Month: May 2024

The Curious Case of ‘Evidence’ in Pakistan

Rape: Four witnesses. Or a video in good print. DNA test is a big no.

Forced Conversion: A video message at gun point to dismiss the case instantly.

Murder: First of all, a dead body. Then it depends on the murderer. 444 can’t convict. 1 can.

Treason: A tweet would be enough.

Blasphemy: A blame would be more than enough.

Abduction: Can’t be proved until the abducted person comes forward himself. But then, he/she isn’t abducted.

Honor killing: A dead body. Followed by a long trial to acquittal for all. After all, it’s a family matter.

Harassment: Ah! Tricky slope of sin. It happens. And it never happens. No evidence is enough. Yet, a blame is enough.

Drugs: No urine test. No blood test. Nothing for evidence. Depends on who is not in power.

Fraud: Cannot be proved. Even banks don’t know who transferred the money to whom and where through bank accounts.

Theft: Clear CCTV footage where a burglar shows his CNIC. Otherwise, a future encounter will close the case.

Virginity: Two finger-test. It can escalate. In case… consent.

Civil rights: A mutilated dead body would be needed.

Mass murders: More than one mutilated dead bodies would be needed.

State violence: Instantly proved. Instantly dismissed. Instant transfers. Instantly forgotten.

Corruption: A jigsaw puzzle where rules and laws are presented but then there are countering rules and laws. Can never be proved. Bureaucracy on both sides.

Civil disobedience: To be a civilian is civil disobedience in itself.

And the list can go on.

9th May – The First Anniversary

Jinnah remained homeless in the city. The city, which gave home to everyone in history, was unable to provide shelter to the father of the nation.

But history didn’t stop even after his death. Lahore kept on finding a suitable home for the very suitable Jinnah.

On the auspicious day of May 9th, 2023; hundreds of archaeologists of Lahore went out of their homes. Crossed every hurdle. Even the defense of the defenseless. And they finally found one in a mansion hidden from the eyes of civilian beholders.

After 75 years to his death, Jinnah found a home. Not just a home but his home. He had a home. The sacrifice of archeologists in this regard is yet to be written in the books of history.

And His Highness would be remembered to be the first one to pen words on the sacrifice of those who unfolded new pages of the history of Lahore. And Jinnah.

The first anniversary should not forget the unsung archaeologists. The others, may remember it as an Urs.

P.S. The difference between 2 May and 9 May is of 7 days and 13 years. Nothing else. With that, condemnable-good-mourning!

Dil Se… (1998)

Entire Bollywood on one side, and Dil Se would stand taller on the other side. The story, dialogues, frustration, love, music, songs, and everything is remarkable.

All India Radio. What if we change it with Radio Pakistan? How relatable it can be?

Imagine going to Balochistan or western belt of KP or any other periphery of Pakistan and you may find things that are not as they are shown on the mainstream media. The truth may take 180-degree turn during your journey. That’s how significant that movie was. Yet, underrated and only known for its music by A. R. Rahman.

The tiny details in the movie were astounding. Like the seven stages of love in Satrangi Re: hub (attraction), uns (infatuation), ishq (love), aqidat (trust / reverence), ibadat (worship), junoon (madness), and maut (death). The movie categorically covered all these seven stages beyond that song.

What if there is an entire narrative of nationalism, security, patriotism, and religion? And then, what if there is a stronger counter-narrative: of love?

The frustration of love – a prerequisite – was there. Just when it looked that love was going to walk its due course, the surroundings changed so significantly that it became impossible to live or love. After all, only unfulfilled love stories are remembered as ‘love stories’ worth narrating. Because afterwards, is just a disaster.

Another movie of this genre is ‘The Last Sumari” of Tom Cruise. The music was equally good by Hans Zimmer. When the protagonist was captured by the ‘savages’ in the movie, he not only saw the truth, but he became part of the truth. Fell in love. Rose as a new warrior. From fighting on one side of the battle, he chose the other side and fought for the truth and honor rather than national duty.

Watch Dil Se… for once. And watch it with a wide spectrum so you may connect the dots in your own national and security settings.

Society of the Dead

The Local Graveyard Committee of the Dead was called before dawn, not unusual as graveyards work in moonlight. It was an emergency case, though not a new one. The elders thought it was enough.

The eldest of the graveyard cried that they were unable to do anything even when they could see all that happened in front of them for hours. That too in the broad night when all the dead were awake.

Another newly-dead-woman was dug out of her grave and was raped by two men. They came some hours after the final proceedings and did what should never have been imagined. It was neither usual nor an unusual incident for the dead but after all, it was ugly. For all. Without dissent. Because hormones decompose with the body and even the cursed ones become impotent when they are laid to rest. And they rest.

After a long discussion, the committee decided to decay themselves rapidly with a foul smell to keep living men away in such scenarios. The amendment was passed unanimously by dead-men. The elders.

But the dead-women and children retaliated. A dead-boy accused a dead-elder of sodomy back in days when both were above the surface. A dead-woman accused a dead-elder of rape in life. A dead-girl accused her teacher. A dead-male accused his qari sahib of raping him and some of his class fellows. The whole graveyard erupted in chaos.

The eldest of the graveyard cried again. He asked the heavens to fall and prayed to God to have mercy on the non-beings. He raised his hands and cursed the dead society of the graveyard that lightning may strike the ugliest one right here and right now to set an example.

And the heavens made a move.

Lightning thundered to prepare for a feast of the dead souls. The wind made a move from one grave to another to choose the most cursed one. Serial rapists. Harassers. Sodomists. Killers. Abductors. Who was to be struck down with lightning from hell?

The angels decided and inferno’s thunder fell on a grave, making a heatwave of a bomb. The whole graveyard fell in shock. The wind stopped. The thunder moved back to the open sky. The beastly angels from Hell came down to pick the most cursed soul to be transferred for punishment.

The eldest – who cried twice – was picked up. He was to be made an example of himself and for himself as he himself prayed a while back. He was punished for knowing what was happening inside the madrassah; not with one child or two but many, while he kept praying for himself and forgiveness of the mankind… knowing very well that a man is never kind.

You Missed Me?

You missed me?

I did not.

With so many ATL references that one cannot not miss, liar!

Such a lousy user of words. ATL?

Above the line. It’s a marketing and advertising term.

You market and advertise yourself?

Subconsciously. Step by step. Person by person. With already marketed references of glamorous impact.

That’s BTL.

Whatever. It’s an indirect way for deep impact.

How?

Books. Tolstoy. Activism. Snowden. Harsh truths. Arundhati Roy. Asma Jahangir. Conscientious objector. Like no one. Tyler Durden. To give mayhem a chance. So, I may narrate. The narrator. Songs. Hey you! Out there on your own, sitting naked by the phone, would you touch me?

I would never touch you.

Those were lyrics. Touch is suffocating. More disgusting than interruption. What was I saying? Yes. And Messi. You know, the most beautiful thing about Messi is that he doesn’t know he’s Messi. Like Cillian Murphy. But Cillian Murphy is nothing on my list of the list. Anyway, once bitten, never forgets.

Let me be honest. You write beautiful words as if they are divinely revealed on you, yet you are so shameless and disgraceful. You are without an iota of sense of what happens afterwards.

I’m just the messenger.

Ok messenger! Do they know that you have already written the scripture. Why don’t you reveal it to the world.

That was for you.

Take it back.  

Then I have to burn it.

I don’t care because your words are a scripture of hypocrisy.

You may publish those later in life like the letters to Milena or the letters to Salome.

So that hardheartedness can be published and propagated?

Would be a magnum opus.

As if the followers are waiting for the magnum opus.

Subconsciously, yes.

Fantasies. What about the practical implementation of the magnum opus?

Up to the believers.

Shameless!

Indifferent.

Ridiculous. How miserable you are when you speak.

I’m just the…

You are a false…

You missed me.