Phalasteen

Yesterday, I was talking to my brother and was asking him if he has written something regarding the current issue. He replied that he hasn’t, and continued to say that what is there to write?! Today, as Isat down to write something, my heart skipped a beat, my chest felt contracted as if my heart is constricted and there is not place for it to beat. And I felt his words weighing heavy on my chest and I sit here, and I’m thinking, my words are just mere words.. no one reads my blog anyway, but still, what will my words do?! When there is need for an active combat, words are worthless. I sit here and feel as if my existence is worthless for not being able to do anything for my brothers and sisters in Ghazza or Phalasteen. As I sit here with my blood boiling, I wish I were able to do more even if it is hurling one stone at the occupying forces.

I can’t wrap my head around the fact that how can one think it is okay to bomb hospitals, residential areas , mosques and churches. How can all these people say it is okay to annihilate a whole area where 2.1 million people live where 50% of them are children? How can you not allow food, water, medicine and electricity to hospitals, and innocent civillians. This is not new. People don’t even know that Israel has time and again, even before October 7th, has bombed schools, hospitals and civillian population. They have time and again used tanks and bombs and white phosphorus over civillian population not just in Gaza but even in the West Bank. I had written on Gaza and Palestine over and over again in the past 10 years of my blogging era, and Israel has always breached international laws, and has committed war crimes time and again without any remorse. They think they have a right to exist and in this right, they will trample over other people’s right to exist. The existence of the ‘other’ is a threat to mine. It’s ironic that the people, who came as refugees to Palestine, took over the land, houses and the rights of the people who already were living there by killing them, by driving them out of their houses and bombing them with support from USA and British.

The Israeli minister said, that their babies do not have a right to exist only our babies have. The US presidential candidate said, kill them all. The Israeli minister said that they are dogs. Their language is the same as Winston Churchill when he said that they were right in killing blacks of Australia, Red Indians of US, browns of the subcontinent, claiming whites being a superior race and ‘others’ are animals and do not have a right to exist.

The West hs always been like this. But Oh Ummah! Oh Leaders, Kings, Prime Ministers of the Muslim World… Where art thou?! Where is the united army of 40 countries? Where is Raheel Shareef? Where is Khalid tank? Ghauri missile? Where is the ISI? Where is Asim Muneer? Do we not have any duty in the current state of affairs?!Oh my heart!!! How will I face my Lord on the Day of Judgement when I know that this was not a time to write but a time to fight…

‘SPINE’

The time has come again for the Prime Minister to show some ‘spine’; simce it has been so long since we last saw someone show some stature, some depth, some insight into things that needed them. The conflicts, the situations in the Muslim countries doesn’t look good at all and we wonder, being the sole nuclear power, where we stand when the poor Muslims need us in these troubled times.

The morning of the decade 2020 doesn’t seem to have a promising day ahead. The Muslims, be it in China, Myanmar, Kashmir, India, or the gulf states, are not just being marginalised and penalized for being Muslims, but are brainwashed and killed too.

Coming to the country who is dear to me like my baby, it hurts me Every time when we take bad decisions, when we make mistakes that make us look like buffoons in the international community but all I can do is just stomp my feet and fume over the stupidity of the most ‘respectable’ electables.

The recent issue of the extension of the army chief has again made everything look like a joke too. The prime minister, who once was against any extension being given to the army chief, is now making extra efforts to extend his tenure. The Prime Minister should have shown some spine and should have stuck to his decade long stance against any extension being given to anyone.

Now the question will arise about the recent escalation in the middle East; the US ‘foreign Secretary ‘ called out to Pakistan’s counterpart, General Bajwa, about the situation that they have ignited in the Muslim World now. Now it’s time for the Prime Minister to show some ‘spine ‘ and not dive into the war like Mushy did when Collin Powell called on to him.

The time of war, the time of decisions and the time to show some spine has come. The world doesn’t look good whether it is the fire in Australia, or the fire in the Middle East, third day into 2020, and we are admist bloodshed, wars, and global warming.

The Mess

The mess that started a few days ago has long lasting impact on the mind of those who can actually think and see far better than those who can not see beyond the heroism of one man. Anyway, Pakistan was attacked earlier this week by Indian forces. Indian Airforce claimed that it killed around 300 militants in Pakistan, whereas, only trees were destroyed in the Balakot area. The whole International media took it as if nothing has happened and that Pakistan is the country that harbours militants and should be treated as a country any one can go to and drop their missiles and bombs. This is what has been going on since 9/11, since Musharraf gave a green signal to the US to use Pakistani soil and to bomb it via drones or missiles whenever they want. The mess that we have harboured in the name of ‘war against terrorism’!

Musharraf has made a huge mistake handing over our bases to US and handing over a Muslim country to US over a phone call. Not only that he gave them permission to attack our people living near Durand line because these people were closely related to the Afghanis across the border. The drones killed innocent civillians more than it killed militants. Anyway, the point is, when a free ticket was given to one country to attack our people, without any proof, that they were terrorists, not only made the world believe that we were harbouring terrorists and have camps in our country that anyone, anywhere in the world has a free ticket to bomb! The most perfect Intelligence Agency had let the US come in till Abbotabad and allegedly took OBL from there and did nothing to stop it or condemn it. Anyway, my point is when you let one country in your borders and let them play dirty, how will you stop your arch rival from doing the same when they claim that you are fuelling terrorism in their country.

International media will never see the picture in objectivity as it does not sell. Muslims will always be a white man’s burden and they will continue to be portrayed as the real evil in this world, no matter how many atrocities the Hindu extremists would do against the Muslims in Kashmir, Jammu or Gujrat. Because, as Muhammad Asad puts it, the hatred for Muslims that the West harbour in their hearts,brains and DNAs dates back to the times of the first Crusades and they can never detach themselves from it. That is why the International community and media stood and sympathized with the Indians even when they escalated the Pulwama incident, knowing fully well, that Pakistan was not involved!

The only reaction that came from the International community was after the MIG 21 aircraft of the Indian Air force was shot down. And that be asking for restraint from the Pakistani side. Not a single newspaper of any country, blamed India for escalating the tensions between the two countries. This, not only showed the bias of the International Community but also that no matter how much a Muslim country is their ally, a non-muslim country will always be a more favoured nation. And since Musharraf had always submitted in front of the US and NATO forces when they attacked the tribal belt, everyone was made to believe that Pakistan has terrorist elements.

The Prime Minister Imran Khan, announced the release of the Indian Pilot caught the next day calling it a ‘gesture of peace!’ The immaturity of the decision cannot be measured by any yardstick! Pakistan had an upper hand and what Pakistan could have done was that at least,should have involved a third party and diplomatic corridors should have been used. The whole world was all praises for the Prime Minister but this International Community did not question Indian action in any way. They did not push, nor tried to de-escalate the situation as was. No international pressure was exerted on India whatsoever. Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister failed miserably in calling out to friends, and allies alike to diffuse the situation. Pakistan, has foolishly, believed that India would take it as a gesture of goodwill whereas, if we look at the history of India, be it BJP or Congress, they have always been anti-Pakistan and anti-Muslim and never have taken Pakistan’s peace gestures as a joke. A treaty, a third party involvement, could have reaped not only better results but would have at least put things on the table, even Pulwama incident. It could have brought forward the Kashmir issue, and other issues too and case could have been made in front of the International community that Pakistan is willing to take things forward and not down the hill.

One of the blunders that could have been avoided by the Prime Minister was the blunder of waiting for three days ,after Pulwama accusations made by the Indians, before replying. He should at least would have taken that very opportunity of MBS and should have asked them to mediate between them and the Indians; and like the foreign Secretary of KSA said that we will try to diffuse the situation between the two countries, this opportunity should have been availed there and then. A third party should have been called in as soon as the accusation was made and shouldn’t have been waited on!

India, will never sit quietly with this humiliation of two jets being shot down by Pakistan. Things will not die down. The role of UN, US and other countries is pathetic on the whole scenario. I hope better sense would prevail and we avoid a war because this war will bring such destruction that is beyond anyone’s imagination.

Dil-e-Ranjeeda

My taya( father’s elder brother) was shot dead 9 years ago when he tried to stop the burglars from snatching the phone away from my husband at the gates of his resident. I did not witness the exact moment as I was inside his house while he was greeting my husband. But I can not still detach myself from the exact memories of that night, I still feel these pangs of pain inside my heart whenever I recall that incident, sometimes I just sit still and recount those moments in my head. Sometimes I can not still believe that my uncle just passed away in an instant, in a second, without any goodbyes, without any last words to us, his sons and his daughters. My husband has not yet gotten over the trauma of actually seeing an old man being shot dead in span of seconds as that old man tried to stop those phone snatchers. Why am I repeating all this after soo many years…

Yesterday, the Sahiwal incident happened. The CTD people killed innocent civillians at short range and took the children from the car and left them at the petrol station! I mean what kind of CTD protocol was that?! If the car had stopped, why was there an urge to open fire at everyone and kill them all without any prior investigation as to who was sitting in the car and what was actually happening. Will those kids ever be able to out of this trauma? How can any ‘financial aid’ ever compensate for the loss of thise children. A thirteen year old girl was brutally murdered! A mother was repeatedly shot! A father was grilled with bullets! What was this? I can NOT fathom the whole thing. I am flabbergasted!!! I am shocked!!! I am devastated! I am heartbroken and I am ANGRY! The tweets of the leaders of the country are just as pathetic and provide no solace whatsoever to the grieving family or the people of Pakistan.

We do not want military courts for the same reason. We do not know how many people have the military killed in the name of all those operations that started off during the time of Musharraf. Who knows what ISPR is covering. The innocent people killed via drones, the people who were killed in Waziristan, or during Zarb-e-azb, who is responsible for even one innocent life that was taken?! We do not want military courts because we do not know if those people are terrorists or not?! Was Dr. Afia a terrorist?

We do not want military courts! Period!

May Allah protect us from the zulm of these zalimuns. Ameen.

Insomniac

I don’t know why but the feeling of butterflies in my stomach, the racing heart rate and the constant buzzing of my brain is not letting me have enough sleep. What has happened which is making me so fidgety and so anxious? He was about to be hanged but the whole poltical scenario changed after his confession was aired on the television and not only that, he named big names who were involved in drenching the soil with the blood of innocent people.

It was an anticipated event because Altaf Hussain, the leader of MQM, denied ever talking to him or knowing him and hence what would have been the reaction of those who support MQM… but alas we will never know I guess. But this has indeed created doubts and questions in the minds of those who support them that how far will he go in order to protect himself. Will he deny ever having a contact with the Rabta Committee too?

It is not just about Saulat Mirza, it is about the generations of murderers and target killers that were produced; will there be no justice for the innocent lives that were brutally murdered because MQM had differences with them? A lot of questions are raised with it. Who raised these people? Who trained them? When intelligence agencies, military forces and other law enforcement agencies had proofs and they know how their network runs, why was there such a delay? Why a military government provided for them and why did they allow them to hold a militant wing? How were they able to steal from NATO containers and why didn’t Musharraf do anything about them? Why, suddenly, military has this intense desire to get rid of them? A very valid question would be, Why were they allowed to make a militant wing and why was military not concerned about innocent people dying everyday? Why is it that the law enforcement agencies do not give a damn about the common man?

I can’t sleep. My mind is wide awake and thinking too much and I can’t just stop thinking about it…

Mera ik ik Sipahi hai Khyber Shikan…

Whose war are we fighting?

TO whom are we proudly showing our strength?!

Whose shoes are we licking?!

Maybe too many questions. But the answers are always ambiguous. The masters changed. The confused are becoming more confused. What system is this where justice is not there. And I’m not talking about the lawyers and judge’s movement. If there’s no center in life, every movement is fruitless. And we surely have left that centre a long time back…

The soldiers are fighting a war, they don’t know for whom. Their attacks bring down men of their own. Their lives becoming burdened by the blood they shed of the innocent. They have lost the centre and they have lost the direction and thus they lost their souls to the devil. The devil who watches them from the shadows of their hearts and laughs at them calling on God that,’look, as I’ve promised I’ve made them my fellow dwellers of Hell.” And men, succumbing to the darkness of their souls and hearts feel themselves lost in the world of glamour and drinking deeply of the presentness rather than the consequences…

News flickered on TV from the Khyber Agency. The news people calling them the local “Taliban”. Then the news showed the “shuhada conference” from Islamabad. It’s been one year. One whole year since the Lal MAsjid Incident…

“Mera ik ik Sipahi hai khyber shikan” – the national song blared on the radio. The song mocking the bravery of the soldiers. The soldiers who proudly brought down Lal Masjid. The soldiers that killed innocent women and children. The soldiers that never had the courage to even give those girls, children a proper burial. These are the soldiers who are as strong as the fort of Khyber, stronger than Khyber that they can actually pull it down, break it up.

There were soldiers once, who tied bombs onto themselves and used to lie down the enemy tanks so that those tanks wont touch the sacred soil of their country. There were soldiers once who would give lives just to protect their country, their people. People used to encourage their kids to go into Army and be the one who’d have sleepless night watching the borders ir country… to let their kids on the wall so that the country sleeps soundly under the safety blanket. But now… now… they’re not soo sure…

It all comes down to one thing: When the “Centre” goes, everything else goes with it.