths have to be prevent there is an immediate need for thousands of tents And these tents haven't been forthcoming- the national production capacity has been fully over-stretched and the international supply is struggling to keep up. In the light of all this - why can't the affected and the relief workers just start setting up small huts? Start clearing up the debris and reconstructing already! We don't need to import cements and bricks and all those things needed to rebuild, do we? So why are we just sitting there crying that there aren't enough tents to go around?! Wouldn't your basic instinct tell you to rebuild from whatever you can scavenge from the debris? Its nearly been a month now - and why are people still waiting for outside help? If they haven't bothered to show well then forget them and move on with life! That's better than dying in the cold, isn't it?! All you need is some sort of shelter and that doesn't necessarily need to be imported. :\

Awaiting Chand Raat

2005-11-01T17:57:00.000+05:00

Eid is almost here. It's the time to have all those get-togethers, time for channa-chaat and sewaain, time to dress up, time for all those chorrian and of course time for eidee!! But most of all, it is the time for Chaand Raat...

Following the iftar of the 29th Roza- its the time when everyone would rush out to try and spot the first crescent of the Shawal moon. The time when, more often than not, no one would succeed in this endeavor- so then it would be the time to turn on the TV and wait for the official announcement. The time when there is this uncertainty of a few hours - that's the real fun of it! You want it to be Eid tomorrow, you want to start preparing for Eid tomorrow... and so you wait for the Ruet-e-Hilal announcement. When it finally comes (and if its positive) then activity ensues in the kitchen, the TV starts playing all those special Eid shows, clothes are brought out- ironed, prepared for early next morning. And then you sit awake long into the night - applying Mehndi, cleaning up and just talking! It's Eid tomorrow!

This is what Eid is all about. So here's to this Eid! :)

Strewn :|

2005-10-30T17:44:00.000+05:00

Early morning, I was ordered (:P) into starting this thread on SNOBS. The blog post linked on the thread was a rather controversial view of the history of the Indian sub-continent by V. S. Naipaul. It was explosive material, so it was thought that the dormant crowd at SNOBS would be awakened and would post something. Well we did get some posts- but thanks to the protagonists, the nature of thread made me want to strew them all over the place! Anyways - an opportunity for a good discussion squandered.

The two main things that struck me after reading Naipaul's views were these:

Why is it forgotten that while Ghazni and likes did plunder and loot the civilizations in India- Islam was not responsible...the spread of Islam among the masses owed more to the peaceful preaching of the Sufis and the Saints rather to the swords of these conquerors. So isn't this a somewhat crude reading of history?

Secondly, would these view still have been harboured- had there been no "Pakistan"? Where would all this anger (and blame) be directed then? Is it more pronounced now, because India had to go through the harsh experience of partition?

Oh well, there might still be some good discussion on the thread...

Sigh

2005-10-29T04:49:00.000+05:00

When I watched The Message on GEO, two weeks ago I wondered to myself - "Are they really showing this on TV?" I found that a little hard to digest given that we as a nation are pretty particular about the religion and careful not to commit 'blasphemy' of any sort. So I was rather pleased that there were no objections - maybe we were maturing. This belief was somewhat strengthened when they aired it in Urdu the following week.

But how could the good-for-nothing Mullahs lets this pass?? There you go...

The North West Frontier Province Assembly passed a resolution on Friday, demanding the immediate ban of English film The Message because it hurt Muslim sentiments....Tabling the resolution, Deputy Speaker Ikramullah Shahid said a private TV channel had shown the Urdu version of the film. He said roles played by non-Muslims in the film were an affront to the Holy Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) and his companions. An immediate ban should be imposed on the film, he demanded.

Really?! And this is after the movie was carefully edited such that even the four Caliphs were not portrayed in person?! Do these worthy legislators have nothing better to do??

The Earthquake, Aid and the Military

2005-10-28T20:29:00.000+05:00

I just happened to watch the news on GEO. The main story they carried was about the UN declaring that it needs an immediate amount of $250 million, if it is to continue its relief operations beyond the coming week. This left me baffled.

I can understand the reluctance of the international community to provide direct aid to the government and its associated agencies- but why the reluctance to provide to the UN? The UN happens to be an autonomous international body which is trying its level best to save more than a million lives - yet the world seems oblivious to it all. Admittedly, large pledges were made at the Geneva meet two days ago. Still the UN says that it has only received 20% of the international pledge made. Why? Is it just lack of concern? Hesitation? Or just delay? Would delayed help be any help?

-------

On a slightly different note: Owing to the deep entrenchment of the military in the mainstream politics of the country- it is kind of expected that the military ends up playing a very prominent role in the relief operations. It is therefore interesting to note the opposing outlooks of the print and electronic media on this.

On the same newshour - both GEO and Aaj carried stories profiling the relief operations that have been undertaken by the military. From tent-hospitals and langars at Muzaffarabad to the tent Higher Secondary School at Batal to opening blocked roads, re-establishing communication links to reaching deep inside the mountains on mules- there is no dearth of stories that highlight the role of the military in these trying times.

But then you come across pieces like this one. Ayaz Amir is somewhat of an anti-establishment person, but more than often I find myself agreeing with his analysis. Yet, I wonder here- how much flak does the military truly deserve? It does seem to be doing everything its can dictated by the need sof the hour- yet we do criticise. True, there will be incidents where the criticism is warranted but are we making a habit out of it? Stereotyping it in a negative and unhelpful light? And yesterday I happened to read this. In particular:

We had three trucks and no sound method of distribution. The options included getting the help of the army. All vehemently rejected this particular option. The army was inefficient, uncaring and too apathetic, they said. We had all seen the image of a slumbering colonel on a pile of blankets.

It was decided to leave the trucks in the care of a prominent local. After all, we assured ourselves, no one could say we hadn’t tried. And yet the seeds of doubt remained, fostered by growing rumours of hoarding by unscrupulous men. After a sleepless night, we all decided to return. We set off in a mood of gloomy foreboding. There was an increasing atmosphere of panic over reports of looting, a sense of pessimism that it was all in vain. It now seemed a hopeless cause, for who could help a nation without protectors, a nation intent on self-destruction? Someone again feebly suggested turning to the army. Again the option was ruled out.

We were to change our tune very shortly....We drove to the Mansehra army relief camp with fearful misgivings about what lay ahead... However, the officers on duty readily agreed to meet us....

...Hesitantly we approached the officers. They heard out our sorry tale and understood our desire to distribute the goods on a personal scale. In fact they made us a magnificent offer; we could come the next morning and witness the relief operation for ourselves. When they saw our surprise at their helpfulness, they asked some shrewd questions. Sheepishly we confessed to our negative thoughts.

Upon hearing our doubts they seemed resigned rather than surprised. A campaign of negative propaganda had been launched regarding the army efforts. This was eroding the meagre remains of a cynical nation's confidence in its defenders. We interviewed the colonel who had been photographed while asleep. The explanation was moving and brought tears to our eyes.

The men had been working tirelessly since morning supervising the rescue operations. Helicopters were bringing in an endless number of wounded victims and survivors. One helicopter brought in a little child of two years.

He described her saying: "I have never in all my life seen a more beautiful little girl. To my horror the surgeon who had examined her had detected gangrene in her hand. To prevent further infection her hand had to be amputated instantly. As a soldier you become familiar with the faces of death and I have seen numerous jawans die before my eyes. But somehow the sight of this exquisite little child losing her hand was more than I could bear. A sense of faintness overcame me and I leant back against a pile of blankets and closed my eyes. After all I am human. That unguarded moment was recorded by a foreign reporter."...

The account does tilt a little towards emotionalism, but I do think it does get one or two things right.

Also howcome the newsreports potray the role of the military in a positive light - yet the critique of their role is pretty grim and almost ruthless. Makes me wonder even if their best would be good enough. Probably not. Someone has to take the hit.