The Islamic Republic of Pakistan -- Really is it ?

The news about the a mosque being named after a killer of ex- governor Punjab, did not come as a shock to me. As we live in a country where mass-murderers are revered as holy, corrupt so-called 'mullahs' are followed blindly, people are judged on their appearance, fatwas are issued on everyone who dare to argue with us and killing innocent people is justified.... and the best part is this is all in the name of religion!

Independence Day - 14th August

Today is the 66th birthday of my beloved country "Pakistan".

In the morning i was thinking that I should seriously start telling Ayaan about these events which he may not be able to celebrate here in Sweden with the same enthusiasm we used to do in our childhood.

A couple of days back it was Eid, and that too was spent like 'just another day'. No Morning صفائیاں , no getting dressed up, putting jewelry , nothing. it was the most boring eid i ever had ! 

Anyways talking about the independence day celebrations, i remember we used to put the Pakistani flag on the چھت of our home , even did چراغاں one 13th august night with abbu. 

My parents really brouhgt up so well with the patriotism for country, love for religion, peace and harmony for all sects.

the conditions were not such as they are today ! Nowadays we are all ready to kill each other on minor issues. And then it is called as frustration ! is it really frustration or is it selfishness?

Evolution of thoughts -- positive or negative ?

After a very long time I opened my blog and read what I had written earlier on Salman Taseer's death....
My first reaction was "did I really wrote that ? were they really my thoughts at that time ?" . Perhaps yes ! This made me to write something more how my thoughts have evolved over time and may be positively (that's what I think).

Its amazing how time and circumstances change your perspective of viewing things. More exposure to the world outside our own little world of thoughts and confined imaginations, lies a a lot more to be explored by us.

Reading my previous posts made me realize how most of us think (or atleast I myself used to think) about such situations, over charged emotionally, without any realistic thinking , just living in the paradise of fools.

One habit of ours that is very common and which I am trying to overcome is spreading messages without confirmation, believing every other thing in this world to be a conspiracy against us, talking and thinking negatively about everything and hating everyone  ........

The last five years in Sweden have really changed my thougts ...... and I hope they are towards a more positive journey now !

A poem by Ahmad Nadeem Qasmi

Watan k lie aik dua

Khuda kare kay meri arz-e-Pak per utray
Wo fasl-e-gul jise andesha-e-zawal na ho
Yahan jo phool khile, khila rahe sadion,
yahan khizan ko guzarne ki bhi majal na ho
yahan jo sabza ugay, wo hamesha sabz rahe
aur aisa sabz, k jiski koi misal na ho
ghani ghataen yahan aesi barishen barsaen
k patharon se bhi roeedgi mahal na ho
Khuda kare k na kham ho sar-e-waqar-e watan
aur is k husn ko tashweesh -e-maah o saal na ho
her aik fard ho tehzeeb o fan ka aouj-e-kamal
koi malal na ho, koi khasta haal na ho
Khuda kare k mere aik bhi hum watan k lie
hayat jurm na ho , zindagi wabal na ho

Khuda kare k meri arz-e-Pak per utray
wo fasl-e-gul jise andesha - e-zawal na ho !

(Ameen)

16th March´2011

Raymond Davis freed!

Just heard the news of the release of Raymond Davis (an American charged of killing two men in Lahore). According to the news, the concerned people, the relatives of the murdered took money (de´et) and forgave Davis according to the Islamic shariah. After the concerned authorities have forgiven, there is no option left for anyone, be it media or common people or any other political party to criticize the decision. As none of us have the right to do so!

There was some senior journalist giving his opinion about this issue, that although the question arises, as to how this can happen when the relatives were constantly saying that they want Davis  to be given death sentence! He was right in saying that we as Pakistanis feel bad and talk bad about people who pinpoint towards us but never accept the fact that how morally degraded we have become.

We have become such that there is a hell lot of difference between what we practice and preach.

May be the family was right in doing so, by accepting the money, accepting whatever they were offered, as in this materialistic world, God forbid, if this had happened to any one of us, perhaps we would have also looked for a better life ahead, a better future for all of us .

Though i do feel sad and demotivated at this news  , that once again an American has been released and not punished for the crimes he committed but maybe at least this time , the man was not just handed over like that, as claimed by the USA govt. that he had immunity . At least this time he was indicted for murders, though was freed later but at least not just released like that. At least he had to pay for the lives he took for nothing, the people he killed just like that because being an American he had the license to kill anyone in the country like ours --- Pakistan, as our leaders want to be the happy salves of that govt.

Anyways, hope remains there for a better Pakistan. I am realistic, I believe in miracles!

4th January 2011

A ------------- News 

“Governor Punjab Mr.Salman Taseer killed in Islamabad”, this news was really shocking and it spread like fire. Within 5 minutes of that incident, we in Stockholm have already heard about it. To view the details we tried to open the online news sites but it was too much loaded and opened after a couple of minutes confirming the news and also giving a brief description of how he was killed by one of his security guards because of his reservations against some of his recent statements. Only 10 minutes to the news and it showed that 84 people on FB liked the news!!! What was that!! People are liking this news …oh c´mon! Even I didn’t know how to react on his death, to pity him, to be sad, to be happy …….but the only thing that came into my mind at that instant was the situation that would soon be in my country. I can just imagine the tension of the news even sitting here out of the country.

May be the governor reached his fate, may be the guard was right in killing him since he was supporting the controversial case of a woman accused of blasphemy. May be that’s how every Pharaoh is destined to die, may be this was the punishment he got because of his arrogance, or who knows all the Pharaohs of our present government will suffer the same or even worse! Allah knows better than all of us!! But still I am not at all sad at him being killed, but it’s the law and order situation in Pakistan that worries me the most.

In Lahore, the markets and all the businesses were closed within an hour, as told by Bajjo. Each and every city will have to face the music now and especially Karachi, as whatever happens anywhere in the country, the most affected is my city.

PPP has announced 2 weeks mourning and above all the PM Mr. Yusuf Raza Gillani in addition to just condemning and ordering a probe into the incident has also announced 3 days of national mourning for a politician who never ever thought for the national interest perhaps! Doesn’t that sound funny?? I am so sorry but as much as I try I cannot feel a bit sad on the killing of the Punjab governor!! Maybe I have become too ´Bay-hiss´!

I hope everything remains under control now and not so much of killing and burning takes place now, as it happens 3 years ago when BB was killed. Already there was so much of tension going on among our idiot political leaders who have no guts to lead the country. All they know is to throwing mud at each other, pulling each other’s legs and such shameless stuff.

Let’s see what happens now! May ALLAH save my country ….. Aameen.

Shab-e-Jumma

The Spiritual & Mystifying Friday Night

One of my friends from university once told me about the gathering on Friday night (night between Thursday and Friday) commonly known as “shab-e-jumma”, at various mosques in the area. He informed about how people go to the mosques at Maghrib time, spending whole night in Prayers and preaching Islam, increasing each others knowledge. Then the next morning some of the volunteers go for Tabligh to various parts of the country in the form of little jama´ats while the rest return to their routines, all set to attend the congregation next Thursday.

One of the big mosques, for this purpose is at Ayesha Manzil,near Aga Khan School, where hundreds of people gather each week; Madni Masjid. One of my colleagues, Mehreen from the HR department lives there, and our van has to take that route to drop her. Last Thursday (13/05/2010), it was quite late when we left the office and it was around Maghrib time when we reached Mehreen´s place.

The scene there was quite mystifying, atleast for me. There was unusual rush  of people, all kinds of – wearing shalwar kameez, western dress , bearded , non-bearded, irrespective of their castes… all were heading towards the masjid for the congregation of Friday night. All were ready to purify their souls and to get the most of the night.  The pedestrian bridge was full of white colour , the colour of the purity . the cars were filled with the people heading towards the masjid. People were coming from each and every place of the city and even from the other areas and were joining the spiritual league.

When our van passed through those streets, it was a mesmerizing scene, don´t know what was so inspiring of that but it was really really looking mystic. People have set up their ´thelas´ there selling different kind of things; dates, food, icecream, chat, miswaak, souveniors, many small pieces of technology from china and what not was set up in that small place. The rush of people all clad in the colours of purity were selling and buying the things, exchanging their views about life, helping each other in better understanding Islam! Well , it may not sound as something extraordinary, but at that time it was for me. It all resembled like the bazaars of Madinah and Makkah, with people wandering in the bazaars to leave everything and go for the namaz on hearing Azaan.

 Something was surely spiritual, mystifying, mesmerizing at that place which forced me to write this, to share this thought. I can still feel the piousness of that place, the calmness and serenity that could be felt their that time, with all the people gathered to rectify themselves. Nobody was there to point fingers on others, but to correct their own selves. Maybe I cannot portray the scene exactly in its true sense, but there was definitely something extraordinary at that place that day!!!