Pakistan, Can You Hear Me?

Mr. Mani,

Let me remind you that it's none of your business. I may sound rude, but you and most of the people on this forum don't know what Pakistanis discuss and talk about at real chowks in Karachi and elsewhere.

So before making a ludicrous call like this one, why don't you stick to your own backyard and have a look at what's going on down there.

We don't need anybody to tell us what we should and should not do. Got it?

Besides if you really want to know what it is that we call Pakistani consciousness, you should look into archives on the subject of movements in Pakistan. I can bet you won't find a single country in Third World in recent history, which could be a match to what my people have stood and fought for since 1947. A good example is the Lawyers Movement, which is unique in its diversity and motifs.

Anyway. To cut it short, you shoule concentrate on your problems, let us deal with ours.

Thank you.
-E

whassup with Indians advising Pakistani.."Pakistanis should this..or that or the other". How would you like it if Bangladeshis gave you advice??

Thank you for writing this. Most Pakistanis refuse to see the reality. Maybe because it's too harsh. As someone who is from Pakistan, I too often wonder why people don't rise up. I don't understand why they don't take to the streets and wrest back the country from the hands of the corrupt politician, the obscurantist mullahs, and the ineffectual elite.

I am sure most Pakistanis will condemn you for your audacity. But I salute you. Thanks again for your thought provoking comments. It's about time that Pakistanis accepted the downward slide of their country, their society, their culture, their future.

I am still waiting for Pakistanis to take action. I'm afraid I'll wait for a long time. Maybe forever.

"Let me remind you that it's none of your business"

Does that mean that you regard whatever happens in India as not your business ?

Nazra,

My group is organising a protest demonstration next Sunday at KPC at 3pm. Let's see if you reach there on time!
-E

Re: # 1 & #2: I find it amusing that you automatically assume nationalities and respective backyards when equipped with just my name. How would you know where I'm from?

Pub,

You have a bad habit of not looking at the context of what I write, and ironically your fatal jump-in instinct forces you to post a comment.

Ok, here is my answer. I will never give a call like this one to Indians about anything whatsoever! Not even to Indian commies! How about that?
-E

#6
Mani sahib,

Primarily because I have read your previous pieces, I can easily determine where you are from.

yeah, to your title: NO MANI, WE DON'T NEED YOUR ADVICE. THANK YOU.
-E

"How would you know where I'm from?"

Sorry Mani Saab. I should have asked you where in Lahore you are from? Do you enjoy going to Liberty Market more of Purani Anarkali? Did you attend Dyal Singh College or Government College?

Rakesh,

Perhaps some of us have read other articles by you to know that you are from India. From one of your own articles:

In India, we have racial slurs that we use within the borders of our own country. To address our own people. For a long time, any South Indian (regardless of which part of South India he called home) was labelled a, "Kaala Madraasi," meaning black Madrasi. Hailing from Madras myself I’ve heard such abuse hurled at me by Punjabis and Sindhis who revel in their fair-skinned status back home. Racism at its most despicable. Even within our country, we have stereotypes of every single community. And we shamelessly discriminate based on these stereotypes. Each community views itself as inherently superior to the other. Isn’t it pure poetic justice then, I ask, that we get discriminated against when we leave the borders of our country?

But your identity shouldn't detract from this article, even though stuka makes a valid point himself.

Re: # 8, 9 & 10: The truth is that one doesn't need to carry a green-and-gold passport to be qualified to comment on the situation there. So yes, you do need advice. Now more than ever. Not in a condescending way. There are people of other nationalities who care about Pakistan, Pakistanis and what happens to them. This article is in that shared Subcontinental spirit. (Also, Indian hardliners might argue that the political situation and security situation in Pakistan has a direct impact on India's economy and security.)

“...when Salman Rushdie writes something controversial or when offensive cartoons are published in Danish newspapers but are curiously silent when the funeral of a religious leader is bombed in sectarian violence. Or when Taliban forces capture Swat and start beheading people for religious insubordination.

Where is the conscience of a nation?....�

In the above you described it well. All acts of others, deemed anti-religion are unconscionable acts, acts of religionists against others are conscionable.

Has this not been the case ever since history of religions is recorded? Institutionalized religions are more visible when they act.

It's not that Indian hardliners might argue, Rakesh. They do. The thing is you aren't saying anything that hasn't already been said here time and time again, and rather condescendingly on this issue. I agree that much much more needs to be done in Pakistan vis-a vis protests, but don't discount what is being done, if you haven't heard about it, simply because it hasn't been publicized as much. There is some conscience left in Pakistan. Unfortunately, some of the Indians who are going to appear on this board disagree with that.

Vaisay, are you one of those folks jaisay uss show "The Prisoner" maiN who treat people more like numbers rather than virtual beings? :) "Re #8, #9 and #10"

and I no longer carry a green and gold passport either and haven't for a while - tell me again you're not being the slightest bit condescending.

***

bittersweetmojo: I know this article frustrates you, but there are Indians who care about what's happening to Pakistan and Pakistanis other than those who couldn't give a damn about Pakistanis and think mainly or only in terms of their nation's security.

Keep the marches and protests going. Hopefully they'll grow stronger.

"I will never give a call like this one to Indians about anything whatsoever"

ok thanks for answering. I disagree entirely. The primary issue in such cases is not who advocates to whom but *what* is being advocated.( otherwise it is to confuse ideas and identity)

#11

Mani sahib,

"The truth is that one doesn't need to carry a green-and-gold passport to be qualified to comment on the situation there."

The truth is that this is not true!

ok ok, I can give you liberty to comment on Pakistan once or twice. But don't try to play an adviser with us. I am sorry, we don't entertain advisers anyway.

"There are people of other nationalities who care about Pakistan, Pakistanis and what happens to them."

Isn't that called a way to evading from criticism when caught attacking a people's civility in a mild way?

Well, to be frank, we are sick of everyone of you and we don't want to listen to your ill-humoured advices, because we have paid a huge price by listening to your likes in past. Remember the Saudi advice? The American's (threatening) advice?

So our reply is this: SHUT UP!

And to the rightwingers, whereever they are, I say: Don't be so self-rightous, boys. I am still alive!

Thank you.

-E

Re: # 15

Well respectfully, I don't agree with your view mainly because we live in an inter-connected world. Pakistan is not an individual compartment. What happens there affects the region and the world. Frankly, it's everyone's problem. So I'd suggest that you quickly become more open to friendly advice. But you're entitled to your opinion.