Raza Rumi

Karta hun jama phir jigare lakht lakht ko
(I seek to gather the scattered pieces of my heart)

Not long ago, say two decades ago, we the Zia’s children yearned for a country that treaded the Malaysian path for prosperity; and somehow were to transform a tolerant, inclusive society. Such were the dizzying dreams. We wanted the Hudood laws to vanish, the witch-hunt under the blasphemy laws to end and sectarian-ethnic monsters buried. We were inspired by the likes of Mohtarama, for some the charitable cricketer appeared the redeemer. The road to utopia also emerged when a bus took off from the other side of the border and landed in Lahore. The brothers Sharifov became new faces of a moderate, booming Pakistan. Mr. Vajpayee’s chant on the ancient roads of Lahore,

“ab jang nahee ho gi”

was enough to willingly suspend our disbelief. For many a precious day, we forgot the corruption stories, the political squabbles and incompetence all around.

Adil Najam

Explaining what is happening in Pakistan, and why, is never easy. Never has it been more difficult than it is now. Talking earlier today to the National Public Radio show Here and Now, it struck me again how difficult it is to articulate any explanation of Pakistan’s politics – not only to non-Pakistani audiences, but to Pakistani audiences too.

Consider the recent news stream. Suicide bomb blasts by extremists kill another 30 in Lahore in yet another dastardly attack. Gen. Musharraf calls the National Assembly to meet on Monday, March 17. Supposedly Nawaz Sharif and Asif Zardari come to an agreement on the government formation but it is no more clear today who the next Prime Minister will be than it was before the meeting. They also insist that they will “restore” the judges but speculations remain rife on just which judges and just how “restored.”

Owais Mughal

Our pyara Pakistan is a very dynamic country. Come Rain Come shine, the life goes on. The daily business goes on and the people go on….but there is one little detail not to be missed. Amidst all this hustle and bustle a railway runs though it.

Following collection is a tribute and a humorous commentary on care-free Pakistanis who go about their daily routine around a railway track as if the tracks were laid out there for all possible uses except for running trains.

(1) Departure Yard, Karachi

This first photo is courtesy of Mudsi from March 2, 2008. The photo shows Karachi Cantt Departure Yard and note the carefree motorbike rider. He is not the only happy-go-lucky person in the photo. Note the person walking behind him is enjoying smoking and the one behind him is talking on the cell phone. And everyone is walking or riding in the middle of the Highway called the Mainline Railway Track.