Know Your Enemy

``Not many, however, have any real clue as to what exactly they would do with limitless personal freedom once they got it.``
I have a very good idea what I would do with limitless personal freedom: I would do exactly what I am doing living here in Chicago, IL, where no one cares what I do or why I do it. I have so much personal freedom here, more than I would ever get anywhere else, except for maybe some hole six feet under, and that is the way I like it. Although I take issue with the assumption that `limitless personal freedom` is some kind of thing to be laughed at, I do not think that is the best thing for a country like Pakistan right now. It could complicate things even more than now.

It`s rare I`ve come across someone who`s come out of the elite (so to speak) and had the guts to say it like it is. Honey. I salute you. You go girl!

Shandana,

odd, but an uncle at the ripe old age of 60 made the same point recently... (he was quoting an Ayaz Amir article he had read in March...)
liked your three points:
1. lack of inner depth
2. perpetual cribbing (leading, largely, from #1)
3. the ``desire`` polarity (I find this arguable, in that perhaps this is not the only dichotomy, specially given the various brands of liberals and mullahs, but as generalisations go, I suppose, you`re right.)

interesting that this should only rate a 3... a function of the readership - largely English-speaking, largely abroad and resorting to chowk to stay in touch and hence not too sure how this applies ``back home`` anymore? or just plain in denial?

best,
Aman

FIRST TIME..GOT IN GULBERG..NICE..

THE TOPIC..WAS NICE..WORDINGS..TOO GOOD..BUT I GOT CONFUSED..
AND CONFUSED..TO THE EXTENT THAT I WENT ALL OVER TO THE END..NOW THIS WRITER`S ABILITY TO KEEP ME GLUED..JUST TO CHECK WHAT CATHARSIS..DID REALLY THE WRITER WANTED..

ANYWAYS..INDEED..INSPIRING..PIECE..HERE...APPRECIABLE.INDEED..AND LIVING..TO THE FORE..

KAPTAINE`..

Dear XeroxKhan:

I dont like Shireen Mazari either but partner, we should not become what she is while contradicting or criticizing her. While doing so, we may lose our point: even condemnation should not fall below the level of sophistication.

Hope I am not sounding offensive here but believing in the beauty of words and miracles they can show, I was pushed to request you style even while condemning.

Best,

Then there is this joker of a woman; Dr. Shireen Mazari``. Apparantly she heads some institute that looks after, and justifies the Pakistan Army/Rightwing agenda. She is shrill, vociferous, argumentative, and a liar; highly desirable traits, especially to prop up the present regime of Mr. Mush. She is expert in twisting the facts to please Musharraf (god knows where both of them would end-up after the Dems recover the Whitehouse?). In the article published in ``Nation``, she is lamenting the audacity of Nayyar report on the state of education (ha!) in Pakistan.
http://www.jang-group.com/thenews/mar2004-daily/10-03-2004/oped/o3.htm
It seems that Prof Nayyar has stepped on her tail. she has been coming out and swinging like a ``Cheap Ladakoo Bazari Laundiya``. I doubt whether she reads the garbage that is being spewed out by her. She is definitely in need of a thorough colonoscopy to check her brain functions.
I have ``googled`` her name and have come across the the lies she is spreading, her hatered for democratic values, compassion toward humanity in general; and poor Pakistanis in particular. She wants to keep the madrassah curriculum intact -may be she is on the take of petrodollars, may be she is in cahoots with Usama, Al Qayda, and Taleban. What ever it is, she is bad for Pakistan.
Dont you all agree?

Echoboom:

``There is plenty of such material you read here about Pakistan but our Indian (especially hindu) friends clam up on these matters and keep posing as latter-day Krishna-Menons. ``

HAHAHA!! Okay. That was funny btw. Okay, I will shut up and read harappa.com

Stuka

That discussion can be very long. Some other time :)

Stuka:
Yaar achhi khaasi dosti ubb HaRRapa naa kr dainaa.
You know we Indian-Pakis who are Vilayat-palat OR in Vilayat have this imported-leadership syndrome.

Everyone thinks that once he has been foreign, he must be a latter-day Jinnah or Gandhi and like a Messiah has acquired all the intellectual werewithal to deliver the masses from eons old HaRRapaas or KhujraaOs and drag them out kicking and screaming into the spaceage.

But to install a jet-engine on a bullock cart will not work--nor doing away with the bullocks.

Please do not drag this subject into the ``Front-Page Malaise``. Tell me something which you might think mundane & ordinary but to us be something of a discovery.

For example for me it was a very eerie experience to see thousands of monkey chattering along road-side trees at dusk. The langoors at Akbars` tomb was a very unique site. Domestic pigs roaming around Mohallas was a total shock to me. You understand?
There is plenty of such material you read here about Pakistan but our Indian (especially hindu) friends clam up on these matters and keep posing as latter-day Krishna-Menons.

Ralph: I am not sure if Chusni and Echoboom are the same person. Actually, even if they are, I am not surprised one bit. If you read our history, the more orthdox Muslims got along fine with Gandhi. Gandhi`s vision of India was essentially a religious one, and he made a connection with the Maulanas.

What do you think YLH keeps shouting about? It is India that has moved away from Gandhi. In fact, Indians today are far closer to the modern, rule of law quoting Jinnah rather then Gandhi the instigator we pay lip service to.

Think about it, and we can discuss it further if you like.

My dear dandy shandy,

Is this a call to arms ? Why don`t you make it so ? Say it nicely and gently push us in that direction.

In the interim, I understand the frustration :) Do something about it. I just started a movement called the secular pakistan movement. Join us or start your own in your mohallah :)

stuka

Dude, don`t you find it strange that someone like chusni/echoboom quotes Gandhi and Frontier Gandhi when it suits his purpose? I do.

It is great to know your enemy but

it is also wise to watch your friends.

Ras

echoboom: That Harappa.com is an awesome site dude. Thanks for sharing. :)

Ralph:

Abey are you the Christian equivilant of Bin Laden? You used to be a fairly lucid chap. What happened.


Echoboom: Thanks boss.

#106 #107

The only thing worse than Pakistanis quoting Gandhi is bringing Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan and his family into their discussions. At least Gandhi was spared the privilege of being imprisoned and nationally maligned by them.