Writer's Block - Need I say more - by Bushra Hassan

For many months now, I have been writing blogs that emphasize on the essential goodness that is inside us Pakistanis. It is difficult to see some times, it is easy to take for granted... it is even easier to forget as we strive for sanity. This time my blog entry will not be my words, but that of a fellow Pakistani... I read him in DAWN yesterday... Letters to the Editor. I urge you to take a minute and read this:

Incident that changed my approach to life

IF we look around us, we will find a lot of goodness in our people. I saw this on Dec 28 when my confidence in our fellow beings and in the kindness of Almighty Allah was reinforced. That morning my wife was returning to Karachi from Faisalabad by Millat train accompanied by our two daughters, aged three and five years. I went to the station to receive my family but couldn’t find them. After a while I was shocked to see my elder girl standing by herself in a train compartment without her mother. There were some fellow passengers and a responsible policeman, Abdul Razzak, waiting with her. They broke the horrible news to me that my younger daughter accidentally fell off the train near Dhabeji station. My wife along with 20 to 25 fellow passengers managed to have the train stopped a kilometre or two from the spot where the child had fallen. They disembarked there to search for the missing child. In her panic, my wife forgot to carry her cellphone with her and so couldn’t contact me. The local people also joined the search party. My wife later recounted that the people — all strangers — were extremely sympathetic, helpful and concerned while searching for the child who had wandered off four kilometres into the woodland. It was after four hours that a young Pakhtun boy (could not obtain his details — May Allah reward him for his goodness) spotted Zainab and fetched her unhurt. When I met my little girl after these hours of high drama, she simply uttered these words: “Papa I was alone.” I just have no words to thank these men and women — strangers to me before this event brought us together — who shared those tense moments with us. By actively assisting in the search for our child, these noble souls displayed that spirit of humanity that holds mankind together. May Allah bless them and also my family — my father, brothers and my wife — who stood behind me giving me immense moral support in those testing hours. People have the capacity to organise themselves on the spur of the moment when faced with an emergency and respond positively. Take the case of Mr Jamil who disembarked with my wife, leaving his own family behind on the train, to take the responsibility of organising the search. There was Mr Asif who took the responsibility of communicating with the railway authorities, the Edhi Centre and the police. Generally, we tend to take for granted our family and our fellow beings. But we should learn to appreciate the goodness of the human heart that prompts people to respond to others in distress. Such is the spirit that can, if mobilised, help steer the country out of its troubles. The more I see of it, the more I feel vindicated in my decision to stay back in Pakistan and serve it as a part of the SIUT team that is doing such good work by holding up a candle of hope for people who are so desperately ill.
DR NASIR HASAN LUCK
Sindh Institute of Urology & Transplantation Karachi

Courtesy: DAWN.com; 3rd Jan 2010; Letters to the Editor
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/incident-that-changed-my-approach-to-life-310

Writer's Block- This is my war - By Bushra Hassan

I am not very religious. My parents taught me namaz, though I never said them. I found every excuse in the book to not Fast. I had no inclinations for Hajj. I remember every Ramzan sitting with my mom and sisters, feeling obligated to read the Quran as I yawned through the nights.

Until, the bombings changed my life.

Earlier this year as the bombings increased, I realized that if death comes, I will have to first answer to Allah about my namaz. Before I knew it, I started saying my prayers (though still not very regularly). But Allah came and settled in my heart. I took refuge in this.

It is the War on Terror, the War against Muslims, as many call it, that has made me a better Muslim. I have become more conscientious, more responsible, kinder and just, better.

Now, next on my agenda is: Jihad.

Sounds funny! This Oxford educated, half-angrez, pant wearing, English speaking woman, who does not like Pakistani cuisine and until one year ago was planning to move and settle abroad, is going for Jihad.

Yes, I am.

And this is how.

This is my War. The dozens that die every day are my people. They die in mosques, on roads, in markets. They die on duty, in prayer or shopping.

And what does this Pakistani nation do?

Do we stop saying our prayers in mosques?
Do we stop going to markets? Going out altogether?
Do we stop sending our children to school?

No! We fight back!

We show resilience by refusing to live in fear, in fear of death, fear of injury, fear of yet another BREAKING NEWS on TV.

I will send my child to school no matter what.
I will go to office.
I will shop.
I will not leave this country. I will stay here for as long as I can. I will not leave my land to them.
I will not forward rumours of possible attacks to instill fear in my fellow people.
I will dance, sing, go on holidays and to cinemas, watch plays, attend concerts in my country.
I will support the troops and the police force.
I will not sit in drawing rooms and criticize the government. I will register to vote and participate next time. I will be an agent of change, and not just a critic.

It is not easy - sending my daughter to school, sitting in an office everyday that has a credible bomb threat looming on it. Life for us Pakistanis, is not easy, which is why it is now not just mere life, but Jihad.

You can call it Jihad or you can call it being positive. Choose what fits you. If you find religion uncool, if you consider religious people ignorant, if you feel too superior or lazy to bow your head to anyone, then don’t call this Jihad… but then, don’t bow your head to fear as well.

“Choose what fits you. If you find religion uncool, if you consider
religious people ignorant, if you feel too superior or lazy to bow your head to anyone, than don’t call this Jihad… but then, don’t bow your head in fear as well.”

Why should we anyway? This is our country. They can not make us afraid. Afraid in our own home. They can try and damage us, and yes, it aches every time to hear of all those we have lost and continue to lose. But I envy the martyrs who are in a happier place today. I notice how every death motivates this country towards solidarity, keeps us united, together, makes us even more resilient than before.

This is my war.

Every day I shall fight back by living. I will embrace life and deny fear. I shall laugh, sing and dance….. I shall live. I will not let them kill us while we are still alive.

In our car, we put on patriotic songs only. My two year old loves and sings, Jeevay jeevay Pakistan. We salute the policeman, who salute us back. We stand united, we fight, we live.
In honour of those who have died, I shall live. In honour of those who fight, I join them.

This is my War. This is my Jihad. I have my Allah with me. I am not afraid.

Donate Blood!

What's your plan for the day? How about fighting along your troops and security forces? Or saving a life otherwise? It's sometimes very easy to forget the importance of donating blood.

Whether it's the sons of this soil fighting for your safety because they choose to or security forces getting injured inorder to save you from harm or our fellow countrymen fighting an unfortunate circumstance... You can make a difference!

Would you think twice before donating blood for those who are not thinking twice giving their life for you?? Find your local Combined Military Hospital (CMH) or Military Hospital (MH) and be the blood running through the veins of the Defenders of this nation!

Donate Blood. Be the Hero.

Where is our Yellow Ribbon - Ayeda Naqvi

Our soldiers are men who willingly lay down their lives, men who often return maimed or paralysed to their families. In other countries, such men would enjoy heroic statures. And yet, here in Pakistan, when they turn on their television sets at night, they see their nation scoffing at them.

Many years ago, as a student in New York, I was invited to my roommate’s house for the weekend. Her parents lived a couple of hours away from the city in a quiet little town where she had grown up. As for myself, I must admit, I was looking forward to leaving the concrete jungle of Manhattan behind for a few days.

As we drove over the Willis Avenue Bridge towards the Taconic Parkway, leaving the grey high-rises behind, I saw more than just the landscape change. And I realised that Manhattan was an island in more ways than one.

Besides being physically set apart from the land around it, it stood alone in its liberalism. The left-wing writers whom I loved, my professors who freely criticised their government, even the people rallying in front of the United Nations in protest of Bush Sr’s invasion of Iraq, had no place in small town America. This was a place where everyone was a “patriot”.

As we drove through the cluster of little streets that led to her house, I noticed that all the houses in her neighbourhood had either an American flag or a giant yellow ribbon pasted on the front door. The flag, I understood — the country was at war. But the yellow ribbon? “It’s our way of saying we support our troops,” said my roommate.

“But you said you didn’t feel that the invasion of Iraq was justified,” I said.

“I don’t,” she replied. “But I still support our troops — our soldiers who are willing to die for us.”

“But you said you didn’t feel that the invasion of Iraq was justified,” I said. “I don’t,” she replied. “But I still support our troops — our soldiers who are willing to die for us.”

That weekend, I admit, I got into many a debate about the yellow ribbons. Not only were they on the houses, they were pinned onto people’s clothes! They irked me. If you didn’t agree with your government, how could you support your troops? They were, after all, carrying the government’s agenda. I returned to the city on Sunday night quite irritated, convinced that everyone in suburbia was brainwashed.

It has been more than 17 years since that day. Much has happened in the world since then. But today, as Pakistan stands on the verge of anarchy, at war with an enemy that has seeped into the very fabric of our society, I long for an expression of unity. And I find myself thinking more and more of that yellow ribbon.

What is so wrong with being a patriot? And why are we afraid to rally behind our armed forces, to send out positive, supportive signs as these men lay down their lives for us?

What is so wrong with being a patriot? And why are we afraid to rally behind our armed forces, to send out positive, supportive signs as these men lay down their lives for us?

Since 9/11, the Pakistani army has suffered more than any other army in the world in terms of casualties. And yet we get nothing but negative reports about its performance in the media. One can be angry with Zardari, think that Musharraf sold out and believe that the ISI is a “sinister” organisation with its own agenda without losing compassion for our soldiers, the young men who are being killed every day.

These are men who willingly lay down their lives, men who often return maimed or paralysed to their families. In other countries, such men would enjoy heroic statures. And yet, here in Pakistan, when they turn on their television sets at night, they see their nation scoffing at them.

So fond of flinging mud on all in sight, our media moguls seem to have lost sight of the larger picture. And so used to being cynical, we have stopped empathising with those willing to die for us.

Seventeen years ago, I met a group of people in a small suburb of New York who were neither sophisticated nor educated. And yet they were able to recognise the shades of grey, the fact that it is possible to support your troops without blindly supporting your government.

Here in Pakistan today, we are too busy either being Taliban apologists or posing as intellectuals who feel it is our duty to run down everything in sight, without thinking of the national interest.

Here in Pakistan today, we are too busy either being Taliban apologists or posing as intellectuals who feel it is our duty to run down everything in sight, without thinking of the national interest.

As we stand on the eve of a massive crackdown on the Taliban, we need to realise that in the weeks and months ahead, there will be blood — dead soldiers and dead civilians. And yet there has never been a greater time to stand behind our troops, to show solidarity as a nation if we want to defeat the single greatest threat to our way of life.

Our intellectuals will have to learn that it is possible to be analytical without being negative, to be patriotic without being brainless. And our media moguls and talk show hosts will have to learn to stop catering to the lowest common denominator by sympathising with a group of murderers.

When Jinnah created Pakistan, he envisioned us as a nation that adhered to the principles of “Unity”, “Faith” and “Discipline”. For me there can be no greater show of unity than for a nation to support its troops. Maybe a yellow ribbon is not the answer. But I, for one, am putting a Pakistani flag outside my house today to show my solidarity with my nation — the one created by Jinnah, not the Taliban.

-------

Ayeda Naqvi is a journalist who lives and works in Lahore. She can be contacted at ayedanaqvi@yahoo.com

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I SPY: The Light with a Voice - Sadaf Zarrar

Islamabad: As the sun set on Islamabad on 3rd June 2009, all wasn’t dark. Candle by Candle, over a hundred bearers of light got together in front of the constitution avenue and brought radiance to what could have been a dark night.

The event aptly titled ‘The Green Ribbon Vigil’ was organized by a group of local citizens who in their words ‘felt the need to mobilize the citizens of this country, show all our security forces including the Armed Forces, the Police and the paramilitary forces that we are with them and remember all those innocent victims who had lost their lives in various terror attacks’.

The gathering consisted of an array of people from various walks of life, and while some of them had relatives in the forces, most were there only owing to deep rooted patriotism. What started around 7pm as a nervous gathering of 20 odd people ended at around 9.30pm with over 120 euphoric citizens who chanted slogans of patriotism and sang patriotic songs.

The gathering consisted of an array of people from various walks of life, and while some of them had relatives in the forces, most were there only owing to deep rooted patriotism.

The highlight of the event however remained participation of Lt Omer who is a veteran of war against terror and extremism in Swat and Tribal areas. The Lieutenant who was supported by crutches owing to his war wounds spoke in a personal capacity and said that gatherings such as these would raise the morale of the troops and that it is time for the country to stand together and fight against this menace together… the Soldiers with guns and The citizens in spirit.

It is time for the country to stand together and fight against this menace together… the Soldiers with guns and The citizens in spirit.

Father of Captain Jonaid Shaheed from SSG was also present at this gathering and was given an honorary salute by all participants of the gathering for the great sacrifice his son had given.

Speeches by Capt Jonaid Shaheed’s father, Lt Omer and a family friend of Capt Waqqas Zamir Shaheed brought the whole crowd to an emotional silence and the teary eyed participants remained in awe of the great sacrifices the sons of this soil are giving for the safety and protection of this country and its people from foreign funded barbarians.

A moment of silence and prayer was observed towards the end of the peaceful gathering in remembrance of the Martyrs and the innocent victims of terror attacks and slogans were chanted towards the end to show solidarity with the Military and paramilitary forces.

‘We were 20 the last time we got together and today we’re over 120 in this gathering we will be even more next time, the youth is waking up… Pakistan is Rising… again’

The participants of the gathering vowed to not bow to terrorism. ‘We were 20 the last time we got together and today we’re over 120 in this gathering we will be even more next time, the youth is waking up… Pakistan is Rising… again’ said one of the volunteers organizing this gathering.



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New Era for Pakistan by Bushra Hassan

Yesterday my husband took a cab to get home. When they reached out of the dozens road blocks around Islamabad, the pathan, uneducated cab driver saluted the policeman checking his car. My husband laughed, and asked him why he did that? His reply was simple: “If some one was to give me Rs. 20 million, I still would not do this police man’s job, not even for an hour.”

There is a new found wave of appreciation for the police going around Pakistan these days. We have spent decades complaining about the police, our notorious Pakistan police. However, now we see smiling police men, guarding us, saving us, fighting for us. Most Pakistanis have come to appreciate their jobs, their dedication, and stopped complaining. Period!

This is a new era for Pakistan. One of mutual trust, responsibility and respect. This is new for us. We’re done complaining. It’s about individual actions and collective purpose.

I have made a habit of saluting the police officials every time I take my car near them. They always salute back, they always smile. Have you ever heard of a police official smiling at you, without reason? Now they have a reason, and so do we. It’s called Solidarity.

"Have you ever heard of a police official smiling at you, without reason?Now they have a reason, and so do we. It’s called Solidarity.”

I no longer listen to Indian or English music in my car. The radio’s been turned off and all I have ears for these days are patriotic songs, from Jeevay Jeevay Pakistan, to Yeh Tera Pakistan hai, to the ever green Watan ki mitti gawah rehna etc. I roll down my car windows and sing along. As I drive on the roads of my country, safe and sound, feeling protected and blessed, I come to appreciate even more those fighting for me. As they say in the song: “meri sarhad per pehra hay eemaan ka; mere shehron peh saaya hay Quraan kaa”, I am wrapped in patriotism, and I know I’m not the only one. My friends are feeling the same emotions as I do, dying to get their hands dirty and help out, one way or another. The people from the privileged classes are yearning to help those in need. The people in privileged classes want to serve the poor. When was the last time that happened? Anywhere?

“As they say in the song: “meri sarhad per pehra hay eemaan ka; mere shehron peh saaya hay Quraan kaa”, I am wrapped in patriotism, and I know I’m not the only one. My friends are feeling the same emotions as I do, dying to get their hands dirty and help out, one way or another.”

This is a new era for Pakistan. We come together in times of difficulty, we stand united. We are One, We stand as One, We fight as One.

Long Live Pakistan

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