Secret Confessions

International Youth Day'19

2019-09-02T15:19:00.003+05:00

Do you know that 68% of Pakistan's population is under the age of 30? Pakistan's National Youth Policy, 2009 defines youth as people between the ages of 15-30 years which makes up 27% of Pakistan's population. These numbers roughly translate that there are a lot of young people in Pakistan and also that the youth of Pakistan is going to determine the fate of Pakistan in the years to come.

United Nations has declared Aug 12 as "International Youth Day" and the theme of this year is "Transforming Education". To commemorate this event, UNDP and UNFPA alongwith SOL invited me to the celebratory event of IYD at the Aiwan-e-Quaid, Islamabad.

The Article 25A of Pakistan's Constitution promises education to all children of school-going age. Keeping in mind the enrollment and retention of students in schools, this year's theme on IYD focused on transforming eduction with all the resources available in this digital era. The program focused on interactive sessions with youth participants on health, education, entrepreneurship and future of work in Pakistan where youth leaders share their experiences and success stories encouraging youth to become active in the national development process.

Speaking at the occasion, Ignacio Artaza, the resident representative of UNDP said "Lets make sure no young person is left behind in today's world".
Ana Maria Leal - Youth representative from UNFPA focused on good quality education, sexual health access and well being to the youth of Pakistan leading to a more inclusive and productive nation by harnessing our thoughts together.
Yusra - Founder of NGO Agahi asked "You being youth, I would ask that what are you doing as member of the society'.
Ehsan Gul, Youth Change Agent and Head of Experimentation at UNDP said "You have been blessed with a voice, use it to raise important issues and work on solutions. Your life must be focused in purpose and that purpose must be beyond your career aspirations".

The Keynote session of Dr. Fateh Muhammad Mari (Head of Operations & planning HEC) talked about some wonderful resolutions they are coming up with to maximize digital learning, virtual classrooms and smart libraries. All of these steps will transform education in Pakistan according to today's needs.

The Minister of Economic Affairs, GoP Mr Hammad Azhar gave a beautiful keynote session inspired heavily by Allama Iqbal's vision of Shaheen relating it to the youth of Pakistan.

The keynotes were followed by spotlight sessions, in which Navera Waheed - CEO Orbit Education focused on the use of AR to help students understand complex systems.

Salman Shahid - the CEO of Kamayi talked about his venture which aims to connect blue-collar employees with potential employers.

Then the event was divided in break out sessions of youth with the mentors:

Session on "Entrepreneuship" by Fasieh Mehta - Program Manager, NIC Islamabad.
Session on "Health Education" by Makiya Javed - Growth & Partnership specialist - Sehat Kahani
Session on "Future of Work" by Abdullah Saqib - South Asia Regional Coordinator VIAMO

The session ended on a high energy by the youth, pledging to transform education by submitting their ideas to make it big.

#DadiCool campaign by Waves Pakistan

2019-07-11T17:48:00.001+05:00

Hey folks,

I am back at my blog after long and what better than to talk about a campaign that got me groovin' a little bit haha.

So all of you millenials having hipster dads must have listened to the old groovy number by Boney M from Dad's collection called "Daddy cool". It had such an intriguing vibe to it that it is relevant even today, also the dace moves in the song were something extra. So Waves Pakistan while introducing their new Alpha Triplet Deep Freezer thought of spinning the classic Daddy Cool song into something modern, cool, chic with the legendary Bushra Ansari. Not only the campaign emphasizes upon the new looks of its Alpha Triplet deep freezer but also how in this hot, humid, summer of all times,

Waves new Deep Freezer has things sorted for you.

The ad begins with an old, grumpy Bushra ji throwing tantrums at her family who are all seated boringly in front of the tv screens.

As soon as she touches the new Waves Alpha Triplet Deep Freezer, she transforms into a cool, chic

daadi dancing to the grooves of the classic song Daddy Cool into #DadiCool.

Watch the full ad here

The dance moves were so catchy, I couldn’t resist tapping my feet to the tune on tiktok:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BzZ_6YlH7oG/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

With this ad, Waves Pakistan has given the women of our families a solution for keeping our meat, veggies and fruits fresh in the scorching summer. Also, the new Alpha Triplet freezer has the following advantages:

Digitized Touch Control Panel
Proximity lights that operate on Motion Detection

With Eid-ul-Azha around the corner, if you are looking for a good solution, go buy the new Alpha Triplet Deep Freezer and let your worries dance like #DadiCool away.

What do you think of the Bushra Ansari transformation, comment below.

Review: Actor In Law (2016)

2016-09-18T23:03:00.000+05:00

'From the makers of Namaloom Afraad' was enough to drag me to the cinema to watch this & I'm glad I wasn't disappointed at all. Nabeel Qureshi has done a remarkable job with such a refreshing thought & the way our societal problems are address amidst humour& comedy remains notable. There wasn't even a single dull moment in the movie but I felt the end could have been better & less dragged.

Fahad Mustafa outshines in every frame, in every scene & looks flawless with his acting. Brilliant work!

Mehwish Hayat has done full justice to her role. She looks gorgeous, has carried her attire throughout the movie effortlessly & supported Fahad with her acting. The only negative thing about her character was the poor dialect she used for her Parsi personification. I don't know if it was the dubbing or herself, but that could have been improved way better.

Om Puri has been phenomenal as always. Thank-you for accepting this film. We are happy to have you working in Lollywood.

The characters played by Fahad's sister has been very supportive. Everything from her voice, to her dressing, to her daily chores..the girl has done exceptionally well. Way to go!

It was refreshing to see the judges part played by some of the most iconic actors and they lifted the game up.

Atif Aslam & Shani Arshad have done a good job with the music whereas one song by Rahat Fateh sounded like an exact rip off from 'Om Shanti om' (Chhan se Jo toota koi sapna). 'Dil dancer hogaya' & title song have both been shot & directed beautifully.

Fizza Ali Meerza with her personification of 'baby doll' was nice & I think the little details included in the movie Incorporated in the dialogues is very impressive. ISKO AUR BRIGHT KAREIN!

Refreshing to see Ahson Talish & his character was on point. Rehan Sheikh, Khalid Anam, Alyy khan, Saife Hasan & Saleem Mairaj all were impressive in their characters. Not to mention Nayyer Aijaz who appeared for a small role but left a mark.

Thank-you for the women ogling point made in the movie. Couldn't have summed it up better.

I wished to see more of Karachi in the movie. For those seeking a good laugh,please go out & watch this movie in the cinema. This is an absolute paisa wasool!

Actor In Law (2016)

My Pakistan-Awargi Affair!

2016-08-13T16:35:00.000+05:00

Pakistan ...famous for its benevolent people with so much cultural diversity in language, food, traditions & history. On its 69th birthday, I bring you some of the most awesome places in Pakistan..

Disclaimer: I am going to burst your bubbles about how a single girl shoudn't travel in Pakistan alone since she's NOT safe. Watch out my journey here ..

Chitral top!

A view from Shakar pariyan Islamabad

Enroute to Abbottabad via Hazara

Abbottabad - BAck in the mountains of Thandiani... there is a LOT of SNOW!!!

Badshahi mosque- Lahore

A beauftiful view of Badshahi mosque from Cocoo's den

BZU - Multan :)

Noor Mahal - Bahawalpur

Sheikh Zayed International airport - Rahimyarkhan

The newly built Multan International Airport (Muhammad Bin Qasim Airport)

Pakistan - India border - Wagah, LAhore

The majestic Monal at night (Islamabad)

SWAT!

The famous ghanta ghar chops in Multan

This "Balay ki chai" is next level dope. Multan

The mazar of "Peer Karman Wala" in Okara

Waiting for my Raj outside the field cuz im scared of snakes .... :P (Depalpur)

Monal in the day .. Europe shorope? Islamabad

Forward sports, Sialkot .. the official manufacturer of Adidas footballs

Pearl Continental, Peshawar

Hanging out in Kohat :D

The Kohat Tunnel is a 1.9 kilometres long road tunnel constructed with Japanese assistance. Bombed twice by Taliban, this tunnel approaches 29.8 Km road. It is also known as Pak-Japan Friendship Tunnel.

Coffee Cakes anyone? 100 years old shop in a bungalow in Hyderabad offering the best coffee, chocolate & macaroon cakes in town!

Kotri Barrage is a barrage on the Indus River between Jamshoro and Hyderabad in the Sindh province of Pakistan.

Gujranwala

Punjab Fields ....... Where are you my Raj?

LUMHS, Jamshoro

Beautiful sunset at Nooriabad (Highway from Hyderabad to Karachi)

Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore

The largest national park in Pakistan, Hingol, Balochistan

Hinglaj Mata mandir, Balochistan

The amazing beach of Karachi

Mirpur, Azad Kashmir

A typical Karachi evening

A beautiful sunset at Karachi beach

Mirpur Azad Kashmir

The inhabitants of the valley are the Kalash people, who have a unique culture, language and follow a form of ancient Hinduism.

Ghanta Ghar - Faisalabad

National Stadium - Karachi

"Yoon hi ulajhti rahi hai zulm se khalaq,
Na unki rasam nai hai na apni reet nai,
Yoonhi hamesha khilaye hain hum ne aag mein phool,
Na unki haar nai hai, na apni jeet nai ..
Jo tujhse ehd-e-wafa iste'aar rakhte hein,
ilaaj-e-gardish-e-lail-o-nihaar rakhte hein" (~Faiz)

69th Jashn-e-Azadi mubarak. Pakistan Zindabad!

Kya Yehi Muhabbat Hai ..

2014-04-24T00:57:00.000+05:00

Raat Khoob Gehri hai,
Tumko sochta hooN meiN,
Duur tak andheray meiN,
roshni si hoti hai,
Roshni bhee aisi kay,
Jis k saray rangoN meiN,
Tum hee jagmagatay ho,
Tum hee muskuratay ho,
Meray dil k aangan mein,
Muheeb gehra sannata hai,
Jab bhee aa kay behta haim
Tera naam leta hai,
Muheeb gehra sannatta,
Tera naam leta hai toh,
Goonj Goonj uthta hai,
Mujh ko mausamoN se kia,
Mujh pe tera mausam hai,
Soch ka har ek manzar,
Tujh pe aa k rukta hai,
BarishoN mein, main tanha,
jab udaas hota hooN,
Teray lams ki khushboo,
Mujhko gudgudati hai,
Phool khilnay lagte heiN,
Dhanak bhee muskurati hai,
Chehra ek kitaab hai,
Meray chehray pe shayed,
Tera naam likkha hai,
Laakh meiN chupaooN bhee,
dost parh hee lete heiN,
Dost aakhir dost hee heiN,
Pooch hee letay heiN,
Ye jo ek talluq hai,
Tere mere beech ka,
Mujhko khud nahin maloom,
Kya yehi muhabbat hai ?

(Reproduced Work.
Jahanzaib ki kitaab "Bus Tum hee Ho" se iqtibaas.
All rights reserved)

In pursuit of happiness

2014-04-18T19:14:00.001+05:00

People often ask me "what is happiness". Not because I am an authority, but because I guess, they relate my smiles to happiness.

We all have our dark sides. The sides we dont want people to know about. The sides which reveal the real us. The one which resides in us and connects us to our souls. We dont want everyone to peek in it. Only those, who we trust , can go deep inside to see that part of ours. And once they do, they know the real us. That leaves us a lot vulnerable too.

I really dont know what happiness is. Just that I know, it exists in a lot of forms. Sometimes, in little things such as a good cup of coffee at work when I didnt have breakfast, a surprise call from a bestie I didnt talk to in a long time, when Boss asks you to take a leave from work and rest. Or sometimes in bigger things, when our partner understands our needs more than us, when bhai gets you an ipad even before you tell him, when your day at work goes wrong and you have a bunch of friends who will listen to your rants till you get over it. Sometimes, happiness is knowing you kept a promise you made, even when it wasn't working in your favour, or guiding kids about their future, because you know how difficult was it to find your way into career with any counselling, saying thank you to the guy who wanted to sell you a flower at the traffic signal, or just noticing the warmth in the eyes of your special one when they tell you that they love you.

What makes me happy might not make you happy because our happiness is defined by our own needs/wants & desires. But there are intangible things that make me the most happy. It can never be calculated, the net worth can never be estimated, but happiness for me is touching lives. For me "contentment" is happiness. Contemplating over the best usually strives me to get the best, but the race doesn't involve running over other's emotions.

Happiness is not a condition. It is a package that comes with all its highs & lows, odds & evens, perks & benefits. It doesn't come to us wearing the perfect face of glory. It comes to us, in many forms, at times touches us with the most subtle of emotions & leaves, with a trail for us to follow. We miss it at times, because we strive for perfect moments. We lose it because we want approval from others. We disown it because its not what our expectations were built on, We abandon it because we think we deserve better. Not a very wrong approach may be .. But what if .. those perfectly imperfect moments of happiness were all the glory we ever would have in our lives.

Our relations, our families, our friends, our special ones, they all make an important part of our lives. How much effort do you put in to bring them happiness? How many times do you dream for them via your eyes? How long have you been struggling to make them happy? If you strive for happiness, if you strive for serenity, if your long for love, love others and the Karma would send happiness your way.

I am mean & selfish. The only person I strive to keep happy is myself.
I cannot give much happiness to others, but may be a smile, I can give, which subtracts nothing from my own happiness but adds a value to your lives with a positive thought.

To all those reading .. thank you, as I continue my journey of life .. in pursuit of happiness..

- FR

Short Story: Love Is Blindness

2014-01-02T03:28:00.003+05:00

It was a cold night.

There were 35 final year students who went from their university, to visit Babusar Top, the highest point in the Kaghan valley, Pakistan, known for its breath-taking beauty.

It was a pleasant July evening. The boys were ready to do some Bar-B-Q. The girls were helping them out. It was their last night together and the next day they all had to leave back for their hometowns.

Mina was devastated. The thought of leaving Ali was making her anxious. Ali & Mina were friends since high school. Their likeliness changed into something more serious during the last few months of college & during this trip, together, they actually fell in love with each other.

Ali was busy helping his friends make food. Mina just couldnt hold her anxiety.

"I dont know why is he just not coming to talk to me. He knows we wont be able to meet after this day is over", Mina exclaimed to herself.

Ali came over to the tent to pick up his watch, saw Mina walking anxiously. He came towards her: "Whats the plan? If you think walking in this cold would help you reduce weight, then i must tell you, you are badly mistaken". Ali giggled. Mina was furious, and walked away.

As for most of the boys, Ali thought .. "Oh yeah. She must be on her days. Mood swings, you know. These women!" and went back to his friends.

The food was served around the bonfire with the girls tapping their feet to Ali's strumming over the guitars. He was a pathetic singer and still tried to look cool by singing all the songs in the world he could remember. Had it not been for Sajjad, his classmate, who had an excellent voice, Ali would have made even the crows sound better.

Good food, good music, good atmosphere ..and then , there were the final moments of their tour's highlights. Tears of goodbyes, Hugs of warmth, gratitude of laughter and the ability to leave that place with a bigger and better person in everyone, held everyone close. They all vowed to remain in contact with each other.

Back in her tent, Mina was silent. Ali went towards her. They both sat down together. Their was nothing except the sounds of silence between them. The silence was heavier than the chilled wind blowing in their face or the flames of fire between them. They knew. It was much deeper, darker & stronger than they had imagined.

Ali held her hand. Mina lowered her gaze. He saw something that rolled on from her cheeks to fall down over the back of his hands. It was a small drop of tear with hundreds of emotions enthralled in it. He lifted her chin up ..there was an ocean of emotions in her eyes. He saw her sadness and happiness both at the same time. Her comforts & fears combined. Her gratitude of having him near to her and the pain of losing him away to distance, everything, in those fraction of seconds. His eyes were misty. He took her hands in the palms of his hands and told her decisively .... "You are the best of everything that surrounds me, Mina".

These werent just words. They were emotions drenched in the potion of love. She clamped her hands in his hands together. Looked him in his eyes to just tell her that she believed every word he says. He held her close. She rested her head on his lap. It was their moment. They knew ..they had to live it, no matter what their future held, it was that moment that they had to live.

Ali was caressing her hair, and she was lying there as a little kid who needs protection, care and love to all his annoying tantrums. She closed her eyes drifting into sleep. Ali was awake, wide awake! He didn't move a bit. He leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. He kept on seeing her. Adoring her for all the innocence she had. He looked at her to find a girl who was so madly in love with her. He kept on caressing her hair, because it was her hair that he liked the most. What more can a woman give to his man, than the assurance of providing the comfort of being the most comfortable in a situation as awkward as this. At that moment, he knew .. this woman wasn't only loving him, she was giving him a part of her soul that no man could ever have again, she was irrevocably vulnerable in love with him. His arms were numb by the pressure of her shoulders, but he didnt move. Because to him, her comfort counted the most. He stared at her face, and found her very ordinary. He smiled, because it was the way she made him feel, that used to take his breath away. He looked at the moonlit sky and saw hundreds of stars shining brightly over them, but none of them could match the brilliance of her face dazzling in the rampage of glowing love. He knew, he was special!

"Baby,a dangerous idea,

That almost makes sense,
Love is drowning,

In a deep well,

All the secrets,

And no one to tell,

Love is blindness"

Happy Birthday Abbu!

2013-09-19T18:38:00.000+05:00

“Abbu”, this little word is so full of love & emotions. Everytime, I am knocked down by someone, I remember a voice cheering me up, telling me to stand tall and rise above all my fears.

Abbu. Me. Mom.

As a kid, that too a mischievious kid, I remember asking just too many irritating questions while we drove around the city, and I remember abbu answering all my queries with much composition to make me satisfied.

Fathers are special. Not because they are the ones who made us, but because they are the ones who spent the best years of their lives to supply their children with the best of everything. They do it with a responsibility which is wrapped in love.

Abbu, pops, buddy, daddy, Yaar .. these are all the words I call my dad with. I have known the world through his eyes, I have seen people through his judgement and most importantly, I have seen the other gender through him.

When I used to see him offering help to mom in her household chores, I thought he loved her, But today when I see him offering help to his daughter-in-laws, I know, he’s a thorough gentleman at heart.

I spent the 23 years of my life, wondering to do something, someday that could make my parents proud. For that, I needed a lot of exposure, handling people, knowing to break out of the conventional boundaries. For that I needed a comfortable gesture of being at ease around people. I learned the art of humbleness from him. I gained insights to people, arts, culture, languages, politics, sports via him. He was my first window to music.

He was the first man to hold my hand and introduce me to the world so proudly as his “beti”. I look upto all men in this world, like him, who lift up their daughters/wives/sisters/ from the veils of unaccustomed societal pressures and introduce them to the world, as individuals who have dreams, who have a destiny, who mark an impression with their characters, values & nature. It never means that women should forget their core values. But it means that you are doing something other than the destined chores for you. Giving back to the society, bringing out the best out of yourselves and in turn creating a more equivocal society.

Today, when I look back at all the independence I’ve enjoyed in my entire life as a single girl, I know, not everyone in our part of the world enjoys it. It is because of the unconditional trust my parents invested in me, that has never lead me to lie to them (offcourse without exceptions :P ).

Also, not that, I’ve had a fairy-tale childhood. No. We’ve had our shares of financial constraints, the goods & bads of a typical family life in Pakistan. But I saw my father pulling us out of everything, like a true man who would explain lessons to every heartbreak. And would tell us to not lose faith.

As someone who always stood by me, in my bad and good times, I know I can never pay him back, for his kindness, his love, his youth, his words .. But I want to be here for him, unconditionally. I love you and I love the fact that you love your family, you love us all, even more!

As, the Holy Book says in Surah Bani Israil 17:24:

صَغِيرًا رَبَّيَانِي كَمَا ارْحَمْهُمَا رَّبِّ

(My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood)

HAPPY 62ND YEAR YOUNG-AT-HEART MAN! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABBU. HAVE LOTS MORE TO COME INSHA ALLAH <3 b="">

2013-01-01T11:04:00.000+05:00

2013

Ae naye saal bata tujh mai nya pan kia hai
har taraf khal'q ne kyon shor macha rakha hai

Roshni din ki wohi, taroon bhari raat wohi
Aaj hum ko nazar aati hai har baat wohi
Aasmaan badla hai afsos, na badli hai zameen
Ek hindsay ka badalna koi jida't tau nahi

Aglay barsoon ki tarah hoon gay qareenay tere
Kisay maloom nahi bara mahinay tere

Janvary, farvary aur march mai paray gi sardi
Aur april, maye, june mai ho gi garmi

Tera mu'n dehar mai kuch khoye ga kuch paye ga
Apni mayad basar kar ke chala jaye ga

Tu naya hai tau dikha subah nai, shaam nai
Warna in aankhon nay dekhay hain naye saal kaye

Be-s'bab detey hain kyon log mubarkbadain
Ghaliban bhool gaye waqat ki kadwi yadain

Teri aamad se ghati umer jahan mai sab ki
Faiz ne likhi hai ye nazam niraly dhab ki!

(Credits: Faiz Ahmed Faiz)

Dua hai k yeh naya saal hum sub k liye khushyon, muskurahaton aur aman ka pegham le kar aaye!

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013!

K H A T!

2012-08-28T17:54:00.006+05:00

"Prime minister k khat na likhne pe Supreme Court ne unhein naa-ehl qaraar de dia" - News
(Na-ehl = impotent, eh?)

"Naye Prime Minister ne halaf utha lia magar kya woh khat likhengay?" - Such ka bhurta bana k geo!

"Khat - To write or not to write" - A deep melancholic write-up by a wanna be at the "tribune blogs". (Article parh k neeche twitter handle ko follow karna mat bhooliyega"

Such are the atrocities of this Khat. Aik Khatt. Saala aik khattt ...(And you instantly know what Nana Patekar said after this. Aqwaal-e-Zarreen)

This khat-khatahat has blown me into the 90's where I discoeverd my first affair of the muhalla once trying to learn my grade 7th english essay at the chhat. Nazzron nazzron mein isharay and full adaon wale romantic scene got me crazy. The heroine was a dusky damsel baji in my galli living right next to my place and who confessed her love instantly to me whe i said "Baji, aap ---bhai ko daikh rahi theen na" (Using facebook poke effect). She found a reason for her emotions to spread out (Internet us waqt napa'ed tha). Then shen used to give me a khat to give to her "WOH" living few homes across. The bhai jaan was also a full stud piece. And used to reciprocate equally to all her glares & bares.

I was an honest little honey back then too. Neither did I exchanged their love letters, but also never told this to my mom. Else i know, un ki toh band bajj jaani thee :P
Strange enough, although tempted but I never read their letters.

But I did it once. One love letter that was in my brother's room. I read it. And then handed it over to mom gracefully. Fizza Rahman from CIA - Mission accomplished :D

Ejoy some Khoobsurat khatt's from google bhaijaan. Just for fun.

Spoiler: Aap meri Khaatir naswaar chhor dain :P

Spoiler: Haath mein elaichi muun mein badaam, Khat parhne se pehla mera salaam!

Spoiler: Some love one, some love two, I love one, that ARE you!

Spoiler: Aap pant shillt mein buhat ache lagtay hain :D

Spoiler: Allama Iqbal ki rooh ko thais puhanchate huay un k shair ka zoo-muanee istemal!

BUSS??

PIKTURE ABHI BAKI HAI MERAY DOST..

Here is a collection of some epic love songs on "khat" from Youtube.

Respect for the song. But shouldnt Prime minister sahab should also send a phool in his khat. Guaranteed. Mehboob ap k qadmo mein!

Karishma ji k kapde aur ajay bhai ki jawaani. Full aatish! Jab yeh khat likh sakte hein toh PM sahab kyun nahin. YEH KIA BAAT HUI. MUFTI SAAAB!

Khat mene teray naam likha. Haal-e-Dil tamam likha (Pata nahin kitne papers per aaya hoga. Plus, paper bhee college register k honge). When they can ... why cant u PM saab??

Chalo bhai. Inho ne toh khat watt ko b chhor k direct dil pe likhne ki baat kardi. Technology. FTW

Forget Bollywood. Rafaqat Ali Khan wins. The real reason for not writing a khatt. Beat that!

Jashn-e-Aazadi

2012-08-14T22:44:00.002+05:00

Ab kis ka jashn manate ho us des ka jo taqsim hua

ab kis k git sunate ho us tan-man ka jo do-nim hua

Us khvab ka jo reza reza un ankhon ki taqdir hua

Us nam ka jo tukra tukra galiyon main be-tauqir hua

Us parcham ka jis ki hurmat bazaron main nilam hui

Us mitti ka jis ki hurmat mansub ud'u k naam hui

Us jang ko jo tum har chuk us rasm ka jo jari bhi nahin

Us zakhm ka jo sine pe na tha us jan ka jo vari bhi nahin

Us khun ka jo badqismat tha rahon main bahaya tan main raha

Us phul ka jo beqimat tha angan main khila ya ban main raha

Us mashriq ka jis ko tum ne neze ki ani marham samajha

Us maghrib ka jis ko tum ne jitna bhi luta kam samajha

Uss masumon ka jin k lahu se tum ne farozan raten kin

Ua un mazlumon ka jis se khanjar ki zuban main baten kin

Us mariyam ka jis ki iffat lutti hai bhare bazaron main

Uss Eiisa ka jo qatil hai aur shamil hai gamkhuaron main

Un nauhagaron ka jin ne hamain khud qatl kiya khud rote hain

Aise bhi kahin damsaz hue aise jallad bhi hote hain?

Unn bhuke nange dhanchon ka jo raqs sar-e-bazar karain

Ya un zalim qazzaqon ka jo bhes badal kar var karain

Ya un Jhute iqraron ka jo aj talak aifa na hue

Ya un bebas lacharon ka jo aur bhi dukh ka nishana hue

Is shahi ka jo dast-ba-dast ai hai tumhare hisse main

Kyon nang-e-vatan ki bat karo kya rakha hai is qisse main?

Ankhon main chupaye ashkon ko honthon main vafa k bol liye

is jashn main bhi shamil hun nauhon se bhara kashkol liye!

(Faiz Ahmed Faiz: Qissa Haye Wafa se Iqtebaas)

The curious case of friendships, dreams and life ..

2012-07-23T12:44:00.000+05:00

I am just back from a work trip to the capital city of Pakistan. My work requires a lot of up-country and local travelling which I enjoy very much since I get to see my friends there, meet new people, discover new places and explore a lot of different things on the way. I had to go to Abbottabad and this time we chose the Nathiagali route so as to counter the horrific heat. The whole way I was amazed at the scenic beauty of our country. When I tweeted “Enjoyed nathiagali like anything”, one of my twitter buddies had a question for me ..”How can one enjoy alone?”. I seriously had to think twice before answering this question and this is probably why this blog post originated.

I am the youngest in my family with two elder brothers, so all my childhood their and my interests have been repelling. I remember playing with dolls alone, doing my home work alone and creating a fantasy land of my own where I had a bunch of imaginary friends which I wanted in real life. Therefore, I have always been the kind of person, who would love to socialize. When I entered university, I was lucky enough to be part of a group where everybody was my friend just as the ones I had fantasized. I remember never going to uni for fun,always to meet my friends. I made up stupid plans, sometimes going to an exhibition, sometimes posing for a group photo shoot, sometimes for an eid Milan lunch and when nothing, calling them up at my place for hangout. We were great. My life revolved around my friends. I had a continuous argument with one of my friends to whom I used to say that don’t pamper me this much, else I will miss this time when you wont be around for me. Sometimes I used to be very angry at two of my friends who were committed to each other, not because of anything else but because they would ruin the friends plan by going on a date at the same time. The theory was simple: gf’s/bf’s are ok to spend time with but not at the cost of your friend’s time!

By the time, we were about to finish our studies, some of us started getting engaged/married. This used to be a very special occasion because we thought the friend’s family is growing into a khandaan! Soon after studies, we started off with our jobs. Everybody got a kickass career move mashaAllah. I still was the one who ended up making plans for meeting for a lunch/dinner. This time, the responses started getting varied. “Yaar abhi time nahin hai” ..”Baqion se pooch lo phir mujhey bata dena” ..”Yaar I already have a commitment somewhere else” ….”Zaroor challenge but meri mangaitar nahin ayegi” (Since she is my fiancée so I will date her only but not take her out in public in our mutual friend’s gathering). I started getting restless. Then one fine day we decided to meet up at university. It was a wonderful day to sit at the canteen side on the grass behind Pharmacy canteen eating kachori’s. Almost all the friends made it their that day .. but something just struck me right into the heart. Only after 7 months of separation ..we weren’t the friends that I had imagined. We had an obsolete knowledge of what was going in each other’s lives. There were 5 guys and one girl apart from me in the group. The guys obviously met up every weekend and knew about each other very well. The girl was engaged to one of the guys in the group and so she somehow was better informed about all of them. And here was me .. obviously not informed and just not fitting right into the group. We sat together for a chit chat, but obviously I wasn’t well aware of the codes the guys were using or the events they were referring to which they attended together. I felt shattered!

My life revolved around my friends.. or atleast this was the way I perceived them always. I used to put up facebook albums of our university time together, ask my friends to sign up for facebook. Tag each of their photos when they came on facebook (Yes, currently on an average I must have 200+ photos tagged of my friends on individual basis). I used to write poems, dream about the time of my life I had over the years and thank God for having so nice friends. Even though I accepted that we may meet after long, but sitting there feeling awkward was one of the most hardest feelings I sustained. Out of all these years, I had the right to know if one of them was appearing for an IBA test (Shouldn’t they ask me too?) or if the other one was all set to tie the knot to his beloved in the coming three months or if one of them was leaving for an international official trip ..why I didn’t know?

Another aspect to this was the fact that by this time, almost all my friends were committed/engaged and married except for me. So that means they had a lot to do in their personal lives managing their career, family, friends and in-laws. Agreed. I wasn’t committed/engaged or married then but I bet, even if I was .. this could have never been a reason for ignoring my friends. So the tree of friendship stood there, laughing at me .. because I was alone in this mad,mad world!

This was the last time I went to university. I never go there. Because it hurts! To be at a place where you had the best of your time with the best of your people …and to see that place again, all deserted, with no promises for future.. I never went back to university.

Right after uni, is also the time when you are actually transforming yourself into a practical person, so a lot of things get revealed to you in a certain style. The revelation was pouring itself upon me .. shattering my dreams, molding me into something new & classy.

Sometimes, I used to run across a bunch of happy students ..and get jealous. Sometimes, seeing them I just used to smile. I shut down my facebook account to see how my friends react, and the response was nothing but a final dent in the coffin. I was critically ill in hospital for around a month and with several thousand reasons of worries .. but none of my friends except one had time to come see me! May be the persons who claim to love you the most, hurt you the most!

Eventually life has turned a new face towards me. There are no more dreams to run for. I travel a lot and tweet a lot. I meet a lot of people and enjoy talking about different stories ..but I am not into friendships anymore. When years of friendship can take a side over preferences and priorities ..then how would you trust the new one’s I ask! This is why, when I travel .. I can enjoy having a burger at Hardees alone, or going to shopping alone. I just get myself rolling.
And yes, I take equal responsibility for not being a good friend too!

Priorities. Hunh!

CEST LA VIE!

formspring.me

2012-02-21T12:43:00.001+05:00

Ask me questions about my life. Ask me http://www.formspring.me/fizzarahman

A Tribute to Captain Usman Ali Shaheed 7A.K

2011-12-01T03:14:00.024+05:00

As I start writing these lines, my heart is burdened with grief, my eyes are filled with tears and my hands tremble. I am an ordinary human being. A sinner in life. How would I do justice to write about the bravery and courage of a man who has achieved so much in his life to get the honour of being called a "Shaheed". A young man, full of courage who was at the border while we were in our comfortable homes sleeping in our cozy blankets. A young man, father to a 2 month old baby girl, Rameen, who kissed her forhead before going for his duty and promised to be back home soon. Little Rameen would never be able to see her father, she would never be able to feel his arms wrapped around her, his hands up in prayers for her, her forehead will never taste the sweat of her father's enduring kiss. Had it all happened in a state of war, Rameen would have been the luckiest child around, but it was not WAR. It wasn't WAR. It was cold-blooded murder. It was the eating of 26 sons of the soil by NATO vultures. With these men fighting back courageously to NATO's attack on their own land remains a slap to our foreign policy and poses serious questions over a lot of issues. Why was the Shamsi airbase being operated by US when it was given to UAE? Why didnt the government disclose it to public? What in the world NATO had in mind when they were allowed to SHOOT/OPEN FIRE at Pakistan's own check post killing the soldiers? It doesnt matter. Yes it doesnt, because thousands of innocent civilians die everyday in Drone attacks, but who cares? It doesnt matter because Raymond Davis could blatantly kill 3 Pakistani's and seek refuge in the most friendly manner from Pakistan. Thanks to Parent America! It doesnt matter because we arent humans. Or they dont understand us to be ones. Pakistan has given the price of "War On Terrorism" at its extreme both internally and externally. Yes we are fighting, through our blogs, through our social media forums, through our online presence that WE ARE PAKISTAN. PAKISTAN IS US.. but does that make any difference? Yes it does.. only on the table conferences!

Pakistan's reaction has been strong enough to tell the world that we do respect our sovereignty, but I hardly fear that this is going to bring back the happiness and life of those 26 men killed without reason. 26 families losing their son. 26 x 5 lives disrupted for lifetime!

I am clueless. Wordless. Hopeless.

I know Ambreen @ProudPakistanii for a long time now. Twitter acquaintances. But then she was a young girl with different interests and today she is only the Proud sister of Captain Usman Ali Shaheed. Goin through her timeline will make you weep more for not only Usman, but for another 25 families suffering the same fate.

If anyone from the Shuhda's family is reading this, I would like to say just one thing. Your son/brother have made us Proud. We are honoured that we had men like them in our Army. They are the shuhdaa' and they never die. They will always remain alive in our hearts. Accept our deepest gratitudes for showing us what a thousand drone attacks could not. May Allah be Merciful to you all and give you sabr-e-Jameel. Aameen!

Sahiwal's Jhaal road is named after Captain Usman Shaheed now...!
As a token of my friendship, this is for you Ambreen. Let the world see, how brave and courageous our brother was.

Some chronicles of Usman, shared by Ambreen:

Captain Usman Shaheed's daughter was born on 6th September,2011,on Defence Day.
Jab tak na Jalien Deep Shaeedon ke Lahu se, Kehte hain ke Jannat mai Charagan Nahi hota! Usman bhai messaged me this sher on this Defence Day!
Once I asked Usman bhai something about Army Personnels' patriotism and love for Islam.He replied, "We are Muslims first,then Pakistani,then Army Personnel.We are in Army because of Pakistan."
When at first Usman bhai got orders for Bajour agency transfer and I said something about that you shouldn't go he said,"I am in Army for this,not to sit in cantt and enjoy." Later he got transferred to Mohmand Agency instead of Bajour...!

Captain Usman Ali Shaheed, 23.

In Pakistan Scouts Cadet College Batrasi,Mansehra.

Captain Usman Ali Shaheed in Khaarian

Captain Usman Ali Shaheed on his Wedding Day

Captain Usman Ali Shaheed at his Valima

Captain Usman Ali Shaheed's Aakhri aaramgaah

CM Shehbaz Sharif visiting Captain Usman's house

CM Shehbaz Sharifholding Captain Usman's 2 month old daughter, Rameen

This doesnt need any caption!

Well-wishers!

A report aired on PTV on Captain Usman Shaheed's life

I couldnt help include this to the end of this write-up. Long Live Pakistan!

Shaheed ki jo Maut hai woh Qaum ki Hayat hai,
Lahoo jo hai Shaheed ka woh Qaum ki Zakaat hai

Ai Raah-e-Haq Kay Shaheedon ..

JHOOT

2011-11-12T01:12:00.006+05:00

Written: 07/08/2003

Tum sach samajhtay ho garr samajhtay ho tum yehi,
Kay meri aankhOn ne tumhare sapne bunay nahin,
na furrsat mili mujhey kabhi tumhein yaad karne ki,
na kar saki tumhari koi soch gumm mujhey,
na kabhi mujhey tumhari shiddat se zaroorat pari,
na kisi dost se tumhare mene tumhari kabhi kheryat poochi,
na kabhi namaz mein mene tumhare liye dua ki,
aur na kabhi khuda se tumhari khushyaan mangeen,
na toh suraj nikaltay hee tumhari sochon ne mujhey ghera,
na hee chaand ko dekh kar tumhari yaad ja'g aai,
na hee qismat ki lakeeroN mein tumhara naam kabhi dhoonda,
na hee tumhara chehra koi "special chehra" thehra,
na hee kabhi neend mein mene tumhara naam pukara,
na hee kabhi apni khushyoN ka mehwar tumhein banaya,
na kabhi meri aankhoN mein kabhi tumhara aqs thehra,
na hee meri kisi ghazal mein tumhara zik'r kabhi aaya!
Yeh sab kuch hai sach JanaaN ..magar yeh bhee sach hai,
kay tumhari inn gehri siaah aankhon se, ankhein mila kar yeh sach kehnay ka,
na janay kyun..
Mujh mein hausla nahin!

No part of this poem may be reprinted or reshared. All rights reserved.

Faysal Bank t20 cup 2011 - Karachi

2011-09-24T16:36:00.030+05:00

Karachi has been in the news for all the wrong headlines in the recent past. This time its groovy, shaky & in the limelight. Karachi will be the Host to "Faysal Bank T20 cup 2011" taking place between September 25,2011 till October, 2nd 2011 at Karachi's National Stadium! (This even was originally planned to take place in Lahore but shifted to Karachi three days back because of the Viral Epidemic break-out of Dengue Fever in Lahore).

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDeFXG-SRbxsTiiWoLj2VK9m6AsnQFLP1VMAt06rYiTVxDkTKwQ3tyeL6-u1bvbEz0IkYdM1rY5-E_6hy4uDPNiMu93-LBxmhXoc9wv09XejknaS0ohpL1I27hGc3CIleE62TJ0vXQOwG/s1600/Rawalpindi_Rams.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoDeFXG-SRbxsTiiWoLj2VK9m6AsnQFLP1VMAt06rYiTVxDkTKwQ3tyeL6-u1bvbEz0IkYdM1rY5-E_6hy4uDPNiMu93-LBxmhXoc9wv09XejknaS0ohpL1I27hGc3CIleE62TJ0vXQOwG/s320/Rawalpindi_Rams.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655897825263102546" border="0"></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtlgc3X_U-Ia16vYGLsVceb2Iyc9bjT-cao8ybSzCRdlKFqPI6lAfSMxVLRE3NxyqjZdeHUoPb3cZgkaPjpNFLzxU9UIRqaD5Nz3SI0Z_xBNyoNRx0mgxLYrr9NZ4HkL5JCqZbZveTwfp/s1600/Hyderabad-Hawks.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 280px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWtlgc3X_U-Ia16vYGLsVceb2Iyc9bjT-cao8ybSzCRdlKFqPI6lAfSMxVLRE3NxyqjZdeHUoPb3cZgkaPjpNFLzxU9UIRqaD5Nz3SI0Z_xBNyoNRx0mgxLYrr9NZ4HkL5JCqZbZveTwfp/s320/Hyderabad-Hawks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655895111470272594" border="0"></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGs-spXSdEdKaxwy3w8gpX9UAP3OXAYInLSasrgRZc86LbMU6lfR5VXQ3n1JD2msRLm3E38Gol9Rn417If3MK15HGz8hJjnTltZtzsIpTIfXMe5WYumHFttKC7nHrlYMOv94v-KzzVuAl3/s1600/Islamabad_Leopards.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGs-spXSdEdKaxwy3w8gpX9UAP3OXAYInLSasrgRZc86LbMU6lfR5VXQ3n1JD2msRLm3E38Gol9Rn417If3MK15HGz8hJjnTltZtzsIpTIfXMe5WYumHFttKC7nHrlYMOv94v-KzzVuAl3/s320/Islamabad_Leopards.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655893978738298802" border="0"></a>    <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVGwZ8s-v18rXRXKtJ83_BTdMClKdQ9xXhPZJIWA4pctRIXdo6oJ8TOOHg9O4sPt_WlY5ODo6HdA9TiOqteHEG6oVvQnVBLps8tDnl6hgshRiO6-5gZXmh0GRytwLx9e_MiW-0ooUCiMe/s1600/title.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnVGwZ8s-v18rXRXKtJ83_BTdMClKdQ9xXhPZJIWA4pctRIXdo6oJ8TOOHg9O4sPt_WlY5ODo6HdA9TiOqteHEG6oVvQnVBLps8tDnl6hgshRiO6-5gZXmh0GRytwLx9e_MiW-0ooUCiMe/s320/title.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655892141865013058" border="0"></a> Karachi has been in the news for all the wrong headlines in the recent past. This time its groovy, shaky & in the limelight. Karachi will be the Host to "Faysal Bank T20 cup 2011" taking place between September 25,2011 till October, 2nd 2011 at Karachi's National Stadium! (This even was originally planned to take place in Lahore but shifted to Karachi three days back because of the Viral Epidemic break-out of Dengue Fever in Lahore).  Nevertheless, this brings a feeling of fresh air to Karachiites who were in dire need of such an activity and this T20 cup brings a reason to cherish for everyone.  <div style="text-align: center;"> </div>  <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_8-OhyDP-ryvoRiY6rsqqzCkN-_v24i94LdMpHUmciXPO5Z8MofhKEFNFsdEUIChH3sVjOUg5xiwQJlOHlcswKyJDzfUEJ4wfg-yN3uW4BtEEDjy2mQlD1QcUP0FMrwhdYDlDXA5hZ4O/s1600/Sialkot-Stallions.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM_8-OhyDP-ryvoRiY6rsqqzCkN-_v24i94LdMpHUmciXPO5Z8MofhKEFNFsdEUIChH3sVjOUg5xiwQJlOHlcswKyJDzfUEJ4wfg-yN3uW4BtEEDjy2mQlD1QcUP0FMrwhdYDlDXA5hZ4O/s320/Sialkot-Stallions.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655893543888574866" border="0"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAzM7UE_F5JzrXimhgEqPpcSy1q0pBpMOJfzUQ_WA1xyfyFL2ladJNbY7PPYEcTw8qnjPW-SlJL8wim-R9bidAGqWn56_WYQX8yPU3q48LhZ96ah_GwnW4FUVxRlitE7jt8oXSuqUtXiM/s1600/Lahore-Lions-Becomes-Domestic-T-20-Champions-In-Pakistan.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 173px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJAzM7UE_F5JzrXimhgEqPpcSy1q0pBpMOJfzUQ_WA1xyfyFL2ladJNbY7PPYEcTw8qnjPW-SlJL8wim-R9bidAGqWn56_WYQX8yPU3q48LhZ96ah_GwnW4FUVxRlitE7jt8oXSuqUtXiM/s320/Lahore-Lions-Becomes-Domestic-T-20-Champions-In-Pakistan.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5655893708482846834" border="0"></a><div style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjix_ks56oXc2a1vZP2GiUHY3WUae9jFju-hzqovB0_wmaKhVIWcbwC7a6E4h-Tgm1u87Fmm856Q4OxLlpIWWri2XEVj7Ae_QMi3kiYdx3OC5FjGZQ-amoGdj2nHDA9mAd8J_GhWFe-xnpm/s1600/Lahore-Lions-Becomes-Domestic-T-20-Champions-In-Pakistan.gif"> </a></div>

Nevertheless, this brings a feeling of fresh air to Karachiites who were in dire need of such an activity and this T20 cup brings a reason to cherish for everyone.

The Squad for the teams are as below;

Abdul Manan

Adnan Raees

Ahmed Jamal

Asif Afridi

Fawad Khan

Ghulam Mohammad

Junaid Khan

Khalid Usman

Khurshid Anwar

Mir Azam

Nabeeullah

Rehan Afridi

Sajjad Ali

Sohail Akhtar

Wajid Ali

Yasir Hameed

Yasir Shah

Younis Khan

Abdur Rauf

Asad Ali

Asif Ali

Asif Hussain

Imran Khalid

Jahandad Khan

Khurram Shehzad

Misbah-ul-Haq

Mohammad Hafeez

Mohammad Salman

Mohammad Shahid

Mohammad Talha

Naved Latif

Sabir Hussain

Saeed Ajmal

Shahid Muzaffar

Shahid Nazir

Waqas Maqsood

Aqeel Anjum

Azeem Ghumman

Faisal Athar

Ghulam Yasin

Jamshed Baig

Kashif Pervez

Lal Kumar

Mansoor Malik

Mir Ali

Naeem-ur-Rehman

Nasir Awais

Nauman Ali

Rizwan Ahmed

Shahid Qambrani

Shahzad Haider

Sharjeel Khan

Suleman Baloch

Zahid Mahmood

Adnan Ijaz

Afaq Raheem Ashar Zaidi

Iftikhar Anjum

Imad Wasim

Junaid Nadir

Kamran Hussain

Moed Ahmed

Naeem Anjum

Nasrullah Khan

Nauman Masood

Raheel Majeed

Rizwan Malik

Sajid Ali

Sarmad Anwar Shan

Masood Umair Khan

Zohaib Ahmed

Asad Shafiq

Ashraf Ali

Faraz Ahmed

Fawad Alam

Fazal Subhan

Haaris Ayaz

Javed Mansoor

Khalid Latif

Misbah Khan

Mohammad Sami

Rameez Raja

Rumman Raees

Sarfraz Ahmed

Shahid Afridi

Shahzaib Hasan

Sohail Khan

Tanvir Ahmed

Tariq Haroon

Adnan Baig

Akbar-ur-Rehman

Anwar Ali

Asif Zakir

Atif Maqbool

Azam Hussain

Danish Kaneria

Faisal Iqbal

Farhan Iqbal

Hasan Raza

Khurram Manzoor

Mohammad Waqas

Rameez Aziz

Sheharyar Ghani

Tabish Khan

Tahir Khan

Uzair-ul-Haq

Wajihuddin

Abid Ali

Adnan Akmal

Ali Azmat

Asif Ashfaq

Asif Raza

Azhar Ali

Emmad Ali

Hamza Paracha

Imran Farhat

Junaid Zia

Kamran Sajid

Kashif Mahmood

Mohammad Hamza

Mustafa Iqbal

Saad Nasim

Taufeeq Umar

Waqas Aslam

Wasif Butt

Aamer Hayat

Abdul Razzaq

Adnan Rasool

Ahmed Shehzad

Aizaz Cheema

Asif Yousuf

Imran Ali

Jahangir Mirza

Jamshed Ahmed

Kamran Akmal

Muzaffar Mahboob

Nasir Jamshed

Raza Ali Dar

Sohail Ahmed

Tanzeel Altaf

Umar Akmal

Usman Malik

Wahab Riaz

Ansar Javed

Bilal Khilji

Faisal Elahi

Gulraiz Sadaf

HaziqHabibullah

Kamran Hussain

MohammadIrfan

MohammadIrshad

Mohammad Sami

MohammadZahid

Naved Yasin

Shabbir Ahmed

Shahbaz Ahmed

Taimur Ahmed

Zain Abbas

Zulfiqar Babar

Aftab Alam

Akbar Badshah

Fawad Ali

Gauhar Ali

Iftikhar Ahmed

Israrullah

Jamaluddin

Khadim Jan

Mohammad Fayyaz

Musadiq Ahmed

Nasir Ahmed

Nauman Habib

Nawaz Ahmed

Noor-ul-Amin

Rafatullah Mohmand

Shoaib Khan

Umar Gul

Zohaib Khan

Abid Ali

Arun Lal

Bismillah Khan

Faizullah

Fareeduddin

Gul Mohammad

Imran Khan

Matiullah Khan

Mir Wais

Mohammad Asif

Mohammad Zahir

Mohibullah

Munir Ahmed

Nasrullah Khan

Saeed Khan

Sher Hasan

Taimur Khan

Taimur Siddiq

Adil Zarif

Adnan Mufti

Awais Zia

Babar Naeem

Hammad Azam

Jamal Anwar

Mohammad Nawaz

Mohammad Rameez

Mohammad Saleem

Nasir Malik

Naved Malik

Sadaf Hussain

Samiullah

Sohail Tanvir

Tahir Mughal

Umar Amin

Yasim Murtaza

Zahid Mansoor

Abdur Rehman

Ali Khan

Faisal Naved

Haris Sohail

Imran Nazir

Kamran Younis

Mansoor Amjad

Mohammad Ayub

Naved Arif

Naved-ul-Hasan

Qaiser Abbas

Raza Hasan

Rizwan Sultan

Sarfraz Ahmed

Shahid Yousuf

Shakeel Ansar

Shoaib Malik

Yasir Aziz

COMPLETE T20 FIXTURES

(CLICK TO ENLARGE)

The First semi-final will be played on October 1st 2011 and Final will be played on October 2nd 2011.

TICKETS DETAILS

HAPPY T20'ing GUYS & GALS :)

Khoon ki holi hai, Khyber se Karachi Tak!

2011-08-20T10:34:00.010+05:00

The recent wave of terrorism across Pakistan has sent chills down our spine. Just when we were recovering from the loss of human lives from a suicide blast at a mosque in #Jamrud, #Karachi was hit again by lethal killings claiming 500+ lives uptill now. Since then, there has been a peek-a-boo of bloodshed leaving no point unturned in brutal killings on different ethnic, religious, political and mafia groups in the city. The government is totally at failure to deal with the current situation. 50 people lost their lives in merely last three days and over 300 are barbarically killed in only July-Aug.This is not just "target-killing" now. It has seeped into a deeper level, rotting the roots of our society. Every eye has tears. Everyone is scared. Stepping out of your home early in the morning gives a heartache to the people waiting for you to return home in the evening. Everyday, incidences of firings/kidnappings have lead to a complete halt to the daily routines of the city. 11 people are killed in karachi in the last 11 eleven hours. The fire of blind terrorism is spreading everywhere, and so is the hate/anger/fear amongst people. This seems crazy now. Isnt the government watching? And if the government is unable to stop all this non-sense, why dont they bloody step out of the power? Is there any end to it? While many of us try to portray Pakistan, as the land we know.. inducing positivity, we are thrown back by our own people to a state where hope dies and fear creeps in, slowly & gradually!
And while I write these lines, the President sahab of Pakistan states that no criminal would be spared. But an insecure feeling hit my guts. Who knows may be its me in the headlines tomorrow!

Nisaar mei teri galiyon pe ai watan k jahan

Chali he ras'm k koii na sar utha k chalay

Jo koi chahnay wala tawaf ko niklay

nazar chura k chale, jism o jaan bacha k chalay!

Hai ehl-e-dil k liye yeh nazm-e-bast-o-kushaad,

k sang-o-kisht muqayyad hein aur sag aazad!

Buhat hai zulm kay dast-e-bahana joo k liye,

Jo chand ehl-e-junoon teray naam leva hein,

Banay hein ehl-e-havas, muddaee bhee munsif bhee,

Kisay wakeel karen, kis se munsafi chahein!

Magar guzaarnay walon k din guzartay hein,

Teray firaaq mein yoon subh-o-shaam kartay hein,

Bujha jo rozan-e-zindaan toh dil yeh samjha hai,

Teri maang sitaron se bharr gai hogi,

Chamak utthay hein salasil toh hum ne jaana hai,

K sehar teray rukh per bikkhar gayee hogi,

Ghar'z tassavur-e-shaam-o-sehar mein jeetay hein,

Girift-e-saaya-e-deevar-o-darr mein jeetay hein,

And the following lines are a killer!

Yunhi hamesha ulajhti rahi he Zulm se khal'q,

Naa un ki ras'm naiyee hai, na apni reet nayee,

Yunhi hamesha khilaye hein hum ne aag mein phool,

Naa unn ki Haar nayee hai, naa apni jeet nayee!

Isi sabab se falak ka gilaa nahin kartay,

Teray firaaq mein hum dil buraa nahin kartay,

Gar aaj juda hein toh kal baham hongay,

Yeh raat bhar ki judaa'i toh koi baat nahin,

Gar aaj auj pay hai taal-e-raqeeb toh kya,

Yeh chaar din ki khudaai toh baat nahin,

Jo tujh se ehd-e-wafa istewaar rakhtay hain,

Ilaaj-e-Gardish-e-Lail-o-Nihaar rakhtay hain!

(Faiz Ahmed Faiz "Nuskha Haye Wafa"

Trending Location For Pakistan At Twitter!

2011-08-17T12:54:00.011+05:00

Twitter has become a ONE-STOP source of information for us right over the globe. Its reach from web and almost millions of registered mobile apps to the users has grown tremendously, and "real-time" happenings have given a solid touch to the tweets. Tweet it for whatever reasons, Be it personal boastings, celebrity crushings, recommendation of movies, searching a location, guiding someone to a new location, increasing PR .. birdie is for everything!

A quick look at the twitter stats;

Twitter says that 460,000 new accounts per day are being made.
Users are now sending 140 million Tweets, on average, per day,
The all-time high in terms of Tweets sent per day was 177 million sent on March 11, 2011.
In terms of Tweets per second, the all time high was 6,939 Tweets per second after midnight in Japan on New Year’s Day.
Mobile users are up 182 percent over the past year

On April 30, 2009, Twitter introduced a sidebar of "trending topics" which refers to the most-appearing messages that are instantly indexed which has made twitter undoubtedly the one-click source to know of what is happening in the world or simply stating, what's hot in the world of discussion!

India got its trending location enabled by November 2010 and by April 2011, Twitter rolled out its feature for city-based trending for India. Why did it happen for India and not for Us, remains the question!

Twitter explains “If you don’t see your country or city, it means we’re not receiving enough Tweets from that geographical area to create a quality list.”

Trending a topic doesnt only depend upon the tweet volume but time zones, tweet consistency, hashtag usage, scheduling/timing the tweets but, tweets from people from that specific geographical location counts the most.

I must say, Pakistanis arent aware of twitter as much as they are of facebook. And those who know about twitter have mostly deactivated their facebook accounts ;)
(No, Zuckerberg; I aint bribed by twitter. I just dont want to know through FB that my ex's girlfriend is prettier than me.Ha)

If it was that easy, we could have trended on 14th august with #PakistanZindabad and #Pakistan, but unfortunately we couldn't.

Nevertheless, with the Pakistani twiterrati in the rise on cyberspace, this wouldnt be difficult. We aim to ask Twitter to give us a separate trending location for Pakistan. Join #TeamPakistan. Tweet @Pakistan_Team, @RumaisaMohani & @fizzarahman, @efrodol, @Sehravi, @faisalrahat who aim to get #Pakistan to location-based trending at #twitter. Help spread the message!

And yes, you can join us too by your suggestions/ideas/comments!
simply reply to this post sending in your twitter username/facebook profile, and become a part of our team!
As they say,

"Ab nahin toh kab, Hum nahin tau kaun"

PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!

You may turn off the sun, but I am still gonna shine :-)

Karachi for a Tweet Up!

2011-08-12T12:38:00.003+05:00

Based in Karachi? On twitter? Come, join the club!

A group of young enthusiasts have arranged for an Iftar tweetup this sunday, the 14th of August 2011. The event is open to all as long as you’re on Twitter.

Details:

Venue: Revolving Restaurant, Ceasers Tower, Main Shahra-e-Faisal

Date:14th August 2011

Time: 5:30- 8:30 pm

Official Hashtag: #KhiTweetUp

http://pakistanperspective.com/?p=164

You may turn off the sun, but I am still gonna shine :-)

Pakistani Artists Profile Portal Launched at Vidpk.com

2011-07-28T15:28:00.004+05:00

Have u ever felt alienated while surfing the world wide web? I do. I mostly do. When I try searching for “most famous movies”, the top results appear of hollywood & bollywood. When I try searching for “most famous actor”, the top results rarely include citations to Pakistani actor. There. I feel lost. I feel sidelined. Who in the world , would challenge that Katrina kaif with a zero potential acting skills is a better actor than Sania Saeed? Yet you know, Sania can be found rarely on our web searches. Why do you think Moin Akhtar wasn't able to trend on twitter while Govind Tiwari did. Well, dedicated Pakistani websites working to promote the softer, progressive image of Pakistan can create an exception. Not only people across the world will be able to see the media/art activities in the country but it will also help portray the world of the real people of Pakistan. People like you and me who live completely normal lives here in the state of Pakistan, which otherwise has been made an issue of contemplated controversies across the globe in reference to terrorism.

A bunch of lightheaded individuals take this burden on their strong shoulders at @vidpk where they provide you an insight to the 1000+ profiles of Pakistani artists, alphabetically. Click to see their pictures, read their biography and the most awesome feature – given at the end of the biogrpahy is a link to the list of all the TV shows they have been a part of and which can instantly be viewed online at www.vidpk.com. The portal also includes profiles for behind-the-scenes people such as directors, producers, writers and more.

Common reaction to this is “Wow”. Uncommon reaction is “Array ..bus 1000+ profiles?” - Chalo koi nahin, atleast you have a fresh start. The database is increasing everyday, so we can hope of a better global presence for our artists in future. Woh kehtay hain na,

“Sitaaron se aagay jahaan aur bhee hain”

And while you go to click the X button to close this window, have a look at the most awesome Lehri sab, to make you smile!
http://vidpk.com/p/330/Lehri/

Mohali Spots a Star- Wahab Riaz!

2011-03-31T11:12:00.041+05:00

Well. The Cricket World Cup 2011is over for the Pakistani fans, but not quite over for Team Pakistan. Starting with a crumbled entry into the tournament with three of their best players involved in the spot-fixing controversy, the captain announced at the last moment , the unpredictable batting side supported by a mighty bowling attack, the way we showed Ausses who the real daddy of Cricket is, to making it to the semi-finals was an experience the fans never got since 1999. Thank You team Pakistan for positively distracting us from the many notions of hatred, violence, terrorism, corrupted system, corporate jealousy and star plus for the last one and a half month. Amidst your good performance, the semi-final match was certainly not the kind we wanted to end our cricketing journey this world Cup, but anyway, thrashing the opponents, finishing top of the group, sending the WINDIES go with the wind and reaching to the semis of this great tournament to let everybody talk (read SHIT: if Chappell appears in your mind) about you, Guys,you have already made us proud!

And as they say, the brightest of stars are seen in the darkest of night, so while the Pakistani fans mourn over the 2nd semi-final at Mohali as a dark day for their cricketing experience, they spot a light that makes way all through the darkness to illuminate us with glowing happiness. The star that radiates us hopeful about the future of Pakistan Cricket. We spot Wahab Riaz!

Wahab, the 25 yr old left-arm fast bowler, born in Lahore, known in the squad as Vicky shined throughout the match for those breath-taking deliveries that stunned the crowd at the stadium so much that we had to ask .."Mohali Itna sannata kyun hai bhai". An Indian supporter Mihir Pandya (@@miyaamihir) tweeted "It's twenty one players on one side versus Wahab Riaz on the other".

Firstly, a look at the destruction of what Wahab did to the mighty Indian line-up.
*Fifth ball of the 6th over - The ball pitches on the leg and zips on to Virender Sehwag trapping him leg-before on 38. India score reads 48/1.

Second ball of the 25th over - Virat Kohli edged an away moving ball to Umar Akmal at backward point and he takes it nice and easy. Kohli fell for 9 and India went down to 141/3.

Third ball of the 25h over - The ball comes in swinging and takes away Yuvraj Singh's stumps with it. Yuvraj fell for a duck and India went down to 141/4.

Fourth ball of he 41st over - Traps India skipper MS Dhoni leg-before with a quicker ball on 25. India fell to 205/6.

Second ball of the 50th over - A thin edge off Zaheer Khan's bat is taken by keeper Kamran Akmal. Zaheer falls for 9 and India to 256/8.*

Wahab Riaz kneels down on the ground and perform a Sajda, to thank Almighty for the blessing! [add: &wins our hearts]

*The ball and over update is taken from India Today

Second last ball of the 50th over - Wahab doesnt stop with his might & runs out Ashish Nehra for 1. India 258/9

It was Wahab who was the HERO of the first innings when Pakistan team wrapped up the Indians at 260/9. While moving back to the pavilion, Wahab gave those smiley glares to his mates & cheered with those flying kisses that stole our heart. Way to go boy! My twitter timeline was buzzing with applaud for Wahab thoughout the day from Indians and Pakistanis alike.

Here is to what proud family of Wahab Riaz had to say about his participation in the ICC WorldCup 2011.

Interestingly, Wahab shares mutually two things with Wasim Akram. Left arm pacer & Born in June. Hope to see him following his footsteps in bowling in later part of life too:)

And while I press the "search button" for Wahab, let me take you to an interesting journey over Wahab's cricketing career.

Wahab celebrates as he takes down his first wicket at the Mohali semifinal. Sehwag

This is how I do it,baby!

Dho dia tumhein Dhoni!

Pangraa Paoo, josh dikhaoo! 4 gira diye oye! (Angle 1)

Pangraa Paoo, josh dikhaoo! 4 gira diye oye! (Angle 2)

Mei jhuka hoon iss zameen pe karne sajda tujhe ada!

A five-star - all because of you Allah. Thankyou!

Well, I wanted that cup. Who stole my dream? Someone at my (R)?

Now, I'll go home and be the family guy once again :)

Hell yeah! Thats my grin baby. Did you Macleans your teeth today?

Team Player. Ya' know

Anorexia Nervosa

Wait, Aint I sooper cool in the test white as well :D

I respond your cheers for me, humbly :)

Well, I may be your angry young man!

Dekho mein sab ko cheer karta hoon!

Mera number kab ayega?

Mene bhee woh RAP suna hai. Harra peela, harra peela!

Bus bhye bus ziada baat nai cheap saab!

Kya re saaalay. Fight Club hai kya?

Chalo Trott! Mitti pao

Mene toh mazaq kia tha. Ap is pe serious hogaye aur meri 5 wickets pe nahin muskuraye, bhai?

I was a celebrity already. Internet pe bhee interview aya tha mera!
Style mein bowl karanay ka!

Iss Mazhar Majeed ko toh mene itna sue karna he k is ka sue-sue.... well, samaj gaye na?

Yeh hath ek jadooyee hath hai :D

Dressed to kill in formals, No!

Arre. Ye mein nahin hoon! Mustufa Zahid from the band Roxen. Look alike naa?

I am the five-star stunner.
I am the one who made Mohali silent!
I am the one who did a sajdah at Mohali ground.
I kept the Pakistanis ticking in the game.
I destroyed the mighty Indian line up!
I blew flying kisses to you for cheering me up,
I am the reason of our "graceful exit" from the Worldcup!
I am a youngster, looking for your prayers.
I am proud to make my country proud!
I am Wahab Riaz. I am Team Pakistan!

Way to Go Wahab Riaz. Pakistan Loves You!

P.S: Err.. Wahab are you single?

Thanks to: *Tazeen, for I grabbed her style for the post
*Plus Google & Bing images

Why winning the WC is so important for Pakistan

2011-03-24T16:30:00.005+05:00

The first Quarter final between the Toppers of Group A- Pakistan and fourthly placed, West Indies from Group B, at Sher-e-Bengal Stadium , Dhaka, saw the rise of the Sher's of Pakistan. No wonder, the soil of Dhaka sniffed the smell of its ex-sons that day!

Pakistan made it comfortably into the semi-final to be played at Mohali, India on 30th March 2011, against India. Well, the skipper and his team has no issues, they are all set to rip the opponents and make way to Mumbai to clinch the cup, inshaAllah. The mood is just right, attitude just perfect and determination fierce enough to take it all away.

Now, what makes us so happy? Cricket is like the next religion in Pakistan, in which everyone believes. The win of this QF brings the celebrations, joys & fervour in Pakistanis like never before. Like we have never experienced in the recent times amidst all these bomb blasts, terrorist attacks, extremism bashes.
At a time when Pakistan Cricket was having the worst spotlight all over the globe , courtesy to the three stars who allegedly were involved in a spot- controversy, darkened by the shadows of Zulqarnain Haider leaving Pakistan cricket with a FB update and when Pakistan's skipper for the worldcup was announced at such an eleventh hour, nobody had hopes for Pakistan in this Worldcup. Such hopeless we were, but seeing Pakistan, fight back as a team, reunite in determination & put up a strong fight to prove everyone wrong, we managed to outclass Australia in the group match convincingly. It was Pakistan who did it then, 12 years back.. and it was Pakistan again, who did it again. Bravo!

Cricket brings happiness in our otherwise saddened nation. But most importantly, it brings good name to Pakistan. Just like Aisam ul Haq messaged the whole world "we are not terrorists" at the finals of the US OPEN, in a similar capacity, twitter trended with #pakistunned at the QF day. Winning this cup means a lot to us. For a country that has been WORLD CHAMPION once, the decision to not able to host the WC amidst security concerns came as a big blow to the cricket lovers all over the country.

Friendly, civilised, active, moderate, happy, glad, easy to approach, judgemental, analytical, strongly patriotic, thinking globally, positive & marching for peace.. People, watch us. We are the real Pakistan. I hope, this WC brings on the world to see us as as we are. The real Pakistanis. The true Pakistan.

GO GREEN GO! and we shall always look forward to stand up, for the champions, I hope, wish & pray! Amen!

The winner's win!

2011-03-05T13:13:00.009+05:00

I am by no means a cricket analyst. Its just the passion of the game that keeps me alive & kicking. So we witness some great matches at ICC WorldCup 2011 where "Cricket turns out to be the real winner" :-)

I heard many a people waiting for PAk VS NZ encounter after Pakistan's win against Srilanka, because Canada, as we all thought was going to be smashed by Pakistan's strong side. So it was all assumed to be a MAJOR vs MINNOW show at Colombo on the 3rd of MArch 2011, but what we witnessed there is something not short of an angina attack to the Pakistani fans.

The decision by the skipper to 'bat-first' amidst such conditions was question of the century. Were we still fearful of our traditional glory to fear "chase-ups". The way the match started, the Pakistani batting was slow, we expected it to rise gradually but instead what happened was fall of wickets one by one and in such a disgraceful manner, we ended up at 184. The whole team bowled out in 43 overs by a team termed "minnow", all thanks to the medium-pacer Harvir Baidwan! The guy seriously needs "pats at back" for what he did. The whole Canadian line-up infact deserves to be congratulated on what they achieved that day. They took us in fear. The fear to lose match against a team we would've otherwise not even cared to watching.

When the first innings ended, I was sure our bowling is going to do wonders. And it did. Although there was a point in the match when Canada were in a very comfy position and we seemed to be on the verge of expecting another upset like the earlier England VS Ireland match. But.. came in Afridi to rescue at just the right time and just the right place. A lion who fierced with fire, to roar against its opponents. Taking a brilliant 5 wickets down for 23. Another record of taking 3 consecutive 4-wickets in a Worldcup, it was certainly Afridi's day.

Although I loved Afridi's performance, and I cheered for Umar akmal, Misbah, Afridi and Wahab Riaz for their tit bits during the match, it was Canada that I really cheered for. To make our win look so damn worthy that otherwise wouldnt have been. although they lost the match, Canadians were the real winners!

To come out as bravely against a team as Pakistan and to put in their extreme efforts speak courageously of their game, that on the other hand raises a lot many questions at .. was the the winners game? The team aiming to win the Worldcup, at the mercy of just a few players to win a match against Canada?

Amidst all the craze,Well done Canada!

Its high time to think. Although the skill, the class and the passion that we are seeing in our team inspite of the recent setbacks of spot-fixing, our unpredictability as a team still remains very certain. As an ardent fan, I will cheer for that green flag always, but I dont want to have that angina turned to a heart attack of dreaming such a performance in the later important games of the Cup. Plz No! No more repetition of WorldCup'99 finals.

We certainly dont expect you to win every time, but Team Green- we want you to fight like the real fighters, come may whatever, make it a team game and win like the real winners.. and what more, we have always .. and we would always love to..
"Stand up. Stand up for the champions"

"Ai Madar-e-Ilmi" - A tribute to My Alma Mater

2011-02-18T12:58:00.003+05:00

FIZZA RAHMAN DEDICATES IT WITH LOVE TO THE PLACE THAT TURNED HER DR. FIZZA RAHMAN. An honour.. truely cherished !!

Always obliged to my alma mater

THE FACULTY OF PHARMACY - KARACHI UNIVERSITY

[PHARM.D 1ST BATCH 2004-2008]

Ai madar-e-ilmi,
Kulliya-e-Pharmacy,
Meri rooh meri zaindagi,
Kulliya-e-Pharmacy !
waqt-e-safar aaN para hai
har student hee pareshan khara hai,
waqt-e-judaai dekhe the pehle,
yeh waqt mgar sab se kaRa hai,
doston ka saath chhoot raha hai,
jo bandhan tha tujh se wo toot raha hai ..

Ai madar-e-ilmi
hum jo bikkhre huay shikasta-pa se bachay thay,
medical ko na paa sakne k dukh mein,
din raat aansu'ON mein sisaktay thay,
hum taqdeer ka haaroN ko,
tu ne zindagi se larna sikhaya,
gir kar uthna ..
uth kar sambhalna sikhaya,
tu ne barh kar hamein jo apne seenay se lagaya
tu ne kitna hamein samjhaya ..
"ghum na karo mere jawano,
tum mehez mehnat se khud ko sanwaro,
mein tumhein nannhay paudo'N ki tarha seeNchooN gi,
aur ek din tumhein aik tanawar darakht dekhoon gi,
aur tum se zindagi phhot'te dekhoongi"
Ai mumta ki chahat jesi be-laus madar-e-ilmi ..
teri falak bos imarat mein guzar gaye yeh mah-o-saal,
guzar gaye meri zindagi k sab se qeemti 5 saal !!
tujh se toh hum ne zindagi ko jeena seekha tha,
choti choti khushyon mein hasna seekha tha,
kabhi "auditorium" mein kharay ho kar
presentations dene se confidence seekha,
kabhi "seminar" k qeemti khazanoN se
ilm k moti jama karne ka hunar jana,
kabhi "post-class-room discussions" se
"respecting everyone's opinion" seekha..
aur teachers k ilm-e-jahandeeda se,
zindagi ki hararat ko notebooks pe utar lia !!

Ai pharmacy..
jab kabhi mausam ne ada'yeN dikhaayeeN
hum jhat teri "thandi sadak" pe aa puhanchay,
atay jatay har rastay per,
buland qehqahay aur dabeez muskurahatein phaila deeN,
kabhi sabir ki canteen se udhaar pe chaye peetay,
aur roz hee "kachorion" ka nashta kartay, "anwar" k khokhay ki ronaq thehray larkay..
hum waqt tolioN ki shakal mein sab "nicotine" bharte..
"raza photostat" pe hamesha hee rush rehta..
naseer bhai paan chabatay mashhaqi se copy karte jate,
rashid bhai aik copy banane mein2ghante laga dete,
heraan pareshan sa magar hamesha hee muskurata taimoor,
sab k complicated bakhaidoN ko asani se samajh jata ..
"dekho yeh page chorna hai aur yeh copy karna hai"
"copy theek na hui toh wapis kar doongi"
"yar pese khatay mein likh de,pehli ko de jaoonga"
haye yeh waqt ..
muskurate huay kaun ab hamein udhaar de ga ??
pharmacy k backlawn mein tennis khelna,
valika mein cricket k daur mein,
naray lagana,khoob mazay urana,
kabhi class bunk kar k teachers se shakal chupate phirna,
proxy lagwane k naye naye bahanay dhoondna,
silgirahon ka ehtamam TS pe karna,
atay jaaty points pe awazein kassna,
har lamha,har deewar,har washroom, har clasroom mein
whito se apne group ka naam likhna ..
har waqt har pose mein tasveerain khinchwana,
sardioN ki subhoN mein,
TS pe parti dhund mein ,
chaye ka garam garan cup hathon mein liye,
aik doosre se guppen marna,
fazool gossips karna,
aur apne group k baray mein kehna ..
"we are the best"
imtahan jo ayen toh TS ka sunsaan hojana,
combines k liye combine hona,
aik notes se 4 logon ka parhna,
aur bagher soye paper dene jana,
parhne se ziada waqt "break" karna,
sara semester waste kar k,
imtehaan ki chand raat pe parhna,
aur agar paper mein format,
subjective ki jaga objective ajaye,
toh bahar nikal k khoob kosnay bakna,
aur taheeya karlena k ..
"aglay semester tameez se parhenge".... !!

Ai pharmacy,
ai hamesha se buland-o-bala rehna wali,
azeem kulliya-e-Pharmacy,
teri muhabbat ne hamein mas'hoor kardia,
hum tujh se juda ho k kese rahenge?
yeh hausla toh hum mein nahin hai ai madar-e-ilmi!!
magar .. hum barh rahe hein agay..
teri azmat k nishaaN dil pe sabt kiye,
hum jarahe hein ..
agay hee agay ..
tere naam ko aur ooncha karne,
hum jayenge agay ..
bus ek guzarish hai madar-e-ilmi..
jab kabhi hum khaak chhantay wapas aa kar,
tujh se milein ..
toh hamare liye ajnabi na ho jana,
hamein wohi protocol dena,
muhabbat se galay lagana, shafqat se pyar karna,
ai madar-e-ilmi ...!!
HUM RAHEIN NA RAHEIN TUM YOOONHI DIL LUBHAANA, HAMARI TARHA KAII AURON KO TUM ZINDAGI SIKHANA,
aansuoN se dhalta hua,
nai umeedonN se sajta hua,
muskurahaton se bassta hua,
AJAB HAI YEH SAMAA AI MADAR-E-ILMI..
ALVIDA, ALVIDA..
ALVIDA AI MADAR-E-ILMI ..
ALVIDA MERI ROOH, MERI ZINDAGI..
ALVIDA KULLIYA-E-PHARMACY !

* tears* !!!

You may turn off the sun, but I am still gonna shine :-)

An insight to my transition..

2011-01-21T12:29:00.000+05:00

There are some triggering factors that can transit you into the same feeling when it first hit you.
One day, as usual amma was in the kitchen, and complained of her eyesight. It happened for few days, and I took it as the routine eyesight problem, till one day when amma, who is neither diabetic, nor hypertensive, all fit & fine again complained that she is having diffculty in seeing things clearly. We took her to various eye clinics for routine checkups, and with every checkup, it sounded more & more confusing. Amma's eyesight was dropping down continously,and within a day her eyes turned blood red.. yes THIS color. I was terrified. We started taking her for checkups at all the best hospitals in karachi. Everybody would name one, and we would go there. All the specialists had one conclusion "Inki surgery hogi" and I couldnt get up with the idea. We didnt even leave a single hospital offering eye speciality. Though it was frightening but I was keeping my cool, until one day we took her to Ibrahim eye hospital, Khokhrapar. I took my bag so that when we'd get free from there, i'll go to uni right from there. I was in my 4th yr. It was the hardest semester of Pharm.D with the most hardest courses in it. We went there at 7 in the morning. Even there all the doctors were still of the same view, that surgery is the last option, since her retina is detaching. Being a Pharmacy student myself, I couldnt resist my temptation to know the exact diagnosis before succumbing to any surgical procedure and providing any specimen for the butcher-doctors community.
While at the hospital, I was standing nearly a metre away from amma, when she called ..fizz where are you! I turned back. I saw her right next to me. I was silent. Amma called again ..fizza,where are you? My heart nearly sank!! I held amma in my arms and told her to sit. We soon left from the hospital. I was to go to university from there. I threw up my bag and books in the car. "Damn my studies. I'm not going anywhere". I came back with mom to home. Everybody insisted over that we should go for the surgery but dad and I wouldnt agree. I told dad, there has to be a reason for it and till I find that, we wont listen to any dumb shit of anyone.

Those were by far the most struggling days of my life. The hardest university semester, and workload of home. Being the only girl child of my home with nanhyal all abroad ,a limited dadhyaal and myself a dheet version of "mujhe ghar k kaam karne mein maza nahin aata", it was very difficult for me. I had to go to uni, come back, do all the household chores, serve the guests (i hated that then),cook, clean and then study at night for final exams. Amma was at bedrest. One of my teacher suggested me to take mom to Dr. Azam Ali at AKUH. When we went there we got to know that Dr. Azam is out of town and will be back in almost 10 days. Dr. Rashid Baig did the initial checkup and was terrified. Mom's eyesight was 1/6. Her eyes were blood red in color and her retina was visibly detaching. Dr. Rashid advised her to be at complete bedrest until dr. Azam came. Even she wasnt allowed to stand for namaz, and advised to lie down at an angle of 45 degrees. Finally, Dr. azam came. Mom had several appointments with Dr. Azam and Dr. Mughees Sheerani (neurologist at AKUH), and in no time they discovered the problem. Mom had VOGT KOYANAGI HARADA SYNDROME (VKH). I never heard about this disease, never read it in our classical pathology books,even my professors were unable to understand it. My mom was the third case of VKH registered at AKUH. The two before her included a doctor and a young 21 yr old boy who lost his eyesight completely. Mom was put up on prednisone 80 mg, for three days continously. In those three days her face became rounded and she gained weight (side effect of corticosteroids). Her prednisone dosage was tapered and narrowed down gradually, alongwith Azathioprin (immunosuppresant) to mediate the immune inflammatory changes. In a week, she started recovering, although her weight increased tremendously. Sad enough, the weight was just a body bulge while the immunosuppresant was itself destroying her immune system. She was recovering from the disease yet getting weaker from inside day by day. I never saw her cry. I even never saw her leaving any of her prayers during the then period. I saw my father standing right next to her as her support. I saw the fear in my elder brothers eyes. It seemed to me like I have suddenly grown up. I have suddenly achieved the womanly adolescence to keep her family united, the maturity to handle things simultaneously.. just like my mom always did. What I couldnt learn in all the years in my life with my mom's sermons, life taught me all that.. in few weeks .. and I learnt them the hard way. Suddenly I was no longer crying for my share of icecreams. Rather I was looking at how, what and when to do things. To get up early and make breakfasts , pack lunches for dad and bro, asking ammi for the verbal helps in cooking... and from the tom boyish, cricket playing fizza.. I became a responsible, elderly fizza :)

It has been four years since then. Mom is still on medications. They have done their part. Cured her but weakened her. Mom has her routine checkups. Both her doctors are very happy for her progress MAshaAllah. They tell its the dua's and the will-power that has kept her strong. She loves cooking. Firstly she used to do it just for the three of the children. Now she does it for the bahu's and the pota's as well mashaAllah. We are happy to see her back to life.

When I think about that time, I shiver! It gives me goose-bumps. But I couldnt stand the fact that I thank Allah, for all the blissful Mercies He does. Man is nothing. Life is mortal and inspite of all the difficulties, all the problems.. We have to move on .. to find our destiny. The quest for life should never end. If Allah provides you with difficulties, He will provide you with ease as well. The point is ..not to stop, not to complain and move on with the faith!

Thank You Allah! And thank you amma, for being such a wonderful mother, such a sign of sooper inspiration of courage & strength to me. Mom, I am a successful working girl & a perfect sugghar larki.. and I surely take your attributes in me.. PROUDLY! :)

P.S: VKH is an autoimmune disorder affecting nervous system especially the eyes with uveitis, retinal detachment and meningeal irritation.