Saviour of Humanity

As the Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Imran Khan, launched the poverty alleviation initiative “Ehsaas”by his government; it brings back memories of the time when he launched the Shaukat Khanum Hospital, inspired by suffering of the poor of the country.

Back then, I paid tribute the passion and zeal of the man, who inspired his nation to join him to do good.

Below, I share the tribute poem written in September 1993, for Imran Khan the philanthropist, who as Prime Minister, now leads the nation to bring the change we are all so desperate for:

 

Sent by the Almighty to save humanity,

he is the lone great personality.

To save the wailing populace,

this man has brought us to a common place.

 

having a mission in life:

to fulfill the ambition and stop strife

got busy in preparing the balm,

which the admirers call a ‘psalm’;

First brought together to complement each other,

then could not implement one with the other,

gave up the the most beloved career,

which he thought was now a barrier.

many have joined him in his crusade,

to raise their voice to persuade,

Those who don’t come forward

to take the mission onward.

so they tell their sisters and brothers,

God loves those who live for others!

 

 

https://m.facebook.com/notes/imran-khan-official/ehsaas-prime-ministers-policy-statement/2143685195684896/

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words, words, words.

Though this be madness, yet there is method in ‘t. (Hamlet)

Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt,
Thaw, and resolve itself into a dew,
Or that the Everlasting had not fixed
His canon ‘gainst self-slaughter! O God, God!
How weary, stale, flat, and unprofitable
Seem to me all the uses of this world!
Fie on ’t, ah fie! ‘Tis an unweeded garden
That grows to seed. Things rank and gross in nature
Possess it merely. That it should come to this.
But two months dead—nay, not so much, not two.
(Hamlet)

Narrated by Abu Musa (RA): Some people asked Allah’s Apostle (peace be upon him) “Whose Islam is the best? i.e. (Who is a very good Muslim)?” He replied, “One who avoids harming the Muslims with his tongue and hands.” (Bukhari)

I had thought there will stars, moon all,
Under one flag there will be all,
BUT
As many Muslims have killed of their own
All the world together has not killed that many!
(Hassan Mehdi Abidi)

We are the hollow men
We are the stuffed men
Leaning together
Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
Our dried voices, when
We whisper together
Are quiet and meaningless
As wind in dry grass
Or rats’ feet over broken glass
In our dry cellar

Shape without form, shade without colour,
Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

Those who have crossed
With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
Remember us-if at all-not as lost
Violent souls, but only
As the hollow men
The stuffed men
(The Hollow Men, T. S. Eliot)

Eyes I dare not meet in dreams
In death’s dream kingdom
These do not appear:
There, the eyes are
Sunlight on a broken column
There, is a tree swinging
And voices are
In the wind’s singing
More distant and more solemn
Than a fading star.

Let me be no nearer
In death’s dream kingdom
Let me also wear
Such deliberate disguises
Rat’s coat, crowskin, crossed staves
In a field
Behaving as the wind behaves
No nearer—

Not that final meeting
In the twilight kingdom
(Hollow Men, T. S. Eliot)

This is the dead land
This is cactus land
Here the stone images
Are raised, here they receive
The supplication of a dead man’s hand
Under the twinkle of a fading star.

Is it like this
In death’s other kingdom
Waking alone
At the hour when we are
Trembling with tenderness
Lips that would kiss
Form prayers to broken stone.

IV

The eyes are not here
There are no eyes here
In this valley of dying stars
In this hollow valley
This broken jaw of our lost kingdoms

In this last of meeting places
We grope together
And avoid speech
Gathered on this beach of the tumid river

Sightless, unless
The eyes reappear
As the perpetual star
Multifoliate rose
Of death’s twilight kingdom
The hope only
Of empty men.
(Hollow Men, T. S Eliot)

Here we go round the prickly pear
Prickly pear prickly pear
Here we go round the prickly pear
At five o’clock in the morning.

Between the idea
And the reality
Between the motion
And the act
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom

Between the conception
And the creation
Between the emotion
And the response
Falls the Shadow
Life is very long

Between the desire
And the spasm
Between the potency
And the existence
Between the essence
And the descent
Falls the Shadow
For Thine is the Kingdom

For Thine is
Life is
For Thine is the

This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.

Who knows when I’ll be killed declared an infidel
The whole city claims to be Muslim!

Long live, Gul Makai!

If you are trying to further the legacy of some of the most prominent women your country’s history has ever known- or trying to emulate the beacon you are named after, it’s a burden heavy enough to carry. Heavier still, if you are a fourteen year old, and trying to fight just like those women in a strife ridden place called the Swat Valley.

 

If you live in a country where bread is top priority and not books, your passion for books needs to be applauded. If you are someone who has realized in this tender age, that serving humanity is what you want to do… then hats off to you!

 

The brave woman you are named after, must be proudly wishing you the speediest recovery to enable you to carry on her legacy. Malalai Ana lives on through heroines like you and your friends, who endured the brutality with the bravery Pashtuns are famous for- whether you live in Pakistan or like Sharbat Gula, in Afghanistan.

 

You already are in the league of those extraordinary women, whom the nation is indebted to forever.

 

Today, as you meet your family and bring joy to your blood relatives, you are making proud the mother of the nation, Fatima Jinnah– who must be looking at you from the heavens above; and smiling with pride that the country she helped her brother create, in most adverse circumstances, will indeed survive and thrive, if daughters like you are born.

 

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Not only Miss Jinnah must be beaming, but her other companions like Raana Liaqat Ali Khan, and Shaista Ikramullah, must also be extremely pleased to know their shoes will be filled by most competent people. They fought for their rights and won. They educated themselves and millions of others. They inspired their generation to stand up and achieve the seemingly impossible goal of freedom, and be revered by all generations to come. You have inspired the same nation to rise against brutality, speak up and reclaim the same freedom, the dark forces are hell bent to destroy!

 

Latest updates on Malala:
www.uhb.nhs.uk/news/malala-yousafzai-status-updates.htm

 

 

 

 

 

Rediscovering Identity I

Recently, I saw a coffee-table book about Lahore. It contained old pictures of the city, sketches, and other details describing the history of the city, it’s multicultural colours, it’s people and it’s historic and monumental buildings.
The writer of the book was a retired British civil servant, who had served in the civil services during the British Rule. After retirement, he stayed back in what became Pakistan.
His own knowledge of the city was impressive. However, most of his references came from a source very familiar to me.

As it turns out, he quoted a great deal from two books i.e. History of Punjab, and History of Lahore, written by “Khanbahadur” Judge Syed Muhammad Latif (1850-1902, seen above).

He also mentioned with respect, the name of Syed Muhammad Azeem(1815-1885, seen above), who brought and installed the first printing press to Lahore.
All of this made me start a search on the internet, and see what information I can gather from the world wide web. I was very disappointed, as very little information is available. Whatever is out there is mostly personal endeavour. Wikipedia has very unreliable or incomplete information.
This prompted me to go to my own collection of family history. I certainly was in much better luck! Not only are these pictures a part of family display, I found more knowledge about these two luminaries and others within my own household.

For now, I can certainly share the fact that Syed Muhammad Azeem (1815-1885),
was not only the first person to bring and install the printing press, he also started “The Lahore Chronicle” and “The Punjabi”, or “The Punjab Times”- which were later taken over by the (then ruling British) government, and merged into “Civil and Military Gazette” in 1872.
From one pioneer father to his pioneer son, Syed Muhammad Latif (1850- 1902), who was honoured by the British Government with the title of “Khan Bahadur”, for not only his services as the judge, but also for his four books of history i.e. History of Punjab, History of Lahore, History of Agra and History of Multan.
His father Syed Muhammad Azeem, was a good friend of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. They were closely related, as Sir Syed and M. Azeem descended from 9th and 10th Imams respectively.
S. M. Latif married a close relative of Sir Syed Ahmad Khan.

Syed M. Latif died in 1902.

I plan a more detailed piece with direct references from the four books shortly.

However, the thing I have taken away from the lives of my ancestors, is that they are a source of inspiration for not only their own progeny, but for the world at large. I say this particularly in reference to the dates when they lived and spent their lives in. A time of extreme turmoil and upheaval. A time of agitation and subsequent Mutiny (to the British) and War of Independence (for the Indians) in 1857.

The printing press, and the four books are not only a personal achievement for anyone in any day and age, but it was particularly so during that time of suppression and cruel tactics by the rulers, to keep a firm grip on the population they were ruling over.

To me, these books symbolise the struggle and fight for the rights. The printing press started newspapers to inform the public of the truth and the books reminded -in particular-the Muslims, of their glorious past, to inspire them to stand up and regain the lost treasures (knowledge/ education).

These indeed were the fighting tools of these men!

It’s eerie, writing the above piece makes me think so much of the present condition of the country, and the solution is no further than…. !!!

SKMT

After the 1992 world cup victory, when fund raising for the hospital was at it’s peak, this poem was written after being inspired by the enthusiasm of the people. It may not be technically very sound, but certainly expresses the heartfelt emotion.

 

It is called Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust

Supposed to the best on earth’s crust

Another blessing from the almighty God

For those who don’t have any protective sword.

Luminescent glimmer for those whose hopes are exiguous;

Who are trapped in the whirlpools of the vicious.

The pleas will no more be sent to Coventry,

For they still prevail but are only momentary.

Commotion created by the scoundrel, (of cancer)

Has taken out many a funeral.

For a patient’s life it is a plunderer-

which has even incensed the flounderer!

With a hope for the future and

to make it always nurture;

 

everyone raises hands to pray:

Come out triumphant in the fray!

Rule The World!

The world came down, the flags went up and we all witnessed how the world cup slipped out of our hands- not once… but twice!

First as we lost the co-hosting rights, and then… a second time, as our ‘world class’ batsmen made a mockery of their skills in front of the whole world!

Even Afridi’s daughter couldn’t help but say: Misbah ko tab hosh aya jab balls hi thorri see reh gayee theen!

I am of course playing wild shots like Afridi, but maybe, they are not as wild as they sound after after all!

The world is rife with speculation. I am perhaps just contributing my share.

This world cup and the gossip thereafter takes me back many years.

Remember when Priyanka Chopra was crowned Miss World? Yes, the same girl who scared us in “saat khoon maaf” recently! It was widely speculated back then that, she was not the most “genuinely” deserving candidate. There was a lot of controversy surrounding her . That it was all staged (read bought!) Zee Tv had exclusive broadcast rights of the Pageant. She was not as eloquent as some of the other contestants, especially during the final rounds and yet was crowned Miss World! Can we forget the IPL’s (Indian Premier League Cricket extravaganza, of which 4th season is in full swing in India these days) second edition that was held in South Africa due to security fears? It was widely reported during the time that, most of the team owners were made to ‘donate’ heavily- not to the South African Cricket Board but- to the government of South Africa, to let them stage the IPL tournament there and prevent it from getting cancelled!

Fast forward to last year when the Commonwealth games were held in India.

I am not even touching on the various inquiries going on regarding corruption cases, on the games organizing officials.

We all know that Commonwealth funds are distributed among member nations. Same happens with the games branch. However, as the date for the games drew near and many athletes refused to participate- either due to security fears or inadequate facilities- the rumours became rife that $100,000 were ‘distributed’ to each member country, to ensure participation!

May be all of the above was just a media sensationalism, but then coming back to the 2011 world cup, remember the India vs England (played 27th Feb 2011) match that was a tie? Looked like a most thrilling contest! A very high scoring game that ended with no result due to tied scores! Yes, great effort… but by whom??

If Shane Warne is to be believed: he tweeted a night before the match, that it will be a tie!!! WOW!! Seems Shane Warne was the Oracle Octopus for this cricket world cup!

Now that the world cup is over, Pakistani team is back home. Surprisingly, not hiding away in friends’ homes, but attending high profile receptions including one by the Prime Minister of the country! The Chief Ministers of Punjab and Sindh also boasting off with their own receptions! Why is all the appeasement going on? To keep their mouths shut?? Well…aren’t the cricketers going to get their share of the booty for playing according to the “instructions”? Oh… before you forget! No… we are not the Indian team! We are Pakistani team, who lost to India in the Semi finals. We didn’t win the world cup. India did. We just nudged them on! Also, people in the know tell me I should look at the footage of the Indian victory lap. The guy accompanying Tendulkar is the most notorious bookmaker of India, and he was in the Indian dressing room all through the final!

Now that’s the icing on the cake… isn’t it?

De ghuma ke!

The fatal night! 1st July 2010

7/2/2010 6:45:00 AM

When I started writing this piece a few days ago, it was titled “Change, we can believe in!”  It was to mourn the demise of a way of life.  This is what I wanted to share first of all that day:
One of my domestic help had gone to the shrine of ‘Daata Sahib’ a few weeks ago for a special supplication.  He didn’t succeed.  The reason:  extremely tight security!   He was thoroughly checked at least four times and was asked questions like: why are you here?  Each time he said “for a prayer”.  Next question:  Why here and not elsewhere? He would reply: because the same blessings are not found elsewhere!
After further checks, when he was finally ‘cleared’ by the security, he met the person incharge; who told him the darbar no longer did supplication for general public due to security risk.
Upon hearing the ‘ordeal’ my helper had been through, I wondered, if our mosques and shrines would ever be the same again.  They are locked after prayers instead of staying their doors open for all at all times.  Everyone is screened before being allowed in.
Mosques and shrines were places where no one was discriminated against.  Places where hungry would find free food, and homeless will find shelter.  The orphans will find home and poor will find free education.
All that has changed.  The change we can believe in! 
A change that is- at the very least- long lasting if not permanent!
This change can be seen at all shrines and mosques in every street.  No longer will any needy find the doors of these places of worship and centres of welfare in  one- open for them when they need the most.  No longer will the worshipper be welcomed with open arms.  Everyone is a suspect: the poor, the needy, the homeless, the hungry… all suspects!
Today, however, it has taken on a completely different meaning.  It’s a mourning, nevertheless, bit not of a way of life- but of the so many lives lost in a flash that brought death and blood and cries!  The lives that came in the hope  to gain spirituality, in the hope to alleviate suffering, sorrows and troubles.
They all came to the shrine wherein lies the saint revered by Muslims and Non- Muslims alike.  The saint who gives the city it’s identity. The saint who embraced all!  Tonight, the saint embraced not the prayers but those making the prayer.  He embraced not just the little troubles they wanted to get rid of, but the very souls which possessed those troubles.
I am only wondering… if he is leading the congregation of these souls and standing in front of the Almighty and asking:  They had come to me to ask for a favour, to ask You to relieve them of their troubles;  why have you relieved them of their souls???  Was this the only solution to their problems?  Was there no other way to bring succour to these wretched souls??
Why these paradoxes???  A place of peace and tranquility; and such a violent and bloody act?
A place people come to gain something for life, instead of being robbed off everything- their very souls- for eternity???

Correction of historic facts

Original post: 6/16/2009 10:49:00 PM

With all due respect to Mufti Muneeb-ur- Rahman (chairman moon sighting council), who said on the Geo TV show Capital Talk, that Pervez Musharraf created the mess including the Taliban, who are making it a hell for us all.

No fan of Musharraf myself, yet need to bring a few known facts to his attention.

Sir! Taliban were created by the ISI and General Zia on orders and monetary “Free Flow” from the CIA and the USA (any difference between two?).  This fact was endorsed and acknowledged by President Reagan, and most recently by Hillary Clinton- the US Secretary of State.

President Reagan hailed the then Mujahideen fighters of the then Jihad as “the heroes of 20th century”, when he invited all of the Mujahideen leaders to the lawns of the White House!  And now, as soon as the century has taken a turn – all of a sudden- the same “heroes” have become the worst “villains”!

Who left them high and dry after using them to serve their selfish purpose?  the US!  Who never thought of bringing any change to their lives, after the situation on the ground changed? the US!  Whose fault is it that they were never trained to do anything else but fight?  the US!  Who exactly left the gullible folks in the hallucination of a bright prospect because they had the killer gold (opium) in their possession?  The US!

Who called them the “heroes” in the first place?  the US!…  and who called them the villains first of all?  The US! 

Who gave them the money and the weapons at first?  the US!  why should we not believe it is the same source now that provides them with the daily $50 and the most sophisticated weaponry.  The most professional army like Pakistan does not have anything similar to theirs, and is begging like hungry street urchins from the US, to give them a morsel!

Although, these “villains” are being paid $50 per day for their “services”, and whoever refuses this generous offer is beheaded and hung in the main square of the town! These jobless and skill- less, and -so many times- illiterate; and all too often, desperate for job and money, are  so easily ensnared by these vicious tactics.

Would love to know who is giving them the $50, and how are they able to sustain the inflow and supply of cash without a bank account and a complete blockade of the area?  Are the US drones throwing $ together with bombs?

Everyone now seems to be able to make the distinction between the three main categories of Taliban in Pakistan. One: “genuinely” misled and brainwashed, who actually want the Shariah Law and –according to them- are perhaps “serving” the cause of Islam by all  their acts of “purifying” the Land of the Pure.  Second: those who are criminals and have found a way to “blend in” with the crowd by saying they too are serving Islam.  Third: foreign elements- which can again be subdivided into minor subcategories (a. self proclaimed jihadis,who have come to help their fellow Muslim brothers  b. agents of Pakistani enemies who have jumped to the opportunity to destroy us!)

The stories abound and are out in the open that many of these are not even Muslims, and indulge in all kinds of unislamic activities- that would otherwise be considered completely forbidden- by the kind of hard core Muslims, they  proclaim themselves to be! 

ok, eating swine and drinking alcohol to keep themselves alive in harsh conditions, can be an argument; but please, enlighten me, if watching porn can also save a dying and starving talib?!

Finally, the question arises:  if these Taliban are really inspired by their comrades in Afghanistan

(even today, Taliban  are not outcasts in Afghanistan!)-  then, why not cause people to welcome them out of free will, and why not make people tell the army and the government that it’s Taliban they want and not the operation “Rah-e- Rast”? 

After all, it was Afghan Talibans’  treatment of the captured British journalist Yvonne Ridley, that convinced her to study Islam and embrace the religion. 

 

The same Yvonne Ridley who brought to light the case of Dr. Afia Siddiqui in the first place! How many Ridleys have we seen in Swat? None!  

Hopefully, some illusions have been cleared regarding the Taliban and their origins.
Mufti sahib, please correct me if I am wrong… sir?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/3673730.stm

Pakistan: Running the gauntlet.

6/4/2009 2:44:12 AM

How much surreal and absurd will it get?  How many more soldiers will we bury before everybody, who CAN DO something, will wake up?  How many mothers’ tears are required to cultivate peace? How much more blood of the sons of the soil is needed to wash away the black deeds of the avaricious?  How many IDPs (Internally Displaced People), are needed to shake up the conscience of the leadership?

Nobody seems to know the answers!

We -the citizens of Pakistan- are anxiously awaiting an end to it all.  Will it come?  We don’t know. 

Do we have a choice?  No!  We can only wait.  How long will this wait be?  We don’t know!

The answers are with God.  The solutions are in God’s hands.  Above all… we are ALL in God’s hands!

We are all "Waiting for Godot"! 

Who is this Godot anyway?

well… for the ordinary citizen- who is only a helpless spectator in this cruel circus!- Godot is most definitely and undoubtedly God and no one else!

For the government: Godot is anything but God!

For them, it is the US aid, they so shamelessly beg for.  For them, it is the shutting off of eyes and ears, to their black deeds and tyranny .  For them, Godot is the money they receive for illegally running the country, so that the US’ dreams are made to come true.  Above all, Godot is the "high" chair they sit on, to salvage their corruption!  Without Godot, they are powerless, aimless, and faceless!

The Pakistani government is under the illusion that, the arrival of "Godot" is the solution to all our problems.  The Pakistani govt. is completely unaware of the nuisance Godot’s arrival will bring with itself.  The govt.  is totally incapable of dealing with, and containing, the menace that this arrival poses to our whole being.

Time has come to wake up and take action.  No Godot will come to save us.  Godot is not a saviour.  It’s an illusion that he is a saviour!  On the contrary… he/it is the plague we must run away from!

Those who will keep waiting for it/him, will be the biggest losers!

If indeed there is a Godot, it’s inside us!  We must explore our innerselves to bring him out.  Our saviour is not out side but inside us!

Our Godot is not the US aid, or the night vision goggles- or for that matter the civil nuclear deal the govt. is so hopelessly begging for!

Our Godot is – and MUST always be, our strongest possible belief in God!  He alone can bring us the salvation we are so desperate for.  God resides inside us… in every IDP’s heart.  They don’t have worldly possessions today, but they can never be deprived of the most precious treasure they have inside them….God!

God is inside every Pakistani’s heart :  Whether fighting face to face with the enemy, or sitting at home wondering whats next.

The soldiers will fight and be rewarded martyrdom.  The "leaders" will steal and plunder and run away to foreign "sanctuaries"!

The Pakistani citizens have opened their hearts and pockets for the displaced brothers and sisters.  We have found our Godot!

Let us all raise our hands to pray: the misguided and the misled also find their true Godot!

Waiting for Godot