Cultural Heritage Lost in Chaotic Pakistan

Tragic 28th December incident in Karachi, death of over 40 people during Muharram procession and aftermath carnage reminds me of Taliban. These days I am forced to think about Bamiyan Statue of Buddha, known as wonders of ancient world, I remember the way Taliban destroyed it, forcing my heart to bleed out of anger, pain and helplessness. Great Indus Valley Civilization is lost in the dust of religious fundamentalism. Indus men smiles on modern day Pakistan, everyone is sad to see the way security establishment drags the green Indus land to get attached with extremist desertland of Arabia.  The road where carnage took place in Karachi has some of the finest historical buildings built during British rule, most of them burnt and destroyed. These buildings are just one and half kilometer away from historic KMC building and Merewether Tower. There are around 60 historical buildings, majority of them protected under the Sindh Cultural Heritage Protection Act. It seems there is no place for art, culture, history and heritage when it comes to modern day extremist Pakistan. Moen Jo Daro and Harrapa question us but we have no answer!! is anyone listening ???

Hmmmm, Golf is Real Sexy Game!!!

Golf always reminds me of one sentence “men and rats always find new holes”. When it comes to golf, it is all about holes, poles, wet, grass/bush, sticks and balls. Lately my cute friends dragged me into golf, for a moment I felt as if to me golf was an arranged marriage, when I got into it, LOVE HAPPENED!! Tiger woods reminds us of the best golf one could ever imagine, he was lately caught his pants down. So far, around 13 women revealed that they slept with Mr. Woods; no wonder 13 reminds us of 18 holes in golf. I am sure Mr. Wood must have been passionate about the game; poor guy, his brain is programmed to think about holes. At times I get scared because too much focus on different holes is not good for healthy relationship. For men, holes make golf sexy but for women it gets sexier because of the sticks and balls. Many women hate men esp. those men who are categorized as PIGS, while hitting balls women get pleasure to take out their anger. Few of my friends have gone to a level where they believe that golf is far better than sex because it is perfectly respectable to golf with a total stranger. If you are having trouble with golf, it is perfectly acceptable to pay a professional to show you how to improve your technique. Your golf partner won't keep asking questions about other partners you've golfed with. If your regular golf partner isn't available, he/she won't object if you golf with someone else. Nobody will ever tell you that you will go blind if you golf by yourself. There is no such thing as a "golf transmitted disease." Nobody expects you to give up golfing if your partner loses interest in the game. Your golf partner will never say, "What ? We just golfed last week ! Is that all you ever think about ?". When you see a really good golfer, you don't have to feel guilty about imagining the two of you golfing together Another interesting aspect of golf is even if the course is wet and bushy one can still play :p Lately I got to know that in golf, foursome is encouraged and another interesting aspect is you don’t have to cuddle with your partner when you are finished. Even if your equipment gets old and rusty, you can replace it. Isn’t it real sexy game??? :p

Bangladesh Victory Day Celebrations, Corrupt PPP & NRO!!!

I was sitting in the smoking room, National Reconciliation Ordinance discussion followed me, watching TV, listening to FM radio and at coffee house with friends, and again NRO followed me like my shadow. I tried to look beyond, was happy to see corrupt are made to face the judicial proceedings and people expect justice will prevail. On the one hand it made me happy but on the other hand made me think, why one party again and again faces all sort of corruption charges. Well, one may argue they may be the most corrupt so that’s why they face the music, but I fail to understand every time we have elections PPP comes out as victorious. Maybe our poor, illiterate masses with their stinky sweaty clothes do not have conscious mind as our so called educated middle class civil society living in Karachi or Lahore. NRO debate reminded me of history, unlike my middleclass educated urban friends I was not jubilant but storm of thoughts engulfed my mind. Firstly it reminded me, ugly episode of early 90s, recent revelation of Brig Imtiaz, the ugly story of Operation Midnight Jackal, indiscriminate use of billions of tax payers’ money to topple an elected civilian government of PPP by security establishment. It made me think, there is no justice and civil society is also dead, billions were used, misused and abused against the elected civilian government, is our justice only against PPP????? On 16th Dec it was 38th victory day celebration at Bangladesh Embassy Washington DC, a photo exhibit was held. Exhibit displayed the photos of killing field of East Pakistan, as per independent account over 100,000 people were killed and over 200,000 women were raped by MUSLIM ARMY of Pakistan along with Al Badar and Al Shams killing squad. It made me think, there was Hamood ur Rehman Commission, but NRO type all across pardon was issued, there was no war crime proceeding. It also made me think, is Supreme Court going to cancel the 1970s NRO and re open the criminal proceedings against those who killed innocents, raped poor women in East Pakistan????

Following poetry makes me feel ashamed .....

Bangladesh

Bangladesh, in the long nine months

Were you with child,

Like a pregnant woman

You felt nauseated at times.

You couldn't eat well

You could not toil hard as before,

You carefully covered your distended belly

Lest someone discover your condition.

Your co-wife -- the West Pakistan

Often laughed at you and was sarcastic and acrimonious,

You were disgraced, insulted and persecuted.

You'd cry out in pregnancy-related pain

And wish you were dead,

But the expectation of seeing your upcoming child

You would endure all with a smile.

Your child is born today

You've forgotten

All the past suffering, disgrace and shame.

As you had carried your child for nine months

So have you so much care, affection and attachment for him!

Nurture, tend and protect

Your adorable son 'Independence.'

Today you are separated,

Your co-wife will no longer be able to disgrace you.

Go forward with your head held high,

Your child will

Place you on a pedestal

Among the nations of the world.

Condoms for Climate Change!!

Copenhagen environment summit is the future of planet earth, rich countries raising their pledge on tackling climate change, reducing greenhouse emission by 25-45%. On the one side people are calling it a landmark summit on the other hand environmental activist are out there demanding more action from rich countries. This time an interesting idea discussed, it is not all about CO2 emission rather its about condoms for climate change!! Interesting reports says "As the growth of population, economies and consumption outpaces the Earth's capacity to adjust, climate change could become much more extreme and conceivably catastrophic”.The world's population will likely rise from the current 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion in 2050, with most of the growth in less developed regions, according to a 2006 report by the United Nations.The U.N. Population Fund acknowledged it had no proof of the effect that population control would have on climate change. "The linkages between population and climate change are in most cases complex and indirect," the report said.

Ironically poor countries are on the forefront when it comes to producing babies, I guess strong message is for Pakistani’s to use condom and help environment.

Come on help save environment !!

The Divine Love legend - Sheh Murid and Hani “Romeo & Juliet of Balochistan”

 By Shagufta & Bijjar Baloch Story of Sheh Murid & Hani is a symbol of pure and tragic love, it revolves around love, romance, miracle, mystery and human passion. Story depicts the life of baloch, their emotions and philosophical idea ‘Good, Evil’ The story dates back to the 15th century, which is considered to be the heroic age of Balochistan and the classical period of Baloch literature. Sheh Murid was the son of Sheh Mubarak, the chief of the Kahiri tribe. At that time when a man was known for his arts, Murid was famous as having mastered the art of swordsmanship, horsemanship, and archery. For his skills and braveness he was ranked the highest in the army of Mir Chakar Khan Rind, the chief of the Baloch army. Murid’s bow made of steel was so heavy & he was known as the “Lord of the Iron Bow”, because none but he alone could draw and shoot arrows from it. Hani was the daughter of the Rind noble Mir Mandaw; some say she was Murid’s cousin. She was a paragon of loyalty and devotion and everyone knew her for her good character and chastity. Hani was engaged to Sheh Murid and had been a childhood friend of Murid. Legend says that one day when Mir Chakar and Sheh Murid were returning from hunting, they stopped at the town where their fiancées lived. Since a Baloch woman never appears before her betrothed before the wedding. Mir Chakar and Sheh Murid decided to visit each others’ fiancées. Sheh Murid went to Mir Chakar’s fiancée, who brought him clean water in a silver bowl. Murid, dying of thirst, drank the entire bowl in a single gulp and became sick. However, when Mir Chakar went to Hani, Sheh Murid’s fiancée, she brought him clean water in a silver bowl in which she has placed dwarf palm leaf, properly washed. The chief was surprised by the pieces of straw, but he drank the water with care in order to avoid swallowing the straw. When he departed he found Murid vomiting and sick. Murid told him that the water had made him ill because he drank a lot of water on an empty stomach. Now Mir Chakar realized that Hani had acted wisely by putting pieces of straw into water. May be that palm leaf ironically touched Mir Chaka'rs heart. Some time later, Mir Chakar organized a gathering of poets where Baloch heroic poems were recited and chief from each tribe was invited. Mir Chakar wanted to test Balochi values in invitees, asked each to take a vow “make a solemn Balochi promise” and stick it rest of the life, one may end up sacrificing a lot. This was like, “the Balouch Honor” and for this they stand - their pride which eclipses the brightness of the Sun. A vow ‘solemn promise’ for which he will have to make the precious Sacrifice. One of the Chief ‘Mir Jado’ swore that he would chop off the head of anyone who touched his beard at the assembly of nobles. Mir Chakar tested Mir Jado’s word by asking his young son to touch his father's beard during an assembly of nobles. The young boy innocently did as he was told; Mir Jado turned his face and moved the boy hoping no one noticed. However Mir Chakar encouraged the boy to repeat the action the boy grabbed his father's beard once more. The entire assembly became silent and looked towards Mir Jado. Will he be true to his word? Full of wrath, Jado unsheathes his sword and smites the head of his innocent son in the presence of all the Rind nobles. Now it was time to test Sheh Murid and he hosted a festive gathering on his wedding and invited renowned poets to entertain the audience. And at the close of the festivities, Sheh Murid, was ready to depart with his possessions. Mir Chakar asked for Hani. Sheh Murid was shocked; he thought that he would have asked for his bow which was a unique bow and he was a brilliant marksman with a strong bow. He was known as The Lord of the Iron Bow. With a heavy heart and much sadness he told Mir Chakar to take Hani. The unexpected demand distressed him greatly, and Murid realized that he had lost Hani. If he did not keep his vow he would be mocked and future generations would have contempt for his name. Soon after the annulment of Murid’s engagement with Hani, she was soon married to Mir Chakar. Murid was so shaken by this turn of events that he abandoned his former life and passed the days and nights in worship of Allah. He also composed poems eulogizing Hani’s beauty and openly expressing his passionate love for her. Later the scandalous news of Murid’s love for Mir Chakar’s wife became the talk of Balochistan. His father Sheh Mubarak tried to advise him, he composed a poem in Baluchi in response to his father’s advice;

My Shai mubark says, Oh Mureed leave your aloofness,Aloofness without purpose direction(purpose), For Chakar’s beautiful wife, In the assemblies you are not amongst your friends, You are like a walking corpse, Hani's love has blinded you, How will you carry on in this way, I replied, I advised my elderly father, I advised my respected father, Oh most honored father, Oh most esteemed, If you were in my place likewise, You would have left all your friends, And stopped going to assemblies and noble gatherings, You would have lost your mind, And not be aware of how you dressed,You would have clapped your hands, On your lap and be, In your own world, At least i am sometimes with it And sometimes not with it. Then Sheh Murid decided to leave the country and run away to unknown lands across the seas. Sheh Murid remained in Arabia for 30 along time during that time he truly became a beggar and lived the life of an ascetic. After spending years away, he returned to Sibi in shabby clothes with his hair hanging down to his waist. In the company of a band of beggars he passed himself off as an anonymous mendicant begging for alms at the palace of Mir Chakar Khan Rind. The maidservant gave bowls filled with grain to each mendicant, but when she presented this food to Murid, she saw that Murid’s eyes were fixed upon Hani. Hani recognized him at once but held herself back to avoid any suspicions, but Chakar saw a sparkle in her eyes. How Hani felt I wonder the vows of a wife she has taken in one side and on the other side the part of her soul Murid. No body could recognize but Hani did, because they had played together as children. Hani recognized the mark on the upper left thigh, which her bracelet had made, and another one behind the eyebrow. When the Rinds checked the marks, they at last recognized Sheh Murid. Although Mir Chakar married Hani, however he was unable to consummate the marriage, whenever he approached Hani, he would freeze as if paralyzed. For years it was carried on this way and realized that Hani can never truly be his. When he found out that Sheh Murid had returned, he told Hani that Sheh Murid was a great man and deserved her, so he divorced her and told her she was free to go to Sheh Murid. Hani, who had not forgotten her first and only love, decided to go to him, she told him that Mir Chakar had realized his mistake and has now freed her so that they (i.e. Sheh Murid & Hani) could be together. But Sheh Murid told her that he had now reached a different level and cannot step down from that to be with her. To Sheh, Hani was a mean by which he had reached closer to Allah. He took left her and later he visited his father’s camel herd, chose a white camel, mounted her, and disappeared from mortal eyes. He has become the immortal saint of the Baloch, and the common belief among the Baloch is that: ta jahan ast, Sheh Murid ast (Until the living world, Sheh Murid remains immortal and their eternal love remains.) Love is such a blessing and it is Divine. Beyond any explanation or definition. Disclaimer “Original post is edited by Imran Baloch for concise reading”

Sindh is in Bolivia!!! Not in Pakistan!!!!

I just got to know that pseudo intellectuals on Pakistani junk Urdu channels believe that Sindh is not part of Pakistan but it is somewhere located in Bolivia, Nigeria or in Papua New Guinea. BBC Urdu bloggers are thought provoking; lately I came across an interesting blogpost written by Wusatullah Khan, he writes “President Zardari during his recent visit to President Karzai’s oath taking ceremony in Kabul, wore Sindhi cap, it is so sad that one local TV showed two pseudo intellectuals alleging Zardari for using Sindh card. They further discussed that representing country in regional dress is not at all acceptable”. Another interesting argument I came across, whenever an Army dictator ‘we had so many, we are a Generals producing nation’ visits abroad in Army uniform no body mentions it as Fauji “Army Card”. If Prime Minister visits in tie suit, nobody dare to say it is Western Card. If any leader lands in Riyadh in Kameez Shalwar, no one mentions, its a Punjabi, Pakhtun, Sindhi, Seraiki or Baloch Card but pseudo intellectual thinks if one wears Sindhi cap, it weakens the essence of federation!!!  Same mindset, labeled Bengalis traitors, even they were on the forefront in Pakistan movement, reason was, they refused to wear Kameez Shalwar and Jinnah Cap. Around 37 years ago, when Sindh province wanted Sindhi to be provincial language, same mindset chanted slogans “ Urdu Ka Janaza Hay, Zara Dhom Say Niklay” “ Death of Urdu Language”. It resulted in bloodbath, one would never forget. Wusatullah makes an interesting point, he mentions, “If we allow these pseudo intellectuals, they will remove Jinnah’s pictures in Lakhnavi Pajama citing that it was an Indian card, in Qurakali Cap citing it was Baloch card, in English hat citing it was an imperial card. They may burn Iqbal's picture in red Turkish cap, alleging him for playing Turkish Card. Lastly he mentions that these pseudo intellectuals do no know that in 1947 when Sindh Assembly passed resolution for joining Pakistan, Muslim parliamentarians were wearing Sindhi Cap. These people don’t know that Sindhi cap is also worn in Punjab, NWFP, and Balochistan and in Afghanistan. To conclude, how long we let these naïve pseudo intellectuals, who don’t know anything about history , culture and geography to come on TV and divide all of us ???