Pakistan – Page 11 – My Bit for Change

Twitter trend #ShutUpClinton and what it means to me

Hillary Clinton talked about possiblity of presence of Amyn-al-Zawahiri in Pakistan and demanded Pakistan to do more in interviews and Press Conference in India. She immediately received a powerful ‘shut up’ call from Pakistani social media. Hashtag #ShutpClinton started trending, showing the unity of Pakistanis across the board on this sensitive issue. Hillary clinton was shown the real face of America in various tweets, highlighting the reasons behind the anger. A video containing confession statement of Hillary was also virally tweeted in which she confesses of USA being responsible for a lot of mess in the area. Mainstream electronic and print media also took notice of the twitter activity and reported it accordingly.

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)

Are you following #ShutUpClinton on Twitter?

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, at the end of her visit to India stressed that Pakistan should ‘do more’ with US to fight terrorism, just a day after she hinted that Aiman Al Zawahiri might be hiding in Pakistan. Pakistan Social Media had already went outrageous on these irresponsible statements from her and the fact that US was working closely with India’s help to pressurise Pakistan on her insignificant role on War on Terror.

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 #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.

Its Written on the Wall..

Do we really need an explanation as to why did thousands of people haven taken to the streets of New York City since 17th September, 2011. Initially, these protests were assumed to be “brushed under the carpet” by the US Administration, but the way they have gained momentum world wide, analysts are of the view that the cat is finally out of the bag. However, it remains to be seen how much dirty laundry does the US have in its closet?

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.

Of M-Theories, God Particles and Multiverses

“There is a probably apocryphal story, that when Laplace was asked by Napoleon, how God fitted into this system, he replied, ‘Sire, I have not needed that hypothesis.”-Stephen Hawking: Does God Play Dice?

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?

Defending Vulgarity

‘Branding’ as modern and targeting a niche which tags itself with ‘ultra-liberalism’ is certainly a matter of bread and butter for a section of media which is trying to bash every moral value. The target market of some newspapers might be the ultra liberal, highly sophisticated and modern society; where ‘everything’ is allowed as long as its not religious. It’s a source of earning for them to target that niche. But there must be some standard moral values for everyone to follow.

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.

Repeating Mistakes

The news of Bhoja Air crash shook the entire country all at once. Every local news channel was covering the accident insensitively, showing dead bodies and wreckage of the plane. Each anchorperson was pointing fingers and raising questions about the accident. 127 people lost their precious lives but it was merely an exclusive news event for many channels. Thanks to the free media, the news reached everywhere immediately, but no one was considering the ethics related to such reporting. News Channels were trying to achieve the mileage and earn more viewer ratings. This event will be in the headlines for few days, but eventually the media will forget this event and will get busy in some more exclusive issue like that of the ‘wedding of a sania mirza’.

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.

Its pity that we don’t plan for emergency situations. Alot of incidents of fire eruption occur, but we rarely find that something has been learnt from these mistakes. Precious lives are continuously at stake. I wonder when will be ‘grown enough’ to realize our social responsibilities as citizens of this country. Human life is the cheapest thing available in Pakistan.

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.

Beneath the ice

It’s been few days, already. No sign of survivors, no indication of life, not a single body, not a single voice! Hundreds of soldiers frantically search for their lost fighters buried deep down in worlds highest battle ground ever heard in the history of mankind.

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.

Ethical Marketing …..

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.

The Album of Life

There was once a world without you. Someone was celebrating your expected and awaited arrival and someone bore hardships and pains to bring you into this world. With the first click you land into this place which is a beautiful masterpiece of the creator. You are an adorable baby, a joy to your parents who bear those sleepless nights and support your helplessness with unconditional smiles on their faces. Just with a few more flicks, you are a daring toddler of your proud parents who cherish the first steps of your independence and confident walk. Your mind tells you that you can do it but your body disagrees. This still developing co-ordination between your brain and body makes you stumble. But there is always a pair of gentle hands to pick you and tell you, ‘You can do it’. Those hands and reassuring hugs make you fearless and failures do not scare you. Falls and bumps don’t stop you from experimenting new challenges.

You talk silly and they kiss you. You do not make sense and they hug you. You trip and they lift you high. You scribble lines and they appreciate you with raised eyebrows and dropped jaws. You do most silly things to catch their attention and make your presence felt. You go cross if ignored and they try to please you with hugs and kisses, hide and seek, ‘horse-rides’ on their backs etc. You can’t share them with any other child as you are too possessive about them.

With a few more flicks you are a confident school going child. Exams are the most difficult days in one’s life, you think. But, they support you and celebrate when you get down the stage after a performance or winning a race. Their world revolves round you. Their sleeps, social life, work and holidays; you are one factor that affects all of these.

Life is changing for you. You feel you are big and smart enough to know everything; a teenager filled with energy. Something in you tells you that you can conquer the world. Your ideals begin to change. ‘No’ is the word you don’t like to listen but would use often. You see colours in your life and with a few more flicks you have another beautiful person to fit in frame with you and soon the cycle repeats. You have a little one of your own and you are overjoyed with this little cry and chuckle in the house.

This album of life is strange; an overlapping connected series of circles where we all are in different stages of the track.

The lovely hands which cuddled you are now wrinkly and those bright faces are now sagging. The legs, which ran with you on the shoulders, are now weak. They trip and topple. Despite their physical weakness, their support makes your life and career successful. They are entering into the last phase of their lives. They have started talking silly. They sometimes make no sense at all. Laugh, cry or shout for no logical reason. Sometimes their ‘childish’ and attention seeking behaviour disturbs you. They need someone to talk to, sit with them and hold their disjointed wrinkly hands without even asking for a word, or sometimes just a word of love and a gentle smile exactly like you did when were young and silly but adorable to them, remember?

‘And whomsoever We bring to an old age, We reverse him in creation (making him go back to weakness after strength); so do they not understand?’ [Al-Qur’an 36:68]

Life goes on and a day comes when they reach their finish line in the circular track of life. (The circle doesn’t stop for anyone). The beautiful hands, the shady trees under which you felt safe, the warm hugs that gave you confidence are no more.

If you had any sleepless nights because of them, and you got a chance to feed and clean them like they did when you were young, consider yourself as an extremely lucky person, although no one can return the debts of parents’ love and hardship; not even a single scream of the mother when she cried and tried to bring you to this world and smiled immediately after you came in her arms.

Another flick! You’re a weak elderly with your children running for a ‘successful’ life and you are sitting in an armchair, reading newspaper with those glasses on and a walking stick by your side. Your mind is still young and keeps reminding you the highly energetic life you spent which involved struggle, joy, grief, and celebration, disappointment and hopes. But your body doesn’t agree. You know everything that the world holds, with people around you who think you know nothing, but they don’t realise they are just a few steps behind in the big circle of life.

The circle of life never stops. We don’t have a special eye to look at the future but our parents are a mirror of where life could take us. Our boasting energetic bodies and minds do not allow us to see that we’ll be in exactly the same state of feebleness, frailty and dependence if we live up to that age. Life is too fast and unpredictable and we are all running after ‘God-Knows-What’ with too little time to love each other. It’s the love and the loved ones who make life worth living. Let’s give our parents their rights, our love and respect. We can try to return at least 1% of what they’ve given us; sit with them, listen to them, obey them in Allah’s limits, smile at them, hug them often and feel the contentment and blessings of Allah that come our way. If we have this treasure and guaranteed entry to paradise and God’s pleasure, we shouldn’t waste our chance.

‘And your Lord has decreed that you worship none but Him. And that you be dutiful to your parents. If one of them or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of disrespect, nor shout at them but address them in terms of honour. And lower unto them the wing of submission and humility through mercy, and say: “My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring me up when I was young.” (Al- Qur’an 17:22-24)

Aafia Revisited

The issue of Aafia Siddiqui is very delicate and complex. We all have questions but very few of us manage to get reasonable answers. Some questions are not questions; they are merely hallucinations of our limited “unlimited” grey matter. And some of them are not ours, rather are shoved into our grey matter following sophisticated brainwashing techniques and therefore ‘our’ quest doesn’t bring any good results whereas others deal with petty issues, again induced within us using the same techniques, so that we ignore the bigger picture.

We all have critics either because we did something extraordinarily good or we did something extraordinarily bad. But, Aafia’s critics don’t fall into either although the questions raised against her fall into all three categories that I mentioned above as well as many others. The complexity of the questions raised truly reflects the complexity of her case. I’d like to reiterate few important facts in her story beginning from her abduction and eventually her judicial rape.

18/03/03 | FBI issues an alert regarding Aafia’s potentiality being a terrorist
29/03/03 | Aafia declared an al Qaeda ‘fixer’*
30/03/03 | Aafia disappears while on her way to Rawalpindi (from Karachi); and according to my research, she was abducted from Karachi by our LEAs (Law Enforcement Agencies) following post-9/11 pressure coming from US end
04/04/03 | FBI denies any hand in her disappearance
26/05/03 | FBI officially declares her an al Qaeda operative
28/05/04 | Pakistan’s Interior Ministry accepts they handed Aafia
??/??/05 | Centre for Human Rights and Global Justice (CHR&GJ, New York University School of Law) published a report titled: “Fate and Whereabouts Unknown: Detainees in the “War on Terror.” It presented “factual summaries of (28) individuals who may be in secret (US) detention sites” and included known information about Aafia at the time
??/??/06 | Amnesty International declares Aafia one of the ‘disappeared’ persons in the ‘war on terror’
28/02/07 | Ghost Prisoner by Human Rights Watch says Aafia “may have once been held” in secret CIA detention
??/02/08 | Aafia was brought back to Karachi and tortured, according to Asian Human Rights commission
11/07/08 | No women held in Bagram, according to a US Army Colonel
31/07/08 | Aafia’s brother is informed by FBI that she’s in US custody
04/08/08 | A press release shows that Aafia has been arrested in Ghazni (Afghanistan)
06/08/08 | A US magistrate rules to hold her without bail
12/08/08 | Pakistani Embassy in Washington issues a repatriation request
13/08/08 | Never held Aafia, US military (in Afghanistan)

Now let’s pause here and connect the dots. Aafia disappeared in March of one year and our Interior Ministry’s acknowledgment (which came after FBI declaring her an al Qaeda operative) is coming in May of the next year and coupled with FBI’s denial of any hand in abduction leads us to the conclusion that b/w March of 2003 and May/April of 2005 she was either in the custody of our LEAs or the CIA. Also, have you ever asked yourself what ‘alerted’ FBI, what was she up to? More importantly, what kind of lifestyle she was living that alerted the FBI? By the way, she wasn’t alone when she was abducted, she had three kids with her at that time, why we always ignore them while pointing fingers at her? What took Amnesty International so long to acknowledge her disappearance? Who is responsible for that slack, the free media of Pakistan or its dead-soul inhabitants? Were any legal procedures followed while handing her to FBI? Why was she brought back and more importantly why was she tortured? If no women was ever held in Bagram then who was the female detainee that her co detainees always relate to? More importantly, why the US simply not tell who she was if she wasn’t Aafia? If Pakistan handed her over to US and if she wasn’t been held in Bagram then where was she in all those years; in the US? OK, let’s assume she was in the US but then why US let her go back to Pakistan and how she managed to end up in Afghanistan? And in all this mayhem, where were her kids?! Most importantly, why we always skip this question? If she went into US custody in 2008 then whose custody was she in during all those years? Let’s move on!

02/10/2008 | Aafia sent to a Federal Medical Centre for psychiatric evaluation
06/10/2008 | Pakistani senators meet her, she tells them how she was “abducted in 2003, given an injection, found herself in a cell, and was forced to sign papers and confess to things she didn’t do; her children’s lives were threatened and she was abused grievously”
17/11/2008 | Aafia declared “not competent to proceed as a result of her mental disease, which renders her unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against her;” by Judge Richard Berman
09/03/2009 | The tentative date for Aafia’s trial to begin

Few more points straight from my end:

What caused her to end in such a destructive psychological state?
One of her kids is back but what about the other two? Probably, her youngest kid has died, yes, it’s unofficial but true. · Above all why she was abducted from Pakistan for a crime committed in Afghanistan to be tried in the US?
What Aafia had to go through during illegal detention in Bagram is in grave breach of US War Crimes Act (1996) as well as Geneva Conventions (1949).
The very act of her enforced disappearance is a clear breach of UN’s Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance.
Let us assume Aafia did shoot at US military personnel and FBI agents but why DOJ (Dept. of Justice) while indicting her ignored more than 5 years of torture altogether? Why they ignored the common sense element altogether that how on earth can a woman so thin and pain stricken cause damage to army personnel so well trained.
As her attorney put it: “Picture this woman who is very tiny (and extremely frail and weakened from her ordeal), and ask yourself how she engaged in armed conflict….with six (armed and well-trained) military men, how did this happen? And how did she get shot? I think you can answer that, can’t you (and question the absurdity of DOJ’s charges against her)?
What happened to FBI’s alert, by the way, and their declaration as well, not to mention none of them showed up in the court proceedings? All seven counts had to do with her staged clash at Ghazni where she fired at armed military personnel with bullets that left no marks on the walls, didn’t injure anybody (although it was close range encounter) and the only injured party was none other than herself.
The rape and victimisation that she had to go through isn’t an unexpected one. If an army, who’s on a mission of moral policing of the world, belonging to world’s most civilised country, can rape and mutilate men then it can definitely rape and victimise women but what she went through inside the US (not in a secret detention) is utterly disgusting! In Bagram, she only had to face unofficial degradation (rape) but in the US she had to face official degradation (strip-search) as well.
86 years imprisonment for firing a gun that she couldn’t hold, for firing bullets that left no trace, for firing from a close range causing nil injury or for getting injured herself?

So, next time some miserable apologists try to confuse you regarding Aafia being innocent or not, please remind them:

She stayed in illegal detention for more than five years for no good reason. The charges that were levied against her by FBI had no factual stand whatsoever and that’s the only reason they never made it to court proceedings but HEY she lost her kids, she lost her chastity (she was raped in Bagram as well as in the US), she lost her psychological balance, she lost her honour, she lost her dignity, she lost everything, for what? For the stupid reasons made by a force known to the world for their crimes, lies and atrocities? And yes, her 86 years imprisonment is based on no forensic evidence whatsoever.

Oh, really sorry, even I forgot to mention about the real Aafia. She was a neuro-scientist, the only one in the world to have an honorary degree from Harvard University; she was Hafiz-e-Quran and had 144 honorary degrees & certificates. She went to MIT and Brandeis, raised money for charities, did voluntary social work, hosted play groups in her apartment, loved her religion, and distributed Qur’ans to inmates in area prisons. She was living a normal American life until the FBI called her a terrorist, a high-profile Al Qaeda operative. Aafia was indeed a woman guilty only of being Muslim at the wrong time in America. (Boston Magazine’s Katherine Oxment asked: Who’s afraid of Aafia Siddiqui?)