My Country bleeds...

Today, thousands of miles away from my homeland, my heart and soul is in my city Islamabad... 20th October came this year with the news of bomb blasts at the Sharia & law building and the girls' cafetaria at my alma mater International Islamic University Islamabad, the place that made me everything I am today. This was the place that prepared us to face the future...made us everything we are...and most of all, gave us the strenght of character and will to take on anything in life... I remember the countless hours spent in that cafetaria, the thousands of times we would walk through those corridors that used to ring with the sound of innocent laughter...and now they are smeared red with innocent blood and flesh and the stench of death and lives robbed...

I wish the day of judgement would come soon so that someone could account for all this, since I have no hope left in the likes of that sorry excuse for an interior minister...rehman malik the rascal who shows up like a bad penny every time there is a disastrous situation... I'll go as far as to say he might be behind these attacks...may u rot in hell..and president zardari...u deserve to join ur wife...when they had intelligence information about such an impending disaster...they should have done something about it...And you people who kill these children like insects, why dont you just kill zardari and rehman malik huh...it'll save us all so much pain and eliminate the root cause of all the problems too...

It's a sad day for all Pakistanis especially Islamians...i dont know how the students will ever go back to that cafetaria and those corridors...knowing that their unfortunate fellow students and friends lost their lives in such a brutal way there... every time i see the videos and pictures of those blood sprawled places...i keep going down memory lane again...who would have thought this place which was like our second home, in years to come was going to be the target of those animals those barbarians who call themselves muslims...Islam is about nothhing if not about peace...May Allah show them to the right path...Ameen

And the parents and families of those who died...your children are Shaheeds...dont cry for them...they will always live...and there blood will not go in vain

And those who are still critical and in hospitals...May Allah give u health and strength...and forbearance...

And for my country...May Allah be your protector...Long live Pakistan!

I Miss Pakistan

Been here for almost a month now and I don't miss my family as much as I miss Pakistan. And this city of Orebro is so much like Islamabad. The greenery, the scenery, the calm and quiet, it all reminds me of my hometown. I would've preferred some place a bit more noisier for change's sake if nothing else. I miss all the home cooked cuisine that I never liked when I was at home. I crave those things now. alloo ki bhujia wid paratha, keema aaloo, chicken karahi, mash ki daal , baryani...oh how I wish I knew how to cook...have been eating different versions of eggs and potatoes since I arrived here last month and am sick of them now....I'm going to learn to cook now... and yeah channa chart, dahi bhallay, pakoray, gol gappay, samosas even rice pudding ...

I have to logout or I'll never shutup...

Studying in Sweden...

I might be going Sweden this year for my masters. Admission results get announced on 7th may which is 2 days away. Im not sure if it was a good idea or not...anyways will know in a few months time. I So let's see...

Gaza bleeds

My heart goes out to those suffering at the hands of Israeli brutality right this minute.

India might strike...

"India might strike", this was the opinion of international spy agencies over the weekend. What I fail to understand is the amount of free time this nation of ours has on its hands. Yesterday evening when the TV cable connection went down for some hours, rumours regarding possible strikes from India in the evening, sprout up all over the country. The claim was that to save the people any stress from the media reporting war, they have shut down the cable connections which was absurd to say the least as the moment the cable was up and about there was a salman khan sri devi starrer movie already half way( God help this nation...Sonia Gandhi was right when she said, the enemy doesn't need to fight us at the borders...they're sitting right inside our homes) and the news channels were showing regular strips regarding how many women had jumped into wells in the rural heavens of this land due to one reason or the other. Do you think being paranoid is going to get us anywhere? Instead of initiating rumours and being glad to have something new to gossip about we better start re-assessing ourselves and see where we stand as a people. We could'nt put out the fire at Gakhar Plaza on time, maybe we will be able to defend this country when the time comes, if we haven't sold our souls to the devil already...
I know I'm being harsh but it is about time we start doing something about our national character because M.A. Jinnah did not envision this nation the way it is today...

Zardari becomes new President

On 6th September 2008, when the voting for a new President was underway in the National Assembly; Islamabad and Northern Areas were rocked by a medium scale earthquake. But I beg to differ as I believe that was the sound of M.A. Jinnah turning in his grave at this nation's fate. The rise of such a corrupt person to the seat of President in the months following Benazir Bhutto's death is unprecedented in the history of Pakistan where mind you there has never been a dearth of corrupt people in power. But the way this farce of a President goes on and on about BB's legacy and what he (God forbid!) is going to do for (to) the country is anybody's guess.

Wimbledon 2008

There you go Nadal beats Federer on grass at Wimbledon and what a place to beat him at. Though I was supporting Federer, I must say Nadal did deserve to win.

Daylight Saving Time...Solution or Confusion?

The cleaning lady at my place believes that if she moves the time 1 hour ahead...all hell might break loose....she shows up an hour late everyday and refuses to move her watch an inch. When we tell her that you have to do it, she goes, "baaji yeh ghari hamara apna hai....hum ne apne paison ka kharida hai....yeh hamara apna kharida hua time hai...hum isko kisi kliye kyun agay kare...hamara beta aur hum subuh 4 baje uth'ta hai namaz parhta hai..."
Then pointing to her watch vigorously like we are deaf and blind, she tries to explain to us, "dekho yeh hamara ghari hai matlab hamara time hai isko hum gorment(read government) kliye agay kaise kar din"
See how simple people are...they are the reason this country is still on the map of this world. But I want to ask the goverment in a country with less than 30% literacy (forget about the official figures) how can you expect people to know the purpose and usage of daylight saving time. There should have been some awareness campaigns, pamphlet distribution, messages on national tv. Even the people in the urban areas don't know that you can't benefit from the time changing if you dont stop using artificial light sources, air conditioners and other electricity appliances in the morning. What about those in rural areas who haven't even bothered changing the time. Some power saving strategy... What's the use...the only purpose it is serving is, it has provided people with a new topic for useless discussion. So many shopkeepers in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi haven't bothered changing the time either...they say our routine setup would be disturbed.
The last time daylight saving time was introduced was in 2002. It failed then and it is failing now unfortunately for the same reasons. Back in 2002 hardly any power was saved due to lack of awareness. We just refuse to learn from past mistakes don't we! The past governments failed to foresee the power crisis and this government has yet to prove it's any better...all talk and no action that seems to be our national motto.
So it would be safe to say that daylight saving time cannot succeed without the common man knowing how to use it to his and the country's advantage so let's just hope next time such strategies are not implemented without proper ground work.
And hey my driver just called to ask, "baji apki chuti aj Jumah ko 12 baje hai lekin mene puchna tha k nai walay 12 baje lene aon ya puranay wale." :-)

Leaving Pakistan...the Perfect Solution??!!!???

Every other person I talk to is either planning to or has already arranged to leave Pakistan. Why??? They have some pre-conceived notion that the day they get out of here, all their problems will just disappear. And if you ask them to shed some light on the way they plan to survive in the utopia they haven't reached yet, all they will say is that "bas yahan se niklo sab kuch khud theek hojyga". I have just one thing to say to all such people "jab wahan ja k kuch bhi theek nahin hoga na (kyunkeh masla mulk mein nahin masla tum logon mein hai) kyunkeh tum log apne ap ko nahin badalna chahte to is mulk mein coffin mein band bhi wapis anay ki zarurat nahin hai". We just don't need people who believe they are the perfect citizens(which they are not) and there is something wrong with this country. We have to realize that the problem lies with us, the People. Unless we don't change ourselves nothing is going to change, not this country not our lives...nothing, no matter where we decide to live. And one thing more I have the perfect solution to the problem of brain drain...every graduate's name should automatically be entered into the ECL (exit control list). Is kaum ka aur koi ilaaj nahin hai. God help us all...

14th May Sad Birthday for Israel

14th May was supposedly Israel's 60th birthday. But they say Israel's 60th birthday is a sad one. On the streets of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv amidst all the hype regarding the independence celebrations there is a sense of melancholy. This is what happens when you build the home of your dreams on the site of another's home and happiness...., you are left with nothing much to celebrate. Israel can do what it likes but nothing can wash away the guilt and torment accumulated through ruining the lives of innocent Palestinian families over the years. Yes, the Jews have been persecuted througout the centuries but nothing could justify the pain the Palestinians have been made to go through and still are inorder to give Jews a home. There are many nations in this world that do not have a boundaried state of their own, are scattered all over the world. Many of them have been persecuted too. But the way innocent Palestinians have been made to pay back for the lack of a Jewish state is just shameful to say the least. Making another nation go through hell because you went through it. This is sadistic. What a way....take their homes...kill their children...crush them because you believe what is theirs should have been yours. After all, the Germans were responsible for the holocaust, not Palestinians because the holocaust is at the bottom of the idea of Jews from around the world going and settling down in what is and for us will always be, Palestine. And no I dont believe in the co-existence of an Israeli and Palestinian state. Steal somebody's home, their happiness, their peace of mind and then say let's live side by side. You take this portion of the house and we'll take that. Is this justice?

So, here's to 60 years of aggression, occupation and conceit...!

Changing Attitudes

It's not anybody who gets to be a Pakistani living in Pakistan. If you are one like me, we are quite a rare commodity in terms of the lives we lead...Everyday is a story of survival in the life of a Pakistani. It's not a bad thing, it's just that too much purposeless selfish life leading can be a formula for disaster. M. A. Jinnah, the founding father, passed away 60 years ago and ever since then, we have been on our own. We haven't been able to completely achieve what we set out to do, but what do you expect of a nation of self underestimators. I have never come across a more pessimistic bunch. We over-expect things from ourselves, believe that we won't be able to achieve what we intended and just let the time pass and are almost relieved when we naturally end up not achieving our goal. I believe it is the comfort and feeling of safety in failure that we have come to love. The mindset and attitude with which we take on a task be it a personal one or a national one, is where the problem lies. We just don't want to put ourselves out there and give it our best shot. We would rather shy away, keep our abilities to ourselves, rather imagining the work than actually doing it...There is no ability in this world that we lack expect a firm belief in ourselves and the only way we can have that back is to have faith in Allah. Yes i mean back because we had it in the first half of the 20th century. We need to rekindle that relationship with Allah we had back in the 30's and 40's ...this nation was a great nation and still can be if we could find the sense of belief and purpose that had helped it achieve Pakistan. Let's try changing our attitude, let's think positively for a change and put ourselves out there.

Long Live Pakistan...!