Identity Crisis - Will the real Pakistani please stand up

Case 1 :

2 years back I was on my way home in a public bus, it was the month of Ramadan, and as we all know that in Ramadan during rush hours people go mad . It was just another evening, I heard 2 people talking on the back seat, discussing the situation of Pakistan after some bad or unpleasant news they heard from someone, the conversation was somewhat like this .

MAN 1 : Pata nahi is mulk main kyun reh rahay hain, bas bhaagna hai yahan se ( Why are we even living in this country, we should leave this place )

MAN 2 (Laughing) : Ab to Green Passport ki bhi koi izzat nahi kerta, kon poochta hai Pakistanio ko (No one respects our Green Passport, and no one on earth gives any kind of respect to us)

MAN 1 : Bas yaar bahar niklo is mulk se ( Bro, we just need to get out of here )

And they carried on with the same old criticism, usually I don't keep quite when someone is blaming Pakistan for their problems, but I don't know what kept me from arguing with them, I controlled my anger and few minutes after I get off as my stop was there .

Case 2 :

Years back when I was studying , I posted a nationalist sort of article on my department's mailing group. After few months I received an email from a senior of mine who belonged to an Islamic organization, claiming that if you are a nationalist then you are against the teachings of Islam, as Islam teaches universal brotherhood beyond borders . Accepting that as a true point, I argued that my post doesn't disagree with this fact, if I love my country that doesn't mean that I am against the Universal Brotherhood teachings, but according to her even fighting for the country is against the teachings of Islam and insisted that I should drop the idea of loving my country in order to be a true Muslim, the point of her was that we need to come under the umbrella of Khilafah . The discussion ended with no conclusion .

Case 3 :

I often get laughed at for my too much of "Pro-Pakistani" posts on social networks, they call me Jazbaati (Emotional) , Pagal, or whatever they could think of, its not that I am wrong , its just that I feel sorry for other people's attitude towards Pakistan, it was one sort of discussion that cleanliness begins from home, so if you want to make Pakistan a better place to live then we have to change ourselves like we should keep our streets clean, we should follow traffic rules, and these are just a tiny bit of responsibilities that fall on each and every citizen of this country. But for my these points I got nothing but the same attitude that "these things wont help Pakistan" only true leaders will help you, and "1 Banday k change honay se kuch nahi hota" ( You can't change Pakistan, by just changing yourself" , we are too rigid to change ourselves ,then how do you expect a change in the whole damn system ?

Case 4:

A colleague of mine while trying to make fun of me told me that "You will look like Quaid-e-Azam when you will grow old, I said " At-least I will look like a Great Man" , this statement led to him claiming that creating Pakistan was a conspiracy to divide Muslims and all the crap and Jinnah wasn't a great man . My response was "Don't get me started on this"

Above mentioned cases are Actual events that happened in my life, and they are just not limited to these 4, they are a lot of them, reason behind sharing was to show that how much of a confused nation we are, we are in deep and critical sort of Identity Crisis, we fight on whether there should be Islamic laws, secular laws, whether Jinnah was secular or religious, was he a Shiite , Ismaili or a Sunni, whether voting in elections is "Shirk" or not, is giving taxes OK or not, were we better in India or Pakistan, whether I should call myself a Pakistani first or a Muslim first, whether or not its my right to kill anyone in the name of honor or religion .

Are WE  REAL Pakistanis, I am sure if our ancestors who laid their precious life for a more precious place called Pakistan were alive they would have regretted their decision to do so, NO NO by no means I am saying that creating Pakistan was a mistake, what I am trying to say is that we have made it a horrible place to live by our actions, by the rules we impose in our society , by misusing religion, by vowing to kill every other person, by make it dirtier with our own hands .

Will the REAL Pakistani please Standup !

Adaab-e-Munafiqat Pakistan - Hypocrisy Protocols in Pakistan

After going through the recent Malala's incident, I decided to blog my thoughts .
I am not a pessimist, neither am an extremist (be it liberal or religious) . I just try not to be a hypocrite in Pakistan . If YOU are a Pakistani, then it is extremely difficult to choose a side, either side you choose, you will be labeled as "extremist", but I will call you a hypocrite (munafiq in urdu ).

By Definition hypocrite means

a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs

Very well, Now lets read the Pakistani  version of it

A person who actually by his words and arguments shows the love for country, but when it comes to prove, act, perform, or stand by the words, fails to do so. In other words don't give a shit about the country

 If you are interested in becoming a hypocrite, or want to know the level of your hypocrisy ,or just for the sake of knowledge, I present you Adaab-e-Munaafiqt , Rules or Protocols of Hypocrisy .

1. Make sure you are a Pakistani, you must carry the Green passport
2. Hypocrisy has two kinds 1.Religious 2.Liberal, choose the best that matches your personality
   Lets talk about No. 2 ,first 
3. Call Jinnah a Secular
4. Iqbal is nothing
5. Baluchistan is not the part of Pakistan, and must be separated
6. Shutup when a Drone Strikes, shout when a Taliban does
7. Shutup on Target Killings
8. Every other pious person is a Taliban
9. Pakistan Army is killing innocent people in Northern Areas, but Drones are killing terrorists
10. Use abusive language frequently, this really helps when you are losing an argument
11. Enemies only exist within, there is no insurgency from India and Iran
12. USA is United States Almighty 
13. Freedom of Speech can be used to abuse religion
14. If you are a  Human Rights Activist, don't you dare mention Kashmir . NEVER 
15. Every conversion to Islam is a forceful one

If I continue to mention the rules this will never end, but for starters these are enough. Lets come to the next set of rules, for our Holy Religious People

1. Make sure that every other person is a Kafir, Say it loud or think it in your heart
2. Every person calling himself a Taliban is a true Mujahid and Warrior 
3. Pakistan was made by a Kafir and it should have never been created but make sure you are the 1st in line to call yourself a Pakistani and want to rule this country
4. Never mention Suicide Attacks in your discussions, they are "Fidai" attacks and those who die are doomed to hell
5. Pak Army is Na-Paak Army
6. Don't forget to misuse blasphemy law
7. USA is our enemy, but let the $$$ come, but we can be friends if they provide us with weapons to fight other non-Muslims
8. Never speak up for minority rights
9. Bash USA even for the issues like load shedding, corruption, inflation etc.
10. Fund every Jihaadi organization without knowing who is controlling it
11. Make sure to find a conspiracy in every event
12. Shariah is the law, but make sure you interpret it your way
13. Never speak up for Women rights, Rape, KaroKari, Vani and all the traditions against women
14. While protesting, destroy all the properties, burn everything, block roads to make sure your Holy Message is heard
15. Breaking Country's Law is OK, because you are a religious person and You are superior to everyone.

I hope these Rules are clear and well written. Try to rate yourself on the scale of 1 to 10 in the light of the categories . 

Feel free to call me whatever you like, I take abuses, rant, gaaliyan, fatwas, and all the verbal shit with an open heart 

A (maybe or maybe not) Hypocrite.

Is it too HARD being a PAKISTANI ?

  I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives.  I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him.  ~Abraham Lincoln

Though I dont admire Abraham Lincoln ,but his words are true, true enough to fit each and every nation that currently exist on this planet and NO the words are not enough, being proud is just an emotion, but doing something to make your nation proud is something worth doing, let us take our very own Pakistan as an example, out of billions only a thousands of people "think" of doing something good, and out of that just a few hundreds try to achieve it, but only a handful of people achieve it. But OK, that happens in each part of the globe, I am not the one who start the mornings with bashing my country .

I wont be bashing Pakistan here, but yes I will be bashing the ignorant Pakistanis who believe that they are too good to live here, or they are too pious to live in a place like Pakistan. Don't believe me ? Here are some examples of what we really say ,do , believe about Pakistan

in our daily lives .

1. Is mulk main kuch nahi rakha ( there is nothing worthy to live in this country)
2. Kitna ganda mulk hai yeh ( How drity this place/country is)
3. Pakistan se zinda bhag (Run for you lives, leave Pakistan)
4. Itni behayai hai isiliye Allah ka azaab aata hai ( this shamelessness is inviting Allah's Wrath)
5. Sab sarkari idaray corrupt hain ( Every public/governmental institute is corrupt)

and the list continues ...

If you go outside on streets and ask people "Do you love your country" , most of them will say "Yes" and "Pakistan Zindabad" , Sounds good ? right ?. But just observe them in their daily life, you will hear them whining about the problem all day long like I already mentioned. The problem ,is most of us are not REALLY PROUD of being a Pakistani, we whine too much , we complain too much, we do very little, in fact we do NOTHING .
We proudly say that we are an "Islamic Republic", but are we really ? Is an Islamic Shariah in an Islamic State limited to the Government, Court or Financial institutions ? Is it limited to the Hudood Ordinance ? People brag too much about REVOLUTION , just because we like the sound of this word. I am not targeting any specific political or religious group, isn't there any say of religion in following traffic rules ? Isn't there any say of religion in littering the streets ? Isn't there any say of religious on how you communicate with each other ? If you go through the religious history and proper teaching you will find that these matters are deeply related to the religion, but yes we choose to ignore them because we are more interested in others' religious beliefs and actions, we pray 5 times a day daily ,but fight with our neighbors ,we fast the whole Ramadan, but break the traffic rules, we wash ourselves on Jummah but litter the streets, we pray in Masjids and stand side by side and shoulder to shoulder but yet we discriminate on the basis of status, cast and language .

Enough talk on the religion but think , just think is it only the Government, Army ,Police that has ruined the Nation, aren't we, the common citizens involved in all the mess we see today ? We discriminate, call each other Kafir, we have too much hatred in ourselves , we bribe the traffic police just to get away with the crime of not carrying license, insurance papers , or breaking other traffic rules. We bribe other govt. officers to get our work done fast . Aren't we criminals ? If we are "clean" after all the corruption we do on daily basis, then who gives us the authority to challenge the corruption of our leaders ? Should we be punished too ? Why blame the billboards for spreading vulgarity when we watch all the stuff on our televisions ?

Don't you think its the time to STOP blaming others , and start cleaning your own-selves. Shouldn't we be polishing our character, our streets. Is it too hard to follow the law ? is it too hard to keep your environment clean ? Is it too hard to love each other ?

My question is "Is it too Hard Being a True Pakistani ? "

Pakistan's National Anthem - Urdu , Transliteration, Translation

The Qaumī Tarāna (Urdu: قومی ترانہ), also known as Pāk Sarzamīn (lit. "The Pure Land"), is the national anthem of Pakistan. The words "Qaumi Tarana" in Urdu literally translate to "National Anthem". Its music, composed by Ahmad G. Chagla, preceded its lyrics, which were written by Hafeez Jullundhri. Another feature of the anthem is that no verse in the three stanza lyrics is repeated.

قومى ترانہ (Urdu)	Transliteration	Translation
:پاک سرزمین شاد باد كشور حسين شاد باد تو نشان عزم علیشان ! ارض پاکستان مرکز یقین شاد باد	pāk sarzamīn shād bād kishwar-e-hasīn shād bād tū nishān-e`azm-e-`alīshān arz-e-pākistān! markaz-e-yaqīn shād bād	Blessed be the sacred land Happy be the bounteous realm Thou symbol of high resolve O Land of Pakistan! Blessed be the centre of faith
:پاک سرزمین کا نظام قوت اخوت عوام قوم ، ملک ، سلطنت ! پائندہ تابندہ باد شاد باد منزل مراد	pāk sarzamīn kā nizām qūwat-e-ukhūwat-e`awām qaum, mulk, sultanat pā'inda tābinda bād! shād bād manzil-e-murād	The order of this sacred land Is the might of the brotherhood of the people May the nation, the country, and the Republic Shine in glory everlasting! Blessed be the goal of our ambition
:پرچم ستارہ و هلال رہبر ترقی و کمال ترجمان ماضی شان حال ! جان استقبال سایۂ خدائے ذوالجلال	parcham-e-sitāra-o hilāl rahbar-e-taraqqī-o kamāl tarjumān-e-māzī, shān-e-hāl jān-e-istiqbāl! sāyah-e-khudā-e-zu-l-jalāl	The flag of the crescent and star Leads the way to progress and perfection Interpreter of our past, glory of our present Inspiration for our future! Shadow of God, the Glorious and Mighty

“Pity The Nation” by Khalil Gibran

 

This a poem by Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese America poet/writer. 

Was published in early 1900's and shows the current face of Pakistan

Pity The Nation…

 

Pity the nation that is full of beliefs and empty of religion.
Pity the nation that wears a cloth it does not weave,
eats a bread it does not harvest,
and drinks a wine that flows not from its own wine-press.
Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.
Pity a nation that despises a passion in its dream,
yet submits in its awakening.
Pity the nation that raises not its voice
save when it walks in a funeral,
boasts not except among its ruins,
and will rebel not save when its neck is laid
between the sword and the block.
Pity the nation whose statesman is a fox,
whose philosopher is a juggler,
and whose art is the art of patching and mimicking.
Pity the nation that welcomes its new ruler with trumpeting,
and farewells him with hooting,
only to welcome another with trumpeting again.
Pity the nation whose sages are dumb with years
and whose strong men are yet in the cradle.
Pity the nation divided into into fragments,
each fragment deeming itself a nation

Civic Sense - A Conversation

The other day I was travelling by a Qingqi Rickshaw on my way to home, it is quite a dangerous ride . Anyhow it was on its way when we stopped by a red light (I always force people to follow traffic rules). There was a man sitting beside me, he must be in his mid 50s, he provoked the driver to break the signal and the driver did so. Due to that we were nearly hit by a car coming from the left. It made me angry at the man sitting beside me and below is the conversation that took place.

(The conversation below has been presented in Roman to feel the true essence of arguments)

Me (to uncle): Agar accident ho jata to is ka zimedaar kon hota?
Him: Sab chalta hai is mulk main.

Me: Zaruri nahi keh sab ghalat karain to aap bhi ghalat karain.
Him: Sab ooper se ghalat hota aya hai, pehlay ooper theek karo ja ker.

Me: Ooper se nahi, uncle ander se theek hota hai banda, aap acha kaam karaingay to aap ko dekh ker aap k chotay bhi acha kaam karaingay.
Him: Hum ne kuch ghalat nahi kiya, apni jawani sharaft se guzari hai.

Me: Aap to baray hain, aap ko to sahi kerna chahye takay aap k chotay aap se seekhain.
Him (This time angry): Aray sab ooper se ghalat hota hai, woh dekho Raymond Davis ko chordiya.

Me (confused): Raymond Davis ka signal se kya talluq?
Him: Kyun nahi hai, jab ghalat hai to sab ghalat hai.

Me: Main ne to sirf itni si baat ki thee k signal aap ki achai kay liye hi lagaye gaye hain.
Him: Main nahi maanta angraizon kay qanoon ko, main sirf Allah kay Qanoon ko maanta hoon.

Me: Agar Allah ka qanoon agaya to kya signal tor dengay? Ya gaarian chalana bund kerdengay.
Him: Tum jaahil ho, tumhe deen ki koi samajh nahi hai.

Driver: O bhai bas kerdo, meri ghalti thee.

Me: App to mujhe jantay bhi nahi, aap ne yeh kaisay kaha k mujhe deen ki samajh nahi, main nay to yahan deen ka zikr bhi nahi kiya.
Him: Kyun keh tum Islam ko jantay hi nahi.

Me: Zaroori nahi keh aap ki umar zyada hai to aap ki knowledge bhi zyada ho
Him: Haan, main zyada jaanta hoon deen ko.

Me (at my stop): Allah Hafiz, Aap jaisay logon ne hi Mulk kharaab kiya hai.

The purpose of posting this conversation was to let people know that its not just the government, army and/or terrorist who have ruined the state but there is a great involvement of general public in the destruction of our society. We love to put all the blame on the institutions but we don’t even bother to look into ourselves. If you see the traffic signal in the light of Islam it falls under the category of “Huqooq-ul-Ibad” , it may look like a small issue, but by doing this we can save lives and avoid accidents. Remember laws and rules are not made to be broken.

Arfa Karim Randhawa (1995 - 2012)

It was a sad day when we lost a great mind , a girl with great vision , a girl with dreams . Arfa Karim Randhawa , who remained the world youngest MCP (Microsoft Professional) when she cleared it in 2004 at the small age of 9 only. After which Bill Gates invited her to visit the company's headquarters. 


She received Fatimah Jinnah gold medal in 2005  , Salam Pakistan Youth Award , She also received President's award for Pride of Performance . She was invited to Microsoft headquarters again in 2006 as a part of keynote session in the Tech-Ed developers conference held in Barcelona .


Besides being a professional , she was a poet and she dreamed of a digital valley in Pakistan. Once in an interview she said

“If you want to do something big in your life, you must remember that shyness is only in the mind,”  “If you think shy, you act shy. If you think confident you act confident. Therefore never let shyness conquer your mind.”