For Pakistan
It is our blood, our people who are being sacrificed. We who give our lives defending this country. This world. We still defend it. We have died defending it. We will not submit to your chaotic whims and moronic notions on what life is.
We will fight. We might die. We might not win. We might not achieve victory. But we will ensure that hope survives. We will ensure that the future will stand up against tyranny. Against barbaric violence. Against extremist fundamentals.
We will continue to endeavor against all actions which are an attack on our freedom, our rights to our sovereignty. To fight for our basic rights. For the basic human rights of liberty and individuality. Against the tarnishing of our code of life. Against the tarnishing of the reputation of our culture and our beliefs.
We will not submit to your cowardice. To your uncouthly attacks on innocent lives. Innocent children. We support our brave soldiers fighting you in the north. Fighting you in Waziristan. We salute the people who have been displaced, whose lives have been disrupted. We salute the brothers,sisters,fathers,mothers,sons & daughters who have been slain in your brutal hate – unjustified , irrational, non-principled agenda that you carry under your banner of ‘Taleban’.
We will not falter in letting all those who stand in the way of our progress and our prosperity know that we as a nation are uniting against you. Those who are not looking at the betterment of Pakistan, those who are not working for the greater good of this country, this nation, it’s people – are also considered our enemies. We will take all of you on to war. We will take you head on in this war.
Not all of us would fight with weapons. Our soldiers fight you with our weapons. We will fight you by continuing to ensure our freedom. We will stand up to you. We will not wilt. We will not hide. We will not succumb. We will stand up. We will write, we will speak, we will shout, we will walk, we will move, we will grasp our hands together and stop you. 
We will show you who we are: We Are Pakistan. We are free. Our forefathers fought for our identity 62 years ago. We will do the same now if it comes to it. We will again forge our identities as under one banner of Pakistan.
Untitled lyrical stuff I wrote after almost 2 years
For dreams that were never mine,
I stood in the rain and cried
I let my hope get washed away by the side
And now that I finally realize
What’s close to me and what is mine
The world will tell me its too late for me to try
I wish I could turn back this time
And let all of my wrongs unwind
And start afresh with a new lease on life
But this is just wishful fantasy
Not a part of what’s reality
I have to live with my life as it’s been
My only shot at sanity
Is what lays ahead of me
So I think I am going to go and live my dream
Those which are mine…
Marvi Memon refused to meet Mrs. Clinton
[This letter was first published by The Nation.]
Marvi Memon refused to meet Mrs.Clinton
November 3, 2009
Dear Secretary Clinton,
Whilst the message from you and your government is that of peace and friendship, the Kerry Lugar Bill passed by your legislative branch has been one of the main stumbling blocks in this mission. The assumption that Pakistanis have misunderstood the bill is equally faulty. Pakistanis have read the bill and understood your intent to micromanage Pakistan, to curtail Pakistan’s nuclear expansion program and to direct the war against extremism in Pakistan from White House.
What follows below is an understanding of the bill which needs to be amended if relations between US and patriotic Pakistanis have to be established. Your assertion that if we have issues with the bill we don’t need to take the money is ‘spot on’; patriotic Pakistanis have rejected your mere $1.5 billion. We will not negotiate on our country’s sovereignty and defence. And these are not mere slogans. They are based on facts which we read out of your conditionalities which do exist. And here are the facts Secretary Clinton:
1. The most controversial clause in the bill pertains to giving US ‘direct access to Pakistani nationals associated with such networks’. The explanation given in the note is equally unacceptable because it wants ‘cooperative efforts’ to combat proliferation to continue. This cooperation mentioned is intrusive since it demands ‘direct access’. Secretary Clinton, we have already handled our proliferators and believe in non proliferation. This we consider a breach of our sovereignty.
2. The reference to Pakistan military and intelligence agencies being involved in giving support to terrorists in the past is equally offensive. This is a clause which enables the Indian lobby to target Pakistan and hold it responsible for all future terrorist acts in the region.
3. The other issue pertains to the fact that President Obama’s regional security strategy will include working with ‘relevant governments and organizations in the region and elsewhere.’ The strategy which could include RAW and Mossad would be imposed on Pakistan for US national interest not Pakistan. And as such we cannot give the authority of making Pakistan’s security strategy to a US President.
4. There are references to expansion of Container Security Initiative at various Pakistani ports which we consider a security hazard.
5. The term sanctuary for terrorism implies that Pakistan is a failed state as is included in intelligence reforms and Terrorism Prevention Act 2004.
6. Bill allows ‘irregular forces to be used for US combat operations in Pakistan’ as stated in the Ronald Reagan Act 2005. This in effect gives legal cover to the Dynocores and Blackwaters which we Pakistanis have major issues with and consider a threat to our security.
7. The bill micromanages Pakistan’s important federal government agencies from education, madrassah’s to trade, to judiciary, to natural resources. All aid given will be to NGOs and if more than $100,000 is given those NGO files will become classified. As such Pakistan will not have access to such operations. This we consider an attempt by US to create its own financial political power bases for future.
8. Approximately $860 million of the aid will go back to US in the form of administrative expenses etc. This truly reflects badly on the actual impact on an average Pakistani’s life.
Here were some of the issues with the bill. Now let’s examine what aggravates Pakistani sensitivities with regards to current US policies. And why you are not welcome in Pakistan by patriotic Pakistanis. This might help you understand why over 80% of Pakistanis have issues with your policies as per certain reliable surveys.
1. Firstly, the US stance in the war against extremism is biased towards protecting Indian and Afghan interests. The TTP and Baloch terrorists have been using these two countries and their resources as bases for their operations inside Pakistan as is proven by Pak military evidence. Whilst you consider Pakistan to be sovereign our aid is linked to these two countries which we find distasteful.
2. Whilst Pakistan’s nuclear program is an issue for US, the Indian nuclear program (civil nuclear technology agreement) is being allowed to expand without any blockades.
3. Whilst you have personally complemented Pak military efforts in your recent visit, at the same time there are conditionalities in giving aid to Pakistan to strengthen its military against terrorists. Certainly these terrorists are linked to India and as such conditionalities are one sided. Moreover, if Pakistan military is being complemented why can’t it be trusted with drone technology? Additionally US policy wishes to strengthen Pakistan’s parliament and yet it ignores the resolution passed by Pakistani parliament against drone attacks.
4. Whilst Pakistan is a frontline state which has paid dearly in terms of men lost in battle with terrorists, US considers India and Pakistan to be equals. Where is the advantage Pakistan should get for cooperating on terrorism? $1.5 billion is a joke compared to the billions spent in Afghanistan and Iraq, even in Turkey and Egypt. As well as the fact that no where with other allies has US imposed intrusive conditionalities.
5. Whilst Pakistan is blamed for terrorist sanctuaries how many infiltrators coming from India and Afghanistan specifically have you managed to stop?
6. The commitment for ROZs looks like its dithering. Where is the actual support for the tribals who have suffered the most in the war being fought to destabilize Pakistan?
7. What effort has the US played in cutting drug money which is destabilizing Pakistan and funding terrorism considering its source of entry is US backed Afghan territory. UN report confirms that after US entry into Afghanistan opium production has increased manifold. This is impacting Pakistan’s security since it’s ready financing for terrorism inside Pakistan.
Secretary Clinton,
If you wish to improve Pak-US bilateral, a more productive approach would have been to not justify the bill on arrival but rather to give an open ear to the criticisms with a commitment to amending it. Since there have been no such commitments it seems fruitless to meet with you. This is even more disturbing considering that you have been given plenty of evidence of Pakistani uproar on the bill before your arrival. It’s a pity that the bill was executed minus real Pakistani input. This has no doubt created a diplomatic fiasco for the US. Instead of underestimating the fiasco or considering it a result of Pakistani lack of comprehension, it would have been better to deal with it head on: amending the bill being the only viable option.
Pakistan might have a government which is beholden to you for its future longevity, but there are patriotic Pakistanis who will defend the soil before accepting your policies of creating a US fiefdom in Pakistan. As a young parliamentarian, I would only welcome you to Pakistan once we have evidence of your shift in policy so that Pakistan is dealt with as a sovereign country.
MARVI MEMON
An Analogy of Socialism
An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before but had once failed an entire class.
That class had insisted that socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on socialism. All grades would be averaged and everyone would receive the same grade so no one would fail and no one would receive an A.
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset an d the students who studied little were happy.
As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. The scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
All failed, to their great surprise, and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great but when government takes the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
It could not be any simpler than that.
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for,that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
The Choas That We Are
It is getting harder and harder to fathom what is happening in our country or where we are headed. There is not one … but multiple fundamental issues ongoing and none of them seem to be addressed by anyone. The nation is at war (apparently we weren’t at one before since the interior minister just said we are like a couple of days back. perhaps the previous operations in the north were …. i dont know not worthy of the word war). There is an ongoing sugar crisis. Power and electricity are always a fundamental problem. Security threats are increasingly getting higher. Our sense of civil liberties are becoming desentisized. We as a people are absolutely not discplined in anything. We don’t have the basic civic sense that we should. And overall… more and more …people are becoming cynical in this country. Oh and of course.. the economy.. the Kerry – Lugar bill … the unemployment and lack of jobs…. etc etc etc. I could continue this list … but I am sure you get the point by now.
People.. and mostly I am talking about the high and mighty ‘political’ analysts in our country are still stuck on Musharaff. ‘He did this’ ‘He did that’ ‘He brought him’ ‘He authorized’ blah blah blah. All happened. All done. All in the past. What is happening right now is now? We simply cannot afford to continue sitting and discussing and debating and blaming people for what happened in the past. We cannot afford to stay caught up in that.
The security threat has become so horrific that schools and universities are being targetted. The twin blasts which took place in the IIUI yesterday … was beyond sad. 6 Students died. Students. The future of Pakistan. This is what is happening now. People who are concerned are getting more and more fed up with living in this country, and not out of mere whim of irritation, but this is actually getting too much. I don’t blame them. For anyone their childred are everything. And if their children are not safe…. then they will do what is necessary to protect them. The schools across the nation are closed. The federal ones are to remain closed till Sunday if I am not mistaken. Inititially the Universities and Institutes were also going to be closed .. however the decision was changed for them to remain closed on Wednesday (today) and reopen on Thursday.
The very idea of our children not being able to attend school because of a terror threat of a suicide bomber is … horrible. It goes against the idea of a ‘free’ and ’sovereign’ state. Something that we are ‘apparently’ so much concerned about for bashing the Kerry Lugar bill. (I shall not comment on the bill itself and whether we should or shouldn’t be opposed to it. I will refrain for now). But the point is … this is not the sign of a state which is Free or Sovereign.
Yesterday as I was driving home in the evening, I was listening to a show on one of the FM channels and the RJ’s were at that moment discussing this ongoing crisis only. One of them was saying “The security which has been put in place.. the added security … is not at all a measure of suring up security. All this is doing is adding to our hassels. I was going to drop my kid to school today… and the guy who is their to protect me… started frisking me. I mean …he wasn’t even trained to do that … properly. And all he had on him was a metal detector. This is not security at all. It is in fact a lack of it.” Completely agreed. The other one was however adding that “we shouldn’t give in to the Taliban or the militants behind these threats because this is exactly what they want. They want us to stop functioning as a nation. After the schools they will say the work places will be targetted and then our offices will be closed for the same reasons.”
While I agree with him in principal… I think it is easier said then done. Especially given the state of security measures in place as pointed out by the other RJ. We are not equipped to stand tall (shamefully) in the face of such threats.
We are in a grave situation. I am sorry to say but with this latest terror wave we’ve simply gone beyond rock bottom. Our leadership is full of corrupt incompetent puppets who have no sincerety towards the country in their hearts. Our entire political leadership .. not just the one in the centre… is horde of corrupt animals.
The idea of … a shut down of the education system …. I mean its become so bad that it is affecting the lives of our children. I mean before this ..with the terrorist attacks and all we were still able to protect their lives. Yes parents got more strict with timings and safety concerns for their children on their plans and everything. But the schools … its too much. I am right now in a state of being beyond anger actually.
We need to get rid of the old guard of our leadership and politics…and generally the people in places of doing something for this country. Our supreme court should take notice of things as they are going on in the country. And our country .. which so aggressively came out on the streets for the entire Judicial crisis… needs to raise their voice against … against … where the current leaders are taking this country…..oblivion.
Change the entire system. Put rules in place. I think the only body capable of doing this is the National Assembly and perhaps the Judiciary. But there you go…more problems here. The national assembly is also full of F******* yes men who absolutely do not have any morals or goodwill of the people in their hearts or sights. (I am talking about the majority… there are a rare few who are actually genuinely representing their electoral seats). And the Supreme Court….well … I think the current benches are already too politisized after the ..and actually the entire March 9th, 2007 incident.
And no…. I won’t merely say God Help Us. We need to help ourselves. We can only pray for mercy.
Why Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize
Honestly speaking, I am still puzzled as to why he won. I really am. And I would love to read the doctored and un-doctored reasoning.
The Alienation of Us Humans
“ In sociology and critical social theory, alienation refers to an individual’s estrangement from traditional community and others in general. It is considered by many that the atomism of modern society means that individuals have shallower relations with other people than they would normally. This, it is argued, leads to difficulties in understanding and adapting to each other’s uniqueness (see normlessness) “
– Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_alienation
We have become so caught up in our lives, the materialistic part of our lives especially, that we are missing it altogether. The essence of life is life itself. And we are just speeding by it like a ferrari on a motorway. I know, not the best of metaphors, but I am sure you will live. Anyway.. back to the post.
We worry about careers, about money, about saving money, about the kind of cars we drive, about ‘staying connected online all the time’. But that’s the thing …even though we have come up with so many ways to stay connected with each other….we still don’t. We proudly put forward the banner of developing ways to bring family and friends who are geographically far apart closer together, but yet ..we don’t really practice it in kind that much. Facebook, Skype, Blackberry, other smartphones, other social networks, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Email etc etc. (the latter ones being a little old on this modern list)
We are still so busy and caught up with ourselves only. Constantly worrying, constantly scheming, constantly materializing plans and big ticket business items or career growth paths. By doing all this we so easily alienate ourselves from the human side, the emotional and compassionate side. Even if we are not materialistic, or money minded, we are still so caught up in our self made complications that we would rather slip into isolation then anything else. What is left in the end is just man…. not human. A flesh and blood robot.
See while we will still be creatures who have feelings, soon these feelings will become benign. And its not just feelings linked to relationships, its the entire possible universe I am talking about.
Plus there are so many of those ‘I love you’s’ around out there that the three words have actually lost value. Its become something akin to the side side cheek kiss done in fictional movies by models who are just being sociable by doing so. I mean they don’t even actually kiss on the cheek… they just go to one side and take out the sound and then the other side and the sound again!
What is supposed to be one of those foremost genuine feelings from the heart has been turned into redundant social norm …. its outrageous, but a fact of what is / has happened.
We have alienated ourselves from being humans and just gone into the routine of being men. We move or try to move at such a fast pace… that we just get lost. In mind and spirit.
We are emotional beings at the end of the day and if we don’t get enough emotional fodder let alone the really vital ones: compassion, affection, companionship, and the all important of being human; we will continue to reduce interactions and supposed emotional exchanges to something which has no meaning whatsoever. Just cheap change changing hands.
*NOTE : If you didn’t get the point of this blog…. welcome to the club… I didn’t either…. is it a sign of alienating ourselves 
? Think about it. Nothing says it more then something which so obviously says it being completely off our radar of understanding.
Of Purpose & Inspiration
I keep running in my head. Running away from the present. Sometimes to the past, sometimes to a future I don’t know the reality of. I’ve thought of this before as well. And it always seems to turn out the same invariably. I run mostly for purpose and in search of inspiration. I find none at the moment. Well not purpose which would be meaningful anyway. I mean everyone likes to keep a wallet which would run their lives for them. Who doesn’t?
Purpose for which we feel the reality of our existance. Purpose, without which it would all seem like a bit of a waste. Everything would then wouldn’t it. We need purpose in our lives as much as we need the air we breathe, the water we drink. Some find it. Some toil for it. Some …..well … they stand in abyss.
We struggle to come to terms with something which is not becoming of us much less with something which is more or less nothing. A slab of drudgery through the journey that is life. Without that particular ‘purpose’ for which we all exist, without knowing it or in someway being connected or associated with it, the journey…. becomes painfully meaningless.
However, purpose alone is not enough. As I said earlier, purpose at times can be meaningless as well. At the core of it all… lies inspiration. Inspiration doesn’t necessarily have to do with lights going on in a flash in your head or a moment of genius in which you end up inventing something. Neither is it necessarily a vision or that which makes artists create marvels of absolute beauty and awe.
Over here what I mean by inspiration is what makes a person tick. Again mind you not necessarily as a means to achieve greatness or glory. But inspiration to tick. To embrace life with color and positive demeanor. To manifest excitement and to create passion. It could be an epic movie for some ( a battle scene from a great war of fantasy or history). It could be a song which hits you much beyond your ears and brain, way deep into your mind and soul. It could be achieving a simple goal as well. It may very well also be the sport you play daily. (Watching is obvious I would think! Who wouldn’t be pumped and inspired after watching a great performance by their team of support!)
Right now … at this particular moment in time, I find none anywhere near me. This is kind of sad. For I love music, I love reading, I love watching epic movies. And I definitely love sports – watching Afridi standing triumphant after we became the T20 Champions earlier this year was truly inspirational… not just for me but the entire homeland especially at that point in time.
Having said that I am not entirely banished into abyss … and not completely with the lack of something to make me tick. But its not the same. Its not the same as when … well … a year back even.
I need a move on. A nudge….a moment of madness…… or as I’ve said many times in the recent past…. I need some time off from what is my life. I need a reintroduction to my music. I need a beach, with sand, sun and the waves. That would surely be perfect. But that’s not happening for now….so I am guessing I’ll have to make to do with a cool tall glass of lemonade and whatever my iPOD has to offer me!
A Solitary Isle of Hope
After mostly drifting through the past couple of months in and out of the daily routine that has become me, I found myself a solitary isle of hope. However the way to it has suddenly decided to allude itself from me. Which is annoying.
But then again… as I try more and more for change, and open my mind to try and figure out what it is that I ultimately want, a lot of things start to tumble out that I’ve not been thinking about … some skeletons… some things that I just am not ready for I guess. At this point in time I don’t understand. The solitary isle seems to be the only thing that I can understand… and hold onto right now. All the other stuff …I don’t know. It just seems … distant from my own being. I even begin to feel now .. that this constant daze of un-settlement is perhaps something wrong with me rather then all else.
For most of you reading this who DON’T know me … this probably isn’t making a lot of sense. For those who do, and are getting what I am talking about ..well hush.
I think what I am attaching most to the solitary isle of hope is a clean slate of sorts. Starting afresh. When I get there… it will be a new day, a new beggining. To choose my path more carefully this time. To choose my tools more wisely. To make a journey which is more in line with … me.
I hope something gives thou. Either I find solace in now, the present … or I find that isle. Or something new reveals itself.
If none of the above happens or pans out as thought, then I am darn sure that the un-settlement is in my head. And that will need to be checked out.
