AlQaeda Azam

Born on December 25, 1876, Mohammad Ali Jinnah is a leader who united different forces, struggling to gain independence from Britain, into a movement for a separate state for Muslim majority of India. He advocated his case to British, by identifying Muslims as a different nation from Hindu (majority).

Eventually he succeeded, and Pakistan was created.

Whether the country that came into being on August 14, 1947 was intended either for the Muslims or Islam; is a matter that still divides many in this country.

In last 64 years political turmoils and military rules kept the nation ignorant about the real vision of a leader who led 400 million into creating a separate state. According to some he was a liberal secularist to the core of his bones. For some he was an Islamist who envisioned a democracy based on Islamic law.

Progressive moderates make their case from several parts of his public speeches. Most famously "religion or caste or creed has nothing to do with the business of the State" is often cited.

While the other group (who would not mind linking Qaid e azam to AlQaeda) often cites following of his speech

"I do not know what the ultimate shape of this constitution is going to be, but I am sure that it will be of a democratic type, embodying the essential principle of Islam. Today, they are as applicable in actual life as they were 1,300 years ago. Islam and its idealism have taught us democracy."

Some people must have thought, that the Creation of Pakistan is actually the division of land. Muslims and Hindus had existed with each other before 1947. Our difference in ideology and way of life were definitely exploited first by the occupiers and foreign rulers. The rich history of interfaith coexistence was distorted and a fear of ending up as a minority was further injected by lack of political leadership for Muslims. In these times, Muslim league and Jinnah led a nation out of chaos.

But they say, if you want to divide something, you can divide it into as many pieces as you wish. Bangladesh is an episode which reminds me, that it never stopped at creating Pakistan only. There are still different people living inside Pakistan. I fear for the day when further movements demand separate states based on different language, ethnicity, creed or caste . What if, this never stops.?

Have we become a group of people which looks for differences more than similarities?

Rather than debating and distorting the vision of Our Leader, its time now, that we save whatever that we are left with. And put our efforts into creating a welfare state which he undoubtedly dreamt of.

In a country created for the believers of a religion that teaches peace, conduct, justice and tolerance; hypocrisy and corruption had dazzled many ordinary men and women. 

Prince Harry is Back

Prince Harry in Afghanistan - Ready Aim Fire from ReadyAimFire on Vimeo.
“Ready Aim Fire” is a Creative venture of Sarzameen Productions. This is second video blog of a fortnight series. This episode is about British Prince Harry who is currently deployed in Afghanistan for military service.

Defence Day - Pakistan

This is my first ever Video blog.

For checking future fortnightly Vblogs & updates:
http://readyaimfire.tv

Street Kids

This song comes from the pen of my brother Mansoor ahmed.
From his good old Rock band days :)

Pakistan Matters

Pakistani Law makers are clearly struggling to draft a new foreign policy. There have been no national assembly debates or even a mention of it so far. Some draft recommendations (which was reportedly produced months earlier) has recently surfaced onto tables of several political offices around Pakistan. Media pundits are calling it a matter of foreign policy, personally, for all its military dimensions, I prefer to term it "rules of engagement" with USA.

Question: What is wrong with our current foreign policy in place?
Answer: We have a situation with USA in Afghanistan and war spilling over into Pakistan, since Salala check post incidence.

(For the record) Salala checkpost refers to an incident at Pak-Afghan border, where an Army post was attacked by NATO helicopters flying into our territory. As a result 26 Pakistani soldiers died. Such NATO operations have been carried inside Pakistani territory since as early as 2004. Only this time it hurts our policy makers because Army men, not some alleged militant, women or children were killed.

Anyway, Since US has not apologized over it, Pakistani army and political leadership has assumed it as an act of aggravated war. As a result, Pakistan has denied any US transfer of war machinery and supplies through its route onto Afghanistan.

Remember this is a war, only a madman in USA still wants to fight any further. After 10 years of utter disrespect of a country's people and freedom, coalition is now trying hard to be able talk to Taleban and ensure peaceful withdrawal. Which naturally means new rules of engagement with Pakistan.

It is election year in America, and some groups are war mongering over Iran. Also a US congressional interference regarding Balochistan was signaled, earlier. This is not read well, in either Tehran or Islamabad.

Latest from the uncle sam's wishlist is to bar the world from buying Iranian Oil. China and Russia perhaps not even South Korea will give this much ear. Why should Pakistan, the next door neighbor to Iran give a rats ass? Specially when today (1st april) oil prices set a record hike in Pakistan.

In the midst of demanding re-opening of Nato Supplies, US has swiftly tailored a new rhetoric for the same old coalition song. We are reminded again of the threats world security suffers from our land. A delusional paranoia mastered by Bush's goons to invade and destroy Afghanistan. People and leadership in Pakistan is not only weary but also fails to understand any plausible US rationale behind, either continue fighting in Afghanistan, or demanding supply routes.

According to some in capitol hill nato supply blockade by Pakistan is a milestone towards withdrawal of forces. Perhaps only a little ahead of its time.

Lets be on same page with Drone attacks from now.

Bombing houses and vehicles based on US intelligence, through remote control war planes kilometers up in the air, operating from continents apart in different time zones... resulting only in loss of lives without ever putting that soul on trial...

...This is genocide at Humanitarian and an act of war at National level.

Enough of bad intelligence and utter failure in Afghanistan, with complete disrespect to life & human values. After burning of Quran and Afghani version of Raymond Davis, where a drunk soldier killed 16 sleeping civilians, only route US should ask from Pakistan is of way out.

Pakistani lawmakers should wake up to reality. And for the charges of deception, death, destruction and atrocities committed against humanity, ex US president should face the music.

Rumors are Pakistani military leadership cannot be persuaded with dollars this time, at least not the foot soldier.

Since Pakistani lawmakers appear to lack both the courage and capacity to address the issue of our foreign policy, I thought its time to step up!

Also if you wish to...

...In 33 seconds: Understand lawlessness in Karachi and NATO supplies.

Goodnight and Good luck

Gilani Gravity Lessons

From his wife’s multi million loan waiver, to his son’s alleged involvement in Hajj scandal. From friends and family involved in massive corruption cases to almost ritualistic shuffling in bureaucracy, hampering court investigation into several legal cases, the list goes on and on…

…bottom line… his blood group is “corruption +ve”.

Transferring high profile government officers at free will, to disrupt legal investigation into several matters of national importance, ranging from Hajj Scandal, Fertilizer scam to Swiss cases, there is a pattern to Gilani’s defiance towards rule of law. Still he totally gets to brag about his respect for Law by merely presenting himself to Supreme Court, once he is summoned there.

That’s ridiculous!
Its like, I respect you dad, but who gives a rats ass about what you ask of me, Huh !

He earlier indicated that memo case might lead to his ousting. Later he gathered courage and defiance over the matter, only after entire state machinery came out of the closet, hell bent to not allow and threaten the primary witness to the case, Mansoor Ijaz. Gilani even declared Army chief’s request to the apex court for independently probing into Memo case, an “unconstitutional and illegal” act.

According to a letter submitted to Supreme Court earlier this week by Gilani’s lawyer, he mentioned reinstating the judges of Pakistan to his list of services for judiciary. Yeah right!

Only if the people in this country received a daily heroin dose through some public ration program, that we would forget a massive Long March towards the capital which forced Gilani to announce the restoration of judges around 5:30AM early Monday morning of 16^th March, 2009. Not mention the entire state machinery, police blockade, house arrests of several leaders, and ceasing of roads from entire province of Sind, was applied to stop the public from reaching Islamabad.

In his haphazard address restoring judges of Pakistan, b*****d goes onto say, “today I fulfilled the promise of Late Benazir”

Hello?

Army had refused to intervene, there were millions of people on roads, driving in huge convoys about to reach Islamabad any hour and, and a*****e gets to brag about his gift to Nation. Humph !

This dangerously shameless attitude of not learning from his mistakes is the reason why we worry for our country most.

Such is the intellectual meltdown of our ruling class and their followers, that it is almost sickening to allow their daily statements into even the most corrupt portions of one’s brain. I would rather see somebody shoot a cat, set it on fire or feed it to crocs, than allowing myself to watch his hollow public speeches and shameless self defense. Self acclaimed champions of democracy, with absolutely nothing to blame for shortcomings than their own; either stupidity or evil intentions.

I have high hopes for our collective national future, but I am Hopeless with Gilani. Regardless of him being convicted by Supreme Court today or not, I am sure even the gravity would fail to teach any lessons.

NOTE:

I felt the need to start a blog, because there were things I could not say in radio shows. Essentially ethics of broadcasting wouldn't allow me.

When did I first feel the need?

Well minutes after watching Gilani’s first address to Nation
You can (should) read my first ever blog post at:

Breaking Ice

Flying my Space, Killing my people.

[ News Item: Shoot down US drones, urge lawmakers in Pakistan.]

If you are single, it doesn't mean you are as young as you once were. I have to admit that I often force myself into younger crowd, just to be able to draw energy from their spirits. Honestly there is not much gap, only if I leave behind the wisdom of my older folks.

Here is the excerpts of a brief conversation with an Engineering student from Karachi.

"How is love life?" I asked, since I heard engineering students have usually dry campus life.

"I am flirting with something" he replied in wit.

"some'body', right?" I smiled to cover my invasive curiosity.

"Nobody! Its an 'idea'", he sparked firmly.

Before allowing me a pause for even a gesture he continued

"You understand science behind photo cameras?"

"hmmmm" I honestly intended to signal my discouragement for any further discussion on photography. Talk to me lakes, mountains, birds and butterflies said my inner voice but instead I snapped a quick one right from my heart to him, "you go to parks?"

Perhaps it was due to a recent television episode which is currently enjoying word of mouth of youngsters, which influenced my line to get this young man into grove.

He understood my intentions.

His face blushed, as he wearing a pure and genuine smile, covered in a natural blanket of shyness stressed to me again...

... "so i am flirting with this electronic and digital technology behind lenses of modern cameras".

Reading face is a myth, since mine said "Bite me!".

His subtle tone had more conviction than excitement this time, as he said;

"Did you notice the automatic face detection feature of new cameras?"

A totally new dimension of a young engineering student's romance had unveiled itself.

I could instantly recall one such boxes appearing on my camera screen, though I have turned the feature off, lately.

But my friend's latest camera shows as many number of boxes, as there are faces in a snapshot.

I remember saying "wow" as I kept sinking into the deep pit of this techno-fascination.

Visualizing my university instructor from Digital Computer Logic course, I fancied the programming code that must have been written, in order to perform this function.

Right at the moment, when live video feed is being played on the Camera's LCD screen, a fascinating programming code in computer language enables an electronic camera to also behave as a facial sensor.

With complete grasp of this technological invention, and having not paused earlier to completely admire it, I was compelled to wear a natural facial expression of 'wonder' and 'amazement'.

By now the myth of face reading, was also busted :)

I could only say "Fascinating" since I truly was.

He sucked me in completely by asking, "when a digital camera lens can be programmed to detect a face, would it be any harder to detect a flying object, lets say an unmanned flying predator or drone planes?".

"Its both simple and cheap" he nailed it.

Now my disfigured eyebrows did all the talking, as I rubbed my hands and bent close to quench the thirst of my creative curiosity, while he fell his back straight and said...

"Such a small chip and lens can guide any missile automatically to target those, Flying our Space, Killing Our people!"

Dangerous Ideas

According to the only "one liner" used in the promotional trailer of "WAAR", an upcoming Pakistani movie ; "we here in Pakistan don't resent deaths of Pakistanis". Despite the fact I strongly oppose the statement, but here I don't wish to debate a mere cinematic jugglery of words.

I being a radio broadcaster for almost 8 years in the most populous city of Pakistan, have a rare opportunity to keep a track on the pulse of the nation. My observation allows me to declare that; we as a nation are definitely saddened and shocked to see the entire array of crimes, available through the various spectrum of news and media. But what bothers many in the country is the lack of justice and anti-corruption measures and machinery put in place to ever stop it.

With the media projection of high profiled and celebrated cases of corruption nominating power centres as big as president himself, the hunger among the masses to see the judiciary above everyone else, is growing in parallel too.

Recent summoning of Pakistani Prime Minister in Supreme court, regarding re-opening of corruption cases against the President is a fresh episode. Media's singular focussing lenses magnified the issue for the Nation. Prime Minister walked in and out of court, waving the legislative clause from the constitution of Pakistan providing the President complete immunity from being trialled. The constitutional immunity doesn't drop charges of corruption against him, but only acts as a defence line between him and the accountability of Law.

During a radio talk show this week, a caller called in live from Karachi. He wanted to relieve his friend from a civil law suit filed against him. His friend's name was Sadar Uddin, who lived in Sadar area, and was President (sadar) of his apartment welfare association. He apparently lost a file of the association, and thus faced charges of misconduct.

At this point the idea floated by the caller (Sohail) was more shocking than amusing, to listen.

Have a listen:

[ more on shoaibincontrol ]

If Sadar (President) is above law, than what about someone who is thrice a Sadar. It could be a joke, but since you heard, the caller didn't like the idea of me laughing and demanded strict seriousness to his concern. That is indeed a shocking attitude.

When we see bloodshed and crime, it only saddens us for a day. But injustice prevailing afterwards, takes away our hope for a better future. It is in this climate that the, dangerous ideas are created and passed on to masses.

For God's sake there be not a; soul above law!