Ugly politics and irresponsible media

It was one of the defining moments of Pakistani history when Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto last visited East Pakistan to dialogue with Sheikh Mujeeb Ur Rehman to find a solution of the deteriorating situation. When He reached there the environment was mysterious, presence of armed men at the residence of Mujeeb was indicative of the Mujeeb's motives and intentions. Dialogue failed as it was evident from those terrifying circumstance created to welcome Bhutto. The fate of East Pakistan had already been decided earlier during the General Elections of 1970, when none of the leading parties Awami League and PPP won a single seat in West and East Pakistan respectively. What happened afterwards is a lesson for our people, politicians and the forces which claim to protect our motherland.

The last night's episode of the ugly discussion and statements against each other by MQM and PML-N is evident that our politicians have learnt nothing else from the debacles of past. PML-N should be blamed for starting such an ugly episode by targeting the MQM chief, but the MQM leaders ruined the hard work they made in last few years to gain a status of a representative of masses. They targeted each other and even used unethical, uncivilized and slang language to show their dissent towards each other. This was not the first time as they have been targeting each other for quite some time but the tone this time was painful. It is a matter of grave concerns the both parties are limited to their own dens despite of the claims of representing masses but more depressing is the fact that they are not willing to come out of it. The politics in Pakistan is quite similar to the 1970’s episode as most of the parties are limited to some certain areas and they are dividing the masses on the basis of language and cast. This is shameful; our politicians need to be more responsible in this regard as we have already lost a one of our wings due to this divide.

Moreover the ugliest part of this shameful episode was the role of media, we always learnt about media ethics, media responsibility, and code of conduct where they are? The TV channels aired the shameful statements again and again despite of the fact that some of them were not only unethical but also slang. Time has come to devise a code of ethics for TV channels to stop these types of broadcast. The producers, directors and specially the programs anchors/hosts need education and proper training as most of them are naïve and illiterate (the broadcast is evident). The media should know the power it possesses and show more responsibility towards the matters of national interests in order to safeguard the ideological boundaries of Pakistan. May God save our national unity.

"But I have promises to keep"

Last night I met a friend who had been living in Saudi Arabia since December 2005, last time we met on December 19, 2005. He never returned home in these long five years. What are you feeling now? , what have you achieved in these 5 years? I welcomed him with a bombardment of silly questions. I am so sad to meet him after so long without achieving the prosperity which he promised to his family in turn of the long absence. But he seemed to be very satisfied with himself and said that he had performed Hajj twice and many Umra's . "Money is not everything my dear friend" He told me. It was a snowy evening of December when he last met me on the beautiful hill station of Kashmir. I asked him " why are you going to ruin your life in foreign when you can make a respectable living for yourself  here?" He repeated the beautiful line of frost's poem (we used to sing in the school days) “Because I have promises to keep". He did not stop at the woods on that snowy evening as he had to earn more money to keep his promises. Now he has learndt in five long years that money is not everything but i am standing at the other side of the bridge now. "Money is very important my dear" I explained, your mother, brothers and specially fiancé' whom you had promised, are anxiously waiting for you. Now he is going back to enjoy those snowy evenings and cold nights, but would he? I am wondering since his departure to home,as I never understood how important is money and other materialistic things to enjoy the life on the snowy evenings in cold winter?

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village, though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sounds the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.


Robert Frost

Kisse Wakeel Karain Kis Se Munsafi Chahain?

On December 4, Jameel Fakhri appeared on television appealing the US and Pakistani governments to inform him about the whereabouts of his son, who had been found missing from USA since early months of 2009. He was looking pale, tired and hopeless; I got engaged in arguments with one of my colleagues about the missing son of Jameel Fakhri. He had the idea that most of the young people deliberately do this in order to enjoy their foreign life, and according to him Ayaz Fakhri was one of them. But two days passed after his press conference on television, the Pakistani diplomats in USA confirmed that Ayaz Fakhri has been killed and his body will soon be carried and handed over to bereaved parents.

After watching Jameel Fakhri on television screen, I found myself wandering in the alluring days of my childhood, when we used to wait for Friday to watch Andhera Ujala a classic drama series of Jameel Fakhri. An artist is meant to bring smiles and hope to people like us but the recent entry of Jameel Fakhri brought a grief and sorrow to every Pakistani specially me.


Who killed his son and why? It remains a mystery but the role of US and Pakistani officials in this case is more questionable. A young man missing for the last two years from a modern state like America, where a missing dog can be traced within minutes? shocking, isn't it? The silence of Pakistani embassy in USA on this issue in more mysterious, why were they not been able to spot the missing Ayaz for the last 22 months? More interestingly they announced his death just after two days of Jameel Fakhri's appeal aired by some television channels. Time will tell what the case was but, it is very disgusting that an artist and a mother have been deprived of their loving son and they do not know who did this and why.


Since 9/11 world has become a hell on the earth for Muslims especially Pakistani Muslims thanks to our brothers fighting for their so called Islamic ideology. Pakistanis living in the foreign are a consistent target of biased and unfair treatment from the champions of humanity after that self created mess. We can not deny that some of our brothers and sisters had been involved in condemnable activities in the recent past but why had they not been put to fair trial? If Afia Siddiqui or Saddam Hussain were criminals, they should have been given full access to the right of self defense and they should have been dealt with justice. But their trial and judicial killing of Saddam Hussain have exposed the entire Western community. And now killing of a young man in USA raised questions as whether the laws and regulations in the West are only to safeguard the interests of these so-called democratic and modern states? USA is repeatedly complaining about the Pakistani public’s anti America sentiments despite of its help and aid to Pakistan, but they need to check their own backyard to find out who is to blame for.


A request: Our country is the best place on earth to live in, it is a land of opportunities, we have to dig them out and build our own future. Believe me those who consider the foreign as a heaven always get disappointment and sorrow there, non of my friends living in other countries is happy and prosperous there. Yes they may be the better options for education but not for the future settlement, so please come back. We can make our future better in Pakistan and in this way making our country better place to live in. God bless all my countrymen living in and outside it.

The Message (1976)

This blog is created to discuss the power of messages we come across daily in countless number through various media. I would like to share and discuss the views on various issues of Mass media through this blog.

I just watched the clips of The famous film 'The Message" running on Geo TV and the voice of Imran Aslam narrating the last sermon of Hazrat Mohammad (peace be upon him), so I decided to discuss it first up.

The film "The Message" was produced in 1976 by Mustafa Akkad (a Syrian-American) based on the historical surge of Islam in the desert of Arab in the early days. The film shot in Morroco and Libya, was one of the most controversial accounts of Islamic history pictured so far. The film producer faced a strong reaction from various Muslim scholars throught the world, the worst part was the riots in USA and Syria by Muslim community.

The film did not depicted on the screen the personalities like Hazrat Mohammad (peace be upon him), azdwaj mutaharrat (prophet's wives), daughters and four caliphs. But the other prominent sahaba (the holy companions of Prophet Mohammad) such as Hazrat Hamza (R.A), Hazrat Zaid (Z.A), Hazrat Bilal (R.A) and other sahaba (R.A) were depicted and their roles were played by different actors and actresses.

Geo TV aired the film first time through its channel in 2005, I watched the film keenly as I have already heard about the film and wanted to critically follow it. The film was aired twice afterwards, but I never found a single reaction from our people, specially religious people (I expected a lot from them).

The film itself is a failed attempt to portray the historical success of the greatest era of Islam. I was very depressed to see the childish effort of the producer as filming the most significant event of the human history can not be completed without depicting the hero and his close companions through camera lens. And non of the actors can dare to play a role of Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) and no director can be given the permission to do that either. Whoever gave the idea of this film was a bankrupt technically and morally. But my concerns are with my own people as why no one in Pakistan ever reacted to the mess created through airing the film in Pakistan? Common people are very vulnerable against the strong media messages through the films and dramas depicting the religions specially in this case.

The most interesting part of the story is that the film was nominated for 1977 Oscar award for best music category.

Mustafa Akkad was allegedly killed in attack from Al-Qaeda in 2005 along with his daughter .

Mein kis kay hath pe apna lahu talash karon

The recent killing incidents in Karachi badly exposed the mental and intellectual bankruptcy of our leaders. They blamed each other for worst ever law and order situation instead of making meaningful efforts to overcome the deteriorating situation. One of the leading party member from Lyari begged Pakistan army to take over the city, the other coalition party also demanded for the deployment of army to control the election process in Karachi. I dont know, when will these so-called public leaders learn a lesson from the past? I think never.


However I am not going to discuss this mess, I want to discuss an interesting statement from responsible of a coalition party from Peshawar. He said, "Hamar paida hoone wala har bachha kisi bhi awaz se pehle bandooq ki goli ki awaz sunta hai, is liye humein majboor na kiya jaye agar hum ne bandooq utha li toh Karachi waloon ko kaheen jaga nahee milay ge".


Pakhtuns are a brave and hardworking cast and they should be proud of their contribution in wars and battles fought for the sake of our country and religion. But who are these people who are maligning pakhtuns with their ugly politics, they are not the true representatives of pakhtuns, neither the warlords in Afghanistan represent the whole pakhtun cast, instead they are responsible or the miseries and troubles, the pakhtuns facing in Pakistan and Afganistan.


Another epic from Zehra Nigah skillfully revelas the facts linked with this klashinkov politics.

Gul Badshah

Naam mera hai Gul Badshah,
Umr meri ha tera baras
Aur kahani meri, umr ki tarah ,
Mukhtasir, Mukhtasir , Muntashir, Muntashir
Meri be-naam be-chehra maa'n,
Be-dawa mar gayi
Baap ne usko burqay mein dafna diya
Usko darr tha kay munkar, nakeer uska chehra na dekh lain
Wasie zinda thee, tab bhi wo madfoon thee

Baap ka naam, zartaj gul, Umr battees baras
Wo mujahid, shahadat ka taalib
Raah e haq ka musafir hua
Aur jaam e shahadat bhi usne meray chaacha kay hathoon piya
Jo shamali mujahid tha, aur punj waqta namazi bhi thaa
To masala iss shahadat ka paichaida hai
Iss ko behtar yehi hai waheen chhorr dain

Ab baharhaal, baba to jannat mein hai
Uss ki banhoon mein hoor o qasur
Uss kay hathoon mein jaam e tahur
Meri taqdeer mein, bom dhamakay, dhuaan
Pighalti zamee'n aur bikharta hua aasmaa'n
Baad az maut wo zinda hai aur
Zindagi mujhse sharminda hai!

Kal sar e shaam dushman ne jaate huay
Bum kay humraah barsa diye
Mujh pe kuchh zard thhailay
Jin mein mujhko milay
Gol roti kay tukday
Aik makhhan ki tikya
Aur aik sharbat ki botal
Aur murabbay ka aik dabba
Iss kay badlay mein woh le gaye
Mere bhai ka dast e mushaqqat
Jis mein mannat ka dhora bandha thaa
meri chhoti behan ka woh paon, jis se rung e hina phhoot'ta thaa

log kahte hain yeh amn ki jang hai
Aur amn ki jang mein hamla-awar
Bachhoon ko be-dasta o paa chhortay hain
Unko bhooka nahee chhortay
Aakhir insaaniyat bhi koi cheez hai!

Mein dahaktay pahadoon mein tanha
Apne tarkay ki bandooq thamay khada hoon
Tamasha e ahl e karam dekhta thaa
Tamsaha e ahl e karam dekhta hoon
Naam mera hai Gul Badshah
Umr meri hai tera baras

SUNA HAI JUNGLUN KA BHI KOI DASTOOR HOTA HAI

I am feeling sad to start my blog with something sad, but the prevailing situation in our beloved city forced me to do so. I still remember when i first entered Karachi years ago, with sweet memories of my father and our old happy days. I still remember the days when we used to visit Karachi in winter holidays with our beloved father. How beautiful and peaceful was the city in those days? but what happened during last 20 years is a horrible reality for all karachiittes. The recent events of terror reminded me of the unfortunate events in the mid 90's, which caused thousands of death, destruction of property and business. This beautifull city deserved something defferent than this. God bless all Karachittes peace, safety and hormony.

Suna hai janglun ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai
Suna hai sher ka jab pait bhar jaye
to woh hamla nahee karta
Darakhton ki ghani chhaon mein ja kar let jata hai
Hawa kay taiz jhonke jab darakhton ko hilate hain
To maina apne bache chhor kar
Kawway kay andon ko paron mein tham leti hai
Suna hai ghonsle se koi bacha gir paray to
sara jungle jaag jata hai
Suan hai jab kisis naddi kay pani mein
baye kay ghonsle ka gandami saaya larazta hai
To naddi ki rupehli machhlyaan usko padosi maan leti hain
Koi tufan aa jaye koi pull toot jaye toh
Kisis lakri kay takhtay par
Gulehri, saanp, bakri aur cheetah sath hotay hain
Suna hai janglon ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai
Khuda wanda, jaleel o mohtbar
Daana o beena, munsif o akbar
Mere is shahr mein
Ab janglon ka he koi qanoon nafiz kar

ZEHRA NIGAH