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This post is a continuation of sorts of August 2011′s B-side here which was dominated by a discussion on drone attacks in Pakistan. This is the first of three posts that continues the drone debate which has a singular aim that of bringing the truth about drone attacks to the fore.

This first post looks at the controversy around Shamsi air base in Balochistan from which predator drones were until recently unleashed on the people of Pakistan in FATA. One must begin by bemoaning the fact as disclosed by Pakistan’s Air Force Chief Rao Qamar Suleman that Shamsi airbase was under UAE control although he did not have the guts to speak the truth that it has subsequently been sub-let to the US by the state of Pakistan in khakis and in suits so that the US can kill the Pakistani people.

The Shamsi airbase controversy is not new, indeed many images have been published  from as far back as 2006, collected via Google Earth that have shown drones at the airbase as shown in the video below:

However, the PPP government via its part-time Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar has said that drones are allowed to only land in Shamsi airbase one can suppose after their killing missions have finished. Such a statement is implausiable as it raises one central question; if drones can arrive in Shamsi at the end of their journey, surely the drone journey must therefore begin from the same venue and thus begin and end at the same Shamsi airbase.

The role of the US at Shamsi airbase has been made clear by secret Wukileaks cables shared by Dawn here which proved that a dirty deal was at work between the UAE, US and Pakistan as shared in the self-explanatory Wikileaks cable shared below:

The fact that Tommy Franks a senior US retired general has admitted to US use of Shamsi airbase as far back as 2005 proves my case. However more proof of direct US involvement at Shamsi if any was needed has come to light thanks to a post in the blog of Omar R Quraishi, a respected Pakistani journalist and op-editor of the Express Tribune.

In his blog, Omar Quraishi writes about a story he did for The News when he worked for the newspaper that included photos of US personnel with drones at Shamsi airbase and are as far as I know the first photos of US boots on the ground of Shamsi airbase and are shared below as are the words of explanation in Omar Quraishi’s blog thereafter:

The photos above say it all, however the explanation is necessary and thus I repeat verbatim what Omar Quraishi wrote on his blog here the explanation as below:

With all the hullabaloo about Shamsi airbase I remembered that when I did this story for The News (http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=163174&Cat=2&dt=2/18/2009) (and The Times of London picked it up the next day), I had at least a couple of pictures which clearly showed that Pakistani military (army and airforce) officers had been the airbase and American officers had shown them around — the pictures (see for yourselves) show them being shown one of the parked drones — this picture must be circa 2007 so it was under the government of Pervez Musharraf — and in one of them the American military official is partly shielded — his upper torso. Another shows a Pakistan army and airforce officer from behind — and to their left can be seen two US soldiers — side-on. In two of these pictures, Pakistani military officials can be clearly seen.

What it clear from all the evidence shared in this extensive post and what is a drone truth is that the US, UAE and the state of Pakistan are working together and in my view complicit in the drone attacks that murder the civilian population in FATA. The next post of this 3-part special will provide proof of my statement in the form of photo evidence of civilian casulaties hurt or killed by the drone attacks in Pakistan.

August 2011’s B-side has its central focus on the death drones that land in Pakistan daily. The B-side is essentially a drone debate this August, because although I have written extensively against the drone attacks in Pakistan, recent developments have caught my eye and deserve further comment. The first two articles in the B-side are focused on drone attacks in Pakistan and cover new ground for they are the first articles written by senior US officials that criticise drone attacks.

The first article is written by Dennis Blair who was as recent as May 2010 the Director for National Intelligence in the Obama Administration. The second article is written by Dennis Kucinich, a senior Democratic Congressman who has tried twice to win the Democratic Party ticket to stand as President. The final article written by Shehrbano Taseer looks at another pressing foreign policy issue for Pakistan that of Pakistan-India relations in the context of the recent Pakistan-India summit in New Delhi attended by Pakistan’s new foreign minister, Hina Rabbani Khar. August 2011′s B-side contents include:

1. Drones Alone Are Not The Answer by DENNIS C. BLAIR
2. Drones Direct Hit Upon The Rule of Law by DENNIS KUCINICH
3. Hina Rabbani Khar Offers Hope to Pakistan by SHEHRBANO TASEER

The drone debate begins with an interesting first article by Dennis C Blair.

Drones Alone Are Not The Answer by Dennis C Blair

The article is published in The New York Times and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- As a former Director of National Intelligence, Dennis Blair was as a man in the inner circle of US statecraft with access to all the truths as well as guesswork and intelligence. Consequently he speaks and in this case writes with authority in stating that the US policy to defeat Al-Qaeda via drone attacks was flawed and is ‘wishful thinking.

Blair’s article concludes that drone strikes achieve little in the long-run as Al-Qaeda officials who are killed by drones are easily replaced and is right to point out that it ensures increased hatred of America in Pakistan. However Blair does support continued drone strikes albeit with Pakistani participation as opposed to unilateral US drone strikes, both being scenarios most Pakistanis including me, cannot agree with.

That said the Blair article is a step forward for it is an open indictment against the Obama policy in Pakistan and moreover shows that those in the highest echolens of US state power have realised their folly. Thus the key point in Blair’s article is how he no longer supports unilateral drone strikes which is a significant development given his status in the corridors of power. Who knows maybe others in the Obama Administration will follow his lead and wake up to the truth that drone strikes don’t work and must end now.

The second article is the best article in the B-side and continues on the drone debate and is written by US Congressman Dennis Kucinich.

Drones Direct Hit Upon The Rule of Law by Dennis Kucinich

The article is published in The Huffigton Post and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Kucinich’s article is a breath of fresh air for it is candid and correct in denouncing the Obama Administration ‘use of unmanned drones as a tool of war’. Kucinich is especially right to draw attention to the human cost of drone attacks with Pakistani civilians dying daily by joystick.

In my opinion, the number of civilians killed in Pakistan alone is sufficient grounds to halt drone attacks and Kucinich deserves credit for raising this aspect of the drone debate. Kucinich is right to draw attention to the civilian death toll and shares the truth authored by multiple sources in The Bureau of Investigative Journalism as well as the Brookings Institution and the New American Foundation all of whom confirm that many Pakistani civilians are killed by US drone attacks. It not need be stated that the latter two are no friends of Pakistan and are respected US think tanks which increases the validity of the argument put forward in Kucinich’s excellent article.

Kucinich ends his article by making valid references to the legality or lack thereof of drone strikes in Pakistan. I could not say it better than Kucinich who dismissed drone drone strikes ‘as summary executions, extra-judicial killings’. In a eerie sentence, Kucinich may well have seen what is coming when writing ‘that the hellfire we are sowing will surely be reaped by Americans in the future’.

The final article has its focus on the foreign minister and foreign policy of Pakistan and is written by Shehrbano Taseer.

Hina Rabbani Khar Offers Hope to Pakistan by Shehrbano Taseer

The article is published in The Guardian and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Taseer’s article is a good one for it is better than what most op-ed writers have done in focusing on the person of the foreign minister and not foreign policy. Taseer does refer to Hina Rabbani Khar’s dress sense and the media coverage afforded to her in India but uses both to bring to the fore the key issues, that is the substance of the story behind the sheen by drawing attention to the rich-poor disconnect in Pakistan.

Taseer must be praised for looking beyond the all too-easy references to Khar as Pakistan’s Fashion Minister and instead demonstrates journalistic maturity in drawing attention to hard facts like the 2010 study that estimates that 32% of Pakistan’s 180 million population subsists below the poverty line. Taseer goes one step further and links Khar’s tax returns amounting to a paltry £60 as evidence of Pakistan’s wider failings and I quote ‘So her ability to accessorise while millions in her country are homeless jobless and malnourished is hardly surprising. It is indicative of the gulf between the haves and the have-nots in Pakistan today’.

The rest of Taseer’s article charts the history of civilian-military relations and their respective roles in determining foreign policy as well as some useful references to the proud role women have played in Pakistan. Taseer is right to be hopeful for Pakistan and its youth, however she is wrong or at the least overly optimistic that Hina Rabbani Khar’s first meeting represents a marked change in Pakistan-India relations, for the real test remains, can flowery words translate into actions.

As Karachi burns evermore amidst amplifying discord, I wish to take inspiration from Tariq Jahan and his call for calm.

For readers unaware of Tariq Jahan, he is a British Pakistani who lost his youngest son to a hit-and-run murder during the recent UK riots. Hours after holding his dead son in his arms, the grief-stricken father provided hope for a peaceful resolution and urged his community to stay away from any reprisal attacks for the killing of his son Haroon and his friends Shahzad and Abdul Musawair. The three martyred men had stayed out late at night protecting their communities and people from looters and paid the ultimate price for their community and people.

Like in Karachi today, England was during the riots hostage to empty slogans and political posturing, however one voice stood out to soothe the nation. At a time of national strife and tension, Tariq Jahan spoke from the heart, his words single-handedly stopping the mindless rioting and violence that had engulfed England as shown in the video below:

As a British Pakistani man hailing from Gujranwala suffering the pain of the loss of his youngest son, Tariq Jahan’s call for calm was heeded as all were silenced. His grace, dignity and decency in appalling circumstances was beyond compare,

For me, Tariq Jahan, his words and his demeanour, captured the true Pakistani and Muslim. As a Pakistani, Tariq Jahan showcased the true Pakistani who is moderate and of the middle way. He also showed the true Islam of compassion and in doing so provided a counter-narrative that suggests that the West has lazily miscast us all by association as trigger-happy Muslims viewed only through the prism of faith and associated Muslims exclusively with issues of security.

I truly believe Tariq Jahan’s intervention will prove to be a defining moment for Pakistanis in the UK and elsewhere, many of whom are more patriotic and passionate about Pakistan than those who are born in the land of the pure. Moreover, it is hoped that Tariq Jahan’s wise words represent a watershed in how Muslims, Pakistan and Pakistanis are perceived in the world.

To end, I wish to praise Tariq Jahan and the families of the three martyred men for showing the best of Islam and Pakistaniat. For them the Holy Quran provides the ultimate strength in the following verse:

It is hoped that the example of Tariq Jahan can inspire his fellow Pakistanis to replace discord with harmony and learn that as a nation our salvation is in tolerating one another. As more blood is spilt in Karachi, let this post be a call for calm in Karachi and all of Pakistan.

Every 14 August, I begin by saying AZAADI MUBARAK to all Pakistanis inside and outside of Pakistan. The present state of Pakistan remains a worry, however on such a day I wish to hope irrespective of the doom and gloom as I am guided by the QUAID who said that Muslims never crumble when confronted with problems.

August 14 is thus a day to celebrate, it is a day to rejoice and marvel at the sacrifice of our forefathers whose blood and toil made Pakistan. As Pakistanis it is a day for introspection as well as an opportunity to reaffirm our love for the nation and our forefathers.

14 August is a also a day for forward thinking and in this I must echo the words of my friend Adil Najam of ATP who said that ‘azaadi is not a destination but a journey’. Thus every 14 August should be used to chart our journey as individuals and as a collective in realising the dreams of our forefathers.

Good news in Pakistan does travel far normally, however this 14 August I wanted to share such good news which has changed perceptions about Pakistan and caught the eye of international media. The screenshot below shows the front page of the Guardian newspaper on the 5th of August with its positive headline of ‘Pakistan’s Buena Vista Social Club charms west’:

The Guardian story is a rare positive Pakistan story with Declan Walsh reporting that:

An ensemble of veteran Pakistani musicians has pulled off an unlikely coup – storming western charts with an innovative jazz album and prompting comparisons with Buena Vista Social Club’s rediscovery of a lost generation of Cuban musicians.

The Sachal Studios Orchestra has captured imaginations with a cover of Dave Brubeck’s Take Five blending sweeping classical violins with sitars, tablas and other eastern instruments.

The piece has brought praise from jazz greats – Brubeck, 90, says it is “the most interesting” version of Take Five he’s ever heard – and propelled the orchestra’s album towards the top of the iTunes jazz charts in the US and UK. The album, which includes versions of The Girl from Ipanema, Misty and Desafinado, reached the top 10 in both countries.

The video of the Take Five jazz piece is shared below:

Pakistan is not all doom and gloom as proved in the example above. Indeed millions of good people are ready to live and die for Pakistan and so let us not be despondent, as a collective we can turn the corner. And turn the corner we must, for Pakistan must become the Pakistan of Allama Iqbal and the Quaid-e-Azam.

Three days before Independence Day on Aug 14, there is another day that should be marked in the country, celebrating the white strip on our green flag. Minorities Day on Aug 11 is a reminder of the address by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah before the First Legislative Assembly on that date in 1947, in which he declared that followers of all religions would be equal citizens in the new country.

At the same time, Aug 11 is a painful reminder of how, contrary to the Quaid-e-Azam’s vision, Pakistan’s minority communities have been turned into second-class, particularly in the past three-and-a-half decades.

The Gojra Massacre of July 30, 2009, was a latest display of the level to which the level of intolerance has descended, in this case involving our Christian community. It is a matter of national shame that two years after the tragedy, the judicial inquiry into Gojra has not been made public.

The Gojra Report of Justice Iqbal Hameedur Rehman of the Lahore High Court and now chief justice of the Islamabad High Court, was completed back in October 2009. The independent judiciary should have acted to ensure the Report was at least made public, even if there were impediments in the immediate implementation of its recommendations. The continuing denial of equal rights, which amounts to denial of basic fundamental rights to our non-Muslim citizens, is a scar on the collective conscience of us Pakistani Muslims.

Since we are discussing Gojra, let us see what Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), said of Christians. In 628 CE, the Exalted Messenger of Universal Mercy (PBUH) granted a Charter of Privileges to the monks of the St. Catherine Monastery in Mount Sinai. As Muslims we are bound by the sacred Covenant. An English translation of the document by Dr A Zahoor and Dr Z Haq reads:

“This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a Covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far. We are with them. Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and, by Allah! I hold out against anything that displeases them.

“No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims’ houses. Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God’s Covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.

“No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants. No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the Covenant till the Last Day.”

The Charter of Privileges should be made law and, ideally, be included in any future constitutional amendment and must enjoy constitutional protection. This will go a long way in protecting Pakistan’s religious minorities. Moreover, it will give meaning to Aug 11 and serve as a reminder to the majority Muslim population of Pakistan of their responsibility to protect Pakistanis who follow other religions. Only then will the ghosts of Gojra be buried.

 NB: This article was published in The News today here.

Karachi- the city of lights has turned ugly into the city of blights.

The city of Mai Kolachi is awash with the blood of innocent Pakistanis who have been sacrificed to a devil’s pact between various mafias and madmen politicians.

It is alarming that 900 Pakistanis have been killed in 2011 with 300 dying in July alone according to today’s report by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. The situation is getting ever more grim, indeed my previous post on Karachi here bemoaned that Karachi and Karachites were hostage to a dirty turf war and paying the price for it in blood and this is true today too.

The pathetic and apathetic PPP government in the centre and in Sindh has spectacularly failed to stop the killings as has the MQM and ANP, all who enjoy the spoils of power in Sindh and all should resign for the daily death dance in Karachi has taken its toll on Pakistan. That said, I fear that with goons like Zulfiqar Mirza in the ascendancy, Karachi will remain hostage to the evil of various political parties who show their street (read killing) power, to the cost of peace in the metropolis.

If the killings were not bad enough, one is left angry at the endless empty sloganeering and tokenism used by Karachi’s main political parties. On the one hand, Karachites are left hostage to the dogs breakfast of uttering’s by Altaf Bhai who remains a bhai in the real sense, forever capable of showing his strength.

Meanwhile the PPP treats Karachi and Sindh as its own possession yet the party shirks from any responsibility in taking the province forward. Indeed the recent news that Bilawal Zardari will stand for elections in Lyari, is proof of the tokenism that in truth stands for nothing, given the Presidency and the PPP’s interests in Lyari are restricted to using its people to launch Bilawal into front-line politics. Lyari’s problems like those in Larkana will remain as they are as they are seen to be insignificant and unimportant.

All of Karachi has been treated in the same way by its politicians and this is why the city of lights has turned to the city of blights and will remain as so until the people of Karachi and Pakistan more widely reclaim their rights to live in peace from the politicians who steal power and never speak in their name.

July 2011’s B-side continues to focus on the aftermath of the Bin Laden killing and looks at that headache of headaches, Pakistan-US relations. The first article is written by the one and only Tariq Ali and focuses on ‘AmPak’ – a marriage of convenience. The second article is written by Cyril Almeida and looks at Pakistan-US relations after 9/11 to the present day. The final article looks at a separate issue in terms of the Pakistan-Iran pipeline and the potential for Pakistan as an energy corridor. July 2011’s B-side contents include:

1. US and Pakistan: The Rocky AmPak Affair by TARIQ ALI
2. A Second Chance by CYRIL ALMEIDA
3. Pakistan Punished in Pipelineistan by PEPE ESCOBAR

Tariq Ali is the author of the first article, need I say more?

US and Pakistan: The Rocky AmPak Affair by Tariq Ali

The article is published by The Guardian and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Tariq Ali remains an intellectual heavyweight who is respected the world over by friend and foe alike. As a commentator, he remains a personal favourite of mine and impressed me with his brilliant article on Pakistan-US relations. In the article, Ali describes the relations between both countries as a marriage of convenience (made in hell I must add) with the XXL sized trousers worn by the stars and stripes I must add,

Ali rightly concludes that the so-called marriage (a sordid affair more likely) is one-sided when he writes ‘Washington defines the rules of the marriage. It drones the country, it violates its sovereignty, its agents kill citizens on public highways. International law is arbitrary’, thus to borrow from the Black Eyed Peas then where is the love???

The history of the AmPak marriage from the Afghan jihad and 9/11 till today, as defined by Ali is charted later in the article. In it Ali, describes the many lows of the Pakistan-US relationship that has resulted in a pliant Pakistan bullied by arrogant America.

Ali’s article is right to bring attention to other Pakistani ills not least the evil of corruption and the daily bloodbath in Karachi, however he is being too negative in predicting that an implosion is inevitable. Ali is however right in his solution to Pakistan’s woes, in his words ‘A quick Nato exit from Afghanistan is the only basis to stabilise Pakistan’, I could not agree any more.

Continuing with the Pakistan-US relations theme post-Osama, the second article looks at the prospects of a second chance for Pakistan and is written by Cyril Almeida.

A Second Chance by Cyril Almeida

The article is published by Dawn and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Cyril Almeida’s article is a seminal piece for it proves how incapable our khaki kings namely Musharraf , Kayani and co have been in learning the lessons of 9/11. Almeida concludes rightly that ‘the generals didn’t get it. They thought 9/11 was a blip, one that required temporary adjustments and deflections, for which they would be rewarded handsomely, before eventually going back to business as usual’. Musharraf’s mistake has cost the Pakistani people dearly who have paid the price for the military leadership’s failings, paid in death and destruction.

Almeida’s analysis of where Pakistan went wrong after 9/11 is well worth a read for it provides for much needed introspection with a view to taking Pakistan forward. Almeida’s article gets better as he does more than problem-spot; instead he charts a way forward post-Osama in the form of a second chance.

Almeida is keen to re-set Pakistan’s ties with the US and reminds his readers of Pakistan’s worth (sold cheaply) to the US in terms of the NATO supply route, our complicity in drone attacks and the fact that Pakistani assistance comes cheaply. Almeida does not set out a minimum agenda of Pakistan-US co-operation in his article, however he does identify the various levers Pakistan can use and flex to put pressure on America with a view to ensuring a Pakistan-US relationship that is in the interests of Pakistan too.

Agreeing with Almeida, Pakistan’s military and civilan leaders do have a second chance to reset Pakistan-US relations, which I suspect they will goof up once again.

The final article looks at the politics of pipelines and is written by Pepe Escobar.

Pakistan Punished in Pipelineistan by Pepe Escobar

The article is published by Asian Times and can be read here.

WASIM VIEW- Escobar’s article is a good one and is warmly welcomed for it has at its focus the planned Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline that should connect Pakistan to Iran. Escobar is excited as am I by the potential of the IP pipeline which if successful could see Pakistan emerge as an energy corridor in the region and beyond.

The rest of the article looks at Pakistan-US relations post-Osama in which Escobar rightly bemoans the imperial bullying of Pakistan by Uncle Sam that included the suspension of military aid. And still the US says has the tenacity to say her relationship with Pakistan is strategic and not transactional! Escobar is also right to question the wider American agenda and their hate for the IP pipeline and their preference for the TAPI pipeline that moves through Afghnaistan and India and excludes Iran.

Escobar is too quick to judge Pashtun nationalism as an existential threat to Pakistan, a view I do not share. That said Escobar is right to conclude that a successful IP pipeline will embolden Pakistan and her appeal to the region and the world as an energy corridor.

A year has passed and gone since 27 July 2010. However for almost a million Pakistanis time has stood still as they remain homeless and hopeless after the devastating floods that hit Pakistan exactly a year ago today not that you would know thanks to Pakistan’s collective indifferene (read government, media and people)

The human, physical and mental cost of the flood cannot be measured and is too much to quantify, that said the statistics alone can keep one awake at night. The utter devastation was so severe that it has clearly taken Pakistan back many years, indeed the recently released Supreme Court of Pakistan imitated Flood Commission Report reported:

1. Twenty million people became internally-displaced
2.  The total loss is estimated at 5.8 percent of the GDP.
3. About 20 million people faced acute shortage of food
4. 3.5 million children’s education and 4.5 million persons’ livelihood were hit by the floods.
5. 1,600 people lost their lives and thousands wounded during the floods.
6. Almost 4.5 million people lost their jobs mostly in the farming sector while Rabi crops for the season 2010-11 were badly affected.
7. Seven million students were deprived of their academic session.

It pains me to conclude that the flooded people of Pakistan have been forgotten by us all, me included. The government was then and remains today useless and apathetic to the cause other than when it involves photo-ops. The media was brilliant during the floods and helped to move the people of Pakistan into action, however it has been silent for too long since as have commentators like myself who have let the issue slip away as proved in the lack of media coverage today.

It is the tragedy of today’s Pakistan that moves from one crisis to another that the great flood that devastated the land of the pure has become an issue for the inside of a newspaper and not the front page it should be in the national discourse in Pakistan. Consequently I share the following harrowing videos of the floods so to jog our memories as to the utter devastation caused by the floods with a view to it providing me personally and all other Pakistanis an impetus to act in our individual and collective capacities to help the flooded people of Pakistan. The videos are shared below:

Video 1

Video 2

I must applaud The Flood Commission Report that runs into two hundred pages and more made many conclusions which are yet to be implemented. A recent editorial in The News titled ‘Flood déjà vu’ here warns us all of the oncoming monsoon season and the apathy of the government who have yet to learn the lessons of the great flood. Such news does not surprise me and is the nightmare that keeps Pakistan awake at night.

As Pakistan marks Shab-e-Barat with religious reverence today, I am reminded of the loss of the great Jamil Fakhri who departed this world some months ago. This belated post written 38 days too late wishes to praise a legendary actor and above all a legendary Pakistani.

Readers will know of my respect for Jamil Fakhri and his love for Pakistan as covered in the post Jamil Fakhri Pakistani here. It pained me to hear of his death on 9 June from what his friends and family described as a broken heart for he was unable to recover from the horrific death of his son in the US.

Fakhri saab’s last interview with Sahir Lodhi on Geo TV has caught me eye for it showcases the very best as an acting legend, and a proud Pakistani Muslim as Sahir Lodhi explains quite eloquently below:

The interview above is in many ways a tearjerker for it shows a broken man whose succeeds in showing his love for his art and audience by hiding his personal grief. The video also shows the level of faith that Jamil Fakhri had in his creator and in Pakistan and reminds all Pakistanis from Karachi to Khyber that all is not lost for Pakistan.

Ending, on the night of Shab-e-Barat I am left to wish this heartfelt dua for the great Jamil Fakhri saab:

FEIMANALLAH FAKHRI SAAB, MAY ALLAH GRANT YOU JANNAT AL-FIRDAUS

Karachi is awash today with the blood of Pakistanis who are innocent bystanders to a turf war that is nothing short of a devils pact. Karachi’s killing fields continue to claim more and more blood because the Pakistani state has allowed criminals and the mafia to win influence in the political field across the political divide, to the cost of peace in the metropolis.

Thus by their collective acts of omission mainly and commission, the main political parties are guilty of sustaining this turf war that has turned the city of lights to the city of blights. The US Ambassador’s comments have angered me and his concerns on Karachi have not escaped my attention, given that diplomats normally refrain from commenting on the internal affairs of a country, a rule for all except for Uncle Sam and Pakistan of course it seems.

At times like these, one cannot see any reason to hope, and thus I can only appeal to the better instincts of the ordinary Pakistani and through them appeal to the goons and government to stop this senseless killing. At times like this I am reminded of the heartfelt poem aey mere loago by the great Ahmed Faraz saab, which is as relevant today as it was decades ago and I share it below: