"Cold as ice, someday you'll pay the price"

I never thought I’d say this. It’s that time in my life. I’ve officially entered a rut. I know its crazy but its true. I feel like that Russian kid from ‘Goldeneye’ who jumped up and yelled out, “I’m invincibole!” (spelling semantically adjusted) just before he got frozen by a spray of liquid Nitrogen. It cracks me up every time.

Not anymore though. That’s me, I point to the screen, my other hand over my mouth. “The Horror, The Horror” washes over me, along with the combined horror of Nabila Kiyani’s novel classes (from which I was mostly, thankfully) absent. No wonder she didn’t like me.

Oh, and I also found out (a little late on this one Sherlock) that I’m not a particularly likeable person. More on that after this story…

Loosing it severely now. Maybe it has something to do with… or, on second thoughts, let not go there yet.

This one goes out to the one I love
This one goes out to the one I've left behind
Another prop has occupied my time
FIRE! (she's comin' down on her own, now)
The One I Love -- REM

Power of the people demands power for the people

Why Devdas was so upset...

Counterpoints, a reply to a dear friend

Read the original post entitled 'Myth Busters' at Ali' Malik's blog, http://demopak.blogspot.com/

I must confess that I haven't been one of those who've followed your blog, but this last post reads as a sort of open challenge. I will not dispute the fact that the media has been manipulated time and again, but I believe the accusations you've levelled here need to be answered. Lets take it from the top.

Accusation 1: Mehsood and Taliban are US agents
So you deny that Mehsood and Taliban are following an agenda alien to Pakistan? By that, I mean an agenda that does not originate from inside Pakistan and is aimed at destablising Pakistan as a whole. Turkistan, Qari Zain and every other so-called 'rebel Taliban commander' who seems to have renounced Baitullah insist that he is being funded through Afghanistan by a combination of Mossad, RAW and other intelligence/national spy agencies. But since the ‘fundo media’ reported this too, I guess you will also dispute this assertion.

I am very impressed by this next para. I did not think someone who has watched events unfold before their eyes could have put such a slanted spin on events.

"Pakistan’s fragile federation was in near collapse during last couple of years of Musharraf rule and had it not been for US’s active efforts to save the federation from collapsing even by arm-twisting some of her Mid-Eastern allies, it could well have collapsed."

This, as opposed to the fact that now, separatist elements are openly advocating the creation of more provinces, demanding separate homelands for themselves, and coalition partners are openly negating the very premise of partition. And this seems to me to be a very one-sided view of the time-period you are referring to (the last long-march, if I am not mistaken).

Cases in point:
Najam Sethi’s interview with Altaf Hussain: Altaf admits he has little support in Punjab because he has opposed the two-nation theory and believes that the Musalmaans of undivided India did not gain anything from partition.
Whatever anyone’s personal opinions may be, and no matter what kind of spin you put on this, this one statement implies that Altaf Hussain is opposed to the idea of Pakistan as put forward by Mr Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of my nation. (I say ‘my’ because there is apparently very little support left for Quaid ka Pakistan.
“Yeh uska Pakistan hai jo sadr-e-Pakistan hai.” (Anwar ul Haq, CTC)

The resurgence of separatist parties: Apart from the fact that for the first time in Pakistan’s history, we stand at a point where no one political party commands a majority in any TWO of the country’s four provinces. The governments are, effectively, as of today: ANP in NWFP; PML-N in Punjab; an uneasy PPP-MQM coalition in Sindh and an even shakier PPP, PML-Q and JUI-F coalition in Balochistan. At least one senator (a so-called former Musharraf crony) Mohammad Ali Durrani, has already tabled a bill for constitutional amendments to facilitate the creation of new provinces. He asks for at least 16 more provinces to be formed. The MQM chief has echoed this sentiment, and says there is nothing wrong with such a move.
Secondly, a resurgence of separatist and nationalist (nasal-parast) parties has been seen over the past 12 months. During the ‘tyrannical’ reign of Pervez Musharraf, these elements were silent/had been silenced. However, with a return to power of the ‘People’s kee hukoomat’ these parties have found a new lease on life. They include the ANP (a comparatively more mainstream party); the Balochistan National Party, Balochistan Liberation United Front, Balochistan Liberation Army, Balochistan Liberation Front,·Baloch People's Liberation Front, the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz and many more. Why is it that ethnic tensions, sectarian killings and other such problems are on a rise in Sindh and Balochistan?

Accusations 3, 4 & 5: that We face terrorist threat because we decided to side with US in War on Terror; that Suicide bombers are produced in retaliation to killings by Drone attacks; and, that Drone attacks are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty.

I will deal with all of these as one because they all focus on the ‘War against Terror’. I ask three questions in turn.

Firstly, why are all provinces (even the home province of the ruling PPP) willing to support the operation but unwilling to cope with the fallout, or, at the very least, support the IDPs displaced by the military action they voted for? And these are all things that have been reported by the ‘fundo’ media.
Secondly, we have settled that discrimination, resentment and maltreatment at the hands of the majority are the major factors behind the sense of deprivation that plagues our tribal belt and the remote areas such as Balochistan and south Punjab, which prompts men to blow themselves and renowned religious scholars up. However, this current government has done little, if anything, to check that. It seems as if today, one province’s hegemony has been replaced with another’s and the two ‘chotay bhai’ are suffering just as they were before.

CASE IN POINT:
Two-tier treatment in Pakistan's Jalozai camp
JALOZAI, Pakistan (AFP) — Koubad and Azizullah live in the same camp in northwestern Pakistan -- two of the millions of people displaced by a blistering government offensive against Taliban militants.
But while one of them comes from the wealthy Swat valley region and lives in the camp's "VIP" section, complete with electricity and a kitchen, the other, from Pakistan's tribal areas, is living in misery.

Read the whole article at:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5htk7YLmcgcR5zd4Axu6Kh9DehBLw

And lastly, and this is in response to the “US is our guardian angel” argument, when was the last time the United States of America did anything for any other country of the world out of the goodness of its own heart. Yugoslavia? Vietnam? Korea? Afghanistan? Haiti? Mozambique? Somalia? Sudan and Darfur? Palestine? Lebanon?
They have a plan. That plan will unfold, with or without you and me. My job is to make sure I can explain that to everyone in my country who doesn’t understand that. If our interests align today, they may not tomorrow, and this democracy we are all proud of can derail in the snap of my fingers. As you yourself have said, all you need to do to take over is to send three battalions, one to the presidency, one to lock up all MNAs and MPAs and one to PTV. And done. Pakistan is yours.

"Shout, shout. Let it all out. These are the things I can do without..."

Withdrawal is a horrible thing to go through, especially alone. Unfortunately, alone is how you end up if you’re not everything the world wants you to be.

Great thing the human mind is. It can rationalize even the most unforeseen of events, explain the inexplicable and come up with amazing explanations for things it didn’t even dream of in its wildest dreams. And it’s a symbiotic relationship. This allows you to stay sane through the bewildering wilderness you find yourself in when something like this happens.

But last night, as my brain began senselessly rationalizing the past 6 months of my life, I couldn’t help but ask, “Where was all this three months ago?” It answered, “Would you have listened three months ago?”

It was right. I wouldn’t have.

Rationalization # 1: You knew this would happen. This was why your ring tone for her was this song:
“They say that every heavens got a thousand rooms
So take me on that freedom ride
My heart is like a hunters in the silent moon
My nerves just feel electrified
Meet me on the staircase
Outside a darkened room
Light me like a naked flame
The voice of mother nature states
All things must pass
And nothing can remain

You raise me like a building to the very top
Rush me to the end of time
You fill me full of danger
You give me future shock
Then you leave me wasted dying”
She’s a River – Simple Minds


Discovery: I call it ‘Happiness at hundred (kmph)’. It works. You need 5oz of any sedative drug, standard pot will do. Smoke that joint as you accelerate, faster and faster through the night. So disoriented you forget that its Saturday night and start wondering why so many people are out and about at 0200 hours. But as you race through the night, the endorphins rush through your system and you feel like that car’s heading to Mars.

Realization: This is what has become of me. This is what I have become. I wasn’t always like this. And no matter what anyone else might say, it is my fault.

“And I go blind
Wasting my time
The rivers in front of me”

FIN