Ramadhan in the British summer

Many years ago I had the opportunity to observe the lifestyles of a group of friends when Ramadhan fell mostly in June and the beginning of July, the height of the British summer when the days are long and the nights are short. The group comprised middle aged post-graduate university students from Pakistan and a couple of self-employed British market traders of Pakistani origin. The visiting Pakistanis were well informed on what passes for the “religion” of Islam and they managed to convince the British Pakistanis that they needed to deny their bodies food and drink from shortly after 2 am to well after 9.30 pm. There was an awkward question: if fathers were going without food and drink for well nigh 20 hours, would they be able to discharge their duties to their children? Apparently, the fathers didn’t need to worry about their children because they were the mothers’ responsibility! In that group, the mothers were full time housewives and didn’t go out to work so they had a neat solution:

In the evening the men gathered in the house of one of the Pakistani traders and ended their fast upon sunset, past 9.30 pm, with some light refreshments; next they performed their Maghrib prayers behind the Pakistani doing his PhD in some Islamic topic – I never understood the point of coming all the way from Muslim Pakistan to complete one’s Islamic studies in a "kafir" university! – and they then turned their attention to the elaborate food dishes prepared by the wife of  the host. Having gorged on the sumptuous food, they got up for Isha prayers behind the same bloke, who was generally accepted as the imam of that group. Then they would stay up chatting and laughing and eating until it was time to begin their saum shortly after 2 am. Then the guests would depart and the host would get ready to sleep, presumably after the Fajr prayers on his own. The wife of the host was free to go to bed at any time she wished once she had served the Iftar food and eaten herself. She had to because she had the responsibility of looking after the children when they got up early in the morning. The men were able to have uninterrupted sleep for some 7 hours and they opened their shops later than the usual times.

That arrangement worked well for that particular group. On one occasion I joined their Iftar party although it was well known that the length of my saum lasted between 13 and 14 hours (usually ending by 6.30 pm). I marvelled at their ingenuity to arrange their lifestyles around the mullah’s interpretation of Islam.

I have fond memories of that group though I was never able to make them see that they were  following the sunnah of the mullah, not the Sunnah of Muhammad Rasul-Allah, Rehmatul-lil-aalameen, the length of whose saum did not extend to such long periods. One needed to discharge one’s responsibilities on earth, which included earning a living in diverse circumstances and extending love and care towards the family. We should be careful not to turn Ramadhan into an instrument of self-torture, which may give us an illusion of “performing religious duties” but at the cost of neglecting the rights of our family and other people around us (in Islam those rights, haqooq-ul-ibad حقوق العباد , take precedence over religious rituals). I tried to make them see that my own circumstances were very different from theirs and it was simply not possible for me to follow their particular lifestyle. It was to no avail. They all stared at me with an air of incomprehension, probably inwardly declaring me to be a dead loss, one who had left the fold of Islam!

This year – as in recent years and during the next few years – we find ourselves observing Ramadhan during the British summer months. I know quite a few Muslims who have turned their backs on Ramadhan because “they cannot do it”. This blog may help them see that they can, only they don’t have to accept the mullah’s interpretation of how it should be done.

Lastly, the obverse of Ramdhan in the British summer is Ramadhan occurring in the British winter, when the denial of food and drink to the physical body will last, perhaps, 8 hours! Again, I find it difficult to accept that. Saum is supposed to train our Self, and help us become better human beings, with greater control over our physical and emotional urges. An 8-hour fast in the winter tends to greatly reduce the hardship element in the saum and seems to go against the spirit of Ramadhan.

ISLAM: misrepresented and misunderstood

A colleague at work recently told me about a chance encounter with a Muslim man who had shaved his head and had grown his beard very long. According to what this man had told my colleague, that weird appearance was a religious requirement for a Muslim! Knowing little about Islam, my colleague believed all the rubbish he had been told. I laughed and gave a reply along the following lines:


"The man you met was crazy. It is a pity that quite a few people in England base their opinion of Islam and Muslims on the antics of a tiny minority of Muslims. Do I or a majority of Muslims that you see around you look remotely like the specimen you describe? Doesn't a ready willingness to draw general conclusions about Muslims, based on the observation of an unrepresentative minority, indicate the prevalence of prejudice against Muslims in Europe?"


My friend conceded that I had a point. As an atheist he was inclined to believe the worst about religion, any religion. I told him that it was a mistake to think of Islam as a religion. It wasn't a religion in the sense that Christianity or Judasim were. Islam's Book of Guidance, The Qur'an, refers to Islam as Deen, a system to be followed in life, which does not require the services of priests. The existence of a Muslim clergy today is not supported by the Qur'an, which does not recognise an intermediary between God and human beings. A person attains nearness to the Power of God through his/her actions while living in this world of matter. Some points that came up in this pleasant conversation were:


1. Life in this world of matter is a preparation for the next stage of our life's journey in the world of non-matter. If our material existence on earth were the only reality, ending in death, then there was no need for us to follow any moral principles. We should live thoroughly selfish and self-indulgent lives, enjoying the good things of life and trampling other people's "rights" underfoot. 


2. The phrase "the world of non-matter" was a bit much for him. Does it exist or is it a figment of imagination? Take any object, I said, and start breaking it down into smaller and smaller pieces, ending up with the sub-atomic universe of Quantum Physics. Where do electrons and photons come from? 

The current theory is that as sub-atomic particles, which have no mass, pass through an invisible energy field, called Higgs field, they pick up mass, forming electrons, protons, atoms, etc. The particle that gives them mass is called Higgs boson, popularly referred to as "God particle", presumably because it gives shape/size/mass, leading to origin of life. 
[It is said the Higgs boson was originally referred to as "god-damned particle" because it explained many things in theoretical physics but physicists couldn't find it through experiment. Hence the Large Hadron Collider, a particle accelerator in Switzerland, to prove the existence of Higgs boson].

So, matter is essentially created out of non-matter - waves of energy, Power of God - which, if anything, is more real than matter. One of the attributes of God given in the Quran is NOOR, heavenly Light. I happen to think that physics is gradually converging into metaphysics.


3. The tragedy of Islam is that the lives of Muslims are being manipulated by an oppressive clergy, which has no place in Islam. These clerics are obsessed with appearances. They ape the dead Arab culture of some 1500 years ago, and they measure piety in terms of the length of a man's beard. Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, lived his life in accordance with the Arab culture of his time. His outward appearance was similar to that of the people around him, and he did not stick out like a sore thumb as do the clerics who have set themselves up as experts on the "Islamic religion". 


4. The Book, Al-Quran, is for all humanity. The lazy Muslims no longer make any attempt to read it, preferring to  indulge in the many "religious" rites and rituals that the priests of their particular sects have laid down for them. This dead religion is a negation of Islam. 


This post is simply an account of a general conversation I had with a colleague. People who wish to know about Islam in depth can click on the following links to previous blog posts. 

Islam                               metaphysical aspects

The best book about Islam that I know of is Allama Parwaiz's Urdu book اسلام کیا ہے؟ (What is Islam?). He also wrote a book in English called "Islam: a challenge to religion", which can be read here:
http://www.tolueislam.org/Parwez/ICR/ICR.htm

پُتلے کا انجام

یوسف رضا گیلانی - جسے پاکستان کا وزیر اعظم کہتے ہوۓ سر شرم سے جھک جاتا ہے - کی حیثیت گزشتہ چار سالوں سے ایک ایسے پُتلے کی مانند ہے جو زرداری - جسے پاکستان کا صدر کہتے ہوۓ جھکا ہوا سر زمیں بوس ہو جاتا ہے - کے ہاتھوں میں ناچ رہا ہے اور اس کے ہر قابل نفرت فیصلے پہ عمل کرنے کو اپنا مقصد حیات بناۓ ہوۓ ہے- امید ہے کہ پیر ١٣ فروری کو یہ پتلا توہین عدالت کے جرم میں رسوا ہو کر وزارت عظمیٰ کے عھدے کے لئے نا اہل قرار دے دیا جائے گا اور مستقبل قریب میں اس کے لئے یہ ممکن نہیں رہے گا کہ انتخابات میں "کامیاب" ہو کر پاکستان کی قومی اسمبلی میں دوبارہ نمودار ہو جائے. 

بلندیوں پہ نہ آیا  کبھی  خیال  مجھے 

یہاں بھی ڈھونڈھ ہی لے گا مرا زوال مجھے 

قبر کا مقدمہ 

گیلانی نے اپنے آقا زرداری اور مرحوم مالکہ بینظیر بھٹو کے سیاہ کرتوتوں پہ پردہ ڈالنے کے لئے اپنی قربانی دے کر "شہید" بننے کا فیصلہ کیا ہے! گزشتہ دو سالوں سے گیلانی عدالت عالیہ کے حکم کے برعکس سوئتزرلنڈ کی عدالت کو مطلوبہ خط لکھنے سے مسلسل انکار کرتا رہا ہے کیونکہ یہ اس کے آقا کا حکم تھا- زرداری جیسا چالباز شخص NRO سازش کے کیس کو "شہید بینظیر کی قبر کا مقدمہ" کہتا ہے اور وہ ببانگ دھل اعلان کر چکا ہے کہ اس کی حکومت عدالت عالیہ کے حکم کی تعمیل نہیں کرے گی- زرداری نے گویا اپنے آپ کو آئین اور قانون سے بالا ہستی قرار دے دیا ہے! پاکستانی سیاست میں لفظ "شہید" کو جس بیدردی سے مسخ کیا گیا ہے اس کی مثال مشکل سے کہیں ملے گی- آج کے پاکستان میں سیاست دان قتل نہیں ہوتے، "شہید" ہوتے ہیں! اور جب غدار، وطن فروش، نااہل حکمران اپنے قبیح اعمال کی بدولت اپنے منطقی انجام کو پہنچتے ہیں تو "شہادت" کی پرچی اپنے ماتھے پہ چپکا کے عوام کو دھوکہ دینے کی کوشش کرتے ہیں- 

پچھلے دو برس کے طویل عرصے پہ محیط ، حکومت اور عدلیہ کی جنگ کے دوران مجھے یوں لگ رہا تھا کہ عدلیہ اپنی ہار مان کے خاموشی اختیار کر لے گی: 

                                                                                                            

پیچ ایسا  ہے  پتنگوں کا  کوئی  کٹتی  نہیں

ڈور کا اب تو سرا ہاتھوں سے نکلا جائے ہے 

مجھے خوشی ہے کہ افتخار محمد چودہری صاحب کے ہاتھ سے ڈور کا سرا نِکَلنے سے پہلے ہی گیلانی کی پتنگ کٹنے والی ہے-

خیرات کے لئے پھیلے ہوۓ ہاتھ 

 زرداری اور گیلانی کی غداریوں اور وطن فروشیوں کا حال آپ اسی بلاگ میں یہاں اور یہاں پڑھ سکتے ہیں- NRO کے متعلق آپ یہاں پڑھ سکتے ہیں- آیندہ چند دنوں میں غالباً ان دونوں کی بداعمالیوں  کی حکایات سے اخبارات بھرے ہوں گے- یہاں میں ان کے خیرات کے لئے پھیلے ہوۓ ہاتھوں کے متعلق کچھ عرض کرنا چاہتا ہوں- 

پاکستان میں زلزلہ آے، سیلاب آے یا امریکہ کی جارحیت کے رد عمل میں پیدا ہونے والی دہشت گردی کا طوفان آے، یہ دونوں گداگر اپنا اپنا کشکول اٹھائے دنیا سے بھیک مانگنے اٹھ کھڑے ہوتے ہیں- ان کی اس گدا گری کی عادت سے وطن عزیز کی ناک کٹ جاتی ہے لیکن بھیک کے انبار دیکھ کر یہ فقیر پھولے نہیں سماتے- بعد میں اس بھیک کے متعلق بہت کم معلومات قوم کو دی جاتی ہیں- 

قرضوں کا جال

بھیک کے علاوہ غیر ملکی قرضوں ["امداد"] کی اپنی الگ دردناک کہانی ہے- ہمارے امرا اور جاگیردار براۓ نام ٹکس ادا کرتے ہیں- زرداری کے متعلق کہا جاتا ہے کہ یہ ارب پتی ایک پیسا ٹکس کا نہیں دیتا- گیلانی کی دولت کے مینار سنا ہے پچھلے چار سالوں میں تعمیر ہوۓ ہیں لیکن ان پہ ٹکس محض چند ہزار روپے سالانہ ہے- حکومت کے اخراجات پورے کرنے کے لئے بین الاقوامی مالیاتی فنڈ [IMF] سے جی بھر کے قرضے لئے جاتے ہیں- ایک حالیہ خبر یہ ہے کہ زرداری/گیلانی حکومت نے گزشتہ چار سالوں میں اتنے ہی قرضے حاصل کے ہیں جتنے ماضی میں تمام پاکستانی حکومتوں نے لئے تھے- ان قرضوں کو کس طرح استعمال کیا جاتا ہے اس کے متعلق مکمل تفصیلات دستیاب نہیں- کہتے ہیں کہ ایک اچھی خاصی رقم حکمرانوں - جن میں شہری اور فوجی دونوں شامل ہیں - کی جیبوں سے ہوتی ہوئ ان کے غیر ملکی کھاتوں میں منتقل ہو جاتی ہے- ان قرضوں کی ادایگی کے لئے IMF کی انسانیت سوز شرایط پہ عمل کیا جاتا ہے- عام استعمال کی اشیا پہ ٹکس بڑھا دیا جاتا ہے اور گیس، بجلی، تیل، پانی کی قیمتیں آسمانوں سے باتیں کرتی نظر آتی ہیں- ان بیرونی قرضوں کے جال میں پھنسے ہوۓ غریب عوام کی معاشی حالت بد سے بدتر ہوتی چلی جاتی ہے- 

طلوع سحر

جس طرح طلوع سحر سے پہلے تاریکی بہت گہری ہوتی ہے، شاید پاکستان کی تاریک رات بھی ایک شفاف اور امید افزا صبح میں بدلنے والی ہے- خیال ہے کہ عام انتخابات اسی سال ہوں گے- یہ پاکستانی قوم کے لئے ایک سنہری موقع ہے اپنے بد باطن سازشی حکمرانوں (اور حزب  اختلاف کی شکل میں رال ٹپکاتے ہوۓ سابق حکمرانوں)  سے چھٹکارہ حاصل کرنے کا جو جی بھر کے عوام اور قومی خزانے کو لوٹ چکے ہیں اور غیر ملکی حکومتوں سے وطن کی عزت اور آزادی کا سودا کرتے رہتے ہیں- پاکستان کو ایک ایماندار، خود دار، انصاف پسند اور جرات مند حکومت کی ضرورت ہے- اگر ہم نے ہوشمندی سے کام لیتے ہوۓ زرداری، گیلانی، اسفندیار، شریفوں، چودھریوں وغیرہ سے نجات حاصل کر لی تو یہ ایک بہت بڑی کامیابی ہو گی-

تری زندگی اسی سے،  تری آبرو اسی سے

جو رہی خودی تو شاہی، نہ رہی تو روسیاہی

اگر ہم نے بد کردار، جرائم کے مرتکب لوگوں کو دوبارہ ووٹ دے کر کامیاب کر دیا تو ہم اپنے پاؤں پہ خود کلہاڑی ماریں گے-

آندھیو جاؤ اب کرو آرام 

ہم خود اپنا دیا بجھا بیٹھے

  

Light at the end of the tunnel

For much of the year 2011 Train Pakistan had been hurtling through a dark tunnel. As the year drew to a close, however, it was possible to glimpse light at the end of the tunnel. The twin-headed monster of Zardari-Gilani, primarily responsible for pushing the train into the dark tunnel, is rapidly losing its strength and may well be in its death throes.

It seems the traitorous duo of Zardari-Gilani has fallen into its own trap and may be unable to escape this time. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has established a commission to investigate the so-called “Memogate” act of treachery by Pakistanis in highly influential positions. The first casualty has been Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s erstwhile ambassador to the USA, who liked to defend USA interests with great vigour. Not for nothing was he known as the USA’s ambassador residing in Pakistan’s embassy in Washington. He is the prime suspect in a plot to make Pakistan’s nuclear capability ineffective and to force Pakistan’s armed forces to serve American government’s interests. He is said to have instigated this act of treachery against his own country at the behest of his “boss”, generally believed to be a reference to Zardari -  who claims he is untouchable because, as President, he has “immunity” under the constitution of Pakistan.

Let’s await the findings of the judicial commission, which is expected to complete its investigation by the end of this month. If Zardari is nailed, it will then be a no-holds-barred contest between the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the criminal Government of Pakistan. Will the noble Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, be able to cut off the head of the monster threatening the very existence of Pakistan? If he wins then Train Pakistan will indeed emerge into brilliant light.

As the Train comes to a stop it will be time for a new driver to step up and take charge. Standing on the platform is the intrepid Imran Khan, the most popular man in Pakistan at the moment, ready to take charge when it is time for the Train to move on. Will these two valiant men be enough to save Pakistan from the web of conspiracies being hatched by in-house traitors and external enemies?

I think we need a third presence. You may be surprised by my choice. Some may accuse me of eating my own words. The fact remains that, following USA/Nato military’s cowardly attack on one of Pakistan’s border posts on 26 November 2011, which ended in the cold-blooded murder of 24 men and officers of Pakistan’s army, Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the head of Pakistan’s army, is a changed man. He immediately blocked the flow of supplies through Pakistani territory to the USA/Nato troops stationed in Afghanistan, and he finally summoned the courage to tell the Americans that their drone attacks on Pakistani territory would no longer be tolerated. Better late than never. So far he has stood firm against tremendous pressure being exerted by the Americans. General Kayani needs the support of the entire Pakistani nation in the courageous stand he has taken against Pakistan’s back-stabbing “friends”.

So, looking to the immediate future, I think that the three men I have mentioned above will be, at least initially, the architects of a New Pakistan, self-reliant, proud and truly independent.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry

General Ashfaq Kayani

Imran Khan, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

!کبھی اے حقیقت منتظر

قدرت اللہ شہاب نے جو سب سے پہلا افسانہ لکھا اس کا نام "چندرا وتی" تھا، جس کی ابتدا یوں ہوتی ہے: "جب مجھے چندرا وتی سے محبت شروع ہوئی، اسے مرے ہوۓ تیسرا روز تھا- " یہ یقیناً ایک چونکا دینے والا فقرہ ہے- اس افسانے کے پس منظر پہ قدرت اللہ نے "شہاب نامہ" میں خاصی تفصیل سے روشنی ڈالی ہے- یہ افسانہ نوجوان قدرت اللہ کی نا تمام اور نا کام محبت کے گرد گھومتا ہے-   

مجھے جوانی کی لغزشوں یا حوادث سے سرو کار نہیں- رومانوی ادب میں محبت کے موضوع پہ بہت کچھ لکھا جا چکا ہے لیکن ایسی داستانوں میں اکثر دونوں فریق جوان ہوتے ہیں اور بہت سے لکھنے والے محبت اور ہوس میں تفریق نہیں کر پاتے- اگر شادی کو محبت  کی معراج سمجھ لیا جائے تو کیا یہ جذبہ باقی تمام عمرشوہر اور بیوی کے درمیان برقرار رہ سکتا ہے؟ محبت کیا ہوتی ہے اور یہ کب ہوس سے جدا ہو کرعشق کا روپ اختیار کر لیتی ہے؟ 

اگر میں قدرت اللہ شہاب کی طرز پہ ایک افسانہ لکھوں تو اس کی ابتدا کچھ یوں ہو گی: "جب مجھے احساس ہوا کہ میں اپنی رفیقۂ حیات کے عشق میں گرفتار ہوتا جا رہا ہوں تو ہماری شادی کو بیس برس سے زائد عرصہ گزر چکا تھا"- میں اکثر سوچتا ہوں کہ مجازی عشق میں گہرائی عشق حقیقی کی محتاج ہے- جوں جوں انسان کا اس کے رب کے ساتھ تعلق گہرا ہوتا جاتا ہے، اسی  تناسب سے مجازی عشق میں ایک حیران کن عنصر داخل ہوتا جاتا ہے جسے بیان کرنا میرے لئے ممکن نہیں- یہ ایک کیفیت ہے جو جوانی کی محبت میں نہیں ہوتی- شاید یہ جسم و روح کا ملاپ ہے جو اپنے عروج پہ پہنچ کے بندے کو قرب الہی عطا کرتا ہے یا شاید اس فریب میں مبتلا کر دیتا ہے کہ ایک حد تک قرب الہی مل چکا ہے- واللہ اعلم- 

نہ ہو طغیان مشتاقی تو میں رہتا نہیں باقی

کہ میری زندگی کیا ہے؟ یہی طغیان مشتاقی

ان کیفیتوں سے آگے کی منزل کیا ہو گی؟ معلوم نہیں حقیقت ثابتہ تک رسائی میرے جیسے معمولی انسان کے لئے ممکن ہے کہ نہیں- تاہم اس امید پہ جی رہا ہوں کہ شاید حقیقت کی ایک جھلک کبھی نظر آ جائے- 

کبھی اے حقیقت منتظر نظر آ لباس مجاز میں

کہ ہزاروں سجدے تڑپ رہے ہیں میری جبین نیاز میں

O much awaited Reality, let me see thee once in illusory garb

For thousands of sajdahs lie restless in my humble forehead

A Change of Direction

It seems an eternity since I last posted a blog. The events of last May, culminating in the murder of the journalist Saleem Shahzad, shook me up. Posting blog after blog about the hopeless situation in Pakistan appeared to me to be a pointless exercise.

I wrote my last blog on 24 May, lamenting the internal and external evils which threatened the very existence of Pakistan. Some six months later, there does seem to be a wind of change blowing although the treachery, greed and moral depravity of Pakistan’s rulers, and ex-rulers scheming for a return to power, are as strong as ever. Well, what’s this ‘wind of change’ then? It began, I think, with the overwhelming success of Imran Khan’s rally at Minar-e-Pakistan on 30 October. The Wind seems to be gathering pace and it may one day sweep away the evil that is eating Pakistan from within: the collusion and treachery of corrupt rulers which has allowed the foreign presence in Pakistan to grow and multiply and occupy an obscene place in Pakistan’s politics, government, military and the westernised element of Pakistan’s society.

I am one of those who have been patiently waiting for Imran Khan to emerge as a credible political force in Pakistan. It does seem that he has at long last arrived on the scene. I last wrote about him in a blog posted on 1 January 2011, when I said: “Pakistan needs new leadership, which may take a little time to emerge. Right now, Imran Khan looks to be the one potential leader around, the only one who has the guts to look the Americans straight in the eye and outstare them. His integrity is beyond question and his popularity in the country, especially among the young, seems to be growing exponentially.” You might be interested in reading the full blog and the comments thereon here.  

The great danger that Imran faces now is the likely exodus of discredited politicians from other political parties, falling over themselves to climb on to the rolling bandwagon of Tehreek-e-Insaf. I very much hope that Imran will show them the door. If he fails to keep out these blood-sucking vampires, he risks losing his pre-eminent position as an honest and principled politician – which is his chief strength.

Looking ahead, I wish to open up my blogs, writing bilingually in Urdu and English about any subject that takes my fancy. At the moment my readership is concentrated in the UK and the USA - and I am aware that I am running the risk of losing some of my readers, especially those who come here for my political commentaries. However, a change of emphasis may also attract new readers, especially genuine Pakistanis who do not feel at home with a foreign language. So, if you come across a piece in Urdu which you cannot read, please bear with me – the next post might be in English.

Finally, thank you to all those readers who haven't deserted me during my long absence from my blog.

The farce of Abbottabad, part 3 : the consequences

This blog post is a continuation of the issues discussed in the previous two - hence the words "part 3" in the title. 


What made the farce of USA's "daring" raid on Abbottabad - in which the hapless Osama died a second death - believable was not so much the brazen lies of the USA president as the humiliating response of Pakistan's President and the Prime Minister. It was as if both these puppets had been pre-programmed to utter nonsensical and demeaning words in response to a seemingly illegal act which violated Pakistan's sovereignty. The Chief Puppet Zardari described the operation as something which was "highly appreciated" while his sidekick Gilani called the degradation of Pakistan "a great victory". This was clear proof that the US held the Pakistan government by the throat, a dysfunctional government which had lost all notions of independence and sovereignty. No wonder the USA's Psychological Operation (PSYOP), targeting Pakistan's Army and its intelligence service, the ISI, had succeeded brilliantly. 


Over the last few years the CIA has succeeded in establishing a huge network of agents and local collaborators, including retired officers of Pakistan's armed forces with close links to serving officers. This was made possible by the Zardari-Gilani duo giving authority to Pakistan's ambassador in the US, Haqqani, to issue hundreds of visas to Americans without any checks whatsoever. This exercise was later repeated in Dubai when the Pakistan embassy was opened up in the evening for the sole purpose of freely issuing visas, bypassing the standard procedures of verification of personal data by the Foreign Ministry and by the ISI.


The rot began many years ago when the USA administration adopted a conscious policy of buying off influential people in Pakistan, starting with the top man Musharraf [see the blog post The case of missing persons ]. However, this policy of recruiting Pakistani traitors to assist with implementation of US policies in Pakistan has seen a huge expansion in recent years. Pakistanis who have sold out to the Americans can be found in all walks of life: the government, the civil service, the armed forces and the media. Pakistan's English language press, especially, is teeming with USA sympathisers who will never criticise US policies but they will virulently attack anyone and anything that offers resistance to the success of those policies. The Army, the ISI, Imran Khan and the Urdu language press (and patriotic Pakistanis writing in the English language press) are obvious targets.

Pakistan's tattered reputation
On Friday, 11 May, the Heads of Pakistan's Army and Air Force addressed a joint session of both the Upper and the Lower houses of Pakistan's Parliament. This session was a great disappointment. The assembled Generals could not summon the courage to clash head on with the Pakistani government and its USA masters, and sweep away the web of lies the two governments had erected. To do this the Generals would have had to admit that they, or a section of Pakistan's armed forces, had colluded with a foreign power to violate the country's airspace and murder a man in violation of Pakistan's laws. It is this sordid collaboration between the Pakistani leaders and the USA which is so hurtful. 


All the indications are that Pakistan's armed forces are infiltrated with traitors in powerful positions. There is immense pressure being exerted by the Americans and their Pakistani collaborators for Generals Kayani and Pasha (the Head of ISI) to toe the line. Pasha, especially, is being targeted and a way may be found to prise him out if he resists the expanding American influence in Pakistan. He appears to have been the driving spirit behind the unanimous Resolution that the two Houses of Parliament had agreed after a mammoth 10-hour session. This Resolution had 12 points, among them were:


* The USA's action in Abbottabad, constituting a violation of Pakistan's air space and sovereignty, was condemned.


* The USA's drone attacks on Pakistani territory were condemned. The USA was warned that if these attacks did not stop, the government would consider the closing down of routes used for the transport of supplies to the US and Nato forces in Afghanistan. Generally, Pakistan would review its working  relationship with the USA.


* An independent commission will be established to investigate the Abbottabad debacle. So far, not a single name has been announced as a possible member of that commission!


Three minor revelations - which people suspected anyhow - were made by the assembled military men:


* Pakistan's Shamsi airbase was not under the control of Pakistan Air Force! Apparently, it was owned by the United Arab Emirates and was sub-contracted to the USA, giving that country a free hand to fly aircraft from Shamsi for its nefarious designs. No one seems to have asked if the base will now be taken back into Pakistan's control!.


* Pakistan Air Force has the technology to shoot down the US drones which have killed well over two thousand Pakistani citizens. It is up to the government to give an order for shooting down the drones if the US continues to violate Pakistan's sovereignty [as the readers of this blog know well, Pakistan is a willing party to this arrangement].


* Raymond Davis was freed on the order of the central government - but the ISI top man, Pasha, declined to provide further details relating to that mysterious case.

The USA's hammer blow
The show of defiance by Pakistan's National Assembly was too much for the American masters. Scarcely had the ink dried on the 12-point Resolution than the world's only Superpower delivered a hammer blow by launching drone attacks on Pakistan and daring it to implement its worthless Resolution. Separately, the USA's creation, the Pakistani Taliban, launched a suicide attack which destroyed almost a hundred Pakistani lives (most died on the spot, others in hospital later). Further terrorist bombings followed on a smaller scale, culminating in a sophisticated assault on the Mehran Naval base on 23 May, which destroyed reconnaissance aircraft on the ground and inflicted immense damage. This was not a random act of terrorism. The attackers had precise instructions about the layout of the naval base and the targets to destroy. This attack came a couple of days after the announcement by Pakistan's Defence Minister, Ahmed Mukhtar, to the effect that China would be asked to build a new naval base in Gwadar and the  operational control of Gwadar port would be transferred from a dubious Singapore company to reliable Chinese hands.


With the exception of those who have sold themselves for dollars, Pakistanis are coming to a realisation that the sophisticated weaponry supplied to the terrorists through Afghanistan and, more importantly, the timing of attacks which coincides  with American warnings to Pakistan, can only mean one thing: the mastermind behind this human slaughter is the world's foremost terrorist state (aided and abetted by other arch enemies of Pakistan). Having terrorised Iraq and destroyed the spirit of its people through indiscriminate killings, the USA is engaged in similar bloodletting in Afghanistan (which it already occupies) and Pakistan (which it occupies through its proxies). This immoral superpower will go to any lengths in pursuit of its selfish policies.

A glimmer of hope
The government and the opposition are both silent, having already forgotten the brave wording of the 12-point Resolution. No orders were given to shoot down the drones and the supply routes to Afghanistan remained open. It fell to Imran Khan to stage a sit-in in Karachi over the two days 21-22 May, which resulted in the temporary suspension of USA/Nato supplies. Imran is expected to announce a long march in protest against the USA's drone attacks on Pakistan's citizens and the US's interference in Pakistan's affairs.


In the midst of the destruction unleashed on Pakistan following Parliament's  Resolution, Imran Khan's dharna (the sit-in) has been the only show of defiance. The day after his dharna ended,  John Kerry, chairman of the US Senate's foreign relations committee, came to Pakistan, wagging his finger and telling the Pakistanis that he had not come to apologise for the raid on Pakistani territory. The sheer arrogance of his words and his body language, and the way the Pakistani leaders cowered before him, may have been the last straw for the long suffering Pakistani nation. More and more people, including the judiciary, are able to see that Pakistan's fake democracy - effectively, subjugation to the USA - needs to be replaced with the genuine article. The first priority is to clean up the electoral register which contains no less than 37 million bogus names (some 44% of the eligible voters). Millions more who are eligible to vote need to be added to the voting lists. Free and fair elections in the near future are needed desperately to get rid of the criminals and traitors who rule Pakistan.

The Tojan Horses in Pakistan
In the blog post The Fall of the American Empire I mentioned the American-financed newspaper, The Express Tribune, which defends the policies of the US government irrespective of the harm they inflict on Pakistan. The online version of that publication had censored my comments on its editorial relating to the notorious Raymond Davis case. More recently, I offered comments on ET's story relating to the discussions in Pakistan's National Assembly. People were being provoked to demand that "heads must fall" - a euphemism for the heads of Kayani and Pasha - but my comments, which opposed that view, were censored. My unpublished comments are given below, which also show how badly my judgement was affected at that time by the "tsunami of lies" unleashed by the Americans:


Are the Americans taking the Pakistani nation for a ride? Why do so many people echo the Americans' sentiments and accusations?

Go back to 9/11 when the sole super power was hit at the heart of its military and commercial centres. Were there any resignations? Not one!

Let us, therefore, keep things in perspective and avoid shooting ourselves in the foot. No one is perfect and mistakes will always be made. After each mistake, we need to re-assess the situation and correct any weaknesses that come to light. If we weaken our military and the ISI at this time the obvious winners will be the USA and India.

Osama was supposed to have died some years ago as a result of kidney failure. That, I think, was the view of the ISI as well. However, it was obvious that the Americans were driven insane by their own obsession with Osama, but they wouldn't say why they thought he was alive and they wouldn't share with the ISI the underlying reasons for holding that view. That being so, ISI was simply passing on any information it picked up about Al-Qaeda to the CIA - which eventually succeeded in pinpointing Osama. All the time the CIA kept the ISI in the dark about the follow-up investigations based on the intelligence that the latter had made available.

It is clear that the Americans, our so-called "friends" and "allies", have stabbed Pakistan in the back and, very cunningly, rubbed our collective nose in the dust while the whole world stood watching aghast.

دیکھا جو تیر کھا کے کمیں گاہ کی طرف

اپنے ہی دوستوں سے ملاقات ہو گئی