Don't we claim to be the descendents of people who laid there lives in millions to ensure a democratic, Islamic and most importantly a welfare state. Isn't this the same city that lost 20,000 of its young men in 1990's at the hands of this same military establishment that we seem to be so fond of these days? Didn't we pay with our blood on the streets of Jehangir road the price of being pro-democracy by supporting the sister of Quaid against a military dictator? Or is this exactly why we have become sell-outs, because we have realized that the only way to remain relevant and prosper is by sleeping with the devil? How very pragmatic but utterly sad and pathetic!

The posture of the leadership of Karachi for the past 9 years is nothing to be proud of as a democrat. They have supported and abetted a dictator, sacrificed on the principal of democracy for very petty gains. There is just no other way of looking at this. I understand that through out 90's Karachi was under a ruthless operation and just couldn't afford to take on the establishment for another 10 years. But for pete's sake at least now, do the right thing. This absurd argument that Chaudhry Iftikhar had also taken oath on PCO is juvenile at the least. You sat in the lap of that same dictator for 9 years and you have the audacity to point fingers at the deposed judiciary? They have gargled and made an attempt to wash away some of there sins, what's your excuse for remaining numb?

And it's not about an individual anyway. Why would anyone not be in favor of a free judiciary unless and off course if you were a thug? Is it because his last name is Chaudhry? And if it is, is dogar right out of Lucknow? What kind of stupidity is this anyway?

We are suppose to denounce judges that have put there livelihoods, there careers on stake (at the least) because of a hunch or paranoia that 'they are just faking and still are or were corrupt'. However the judges that are proving (please note the present tense) day in and day out through there actions that they will sell there mothers gladly to make sure they stay put, are God's gift to this nation! Isn't this a logical fallacy in itself? Mustafa Zaidi said

Tum na ram kay monis na hanuman kay dost
tum na kafir kay sana-khoan na musalman kay dost

tum na kufr kay hami na ilhaad kay dost
tumto sikkon ki lapakti hoi awaazon mein

Apni maaoon ko utha latay hoo bazaroon mein.

Anwer Maqsood, who I have always had great admiration for, (part of it is tribal, our ancestral homes were adjacent in Badaun U.P) recently said that 'media should not be free in Pakistan because majority of Pakistanis are illetrate'. What an absolutely ridiculous and daft thing to say! It reeks of elitism and he would be better advised to put a sock in it. Who died and made him the owner of our desires, fates & wills anyway? Write a skit and make me laugh, you are getting ahead of yourself dear sir!

This is 2008 and we need not thank anyone for letting us speak. Next you would want credit for letting us breathe in air, which by the way is about the only free amenity provided by the govt. of Pakistan, and since its free its quality is about as good as PTV another free-bee that no one gives a damn about, but I'll come back to that later.

Rest of the country generally and Punjab especially needs to calm down on this 12th may rhetoric. My heart goes out to the families of those 43 individuals that lost there lives. Please know that every month in Karachi a lot more than 43 human lives are lost at the hands of bus-drivers employed and abetted by the association that Shahi Syed (President ANP Sind) is president of. None of those drivers are not only ever apprehended but continue to drive as well. I realize I am comparing apples and oranges but like aitezaz said we have to move forward because there is a lot of blame to go around.

There isn't a political party in Karachi that doesn't have guns. Tehreek-i-insaaf might not, but do they have any relevance or political clout in karachi? Let's not Kidd ourselves here people. We are speaking of a country where you only matter if you are powerful. MQM learned that lesson rather quickly and the reason establishment talks to them is because they are Powerful in every sense of the word. It's not ideal but that's what happens in countries where your rulers project that they are in power not because they earned it or because the people of that country wants them but because they have a lot of armed men as there subordinates.

Who cares if the constitution explicitly says that Army can't rule with impunity for decades? Constitution is a roll of papers that COA can gladly use to wipe off his butt, especially if he's an enlightened moderate, however if he's an 'islamist' like zia than the same constitution can be used to dry after doing the istanja, the value of constitution however reamins the same.

Rest assured that ANP, Jamat-e-Islami, PPP, anyone and everyone who has a slight presence in Karachi and its politics, have guns and a lot of them.

The people of Karachi and especially MQM however need to realize that it's a bad idea to support the forces of dictatorship. You can't point to past of others and justify your current sins with no signs of reformation. I think I have privately said that there is no doubt in my mind that MQM stuffed boxes in the election, but in the same breath let me also claim that if angels had descended down and oversaw the elections in Karachi, MQM still would have won the same number of seats, the margin of defeat might be different. Why do they do it you ask when it's obviously the wrong thing to do? For the same reason Army takes over, BECAUSE THEY CAN!

MQM's mandate is real. Any attempt to steal that from them by force would be disastrous. We as human beings and especially as Muslims should take moral stands and should condemn atrocities and oppression regardless of the length of the beard of the one being oppressed. Because if we don't than when young men will be forced to jump to there death from the rooftop of yusuf plaza by naseerullad babar as he did in the past than the rest of the country will claim amnesia just like there is this eerie lull amongst karachiites at the atrocities of human rights in FATA.

About a year ago Dr. Shahid Masood was about the most hated TV personality amongst the MQM and the establishment crowd. Overnight he has become there darling. I think we should at least make an attempt to be a tad less transparent! The other side should also refrain for a little while from loosing hope in him completely. Although when he stands next to mush mush like a dummy while the dictator is claiming that there wasn't one woman or child killed in lal-masjid massacre than either Dr. sahab lied to us back than about the 6 year old girl who called him on his mobile while the operation was going on and how his older sister who was 14 was killed in front of her, or he has graduated from the school of 'enlightened moderation' recently.

My money is on the latter but I am willing to give him time so he can completely transform in to PJ Mir and than we should really let him have it. Money has importance in life, but it's not like he was a volunteer intern at GEO, but I digress. My hope against hope is that he will transplant a journalistic backbone in PTV and hopefully that was his motivation to jump ship.

I see tough times for Pakistan ahead. The forces of Status-quo are resilient, determined and 'dheet' and we need to keep at it as well in whichever capacity we can. This monster has been well fed and won't go quietly. In words of Jalib:

Na guftugo say na yeah shayiri say jayega,
Assa uthaoo kay firoon issi say jayega

AGar hay fikr-e-gareybaan to ghar mein jaa baythoo,
Yeah who azaab hay joo deewangi say jayega.