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.