Mufti Saab garmi mei Ghalib

It was a dark and stormy night, with rain lashing violently, thunder booming like cannons and dogs howling like banshees. I raced across the deserted graveyard, dodged past the lady in white with backward pointing feet and crashed through the aik kamray ki jhopri in which we lived.

“Maa,” I yelled “Mei aap ki dawa ley aaya huun Maa!”
My frail, diseased mother was prostrating on the janamaz. She stirred listlessly, then got up with tears in her broken, cataract-riddled eyes and said to me, “Bete, dawa tou lay aaye ho, magar internet meme kab laao gay?”

“

Nahiiiiiiiii…”

The internet meme is to our age what the novel was to the turn of the century. The greatest truths of our era seem to be contained in biting Charlies and Paedobears circulating the internet.
As this art form is still quite novel (see what I did there?) it has slowly traversed across the planet, varying by the degree of technological penetration and amount of useless hours available to its populace. Once this critical point is reached, the internet meme – like any art form – begins to manifest reflections of its own society.
The first one that I can imagine being dubbed a genuine internet phenomenon has to be the iconic Chand Nawab video. It came at a time when the media was slowly gaining ubiquity, but like the travelers who keep interrupting his piece-to-camera, no one was quite sure what to do about it. Soon after, there was the video where a future Prime Minister showed he could fondle like Ronaldinho could pass – without needing to look at the recipient. And there was the bainul-aqwami super hit when a student protested at the cruel humour of automatic doors by running through glass. And no one can ever forget the philosophical inquiry into the construction of the modern Saudi state which started in the desert.
But none of these viral videos have spawned the sheer expanse of catchphrases, remixes, motivational posters and entire subcultures that have come the way of the All-Stars of 2011.
First up, there was the Veena Malik rant, immortalized in the refrain “Mufti Saab, yeh kya baat hui?”  which was a pithy expression for the conflict Pakistan was facing within itself.

Then, the accidental heroism of Zohair Toru, who etched “Garmi mei kharab” into our collective psyche. Once again, those immortal words captured everything imaginable about Pakistani politics, its youth and the points at which the two converged.

And now there is the veritable Dr. Aamir Liaquat – no stranger to the virtues of the internet, having allegedly received his PhD from its recesses. In what is a rapidly disappearing video, the roohani rockstar is seen to have an off-camera persona that rapidly veers from the profane to the profound.

Typically, the kind doctor has claimed that the video is fake and a conspiracy. From a technological perspective, the claim that the voice has been faked and re-dubbed is pretty much impossible. But what appears to be even tougher to fake is the doctor’s repeated horizontal fist-pump, which doesn’t really need any words to convey its meaning.

But to focus on these trivialities would mean missing out on understanding the true significance of this moment. It would be ignoring the existential dilemma at the heart of this story, this society and these wretched times.

The question we all need to be asking ourselves is: Ghalib film dekhi hai aap ne?

Violence intensifies in Karachi; 23 killed

KARACHI:-
                     There was no rest in violence in the city as 23 more people were killed since Wednesday night, DawnNews reported.
AP quoted a senior police official as saying that 33 people have been killed in the last 24 hours.
Karachi police chief Saud Mirza said Thursday that authorities were investigating the cause of the fighting.
“Most of the killings have resulted from clashes between criminal gangs operating in Lyari and surrounding areas,” a senior police official said.
“It’s not the kind of fighting that we saw last month, this is more of a gang war.”
But police said turf wars between gangs dealing in drugs and extortion rackets were by no means a new development in Lyari.
“These gangs regularly clash and kill members and supporters of rival groups,” the senior official said.
“Many times, innocent people are also targeted in this rivalry. However, many of those killed end up linked to one gang or the other. Some of these gangs do have political support and backing, but still you cannot term this as a political war as such.”
He acknowledged that “a few” of those killed may have been targeted over their ethnic or political affiliation.
Sixteen bodies have been found in different parts of the metropolis while one man was gunned down in the Baldia Town.
Four bodies were recovered from the Shershah area, three each from Baldia Town, Kakri Ground and the Garden area.
Two bodies were found in Maripur while one from the Mangoper area.
One body recovered from the Baldia Town was of a fire extinguisher Liaquat Azhar who was kidnapped yesterday by unknown men. All the bodies bore marks of torture and gun shots.
The hike in violence started after a former lawmaker of the Pakistan People’s Party was killed in the Lyari area on Wednesday. Three other people were also killed in the firing incident.
Bomb attacks and firing incidents have resulted in deaths of 40 people in last 24 hours in the city.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has said there were at least 490 political, ethnic and sectarian killings in Karachi during the first half of the year

FIA DG given in Zafar Qureshi’s subordination

ISLAMABAD:-

                          Additional DG FIA Zafar Qureshi in National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) multibillion scam probe.Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry on Tuesday while hearing NICL case directed ‘the DG FIA to henceforth be associated with the team, investigating the multibillion scam and supervised by Zafar Qureshi.’ Qureshi was reinstated as Additional DG FIA on the Supreme Court’s judgement on August 08, 2011.A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Amir Hani Muslim and Justice Ghulam Rabbani was hearing a sou moto regarding violation of Public Procurement Rules, 2004 in loss of billions of rupees to exchequer caused by NICL.The DG FIA was also ordered to cancel the leaves of all the FIA officers, who were associated with Zafar Qureshi in NICL scam. The additional DG complained that according to his information, all the officers, working with him in NICL scam, were sent on leaves. He said that despite the court’s order hindrances had been created in his way, instead of assisting.The FIA officers have been directed to appear before the court today (Wednesday). The DG FIA was asked to inquire from Inspector General of Police Punjab if any case had been registered against the person who had spread the rumour of bomb at FIA camp officer Lahore on August 13.During the course of proceeding Zafar Qureshi informed the court that on Friday night (August 12) Khawaja Hamad phoned him and told about the planting of the bomb. He said Hamad had asked him not to come to office tomorrow (Saturday), adding: “When on 13th August I reached the FIA office I was told that a bomb is planted in the building.” He stated the main gate was locked and he was not allowed to enter though some FIA officers were inside the building.The bench observed that DG FIA should have registered the case against Kh Hamad in the concerned police station under PPC 505, who had telephoned Qureshi so the police could have inquired the matter and dealt in accordance with law. The Chief Justice asked the DG FIA to collect the record of telephone call and not to destroy it.Zafar Qureshi, earlier, narrated in detail the facts about non-cooperation by Secretary Interior Khawaja Siddique Akbar, DG FIA and Director FIA Lahore Waqar Haider. He told the bench that after passing of the order by Supreme Court on August 8, he had written letters to Secretary Interior and DG FIA but they extended no cooperation.Although he has assumed the charge of additional DG FIA on August 11, the investigation team already attached with him had not been made available and reportedly Javed Hussain Shah was sent on casual leave.

Pakistan is partner in anti-terror fight: US

Pakistan is America’s partner in the fight against terrorism and the two countries will continue to work together in combating the menace, the State Department said. State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland dismissed the suggestion that discussions on militant organizations like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba being able to operate on the Pakistani soil implied that the key South Asian country was a state sponsor of terrorism. “Our view is that Pakistan is a partner in our fight against terror, and we’re going to continue to work together. We believe it is in our interest and it’s in the interest of Pakistan that we continue to strengthen our cooperation and collaboration,” she said.

Nuland was answering a series of following Defence Secretary Leon Panetta’s remarks about the two organizations’ alleged links in Pakistan.

“I think Secretary Panetta spoke to our concern about how these two organizations operate and any relationship that they may have with Pakistan, which is a subject that we talk about with Pakistan, which is a different issue than a state being a sponsor of terrorism itself,” she explained.

The spokesperson said Panetta’s remarks did not suggest that the two organizations had relationship with the Pakistani government as she responded with a “no” when asked pointedly if the comments meant that.

Panetta appeared jointly with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday and discussing U.S.-Pakistan relationship, both saw it as of “paramount importance” to the fight against terror as well as in the context of Pakistan’s vital significance in the region.

Washington, the State Department spokesperson said, has a robust dialogue with Pakistan on counterterrorism issues, and “we continue to try to strengthen our approach, collaborate as much as we can.

Obviously, these two organizations that Secretary Panetta spoke about this morning are on the list of subjects that we talk about together. But beyond that, I don’t think I’m going to get into the substance

NICL case: DG FIA resigns during hearing in Supreme Court

NICL CASE:-

The Director General (DG) of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented his resignation before the Supreme Court during hearing of NICL scam case on Wednesday.

The Chief Justice with other members of the Supreme Court bench resumed hearing of NICL scam case. During hearing, the Director General of FIA said in the court that he has been given under his junior officer by the orders of the court so he is unable to continue his service under these circumstances.

The Chief Justice said in his remarks that you should render your resignation to the competent authority not before the court. Prior to DG FIA’s resignation, when court enquired that yesterday who was responsible of creating hurdles in Zafar Qureshi’s entrance into Lahore FIA office. The Assistant Director of FIA Khawaja Hammad informed the court that Director FIA Waqar Haider instructed that Zafar Qureshi should be stopped from entering into office yesterday.

Text of Nawaz Sharif’s speech

LAHORE:-

                  Complete text of speech made by former prime minister and President PML-N Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif at a function organised by the SAFMA I had requested Imtiaz Sahab to let me speak in the beginning instead at the last. It is kind of Imtiaz Sahab that he had invited me here. You are seated here. I am pleased to see guests from Hindustan. Prior to me many beautiful talks had been delivered. First Imtiaz Sahab, and then Dr Sahab has said many good things. I think that such a condition should exist between two countries. This environment will get further better. Then certainly we will resolve our issues, will increase our cooperation as well, will progress too, moreover prosperity will be actualised, our issues will be resolved also. Both countries will resolve their respective issues besides settling matters of mutual concern too. And Imtiaz Alam Sahab’s dream ‘Let us join hands to write a new story’ will be materialised as well. And then Building Bridges in the Sub-Continent. Usually for politicians Building Bridges are not on rivers. I understand that this is not a good beginning. Imtiaz Sahab is working for long. SAFMA’s others members are involved in this struggle for long. For peace and brotherhood in this region, and especially in your ‘writing a new story’ I was ready to pen another new account. I was not aware that Musharraf was writing another narrative, which was in dire contradiction to the existent tale. It was so painful and sad that for the first time in the history of Pakistan and Hindustan that two prime ministers, as per your assertion, had come very close to each other and they had developed very good understanding. Hindustan n PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee came to Pakistan. I respect him a lot, and pray for his good health. I think he was a brave man, and he himself expressed his desire that why we should not resolve Pakistan’s issues, find solution to problems, make a move to progress, and listen to each other’s troubles, understand, and make earnest efforts to resolve them. I liked his talk to the core of my heart. A day came when he arrived here. When he came, I think it was a historic day in the history of Pakistan and Hindustan. Upon his arrival, he expressed a desire, and talked with sincerity. I was impressed by his truthfulness and his face depicted his honesty, his eyes stood witness to it. He had fairness in his talk. I am in the knowledge of the things and I have gone through the process myself. We talked face-to-face. Prior to this, we used to meet in conferences. I had meetings with his predecessor as well. I have talking to Narsima Rao as well since he was prime minister of Hindustan at that time. When I became prime minister of Pakistan it was the fag end of 1990. I met him and he talked about Pakistan’s economic progress and fiscal policy. He especially mentioned that your (my) economic reforms order was very popular in Hindustan. Indian business community repeatedly asks to implement the policy which is actualised in Pakistan, which included abolishing exchange control, and heading to the free market economy, and he said he wanted to study your (my) model. I said it was pleasing to me. The same we want. We wish to compete in the economic race, do not want military or defence rivalry. I think it has been a bad luck of Hindustan that we had tried to compete in arms race. If Hindustan had been running after MIG 29, then we chased F16. Hindustan purchased tanks, and we made it compulsory upon us to follow the suit. Because of this, our social sectors, our development areas were adversely affected to a huge extent. Our lagged behind in education, health services, industrial development. Huge sums of money were spent on the defence built-up. We had a tradition that if anything goes wrong in Hindustan, its onus should put on Pakistan. If some thing untoward happened in Pakistan, Hindustan was to get the blame. This has been the tit-for-tat, whether there was a reality to this or not. You and I have been seeing that we spent our 60 years in this. How much this damaged us! We missed our target. Here Imtiaz talked of the Motorways, which was my first project as prime minister in 1990 which was launched by us, and completed it though we did not get time. In the first tenure, we got two years, and in the second two-and-a-half years. You saw that we completed it in the second term. It could have been done earlier provided our stint would not have been disrupted. I think that Motorways could have been constructed earlier. In the ECO meeting, I talked to the Afghan president. Said in the Tashkent meeting, that why the Motorways is not extended to Kabul. Half of it should be financed by you, half by us. The project was that on one it would be stretched to Gwadar, and from second point to Tashkent. But Motorways could not be extended to Tashkent but I was sent to Jeddah. If I would not have reached Jeddah, then Motorways would have stretched to Tashkent. It was our commitment to our country. It would have very good if Hindustan would have constructed the same Motorways and take it to Calcutta (Kolkata) and carried out such a trade or business. Because of which I am sure that we had resolved our issues and problems; Jammu and Kashmir dispute could have been resolved simultaneously. I am certain that this would have solves the problem. Vajpayee said to me ‘Pakistan takes Jammu-Kashmir very seriously. It is not that we have come here, and sign a declaration. We want to resolve the Jammu-Kashmir problem. I believe that year 1999 should be declared ‘year of resolution of Kashmir’. I was hugely impressed after listening to Vajpayee’s this discourse. A person has this earnest desire in his heart that he wants to resolve the most important issue between two countries. And we will come close to each other after resolving our all problems.

Nawaz Sharif’s letter to Nizami

Following is the text of PML-N President Mian Mu-hammad Nawaz Sharif’s le-tter to Editor-in-Chief The

Nation Majid Nizami:

August 15, 2011

Dear Majid Nizami

“I would like to invite your attention to Daily Nawa-i-Waqt editorial of August 15 and some points of your speech in a news item published on the front page of the newspaper the same day wherein I have been accounted for the speech I delivered a day earlier during a function in Lahore. I regret to point out that some points of my speech were reported out of context and these were reviewed and criticised harshly. I do not doubt your patriotism and hugely appreciate you for your profound adherence to the Ideology of Pakistan and democratic norms. The admiration and reverence I have for you, needs no mention here. However, I am sorry to say that I have been criticised for what I have not said. The function where I delivered my speech, was attended by some Sikh delegatesvisiting from Hindustan. Addressing them, I said the God (Rubb) whom you worship, is also our God since as per the Holy Quran He is Rubbul A’ala’meen. My this sentence was distorted in such a way that as if I have pronounced Bharati gods as mine God.

In my that speech I mentioned the Kashmir issue at least thrice, and laid stress on its immediate resolution. In the same context, I also said that Bharat’s then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee visited Lahore in 1999, and he (Vajpayee) emphasised the need to resolve the Kashmir issue within a year. This is a historic fact, and I don’t feel any itch to state it so. In this context, the Kargil misadventure also came under discussion, and due to which the whole process was sabotaged. On this, I said Bharat took a good step by constituting a commission. Pakistan must also follow the same. I want to make clear that I did not say that the border dividing Pakistan and Bharat was our constraint. I have a strong belief in the ideology of Pakistan and its founding principles. This dogma has always been the foundation stone of my politics. In my speech, I, while sharing a light moment with the Sikhs, only said that our language was one, customs and traditions also bore similarity, but there was a border between us.

The Quaid, in an interview to an American journalist, hadsaid he wished that Pakistan and Bharat should have such neighbourly relations, like that of the United States and Canada.

Respectable Nizami Sahab! I also have a similar wish. If the issue of Kashmir is resolved judiciously, and if no hindrance is created on the canal waters of Pakistan, then peaceful relations, as a guarantee to durable peace, could be developed between the two countries as per the sayings of the Quaid.

Regarding the nuclear blasts, I said you (Indians) did, and we followed the suit.

Respectable Nizami Sahab! You had advised the same. Reality is that Pakistan emerged as a recognised nuclear power on the globe. In the same way, the service I rendered for the defence of the beloved land, and to make its borders impregnable, the whole is proud of it. I will be proud of it till I draw my last breath.

I again pray for your health and long life.

Truly,

(Signature)

Muhammad Nawaz Sharif