How much killing is too much?
The Pakistani flag is an emblem of freedom and independence for all Pakistanis. The star and the crescent symbolise light and progress respectively. The dark green represents Pakistan’s Muslim population, and since this is a majority, the green covers the greater amount of the flag. The white strip on the side represents the country’s minority groups. For a moment, dear reader, just imagine the green side overlapping and taking over the white until the entire flag is green. Bold and unimaginable isn’t it? However, this image isn’t far from the truth. It depicts what is happening right now in Pakistan, where every minority ...
Read Full Post
Not impressed by Pawnay 14 August
With great expectations, I ventured into the Arts Council auditorium to see Anwar Maqsood’s humour come to life for the first time on stage. I had been warned that there would be seating problems, and there were. The production planning was disrupted due to the two days that the city was ablaze, and so people were accommodated well beyond the capacity of the hall. The producer tried to calm everyone’s nerves as more and more people poured into the hall. Honestly though, it was a tinderbox in there, and it seemed like a war of nerves between the people already ...
Read Full Post
Zaid Hamid: Treason against reason
Two statements have been circulating in my head for the last few days. The first one is by George Orwell: In a time of universal deceit - telling the truth is a revolutionary act. The second is a piece of poetry by revolutionary poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz: Nisar teri galiyo pe ae watan kay jahan, Chali hai Rasm kay koi na sarr utha kay chalay. Jo Koi Chahnay Wala Tawaaf ko Niklay, Nazar Jhuka kay Chalay, Jism o Jaan Bacha Kay Chalay. (My salutations to thy sacred streets, O beloved nation! Where a tradition has been invented- that none shall walk with his head held high, If at all one takes ...
Read Full Post
Pawnay 14 August: Silence for brilliance
A theatre play about Pakistan, revolving around the theme of August 14 which sports characters like Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal and Maulana Shaukat Ali Johar does not sound like your average musical advocating freedom of sexual orientation – and thus, it perhaps does not warrant the same media attention. Even I would not have attended it had it not been for a violent strike that paralysed the city and left me looking for some aesthetic relief. To my surprise, I was told that the play is not only running but pulling packed audiences. I was lucky ...
Read Full Post
Following Bhutto’s way: Religion above rights
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the former prime minister and president of Pakistan and the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), still remains one of the most popular and most controversial figures in Pakistan. With the title Quaid-e-Awam (leader of the people), he is undoubtedly the most charismatic political leader Pakistan has ever seen. Bhutto was also the first democratically elected leader to introduce the culture of using religion for political gain in Pakistan. In 1974, Pakistan’s parliament, under his premiership, adopted a law declaring Ahmadis to be non-Muslims. For Bhutto, the move was purely political as he sought to appease religious conservatives. If this move was ...
Read Full Post
Ruttie’s love letter to Jinnah
This blog post is dedicated to Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of our beloved country Pakistan. In light of Jinnah’s recent birthday, the media has been showing stories about his life, and newspapers are flooded with anecdotes regarding the Quaid. Having listened to the news and read up much about him, there is one story in particular that has touched my heart. Our enigmatic, charismatic leader has been very secretive about his private life, yet this story shows the depth of passion his wife had for him. I happened to stumble across the last love letter written to Jinnah by ...
Read Full Post
1947: A teenager’s memories of Independence
After all these years I can still smell the stench of death and half burnt timber. I still see mountains of rubble as if it was August 1947 in Lahore. I was 13 years old, tense and worried. I could see columns of smoke rising over the city’s rooftops. Speculations were ripe. They said Lahore was going to be a part of Pakistan but the inclusion of Gurdaspur, the area where my relatives lived, was doubtful. I did not know what would happen to the rest of the Muslims all over India. My own relatives lived in East Punjab, and I anxiously ...
Read Full Post
Ethnic divides, an end to the Quaid’s vision
The antagonism which spawns divisions along ethnic, religious and ideological lines is a scourge which has been rampant in the world since time immemorial. It has been a cause of great unrest and a precursor of grave injustices committed. The prevalence of this phenomenon is no different in our part of the world. I often see myself holding my head in frustration over the incessant bashing of Hindus, Jews and other cultural groupings. The barrage of spitefulness targets innumerable facets ranging from physical appearance to a given belief system. A rationale for this mudslinging appears to connote a pompous ...
Read Full Post
What Jamshed Dasti taught our youth
“I feel ashamed that I am in a country where a person who has committed terrible crimes is re-elected. It makes you lose hope, because we are working so hard for our degrees, yet there are those who do nothing, acquire fake degrees, and go far in their lives. Its very discouraging and it makes you start looking for shortcuts.” These profoud words capture the very essence of the detrimental effects of our fractured political structure on our social strata. But these comments did not come from some famous party leader. Nor did they come from some respected scholar, or ...
Read Full Post1-9 of 9
