What does the world out there think of an average Pakistani? Post 9/11 this question would have a very different answer but things drastically changed for the land of green we all call home. So what went wrong? Not any of the attackers in 9/11 were Pakistani. Osama Bin Laden was in Afghanistan at the time of the attack. Saddam Hussayn which was danger to United States was the President of Iraq and not Pakistan. For the past 8 years we ‘supported’ US in their war, we practically took back our stance on Kashmir and sincerely started peace talk with neighbour India. And despite incidents like Samjhota Express where a service office was involved in the Killing of Pakistanis, we hardly ever confronted the Bharat Sarkaar for their demanding role in this relationship. For all these years our president taught us the lesson of moderation and we tried not to be extremists and evolved as Enlighten Moderated Pakistanis Muslims (if there is such a term).

The above para might sound irrelevant to this post but it surely defines the time line in which the Pakistani blogosphere was born. So to understand the psyche of an average Pakistani blogger one needs to go and study the post 9/11 Pakistan. Last Sunday bloggeres from Karachi were invited to t2f (the second floor) to meet Nick Fielding who is associated with immediate.org.uk. Nick is a senior journalist, public speaker and co-author of Masterminds of Terror. As a senior reporter of Sunday times he covered the repercussions of 9/11 from Afghanistan.

The agenda of the meet up was to have a perspective on the use of technology and new media and how an average Pakistani is getting benefitted from it. He was amazed to find out that we Pakistanis have a growing network of bloggers. He knew about teabreak which came as a surprise to me. But this clearly reflects the quality of the blogs that are the part of our network. On his question of what an average Pakistani blogger thinks; my answer was; that an average Pakistani blogger is a patriot who scribbles its quill to show the world that this country comprises of hard working men and women who have nothing to do with terrorism or west perceived extremism. We don’t regard Taliban or Alqaeda members as our heroes nor find the US (drone) attacks and intervention in the country praiseworthy.

In the end we agreed to advocate blogism and found it obligatory to spread the word. It was encouraging to witness that an average powerless Pakistani blogger can actually help to improve country’s image; a duty which payed ministers and bureaucrats failed to perform.

Photo credits: Madam Jehan Ara

People who showed up at the event: Jehan Ara,Sabeen Mahmud, Mohammed Nawaz, Farzal Dojki, Munir Usman, Fariha Akhtar, Sahar Ali, Nick Fielding and RONIN

Popularity: 12% [?]

Name: Doctor Afia Siddiqui

Age: 36

Occupation: Neuroscientist (MIT graduate)

Karachi, March 2003 Dr.Afia along with her 3 children mysteriously disappeared on her way to Karachi Airport. She was going to Rawalpindi, Punjab but never reached the Airport. According to press reports the mother of three (Dr. Afia) had been picked-up by Pakistani intelligence and handed over to FBI (American Federal Bureau of Investigation). Though her kidnapping had been denied by both the Governments but like other Pakistani Citizens who were handed over (Read: sold out) untried to the Americans by Musharraf Govt. And Dr. Afia got no special treatment like the rest of her Pakistani brothers aka The Missing People.

Days after her disappearance the News that came out of Hollywood (American Media) that Dr.Afia was arrested on suspicion of facilitating money transfers for Alqaeda.  These allegations were immediately turned down by her family. And a great amount of pressure was enforced on her family and they were asked not to make any fuss.

Until this year her whereabouts were almost unknown to her family and others but a few journalists and activists pointed out a prisoner woman, who was more known as ‘Prisoner 650′ and was detained in Afghanistan’s Bagram prison.According to them she was  tortured to the point where she has lost her mind. 

 After the pressure of media and Human Rights activist FBI most recently admitted the fact that they were behind her arrest and that she was in solitary confinement and in a serious medical condition in Afghanistan in the prison run and controlled by US forces.  

Tuesday August 4^th 2008

Dr.Afia was summoned before a federal judge in New York City on charges of attempted murder and assault. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each charge if convicted. According to FBI the mother of three was shot and wounded in Afghanistan last month during a confrontation with U.S. intelligence officials who according to them wanted to question her about alleged ties to the terrorist group al-Qaida.

As U.S. military and civilian investigators prepared to question her the following day, the criminal complaint says Siddiqui grabbed a rifle and pointed it at a U.S. soldier. An interpreter pushed the rifle aside as she fired at least twice, but no one was hit. A U.S. officer returned fire with a handgun, hitting her at least once in the torso. (source)

For those who watch American Bull crap in the form of movies, this plot might not sound unfamiliar. Woman as frail as her cant even carry a rifle as described in their Bullshit report. This fact is quite apparent from her recent photo. Besides that being ‘An American’ citizen she was tortured and raped in prison and yet shes facing all these charges and might serve another 20 years in prison. I thought only Pakistani Govt. torture their prisoners before trial but US of A didn’t let us down on this one as well as they did the same with their own nationality holder.

I feel ashamed for myself and other Pakistani men who are proud of their so called masculinity when they can’t help or protect their mothers, daughters and sisters from incidents like these. I wonder why MQM has nothing to say on this one as the disappearance took place under their regime and in their area and of a woman whose ethinic background they claim to safe guard in their ever changing policies.

I want to question Pervez Musharraf (and those agencies members that were involved in her dissaperence ) who is a father of a daughter, has a wife and had a mother. Do you have any shame left in your corrupted soul? I wonder how do you sleep at night?

I want to question the western media and activists who are so proud of the freedom they provide their women and allege Muslim countries for violation of the so called ‘Human Rights’. What do you have to say on this one?

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More on the topic here

Popularity: 6% [?]

It all started when the Reds (Russians) attacked Afghanistan in 1979. A military dictator by the Name Zia Ul Haq was ruling Pakistan. And as good Muslims we opened our arms and borders to the Afghans under the Russian oppression. And along came the dark era of “West” supported Radicalism, Kalashnikov culture and loads of drugs. People say never heard of any of these items before the Afghan war.

Despite the drugs and arms that Afghans brought to our country in exchange of our hospitality the worst thing that happened to Pakistan in the 80’s was Zia. He imposed his version of Islam on the country that was not very different from the Islam which the Taliban and Al Qaeda are trying enforce. Sectarian violence in the country is another gift of Zia to the country.

History Of Lal Mosque:

Coming to Lal Masjid, it was founded by Maulana Qari Abdullah in 1965. Lal Masjid was frequently visited by Pakistani officials including military leaders and ministers of the government through out. The mosque is located near the headquarters of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence, After the Soviet war in Afghanistan ended in 1989, and the mosque continued to function as a center for radical Islamic learning and housed several thousand male and female students in adjacent seminaries.

Pakistani President, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq was also very close to Maulana Qari Abdullah and according to Aijaz son of the dictator their friendship goes a long way back. Maybe that’s one of the reasons that when Maulana Aziz was caught red handed with a car which was full of illegal weapons and ammos he was allowed to let go and that was in 2003.

So when did we hear about them?

The conflict started when the female students of the mosque illegally occupied the Childeren Library and then we all saw how they expanded their radicalism through militancy and all was done in the name of the religion. All that was happening under the nose of Musharraf and military in the heart of Capital city and nothing was done while they were gaining power. The main reason of apparent ignorance on Government side was to portray the radical influence in the country and to tell the west that Musahrraf is their only hope in the region.

And when the time came, we all witnessed what went around for so many days. And Maulana Aziz who was the engineer of this catastrophe was caught in a very embarrassing manner as he was sneaking out in a (ladies) burqa. He is still alive today but the poor orphans that were brainwashed (by people like him) died in the massacre.

Conclusion

People blame Musshraf for the killings. But he is not alone to be blamed. The administration of the Mosque and the militants inside it were equally responsible. What happened in the 80’s and what is happening now in North has more than one villain to blame. And the sad part is that everyone is taking God and religion’s name to fulfill their evils.  

Popularity: 6% [?]