Arfa Karim Randhawa

All we have to say is this “You Left Unfinished and Yet We Are Proud.”

To Arifa Karim Randhawa from I'm No Superman!!

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 Arifa Karim Randhawa (late) —  The Youngest Legend

Few Signs of PTI Supporter!

You can diagnose any one around you talking politics if he/she is PTI supporter or not. Here are few (of many) symptoms.

1. They blame CIA and US from anarchy to bad Governance.
2. They protest throughout the year.
3. They want a liberal political leader and yet they like to be friends with fundamentalists who like to blow girls’ schools, barber shops and cut the throats of innocent children for bringing حلوہ (halwa) to armed forces.
4. They talk of (arcane) sovereignty violation by US forces and zip their lips on Talibans for doing the same in their beloved country’s territory.
   

What is Real Problem? Let’s get to the Roots

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We Pakistanis are in trouble since the creation of this country. Since its creation Pakistan has faced many challenges, which range from financial, infrastructural and political to floods, earthquakes and war on terror. Every thinking or non-thinking brain has his views in Pakistan. As the count of mouths increase conspiracy theories increase. But no one has yet identified the real problem.

Some say it is terrorism, some say it is religiously motivated radicalism, some enlist poor quality of education, lack of leadership and some blame the people of Pakistan in general. I shall try here my bit to unravel what my findings are after the complete autopsy of this country’s history from 1947 onwards. My findings are harsh and hard to swallow. To savvy this point we must first step into neutral zone even by putting off our religious pair of specs.

Tipu Sultan’s Will; A Manifestation by Allama Iqbal

  تو رہ نورد شوق ہے، منزل نہ کر قبول

لیلیٰ بھی ہم نشیں ہو تو محمل نہ کر قبول

If you traverse the road of love, Don’t yearn to seek repose or rest;
If Leila be your companion close, That litter shun with great contempt.

صبح ازل یہ مجھ سے کہا جبرئیل نے

جو عقل کا ہو غلام، وہ دل نہ کر قبول

Gabriel on Creation Early Morning, A piece of useful counsel gave;
He commanded me not accept a heart, Enchained by mind of man like Slave.

Pakistan, Sim City or Vice City: Finding Analogy

GTA-Vice City

Often an article I read a couple of years back on DAWN’s bolgosphere strikes in my mind. The article was “P for Pepsi, P for Pakistan”. Then, I hated this idea, the author and even the I left reading DAWN’s blogs. It was a surprise for me and I kept asking myself, How the hell such a daft person managed to make a space on the prestigious newspaper’s site?

Now when I look back and analyze circumstances in the very context of that blogger, I feel he was right, In fact very right. He argued, that pakistan should get a sponsor i.e. pepsi or it even be a Microsoft apple or any other top 100 renowned brands of the world. The central idea was to project the softer image of Pakistan in the world. You may agree or disagree but certainly it the author was desperate.

Recent brutal killing of  a civilian youth by a ranger made me desperate too. Killing, firing, suicide bombing, rapes, rule of law, lack of governance, murders, street violence, gangs, gang wars, drones, dhranas, anguish, cries and pseudo-protests reminds me nothing but a video game. Game that almost envisage all the circumstances of Pakistan today. Grand theft auto: Vice City.

But wait………

You Scratch My Back, I’ll Stab Yours!

Flag of the Pakistan Army

Finally, ISI briefed the Parliament. Same parliament who offered Fatiha Khwani for another pseudo-Shaheed few days before. Shuja the ISI chief was put to the test for his name. As the chief rose to the rostrum, taunts from the political classroom (as there was no monitor or teacher in class) started pelting. Shuja stood and hold his ground, he did not only take tirade. He shot back and I imagine he punched leader of opposition right on the nose (which my gut says would have bleed) with a remark. According to a news report 

Lawrence of Incompetence

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Leadership may have different styles or types but no one can deny the fact that a leader must possess competence. This is exactly what our current pseudo-democratic leadership lacks. I am not asking for super visionary, highly competent, super fit, highly qualified or most capable leadership; but mere competence, just fit, qualified and reasonably capable leadership.

Changes in Pakistan; If Col. Gaddafi Leaves

Revolution; the so-called, shook the most of Islamic world monarchies. Everyone in Pakistan is eying for the same here. Many bloggers, columnists, journalists, and writers of various domains are arguing on the premise of its possibility. Well, I am not doing something even close it. Kirghizstan had some partial impact on Tunisian revolution but Tunisian revolution definitely kindled the revolutionary fire in Egypt, Yemen, and Libya. The question that pops in into our minds is “Will the Gaddafi’s departure be able to kindle the fire of so-called revolution in Pakistan?”

Mosque and Mosquitoes

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Pakistan is a land of pure. Purity comes to the pure heart. Islam has given stress in purity at heart. Like other major religions of the world, Islam too has ordained institutions, which help its followers and associates to achieve purity. Mosque is one of them. Throughout Islāmic history one cannot defy the very fact that mosques were top educational institutions, which use to produce plethora of scholars not only specializing in religion but also in subjects like physics, biology, mathematics, philosophy, poetry and you may call wonderful and unique “science of narrators” (علم رجال).

The Attractive Tag of Liberalism!

Educating against Extremism

Since Pakistan stepped in war against terror, the debate of “Extremist“, “Moderate” and “Liberal” has become common. Until now extremism is being considered uni-polar i.e. religious extremism. You may find oodles of analysts local and international popping up on your T.V screens commenting about extremism, of course they mean religious extremism. By any stretch of imagination it is not tenable.

Unfortunately, now our society deems the word extremism in only religious radicalism. On the other hand, word liberalism has become almost a cliché and everyone likes to be called one. You can witness this thing on any public online discussion forum whether it is a social network, blog or newspaper website. Everyone wants to jump into the discussion and say, “hey, you Mullah, you close minded! You need to get rid of your fundamentalist beliefs”, without realizing the very fact that liberalism is also an extreme on the opposite end on fundamentalism. It’s bipolar.

Verdict of Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Blasphemy!

CII is a Govt. Body Which Suggests and Reviews Islamic Laws in Pakistan

Council of Islāmic Ideology (CII) was under tremendous political pressure from within and abroad.  Few examples of this pressure are

Pope Benedict XVI has called for the release of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman in … Asia Bibi “be given back her freedom” says Pope Benedict

“She is a helpless Christian woman. She can’t legally defend herself because she does not have resources. Implicating such helpless minorities in such cases amounts to ridiculing the constitution of Pakistan” Taseer, Governor Punjab

Setting aside all these pressures CCI has proposed following procedural changes in the blasphemy law by retaining the capital punishment

Punishment for Blasphemy in the Light of Religious Scriptures

If you say, Pakistan is the land of hot issues it would not be a false statement at all. Whether it is the religious, political, economic or social issues; Pakistan is the place you will find on top of all. Lately, the issue of blasphemy has arisen when a session court (lower court) sentence Asiya Bibi (who was Christian by faith) to death after finding her guilty her of sacrilegious comments.

The debate of repealing this law has come out of blue this time after 2-3 decades of legislation regarding. There are several opinions regarding this blasphemy act 295 (c) of the constitution of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. There are oodles of angles to this law, whether it be religious, democratic, political or human right.

We have gathered some evidences from the Quran, Hadith, Sunnah and history (compiled by historians) for the exact punishment for blasphemy. This will also answer the most asked question “What Muhammad (S.A.W) would have done?” “How he would have responded?” and many supplementary questions like “What Quran says?”,  “Is there any evidence in Hadith?” and “What other religions say about blasphemy?”