Category: Pakistan

If they are treating them—vulnerable women and children—this way in Islamabad, imagine how they treat them back in Balochistan.

Imagine a loved one who is lost, missing, without a trace, and the whereabouts are not being registered. Police not helping. District administration not helping. As if the person never ever existed. Or as if you speak in a language that no one understands.

Imagine, after all the failures, you reach the capital only to be treated like insects—water showers, threats, police raids, no media coverage.

Imagine getting missed in pursuit of your missing loved ones.

This winter is harsh. There’s been no sun since mid-December. It’s probably the harshest winter passing through the country. Blankets feel useless. And then there are people who left their homes in this same winter, marched all across the country to reach the capital, now sitting on roads, sleeping on pavements for days in and days out… For nothing.

Imagine the suffering with another layer of suffering and suffering becoming cliche itself. Overused. Overemphasized.

And then imagine again: if they treat them this way in Islamabad, how would they have treated them back in Balochistan.

Good luck to over 66,000 MDCAT students today. See! You all won’t qualify. There are not that many MBBS seats.

Some will miss the test today.
Some will be asked to leave the center.
Afterwards, a whole lot won’t be able to score competitively.

And it doesn’t really matter in the long-run.

Your life will settle and will make its path on its own. Like a river finding its way from mountains to plains to all the way to the ocean. The final destination.

I too had my share of missings. Couldn’t opt the field I wanted to. Couldn’t get to the college I wanted to (that’s also because I forgot to apply there). Couldn’t even think to apply for the university of my choice because of very low marks in FSc (63%). The only focus was to finish library books in the university (which I did pretty well), and passed out with 2.52 GPA. Failed Preci when I scored 65 in Essay in CSS. And the next time when I passed it all, couldn’t manage to be on the final merit list with an allocation. That CSS journey happened without any teacher, any academy, or any book.

But. Nothing matters. It hurts in that moment. A lot. But then there is this awakening and you get to know how foolish you were going to stay otherwise.

Today, there isn’t any remorse of those missings. Nothing at all. Never left a room like an idiot with a standing ovation. And this matters to me the most. Because when I see those who are what I wanted to become, I feel peaceful. I am way better off with the world I have inside my mind.

Anyway.

It looks like I am writing for those who are not going to make it. Maybe because I can relate to them more. This way, you can relate to me as well. That’s the sad part.

Good luck with life. It’s messed up no matter what.

Once upon a time, a Chief Justice went against the Boy. The boy got angry and dragged the chief by his collar and threw him out of his office. This angered the law fraternity.

They stood up. Turned around. And burned the citadel down.

The boy had to run away out of the country with a tail between his legs. Didn’t face courts again even when he was ordered to be hanged till death.

That was a time of martial law. Direct martial law. Nothing in disguise.

Today, the Chief Justice isn’t even ready to take such a risk even though he knows a whole majority will stand with him. But no. No my dear.

And this is not a time of martial law. This is worse. This is the devolutionary process passing at a uniformed pace.

But. Don’t worry. Just wait and watch. Countries and nations pass through these stages before becoming something. Nothing stands forever. Neither good nor bad.

#SakiNama who was about to become #Rasputin but was denied through transparent polling.

First, you make sugar. With cheapest labor. Subsidized electricity. And rent seeking.

Then you share your output with the cartel members. Numbers. Tons.

Then you export the sugar. Best is Afghanistan. The whole logistics get its undue share. Particularly the boys and the bureaucrats.

Then, sugar shortage is created in the local market and is widely publicized. Which isn’t even a lie.

And then, you import the exact same sugar that you had exported. At much higher rates.

This is how this business of sugar works here. The same has been successfully experimented on rice and wheat in past. Ideally, it’s one commodity per season. You don’t do all in a single time. No. Don’t be a greedy idiot.

This was lesson 101 on selling a product. Twice. It’s B2B to BC Selling.

Boys give free pass and route to such exports. Like Ehsan Ullah Ehsan got. Oops! I didn’t intend to deviate.

Since deviated already, have you ever wondered why it’s always Narowal or Sialkot sector that gets firings from the neighbor? Why not Lahore? Is it because DHA is just over the border? Or is it also a business of war working like a cartel?

Buzz off mate! I said no oops-i-did-it-again today.

Anyway. Bureaucrats do all the redtapism to make the impossible, possible; without a burden on conscientiousness. The only burden they afford is on national exchequer.

While these subsidies on elite businesses are generated through extra taxes on everything that can’t be taxed. The politicians approve these subsidies. To divide a blame of wrongdoings, they approve such things through cabinet meetings.

That’s the crux. You can arrest one man. But you cannot arrest a whole cabinet.

That’s how the cartel and its logistics make money.

By the way, a big bureaucrat died recently. Yes, all praises. In awe. Obviously. Death of a big gun is always heart wrenching. But that death reminds me of an incident that happened in Punjab not long ago. Pretty low but nothing unusual from a usual bureaucrat. That has been mentioned here on this page. But for now, offer your condolences and prayers.

Hush now. May you all rest in peace too.

Bajwa. He’s the most democratic Chief I’ve ever seen.

Pizza. No. He’s clean. I’m satisfied because he has written a letter to me. He should head CPEC and make Papa John proud.

Ghafoor. My 5th Gen good boy.

Faiz. Umm! Too chief to be good.

Three years have passed? Jesus! Didn’t realize that. Let me move the constitutional amendment for you my boy. Ask Faiz to bring all the parliamentarians in agreement.

Asma Jahangir died. One less traitor in the country.

We are on one page. In fact, we only have one page. It’s so nice to be on that page.

Missing people? We have made a bill. But it’s missing. That means there are no missing people but missing pages.

Musharraf. No, he’s not a traitor. Courts are wrong. Shouldn’t be tried at home. Absolutely not. Nawaz? Yes, absolutely yes.

2013. Rigged. 2018. Free and fair.

Pashteen. Treacherously ridiculous. Ban him.

Tere bin Laden is shaheed. Oh! Sorry. Shaheed.

Dead bodies. Can’t blackmail me. They died because they lived in Balochistan. And those who live, die.

ARY. That’s the only channel offering truth. GEO always demoralizes my boys. Sorry, our boys.

Media is free. As long as it is not critical of my boys. Make fun of me. Slightly. But boys, no. Ban it Pemra. Pick those who do.

Munir. No comments. But I request him to come and talk. Let’s talk. I’m ready for anything. No Faiz? No problem.

Ehsan Ullah Ehsan escaped? Never heard of him.

Ali Wazir? Who? In jail? Must have done something. Some treason.

Bajwa is accomplice. Yes. You are right. Faiz? No. You are.

Moral: No morals. No ethos. No pathos. No logos.

Conclusion: Likewise. Nawaz became democrat as soon as he was kicked in the bum. I became a democrat the same way too.

Herd’s conclusion: See, we are all woke now. IK has opened our eyes and has exposed the boys for the first time in the history of homo sapiens.

There are two ways:

1. Invest millions. Campaign day and night. Speak a lot. Bicker. Argue. Work hard. Hold the right testes in left hand. Win elections. Become a CM.

2. Fraud with taxes. Make business. Earn a name. Make a fortune. Sit with the wrong people in the right positions. No need of elections. Hold the right testes in left hand. Become a caretaker CM. Violate the constitution and stay a non-caretaker CM with as much power.

These are the two ways.

Mohsin Naqvi is Way 2 go in Punjab. For now. So good with holding. The chair.

The only difference is the stability. One has to hold. With fear, care, love, and affection without an iota of disgust for the disgusting.

Now over to duffers:

A little face-saving – of the constitution – could have been possible by changing the caretaker setup with another caretaker setup after every 90 days. But no. Constitution doesn’t matter. Face-saving doesn’t matter either. The only thing that matters is: they have the power, and they know how to demonstrate it.

With that, India is over the moon. Pakistan is still struggling with the ‘general’ problem.

Nawaz: I want Dar to be the Caretaker PM.

Zardari: No. We had SS. Now it’s our turn.

Fazlu: Where’s my turn?

Zardari: You are not playing.

Asim: Decide and let me know. So I may reject.

Dar: Make me the CPM. I will stay neutral. I promise.

Zardari: Will you get the surgery done?

Dar: What for?

Nawaz: To become neutral. Like Bajwa. Don’t be an arse Dar.

Dar: I was serious.

Fazlu: So was I.

Asim: You boys are never serious.

Zardari: But you boys are always serious.

Asim: Don’t taunt.

Zardari: Just don’t make me focus on you boys else I can be a cunning…

Asim: Husband?

Zardari: Father.

Nawaz: Guys! Let us decide this. I am always for synergy. Let’s do it together.

Fazlu: So, am I in too now?

Asim: No.

Dar: And me.

Asim: [on intercom] Escort Dar.

PA: Escorts now?

Asim: Not those escorts bloody well! Take this Dar out of the room.

PA: Sir.

Nawaz: So, let’s final. What do you say Zardari.

Zardari: Let it be Jillani.

Nawaz: Done.

Asim: Ok.

— Next Day — Escorts Room —

Asim: [on phone] It can’t be PPP or PMLN. It should be our BAP. Kakar to be the CPM.

PA: Sir.

Even in martial laws, elections were held. Engineered or faked, but couldn’t be ignored. Such was the power of polls. Against poles.

Ayub held elections in 1962. ‘Defeated’ Fatima Jinnah.

Yahya held elections in 1970. Didn’t like the results. Dissected.

Zia held non-party elections in 1985 to bring Junejo. But Junejo proved to be more democrat than democratic civilians.

Musharraf held elections in 2002. Brought PMLQ. Rhymed so well.

Musharraf, again, held elections in 2008. His tombstone.

And here comes 2023. Elections unconstitutionally delayed in two provinces already. Another unconstitutional delay in General Elections on cards. The devolution from engineered and robbed elections has reached ‘no elections’. So well.

3-4 years down the road, PMLN would be facing these laws / amendments that they happily passed in recent days. They will soon be crying, like they did in the past, but then they won’t have anymore support for their crocodile tears.

Some of the seniors would be jailed. By the same powers beyond the judiciaryudiciary. They won’t have as much support as they once had when NS named Bajwa and Faiz in Gujranwala in 2020.

They will again shout and make noise for democracy. And votes. And human rights. And freedom of speech. Blah blah.

And they will be eating their vomit. Again. Without a shame.

That’s also the first political maneuvering that Maryam Nawaz has learnt from her father. That is: when in doubt, lick boots.

PPP will never face such a thing. Since BB, they learned never to stand for democracy. Bilawal roars in the parliament from time to time, for civil supremacy, but that’s an act they perform in theaters only.

Wait. Don’t go. His Highness isn’t finished yet.
If IK will get a chance – somehow or someway – he will do exactly the same things he did to empower boys. He will replace SS and no one will feel a change.

Because this is all we have. These three and the second in tiers – like PMLQ, MQM, BAP, etc. – are all from the same origin. Even LeJ, TTP… leave it. You can’t handle the truth.

Remember the extension? Apart from the 21st amendment of 2015, these politicians never stood united. Except for the extension in 2019. And if you look closely, the two were the same things and these kids were ordered to behave united.

Unite them. Pass the rule. The divide and rule. How cool!

Anyway.

Before you shed another tear for the one in jail at the moment, he never shed any for his fellow parliamentarian – Ali Wazir – who remained in jail for over a year in his tenure. He didn’t give rat’s ass for anyone except himself.

Dead bodies blackmailed him. Never listened to the atrocities that happened in the whole western belt. TTP came back in action. All he did was nothing except to stand with the perpetrators, until tragedy started to emerge in the mirror.

Smoke and mirror. Smokescreen. Too bad.
It’s a repeat telecast. It will happen again. Heroes will become villains. Villains will become heroes. However, in reality, there won’t be any heroes. Only villains. To be ruled by the Lucifer.

Faiz said, hum dekhain gay. Wo din. Jiska wa’ada hai. Hum dekhain gay.

But he missed that there is another promise too. A promise that was made with the Lucifer. To rule the world. With evil and power.

We shall see. For sure. It’s a promise. But we shall not see that to be fulfilled here. Not in this world.

All the Prophets stood for the same. Then all the philosophers too. Thinkers too. Marx brainstormed all his life to make an equal society. Writers. With words. Aimed for justice. Activists. Revolutionists. So many. So more.

Yet, here we are. After thousands of years of struggle, the struggle is exactly the same. With the internet, modern devices, mass transit, banking, modern economics, fast food, globalization, space travel, and everything around us; the struggle for the basics is exactly the same.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to keep going. As incorruptible. As clean. As a person you once read about in a good novel.

That’s all. Till you will be called. To stand up. To turn around. To burn the citadel down.

In the last scene of ‘The Trial of Chicago 7’, Hayden takes out a document in the court and begins reading the names of the 4, 752 U.S. troops killed in the Vietnam War since the beginning of that trial, in front of the Judge. That was outrageous because the Judge asked him to be brief.

Hayden did that because each name was not just a name but a whole life. A person. A person who lost life for nothing.

Each name was equal. Regardless of political affiliation, religion, race, creed, caste, color, or whatever.

The same should be the voice here in Pakistan.

Each and every missing person should be equally known. Whereabouts of everyone should be traced. Trials should be public. And nothing should be against the constitution.

I know. I know.

Some we may not know.
Some we don’t agree with.
Some we despise for their opinions.
Some were supporting exactly what they are going through now.

But some were asking for basic rights.
Some just said a few words.
Some were just taken out for nothing.
And some were nothing more than a collateral damage.

Deviation: tagging a human life as ‘collateral damage’ should be the 1st sin of all the deadly sins.

Nonetheless, in the end, they are all victims. They have been deprived and robbed. So, they should be remembered and should be voiced with equality.

Debates can take place again when they are out. You can still disagree with those you want to.

We can’t bring back those who are already dead or killed. Those who lost everything. Buried or not. Unidentified graves. Mutilated or not. We can’t compensate their families.

But names of all killed and buried in that line must also be known. There should be two lists.

A whole lot never accepted that this actually happens. They didn’t see. They didn’t hear. Hence, they didn’t speak. Now that time is long gone. Everyone knows that this happens.

So, remember all. Each and everyone. And speak without discrimination and hypocrisy. Particularly for those you despise or disagree with. This will help to evolve.