A simple act...

Often the most complex of life's secrets reveal themselves in the most simple of actions and most ordinary of moments. For those, who grasp that moment a life changing event has taken place for all else the clock ticks on and another moment has passed. Upon the creation of man the Almighty gave a part of His soul to, this life form! Which in the words of the Almighty is the best of His creations. What elevated us to this status? In the mortal cage of this body, resides the eternal bird of the soul. This gift of the Almighty has forever immersed good in our core. When the layers are removed, ultimately we were all created with the good in us. That is why a simple act, an act of kindness, an act of sacrifice gives us the peace we all yearn for. The core of our existence is based on good. The search for peace, God and the reason of our existence... life's most complex questions... A simple act that touches a life for a mere moment and if nothing else just brings a smile for a fleeting instance in the infinite expanse of time... is the answer. Feel it, live it... our souls all yearn for that simple act. Yet we choose to look the other way... as it is the a simple act is not so simple to do... for the eternal bird is lost under so many layers of the decaying mortal cage. Set it free once in a while...

hush O autumn breeze...

The onset of autumn is always accompanied by change, the winds change direction, trees change their color, the weather changes its harshness. A slow yet cool breeze unlike the gusts of summer blows, it carries with it the final marching orders of all those withering leaves, who for so long have clung on the branches with all their will and might. No matter how much they want to stay till spring gives them a new life, they have to go. They have to surrender their will and their existence to the flow of time, they have to become a memory of what once was for the greater picture to be completed. It is time for them to perform their final act and leave the stage, but the show must go on, it always does. Autumn tells us how every journey has an ending and how every ending leads to a new beginning!
   On a cold evening in Misrata, Colonel Gaddafi could have thought the same. He might have felt the winds change direction. Their slow dance might have signaled that times were changing, that a new spring for him was not meant to be but like every withering leaf, he held on! Wouldn't you, wouldn't I? And  then the time came when he could hold on no longer, what happened afterwards as they say is history!

  What is done cannot be undone, the leaf that has fallen cannot be green again. Libyan people danced, rejoiced and felt relieved that a great evil had ended, Libyan people cried for their hero had fallen. That is, and always has been the irony of life, one mans hero is another mans villain. People wrote that he may be a tyrant but he deserved a private death, others will argue that a public spectacle ensured that no one in future will question the wrath of the people. I cannot judge them, for i have not experienced what they have, i have not been through anything.
   But what i do know is that this end will lead the Libyan people to a new beginning. A new begging for all those who rejoiced over his death and all those who cried. Me and my countrymen have seen this scene played out so many times, yet we have but gone from one betrayal to another. Death has great power, it can either unify or divide, this divine force can either invigorate or silence all hope. Today the Libyan people stand at the very same point. When you throw a stone in a stagnant pond, all of a sudden waves appear but unless their a force sustaining them, all too soon they die down and once again the pond is stagnant and quiet. Today the Libyans face the same dilemma.
     A few years down the lane, when they look back at the cool Misrata evening, will they make the same decision if given a second chance. But then it would have been too late, what is done cannot be undone. The winds will blow and will carry marching orders every season for the withering leaves, spring will bring with it rebirth only if the tree lasts that long.
       When a few years down history lane, the autumn winds will blow once again in Misrata, Tripoli, Cairo, Damascus, Tunis, Lahore, Karachi and all over the Muslim world, will we be strong enough trees to shed a few leaves to make room for the fresh spring flowers? Or will we say ,

hush O autumn breeze

there exists no tree 

for whose leaves you call

"come with me its time for fall"

The decision is up to us all, i do not judge for time will reveal what was true and what was false!

Betrayal...

Betrayal has been n will always be one of the greatest sources of grief and hurt for mankind. Not because it leaves a person lonely, but because it takes away the courage of a person to be with people due to the fear of finding one’s self alone and cheated again. I don't know if it imbalances personalities or not but it surely imbalances nations and their behaviors.

This imbalance is what makes mobs run amok and decimate everything and everyone. It takes away the judgment of good or bad. The immense feeling of hurt that stems from betrayal soon turns into a rage which if not addressed turns into an uprising. In the life of an individual betrayal may bring an end to all urges but in the life of a nation it brings the will to change the source of the betrayal, the method can be anything that the majority chooses. But the application of that method is swift and relentless.

On the streets of Gujranwala, in the sprawling metropolis of Lahore, from the mills of Faisalabad and from the fields of Sheikhupura masses emerged like a tsunami to sweep away what they thought as symbols of betrayal. Arson and show of civil disobedience is the method they chose, and when the mob forms it has a mind of its own. Not controlled by logic or compassion, it is a force that only loses its cutting edge when enough anger has been vented.

For generations promises were made, dreams were weaved only to be shattered again and again. Castles were built in the sky only to fall flat on the ground. People waited for the promises to come true, for the darkness to end but as time passed all hope was swallowed by the black holes, whose never ending hunger has taken even the last shreds of light. When the night seemed endless and enough people had been betrayed the hurt soon evolved into anger. When no compassion was shown to this pain, it all became a huge heap of explosives waiting to go boom. Warnings were there but when everyone is considering their individual gain more worthy than collective improvement, then all it takes is one moment, one occurrence or one voice and the flood gates open to unleash wave after wave of anger.

What is happening around us as a result of betrayal cannot and can never be justified. But when you put water over fire in an airtight container and don’t remove the heat then either the steam is going to leak through some small opening from time to time or its going to build up till it bursts open the walls. Our leaders and politicians were relentless in betraying the people, we the educated stood quietly and watched. The fire never went out, the small opening of hope and compassion never came, we waited and watched and now the steam has burst open the walls. The wheels have started turning, the mob has its own nature which leaves it vulnerable to be hijacked by anyone. It is time for everyone to make a choice, for the politicians to turn their promises into reality and for the betrayed people to think for a moment and look beyond the hurt. Anger has great energy associated with it which can make you do great things or things you would regret. It is the time for the people to decide they will not be hijacked by ill found and opportunistic compassion, blinded by the hurt of one betrayal do not expose your vulnerability to be lead towards another promise and yet another betrayal! It is the time to make a decision, the time to do what is right and what is required. The time to become hope and to provide true compassion is now otherwise this rage will sweep away everything. Time for the change that we want and need is now. Let us mature as a nation, as a people and let us not be betrayed again!

Beginning...

A clatter of thunder...
A sparkle of light...
Though worlds apart...
I'll never loose sight...
From the storm swept beach...
Watch this shooting star...
That burn's to shine... Comprehend its plight...
Surreal darkness eternal sojourn...
I have shed my fears...
Behold my flight...

Controversial...

What is controversial? what shakes my notions? or is it what questions the proven answers I have? or is it just something related to my judgement? I never stop judging, I do not sit back and observe. I jump in and judge, that is a very bad habit of mine but for now I'm only at loggerheads with it. With time i will overcome it, hopefully sooner than later. Now coming back to the question, what is controversial... The other day i was watching somebody talk about a person being controversial because of the way he was thought of by others, not because of what he is! and I was thinking and searching for an answer when i had that eureka moment.When suddenly the most obscure things start to make sense and you see the alternate reality of something. My answer to what is controversial and i am by no means an authority but this is what satisfied me.
 On a dark stormy night, all dark and wet, suddenly a clatter of thunder and the blinding lightning with it! A person can be as controversial as that clatter of thunder as it instills fear in some hearts and may seem like the ultimate voice of excitement to another. The amazing shine accompanied with that clatter may be blinding for some while it enlightens all the dark corners for some. It may instill hatred for some because it may be the hurdle in getting somewhere and it may be a gift for some who wanted to stay just a bit longer.
 But detached from our feelings, choices and wills it is just a clatter of thunder doing what is does and being itself.  To see its true being all i have to do is detach myself from my ego, from my will and my choices and then i will see its true face, feel what it is going through... feel it being the clatter of thunder and shine of lightning and at that moment it is not controversial at all!!!

Aks o Wajood... Sab ishq

Sweet Pain...

I traveled all my life searching different aspects I craved. Moved from one place to another.Each destination became a mere milestone on a journey that never ended.  Now when I had experienced the parts and camped  I find the whole. Ah sweet pain! I had the courage to walk even more, the dipping sun and the dark forest made me stop. Soon the clouds set it and roared like beasts and lashed the earth with their watery whip I felt content that I had found a place to camp. But then the rain stopped the clouds went away the moon came out in all its glory and I saw the trail where the ultimate destination was but I had hinged my camp so tightly I couldn't move my feet got stuck in the mud. The more I tried the more the quicksand swallowed me. I have made peace with it I have stopped struggling. Now I am there but my eyes are fixed on that ultimate destination.
     I can't get there but at least by being in peace I can see it till either my eyes see no more and my senses feel no more or till the time I'm pulled out and allowed to walk that path. Ah wrote all this not by wanting to write but it just all flowed out like an unstoppable train of thoughts

AKS...

"AKS"... merely three letters to you? read again it is one word but it expresses everything for me! In Urdu "AKS" means shadow or projection. When you walk on a lonely forest path and happen to cross a clear pond what do you see? you see projection of all that is around. Projection of every tree, every leaf  and everything. All that you see in that pond doesn't physically exist there, it never will but you see a projection an image. Have you looked closely enough around you do you see everything has a projection a "AKS" that is there where the physical existence of that object ceases to be. Every human soul would also have a projection? wouldn't it yet it does not know because where the projection exists there the actual existence is not. Yet we search and we wander and we search more and we take every path sometimes we are the projection searching for the real object and sometimes we are the object searching for its projection, either way there is a search and a journey of untold paths. Reading this you may think i have lost my head... NO i have found my projection i have found my "AKS". Finding it brings a joy but not being able to find it when it was there with me all along brings a regret that my existence my soul will have to live with. You went out there searching for something and never knew it was searching for you, your paths crossed for that brief moment when the object and existence were side by side, yet they never knew neither one stepped forward to embrace the other when the distance was but a mere moment. Today me and my AKS are again united yet the distance visually does not exist but it is a journey of eternity that stands between the two!

My Journey...has it ended or just begun

I write this for no one yet i write it for everyone but wait no i write it for myself. I was just a lost rock wondering through the universe on a path thought to be my destiny i thought i had marked out the course i was gonna take until a planet crossed my path it was a brief encounter but its gravitation forever left an impact. I was dragged through harsh galaxies burnt, carved and scarred, one impact to another changed my path changed my course, before i grew fond of the scene around me it was changed. My soul my core longed for that attraction that pull that will give me that one path i was meant to orbit and just when i couldn't see that planet across the horizon and had thought i had lost forever light years and light years away... i started to orbit a course until i was hit head on... my course forever lost!  Now i can see that planet,long to be in its orbit but it cant be done the unseen forces of time and space in a war against me yet again!
 When you are blessed with so much love and attention from all directions you sometimes lose track of the strongest beacon, you become selfish but you did not become selfish it was I the small meaningless rock with a soul with an ego that missed the chance to orbit, you were the caring planet forever wanting to give refuge to this shattered star. I just couldn't see, this journey will end one day my ego my existance will be consumed by nothingness but my soul will wander... it will wander in its search, it has been cursed to bear the pain to carry the scars and to wander, endlessly wander.
 I write  this for you, i write this for me, i write this for what could have been and for what is! And when i have to wander no more i will be there. This world, this life, this journey will one day end and may be then i will return to orbit around you where i always should have been!

The war has begun...

My fellow country men, the time for the test of all Pakistanis has arrived. In the bright sunlight of the day the enemy has attacked us on all fronts and all our major towns and cities are under threat. Our brave forces have been dispatched on all fronts to counter this menace. Step forward and fight side by side with your armed forces please! we will not rest until the evil has been eradicated !  Its a battle for survival
 i have made a few changes to what was said many many years ago and on purpose, though that was quite a speech still sends a wave of energy when you listen to that. Back then the enemy was clearly defined, visible and external. People trusted the armed forces  and the two stood together side by side, fought together and that resulted in a power packed punch that knocked out the enemy. But that was once upon a time, a time long long ago. Now the enemy... well frankly whose the enemy? media has its view, the army has its views, every political party has its view and oh yes we the people have a view but well that doesn't matter as we have given up the power of thinking and decision making is the domain of few people to whom we have surrendered our logic!

 The army and people that once stood shoulder to shoulder are in a relationship that is commonly described on facebook as its complicated. Every province blames the other and with the creation of new provinces on the horizon we may have more fingers to point and multiple new directions to point them in. Right now it seems that with fear stopping us from rising up against oppression, no unity, lack of a common goal, corruption and our silence we are our own worst enemies. This war isn't gonna be fought in the battlefields and you don't need conventional weapons to win. The battle is within each one of us fighting against our own silence, hypocrisy, fear and simple lack of faith, But i don't have to tell you that you know it, i'm just reminding you that the war has begun, we all are soldiers and we all our at stake. The time to act is now, it is fight for survival. A short and swift victory is not possible its gonna be a hard toil but once you are done with that this time you will truly rejoice in the spoils of victory!!

Let Go of Fear...

It is a well known fact that when faced with a very serious challenge, where ones survival may be at stake, the human mind immediately switches to one of two modes... fight or flight! This notion has stood the test of time but today a new twist is being given to this tale, this natural human psyche is being used against us day in and day out to deny us the right to question, the will to act and express what we feel is wrong.

We the people gave the state the power, gave the government the means to establish its writ but what we asked in return were our rights, the rights every human deserves irrespective of cast, creed or color.But once this power had been bestowed on the rulers they grew weary of the fact the knowledgeable people would one day question their actions and could take back the power granted to them. This left the elite ruling class insecure, they needed a means to silence the people, they needed an argument so comprehensive that the masses would agree to their silent obedient subjugation. And at this moment the used the age old weapon, a weapon so powerful it could crush nations, cities and many a generation... They used the power of fear, they introduced you to one menace after another. Some occurred naturally others were created to serve the purpose. These dealers of fear have existed for centuries, Rome that was created a republic, fell to its knees when one man Cesar used the power of fear to ask the people to relinquish their rights.

Today we see the same scenes, you and i we never question the long queues at security checkpoints. We do not question barbed wires, blocked roads and gun totting guards in every nook and corner. We do not question the media reporting false lies, we do not question the bloodshed swept aside as collateral damage. We don't question mobs raiding religious places, we do not question rise in fuel prices to accommodate the lavish spending of the ruling elite.We see no evil, hear no evil and do not speak about evil but that does not change the fact that evil exists and is slowly engulfing us all, we have ducked our heads in sand hoping that when we bring it out all problems would be gone. we have lost our rights, our way of life, our sovereignty, our peace of mind, we have lost everything to fear...

I am no fan of civil disobedience or mutiny but what i do believe in is living all your life in fear one day  a long time from now you will also question your existence but by then fear would have taken away everything from you and when you look back at everything you will realize you relinquished it willingly not because you liked it but because of the fear of the unknown that never occurred! Stop living in fear, face your demons fight them defeat them, think over the fact that living under so many fears have you actually lived. Your life, and your means to pass your life are promised and are provided by a source way more powerful than all the things you fear.

Let go of your fears, reclaim your life!

"Ye ik sajda jisay to giraan samajhta hai

 Hazar sajday say daita hai aadmi ko nijaat"

Will We Survive?

Sometime back i wrote a post on my blog and mentioned that the social fabric of Pakistani society was stretched to the limit and any further tension and the whole deck of cards would collapse.A revolution that only leads us from one tyranny to another is not what we need and not something we can afford, we need a change of system and ideas to bring betterment and for that the people need to unite and work out a plan. That piece never reached the masses though (writing a small blog and thinking it would reach the masses is wishful thinking indeed), but now when i look around i think it would have been worth a read for our nation because as the situation stands today the only logical question that comes to mind is, will we survive? Will we be able to grasp tightly at the last shreds of sovereignty, or whatever is left of it? Will we survive as a nation. The events that are ever unfolding all around us make me think, i am sure they make you think as well. Where are we headed for?, We are already under the burden of huge foreign debts, but it does not seem to be the case look at our elite rulers, there way of life put Arab princes to shame. The tall claims that this is a government for the people go up in smoke when a poor man dies in an ambulance because somewhere in the close proximity one minister has to pass. And yes those lovely adds that tell us how lousy taxpayers we are! look around the world they stack their national exchequer with taxes of all sorts, so the many geniuses that form the core of our elite decide upon a simple and very workable solution, those who are not paying any taxes will never pay so need to waste any energy on them (its is so hard to find oneself at fault) and those many who pay taxes because they are deducted from their meager salaries even before they can get a sniff of payday, well lets just tax them a bit more. So there you have it a simple and very workable formula to increase tax collection! When comparing the tax collection everyone just puts a blind eye to what citizens of other states get in return but well that is happening here also there are tax payers and there are people who enjoy the benefits., Now another good news for the people due to increase in POL prices now you get to live in London even if your home is in Chechu ki Malia, at least the price of edibles suggests so! And now we come to the two most major areas that every government, dictator and nazim promises to solve ah yes the much talked about health and education. For the time being the government and the doctors both seem to be living in their own worlds whereas in the real world 34 people have passed away but well isn't that collateral damage. As for education well how dare people who know nothing of governance and how it should be done question the academic qualifications of those who govern, after all a degree is a degree whats the big deal if its real or forged, so now our poor lawmakers left with no choice had to strike down this institute of evil and in due time they would bid farewell to the last memory of the dictator HEC. With all this and more mayhem to follow when the President of Pakistan looks to take corrective action against history via the Supreme court (timing is just not his thing), my question and question in everyone's mind will remain will we survive? I found the answer in a strange way, on the eve of the India Pakistan world cup semi final i went about searching for Punjabis, Pathans, Mohajirs, doctors on strike, bribe consuming policeman but i found none all i found was Pakistanis unified by one man who is neither an elected president nor a PM not even a restored chief justice, it was the Pakistan cricket team captain!, Adversity has always brought the best out of this nation but what we truly need is a leader who can inspire, who is real life who is believable and who laughs and cries! We need a man we can trust and believe in what, we truly need to survive is a cause and a leader possessed by that cause, if we can do that we will survive!, Sometime back i wrote a post on my blog and mentioned that the social fabric of Pakistani society was stretched to the limit and any further tension and the whole deck of cards would collapse.A revolution that only leads us from one tyranny to another is not what we need and not something we can afford, we need a change of system and ideas to bring betterment and for that the people need to unite and work out a plan. That piece never reached the masses though (writing a small blog and thinking it would reach the masses is wishful thinking indeed), but now when i look around i think it would have been worth a read for our nation because as the situation stands today the only logical question that comes to mind is, will we survive? Will we be able to grasp tightly at the last shreds of sovereignty, or whatever is left of it? Will we survive as a nation. The events that are ever unfolding all around us make me think, i am sure they make you think as well. Where are we headed for?, We are already under the burden of huge foreign debts, but it does not seem to be the case look at our elite rulers, there way of life put Arab princes to shame. The tall claims that this is a government for the people go up in smoke when a poor man dies in an ambulance because somewhere in the close proximity one minister has to pass. And yes those lovely adds that tell us how lousy taxpayers we are! look around the world they stack their national exchequer with taxes of all sorts, so the many geniuses that form the core of our elite decide upon a simple and very workable solution, those who are not paying any taxes will never pay so need to waste any energy on them (its is so hard to find oneself at fault) and those many who pay taxes because they are deducted from their meager salaries even before they can get a sniff of payday, well lets just tax them a bit more. So there you have it a simple and very workable formula to increase tax collection! When comparing the tax collection everyone just puts a blind eye to what citizens of other states get in return but well that is happening here also there are tax payers and there are people who enjoy the benefits., Now another good news for the people due to increase in POL prices now you get to live in London even if your home is in Chechu ki Malia, at least the price of edibles suggests so! And now we come to the two most major areas that every government, dictator and nazim promises to solve ah yes the much talked about health and education. For the time being the government and the doctors both seem to be living in their own worlds whereas in the real world 34 people have passed away but well isn't that collateral damage. As for education well how dare people who know nothing of governance and how it should be done question the academic qualifications of those who govern, after all a degree is a degree whats the big deal if its real or forged, so now our poor lawmakers left with no choice had to strike down this institute of evil and in due time they would bid farewell to the last memory of the dictator HEC. With all this and more mayhem to follow when the President of Pakistan looks to take corrective action against history via the Supreme court (timing is just not his thing), my question and question in everyone's mind will remain will we survive? I found the answer in a strange way, on the eve of the India Pakistan world cup semi final i went about searching for Punjabis, Pathans, Mohajirs, doctors on strike, bribe consuming policeman but i found none all i found was Pakistanis unified by one man who is neither an elected president nor a PM not even a restored chief justice, it was the Pakistan cricket team captain!, Adversity has always brought the best out of this nation but what we truly need is a leader who can inspire, who is real life who is believable and who laughs and cries! We need a man we can trust and believe in what, we truly need to survive is a cause and a leader possessed by that cause, if we can do that we will survive!

Some Lessons...

The beauty and irony of time and life is that it keeps on moving, it never stops. Future becomes present and then past, it makes you realize that you are a small part of the bigger picture. Life is all about hope and no hope, belief and disbelief, trust and doubt. It makes people necessary for your survival and then takes you to a point where no one is indispensable. We are born to forever strive and make our best efforts, results are decided elsewhere. Life make us all powerful at one moment and totally powerless the next. So as long as it lasts, in everything that we do we should give our best, so when the end comes we are not left with much regret. May Allah bless you and give you ease and peace in life and hereafter Ameen!

A day of love...for the un loved

With the onset of February, the cold winter starts to give way to the mild and colorful spring and for ages nature has unlocked its treasure of creation in this season and blessed it with beauty. Like the moon controls the rise and fall of tides, the onset of spring is always accompanied by a rising tide of feelings, emotions and creativity. It seems as if every man, animal and plant is engulfed by this rise of emotions and devotes itself to creativity. One of the most intense feelings that nature has created finds a way to cover everything like the mist that covers the ocean. This amazing feeling has been a cause for human creativity since times immemorial, this amazing feeling and emotion is none other than love. All of nature’s creations seem to be engorged in this emotion like a sacred duty in this season of beauty and creation.

During the course of human history each civilization and country has found their own way to symbolize love in one way or another and dedicate a season or day to celebrate this amazing feeling that is associated with creativity, beauty and creation. But with the passage of time and the world becoming more and more mechanized and feelings have taken a back seat to commercialism. Yet the symbolism of love has lasted and in one way or another a day has been dedicated to relive its memory. Though this region of ours has had a long history of folk tales of love that are captivating, yet today our generation uses a day and event dedicated to love, which was started elsewhere.

But in this celebration of love, have we forgotten the true essence of this feeling. Is love all about pink heart shaped balloons, chocolates and teddy bears or is it about dedication, devotion, respect and self sacrifice? Does your loved one really require overpriced gifts or a true show of love that would make him/her feel special? Will a candle lit dinner in a high end restaurant score more than a simple candle lit dinner cooked by both of you under an open starlit sky?

Love is all about understanding, balance and most importantly care. If it a day for love, why cant you and your loved one who have been blessed with love everyday of your life, join hands and spread love to those who are not so blessed, who are the unloved! We humans have a hunger for food as well as an emotional hunger, malnutrition in either case result in catastrophe. If we are blessed, it is time we share! This Valentines Day get together with your loved one and together do something for the unloved; this will make your love more meaningful, now the ultimate question arises what should we do? Hold each others hands and spend a few hours with the orphans who crave love just like us but are not blessed with it everyday, if you would share a few chocolates, balloons and gifts with them, may be what you will get in return would be the true feel and meaning of love.

Visit and old home and have a lunch with those who nurtured people like you only to be left behind to spend counting down days waiting for love and care.

Do you remember that in this land there was a Sohni who drowned in the Chenab for love, many years later floods in the Chenab and Indus drowned many Sohnis , now they need love and care, you and your loved one can join hands and help them restart their lives. This will give you a new meaning a new realization of what your love can achieve. It will make you complete lovers, complete humans because without the respect and love for humanity all love is incomplete. This Valentines Day share your chocolates, balloons and gifts with those whose craving for love has been left unsatisfied for so long, just share and then you will get in return something that would make your love worth much more and would make you complete. Try this new trick this time and then see how tasty your candle lit dinner would become and how meaningful your love and relationship would become.

A Tale Of Two Murders...

Death is a reality that is as old as mankind, and before anything or anyone else could kill any man it was one from his own kind that resorted to such an action. The course of human history has been diverted and defined many times by death and murder, wars, revolutions and rise of fall of nations could be traced back to such events. This statement though it holds true for almost all countries has a special significance for us, for we have experienced both the mercurial power & the deep grief and sorrow that death can bring. Right from the very beginning, the untimely death of our founding father left us with confusion about our identity, our way forward and our policy that till this day haunts us and hurts us and still the dilemma remains.

Our political and national history is regularly punctuated by death and after these deaths each time we have been left wondering as a nation and slowly we have turned into a confused mob, each with their own judgment and perception about each of those events of the past. And though our history and path as a nation has been hugely impacted by these deaths and murders, yet we again stand at a point where our leaders and people ponder upon two murders. Our story is again at a point where it will take a twist, a turn and may be another drop scene. The intersection of our story as a nation with the story of two murders leaves us once again confused and the answers don’t seem to be appearing on the horizon soon.

In both cases the people who killed, have stated that their actions were caused by motives which to them were true, justified and correct. In both cases the fault of the people who were killed and their exact actions which infuriated the killers to such an extent that they took the ultimate step, is yet to be ascertained. In both these instances the killers have a strong backing with an influence and swagger. In both cases families of the deceased were struck down by grief and sorrow. Yet this is where the similarities end! Both the actions were followed by uprising by the common people in one case to evict the killer in the other to hang him till death. In one to hear all the voices and gather all the evidence necessary so that the killer has no future but death and in the other to look beyond all evidence and silence all the voices so that the killer finds a safe passage. One action is considered right while the other wrong. On one hand we see the murder of rule of law and our sovereignty, while on the other hand we don’t even bother to look at the fact that anyone unless proven guilty in a court is innocent. On one hand we use rational and reason as a basis for conviction of the killer and on the other hand we leave all the reason and rational to provide a basis of pardon. On one hand we use the motive to justify the action while on the other hand we use the action to justify punishment.

This great example of hypocrisy by the whole nation explains why every death and murder pushes us deeper into a quagmire. We have to realize that nations are not made by hypocrisy, lawlessness and dishonesty, but in this tale of two murders we as a people have exhibited all three qualities to the best of our abilities, and yet we search for resolution to our problems. We are not ready to accept that we have become unreasonable and intolerant but we still wait for a miracle to end our demise as a nation. We choose to be the judge, jury and executioner yet we search for justice and peace. In this tale of two murders none of the deceased are martyrs or robbers, none of the killers are heroes or villains, it is our perception, our respect for the facts and justice that will make the ultimate decision and will set our course for the future.

If we decide to shun hypocrisy, adopt reason and rational, decide to be just and seek guidance from the divine rules that have been laid down 1400 years ago we will find a way otherwise these two murders will not be mere murders of humans bur they would forever be murders of sovereignty, justice and truth. Justice is about balance and it is about time we left hypocrisy and struck our balance, otherwise we have reached the tipping point and a slight push would land us in the depths of darkness. May the Almighty help us to be truthful and just.

Revolution...

Impoverished people, a growing divide between the rich and poor, rising inflation and a government that seems to be non sympathetic to the misery of the masses or just unable to steer this ship through choppy waters due to aristocratic and authoritarian leaders, these are the factors common to most Muslim countries today.  The story of a poor vegetable vendor awakened Tunisia and the revolution started, feelings of deprivation that had been simmering till then suddenly came to boil and the leadership couldn’t handle the heat and found escape as the only feasible option.  And as is the case with revolution the chain reaction began which knows no geographical, lingual or religious boundary and just unites people facing similar oppression and they draw strength from one another to overthrow the dark forces.  Algerians followed suit and soon Yemenis & Jordanians  were on the same track but the greatest show down that is still underway came in Egypt, where slowly but surely the people are winning back what was theirs.

There is talk of this revolution spreading and many have indicated that Pakistan is probably the next name on the list. The situation of Government and plight of the common man have stark resemblances to the factors that led to massive uprising in afore mentioned countries, yet the situation as similar as it may seem is different from all those countries.  So what factors make Pakistan different and why a different method to improve the plight of the common man needs to be adopted? Firstly in all those countries the head of the government had been in power for decades, secondly none of them were fighting a war inside their own territory to quell a rebellion. 

If a revolution of such sort was to take place in Pakistan it would have completely different implications as compared to Egypt or Tunisia for a number of reasons. People in Pakistan though they are faced with the same issues are not united as one, the lingual, ideological and political divide that is actually one of the reasons our society has decayed will always stand in the way of a common cause and each group would try to turn the tide in their own favor to ensure that they benefit from any revolution.

Another very important factor is that in Pakistan there is an elected government which was brought into power by people and even with the current issues facing the country there will a major group who for their own reasons would form a pro government group which will only lead to a rift in the society in the wake of any uprising by the people. Yet another important factor which differentiates Pakistan from almost all those countries under the influence of this revolution is the fact that there is a very serious threat from the many terrorist groups that are present and also have sympathizers in society and they can take advantage of any vacuum created by the fall of a government and this will only lead to chaos and people would have struggled for nothing. And the whole exercise would lead us from one grave situation to another.

Yet another factor that we may overlook is that in all those countries army didn’t step into mainstream politics, however in Pakistan we can rest assured that if any such situation unfolds the army would step in and take control of power using the hatred the people have for the current political setup.

Unless civil society organizes itself and provides a better alternative than the current rulers by selecting people from their own ranks who can handle the role of leadership, the whole effort of any revolution if any would just be in vain. It is a time for the politicians to mend their ways and for civil society to organize itself and provide an alternative to fill the vacuum a revolution is sure to create otherwise, what would start as a revolution would turn into a bloody civil war that would tear the very fabric of society beyond repair and all the people would be left with a bloody mess. So before we embark on any revolution we will have to address these issues and look beyond the obvious. We would need to organize ourselves in a manner that we as a nation, as a people are one. Unless are goals are clear we would only be starting a vicious circle which would engulf us all. It is high time the government took people in confidence and all political forces set aside their greed and differences and deliberate before it’s too late.

 A heap of ammunition in the form of growing despair of the people is stock pilled and it only awaits one final trigger charge and then the events that follow will not be dictated or controlled by any reason or justification. We all need a revolution but the means to it have to be decided very carefully, we all are stake holders, we all have to take responsibility, we all have to play our part otherwise we will all have to suffer yet again.

John F. Kennedy said,” those who make peaceful revolution impossible, will make violent revolution inevitable”. If today government and people of Pakistan do not come to grips with this important time in our present, the decision of our future may well rest with mobs on the street. It is a time to think, it is a time to act but most importantly it is a time to think before we act. The decision is up to all of us otherwise we would be left to ponder on these lines of Charles Dickens,

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”

A story that ends differently.....

Once there was a poor yet educated man who couldn't get a job but he did not pick up a gun to rob, he just started selling vegetables on a cart. Little did he know that to earn an honest living you needed a permit! They took away his cart, he pleaded and requested that they allow him to earn an honest living but they wouldn't listen. Heartbroken he wrote a letter to his mother and set him self on fire. A story that has been repeated hundreds of times in this land of the pure yet life carries on everyday with its same routine and no one cares. In a few days everything is forgotten, fortunately this story doesn't end this way because it did not take place in the land of the pure!
His plight reached the masses, they united and overthrew oppression, the poor man didn't live to see the change but his spirit would be watching this with a solemn smile his life did not go in vain and for the hundreds if not thousands of Pakistani souls up there the wait continues till the day they can smile and say we did not die in vain.
A long time ago a great ruler and administrator said, " If a dog dies of thirst by the bank of Euphrates,  Omar (may the blessing of Allah be upon him) will be questioned about it on the day of judgment ". Today its not dogs its humans that die, that live in despair and wait for the misery to be over! But even the Almighty helps those who choose to help themselves.... may the day come when all of us decide to get rid of oppression because only then will the divine help arrive...only then will all those souls rest in peace!