Pakistan election 2013 result

The Pakistan general elections 2013 were held on May 11, 2013. The voter turnout was 60%,  - an unprecedented number that had never been seen before for any elections that had been held previously. This huge turnout can largely be attributed to the massive passion that was found in the youth who voted for the very first time. It is no coincidence that the Imran Khan phenomenon played a huge role in  getting the youth excited enough to go out and engage in this political process.

Despite a high party following in the educated, urbanized middle class, Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf was not able to perform as well as people had hoped. It was able to take 34 seats in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where it emerged as the single largest party. In the federal showing however it was only able to take 28 seats, which are less even than PPP. The PML - N however was the overall winner with an overwhelming majority at 126 national assembly seats.

There has been documented poll rigging in 49 polling stations across the country. The biggest poll rigging took place in Karachi (for national assembly seat 250) where MQM supporters tore up opposing parties ballots and held the polling station staff hostage while they stamped and filled up ballot boxes. The Election Commission of Pakistan recognizing gross misconduct has announced that reelection for Karachi will be held within 10 days. Below is a summary chart showing the positions of all national parties in the National Assembly so far.

Tahir ul Qadri is not Pakistan's promised messiah

In Pakistan messiahs are promised every few minutes. It is said they will come and change the face of the country. But the messiahs we usually get are illiterate, or if they're not illiterate they're still incompetent, useless, backwards thinking, corrupt, compulsive liars, supporters of military rule, anarchists or they have vested interests.

The PPP were the promised messiahs in 2008 when they won the elections. They said they would fix the country, they would catch Benazir Bhutto's killers, they would rid the country of corruption, they would fix the rule of law, they would fix the power situation and so on and so forth. But they failed just like everybody else. Pakistan today has slid to a point where it is bleeding from a thousand cuts. Either it will survive to live another day, or it will go south the way it did in 1971.

Sometimes I actually feel pity for Pakistan. Not the people, not the politicians but for the land itself. Sometimes I wonder to myself that if we could hear the land it would be crying and asking its dwellers what have you done to it. Why have you done what you did?

Now we have another promised messiah  from the shining land of Canada. A man who came out of nowhere and stole the thunder. A demagogue if you will as predicted by Cyril Almeida in this amazing article he published in 2011. But Tahir ul Qadri is not Pakistan's promised. He is not the man to lead Pakistan out of trouble. His character is flawed, his logic skewed and his demands unreasonable and unconstitutional. On top of that he is a compulsive liar.

Last I heard the supreme court has ordered the arrest of Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the rental power plants corruption case. He is accused of having received kickbacks. Now that another Prime Minister has been removed from his position, it does indeed look like the forces of Qadri and the people funding and supporting him have won. Maybe the government will fail and the nation will rejoice. But that rejoice will be ironical, short lived and catastrophic.

People often ask me what's Pakistan like; is it chaotic, dangerous, serene or picturesque? That's the point where I scratch my head, look down at my feet and tell them I'll get back to them on that one.

2 years later we still don't deserve you Salman Taseer

Salman Taseer

On the day Salman Taseer was murdered, I was invited to a BBC World radio show called World Have Your Say. What I witnessed in the one hour I was part of it has shamed and scarred me forever. The guests on the show, learned Pakistanis belonging to the well-to-do diaspora spent the entire show regaling the baffled listeners with how Salman Taseer deserved to die. They announced to the world they were happy he had been killed. They announced to the world this is what Islam tells us to do. They announced to the world that given the choice, they would love for this to happen again.

I scratched my head and tried to understand what had hit me. Really? Forget Islam, forget Pakistan. Forget Quaid-e-Azam and forget Iqbal. As human beings, is this really what we've sunk to? Pumping 27 bullets into a man just because we disagree with him? But I should have known better. I should have known that this is Pakistan. Logic, debate and argument do not work here. Justice comes to die here. Corruption is rampant and the law of the land is 'might is right'.

I should have known better because in August 2010 two brothers, Mughees and Muneeb were butchered at the hands of a mob in Sialkot. For 7 hours they were beaten while hundreds looked and egged the perpetrators on. Sticks, stones, batons. Nothing was left behind. Their limbs broke. With no respite they passed on. Then their bodies were hung upside down in the town square until someone from their family came and begged the mob to let them be. To let them be. I should have know then that Pakistan had died.

I should have realized that even the self proclaimed saviors of my country are nothing more than a bunch of sorry losers who are incompetent and complicit in perpetrating heinous crimes. Less than two months after the Sialkot incident I was witness to a murder being perpetrated in the middle of a bazaar in Lahore with an army check point less than 700m away. I should have known then that it was hopeless. All this was so hopeless.

And then in January of 2011, we saw how Salman Taseer was gunned downed. The shooter shot him like a coward but he was garlanded and proclaimed a hero. Social scientists will most probably bang their heads together and proclaim what is the matter with these people? But I know what's the matter with them. I know that as a human race we Pakistanis have failed to evolve. Instead we're actually sliding back towards the Dark Age and if left unchecked we'll reach there pretty soon. Vestiges of that era have already begun to show up in our society.

I meant to write this blog as a tribute to the man known to the world as Salman Taseer. But as you've probably realized I simply could not stop thinking about the madness that has engulfed us all. I feel so frustrated and so helpless at my plight. I want to change everything but I know I cannot. Even if I could I wouldn't be allowed to do so. Might is right in Pakistan. Confusion, paranoia and an affinity to chop of any semblance of sanity are the characteristics of my country and my people. And then we ask the world what is wrong with it?

Pakistan did not deserve Salman Taseer because he tried to argue with common sense. He thought he would get away with it but he was wrong. Lack of common sense combined with madness and misguided zealotry caught up with him. I hope he's resting peacefully wherever he is now.

I wish I could wish the same for Pakistan; that it rest in peace too. But it continues to burn brighter and stronger everyday with no let up. I wish it'll stop. I wish a newer and stronger Pakistan will emerge. But that's what it all is. A wish. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

When will you stop shaming me Pakistan?

Look at him and weep because such idiots are leaders in Pakistan (Ghulam Ahmed Bilour)

I woke up early to try and study. Instead I get this thrown in my face:

Pakistani minister announces $100,000 bounty on anti-Islam film maker

I mean seriously, what the fuck? Certain choice words come to my mind but I'd rather not say because they will just make me boil over. I knew this piece of shit known as Ghulam Ahmed Bilour was a strictly speaking fucked up loser with daddy issues but this, this is preposterous. It is because of sons of bitches like him that Pakistan and Pakistanis have lost all moral value in front of the entire world. No that's not true. The events on Friday that left 23 dead are a appropriate yardstick to judge us by.

You wanna know why people want to leave and run away from Pakistan? Well just read, see and hear what he said!

The Federal Minister for Railways Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said that he was aware that it was a crime to instigate the people for murder, but he was ready to commit the crime. He added that there was no way to instill fear among blasphemers other than taking this step. He also called on members of the Taliban and al Qaeda for their support, saying that if members of the banned militant organisations kill the maker of the blasphemous movie, they will also be rewarded.

So ladies and gentlemen the moment we've all been waiting for, the radicalization of society, the mental un-wellness of the Pakistani jackasses in power, the moral turpitude, the black stigma, has arrived. Live it. Breathe it. Feel it. And tomorrow, when somebody from the government gets up and says "we shall wage a war against Al-Qaeda or the Taliban" smack him/her (why be sexist right? They're all equally incompetent and incapable) in the face with the heel of your shoe and tell him/her to sit the fuck back down. YOU want to understand why the world paints us with such a dreaded color? Look no further than what Ghulam Ahmed Bilour said on national TV.

The really sad bit is because of these pieces of utter buffoonery the entire world goes up in arms against every single, normal, clear thinking Pakistani.

And that's when I ask myself this question: When will you stop shaming me Pakistan? When?

Pakistan, why you be so sad?

Do you remember the nursery rhymes you learned when you were in kindergarten? Well if you don't, the person in this video (he goes by the name of Edward Reid, and he's awesome. True story!) will not only remind you of them, but positively make you wish that he had sung all those rhymes. But, and this is a big but, what has this got to do with Pakistan you might wonder? The honest answer is nothing. This has nothing to do with Pakistan. And that is exactly why it is so terrible. You see developed countries where education has helped salvage some common sense, creativity such as the one in the video, flourishes. In Pakistan on the other hand, well let's just say Edward Reid would have been beaten to death and his art form would have been decried and pissed upon. We are not a happy people. And because we're not happy, we can never get to enjoy such surreal feats of creativity such as people in the UK or the US or any other developed country for that matter can and do enjoy. All we in Pakistan can do at best is be envious and curse our liege lords for ruining our lives and depriving the masses of education, who if they could understand it, would never sacrifice their tomorrow for today and anoint mad, selfish, hooligans to rule over us. Sad indeed.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't

I've just finished reading Irfan Hussain's article in today's Dawn. Normally I hold great respect for the man, but on certain fundamental points (like Pakistan's sovereignty for instance) I disagree with him to the extent of no reconciliation. His musings in today's newspaper fall in the latter category for me.

Irfan Hussain has benignly accused the government of being incapable of growing a pair when its required. Instead he accuses the government of hiding behind a facade, a mummer's farce if you will, so that it doesn't have to deal with the ugly realities of life. But on what points one may ask? Well on the point of the USA and its demonic stance of droning over Pakistan. Now I am all for these drone attacks because as we've seen they were an excellent way of killing Behtullah Mehsud and several others of his ilk. Unfortunately after this point is where I begin to differ significantly with Irfan Hussain. While he believes the government shouldn't have put the matter of the NATO supply routes before the parliament, I believe that's one of the democratic things this government has done.

Let me explain. Irfan Hussain says that because the government has decided to take this matter to the Parliament, it will be unable to maneuver around and show flexibility when the need arises to take some drastic measures as the people, and everybody in the Parliament will cause an uproar about how the will of the people wasn't taken into account. Essentially, Irfan Hussain is advocating that the government behave in a totally autocratic manner and take unilateral decisions which in essence amounts to licking the US of A's ass. Now I don't know from where he's getting these notions because if I remember correctly, he used to take very strong objection when this government or the previous government used to by pass Parliament in taking foreign policy level decision. Isn't this why he was always on Musharraf's case all the time? Well to really hit the nail on the head, isn't this extremely hypocritical?

While the thought of Pakistan licking USA's ass might get Irfan Hussain off, other self respecting Pakistani citizens such as myself realize that while it may be next to impossible to break the shackles of slavery vis-a-vis the USA, there needs to be a starting point.  The government's decision to involve the Parliament in the decision making process is 100% correct. The Parliament symbolizes the will of the people. Unfortunately for Irfan Hussain that will currently states that the USA can go to hell (but he needn't worry; our government isn't yet strong enough to say that to the USA, and probably never will be). In addition, by involving the Parliament the government is doing the legitimate and right thing. It is standing by its institutions. This also sets a precedent where all future significant foreign policy designs and ventures will be executed by the majority of the elected representatives leading up to across the board accountability.

Now Irfan Hussain can shimmy up to the USA all that he wants but let's get one thing clear. In a democracy, the majority needs to agree and be on board so that if God forbid things start to unravel, they can be patched up quickly. If the government does take a unilateral action, it will simply lose all credibility with the masses and then we would be forced to ask the question, why did we ever kick Musharraf out of the picture anyway because as I recall, he was really good at this doing-things-my-own-damn-way thing?

Stay in your limits, general

Can't say anything to the military, that's treason; can't say anything to the judiciary, that's contempt of court; can't say anything to the Mullahs, that's blasphemy; but the Prime Minister, President and Parliament, let's lynch them because it is our democratic right.

Or so read the Facebook statuses of thousands of Pakistanis. And apparently also on Twitter. So why is everybody being so queasy about treason and contempt of court and blasphemy? Well that's because the lot of Pakistanis with some common sense and rationality are increasingly being cornered with no way.

PM Gilani in an interview to a Chinese daily hinted that the replies filed by the Chief of Army Staff General Kayani and the Director General ISI General Pasha were unconstitutional and held no legal merit. He of course forgot that they were both respondents who were served notices by the court directly and then had to reply to the court with or without Gilani's approval.

Now we know that Gilani is not a very clever man and doesn't think things through properly. But we have been led to believe like the little black sheep who only bleat and follow whatever comes in their way, that Kayani is super perfect and that he has Kim Jong Il type powers of awesomeness. In addition we have also been told rather repeatedly that because Kayani is so perfect, he can never do any wrong. Oh how sorry were we.

You see in response to Gilani's rather stupid hinting capabilities, Kayani hit back at the "civilian democracy" in the place where it hurts the most. Kayani via an army statement said that Gilani's statement could have "serious ramifications" for Pakistan. But hold your horses! He further goes onto threaten the civilian baddies with "potential grievous consequences for the country."

As a citizen of this poor, shunned, brow beaten shell of a country that this once was, I stand hurt and well mighty damn angry. How dare Kayani who is nothing more than a grade 22 officer threaten the democratic institutions of Pakistan? Who does he think he is? Does he think he is God (naaoozubillah)? Does he have a magic wand that he will wave and make the problems of Pakistan go away? Oh wait. That can't be it because he was asleep in his king size bed at home when Pakistan's sovereignty was raped for 2 whole goddamn hours on May the 2nd!

It pains me, disgusts me and shames me that even now there are people in this country who support a martial law imposition; who think Kayani coming to the helm of affairs will fix everything. Well let me just bust your bubble: It will not. The favourite argument of these self professed cleansers of Pakistan is that because Zardari is corrupt, he has done corruption. Because he has done corruption, his whole party has done corruption. Because PPP has done corruption, the army needs to come to fix everything. Wrong!

So Zardari is corrupt and Gilani is stupid and Firdaus Ashiq Awan is an affront to the intelligence of women, the fact of the matter is they are only criticised because there are no "ramifications". Because criticizing them will not land you in jail, or your deathbed. Let's talk about another type of corruption today shall we?

Rs 800 billion was allotted to the army last year. Rs 800 billion. Now let's recount what took place last year. First there were the drone attacks. But it turns out Kayani was hand in glove with the Americans on that one. Let's all laugh about how stupid we all were for thinking the army was defending the frontier while in fact they were the ones providing spot locations for drone attacks. And lest you forget I'm all for drone strikes to wipe out militants. I'm just amazed at the sheer hypocrisy of those (read: army) who proclaim that the Americans will not be allowed to toy with our sovereignty. What sovereignty do they talk about? But I digress. Then came May the 2nd. A day that will forever go down in history as being the day when Pakistan lost all morality in the comity of nations. Why didn't our army defend us? Why didn't our Air force defend us? Why didn't the army shoot down the raiding American helicopters while they fluttered about in Pakistani airspace for two hours? Why didn't the army take action when all the action could in fact have been live from the Pakistan Military Academy? Why? And when the civilian baddies tried to fix that (via the Memogate, wrong method but correct intentions) the army just got pissed. What about the navy base attack? When 4 "Star Trek" characters set a whole base on fire and laid siege to it for 16 hours. How incompetent is our army? Even with Rs 800 billion a year in its pockets. And they talk about defeating India in war when can't even defend their own shoddy selves. Why does no one talk about this corruption?

And lest we forget, yes Kayani is the rat bastard who is responsible for putting this country under the water and making it sink. Now he trespasses the halls of morality but let me jog your memory. In 2007 Musharraf wanted an NRO with Benazir Bhutto. He sent his DG ISI to draft an agreement and get it signed. That agreement was called NRO. And who was that DG ISI, the architect of that agreement? Why yes it was Kayani. Who rules this country behind the facade of Gilani and Zardari? Why it's Kayani. And who has burnt this country down and sold it to the dogs? Why yes, it is indeed Kayani.

I don't have a problem with the army, or the soldiers who stand day and night watching these insolent generals who have nothing better to do than to fart all over the destiny of Pakistan. I have a problem with the generals. Making Kayani the chief executive will be the final nail in the Pakistan's coffin. Let's make that clear.

So how do we go about sorting through this mess? By letting the PPP complete its 5 years in power. You see we have now seen how inept the PPP has been in power. In the next elections people like me who have never voted before, are going to vote it out of power and vote somebody better in its place and so on and so forth. But instead if Kayani comes to the helm, well then bye bye Pakistan. You were truly loved and you will sorely be missed.

By linking the performance of the governments to the voting process and by empowering the common people, in only 20 years' time this country will be a much, much better place than it is today. People themselves will see how democracy is a million times better than the army mounting coups. Kayani should not sully the good name of all those nameless soldiers who have died, who stand upright during the night to protect his highness, and who when the time comes become brothers to those Pakistanis who need them. Kayani would be well advised to keep his fantasies to his self. Kayani should stay within his limits.

The Pakistan Memo

By Shahida Mazhar

Leadership is indispensable to Pakistan’s future progress and survival.

In the current Pakistani scenario, we must always have a third option to survive the dirty politics of the two major political parties.

Anyone who can redirect Pakistan to its destined path, as envisioned by, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, Allama Iqbal and Quaid--e-Azam -- is the third option today.

If Pakistan has to survive as a rational nation, then it must really become Jinnah’s Pakistan and not a Pakistan for ignorant mullahs of Jamaat-e-Islami, who follow the Maududi Doctrine for a theocratic Pakistan. Jinnah fought against the organized mullahs, who preached/practiced 'Theocracy' as the Islamic doctrine.

Jinnah did not want Pakistan to become a theocracy and vociferously debated with the Muslim clerics in United India against it. 

 As citizens of Pakistan our mission today should be to evolve social justice, for deliverance of good governance.

Every Pakistani must speak up, against inequality, corruption, insufficient security, deficient education system, social malaise and healthcare, in order to usher in reforms needed desperately by Pakistan.

The time is over for 'fence sitting' and remaining silent for silence today will mean concurring with the status-quo, which is not an option any longer.

The world is going through epic history making events in the peoples' movements' like the 'Arab Spring' and now the 'Occupy Wall Street' as global citizens. We must get involved, and must play our part in it.

The American people have stood up against its tyrannical establishment, via the 'Occupy Wall Street' movement. Similarly Pakistan must play its correct role, and define its direction today also. As citizens of Pakistan, we have a responsibility to the world, and we need to indentify our mistakes, and then resolve to change our direction. We need to put our mark on history. We may or may not have the same demands yet we have a common front composed of many diversified interests.

Unified we have to confront and solve the most pressing problem of our time. It will not be an exaggeration to say that our survival as individuals, as a society, even as a species depends on it.

I request all Pakistanis, to cross party lines and support the correct person in the next Elections in 2013.

Let us remember that: "Allah will never change the condition of a people unless they first change what is wrong in their hearts" – Al - Quran

About the author: Shahida is an overseas Pakistani deeply devastated by Pakistan's state of affairs. Creating awareness and differentiating between fact and fiction is her passion. She is apolitical and freelances for different blogs from Facebook.

Did Imran Khan just own Lahore?

Imran Khan

I know a lot has been said, is being said, and will be said about Imran Khan's insanely large rally in Lahore yesterday. Did he woo the masses of their feet? Yes. Did he prove that a lot of people support him? Yes. Did he own Lahore? I think he might just have.

Imran Khan set out to prove a point, and he nailed it into every nailable thing out there. He ripped through the Sharifs' fortress and came out the other side victorious. He didn't say anything new, he didn't surprise anyone with new promises, but he delivered a powerful speech, one that might have sent shivers down his opponents spines. He also managed to shut his detractors (yours truly included) up and proved that his followers are not only from the educated urban middle class. They come from all strata of society.

But while all that is good and rosy, there are other points that need to be discussed. There are questions that need to be asked and answers that need to be heard. Imran Khan once again continued to lick the shiny armour of the army. He recounted an anecdote involving Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan's ambassador to the US, and Zardari in which both of them beg the Americans to save them from the Pakistani generals. Perhaps Imran Khan thinks licking the army's shiny suit would earn him the required number of points to qualify as the next prime minister of Pakistan?

He also talked about corruption and how Rs 3000 billion is lost every year in tax corruption. But once again, he failed to mention how he would eradicate this colossal negative enigma from Pakistan. He also talked about telling the Americans to talk to Pakistan on an equal footing. While these are noble sentiments, in the real world they hold no water. The US acts as our benefactor, hence we dare not say anything offensive to it. Unless the shackles of benefaction can be broken, I'm afraid Imran Khan was simply indulging in yesterday's rhetoric.

Imran Khan also spoke of ending the military operations in the tribal belts. I really want to ask him whether he's become insane? OK so he says the military fights the local Pakistani population in the tribal belt. My question is what of the many thousands of Uzbek, Chechen and Arab militants residing in those places? Who is going to fight them? Or are they "our people" too? Or does Imran Khan believe they do not exist and they are simply a figment of the imagination of a few people?

Imran Khan said the tribal elders have assured him that if the army stops taking action in the tribal belt, the terrorism will automatically go away. Of  course it will. By not fighting the cancer spurting out of the tribal belts, the Pakistan army will become complicit in letting it spread.

Is Imran Khan a very charismatic man with a lot of fan following? Yes he is. But he talks nonsense at times particularly with regards to the foreign and interior policy. While his solutions to the energy crisis are admirable and in fact extremely workable, his solutions to steering the country out of the mess it finds itself in are based on populist whims and rhetoric.

I want to like Imran Khan. But he never gives me any reason to even bother. Rather, he takes all of the reasons that might make me like him and shoots them in the head. And that makes me wonder, who am I going to vote for in 2013 when I've ruled Imran Khan out?

Imran Khan or Nawaz Sharif?

Nawaz Sharif (L) and Imran Khan (R)

The million dollar question everybody has been harping about for the past week or so. Who is the king of Lahore? Is it Nawaz Sharif, who has traditionally held the throne? Or is it Imran Khan, who has dethroned the former king to wear the crown himself?

Now if you're a regular reader of this blog, you would know I am not exactly a fan of Imran Khan. All the reasons for my not being his fan can be found by clicking here. But this right now is an entirely different debate. Who would you choose between Imran Khan and Nawaz Sharif?

See the problem is once again in this populist political quagmire (or thriller depending upon your preference) we are stuck in choosing one individual over another individual. But that is another blog, for another time. So is Imran Khan better than Nawaz Sharif? Or is Nawaz Sharif better than Imran Khan? It's hard to say given the scale of confrontation and the statements that emanate from both of them. They both hate Zardari. They both want midterm elections. They both claim they can rid the country of evil and produce good Samaritans. But there's one fundamental difference between the two, which to the cool thinking and rational mind blows up the difference between the two as if one was day and the other was night.

Imran Khan wants a confrontational approach vis-a-vis the US, NATO and Afghanistan. Nawaz Sharif on the other hand wants to play it cool and let things take their natural course. One of the prerequisites of this approach is not pissing off the Americans. Another glaring difference between the two politician's approaches is that while Imran Khan keeps licking the army's shiny armour, Nawaz Sharif is trying to keep them at an arm's length by calling for judicial inquiries against the generals responsible for the May 2nd debacle.

But that is where the differences end. So what do the masses think? Imran Khan has by and large crafted a huge fan following amongst the educated middle class and the youth. But that support has been the most vocal and active in Lahore. What about other parts of Punjab? What do people think about Imran Khan in for example, Vehari? Or Bhalwal? Or Mian Channu? The vast majority of Punjabis resides in rural areas and rural populace is the one and only factor that can make or break any party in an election.

So can Imran Khan pull it off? He might. Or he might not. The problem like I mentioned before is that we're talking about individuals. In the case of Imran Khan, he really is just one individual. It is only today that I found out that there is a person called Rauf Hassan who is in Imran Khan's party as well. But what about the other hidden gems of talent in Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf? Or are we to assume that there are no other? On the other hand there are several people who I can name from Nawaz Sharif's party, albeit they all disgust me.

The worst case scenario for Imran Khan will still be a win for him. He will win 5 - 6 seats in the provincial assembly and will be the head of a vocal opposition. That's more than he's ever had. And the best case scenario will be a complete rout of Nawaz Sharif's PML. Either way he will have to make alliances with people who he keeps denouncing. Nawaz Sharif, if he can still maintain his unbeaten streak will most probably not need the help of allies to keep him standing on his two feet. But of course only time will tell exactly what happens.

In the meanwhile, the two upcoming rallies by the PML-N (which takes place tomorrow, Friday, 28th October, 2011) and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (which takes place on Sunday, 30th October, 2011) will be a sort of litmus test of who stands where in this sprawling metropolis.

As for me? Well in my perfect world Imran Khan's idealistic rhetoric and populist politics would work seamlessly without any repercussions of any sort, and I would gladly vote for him in that case. But in the real world, I feel Nawaz Sharif has got the grasp on reality much better than Imran Khan has ever had even though the Sharifs are like fat cobras standing guard around a pile of gold (read Punjab).

I'll wait till after their rallies to decide who's side I fall on. It's going to be interesting.

Trying desperately to save face

Last night all the top politicians of Pakistan got together to chalk out a united strategy in the face of extreme pressure from the United States. Much as I would like to tell these same politicians what's really on my mind, I do believe they deserve tremendous applause for being man enough to tell the world that there is still some semblance of sanity that exists within Pakistan and its political ranks.

The joint resolution that was presented at the end of the 9 hour meeting says what we've always been hearing: that Pakistan is a peace loving country and that it will always keep its interests supreme. We already know from the last 60 odd years that that's not true. We also know that we're absolutely unsure about what Pakistan's interests are and who decides them. Supposedly, supporting the Haqqani network of the Taliban in Afghanistan is one of the interests of Pakistan. Like I questioned in my blog yesterday, to what end?

The resolution also failed to distance Pakistan from its image of always helping the wrong side and of double dealing. You see while the Pakistani government may feed us all lies about how our establishment is so sweet and nobody loves it, the world has become quite sick of our shenanigans. The Pakistani nation is identified in vile terms and its image is scorned upon. Did the resolution address any of these critical exclamation marks? Afraid not.

So what did the joint resolution of the APC achieve then? Well the answer to that will be nothing really. General Pasha and General Kayani simply denied all allegations of wrong doing. Even with Nawaz Sharif's rather testy remark that wherever there is smoke there is fire, the military men refused to concede that they are responsible for maintaining links with the Haqqani network. Ironically the resolution fails to say that Pakistan does not, will not and has not maintained any links with the Haqqani network. Does that amount to admission of guilt? You're free to draw your own conclusions.

While the world continues to move on berating Pakistan for its duplicity we vehemently and strictly refuse to acknowledge our shortcomings. We refuse to accept our mistakes and we refuse to correct them. We live in denial. We like it. Unfortunately the world doesn't like it and hence it has run out of patience with Pakistan. Mike Mullen was just one man who made one allegation. Very soon (if we keep our charades) a whole corps will be out there doing the same.

10 questions that need to be answered at the All Parties Conference

As you all might know an All Parties Conference (APC) is currently under way in Islamabad to chalk out a united response from the country's political leadership to the threats and accusations made by Admiral Mike Mullen in which he accused the Taliban's Haqqani network as being a veritable arm of the ISI. Almost 58 politicians belonging to all the major political parties are attending this conference including Nawaz Sharif, Imran Khan and Chaudry Shujaat Ali. The important question is whether this conference will actually achieve anything substantial?

We of course need a united stance on the American accusations and allegations which are by their nature very extreme. To help the politicians achieve that, General Ashfaq Kayani (COAS) and General Ahmed Shuja Pasha (DG ISI) will be presenting themselves before the politicians and answering the various questions that they might have.

Some of the questions that I have and which I would really like to be answered are as follows:

1. Does Pakistan actually have any "veritable" links to the Haqqani network?
2. Does the Pakistani military support a "strategic depth" doctrine in Afghanistan?
3. If yes, then what exactly does the Pakistani military intend to achieve with that strategic depth in Afghanistan?
4. Does the ISI share strategic intel with the US intel agencies?
5. Does the Pakistani military have compulsive, incriminating evidence against CIA/US double dealing in Afghanistan and Pakistan?
6. Does the Pakistani intelligence apparatus have compulsive, incriminating evidence against Indian involvement in Pakistan's tribal areas and Balochistan?
7. Does the Pakistani military believe that it can defend the country in the event of a ground invasion by the US forces?
8. Why did the Pakistani military allow a known CIA operative who is also a murderer (Raymond Davis) go scot free?
9. Has the Pakistani military officially sanctioned the lease of Shamsi airbase to the UAE and further on to the USA?
10. How can General Kayani and General Pasha convince the Pakistani nation that after the OBL fiasco (being discovered in the heart of the Pakistani military) a repeat of that episode will not take place?

These are just some of the many questions that I would like to be answered. Because they form the bedrock of the many confusions plaguing our nation regarding the intentions of our armed forces.

The confusion within

I have been reading up on a lot of polarized material of late. Polarized meaning those who call themselves liberals (who believe the US and the West is everything, and everything it eschews is absolutely correct) and those who call themselves the saviors of the Muslims (who believe killing the US will solve all our problems). In both instances I have found glaring deficits and discrepancies. Neither side has the capability or the willingness to offer solutions. Both sides are so distrustful of each other and so confused in their own right that they find it impossible to find a middle ground. Hence, there are no grey areas. There is only black and white depending on what you believe in.

I know what I am saying has been said many times before. So let me just cut through the crap and talk about myself. I was a firm believer in the theory that nation states do not have friends or foes. They only have strategic interests. I still believe in that theory to be honest. Based on this theory then I concluded and I pleaded with people to understand that the US is only acting on its interests when it goes to war, or attacks innocents, or maims millions of people. After all, it is the world's largest economy. An economy that boasts of individualism and a narcissistic affinity to money. Any kind of money.

However, I always wondered what the US would gain by destabilizing Pakistan, if for instance I were to agree with this notion. You see I believe very strongly in the idea that to understand and win an argument, you must think and act like the devil as well as the angel. In this case, I know why the US would want to go to wars, carry on the wars it is fighting, would want to get out of Afghanistan etc. But I wondered and wondered as to what possible motive the US could have in destabilizing Pakistan.

On the face of it it would seem like that encouraging the destabilization of Pakistan is akin to the US throwing down the axe on its own foot. But that just sounds contrary to what common sense suggests. But I don't have any answers. I don't know why the US is so intent on doing what it is to ensure that Pakistan keeps going on the back foot until it is finally cornered and pushed up against a wall.

Now since no one seems to know the answer to that (no, the US does not want our weapons; it has a much bigger stockpile of immensely advanced nuclear weapons than we can ever produce) I can only go with what is left. Like Sherlock Holmes said: Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever left, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.

By that logic the US is genuinely concerned that the Pakistan government would collapse leading to a free for all frenzy which would be hard to contain. And herein lies the US' folly. Like I mentioned before in one of my earlier posts, the US has refused to engage the biggest shareholder in Pakistan: Its people. When and if it realizes this, it will also realize how easy it actually is to win in Pakistan. We're a very loving, loyal and hospitable people. And we are suckers for kindness. When someone is kind to us, we become their loyal pups forever. Case in point, China and Saudi Arabia. Even though we know how both these countries have used us to no end.

So that's how the confusion within rolls around. Would love to hear your views about this. Feel free to leave your comments and thoughts.

Is criticizing the army anti state?

I simply cannot hold back my views on this topic any longer. The reason I blog about this matter in English and not in Urdu is simple: There are a number of people out there to whom I direct this blog and they find it easier to read, write and understand English rather than Urdu. For the wider Pakistani population, I will blog about the same in Urdu later.

So is disagreeing with the army anti state? Am I an anti state person committing treason when I say that the army needs to put its house in order? Do I deserve to be burned at the stake when I question where the Rs 620 billion went that were allocated to the defence last year when events like May the 2nd and PNS Mehran take place? These are pertinent questions regardless of what anyone believes.

The fine line is that while most of us agree that the Pakistan army failed somewhere along the way in letting Raymond Davis off the hook, the continuous drone attacks take place, the rape of sovereignty by the Americans on May 2nd, the heinous incident of PNS Mehran in which we lost 10 commandos, there are people amongst us who classify even talking about these issues as being traitorous to the nation. I'm sorry, but how do they expect us to become better at our game when we simply refuse to acknowledge our problems?

Yeah I know there's always that "India's doing this, India's doing that" debate that's thrown at you in return every time you try talking about the atrocities being committed in the name of Pakistan's defence but it simply won't cut it any more. You see while there are people who will tell us that simply talking about the acts of dumbassery being committed in Pakistan is tantamount to blackening the name of Pakistan and sullying our reputation. But these hard questions need to be asked and answered in order to ensure that all the stakeholders (Pakistan nation, government and the military) are on the same page.

While there is no doubt in my mind that Pakistan needs to start standing on its feet; while I agree that the current government and the opposition is nothing other than shameless two faced bastards; while I agree that the US hasn't always been our friend, and well it doesn't appear to be one right now, I do agree that the US is absolutely within its right to want the best for itself. Might is right in the international arena and there's nothing we can do about it.

What we can do is to channel our energies into correcting our mistakes which will only be possible after the acknowledgement of our failures, our wrong policies and our wrong strategies. Once we clear that, then we will have no reason to not correct ourselves.

What do I write about?

Of late I haven't been blogging so much. That is primarily because I have been suffering from a vastly known disease called the blogger's block. It's basically the same as writer's block, only that it applies to bloggers who then end up not being able to write about anything. Or anyone. At all.

It all started with the OBL raid on Pakistani soil. It has been more than a month since the world's most wanted terrorist was assassinated by US commandos. But since then things have just spiralled out of control. There are commentators on TV who say they are shocked at what the young Pakistani generation is writing on the internet but to be honest, I have to disagree with them. They shouldn't be shocked. At all.

Then there was the PNS Mehran attack in Karachi. Big news. Shameful to be honest and even then I was unable to write anything. Because somewhere in my head I have this vague idea that no matter what anyone says, does, writes or shouts from the rooftops, it simply will not make a difference. Two days later, a journalist involved with covering the PNS Mehran attack, Saleem Shahzad, turned up dead. So much for freedom of speech and freedom of expression.

The moral fibre of the society has decayed so much. Only today I crossed the same army checkpoint where a few months earlier I had seen a murder taking place. The army men did nothing back then. Today right next to the checkpoint I saw four guards of a housing society beating up a man with whips and rocks the size of someone's head and yet all those army men did was stand foolishly by. Yeah right. They are going to defend the civilians of Pakistan.

All I have is anger and despair. And that impedes me from saying the things that I want to say; stops me from writing the things that I want to write about. I wonder how the government cannot see that the lack of focus of educating the masses is yielding an irreversible decay in society. We have gone back 20 years ever since this government took over. It will take us at least 20 to 30 years, or at least till the next generation grows up to reach some sort of sanity. And that too if only the next generation is educated and taught the manners and etiquette that are necessary to live life as a gentleman.

Anyway, my mind has shut off again. More blogging when I can actually think of something to write about. Till then, ciao.

Why the Pak army generals need to go home

A friend of mine wrote the following blog post. I thought I'd reproduce it here because it is an excellent read and it asks extremely pertinent questions.

Kayani must resign, right away. Never have I felt this let down as a Pakistani. For me, after 1971, this is the lowest point in Pakistani history of our failure as a state and as a nation. And I hold General Kayani responsible for this, as I hold AK Niazi and Yahya Khan responsible for the 1971 fall of Dacca. Let me tell you why:

A week before the fateful night OBL was killed the mighty chief of our army General Kayani had rather arrogantly declared that 'we have broken the back of terrorists'. He said this in a speech to the 125th graduating class of Pakistan's elite military academy, located in Kakul. At the time he was making this statement, OBL listened to Kayani's speech and his bogus words of 'victory' and Pakistan's 'impregnable defense', not from a TV or a radio but from a loudspeaker a mile away, located at the very place where Kayani was speaking. Yes, OBL was less than a mile away from the army chief on the day of April 22nd, 2011.

This wasn't the first speech OBL had heard live in his stay. Over a period of five years, in which he is reported to have lived in Kakul, various military dignitaries have spoken at the graduation ceremony at the academy, speeches in which they have made many tall claims about Pakistan Army's fullest preparedness to 'meet any eventuality' and thwart 'designs of aggression' by its 'enemies'. I can imagine OBL rolling in laughter on listening to claims about Pakistan Army's capabilities by the speakers all those years--and rightly so, for he had openly declared Pakistan Army its enemy and a 'jihad' in Pakistan to be mandatory, and still he was enjoying the hospitality of the 'Wazirsitani Haveli' right under the nose of Pakistan Army.

Kayani, and his side kick, AS Pasha, now accept that they did not know of OBL's presence. I believe them. But if that is so then here are some questions which the two gentlemen holding the highest and most powerful offices of the country must think about:

1. Pakistan's declared enemy Osama Bin Laden lived under the nose of the Pakistan Army, in a cantonment for five years. Intelligence services, which abound in Pakistan, carry out a security clearance for all purposes, and leave no unturned in harassing the weak and the ordinary. Yet they were somehow unable to identify the many suspicious aspects of the 7-8 canal facility OBL was living in. Wasn't this an intelligence failure? And because Pakistan's enemy was living in Pakistan, was this not a blatant violation of Pakistan's sovereignty?

2. Four (or more) helicopters of United States armed forces entered Pakistan's territory undetected. Carried out an operation for forty minutes and took out their 'high value' target, undetected. Destroyed a helicopter using a missile, and then flew over Pakistan for four long hours towards Arabian Sea, undetected. That Pakistan did detect something at some point and scramble air planes is correct, but it is also true that this happened much after the Americans had left. Was this, I must ask, a breach of Pakistan's defense?

3. Osama was Pakistan's enemy. It is a fact -- which we can deny, but the man, the enemy himself minced no words in saying so. And still, the chief of CIA Leon Panetta declares to the world that Pakistan was not informed because it might have 'alerted the target'. That in the comity of nations, we are the providers of safety and security to all terrorists. That our citizens die on a daily basis because of bomb blasts by OBL's partners or affiliates, and still we are perceived to be comrades in arms with terrorists. Is this not an insult of every Pakistani?

The answers to these questions are simple and they lead me to conclude one thing, and one thing only. Pakistan Army failed in protecting Pakistan. On multiple counts. It failed those 3000 jawans who have died fighting OBL and his affiliates in the last ten years. It failed the ordinary Pakistani, who bears the cost of having the seventh biggest army in the world by continuing to live below the poverty line.

Yahya Khan never accepted that Pakistan Army failed in East Pakistan. Even after his top lieutenant general had quiet shamefully surrendered to the forces of Jagjit Singh Arora in the Race course ground of Dacca, he insisted on continuing. He did not accept that in its failure the army had failed the state and the nation. He refused to accept that by doing so Pakistan Army had taken away a sense of hope and security from Pakistanis.

Kayani, like Yahya, has also not accepted his failure. He is refusing to take responsibility for something he alone is responsible for. He assured Pakistanis of impregnable defense, highest levels of preparedness, ready to ward off any threat, any eventuality, etc...Claims too hollow to be even brought up again. He failed in providing any of that, and still he says 'incomplete information and lack of technical details about the issue had resulted in speculations and misreporting'.

What a farce? The man, who for some time was held in high esteem by many across the world, has anticlimactically brought his own institution, Pakistan Army, into disrepute. He has demoralized the Pakistani people. He has compromised the honor and integrity of the men he leads. And, he failed in bringing the killer of 3000 Pakistani soldiers to justice.

Kayani must resign.

- Asfandyar Ali Mir

Osama bin Laden is finally dead

Osama bin Laden was killed in Abbotabad by US 

Navy SEALs

Earlier today I posted a sarcastic blog that many people took wrongfully as my opinion on the whole OBL saga. Yes, from now on Osama bin Laden will be shortened to OBL because it's too long to type his complete name. So this second post will now serve two purposes: 1) What I feel about OBL's death, and what the general Pakistani population is saying and 2) it will help to put my earlier post (which was a sarcastic take on the whole OBL phenomenon) into perspective.

President Obama in a late night address "confirmed to the American people, and to the world" that the most wanted terrorist in the US had been killed by US troops in a raid inside of Pakistan. The raid was conducted by Navy SEALs who were flown in from Afghanistan. Official reports suggest a gunfight took place for over 40 mins before OBL's body was loaded into one of the two modified MH-60 helicopters (the other was destroyed by the SEALs after having developed some technical faults) and flown back to Afghanistan.

A lot of people in Pakistan (yours truly included) couldn't care less as to what happened to OBL. Yes, he is a good riddance. But frankly, it doesn't affect our lives any more than the rabid dog who roams Lahore's streets at night. There will be no let up in the harassment by the security forces in the name of "security"; the roads that were closed and permanently sealed due to "security threats" will not be opened; the army will continue to  lord over us like it has forever and as a whole, there will be no tangible improvement in the commoner's life in Pakistan.

But then there are those people who believe that OBL died in 2002 of some disease. Now these people are of the category who believe that since Obama was worried about the upcoming US Presidential elections in 2012, the billions of dollars being wasted in Afghanistan and finding a face saving solution to the problem, he declared OBL's death now. On the other hand there are those people, who instead of believing that OBL died in 2002 believe that he is still alive since his dead body was not shown to the media, nor any photos or videos were released to the public. Also, his rather hurried burial at sea just lent fuel to the wild speculations and confusion surrounding OBL's death.

Regardless of whether OBL died in 2011 or 2002, one thing is for certain now. OBL is dead or else, the world's most powerful man would not have taken the liberty of making a claim that he knew was false. A friend from the US asked me about the reaction of the people within Pakistan. Well, the reaction of the people can be gauged from the fact that even though they are not mourning OBL's death, they still have not become chums of the US. In fact, many are now predicting that the next battlefield that the US would open up would be in Pakistan, hence they are highly sceptical and on the defensive vis-a-vis the US policies that will emerge after the dust clears.

But now, onto something that has left me baffled. We are a country that has been forced to take pride in its military. In fact, General Kayani even told the world that this country will not sacrifice its honour for prosperity. In a rather excellent blog post by Kala Kawa it clearly emerges that the Pakistani military thinks of itself as something of a demigod. Then how was it that the Pakistani military couldn't spot OBL who was living just 4km away from the Pakistan Military Academy? Is this a massive communication and intelligence failure? If it is (and exceedingly it appears to be one) the Pakistani military will have to take face saving measures and in that case, some heads will roll. My suggestion, chop off all the generals who had their tenures extended. They've all failed us. But if this wasn't an intelligence failure, and the Pakistani military knew exactly where OBL was, why didn't it take action? Were they waiting for the Americans to violate our sovereignty? In which case, bravo gentlemen, bravo!

What is even more embarrassing is that the Pakistani military did not conduct a joint operation with the Americans to rid the world of OBL. It was the Americans alone. The Pakistani military is yet to condemn the US for violating its airspace, and just to set the record straight, how come the Pakistan Air Force radars not pick up unidentified aircraft over its airspace?

The Pakistani populace has shown a generally mild response to OBL's death. Yeah, he's dead. Who cares? And they've shown the same mild response to the Americans violating Pakistan's sovereignty by conducting a full fledged military operation just 130km from Islamabad. Surprising.

So that's the Pakistani perspective on the whole Osama bin Laden saga. For the American perspective, you might want to read this blog post by Nick Kristof, the world renowned reporter of the New York Times.

Why Imran Khan's sit-in is merely populist politics

Imran Khan addressing the sit-in gathering

We would all like to think that Imran Khan has the ideology and the solutions to Pakistan's problems. We would also like to believe that his statements are workable, and that they will ultimately become Pakistan's North Star when it comes to foreign policy endeavours. Hence, we would like to believe that Imran Khan's sit-in on Peshawer ring road (which is the supply route of NATO supplies) will work and the politicians in charge of our beloved country's affairs will pay heed to what he says.

Imran Khan issued an ultimatum demanding that America stop its drone attacks within Pakistan or else the NATO supply lines will be disrupted. Now I know for a fact that anti-Americanism is a great crowd and loyalty gatherer in Pakistan. But does it serve a purpose? Imran Khan demands that America stop its drone strikes or else the government disbars any future NATO supplies to pass through Pakistan. Noble demand and I agree with him. Because it is our country and only we should have the right to bomb it (duh). But he asks these demands of the wrong people and he lacks the balls to identify the real people who have the authority (or lack of guts?) to stop this madness. Yes, I am talking about General Ashfaq Pervaiz Kayani and General Ahmed Shuja Pasha.

So here's the deal: Imran Khan does populist politics at the cost of the government (because there are no repercussions?) and then cherry on top of cake, he bashes the US, the number one punching bag in Pakistan. I'm not defending the US here, I'm just saying things like they are. Although I must say I mighty impressed with Imran Khan, shows he's finally learning how to play politics.

The NATO supply lines that run through Pakistan are controlled and managed by the Pakistan army. The drone attacks that take place within Pakistan take place with the consent of the army. What stops the army from contacting the Pakistan Air Force and scrambling fighter jets from Risalpur to shoot down these drones if they cause that much angst to our army chief or ISI chief? And if that's "too much of a hassle", why doesn't the army use its anti-aircraft guns to shoot down these drones? Or are the guns mere show pieces?

So Imran Khan, the question is till when will you keep giving rhetorical statements, make rhetorical gestures, and do your politics on rhetoric? Where is your policy, your strategy on foreign and interior affairs? If you say you can stop terrorist attacks within Pakistan in one month, then why don't you go ahead and do it? Do us Pakistanis this favour? Or do the lives of Pakistanis don't matter to you like the current bunch of sadists ruling over us? Because if you can stop the terrorist attacks after coming into power (by talking to the terrorists and their ilk) I believe you can also talk to them right now, when you're not in power.

I keep giving Khan chances. I keep believing he will change and will rise above the petty, populist and emotional politics and he keeps failing me. Why doesn't he berate the army for not having the balls to take on America's drones? Exactly.

We are America's lackeys. America feeds us, hence we do what it asks us to do. There is nothing we can do about it even though we cringe and crib about it. Keeping the anti-America and anti-India shenanigans in place helps the army keep the country and its policies under its thumbs. Until Imran Khan starts addressing these real problems that make this country go all wrong, he will only earn the respect of confused Pakistanis and no one else.

When politicians show their true colours on national TV

Warning: Explicitly vulgar language used in the video. Viewer discretion is advised.

Sometimes I can't help but wonder that the blogs I post online are only reaching a minute number of the many millions of Pakistanis out there, primarily because I mostly blog in English and that just isn't good enough. But then, at least I have the common courtesy of not trash talking or bad-mouthing my opponents. The same however, cannot be said of the Urdu speaking politicians who frequent the various high profile talk shows that have become a routine on the electronic media.

The following is a clip from the show 11th Hour which is hosted by Wasim Badami on which he had invited Hasan Nisar, the fiery columnist who basically trashes the government and its lackeys everyday (couldn't agree more; but after watching this clip I'm re-thinking my support for this guy); Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, who is the President of the PPP Punjab wing; and PML-N's senator Mushahidullah.

The show was attempting to ask an "innocent" question (if I may use the words of Wasim Badami) about what good news if any, could the government give to the Pakistani population at the moment. The irony of the matter however is that the innocent question spurned some extremely pathetic, vile and vulgar responses. Hasan Nisar (who talks sense most of the time, or so I thought) completely lost it and stated that even if the rulers and their ilk were to hang themselves, even then they wouldn't be able to give the nation any good news. He went on further to state that it is the Pakistani nation which is the real villain for electing these morons to the assemblies and voting the "murderers" and "looters" into power. I mean, really Hasan Nisar?

When Wasim Badami redirected the question to Imtiaz Safdar Warraich, he very tactfully dodged the question and stated that such vile comments did not merit a response from any "sane" person, and since he was one of the sane people in Pakistan (I do believe we have quite a dearth of them) he wasn't going to respond to Hasan Nisar's allegations.

But Senator Mushahidullah just couldn't resist telling the people what was wrong with people like Hasan Nisar, and well people like Hasan Nisar don't take their shortcomings being pointed out too well. Hence, this is what ensued:

If you want to watch the context of this seriously horrendous exchange, please click here. This will show you what Hasan Nisar said much to the astonishment of all concerned. Now I have been a fan of Hasan Nisar for his bold and upright stances and his publications in Jang which are quite refreshing and different from the usual crap that we get thanks to the Talat Hussains and Ansar Abbasis of Pakistan's electronic media. But there is no doubt at all in my mind that Hasan Nisar was absolutely wrong in saying what he said; and losing his cool, and that too in such a derogatory manner on live television. Not only was his conduct unbecoming, but it was also totally irrational and not different from the autocratic and "pseudo-democratic" mindset which incidentally, he is so against. By saying that the Pakistani nation are villains for voting the Zardaris and Sharifs into power, he has fallen prey to the same fallacy that forces rational people to become irrational and proclaim that only they themselves are the repositories of all wisdom. Hasan Nisar should issue an apology to all and sundry for uttering the words that he did.

The value of a 1000 rupees

I am supposed to be studying for my final examination right now which will start in two days time. But as it always happens on occasions like these, I have something to talk and blog about. The value of a 1000 rupees. What do a 1000 rupees mean to me? And what do they mean to the millions of other Pakistanis around me? It is an important question. One which has the potential of defining the unbelievably harrowing disparity that exists between the social classes within Pakistan.

The poor Pakistanis

But to start of, I need to give credit where it is due. I only thought up of this question after watching a documentary about the economic divide existent within our communities. And yes, this documentary was broadcast on Geo TV (which will disappoint some of the Pakistani populace who believe that Geo TV is a project by the Antichrist to rid the world of Pakistan).

But getting back to the value of 1000 rupees. In the last 5 years the value of a 1000 rupees has fallen tremendously as was evident from the various answers that people belonging to various classes gave. For the poor lady on the side of the road with her near comatose kid, a thousand rupees meant medicine, food and milk for her young, sick child. For the stud with the Ray Ban glasses, a thousand rupees meant 500 rupees worth of fuel and 500 rupees worth of phone credit.

And the rich Pakistanis

For the lady getting out of the Honda Civic, a 1000 rupees meant a new lawn suit, while for the old baba with his back bent, hands scorched due to the ruthless sun and sadness etched into every single line on his face a thousand rupees meant 7 days of two time a day meals for his family of six.

The rapidly falling value of the rupee is causing a lot of economic hardships. Do I blame the stud with the Ray Ban for his answer? Do I blame the lady who wants to buy the lawn suit? I don't because the simple fact of the matter is that things have gotten dearer and they continue to do so by the day. The indirect taxes that are levied on the back of this poor nation make this all the more harrowing because now it just isn't possible to get what you want, or what you could've gotten 5 years ago in 1000 rupees.

But it does prove the point that I set out to make from the start. The rich and poor divide is now going to the extremes. If adequate attention is not shed by the government on this emerging phenomenon, this situation could truly get out of control.

A 1000 rupees may not matter much to you because its value is too petty; but a 1000 rupees is still the dream of many millions of Pakistanis.