Sunday, February 26, 2012

Me, Saleem Safi And One Indian


Let me share something interesting. Last night known columnist and TV personality Saleem Safi and I were part of a panel discussion on PTV's Moeed Pirzada show.

Today, an Indian tweeted: 'AQ showing his ignorance. Salim Safi chewed him up.'

Now I don't know if Saleem chewed me up or if we had an ice lolly together, but it was interesting to see an Indian monitoring Pakistani talk shows closely. And he's not alone. Twitter is infested with such Indians who don't have much of a life besides commenting on Pakistani affairs considering, of course, that India is God's paradise on Earth.

So I tell him to buzz off, get a life and mind his own business.

Saleem, by the way, is a dear friend of mine. Coincidentally, I bump into him today afternoon at an Islamabad restaurant. I tell him about this hateful Indian. Saleem had a good laugh. He's not on Twitter yet so he asks me to convey a message to the Indian hatemonger. I share the message here for the benefit of everyone. So here goes:

"Ahmed & I can disagree on our local politics but when it comes to Indian policy he & I are on the same page!' - From Saleem Safi.

I tweeted this message to the Indian stalker. No reply as usual. But one of the best responses came from @i_am_ahad who sent me the following tweet:

"Give them a break sir. They're just busy being absolutely NOT obsessed with Pakistan. Their main focus is chai, na? #NotChina !

Thanks Saleem and Ahad. You both made my Saturday night.

P.S. For more info about activities of Indian hatemongers on twitter, see http://bit.ly/pACedo

P.S. After Saleem Safi left with his guest, my wife & I discovered he paid our bill in advance without our knowledge. Thx Saleem. Had I known this, I'd have asked u to leave your credit card with us for the round of green tea after the meal!


Monday, February 13, 2012

Enjoy These Scenes From Hangover



Best of Zach Galifianakis as Alan/Allen/Allan in the Hangover Movie from HnGoVr on Vimeo.

Hangover. This has to be one of the best comedies in recent times. Depends on your sense of humor, of course. The fat guy, Zach Galifianakis, is funny just by being himself.

And although the comedy here is unbeatable, the produces and directors of this film did something new with Hangover II. A new concept in sequels. Instead of continuing the story, which is what sequels are about, part two of this film is really a re-take. It is like re-producing the film in different settings and with some changes in the script.

The reason why Hangover II wasn't as big a success probably has to do with the fact that people went to see it thinking it is going to be continuation of the story in part I.

Anyway, this is my two cents, or paisas. And I am not a film critic. 

Sunday, February 5, 2012

A Great Kashmir Day In 2012



The birthday of our Prophet, PBUH, coincided with Kashmir Solidarity Day this year. This is a blessing for one important reason: Kashmiris are on the rise again.

Yes, you might not read this in NYT, but for the first time since 1947, Kashmir is totally out of #Indian occupation army's control.

This is even better than 1989's intifada in Kashmir. Now, almost every segment of Kashmiris has risen against Indian occupation.

Similar good news are coming from Pakistan too.

After six years of the failed Composite Dialogue and the 4-point formula of Mr. Musharraf, Pakistan is back to where it was before 2004.

This means that Islamabad has quietly ditched the soft policy of the past several years. Now, Pakistan is back to the blunt support to Kashmiris. One small sign of this is that orders were issued in recent months to all federal and provincial government departments to show Kashmir as part of Pakistan on all maps. Pakistani media has been advised to do the same.

That's a small sign. As for bigger signs, well, let's just say that one reason India is trying to act friendly to Pakistan in recent months is that they are sure any Pakistani direct support to Kashmiri resistance now would create a real nightmare for occupation soldiers. Of course, Pakistan doesn't need to do that. Kashmiris are doing just that by themselves.

So, let's salute the brave people of Kashmir, the teenagers, the mothers, the sisters, the heroes who are fighting one of the most brutal occupations in the world today.

NOTE:

For a full coverage of Indian genocide in Kashmir, click here.
For the latest images from Kashmir Spring, click here

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Shireen Mazari Blasts America's Haqqani: Victory Of The Sleaze


Known Pakistani military expert Dr. Shireen Mazari has some harsh words today for our tainted ex-ambassador to Washington, his backers in Washington and its puppet Zardari government in Islamabad. And also the Pakistani military.

Her brief analysis, which she wrote today for PakNationalists.net, makes for an excellent read.

Let me quote:


The military leadership especially has once again come out looking bad with promotions and other such interests leading to what is a major national compromise of the most despicable kind given how it were Pakistan’s security interests that were being bargained with in the notorious Memo. Husain Haqqani himself has a record of selling out Pakistan’s national interests to the US in the past. For instance, when he was Pakistan’s High Commissioner in Sri Lanka, he revealed a highly sensitive piece of information to then US Ambassador to Sri Lanka Teresita Schaeffer regarding one of our covert operations. This almost destroyed Pakistan-Sri Lankan relations. 


Click here to read her column.



How Pakistan Protects Treason

We released a traitor back in 1969 despite strong evidence. Two years later he led an insurgency in support of an Indian invasion of Pakistan. Today we have released another traitor with a proven track record of working to blackmail Pakistan. I'd like every patriotic Pakistani to remember three things:

1. How our political parties, politicians and judiciary have worked together, passively, to protect and free a traitor. It’s as if the country’s security is the concern of ISI or the military and not the collective responsibility of politicians and others.

2. How the US worked overtime to get Husain Haqqani released, an American asset beyond a shadow of doubt. The way the US government issued a statement welcoming his escape from Pakistan is a telltale sign.

3. How a sitting Member of Parliament, Farahnaz Isphahani, and Haqqani’s spouse, landed in Washington to lobby against Pakistan, its military and its intelligence community. She privately told a British newspaper she escaped Pakistan because she was afraid the country’s military would kidnap her. Bad for her, the British journalist published this off-the-record comment, forcing her to issue a clarification. The statement shows deep malice against the country’s national security institutions. It proves how Haqqani and his boss, President Zardari, is every bit guilty of the contents of The Memo. [If you haven’t seen this brief, point-by-point reading into The Memo, please do. It is not every day that one sees a first-class evidence of what treason looks like. For Urdu version, click here.]

Last, the reluctance of our military establishment to take a decisive stand on this case and preferring instead to avoid a confrontation with the pro-US government is understandable but disturbing.

This attitude is part of the general ailment that afflicts our failed political system. It is not difficult to see how this country will get out of anyone’s control down the road. A big and drastic change is required. [Wait for new ideas in this regard, expected to be floated next month in a special ceremony in Islamabad. The event will use the platform of Project For Pakistan In 21st Century, an independent Islamabad-based think tank.]

Regarding The Memo, I will spare our military harsher criticism because I understand that it is busy trying to limit the damage of the 2002-2011 years. Good luck guys doing that. But remember: our homeland is beyond correction through installments. The state can be restructured top down. It requires good Pakistanis, civilians and uniformed, men and women of will more than anything else.