Yes we can, Obama! Re: # 16
From I have seen of - and about - him, I suspect that Obama is ambitious, opportunistic, motivated, and capable of being ruthless if he has to. Given how things have gone in the last eight years of the neocon rule, voting for more of the same for, at least, four more years was hardly an option.

Obama may not turn out to be the right man, certainly not a messiah. But it is a leap of faith Americans have to take.

The Way Out Re: # 7 Majumdar Sahib,
Why would the loss of political power to Bengalis have been a repugnant and dangerous thing?

Cockroaches of Disruption "As the deal are struck, as deal are brokered
Through rumors and disobedience
To the nation, the silent witness"

That is the problem Kashkin; that the nation is a silent witness. Has been, it seems, for eternity. In the meantime,the cockroaches and their fumigators will continue to rule the roost.

Of course there is a price for breaking the silence; and it has to be paid. Whether it is paid now, or paid later, determines whether the nation inherits a garden, or it inherits the wind...

MQM - History and Origins Re: # 59
Barrister Sahib,
Thanks for your kind advice. I was a Karachiite for as long as I lived in Pakistan, and still visit there every couple of years. I think I have a pretty good idea about MQM, its history, and its future, and no particular desire to discuss it with you.

Take care.

MQM - History and Origins TS MiaN,
Can a country, where people do not have clean drinking water and one square meal a day, afford expensive jewelry :-)?

MQM - History and Origins Re: # 53 Meiraj08,
Language, like poetry, is no one's exclusive property. Urdu has been blessed to have been enriched by all ethnicities and faiths of the subcontinent. Karachi belongs to all; it is Sindh's gift to Pakistan.

MQM, in its present incarnation, is a destructive force, though it may not be the only one. It is sad because the same energy and zeal could be be easily harnessed for something much more positive. With all cultures in the subcontinent rubbing shoulders with each other, it is the only lab in the country for us to experiment and build a genuine Pakistan in Karachi. It could be an example for the entire subcontinent.

MQM - History and Origins Farras Mian,
In true Paki fashion, I assume that - between you and barrister sahib - you get to decide whether Pakistan breaks up or not.

Does anyone among us serfs get to have a say?

MQM - History and Origins "I request all my Pakistani brethren and cistern - Punjabis, Sindhis, Pathans, Baluchis, Kashmiris, and Mohajirs to unite against those who want to hurt all of us. Our salvation is in unity and in Pakistan's survival and progress".

Eloquent words, Salim. But if slogans could, we would be the most united country on the face of God's good earth. But emotional slognas can't; face it. Unity is achieved by give and take in good faith, with sincerity and sacrifice, and with putting money where one's mouth is.

Please don't expect the blighted odinary Pakistanis to be moved to tears when the army, the feudals, and the elite in Pakistan (the mohajir elite included) get to gobble up all the goodies.

MQM - History and Origins Hurricane Mian,
Karachiites (at least this one) have no interest whatsoever in being called "mohajirs". It is a label (among many others) that has been generously foisted upon us without asking. You ask, legitimately on the face of it, why the migrants from India do so when those (possibly a much larger number) who migrated from East Punjab do not. To be honest with you, the more fair question to ask is why "they" have not been labelled with such derogatory lables? Is it possible that this has something to do with them being fellow Punjabis, not kaalay Hindustanis?

You also point out that the rest of the country does not look down upon - in fact it very much looks up to - Karachi and its people. My humble request to all is - if this is what they have really been doing for the past 60 years - to please stop doing so post-haste. For, the neglect and lack of any concern that Karachi and its people have gotten as a result of this "generous respect", is not what Karachi needs. In fact a ranDi often garners a much better deal from her pimp who, incidentally, does not get to benefit from her services for free.

What Karachi needs is an adequate portion of the national budget for proper infrastructure development, and political and economic respresentation commensurate with their population, which they have never had. Why is it that M1 or M3 or M5 or whatever, paRha likha Punjab, and "paani ek KHazana hae; har ek ak poNhchaNa hae" seems to happen only in Punjab, when 1 in 9 Pakistanis live in Karachi? Is paRha likha Pakistan less important than paRha likha Punjab? Does Karachi have 1 in 9 MNAs in the Parliament, 1 in 9 people in the civil service and the armed forces, and close to 10% of the national budget? If not, could you tell me why not?

The other day, Nusrat Javed mentiond some obscene number (in tens of billions of Rupees) which is the budget of the CDA in Islamabad. Could you please tell me about what is it that Islamabad produces (or has produced) for Pakistan?

Bright stars such as Hamza Shahbaz Sharif, Moonis Ilahi are beginning to ligh up our political horizon. BB, as you know, was the leader of the PPP; before her it was her father. And after her a grieving "mujh ko apne galay laga lo" Zardari is running the party; Bilawal, her son, is co-chairman; the daughters, Asifa and Bakhtawar are the heading this and that wing in the party of the masses. Even a supposedly progressive party like the ANP is headed by Asfandyar Wali; and before him by his father; and before him by his father (who, incidentally, did not want to be buried in Pakistan).

Now I know that the "scoundrel" Musharraf is justifiably hated; and he also has two off-springs. Let us see now - Bilal is the head of .............. oh I am sure it will come to me in a minute. And his daughter - what's her name BTW, is ... is ... is ... isn't she holding some very high office in the MQM?

For the outpouring of generosity that all of Pakistan has been showering Karachi with for decades, God(SWT) Has Rewarded them with, guess what? The MQM. Do you think ke "KHuda ke yahaaN dayr hae andhayr nahiN"?

MQM - History and Origins Madani Sahib:
Let me try to understand you. Are you saying that because all other parties have committed violence and have ingrained corruption (and I agree that this is true), therefore MQM (or any other new political movement) is entitled to lavish upon us more of the same? How is this supposed to improve the political climate in the country or, for that matter, in Karachi? Do we need to find a solution, or just continue to accomodate a festering cancer in the body politic of Pakistan?

There is no doubt that a political party which argues for egalitarianism, meritocracy, end to religious/sectarian discrimination, end to feudalism, etc. is greatly needed on the political scence of Pakistan. But can any viewpoint, no matter how legitimate, be fisted down the population's throat by violent and despicable means? Is it not self defeating? Does MQM have any hope of ever succeeding on the national scene with their politics the way it is; extremely narrow, parochial, and violent?

Other than that, I have no argument with your position that MQM should not be singled out while closing eyes to the misdeeds of the other parties. However, I don't see the movement going anywhere with its present leadership.

(Heck, I can even stomach listening to the loha chore and AZ for about a minute; but can't bear to watch or listen to that goon from London for more than 5 seconds).

Salt N Pepper Very sensitively done. So beautiful, so touching. An uplifitng account with only heroes; no villains.

Fathers and Daughters I can only imagine what could have been! If only I had a daughter.

Coming to America Re: # 95
I just tuned int to Aaaj news headlines; according to their correspondent (Nosherwan Qalandar), the spokesmam, maulvi Umar, of TTP in BajauR area is vehemently denying the news of Mehsud's death.

There seems to be confusion all around.

Aaaj news also reported another US missile attacjk in the Miramshah area whis has killed, at least five, suspected alqaeda militants, all foreigners.

Pakistani-Americans or American-Pakistanis? Re: # 176
Gul sahib, where did you find this news? Is there a link?
Thanks.

Coming to America Re: # 74
That was very cruel Zeena bibi. Why did you red flag Madani sahib's post? All he said was that the President was carrying out his wife's wishes. I am afraid I have to agree. If BB was alive, and meeting Sarah Palin at the UN, she would want to hug her too, don't you think?

Coming to America Tch, tch! Poor Zardari keeps getting this bum rap. Have we asked ourselves ke aisa bhi tau ho sakta hae ke donoN taraf ho aag baraabar lagi huvi?

Why I can just imagine the queen of Alaski humming some soft bollywood tunes:

mujh ko apnay gal-ay laga lo a'e meray Zardari
tum ko kya batlaa'ooN maeN ke tum se kitna pyaar hae?