The Riverbank

I would like to thank saminashah, Godot, Stuka, afsaryab, for encouraging me. I would be sending my second article very soon.

Thank You

Reply #: 23

Maverik

What the hell? Did Temple lose its accreditation

or are you just using your big brother`s computer and pseudo?

Reply #: 23

Maverik

What the hell? Did Temple lose its accreditation

or are you just using your big brother`s computer and pseudo?

Dear Readers,

Hi! I wanted to answer some of the questions raised by alot of my readers. First of all I compared Pakistan with the America. Why? Because I have been living in that country and have seen the best of it. And yes when I say that America gives all it`s citizens equal rights it is true. It is abetter country than us. Far more superior than us. What are we bragging about? We don`t have to anything to brag about, except, filthy roads, bunch of feudals, poor homeless and hngry people, criminals, killers, mullahs and every other evil that you can imagine. All I have done is shown you the true picture of your country!! It is not what I write that is wrong. It is our system that is totally gone! So instead of trying to shelter your country, come in the open, find out the problems and try to solve them. Before even trying to solve the problems of our country we should be able to identify them. That is what alot of you have not been able to understand. And yes the west is better than us. They have made themselves better than us. That is why what they say goes, and we are just a nation, going down the drain. Why are we not acceptng the facts? Because they are too hineous to accept. And it is true when I say this that I can park my car in Philadelphia city, without the fear of it being stole. Not in Karachi.Your car can get snatched any time.Yes I can go to the same grocery store and buy things as a white man does or a black man does. I bet 90% of karachiites cannot go to Agha market, and buy stuff. I am very right when I say this that our country is far from being modern developing country. And all of you know that it is true! I am thankful to

saminashah, Godot, for backing me up.

Welcome to CHOWK Hamid Mahmood!

Although I do not agree with much that you
have written, I still must say that you have written it well. It was a joy to read this
writing of yours.
Hope you are back with something a little bit more positive for us next time.

Ras

......a few days ago I was propositioned by a male prostitute in pakistan – it was exhilaratingly refreshing! .....it was refreshing to see that real ``pakis`` were going about the business of living while the ex-paks are crying into their starbuck’s latte and moaning and groaning on the chowk about the horrible hindoos and the even more horrible state of the homeland they have forsaken.....

......so now when we are not whining about kashmir and the great hindoo-zionist-american conspiracy against the ummah, we are complaining about NUST, GIKI, FAST and LUMS and how we couldn’t pass the entrance exam and ended up at temple or rutgers or purdue......my poor nephew is terrified that if he can’t get into NUST or get a scholarship to GIKI he might end up washing dishes at the student center at ohio state or miami.........with his mouth full of palaou and korma, the rector of one of these schools said, ``80% of our graduates end up going to america , to places like stanford and caltech and end up working for ge and microsoft`` ..... fool! ....so what does pakistan gain? ....another whiner on chowk?

......and where else can you go for dinner at midnight and ice cream at two in the morning......islamabad is catching up with lahore and karachi.....the food at the arizona grill is simply horrible – almost as bad as tgif and just as expensive ......I tried to leave a five hundred rupee tip on a five thousand rupee bill but my ba-pass sister was horrified and said `` in logon key damag kharab ho jain gay`` .....she is qualified to run in the october elections and thought a hundred was enough and used the money to buy everyone ice-cream at hot shots – better than ben and jerrys ......

.....sure, life is tough.....there were thousands of terrified kids taking the entrance exams and the one legged beggar at peshawar chowk now has to compete with the human torso who zooms around on a fruit-crate go-cart.......and on the crossing by the kutchery there is a beggar with no legs who gets around in a construction worker’s karanti (a big wok).....he rolls through the traffic at break neck speed and gets to see musharraf dirve by in his motorcade every day...... but he seems to be happy, as is the one-legged maulvi who sits in the shade apparently doing nothing – not begging or anything, just watching the traffic....

.......and who made rawal road – where is the money coming from to construct all these new roads? .....they are getting better than the roads in philadelphia......and to top it all, it seems a lot of afgahanis have left.....``Don’t worry, they will be back in a few months”, my brother tells me - he actually misses some of the kids who came around at lunch time every day, even though they stole the laundry and made off with the parakeets......

....so what is wrong with pakistan?....a lot - you can`t get eighteen year old macallan, but it is still home to a lot of people who haven’t given up on it like some of us on the chowk.......

........of course, I turned down the proposition and swore never to give a ride to a young man with a limp wave........but, never the less, it was refreshing............

Dear Readers,

I didnt know that Hamid`s father was a registrar in KU. I didnt read his post before submitting mine. So he may know more than I do. I do not know the bad or good the university except that I have many friends going there, and what they describe is in total conflict with what Hamid Mahmood has told us in his article. Sure, I heard of false mark sheets, but if thats true then why are the many politicians screaming as the government has posted a restriction of a graduate leader.

I can certainly take the criticism on my country, and it certainly has its flaws, but it doesn’t mean that you leave your country. If talents will leave their country for these reasons, then how come Pakistan will age like USA and become a better country.

I am in the same category as I left my country, and because of people like me and Hamid, we can only pray for good to happen in Pakistan.

ps. submitting this again as I dunno if my previous one was properly submitted.

I didnt know that Hamid`s father was a registrar in KU. So he may know more than I do. I do not know the bad or good the university except that I have many friends going there, and what they describe is in total conflict with what Hamid Mahmood has told us in his article. Sure, I heard of false mark sheets, but if thats true then why are the many politicians screaming as the government has posted a restriction of a graduate leader.

I can certainly take the criticism on my country, and it certainly has its flaws, but it doesn’t mean that you leave your country. If talents will leave their country for these reasons, then how come Pakistan will age like USA and become a better country.

I am in the same category as I left my country, and because of people like me and Hamid, we can only pray for good to happen in Pakistan.

Dear readers.

Mahmood is my friend. As a matter of fact, we go to the same university, Temple University, Philadelphia.

I want to inform you guys that Mahmood, Hamid himself went to a very prestigious A level school, for his early school education. He completed 12th grade from Pakistan, and since then he is living here in USA with his brother.

All his friends are aware of the fact that he never had to endure any hardship until he is here in United States. What he is talking about in his article may be the result of excessive news reading, and that’s all.

I want to lists some facts here.

I am living in the US now for over 4 years. I have seen racism. I have seen violence. I have seen a culture with no values.

I have even seen hatred in African Americans for white people and vice versa. I have seen Arabs beaten up. I can`t even describe all the faults in the American society.

Of course, people pay taxes here so you will see trimmed trees and green grass. Of course, education system is better here, but only because there is so much diversity and colleges are well funded. But that’s true only because of the citizens of this country. They pay taxes, respect the law.

I lived my early 18 years of life in Pakistan. I have seen all the students with good marks getting admissions in nice universities. I got admission in GIK because I had an A in my inter mark sheets, and not because my father was a General or a politician. I came to US for better education but it doesn’t mean that when I have the luxuries of life, I should be criticizing people living with poverty. I know about Karachi University, and its nothing like what Mahmood has described it. How come Mahmood knows about those facts when he hasn’t even studied in that university, unless he is among the people who sell the degrees themselves?

I dun want to be harsh to him, but his article has saddened me. He only listed the worst in that country. I could write a letter describing the worst of USA, and I can even back it up.

What happened to that poor girl in Jatoyi is because of the illiteracy in Pakistan. Nobody is caring about the fact that government of Pakistan is looking into the matter.

Did you know that every 4-5 minutes, a woman is raped in the United States of America?

I bet you didn’t. Recently in my neighborhood, a son killed his old mother for money.

And you are calling it the right side of the riverbank. USA is more than 200 years old. It had its black eras when slaves were sold here in auctions. It had civil war. Had its President assassinated.

If the citizen of Pakistan pay their taxes, respect the law, and throw garbage on the streets, and choose the best out of them as a leader, then Pakistan or any other country can be like the right side of the riverbank.

Hamid,

Insightful and disturbing article. I notice this pathetic trend with Paki`s from back home who get their feathers ruffled at the slightest hint of criticism...and yet would sell their mothers to come to the US. Inferiority complexes always glisten the most when seen with the inability to accept your (your country`s) flaws. From all that I`ve seen, Pakistan is a great place to live...provided that you have privilege. :) The same goes for anywhere in the world but third world countries are going through their growing pains so it`s more accute there. The US is far from heaven on earth. We have entirely too many John Rigas, Ken Lays, and Martha Stewarts running around to come even close to being celestial. ;)

sara

Interesting article by Nighat Majid in the Review section of Dawn re: the feminization of global politics.

Won`t post it here for you, but here`s the link

http://www.dawn.com/weekly/review/review7.htm

Cheerios!!!!

Ms anNy

Hi! I was very pleased to read a very critical evaluation of my article. Good to read that some one disagrees with me. You have been just a student at KU. I have been born and brought up at KU. EIghteen years of my life I have seen professors pass students, at their homes b/c they bring the pile of papers back with them. I have seen things that you cannot even imagine. I can imagine the hurt you feel right now. I do that too. I also feel the hurt. For my people, for my country, for myself. But plzz tell me that if we donot bring these things out then how will we be able to make people understand that they are wrong? Please read this very calmly and reply. And for your information I have been to all government offices, including the passport and KDA. I am a Karachiite and know this city like the back of my hand. I know KU better than anyone else b/c my father retired as the registrar in 2000.

Dear Mr.Bilal,

I have just gone to USA to study. Before that I was very much accustomed to the society in Pakistan and very comfortable with the norms. Then I went to a place much better than our country, and realized what Pakistan does not have. Then I came back to Pakistan on vacation and wrote this article.

I have alot of replies that came from the people. A lady wrote as to how good her KU is. Well I just want to tell her that my father has worked in KU for more than 25 years. He retired as the registrar. What I know about Ku no one does. NOne of my readers even have the slightest idea of what kind of a place it is. So trust me when I say that it is really a criminal joint. I also know that Black man did not have alot of rights in America not very long ago, but now he enjoys if not more then the same amount of rights as a white man does.

Re: hobbyty, #12

Bohat khoob, Mr hobbyty!!! I see, you want to keep the bath water and throw the baby out!!!

Hamid Mahmood,

As another interactor pointed out, this is a strong beggining for a young writer. Keep up the writing and keep reading; you are at the start of your writing journey.

Chowkies,

So why are we dumping on this young guy? Because he`s actually writing about feelings that he is entitled to? For those who complain that he is ``entitled`` in the second sense of the word, well, why not? He is exactly the young mind that will probably be used in less than altruistic manners by self serving factions in any country.

If Chowk is the place for intersections of Pakistani/South Asian dialogue, hopefully a young writer like Mahmood can provide his perspective and get the same respect that a writer like A. Sarwari can when she complains about India, the corporatization of America, and the marketing of ethnicity. It seems to me that Mahmood is writing about the marketization of religion in Pakistan. Perhaps it would serve us better to read and acknowledge that a great number of Pakistani-Americans are starting to percieve Pakistan in this manner. It seems that that is what is annoying some respondents the most.