Revenge of 30 years in one day ...

When the people stand up to tyrant rulers history cherishes ....
Egyptians finally got rid of Hosni Mubarak and registered themselves in the history of revolutions ...

[Feb 3, 2011] Government Succumbed to Religious Pressure

Perhaps Pakistan still needs a decade or so before blasphemy law can be discussed or revisited.

[Link]

Islamabad: A liberal lawmaker on Thursday accused Pakistan’s prime minister of sabotaging efforts to reformblasphemy laws that have been widely condemned by rights groups.

“Appeasement of extremism is a policy that will have its blowback,” said Sherry Rehman, a lawmaker for the main ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).

The former information minister petitioned parliament to reform the legislation in November after a Christian woman was sentenced to death, but the private member’s bill was never listed on parliament’s agenda.

Despite escalating international condemnation and the murder of politician Salman Taseer for backing reform, the government refuses to consider any amendment, bowing to protest from the nation’s powerful religious right-wing.

Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Wednesday told lawmakers that Rehman “agreed to withdraw her bill according to party policy”.

“The prime minister categorically made it clear that government has no intention to amend the law. Neither he nor the speaker of the national assembly has constituted any committee to consider the amendment bill,” his office said.

A furious Rehman disagreed, but said she had “no option” but abide by the decision after the prime minister ruled out any discussion.

“It was a question of protecting our citizens from injustice done in the name of a religion that values peace and tolerance more than anything else,” she said.

The government had pledged to keep intact the blasphemy law on December 30, in a bid to head off threatened protests.

The move exposed Rehman and Taseer as lone campaigners. Five days later Taseer was murdered outside an Islamabad cafe by his bodyguard, since lauded a hero by hundreds of religious conservative clerics, student activists and lawyers.

The law stirred fresh controversy this week after the arrest of a 17-year-old boy for allegedly writing a blasphemous comment in a school exam.

Human rights campaigners say the law encourages Islamist extremism and is too often used to settle personal scores.

“Pakistan has set the standard for intolerance when it comes to misusing blasphemy laws, but sending a schoolboy to jail for something he scribbled on an exam paper is truly appalling,” said Human Rights Watch.

While the law carries a maximum penalty of death, those sentenced to hang in the past have had their sentences overturned or commuted on appeal.

Towards 2047, A Visual Portfolio

January 4, 2011
Salman Taseer, Governor Punjab, assassinated by religious extremist Mumtaz Hussain Qadri on the assumption that Taseer had insulted Prophet (PBUH) by asking for the review of blasphemy law in context of it being used against religious minorities.

Perhaps, the revolution, a bloody one, is nearer than many's imagination ....

January 13, 2011
In another row of terror reigning Karachi, 30+ lives were claimed by target killing involving MQM/ANP clashes. A 22 yr old young GEO News reporter was identified and shot 5 times.

Perhaps, the revolution, a bloody one, is nearer than many's imagination ....

January 25, 2011

Two terror strikes within two hours shook Lahore and Karachi on Tuesday despite a heightened security alert on account of Chehlum, leaving 15 people dead and wounding more than 70.


January 27 2011

An American official in the Pakistani city of Lahore has shot and killed a Pakistani motorcycle rider and his pillion passenger, police say.

They say that the consular employee fired his pistol in self-defence. US embassy officials confirmed that an American was involved. The men were pursuing the American in his car when the incident happened.

A pedestrian was also killed by a speeding car from the US consulate which came to help, police say.

[Update]


As expected the Government succumbed to US pressure and Davis's normal passport and business visa was changed overnight into a diplomatic passport and visa. It is now only a matter of time before he is sent back. Sad but true.

February 10, 2011

Another bomb blast,  At least 28 army personnel were killed and 40 others injured when a teenage boy blew himself up at the Punjab Regiment Centre in Mardan on Thursday.

February 13

March 02, 2011

Another one bites the dust, Federal Minister for Minorities shot dead in Islamabad for his point of view against blasphemy law. The news has started to even lose the bullet count.

March 09, 2011

March 16, 2011

Lahore (Pakistan):  American officials won the release on Wednesday of a CIA contractor under investigation for two counts of murder in Pakistan after they spent more than six hours with the families of the victims, the lawyer for the families Asad Manzoor Butt said.

The families accepted a payment of money, ending the case, Mr Butt said. He did not specify the amount.

Punjab Law Minister, Rana Sanaullah, confirmed on television that payment had been agreed to and paid, and that the contractor, Raymond A Davis, 36, had been handed over to the United States consul general.

Read more at: http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/blood-money-paid-raymond-davis-released-92165?cp

March 30, 2011

Pakistan lost the WC 2011 semi-final to India played in Mohali, India. Pakistan was poor in fielding dropping Tendulkar at least 5 times and failed to chase a target of 260. Match was played in Mohali, India.

April 02, 2011

A double suicide bomb attack outside a shrine in the central Pakistani province of Punjab on Sunday killed 41 people, a police officer told AFP from the scene of the blasts.

May 01, 2011

US claimed that in a surgical operation conducted inside Pakistan (Abbottabad) they have killed Osama bin Laden and in a few hours buried him at sea. No photo of his dead body was issued and a lot of conspiracy theories hence rightly have surfaced. Pakistan and its military as always are mum, shameless, remorseless and speechless as they are in matters of national integrity.

26 November 2011

The night-time attack took place at the Salala checkpoint, about 1.5 miles (2.5 km) from the Afghan border, at around 02:00 local time (21:00 GMT).

A statement from the Pakistani army said 24 people were killed and 13 were injured.

Nov-Dec-Jan 2011-12

Memogate Scandal

Why Sialkot killings and likes of Mazhar Majeed happen to us

Being a human being and a cricket lover, the sialkot incident involving Pakistanis and the betting scandal involving Pakistani Cricket team has deeply saddened me over the past few weeks. To add to the pain are people like "George" (from George ka Pakistan) who are eager to jump onto conclusions irrespective of their lack of knowledge on the incident they are quoting to earn a lot of facebook "likes" and article "shares".

The pain doesn't end here because such enablers find a lot of support from all across the world (which is justified or at least usual) and Pakistanis themselves (which is sad). People like me who do not contribute anything positive to the society because we are so busy in our jobs, careers and families that we find every such opportunity as the 'shortcut' to contributing to Pakistan and that comes in the shape of self-bashing. We, as a nation, have lost so much self confidence, apparently all of it, that we can not pause for a moment and ponder that we can do anything right, honest or good.

We fail to realize that this passion for hitting the 'shortcut' good deed scorers and self bashing only makes us more like people blowing up themselves all across Pakistan, why? because like they jump to conclusions being the petitioners, judge and jury themselves so do we. The only difference between a facebook 'like' on a self bashing article or News of the World video and blowing up 100 people is the intensity of reaction, make no mistake, the enabling method and path is the exact same. More importantly its exactly what all these media propaganda and campaigns expect the people of Pakistan to do.

If we start tracing the root causes for this behavior I don't know how far into history and what aspects of society and psychology we need to explore but it is safe to assume that we have been like that for quite some time now and probably we have proven to be the easiest targets and puppets the media punters and pundits could ever find (taking into account alien existence). Go on explore the news agencies you follow, explore the countries you admire, explore all those blaming Pakistan as the scum of the world and come back with either of the two options, first they are angels and do no wrong, second they are not angels they do blunders like Hiroshima and 1947's unfair partition but they don't make a public joke out of themselves.

If the later is true then why do we have to always do that? I don't claim that we are a flourished or stable state, I don't claim we don't have anti-state elements blowing themselves up where ever they want (obviously following somebody else's agenda), I don't claim Salman Butt is innocent (the guy doesn't even deserve a place in the team not because he is a traitor but because Pakistan has far far better cricketers than him). Let us assume all of it is true even then what kind of a Prime Minister goes on record to say they have had our heads down in shame in front of all of the world? For God's sake, although ironic the sad truth is that you are Mr Gillani and for once start to act like one. You are the head of the state you are supposed to be the fatherly figure of 17 crore people you are never to say things that let the morale of the whole nation down specially when nothing has been proved yet.

No Mr. Prime Minister you had no right what so ever to say what you did, not even when they are proven guilty, still you have to protect your people and try to mend their wrong doings within ourselves. Call them to your office and snub them but don't offer live coverage of it. Do you take your family affairs to press? If no then start treating this nation like your family now that you are in the office, no doubt sadly.

And although we enable it the real evil behind all this mess is media, from GEO to Express News to every other 'aspiring' channel, all their pride revolves around saying "hum apnay nazreen ko batatay chalain yeh khabar honay se bhi pehlay hum ne break ki thi" (We must make our viewers aware that we broke this news first even before it happened). Ooook good great, so? in that rush did you bother to check its authenticity? I am sorry did you that is not important? Go to hell then.

A family has brutally lost two sons, why would you send a reporter to their home who would insist on their 10 year old sister to "leave a message for them" or comment on "which of the two she liked most" or ask them "were they criminals". Don't you have a family? When you are off work do you go to home? If not and you are an alien its understandable. Stop for a moment and think beyond your pay check and airtime. What can a mother tell you about her two dead sons even if they were criminals, give her some space, act like human beings, stop being absurd or at least hire some wise people to write your scripts.

When India was on verge of attacking Pakistan, GEO was busy replaying infinitely that they have found Ajmal Kasab's home and they were the first to have done it. What are you? what kind of an organization would do that? do you have any bit of nationalism left in you? are you just insane or you have a well placed external agenda to run inside Pakistan?

Ever since NOTW has released their window there has been a lot of Pakistan bashing everywhere. Like people of Sialkot rushed to find a stick or brick to hit the brothers with, people like me rushed to a webpage or group on facebook to like that bashes Pakistani cricket and cricketers. Do we still not see the resemblance? None of us for once explored the authenticity track record of NOTW, we are so brain washed and have people like Kamran Shahid (who I assume is a senior media person) and news channels like 'Express News' who run programs like these (http://www.awaztoday.com/playvideo.asp?pageId=10374). A 37 minute masala program which has only 2 minutes of wisdom brilliantly snubbed towards the end of the program as they lacked masala. People like Kamran Shahid are so irresponsible, pay-check-centered and masala crazy that in the start of the program he goes on to say and I quote "NOTW is a leading newspaper which has never been wrong and is extremely credible". If he had done a simple 'Google search' before he said this he would have known the truth is quite opposite, a tabloid newspaper is NEVER trustworthy Mr. Shahid, you of all should know it you run a similar organization.

Then the guest is an extremely credible, reliable and consistent liar, who has some unresolved issues with Asif and came forward in the greater interest of Pakistan to vomit evidence on a news channel. Kamran Shahid repeatedly and annoyingly, like a scripted puppet, kept on mentioning the evidence to the extent that every viewer must be psychologically convinced that he will show something worthy and what was it? a phone bill and ................ oh sorry that was all. Where was Veena's love for cricket and Pakistan when all of this was happening and she didn't give a damn and had photo sessions with Asif. What kind of honest TV channel, genuine producer, professional anchor person would air such a program and above all invite Veena Malik to it? The answer is simple yet we simply can't see it or choose to ignore it.

Where any sane person would seek the authenticity of the video, time of its recording, credibility of its facts e.g. what kind of a bookie plays LEGO with the bundles of money? Is this the way bookies do transactions? If he was seen with all of the team can he have a reason to be there (like being an agent) and then betrayed the team? Why was every meeting done in NOTW's premises and cars, isn't it clear from hollywood movies the importance of meeting place in a criminal transaction? Why does English always come up with some antics every time we visit them? Can this be a part of a bigger plot of denying Pakistan from playing cricket? Can this be the next episode to attack on SriLankan team allegedly by neighboring agencies?

The answers to all of the above may lead to the conclusion that the three were guilty but still that conclusion has to be logically reached and till that point me or you or Kamran Shahid or Veena Malik has no right to come forward and earn good deeds, airtime or TV masala. That makes us bigger traitors and right hands of the people who want to mess us up and are brilliantly successful till now.

Yes we have problems, so many of them but no self-bashing, facebook 'likes' or admiring people like Kamran Shahid would resolve them. Realization is important, being realistic is important, we do need to realize our problems but as much as that we need to realize anything good we have before that disappears. Realization is key but self-bashing is not the right response. Next time you feel like criticizing your own people or country try to stop for a second and think how would it help Pakistan apart from bringing a fake sense of "having done something good" to yourself.