Long March – What YOU can do
The fight for independent judiciary is reaching its final phase, where the government is utilizing all its resources to crush the peoples movement. There are a brave few who will be on the streets of each city protesting for their basic right to have a FREE and INDEPENDENT judiciary while the majority who also support this cause may remain indoors glued to their television sets praying for the success of the movement. We need to involve them into this movement also.Calling them unpatriotic would be unjust. Maybe they have other priorities above this cause or they are still unaware of the damage that this country will face if this movement fails. Or maybe, they have not been mobilised properly. The fear of being beaten like animals by the law enforcement agencies should also be running their minds, making it difficult for them to participate in this make or break movement in Pakistan’s history.
But, we can certainly make sure that they also participate in some form or the other, just to put enough pressure on the government to realise that their personal ambitions should not overcome the need of the people. For that, they do not need to come out on the streets to protest.
OK, I want to protest without going out to the streets. What can I do?
Well, there are a lot of ways to make your voice heard. Below are some of the things which can be done to show support for the movement.
- We can host black flags on our house rooftops, offices, cars, motorbikes, shops and even on the chowks.
- There are a lot of national songs which are available online also. Download them and play them to the full volume. Let the air of Pakistan be full with these patriotic music. The Long March committee has also released their official theme songs a.k.a. tarana. You can download this song from here. Play it out loud. Those boys who have a habit of playing loud music when they drive can for 1 day put this up rather than any Indian or Pakistan film songs.
- Wear black band on your arms to show your support for the Long March and disgust at the government high handedness on the marchers.
- Wear black clothes on the 16th. (Black represents the lawyers movement and also is a symbol of protest)
- The governor has allowed the Lahories to enjoy basant on Saturday and Sunday. Reply him back by playing national songs and the long march tarana on your rooftops if of all you want to enjoy basant.
- Every house has empty plastic bottles of different beverage companies. Please fill these bottles with cold water and have it distributed to the participants of the Long March. Quenching someone’s thirst is the biggest reward of all.
Time is short, so start sending emails, SMS to your friends and relatives to participate in this movement in some form or the other.
An email or a SMS from you can spark this motivation and on the 16th you may find millions of homes having black flags on their roofs, thousands of people playing national songs in their cars, hundreds of people offering water to the participants of the long march and almost everyone you see would be wearing black clothes.
Maybe then YOU can take a deep breath and say that you have played your part.
“To every man and nation comes a moment to decide” this is our moment in history -lets not let it become a lost opportunity. PAKISTAN PAINDABAD
Slave to the system – No more!
The event everybody had been waiting for is finally approaching. The Long March – which needs little introduction now.As I write, the COAS has just met the Prime Minister, US & UK ambassadors are currently having a meeting with him. Section 144 has been imposed in half the country resulting in arrests of politicians, lawyers and the civil society while the President Hazrat Asif Ali Zardari has fled the country since yesterday on a tour to Iran which will later take him to the UAE, his second home. OK, I know I am sounding comical, but whenever such a situation arises, I wonder why the President leaves the country.
Living in a country where every passing minute brings more frustration to the masses and fortune to the rulers has made the people stand up for something. Of all the ills the former dictator Musharaf had, we must credit him with something. He maybe what he was, but he was never anti-Pakistan. This was the very man that brought the slogan – Pakistan First. Plundering the wealth of Pakistan was least on his mind. That does not mean that we should not bring him to justice for his crimes, but the nation has more pressing issues at hand.
One such issue has been the restoration of the Judiciary which was sidelined by Musharaf for not toeing to his liking.
After repeated claims by the PPP to restore judiciary once they are elected by the people in the last year’s election – the PPP took a U turn after the assassination of Benazir and luck shining on Zardari meant that he was the dictator of not only the PPP but the country also. He intelligently brought the PML-N and other allies into believing that all would be fine soon – and after having his way to the presidency thought he had the last laugh.
Zardari made many vows to restore the judiciary with the PML-N and to the people of Pakistan while he had secretly vowed never to do it. Ironically, in a media appearance he stated that he had made a vow, verbally and written BUT that was not the Quran or Hadith which cannot be changed. The PPP general secretary Jahangir Badr reported that the PPP had asked for pardon from the people for going back on their word and it was “Islamic” to ask for pardon for not keeping one’s word. Have the people pardoned them is a different story – one none of the PPP would be willing to listen.
Now, as time passes by and the deadline for the long march is approaching – the nation is gripped to this uncertainty that looms the country. The government is hell bent to stop the long march at all costs otherwise they would be packing up from the Presidential palace while the nation is also motivated and committed to not let the opportunity pass by this time to change their destination and free themselves from the unseen masters since 1947.
Those who say that NRO is NOT the reason for Zardari’s refusal to reinstatement the judges are living in a fool’s world.
Those who say that cases against Hazrat Asif Ali Zardari were political, need to meet the people of Pakistan face to face.
Those who say that the present judiciary is making decisions on merit need to join the PPP.
Those who claim that the long march will lead Pakistan into further chaos need to bite their hands.
Shootout with Liberty
I am really upset today. An sms from my nephew asking me about the updates on the shoot out at Liberty did not raise any alarms for me until I switched on the tele. It was as if my sleepy eyes were dreaming. The time taken from reading the sms to switching the television on maybe a minute and in that minute, I had thought only that there must be a dispute between two rival groups or some political procession being fired on by the police. But the news channels were all showing something which resemebeled to the seige in Mumbai. It certainly seemed like watching the next episode of the Mumbai drama. Men with same outfits, same kind of bag packs, simillar manovering and exactly the same motive.
The news that hurt me the most was the attack on the Sri Lankan team. We Pakistani’s are used to attacks (I know, so are the Lankans) ever since that nuisance of War on Terror started but why had it to be an attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team? I am a big fan of Sangakara and Murli and it pained me to know that they were also injured although slightly and were completely out of danger.
The Pakistani government has a lot of explaining to do and just an inquiry into the matter will not work, neither the Governor’s early wake up and visit to the scene. We need to know why were the visitors attacked and what were our security forces doing? Was this the protocol that had been promised to them? The shootout lasted about an hour and the Gulberg Police Station is JUST a minute walk away from the scene!
Liberty is one of the most famous areas of hanging out for the Lahori people and the tourists. It is also the commercial hub of the city and main attraction for the youth to fill their spare time for some pleasure. The roundabout where the shoot out occurred is the busiest at morning hours due to school and office locations in the area. Picture this: You have LGS, Lords International School, Gulberg College for women, Pace, Hafeez Center, City Center, Al-Fateh shopping center AND 12 armed and dangerous men going wild with their guns.
The news channels showed footage of the scene being taken by some eye witness probably from the Coca Cola building or the CNBC office, where the terrorists are shown roaming around and shooting at will. Two of these terrorists also duck behind the Bank Al-Falah sign installed at the round about (the round about had been designed and maintained by Bank Al-Falah) like in any action movie before shooting again at their targets. Another couple of terrorists were walking around the bus stand carrying heavy weapons. It was hard to compare if the scenes were from Baghdad or Lahore. I must have crossed that round about a million times but never in my wildest dreams could have I thought of this to happen. Not in Liberty! (I will upload some pictures of the area soon to make better understand of the place and the scene.)
To top it all, those scum’s easily managed to escape from the scene littering the place with hand grenades, rocket launchers, kalashankovs and pistols. Some hand grenades and pistols were found outside Al-Fateh shopping center. This means that the terrorists must have made it towards the Gulberg Park and on to either Cavalry, Firdous Market or Mecca Town or maybe back to Kalma Chowk even. Some of them were reported to have headed towards Model Town which is also a possibility.
Imran Khan – The voice of the youth
Imran Khan sent this recorded message to television channels on the day Emergency Plus was imposed in Pakistan from an undisclosed location. Imran Khan is the voice of the youth and has a large following. Although his strength is not reflected in the polls because of poor leadership in his party, yet he is adored and understood by the millions of Pakistanis.
Imran Khan has so far successfully avoided his capture by the brutal and unconstitutional authorities, who have arrested hundreds of civilians protesting for their basic right to be free and under independent law and courts. We Pakistanis pray for his well being and hope he manages to stay free.
Imran Khan, the youth are with you, so is the whole Pakistani nation.
