The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan\'s Defense #7 Posted by jang on July 7, 2009 11:45:18 am
{"salim bhai, i must congratulate you on a very articulate, cogent, pithy, informative, entertaining, enlightening, spiritual, sexy and to the point article.

unfortunately i could not understand what you are trying to say. what precisely are you batting for? is it the same thing as before?

thanks, jang"}

Jang Bhai,
Thank you for the outstanding praise. As to the matter of your lack of comprehension, I can suggest some classes, but they will cost you. Nothing is free like Chowk. I am not batting for any side. I merely want a level of accountability from those who create problems and then set out to solve them - all the while enriching themselves coming and going. Thank you for reading this article. Next time you might even understand it - God willing.

The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan\'s Defense #6 Posted by rf786 on July 7, 2009 11:37:13 am
{"Salim Chauhan (SC) Sahib

You have very briefly touched upon the after effects but failed to identify the root cause of the problem which of course is the Arabization or Islamization of the Pakistani people"}

Bismallah Sahib,
To do that would require several volumes - then no one on Chowk would bother to read the article. Arabization and Islamization are both general terms and often used as excuses for our own lack of accountability. Whether they are Moolas, Pak Faujis, or your burger elite, they must all be held accountable for their actions - let's not find foreigners or spirituality to blame for obvious faults in our own people - selfishness, dishonesty, corruption, and lack of self-discipline.

The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan\'s Defense #5 Posted by shankar on July 7, 2009 11:32:35 am
Salim,
{"Speaking of blasphemy, you guys should probably start trusting us horrible hindoos. Heck, what do you have to lose?:)"}

{"Actually scratch that. Salim, we started bribing Allah soon after your ancestors converted to Islam. "}

Shankar,
The last time we trusted horrible hindoos, we lost half our country. For a people who don't give to charity, Hindoos could hardly be expected to bribe Allah.

The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan\'s Defense #3 Posted by samar1982 on July 7, 2009 10:51:21 am
{"...sorry, there is one more alternative. you can invite arab, US or china to rule you"}

No, thank you! We don't like our home-grown despots, why should we tolerate imports?

The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan\'s Defense #2 Posted by samar1982 on July 7, 2009 10:48:12 am
{"SALIM BHAI, however you deny but after 9/11 you have to take sides. either you are with army or you are with taliban. there is no other way out for any pakistani. if you dont want taliban you must support army wholeheartedly. if you dont want army let taliban come and rule you. simple.

and yes, very nice LANGUAGE. "}

Samar Bhai,
Thank you for your kind comment. I disagree that Pakistanis have to totally support the army. As much as we may detest the Tally Ban, it is imperative that we not abandon the principle of accountability. If we can't trace what happened to the money, then we will forever remain in the vicious cycle of bad guys, good guys acting badly, devils, saviors who act like the devil, and then eventually Armageddon.

The Landlords of Defence To Pakistan\'s Defense #1 Posted by Cobra on July 7, 2009 10:26:40 am
{"Salim, help me here. How do all those you mention are any different than Zia-Ul-Haq, who aided and abated the whole militant rebellion in Afghanistan prior to that? "}

Cobra,
Very good point about Zina Owl Hack. Yes, he is the dictator responsible for the whole mess. Once you set a course, your successors, despite differences, are stuck on the path - unfortunately. Thanks for your feedback and interest.

Peace for People and People of Peace Saeed,
Good article and noble sentiments expressed so well. Thanks for sharing.

Peace for People and People of Peace #4 major {"What goes in your paki homeland is mostly bad and ugly"}

Major,
If I didn't know you better, I would accuse you of being dressed like a clown while attending a funeral. Of course, I know very well from your viewpoints expressed on Chowk UP that you are a BJP/VHP/RSS/JS/SP/SS/JS/BD goon. Just wait, India dodged a bullet in two recent elections. The bad news is that your chaddi-clad, toothpick-legged, laathi-wielding cohorts are not dead yet. Believe me, one day they will make India shine again. Jai Ho!

Local Government System – Incompetence vs Competence Chishti Sahib,
Thank you for sharing an optimistic and morale-boosting perspective. I watched the Dunya special about Mustafa Kamal and I am quite impressed.

BTW, the biggest land mafia scam in Pakistan is the whole idea of Defense Housing schemes. Talk about conflicts of interest - Army gives out plots, Army runs government, Army diverts precious resources to DHAs whose prices skyrocket a Army people benefit.

Nabil and Fatima Shakuntala,
Fact or ficton, real or imagined, you have told this story in a uniquely interesting and captivating manner. You have made yourself, Fatima, and Nabil all appear as individuals who cannot be overwhelmed by these wide sweeping meanderings of political fortunes. Thanks for sharing. You are a very good writer and I enjoyed this well-written anecdote.

Streets of Bahadurgunj Saif,
Very interesting article that is full of enthusiasm and hope. I enjoyed reading this. Please consider writing a good book on this topic.

She Needs to be Saved Hiba,
Beautifully written and expressed right from the heart. I was thinking of various candidates until mid-way, your point became apparent. Totally agree with your marvelous analogy and comprehensive complaint. May we all unite to rescue "her."

Hindu Mathematics – How Original Was It? The issue of whether the Hindoos invented the zero or the Arabic numerals, and other important advances in mathematics is irrelevant. The fact is that the Arabs chronicled these findings and thus gave their name to sifar (cipher) and the Arabic numerals. As heartbreaking as it may seem, the one who files the patent reaps the rewards.

Columbus "discovered" the "New" World, even though there were already human beings living all over those lands. Even Columbus got ripped off when Americus Vespucci wrote about the "new" continents, which were aptly named after him, giving us the Americas - both North and South. Thus, the United States of America honor Vespucci while poor Chris is left with DC - not many know that it stands for District of Columbia.

So like the "Indians" of the "New" World, the Indians of the old one got screwed. Arabs got zero and Hindoos got what Al-Khwarizmi's parrot left on the rock.

The Last of the Mughals Anil Sahib #71,
Thank you for the detailed and very logical explanation of the reasons for Europe's climb and our decline - not so much militarily, but technologically, sociologically, and economically. We Muslims have stopped advancing in these important fields since the 13th century - the days of Ibn-e-Rushd and other brilliant thinkers, physicians, and scientists. Even though Muslims were militarily successful, in fact even more successful than in the past, during the 13th through the 17 th centures (Mamelukes,Safavids, Mughals, and Ottomans), they lost that need to innovate and improve their socieites. I attribute this descent to the heavy militarization that became paramount in the decades following the 200 year Crusades and the devastating Mongol invasions. I think that we are in basic agreement. Thanks.

The Last of the Mughals {"#57 Posted by hamidm2 on June 13, 2009 1:38:15 pm
..... thanks for picking up on 'giddar' shah zafar .... it is really gratifying that my contributions to the lexicon are being picked up by the denizens of chowk ..... "}

Hamidumdum Sahib,
Sir, it is with much regret and chagrin that I find your vocabulary both astonishing and disheartening. I suppose your definition of an "anti-giddar" is a brave and upright Pakhtoon like Moola Fadloola or Moola Bait Loola. You castigated the patient Bahadur Shah Zafar, an octogenarian like Tahmed Sahib, as a "Giddar." For you, young valiant firebrands like your home-town Pakhtoon Loola boys, who dispatch determined suicide bombers to demolish luxury hotels, police academies, and an occasional female ex-Prime Minister, are the lion-hearted ones in your tribally-mandated myopic vision. Shame on you sir for you are one of my role models on Chowk. :( May all the female shoes your hard work procures be bestowed upon your shameless crown.

The Last of the Mughals Naqshabandi #61{" was sickened but not surprised by tahmed's/hamidm comments on this great man and their support for the British. Such traitors have always existed."}

Naqsh Bhai,
Please don't be so hard on our resident grey beards. They are the last surviving remnants of the Raj and are the only eyewitnesses on Chowk to the establishment of "democracy" and "justice" in Barr-e-Sagheer. Of course, being from the area of Hindustan that helped the British in suppressing the "Sepoy Rebellion" of 1857 may have a lot to do with their nostalgic support for the British.