I wrote this last year but never posted it. today is the 73rd year of the independence of Pakistan. The country I left as 19 years old looking for a better future. I did find religion and a future but being away from Pakistan left a gaping hole in my personality. this will be something I need to come to terms with but alhamdulillah I was born in Pakistan and lived as a Pakistani and still love Pakistan. what religion gave me was a sense of no nationalism. Islam doesn’t…read more
The time is 1997 and I am preparing for my FSc. I would stay up all night and study and sleep during the day. this kept on happening for months before the actual exams. I had the rangeela songs for my entertainment. it was winter in Islamabad and was cold at night. but hoping to score the best results for FSc kept me going. there are moments when you hear or smell something and it brings back a lot of memories. It could be the smell of flowers while walking…read more
I have become obsessed with the trek to K2 base camp. it seems that it has come to the point where I am not able to see beyond it. I even dreamt about it. I have imagined standing at Concordia and looking at the majestic view of the 4 eight-thousanders and being in awe of it. My interest in hiking and exploring has peaked since I got more involved in Boy Scouts of America. Last year at this point was completing my Woodbadge training at Gilwell in UK. So off…read more
Stick it more i say, Pakistanis need to be pushed to the limit to realize how to work for their country and get rid of likes of Zardari, Sharif and everyone else. The problem with Pakistanis is that we will live in our cocoon and let the leaders of the country get away with everything. Pakistan cannot be fixed without the people rising up and taking care of the corrupt, Leaders are strong because the masses are weak, if someone would deal with corrupt politicians in a matter that sets an example…read more
When we hit a 1000 dead then maybe we will do something about it. Until then we will just sit and watch. I don’t get it, Pakistan as a nation had become so ineffective that we can’t even fix our own house. I think the word castrated comes to mind. Our Armed forces can’t deal with the issues of security, Pakistani people are confused about whom to ask for help, we hate American help but can’t live without it. It is like a drug addict in denial that he/she is…read more
Pakistan needs to be liberated, either by hook or crook, in my opinion either the Libyan style rebellion or a saner solution which I think is Imran khan. There is a lot of talk about Imran khan right now; his popularity is increasing much to the dismay of Zardari-Sharif and Co. But there are many who still doubt his leadership and qualities. You can always find plenty of articles or news segments about him in negative light from various news outlets, some call him a Taliban Sympathizer or some call…read more
I am a bad exam taker; I have had times when I have left exams without writing a single word on the paper because I couldn’t BS my way through it. I have always been in awe of people who are able to do exams and score well. I don’t know what my problem is but it surely is a problem. I have been struggling with a preliminary exam for some time. This December the window into that exam will close also and might never open again. If I fail…read more
The case and the verdict in Mukhtaran Mai is very sad state of affairs of Pakistan. What is even sadder is that the judiciary is being held responsible for the failure to deliver justice. I may not be an expert but it seems people who are holding the judiciary responsible (liberals, Feminists and other judiciary bashers from the current government in Pakistan) keep forgetting that the judge can only pass a judgment on facts and evidence presented to him/her in the court of law. They have to be unbiased…read more
Spending my life in parts has left me with no true friends I think. I lived in Pakistan until I was eleven and left all my school friends to move to Bahrain. Then spent my teenage years in Bahrain and made friends there. When it was time to move again, I had to leave all that. I moved back to Pakistan to a new adventure, without Email/Skype/Facebook during those days meant that those friends had better things to do. Leaving all behind in Bahrain was especially hard as all I…read more