Patthar Ka Sheher (City of Stone)

Ref Scout #: 77

[and the best part in all of this is, that we have Musharraf and you don`t. :) ]

And that fact alone, my dear, has doubled the IQ of both Delhi and Islamabad.

. . . why doesn`t delhi have a Thackeray? Well we do have a ``Shahi Imam`` who actually acts as the frontman collecting for labour export etc.,. . . then we have the shadowy ``Maddi`` who controls all the parking and car theft rackets . . . but yes you are right we don`t have anybody of the stature of Thackeray or late Antulay . . . I guess there is no real commerce in Delhi . . . all the ``booms`` in Delhi, eg: the rag trade boom and now the IT boom were based on being close to the licence giving authorities . . .

I dont know why we don`t have a Thackeray in Delhi. Got me thinking . . . but then, we have the Nehru/Gandhi family . . . and they went to UK to study so that makes their dirty linen kosher . . .

anNy

“Lalukhet has the best nihari on the face of this earth..when had with the soft warm sheermaal, you will die”

….i’m starting to think you were a lahori in a previous life :)…

rehan:

“semi,

who sits on their haunches, do you like to sit

on your haunches?”

….i wasn’t referring to you and i per se….more to the many out there who can actually make a difference if they just got over that indifferent and blasé mind-set….

{Now that its flavor of the month to bash the

civilians and look to the army, do remember

that,

``This is a man who, just a couple of months

ago, was not prepared to do any of these

things. True, he disliked the religious

extremists because he does not believe in

that creed himself. But true also is the fact that

as a good military commander he was not

averse to utilising them for a national security

strategy whose salient features were chalked

out by the GHQ. He changed course only

when he was left with no option but to do that.

Let it be said that the mediocre Nawaz Sharif

had a better sense of timing than the dashing

general. He nearly did with greater dignity

what the General has had to do under

pressure. Sharif was prepared to go along

with Washington in the US war against

Al-Qaeda as early as 1998. He felt the

necessity for resolving outstanding issues

with India around the same time. It was the

army that did not want to change course.

Events have vindicated Sharif.

Back in 1988, Ms Benazir Bhutto sensed

things even before Sharif did. She paid dearly

for that.``}

…told you he was a fast learner…

Reply Veeresh # 81

“aah . . . zafar ``segue`` 79 . . . a word I have seen (or heard) after ages . . . Delhi is Bombay without the parasites . . . how about that?”

Please Unkilji, zara sochiye tho…Lok Sabha…Rajya Sabha….the WHOLE of South Block…87.5% of Chanakya Puri…but we manage, somehow. Delhi is as at least as diverse as Bombay, so why doesn’t Delhi have a Thackeray? That’s the core of it.

aah . . . zafar ``segue`` 79 . . . a word I have seen (or heard) after ages . . . Delhi is Bombay without the parasites . . . how about that?

Lalukhet has the best nihari on the face of this earth..when had with the soft warm sheermaal, you will die

Reply Scout, Stuka # 77

``...and the best part in all of this is, that we have Musharraf and you don`t. :)``

For this, we also give thanks. God is Good. God is Great. You are happy. We are happy. We should all be distributing sweets, not arguing in Kashmir. Am I right? Or am I right? Please help yourselves to as many laddus as you want. No...don`t be shy, go ahead.

Generally...

Reading Rehan`s piece about Karachi reminded me of articles written about Beirut - in that people seemed to be surprised by the destruction of their societies within relatively short periods of time, or rather, surprised by their realisation that this had occured or was occuring. This is certainly how I feel about what has happened to Bombay - and I don`t think that I am alone in this. Is this what Karachiwalas feel is happening in Karachi?

And - what is it that spares some cities in a country while decimating the culture/society of others. Is Delhi`s story qualitatively different to Bombay`s (and Lahore`s to Karachi`s), or is the change just lest obvious?

I`d appreciate any thoughts on this meander. Meherbani for your time. Apologies, Rehan, for the segue.

Stuka #71, ``BTW What/where is Lalukhet? I have heard references to it in Bakra Kishto Pey and Buddha Ghar Pey Hai``

Karachi kay aas paas. Since this is Rehan`s board and he is the Karachi aficionado of the day, you`re better off asking him about Lalukhet.

Come to think of it, someone should write an article on Chowk about the charm of that town.

Stuka #72, ``We are bigger than you, we are stronger than you, we are superior to you in terms of military strength, and we will destroy you if need be.``

bigger and stronger you are but the ability to destroy Pakistan? in your dreams buddy boy.

despite Pakistan`s smaller size and strength, it still has the cajones to challenge it`s neighbor, bit by nuclear bit. it still has the power to ruffle Indian feathers at the drop of a hat.

and the best part in all of this is, that we have Musharraf and you don`t. :)

YLH

Inspite of what some of the chowkies are saying, this was a good article. You are maturing. However paraphrasing an old saying `If you are young and not passionate, and if you are old and not pragmatic, than there is something wrong with you`. What is youth with passion?

Also for a short time it would be good if India and Pakistan ignored each other, however in the long run we have to learn to live with each other amicably.

Best wishes to all on the independence days.

rehan

“semipreciousme: i luv ns was about loving the

despot because there is no option, we still

have a despot and there is no option...”

…i gathered….to add to that ns was a nincompoop par excellence….pm?…well, let’s say he catches on fast….as for options, i’m afraid as long as most ppl sit on their haunches, content to just moan and groan about all and sundry, our options are going to be severely limited....(yeah, yeah...i know...been there, heard that before, right?...)

I am sorry guys but I find little to rejoice about on this day. The more I think about it the more reality hits me in the face about the dire straits Pakistan finds itself in today. Just like Soviet Russia destroyed itself hankering after a doomed idealogy, we are digging our own graves. Just like Lenin was supposed to have all the answers, we believe Jinnah`s speeches can lead us to the promised land. Two-nation theory and militant Islam have have become an albatross around our necks that threatens our very existence as an independent nation.

America and its allies could afford to wait while communism collapsed under the weight of its inherent contradictions. Our so-called enemy India can afford the same luxury today. While we debate the intricacies of ``zaeef`` and ``masnad`` sayings of the prophet, the kids in IIT are going about solving puzzles that have bedeviled mankind for generations. While we discuss whether Jinnah wanted us to go freely to temples or churches, our neighbour is making plans to go to the moon. This longing to find answers in the past rather than the present and the future has brought us nothing but misery. One thing the past could have taught us would have been not to repeat our mistakes. Sadly we don`t learn. Ayub,Yahya,Zia(aka Stalin) and now Musharraf. A misrable gallery of rogues we`ve had.

We`ve become prisoners of our own rhetoric. Communism could have survived had it realized its limitations and made adjustments. We can make those adjustments also-first as a nation by accepting India as a friend and neighbour whose future we have a major stake in and secondly as a community by putting a more humane face on our religion. The hobbytys and urstrulys of this world will never reform themselves without strong coercise measures. Either we go after them ourselves and take them on with their arsenals of ``ahadith``, ``sunnat`` and the seven imams or be ready to face the combined forces of the civilzed world. Otherwise only a miracle can save us from ourselves.

later

-sac

re: Stuka

just when i think you`re OD-ing on clam chowder in boston, you reassure us that you are not

{{We are bigger than you, we are stronger than you, we are superior to you in terms of military strength, and we will destroy you if need be.}}

Ali#1

I was talking about the similarity of violence everywhere, not comparing the political status of Karachi and Kashmir. The point you make about magnitude is valid.

``No. You cant live on stolen land after killing the rightful owners. We WILL kick you out.... all secular/jehadi/mullah/sharabi Pakistanis agree on that. Remember what the ``secular`` ZAB promised? The 1000 year fight is not over yet.``

Stolen from who? Remember the Kashmiris who supported the Indian Army in 1948, when your NWFP tribesmen tried to steal Kashmir. You people are thieves, not us. Remember, the only ethnic cleansing that has taken place in Kashmir is that of the Hindu minority. The Kashmiris Muslims should be grateful that they are not treated like Palestenians after what they did to the Kashmiri Hindus. It is very easy to break into Hhindu houses, kill Hindus, rape Hindu women while they are a minority. Let these Haramkhors now see the might of the rest of India beat their backsides into pulp. If you are in love with the Kashmiri muslims, take them. There was an India and a Pakistan created in 1947. We will give away no more land. We are bigger than you, we are stronger than you, we are superior to you in terms of military strength, and we will destroy you if need be.

BTW, all your Fundos, Sharaabis, secularists have been agreeing about taking the valley for the past 50 years. When will you actually come around to doing it?

BTW, wasn`t it you talking about India flailing her hips or something? What`s the deal now, American CinCs to replace the Pakis for your armed forces? Might do a better job actually

Scout:

HA..The twins getting lost post was hilarious. Good one.

BTW What/where is Lalukhet? I have heard references to it in Bakra Kishto Pey and Buddha Ghar Pey Hai