When will the bubble burst?

Recently, a friend asked, how does one define 'elite' in Pakistan. It is one of the most important questions in the current circumstances. Not to make us hate them more personally, but rather to fix the mess we live in. The credit of this social mess, political mess, micro economic failure, and flawed policies, all goes to our elite. Basic human rights like access to quality education, healthcare, etc, are all out of reach for 60 percent or more of the population because of their non-elite status.

So, the question was, who were the elite?

The elite is at the top of all that is existing in this country. They are the ones in military, who have been there for the past many generations, decorated by the British. They are the ones who were bestowed with swathes of land by the British and have their people in the military, in the power corridors, in the cabinet, assemblies, etc. They have also married their children to people who form the business classes and bureaucracy to keep their money and power in place. These intermarriages have also enabled them to reproduce offspring who can go to the best schools, colleges, foreign universities or even local top academic institutions.

Their offspring are visible holding guitars in universities singing to the likes of Habib Jalib and Faiz Ahmed Faiz. They get to sing in Coke Studio, they get to become editors of newspapers and chancellors of universities. Which means they get to represent the 60 percent to the rest of the world in the language they speak, 'English'.

They can own and run hospitals. Their teenage kids get to blog on various news websites. So many of them, also get nominated for awards and run NGOs. It is the elite who are shaping the narrative of what this country is. They or their families have directly or indirectly created this mess that they sell in PowerPoint presentations to get the funding needed to make some cosmetic changes in between their foreign trips and shopping sprees in Dubai.

It is after them that we have the office working class, who serve all these people. They hardly reach the bottom of the merit list because their father did not have a personal library or a bank balance to send them to an elite school where they could have polished their English to the right accent or their understanding of international relations. They lag behind in almost every way compared to the elite. They lack the finesse to compete with the toppers. For them getting a 'Fullbright' after an education at a neighborhood school is close to impossible.

After them come the poor, those who were born to serve everyone. They are considered a test for everyone. If they get to eat, they provide us a perfect example to be content with whatever we have. "You should be happy if you are eating three meals a day, what if you have only one?"

An excerpt from The Shape of the Beast: Conversations with Arundhati Roy

If you want to read:
The Shape of the Beast

The God of Small Things

Jamaat-ud-Dawa loves Pakistan army

This year in January, I wrote about Charlie Hebdo and then I stopped. I stopped because I felt unsafe. I thought of removing my writings from my personal blog because this country, where I chose to live, has no respect for me as a human, let alone as a free-thinking, outspoken, working woman. I did not blog for a long time. Not because there was nothing to write, but because I felt exhausted with dissent.

Is there any good left in Pakistan, I often ask myself, and before I find an answer, something bad happens ---again. In Pakistan, bad is on loop. You get done with the death anniversary of someone or some incident every month, and a new tragedy is added to the mourning list.

Last week on April 24, 2015, we lost T2F founder-director Sabeen Mahmud, who was allegedly shot by 'unidentified' assailants. Her crime, they say, is her involvement or show of solidarity with the Baloch, especially Mama Qadeer, who spoke about the missing persons of Balochistan at the T2F. It has been four days since Sabeen's murder. She has been buried and will probably be forgotten by the time the next tragedy hits us, but do we remember what we were doing in April last year after Hamid Mir was also allegedly shot by the ISI on April 19, 2014?

MQM-H protesting against Geo in front of 
the Jang Press at I.I. Chundrigar Road.

We were, as usual, divided in two groups. One who refused to accept that Hamid was shot by the intelligence agencies, and the other, who alleged that the only people to attack the journalist were the farishtas. Last year, on April 28, 2014, there were countrywide protests by Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), Mohajir Qaumi Movement-Haqiqi (MQM-H), Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), Anjuman Naujawanan-e-Islam, Pakistan Forces Lovers Forum, Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), and countless other groups, some even from Kashmir, against Geo TV and Hamid Mir. Their clout? One cannot accuse a Pakistani intelligence agency of shooting someone.

The protesters refused to accept that the security agencies of Pakistan could be rogue or even have any rogue elements operating covertly. Their slogan? "We love Pakistan Army: Jamaat-ud-Dawa". We can guess the rest. A humble letter accompanying a metal pellet.

Last year's tags: Christianity, feminism, Islam, men, Pakistan, patriarchy, religion, temptation, women, academics, Army, colonialism, elitism, feudalism, generals, imperialism, India, military, archaeology, architecture, bye-laws, culture, heritage, Moenjodaro, Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd in Pompeii, PPP, Sindh, Sindh Festival, UNESCO, injustice, leftists, liberals, rights, secular, workers, Karachi, Parachinar, Quetta, Shia, Sunni, takfiri, Deobandi, Balochistan, British, Kashmir, nationalism, separatists, colonizers, English speaking, sub-continent, academia, employ-ability, employment, higher education, jobs

Voting fever rising by the day

Since the voting fever is reaching its crescendo in Pakistan, and twitter, facebook are abuzz with many wannabe social scientists and analysts or even prophets, informing of the 'awesomeness' of voting, 'voting rights' and the possible bright future. I will write down a few of the conversations I had with random people on the road.

Sohail Khan is a taxi driver. Originally from Charsadda and now a resident of Banaras in Karachi. Former Jiyala, who calls Zardari a dog (like a lot of other people) and considers him the murderer of Bibi - supports Jamaat-i-Islami now. Who in his own words are lousy politicians, with nothing to offer as a political party except 'chutyapa', his words, not mine.

Q: Aap kisko vote dengay is dafa? (Who will you vote for this time?)
Sohail: Ye awam chutya hai, phir unhi logon ko vote day kar lay aayegi, jinhon nay mulk ko kha kha kar iska ye haal bana diya hai. (The public is stupid, and will again vote for the same people who have brought the country to this stage with their corruption). Mein kisi ko vote nahi donga. (I will not vote for anybody). Ghar ko tala lagaonga andar se, or araam karoonga. (I will lock my home and relax).

Q: Leken aap to JI ko support kartay hein ab, unko vote nahi dalengay? (But you support JI now, you will not vote for them?)
Sohail: Nahi, bekar log hein. Jub tak Bhutto zinda tha, Benazir tha, hum vote dalta tha, ab to koye nahi bacha. (No. Everyone is useless. Till Bhutto was alive, his daughter was alive, I used to vote, now there is nobody worthy enough).

We laugh together and enjoy the rest of the ride while talking about different topics, especially the law and order situation - speculating about bomb blasts and target killings. Sohail is a Pakhtun and faces racism in this city every other day. Being a Pakhtun can automatically at times translate to being a supporter of the Taliban and their likes. Another taxi driver cum marble cutter, Zahir Khan said that he has to at times allow police to 'random check' him. Zahir is from a village in Shangla. He lives in Nusrat Bhutto Colony, Karachi, that is famous for being a Taliban infested area and therefore, has to go through police and Rangers' operations every other day.

In Zahir's opinion the only solution to all this trouble is dictatorship. Although, he swings between supporting the Awami National Party and Army rule, he considers Ziaul Haq's era as something that was better for his class.

Q: Aap vote kisko dengay? (Who will you vote for?)
Zahir: Mushkil hai vote karna. Halaat bohat kharab hein. (It's difficult to vote. City situation is very bad).

The conversation goes into a discussion about how the military operation in KPK made some differences for his relatives. How the feuds died down a little, because Army regulated the ownership of weapons. The most enthusiastic about voting thus far, judging from different discussions, seem to be the youngsters who will be voting for the first time.

A student at Karachi University said that he will vote, since it is his right, and without participating in the election he cannot pin the blame on anybody. However, he was honest enough to admit that all he knows about democracy 'working out in the long run' is theoretical. So for him, as long as the country gets on a track for betterment, he does not care whether it is a democracy or a dictatorship.

In all this rhetoric, a resident of Thatta had a very simple statement to make.

"I will vote who my landlord asks me to vote for."

This perhaps is the culmination of the 'democratic process' in Pakistan. Where rural areas comprise a majority. Pakistan has a total population of 180 million, out of which around 60 percent live in rural areas as per a World Bank report. The voter from Thatta is not the only one to be saying this, a majority of the rural population vote either the landlord they work for, or for someone the local feudal seeks to gain from.

This leaves one to ponder the differences between a democracy of choice, and a democracy per say. One might even feel better if it ended here. But it does not. If weening votes from helpless peasants was not enough, the number of portfolios and ministries that our 'democratic' regimes boast add insult to injury.

To accommodate the left over senior leaders and ex-legislators, several posts are created to appease their hurt sentiments and egos. Following is a very basic breakup of the number of seats we have, despite being a smaller country compared to United States and India.

Oh and lest we forget. The interim setup that we have numbly accepted is not much different either. The power (to maintain the status quo) is now being shared between the feudal families, and their homies. Be them the Sethis, the Mandviwalas or the Shahs.

Pakistani left, get off your high horse!

The following is in response to the Awami Workers Party (AWP) statment where they called themselves followers of the long line of left parties throughout Pakistan’s history, that have struggled for building a socialist society, a world free of imperialism, and equality of nations. They claim to be representing the interests of working people and oppressed nationalities. And on the basis of these convictions they reject the so-called ‘revolution’ being spearheaded by TahirulQadriin Islamabad. According to the AWP under no circumstance does Qadri, or any other self-proclaimed leader of the people, can represent the toiling classes. Referring to Qadri as a conspiracy and a non-entity aimed to derail the democratic process, they question his claim to fame and his foreign residency.

The AWP also disagrees with Qadri's claims for establishing a genuine democracy. In their opinion, Pakistan, a feudal country already was on its way to achieving democracy through a democratic process, for which many of their members had worked hard, especially during the 'free judiciary movement'.

AWP further assures us that under no circumstance will they tolerate this conspiracy, and in days to come they will dedicate all of their human and intellectual resources (I wonder what are the numbers) to ensure that elections are held on schedule.

Despite expressing dismay at the timing of the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to issue an arrest warrant for the sitting prime minister and leader of the house in the National Assembly, the AWP expects SC will honor its commitment to ensuring a peaceful democratic transition from the present elected regime to the next one.

The AWP as usual after blaming military and the imperialists powers, reassures us that they are committed as ever, to struggle against both these forces, alongwith all exploiting classes and rightists that seek only to ensure the continued subjugation of our long-suffering people.

Here's what I have to add:

F@%# off! If the left had actually not wasted time in 'intellectual masturbation’ over the years we might have had something to join today. But we don't.

As for saying Qadri is foreign returned. Most of you are foreign returned too, offspring of the elite. STFU! The democratic process you are bemoaning here is not democratic. It is adulterated feudalism. SO stop with this BS.

This so-called revolution is a product of the so-called democracy you are wailing about. People have been on the streets supporting Qadri. No matter what their political ideology you have no right to say that he is self-appointed, unless you consider the ones on the streets subhuman.

It might be a conspiracy on some level, but it no longer is so. It is being acted out right on the center stage, and instead of burying your head in sand. The left should step off this ‘self-appointed’ political and intellectual high ground. You have neither!

The few supporters you have are most of the times fighting amongst each other. The new lot, the young lot, half of it is sitting abroad and is only good for theaters, blogging, making documentaries on the ‘oh poor people, laborers, workers' etc. You have hardly ever done any cadre building. Isolated leaders are all you have now. Even if combined, none of them have enough charisma or leadership ability to counter what we have among the mullahs, army and the bloody politicians.

For the AWP statement: https://www.facebook.com/notes/awami-workers-party-official/awps-statement-on-current-political-situation/442143165841016 

Well played (na)Pak army!

The National Reconciliation Ordinance finally bore fruit for the Pakistani establishment, as the 'democratically' elected government imposed emergency in Baluchistan. Trust on people to demand for the army in Pakistan when the napak army's and CIA's illegitimate children, read Lashkar-e-Jhangvi kill innocent people in hundreds. Since killing a few here and a few there wasn't working for them, they had to come up with plan B. Kill so many at the same time, that people themselves ask for the father to interfere. And what best place to do so then Baluchistan. And who to target but the Shia, who have never been a laid back minority.

In Urdu this is 'aik teer se do shikaar'.

The cards were played well. This time the Pakistan People's Party government did not make the same mistake their pioneer made in 1970s when the Provincial Government in Baluchistan was toppled down and Governor's rule was imposed against the will of the people. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto made the mistake of declaring emergency without the consent of any group residing in Baluchistan, Asif Ali Zardari did so with consent from an ethnic minority, namely the Hazara community. The Shia Genocide issue has played well in favour of the central government and very much against the ethnic Baluch population, who will be further marginalized.

To hell with missing people, to hell with ethnic cleansing of Baluch. As usual, instead of punishing the real culprits who have been targeting the Shia community all over Pakistan, we have literally handed over the whole province to the perpetrators (directly or indirectly) of all these crimes, namely the Frontier Corps, loathsomely remembered as the FC brutes responsible for thousands of missing persons in Baluchistan.

The FC has got policing powers for at least the next two months. Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi is still Governor Baluchistan, FC has been in Baluchistan for ages now, only difference is, there will be no Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani. So what has changed? How does the FC propose to change the situation for the Shia Hazara community? We can only wait to see whether they kill the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Jundullah militants or the Baluch nationalists.

Oh and lets not forget that Akhtar Mengal called top Hazara leaders in solidarity, while Baluchistan National Party (BNP) leaders participated in Quetta sit-in as per local media reports.

An excerpt from the Baluch Hal dated September 9, 2010, that incidentally cannot be viewed in Pakistan without proxy:

Senior Vice-President of the National Party(NP) Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bizenjo has said that the proposed Frontier Corps (FC) action against Baloch people was meant to impose an emergency rule in Balochistan or impose the direct central rule of the federal government through a governor on the oil and gas rich Balochistan province. (http://thebalochhal.com/?p=8931)

Who is the enemy?

A solider here a soldier there,
Following orders of those,
Who don't care,
They said,
Living not long ago,
Death seems to be everywhere,
Dying, dead or martyrs,
We fight for the righteous,
Cobblers, pushcart vendors, farmers,
Workers, drivers,
Those who sleep in the early hours,
Nay, not those, I say,
They would be dead,
For what were they but mere soldiers too?
Mourn, and move on,
Make way for the real oppressors,
Generals, feudal, mayors, tycoons,

And I say, you are all oppressors,
For I am a woman, and you,
Mere mortals!

2012 ends for better or worse

What have we earned what have we lost during 2012?

To make a list of problems in Pakistan, one needs an encyclopaedia. As wishes and prayers start pouring in for the new calendar, I have only images and flashes of what transpired this year - Pictures of Vijanti, Rinkle and countless others like them; video of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi beheading Shia men in Quetta; images of Shia men killed in Parachinar, Chilas, Mastung, Quetta, Karachi, of limbs scattered around bomb blast sites, desecrated graves of Ahmedi Muslims in Lahore, burned and looted churches and temples in the name of religion, mass migration of Hindus from Sindh; Shahzeb Khan, who gave the urbanites a chance to unite; and of Bashir Bilour.

We have everything to offer, from terrorism to sexual harassment; feudalism to malnourished children; corruption to religious extremism; and yellow journalism to public vigilantism. Everything one needs to qualify!

Among all this, there is one big happy family. Yes! Hard to believe, but true. It is the most prosperous family we have had for decades. They've lost some members over the years. But still they stand tall. For them the new year will bring many exciting things.... Like letting go of terrorists, getting new cars, pampering spoilt brats. Do not ask them to reassure that the court would punish terrorists like Malik Ishaq from Lashker-e-Jhangvi, and rapists/rape-supporters (yes we have those too) like Sharjeel Memon and not let them free for lack of evidence. Not that we would have peace and not be counting dead bodies and relating bomb-blasts. 

Who cares if Rinkle, Vijanti, Kasturi, Asha, Koshalia, Hakeema and countless others get justice next year in this land of pure. It is still a Happy New Year!

Note: If there will be no rapes, no target killings, no bomb-blasts, no deaths due to hunger and lack of shelter, wish me a new year. Otherwise it’s an extension of the misery we live in, nothing good about prolonging misery, I support euthanasia.

Bhai is the Army’s ‘Burqa’

Until today I thought only Disney and Warner Brothers were capable of subliminal messages, hidden in the frames of their cartoons and animations. But a real human-like (not CGI) cartoon actually took the cup when he had the guts to show up on electronic media and sing a song for the Army. “Burqay may rehnay do, burqa na uthao,” Bhai has in the past given epic performances, providing plenty to talk about. This time though, he even out did himself. This was as subliminal as it can get in the Pakistani narrative.

There are actually several great things about this whole charade. Let’s start with some here, and whoever chances to read my blog, can add more in the comments section.

1- Bhai kept the private channels from showing squabbles between different political parties while providing ‘quality’ entertainment to all and sundry.

2- He indulged in a sit-down comedy while his party offices acquired by goons, my bad, volunteers and activists all over Karachi were being raided by Rangers.

3- He threatened the Army to take off the ‘veil’ if his butt isn’t saved from the British police.

4- Diverted the public enough to make the Army look like the harmless savior it claims to be.

5- And last but not the least he along with his Rabita Committee gave a go ahead, and sealed the fate of their unwanted and not-so-useful-anymore members.

Yesterdays shenanigans are a proof that the magic hat is still with the Army and it can pull out as many rabbits as it wants. So let’s hail ‘Bhai’ as the savior for the minorities, Ahmedis, poor serfs and last but not the least, the Pakistan Army.