Adil Najam
Sepoy, of Chapati Mystery fame, sent me this picture before. It is a crude sheyr (verse) crudely written at the back of a bus.
Girls these days are so proud of their beauty
They don’t know the first kalma, but speak in English
Sepoy said it made him chuckle. It makes me chuckle too. But it also makes me shudder a bit. And not just for the (lack of) poetic skills displayed here. The verse and its display probably says more about the way we view women – especially young women – than it does about the state of poetry in the country.
Notwithstanding the fact that not just rhyme but reason is also missing here and the first and second misras have little connection, the verse does suggest what is viewed good (knowing the pehla kalma) and what is not (speaking in English).
All too often people will presume that a certain behavior correlates to certain moral positions. I remember how we wrote on ATP about an Ad in Dawn’s classified section for
Thinking about the ad and all the societal assumptions imbedded in it still makes me mad. As did this interesting post from ATP friend Mansoor on Metroblog Karachi, where he writes about a new way of stealing cellphones that as practiced in Karachi.
A girl is standing at a bus stop, waiting to catch a bus to go home and talking on her cellphone. There are quite many people around and its daytime.
Two guys on a bike pull up in front of her, the guy on the back gets off the bike, comes in front of her, and without warning, plants a loud slap right on her face! The girl is stunned, cant even utter a word. He then shouts (for the benefit of whoever is listening) “kitney dafa bola hai! Abba ka cellphone nahi lay kar nikla karo” (how many times have i told you, not to take dads cellphone out), grabs her cell, gets back on the bike, and they both drive away.
The girl is too shocked to say anything and just stands there, her hand holding an imaginary cellphone to her ear. People around ignore the situation thinking its just some family tiff or the other…. till she screams out “ye mera bhai nahi tha!!!!!!!” (he was not my brother!!!!!)
What I found notable is that even though the post generated intense discussion it was mostly focused on crime prevention and law enforcement and very little about what – to me – was the most shocking line of all:
People around ignore the situtation thinking its just some family tiff or the other…
Wait, wait, wait. Please. It is OK if someone comes and slap their sister or wife or daughter in public? Or even in private? And the rest of us will say, ‘OK, its a family tiff.’
I must confess that I am shocked most because in my heart of heart I know that many people will, in fact, do exactly that. And, that, is the tragedy of it all.
I uphold absolutely your right to say what you have to say, and appreciate you have said it in careful language. I also agree that sometimes comments do cross lines which should not be crossed.
Allah’s name entrusted Pakistan was announced/ sliced out from Britisher majority composed civil government with a British Royalty Viceroy in 1947 two/four years after the Yalta Agreement that already divided the post ww2 world politically economically and Pakistan’s sovereign attestment into affairs slipped to Washington because of the coming Regime Rules allover the world. Pakistan that was not a ww2 criminal like most other Nations was however to be partner to USA as Washington rode around The Colonial English French speaking world but most governments in Pakistan could not inout with Euro Club Continental Businessmen and high rollers and UK stood like today in-between Washington and until Pakistan split into Bangladesh and present Pakistan where the most recent Martial Law Leader was pre-discussed while a whole world saw a panoramic drama ,a coup d etat as Washington had insisted to bring an absolutely politically non conversant Mahajir Quami Movement to charges of state and aggress a secular government.
As the new 2002 elections recreated all regime protégés back into political offices the Northern Province was dictated to bring in Sharia by Washington too that had by now taken Afganistan and instituted its protégés in all provinces . In Peshawar modern posters were torn down but allover the country and Peshawar a latent rage of pornography went uncontrollable ,half led by Internet but mostly led by theatre and live dancing girls.
The one motive of Musharaff a socially non literate but a gentlemanly functioning commando officer of Pakistan’s Army was to aquire the newly archived great wealth of social dictation and economic superiority that Pakistan’s new youth had achieved and as Globalisation and Democratisation were visibly shining on Worlds horizon as Pakistan’s achievement that would become the only barrage to unite a great planet that a us and them had gulfed from decades of military rules and western policies misinterpreted as’ divide and rule’ that tore Korea ,burnt Vietnam and bled Cambodia until the predators froze with fear.
In 2001 Pakistan was divided into over 1600 precincts and Democratised with a prize from Paris Club of World Bank Owners to become the first economy to jump back to its own feet. However the proud Regime Rule was also predating into Pakistani society like a mafia knot and at every move the Islamabad people made . The world bank that was remailed to Pakistan after it broke away and would not operate over hundreds of thousands of dollars as the Nation cannot still find a Million Operator on projects but yet the Regime Bureaucrats went to Delhi and brought them home with the Asian Development Bank that willingly took sewers and street roads projects upto Pak Rs. 47 lacks ,while the world bank idles and officials enjoy vacantly watching at over 4 thousand NGOs waiting for leadership to appear. In Delhi the World Bank had pre-specific projects in culture and health that Pakistanis are trying although AIDS one sickness is stuck in throat and Allah Willingly will not be allowed to leak out from holes it was contained in. But the theatres and dancing girls prosper as World Bank not but a London Club of Donors lease money and power at Pakistani Govt., t in Islamabad. Pakistan like many other non conversant booty hunter governments of Asia tried to talk out WTO and IMF who were stumbling with Globalisation and Democratisation notes and a World Trade that was falling quickly out from west to merchandise midway offshore banks with trade law saying ‘have government do business’
The moral scene in Pakistan took extra permissiveness and the International Protocol Society Government became bolder with French Cooks and Photographers at Wedding Parties and as Musharaff tried to recompose the European effect of his Pakistan Army and his Media office took four or more years to read a word called ‘moderate’ to him and he agrees.
The recent laws are made into Regime Rule empowrer The UN Foundation dictation of Empowerment of Women that was to be written Reempowerment of Women after two decades of women brining themselves to proud ‘bitches’ and bore devilish girls many children likewise were burnt in acids .
The Mullahs cannot read what book the Parliament read out ,in a country where the entire country is part of the present government and many former Socialist Leaders got very exploited after the canny decision of Russia to remain behind Regime Rule thinking UK Intelligence had a passport for them to equalise with Washington but nothing came out until the recent ‘go die Russian spy’ song sung in London. .
iam all for empowering women….but i think many people here seem to equate negative/immoral behavior with empowerment
I’m from the USA and have to say, some of the comments on here were a bit harsh towards the West. If I, or any other lady, were walking down the street and a guy made a comment about the girl’s figure, he’d certainly hear about it either from a more respectful man within earshot or the girl herself. That may not be true everywhere in the US as I live in a rural area, but it’s the norm here. Seems to me that everyone has this horrible misconception that American men are rude, vulgar niphomaniacs who can’t keep themselves under control especially around women. There are plenty of men and women who are against the exploitation of girls here and a vast majority of American girls dress respectably. I’ve read several comments about how our American girls aren’t free because they “have” to work and are judged by their appearance and that’s just not true. I don’t HAVE to work if I don’t want to. But it’s my choice whether or not I want to work, wear clothes that show off my figure, and pratice whatever religion I want without being ridiculed about it. I realise this is a Pakistani forum and I’m sorry to post where I might not be welcome to, but I couldn’t ignore the negative comments about the great men and woman of the USA.
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