Would Pakistan be the next Karbala?

Paranoia is called the person who is mentally ill and is obsessed by some unknown fear/hallucination in a way that this state of mind restricts him from performing functions of a normal person. As this definition simply declares a person insane so I carefully evaluated if We the Pakistanis are suffering from this disease or are the threats real? My conclusion is that we are actually insane but not because of feeling threatened by some fear or unreal threat but because we are not doing anything even when we can sense the threats are bigger than what this country has ever come across.



According to new USA plan AfPak, American troops will be increased to about 100,000 men and I suspect that this high number of US marines is not for Afghanistan (where US is suspected to establish few permanent bases) but actually to

1: Denuclearize Pakistan(under the notion of "Failed State"which can sell Nuclear Arsenal to rogue elements for overcoming economic problems)

2: Join NWFP with Afghanistan(Tribals of both sides would live together under the rule of War Lords who would be kept USA friendly by providing Food and other necessities along with freedom for Narcotics trade.This would allow American bases at strategic areas in Afghanistan especially at our western borders.

3: Establish independent Baluchistan while keeping Military and trading bases (trade will be shared with China in order to avoid clash with the giant)

4: Handover Punjab to India as it will not survive once India blocks the rivers which root from India (Rivers which come from Sind are propagated to be having water which can suffice needs of Sind only)

5: The new Pakistan would consist of Some parts of Punjab and some parts of Sind(Karachi might be leased out to pro American Gulf based investors)

For this purpose “great game” has already started!




At least 889 persons were killed and 2,072 others injured in 61 suicide attacks in Pakistan so far this year, as the total number of suicide bombings in the country since 2002 rose to 140.The suicide bombings in 2008 surpassed the last year's figures of 56, including the one in which former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, whose first death anniversary would be observed on December 27, was killed in Rawalpindi. (Source http://www.nowpublic.com)

In April, The News, a newspaper in Lahore, Pakistan, published figures provided by Pakistani officials indicating that 687 civilians have been killed along with 14 AL Qaeda leaders in some 60 drone strikes since January 2008 - just over 50 civilians killed for every AL Qaeda leader.

Impact of Terrorism has been multiplied through alarming economic indicators.It does not take an Einstein to figure out Economic condition of a country which is unable to provide energy to the manufacturing sector since the last two years(Electricity Load shedding reaches to about 14-16 hours a day in Summers and in Winters about 6-8 hours)

As a nation we are condemning Taliban but I recon that once execution of American plan becomes obvious than It will be the religious group which will become the last shield of our defense line and it would also lead that portion of our solders who would refuse to surrender while pay role driven leadership would. For some odd reason I feel that beginning of the end would be in 2012!.

The situation would be very similar to what happened in Karbala!

Few would be against many

Access to water would be denied in order to dictate terms and conditions

Right would be against the Might

Death would be obvious still some would embrace it in principal!

Divorce after age of 55! (Is it surprising?)

Recently I met someone who had accompanied me during Hajj. I was traveling with my mother and he with his wife. We were sharing the room at Haram Madina so I witnessed the passionate affection which he had for his wife. There was nothing surprising about it as two people who are growing together for about thirty years must have shared a lot. Must have shared lot of moments of joy and sorrows. They must have planned together about their children and raised them etc etc so I was surprised to know about their Divorce when I again met him after about two years. Their marriage lasted for about thirty years.

I think that it’s the seventh or eight incident in which I have come to know about mature age divorce. Getting separated at a late age is difficult to understand as after living for so many years together life partners are supposed to have

Better communication

Better understanding

Empathy

A bit of trust

Everything else which time brings to get the strangers closer!

But how does this happen? Where do all of the above mentioned things go when two people decide to separate their ways.
Following are the few possible explanations

1: One of the partners starts following his self discovery and that is when he realizes that the other person doesn’t understand him. The one following the self discovery becomes reactive towards other person’s ignorance of hi emotions without realizing that he himself took so many years to discover what was always in him.

2: One of the partners starts missing the appeal which the other partner had at a younger age but which can be found in someone else now.

3: There is age difference between the two which gets prominent at the later age and that is when younger partner looses interest in continuing with the relationship.

4: God didn’t bless the couple with any children (especially son) so the husband decides for another marriage at an age when he foresees financial and physical dependence coming.




Practically any of the above mentioned factors can be a reason but the painful part is that usually in our society women are financially dependent upon men so in case of a divorce there are serious question marks on a women’s survival especially when judicial system practically can not force the husband to pay maintenance allowance. In such cases usually Fathers are either not alive or are too old to support and the brothers are more concerned about raising their children.

What is the solution?
Please discuss by adding comments to the post and do mention your name at the end .In order to expand this discussion platform (A new post almost every week) please extend this URL http://inamarif.blogspot.com to your mailing and text lists.

My thoughts after listening to the Blasts!

I was at youtube to download few more songs by Greenday just when I heard it, I stopped for an instance realizing what had happened and denying it to myself like we usually do initially when we come across a big problem or an accident but few minutes later I heard it again and this time sound of explosion felt a bit too real. My mother went out of the house just to take a look around .Servants were excitedly stating what everyone could guess. Shopkeepers near my house closed their shops and rushed as their houses were closer to the area where the sound had come from. Within five minutes I got a call from Islamabad. My sister told me that T.V is running a slide about sound of explosion near Moon market (five minutes away from my house).She was concerned about my safety. In the next two hours I received several calls from family members, Relatives and students. They all had called to show their concern about my safety as I live very close to the area where two Bomb blasts had occurred.




At night before going to sleep I realized that throughout this time when I was getting these calls, I kept myself occupied with the Net. I felt nothing about this incident not even when I realized that I was planning to buy a fruit cake of Shezan bakery from there in the evening when I was leaving for Academy. This indifference apparently had nothing to do with bravery or courage but this indifference was there because Blasts are something that this whole nation is getting used to. If it is happening in Peshawer than why wouldn’t it eventually come around .In this particular case I could sit back and relax because I was watching the Rescue teams providing medical and fire extinguishing services but I manage to sit back and relax even when I suspect that these blasts are not the end but a beginning !

Most of us never feel like coming out of the comfort of our houses in times when we need to show political awareness and awakening at the streets. We feel that it’s not worth it, Raising the Voice is of no use, this country can be saved by a bloody revolution only! Some of us might think that the way things are going, eventually Nation would wakeup? How would this nation wake up when we are just waiting for things to happen on their own? I hope that I am not exaggerating but half the nation is waiting for a leader who would eventually make everything alright and till than we will continue to be dishonest as much as the snatched or gained authority allows. ? For how long we will keep on telling it to ourselves that it would all be over once the Military operation is over? For how long we will continue to scold others without realizing that we are no different! For how long we would continue to offend God. How would this Economic, Socio political mismanagement will not display its outcome? Why would the results be any different when efforts are the same!

Working Housewives???

Working wives???


Husband: I work so i get tired and when I comeback home than I do not want to be disturbed .Please do not expect that I will be able to help our children study. I pay for their fee and other luxuries and that’s it .Rest is your obligation.

Wife: I also work, why shouldn't I come up with same demands?

Husband: What do you mean you work? You stay at home as a
housewife.

Wife: Who does the cleaning here?
Husband: You do off course.

Wife: Who does the laundry?
Husband: You.

Wife: Cooking?
Husband: It's your job why do you have to mention it?

Wife: Because unlike you, my working hours are never over. You demand break when you are tired but when I am done with cooking than I have to help children do their homework and have to hurry so that I can do the dishes quickly. When I am done with all the cleaning and helping than I have to spare some time for you (while keeping myself looking fresh and pleasant as a woman)so that you do not feel ignored and after such a long day I realize that what ever I do is not considered work. I am given lesser importance than working women.

Husband: This is how women are supposed to be. You are no exception. Any woman has to perform all the duties you mentioned.

Wife: Can't it be said about you also? You do what men are supposed to do.

Husband: Tahir's wife is working and she manages the home also.
Wife: Samina's husband helps the children study and her wife doing the dishes.

Husband: Alright I am sick of all these arguments. If you are not comfortable with all this than you can go back to your parents house and stay there for the rest of your life.

Wife:???
Silence
Arguing woman leaves the room quietly as she has to serve soup to her aged Father in Law.

Why do we laugh at sick humor?

About a week ago I brought a movie called “Bruno”. It was a sequel so I knew the kind of movie I was bringing home (even though later on I discovered that I had underestimated everything about it).After watching the movie I broke the CD and tore the cover as i did not want to be caught with it and apparently everything went alright (in terms of getting rid of the remains!) but than I had to face something rather unexpected.




TOTAL GROSSES (bruno)
Domestic: $60,054,530 43.7%
+ Foreign: $77,329,526 56.3%

= Worldwide: $137,384,056 100%

TOTAL GROSSES (borat)
Domestic: $128,505,958 49.1%
+ Foreign: $133,066,786 50.9%

= Worldwide: $261,572,744 100%

(Source:Box Office Mojo)




I started analyzing my own behavior during this whole incident. I did not select the movie by chance as I had seen the first part of it called “Borat”. Movies like Borat and Bruno are two of the many which I have seen and without exception have always enjoyed .Usually such humor is based upon

Violence

Odd relationships (either gender based or illegal/immoral relationships)

Exposure of what nature demands to be hidden

Anything which societies prohibit or restrict


I have always enjoyed watching such humor even when I do not appreciate same themes in serious Dramas. Considering commercial success of T.V shows like South Park, Family Guy, Gerry Springer show or Movies like the ones mentioned above, mass appeal for such themes is obvious but the question is why explicit themes are publicly accepted when presented through humor?

There can be number of explanations for this behavior

1: We (as a society) are tempted by such themes but do not admit and when these are presented in humor than we can justify our association by saying “Oh it’s nothing serious!”

2:We (as a society) actually do not consider such themes seriously and that is why we find them really funny as these are the things which we could never imagine

3:We desire to seek pleasure while being disobedient and rebellious from the rules taught to us by the elders and the society so we enjoy watching what we can not do ourselves as most of us for most of the time lack energy to be disobedient and being rebellious.

4:For us everything (directly or indirectly) has to be justified or approved by religion so when we watch foreign shows and movies than we justify by saying “Oh its not about us we are just watching THE OTHERS!”

What is your opinion about mass appeal for Humor based upon explicit themes?
Please share by adding comments to the post and do mention your name with it.

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Next six months?(Before june2010 ?)

These days everyone is talking about possible “Major Political Change’ in Pakistan. Analysts are talking about shift of power from presidency to parliament; Shuffling in cabinet due to NRO cases reopening after 28th November. Almost all the political analysts are betting for exit of Asif Ali Zardar by the exception of Nazir Naji and Najam Sethi (who disagree either out of hope! or due to having an insight?).I know it’s always easy to bet against survival of a coalition government but in present situation I think NRO revocation, kickback reports in foreign media for military deals, Anti government vibes coming from local media even though all might be true but have been timed for something bigger and is related to Geo Political and Nuclear significance of Pakistan.

Kickbacks in military deals, corruption in third world countries were never considered unusual but than so was the American involvement in different regions. Apparently Uncle SAM learned it from the failure of Germans and Russians expansion plans that instead of directly ruling the country, rule through its own Military and politicians by keeping them at American payroll.




A very alarming report has come through Dr.Shahid Masood (Meray mutabiq fame).In a recent episode he quoted famous journalist “Seymour Hersh” about presence of American Nuclear security agency on Pakistani soils in spite of so many confirmations through USA foreign office positive statements about Pakistan’s Nuclear Command and Control system’s effectiveness. Considering repute of the journalist (please check a note on him at the end of the blog) let’s assume that American security agency members are actually here but what for? What has changed which made the Americans get closer to Kahoota? Could it be without Military consent? Answer to these and so many other questions are likely to come in the near future and I reckon that it will all be clear before June 2010.Whatever the Americans are up to, either its about Pakistani Denuclearization or restricting Chinese trade through Gwader or both but execution of any anti Pakistani plan cant take place without controlling Army and Political setup. My personal opinion is that under an elected government regime with a balance of power it is not possible so either Americans would keep corrupt political entities in power and try to gain control through them (Rehman Malik’s effort to control ISI by interior ministry) or by supporting such Military elements which don’t retaliate against American interests (Likes of Musharaf).



Under present circumstances it doest seem to be happening through scattered political power and an autonomous Judiciary so the next best alternative is a Caretaker government(based upon technocrats or second line politicians)which would come under the notion “to cover for Political vacuum as a result of corrupt politicians exit(either due to resignation or Assassination). It would last for a period of 2-3 years (enough time to execute American plans i.e. establishing permanent bases in more sensitive and strategic areas and having a share in trade through Gwader)and then leave but I am afraid than there would not be much left to struggle for or to rebuilt.



Please share your opinion about what do you see happening in the next six months. Remember that his blog is a discussion plat form through which we can exchange ideas and opinions. Please extend this address http://inamarif.blogspot.com to your mailing and text lists in order to expand the community.


A note on Seymour Hersh: Seymour "Sy" Hersh made his name and career by reporting in 1969 on the U.S. court martial of Lt. William Calley, the commanding officer in what became known as the My Lai Massacre, an incident in South Vietnam where U.S. soldiers tortured and killed nearly 500 civilians. Hersh won the Pulitzer Prize for the story and became one of the most famous journalists in the country. During the 1970s he reported for The New York Times, creating more controversy with reports on the covert operations of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Consistently controversial, Hersh has written books that tell of Henry Kissinger's secret bombing of Cambodia, John Kennedy's wild and reckless White House, Israel's behind-the-scenes attempts to get nuclear weapons and General Barry McCaffrey's behavior during the Gulf War. Held in high esteem by many, he is also considered by some to be an unreliable rogue. In 2001 he came under fire by the Pentagon (again) for reporting on military actions in Afghanistan; in 2004 he reported in The New Yorker that Iraqi prisoner abuse at Abu Ghraib jail in Baghdad, which focused initially on low-ranking U.S. soldiers (including Lynndie England), could be traced to orders by Donald Rumsfeld -- orders President George W. Bush had been informed of ahead of time. The White House denied the allegations, and Hersh was himself once more the subject of headlines. In August of 2004 he published the book Chain of Command: The Road From 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, based on his magazine reports.

Is it Zardari’s time for Ghardari?

These days every Pakistani is amazed at the way MQM has gained position in popular politics and attention by the media through their stance on NRO and Asif Zardari’s resignation. The way Mutehda leaders are responding, it appears that they themselves were not expecting outcomes of their decisions to be this positive for seeking attention at the National level and especially by the National level media which always appeared apprehensive about Mutehda’s Politics due to its rough behavior in Karachi towards private channels (Attack on Aaj T.V office and blocking of private channels transmission through cable operators etc).


Even though it is still too early to expect that MQM would be able to increase its National assembly seats from outside Sindh, Kashmir and Gilgit in the near future but they seem to be learning tricks of the trade (National level politics).Mutehda has done real damage to Pakistan People’s Party which now is unable to ENCASH Bhutto family’s sacrifices due to major corruption scandals and spilling mismanagement. Many ministers have joined their co-chairman by making commitments which they did not honor (after all getting rid of load shedding was not written in Holy grail!) and by getting involved in immoral (America’s visit dance party scandal) and corruption scandals (Raja Ashraf’s rental power plants along with a long list of Mr.Zardari’s friends involved with Land Mafia and Banking industry scandals).The silliest mistake of all was trying to get direct control over Intelligence agencies ( failed effort to merge ISI with interior ministry and use of IB funds to finance coup against PML(N) in Punjab.

At this stage Triumphs seem to be heading towards PML (N) which seems to be preferable by Army over Pakistan People’s Party (Shahbaz Sharif and Caudhry Nisar’s recent meeting with Army chief).Main stream media also acknowledges its popularity and in the memory of masses there are no major corruption scandals but a principled stance for restoration of judiciary and party’s position against NRO.


To add more to the misery of People’s Party leadership ,all the tools for controlling judiciary seem to be gone and party co-chairman wants to survive with a team which never believed in him (actually avoided him when Ms Bhutto was alive due to his never ending appetite for Free Rides and Lunch).

Some people say that Pakistan People’s party has always survived against adversaries and will still survive but in my opinion this time the fortress has been set on fire by the ones who were supposed to protect it and the only way out is to change the commander and bring in someone interested in saving the Castle (and in making it a fortress).

Is Iran involved in Baluchistan?

Couple of days back there was a suicide attack on Iranian security forces in which several people lost their lives and Iranian National ego was severely hurt. Immediately Irani Interior minister and President accused Pakistan for the incident. My personal opinion is that this incident took place in response to Iranian underground activities in Balochistan. Question is why? why would Iran be interested in Balochistan? In my humble opinion it is Gwader which reduces strategic importance of Iranian and other ports.

Chahbahar in south western Iran is likely to become the strongest competitor of Gwadar to transit trade for Afghanistan, Central Asia and China. Chahbahar is considered as the economic gateway to the world due to its location on the Oman Sea shore outside the Strait of Hormuz. It shortens the inland link from the sea to CIS countries by up to 100Km. Chahbahar provides the shortest link across to Central Asia and the Middle East. Even Bandar Abbas and Busher sea ports are said to be economically accessible for cargo.

GWADER,Located at the entrance of the Persian Gulf about 390 nautical miles east of the Gulf of Hormuz and about 234 nautical miles west of Karachi. 80 kms from the Iranian border. It is about 320 kms from Cape al-Hadd in Oman and situated in close proximity to the Iranian ports of Chahbahar and Bander Abbas. Strategically located outside the sensitive area of the Straits of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies in the region. The port came to worldwide focus during the first Gulf War when shipping lines were confronted with security issues. Gwadar, close to the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, is located on the southwestern coast of Pakistan.

Dubai is the hub of business not only for Gulf but also for rest of the world including Europe, United States, Africa, China and Central Asian States, simultaneously. The gulf region is facing many political conflicts at the moment and huge disturbances in the current administrative structure are expected in the coming years. In such a scenario, a substitute of Dubai is essential to be located before the crisis hits the finances of millions. The substitute shall be a nearest point probably, to ensure continuous supply line of oil from Gulf to the outer world. Fortunately, Gwadar proves to be the nearest and infact more cost-effective substitute of Dubai.

China is emerging as a super economic power of the world in the recent years. Despite occupying a huge area of world's land, it doesn't have any port of hot waters, which can be used the whole year. The distance of Chinese industrial approach to the Shinghai port is approximately 16000 km and the sea travel of 2-3 months is additional. This costs them a lot in the form of taxes and duties as well. As compared to this, Gawadar port is only on a distance of 2500 km from China and the port is working for the whole year because of the hot waters here. Therefore, the interest of China in the development of Gawadar port is infact in the interest of Chinese economy.

The central Asian states, after the independence from USSR, are trying to develop their economies. These states are land locked and Karachi was expected to provide them the services through Afghanistan. For the purpose, a highway from Peshawar to Karachi was constructed but due to Afghan crisis, this line couldn't be established. The Afghan situation is till not clear, so, Gawadar being near to Iranian border will provide port facilities to Central Asia as well.


So it is evident that GWADER and Chahbahar are competitors and their simultaneous existence would reduce Bargaining power of both the countries with economic entities which are interested in trading around this region.This aspect becomes even more significant as Iran is not and never was in good books of Europe and America and with the development of Gwader these regions would't be pressurised to improve relations with Iran and on the other hand due to Gwader,Iran will not be in a position to negotiate with the mentioned regions in a dominant fashion.

Another fact is that Except for Bhutto era,Pakistan was never really close to Islamic countries of Shia Belt (Iran,Iraq,Lebanan etc)and its strategic alliance has always been with Sunni countries like Saudia,Turkey etc so in case of a major strategic issue there is not much historical or sentimental affection to hold back a direct clash.

Lets hope that both of these counties can join together and make a greater use of their strategic location.

What is you opinion?
Please comment and extend this link to your mailing and text links in order to expand this discussion platform to a larger level.

Information sources for this post:
Rupee News
Gwader fact sheet
CSS Forum

United States of Pakistan???

Everyday when we wake up till the time we sleep, media keeps on reminding us about the fact that how insecure our lives are. Experts keep on discussing that what went wrong, what is going wrong and what will go wrong. These experts appear on one after another channel, explaining incidents and discussing events. A Lot is highlighted about possible changes in Map of Pakistan, Indian intervention in Balochistan, Growing hatred against Punjab by other provinces (so possible split of the larger province),Terrorism, corruption, Growing crimes due to economic reasons and only God knows the limit of what else more.

I was in my mid teens when I used to hear that Bengalis got separated because Bhutto did not accept their election success but with the passage of time I came to know that there were economic reasons too like Bengalis were not getting their share through the income of Jute and the resource allocation was not suitable for the large population of Bengal. Circumstances have not changed even now as I observe economic reasons for an unstable Pakistan. For example if our national resources are split on the basis of population than Punjab gets the largest share, If major chunk of budget is allocated to Defense expenditure than it goes to Army which seems to be dominated by Punjabi population. NWFP demands royalty for water reservoirs built in their area; Balochs demand the same for Natural Gas (along with control over Guwader port), Sindhis are not happy about water resources distribution etc. The hatred has reached to an extent that a Baloch leader was saying it in a T.V interview that if Pakistan army can use American weapons to kill Balochs than why can’t Balochs use Indian support to retaliate.

Pakistan has four provinces and there are separation movements in three of them

Balochistan Liberation Force (BLF)
Giyay Sindh
Tahreek e Taliban Pakistan

Unlike 1971 this time it’s more than Indians who are involved in Pakistan. Indian involvement in Balochistan is carefully discussed but rumors have it that Iran, Saudia and America are also directly involved in our part of the world. This intervention is ignored and or welcomed due to economic reasons. Four provinces are like brothers fighting at the dinner table for having larger share out of the limited food. These brothers are seeking foreign support without realizing that they will be kicked off the table once the family split is completed. The tragic part in our national story is not resource limitation but the fact that we are all Muslims and sharing and sacrificing is part of our religion.

Where would this lead us to? Would NWFP be added to Afghanistan as an AFPAK POLICY by Americans? Would Balochistan be handed over to China to ensure execution of AFPAK POLICY? Would Sindh join India? Would Punjab survive without any water sources and eventually unite with Indian Punjab? Is it all real? Or its just media celebrating its freedom which it never had in the history of this Nation? Is our existence actually at stake? Would Pakistan split and remaining part of it would survive as an American colony?

Please share your opinion by leaving comments and please extend this link http://inamarif.blogspot.com to your mailing and text lists in order to extend this discussion forum where a new post is uploaded every week.

Parental Codes(and social checks?)

Parental Codes???

The most important aspect of Globalisation is advancements in Telecommunication and free information flow .Access to knowledge and entertainment which belongs to another culture / society sounds and feels exciting as it is new to us and mostly it’s in a form which is not acceptable by our cultural and religious discipline so its tempting to be rebellious and break away from traditional school of thought (Which apparently looks backward and outdated).

There is nothing wrong with being rebellious or trying something new but the issue is about lack of coaching and guidance in this regard from elders to their youngsters. Mostly our elders just give orders about what to do and what not to do but rarely do they feel comfortable discussing adulthood related issues with the teenagers. In our society Internet is unfiltered, Movies are uncensored and Cable unchecked. Most of the foreign channels give warnings regarding Viewers restrictions (SNLV 13/16/18 OR 18+ etc) but the problem is that what is acceptable for viewing of and 18 years old American is not supposed to be acceptable for a Pakistani of any age .Similarly uncensored and smuggled CDs are a bit too easily available in our society. In case of WEB it is argued that the number of adult entertainment sites is too large to block but still some effort can be made to reduce this number.

In Urban areas usually average marriage age ranges between 22-30 years whereas adolescence starts at around 12 years so in case of this much access to adult entertainment content, there can be very obvious issues like practicing what is being watched at LCD screens without realizing our society’s digestion for repercussions (and our society is certainly a lot less tolerant for the outcomes even though it shows great patience for the causes and agents responsible for these issues).

What should be done about it?

Nothing as it is bound to happen with the developments in technology?

Or Instead of restricting access we should be more open about discussing the adolescence related issues?

Do we need to seek rescue through religion??

Please share your views by leaving comments on the topic and continue to visit every Week. Please also extend the URL http://inamarif.blogspot.com to your mailing and text lists.

Entertainment next?!?!?

Entertainment next?!?!?


Since the last two decades one of the most significant developments which have taken place in the world of entertainment is broadcasting of reality recordings. Channels like National Geographic/Animal planet/Discovery, All the Tube/Blog sites which upload MMS based scandals or recorded real life incidents and Tons of Data which is shared through Mobile phones or content sharing mediums, all of this is the new face of entertainment.


I my self when feel bored from routine entertainment and News channels than I usually switch to National Geographic and Animal planet in order to have a “different kind” of entertainment which is based on realities. Sometimes watching an Anaconda devouring a goat can be preferable than shouting Politicians on “Reality Political Talk Shows” or Drama soap serials which just never end (and which never make sense either) but easy access to real violence and adult content can be a bit too damaging for the society because unlike movies these are easy to relate with (especially by the kids).

Channels covering animal life are on the cable since last so many years but the rest of it got popular with the developments in Telecommunications and recording technologies. Even explicit content on adult sites can not be considered this impactful than watching someone in a passionate mood without him or her knowing it (At least at the time of incident people are not aware of being recorded).This trend is not restricted to watching relationships only but also to watching violence. Once at an off the school venue two students rushed to me and excitedly showed a clip through Mobile phone. The video was about a man being slaughtered and the kids (about 11-13 years old) were thrilled while watching it. They were even telling me that I am bound to feel disgusted. During the video they excitedly pointed out various details about the slaughter and once the video was over they looked towards me to have words of appreciation about the video.


The question is when the people got bored from actors than they started watching realities but what would be next than reality, would it be watching live???

Please share by leaving your comments about reality broadcasts at Web, T.V and the tube sites.

The departed

We all tend to value after loosing what we had but he was always precious by many of the standards which are used to describe a person as someone more valuable. When my colleague broke news of his death than it took a while to sync into it.

It was just before the Summer Vocations of 2009 when I met him outside the school gate, he was there to pick his brother Waleed Butt who actually introduced us to each other. I had never taught to either of them but me and Waleed were friendly because many of my students were his closest buddies due to which he used to visit my class frequently.

Adil Butt passed out of the school Metric section about two years ago; His teachers describe him as a naughty boy with a shy smile. His fair complexion, thick eye lashes, Broad structure and medium height were a signature of his Kashmiri ancestors. Eldest of the five brothers and sisters, the growing youth was indicating it to his father that very soon he would be sharing his work load and responsibilities but no body could imagine that he was growing towards the end at such an early age.

His death is a typical betrayal’s story which followed trust. Boys who kidnapped him were not only his friends but were known to his family also. They took him for ransom and killed him through strangle. The killers probably never realized that they took more than a life .They killed a brother and a son and a student and a Pakistani and a Muslim and God knows what else more.

Other than the death there is more for consideration in this incident. For instance most of the criminals are expected to be less than twenty years old and were involved in this crime for money. At such an early age how did they develop so much greed? Usually adversaries in life make us more cold hearted but they were young boys who were into enjoying life at cafes. Killing through a weapon looks easy as use of equipment keeps you away from having a direct contact and have a feel of other person’s life but these criminals strangled him, what made them so mercy less? Is it rough upbringing or growing temptations which made them Ruth less? Whatever it is has no justification.


What is your opinion about causes of criminal orientation at such an early age?
Please share and perform fatiaa for Adil Butt (May his soul rest in peace).


According to the criminals they threw Adil’s body in sheikhupura canal and so far body has not been recovered. All the details about the crime have been obtained through “Daily Jang”.

"CAT" in the Hospital !

The cat looked very comfortable on the stretcher in the corner; she was asleep with so much peace that even a dog would have hated to disturb her. After envying her indifference towards the realities around I walked towards the area where my sister was admitted, remembering that it was a hospital meant for humans and the cat could not be kept out because administration was busy in more important things like acting as indifferent as the cat! (and their indifference was obvious in many other administrative aspects of the hospital)

Above mentioned experience has been shared not because of the healthy cat but because of General standards followed in Hospitals of Lahore and those are worth criticism not because of comparison with developed world but because of basic human values. Throughout Lahore, all the known hospitals are almost all the time crowded and due to so much (Business) activity, management can get away with almost everything especially compromised cleaning and maintenance standards.

People from interior Punjab are not likely to get much facility in Local Health care units and established hospitals. Poor infrastructure discourages urban doctors for moving away from the cluster towards lesser developed areas so this is one reason why at the larger hospitals we see Families of the patients resting on ground Mats lying in corridors outside the wards and in the parks outside the hospitals. Such people are not likely to mind a cat’s presence when they themselves have come from where there was no established hospital at all.

According to World Health Organization (WHO) provided figures for the Year 2008 only 1.5% of the total Pakistani budget is being spent on Health so following figures are very much obvious

Year 2007
Physicians per 10000 population 12.0
Dentists per 10000 population 8.0
Pharmacists per 10000 population 1.0
Nursing and midwifery personnel per 10000 population 0.9
Hospital beds per 10000 population 10.0
Primary health care units and centers 1.7

Justifying negligence and Poor administrative abilities under the curtain of Poverty and work load should not be the case with people responsible for human lives but this cold attitude has its own grounds.

Any child who wants to be a doctor works really hard to get enough marks in Matric for getting admission with Pre medical courses and than in F.Sc and than in entry test and than in MBBS and than after one year of House Job in FCPS part one and than after three years of training in FCPS part two. If he clears all of these exams in the first attempt(which is not likely to be the case due to percentile selection being followed in FCPS exams) still he would complete his basic education at the age of about 29 only to discover that there is no Government infrastructure to place him any where and he has to find a Job of about 15-25 thousands to begin with (An average MBA who completes his Post graduation at the age of about 22 starts under similar slabs but starts a career many years earlier with a much larger Job opportunities as spread across many industries).

After many years of hard work and a great deal of luck when a doctor finally starts earning than may be he just focuses on maximizing revenues rather than expenses associated with maintenance of the environment and even if he does ,does it to charge more from the patients.

Considering the issues related to medical field in Pakistan not much can be said but just imagine if people from every profession especially Fire fighters, Police and Army start justifying negligence on similar grounds. Than there might be cats everywhere with no one to bother about their presence.

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Staged hypocrisy

Criticism is one of those tasks which almost everyone can perform and this easy task gets easier when it comes to entertainment industry of Pakistan. A lot can be looked down upon, Humor, scripts, Poor camera work, presentation especially in terms of wardrobe selection, editing and almost everything. With the passage of time as a society we have actually become indifferent about our local entertainment media as we are too much busy with foreign electronic entertainment which is supposed to be better in every aspect and this is where a confusion starts.

There is no doubt about technical advancements which we notice in foreign presentations but this difference has never been the reason for criticism upon local media. We find our theatre and cinema vulgar (and T.V also because it broadcasts stage plays) because women dance and comedians crack jokes based upon Gender and unlawful relationships but what about western and Indian Media? Are they any different in this regard?

Let’s consider few of the popular shows on Cable these days for instance Friends, Desperate House wives, Nip N Tuck etc or consider Saturday Night Live. We watch all of these which offer any thing but what any civil society can digest. Stories based upon people living together without marriage, Humor based upon physiological elements and wardrobes suitable for this environment. In case of western media, Language keeps us from relating ourselves to that environment but what about Indian media where women look and speak like our women but go wild like western stars and they not only act but dance as well in such cloths which are not allowed for our stage performers but still these Indian and western presentations are followed and appreciated whereas similar explicit content is criticized and banned under Pakistani labels.

If something is objectionable on any grounds than those objections should also be raised upon western and Indian T.V and Films. There is a Censor board for our movies but is there any censor board for Indian and English movies? And if such movies escape from censor because these are smuggled than why are they not removed through raiding the shops?
Above mentioned arguments are not to justify shallow levels of creativity but to point out prevailing hypocrisy which exists because as a Nation we are suffering from various Inferiority complexes which probably have been developed due to living on Aid and Loans and mainly because we never really discovered our heritage and roots and just followed what others were following.


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The Jewish Contents

I was in my mid teens when one day I came across a novel which many of my cousins and family members were going crazy about. I read the novel and appreciated it, Name of the novel was “If tomorrow comes” and it was written by Sidney Sheldon which initially I considered name of an attractive women until I saw the PIC of the man with white hair. With the passage of time I read almost all the books by Mr. Sheldon or saw movies based on his books. Eventually I discovered that without exception all of his characters, stories and themes revolve around revenge and wealth. He uses whatever he can to add more commercial appeal to the book and for this reason lot of explicit expression is found in his way of story telling. In order to verify my suspicion I searched and found that he is a Jew. The indicating factors were 1: Revenge 2: Wealth 3: Manipulation through power 4: Lack of moral values while enhancing commercial appeal.

Simple Googling provides us with the details of Jewish success in the field of media and Finance .Jewish control ranges in all major forms of media at the largest groups. For example Walt Disney, Warner Brothers (and its subsidiary HBO), ABC, ESPN etc. In print media its Time magazine, Newsweek etc. In the world of finance sources claim that City Bank, Visa Card, Master card are controlled by Jews.

There is every possibility that information provided about Jewish dominance might be exaggerated but what about 49(Bio Med) 28(Chemistry) 24(Economics) 44(Physics) 12 Literature, Nobel Laureates whose names are mentioned for Jewish plat forms, Why wouldn’t these Nobel prize winners deny Jewish connections if they do not exist. Even for the sake of arguments if we do not accept Jews as the largest ethnicity to win Nobel prizes what about the fact that Israel is dominating the Arab world while being surrounded by them and so many Arab countries even when united cant liberate the Sacred places from Jewish control. There has to be something special about them. Is it revenge which keeps them going (after the holocaust) or greed to expand and control. Whatever it is, must be something which we do not have because at the time of partition we as a nation also sacrificed so many lives but forgot all about it even before the second Pakistani generation grew young. Our ancestors came to subcontinent while expanding Muslim empire but we do not reflect such character which shows dominance and aggression, actually we display submission and impoverish thinking which simply does not relate us with our roots.

In spite of the fact that we have had our share of sacrifices, unlike Jews we have not learned from our past and we just live in it.
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The Blood sucking lover!

One of the most frequent questions which I ask from my students is if they like to read Books of any type or by some particular author and the usual reply which I get is Oh! Books are so boring and then they tell me their ideas of recreation which include SMS wars, crank calls, movies and music etc.

About an year ago I started noticing a book at the desks of the class during free periods or with my students .The title “Twilight” attracted me because of its colors which were red and black After going through the introduction and asking few questions, I came to know that it’s a new series by a writer Stephanie Meyers and the theme revolves around falling in love with a vampire!. The writer has been very elaborative about vampire charms and related description.

My immediate reaction was Oh! another teenage Fad but to my surprise (and to bit disappointment) I noticed students following the second part (and going crazy at the movie of the first one).

I know sometimes different things gain popularity just because a crowd joins in to follow the Fad but soon they loose it when the crowd moves out for some newer interest. In this particular case surprising element was the theme which inspired the teens (A blood sucking lover!).Even though the over all effort seems to be about highlighting good side of being a vampire.

This fascination can have various explanations like these days society is under constant threats of violent groups but the system and its associates which are supposed to defend us, seem to be getting weaker due to which our idea of security and protection comes from things and people with unnatural powers. The other opinion can be the typical one, Falling in love with a human is just a bit too typical so let’s try something new!

Please reply with your comments on the above mentioned trends or your own opinion about the mentioned topic. (Please send web address of this Blog http:// inamarif.blogspot.com to your mailing and messaging lists in order to expand this community for discussing various elements of Pakistani society)

Coke Studio

Asalam U Alaikum,

These days the new in thing in Town are the songs produced under Coke studio which is a sponsored program by the famous cola drink .The theme is Fusion of Eastern Classical/Folk music with POP music, performed by artists which can be considered Pakistani music heart throbs and the whole effort is produced by Rohail Hayat(Vital Signs fame).
Now when couple of episodes have been aired and every body is talking about it and appreciation seems to be coming from all sorts of people,The Rs 17 question is that why do not we feel digestion for classical anf pakistani folk music in their raw form especially when these are considered to be complete forms of music having routs spread over hundreds of years and foundations built upon purity and truth regarding human centiments and feelings.Is it because these two are and were never before music for masses and in order to understand them it is important to translate them into some thing having access accross all social groups like POP music(Popular mucic)the way it has happened in west where Artists like Jimmy Handrix,Elvis Presely and many others used Blues,Jazz and country music and presented it with simplar or fused expressions.
Second opinion about acceptance of Ancient type of music under modren presentation can be that change is inevitable and people have lost appetite for traditions and they only accept old form of performing arts after it changes its appearance (one reason why Cinema has evolved so much over a period of time as use of technology has allowed to present ancient art of acting with so much effects).
Please share your views about Coke Studio and trend of Fusion music in Pakistan by replying to this blog.(Please send web address of this Blog http:// inamarif.blogspot.com to your mailing lists in order to expand this community for discussing various elements of Pakistani society)