2010 July

Shanghai noon

Posted on July 31, 2010 //

As I write this, I have just returned from a whirlwind tour of the world expo here in Shanghai china. its nearly past midnight and I have stood in hour long lines just to get inside four pavilions at the expo center. More on that later though as I shall start from the beginning of my journey in this land which is both exotic and serene in some parts and bustling like mad with activity in others, this is China.

This is my third visit to China, and each time I come here I cannot help but wonder how much more can one country achieve or gain in terms of economic strength, work ethic as well as the ability to just absorb and deal with things at a scale which only this place can manage. Everything about this country is massive, and you start realizing this when you land at pudong airport in Shanghai one of the largest cities in China and certainly one of the busiest. It used to be a land tough to do business in for foreigners like us because of language barriers and the inability of many locals to deal with the depth which international trading takes in its capacity and scope but that was 10 years ago. Now the airport stretches out for kilometer upon kilometer 40 in its totality making it one of the largest In the world. Imagine about 50 immigration counters with literally foot upon foot of neatly taped pathways leading up to them and you can fathom the amount of volume this place witnesses in passengers.

Yet the new china is everywhere as soon as you make your way to an official, the smile is there plus even a touchscreen console asking how their service is with each passenger. You hand over your passport and the screen says the official is working on it, time of check through 40 seconds and it counts down to the exact moment and goes green as your passport is handed back to you duly stamped.

Outside the city is like a gargantuan vision of the future, the skyline easily outdoing that of new york with row upon row of gleaming superstructures standing with their crowns going past even the clouds. I have come to take part in the Shanghai Textile fair or ITMA as it is most commonly known to international businessmen and it starts the day after I arrive. I check into my hotel and go outside to have dinner, in the past this in itself was a massive ask as the only food available would be Chinese and that takes a palate of considerable fortitude to digest. You see Chinese food available in Pakistan and other places is honed to the local taste, authentic Chinese food is well, something one has to get used to. I have had the misfortune of ordering chicken drumsticks which came with claws attached just to give you an example of exotic going bizarre.

Now however it is a simple matter of getting a taxi and telling the driver that I require Indu (indian/Pak) or Alladin (arabic) or Yankee(American) food and the car zooms you off to the required destination, you just have to get used to their particular slang for different types of food. I prefer Arabic food for its taste and non drowsiness and thus that is what I had, at a restaurant called 1001 nights which served a delicious mix of all sorts of Lebanese and Turkish as well as Irani kebabs and other dishes. It takes roughly 80 rmb to have a meal In a decent restaurant like this in China. USD 100 fetches about 680 rmbs.

Speaking of currency the Chinese rmb is gaining in strength every single day against the us dollar and why would it not, their exports to the U.S and the rest of the western world are staggering. In fact the export of the city of shanghai is more than the total export of our country. Thus the Yankees are forever screaming and coaxing the Chinese to revalue their currency and the Chinese smile and nod as they always do whenever they want to delay a decision and keep matters pending. Suffice to say dealing with them is a game of careful patience and prodding, prod too much and they can get offended, not push at all and you might end up buying something for double the price of what it is supposed to be, all with a smile and a nod and a polite sheshe (thank you).It is cultural chess at its best and it takes some getting used to, there are not many straight answers but still everything gets done at the end of the day because no matter what the Chinese will never willingly let a customer walk away.

This goes on for the entirety of any business discussion you have and the Shanghai textile fair is the prime place to be if you are in the market for any sort of textile machinery or accessories. The fair grounds were divided into 5 east halls and 5 west ones, each hall as big as the expo center in Karachi and filled to the brim with visitors and exhibition booths with various companies from all over the world plying their wares, looking for customers and local representation in all different nations. In 2004 this fair had a total volume of 108204 visitors from over 42 countries, since then the size and the attendance has increased by roughly about 4 times.

This fair went on for 4 days from the 22nd to the 26th of June after which I had a day to go check out the much touted and hyped world expo also taking place in shanghai. Not that if it was in any other city in china it would be a problem to visit, as the entire country can be crisscrossed by bullet trains which are both reasonable in price and quite comfortable. The Chinese government has earned trillions not just from export of their goods but from charging heavy infrastructure taxes from its local population which at official count stood at 1,324,655,000 a year ago. A small example would be the toll way tax that every car has to pay if going from Beijing to Shanghai which amounts to around usd 70. However the government after earning so much is constantly investing billions into the infrastructure with the result that you can take day trips to any of the cities by train and be back at your hotel easily at night, totally safe secure and seamless.

The ticket to the expo was 90 rmb at night and 160 in the day time. Not that bad for an exhibition on the different cultures of so many countries, each one of whom have their own pavilion at the expo site. Nothing however in my recent travels had prepared me for what I witnessed there. For starters the size of the expo was so big, that one has to take a ferry to go from one side of the fair to the next. Each pavilion has aforementioned lines of people sometimes for two blocks to get in at around 930pm at night, in the daytime I heard they were about double the size. However the long walks, the buses between pavilions and the long lines to get in are all worth what you will witness. For instance the china pavilion which you can see in the picture in its glorious red color, was 10 stories high and totally solar powered. That means its roof was all solar panels and it stored electricity via the sun all day to help function its cooling and atmospheric systems. Inside you would find wall to wall LCD’s in fact there were no walls all you see are giant LCD’s and they were so seamless integrated that one could’nt even see the edges, thus all around you is a 3d environment with displays of life and culture of the particular country as well as its famous products et all. The Spanish pavilion was a haunting cave like structure with scenes from the run of the bulls flashing all around me, while a salsa dancer tapped her way into the crowds heart. The French pavilion had wine and cheese and so on. Pakistan had its pavilion too and it was quite grand to see. In fact it felt really good to see the number of foreigners queued up to immerse in our local culture on the outside of this magnificent structure, not very high tech but still a commendable job, specially heart warming to see at night. It took me a total of 4 hours to see 4 pavilions here before I called it a night. Those being saudi arabia, Spain, France and Pakistan.

The expo is going to go on for six months, and I would sincerely advice anyone to go see it, whether you like gadgets or culture or you want to immerse yourself into the oriental mystery that china still possesses it is a fine place for a family vacation or a business trip as well. Plus it is one of the few places left in this world where we as a people are made quite welcome as the Chinese love us as a culture and a country and they have amply displayed this throughout our history with them having always stood by our side no matter what. Even though the prices of hotels will stay jacked up because of the expo and the volumes of people its attracting, this is still a reasonable destination equal In comparison to say Malaysia or Singapore. All you need is a will to go explore something different and you will never ever regret it.

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As published in “The Friday times” on 30/7/2010

Filed Under: Published Articles, Travelogue // Tagged: china, itma 2010, Pakistan, shanghai, shanghai world expo, travel

Feminism in Pakistan

Posted on July 23, 2010 //

Through out the history of our world women have been both neglected, suppressed and trodden down upon in an effort to systematically reduce them to a level lower then men for objectification as well as exploitation. However women’s groups and movements have fought against this oppression and for the equality of women to grant them suffrage, free will, a respectable place in society as well as a chance to make something out of themselves. This is the ethos of feminism and the feminist movement which has its roots in the 18th century in France. Finland was the first country to grant women “suffrage” or the right to vote in 1906, pleasantly enough our country who’s guiding and founding father the Qaid was anopen minded man adopted suffrage for Pakistani women as early as 1947, the year of our creation. However women were still not allowed to vote in the national elections till 1956 and since then have been struggling to increase their presence in the corridors of power.

Many of us think that feminism and the movement are a recent phenomena in Pakistan, naturally so as most of our media outlets still demonize this movement as not just against our religion but influenced by foreign and specifically Zionist policy. This is sadly a very far cry from the truth but then anything in Pakistan which does not suit the popular and corrupt mindset is usually deemed an agenda of some foreign white hall of power which forever hangs over us in our imaginations. This new modern liberating mindset as it is painted has been around ever since the days of Fatima Jinnah who was one of the prime examples of a feminist and a person who fought for women’s rights throughout her life. Rana Liaqut ali khan who founded the “United front for women’s rights” was another pioneer in activism in those days. In fact the early days of the feminism in Pakistan were met with great success as women not only achieved the right to vote but made it part of the constitution to have representation reserved for them in the Parliament from 1956 to 1973. After this came Bhutto era and this really opened up all government services to women including the district management group and the foreign service (in the civil service), which had been denied to them earlier. About 10 percent of the seats in the National Assembly and 5 percent in the provincial assemblies were reserved for women in this era. The 73 constitution which is often and rabidly quoted by all and ball in our land specifically states that “there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.” The Constitution additionally affords the protection of marriage, family, the mother and the child as well as ensuring “full participation of women in all spheres of national life”

Then came the void of Zia’s brutal regime and the discriminatory laws introduced in the shape of the “Hudood Ordinance” and the Qanun-e-Shahadat Order (Law of Evidence Order). He banned women from taking part and from being spectators of sports and promoted purdah. He suspended all fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution that had been adopted in 1973, including the right to be free of discrimination on the basis of sex. He also proposed laws regarding Qisas and Diyat, Islamic penal laws governing retribution (qisas) and compensation (diyat) in crimes involving bodily injury. When the victim was a woman, the amount of diyat was halved.

Basically we started off well and then just when things were looking up for our women folk one man introduced oppression into our very legal framework. The prime example of this is a sub division of the hudood ordinance or the law for Zina bil jabar meaning Rape. In this law If the woman who accuses a man of zina-bil-jabr (rape) cannot prove to the judicial system that she was raped, she faces adultery charges. In order for a rapist to receive “hadd,” the maximum punishment provided for under the Quran, either the rapist must confess to the rape, or four pious adult Muslim men must witness the “act of penetration” itself and testify against the rapist.

Today we remember a Mukhtar Mai and her courage to stand up for her rights but the most vicious incident in Pakistan’s history to me was born, when In1983, an orphaned, thirteen-year old girl Jehan Mina was allegedly raped by her uncle and his sons, and became pregnant. She was unable to provide enough evidence that she was raped. She was charged with adultery and the court considered her pregnancy as the proof of adultery. She was awarded the Tazir punishment of one hundred lashes and three years of rigorous imprisonment.

After zia’s regime had come to an unceremonious halt, the successive governments of Benazir Bhutto brought about many reforms for women in Pakistan and this period can be best described as a virtual bonanza for feminists in our land, as not only were women’s educational centres opened in five different universities but the First women’s bank was established and we Pakistan acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on February 29, 1996. Our leader was for the first time in our history a woman and she paved the way for many of her sisters to become major players in politics as well as stakeholders in the halls of power.

The whole point of the history lesson though is that we as a nation were capable of change, reform and positive developments even after serious oppression in the Zia years rather than the bickering and the personal politics witnessed today in women’s action groups and movements. So where did the Pakistani feminist go awry? How were the ideals formed early on led astray and why is the feminist movement scorned today by equal numbers of the masses and elitists here. I am not referring to the age old cries of foreign funded globe trotting hussies we hear from the pious ones but what of the intelligentsia that has always been supportive and valuable to the feminist movement?

To understand this we must first realize the difficulty of the task these organizations have undertaken. In a land where religion deems a women’s testimony as half of a man, in which martial rape is a daily and accepted occurrence. In which the submissiveness of the female is a behaviour programmed from birth and throughout upbringing, and where the legal system as well as the policing authorities would rather drag an Asma Jehangir through the streets then the feudal with private jails for their slaves from their mansions, these individuals are fighting for women’s rights.

Yet when some of the same note worthy individuals reduce themselves to man bashing at social events. When the objective is only to meet and insult the male majority, when awards nights are held in lofty surroundings and prizes handed out to social glitterati alongside women who have devoted their entire lives and had trail blazing careers as well as contributed to change the whole thing starts to smell does it not?

Is it a fact lost on us that every organization needs some support and not people shying away from them due to the exclusionary nature of their practices? Granted we have a Ruth Pfau a Begum Sughra Kazmi, a Nasreen Jalil and a Tahira Abdullah right now but who is going to take up the mantle for the future?? When the women of today prefer to say they are feminists but not fem – nazis what is going to be the future of women’s rights in Pakistan? I thought this was troubling me but when I took input from a few women around me, who I might add are all working for their own livelihoods they were equally puzzled with where the feminist movement in Pakistan stands today and what are its goals. In fact one of them went as far as saying and I quote
“These women of the year awards et al are reserved for the elite rather than delving deeper and honouring women who’re doing worthwhile things in a lower socio-economic strata”

Case in point a ceremony held to honour women recently at the Mohatta palace in Karachi completely failing to mention “Naseem Hameed” a woman athlete from the Pakistan army who just won gold in the SAF games. Shouldn’t women like Naseem be upheld as heroes for the upcoming generation of women in Pakistan? Maybe it is the generation F syndrome at work these days, maybe the women of Pakistan today feel complacent with their places in society or maybe those in the uber strata do, but there is still dire need for action, women still routinely qualify for jobs to be turned away as companies feel they cannot cut it in our work environment.

Let me quote a personal example. As a father of a doting 6 year old daughter I feel it is necessary that she be exposed to feminism so that she can grow up to consider herself equal. So that she can say ” I can do everything” rather than “this is what girls can do” but I do not think the events held by feminists in my city are conducive towards this goal because if I do not want my daughter to hear that women are weak, I also do not want her to hear that all men are exploitative beasts which should be kept either in a leash or at bay, get the picture?

What would impress me to take part would be transparency in feminist organizations, a flexibility to include rather than exclude the male members of our society and the ability to speak up for the common women of Pakistan, wake me up when that happens will ya?
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Published in “The Friday Times”on 23.7/2010

Filed Under: Making a difference, Published Articles // Tagged: a man's view of feminism in pakistan, feminism, pakistani women, the feminist movement in pakistan, womens rights

Practical optimism

Posted on July 22, 2010 //

Recently, I had been going through the website of Youth Parliament Of Pakistan which focuses on Youth in the country and Youth’s awareness education and training in the norms of politics and democracy in the country.

Several initiatives relating to the education and training of the youth of Pakistan have been launched and are running successfully, in various sectors of society.

Something, which is mostly ignored in such programmes is creating an effective & balanced approach towards reaching one’s goals. This only comes with time and experience.

Present day “become-quick-rich” type mindset has given birth to an attitude which was never seen in the history of business before. Every new entrant is trained to “think” that they are going to make it big, whereas only a few can reach there.

Practical Optimism:

The world has recently been hit by one of the biggest recession periods of our history, of which most of the blame was put on the lack of experience and vision of those involved in the businesses.

What is needed from the present day young professionals is more of practical optimism.Imagining and thinking big is not enough. There is always a need to be ready to plan and execute as planned. Optimism is good but not at the expense of overlooking the ground realities. Since there is hardly any time available for gaining rich experience in the field, this often results in major mishaps, blunders and setbacks…and the dream of reaching the pinnacle of excellence never turns into reality.

Moreover, there already exists such a wide communication gap between the young and old experienced generations, that their hard earned experience is just ignored when compared to innovative ideas of a fresh graduate. Therefore, the sole responsibilty of such failure falls upon these new under-exposed & inexperienced youth.

Pakistan’s Turn:

As Pakistan is now looking forward towards the next boom in business cycle, we need to implement a balanced approach towards our work attitudes and attaining targets. Students should be provided industry related training, as in real life situations. Psychological and moral training may be introduced. They should be made to avoid that easy-come-easy-go attitude and realize the importance of being focused and serious about their work. Being sincere and responsible towards what we do, is the need of the day.

Filed Under: Karachi, News Views // Tagged: education. hope for the future, goals and motivation, pakistan's young hope, Youth

The urge to ban

Posted on July 19, 2010 //

Thou shalt not watch foreign media. A notion supported by many Pakistanis who foster a misconception that placement of such a ban would increase revenue for Pakistani media industry, halt Pakistanis from preferring to watch other channels, and also would indirectly cease Pakistani artists from heading over to the neighboring country.

Why and how, one might think, would this highly contested ban work? After much contemplation as to why people might be in favor of such a ban, I have devised a few ruminative points which are noticeably common. Firstly, people have a tendency to think that such a prohibition would cause the Pakistani nation – especially the youngsters – to discontinue their admiration for other forms of media which has evoked them to adopt some unacceptable ways in order to appear attractive to their peers.

Secondly, in the eyes of a few Pakistanis, folks who are dedicated viewers of foreign media – be it Indian, American, etc – are generating more revenue for the very channels they are watching. Thirdly, it might lead Pakistani artists to retain their struggles without moving elsewhere in an attempt to boost their fame. They might not be able to enter the foreign industry, predominantly because of the reciprocal effect – as I like to name it – which denotes the idea of a country ceasing access to its media by the artists of a particular country which banned its media. Lastly, this ban might create a sense of patriotism and escalate the half-hearted feelings, which many of the youngsters show towards Pakistani media these days. Also, as few folks claim, it will put an end to their (at times) unacceptable modern lifestyle and cause them to adopt Pakistani traditions whole heartedly.

For people who harbor the views – whether one or all of them – mentioned above, I would like to bring forth an explanation, which if applied could put both the viewers’ and the artists’ minds at ease and polish the Pakistani media industry. I intend to address each of the points mentioned above with an answer of my own. Beginning with the point regarding the development of heightened admiration for Pakistani media by the youngsters due to this ban; the reason why this point doesn’t seem competent enough is because such a prohibition would inevitably result in a plethora of loopholes and intensified irreverence, considering youngsters’ extensive liking for the foreign channels. Demand for other channels is increasing because of their large variety of programs and also many people prefer to watch them in order to learn about their language and culture, especially if it comes from a country which is much idolized in different aspects.

Second point might be true but I would, in turn, like to pose a question to the people who keep on referring to this revenue ordeal; what about the people who are in love with Pakistani dramas and despise missing a single episode even if the drama drags beyond 100 episodes? Aren’t they generating revenue for our media? Now, I do know that this revenue won’t be considered enough in the eyes of Pakistanis and therefore my suggestion would be to improve our current channels and their programs so that they are able to indefatigably compete with the excessively famous foreign channels. As for the third point, it isn’t necessarily true that artists would choose not to try their luck in another country merely because of a ban. They might be disappointed by such a regulation enforced by their own country, yes, but I highly doubt a decrease in the number of artists migrating will occur. As far as the last point is concerned, I would refer back to my first explanation of people discovering a vast number of new and efficient alternatives in an attempt to unblock the media being banned, either out of an instinct to go against this fatuous prohibition or just to watch the programs they regularly follow. Moreover, they apparently won’t happen to making use of the current modernities because Pakistan does have its own fashion industry following the west, which majorly contributes to the modern lifestyle.
In any case, no matter what the points behind this prohibition be, a ban is never an answer to any dilemma since it is an extremely inefficient way of proving one’s point and seems as if one is coercing people into following what one claims to be correct. Instead of focusing on various kinds of bans, the Pakistani nation – as well as the government – should aim at amending the flaws their media possesses and polishing them so that they attract a considerable amount of viewers. Furthermore, they should try to comprehend the tactics used by the eminently renowned channels in order to gain a finer understanding concerning viewer’s preferences. Lastly, producing light-hearted programs and prudent dramas would cause not only Pakistani viewers, but viewers throughout the world to pursue following Pakistani dramas frequently, which would give our media a commendable recognition.

Support improvements, not bans, and focus on our performances rather than catering to the ways of foreign media. Let’s take a step towards a positive improvement!

Filed Under: Current Affairs, News Views // Tagged: closet mentality, improvements needed, media in pakistan, open your minds, why ban media

Virtue, at what cost?

Posted on July 15, 2010 //

Are you are sitting there wondering what the above image is about? Its a section for women in the court marriage application form in Dubai. This has not been completely verified as I have yet to see the full document but this was tweeted by @youseftuqan this week and it kind of puts everything in perspective for me as far as Dubai and its rather contradictory laws go: “Hey, its okay to have nightclubs and serve alcohol but please, no kissing in public or off you go to jail!”

However, what really sets me off is the chauvinist attitude towards women in general and female ‘purity’ in particular all over the world. Can one even comprehend the humiliation of filling out a form like this? Forget the form. The fact is that there is an inherent trait of male hypocrisy when it comes to the concept of virtue even in this day and age that is simply baffling.

This is not something reserved for the Muslim culture as foreign media may have us believe, the notion exists across the world. It is the same reason why brides are dressed in white to symbolise chastity. Pre-marital philandering is cool if you are a man but sluttish for women, even in the west. Desdemona was killed by Othello on the suspicion of infidelity and Sita had to walk across burning coals to prove her purity. Agnipariksha indeed!

But The Emiraties, with their deep pockets and their confusing sense of justice, have just taken the matter to a whole new level of ridiculous.

We as Pakistani’s or the liberals among us, seen around Karachi in several states of disorientation have subdivided the whole underclass of female society into two further categories, the ones we party with and the ones we marry. Of course, we can be creative that way. Even if we are gutsy enough to take the same woman home to mum she has to behave in the conventionally conservative and naive manner or she will not only never be accepted as a bahu but will end up as a social pariah on the account of not being “happily married.” God forbid if even after these trials she is married and the husband dies. A whole new chapter of misery begins as the word “remarry” does not exist in our dictionary, in its place is a torn piece of the page charred and burnt as the one who dares to utter this word would be.

Basically, its male insecurities which lead us to treat the fair sex in this manner, the inability to accept the fact that they are like us and in some cases far stronger mentally (try putting a infant to sleep at 3am instead of grunting and rolling the other way) which leads us to this state of paranoia. In this state, we the men, try to suppress them in any way possible so that we never have to look ourselves in the mirror and answer some hard questions – questions about standards of morality and sin which our religion holds both sexes accountable for, not just women

I think its time we stop touting symbols from our history and start following some of them in letter as well as in deed. Our religion and our culture do not allow us to treat women the way they are being treated in today’s Pakistan and we must put a stop to this. For the first thing the generation to come will learn will be from their mother – no matter how cool the father thinks he is.

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Published in the Tribune blog on 15/7/2010

Filed Under: Published Articles, Relationships // Tagged: discrimination, the price of beign a woman, Virtue, women in Pakistan

In the shadow’s

Posted on July 15, 2010 //

A new corporate mini-documentary featuring our new superstar Naseem Hameed is all over our television screen these days. It shows a girl sprinting at school races as her parents cheer her on. Cut to the South Asian Games and that girl now a woman, still a sprinter, who wins the 100-metre event gold medal for Pakistan. What a triumph! What a blow for feminism in Pakistan – the fastest woman is South Asia is a Pakistani. Now a household name in the country, she is adored by the media and has become a symbol of hope and courage. The only problem is…she is not the only one.

Another Pakistani girl won a gold medal at the same South Asian Games this year. Someone we are not really familiar with, perhaps because karate is not as glamorous as sprinting and hence didn’t make the headlines in the same manner. This girl has been fighting since she was a four-year-old, against our societal dogmas and stereotypes. She credits her Ammi for the standing by her, as she climbed her way up and reached the pinnacle. She speaks reverently of her teachers and thinks that she faces the same issues any girl her age does. Except when she steps onto the mat and sees her opponent, she forgets all about it and her focus is only on winning.

This karate kid is Sara Nasir – the dupatta-clad girl standing next to Naseem Hameed as our President hands them both awards for their outstanding performance. So why is it that we know of one and not the other?

Indeed, we cannot take anything away from Hameed. She is a true icon.

But why is it that we idolise one person so much that it overshadows someone else who has performed equally well? Our sports history is fully of similar stories, remember Imran Khan and Javed Miandad? Perhaps personality has something to do with it. Or maybe it is because Sarah Nasir comes across as a regular college-going girl: Unassuming and simple.

Documentary or no documentary we should raise them both up as shining examples for our whole nation.

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Published on the Dawn Blog at 14/7/2010

Filed Under: Making a difference, Published Articles, Sports // Tagged: Dawn blog, gold medalist saf games, naseem hamid, pakistani women, sara nasir, unsung heroine

The Pakistani in the mirror

Posted on July 5, 2010 //

The people of Pakistan are a paradox. Faced with the insurmountable Taliban, the war on our city streets via suicide bombs or the staggering inflation and crushing economic debt , most would either run for the hills or try to stand up for what they believe in. Instead, we see most of us living in a bubble of our own making, where the various peculiarities of our personas and financial circumstances make unwritten barriers of identity and thus we have become totally fragmented.

The “we” I refer to includes me as well, as I have started to feel day by day that I am perhaps not doing enough for my country. The “Who gives a shit as long as my life works?” mentality can only last so long. How long are we going to pretend that everything is fine and distract ourselves with the latest conundrums of the specific strata of society we identify with? Right now it seems like our entire society is divided into different groups, who come in all shapes and sizes and yes, all hate one another. Thus I thought I should attempt to sum them up for better explanation.

‘My Prado is bigger than your Prado crowd’

Entry level Politics 101: this section of society demands a Sindh club membership, a few SUVs and a distant political family affiliation with the requisite hanger-ons and goons that come with such a status in our country. Often seen cruising the city streets late at night with guards in tow these individuals live in an even more secluded pocket amongst the elite pocket. They must only make friends with scions of the “families that matter” and avoid discussing politics at all times as that is something the aam junta does. Favorite watering holes include the Sheraton and various other lobbies of over priced five star hotels which only they can afford to lounge in. Favorite pass times are shikaar, and routine disappearances to some distant lands on the pretext of fasal cutting and other manly activities. Level of interaction with minions like the rest of us? Bare minimum.

‘I’m liberal so listen to me’

The burgoise intellectual hippie type creative bunch which demands at least one apple device for entry (even if it’s a pair of headphones) and additional others to show off. Must have some kind of creative outlet be it writing, blogging, painting, designing or photography and the various accessories that go with these fields of interest. They make friends with everyone but consider no one their equal unless they have some level of creativity in them, judged by random rambling on subjects of the pseudo intellectual variety. Do not know how to write a proper email but must communicate with the whole universe through intense use of all social media. Often heard saying things like BBM was so nineties. This group hangs out mostly at Espresso and T2F where they can sip lattes and decide the fate of the world or the management of the next 40 people protest at the press club. Nocturnal in nature, they also like to make routine disappearances to foreign shores either in the shape of conferences or on the pretext of immersing in some phoren culture.

‘Invisible and Judgmental’

The almost non existent middle class of Pakistan which demands shareefanabehavior as entry fees, this means keeping your head down and out of sight of any possible involvement in anything that registers in the public eye. This group of people cannot make friends with the Prado crowd and hate the liberal crowd so they prefer to mingle only with their own safaid-posh-selves. They are very articulate but never register in any forum anywhere as they feel it leads to trouble, eventually. Very happy in their existence and only interested in preserving their do waqt ki halal roti they prefer to hang out at Usmania and Bundu Khan and mid level eateries where no scum from the rich lot can trouble or notice them. Favorite passtimes are reminiscing about everything in the glorious past and discussing how this country has gone to the dogs. They drive to Hyderabad sometimes but besides the Bombay Bakery there, they hate that whole city as well.

‘I do not matter and I will behave like it as well’

The rest of Pakistan, the ones who toil day in and day out to make ends meet. They cannot afford to buy more than a sewing machine, a tv and an iron. The only entry level requirement to this group is absolute helplessness in a medical emergency to arrange medicine or the looters – i mean - doctors, pre-surgery fee on time. The ones who actually suffer when petrol prices go up as bus fare increases. They will try to make friends with anyone who will have them, as they are starved of so many things they latch onto the slightest look of approval and try to make in-roads into one of the above three groups often to be sent back to the underworld they have emerged from. They hang out at dhabas as they cannot afford to enter posh or mid level eateries and blame the other three groups for everything that is wrong with them, sometimes rightly so. Exploited and underpaid, they can disappear anywhere and are seen in every nook and cranny of this nation, a stark reminder of those that should matter but do not.

All said and done, we as a country are now in an identity crisis, we range from Honda hi lainsa to Blackberry hi lainsa and do not know what to make of one another or how to coexist in a meaningful way. Thus all we do is just heap blame upon one another and not take action on things that really matter. This country, which has given us the option to do what we do, the finances to achieve it and the freedom for me to sit here and write this is going down the drain. It is no use blaming leaders and bad morality when the same leadersship is voted into power by all of us. There is no point in crying crocodile tears at charity meet ups where people dance to the latest tunes and get smashed all in the name of doing good.

There are people among us who are actually doing something for this nation, for their environment in the fields of education, poverty alleviation and social development of the common man. These are the people who have decided themselves that their only identity should be that of a Pakistani and their only mission should be its salvation. Do you think it is time we all joined them in their mission too?

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As published in the express tribune blog on 3rd July 2010

Filed Under: Current Affairs, Day To Day, Published Articles, Uncategorized // Tagged: identity crises, Pakistan

Outplayed by the referee

Posted on July 5, 2010 //

The quarter-final stage of the Fifa World Cup is just round the corner but the air is already thick with controversy and gloom as a result of poor refereeing decisions.

Football is a very strenuous sport as referees have to run from one end of the field to another to monitor the on-field play, aided by linesmen to rule on offsides. The case for using technology to make decisions is a strong one even without taking into consideration the controversies of this World Cup. It is nearly impossible to make split-second decisions with the fluid pace of football, especially if teams like Argentina and Brazil are involved. The percentage of human error and the probability of it to occur at key moments are large.

Still, none of this can serve as an excuse for what happened in the Argentina versus Mexico game, when Carlos Tevez was clearly offside and scored the goal which resulted in a flood towards Mexico which they just could not hold. Although the entire Mexican team protested vehemently against the decision – as the offside goal was being replayed again and again on giant LCDs – the referee did not budge an inch.

The game which sent England home was even worse. When England ‘scored’ at 2-1 to equalize through Frank Lampard the ball bounced clearly behind the goal line, only to be ruled out as a goal. Two huge refereeing blunders have created a major impact on the games as well as the concerned teams. The officials had enough time, even during halftime to overturn their decisions. In fact when the referee in the England versus Germany game saw the Lampard goal replay he is reported to have exclaimed “oh my god,” but nothing was done. Both these games ended in controversy even though the teams that won, Argentina and Germany easily outplayed their opponents.

In my opinion, the need for technology in refereeing football is now mandatory and needs to be implemented on several levels. Since decision referrals by players will cause too much stoppage to the game and its natural flow, the best thing to do would be to have referees access instant replays to make decisions and to review them at halftime. An option of an in-stadium head referee to refer decisions for review and perhaps, overturn decisions gone horribly wrong is not a bad idea either. Goal-line technology along the lines of fault line technology in tennis could also be introduced. According to goal-line technology, a microchip is inserted into the ball which instantly signals whether the ball has crossed the line or not. Similar technology has now been adopted in cricket and tennis, which helps in making more accurate decisions.

This technology is ready and can be implemented almost instantly worldwide. Although it is obviously expensive but with the amount of money involved in football it really shouldn’t be that big a problem. The governing body, Fifa, needs to realize that they need to change with the times, or the game will suffer for their inaction.

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As published by the Dawn blog on June 29th 2010

Filed Under: Football, Published Articles, Uncategorized // Tagged: Football, football needs tech, worldcup