Two Years ago.

It was 27th of December 2007.

I was at my radio station, which is situated in an office plaza at sharae faisal, Karachi. Usually 10 minutes before the 6 o'clock news i am going through my notes, while constructing words for the opening line of my radio show, which starts right after the 5 minute news bulletin. Political atmosphere of Pakistan had dramatically changed. Emergency was imposed, judges were deposed, media was shunned. For 34 days i myself lived with silence as our radio transmission was forcefully barred and our equipments were seized. After years of army rule, not only musharraf had taken his uniform off, also both ex-prime ministers had returned to the country. From being in exile few weeks ago, to campaigning in front of the nation for upcoming elections, it was sadly the best, in this country, people have seen of "democracy".

Despite stories of the day in my notes were...

• Peak-hour electricity shortage reaches over 2,000MW or 20 per cent of the total demand.
• Musharraf and Karzai renewing pledge to combat terror.
• Pakistan hosting hundreds of foreign observers for the January 8 polls.
• US Special Forces to train Pakistani troops.

I began my radio program with the usual "Salam" followed by "listeners, there is a sad news still developing and reaching us from Islamabad, that Benazir is killed".

A minute earlier; news department had confirmed me, as to what happened when the dust settled from the bomb blast at her motorcade. I remember not saying much, and stepping out from the studios to news desk. It was being confirmed and relayed on almost all news channels by then.

I went back on air after commercials and called in the news guy to share with listeners some more information about entire events of the day leading up to this incidence. After which, i went out of the studio office to grab a smoke in the alley near the stairs. What i saw was something i had never seen before; the entire workforce of this 11 story office building, leaving all at once. Their faces were pale, terrorized and everyone looked confused. Seeing this flood of people evacuating the building, i followed 'em down to check the streets. I was relax, since i knew news department will take over the transmission to connect with few reporters from the scene and etc... and i don't have to resume the show immediately.

I remember street lights were out, people were gathered in huge numbers, cars were packed with extra people, as every one instantly believed, "fleeing to home" was the right thing to do. I talked with few people to see what they knew more about benazir's death that i didn't. They all said, "you have no idea what is to come, now". I tried reading their minds by inquiring what is to come? They all seem to agree with "just about anything". As if the instant reaction of her death was intuitively sent into their brains. I could not see the reason for panic, since i myself was shocked like most of them were, i told myself "lets go upstairs and finish the show, then i will head home".

I received a text from my younger brother, conveying a very important instruction from my father.
"No political commentary, beta!"

Before the 7pm news bulletin, within an hour, the fear of those leaving for home instantly after the news; started making sense.

Radio's newsroom started receiving information of riots, gun shots and fires being set in several places of the city. This was odd at first, but as hours passed and police, rangers and army was not mobilized at all, it all turned into complete havoc well before the 10pm news bulletin. Office staff at our radio were the only few people in the entire building left stranded.

News of cars being burnt, banks being looted and several unknown gunmen harassing public at almost all big and small roads, started reaching us. Public transport was either halted, stopped by force, or crashed and then set ablaze. Little did we know, that we won't be able to go anywhere for next 36 hours. Terror danced out on the streets, naked in front of our eyes.

Phone calls we received and reports which reached us throughout next three days; still haunts many in our staff team. More than 4 billion dollars worth of looting and destruction. Several dead and kidnapped.

Note:

More than 28 railway stations, 13 engines and 7 trains were set ablaze, totaling a loss of 3 billion alone. More than 3000 cars, 176 banks, 37 gas stations, hundreds of buses, trucks, shops and buildings were destroyed. More than 100 people died in riots which followed BB's assassination.

Unreported stories:

21 year old Abid (now 23), is still waiting for his sister to return from office. Last phone call she made was minutes before plunging into a small street for safety after abandoning her car after witnessing riots on streets.

Her wedding date was in a month's time.

It was a black day in the history of Pakistan and BB's death was the least of any reason why.

From Indus Civilisation to Sindhi Cap

Indus Civilisation

The civilization which once existed on the banks of Indus river, is recorded to inhabit world's earliest urban civilizations in the entire archeological history of mankind, along with Mesopotamia and Ancient Egypt. At one point in history, Indus valley civilization, in its 5000 year old ruins holds a tell tale of two hundred thousand people living in a modern city. They traded goods, travelled vast areas with their merchandises, developed a sophisticated agricultural plane and constructed their housing on modern principles.

Literature, Language and culture.

Well over 400 distinct Indus symbols (some say 600)[46] have been found on seals, small tablets, or ceramic pots and over a dozen other materials. Indus Valley Civilization is often characterized as a literate society on the evidence of these inscriptions. Brief symbols of these inscriptions are unparalleled in any known premodern literate society. Some argue that the Indus system did not encode language, but was instead similar to a variety of non-linguistic sign systems used extensively in the Near East and other societies. Others have claimed on occasion that the symbols were exclusively used for economic transactions, but this claim leaves unexplained the appearance of Indus symbols on many ritual objects, many of which were mass-produced in molds. No parallels to these mass-produced inscriptions are known in any other early ancient civilizations. (to be continued ... )

AfGoNowistan -

AF_GONOW_istan - Policy

There is no denial of US losing war in Afghanistan, but a long awaited US-Afghan policy is finally out. Obama didn't have much options. He could either amplify troops on ground, or make sure safe withdrawal of troops. For now, he took a very calculated central position.

President Obama's speech Tuesday night may have focused on his decision to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan, but infusing almost every paragraph was the administration's even deeper concern about Pakistan.

“We will act with the full recognition that our success in Afghanistan is inextricably linked to our partnership with Pakistan,” Obama told cadets at the US military academy at West Point.

In a speech televised live nationwide, Obama billed the “effective partnership” with Pakistan as one of the three “core elements” for defeating extremism, along with an increase in both troops and civilians.

US President Barack Obama’s new strategy for Afghanistan must ensure that there is “no adverse fallout” on Pakistan, the Foreign Office said on Wednesday. “Pakistan has taken careful note of the important announcement by President Obama on the Afghanistan strategy,” said Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit. Basit said Pakistan looked forward to engaging closely with the US in understanding the full importance of the new strategy.

The Afghan Taliban said on Wednesday President Barack Obama’s plan to send more troops to the country would only strengthen their resolve.

“Many more troops the enemy sends against our Afghan mujahideen, they are committed to increasing the number of mujahideen and strengthen their resistance,” the Taliban said in a statement e-mailed to media.

Mr. Obama spoke of the two countries' long and rugged border region as the "epicenter of the violent extremism practiced by Al Qaeda" that continues to threaten the US. He went further, saying that the dangers in allowing the region to "slide backwards" into becoming a haven for extremists "are even greater with a nuclear-armed Pakistan."

But so far, Pakistan's civilian and military leaders have been reluctant to OK the increased US intelligence presence and operations, Pakistani sources say.

The civilian government of President Asif Ali Zardari is teetering and could fall soon, they say, while the military – which is "always the real power base" – is "completely cynical about the United States."

And public opinion is no better. A surge of anti-Americanism greeted US congressional approval earlier this fall of a new $7.5 billion civilian aid program for Pakistan.

Autumn in Pakistan

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton visited Pakistan to allay the fears of Pakistani military and opposition parties over Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation. The US Congress and Senate approved the $7.5 billion aid package for Pakistan. Largely related to spending on health, education and infrastructure development, Pakistan would roughly get $1.5 billion for five continuous years.

The government will be saddled with a very serious responsibility for the remaining four years of its tenure. Kerry-Lugar Bill will especially keep them busy, something they are not used to, from parliamentarians to the top. The obvious fact is that the Bill calls for extensive cooperation between Pakistan and the USA, and a greater presence of the Americans in the country than ever before, apparently guiding, advising, assisting their counterparts in Pakistan, to fulfil the objectives of the Bill.

One question she didn't have any answer to was about drone attacks, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 1000 people since 2006. There have been a total of 80 drone attacks in past three years, over half of them in the present year alone. Almost one third of the people killed are said to be civilians. Civilian casualties and the perceived infringement of sovereignty enrage most Pakistanis and these attacks enjoy only 9% support, according to a Gallup poll.

As president bags; six gifts for nation in US...

Pakistan defeats India.

Pakistan made it two wins from two in the Champions Trophy as Shoaib Malik's masterful 128 set up a 54-run win over an out-of-sorts India in Centurion.

Malik and Mohammad Yousuf (87), who put on 206 together, built up their score gradually before cutting loose in the last 15 overs to rack up 302-9.

Rahul Dravid took 103 balls to reach 76 and when he was seventh out in the 42nd over, India quickly lost their way.

They were all out for 248 with five overs and one ball remaining.

Anti-US wave endangers efforts in Pakistan:
A new wave of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan has slowed the arrival of hundreds of US civilian and military officials charged with implementing assistance programmes and undermined cooperation in the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban, the Washington Post has quoted officials from both countries as saying.

At the highest levels, bilateral cooperation is said to be running smoothly. With US President Barack Obama’s enthusiastic support, the Senate on Thursday approved a $7.5 billion, five-year package that will triple non-military aid to Pakistan. But just below the top, officials in Islamabad and Washington say, the relationship is fraught with mutual suspicion and is under pressure so extreme that it threatens cooperation against the insurgents.

US and Pakistani officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said much of the anti-Americanism reflected jousting among politicians and retired military leaders, who often use the media to discredit one another.

Rejected: In recent weeks, Pakistan has rejected as “incomplete” at least 180 US government visa requests. However, Pakistani officials say the delay in issuing official visas is as much the US’ fault as it is Pakistan’s. “Sometimes the forms just say ‘work for the US government’. All we’ve done is returned those forms and said, “Hey, what are you going to do?’”

Pakistan attacks suggest Taliban undeterred by leader's death:

Two powerful car bombs in Pakistan's troubled northwest Saturday announced the return of the country's Taliban , following a lull that accompanied the death of the terrorist movement's leader last month.

At least 16 were killed and more than 150 wounded as explosions ripped through a police station in the town of Bannu, on the edge of the lawless tribal area, and the city center of provincial capital Peshawar . The Taliban , claiming responsibility, warned of more attacks to come

Eid Mubarak

Eid Mubarak

Snow Fall - 2009

These shots are from a trip to Murree and Abbottabad during the snowfall this year. With me are Musjam, Fahad and Muzaffer.

(Jan/Feb 2009)

Rain in Karachi

Satellite images brought an early alert, that there would would 2 days of thunder & rain. What started on sunday continued till tuesday early morning . Continuous rain pour for hours in a row. Steady but heavy. Unlike storm of 18th july this year, this dose of shower was not in a rush.

By Sunday night several places of karachi had became inaccessible. Weather turned nice. All things rusty & dusty, shone. If i had never turned on the tv or listened to the radio; i knew nothing about the bad side of the news. Traffic jams, streets flooded with rain water, over flowing gutters, property related damages and not to mention electricity outages; was all over the news.

I closed myself inside a bubble which had all the goodness of rain with me inside it. Eventhough i had to conduct a radio show on monday evening, i made it to the studios without any bad news touching me. It is indeed sad of us to close our eyes, ears and murder our pure child like emotions associated with all things splendid.

Quran says

"AND GOD sends down water from the skies, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless: in this, behold, there is a message indeed for people who [are willing to] listen". [16:65] Quran

I read this recently and I wanted to to feel it. The melody of rain pour and cracks of a restless cloud; it is magnificent.

Ramazan is Here

Ramazan is here. We heard it was coming. Prices of several food items escalated. Suddenly it was all over the news, that sugar has vanished from all corners of Pakistan. Government is forced to provide subsidy to control the pressure on the consumer. Last week we recieved some billion plus dollars worth of fresh loan from IMF (third installment). Around same time, visiting US special envoy assured us of payments promised in Friend's of Democratic Pakistan Donor's conference and also the Kerry Lugar bill. We have also recieved some funds for the displaced people of Swat and its surrounding areas, as our Army operation continues to hunt down militants in those areas.

There are talks about renting electricity to meet the short fall in our national grid. But apparently no one in the concerned ministery has surveyed or estimated the total amount of electricity short fall. Our President during his fourth trip to China since taking his office, announces of an energy cooperation between Pakistan and China which will enable us to produce 7000 Megawatts of electricity. One can ask; who is incharge, who is dealing, what?

On more traditional political front, we see another Muslim League (Q), a produce of last Army general and ex-president of Pakistan, being broken down into yet another block. Previously it was Forward block which moved on during last elections, this time its several senior members like Hamayun Akhtar who have formed a like minded group and prefered to stay distant from the current leadership of PML (Q) the Chaudhry brothers.

In other corner we see the differences between PML (N) and prime minister emerging. Apparently its the Sharif Brothers specially the Nawaz, who wants to prosecute Musharraf for disrupting democracy and imposing an eight year rule of gun on this country. "The military should cut its ties with Musharraf and should itself file a lawsuit against him" said Nawaz on this year's independence day. While Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani had recently told the National Assembly that the government would prosecute Mr Musharraf for treason only after the house passed a unanimous resolution. This position taken by PM provides ground of suspicion and Nawaz considers this as a cushion provided to save the traitor from facing the music.

Moving on....... the fate of local body government is not clear. Whether administrators and comissioners will take place of the system which is currently at work? Who knows.

Indian prime minister recently showed suspicion, that some people in Pakistan are planning to attack inside Indian soil.

Rehman Malik seems to be stuck hard with baitullah Mehsud's death saga. For over two weeks now, he has nothing new to talk about. Some body please reboot him.

Admiral Michael Mullen, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) has said that he believes Pakistan’s nuclear assets are in safe hands, and that the United States harbours no hopes establishing a military presence in this country.

For Now, Ramazan Mubarak to All of you

Personally with IDPs

Personally with IDPs.

By the End of April Army operation in Buner, Malakand and Dir had intensified. People in thousands of number had started to flee those areas and moved into safer places of Mardan, Swabi and Noshera. By 13th May, United Nations had declared it the largest internal displacement of people. Around 1.3 million had left behind their houses, and all of their livelihood. They were arriving in hundred thousands daily, while there were no preparation for their food or shelter.

I got myself an assignment from the radio to cover the human story of those; migrating into Mardan. A very dear friend pledged people in his circle to contribute cash and goods for relief of these displaced families. What Abdus Salam started with pennies and pillows transformed into truckload of goods and an endless flow of cash deposits. We arrived in Peshawar on 14th May.

In next 6 days, we met people who we didn't know before. Witnessed hardships, which we imagined humans could bear not. It was a transforming experience. We traveled into areas which everyone thought were inaccessible. We moved into rural areas of Mardan, considering these far off areas hosting almost 8 hundred thousand displaced people from war effected areas; will not see any aide soon. Our estimation was right. We had local support from a group of people whose commitment helped us reach out to the most desperate of these displaced people. Our resources and time was all stretched, still thanks alone to the local population of Mardan, who had opened their doors, to house these displaced people in their homes. They provided food, shelter, shared their homes, and welcomed everyone who was fleeing from the war zone.

While i was reporting live to my radio back in Karachi, Lahore, Multan and Faisalabad, Abdus Salam was busy purchasing, loading vehicles, reading IDP lists, and delivering these goods to isolated villages of Mardan. While traveling he was busy on phone, arranging medicines from Islamabad, candies for children from Peshawar, Fans from Mardan, connecting other individuals to carry tasks, what not? At some point it was mind boggling for me. But he stood fast.

All this time, I was in for only penning down displaced people's stories. What these people  actually went through? What surrounds their minds and what occupies their hearts? Before leaving, a colleague back at the radio said to me "we are artists, and we are sensitive toward human emotions, specially suffering. So be strong". I didn't know at that time what he meant, and here i was fighting with screaming tell-tales of war effected individuals. For nights i couldn't sleep. First night back in our room in Peshawar, we both fell. But we had an assignment in hand.

We fought with miseries all around of us. People who we thought, we were going to help, taught us important lessons of life. We saw high morals, We saw humanity covered in high values. We cherished their self esteem, and their spirit to sacrifice and live for others. I was an educated fool walking between illiterate people of higher values. With their dignity, honor and hospitality i felt myself "the most deprived".

This journey changed me forever. It doesn't take a bread, cloth or roof to be able to say "i am supplied". Human beings have a vital resource of some higher substance which i knew not, before this trip. Now i know, but don't have capacity to put them into words, at the moment.