Am I Insane? Are you waiting to be invited to the party?

If not, pack your bags lady.

Trip to Perversion RE: #3 by syke on February 14, 2005 2:32am PT

[The pervert was havin a grope and I was WRONG to REACT....i was even wearing a massive Chadar ..just for there reasons that perv`s dont EVE..]

I think you would have less likely to been groped had you been wearing a skirt. Surprised!

You see, some of it, if not all, has to do with control, a perversion in it self.

Usually males from conservative cultures are easily intimidated by modern women, it all depends on the setting of course, keeping in mind you were in Karachi or Lahore and not in Kabul.

Had you been wearing a skirt the jerk, in all probability, wouldn’t have dared touch you; called you “baji” and would have thrown in a salam for good measure when caught in his awe.

So my friend shed the shuttlecock and be your own women.

The world of the Wise Lord Romair:

Are you saying that the Two-Nation theory was flawed?

Children of Dictatorship Also if things keep going the way they are, Musharraf’s legacy is not going to be any different than Zia’s.

Children of Dictatorship RE:#31 by tahmed32 on February 13, 2005 8:48am PT


[What radical changes has Musharaff introduced in the past few years that he has been in power?? (Please dont ignore this question but try to answer it honestly).]


Answer:

Read the end of my interact#25, I will paste it for you here:

``...Musharraf had the right idea; only he petered out when push came to shove. Hence the present stagnant situation, which is not taking us anywhere.``

Children of Dictatorship RE: #29 by tahmed32 on February 13, 2005 6:50am PT

It is funny that you completely missed the point.

My statement, “I am glad that you are catching my drift,” was supposed to be a sarcastic one and was not meant for you to take literally.

The reason I ignored your how-all-dictators-are-evil-comments is because at no point during this discussion I have condoned dictatorship as an end in itself; quite the contrary, I see it as a means to an end. A dictatorship with a purpose, shall I say, if such a thing exists?

The problem is currently only army commands the position to make the radical changes that are required.

Bitter Medicine.

Children of Dictatorship RE: #27 by tahmed32 on February 13, 2005 5:38am PT

I am glad that you are catching my drift.

I do believe that, under the present circumstances, Pakistani people are not fit for democracy. If this is adding insult to injury, I am sorry, but nothing nice you or I can say here that is going to change ground realities.

There is an operating word in Urdu that fits the bill here:

“Shaoor”

Shaoor ki kami hae.


We have a “Jaahil Qaum.” And ignoring the obvious is not helping.

It is time to acknowledge the facts. It is time to ask the question why democracy is not sustainable in Pakistan? Why it does not carry any real value with the masses? Why do they not come out on the streets when a dictator overthrows an “elected” – read bought through the feudal-politician alliance – government?

Children of Dictatorship RE: #23 by tahmed32 on February 12, 2005 6:23pm PT

The single most important factor in India’s success as a democracy is the break-up of its feudal system in 1947. Jawaharlal Nehru was smart enough to do this right off the bat. In india’s case it was not vice versa as you suggest.

Nehru also realized that religion had no place in the affairs of the State, and hence India is a secular State.

Another point to be noted is that Indian education system is better than that of Pakistan. Democracy needs breathing space. Musharraf had the right idea; only he petered out when push came to shove. Hence the present stagnant situation, which is not taking us anywhere.

Children of Dictatorship RE: #19 by KHS on February 12, 2005 0:21am PT

Dear KHS:

Religion is only as good as it serves humanity. And I will leave it at that.


RE: #20 by bbabu on February 12, 2005 0:29am PT

[Unless culture is fundamentally immoral (which is hard to believe) corruption is a symptom not a root cause. Why do petty govt servants indulge in corruption ? They need to acquire symbols or status of power in addition to bare necessities. An army officer with 2 kids would not mind having two homes in a decent neighborhood in Karachi.]


The culture is fundamentally corrupt my man, or else we would not be having this discussion. And its almost like you are trying to justify bad behaviour. Besides having two homes in a decent neighborhood in Karachi is hardly a bad thing. It’s how you get to it that matters. Call it “Eemaan ki kamzori, if you relate with that sort of thing.”


[`` 3. Jail ALL the hate-teaching mullahs, no exceptions. ``
Kept religion out of politics]

Are you asking me to keep religion out of politics? I got news for you! It can’t be done. It can’t be done because in Pakistan religion is very much a part of the political scene (Jinnah is turning in his grave). It should not be, but it is; hence, the argument about separation of Religion and State. See religion should be a personal thing. If that were not the case, and if ‘tableegh’ was necessary, then why stop at Mohammad as being the last prophet.



[I do not know why conservative elders are a problem. Most of Indian grandparents were as conservative as their Pakistani counterparts. Some of them are far sighted in a few respects like education especially for women.]

First let me tell you this: “Conservative” is not a good word, unless you want to save money. So there is nothing proud about being a conservative adult.

About education of women and treating women as equal, if you notice I never mentioned that in my earlier post. The reason being, that it should a given provided we take the steps that I mention. Only a chauvinist can think that women rights are something that you concede. All human beings are equal, remember?


[`` 1. Throw all the political class in prison for few years. (and I mean without sofas and cable TV) ``

Who will govern the country if you throw out the politicians ?]


The answer to that question is another question:

What has Pakistan’s political class achieved after Zia’s death, besides bickering and questioning the cricket team, of course?

All the major amendments have been done by the army, they only undid them to ensure that they can fill their pockets. They certainly have not done any significant legislative work, only half-baked bills that barely pass just because they were being talked about in the press. At this rate if Musharraf had put a bunch of schoolteachers or even bank clerks in the assemblies they certainly would have out performed our politicians. It’s not a big mountain to climb you see. Any conscientious and respected adult from the neighborhood would have done a better job and the country would have been better for it.

See democracy can only work when the masses are properly educated and feudalism is completely eradicated. Till then we would have to do with a pseudo system, provided all the politicians are in jail. Their afterlife for them should be tomatoes and eggs on the face and not violence, mind you.

Children of Dictatorship RE: #13 by bbabu on February 11, 2005 9:01am PT

[I have a hard time believeing a soft dictator like Zia can have such a negative impact on society. The real problem with Pakistani society (to some extent Indian society) is lack of other institutions - NGOs, press, political parties, movie industry, provincial governments etc.]

I agree with your assesment here. However, I would like to add a few additional points.

The main problem that Pakistan is facing today is corruption. When Musharraf launched the National Accountibility Bearu, it did not take him long to realize how extensive the task at hand was. he finally chickened out and had to make compromises.

What we needed was the most elaborate prison system in the history of mankind.

1. Throw all the political class in prison for few years. (and I mean without sofas and cable TV)

2. Create Zero tolerance for Bribary and theft of funds in public or Private sector.

3. Jail ALL the hate-teaching mullahs, no exceptions.

4. Jail the jirga elders. (six months should do, if not a repeat offender)

5. Close down the madressas and re-institute Junejo`s Nai Roshni school system (Fees maaf, kitaabein muft). And while we are at it, remove relegious content from school text books.

6 Seperate relegion from State.

And before you know it, Pakistan would be fine.

The question is, who can get this accomplished without getting assasinated?

More on the Price of Love RE: #4 by amit on February 10, 2005 10:15pm PT


[So obviously all these honor killings and hudood ordinances only apply to the ordinary janta, while the rich and powerful in Pakistan seem to indulge in all kinds of unIslamic practices.]


That is because the poor do not swing, they fight.

;)

The Dragon’s Teeth Another despicable act of violence by the self proclaimed ‘thekedars’ of my faith. These people should be brought to justice and should be imprisoned for life (Yes, I am against capital punishment, so hang me).

And Urstruly:

Own up to the fact that Musalman, in this day and age, is primarily a savage society; the present times for the Islamic world are equivalent to the dark ages in Europe. Whose fault is it? Go figure.

What we need is to educate our masses and not blame the West for all our evils. A lesson in preservation of life as a premier value, at the school level should do the trick.

Whatever happened to the love for all human kind? It is hard to believe that this is the Ummat that was supposed to uphold the teachings of Rehmat-ul-lilAalimeen.

When Pigs Fly RE: #9 by nikki7777 on September 22, 2004 11:02am PT

Your life revovles around Pakistani men. Why this obsession?

Everytime I come here at chowk I see you doing the same thing, day in and day out.

Even if you believe that all Pakistanis/Muslims/Guys with beards are latently evil, I am sure you realize that there are other things wrong with this planet also. Or are there not?

And there are goods things around us also. Don`t you ever have a good thing to say about anything/anyone.

You seem so consumed that it is sad. Life is much more than ``How bad Pakistanis are.``

When Pigs Fly Funny, Funny

Please write again.

Trashy Pakistanis [Parents should be credited for encouraging kids to engage in this activity from infancy; throwing candy wrappers on the road is the first step, soon to be followed by bigger and greater masses....]

This left me gigling...u r funny.

Catharsis of Iraq War nikki7777:

I hope you are not trying to tell me that 911 was justified.