As if multitude of problems facing us; war, poverty, terrorism, unemployment, power cuts etc; was not enough, our buffoon leaders grasp every opportunity to embarrass the whole nation in front of the whole world. The nation which has produced best doctors, engineers, physicists and world record holders IT professionals, has to face further humiliation of becoming a laughing stock because of cowardly decisions and goofy viewpoints of the ruling elite. I wonder why we are condemned to be ruled by worst of the lot which leaves us humiliated time and again.

Mr. Prime Minister (my heart sinks while addressing you by this title), your latest interview to CNN was one of the many examples of the above. The body language, selection of words, and irrelevant and weightless answers would annoy anyone, let alone the interviewer. And when a Prime Minister of a country is spoken to, by an interviewer as to ‘Look me in the eye and answer me’, there is surely something seriously wrong in stance and policies of the state that he is representing. The lady should understand that this part of the world does not know what resigning on moral grounds mean. That is only why you had to rely on generalised patent answers. Every time this issue of resigning on moral grounds arises, it reminds me of David Blunkett  the British Home secretary, who resigned by taking full responsibility of defaming his government due to his action of only fast tracking a visa application. But here, Mr Prime Minister you are actually standing firm as a scapegoat of an already defamed corrupt government like a stubborn child protecting an evil ‘friend’.

Your answer ‘Either choose democracy or dictatorship’, is a patent, prewritten formula for these interviews and talk shows. If one even thinks that this government is dysfunctional and corrupt, they are blasphemers, backed by the army, wanting big boots to intervene in the civilian territory. Oh no, Mr Prime Minister, not every question befits this answer. Not everything and anything is a ‘conspiracy’ against democracy. If the leading lot is corrupt, if the President has heavy accounts and properties outside the country the legitimacy of which needs to be looked into, it doesn’t mean we want dictatorship. Trust me, we hate it. That only simply means this is NOT democracy where people do not have the right to object and demand trials on corruption. You remind us of the will of people when you are told that according to a Gallup survey,  80% of the nation is frustrated and fed up with the dysfunctional parliament and civil institutions? Nothing can be more naïve than that. And you ask, why don’t the one third of the nation who wish to leave the country, leave then?

Let me answer you why. Remember the flood victim Mohammad Akram? A 30 year old man sick of his life who torched himself in front of your residence as he was frustrated to death because of unemployment? Remember, Kamran Ijaz Gul a child who topped his Class-VII examination and committed suicide because his poor parents could not buy him new school uniform.

Remember, only a few days ago in Multan, a one year old child died due to extreme heat in a bus stuck in a traffic jam caused by people protesting against loadshedding.

These people whose ‘will’ you talk about would leave the country if they had money and opportunity. But they haven’t seen a few thousands of rupees together, let alone millions of dollars that the leaders of this country have and deal with every day. Of course, your question, ‘who’s stopping them depicts your ignorance and apathy towards the nation you claim to lead. And of course, you wouldn’t know how painful it is to stand under the scorching sun at a bus stop with a hungry child in lap as you have millions of pounds to spend on your lavish and luxurious ‘Limousine’ tours. You wouldn’t know how a parent feels to see their child commit suicide. You wouldn’t know what it feels like to see your children prepare for an exam with no fan, no bulb and still shine. You wouldn’t know what it feels like to receive a bad news about a loved one, dying in a clash created for political/personal interests. And you wouldn’t know how it feels to see your loved one having a cardiac arrest in an ambulance when the traffic comes to a halt because of PM’s or President’s motorcade of Mercedes passing by. But trust me, Mr. Prime Minister you and your company are answerable for the herd of donkeys that you are leading. (16 crore, yeh gadhay jink a naam hai Awaam).

The country has already suffered from the worst brain drain and your indifference is making it worse. The lady asked you, ‘Who is running the country in your absence?’ We really want to know, who runs the country even in your presence? The nation is struggling to survive on its own with nobody to look up to for help and hope in your team. My question to you Mr. Prime Minister and company: you have money, properties, palaces,  and friends outside Pakistan and you have the opportunity more than anyone else in the country. If we are going to Stone Age even after your ‘country friendly’ policies and getting nothing from you, why don’t you and your team leave the country alone? And your question, ‘who’s stopping them (to leave)’ further disconnects the tie, so let’s do it. No one would stop you, I promise!

However, the PPP would be getting their planned design of lingering the legal course till final conclusion of the on-going legal battle is successfully executed, courtesy the lengthy and tedious legal process. But the detailed judgment in the contempt of court case had sealed the fate of the Prime Minister who would hardly avoid disqualification as member Parliament.But the Prime Minister’s “sacrifice” surely would buy some more breathing space for the ruling coalition to sail through the troubled waters by successfully presenting the fifth and final budget, which would be the only constitutional obligation to be met by the ruling coalition.

The decision of going in appeal against the judgment was already made by the PPP leadership, even much before the handing down of the short order of the court on April 26. Some senior party leader, who did not want to disclose their identity, said that the conviction of Prime Minister in the case was obvious and that was the reason they had already decided that they would exhaust all legal and constitutional remedies in the on-going battle with the superior judiciary.

Some insiders in the party said that the legal brains of the party would file appeal against the verdict in the case for which right now the court has not requisite strength to constitute a larger bench to take up the appeal. At present out of the nine available judges apart from the seven members who had convicted the Prime Minister in contempt of court case, three had expressed their inability to sit in the larger bench leaving the court with just six judges. So in given circumstances the court would be requiring at least two more ad hoc or additional judges to constitute a larger bench to take up the appeal of the Prime Minister.

The determination of the Prime Minister to go into appeal could be judged well from the fact that he did not even wait for landing of his plane in London and gave statement on-board his special plane that he would file appeal against the court judgment for which instructions had already been given to his counsel Barrister Ch. Aitzaz Ahsan.

Under the law, the Prime Minister could file an appeal against his conviction, which could ultimately lead to his disqualification as member of the Parliament, till May 26 as the 30-days time would be counted from the day of handing down of the short order by the court. In the meanwhile, the Supreme Court would initiate the legal process of getting the court order implemented by sending the copy of detailed judgment simultaneously to Speaker National Assembly and Chief Election Commissioner.

Speaker National Assembly, under the rules of business and procedure, is bound to forward the reference against Prime Minister to Chief Election Commissioner within 30 days period for action while the Chief Election Commissioner would have 90 days at maximum to de-notify him as member of the Parliament which would automatically remove him for the slot of Prime Minister.Pakistan People’s Party wants to have breathing space for another couple of months to successfully present the fifth and final budget and then the Prime Minister could even resign portraying that the PPP has great respect for the judiciary and try to mould the public opinion in their favour.

Anyone from the party would step in his shoes as Prime Minister to again defy the court’s direction in the NRO implementation case and could drag the matter till the holding of next elections and establishment of the caretaker set up. By the time they would successfully exhaust the premature campaigns being launched by some of the political parties with Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) as the forerunners. Political and legal analysts watching the situation were of the view that Mian Nawaz Sharif had made some hasty decision after the handing down of the short order of the apex court convicting the PM and should have waited till the detailed judgement. Similarly Pakistan Tehreek-I-Insaf and Jamaat-I-Islami have to follow PML-N and as they were not prepared for it their shows in support of the superior judiciary were off-colour or they could not leave some marked impact, which would definitely have some sort of impact on the judiciary as well.

These analysts were of the view that contrary to the political players the judiciary was playing safe and were not in haste in getting their orders implemented and that was the reason the judges of the superior courts were adopting judicial restraint in their decision and handling of various cases. Even in the detailed judgment in the contempt of court case against Prime Minister the seven-member bench could have given some clear-cut direction to Chief Election Commissioner for disqualification of the Premier but the court had once again showed judicial restraint, leaving the matter of Prime Minister’s disqualification to be executed through the laid down legal and constitutional process.

The legal and constitutional experts are of the view that despite the provocative statements and sarcastic remarks coming from PPP leadership the Supreme Court of Pakistan has not taken any hostile posture against the rulers while dealing with cases of sensitive nature and adopted judicial restraint to avoid clash-like situation to save the institutions as well as the on-going political process.

With all this battle and political tug of war going on the masses remain an irrelevant entity, busy in sorting out load shedding, protesting in the streets, committing suicides, selling their children while the convicted Prime Minister is on a lavish and luxurious ‘official’ trip to UK with a big team on Tax Payers’ money representing a poor and war stricken nation.

For me, it signifies that Pakistani people on social media have responded quicky and forcefully to the accusations  and allegations (without evidences). It showed that despite our differing political opinions, we stand united as a nation, which has been hit hard by drones, loss of civilians and soldiers, casualties terrorism brought home by US war on terror, and corrupt puppet rulers bowing to the neo-colonial forces. It shows integrity of the people and their commitment with the homeland. Twitter especially has given voice to  everyone and it was a pure display of public sentiment which showed the love of people for Pakistan. Our youth is awake and these words can be translated into actions if appropriate guidance and platform is given to them. Social media is indeed proving powerful and it can bring us closer and grow us stronger, if used properly.

While some tweets only displayed rage, a lot of tweets (opinions) were based on logical arguments. People pointed out the double standards of US policies, committing genocide in Japan, Afghanistan, Iraq and turning a completely blind eye to Indian and Israeli atrocities. Clinton was told to look into her home country first and clean the mess up. Human rights abuses  and repeated lies of US government were tweeted vigorously. Even in United States, #ShutUpClinton became a trend which shows that the sentiments crossed the borders. The message was loud and clear, that USA should not interfere in the internal matters of Pakistan and any threats to the sovereignty of the country will unite the people.

Some people might term it as a ‘on-line lip-service’ of ‘keyboard jihadis’ but it certainly showed a spark in the nation which will be converted into a flame if these double standards continue. ‘Word of mouth’ is very important tool. Even marketing professionals consider it extremely important to have a positive ‘word of mouth’. People have started talking about the US atrocities and these words can transform into actions just like Arab world. Important thing is that all those who are using social media are literate and educated people. The common perception was that educated people remain aloof of the problems of the country especially pertaining to the foreign affairs, but this was proven wrong by the whole activity. People today are more aware of the injustices and double standards done by super powers. Gone are the days when you were to blamed as conspiracy theorists if you were to expose the lies of the powerful. For me, not only Muslims, not only Pakistanis, but the whole world is now exposing the hypocrisy of the US government and the terrorism trend, it has introduced to the world due to its unjust policies.

“Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident” ~Arthur Schopenhauer German Philosopher (1788 – 1860)

Twitter trend with hashtag #ShutupClinton started trending as soon as the news broke on the media, showing rage and anti-American sentiment with Pakistani and other tweeps joining in reminding Mrs Clinton about the terrorised world evolving every day because of American policies. Hillary Clinton was shown the real face of US government  policies and lies in various tweets. It is still the most popular twitter trend in Pakistan.

“Combating violent extremism is something we all agree on. We look to the government of Pakistan to do more…. There are several significant leaders still on the run. (Ayman al) Zawahiri who inherited the leadership from (Osama) bin Laden is somewhere, we believe, in Pakistan. So we are intent upon going after those who are trying to keep Al Qaeda operational and inspirational,” Ms Clinton said in the interview. “The US is cooperating closely with India regarding the threats that emanate against them.” ” Clinton said during a press conference in India.”

Top Tweets:

anjum kiani ‏ @AnjumKiani

What did this Mother & 2 Daugters do to the USA, that you killed them in their sleep with Your drones? #ShutUpClinton http://pic.twitter.com/YQx1rRQq Retweeted 201 times

Knowledge Is Power ‏ @Mari_NewYork

#American actions [military, rogue, covert & otherwise] are the #1 cause of global terrorism #ShutUpClinton

ranjith ramesh ‏ @TheRnjith

#ShutupClinton You have more problems to solve on your own soil!

Saad Khan ‏ @M_Saad_K

Why can’t Hillary see the state terrorism of USA in Afghanistan, Iraq and everywhere in thee world, #ShutUpClinton

Naveed ‏ @naveedpti

#ShutUpClinton Your game is exposed, pack your bags and take your mummy daddy army back with you #ShutUpClinton

Umer Sarwar ‏ @Revoluti0nist

#ShutupClinton “Your negotiations with Taliban are justified while it is wrong when Pakistan does so”

The Sufi Soul ‏ @TheSufiSoul

#ShutUpClinton | …you’ve done so much damage to the Afghan people that a thousand lifetimes of repent will not rid you of this burden.

Salman Javed ‏ @FortressMSJ

What about #TarekMehana why was he taken in the prison? speaking for #Muslims is a crime for you? #Doublestandards#Cowards #Shutupclinton

Salman Javed ‏ @FortressMSJ

Wht about #AfiaSiddique U think a girl can kill your soldiers? Shame on your #Marines and #Shameonyou and oh yes you bettr be#Shutupclinton

IrfanTariq Javed ‏ @irfantariq

Pakistan paid highest price of your war on terror & still you blame pakistan for your own failures #shutUpClinton

Maria Memon ‏ @Maria_Memon

The best way to #ShutupClinton is to make sure that Al-Zawahiri is NOT in Pakistan.

Ambreen Ejaz ‏ @ProudPakistanii

You martyred our soldiers, you bomb drones on our people every other day. You have no right to call anyone else terrorist.#ShutupClinton

Hamza Baloch ‏ @H_Balouch

#America to OK 1 billion $ for #Israeli missile projects http://bit.ly/KJqkUt #ShutUpClinton!

Shahmeer Khan ‏ @DaDemagogue

Over 50,000 Pakistani Civilians & 5000 Armed Forces martyred in #USWar &Hillary wearing garlands to #INDIANS? #ShutupClinton#ShutupClinton

Sarah toxicos ‏ @unByanAble

Clinton are u not going to ask Singh about the 2000+ Mass graves of#Kashmiri Youth & their bullet riddled bodies? if not #ShutupClinton“

Ghazanfar Ali ‏ @ghzanfar

World is tired of lies now…. #ShutUpClinton

Pakistani youth thinks they have found a voice on social media which lets them show their ‘writings on the wall’ and make it visible to the world.

Adam Smith, the father of modern day capitalism, must have turned in his grave as protestors took to streets the world over again on May 1, 2012. What started off as an anti-consumerism movement organized by a Canada based magazine, Adbusters, soon turned out into America’s very own “Arab Spring”. The movement has quickly achieved popular support world wide, much quicker than anti-war movement or civil rights movement. The protests have exposed “fundamental problems” within US economic and political system and have shown a clear need that America should bring its own house in order before attempting to do so with other countries.

The protesters have not come up with a big list of demands either. It is more like a “revolution for the sake of it” by a wide variety of fed-ups from a broad spectrum; people have come out in the streets and are saying “We are not going to accept society the way it is”. Presently, the OWS is “leaderless” and protestors say that decentralization is deliberate as it has some advantages like allowing people from various backgrounds to rally behind the same broad message-Down with corporate greed…!!!

In the words of an old Japanese adage “When the army engages in protracted campaigns, the resources of the state will not suffice, for there has never been a protracted war from which a country has benefited.” What started off as a “war against terror” by the then President Bush, after ten long years, has not brought the desired results for the US; instead it has resulted in deteriorating economic conditions.  By making it a “Yes we can War”, Obama loses his own popularity while his troops continue losing ground to the Taliban.

The civil rights movement and the escalating war in Vietnam were the two great catalysts for social protests in the sixties. The situation is no different after five decades down the lane, only that Vietnam has been replaced by Afghanistan. The US is having a taste of its own medicine as, in pursuit of its objective to achieve complete military domination over oil reserves and routes, the US started occupying one weak country after another; totally oblivious of the fact that one day “Occupy Wall Street” will hit the streets of New York! The only wall that has withstood the test of times for 28 years was the Berlin Wall. Let’s keep our fingers crossed as to how the Wall Street survives OWS because when money stops flowing to the man in the street, blood starts flowing in the streets.

OWS-What’s in it for us…???

In Pakistan, the problem is that our politicians enter politics and elections not on ideological grounds but to grab power and make money. But the issue is, it is we, the people, who choose them, knowing very well about their past records. When the army is in power, we are in amnesia and desperate to bring the same corrupt politicians back, when they are in power we aspire for the army to make a come back. The real PROBLEM is that we are hunting for solutions in either of the two camps.

But the REALITY is that we don’t recognize that the real power lies with us THE PEOPLE–the power of the masses. We have had only one such experience of this “power of the masses” recently at the time of restoration of CJ. Time has come that people should start raising their voices through street marches, through media or through protests in any form.

Secondly, the military-bureaucracy-feudal nexus is so strong in Pakistan that talk of true democracy is far fetched. I feel that the major problem is that of illiteracy. If people are knowledgeable then they will have the understanding to vote and will think before they vote, whereas the literate population doesn’t vote because they think that it is useless.

Our leaders have taken safe refuge in their bunkers and have not shown any concern about its citizens. It is time that we demand from them a voice of action or they should be dispatched to their respective homes where they can face the reality of daily life being confronted by the people of Pakistan. The so called “leaders” are busy jockeying for political positioning and shown no leadership that they were elected to provide.

There is no governance, no accountability and not even semblance of leadership. This mayhem would have brought about a political change in any civilized democratic society. Perhaps it is time for the people to raise their voices against this deafening silence and demand action. I think we as a nation need to get together and realize that this is something we need to do ourselves. We need to be brave, we need to do whatever we can, write, voice our opinions, concerns and make ourselves heard.

There is a new Church and a new Clergy: Modern Science and Scientists. They may not chant incantations in Latin no one can understand nor do they put on holy garbs unlike common men. However, these scientists do speak a language no one has an idea about and their word is as divine. The logic and proof they put forward is undecipherable and thus, undeniable. The philosophical and theological implications of their findings are huge and are being widely propagated by atheists, humanists and (of course) scientists alike. Since the dawn of the “Muslim Dark Ages”, there is no challenging these minions of science, except mullahs, whose only line of defense is Suqoot-e Nikah (abrogation of Muslim marriages).

“It is not necessary to invoke God to light the blue touch paper and set the Universe going.” -Stephen Hawking

So, when Stephen Hawking or Michio Kaku – prophets of a scientific new era in their own might – deem God “unnecessary”, Muslim scientists are not to be found and the reply of the ummah in face of a host of modern scientific questions is silence. Ironically, even our religious scholars have no time for these trivial questions as they have much important matters to attend. Looking on the bright side, if there is any, at least that saves our nikahs!

We are still trying to bask in the glory of the long gone era when Islam led the way for science and the other so-called gentiles were in the Dark Ages. However, we never had time to notice the eclipse that has cast our glory into darkness and the turn of the tide in which, we have been left only with words and stories that now are as forlorn as the glorious age itself. Frankly speaking, when was the last Muslim call for Eureka, Muslim inventor, Muslim Nobel Prize, Muslim scientific breakthrough….hard to recall, isn’t it? But we still consider ourselves to be the Chosen leaders of all the nations anyways (sound a bit like Bani Israel?). Okay forget about that; let’s take a slightly different quiz: where is the Large Hadron Collider located and who collaborated to build it? Who launched the Hubble Telescope or the COBE Satellite? Who is running the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence program? Who spends the most on scientific research and exploration? Here’s a hint: the answer has nothing to do with those who face the Kaaba. Do I see a nikah abrogating Mullah wielding his fiery tongue at me?

And you thought seeking knowledge was incumbent on Muslims, even if it demanded the extent of travelling long distances, like say, China? Or maybe you had heard that Wisdom is a true Muslim’s lost heritage or that the Quran invites you to explore the universe. It seems while we were on a holiday, someone else took the lead. Now that they have the knowledge, they can present the facts with their perspective, as the only legal challenger is, let’s say, unavailable.

There was once really a time when Muslims propelled by the Quran, sought answers to fundamental scientific questions and delved on philosophical and theological implications of the answers they found. The Ibne Sinas, Al-Bairunis, Razis, Haythams were a whole clan who led the world of science without stumbling into the darkness created by absence of theological guidelines. It was because they were not divorced from the light emanating from the Noble Quran. However, such an era was not to last and not an inkling of their spirit was retained by present Muslims.

“Now at the beginning of the 21st century, faced with scientific claims like Neo-Darwinism and the multiverse hypothesis in cosmology invented to avoid the overwhelming evidence for purpose and design found in modern science, the Catholic Church will again defend human reason by proclaiming that the immanent design evident in nature is real”. -Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, Arch Bishop of Vienna

Not that there aren’t any questions left or every picture is crystal clear. But those trying to find the answers have their own ideas and basis of conclusions. Steps in the shape of Specola Vaticana (the Vatican Observatory) and The Pontifical Academy of Sciences aim to promote the progress of the mathematical, physical and natural sciences and the study of related epistemological problems. Thus allowing for an official Vatican response to many scientific observations such as the one quoted above. In 1992 the Roman Catholic Church finally acknowledged that it had been wrong to condemn Galileo. So did any of our eminent scholars renounce their nikah abrogations for those who believed in man’s landing on the moon? Are there any apologies for condemning Sir Syed learning and advocating the learning of English? The wide gap between the (Muslim) men of science and the religious scholars makes it seemingly impossible to reach at an Islamic insight into the world of science. Neither the former have an elaborate understanding of religion, nor the latter of science. Even, vice versa is somewhat true. However enthusiastically may we claim of the mention of the Big Bang in the Quran more than fourteen hundred years ago, that mention never led us to discovery of the phenomenon, nor its ready acceptance once it was announced.

“We will soon show them Our signs in the Universe and in their own souls, until it will become quite clear to them that it is the truth. Is it not sufficient as regards your Lord that He is a witness over all things?” -Al-Quran, 41:53

The question is when these Signs show up, will we be able to give the world a clearer explanation based on our understanding of both, science and the Quran, or would we be banking on Hawkings and Kakus to interpret them for us?

When society raises its voice against immorality, a section of press and media retaliates by raising hue and cry over it.  Raising voices against vulgarity is immediately tagged with honour killings, acid attacks and terrorism support. These people simply fail to realize that if someone is against obscenity, it doesn’t mean that he is in favour of acid attacks (its not an with/against situation). It simply means that people are against a set of crimes which are committed in the name of liberating women. Treating woman as an object is the worst form of slavery, because the victims (women) usually don’t even know about it and they don’t realize the repercussions they have to face afterwards. Women objectified as a commodity in the commercial world often lead to their worst slavery.  Indeed vulgarity is a great marketing tool for attractiveness. It has its own charm, but its killing the basic moral values of a society. With the current pace, its leading us to collective suicide.

The greater evil is actually defending the evil. Why do certain people think that they look cool when they play devils advocate? As described by Peter Robbins, everyone wants to get attention but some want it by hook or by crook. Even if it means becoming a terrorist or taking your clothes off, both have the same purpose of seeking attention. A lot of poor girls are promised of a bright future and high levels of fortune in the fashion world by encouraging them to loose their moral and ethical values.

Those who defend vulgarity, also use the argument that it’s a non-issue and we are facing issues like poverty and lack of education. Indeed poverty is a greater cause to be addressed but moral values are also equally important. With no morality, we can not call ourselves human. Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) said that ‘Haya (modesty) is an ingredient of faith’ (Sahi Muslim). Alot of ahadith (sayings) of Prophet Muhammad (SAWW) indicate the importance of modesty. All religions give value to modesty, as its the one of the main things which mainly differentiates the humans and animals.

The problem with the liberal fascists is their confused ideology. They are westernized products in desi packaging. They can’t get rid of their packaging and that’s their dilemma throughout their life. They even go to the extent of ridiculing Islamic values, just to ‘qualify’ being a liberal. They try to promote things which are forbidden in Islam (and other religions) just to look modern. Under the label of ‘personal choice’ they want to legalize homosexuality, yet they claim to be praying five times a day. Deep inside their hearts, somewhere they know that they are going against the human nature (Islam), but still they continue on the path of glitters, leaving gold aside.

Islam categorically is against promotion of vulgarity in masses. Even the purpose of offering daily prayers is defined in ch 29, v 45 as

‘ Verily, As-Salât (the prayer) prevents from Al-Fahshâ’ (shameful, vulgar deeds) and Al-Munkar (i.e. disbelief, every kind of evil wicked deed)’;

which simply means that if you are offering daily prayers, it should result in modesty. If its not, then there is some shortcoming somewhere. Quran has given very strict remarks about those who propagate nudity and vulgarity in the society, in Ch 24 v 19 it says:

‘Surely, those who like that lewdness spreads among the believers, for them there is painful punishment in this world and the Hereafter’.

But here comes again the same problem. Pseudo liberals always ridicule the solution of  ’repentance’ and returning to Almighty. For them creating a bond with the Creator is not a solution, but then they can’t provide any substantial solution either. In their own minds they are confused-but rather than trying to find answers, they continue to follow the blind path of ignorance. In the end, its for us (the masses) to decide what path we choose. Media depict of such issues brings vulgarity to the forefront & when viewed or read about over long periods of time, it will have a sadly numbing affect on our society (especially the future generations to come). Hence, whatever path we choose to follow must be clear & transparent. Right and wrong are clearly identified, choice is ours.

One thing which was brought again to the limelight due to this crash was the forgotten Airblue plane crash at Margalla hills. Airblue plane crashed and resulted in a similar hue and cry all over the country. Promises were made for a thorough investigation, but nothing substantial happened. The families of the victims still don’t know the real reasons. Bhoja Air accident happened near same airport and under same weather conditions again because lessons were not learnt from the first one. No one was held accountable, which led to conspiracy theories related to the air crash.

Few weeks before the Bhoja Air crash, Dawn news reported about Airblue plane crash that and said: ‘ It is regrettable that the causes of the crash, compensation to the families of the deceased and preventive measures are yet to be fully resolved even after about 21 months’. It further says ‘Worse still, this will also show that Pakistan does not have even a handful of persons of competence to handle its domestic air crash’.

As it is said in a famous urdu verse :

حالات پرورش کرتے ھیں برسوں

حادثہ ایک دم نہیں ھوتا

Neglecting mistakes over the years lead to accidents. And once again the similar accident occurred. Had we properly enquired the previous air crash, this one could have been avoided. The sense of accountability and responsibility towards human lives is totally missing in this scenario.

Islam doesn’t forbid us to take safety measures. Being a biomedical engineer, I have witnessed a lot of such events in hospitals, where ‘technical’ mistakes of medics and paramedics  lead to the death of a patient, but the family members are told that ‘its will of Allah’. Indeed its will of Allah, but HE has made us accountable for what we do. This is a ‘trick of the trade’ in all the professions in Pakistan that when some human calamity occurs, blame Almighty for it and avoid lawsuits which may follow in any civilized country.

There is a commercial aspect to the whole story. The plane of Bhoja air was apparently old and unfit for flying, yet it was allowed to fly ‘this one time’. The pilot was probably under pressure for not diverting the plane to any other destination because of the fuel consumption. Still the circumstances are not unveiled that what made the pilot to decide for landing in such weather conditions. The known thing is only that 127 people lost their lives. Saving a human life, is like saving entire humanity. But here, we don’t care about the safety of hundreds of lives.

While i was typing these lines, news were coming in about  a plane of Shaheen air, whose landing gear broke while landing. Thankfully the aircraft narrowly escaped the disaster which could have been terrible. This clearly indicates that rules regarding technical aspects and safety of aircrafts need to be forcefully implemented.

The media is more focused on increasing its TRPs. The entire coverage is based on sensations. Media did the same in air blue crash and then never took up the matter in upcoming months. Airtime was then reserved for the the likes of veenas and meeras and no one pointed out the mistakes that led to the air crash. This will happen again, people will forget it, and the government will get busy in protecting its corruption.

Some lessons need to be learnt from this air crash. Better we learn them sooner and avoid repeating mistakes.

The worst enemy i.e. weather continues to threaten what could be the most miraculous survival for any of Pakistan’s 6^th Northern Light infantry valiant soldier, if he eventually makes it. Apparently, it’s becoming a futile effort on top of the ground, and to add insult to the injury the weather dims the hope with each passing moment.

I was wondering, what these soldiers mean to us. Away from home, in places not even in the wildest of our imaginations, these men defend us. I had been involved in many of the past relief efforts in natural calamities that we as a nation have gone through; earthquakes of 2005 or floods in 2010-11, our men in uniform were there, digging people out from debris and cutting the beams to pull them out of fallen roofs in Balakot, perhaps providing shelters and food to families stranded on mountain tops.

They were among the first ones who held the hands of those drowning in flood water, In short, these sons never gave us a reason to complain when they were called or looked upon.

Today, they remain hidden beneath layers and layers of snow and ice, some already departed and some still fighting their way out in areas where none of us can reach. The way they sprang to our help when we needed them, we are unable to even take a single step in their direction.  Let’s for a second, try to dig few feet of this 80ft snow with bare hands and have a look at the adversity that struck them.

It was 5 Am when the avalanche struck; most of them would already be on their praying mats, some of them on guard and many of them still in their sleeping bags. A sudden impact and ground shaking sound would have alerted few only for few seconds before the actual tragedy unfolded. Having no idea of the technicalities of the speed and gravity of an avalanche in such conditions, I can only assume that it wouldn’t be less than, any mountain falling directly over head.

Beneath the snow when it was them and their Lord, many stories of courage and determination will also remain unheard. Virtually making the barracks a large grave covered with tons of snow, many of these men would have instantly given up on their breath and only few might have been allowed a little room to add few hours or may be days before they will finally succumb to harshness of their trial. Some of them would have made an effort for a while and some might still be fighting their way out.

As I write these lines, in the comfort of my room, I am unable to represent the true agony; in fact no one can describe what these men embraced. Given one second, minute, hour, day or perhaps week by the remaining life, what would these, once father, brothers, sons be thinking?

Faces of their loved ones would be popping in their minds the most, the lovely tricks children play when they used to return home from duty, how passionately siblings loved and took pride in them telling their friends about how metal-hard their brother was; how shockingly parents used to hear their tales of courage and they would be thinking how their wives looked at them with shyness and innocent complains in their eyes, for being so late at home. Yes, all of this would have spun in their brave minds.

Then, they would have looked upon their lives, how they were inspired by the courage of 1965 and how hurt they were on the events on 1971, how enthusiastic they were for Kashmir and how immensely they loved – Pakistan; first day at Military academy, first day they wore uniform and the first day they held the gun with an oath to protect the land carved in the name of Islam.

One can only assume the mesmerizing communication that would have taken place between them and their lord, the one the loved the most in the freezing night, the one they trusted the most, the one who never left them alone when they were literally cut off from the place called World. They would have been compassionate for their job was near done. They proved true to their oath, honest to their commitment and dedicated to their desire of martyrdom that would have been inches away.

When thinking about their visions and dreams, they would have certainly tried to raise their hands or at least positioned them in a way a supplication is made, they would have prayed for our prosperity and security and they would have hoped that their fallen guns will be picked up, and the enemy will not dare to cross an inch from where they stood guarding the dreams of Pakistan. They wouldn’t have regretted the loss of their lives; in fact they would be only yearning for the defense of Pakistan, for which they were buried alive. When they will meet their Lord on the Day of Judgment, they will request him to be allowed to return and die again in his way. Yes, these will be the martyrs with an unending resolve.

I could not possibly hold back my mind from flashing these painful last moments, as tear roll down, I feel worthless when my defenders lay undefended. What worries me is not the coldness that surrounds them, instead it’s the coldness of our hearts that fears me, fashion shows never stopped, no mourning and national unity witnessed, no patriotic atmosphere seen.

It’s just like another day for us, I ask myself, were these ordinary men that went away? No life is less valuable, but these sons were priceless. How many of us have raised hands once since this news broke? Let’s be honest, if anyone of us has had the opportunity to read a will of martyrs, do see it. Most of them write a famous line at the end, “Hamari Shahadat ki Qabooliat ki dua kijeay ga…” – Pray for the acceptance of our martyrdom.

In the most testing and closing moments of their lives, beneath the ice, a moment would have come when seconds away from freezing to death they would have said their last ‘Salam Sar Zameen e Pakistan’ -  I wish, we learn what Pakistan, meant for them.

Walaikum assalam, my 135 brothers, we owe you nothing less than our lives.

Today while driving from my home to office in Karachi, I managed to take the route of NIPA to Hassan Square. On that track, there was a billboard to which my sight came across. I stopped my car on the side of the road and stood still in front of the billboard & kept looking at it for 5 minutes. The only thing my brain anticipated during these 5 minutes was “A BIT FOR CHANGE . . . “.

That billboard was delivering a very important message relating to a forgotten lesson which the religion Islam taught to the “MUSLIM” nation of the “ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN”, a lesson relating to the respect of women. That billboard was saying “Stop Promoting Nudity for Selling Your Fabric”. Then I managed to take a picture of that billboard.

As the summer season has just arrived, the female lawn designers have placed the advertisement on the billboards promoting their products through female and that too without considering the Islamic limits of ethics. The question arises that why does the marketing is portraying a woman as an object? Is there no other way of promoting the fabric without a female model? Will their sales revenue decrease if they only promote the designs without a woman on the billboards?

Most of the people would appreciate this piece of work but some will be labeling it with the conservative mindset. It seems that we have not only snatched the HIJAB of the Muslim female of our society but has also placed them on the enormous billboards. I would like to mention the Quran versus, in which the Almighty Allah, the Creator of mankind and the universe says in Surah Al-Ahzaab, Verse #59:

‘O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (“Jalabib”) veils all over their bodies (screen themselves completely except the eyes or one eye to see the way that is most convenient that they should be known (as such) and not molested: and Allah is Oft-Forgiving Most Merciful.”:

It is the time that we must do the assessment of our society that are we following the orders Allah Almighty. This is the time to examine that are we in the limits of the ethics assigned to us by Allah Almighty or we have crossed them all. Islam is the only religion which talks about the female respect and honor They are like the clove of the unopened flowers as they are not pricked by anyone unless they blossom there hidden beauty our of them. In Abu Dawood, Book 32, Hadith # 4091 Ummul Muminin Hazrat Ayesha (Radhiallaahu Anhu) narrated

“May Allah have mercy on the early immigrant women. When the verse “That they should draw their veils over their bosoms” was revealed, they tore their thick outer garments and made veils from them.

The time has arrived that we should move towards a complete Islam rather then following the only versus which are favorable to us. We have to stop this evil or else may be our own next coming generation will be on these billboards. According to the book “Kenz Al-Omal, v. 13, p. 91 & 93” The Prophet (s) said,

“A caller will call out on the Day of Judgment, ‘lower your gaze until Fatima (Radhiallaahu Anhu) has passed.”

Keeping in mind the Islamic teaching & taking the Prophet Muhammad Sallalahu Alaih Wasalam, his Ahl e Bayt & Sahabah Ikraam Rizwaanullahe Ajmaeen, we have to explore marketing techniques free from unethical means. Let us secure our Muslim society so that our females may breath again free from embarrassments. The time has come to represent the true image of Muslim not only by words but by conduct. Let us all join our hands to promote this Nobel cause and take another step to free our society from evil.