Monthly Archives: August 2014
The slide into chaos
Prelude
In elections 2013 I voted for the PTI candidate from my constituency NA250. At that time like millions of others, one was tired with the PPP’s shenanigans and was hoping (against hope) for change. The PTI candidate won, and that is the last one has ever heard of him. To my observation and knowledge he has done absolutely nothing for this constituency in the past 14 months or so. For the provincial assembly seat I noted for independent candidate Jibran Nasir, who I did not know or had even heard of before.
Paradise by any other name …
Many years ago, in a conversation at an international tourism convention, a Sri Lankan delegate remarked passionately, ‘you have to be born lucky to be born in Sri Lanka.’ The true meaning of this assertion becomes clear to you, within a day of your arrival on this teardrop island south of the Indian subcontinent massif. Sri Lanka by another name could well be called Paradise.
Trouble in Paradise
I was walking past the room called Pakistan on the 13th floor of World Tower, when through the open door I heard the sound of protracted sobbing. Instinctively I stepped into the room to see Democracy sitting in a dark corner, her hands clutching a kerchief to her face and sobbing uncontrollably. It was a distressing sight. Especially as I quite liked Democracy.
Happy Birthday Pakistan?
Opinions differ regarding how the country’s 68th birthday should be observed. One side advocates celebration with patriotic, no-questions asked fervor. The other side counters that the nation is in a deep morass and there is really nothing to celebrate. While one does wish to rejoice on such an occasion, too much blood and tears have flown, and continue to flow, in this country on a daily basis, to allow the soul genuine exuberance. This is the sad reality.
The oldest living city in the world
I visited Syria in 2011 with my family. It was a peaceful, safe and friendly country. To our experience the people were by and large happy and contended, even if the regime by Western reckoning was authoritarian. How much has happened since then. An ancient and beautiful country has been destroyed by international vested interests who created, financed and armed a rebel army to overthrow the government.
In this section, I share with you an article that I had written back then on returning from Syria. I cannot recall with certainty if it was published in some newspaper. Probably was.
The Zoos Debate
What is the meaning of life?
Heard that one before? Of course you have; countless number of times. From people living and from people long since dead. From people you know in your lifetime to people who lived centuries ago. Philosophers, sages, writers, thinkers, poets, and many others have answered this eternal question in their own way. Some thoughts have appealed, and others have seemed banal, even ridiculous. In fact you might even say that this question by now has become absurd and redundant; indolent and pointless.