In Times Such As These



'In times such as these, what is the most important consideration. To survive here as best as we can, or rethink the last five hundred years of our existence and plan our future accordingly.'

Tariq Ali

Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree





Strange that it was said for the disintegrating Caliphate at Andalucia at the time of the Spanish reconquista, the words ring true for us even now... especially now. History repeats itself? Well in that case our glory awaits us some time in the future since we have declined back to a barbaric, dull minded lot.

It is time we try and survive as best as we can and rethink our last five hundred years. History ofcourse is the musings of man and our history books had us believe in heroes of its choice, struggles that birth those heroes and the utter evil of our enemies. With facts tainted with such lies, we go back to making the same crippling mistake we made when we won Pakistan. We thought we had ourselves a time machine and that by having an independent 'muslim' state we would some how transform into the Mughals or the Ghaznis.

We forgot who we actually are.

Lo and behold! The current state of Pakistan.

Every year I go back to see Lahore slipping into a larger divide, it almost makes you dinner curdle in your gut. The flush qaurters have parties where alocohol is no longer the popular poison, such a pity! Murree brewery beer did contend with Fosters, not as much but better still. Drugs have won the bid, an 8000 rupee line of coke does the trick. So while a certain class is getting high, revving up their generators and thinking no less than western attire, there are those who have had a sudden spiritual awakening. They have found god. But, they have forgotten Pakistan.

Last but not least are a large part of the country that suffers not only at the hands of drones, suicide bombers but has been struck by the poverty bomb, thanks to the corruption of our 'rehnumas', the ruling elite. These are the piaz roti (onion, chappathi) eating kind, the invisible kind, surviving on $2 a day, and that is Pakistan. When a large part of the population have truelly become invisible, how can be blame anyone else for the mess we are in.

Wait! There is more. So open your eyes and read out loud. Our population that grew fourfold in six decades, is largely comprised of under 25's. This is 63% of the country. Where a majority of that are under fifteen years of age and that is the near future of our country, those who will shape the land with their skill and wisdom. They are illiterate and poverty stricken.

Are we too awaiting a new breed of Aryans to come and destroy us like they did the cities of Harrappa and Moenjodaro?

But I say. A tidal wave awaits us. It is inevitable. The unholy child of capitallism is surely paving its way through the blind jihad. It is gorging like a hungry man fearing starvation and it will eat us too. So!

Are we best equipped to survive when the tsunami strikes? Can we rise from the ground when it buries us?

A Man Falls Out of a Tree

It was funny when I read 'Councillor killed in fall from tree', on MSN news. A Green Party councillor, avid arborist, had fallen from a tree and died. Nothing funny about that, you'd say, but what was funny, were the comments by the readers. Billy Bumbler's '...it's such a tragedy he must be leafing us now', didn't quite match the humour of certain 'Bull....'

'...I just add that it could (read could!!!) have been the local majority muslims sabotaging it. Branching out, to speak and cut.'

And I heard myself saying, 'They really hate us.'

I know a few Brits, some are absolutely wonderful and yet after reading this I am looking over my shoulder thinking, are they saying 'they all do smell funny' when I turn my back. Maybe they feel the same way I do at this comment, when a man decides to leave a car full of explosives in a busy square, 'Will she too blow up with the birthday cake candles at the party?'

I felt sad. Perhaps the comment was meant to be half funny and perhaps doesn't even respresent the views of the majority. Still, I wonder.

A man falls out of a tree and they look at us!.