I’ll Suck Oxygen Out of Their System So There Will Be No Talibs’

It is one of the boldest ever interview of Zardari after taking over the government. International Herald Tribune writes that he is ready for US training of army anti terror units. Zardari has called Taliban ‘cancer for society’ he also warned that “anyone not conforming with govt policies will be thrown out”. He also said he means business and he will deliver, let’s see how effective he would be, time will tell. Zardari vowed to take BBs revenge through wiping out the extremists. Daily times writes, in response to US blames.he said “The Pakistani agencies will be handled, that is our problem,”

He also mentioned that, “I will fight them because they are a cancer to my society, not because of my wife only, but because they are a cancer, yes, and they did kill the mother of my children, so their way of life is what I want to kill. I will suck the oxygen out of their system so there will be no Talibs.” It seems country is at cross road, democratic forces combating the extremists. What lies next, time will tell.

I just wish, everything moves well with low damage & no killing of innocent people.

Why Female Suffers? Karo Kari Stigma Leads to Brutal Killing!

There is not a single day; newspaper doesn’t contain story related to brutal killing of women in the name of honor. We just succumbed to brutal story of Nasirabad killing, yet another horrors story of Thatta knocked our doors. Few days back, Mr. Aslam Qureshi of Thatta killed his 15 year old daughter ZAINAB because father feared that she had illegitimate relationship with neighbor. Why only female has to suffer, she was brutally killed with stones while sleeping, simply barbaric and criminal. Similarly, Mohammad Khan Banglani of Thal ‘District Jacobabad” killed his ten year old daughter “can you imagine just ten year old” Hanifa Khatoon brutally killed in the context Karo Kari. We never come across; guy has ever paid the price in any such incidences of honor killings.Seems we are truly in male dominated society, only female has to pay the price. Rape is considered a crime against state, why not honor killing???? State has to take drastic steps to address increasing rate of honor killing. For God sake, wake up, before its too late.

Pakistan is Teetering at the Brink of Bankruptcy

 Friends of Pakistan Conference unveiled an economic support package to avert possible bankruptcy. Pakistani officials claim that “reserves are falling fast and if forward liabilities are included, the real reserves may go down to $3 billion. This cannot meet the import bill of one whole month”. If Pakistan is struggling to barely meet one month import bill, who is going to pay back debts, if misses the deadline, may lead to bankruptcy on overdue payment. This means stiff loan conditionality, higher interest rate on loans and negative rating by Standards & Poor’s and Moody’s. Recent reports in the western media indicate that Pakistan needs as much as $10 billion to avoid an economic meltdown. I just want to ask few questions to so called intellectuals with dumb head, how you can fight the world esp. US, with nothing to eat, with economic meltdown. Few analysts claim that lets fight, Pakistan can eat Onions & Bread (Peyaz aur roti)! Does Pakistan have enough money to give Peyaz aur roti to its people?

Beggars are not choosers!!

Sexy Sarah Palin & SMART Zardari

I was surprised to see Zardari showing his skills in US, calling GOP vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin gorgeous…. was very smart move….guess he has learned the tricks of the trade…seems sharp.

It seems US is interested in Zardari (democratic govt, why shouldn’t they be?) , they are pledging over USD 14 bill through friends of Pakistan summit and Bush also spent over 35 minute lone discussion with Zardari.

Important part of discussion was the role of Pakistan army and ISI reforms.

I am sure future course of politics will be dominated by new course of war on terror and US direction. Zardari’s calling Karzai over his oath taking ceremony and his speech was directed towards international forces and welcomed by the world that matters.

To me it seems Zardari is going to stay at the lime light and our middle class fellow in Karachi and Lahore will remain busy in sharing emails and sms jokes about Zardari. Have busy time dudes :P

This part is funny and awesome, “during his visits, a handler from Zardari's entourage then told the two politicians to keep shaking hands for the cameras. "If he's insisting, I might hug," Zardari said. Palin smiled politely in response.”

US election is around but it seems Sexist treatment of Palin is not stopping, lets see what comes next for Palin.

Lastly let me add here, some one rightly said (I must say, Zardari has better taste than the previous Prime Minister.Shaukat Aziz went for Condoleeza Rice:P)

The IDEA OF PAKISTAN, What Kind of Pakistan Acceptable to World?

Lately i came across a book "The Idea of Pakistan", it explains, what kind of Pakistan acceptable to world. A Democratic, at peace with neighbors, without deadly weapons with no black marketing.

Will Pakistan stop infiltration into Afghan or in Kashmir, will extremist support ever end in the context of strategic objective of Pakistan?????

Will this idea ever be materialized or deadly fate for region awaits.

Think over......

Time will tell !!

Pakistan is a Tribal Society Run by State JIRGA

Why it is so, because law of the land authorizes men to regulate the sexual and physical agency of women. In continuation to my article related to brutal honor killing in Baluchistan . It is lament to write that we fail to look at the overall crime against women in broader perspective; one should look at from the perspective of repressive ‘Anti Women’ State Law backed religious rationale. Be it tribal or urban society, law of the land authorizes men to regulate the sexual and physical agency of women. Pakistan ‘broadly speaking’ is still a tribal society in modern attire; Following argument shared by Nazish Brohi is convincing to me; The Pakistani state, through the Zina Ordinance which made adultery a crime against the state, the Qisas and Diyat laws which allow male survivors to pardon murders of women by other male relatives, the requirement of a wali for marriage and consent for marriage and so on, has institutionalized the idea of a male mediator and recognized his authority to regulate a women’s physical and sexual agency. Above all is morally legitimized by invoking religion as the source. Why then is there not as much outrage directed against the state as against jirgas? These too are merely collective or hierarchical decision-making bodies and they invoke custom or tradition when passing discriminatory and misogynistic judgments. Give it a thought !!

Financial Tsunami Struck US, Will It Spare the World?

Wall Street, the US financial hub has never seen such turmoil and uncertainty in last many years after 1920s worst recession. Lehman Brother (the biggest financial players) filed for bankruptcy; Bank of America is buying Merrill Lynch in USD 50 bill. Merrill Lynch buy out is as surprising as Lehman Brothers filing for bankruptcy. AIG is considered to be one of the leading insurance company of the world, already asking Federal Reserve for the bail out package of USD 50 bill. Citi Group, Goldman S and JP Morgan have formed a contingency fund worth USD 70 bill to rescue in case of SOS. Financial crisis is due to excessive loans from banks that lead to defaults, housing and mortgage loans were also excessive, people borrowed beyond capacity. It badly affected the financial sector. US housing crisis is deepening, economic slow down is seen all across. US is one of the global demand driver and consumers of products, if US slows down, world is going to feel the pinch, especially the third world. It seems that slow down is coming, oil price fall is an indicator of slowing down in overall demand. Is Tsunami over or it is going to engulf whole world? Let’s see, time will tell.

Sexplosion Hitting Hard the Conservative Societies; Is Pakistan Next?

Chile was once one of Latin America’s most sexually conservative countries. Today, youth of Chile are bumping and grinding to a reggaetón beat in urban discos, girls ages 14 to 18 are stripping off their shirts, revealing bras, tattoos and nipple rings. Sexplosion news on the front page of New York Times World News section and it made me wonder, what really made the most traditional society that followed social mores changed drastically. I came to know that there is unprecedented spending on technology and internet broad band. Chile’s youths are living in a period of sexual exploration that, academics and government officials say, is like nothing the country has witnessed before. “Chile’s youth are clearly having sex earlier and testing the borderlines with their sexual conduct. The sexual awakening is happening through a booming industry for 18-and-under parties, an explosion of Internet connectivity and through Web sites like Fotolog, where young people trade suggestive photos of each other and organize weekend parties, some of which have drawn more than 4,500 teenagers. The online networks have emboldened teenagers to express themselves in ways that were never customary in Chile’s conservative society. “We are not the children of the dictatorship; we are the children of democracy,” said Michele Bravo, 17, at a recent afternoon party. “There is much more of a rebellious spirit among young people today. There is much more freedom to explore everything.” Sex education in public schools is badly lagging, and the pregnancy rate among girls under 15 has been on the rise, according to the Health Ministry. Chilean society was shaken last year when a video of a 14-year-old girl eagerly performing oral sex on a teenage boy on a Santiago park bench was discovered on a video-hosting Web site. It made me wonder and to relate all in the context of conservative Pakistani society and impact of broad band internet and technology. Our society is drastically changing; teenage sexual expression in certain class is increasing. Teen girls or guys experimenting, exploring sex and trying out all sorts of drugs “may be” out of curiosity. Lack of proper sex education, may affect the generation badly, may result in teen pregnancies, excessive use of drug and alcohol, may result in loss of generation. All sort of gay parties in farm houses in suburbs of Karachi or Lahore are in groove, let’s see what comes next. Use of Hash “Katti” drugs is increasing in schools as well as in top business schools “I have witnessed myself”. Do we need to open up, talk and educate our kids or let us remain mum and let teen generation to explore and experiment the way Chilean society is doing?????

Check out Gay Party Video "In Pakistani Style in Islamabad"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VRm97Y76xg

Conservative Bourgeois & Smear Campaign Against Zardari

Zardari has become the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, winning 481 electoral votes, baffled the bourgeois. He is no more an angle that one would go on eulogizing him, but the way anti Zardari smear campaign run by conservative bourgeois “drawing room gossipers” is a big turn off. I enjoy reading the critical columns of Nadeem Paracha, this weekend, he rightly points that “Right from the beginning, the overall political character of the Pakistani bourgeois and the petty bourgeois emerged as being conservative”. He argues that class that was angered by Zardari’s running for presidency is same who was enraged by ZA Bhutto’s populist political stunt of 70s and Benazir’s 1988 campaign. A majority of these people come from the same well to do urban middle class that has always been at the forefront of various maneuvers designed to defame any party or personality able to successfully engage with the masses. Lately, when I was at LUMS, range of anti Zardari sms, jokes, buffoonery dominated the talk of the well to do bourgeois students; even some of my enraged Karachites went to an extent that “Agar Zardari President Baan Gaya to Mein Yeh Country Choor Donga”. Middle class in Europe & else where play a leading economic , social and political role in an evolutionary struggle against hegemonic strains like feudalism, despotism but nothing that sort is seen here. Urban pseudo intellectuals love drawing gossip and do not want to play an active role, even most of them do not bother to cast their vote. They were the ones who carried social propaganda against the populist economic and political enforcement of Bhutto. They targeted Bhutto’s liking of Whisky, Women & Lack of Religion, they backed Zia’s onslaught against the democracy, and they supported Musharraf’s draconian attack on constitution. Various industrialist in late 80s spent money to run the propaganda campaign against Benazir Bhutto, it was an exaggerated propaganda. I am not a Zardari follower but why one neglect that he got overwhelming votes because of the party that is associated with the mass level politics. It is clear that mass level politics badly hurt or cancel out two the most i.e., politico-religious and the elite bourgeois. These elite bourgeois were stunned when PPP got sympathy votes, accordingly to drawing room gossipers, “Oh BB was unpopular”, “She is corrupt”, “She had terrible sense of dressing” and now they are reading about the mental health of Zardari, they say her hubby is “Mentally cookoo”. Lovely middle class intellectual discourse, they abhor the filthy uneducated masses…they go to an extent that, how could these filthy, uneducated can bring change through democracy…….this country needs DANDA to fix the filthy crowd.

Women are the Property of Men!!!!

Crime against women are not new in so called Paki land, men kill women in the name of honor, yet get away with no persecution.

It is shameless that people in Senate “supposed to be educated lot” go on defending the brutal act of killing women in the name of honor. Being a Baloch I feel ashamed…..

Recent killing of girls in Balochistan and brutal murder of Beena Shah who faced the wrath of parents in Peshawar depicts grim aspect of our society. Unfortunately all defended by presidential candidate Syed Mushahid Hussein “Kings College UK Graduate” and many other educated representatives in Senate & National Assembly.

It seems, generally our society has accepted that women are the property of men.

Pakistan, to me is a tribal society just like Afghanistan, only difference is that we live in modern houses and wear modern attire but our attitude towards women is still medieval.

With exception of few Muslim countries such as Turkey, Malaysia and Indonesia, rest of the Muslim societies do not accept the active role of women. To me this attitude is one of the major factor of overall backwardness of Muslim world.

Instead of blaming west for the Muslim backwardness, I guess it is time to question our attitude “esp. towards women” that leads to backwardness.

Truly Fallen in Love With Hindi Music

I used to be the last person to crave for Hindi Music. Lately, I have developed the liking for the Hindi music because few of my friends are into Hindi music & movies; they influenced me to at least listen to it. I started playing Hindi songs while going together out for lunch, mainly on Fridays.

Lately, during my stay at LUMS ‘My University’ dorm, I started downloading the random latest Hindi movie songs; I discovered something interesting about the music. It has truly transformed, all the way from cool lyrics and melody to fusion music along with global inspirations.

I can easily see, Dhol, Tabla, Guitar, Sitar along with western electronic instruments all fused together. Arabic music to party and club music all bundled together.

Song such as No body Like You of Mission Istanbul is an awesome fusion, English tune fused with Hindi lyrics. Similarly, Tujhay Aksa Beach Ghoma Doon of God Tussi Great Ho is a mixture of Rap music fused with Hindi. Rangelli Rat song of Money Hay Tou Honey Hai is Dhol fussed with range of instruments. Hope instrumental of same movie gives altogether different feeling. Tali, song of Ugly & Pagli “sung by Mika Sing”, fused with PUT YOUR HANDS UP is as good song as any party one & it makes one dance, like anything.

Lyrics are rather meaningless but tune and fusion beat is a good respite on crazy and crowded Karachi roads, loud music makes the overall journey painless.

Blue Ocean Strategy in Indian Premiere Cricket League

IPL Cricket has been an example of innovation in services & attracting consumers. It showed how competition brings improvement. It reminds me of US NFL franchise football, which attracts the prime time viewers to great deal. I remember cricket used to be boring affairs, 5 days, white clothes, only oldies cheering on the Lords benches. Then innovative Aussie cricket C Pecker style came with color clothes, white ball, fun and frolic. Every innovation changed the rule of the game, it changed the way people perceived the game, money and fame followed. IPLs three hours version, with Bollywood stuff, fast, fun, and celeb combined cracked the prime time soap operas and IPL became the household name. IPL success reminds of an insightful book Blue Ocean Strategy, as an example of creating a new and uncontested playing field, creating an arena where the competition simply cannot compete, as the rules of the game have changed. The pure circus companies, saddled with their costs of maintaining traditional animal shows, etc, were not able to copy the format, and Cirque carved out a lucrative niche for itself.

Cricket at LORDS was a royal affair, and then five days was not exciting for masses. IPL version is an awesome example of Blue Ocean Strategy, attracting the range of masses on the bottom of the pyramid, be it housewives or professionals.