Teeth Maestro

Find Heaven – A Musical response to the brainwashed Suicide bombers

Teeth Maestro — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 13:08:55 PST

Today a string of ~~2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,~~10 bomb attacks in Pakistan has the entire nation emotionally hurt compounded the fact that we also suffered a loss of 40 innocent lives. The series of suicide bombings has forced many of us to vocally condemn this mindless act of terrorism but interestingly Daniyal Noorani has chosen to send his message across in a short 3-1/2 minute music video, where he tries to narrate a story of a confused boy, searching for answers, ends up interacting with some mindless Islamic fanatics who expertly manipulate his concerns into becoming a potential suicide bomber. It serves as a touching reminder on how the Talibans can take advantage of the impoverished manipulating them for their own secret agenda which has nothing to do with Islam and heaven

This post has a video enclosed, please click through to watch the video

Music, lyrics and direction is by Daniyal Noorani, character design and animation by Marria Khan, while the guitars by Shahjehan Khan and violins by Mialy Clark. He shares his reasons on why he wrote this song on Dawn Blog to say

I wrote ‘Find Heaven’ at a time when I felt there was no clear public consensus on suicide bombings. At that point, the urban centres of Pakistan had not been as hard hit as they are today and I felt that the country didn’t know how they felt about these activities, whether they were sympathetic or condemning of it. It was around that time I started writing the lyrics. The song tells the story of a confused young man seeking answers about life’s important questions and traces how an individual lures this young man by saying he has the answer to life’s ultimate question, how to find heaven or zenith? The lyrics convey the young man’s journey and the events that lead to the conclusion he comes to.

Read more at Dawn, Pakistaniat, KoolMuzone

The Urdu version has also been released

This post has a video enclosed, please click through to watch the video

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Eyewitness to Suicidal Attack in Lahore

Teeth Maestro — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 07:59:04 PST

Farooq Tariq of Labor Party Pakistan shares an eyewitness account of his children who were on the scene of the suicide bomb blast in Lahore today.

“I was waiting at the school lounge for uncle Allah Ditta to pick me up after the school time was over. We heard the first blast and it was not very powerful but frightening. Our teacher said that it is army that is firing in the area; there is no need to worry about. Then, came the real one. The earth under our feet was moving away from us, it was like an earthquake. I started crying so were many more children. The teachers asked us to move away from the walls and come in the ground in an open place. I saw my teachers in tears as well. The uncle Allah Ditta arrived and I went with him.”

This was what my 10 year old son A. Farooq told me when I called him after the blast today. He is class three student at Lahore Grammar School Landmark project at Arif Jan Road Lahore Cantonment.

The blast today at RA Bazaar was only few hundred meters away from the school building. It seems that over 50 have been killed and many more injured in the deadly suicidal attack today at an army vehicle by some religious fanatics.

My daughter M. Farooq (16) School was also nearby and there were similar scene there with children crying and glass broken of several cars. She told me that she started crying as the first thought I had was that the blast has blown my brother school and my mother was also supposed to pick us up today. So were many more fear-provoking thoughts coming to my mind. We had wait for some time before uncle Allah Ditta came to pick me.

Our driver Allah Ditta was an eye witness to the blast. He was outside the school to pick A Farooq when the blast occurred. “I saw several cars glasses broken because of the intensity of the blast next to ours. Fortunately there was no damage to our car. I rushed to the scene after the second blast. Many were running to our side with a lot of blood coming out of their bodies. There were body parts everywhere. I had not seen such a terrifying scene in my life. Several drivers were injured as well. I was little late to pick A Farooq. If I would have picked A Farooq in time, I would have gone to area where there blast happened because I had to take a U turn from that corner to go to M Farooq School. So it was luck by chance. There Ambulances in few minutes and I saw several bodies been carried away on military truck with blood still soaking on the road. At one time, there were injured people waiting for ambulances but it was shortage of them” he told me.

I was also at the scene of the blast at 11am around two hours before the incident. I had to deposit the school fee of A Farooq and M Farooq at Habib Bank RA Bazaar. The Bank is located next to the scene of the blast. There were ordinary security measures at the place. Anyhow, all the cars had to stop at a barricades eructed by the police some 800 meters away from the scene.

This was the second blast in four days on police and army instillations and conveys. The one on 8th March had also been one of the worst in Lahore with a massive 600 kilograms of explosive used to destroy the building of the Special Investigation Unit. Today’s attack on an army truck is first of its kind. It seems that the religious fanatics have changes their strategy of attacking the ordinary markets that was the practices during last year.

The two attacks have also blown the claim of the government that it has controlled the religious fanatics by occupying their areas. Aided with American drone attacks, Pakistan Army is carrying out a military operation since June 2009. Many ordinary people have been victims of the barbarism of the both sides. There is no end of this madness on both sides. The Americans Imperialism and Pakistani government are convinced that only a military solution is the only one. So are the religious fanatics who believe that they will teach a lesson to the military and police against the attacks on their homes.

Lahore is once again becoming a dangerous place to live. The two attacks in a week time have shaken the confidence of every one and many feel insecure all the time. I had to rush home after the blast from the office to calm my children who were still terrified”

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World Day Against Cyber Censorship in Pakistan

Teeth Maestro — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:27:08 PST

As a long time activists working for a free and open Internet in Pakistan, I would like to join Reporters Sans Frontieres in highlighting the World Day Against Cyber Censorship today 12th March. This event is intended to rally everyone in support of a single Internet that is unrestricted and accessible to all. It is also meant to draw attention to the fact that, by creating new spaces for exchanging ideas and information, the Internet is a force for freedom.

The Internet in Pakistan is controlled by the bureaucracy within the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and the people of Pakistan remain at the behest of their discretion on what is permissible and what is not permissible in Pakistan. PTA is quite definitely influenced by the mighty and powerful rulers of our country and enforce censorship on specific websites that they may deem themselves to be offensive.

Historically internet censorship took a plunge for the worst in 2006 when the Supreme Court in Pakistan decided to block 12 specific websites for carrying the offensive Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Cartoons which were published by a danish newspaper. PTA should have blocked the particular website but instead blocked the entire blogspot.com domain which resulted in millions of blogs which were hosted on blogspot.com blocked to internet users in Pakistan. In an uproar the bloggers in Pakistan voiced their anger across the world wide web and it also lead to the formation of Don’t Block the Blog which became the front runner in providing verbal resistance to this blanket censorship. The tussle with PTA last over year, only removed when Google obliged to switch their IP addresses while doing a technical upgrade on their servers, PTA simply did not react and blogspot was yet again open to the general public.

Ever since 2006 we have actively monitored the workings of PTA and it has been seen that it remains at the beck and call of dictators, rulers, the mighty, the powerful, and the rich and famous in Pakistan obliging them with blanket censorship when something irritating or defamatory crops up on the Internet against them. There are effectively no ground rules or principles which are followed by the PTA and it is generally seen that a simple notifications is issued to all ISP’s in Pakistan ordering them to initiate a block on a particular URL, the users are to discover only by accident, if they happen to stumble upon the website.

The hypocrisy of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority is blatantly evident by the fact that in an Islamic state of Pakistan millions of pornographic websites remain fully accessible to the users in Pakistan, yet the PTA chooses to leverage its authority on suppressing freedom of expression against the corrupt rulers, or merely censoring reports of human rights issues, all based on the whim of the rulers of the country.

It is my position that the internet should be free and open to the People of Pakistan allowing the people to harness this boundless platform for creating new spaces for exchanging ideas and information, the Internet should be considered as a force for freedom and looked upon as a tool for progressing the growth of a struggling nation. Join Reporters without Borders in rallying for World Day Against Censorship

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Why perceptions matter more than grievances: Conspiracy theories, our Achilles heal?

Nadir El-Edroos — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 14:38:52 PST

Conspiracy theories are making a big splash in both the domestic and international media. While we in Pakistan are often angered as to how Pakistan is portrayed in the Western media, the same people seem to be supporting various individuals and right wing parties who are also gaining much traction with foreign correspondents in Pakistan.

Recent articles in the NY Times, Times and The Guardian all highlight some of the more outlandish (outlandish for me, common sense to others) arguments to explain the various challenges that the country faces. These articles and conspiracy theorist skeptics recognize that by offering elaborate and complex explanations for Pakistan’s miseries politicians, generals, media personalities etc are trying to deflect responsibility onto un-provable external actors. Not only are they deferring any questions that may be linked to their contribution to the nations state of affairs, by making statements such as “external actors cannot be ruled out” the narrative of the Pakistani state being constantly under siege is maintained.

But is this neat explanation, often cited true? While conspiracy theorists blame acts of terrorism and the nations economic woes on foreign factors they present themselves as diagonally opposite to those who would seek to undermine the Pakistani state. They situate themselves as the enlightened patriots who have a clear understanding of the nefarious designs of foreign powers. However, a major problem with conspiracy theories is that they point to vague, external actors over whom we have little power to act against.

The rise of terrorism and economic chaos along with the conspiratorial explanations for the latter’s upsurge are not interrelated as much as they are a product of the state of society. Fundamentalism in part, has been blamed on inward looking Madrassas where rote learning acts as a tool to brain wash young children to accept an intolerant world view. In urban centres children in public schooling are likely to follow a similar path, years of rote learning and regurgitation of facts and figures with no emphasis on analysis or questioning the very foundations of knowledge an army of urban youths have been trained in skills and armed with knowledge that is increasingly irrelevant in the modern work place.

Our government has long recognized the nexus between high unemployment and the ability of terrorist organizations to recruit amongst disgruntled youth. Similarly media outlets and certain personalities have understood the frustration of young people and the need for someone to offer answers as to why Pakistan is seemingly hostage to the next act of violence or the next spike in oil prices. Both sides are able to offer answers and a sense of purpose.

General Stanley McChrystal has rightly recognized that the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan is a war of perceptions. Local populations are likely to support the side which for them, at the local level seems to be winning. The overwhelming might of NATO’s firepower is unlikely to impress a local farmer in a remote village while strategic heights are controlled by a band of zealous Taliban fighters. McChrystal’s emphasis on winning over local populations via controlling information flows points to a massive gap in the government of Pakistan’s attitude towards both terrorist organizations and the media in general.

The lack of transparency and openness on the part of both the government and the military in dealings with foreign powers and local fundamentalist groups has created information vacuums. The government and the military denied predator drones were operating from Pakistan until pictures of them emerged, the presence of Blackwater in Pakistan was denied until Secretary Gates spilled the beans and the organizations role in training security forces in the NWFP and Islamabad was recognized. The Quetta Shura that until six weeks ago according to the government didn’t exist has in the last week seen half of its members arrested across the country.

These along with several other examples suggest that the government actually helps create the conditions, which are exploited by both right-wing groups hell bent on spewing hatred and fundamentalists spewing religious intolerance who are then able to dominate national conversations.

Two solutions are offered. On the one hand in the short-run the government and the military should try to treat its citizens with a certain degree of respect and encourage greater transparency and openness. In the long-run massive investment must be made to reclaim the minds of young people who are increasingly influenced by hatred and the perception of being surrounded by enemies. Through an overhaul in education coupled with greater access to information and knowledge young people must be offered a future full of hope and prosperity, rather than the spectre of a constant struggle to defend the state against foreign enemies.

Pakistan is likely to continue to face international ridicule as we seek to explain away all our problems by blaming America-India-Israel or whoever is fashionable at the time. While in several cases we may rightly point at foreign interference and failings, our inability to help ourselves seems to baffle both foreign and local observers. As policy and opinion is formulated more along the line of perceptions rather than fact it has become essential that fringe and extremist voices are challenged by an alternative narrative that does not display helplessness and political noise in the face of adversity; rather adopting a narrative that makes the most of what we as a nation can control for and alter to tackle terrorism, injustice and economic plight.

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This post was submitted by Nadir El-Edroos.

Update on possible Quetta Karo Kari Incident

Teeth Maestro — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:32:07 PST

Ever since the first email at 10 am a lot has been achieved in an effort to provide security and protection to the couple in Quetta, all this mobilization has been done to prevent a possible disaster, there were no confirmed reports on this but the couple was threatened enough to alert Human rights activists in Pakistan. It is my belief that every effort must be done to prevent a disaster when a person is willing to reach out and ask for help.

If we succeed and this couple becomes a living example to have withstood these heinous traditions, it might possibly encourage other such people facing such similar threats to reach out and also ask for help. I share with you Tahira Abdullah’s email just receive moments ago

“Update: 10 March midnight: Pakistani civil society’s/human rights activists’ strong apprehensions and demands for protection have been registered with the Govt. of Baluchistan: The executive administration (esp the police chiefs) + the judiciary + the legislators. In addition, we have mobilized the relevant quarters in the Federal Govt, e.g. M/O Interior (Police Chiefs), Parliamentarians, NCSW, MoWD, MoHR, etc. Civil society is bombarding the IG/Police Baluchistan + the DIG/Police with telephone calls!!!! The media, unfortunately, seems to be totally immersed in 24-hour coverage of the various Bye-elections held today.

Telephone numbers in Quetta: IG/P: (92-81) 920 12 62 or 920 13 66 or 920 18 34 (office numbers)

But since it’s now past midnight, I’d suggest letting them get a modicum of sleep! let’s start calling them at 7:30 a.m. (Pak time) – that’s 9:30 p.m. EST/USA. That is, if they have not put ALL cell+telephones off the hook already!!!! Here’s keeping our fingers crossed + dialling!!!

Best of luck to Haseena & Akhtar,

In solidarity,
Tahira”

I must acknowledge the efforts of Tahira for having alerted us all about this issue and quite possibly averting a disaster. Lets pray for the safety of the couple in Quetta not only tomorrow but hope they remain in protection until the dust settles beyond as well, quite possibly lending a new meaning to No News is Good News

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PCB Disciplines Seven Cricket Players

Teeth Maestro — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:11:42 PST

My write-up on Cricket Blogger of Pakistan regarding the recent decision by PCB on Younis Khan, Mohd Yousuf, Shahid Afridi, Rana Navid, Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal – Personally I applaud this decision and fully support the PCB for making a stand against indiscipline. What only concerns me is that it is the very same cricket board that tip-toed around Mohd Asif’s Dubai drug arrest, he should have been let to rot in prison in the UAE as he had utterly disgraced the nation – yet he was released from Dubai and allowed to play in the team, then how can we forget the favoritism for Shoaib Akhtar. Both also need to be ushered out of cricket along with these seven disciplined players. Indiscipline is a very worrisome issue for any sporting team and it must be dealt firmly from the very start to prevent future reoccurrances, we all are aware that these issue of indiscipline has more or left been left unchecked which has turned the Pakistan team into a roving team of lunatics. It finally time to hunt for new talent and time to make way for new young and motivated team of cricketers who might concentrate on cricket and cricket alone. Till then sadly we shall be found to rot at the bottom of the ICC rankings table

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Raise Hell to Prevent a possible Honor Killing in Quetta on Thursday

Teeth Maestro — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:35:18 PST

According to a respected womens’ activist Tahira Abdullah she suspects that there is a strong possibility of an honor killing on Thursday morning in Quetta. The issue is about a family dispute regarding a court marriage of Akhtar Hussain and Haseena Bibi. Both have gone through an own-choice marriage and is being challenged by a counter-case by their family members in a counter case.

Haseena is in Dar-ul-Aman, Quetta while Akhtar Hussain has recently been released on bail from prison, the couple fear that they will be killed en-route to or from the court and they have urgently requested for protection & security.

Tahira Abdullah draws the attention of civil society activists, womens organizations and media outlets in Pakistan and across the world to draw immediate attention to this issue, if enough eyes are on this case there is a strong possibility that the culprits would hesitate before committing this heinous crime while I think we must also draw attention of the Government of Pakistan to provide protection and security for the couple with immediate effect.

I share with you Tahira Abdullah’s email which was sent to a number of people today

Dear All,

Wednesday + Thursday morning at 9 a.m., the case of court marriage of Akhtar Hussain & Haseena Bibi is coming up in a court in Quetta – not the High Court. HB is in Dar-ul-Aman Quetta & AH is out on bail from prison. Since it is a counter-case by the family ref own-choice court marriage, they both apprehend that they will be killed (“honour” killing) en route to or from the court. They have urgently requested for protection & security.

Can you pls URGENTLY – today – contact the NCSW/Balochistan members + AF/Quetta to URGENTLY ask the IG/Police, Home Dept. IG/FC to provide security? I feel that the MoWD + Women’s Parliamentary Caucus + Gender Crimes Unit in the National Police Bureau need to be involved URGENTLY also.

Thank you and regards,
Tahira Abdullah

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Mai Jori’s Huqooq March ends

Teeth Maestro — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:21:12 PST

Huqooq March ends today on 8th March with public gathering in Gandakha participated by thousands of men and women. Huqooq March started by Awami Party on March 1st to support election campaign of Mai Jori, a peasant woman contesting election of provincial assembly of Balochistan.

The marchers arrived in Gandakha today that was received by hundreds of men and women as they marched into the streets of Gandakha. Addressing the public gathering Mai said that her election contest is the overwhelming decision of peasants, women and youth of the area. She was least worried about the election result and promised to continue struggling for the poor for their rights fighting against the big landlords and influential people who in a cowardice attempt use the government resources to influence the election.

Mai Jori and other participants of the Huqooq March joined the 8th March ceremony to commemorate international women’s rights day. The opponent candidates belong to families of tribal chiefs of their tribes. Sardar Attaullah Khan Buledi and Sardar Nasir Khan Jamali are main candidates along with Mai Jori Jamali. In typical customary tradition some of the nationalist and democratic parties have obliged the sardar by withdrawn their respective candidates in support of one or other Sardar. The parties who withdrew their candidates includes PML – N, JUI – F, National Party and some independent candidates.

Mai Jori and her family is also threatened in traditional way as well as offered money to withdraw from election but she has bluntly refused to withdraw her candidature. Different civil society organizations have decided to monitor the polling process on March 10th and have sent solidarity messages to Mai Jori. Mai Jori have collected significant financial contributions from her voters and supporters.

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Update on PC Hotel Workers Strike – 12 Days

Teeth Maestro — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:04:08 PST

Read the detailed fact sheet on this dispute and then support these protestors by sIgning the PC Workers Petition to The Hashwani Group

It heartening to note that despite all the resistance by the Hashwani Group and the PPP Leader Najmi Alam who threatened the protestors setting up camp outside Pearl Continental to disappear for two days this last Friday since Mr. Zardari was in town. Abira Ashfaq talked to Mohd Nasir one of the protesting workers today to report that…

They’ve held three negotiation sessions in the last 12 days in the basement – and offered to end dharna if PC reinstates the 4, and continues negotiations on the rest of the demands. PC has not acceded.
There are about 200 people in the basement; some of these employees are continuing their shifts esp. those in essential jobs. After their shift ends, they return to the basement. These people are able to eat meals during their shifts; the rest are managing on whatever they can get their hands on – from outside – and snacks (chanas).
People who left the basement to go home were not allowed to return. PC has a staff of 550-600 people on daily wages and they are hiring new people daily.
Hashwani is an arrogant man, and despite them having used top level connections in the PPP, Home Ministry, and the Labour Department, he is not budging from his position, and has made it an issue of personal pride.
They have received verbal threats from the police and management – yet the police has not taken violent action because in the words of the police, they are a “peaceful” (puraman) demonstration ; but then he also said that PC has had the police prepare chargesheets against a 140 of the 200 protestors to, perhaps, be used in the future.
Despite all this he sounded hopeful and felt HR and the GM (general manager) (who apparently has not visited them even once) are slowing softening. He also expressed the view that management was scared of the dharna.

Sign this petition to The Hashwani Group by the Pearl Continental Workers’ Occupation

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Ufone ad ripping at Politicans, possibly taken off-air

Teeth Maestro — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 01:42:33 PST

Ufone has to its credit featured some funny advertisement spot for its TV commercials. More recently a certain Ufone ad was pulled off-the-air after a very brief run and is not even featured on its corporate website. As per the editors of Cafe Pyala this ad spot might have been too quickly pulled off-air “According to sources, the following Ufone ad was pulled off air (after a short run) because of grumblings from Those Who Matter over its portrayal of politicos”.

This post has a video enclosed, please click through to watch the video

Regardless, I feel Ufone deserves a shout-out for having the balls to poke fun at our politicians and heres to hoping that they continue to entertain us with many more. For now enjoy the ad – Deja-vu [?] of the recent kunda-electricity powered jalsa of Mr. Nawaz Sharif? Which lead the sacking of an LESCO employee and a fine of Rs. 3000???

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