Mushy is Done!

masadi,

......... please call feroze and get a real job ...... and please don't tell me that i cannot hold an 'intellectual' discussion with you ......... who can, with a hemmaroidal and paranoid nutcase like you ?

Re: # 23

masadi,

you idiot ! ......"4 bedroom mansions with lush gardens are going for Rs 30K a month" ..........i am not talking about lalamusa or mandi bahauddin ........

............ find me one in islamabad and i will pay you a finder's fee of 50K! ..... any half-way decent 4-bed house on a 12 marla plot in a rundown sector like G8 will run you at least 45K ....... anything on a kanal (600 yd) plot in f/10 will cost you at least twice that ......any house in f/8 or e/7 on a two kanal lot will run you at least 2-3 lakh a month (about US $4000) - my 3 kanal house in the us costs me half that much ! ......

.....almost everyone that i know has split the house in two to rent out the upper 'portion' - most cannot afford the luxury of a full house (or a wet verandah) ...... gul zaman is one of the lucky ones

Hamid writes "......... but i will concede you a point - the 'system' in pakistan is stacked against poor gul zaman ........ "

Complete the thought, the 'system' in Pakistan wasn't invented by the people of Pakistan, it was imposed by the colonials and their thugs (about one of whom we know very well), further it was strengthened by those that "inherited" global hegemony, using their occupation force that ensured that our institutions just like our people stayed beneath their feet. The one man who tried to go against that trend, and succeeded in mainstreaming social justice and the voice of the people was butchered in the most brutal fashion with the blessings of the US elite. Further the same pattern of wealth and poverty on a social level is seen in the US where even a greater amount of pattern study than the above has concluded class-intergenerational permanence. Develop some real morals, it is a good start, let us talk about the Gul Zamans of the world...

Re: # 21

masadi mian,

........ my "sprinkler guy" story only applies to america where anyone can make it as long as they work hard (with the exception of a few sociologists, drug addicts and whinos) .....

.... actually, i do have some sprinkler guy type stories from pakistan as well ... why, just two saturdays ago i attended a wedding at the pindi pearl continental where the groom's father was a retired havaldar who made a small fortune scavenging and selling car parts at sultan's khoo (well).......the groom just finished his phd in engineering from england and is getting a package worth almost 3.5 lakh rupees from the hec to teach real stuff at a real university in pakistan (eat your heart out!) .......

......... but i will concede you a point - the 'system' in pakistan is stacked against poor gul zaman ........

Hamid writes "50,000 rupees a month and a two bedroom apartment in the diplomatic enclave is advertised at US $1800 a month with a year's rent in advance ........ and i am still suffering from whiplash after reading that a 'real' house with an 'american kitchen' in E/7 is going for 400,000 rupees a month ! .......... "

That "real" house would be on the scale of half a block in the US, those are "green zone" prices, that foreign contractors, mercinaries and agents, and those setting up safe-houses while claiming to work as school teachers gladly pay for and charge the Pakistani government or take out of the bribes they are giving them. Such is not the case in most of the country where cost of living is much lower than the US and the comparative standard much higher , and peanuts for people with incomes like you who fleece corporations based on lies. I pay under $200 a month for a one bedroom studio with a private kitchen and one car garage walk-in in one of the best areas in town, even after including utilities, something that would easily have cost $650 or so in the US and that also in a community and not an independant setting. 4 bedroom mansions with lush gardens are going for Rs 30K a month, i.e. less than what a one bedroom miserable apartment would cost in a not so large city of the US in a not so decent neighbourhood.....don't exaggerate...

In #21 read "Wont you give his the nice tales about India IT "

as

"Wont you give him the nice tales about India IT

Hamid mian, very touching story about Gul Zaman, in fact as discription goes, as storytelling goes, you do a masterful job (excuse me while I puke saying this, but it is true). Now please explain to Gul Zaman like you do to us here that it is his own bloody stupidity that keeps him down. Please tell him that you "sprinkler guy" can send his kids to harvard if he only works a few extra hours, so Gul Zaman should atleast be able to send them to Dr. Pervez Hoodbuoy for some Anti-Fazloo training? Wont you give his the nice tales about India IT miracles and the Pakistani "big shots" who turn a quick buck by selling their souls and the lives of the people to TNCs? Please shake him up a little instead of giving us these crocodile tears.

Were you not the one for no "public interference" in these matters of poverty and wealth, and were you not the one crying foul when I said that the political economy of the power state is rigged against the "Gul Zamans"? Or is it that you are developing some morals (let me puke while I say this, but it might be true), and are coming to recognize the true picture that exists in the global order of things.....Let us hope that you are or no amount of "Crisp Rs 5000 bills" will ever be able to save you. By the way, I might be in Islamabad by the middle of this month....would love to chat with Gul Zaman....on you, I'll pass...

GT,

.... it takes about a week in pakistan to figure out that gul zaman and the vast majority of the people are fucked and will be left bending over and holding their ankles regardless of who comes to power ....

.........actually, gul zaman is lucky to have a roof over his head even though he gets a little wet when the rain blows into his verandah .... looking at the 'accomodation available' ads in the local paper it is clear that at least i cannot afford to rent a house in islamabad where an 'upper portion' in a not-so-nice neighborhood like G/11 costs 50,000 rupees a month and a two bedroom apartment in the diplomatic enclave is advertised at US $1800 a month with a year's rent in advance ........ and i am still suffering from whiplash after reading that a 'real' house with an 'american kitchen' in E/7 is going for 400,000 rupees a month ! .......... mrs hamidm and i have decided that we cannot afford to live in pakistan on an american income and are doomed to live with white people and urstruly for the rest of our lives!

..... anyway, after coming back from lunch with imran khan at the serena, which cost me 2900 plus a 300 tip (which, according to my lunch mate was entirely too much and can result in disturbing the delicate social order), i decided to give gul zaman two crisp new 5000 rupee notes so that he could also take his family for lunch at the serena ......... he was a little suspicious of the whole thing and i can understand why - he had never seen a 5000 rupee note before since he only makes about 3000 a month (plus roti, a new shalwar kameez on eid and the use of the verandah)........ anyway, the thought of handling so much money scared the poor man and he promptly handed it over to his mistress for safe keeping until he goes back to his village near kohat .....

........ actually, i didn't really have lunch 'with' imran khan - he was sitting two tables over with some political types in crisp white shalwar kameezes and neatly coiffured hair (his hair looked the best) ...... at another table sat another group of political types - portly mullahs with wild beards and elaborate head-dresses who kept on eyeing the scandinavian looking blond at the next table as they licked their fingers and made disgusting noises like the animal who cannot be mentioned ....... imran khan walked over and sat down to talk to the blond who smiled ever so sweetly ....... it might be my imagination, but i can swear that he looked over at the mullahs and gave them the middle finger !......... the mullahs got up in disgust to wreak the wrath of god on the buffet ! ....... and even though i think imran khan is an idiot, the man earned my respect with the way he had the blond fawning all over him - her knees were like jello!

......... anyway, somewhere in the middle of my 300 rupee cup of espresso, i thought of gul zaman who makes me a cup of tea every morning .........he should really have lunch at the serana since he loves both cricket and maulana fazloo ......

Hamidm2:17
democracy is a good thing, but as far as abdul is concerned it is like a suppository - it might make him feel good for a while, but it will still leave him as hungry as gandhiji after an enema .......
____________________________________________________________

Good one.

Gandhijis enemas had nothing to do with hunger. He enjoyed his enemas even during his maran barats.

He was also quite adept at dispensing enemas to those who were near & dear to him.

This was his answer to India's starving millions...feed them intra-anusly!

hamidm2,

So, you are in Pakistan? How are things going?

You are right on the dot. Country level policies are important or understandable only if local politics have some say in their formulation. What can poor BB or NS say - apart from the usual roti, kapda aur makan crap. They have little idea about micro needs and hence have little time to worry obout innovative implementable policies.

It is interesting to know that you have been unable to change gul zaman's vote!

GT,

..... like everyone else, i too love democracy and all this other nonsense, but nobody - not the lawyers, bb, ns or the abominable mullahs - has been able to explain what good democracy is going to do for abdul and his miserable clan ....... will he be able to afford two square meals a day, education for his children, a roof over his head and a pot to piss in once these yahoos come into power ?.......... how come no one is talking about their economic platform, their eduaction policy and other things that really matter ?........ why should abdul vote for them ?.....

......... democracy is a good thing, but as far as abdul is concerned it is like a suppository - it might make him feel good for a while, but it will still leave him as hungry as gandhiji after an enema .......


p.s. this morning gul zaman, the cook, and i agreed that we should vote for nawaz sharif because benazir is a bitch who cannot be trusted ........ actually, i take sole responsibility for the 'b' word - gul zaman is a proud khattk who would rather kill a woman before he abuses her .... of course, he will still vote for maulana fazloo because of spiritual reasons

Muzammil,

The dictator has not left yet, but will most probably have to leave. If and when that happens politics as usual will govern Pakistan. And one should expect that, at least for the short run. A revolution in the day to day working of Pakistan should not be expected. For this is dangerous.

At least on the surface, this potential change has been possible because of a small section of the population - the lawyers and possibly due to the US leash. Below the surface, there is a growing concern amongst the unwashed masses to be governed according to their own wishes. Till now this wish has been articulated by a set of hetrogenous religious sentiments. For now it is just a wish. It is important that wish, irrespective of how it is articulated, be given time to bloom.

Euphoric expectations like "democracy has finally returned and everything is going to be OK" is dangerous. For democracy has not even taken root and things are not going to be OK. As a result, such expectations are bound to come crashing down. The army will be waiting for precisely this moment.

Actually, one should pray that the Pakistani people are given an opportunity to fight and design a democratic civil society. Not with the help of the supreme court, imran khan or NS but by the unknowns ... the butcher, the grocery store owner, the teacher and yes the caretaker of the local mosque. No matter who rules, this process (which I believe has started) should not be checked. For this, Pakistanis should be patient and keep the army in their barracks. It will require some hardship in the short run .... I mean there will be corruption and young people from poor families will be sent off to fight someone elses jihad. But these are precisely the things that the blossoming civil societies have to revolt against .... not the restoration of some constitution that people barely know.

echoboom's islamic values :

"NYALA, Sudan, Aug. 28 — Some of the same Arab tribes accused of massacring civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan are now unleashing their considerable firepower against one another in a battle over the spoils of war that is killing hundreds of people and displacing tens of thousands."

Re: # 4

echoboom,

"Ever sign & trace of Western "culture" must be eradicated to make the land Paak again"

what do you want us to do ? ........

... stop using toothpaste and deodrant? start marrying off our nine year old daughters to fifty old year men? start slaughtering infidel prisoners? cut off the hands of little children for stealing a pencil? squat like women instead of standing up and peeing like real men? stop using utensils and start eating with our hands like uncouth madrasis? stop using toilet paper and play with our own feces? start drinking fermented camel's milk instead of beer and wine ? ( i will support this!) have casual sex with our son's wife and group sex with a herd of concubines? set fire to video stores and pour lead into the ears of those who listen to music? start shaving our testicles instead of our faces ? (ouch!)

........... what is it that you would have us do ?????

Post 1 clifton,

Expecting the court to correct anything is tantamount to corruption by the courts, they should interpret the law and that is it. Expecting the courts to politicise teh law will take pakistan no where, the executive will not implement the court orders and that will be the end of court as well.

The entire pak society has no faith in the laws primarily because there are multiple laws, the hoodood and teh civil law co-exist. Take the case of mukatarn mai, because there was so much of international attention, the rapists were sentenced, the sentence was not carried out, and the law requiring four male witnesses was not used, because mushy said so.

Pakistan is a failed state, where there is rule of law. Hence the courts are irrelevant. Take the case of nawaz, in any law it will be clear that a pak citizen has to be in pakistan, but so far no one would dare to go to court, because mushy would have directed the court other wise. Now the CJ is against mushy, the ruling is different.

Ahmer saab,

Pak army is a surrendering army, more than 300 hundred have surrendered to a few pahtuns. That is why the jihadis are recruited to fight , whether it is kargill or kashmir.
Pak army is called a latin army, created to rule the country ( except NWFP) but only paper tiger to the enemies. That si why pakistan keep talking about the bomb, and not far away future, uncle sam will de-nuke pakistan.

I liked the article and I quote

We as people must also decide once and for all that from now on, whenever our rulers and establishment get this craving for ‘jihad’ as they did in Afghanistan against Russia and in Kashmir than they must send in our Army first…..way before they start the recruitment of 14 old maddarasa boys. It’s Army’s job to fight wars, that’s what they get paid to do. Islam doesn’t ask peasants to go for jihad while the rulers and the Army are playing golf in pindi. Hundreds upon thousands of Pakistani laymen, poor villagers’, teenage boys from maddarsas lost their lives in the war in Afghanistan and Kashmir.

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After hearing the lies and make believes of tahmed and YLH, good to hear some truth from a pakistani. Good luck to you