Magnanimity in victory

Wheel of democracy continues to roll. Change is there, but will it meet the expectations? Today in Parliament, except that IK was elected PM, rest of the show was below par by all political actors.
Talking of actors, its obvious that Shahbaz Sharif would top the list. He continues to amaze, the guy has no leadership qualities, no sense of judgement & proportion. NS made sure, chhotay mian remains under-nourished & crippled leader. His lanvender safari suit spoke volumes of his recent "purple patch" & a testimony of his accentricity.
Good speech by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari... only if it was delivered in Westminister. Though his foreign manner, outlandish politeness & pleasant demeaner appeared good on the eye but there is a serious disconnect. This guy aspires to ride our necks as PM, may be 5-10 yrs down the road. He has no clue of poor man's woes bcoz hot wind never touched him. He was groomed in a certain aristocratic way, tailormade to rule over us. His inability to communicate in native language is equated with Gora sb's snobbish rubbish. May be deeply engraved Colonial imprints of slavery. It is a shame that leader of third largest party can't deliver speech in national language.
Poor vindictive speech by IK, a contradiction to his first speech. Not a statesman's language rather hangover of reactive politics was loudly audible in his voice. Loud but unimpressive. Throwing invitation for Dharna & offering container were not required. NRO for Dakus & bringing back laundered money are not his jobs, institutions have to do it. Grow up Mr Prime Minister. Wake up if you think you are still dreaming then be certain that you've made it. You don't have to prove it anymore. You are already there. Now move ahead with some grace.Worst part was follow up speech of Shah Mahmood Qureshi who made a miserable attempt of mopping up IK's egocentric mess up. PM Elect may consider delivering prepared speeches like victory speech. May be in due course Premiership takes over anguish of political struggle, then he may return to 'freedom' of extempore speech.
Claiming to turn Pakistan in to 'State of Medina' is setting up highly idealistic goals. For reminder, State of Medina was an ideal state built by the Ideal Man PBUH. You may aspire to work towards it with Allah's help & are still likely to fall short. But I never heard any PTI leader making this claim with humility & caution. Mananimity or lack of it is probably the difference between being reactive good leadership & a great leadership. However, on this good day, being optimistic we hope may be IK learns to be gracious in any future setback & magnanimous in victories because it only would adds value to his own stature. Dignity in defeat & magnanimity in victory, are again higher ideals. Just like we don't expect PTI to completely replicate the State of Medina, they can't also be expected to remain totally gracious & magnanimous.
Lastly, Good, Bad or Ugly, time will tell but
Usman Buzdar must be dancing like crazy for an early birthday present. Nomination of CM KPK was a decision made in position of weakness but this one is different. IK went for someone who exactly knows what poor people are actually going through & what might be the way out. Or its opposie. Euphoria or Optimism, can't really tell.
Blessed Weekend.
Only Allah knows the whole Truth.

Independence Reclaimed

Since long, every single day, I got up wondering how this country was surviving? And how long it could survive like that? Quest to finding answer to this only furthered my belief that if its creation was a miracle, its sustenance was an even greater living miracle. Miracles don't happen for nothing. Making in to prospering welfare nation state is not the ultimate goal. Rather, its about assuming the leadership role of motely nations of Muslims across the world. That seems to be a fitting goal than the former. Probably, those miracles are saving this nation state for bigger things. In which case, it all makes sense why we exist in this particular time frame & what next is incumbent upon us.
Many many 14 Augusts went by. It used to be a day of gratitude, festivity & hope. But in my living memory from 80s to date, things deproved from bad to worse. Corrupt & incompetent leadership was like bed bugs who brought disease & bad luck. Besides being blood paracites, they were ill equipped with false egoes like little Pharaohs. Multiple failed political govts in between two hideous dictatorial regimes of Zia & Musharraf did irreparable damage to growth of institutions, hence, growth of the country. There was melancholy all around. There was niether gratitude, nor festivity nor hope. Due to poor decision making of leadership, an entire generation since the turn of the century suffered severe trauma. Kids grew up watching scattered limbs & elders went numb. Death of Muslim Pakistani was as insignificant as quashing of a bathroom mosquito. Like Bani Israel, we were being ruled by merciless tyrants, our people oppressed & our kids slain. It sometimes felt like rock bottom.
However, third consecutive handing over of power from one political party to another inside parliament house is an amazing democratic feat. For which all political parties deserve a pat on the back. There is an air of mature politics which was clearly visible in today's oath taking ceremony at National Assembly. It is becoming inevitable for politics to shift from stereo type to no nonsense practical domain. Macro level welfare measures may earn next term not optics like building loan based massive urban infrastructure. Direction of national politics may also shift from aristocratic style to public service. As long as Army remains determined to stay away from 'active politics' & judiciary continues handing out justice to all, things are looking good for Pakistan. Real good tidings. It seems that we have weathered the storm. We saw it through. We are the proud generation where it all stops for new beginnings.
This14 August marks that new beginning. The mood is way above festive. Pakistan is bracing change. Common people are happy. Happiness is in the air.
The 'narrative' is defeated. Anti Pakistan narrative is defeated. Anti Army narrative is defeated. Election rigging narrative is defeated. Proof is simple. In past, no matter which party won or lost the elections, this nation never celebrated Independence Day like this14 August. This passion & fervor was long forgotten. From Karachi to Khyber, from 13/14 August midnight fireworks to entire day celebrations of 14 August, it feels like Independence Reclaimed.
Happy Independence Day.

Axing of IMET

66 military courses slots reserved for Pakistani officers have been cut off by US Govt. Two observations:
1. Personal. I briefly trained with most modern armies to include two weeks exercise in Germany with UK & US army personnel. US army personnel were shallow talkers & dumbest among all. So the learning value was zero.
2. Observational. Officers who attended courses at US had clear cut advantage in exposure. And in their professional outlook, except this exposure, there was not much to add.
For exposure part & modern way of 'co-existence', cutting off IMET courses is a set back but on professional note, we didn't lose much.
Divergent theories on this issue were circulating including over-zealous, indifferent & conpiracy based. I just summed it up in terms of hardcore professional learning we didn't lose much. Its temporary political posturing for regional alignments like US backs India & Pak besides Chinese factors, is exploring new friendship with Russians. May be, Mr Trump with his pressure tactics wants to send a warning shot to IK/PTI that instead of collision course, they should respect US as stakeholder in the region otherwise they might have to pay the price. But, his tactics is more like a go-getter businessman than a statesman. Sometimes it works like in case of North Korea because he was dealing with equally 'robust' Kim but in other parts of the world, it may not work, particularly Pakistan. This should set us free & allow us to look towards Russia & other new friends for deals. In nutshell, it is a win-win for us.
Please feel free to record your feedback on the issue.

Elections, change & way forward

There is media's Pakistan which most people see through cameras' lense. And there is Pakistan of slumps & castles. There is also Pakistan of real & fake political dramas. And there is my Pakistan. My Pakistan's these days very cool. My Pakistan is seeing a political change which was my political dream. I always wondered how would we ever justify to our next generation the politics before July 2018 & our role in correcting it. There was not much to show for. However, something dramatic has happened on 25th July which is taking time to sink in. The enormity & impact of change coming Pakistan's way may not be understood at this point in time but it will surely unfold in due course.
Some extraordinary things that happened on election day do deserve a mention:
Political maturity of KPK has been re-asserted. Despite incomplete metro project in Peshawar, people of KPK endorsed PTI's style of governance where state seems to be interested in welfare of its people regardless of their social status & political leanings.
Punjab has cornered PML (N) to its north eastern border. Only parts of Punjab i.e. Lahore & surrounding districts voted for Noon. May be next time Noon League may also mind taking rest of Punjab along. For winning reasonable mandate in Eastern Punjab, Noon should also thank Sheen for saving the grace & for not towing the 'Narrative' i.e. 'Kiyun Nikala', 'Khalai Makhlooq' & 'Vote ko Izzat Do' (woh tou mil gai).
Sindh belongs to PPP because no one is willing to go and work there. Despite walkover in Sindh, PPP does not stand a chance to flourish unless face of Zardari is off the screens & Bilalwal is in relative control of the party.
What Karachi did was amazing. What a sweet revenge of four decades of subjugation & exploitation. Without much political mobilization on ground, result favoured PTI which was the loudest political ststement in this election.
Hats off to Baloch people who despite horrific bombings on election day near northern bypass went out to vote in numbers. They perhaps had understood the value of their vote, value of being free Muslim Pakistani & value of changing the fate of Pakistan for their next generations.
Before we divulge upon the way forward, it must be understood that IK becoming PM of this country was not my political dream coming true. Rather, it was getting rid of those leeches who have been feeding on blood of this country. At long last, people rejected them. It also warrants reiteration of the fact that center of gravity of this nation is its people not 'agriculture department' (as some media houses & politicians propagate to cover up their own incompetencies). Now those thugs have become one party against PTI. But it would be in greater interest of the country if we have another political force with better agenda than PTI to act as second party instead of these thugs. Their shelf life is already over. But establishment of new political force with ideological base is a far cry. I strongly feel that IK made a short cut of relying on electables because may be he thought he was entering in to 70s and his 22 years' struggle should see some fruition. The way he worked in elections, had he worked on his party, he won't even be needing to open a laundrette of electables. Nonetheless, he pulled up a winning formula & we need to look forward to the delivery part of it. To replace kleptocracy with welfare state, no doubt, will require some fundamental improvements in existing model of governance. But it is easier said than done because we are talking about Pakistan, the hardest country to govern. However, one can safely bet that three basic things might change in PTI's first term in office:
Economic revival & restoration of some respect in the commity of nations.
Secondly, relative independence to institution for them to operate freely (like Army, Judiciary & NAB) including police, DMG, FBR, SECP, State Bank & every other institution be free of political interference. This does not mean political leadership will not even check them for their transgressions.
Lastly, financial & legislative independence to local bodies to lookafter respective communities. This will inject fresh crop of well groomed & reliable public servants than existing cocktail of PTI leadership.
Finally, its time for team PTI to walk the walk. First thing Nawaz Sharif did was to settle scores with Pervez Musharraf. Today, NS along with his daughter is in jail & Musharraf is at large less Pakistan. Revenge is not a virtue, it can't yeild virtue. Course of revenge is round like goes around comes around cliche. IK, as he committed in his short & comprehensive speech should do better than NS & stick to his words. PTI will be under immense scrutiny because they set some higher ideals but have been found wanting on some occasions. Pakistan has suffered enough grief in past seven decades. Except few sporting achievements, there is nothing to cherish. Despite brilliant human & natural resource, the country kept reeling due to bad management. Happiness of Pakistan should not be short-lived, it deserves to remain happy for long.
Only Allah knows the whole Truth.

A new Dawn

We live in strange times. Truth is a rare commodity. At times, plain truth sounds too good to be true. I'm working in real estate industry thesedays, where ten out of ten people prefer to be deceived by beautiful lies than paying heed to simple less attractive truths. Eventually they all get back & repent their temptations. For as long as last greedy is alive, swindlers are in the business. Problem with greed is that it will always remain unsatiated. Like day to day routine matters, greed has begun to dictate our outlook on issues as well. Ideology, patriotism, loyalty, integrity; all weighty values are being dominated by material pursuits. So much that it seems we are surrounded by a magnetic field of infinite greed & sweet lies. Election season has brought a fresh torrent of white lies, absolute lies, total lies, half truths, twisted perspective, spin doctored issues, blatant dis-information & greed based leanings. Media is responsible for this non-stop frenzy which has become the tool of politicians, international establishment & paid lobbyists. Journalistic integrity is the rarest jewel in media industry today. Resultantly,  media credibility is going down the drain & journalism being de-valued. But still they manage to cast their spell over majority uncritical simpletons who look up to media wizards  as wise men of true opinions. This process keeps these jokers relevant & price-worthy to their patrons.
Let us discuss Dawn as case study which was once a bastion of journalism in Pakistan. Its journey since inception in October 1941 by Muhammad Ali Jinnah as mouthpiece of All India Muslim League to planted stories of Cyril Almeida & Hameed Haroon's bashing at Hard Talk can best be described as fall from the grace. While growing up as keen reader of editorials, Dawn was always a sought after daily.
After a concious deal with the devil (anti-Pakistan forces), Dawn is fast losing its 70+ years of journalistic credibility. One can only assume that Dawn traded its integrity & good name for booty big enough to justify the deal. Hope its worth it or can it be worth it at all?
Dawn built a Media Empire on the ashes of a struggling nation. In past, no one pointed Dawn out because it scrupulously fulfilled its journalistic duty. But it doesn't look like that anymore. Sensitivity of current situation demanded responsible posturing by Dawn as old media group. It was time to show some solidarity when Pro Pakistan forces, for which some politicians & media groups have invented fancy words like establishment. An establishment which is quite isolated internationally & vulnerable internally. At the moment, all Pakistan needed is a smooth transition of power when every paid dog is barking at it & those extremist swines are playing mayhem with its innocent blood. But Dawn chose to stand among the former. One can't blame Anti Pakistan forces because they are doing what they do best but its politicians & media houses who have been a serious let down. But then again, we have a history, lions like Tipu Sultan were brought down by 'insiders' with 'outside' patronage. But their names are no more than figurative curse in the history & Dawn will also join them.
You can replace Dawn with Jang Group in above paras & it will fittingly fit their dubious role of past decade or so.
Just go out and vote. Don't buy their nonsense. Just two complete terms & political forces are being purged. Those who have something in them will pass the test of time & others will wither away. Institutions are getting strong & transparent. Musharraf was the first dictator who walked out of power on his feet & feel the symbolism in that. Establishment had a bad role as long as it was tool of dictators but now it has learnt its lessons. Its staying out of power matrix. Was it any difficult for a popular COAS like Raheel Sharif or General Bajwa to take over. Not iterested. Army is sick & tired of political circus. And couple of more terms with relatively cleaner political leadership in office, the term establishment will die its own death. Hope for a better  stronger Pakistan was never so alive as it feels at this point in time & the barometer for this is the desperation of international establishment to destablise this country through its media & political tools. The more gloomy picture they paint about Pakistan, the more you should be assured that we are heading in the right direction, a direction that hurts their cause & guarantees the gradeur which Pakistan is actually destined for.
May Allah protect Pakistan. May we see peaceful transition of power. May we see the change & sow the seeds of strong institutional independence for our future generations to make Pakistan a formidable force. May Allah protect us against lies.
Only Allah knows the whole Truth.

Ramazan Mubarak

Everyone greeted Ramazan on moon siting. I was wondering how do I greet everyone back with some Ramazan dosage. Something's not right about how we approach ibadat in Ramazan. Everyone is in a hurry to finish Quran  by or on 27th Ramazan. There is great urge to finish something that cannot be finished nor did Prophet PBUH finish it. For the sake of continuation, He PBUH would recite few verses from Al Baqarah.
We live in the age of reason. We need to reason with Quran. This mental rigour is quintessential to finding our own identity. But mosques, every mosque should be a magnet for people of all ages. But over there, there is attraction only for retired old citizens who have been well familiar with the ways of the world & masjid will always be a place for elderly. There is too much ritual. Even Traveeh is observed as ritual. Speed reading & behind which one can only go on a mental journey from trivials to vitals. No doubt, listening to Qirat has its countless advantages. But we need to understand the Book. At few place, speed is less & people try and understand the part recited in Salat. This method is laborious because sessions stretch over till Sehri. Surely, people with more desire than others can take on this method.
In short, Ramazan is not here to starve us. Its here to nourish our dried up souls & give us a physical benefit which we can cherish for the rest of the year. All win-win.

Election mayhem

Siraj Raisani was truly shaheed-e-Pakistan. There was symbolism in the way he lived with Indian flag wrapped around his boot & there is symbolism in his death. Sad that anti Pakistan are eulogised & pro pakistan meet early death. But those fools don't know that there is no dearth of loin-hearts like Raisani in this country.
In bigger picture, things in held Kashmir are picking up as 2nd death anniversary of Wani was observed last week. Just today Pakistan hosted intelligence heads of China, Russia & Iran to join hands against terrorism. Whereas, two important regional players (India & Afganistan) were missing along with omnipresent non regional but honrary member Uncle Sam. This should give sufficient reason to any thinking mind that Indians were not enjoying current situation. As if progress on CPEC was not enough pain for them, armed TTP, BLA & likes and political pawns like PTMs, Altafs, NS, Achakzais were also being cornered. A smooth transfer of power to not so favoured new political entity could be detrimental to their cause. So they needed to do something.
I was quite perplexed why NS had decided to come to Pakistan & was ready to give in to the law. With him things are never as they appear. One does everything in hope. & hope for NS was always in wealth, power & satisfying false ego i.e. revenge. His hope this time is revenge from Pakistan. Probably, he received a nod to return to Pakistan on tacit understanding that "Mayhem' in Pakistan will be ensured to stop or compmetely discredit elections. Knowing his foul nature, its obvious, since NS has no political future here, he would love to see a blood-bath in a country he could not loot anymore. A measure of his selfishness is that despite disqualification & visible political irrelevance, what to think of country, people or his party workers, he would not even let his younger brother take control of the party nor does he care about old comrades like Ch Nisar.
Somes flashes of mayhem were visible in the past week where pro Pakistan political leaders were being targeted. And today they delivered the sukur punch & left us with severe heartche. But we have learnt to negotiate pain whether from enemies or from our own on behest of our enemies.
Now the game plan of anti Pakistan forces & their tools like NS is clear i.e. sabotaging upcoming general elections or making them unviable. Change after elections does not fit their cause. Institutiins are getting independent & will continue to grow strong. In this kind of environment, their pawns will naturally be weeded out one after the other. And with this relative independence & stockpiles of nuclear arsenal in their backyard, if this nation gets some economic relief, it may stare many in the eye. Though their economic hitman Ishaq Dar did his very best to push this nation deeper in to the quagmire of debt before milingering a disease in London leaving its economy on ventilator.
Those who have some academic qualification and still insist on supporting NS, they have to be intellectually challenged.
In the end, like past, anti Pakistan forces have failed to second guess the grit of this nation which is ready for the worst & never loses hope for the best. This nation will weather the storm, making sure that elections come to pass & political transfer of power takes effect sooner than later.
Alertness levels have to be raised at individual & collective domains. On individual levels, don't be insensitive to your surroundings. We are at war that too a bloody one, we can't leave anything to chance. On collective level, political parties should go on with their political activities but they have to raise the level of caution. Party volunteers be appointed for security duties. Vigilence level be enhanced using walk throughs, scanners & any other measure to ensure security.
We can & we will see through this phase. This sacrifice shall get us that illusive better tomorrow that our future generations deserve.
Only Allah knows the whole Truth.