Travel: To Know Your Destiny

I chased the football to last defender after being passed by Goal keeper. My pressing forced him to go hitting the ball out of play but it hit me, I controlled the ball, took few steps forward & looked Goal Keeper is running towards me, I took a step right and curled the ball into the nets. Goal! You will be thinking that this article will be about some football tactics but this was occasion when I finally did what I wanted to do in my mind. It was of moment of peace when I took the right decision rather than hitting ball straight into the keeper I used to do often.

The point is what how I did this when I was trying to do for quiet few months. What has changed between now and then? The answer is clarity and peace in the mind. I work in a public utility department and have to deal with daily public pressure and emergency tasks for past 2 years. I have adopted into the environment when you are in urgency mode all the time. You have to take decisions at the moments and response quick as you don’t to be reason for the late proceedings. In the run so, you become habituated to react quick and in hurry always. For being in the environment, you integrate the earnestness in your life, character and daily base proceedings. The things seem good from the outside; you being appreciated by seniors, you become a dependable person in the eyes of higher ranks and more trust is placed on your shoulders. They overlook the capabilities of the mental and physical aspects of your personality. As the world says in professional enviro, you will be judged on outcomes results but when you fail, you will be held responsible and punished. They don’t care about the timespan for how long you are into this stress, depression and breakout feelings. If you fail, it’s your failure on capabilities as well as character. Trust me; anything can come out of mouth when you are teased for the efficiency of your work. It doesn’t matter, once you lose it you are all done in the eyes of senior ranks. That’s the modern era fiasco of the employees all over the world.

Coming back to the goal, how I scored it. You know it but you didn’t know why I was so clear in my intentions. The reason behind is that I just had a wonderful trip to Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan. I read in some context that once you are away from your natural habitat for ten days, you actually retuned your mind, energy and life goals. There was so much to think, learn and enjoy that it changes the perspective of your life. You actually learn the importance of bond between you and fellow travel companions. It is matter of fact that there are often fights during the travelling though it didn’t happen in my case. The reasons being are you are vulnerable to my things from financial issue to privacy to demands of excitements. There will be companions who want to see it all and there is who want to just look and enjoy the present atmosphere. There will some always in hurry for more and there will some to enjoy what they got but keep in mind, there is no right or wrong. You have to deal with it and the best way is to talk and agree.

Finally, moments will come on the way when whole your life goes through eyes. Some moments will growl your past and some moment woof your wishes for the future. In between both, you will be considering and deciding your life forward. The time can’t be moved fast or slow but your decisions will determine the pace of your life whether you want to run for the things and achieve it soon or let the wishes come true with time, because only thing to achieve goals are hard work and eye to opportunities. That’s why they said keep it slow.

Child Abuse: See it, Hear it, Report it!

Most of us started noticing the pages and links on our sponsored Facebook timeline sharing the stories of child molesting (mostly girls). I am well aware that this issue is like a tumor in our society and must be talked. There must be awareness programs regarding child molesting from ground level (mainly primary schools, meetings with parents and group discussion) to national campaign. These sponsored links are not spreading the alertness of the issue instead promoting the vulgarity, sex stories and endorsing the intimacy. There is never ever a strong message concerning stopping and fighting spirit by the victim. They are telling every single minor detail of the incident (or say they creating up the stories) and script the juicy lines so they could upsurge their page ratings or endorse the ads. I strongly condemned these pages and actions must be taken to stop and ban the pages and links. Questions will be raised what should be done instead.

There are NGOs and social awareness groups who are encouraging the clear messages and instructions for ending the child abuse. Sex Education must be compulsory in the secondary school, Parents Teacher meeting must be held in primary school educating to look over their children, analyzing their behavior, their sleep routine, their interest on television & teaching them that no one is allowed to touch their body and private parts without their permission and when anybody do so is a offender and they must tell their parents no matter what the other person say or threatened to. Their parents will be their ultimate shield. The problem in our culture and religious structure in Pakistan is such that this issue is still considered as taboo and people avoid discussing. This cultural and religious restriction has sparked the evil side in people of this region. There are several issues to be addressed like delaying marriage of adults just parent's don’t think he/she isn’t financially steady. The intimacies among our youth are high, and its fact that you just couldn't stop it by banning porn websites.  The Prophet once said to us, 'O young people (يا معشر الشباب)! Whoever among you is able to marry, should marry, and whoever is not able to marry, is recommended to fast, as fasting diminishes his sexual power. 

Beside these duties of parents and adults, the government should act upon on this matter. We appreciate the stand that government took against terrorist after the Peshawar Army School incident, same kind of response must be taken against these psychopathic criminals who are involved in child molesting and there are numerous stories regarding child molesting and rape print in our newspapers. The crime and punishment committed should not be hidden but presented as the symbol to fight against the child molesting and eradicate this tumor in our societies. We have seen headlines that people arrested for raping four year old child but never heard what punishment was given to him. 

Rainbow Flag for Pakistan?

No other news has drastic impact to countries miles away from each other than the news of American Courts to legalize the same gender marriage. It was the historic moment for United States of America but on other hand it’s complete opposite to nature law. As a Muslim and part of an Islamic state it will be always difficult to accept the law but it's not our right to object the law of the other state and a civilization who rules aren't subjected to religious certainties. May be for atheists it's very easy to accept to change of nature law.  Being a liberal, I would have accepted this but even liberalism has its limit and that's when religion comes in. To me, religion isn't just about prayers and hoping to get place in heaven after life. It's about restrictive the human beings from becoming evil spirit and oppose the nature. Nature always takes its revenge in form of climactic change, natural disasters or any form. Nature is supreme authority, legalizing gay marriages will definitely affect the human race medically, mentally and governance wise and time will tell its effect on American Evolution in future. Yet being right or wrong about the issue, I couldn't deny the struggle for this movement. They have achieved something of phenomenon in present society. Keeping aside their natural desires, it's a movement showed to the world that humans are so influential beyond government restrictions, law and enforcement that if there is true wish to accomplish something they will acquire it. If marginally few numbers of people could achieve this accomplishment that are neglected by society and seen differently then why there is no rise and protest in Pakistan for numerous reasons from load shedding to terrorism, Minority genocide to sectarianism genocide (Shia & Ahmadis), Woman Rights to child labor, educational issue to health issues, and many more. If LGBT movement can raise rainbow flag in America then there should be a distinct flag in each and every street of Pakistan to stand against the discrimination of human rights from day Pakistan came into existence.

Assignment 0: Motion Planning Experiments

Question No. 1:

Write an algorithm for ‘Person 1, looking at Person 2 with eyes closed, directs Person 2 through obstacle

Solution:

We are assuming Right Priority. Furthermore, constructing a function for person 1 walking towards goal through obstacles and after that person 2 follows person 1 upon call.

Algorithm:

Person  1 walks through Obstacles

Person 1 looking to goal

[

Move forward

%% Obstacle detected

Stop;

Rotate 90 degrees right

Follow obstacle

Direct towards goal

%% Obstacle detected

Stop

Rotate 90 degrees right

Follow obstacle

Direct towards goal

Reach goal

]

End

Person 1 call person 2

[

Person 1 walks through obstacles

]

End

Question 2:

Write an algorithm for person 1 looking an object, guides person 2 whose eyes are closed to grab an obstacle

Solution:

Algorithm:

Person 1 calls person 2

[

Move forward

%% Obstacle detected

Stop

Rotate 90 degrees right

Follow obstacle

Directs towards goal/Object

Pick up the object

]

End

Question 3:

Donot Venture Forth If You're Going To Judge.

There is not enough gas coming in and consequently, I was forced to fry my egg in the microwave. And that too quite successfully, I may add, except that it tasted like a boiled one. Dado is flying in this Saturday and I'll have to move upstairs in this cold. Yesterday, I mustered up all my will power and finally decided to bathe, thanked God that Nani has solar geysers in our house but guess what? The water was not warm enough, to which Mom said; "Haan tou sooraj kon sa araha hai?" Point to be noted before I feel any inclination to take a shower.

And all my classmates here insist  that they love winters, and that too in quite a boasting manner.

Considering how hot the summers are in Faisalabad and that there is no electricity and that one has to take three showers a day even though she wants to conserve water and is hydrophobic, I kind of agree with them. But that won't stop my fingers turned into like carrot sticks while I type, now will it?

And it's going to be 2015 soon and I was thinking that everyone should make their (hahaa) new year resolution, not because it will inspire you to be a better person in the upcoming year but because it will save you from the boredom monster that has been attacking me since the past two days. I've turned into such a stalker and triumph came on the discovery of  a senior's blog back when he was fifteen years old. Such a kewl blog, I may add. Let's break dance, mate. Also I've assumed my role of Solution Aunty again, playing the mediator. A batch mate keeps on messaging me on Facebook yesterday about how it is her birthday tomorrow and that how nice it would be if she get a birthday surprise from us. The last year at school and giving birthday surprises to everyone and all that stuff. We've been planning so many birthdays that it's not much of a surprise anymore.

After eating parathas for almost two weeks while Ammi went to Karachi without taking me and Nani force feeding me  saag and the paratha, I think I've finally made peace with them. I want to learn how to swear in Punjabi. Or maybe, not. My egg language would suffice.
All the tickets for Anwar Maqsood Ka Dharna have been sold out except for 29 December and Ammi still hasn't agreed to take me to Lahore. Sed story, bro. She should pity me and consider the fact that I missed Karachi Literature Festival and Faisalabad Literature Festival (because a friend kept on insisting it was only for the faculty members). A shame, I know.
Anyways till I have nothing left to blab about, I'm out. Anyways I can always my Twitter timeline if something new comes up, which I doubt ever will.
Allah Hafiz

The Beauty In Life.

"The advantage of being freak is that it makes you strong. But the question is, how strong do you want her to be?"
Can we just pause for a moment and appreciate how great House is? And that man is just too awesome.

So I'd been planning to change the readers of the blog for good.

But I assure you, you will be changed for better if not best. I aim to shift your paradigm and to broaden your spectrum (I hope nobody's a Tahir Shah fan out there) and perspective. Hopefully I'll change your outlook at simple things and you won't take simple things in your life for granted. You'll cherish each and every moment. People should learn to appreciate small moments of joy. You should register small moments of happiness and peace because as they say, "Kia pata kal kia hojai." (For all those who don't understand Urdu, well now's a good time to learn because you aren't getting any translation)
So coming back to changing you ungrateful bunch of humans. You may wonder that what magic I possess to perform such a difficult task.
Well we'll start with a really simple and a basic thing and later we'll work up to the next level and so on.
The above statement clearly shows that I'll be one hell of a teacher.
So how many of you eat eggs?
Ok, forget that, how many of you take eggs for granted or worse think that eggs are disgusting?

Well then don't expect me to be okay with it because you're all idiots.
Do you know that a normal person consumes around 173 eggs a year?
Concentrate on the word normal.

Have you ever appreciated eggs knowing the fact that you can't really bake a cake without breaking a few eggs?

And how about this?

But maybe it is too gross for you, no?

Without eggs you can't savour the bite of the cheesy slice of pizza because I think (and I'm usually right) eggs are used in pizza dough, so no pizzas for you anymore, pansy cake.

Stick to kaddu ka salan, next time you want to eat something.

And added to that, you can't enjoy the peanut butter sandwich, Nutella sandwich or any other kind of sandwich because yes, you guessed it right. Eggs are used in bread.

Haha and I just discovered that you can't have that cool scoop of icecream. No little insolent brat, no more ice cream for you.

 Suffer in silence.

Enough with the Googling, I don't expect you to grab the reality this fast but I'm hoping you won't disregard eggmazing things.
Added to the foodie business, eggs serve another great purpose and no I'm not referring to beauty tips. I have no plan to teach you about how to make your skin slippery like an egg white.
Instead I'm here to present you and introduce you with my egg-celent approach to cursing without seeming to be abusive. Next time you want to shout and curse anyone, you can call them a various number of things instead of that boring eff word.
Here you go, and make sure to keep your lolling tongue inside.
Aloo Anday Piyaaz
Koftay Anday
Ublay hoay Anday.

You can come up with some of your own. Stop counting on me for everything.
And stop being such an egg.

The Unconscious Belief

If I were to tell you my inspiration for this article, you might be a bit surprised. The other day at my office, the people started up a random discussion, which basically went along the lines of, "If you knew that you're going to die in a few hours and that you're going to hell for certain, would you kill everyone you hate?"

Most people said yes. Some people asked how much time they exactly had, as so to decide whether they could kill slowly and painfully or not. Some started wondering what would happen if they met the very person(s) they killed in hell later. But you get the general response.

I had my diplomatic answer of "I'd rather use the time to tell my loved ones that I love them" ready, but as it turns out, nobody really cares about interns.

Anyway, this question led my mind to wander along a trail weaved with reminiscence and deep thought. I remembered certain occasions where some particular friends had proclaimed things like, “Yaar hum to pakkay dozakhi hain”, and, “We're already going to hell anyway, so might as well”. If they are so sure of their state-of-affairs in the afterlife, will they start killing everyone they hate a few hours from their death?

Somehow, I think that even if they had some way of extracting knowledge about the time of their deaths, some certain people I could name but won't would still be safe.

The obvious question at this point is, how come? If a person truly believes that he will go to hell regardless of whatever he does, I'm sure he would cease to care about a lot of things. But while you may come across many people who have a firm belief that hell is indeed the only place for them in the afterlife, they still abstain from utter indifference. The reason being, they don't really believe that will end up in hell. And why? Because,

He is the Most Merciful, and the Most Beneficent.

I personally believe that such apparently hopeless people; or any of us, for that matter; don't truly believe that they will end up in hell, despite of all the sins they may have committed and may continue to do so. It is a fact we just cannot come to terms with, because there is still that small smidgen of hope, based on the infinite mercy of Allah, that we shall be forgiven on the Day of Judgment; that things will somehow work out, and that we can escape the unimaginable horror that awaits the non-believers. Allah is the All Powerful and the All Merciful; in Him we trust.

However, there could be a negative aspect to this too. If this really is the reason and this unrealized-to-most belief really does exist, some people might take this a tad too far, and continue to commit all sorts of wrongs and sins regardless, and simply shrug it off saying, 'Allah maaf karnay wala hai yaar'. I have seen this happen many times and while it's good to have this firm a belief in His mercy, you surely aren't earning yourself any favors by continuing to commit these wrongdoings, whatever they may be. Allah may be prepared to overlook these acts, but why not try giving Him a reason to do so? And what better time for a change of habit(s) than the holy month of Ramazan? 

Of course, this all may be baloney and may not make a lot of sense, if any at all since it is currently 5 in the morning and I wrote this simply because I felt like writing and nothing else came to mind, but as long as it may serve a good purpose, what's the harm?

Shit Got Real.

So basically, I have no idea how to impress the readers of this blog with my first ever legend-wait-for-it-dary post. And therefore, dear amigos I have decided to do what I do best, which is basically four things.
Blab
Sleep
Blab
And blab some more.
Wow. This is as eggmazing as it can get. I doubt anyone can do all the four things as well as I can.
On a serious note, without much further ado, I am not going to blab about some useless shit here. Instead I'm going to give you some tips or life saving advice for the moments when you're forced to think that shit just got real!  There are moments when you find yourself lost, wandering trying hard to make way around the mess and think for the zenith time that why in the hell did I want to grow up. Because apparently you prefer those keechar walay pizzas and not the smart gadgets you have stocked up on. There are moments when you get nostalgic and think about all those moments when you actually didn't know the meaning of shit. Well not to worry because I'm going to save you from such moments.

You know what's really shitty. Summer, heat, sweat trickling down nastily your back and no fan to propel that hot air in your face. Because of loadshedding and no electricity for almost twelve hours, and to put that tasteless cherry on top of the burnt cake, you live in Punjab. Wow. Well to deal with that shit, all you got to do is ask your wife, mother, daughter or sister to make you a cup of tea (because you're a lazy sloth and a male chauvinist) and then go upstairs or out in the verandah and start dancing. It is preferable if you do lungi dance.

There are times when you just can't bear your slippers getting stolen while you're being a good son and praying in mosque on Friday and secretly wish that you were a girl. Well thanks to me your problem is solved. Just don't eat anything for the next two whole days and on the morning of the third day, kaboom, you're a changed man woman. And the best part is you can always change back once you're tired of the male dominated society around you. All you have to do is eat the crunchy wafer-ish chocolate which is basically manufactured to shame real chocolates.

These are enough for now. Go watch football.
And since I can't think of anything good to blab about, I should consider sleeping.
Bye.

A poem for us all

A little poem I wrote for myself and you people, the readers. You know what they say, first post best post. lol. I'll just let the words I wrote do the rest. Here you go.


Why is it that you do what you do?

Why do you conduct research conductive?

Would you still do it if you knew?

Tis to one's self and soul: destructive.

　

Do not douse in the dark,

For black is not a colour.

Black is the colours' absence;

No absence could be more duller.

　

Life is a gift far too precious to be;

Wasted on marijuana and coke.

If you crave, have a cup of tea

But please don't drink or smoke.

　

Hear the rain drops pitter patter,

For them there will be no tommorow,

Don't fall from grace and shatter

Life is not all grief and sorrow



　

Amidst the clouds, see the silver lining,

Alas! All storms come to an end.

Then you will see the sun shining.

It's what's broken that must mend.

A Life Secret Hidden in a Hiking Trip

Well no students will leave a chance to miss out a hiking trip to Monal arranged by University, when they know that there will be no issue of attendance for leaving the most hated lab. I never went on to complete the hiking trip to Monal but I always believed that I’m a sportsman so I had many alternate solutions for that. Indeed it was like sunshine in the dark opportunity, how could I miss it? As most of my classmates commonly thought, I went for the trip. It was the first time I got an opportunity to sit in a University bus. We reached the starting point in no time and it was time to begin our knee crunching journey. Most of us chose the toughest route to reach Monal, trail 3. As our journey began, many of us were enthusiastic and took off aggressively. Moving up faster and sometimes running when finding a slanted plain surface. There were still many students strolling near the start point but as time passed, the distance between me and then started to increase and there were fewer people remaining around me whom I knew. Then I found two of my colleagues Ubaid and a girl name Maheen. They were just behind me and completing their journey like the destination is in their hands. Ignoring the fact that friends could help to complete your journey happily and passing time with them is fun. They were my classmate but we didn’t get enough opportunities to talk or share ideas. It’s always good to know that familiar faces are around you. But then it struck my mind that it represents a disrespectful attitude towards my classmates that I’m not stopping when they are just few feet away from me. With a hint of reluctance, I took a deep breath while stopping and joined them. As we started moving together I came to know that Maheen’s father used to come to hiking and it took him 2.5 hours to complete the full trail and we had just been moving for 45 minutes. I thought to change my mindset and focus that I can still make it in time.  The journey in itself is exploring the natural of beauty of the Margalla Hills and I thoroughly enjoyed the silence, bird squiring, greenery and also the company of people whom first I thought would be a distraction. It all happened because we were determined to reach the destination. It reminded me of the famous quote “safar jitna b lamba ho saathi ache hone chaiye” but it makes true sense when you know your friend is also willing to reach the destination. Time passed quite well and they even stopped by a thorn got pinched in my shoe and they helped me to take that out. We saw few people crossing us so I was expecting that we will be on top in 15 minutes but we were falling behind. It seemed so unlikely when I was moving up. I was moving like a king on a horse not knowing my army had marched forward already. Its human nature to absorb joyful moments but we realize later the difficult tasks that follow.

Like hiking trip to un-measured destination, our approach to our dreams is like same. We know our destination but we don’t know how much time it will take and how much difficult it will be, how many ups and downs there will be, how many times your mind will distract you from reaching to your goal and how many times u will be pinched by thorn (people who will you pull back and discourage you) but you still need to keep on moving. Dreams become reality when you know in your heart and sure of your capabilities and again repeating the quote  “safar jitna b lamba ho saathi ache hone chaiye” make sense because a true friends /family/life partner will help you to achieve your goals when they have faith in you, but if they don’t help you instead pull you back, don’t stop for them , keep advancing and there will be new people arriving in your life and eventually you will get along with them ,they will help you to reach to your destination when you reach there don’t be upset seeing many people already there , because before the begin of journey, nobody expected themselves to be there ,congratulate yourself  for making to the final point because you earned it, than the story of true successful person is written !! Try to think of life with another perspective because every dream deserves to become a reality.

Big The Size , More The Issues!!

Ever since a child, I would tinker with Styrofoam to make model planes. Once the design issues were kinked out, I would try to expand its size. But every time I would expand the size, something or the other would fall apart or malfunction. Back then it confused me as to why a working design would pose a challenge at expansion. Growing up, I noticed these phenomenon’s in many different fields where a perfectly well functioning design or an idea would not work at a different scale, just like my plane design. Let me explain.

Economics: We have been told that Communism does not work. Soviet Union & North Korea bear witness to this fact in history. And we are told that Capitalism works. Many countries adopting free-market policies have prospered (compared to the Communist nations). In a Free-market economy, money is the means of signal for supply and demand. Communist Economies requires Central Planning. What I find interesting is structure of a family. A family runs on communist principles. You do not charge your kids for food. Everyone works according to his ability and need. This model may even work in large families. But as the size of the model expands, communism falls apart. Whereas if Capitalism were applied to a family unit, it would destroy the social fabric and the human element from relationships.

Knowledge:  Pick any major event in history – Roman Empire, WW1, WW2, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The more you read into its details, the opinionated the information gets with conflicting point of views. Plus, when we try to granulize details, we tend to lose sight of the bigger picture. This is very common in the field of Economics. We tend to mix things between correlation and causation, or the arrow of causation. The marginal utility of more details goes from beneficial to harmful. It is important to always keep the larger picture in sight. More information does not mean more wisdom.

Religion: Religion creates a baseline for morality. Practicing an old religion keeps us in touch with our history, regardless we understand it or not. But implementation of religion in its strictest sense twists matters in reality. Let’s take Pakistan for example. My parents tell me that Pakistan was one of the most prosperous nations in the region in the 60s & 70s. It was a very friendly and safe place. I see my parents wedding pictures and I do not see anyone looking too religious. Today, taking a random sample from Pakistan would show more people practicing religion. Yet, the moral sense didn’t improve proportionally. In fact, it’s common that neighbors no longer interact as much as they did 40 years ago. So what went wrong? I feel Law of Proportionality comes in handy explaining that we may have overextended a working principle. Or maybe it’s the ‘Institutionalization of religion’. Who knows! And that’s the thing with Complex social systems – they aren’t linear. In Complex systems causation is noise. Correlations & long term trends are the real signal carrier.

 Science: Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein explained the world of natural laws of gravitation via mathematical equations. Their discovered laws hold well with celestial bodies. But these very laws fall apart when applied to Quantum Mechanics, where there is no such thing as certainty and everything is probabilistic. The Law of Proportionality prevails even in the purest form of natural science. I am not arguing against the size as the factor in complex system but the layers of complexity. The more complexity is layered into a system, the higher its risks of failure. And there is nothing more complex than a human conscious. We can predict the durability of machines, we can calculate the half-life of radioactive materials, energy levels and even molecular processes but we cannot calculate rational or irrational responses of a conscious being. This very element of consciousness restricts us from ‘calculating’ future economic conditions via fancy models. It’s not just that we cannot calculate conscious irrationality but interpretation of data adds our own conscious  abstraction to our conclusion.

A day on the streets

As had been customary for pretty much the entire summer, 11-year old Amir woke up at around seven in the morning drenched in sweat. The fan had been still for almost three consecutive days now; a silent reminder of the bliss it had been that Amir had never bothered to acknowledge when electricity would visit their home a few hours a day. His mother was stretched out next to him; asleep; the fanning mat still clutched in her hand. She had fanned him to sleep, Amir knew, and had finally given in to exhaustion and dropped off herself. Her sleep wouldn’t last long, Amir knew. The heat would see to that.

Soon he was out on the streets, in the scorching heat with the stack of newspapers balanced under his arm. He didn’t have to try hard to appear in a pitiful state as he shuffled from car to car, waving the newspapers in the car windows; his grubbed and torn-at-places attire, matted hair and dirty face saw to that. Whether a disgraceful appearance helped him in selling more newspapers or not was a debate he had forgone a long time ago. There was just no satisfying people, he knew. If he made himself look abject, people might take pity on him, but would mostly just turn away in disgust. If he made himself look presentable, there would be no end to the ‘such a fine young lad you are, and look at you. Begging here on the streets (even though that wasn’t exactly what he would call selling newspapers), why don’t you go out and get a real job?’ stereotypes.

In his scrimpy trade, Amir had come across a lot of different types of people. There were the big, rich businessmen who would ride up in their big black cars, seated in the backseat clad in grand suits. Such people hardly ever bothered to even look up at him. There was the harried father rushing his kids to school, always in bad mood. Often he would vent out his anger on Amir. There were youngsters, whos’ arrival would always be heralded by loud music blaring from the car speakers. Whenever he approached them, they would engage in a loud and raucous discussion, and pretend not to hear him. There were taxi drivers; always mopping their sweating foreheads; and most of them hardly had enough for their own selves, yet would at times try to shell out whatever they could for him. Very few were the relaxed people, who would smile whenever he came up and pay him, and sometimes they would even refuse the newspaper he offered them, telling him to just keep the money.

Rejection was an integral part of Amir’s ‘trade’. He had learned long ago not to let it get him down. And so he had stopped seething at people who would roll up their windows when they spotted him, or the disdainful looks he received, or the snide comments about how he was a perfectly healthy young boy who should do something more worthwhile than selling newspapers. He had even stopped being frustrated at the selfishness of the people; after all, if a person could afford a big car, an expensive mobile phone, maintain a family, why could he not shell out a mere 10 rupees to him, a person in dire need? It was something that used to bother him a lot once; when every window rolled up in his face, or every annoyed expression on a potential customer’s face when he ambled along would be an affront to him, and he would turn away with a sickening feeling in his stomach, his heart aching. It wasn’t just the fact that they were forcing him to move on empty-handed, but also the contempt with which they regarded him. He may not be educated, or have a proper job, or own a car, but he was still human. He too had feelings! But as the days rolled by without anything changing, he learned not to let it get him down. Sometimes he told himself to be strong; at other times, he would compare himself with shopkeepers. He told himself that while he may not have a proper shop, he had the freedom of being able to interact with his customers openly and freely, and he did not have to worry about competition either. Of course, he did not get the respect that shopkeepers get in his case, but after all, you have to give something to lose something. Sometimes he would realize how ridiculous he was being, but he forced himself to believe that, for he needed a way to uphold his pride. He had some of it, if not a lot, and like every other person, he needed to maintain it. To keep himself going.

But despite whatever he kept telling himself, the fact remained that rejection wasn’t just in his ‘trade’; it was in Amir’s whole life. He had been rejected a father who could financially support his family. He had been denied a country which could, or maybe chose to, help people like him all over the country. He had been denied the basic necessities of life such as water and electricity. He had been denied an education. In short, he had been denied a proper life.

He had even been denied a healthy mother. She was sick most of the time; sprawled on the bed, her skin burning to the touch. Fear and worry for her made Amir forget all about his misfortunes though. Amir didn’t know exactly what she was suffering from, but he was aware that they never had enough money to get her treated properly. Amir had even started to save up the small amount he used to shell aside from his income every day for sweets and chocolates, in the hope that one day he could gather enough to get his mother treated. He loved her so very much; the pure love born of innocence that exists between a mother and child; and he didn’t know what he would do without her.

And that, in fact, was his true driving force; not him telling himself to be strong, neither the need to uphold his pride; it was fear for his mother. It was what kept him doggedly padding through the roads, stopping at car after car, waving his newspapers in the windows, steeling his nerves at every rejection, and moving on. That, and of course his self-assurance that this was still better than being stuck at a shop, being forced to sit the hours away. It was something Amir knew, deep down, yet he refused to acknowledge it, and kept telling himself it wasn’t true. Because it would always lead him to thoughts of what would transpire if something were to happen to his biggest source of inspiration; if she was around no more; what would he do then?

And then he would shake his head; telling himself that he was being foolish, for nothing was going to happen to his mother, and that he would soon have enough money to get her properly treated; and then he would move on to wave his stack of newspapers in the next car’s window.

Accord

''Give up!'', says the mind,
and now the heart agrees.
What of this agony? This malice?
That no one ever sees!
What of this peace, i havent known?
Unknown to me, like the floatin trees;
Of Babylon!
Which way do they sway, when a certain cold breeze,
Hits their upside down copses;whither do the leaves
Fall? Down or up, towards the sky?
If so, then why?
Or, are there Djins, and Ghosts and ghouls?
And terrifying ghost-houses with forlorn souls.
Pity! For the haunted, who no one consoles.
Furthermore, on the contrary if we are to think.
Do djins and Ghouls dwell in barren lands,
Stories being stories,
Tales to overwhelm?
And so do they think of us humans
.............as we of them?
And are they afraid of the horror i.e ''Man''
And is honesty really the policy best?
Coz men have failed while being so!,
Or were they; simply put; or else,
They surely would have forseen so!
Hypocrisy; it shines when put to test.
Man notes and progresses,
forgetting the rest!
Seemingly tis a powerhouse of unflinching zest!
But it does make life look like a sorry jest!
Tis new yet the biggest mystery of them all!
Does the heart have any role in feelings.
Does it transcend and mould and bend;
The way we make our dealings?
Or is it a mere organ, devoid of sentiments;
Like the hectic learned man,
Who never diverts an inch or so ever,
From the purposed plan.
If so then Lo!
Tis only brain,
And heart muscle and vein.
The idioms and phrases of yore,
Are apt to go down the drain.
So much hassle bout the heart of before,
All in vain!
Hail the mightiest of organs; the real vital one
The mighty electrical brain,
And yet, i am unsure
and so there is room for contrabands,
And thus ardently the question stands,
Because to this there is more,
And im fiendishly unsure,
And this my brain with my heart grieves,
How can the brain and the heart,
So peacefuly be at ease?

Can't come up with a title... NOT ready for publishing!

If you were one of the unfortunate victims of the deranged and vicious attack on the Christian community in Lahore a couple of months back, chances are that you are one of those really few people in Pakistan who still hasn’t applied the forgive and forget, or rather forget, policy related to the whole event. You were there; you know the whole story. No one else knows the cold, piercing fear that impaled your heart the night the police and then a mob gathered at the house of the accused. How you and your whole community were forced to flee, fearing the worst. The worst, which you’d been imagining too demented to actually happen. And then the sense of unreality that gripped you as you stared in horror at the ashes of what had once been something that belonged to you; at the charred roads and black smoke that encompassed what had once been your home; and the only thought running through your mind was:

You: What did I ever do to deserve this?

And then along comes one of the many people responsible for the burnings; the man of the hour, here to rescue you from the plight of your endless/conclusion-less pondering.

Deranged maniacs: You committed blasphemy. You insulted our Prophet (S.A.W).

You: But… I did not do anything.

Deranged maniac: Well, one of you did. You all had to be taught a lesson.

You: But the man who committed the actual blasphemy got arrested! Isn’t that lesson enough?

Deranged maniac: Pah! You’d like to think so, wouldn’t you? But it’s not as simple as that. In matters as serious as this, a stronger statement is always needed.

You: So basically, if one of us committed a blasphemous act, you deemed it fit to burn down the entire Christian community? Punish all for the crime of one? Just to send a ‘statement’?

Deranged maniac: Blasphemy is a very serious crime in our religion, boy. It must be dealt with a punishment as severe as the crime itself.

You: I don’t really get how the severity of one man committing blasphemy and that of burning down an entire community match up…

Deranged maniac: Spare me the clever talk, boy. You tell me this: what is your problem with our religion? We’re willing to live in peace with you Christians, but you’re not making that entirely possible, are you?

You: Oh, oh, so you’re calling punishing all of us brutally for one person’s crime ‘living in peace’?

Deranged maniac: Why are you portraying it like that? We’re the actual victims here!

You: You’re the victims here? HOW?

Deranged maniac: You heard me. We’re the actual victims here, just as we always are. Victims of your propagandas, always targeting our religion. This was merely a way to defend ourselves.

You: You burn down the entire Christian community to defend yourself?

Deranged maniac: That was the only way. For a strong statement was needed to keep you people in check, since you obviously can’t do that yourself. I repeat: blasphemy is a VERY serious crime in our religion.

You: Are you implying that we should keep a check on EVERYONE here and stop them from committing a crime; else it’s hell for all of us? That’s impossible.

Deranged maniac: (shrugs) Then deal with the consequences. Remember: as you sow, so shall you reap.

You: So you’re actually defending the mindless atrocity of your actions.

Deranged maniac: I stand by what happened. You deserved it.

You: Deserve – what, HOW? Okay, let me explain the situation to you in very simple words. Suppose a person committed a robbery. The punishment for that in Islam is that the hand of the one responsible gets cut off, right?

Deranged maniac: (nods vigorously) Yes.

You: Okay. So if a person steals, do you cut his hand off, or do you go and cut off the hands of his entire family as well?

Deranged maniac: Only the person who stole would be punished. Why his family? Islam is a very fair and just religion.

You: Exactly. So isn’t ours the same case? If a person commits blasphemy – what’s the penalty for blasphemy in Islam again?

Deranged maniac: (sourly) Death.

You: Exactly. So if a person commits blasphemy, would you not have him sentenced to death? Why burn all of our belongings and possessions down as well?

Deranged maniac: (growing frustrated) These two are completely different things!

You: HOW, pray tell? Or are you implying that blasphemy is a special case in Islam where you are allowed to take the law into your own hands and inflict whatever punishment you deem fit on the criminal?

Deranged maniac: Of course not. Islam is just.

You: Is it really? Your actions certainly suggest otherwise. Or maybe that’s because there IS no penalty for blasphemy in Islam, and you don’t know what to do about it!

Deranged maniac: (growing increasingly frustrated) There is. Stop insulting our religion.

You: I’m not insulting anything; I’m only pointing out what seems evident. Is it the fact that there is a penalty for blasphemy in Islam; you just don’t know what it is and thus decided to act of your own accord?

Deranged maniac: (suppressed anger) Are you implying that we are ignorant of the ways of our religion? Because if that’s the case –

You: Well, it’s either that, for I refuse to believe that considering how ‘perfect’ and ‘just’ Islam is, as you keep reiterating, it would allow something as senseless and unjust as this.

Deranged maniac: (seething) Do not doubt Islam, it is the fittest religion!

You: Then why are you continuously giving me reasons to doubt that?

Deranged maniac: I don’t know what you’re talking about.

You: I’ll TELL you what I’m talking about. I’ll tell you what really happened. The penalty for blasphemy in Islam is death; death for the criminal. But that isn’t enough for you people, is it? You always talk of Islam being the perfect religion – and maybe it is! Yet you don’t consider it perfect according to your intemperate views, and thus are redefining Islam, molding it according to your perspectives, and yet using it to defend your actions! You are using your religion, your beloved and PERFECT Islam, as an excuse for oppression. And that, my -

Deranged maniac: (takes out a gun and shoots you).

Steps Towards Democracy

A political person is appointed by the peoples and is responsible for hatching the development issues to the higher level of administration and improvises the innovative policies to improve the governance. This is one of the most respectable occupation and the elected person is considered prosperous national servant.  One of the most interesting enigmas is the process by which such 'servants' are selected. This process is referred to as the democratic where the community is given the option to mark on his favorite person's electoral symbol. The outcome of this exercise is a best servant that receives high number of votes.  The process consist of following three phases, phase-1: Pre-Poll, phase-2: During-Poll and phase-3: After-poll.

In this article the objective is to provide the hypothetical analysis about each phase under the prospective of a common Pakistani.

Phase-1: Pre-Poll

The pre-poll is the phase where the political entity reforms its social contacts by attending the funeral, marriage ceremonies; go for prayers and dinners parties etc.  The member explains his party manifesto and highlight the burning issues and vouch that his party is the final choice to pull out the nation from the current mayhem.  At this stage, the best exercise is to erode the corruption and incompetence of incumbent govern authorities by providing the references to the various cases and intend that their party manifesto is the only hope to prevent the Pakistan for additional disaster.  The member describes his fidelity and explains that how his party has suffered and faced different democratic peril and how opposition has curbed various ongoing projects. Similarly, the opposition has the same sentiments of how the government has blocked the national interest projects by bolstering the administrative discretion  The member cronies prepare various types of slogans that revel the ineffectiveness of opposite counterpart.  In short the members try to hide their incompetence by putting all garbage of corruptions and vitiated governance on the previous govern authorities and on the opposition.

Phase-2: During-Poll

The Phase 2 is short and interesting as the voter receives the higher level of importance and protocol from the member cronies. For instance, the use of vehicles, vans, cars, rickshaws and mini buses are common to take the voters in the polling stations.

Phase-3: After-Poll

The phase 3 is the actual epoch in the life of both voters and the winning member (servant). After the result announcement, the voters go the political offices to greet the winning member, enjoy a cup of tea there and come back home. The disarming journey of voter demise and servant ride starts as lot of issues upraised for him.

For instance the winning member feels that the party manifesto that brought him into this winning position is not in the wider interest of nation. He feels that, despite the corruptions (that he had proved during the election campaign) the other party is not bad as much. He deems that he can develop and serve his constituency better by joining the counterpart regime. Such ideological rejuvenation forces him to leave his incumbent association. So, do we need to obliterate such culprit system that is based on the personal goals? The answer is no, because the democratic system works like this. The ominous speculation is that the same members are going to rule the system for the next five years or more. Let it happen and allow our leader to check the temperament of the peoples.  Let the peoples bear the smashes of politician cronies on them. Let them observe how our political leaders fight each other and how they sit together. Let them witness various corruptions and one day these frustrated peoples will come out.  The day will be the 'day of judgment' and will be a staggering day for the political elite. The peoples will have their own court and the decisions will be made on immediate basis.

Election 2013: Political Parties Approach

Latest polls show that Nawaz League's nexus with Punjab-based anti-Shi'a terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has not hurt its popularity in Punjab during the last several months.

PML (N) Popularity:

In fact, it appears that PML(N) has successfully exploited Sunni majority's bigotry against the Shi'a in Pakistan, particularly in its home base in Punjab. Sharif brothers' PML (N) is now the most popular party in  Punjab with 59% approval and nationally with 41% approval rating  in Pakistan, according to the latest Gallup Pakistan poll. Pakistan People's Party (PPP) is second nationally with 17% and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) third with 14% approval.

Exploiting Hate:

To put PML(N)'s popularity in perspective, let's look at the history of how politicians have exploited such feelings of hatred against minorities. Adolf Hitler rose to power in Germany by riding a wave of resentment against European Jews. In India, Narendra Modi solidified his popularity in Gujarat by approving of Muslim massacre in 2002. Ten years later, Modi continues to be the most popular chief minister in India.  While India's ruling Congress party governs only 8 states,  BJP's anti-Muslim rhetoric continues to help it retain power in ten of India's 28 states. Most Israelis continue to vote for politicians who maintain brutal military occupation of Palestine.

Militancy in Pakistan:

In Pakistan, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto caved in to pressure from right-wing religious parties and passed a law declaring Ahmedis non-Muslim. This self-serving act did not save Bhutto. Anti-Bhutto riots gave Gen Ziaul Haq the opportunity to remove Bhutto from power. After grabbing power, Zia collaborated with the religious right to take advantage of average Pakistani's religiosity to consolidate his own power. Zia exploited the strong anti-communist sentiments after the Soviet invasion of neighboring Afghanistan. He collaborated with the United States and Saudi Arabia to give birth to religious militancy in Pakistan, eventually leading to the creation  of Al Qaeda and the Taliban who, along with their allies and affiliates such as LeJ, continue to carry out terrorist attacks in Pakistan and elsewhere. Nawaz Sharif, too, is a creation of the Zia era.

Civil Society's Role:

Most politicians in democracies are followers, not leaders. They respond to sentiments of their constituents, even hate-filled and violent sentiments. Most of Pakistan's politicians and political parties have their militant wings or alliances with various militant groups who carry out attacks against those who disagree. Such venal politicians are part of the problem, not part of the solution to rising violence in Pakistan. 

Given the venality of the politicians, the only possible solution to this problem is to build public opinion against violence in all its forms. Once the people decide to reject bigotry and violence, the politicians will follow.

Who has the power to shape public opinion in democracies? It's the civil society consisting of the mass media, non-governmental organizations, religious scholars and other powerful public advocacy groups.

Why Should Civil Society Care?

It's in civil society's best interest to create an enabling environment for peaceful coexistence for freedom, music, arts, literature, culture and economy to flourish. Such freedom is necessary to promote creativity and ensure prosperity of the society as a whole.

Why Should Mass Media Care?

The media are owned by corporations who should care because a safe and secure Pakistan is the best way to increase their profitability. These media magnates should have a clear editorial policy to discourage incitement to violence. They should tell their anchors to stop spinning conspiracy theories designed to distract the attention of people from Pakistan's real threats which are mostly internal. They should encourage the people to take personal responsibility for their actions.

Why Should Politicians Care?

The politicians should care because they have to govern after winning elections. Here, they can learn from Indian BJP leader Narendra Modi.  Modi is still a bigot but he knows that he can not afford to alienate the whole world, particularly businessmen and investors who need security and stability to invest in Gujarat. Modi has used his anti-Muslim rhetoric to get votes but he has not allowed mass killings of Muslims after 2002. The lack of violence and continuing stability have attracted massive investments which have made Gujarat's economy among the fastest growing in the world.

Summary:

It's in the best long-term self-interest of Pakistani politicians and civil society  to work to reduce militancy and promote peace and tolerance in the country. This will help bring stability and economic opportunity to Pakistan's current and future generations.

Blunders & Pakistan

To recall the past, the history of Pakistan is full of an endless streak of debacles from the very inception. The fragile democratic system, erroneous policies and lack of vision has averted this nation into a direction-less horde. I am writing about the top 10 blunders which had a drastic impact on Pakistan's history. 

1. From the outset, Pakistan was confronted with challenges of national security, economic well-being and mushrooming influence of the Soviet Union over Afghanistan and Iran. The first Prime Minister of Pakistan, Liaqat Ali Khan, was compelled to cement pro-American ties. It was argued by the strategists that America could provide the economic, military and technical support to a thriving country like Pakistan. As a consequence, Pakistan went into America's camp, whereas, India remained the part of the non-aligned movement.


2. Ghulam Muhammad's dismissal of the constituent assembly was the first onslaught on democracy. Speaker Tamizuddin filed a petition in Sindh high court. The high court overturned the decision but the Federal court under Justice Muhammad Munir upheld the dismissal. This judgement was passed under the law of necessity and mutilated the face and jeopardized the process of democracy. This verdict justified the next four martial laws and 'guaranteed' a somber future of Pakistan. This law has been obliterated by the current judiciary.


3. One unit scheme was introduced by Muhammad Ali Bogra and Ayub Khan carried on with its implementation and included it in the interim 1962 constitution. The seeds of discontent among East Pakistanis were sowed.


4. Separation of East Pakistan left the entire nation traumatized. Bhutto refused to accept Mujeeb's mandate in East Pakistan. The sentiments of national unity had disintegrated. East Pakistanis were among the front line ranks to achieve independence for Pakistan. Rather than alleviating the grievances of East Pakistanis, a relentless military operation was conducted to counter insurgency which further deepened the cracks in the federation and antagonized the Eastern wing. A failure to reach political settlement resulted in Indian military intervention. Pakistan's military was left unfettered to deal with the matter and carried out endless atrocities against East Pakistanis which proved to be the final nail in the coffin.


5. Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was imprisoned and later sentenced to death. Military establishment and the flawed judicial system were embroiled in this catastrophe. This changed the dimension of politics in Pakistan, bringing inherent politics and politics of 'martyrdom' at front and burying the ideological politics.


6. Zia-ul-Haq's martial law was another ferocious strike on democracy. He concocted the policy of Islamization to win the support of Mujahideens and the Western forces against Communist Russia. He fought a proxy war against Russia in avarice of financial and military aid. Pakistan intruded in Afghanistan, leaving it dismantled and brought the evils of sectarianism, drug mafia and violence in our own country. Pakistan's policy on war on terror destabilized Afghanistan once and for all and we are paying it off.


7. Kargil war was Pakistan Army's adventurism which resulted in a defeat. This created a rift between Nawaz Sharif and Pervez Musharraf which ultimately ended up in the enforcement of martial law. Pakistan sought America's help in de-escalating the conflict. Kargil war was an utter disgrace for Pakistan in the world arena. Indo-Pak relations were once again strained and went to its lowest ebb.


8. Decisions taken by Musharraf after 9/11 backfired. America asked Pakistan to request Mullah Umer to withdraw his support over Osama Bin Laden. Allegedly, former DG ISI, General Mahmood asked Mullah Umer not to hand over Bin Laden and advised the Americans to negotiate with the Taliban leadership. As a repercussion, military intervention became inevitable. Pakistan's military once again became the mercenaries. In the light of this so-called 'war on terror', 35000 Pakistanis have been killed, resulted in an economic meltdown and the entire social fabric uprooted.


9. Musharraf lashed out at the judiciary and sacked the Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry. He derailed the process of independent and fair judicial system. Meanwhile, National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) was passed and political concessions were granted. A strong lawyer's movement struggling for the restoration of judiciary caused Musharraf's doom.


10. Out of the blue, Asif Ali Zardari occupied the presidency. Zardari was reluctant in restoring the judiciary. Another movement launched and presided over by Nawaz Sharif reinstated the judiciary. PML-N and PPP deviated from the charter of democracy, depriving the country from political stability, economic revival, peace and prosperity. Zardari wanted immunity over his corruption cases. Government's refusal to implement court orders has disturbed the state's institutional harmony. Zardari gave protection to orphan political parties under the umbrella of 'reconciliation' to stretch his regime. The office of the president demands a neutral personality representing the federation of Pakistan. We are living this blunder and the aftermaths will become vivid after the current tenure.

And the country continues to bleed. A functioning democracy, across the board accountability, revamping the state institutions and paradigm shift from the national security state to a welfare state are the solutions to the woes of Pakistan. We all hope and pray for the best of our beloved motherland.